Personification of Truth Came Down, Part 2

[0:00] And in just a moment, Gary is going to come and lead you in a responsive reading for this first page of several verses that have been selected from the Old and New Testament regarding the subject of truth and what the scriptures have to say about it.

[0:14] And I don't mind telling you it was a terrific exercise to select those verses because the Bible has so very, very much to say about truth and the importance of it and the disasters that tend to follow when truth is ignored.

[0:33] So we want to remind you that very first one is one that we elaborated on somewhat last week about buying the truth and do not sell it. Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.

[0:46] So Gary is going to read that again, and we want you to follow along if you would, please. And he will read the small print. And if you would respond with a congregational reading for the large type, and then we will do page two at a later time in the service.

[1:02] But that will suffice for page one. Gary? Buy the truth and do not sell it.

[1:19] Get wisdom and instruction and understanding. These are our things which you choose to do. Speak the truth to one another.

[1:30] And the word became flesh and dwelt among us.

[1:52] And we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

[2:04] For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

[2:23] But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.

[2:36] God is spirit, and those who worship him are much worship him in spirit and truth. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

[2:49] The devil was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature.

[3:03] For he is a liar, and the father of our lives. We'll use the pulpit mic.

[3:18] In our last session, we spent some time together dealing with the issue about our Lord Jesus Christ being the personification of the truth.

[3:34] And when he came, he exhibited truth in everything that he said and everything that he did. And one of the most famous incidents was when he was encountered by Pontius Pilate, and he told Pilate that he came, that he might bear witness to the truth.

[3:56] Now, it's unfortunate that we do not have a recording of Pilate's answer because we are unable to read into his answer what his attitude might have been.

[4:08] You cannot get that from simply what is written unless the text goes on to explain what was behind it. But one can only wonder, with Pilate being the brutal kind of man that he was, and having seemingly as little respect for truth as he did, he probably answered Jesus with a snide kind of sneer, a kind of scolding remark when Jesus said that he came to bear witness to the truth, and that everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.

[4:41] And Pilate's response was, what is truth? In almost a dismissing kind of way. I cannot read that into the text and say that that is precisely his attitude, but that's my take on it.

[4:57] You may have a different one. Judging from the conversation that was taking place, however, we realize that insofar as the earthly scene was concerned, Jesus was speaking from a point of complete weakness, and Pontius Pilate was speaking from an earthly position of complete strength.

[5:20] He was in charge of the situation, or so he thought. That's the way it looked on the surface. And I cannot escape the idea of Pontius Pilate being the kind of fellow that he was, and the description that is given of him and other texts of scripture, that it probably was a very sarcastic, snide kind of remark like, truth.

[5:43] What is truth? The implication being, you don't know, I don't know, nobody knows what is truth. So you just deal with life as it comes, and you use the power that you have to do what you want to get done, and so on, and that's precisely what Pilate was doing.

[6:02] Truth is, as we have stated time and again in the past, and I think it's probably the best definition that I've ever heard, but truth is that which corresponds to reality.

[6:15] Truth is what is. Truth isn't made up. Truth just is. Truth just happens. Lies and untruths are made up.

[6:30] They are contrived. They are thought out. Some call them fabrications, and that's a good word because it comes from, like, yarn that is spun.

[6:43] A fabric that is made out of material is spun or woven together. That's the way a lie is. It is woven together.

[6:54] It is made up. It is constructed. Truth is not constructed. Truth just is. Truth just happens. Truth is spoken.

[7:05] Truth is told, but it is an ever-current kind of thing, and our Lord Jesus Christ is personified as the truth. That is, he is the embodiment of truth, and when he made the statement, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

[7:22] No man comes to the Father but by me. What, pray tell me, what in the world are you to make of a human being that makes a statement like that?

[7:33] What are you to think about somebody who says, I am the light of the world?

[7:47] What do you make of someone who says, I am the bread of life? I am the living water, and he who drinks of the water that I give him shall never thirst again.

[8:00] What do you conclude about somebody like that? He is either an absolute egomaniac crackpot that you can safely dismiss and disregard, or he really means business, and what he says is true.

