True or False
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Text: Eph. 6:10-18 & John 18:28-38
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”
“If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”
Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.
Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.
In our day today we have to ensure what news is fake and what news is false. When reading news we have to ensure that it is from a reputable source. There are those who conjure up stories to gain or make fools of others in order to gain favor.
We deal with fake calls, email scams. serial cheaters, dishonesty in the workplace, bullies and social media trolls to name a few.
Jesus said this of Satan
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
We need to make time and take inventory of our actions and choices. We need to learn humility or else we will fall into the traps of the enemy and be deceived by the emperor of lies.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
This morning we are going to consider what is true and what is false. How must we overcome truth? What is truth?
I want to draw your attention to the belt of truth. While looking at the belt I would like you to ask yourself is your waist girded in truth?
The Belt:
There are a number of things to note that is of great importance in the armor of God.
We don’t consider the belt to be of importance but this morning I want to remind you that it is of the greatest importance in your armor.
The belt is the first item of the Roman soldiers equipment
It is not seen as a piece of armor at all -the belt is a central function vital to most of the soldiers armor and weapons.
Soldier’s attire:
Tunic - a shirt like garment draped from shoulder to knee
over the tunic wore metal torso armor and long - protective leather straps that hung from his waist to lower thighs with loops and slots that clamped over these items.
From it hung :
sword
rope
ration sack
money sack
darts
everything a soldier needed for hand to hand combat and it was right at his fingertips
when running a soldier would lift up his tunic and tuck it into his belt for speed and to maneuver well.
this is known as girding their loins
the belt had no offensive function and wasn’t known as a weapon technically but it is an essential piece of equipment that holds everything else together
The Belt is known as the belt of truth
Truth is what fits us for life
Truth holds everything together and makes us ready
when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
When we know the truth and live the truth we can access our weapons quickly and confidently without fear that anything that is out of place in our lives.
Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.
Truth give us courage to stand against our enemy
Truth should be our primary concern, why?
Because Satan’s major attacks are falsehood and deception. He is the great deceiver.
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
So as followers of Christ we must stand in truth and never speak from our own resources. Speaking truth is not always comfortable. But it is always right.
Do no be afraid to stand for truth.
What is Truth?
What is Truth?
“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.
we don’t know if Pilate’s question was a serious inquiry or a sarcastic expression
minutes later he turned Jesus over to an angry mob to be crucified
RC Sproul wrote this:
“Pilate judged the truth sentenced the truth. He scouraged the truth. He mocked the truth. He crucified the truth.
The irony is that at the very moment he asked his question, “What is truth?” he was staring at the pure incarnation of Truth. The One who is the Truth had just said to him, “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
In March 2017 Time magazine’s cover asked this question “Is Truth Dead?”
50 years earlier there was another cover asking the same question “Is God dead?”
This world asks these questions many years a part and many are still seeking the truth?
This morning we need to realize our relationship has been built on truth. Our lives as Christians cemented on a firm foundation Truth which is God!
Brett McCracken noted, “These two covers, 50 years apart, tell an important story. Without God as an ultimate standard of truth, without ‘objective’ truth that is the same for everyone, all we have are ‘truths’ as interpreted by individuals”.
Truth is found in God the Great I AM.
The philospohical search for truth ends with God Himself.
Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and condemned to prison according to Gen. 39
He knew the truth of his innocence and God knew His innocence.
So in the face of lies, Joseph committed himself to the truth of God and his faith was vindicated ---- He looked up!
Ray Hinton served 30 years in a prison in Alabama on death row for murders he did not commit.
He was falsely accused, falsely in prison turned down over and over in appeal court.
Anthony kept the faith in God and believed He knew the truth.
He was eventually exonerated and released from prison in 2015.
He wrote a book called “The Sun does shine - How I found life and freedom on death row”.
When you’ve got nothing left but God
You’ve got enough to start again
How do you live under the weight of a lie when you know the truth?
When we think God is saying no to us, or we may think that God has forgotten us remember God is with us.
For Anthony Hinton he learned this:
“I had to somehow find that faith and reach deep down in my soul and believe in the teach- ing that my mother taught me as a young boy, that God can do everything but fail. He sits high, and he looks low. That’s how I really survived that 30 years of pure hell. . . .”
He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is he.
God knows the anwer to Pilate’s question. We may not understand or recognize God’s ways our calling is to TRUST the God of truth.
Let’s backtrack a bit:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
In the beginning God - the ultimate reality was defined. God is the self existent one. He is the creator of all that exists. All truth is God’.
The Bible refers to God as truth several times. We see the trinity clearly defined throughout scripture in this manner.
