"BE FAITHFUL TO THE TRUTH"

Illustration:

The late Roy L. Smith of the United Methodist Church told a powerful story of a dear, aging couple who lived in the Great Lakes area. There were no close neighbors, and the Smiths agonized over their situation. During a family conference, it was decided to invite the isolated couple to come and live out their days with them. The Smiths went by boat to the little island where the couple lived. Following pleasantries, Dr. Smith adroitly reviewed their concern, and extended a gracious invitation.Addressing his wife, the old man said, “Of course we cannot accept the invitation, can we, dear?”Smith rephrased and reiterated their desire to afford them more security. Whereupon the couple, arm in arm, led the Smiths down a narrow but neat path that led to a beautifully tended little plot of green grass. There was a mound and a white cross. From the depth of his soul, the husband, putting his arm around his wife, said, “We can’t leave our island home, for you see we lost a son here.”Whatever life may bring, God will not leave us on this floating island called Earth, because He, too, lost a Son here! (See Jer. 29:4–14; John 14:18).

LET US PRAY

Please pray with me that “The Lord God will give me the tongue of those who are well-instructed to know how to sustain the weary with a word. Let Him awakens me each morning; Let Him awakens my ear to listen like those being instructed.” -AMEN

Let us pray for our Deacons, Deaconesses and Pastor against all kinds of greed and falsehood

The Fight Against Falsehood

The Prophet Jeremiah was fighting an uphill batter against false prophets filling the people of God with false hope, false peace and saying “God said” everything is going to be okay to those who despise God. Even to people who follow their own ways and had no regard for God, the false prophets promise “No harm will come to you” This broke Jeremiah’s heart because he known the “Truth” he stood in the council of Lord and heard His Word.

Falsehood objective- draw you away from God and create a false sense of peace and security.

-To make God’s people forget the Name of God.

FORGETFULNESS

To forget God implies knowledge of other gods (Ezek 23:35) Not to forget means keeping the knowledge of something at the forefront of one’s mind, such as remembering and obeying a command (Prov 4:5).

Jesus also fought against the falsehood when He said the in John 10:10 “A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.”

The early believes also fought against falsehood in the church, false dreamers, false prophets, and false teachers and today, the fight continues.

Every believer of the Lord Jesus Christ most fight against falsehood within themselves, their family, their church and the society.

How? - By wearing the BELT of Truth supply by God Himself. The first piece of the “full armor of God” according to the Apostle Paul in Eph. 6:10-17

The Word God is Truth

HOW BIG IS THE GOD YOU WORSHIP?

In our text for today, God asked three rhetorical questions that revealed the character of God AND His vastness:

1. Am I only a God nearby, and not a God far away?

2. Who can hide in secret places so that I can not see them?

3. Do not I fill the heaven and earth?

These three questions speaks to God’s transcendence (superiority), His omniscience (the all knowing), His omnipresence (present everywhere)

The psalmist put it this way in Psalm 139:7-12 “Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night” - even the darkness is not dark to you. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to you.”

Pastor, Deacons, Deaconess and members of St. James Baptist Church How big is the God you worship? Does He know what you’re going through these days, does He even care about the situations in your lives? the state of your nation? Does He see the false dreamers, the teachers, and experts of times? who minimized God and the things of God, who lower the standard of God? YES, your God sees and He hears so “BE FAITHFUL TO THE TRUST” to which you have be called for such a time like these.

The Chaff And The Grain

What does straw | chaff | junk- has to do with grain? - straw couldn’t satisfy physical hungry as the false prophets dream could not meet the people spiritual needs.

On the other hand, God’s Word faithfully speaken in truth is like a grain represents - substance, nourishment, life-giving and has the power of multiplication for generations to come after you leave this floating earth.

Don’t get discourage and distracted by the prosperity gospel of times, Be faithful hearers and dos of the Word of God not on feelings.

I admonish you my dear Brothers and Sisters, Mothers and Fathers, young men and young women and follower believers in Christ with

2 Timothy 2:15

“ Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.”

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV 1900

15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Be faithful, Be diligent, Be authentic to what God has intrusted in you for the time is coming when nothing hidden will not be expose, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Luke 12:3

FIRE AND HAMMER

Finally, the Word of God is liking to fire and hammer - two elements any good parents will not want their young children to play with.

-God’s Word is consuming, purifying and penetrating as fire.

-God’s Word can warm and comfort like fire

-God’s Word can burn and cause pain like fire

God’s Word is as powerful as a hammer- that can build and break

-The Word of God is a powerful hammer that can break every rock and strong situation in our lives. Nothing can prevent God’s Word from being fulfilled.

Isaiah 55:11 “So my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.”

My dear friends, “Be faithful to the Truth” the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (the living word) and to the ministry each of you have being called with the help of the Holy Spirit teaching you how to strike every rock with mighty power of the HAMMER.