The Truth

This is a very sad time in the history of God's Church. While some revel in the events of recent weeks, others are heart sick and sad. While some believe that their hour has arrived, others wonder what is going to happen next. I'm sure the devil is rejoicing over the emotional and mental state of many of the brethren. Their attention has been diverted from receiving the messages with all readiness of mind and searching the Scriptures daily, whether these things be true, to listening as to whether they think the minister is reinforcing what they think to be true about situations in the Church. We've entered a time in which the minister's messages will be viewed by some and evaluated in terms of who and what is he supporting. Is he sending some kind of subliminal message? Brethren, I do not send subliminal messages through what I say. I try to preach the truth and let the chips fall where they may, the truth of God. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. We talk about the truth since you came into the truth, the wonderful truth. God's marvelous light, how wonderful it is. So many people don't really want to hear the truth. They want their point of view reinforced, their political view, their view of the world, what they have always believed, etc., etc. If I were to tell you the truth and nothing but the truth about several things that you think you know, you would probably stone me if you could. I'm not very fast, but I can get behind there. Today, we don't literally stone people. We stone them today by talking behind their backs, imputing motives to them without talking to them while pretending to be righteous. What about you? Do you love the truth? Or have you turned to fables and legends instead of the truth? Through recent events, Satan has been able to further discredit the ministry and the leadership in the church. The result of this will be that people, at least some, will become more and more cynical and distrustful of anyone who attempts to provide spiritual leadership. And this will result in people becoming their own minister, a phenomenon that has already been taking place. There are lots of people already who don't go to church to really be fed by the sermonette and the sermon. They're there to make the scene, to see what's going on, and they become their own ministers. We are admonished by Scripture to search the Scriptures daily to see if these things be true, and if they speak not according to the law and the testimony. It is because there is no truth in them. Let's read those two passages. First of all, in Acts 17. Acts 17, after Paul was run out of a certain place, he comes to Berea in Acts 17.

Verse 10, "...and the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea, who coming there went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily whether these things be true.

Therefore, many of them believed also of honorable women, which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. So brethren, is that what we are doing? Searching the Scriptures daily whether these things be true. And then please, Isaiah 8, verse 20, to know whether or not these things be true. Here's another criterion whereby you can judge things, and we are to judge righteous judgment. The Bible says very clearly to judge righteous judgment. In Isaiah 8, verse 20, to the law and to the testimony.

If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Brethren, let's talk some about having a perfectly teachable heart. Now, one of the things that Isaiah talks about in Isaiah 28 is, to whom will he teach knowledge? Those who are drawn from the breast and weaned from the milk. Who are those who are drawn from the breast and weaned from the milk? Well, it's described in Hebrews chapter 5.

Maybe we'll go there. Hebrews chapter 5. Are you drawn from the breast and weaned from the milk? Paul writes to the Hebrews before the temple was destroyed, telling them to get ready for that. And when he writes to them, he tells them that, in a time in which they ought to be teachers, in that, of course, the gospel started there in Jerusalem.

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was sent. Before Jesus Christ ascended, you read about this in Acts 1. He told the apostles that they were to preach the gospel starting in Judea, to Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the world. In Hebrews chapter 5, verse 12, Hebrews 5.12, For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again what be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat.

For everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, those that are going on to maturity.

Even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. So if we expect to be taught anything and to really grow in grace and knowledge, we have to be doing what we already know to do. Not to have to go back and teach what be the first principles. Now in the first verse of Hebrews 6, he enumerates what are the first principles.

There really shouldn't be a chapter break there. Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection. While the average tenure in the United Church of God is over 30 years, the average member has been baptized for over 30 years. So if Pentecost AD 31 AD, and if Paul writes this somewhere in the 50s AD, then they have been in the church probably not as long as most of you have. And Paul says the time that you ought to be teachers, you don't need that someone teach you again what be the first principles.

Because if you expect to really grow in grace and knowledge, you have to have your senses exercised to discern good and evil. Then he enumerates the first principles in Hebrews 6, but he starts off, therefore, let us go on to perfection. See, perfection cuts across all of these. Repentance from dead works, faith in the sacrifice of Christ, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection, judgment. Perfection is a process that cuts across all of this, begins with repentance from dead works, faith in the sacrifice of Christ, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection, judgment.

