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The Importance of Truth and What Happens When It is Ignored
Carey Scott Cwsermons@aol.com
at http://members.aol.com/Cwsermons/
and
at http://members.aol.com/carywscott/serm.index.html
Is Truth Important?
A Study Of The Word "TRUTH"
Truth is mentioned over two hundred times in the Holy Scriptures. Here are just a few examples and some applications to go along with the truth.
Deuteronomy 32:4 (NKJV)
He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.
Truth is an absolute. Truth is never changed. Truth will always be right. Truth will always be the guide for acceptable righteousness.
This passage tells us that God is characterized by truth. This was done in comparison to false gods who seemed to be a little or a lot deceitful at times.
Joshua 24:14 (NKJV)
"Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD!
Compare to John 4:24---"Spirit and Truth". One can be sincere without the truth. That does not make them right in the sight of God, but only for themselves and their fellow man.
1 Samuel 12:24 (NKJV)
"Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.
Serve God in truth, by truth, with truth, and of truth. And do it from your heart. Doing the things God has asked us to do without the attitude of love and obedience will not count with God.
1 Kings 17:24 (NKJV)
Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is the truth."
An excellent statement as to why miracles existed. This was a confirmation from God that Elijah was His spokesperson. If God sends someone, then that someone speaks the truth.
Psalms 25:10 (NKJV)
All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.
Mercy and truth are of the Lord, but are only beneficial to those who keep His laws.
Psalms 33:4 (NKJV)
For the word of the LORD is right, And all His work is done in truth.
Everything God has ever done has been in support of the truth. Everything ever revealed or made manifest has been the truth.
Psalms 86:11 (NKJV)
Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.
To walk in truth is to be obedient to His laws.
Psalms 100:5 (NKJV)
For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
Truth is forever. As one writer put it----"there is nothing new under the sun" The truths of God apply to all mankind. That is why the Bible is so relevant today. Because we can apply the principles to ourselves. There is not a situation that anyone can envision or experience that God has not dealt with in His word.
Psalms 119:142 (NKJV)
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth.
If we will obey His laws, then we have the truth. If we practice truth, then we are obedient to Him. If law is equal to His commandments, then it is equal to His words; and the words that Christ spoke were the truth. So the words of Christ will judge us. Thus, we will be judged by the truth. See how easy it is to link all these thoughts together when they are all equal.
Psalms 119:151 (NKJV)
You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth.
Commandments and Law are equal. Read all of Psalms 119 and see just how many synonyms of law you can find.
Psalms 119:160 (NKJV)
The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.
Not one thing that comes from God is anything but the truth. Even when God is speaking to an individual or to a nation through a prophet, or a world through His Son.
Psalms 145:18 (NKJV)
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.
Lots of people call on God, but God will only accept them that call God with the truth. To have the truth, they must believe it, obey it, live it, practice it, and teach it. Anyone who is not obedient to the truth cannot call upon God. That is why the "sinners prayer" is so dangerous. It leads people to believe that a simple prayer can bring God into their lives.
John 1:14 (NKJV)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus was the same as God. His every word was truth.
John 1:17 (NKJV)
For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Even though God's words have been truth since the beginning, they all had a confirmation or ratification through Jesus Christ.
John 4:23 (NKJV)
"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
John 4:24 (NKJV)
"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
When we look at these two verses we notice that God is concerned with true worshipers. We also see how the true worshipers will do so. We also have the qualifications made available of who can worship God.
The truth is the foundation of all of God's teachings. Jesus said "I am the truth". Jesus is the foundation of the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the truth from God.
John 8:32 (NKJV)
"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
The one and only thing that can save us is the truth and our acceptance and submission to it.
John 14:6 (NKJV)
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Most people by their actions recognize Jesus as the way and the life, but they try to ignore the truth in their service to God. They try to worship God without Jesus or His Church or His plan.
John 16:13 (NKJV)
"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
Speaking of the Holy Spirit which is another part of God, We see that Jesus and the Holy Spirit do the will of God as they were instructed. Jesus said that though He must die, the apostles would not be alone. The Holy Spirit of God brought us the Word of God in written form. The Holy Bible. When we read the Bible, we are listening to the Spirit of Truth.
John 17:17 (NKJV)
"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
How many things have we noticed up to this point that are equal to the truth?
Romans 2:2 (NKJV)
But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.
No judgement will come without the truth that God has revealed. No generation will have any advantages over another. No people will ever be shown partiality. We know that the truth will be the judge. Now the facts of the truth have been different in different dispensations. We being in the last dispensation stand accountable to God based upon the truth of this current dispensation. The patriarchs were accountable to God based upon the truths revealed to them from God. And the Jews were accountable to God based upon the Mosaic laws and the Abrahamic Covenant.
Romans 2:8 (NKJV)
but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness; indignation and wrath,
There is a reward for those who ignore the truth.
Galatians 3:1 (NKJV)
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?
Any time we accept a lie in place of the truth, we stand condemned. That is why the Bible is written in such a simple format that even the most simple minded can understand God's truth.
Galatians 4:16 (NKJV)
Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?
This is one of the greatest compliments Paul ever received. It would also be a compliment if our preachers and teachers would tell the truth in its purity. Unfortunately, many have kept back the truth in order to keep from making enemies with man.
Ephesians 1:13 (NKJV)
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
The Gospel is the truth and that provides the way of salvation.
1 Timothy 2:4 (NKJV)
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
The knowledge of the truth is that which will save all men. We can figure out by now that the mere existence of truth does not save, but the acceptance and submission to everything involved with it.
1 Timothy 3:15 (NKJV)
but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
You cannot consider the truth without the Church. The Church is the body of Christ. Since Christ is the Word, and since the Word is the Truth, then the church is a part of the truth. Thus it is important. You cannot leave it out and still have the truth.
2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV)
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
We must gain an understanding of all of God's ways. This can only be done by diligently studying so that we may know for certain that what we do is in accordance to the truth.
2 Timothy 3:7 (NKJV)
always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Some people may be very learned, but still do not grasp the truth because of proir prejudice or feelings or teachings.
1 John 1:6 (NKJV)
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
God determines who does not have the truth.
1 John 1:8 (NKJV)
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Dear friends; you must learn that the truth is the most important factor concerning your salvation. If you have any hope of entrance into Heaven, you must abide by the truth. You must learn to respect the truth and obey it because you will most certainly be judged by it.
Carey Scott, Evangelist
Greenwood Village Church (TX)
Cwsermons@aol.com
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