“THE GOD IS”
SERIES
GOD IS TRUTH
Pastor Mike Barnett ~ November 9, 2008
John 18:28-40
(pg. 767) says:
28Then the
Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was
early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the
palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29So Pilate came out to
them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"
30"If he
were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him
over to you."
31Pilate said,
"Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law."
"But we
have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected. 32This happened so
that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to
die would be fulfilled.
33Pilate then
went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the
king of the Jews?"
34"Is
that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about
me?"
35"Am I a
Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who
handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"
36Jesus said,
"My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to
prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
37"You
are a king, then!" said Pilate.
Jesus answered, "You are right in
saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came
into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens
to me."
38"What
is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said,
"I find no basis for a charge against him. 39But it is your custom for me
to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to
release 'the king of the Jews'?"
40They shouted
back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in
a rebellion.
· In John 18:38, Pilate asked, “What is truth?” Man is
constantly searching for truth, but in sources other than God.
· Jesus said, “I am the truth,” but man was suppressed the
truth in his unrighteousness.
John 14:6
says:
6Jesus
answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me”.
Psalm 31:5
says:
5 Into your
hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.
Truth: The
sate of being the case: fact: the body of real things, events and facts:
Actuality: a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality. Webster’s
OBSERVATIONS
ABOUT THE TRUTH:
1) TRUTH DOES
NOT COME FROM THE (PHYSICAL) WORLD WE LIVE IN AND IT IS NOT PERCEIVED THROUGH
THE FIVE (SENSES) ALONE.
Romans 1:18-32
(pg. 796) says:
18The wrath of
God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of
men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about
God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the
creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine
nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so
that men are without excuse.
21For although
they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but
their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although
they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the
immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and
reptiles.
24Therefore
God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for
the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of
God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the
Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of
this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural
relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural
relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed
indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for
their perversion.
28Furthermore,
since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave
them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have
become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They
are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,
30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of
doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless,
heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who
do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things
but also approve of those who practice them.
· When a person comes to Jesus, his quest for the truth ends
and freedom begins.
· Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall
make you free”.
2. ALL TRUTH
COMES FROM GOD WHO IS (SPIRIT).
John 4:22-24
(pg. 753) says:
22You
Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for
salvation is from the Jews. 23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the
true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the
kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must
worship in spirit and in truth."
John 16:12-15
(pg. 765) says:
12"I have
much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit
of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his
own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to
come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it
known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the
Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
3. LIES COME
FROM THE FLESH, THE (WORLD) AND THE DEVIL (THE FATHER OF LIES).
John 8:30-59
(pg. 758) says:
31To the Jews
who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are
really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you
free."
33They
answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants[a] and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that
we shall be set free?"
34Jesus
replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35Now
a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.
36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37I know you are
Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room
for my word. 38I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and
you do what you have heard from your father.[b]"
39"Abraham
is our father," they answered.
"If you
were Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then you would[c] do the things Abraham did. 40As it is, you are determined
to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did
not do such things. 41You are doing the things your own father does."
"We are not illegitimate
children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God
himself."
42Jesus said to
them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and
now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43Why is my language
not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44You belong to
your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. 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. 45Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46Can
any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you
believe me? 47He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not
hear is that you do not belong to God."
49"I am
not possessed by a demon," said Jesus, "but I honor my Father and you
dishonor me. 50I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks
it, and he is the judge. 51I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he
will never see death."
52At this the
Jews exclaimed, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died
and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will
never taste death. 53Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so
did the prophets. Who do you think you are?"
54Jesus
replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you
claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55Though you do not know him, I
know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him
and keep his word. 56Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my
day; he saw it and was glad."
57"You
are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have
seen Abraham!"
58"I tell
you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
59At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping
away from the temple grounds.
4. GOD, HOLY
SPIRIT AND __________(JESUS) ____________(CHRIST) CANNOT LIE BECAUSE THEY ARE
____________(TRUTH).
Psalm 31:5
says:
5 Into your
hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.
Titus 1:2
says:
2a faith and
knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie,
promised before the beginning of time.
God does not
lie
John 14:6
says:
6Jesus
answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me”.
One of Jesus’
favorite phrases is, “I tell you the truth”.