Of course, repentance is a continual process. Faith in the sacrifice of Christ, it's always through the blood of Christ, faith in His sacrifice that our sins are forgiven. Baptism, we are crucified with Christ, as you heard in the sermonette. We are to live by God's Spirit.

We are to live the resurrected life now. And judgment, of course, is now on the house of God. And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Brethren, these are serious times. Of course, I say that every day, every week. These are serious times. Therefore, leaving the principles of doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms. The Bible speaks of three baptisms, one of which you don't want.

What are baptisms, which man can do? And we baptize people, predicated upon their statement that they are repentant of their sins, exercise faith in Christ, brought forth fruit, and meet for repentance. We baptize them. And then we have the laying on of hands, and the minister lays his hands on you, and prays that God will give you his Spirit, but only God can give you his Spirit. No man can baptize you of God's Spirit and send the Spirit of God into your being.

That's from God. And then the baptism by fire, in which the dross, the unprofitable servants that you heard about in the sermonette, are gathered together and cast in the furnace and burned at the end of the age.

So three baptisms, laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, where to live, when we come up out of the water to grave of baptism, to live the resurrected life now, and of eternal judgment, and we are being judged now. Now let us notice the admonition given by James. James, who was the Lord's brother, who was the resident pastor at the church in Jerusalem, what we would call the headquarters church, in James 1 and verse 19. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of God works not the righteousness of God.

Wherefore, lay apart all filthiness, superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word. Now that word, meekness, in the Greek, is spelled P-R-A-U-T-E-S, pronounced something like prór-u-tes, and you can't really, with one word, define it in English, it means a perfectly teachable heart, that you receive it. Receive it with all readiness of mine, as it says in Acts 17.10, which we read. You search the Scriptures daily. They speak not according to the law and testimony, it's because there's no truth in them. Receive the engrafted word with meekness, a perfectly teachable heart which is able to save your souls, but be you doers of the word, not heres only deceiving your own selves. You know, some people become upset when their views are challenged by the cold, hard facts, as they say. Well, I don't want to hear that. That's not what I really believe. That's not what I've always heard. But what does the Bible say? That's what we should be interested in. What does the Word of God say?

I have always loved coming to know the truth. And we could talk about when does God begin to call a person? Now, there's a Scripture that talks about, from even from my youth, O Lord. And I think at times, God does begin to open the minds and hearts of certain people before they even know, well, I'm being called to the truth, to the truth of God. And then there are, of course, cases in which a person is on up in years. They have lived a profligate life. They've lived the life of the prodigal son, is it worth? And suddenly the light dawns on them. They hear the Word of God preach. They are convicted almost immediately. And they repent of their sins and begin the process going on to perfection. But, you know, I have always loved coming to know the truth. One of the blessings that we had, even though in our home growing up for the first few years, my parents were sharecroppers. We had two books at the house. One we kept in the house, the Bible. The other one we kept out back, Sears and Roebuck catalog. It had some pages torn out of it, but it was widely read. Probably more than the Bible, but anyhow. I've always loved searching out the truth, and I believe I know so much more than I would have known if I had just summarily dismissed everything that challenged what I thought I knew.

Of course, this can work both ways. You don't just accept anything without proving it to the depth of your being. It's not true because I say so. It's not true because anybody else says so. It's true because God says so. Thy Word is truth. Sanctify them through your Word. Your Word is truth. And every person, as I said last week at one time or the other, will let you down.

At times I've come to see things that I once believed to the depth of my being, and this simply were not true. I experienced this a great deal as I, quote, came into the truth.

Because I believed, growing up, that man had an immortal soul. That upon death you would either go to heaven or hell immediately. It's just like as soon as the breath of life left you, you're whisked away either to heaven or hell. And I didn't believe that the law of God was in effect in the sense that we teach it. And I didn't believe that Saturday was a true day of worship. I believed it was Sunday.

