Christ: The way to truth
Notes
Transcript
Handout
The Way, the truth
The Way, the truth
Is truth relative? This morning we are considering Christ is the way to truth. There is a world view (relativistic) and there is a correspondence view (factual) of truth.
Jesus came to bear witness to the truth (Jn18:37)
37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
Jesus was full of truth (Jn1:14, 17)
To get fully in context that Jesus is full of truth you can look at (v.14-18) but i want to touch just on a couple of verses now:
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
And then down in (v.17)
17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
He was full of grace and truth, and grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
For Jesus was the truth (Jn14:6)
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
You may hear that verse many times throughout this series, maybe take the time to memorize it would be great .
And the word is truth (Ps119:160)
160 The very essence of your words is truth; all your just regulations will stand forever.
A person must have a grasp, understand the significance of truth and what truth is if they want to have salvation through Jesus who is the way of Truth. It is not relative it is factual as the bible describes.
(Transition) So, maybe we better start with “What is truth?”
Meaning of truth
Meaning of truth
Truth defined. To grasp you must understand, to understand you must have information. So let’s gather some information about truth.
(Insert what is truth picture here)
Pilate asked Jesus what is truth in (Jn18:37) and when you “Google” it you can find all sorts of things and maybe even get more confused, let me show you.
The 2nd thing showing when you google for definition t is this. IT is from Arizona-Jones, an adventurer
(insert Truth-1)
Well, that concerns me, How about this one
(insert Truth-2)
So is God’s name truth? Is something true because I believe it? - here is another:
(insert Truth-3)
This one helps, and gives us truths roots and that is better than we have been.
The first thing on line when you ask for truth definition is this:
(Insert Truth-4)
You can even find this a new truth called post-truth.
(Insert Truth -5)
OK, wow, now we have strayed from the truth from a fact to a feeling. Lets look at some biblical words that define truth.
“Alethes” - unconcealed, manifest . . . actual, true to fact - Vines Bible Dictionary
“Alethinios” - denotes ‘true” in the sense of real, ideal, genuine - also from Vines
“Aletheia” - objectively, signifying ‘the reality lying at the basis of an appearance; the manifested, veritable essence of a matter - Vines
When speaking of truth bible words describing truth it is that which corresponds to reality, factual, absolute, and not relative. In other words
(insert truth is truth picture here)
Truth is truth even if you don’t believe it. But if you are presented the truth and don’t do anything with it, then you are believing a lie and it can lead you to the wide road that leads to destruction, to hell. So we better know the truth, believe the truth and do something with the truth.
Biblical uses of truth:
I spent time outside the word so not time to turn to the word since we are simply Christians studying God’s word and living it. We cannot live it if we don’t know it so here we go.
God is the God of truth (Deut32:4)
4 The Rock —His work is perfect; all His ways are entirely just. A faithful God, without prejudice, He is righteous and true.
He is the perfect, just, faithful, without prejudice righteous and true God!
Jesus is the truth and full of truth (Jn14:6, 1:14, 8:45)
Jn14:6 we know what that says but how about more on this
Jn1:14 I read when we started today, HE is full of truth, but one more now.
45 “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me.
So what Jesus says, speaks is truth.
Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth (Jn14:17)
17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
How do we know the Spirit of truth? Because we know Jesus is the truth and that the Word is truth (Ps119:160 mentioned earlier) that points us to Jesus, oh wait how about a scripture again.
The word of God is truth (Jn17:17)
17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
Sanctify them in the truth, in the word, and we hold that, the sanctified word in our hands.
We need to know the truth because that is what we are going to be judged by one day
Judgments of God are according to truth (Ps96:13; Rom2:2)
13 For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.
and add to that
2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.
So Jesus came to bear witness to the truth (Jn18:37) it means he came to proclaim, to make known the things that are in fact, in reality, denying that they are unchanging. So today the message is Christ the way to truth, so how does Christ do that, we have to look at how He sees and explains to us, so His view of truth, his realm/reality of truth, and yes of course application of the truth, or following the truth if you so chose to put it that way.
Christ as the way to truth
Christ as the way to truth
Truth is not relative, it is truth, it is sure, it is absolute, it is unchanging, and it is revealed through God’s Words and God’s Spirit for you and for me.
Jesus the way to truth, His view:
Truth is knowable (Jn8:32)
32 Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.”
Interesting version here, not just knowing the truth but experiencing the truth, we experience the truth when we believe and apply the truth.
Truth is revealed through God’s word (Jn8:31-32)
31 Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him. “If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. 32 Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.”
Had to add this one to keep in context, The Bible is not just for knowledge, not just for truth but for application!