Example:
A. Water (h2o)
is liquid
B. Water (h2o)
is gas
C. Water (h2o)
is solid
A. God is
Jesus
B. God is the
Holt Spirit
C. God is Abba
Father
5. THE (WORD)
OF GOD IS TRUTH.
John 1:14
says:
14The Word
became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory
of the One and Only,[a] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 17:15-20
says:
15My prayer is
not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil
one. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17Sanctify[a] them by the truth; your word is truth. 18As you sent me
into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19For them I sanctify myself,
that they too may be truly sanctified.
6. READING
OR HEARING THE WORD CASUALLY IS NOT
ENOUGH – THE WORD MUST GET (SATURATED) INTO YOUR (SOUL) THROUGH (MEDITATATION).
Psalm 119 (pg.
436) says:
9 How can a
young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
10 I seek you
with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have
hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
12 Praise be
to you, O LORD;
teach me your decrees.
13 With my
lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
14 I rejoice
in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
15 I meditate
on your precepts
and consider your ways.
16 I delight
in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.
BARRIERS TO
TRUTH (GOD):
1. Too (busy)
to be (exposed) to the truth (God).
2. Too (tired)
to (acknowledge) the truth (God).
2. Too (proud)
to (listen) to the truth (God).
John 3:32
says:
32He testifies
to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.
3. Too
(independent) to (apply) the truth (God).
4. Too
(deceived) by (lies) to (recognize) the truth (God).
5. Too
(stuck) in old (ruts) to reach for the truth (God).
THE LIES WE
BELIEVE:
1. I am
inferior or not good enough for God or others to love me.
2. Others are
not good enough for me to love or forgive them.
3. I married
the wrong person.
4. What
happened should not have happened.
5. I will
never get over this pain or disappointment.
6. I am too
young or too old to ….
7. Things will
never change.
8. This is my
only option.
A GAME PLAN TO
RECIEVE AND LIVE BY TRUTH:
1. SPEND TIME
IN THE (QUIET) BEING (SILENT) AND STILL ENOUGH SO TRUTH CAN SPEAK TO YOU – YOU
WILL ALWAYS HEAR THE (LOUDEST) VOICE AND GOD LIKES TO (WHISPER) WITHIN THE
DEPTHS OF YOUR SOUL.
Psalm 46:10
says:
10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
2. (COMPARE)
YOUR THOUGHTS, WORDS, EMOTIONS AND ACTIONS TO THE TRUTH IN GOD’S WORD TO SEE IF
WHAT YOU ARE THINKING AND FEELING (MATCHES) GOD’S WORD (TRUTH).
3. ASK MATURE
CHRISTIANS FOR THEIR (ADVICE) BEFORE MAKING A DECISION OUT OF DESPERATION AND
(LISTEN) TO WHAT THEY SAY EVEN IT IS NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR.
Proverbs15:20-25
says:
20 A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish man despises his mother.
21 Folly
delights a man who lacks judgment,
but a man of understanding keeps a
straight course.
22 Plans fail
for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.
23 A man finds
joy in giving an apt reply—
and how good is a timely word!
24 The path of
life leads upward for the wise
to keep him from going down to the grave. [a]
25 The LORD
tears down the proud man's house
but he keeps the widow's boundaries
intact.
4. (PRAY) FOR
AND (AFFIRM) THAT GOD’S DEVINE WISDOM AND TRUTH GUIDES YOU IN ALL YOUR WAYS!
James 1:5-8
says:
5If any of you
lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding
fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not
doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the
wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is
a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
5. PATIENTLY
(WAIT) FOR TRUTH TO COME INTO YOUR LIFE WITH (EXPECTANCY).
Isaiah 40:27-31
says:
27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and complain, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God"?
28 Do you not
know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives
strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths
grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those
who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
6. PROACTIVELY
(CLOTHE) YOURSELF IN THE TRUTH YOU KNOW TODAY IN GOD’S WORD BY THINKING,
SPEAKING AND LIVING IT.
Ephesians 6
says 10-20 (pg. 829):
10Finally, be
strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so
that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For 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. 13Therefore 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. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled
around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your
feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In
addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can
extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And 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 saints.
19Pray also
for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will
fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador
in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.