And so on. And of course, many of you went through that process that didn't grow up in the church.

So at times I have come to see to the depth of my being things I thought were true just simply were not true. Now, some people when they are told things that they've always believed that were true, and somebody says, well, that's not true. Instead of searching out the truth, they get mad with the messenger. Why did he say that?

Instead of rejoicing and knowing the truth. But you know, truth has a power all of its own.

And it has been unleashed. The very fury of Satan, the devil, the demons, and all his agents, and all the evil forces of the universe could be mounted against the truth. And they have been, but they will not prevail. Truth has a power all of its own. Truth will always triumph in the end. And sometimes we don't get judgment in this life. That is righteous judgment. Sometimes we die still not having attained what we think is our due lot. But God assures us that He is the righteous judge and will reward us in that day according to our works. And the gift of God is eternal life and the kingdom of God.

But many people would rather attack the messenger than to be willing to search out the truth. That's exactly what the religious leaders of Jesus' day did. They accused Him of being illegitimate. They accused Him of doing the great works that He did, wonderful miracles, because He was empowered by Satan, saying that He did these through the Elzebub, the Prince of darkness. They attacked the place where He grew up. Can anything come out of, good thing, come out of Nazareth? But the principal cause of Jesus' persecution was because He challenged the traditions of the religious leaders of His day, and He taught them the pure truth.

And He performed the mighty works of God. And when they could not deny those works, then they wanted to attack Him and say, wow, He's doing that because of the devil.

Let's notice a few scriptures here in Matthew, first of all, 22 verse 16.

Matthew 22 and verse 16. We're going to look at four or five scriptures here quickly, hopefully. Matthew 22 and verse 16. Matthew 22 verse 16.

And they sent out unto Him their disciples with a Herodian, saying, you know about Herodians. Herodians were those who thought that God was going to restore the fortunes of Judah politically so that they would receive the promises by the prophets through the Herodians. Herod was a king. And they sent out unto Him their disciples with a Herodian, saying, Master, we know that you are true and teach the way of God and truth. Neither care you for any man, for you regard not the person of men.

They would generally say something flattering up front, and then they would try to trick Him with a question. Tell us therefore what you think. Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar or not?

But Jesus perceived their wickedness and said, why tip you, me, you hypocrites?

Show me the tribute money. And they brought Him a penny. And He said unto them, whose inscription is on here? Whose image is this?

And they said, Caesar. And He said unto them, render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things which are God's. Now in Mark 12, verse 14, we won't go there because that's the same account. Mark's account is the same thing. Let's go to John 8.40. John 8 and verse 40. John 8.40. This is a long discussion here of Jesus Christ and His encounter with religious leaders of the day. It went back and forth. Let's read a little bit of those arguments back and forth.

Verse 22, John 8.22. Then said the Jews, will He kill Himself? Because He said, Where I go, you cannot come. And He said unto them, You are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you that you shall die in your sins, for if you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sins. Then they said unto Him, Who are you? And Jesus said unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.

And I have many things to say and to judge of you. But He that sent me is true, and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of Him. They understood not that He spoke of them of the Father. Then they go back in this discussion. Then we come down to verse 40.

But now you seek to kill me a man that has told you the truth, which I have heard of God. This did not Abraham. Of course, they said, Oh, we have Abraham the Father. No, we have never been in bondage to any man. Now in John 14 and verse 6. Forward a few pages. Please, John 14 and verse 6.

Jesus said unto them, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes unto the Father, but by me. So you have reciprocity. John 6.44 says, No man can come to the Father, come to me except the Father draw him. And then this says, No man can come to the Father except through me. So God and Jesus Christ, of course, are working together.

I gave here a sermon not all that long ago on doing the first work. Basically about judgment, mercy, and faith. In which I said, What if everything in the church was as you thought it should be?

