Category: Truth
Subject: Truth
Sermon: Remember!
Memories help us to avoid mistakes of the past, appreciate the present, and hope in the future!
The Thessalonian Example
The apostle Paul obviously considered the church in Thessalonica to be a faithful congregation. “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-4). They had received the gospel of the Lord from Paul and others, and through their obedience to it had become “examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe” (1:7).
The concept of faithfulness is married to an acceptance of truth, coupled with an effort to conform to it. Consider Paul’s description of the Christians in Thessalonica, “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. 14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus” (1:13-14).
Sermon: Mercy and Truth Meet
The terms Mercy and Truth are coupled often in scripture. One without the other leads to extremes that are indefensible. When they meet together, they save the lost and preserve the faithful!
Sermon: Healing on the Sabbath Day
Jesus’ questions to the Pharisees in our text reveal two important points. We must always handle the word of truth with honesty, and our appeal to God’s word must never be an excuse to ignore the suffering of men.
Sermon: God Breathed
Most are ignorant of God’s word, and its great importance. The concept of inspiration demands a knowledge of, and respect for God’s law.
Sermon: Those Noble Bereans
The Bereans were noble because they kept OPEN minds, OPEN Bibles and OPEN Schedules. We need to emulate them.
Contending for the Faith
The United States is among the most tolerant and permissive of societies. Yet it is a society that is extremely intolerant of a very few things. One example of intolerance is with regard to “political correctness.” There are certain attitudes and ideas, which if expressed, lead to the ruin of public reputations and careers. Often those who rush to condemn these attitudes, (what they call “hate speech”), are the same ones who clamor over the right to freedom of expression. This is incongruous, but is nevertheless a rather prominent feature of our day.
This is also true in religion. These permissive influences claim that all religions have worth and that religious criticism is a form of that “hate speech.” Pleas for toleration have led many to the irrational claim that all these terrorist attacks by Muslim fundamentalists had “nothing to do with religion.” They ignore the fact that such extremists have declared a “jihad” (holy war) against all non-muslims. Continue reading “Contending for the Faith”
Sermon: Controversy Among the People of God
Lesson 1 of 5 in Lectureship Series.
Speaker: Stan Cox
This lesson introduces the theme, establishing the reality of controversy (as Satan does his work), and correct response of the Christian. It examines how God’s people in the first century handled the controversies that erupted.
Sermon: The Attitude of Cornelius
Sermon by Bob Ward.
An examination of Cornelius’ conversion shows a man who had an honest heart, accepting of truth, and desirous of the salvation of friends and family.
Proper Attitudes Toward Knowledge
It is right to emphasize the importance of gaining knowledge of God’s word. The Psalmist expressed the proper attitude toward seeking such knowledge when he wrote, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2). However, it must be recognized that gaining knowledge is the means to an end in its impact on the Christian’s faith. It is not an end in itself. Our standing with God is not dependent upon of our knowledge of truth per se, but upon our acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord.
One might object that knowledge of Christ is necessary for that acceptance, and that is entirely true. Jesus affirmed this very thing when he said to a group of Jews who expressed their faith in Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). We are to be disciples of Christ. To be His disciples, we must know and adopt His teachings. However, it is important to remember that the newborn babe in Christ is as accepted of God as the most mature Christian. Immediately upon being washed in the blood of the Lamb, we receive the forgiveness of our sins, and can claim the right to an eternal inheritance. The Ethiopian Eunuch who “went on his way rejoicing” (cf. Acts 8:39) immediately following his baptism, had equal claim to the heavenly Father as the aged Paul, who had “fought the good fight” (cf. 2 Timothy 4:7) as a learned and mature apostle of the Lord. Continue reading “Proper Attitudes Toward Knowledge”
Sermon: Our Obligations Toward Truth
Our obligations toward truth include: Procuring it, Practicing it, Proclaiming it, Protecting it, and Pleading it.
Sermon: “And if the blind lead the blind…”
Sermon by Dennis Scroggins
Truth can be understood, and must be defended, heeded, and obeyed. Too often men look to the unrighteous or ignorant for advice, rather than those who are familiar with and wise in the ways of God.
The Patternists: “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”
1 Kings 18 records a conversation between Ahab, the evil king of Israel, and the prophet Elijah. Elijah was a thorn in Ahab’s side. Elijah told Ahab that a drought would afflict the land beacuse of his sin, and it came to pass. The drought was God’s way of chastising Ahab and the nation for their sins. But, Ahab blamed Elijah for the drought, and sought his life.
Elijah ran for his life, and evaded the king for the three years of the drought. God then instructed Elijah to go to Ahab. When they met, Ahab said, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” (1 Kings 18:17). Elijah’s response is instructive, “And he answered, ‘I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals'” (vs. 18).
Too often religious people criticize those who stand for truth as being divisive. To contend for a standard, and fidelity to God’s commands brings charges of “judging”, “intolerance” and “sectarianism.” In fact, standing with truth is not the problem. The problem is, as Elijah so eloquently said, with forsaking “the commandments of the Lord.”
Fortunately, Elijah stood tall against the king. His victory over the prophets of Baal led the people of Israel to proclaim, “The Lord, He is God” The Lord, He is God!” (vs. 39).
In the same way, we must stand for truth in the face of those who would lead God’s people astray. Hear and heed the words of Jude, “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
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Invitation: What Is Truth?
Invitation delivered by: Bob Ward
In John 18, Pontius Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” While his question may have been an expression of sarcasm or flippancy, the question itself is valid and needed.
From the Preacher’s Pen: Conformation, not Vindication
“These were more fair- minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).
The Bereans were fair-minded. Why? It is because they had the right attitude toward the Scriptures. For us to emulate their example, we must as well.
First, realize that the truth is the truth. That is, it is revealed, absolute and unchanging. While men’s perceptions may vacillate, the truth remains inviolate.
Our approach to truth should be a desire for conformity. We do not go to the Scriptures to rationalize and validate our settled practice or teaching. We use the Scriptures as a standard to which we compare our practice and teaching. If we find the two to be identical, we are vindicated; if we do not, we must change our practice or teaching.
We make a mistake if we go to the Scriptures with settled convictions regarding our practice or teaching. If that is so, and the two do not agree, our tendency will be to twist the Scriptures to our practice rather than to conform our practice to the Scriptures.
The question must be, what do the Scriptures teach? We then compare our own practice and teaching to the light of that divine standard, with the purpose of conforming our practice and teaching to it.