[8:21] And I want to put you on notice. There is no halfway position. Which is precisely why Jesus said, he who is not with me is against me.

[8:37] Simple as that. You're on one side or the other. This subject of truth that so characterized our Lord's life and his being and his ministry and his mission and his promise and the prophecies and everything about him is just so absolutely critical.

[8:53] It is the antithesis of everything that the evil one is for. It is that which contradicts and contrasts with the liar and the murderer who was a liar from the beginning.

[9:10] Truth is that which ought to characterize the believer in Christ. We ought to be known as people of truth. You know, I don't know how many times I've heard old timers saying this.

[9:23] And by the way, I'm talking about old timers older than me. And there are a few. But there, I've heard them say time and again, and you probably have too.

[9:34] I can remember when we would strike a deal with a handshake. And you didn't need all these fancy documents and things that you had to sign and all of the fine print.

[9:49] A couple of people just shook hands on it and their word was their bond and you could consider whatever it was as done. And there was just no question about it.

[10:00] There were times when people even walked into a bank and borrowed thousands of dollars on a handshake. Now, if you did that, first place, whoever made the loan would be fired.

[10:12] They wouldn't be around very long, that's for sure. It's a different day. It's a different day. You know, America, America has undergone incredible, enormous cultural shifts.

[10:28] And one of the great shifts that we have experienced and for which we are suffering is the loss for the importance of truth.

[10:40] There is really, in essence, there is really only about one place where it really, really matters anymore.

[10:56] And some of those are suspect. And that is in our courts of law. There, our law courts still maintain an insistence upon and the necessity for truth.

[11:17] And we know that the whole objective of a jury, when they are impandeled and they hear a case and the prosecution presents the case and the defense presents the case, the jury is supposed to be listening, analyzing, thinking, and their sole responsibility is to arrive at the truth of what has been said.

[11:42] And with truth being placed so low on the radar screen now, no big deal to lie. No big deal.

[11:53] Especially if you're paid well. And plenty of people have been paid. They call it bribery. They call it witness tampering. They call it bribing a witness or whatever. There are multitudes of people who wouldn't bat an eye but to raise their hand and say, I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

[12:12] And some courts even omit. So help me God. That's unconstitutional.

[12:23] Can you believe that tripe? And yet, so many Americans just kind of roll over and play dead and let these people have their own way and they are usually in such a tiny minority but all it seems like all it takes is for one mouth to object and everybody kowtows to that one objection.

[12:47] It's getting crazy. Truth. Truth is in short supply in a lot of places. It's even led some to have developed a new term that we hear so much coming and going in the airwaves.

[13:03] Fake news. Fake news. What is fake news? Well, fake news is just news that isn't news at all. It isn't true. But it is propagated as true.

[13:15] And you know, there are two areas in which this occurs. One is, if I may use the term, justifiable, and the other is not. And that is, it's entirely possible that someone in a position of authority and responsibility and who has the public ear may lead the public astray.

[13:37] Mislead them. But that's forgivable if one is misleading by what he says because he really believes it to be true.

[13:49] But it isn't true. But he thinks it's true. And he states it as if it is true. And he really believes it. But it isn't. In which case, the public on the receiving end have been misled.

[14:05] But it was done innocently and unintentionally. And if the one who did that has any scruples about him at all, he would feel the deepest regret at all and would be eager to apologize for having misspoke and for having led people astray because what I told you I thought was true and I was shocked to find out that it wasn't.

[14:30] Like I said, that's forgivable and anybody can do that. That can be done, God only knows, that can be done from pulpits too. Matter of fact, I've had to eat that crow a few times in the last 50 years when I have had to admit to you that some of the things that I taught that I thought with every fiber of my being were true.

[14:54] I later found out I was wrong. And my sadness, my sadness is deepened by the fact that you never have the same audience to apologize to that you had to tell the untruth to.

[15:12] That's the largest regret. But then there is the lie. That is just the bald-faced, flat-out lie where the one telling it knows there is not a shred of truth in it at all, but that is immaterial.