There was no strife in the church. Everybody was just wonderfully performing what you think they ought to be doing as you think they ought to be doing. What difference would that make in your life? Would that make you more like Jesus Christ? Would you be becoming more love as God is love, if that were the fact? See, when all is said and done, we are all individually standing before the judgment seat of Christ. You cannot control what other people do and think, but you can control what you are becoming. We can all ask ourselves, are we becoming as God in Christ? Are we becoming more and more converted? Are we exercising judgment, mercy, and faith with God and her neighbor? And instead of telling someone else what you think is wrong with your neighbor, you'd go talk with him and you'd exercise judgment, mercy, and faith. Instead of telling someone else what bothers you about a sermon, you'd go and talk to the minister, not to your circle of friends, or we'd hold a little private enclave, murmur and complain, as if some people are addicted. No, you would go talk to someone who can really solve the problem.

It is possible. We might as well go home and forget this. It is possible to practice true Christianity. Instead of holding court in your own little circle, which limits you to mutual griping and murmuring, you take steps to solve it. As I said earlier, there are people who live their lives tied up with digging up the dirt and spreading it around. Now, this has been proved so dramatically in America the past three decades with the advent of People magazine, with the advent of the various news magazine programs, Entertainment Tonight and programs of that ilk, virtually every network, while every network plus the cable channels now have those kind of programs in which they are exposing all the dirt and filth of the celebrities. And we just can't wait to get another episode. In America today, that kind of news troughs what's going on in the international scene.

There's just something perverse about human nature. Then it loves to hear all the sordid details of Tiger Woods' sexual encounters. Throw up! But more importantly, grow up!

Will we be a victim of Isaiah 30, verses 8 through 13? Pretty sure I read that last week, but I'd like to read it again. Isaiah 30 and verse 8. Isaiah 30, verse 8. Now go write it before them in a table and note it in a book that it may be for the time to come, forever and ever. That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord, which say to the seers, see not, to the prophets, prophesy not unto us, write things. Speak unto us, smooth things, prophesy deceit. Tell us what we want to hear. Reinforce what I think about.

The ministry should be here to preach the Word in season, out of season. The ministry should be here to help you grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

And we should be committed and dedicated to doing everything that we possibly can to follow the example of Christ.

Which say to the seers, see not, to the prophets, prophesy not, us, write things. Speak unto us, smooth things, prophesy deceit. Get you out of the way. Turn aside out of the path. Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.

Wherefore, that says the Holy One of Israel, because you despise this Word and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay there upon. Therefore, this iniquity shall be to you as a breach, ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly at an instant. None of us want that to happen to us. You know, we sing the song occasionally in Psalm service. God speaks to us. By His great hand, we're led. Do we really believe the words of that song?

If God does speak to us, how does He speak to us? And of course, I think we know the answer. He speaks to us through His Word, and the Holy Spirit, the great enabler, enables us to understand it. If God does not communicate with us, then we can think no higher, gain no more knowledge than what humans can think and learn. You would now go to Isaiah 55 verse 6, and we'll note here what God says about human limitations in the domain of human thought. In Isaiah 55 verse 6, seek you the Lord, while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.

These are the wonderful days where the Word of God is being freely given. Anyone who has a mind to come, let him come and drink. Let him come and feed on the precious Word of God. The day is coming if we're living in the end times in which there is coming, a famine of the hearing of the Word. And you will not be able to so freely come and sit and drink at the fountain of life as you are now. Verse 7, let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord. And he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven and returns not there, but waters the earth and makes it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater. Now, this verse 11, we should all understand and take heed.

So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth, and it's going forth out of his mouth today through me. Not that every word I say, but every word I say from here, and if every other word that I say is not true, check it up here. If it is true, so shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth, it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereunto I said it. See, God is faithful. God is true. Whatever He said He's going to do, He will eventually do. We have seen in recent years a trend among so many people to develop a belief system that is based on human reasoning apart from the Word of God. Even true of some people who have grown up in the church saying such things, I don't believe God is going to send anyone in the flames of the end of fire. God is too merciful for that. I've heard people who grow up in the church say that very thing.

They speak for God when He is not spoken and make God over in their own image, and thus by speaking for God where He is not spoken, they make themselves into God, committing idolatry and becoming their own God, violating, breaking the first commandment which says, you shall not have any other gods before Me. I've heard people say, my God will not send a person to begin a fire. My God is too merciful for that. Note the emphasis on my God.

