Triumphing Together Through Truth

Good morning Church!

Announcements:

Two weeks into our Fellowship Groups & I am hearing good things!!

If you want to be a part of next months fellowship groups, be sure and get your name into the box by the back door before the last Sunday of this month!

Praise Reports:

Revival

Prayer Requests:

Tithes

Children’s Church

Doxology:

This is my Bible. It is God’s Holy Word. It is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide its words within my heart that I might not sin against God! Amen!!!

Open Bibles To: John 8:28-32

I know we have been talking about unity for several weeks now, but this Sunday, unless God changes things up on me, will be our last Sunday focusing on the concept of unity. Next week, we will move on to our next letter of the acronym. I am not going to tell you which letter that will be, so if you want to find out, you will have to be here!

John 8:28–32 NKJV

28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” 30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. 31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Context

I have not announced it, but as we have walked through the topic of unity, we have been following another acronym. I have used the word “Unity” itself as an acronym to help navigate through this concept:

U - Universe

N - Nature

I - Initiative

T - Truth

Y - Yielding

Today, we are going to combine the last two letters of T & Y into one message and talk about the how “Truth” unifies believers together, so that they might function as one.

Content

Truth Is Factual (v. 28)

Christ is the “I AM”.

The Gospel according to John (King James Version) B. Jesus Walks on Water: The Deliverance from Fear, 6:16–21

⇒ I Am the Messiah (Jn. 4:26).

⇒ I Am (It is I); be not afraid (Jn. 6:20).

⇒ I Am the Bread of Life (Jn. 6:35).

⇒ I Am from Above (Jn. 8:23).

⇒ I Am the Light of the World (Jn. 8:12; 9:5; 12:46).

⇒ I Am before Abraham was, I am (eternal) (Jn. 8:58).

⇒ I Am the Door (Jn. 10:7).

⇒ I Am the Good Shepherd (Jn. 10:14).

⇒ I Am the Son of God (Jn. 10:36).

⇒ I Am the Resurrection and Life (Jn. 11:25).

⇒ I Am the Lord and Master (Jn. 13:13).

⇒ I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn. 14:6).

⇒ I Am the True Vine (Jn. 15:1).

⇒ I Am Alpha and Omega (Re. 1:8).

⇒ I Am the First and the Last (Re. 1:17).

I am He:

Who fashioned the worlds.

Who set things in motion.

who is the lion of the tribe of Judah.

who was born of a virgin.

whom God has sent.

who is the Prince of Peace.

who has come to take away the sin of the world.

who has come to establish the Kingdom of God.

who was, and is, and is to come.

who is eternal.

who come to show a better way.

who will walk with you in the midst of the storm.

who will pray for you that Satan will not sift you like flour.

who sits at the right hand of God making intercession for you.

who sent the Spirit to be the your interpreter and guide.

who will stand with you at judgment.

I AM HE!!!

If you believe in Jesus say Amen!

If you believe He is the great I AM, say AMEN!

We must believe in Jesus!!

In the words of Pontius Pilate, prefect of Rome during Jesus’ time, “What is truth?”

John 14:6 NKJV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 1:1 NKJV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 NKJV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Psalm 119:160 NKJV

160 The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

John 17:17 NKJV

17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Jesus is God’s Word, and God’s Word is truth!

When something is considered truthful, concrete, unmistakable, it is also considered to be trustworthy and faithful. Truth is absolute, and it never changes. Therefore, you can count on it.

Psalm 119:89 NKJV

89 Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.

1 Peter 1:23–25 ESV

23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

God’s Word is trustworthy. It will always remain. It will abide forever.

Truth Is Foundational (v. 31)

1 Corinthians 3:11 NKJV

11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Because the truth is factual and trustworthy, it also becomes foundational in our lives.

Truth provides a foundation on which all things exist. Everything stems from truth:

Our words are built upon truth.

Our actions are built upon truth.

Our thoughts are built upon truth.

Our relationships are built upon truth.

Our beliefs are built upon truth.

Truth is the foundation on which all things are built.

Truth is not only foundational but it is final. It goes full circle. We start with truth and end with truth. Anytime we deviate from it, bad things happen.

This how we get so many half-truths. Someone starts with the truth, but somewhere along the way they tweak it to fit their own situation. Something is grounded in the truth, but then gets so bent out of shape along the way that it doesn’t even resemble truth anymore.

Let me give you a few examples:

Bearing one another’s burdens turns into gossip central.

Faithful living turns into self-righteousness.

The lady at the temple gave two pennies, so I don’t have to tithe or give much to the church.

Jesus got angry and flipped over tables, so its ok for me to be angry too.

If we don’t start and end with truth, we end up sinning against God and our neighbors.

Since we all have the same foundation, this should bring us all together into one mind and one accord, as the scriptures say.

When we stop making up truth and simply believe and trust in the truth that has already been established, then and only then will the Church be faithful.

When we all agree to let God’s Word be the foundation on which we operate in our daily lives, then we will experience true unity.

Truth Is To Be Followed (v. 31)

1 John 2:3–6 NKJV

3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Obeying God’s Word cannot be optional for the believer.

It is not obeyed out of fear, but out of love. It is done as we humbly try to show Christ to this world, as someone once showed Christ to us.

As you and I both follow the truth of God’s Word, we are united in Christ. We use Christ as our foundation and build thereon through the guidance of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

1 John 3:16–19 NKJV

16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.

John 8:32 ESV

32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

The truth frees us from ourselves.

It frees us from the throne of our own lives.

It frees us from living in sin.

It frees us from dwelling in fear.

If frees us from working our way to heaven.

It frees us from trying to please everyone.

It frees us from wondering whether we are good enough.

It frees us from pride.

It frees us from the hold of Satan.

It frees us from judgment and hell.

It frees us up to have peace.

It frees us up to have love.

It frees us up to have joy.

It frees us up to have faith.

The truth will set you free!!!

Commitment

To function as one, we must believe as one. As we are unified in God’s Word, it brings us together so that we may function as one, without strife, jealousy, gossip, hatred, anxiety or fear.

We move as one; we act as one; we think as one; we love as one; we serve as one; we talk as one; we believe as one; we pray as one; we grow as one.

If we are going to truly build TEMPO, we must be united in Christ!

We must be willing to set aside pride & selfishness. We must not be self-centered, and inwardly focused. We must be outwardly focused and operate out of love.

The desire of our hearts, must be to glorify the heavenly Father by serving together to expand the Kingdom.

If we are to do these things, we must acknowledge His Word as Truth, and determine our hearts to live it out in our lives, no matter what. It cannot be optional.

As we show a willingness to change and be different, others will see Christ in us. The kingdom of God will be blessed, and God will be pleased!