[15:34] The question is, will it put the one of whom I am speaking in a bad light or a negative light even though it isn't true? Will there be those who will believe it and act upon it as if it were true?

[15:49] Yes! Then you do it. And you know what that's called today? Today? That's called politics. That's pathetic politics is what it is.

[16:01] And it doesn't make any difference if it comes from a Republican or a Democrat or a conservative. A lie is a lie is a lie and there isn't any way that you can dress up that pig and make it look good.

[16:16] It's a lie. So there are certain places where truth ought to be in very, very high regard and the first one is the home.

[16:29] the Christian home ought to be a citadel for truth instilled in children from the earliest age and lived out before the children by their parents in everyday activities and interaction.

[16:54] Truth ought to be held in high regard and a stiff penalty for those who engage in the lie.

[17:05] I don't know that parents can do their children any greater service than to instill in them a deep loving respect for what is true and a complete contempt for the lie.

[17:20] And you know sometimes this can come back to bite us parents because even though we know what the examples are supposed to be and we know what we want to teach our children and sometimes sometimes we reduce it to you do as I say not as I do.

[17:39] Mom it's Mrs. So-and-so she's on the phone. Tell her I'm not home. I don't want to talk to her now.

[17:50] Oh I'm sorry but mom mom isn't here she'll be back later thank you for calling.

[18:04] Now you know okay so you got a splitting headache and you don't want to talk to anybody on the phone.

[18:15] is there anything wrong with the truth? Oh I Mrs. So-and-so this is listen I've got a splitting headache dear can I talk to you later thank you goodbye is there something wrong with that?

[18:29] But it's easier to just tell them I'm not home that's just a bald-faced lie and what are you instilling in your children? It's okay to lie if it's for a good enough cause.

[18:41] well you know someone has said that children are God's little spies and they observe they know what's going on and they see the inconsistency and they see the hypocrisy and everything and I don't know about you but I speak as a parent who was involved with rearing three children and I would like I would like to have a do-over for every one of them because when I look back on the times that one way or another that I blew it as a parent and it's just a rotten shame sometimes I think that you can't take those kids and run them through again and correct some of the inconsistencies and some of the things that you wish you had done differently and that's just part of being a parent but you know despite the fact that none of us know as much as we would like to know none of us as parents make all the right decisions all the time none of us have all the facts none of us assess the situation just right there is still one thing that we can do and it is completely subject to your will and that is we can be people of truth honesty

[20:01] I remember reading reading in a local newspaper about a contest that was held at the Clark County Fair years ago and how some of the young people that were showing prized cattle of one kind or another were disqualified because it was learned that they had done certain things and had used certain things that were not permissible for the contest to enter in for the for the judging and it was flatly illegal and not allowed at all and why did the kids do it because their dad showed them how to do it and he helped them do it and what was the rationale for it well you want to win don't you don't you win at any cost I mean who wants to be a loser so you do what you have to do in order to win and not only that but do you know what others are cheating too so you're just evening the score others are cheating too so what's the big deal and this goes on in the athletic world and it goes on in the business world and it goes on all over our culture and it just isn't looked upon the way it used to with contempt and disgust now it's just a shrug of the shoulders we're only human we're only human every

[21:39] Christian home should be a citadel for truth every Christian church should be a proclaimer of truth with the person of Christ and his supremacy and the authority of the word of God and no holds barred and no apologies just speak the truth from God's word and speak it in an attitude of love but don't hold it back because it is not ours to hold back it is ours to proclaim and the apostle made it quite clear when he told Timothy that he is to guard the deposit that was given unto him and that is that precious gospel and every legislature every lawmaking body from local to national jurisdictions should be legislating on the basis that truth is objective and remains the basis for good government and it's got nothing to do with political parties it's got everything to do with fulfilling the responsibility with which