This is the God that they made up in their own minds because it agrees with what they have come to believe apart from the Word of God. I mean, if they speak God according to the law and the testimony, it's because there are no truths in them. Search the Scriptures daily whether these things be true. So many people recreate God in their own image, and this violates the first commandment. You shall have no other gods before Me. Now, in the Western world, our idolatry is a little more subtle and sophisticated than some of that in the Eastern world.

On my trip to Thailand, we went out to the Old City, and Thailand is the official religion there as Buddhism. Even in the homes in Thailand, they build a threshold a certain way so the evil spirits can get out. In the Old City, they have the, I believe it's the second most sacred statue of Buddha, a little green jade statue about this big of Buddha setting way off over there. You can't get to it, and they worship that. And in a sense, they worship the King because the King is thought to be the highest form of human reincarnation that you can attain to before you merge back into the spirit world. So one of the days that we were there was King Bhumapal's birthday. In Thailand, you can be put to death for speaking against the King because he is like next to God. Now, there's a lot of unrest in Thailand in recent times, and people have been killed because of rioting over elections, but really they're not rioting against the King. If you remember that Mr. Armstrong developed quite a friendship with the King and Queen of Thailand. We, Sarah, could even visit the Pasadena campus.

So they have idols set out that you can see, but in the Western world, our idols are more abstract in a way, but nonetheless, they exist. Today, the chief method of violating the First Commandment is not done by making idols and bowing down to them, but rather, we break the commandment by placing our perception of truth in the place of God. And so, you hear about Ophraism, who's developed her system of spirituality, which essentially is pantheism, discovering the God within. God is all in all is God. And then, other forms of spiritualism where you develop a syncretic system. Syncretism means you take a little of this, that, and the other, and you meld it together. And this is what I believe, which has really no basis or authority, in fact. Man thinks he's worshiping God, but really he's worshiping the image he is made of God in his own mind. Now, let's notice Proverbs 16.25. Proverbs 16 verse 25. This is repeated twice. Proverbs 16.25 and also Proverbs 14.12. Proverbs 16.25, there's a way that seems right unto a man.

But the end thereof are the ways of death.

So, we must not come to the point where we believe that our image of the way things are will get us into the kingdom of God. There is a way. There is a right way.

The Bible defines, describes, illuminates the right way, the right path. You know, David, Psalm 119, verses 97 through 105, your word is a light unto my path and lamp unto my feet.

And we will direct our steps. Let's look at 1 Corinthians 3, verse 18, and see if we can be instructed here. 1 Corinthians 3 and verse 18. Let no man deceive himself. 1 Corinthians 3, 18.

Let no man deceive himself if any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, for it is written, he takes the wise in their own craftiness. And again, the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are vain.

Therefore, let no man glory in men, for all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death or things present or things to come, all are yours. And you are Christ, and Christ is God's.

So if there is not good and evil, and the rewarding of good and evil, and eternal life, then all of this is just a farcical tragedy beyond credulity. Unbelievable. But, brethren, I know that the reason you sit here today is because you have proven these things. You have gone through them. You have paid a dear price. And as Paul writes in Hebrews, it's never a time to turn back, as he says, If anyone turns back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

Our relationship to the truth has at least three critical aspects. Knowing the truth, and we can't really come to know the truth, except through revelation in God's Spirit and the Father drawing us.

We really see that clearly in 1 Corinthians 2. We're familiar with that. No man can really understand the things of God except through the Spirit of God. You can't understand the things of man except through the spirit of man, which is in him.

Then there's the aspect, after knowing the truth, of doing the truth. And then there's also an aspect that's somewhat in the abstract domain of loving the truth. I guess you could say, if you're not really doing the truth, do you really love the truth?

The Word of God, the Spirit of God, convicts us of the truth. If we don't harden our hearts and become bitter, and it is possible, it is possible to become bitter. It is possible to harden your heart.

Look at Proverbs 29 in verse 1.

Proverbs 29 in verse 1.

In Proverbs 29 in verse 1, He that being often reproved hardens his neck.

