Filled With Truth

Illustration: What movie that you have seen recently that has asked you to believe something unbelievable? What movie would you say that demands you suspend disbelief in order to keep watching? For me, one of the most ridiculous scenes in a movie was on Fast and Furious 7. It was in a scene where one sleek, expensive, sport’s car “jumped” from one skyscraper to another. The driver went through strengthened glass, steel studs, and other building materials to fly into the air and crash into another set of glass, studs, etc. with hardly any damage. The passenger said, “Cars don’t fly!” (Real damage didn’t show until they jumped into a third building).

This scene is not consistent with reality. There is no way that a normal exotic sports car can crash through walls at high speeds without any damage. In order to continue to watch the movie, you have to suspend your disbelief and consider this to be “real” for the sake of the movie.

This same idea—a willingness to suspend disbelief and embrace an illusion—is at the core of the devil’s tactics to keep you bound and oppressed.

Thankfully, Jesus came to set the captive free and bring us into the glorious liberty of the children of God (Luke 4:18, Romans 8:21).

Luke 11:20–28 NKJV

20 But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. 22 But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. 23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. 24 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” 27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” 28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

There were a group of people who were questioning and even challenging Jesus after He delivered a man from a demon who had made him mute. This text includes Jesus’ response and offers some important insights for living a life of freedom.

Once you experience God’s power to set you free, you need to fill the house. An empty house is an invitation for bondage.

Jesus said that when a demon is expelled, after a while, it will try to come back. If it comes back and the house is clean, but empty, that demon will go get more demons and work to move back in.

In Christ we have freedom. When we confess our sins, God forgives us and cleanses us (1 John 1:9). But if we do not fill the house with someone or something greater than the thing which held us in bondage before we will find ourselves experiencing greater oppression than before.

In His response to the woman in the crowd, Jesus offers us one critical area that we need to focus on in order to live in freedom and blessing: hearing the word of God and keeping it.

What is Truth?

Jesus reorients the conversation away from what the devil is doing (or trying to do) to what we need to do in response to the goodness of God.

He focuses us on the word of God. Specifically in listening to and hearing the word of God. We know we have heard God’s word when we keep it. Hearing leads to obedience (cf. Romans 1:5, 16:26).

Why would Jesus give this answer? Why is it so critical that we hear, and obey, God’s word?

To answer that, let’s look at a conversation betwen Pontius Pilate and Jesus. Pilate asks Jesus if He is a king.

John 18:36–38 NKJV

36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” 38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.”

Jesus straight up tells Pilate that He is a king, but His kingdom is not of this world. And then He gives the reason He came into the world: to bear witness to the truth.

God desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:2).

Jesus then said that everyone who loves the truth, or cares for the truth, or is a friend of the truth hears His voice. Those who desire the truth are the ones who listen to and respond to Him. Those who do not desire truth, reject the truth and embrace lies (cf John 8:44).

We’ll look at that in a moment

What, then, is truth?

The Greek word that Jesus used for truth “denotes what is seen, indicated, expressed, or disclosed, i.e., a thing as it really is, not as it is concealed or falsified…it is ‘the real state of affairs’” (TDNTA, 38).

In other words, truth is that which corresponds to reality.

I like how John Mark Comer defines reality as being “what you run into when you’re wrong.”

Truth is reality. Lies are an illusion, pretending to reality.

The words of Jesus are the words of reality. He is Truth and His words are truth (John 14:6). His words are Spirit and life that produce good things when they are followed (John 6:63).

John 8:32 NKJV

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Jesus is telling us that if we want to remain free, we need to exchange the lie for the truth (cf. Romans 1:25).

Are humans primarily rational creatures? According to the enlightenment, the answer is yes. But according to reality, humans are relational, and emotional. We are driven more by story than by fact. While we have the capacity to be rational, our default response to our life and experiences are is not rational thought.

It is easy to manipulate us and move us from the truth. All we need to do is be presented with an interpretation of data that causes us to suspend disbelief and embrace an illusion.

Jesus declared that we can know the truth, by faith. The secular lie is that ideas like God, good, and evil can’t be known. Therefore there is a push against truth towards science (observations about reality based on experiments), math, data. This leads to a form of moral relativism in which truth is unique to each person and easily directed by great story tellers pulling on our emotions.

People of the Lie

I have yet to read it, but there is a book called The People of the Lie. The title is a fitting one for everyone who is not living according to reality.

The Apostle Paul offers us a glimpse into why people live in bondage and why we need the truth.

Romans 1:18–25 NKJV

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Notice the language here:

Ungodly and unrighteous men suppress the truth in unrighteousness

They knew God but did not glorify Him as God. Instead they began to have foolish thoughts and ideas about God resulting in misguided hearts and dark and confused minds (see NLT, MSG, TPT, AMP).

They declared themselves wise, but became fools. They made God to be according to their image.

They worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator…because they exchanged the truth of God for the lie.

The Apostle Paul continues and elaborates on how their thought life determined their condition in life.

Romans 1:28–30 NLT

28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.

The way you think about God will influence what you think about yourself and how you will live.

According to Dallas Willard, ideas are “assumptions about reality” that are working theories, usually confirmed with experiences or some type of evidence, about how life actually works.

Do the ideas you have about God correspond to reality?

Do the ideas you have about the the meaning of life correspond to reality?

What about relationships, or sexuality, or humanity?

Are your ideas of the good life consistent with truth?

The greatest threat to our freedom is not that we believe lives but that we live them.

Furnish Your House

The devil, whom Jesus calls the father of lies, desires nothing more than to bring you into bondage by enticing you to embrace lies (John 8:44).

One way to think about temptation is to see all temptation as the appeal to believe a lie, to believe an illusion about reality. — John Mark Comer

The way we overcome the lies of the devil is through faith in God.

1 John 5:4 NKJV

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

Faith is viewing reality according to the truth of God and the message of Jesus. It’s based on knowledge grounded in reality. (see Hebrews 11:1-3).

The way that we grow in faith is by hearing God’s word (Romans 10:17).

Obeying the truth brings purity to our souls and accesses the new life Christ promised us (1 Peter 1:22-23).

We use our faith and the word of God to tear down lies, warped thoughts, lofty opinions, arguments, theories, and reasonings that are contrary to reality as God presents it (2 Corinthians 10:3-5, see also Revelation 12:11).

Conclusion

Come to Christ and be made free.

Furnish your house with truth if you want to stay free.

How much time are you spending in God’s word and listening to His explanation of reality? How much time are you listening to some other source?

Do your thoughts correspond to reality? Only the ideas that you believe in have power.

If you want to live the good life and have an accurate map of reality, you need to renew your mind, reject the illusion of the lie, and embrace the truth (cf. Romans 12:1-2).

The Truth will not only set you free, He will keep you free!

Pray