[22:54] God has entrusted you and put you in position as a lawmaker and I'm sure that our own Jim Jordan has this kind of issue to contend with probably on a daily basis because when you get involved in politics on any level but particularly on the national level truths are floating around in the air and lies are thick everywhere and sometimes it gets really difficult to sort it all out and there are some who have sterling reputations as being truth tellers and there are some in our Congress and I'm sure they are represented in both parties of whom it can be said if that's what so and so said you can take it to the bank he's a man of integrity and he values the truth would to God that could be said of all of our legislators and all of our judges but we know that such is often not the case in our last session during a brief Q&A someone brought up the issue of what is involved with evolution and how it is one of the greater lies and it is a lie that supersedes all others with the possible exception of

[24:21] Genesis chapter 3 which remains to this day to be the greatest lie yet ever told and foisted upon humanity and perpetuated generation after generation down through the ages up to this present time and that lie is responsible for all of the misery and heartache and murder and mayhem that we see in our world today this was the beginning of it and the lie was you shall not surely die for God knows that in the day that you eat thereof you shall become as gods knowing the difference between good and evil that was the first lie and it was believed Eve in her naivete chose to believe the creature rather than the creator and this is precisely what

[25:25] Paul was talking about when he said in Romans chapter one that men observe and worship the creature more than the creator and you know we are dealing with the K every generation deals with this every because as strange as it sounds to probably most Christians I think we all know it to be true and that is this that men have always been more impressed and influenced by what their fellow human beings say than they are but what God Almighty has said isn't that something you would think that there would be no contest but there is because man is so stuck on himself and his own supposed intelligence and brilliance that he thinks is just absolutely outstanding that he turns a deaf ear to whatever

[26:30] God may have well the Bible you know that old book musty old book written by a bunch of old geezers a long time ago that wore bath robes and had long beards and what do they know this is the modern age and so on this is where we are so are they impressed with the evolutionary hypothesis of course they are and you'll note I never call this a theory I've heard a number of it's just a theory no it isn't it isn't even a theory it doesn't qualify for a theory what it qualifies for is a hypothesis and to beef up my case I just went to Mr.

[27:14] Webster to see what he said about the difference and the distinction between them and he says a hypothesis implies insufficient evidence to provide more than a tentative explanation explanation that's a hypothesis and that's what organic evolutionary thought is it's a hypothesis a theory is a greater range of evidence and a greater likelihood of truth it's a step up from a hypothesis evolution isn't able to make that step it never has it still remains as a hypothesis but you would be surprised how many reputable scientists so-called and I'm talking about PhDs from our leading universities will not even think in terms of evolution even as being a theory it's an ironclad fact as far as they're concerned it is a fact it is a law but again appealing to the dictionary a law is a statement of order and relation in nature that has been found to be under the same that has found to be accurate and true under the same conditions as in the case of the law of gravity or the law of gravitation that is not a theory and it's not a hypothesis it's a law it has fit the description of the highest order in that it is established as fact and as law an increasing number of reputable scientists have discarded evolution as being inviolable and they have not embraced creationism but many would be embarrassed to do so but they reject organic evolution as merely being unsustainable and these are in limbo they can't buy evolution because it's just too flawed and there are too many things wrong with it but god forbid they should buy into creation can't do that either why well largely because that's too simple that's too simple in other words it is too far below my intelligent capacity to entertain

[29:47] I've got to have something that is more complex and I shall never forget when John Lennox was debating Richard Dawkins and I told you that they are both on the same faculty John Lennox is retired now but he taught mathematics at Oxford University for several years and he and Richard Dawkins were colleagues on the same faculty there at Oxford and he debated him a number of times in different venues and they were debating this one time and Dawkins ridiculed Dr. Lennox for his acceptance of the Genesis account where it just lays it out that you've got a creator and he just spoke these things into existence and that is just simply unbelievable to which Dr. Lennox said well that's what I believe nonetheless and I respect your willingness to reject that and I'm sorry that you do but what would you consider what would you consider reasonable then how do you think that everything came into being how do you think that people came came into being human beings and he said there were creatures from outer space who visited the earth and seeded it with human spores and he was dead serious now you can't take