You know, several times in the Bible it says, Harden not your hearts. It also says, He who hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. If it weren't possible to turn away or to harden your heart, why would this even be there?

He that being often reproved hardens his neck shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

The hardness of the heart and bitterness of one's heart can become their idol. So, notice back in Proverbs 14 verse 10, sometimes I call this Scripture to mind, I know it well.

I have seen people in this condition. I hope and pray that I never get here.

Proverbs 14.10, The heart knows his own bitterness, and a stranger does not intermetal with his joy. It's their thing.

That's their raison d'être. That is their reason for being.

I've got this thing, and I'm not going to let it go. Therefore, I'm justified in what I think, what I say, what I believe.

Obviously, there is a time to stand up, and I'm not talking about not standing up. Jesus Christ stood up, and he went into the temple, and he ran the money changers out of the temple. He stood up before the scribes and the Pharisees many times. But I am talking about a root of bitterness. Notice Hebrews 12.

Hebrews 12. You know, when we look at all of our lives, especially those of us who have been around 30, 40 years, and we've seen the ebb and flow come and go in the church, change of leadership, false teaching, combating that, doing this, doing the other, it's easy at times to become discouraged, disillusioned, and it would be easy to become bitter.

In Hebrews 12.14, Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. I didn't write it.

Looking diligently at lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.

Lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau. Profane means to treat the sacred, the holy, as secular, as worldly, as nothing. See, the birthright was sacred. It was the domain. It was the gift. It was the right of the first born.

But Esau traded it for a bowl of soup.

Lest any profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat, sold his birthright.

The opportunity to sit here and to know the truth, because really we've been called to be part of the first born, part of the first fruits. It is a sacred gift and right that God in His love and mercy has now taken the blinders off our eyes.

I no longer believe that man has an immortal soul, that he goes to heaven or hell immediately upon death.

I understand the spiritual law of God.

His immutable spiritual law is there for us. It has not been done away with. I understand the holy days, the plan of salvation. God not willing that any should perish.

That all should have an opportunity to come to that marvelous light and be in the family of God.

What a great blessing it is to know those things. But not only to know them, now we go to James 1.22. We've already read it once, but I want to go back there again. James 1.22. And not only to know them, but to do them. James 1.22. But be you doers of the Word, not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he's like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass.

He beholds himself, he goes his way straight away, forgets what manner of men he was.

There are a lot of people who have grown up in the church who have gone their own way. We retain, if we're lucky in this dates back in the worldwide for decades, maybe 25 percent. 20-25 percent. There are many people that a person has picked up the Plain Truth magazine, the Good News magazine, Tomorrow's World, who have seen a lot of television broadcasts, read a lot of literature.

And intellectually, they agree with it. Yeah, that's right. Intellectual assent to the truth.

Behold their natural faces in a glass, in a mirror. Yeah, that's me alright.

That's the truth.

Well, what will I do?

Verse 24, He beholds himself, goes his way straight away, forgets what manner of man he was. But who so looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues therein?

Being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deeds.

Now we turn the page. Maybe it may be on the same page for you to James 2. The devil gives intellectual assent to the truth. Assent means he knows that God exists. He knows that Jesus Christ came to this earth. He knows he was crucified. He has to inspire it.

In James 2.19, You believe that there is one God.

You do well. The devils also believe and tremble.

But will you know vain man that faith without works is dead?

The devil believes and trembles. Satan and the demons give intellectual assent to the truth.

Brethren, a love affair with the truth.

How you love the truth.

And it is so precious. The pearl of great price. Willing to go sell everything that he has.

The pearl of great price.

You would now, 2 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians 2.

We know about these verses.

But as the Apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter, how we know about them. He said, I will not be negligent to put you in remembrance of these things, though you know them.

And so we do that today.

In 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 9, Speaking of that one who will sit in the temple of God saying that he is God.