Holy Spirit guided apostles in all truth (Jn14:26, 16:13)
26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
and add to that
13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
Remind you all truth
Guide you into all truth
Disclose to you all truth to come
Apostles were recipients and proclaimers of His truth (Act2:42, 1Cor14:37; 1Jn4:6)
42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
The apostles teaching, the teaching and proclaiming of truth that they received from Jesus and from the helper, the comforter, the Holy Spirit.
37 Anyone who claims to be a prophet, or to have spiritual powers, must acknowledge that what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord.
The Lord’s command, writing truth that came from the Lord!
6 We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Truth revealed by God’s Word, by God’s Spirit that gives you the ability to know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error (expand on this)
The reality of His truth
The reality denotes the kingdom of God (Mt4:17, 6:33; Jn18:36-37)
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
expand
33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Seek His kingdom for it was at hand. And you were added to it. all these things come with truth, and truth comes from Christ, for He is the way of truth, so seek first His kingdom!
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” 37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
It denotes the depravity of sin (Hos9:9; Jn8:34; Jn8:31-36; Eph4:17-19)
9 They have gone deep in depravity As in the days of Gibeah; He will remember their iniquity, He will punish their sins.
In some versions of this verse it says:
Deep corruption (NIV), or deeply corrupted (many)
Depraved (NLT)
Brutal & Corrupt (CEV) Hopelessly evil (GNT)
And sunk deeply into corruption (NET)
Depravity of sin, wait there is more:
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.
Sin enslaves you
You can note down Jn8:31-36 to get everything in context, that the truth, Jesus teaching, reveals, shows the way to freedom from the depravity of sin.
His truth reveals how we should live, unlike how we used to live
17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;
19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
in learning to know right and live right
Eph4:20-32 to see the full picture, or a more complete picture of a person no longer in the depravity of sin and how they should live today.
Put off the former ways (v.22)
Be renewed in the spirit of your mind (v.23)
Followed by other things to put off (v.25-28) and things not to do with our mouth (v.29-30)
And what to put on (v.32)
Sorry had to put it up, it is too good to just summarize
32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
God in Christ offers forgiveness, takes care of the depravity of sin problem, so in turn you can forgive others and be kind, tender-hearted to others.
It defines the reality of the resurrection and the day of judgment (Jn5:28-29, 5:22-24, 12:48; ACt17:30-31)
28 “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
oh wait cannot stop there
22 “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
Hear his words, believe his words,have eternal life passing from death (eternal separation from God) to life (eternal life with God through the Truth (JESUS))
48 “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.
I said the Word, I said Jesus and one day we will be judged by the Word, so you should know the standard, the thing you are going to be judged by.
So no claiming ignorance to the depravity of sin, the solution to sin, and the reality of the resurrection or the day of judgment
30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
(Transition) - Truth, the truth Jesus declares, to know sin and the depravity of it, the nature of the kingdom, the way to enter the kingdom through the forgiveness of sin but still there is more that Christ the way to truth can tell us.
Following Jesus the way to the truth
Following Jesus the way to the truth
Truth delivered, truth received, but is truth believed and truth applied? Only you can make that choice.
For:
Most will not chose to apply (Mt7:13-14, 7:21-23; 2Tim4:1-4)
Many want to chose the easy way, the broad way, and that leads to destruction
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Now that does include many who may even proclaim Jesus name. Saying does not mean you truly believe and are a disciple of Christ.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Don’t chose to know and not apply and continue to live in the depravity of sin; in lawlessness as this verse says
For in these days many trad the truth for something they take because it sounds good. but it not truth
1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
Expand- know, share the truth, you do not want ot be one who turn away your ears from the truth to anything but the truth, the truth that sets you free and keeps you free in Christ Jesus!
But for those who do (2Jn1:1-6; 2Tim2:24-26)
So May God’s grace, mercy and peace (2Jn1:3) be in you and seen through you in you living and loving one another (vv.5-6)
For one more passage and we will draw a conclusion
24 The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, 25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,
26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.
While in context this is truth for Timothy for elders, but it is applicable to all bond-servants of Christ, is it not?
(for such a time as this picture inserted here)
(Conclusion)
In a world of great moral uncertainty
In a world where right and wrong is not clear
In a world where good is called evil and evil is called good
There are many who are stumbling, walking in darkness, some who used to walk in the light, some who know the light and have not chosen to walk in the light, others have no idea of light.
In a time such as this we can know the way of Christ is the way to truth for
Christ is the Light of the world (Jn8:12)
Those who follow Him will not abide in darkness (Jn12:46)
You have the truth, are you walking in the truth today?
(invitation - are you walking in the truth)
The door is open the invitation is now, come enter into his kingdom or return to it if needed.
(Song) (Prayer) (Exit)