[31:11] Genesis because that's imaginary that's fairy tale stuff but put me down for the aliens from outer space salting the earth with spores of humanity now that's very logical you see what I mean when I say repeatedly that man reasons with a warped intellect don't you ever forget that man uses a skewed logic in his thinking apparatus and the reason he does is because his intellect fell with all the rest of him when Adam and Eve fell they came tumbling down every bit of them is that true of preachers too you better believe it my intellect in and of myself and my own humanity is just as fallen as anyone else's and this is why we desperately need the truth of the word of God to correct our skewed intellects because the

[32:14] Bible tells it like it is the Bible just lays it out pulls no punches puts it out there the same the same dyed in the wool evolutionists are unwilling to acknowledge the cause and effect of organic evolution once God is ruled unnecessary for the existence of biological life the consequences of that conclusion are truly earth shaking I remember some time ago I saw a video in fact we were so impressed with it I think they were on sale Answers in Genesis was providing them and it was at a real cut rate price for the video and we bought a couple of hundred of them here at Grace and distributed them everywhere you might have one at home and it deals with evolution and Ray Comfort run around to leading universities and talk with these PhDs in the science department and ask them if they were into evolution well of course and can you give us an example of evolution where the species was ever bridged from one species to another well not right off but I'm sure that there must be some that's about the best that any of them could do and these were top flight

[33:47] PhD professors in their discipline all of which had to do with science and chemistry and different things like that and very well educated degrees like a thermometer you know that wouldn't quit and this was and I remember I remember he walked up to this one lady she'd been teaching I think it was UCLA for quite some time and he put the microphone to her and he says tell me he said are you by any chance an atheist and her response and the way she said it was just so telling she said of course of course I mean just with the tone of voice that made you think that she was thinking and saying isn't everybody who knows anything an atheist many are not aware of it and many Christians are not aware of it but what

[34:48] Charles Darwin began in the 1870s has had such an enormous impact upon the entire western world that it is absolutely stunning and I'm sorry to say most Christians don't even get the connection well is there one oh my goodness you better believe it I don't know of anything that has so impacted our culture today as that consider this if you will once God is ruled unnecessary for the existence of biological life the consequences of that conclusion are truly earth shaking now I do want to make an exception here but it's only a slight exception because there aren't very many of these around and they are called theistic evolutionists they are people who believe that evolution is true that we have evolved from a lower species of biological life form and that we represent the top or the totem pole the top end of the evolutional process and that there is a God but he used evolution to bring us to where we are

[36:13] God was instrumental in the original amoeba and the slime and whatever it was that evolved into what human beings are so these people do not rule out the existence of God they believe that he was the one who was responsible for evolution and he just kind of let evolution take over and do its thing so he started it they are called theistic evolutionists but there aren't very many of them the vast majority of those in the scientific community who are evolutionists are committed also to atheism now what does that portend it is just incredible and by the way these people these people and I'm talking about academia they represent the epitome of respect learning knowledge capability they are the cat's meow of humanity and in this academic setting those who are particularly focused upon individuals and individual behavior and individual lives get their degree in psychiatry and they become specialists regarding humanity these people rule the roost of humanity do you understand that they are the final word ask any court of law that's calling for experts for testimony and witness they are the ones with the clout with the respect never mind that they disagree about a whole lot of things among themselves never mind never mind that the suicide rate among psychiatrists is the second highest in humanity never mind that they still have the power to exercise over a culture and this was demonstrated when a gang of homosexuals invaded one of their meetings in the 1970s and demanded that they remove homosexuality from the list of psychiatric abnormality and they got their wish and you will not find homosexuality even listed in the psychiatric catalogs regarding human behavior acceptable or unacceptable homosexuality has been taken off the chart which literally legitimizes it by the highest most respected authorities on the subject in the land and that's what we're still living with today and by the way it's really interesting