2 Thessalonians 2.9, Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness and them that perish because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved. 3 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion. For God blinds their minds that they should believe a lie that they all might be damned, who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 4 In fact, verse 10, Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. 5 Developing that love affair with the truth is a personal and individual matter. 6 I can't tell you exactly how to do it, but I know you can't do it without burying your head in the Word of God, studying it, meditating, praying, obeying, doing those things that are given time after time in the Scripture. But where you just, I don't know any other way to say it other, then you just love the truth. 7 David said, Oh, how love thy law! It is my meditation, night and day. 8 Now let's notice Revelation 12 in verse 9. 9 Satan, who is deceiving the whole world. Revelation 12 verse 9. Revelation 12, 9 The great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil, and Satan, who is deceiving the whole world. 9 He was cast out, and the earth his angels were cast out with him. 10 I heard a loud voice saying, In heaven now is come salvation, and strength in the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ. 11 For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuses him before our God day and night. 12 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives under the death. 13 See, a part of it is the word of their testimony. 14 They had the word of God. 15 In Psalm 119, verses 9-11, it says, How shall a young man cleanse his ways? 16 Then it says, By taking heed thereunto unto your word, 17 Your word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 18 That word is hidden in the heart. 19 The Spirit of God has written it on the inward part. 20 You love it. You know it. You live it. And we know at baptism we made that commitment. 21 He who would be my disciple loves not less, father, mother, brother, sister, yea, even his own life. You see, one of the requirements here, they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, they loved not their lives under the death. Yea, even his own life is not worthy to be called my disciple. So, being given the spiritual truth is analogous to being born. Go back to James 1.18.

God the Father, we want to read 17 too. James 1.17. God the Father, as I've already noted, in His love and His mercy, for some reason, look down in mercy upon you and upon me at this particular time and say, I'm going to call Him. I'm going to call her.

Why? I don't know.

And we come from various economic, social strata, various ethnic groups.

And here we are, the body of Christ. James 1.17. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no verbleness, neither shadow of turning.

Of His own will, beget He us with a word of truth.

That this word here, beget, is not gonao. Of course, in 1 John and in the Gospel of John, mainly it's gonao, which can mean to beget or to be born.

But this word is apokoeo. Apokoeo. It means to bring forth, to bring forth from the room, to give birth, to produce.

So, but God, beget you and I with a word of truth, so that we could be conformed to the image of His dear Son, which we'll read in just a moment.

Of His own will, beget us with a word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-roots of His creatures, of His creation. Now back in Romans 8, 28. Romans 8, 28.

And notice what He does. In Romans 8, verse 28.

We know all things work together for good to those that love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His dear Son. Now that Greek word here for image is icon. It's the word from which you get idle in the English language. It's a root word for idle.

And of course, we know that some set up idols. We've talked about made of wood, hay, and stubble, made of stone, maybe even made of what they call precious stones, as in the case of the Jade Buddha.

But with God, He conforms us to the image of His Son to the very likeness that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Jesus Christ is the firstborn, and afterward those that are His at His coming, as we read in 1 Corinthians 15.

Icon, once again, is a root word for idle. Throughout the ages, humans have made idols to represent their gods.

And humankind has historically worshiped these idols, these gods. There are no gods.

But here we are. We can be transformed into the image of His dear Son, the Son of God.

And only God has this power to transform us into the image of His dear Son. That final transformation takes place, of course, at the resurrection when we are raised to glorious, radiant spirit beings in the Kingdom of God. Brethren, we play a role in that transformation.

Our role centers on crucifying the flesh and living by the Spirit of Truth.

So, brethren, here this afternoon, instead of us hanging our heads, let us lift our heads because our redemption draweth nigh. It is much nearer than when we first believed.

Through God's grace, love, and mercy, He's allowed us to sit here. He's allowed the scales of blinders to come off our eyes.

That we might see and know His marvelous truth.

The truth that men have fought for, bled and died for. The truth that Jesus Christ gave His life for, so that we might have redemption, so that we might have forgiveness, so that we might receive the earnest of the Spirit and have an opportunity to be partakers of the divine nature and to be transformed in the image of His dear Son.

So, let's rejoice in the truth of God who has begotten us with the word of truth. Let's love it. Let's obey it.

Let's become living sacrifices. And let's reflect that truth to the world.