The Father is the Truth
The Father is the Truth
Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.
Whoever invokes a blessing in the land
will do so by the one true God;
whoever takes an oath in the land
will swear by the one true God.
For the past troubles will be forgotten
and hidden from my eyes.
The Son - Jesus Christ - full of Grace & Truth
The Son - Jesus Christ - full of Grace & Truth
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus is
the communicator of truth
the origin of truth
preacher of truth
He is the truth embodied
He is the final revelation of God to man
Truth is not a system or a philosphy it is a person.
If you want to know the truth of God you must know Christ because He alone is truth.
The Holy Spirit is also Truth
The Holy Spirit is also Truth
“But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.
And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross—not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony.
Truth is not some out of this world idea, flexible concept or theory of assumptions. Truth is solid, clearly defined, unalterable entity.
It is a triune God who is not open to re-evaluation or redefinition.
We need to Seek Truth
We need to Seek Truth
We must stand as truth tellers in a world of falsehood.
We must equip ourselves with the belt of truth and be ready for combat. Ready to combat deception.
Meditate on God’s word
Let the insolent be put to shame,
because they have wronged me with falsehood;
as for me, I will meditate on your precepts.
How can we do battle with the enemy if we are not clothed in truth?
To do battle with the enemy the believer needs to know truth about Christ and the truth that is in His Word.
Study the Truth
Study the Truth
- know what you believe and why. Know Biblical truth and doctrine. Equip your mind for battle. Strengthen your soul with Bible knowledge. To seek truth diligently search scriptures.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Submit to Truth
Submit to Truth
- I am who I am, I am who I am - this does not mean I am whoever you want me to be. We often try to reshape God according to our preferences.
Do we think our idea of God is better than who He actually is?
God is simply God
He has not changed and never will.
God desired to change us into His image we don’t have the authority or ability to change God.
We are called to submit to the truth found in God.
Speak Truth
Speak Truth
- to overcome lies or falsehood speak truth. Our society has put a “Spin “ on truth where we like o justify not telling the truth or put a spin on it, trying to make it more politically correct or less offensive.
Spin is nothing short of lying.
There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
The Lord detests lying lips,
but he delights in those who tell the truth.
These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord.
Once a lie is out there it takes on a life of its own.
Choose your words wisely
Watch what you say even if effects can be stopped and revenged once you get that reputation as a liar you carry that damage with you forever!
Be bold in speaking the truth.
Think about what you say when being honest to a friend speak it in love but be helpful. Don’t set out to damage or destroy.
An open rebuke
is better than hidden love!
Wounds from a sincere friend
are better than many kisses from an enemy.
Speak truth lovingly.
Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
Illus:
A fourth-grade teacher recovering from surgery received a get-well card from her class. It read, “Dear Mrs. Fisher, your fourth-grade class wishes you a speedy recovery by a vote of 15 to 14.”
Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
Words clothed in love. Truth delivered harshly, judgementally or unsympathically or without knowing all the facts won’t be received or heard or appreciated.
Live truth
Live truth
Jesus lived truth and when they came to arrest him, He aske which of you convicts me of sin?
Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?
No body said a word. He had no legitimate reason to convict. He was who He claimed to be.
When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”
How did he know?
He watched Jesus die as He lived - living truth
We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.”
the thief knew it was true
even under great stress Christ exhibited truth
I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.
walk in truth
live out the Biblical tennants of faith
walk the walk that matches the talk
Conclusion:
Be honest to God about where you really are in life and in your walk with God.
Be honest
vulnerable
opened
truthful
no fear
God desires us to be who not carrying around shame and secrets living a double life
Be real before Him
Ask the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin and lead us in righteousness.
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
David prayed this because he realized that sin in his life could make him unfit for responsibility he had been given. He wanted God to shine the light of truth into his life. He asked God to identify any wickedness in his life that may lead him down a different path.
He was REPENTENT
Repentance is Key
we need to correct the way we are living and thinking. It opens the door to walk into a new life. When you do God SHUTS the door on mistakes and sins of the past. We learn from them and transform.
Repentance is a lifelong process. We need to align ourselfs to God’s purposes.
Every turn moves us clower to where we want to be. We need to face up to our sin and face it down through confession and repentence and overcome and live the truth.
Billy Graham was one of the greatest evangelists in our time. He brought millions of people to Christ . He was a great megaphone of truth and it was a great loss when he died. It is a void now left in our society for a megaphone of truth. Who will fill it?
Will you stand for truth?
Our challenge is turn up the volume and shout truth to continue to show others to Jesus who is the source of all truth.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Search me Oh God