[39:20] I've listened carefully and I haven't seen it all I'm sure I've missed some of it but the mayor of the town in Indiana what's pardon but butterjig butterjig the mayor of South Bend South Bend my hearing my hearing fell fell with my brain in the fall you know that's it is interesting that I have in all of the debates where these Democrats lie at me they're taking pot shots at each other and each one is trying to cripple another to reduce their chances and improve their own chances and this is the game they play and the Republicans do the same thing they pick on each other when they have these debates and try to neutralize but I haven't heard a single soul say anything about his honor the mayor being gay and having a gay lover and let me tell you something woe be unto any politician who even mentions it because if you do your name is mud you're gone the press will annihilate you because you are demonstrating narrowness and no compassion and no understanding and on and on goes so isn't that something now this is this is this is a this is a situation that a generation ago would be utterly unthinkable utterly unthinkable so what has happened in this short span of time the national mindset has been literally turned on its ear with incredibly successful high powered what what do we call public relations publicity and no one no one is more complicit than the media particularly the print media and do you know what most

[41:53] Americans do just swallow and fall in line with it it is it's amazing it's absolutely amazing and you know a similar thing took place in an entirely different vein entirely different vein regarding the issue of race I can remember as a young person I can remember Stockdale's restaurant in Springfield Ohio on West North Street in the 1950s 1950s I know that makes me pretty ancient but I can remember I can remember African Americans coming into that restaurant and picking up orders to go because they knew they were not welcome to sit down there and eat a meal with the whites they could probably do it but it wouldn't have been worth it you know for the for the looks and for everything you know and hey we're not talking down south we're talking

[42:56] Springfield Ohio and what has happened how has that completely turned on its ear in this case God be thanked us for the good but but I just want you to understand how incredibly wrong a culture can be in one direction and how quickly quickly that can be overturned and wrong becomes right that's exactly what we're seeing in the homosexual community it is amazing and woe be unto anybody who calls them out I can do that here at Grace Bible Church largely because I'm 84 years old and they look at me as no threat but he's going to be gone before long anyway you know they won't bother with me but there are places where efforts would be made to silence me if

[43:56] I were in the right place at the right time and it's being done right now in Canada they're further along this thing than we are evolution pays the way for years I'm going to be quick about this it paves the way for human authority to establish moral relativism moral relativism puts man in charge of right and wrong there is no longer a moral north star to determine right and wrong man is the measure of all things not God and not the Bible and the evolutionary hypothesis paves the way for the totality of government as is found in communist regimes everywhere what freedom man has is given him by man whereas creationists believe our freedoms are from God as in all men are created equal

[45:00] God is excluded from communism do you realize the first and most basic tenet of communism is there is no God get used to it and they govern and they make their laws on that basis that man is the supreme authority man is the measure of all things and the evolutionary hypothesis paves the way for abortion on demand so it is with 55 million and counting and if there is no God and if we are not made in the image and likeness of God and if we are that which begins our life as just a blob of tissue what is the big deal about aborting a blob of tissue anyway it is no big deal and it is no big deal in so many circles human life is not viewed as a gift from

[46:03] God at all it is just viewed as the result of contraception the result of a pregnancy between that took place between two adults consenting or non consenting or whatever intentional or unintentional and the baby is the result and to do away with it in the womb or even afterwards no big deal no big deal and of course it makes suicide a lot more attractive if there is no God there surely is no afterlife and there certainly isn't any judgment in it and if you are fed up with this life for whatever reason if you're just disappointed and disappointed in love or you lost your job or you're depressed or whatever end it all end it all because there isn't anything after this why should you put yourself through all of this pain and misery and heartache that you are enduring now when you can end it all with a pill or a bullet and put an end to it and afterwards nothing nothing wouldn't that be better than what you're experiencing now and more and more people are saying yes it would and look at the increase in suicide rates and unfortunately it has filtered down to our kids junior hires are doing away with themselves at an alarming rate and the authorities don't know how to deal with it one of the most telling lines is from

[47:47] Brothers Karamazov and you've heard me give it before and it bears repeating Dostoyevsky said in Brothers Karamazov if there is no God all things are permitted why not that's where we are and we are becoming that way increasingly as the years and months roll by more and more that way well I said my piece maestro crank it up this is our musical benediction you are free to leave at any time you wish but you are dismissed