Truth or Die

Have you considered the relationship between truth and life? And have you considered the relationship between false and death? These are very clear relationships in Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. Sometimes we don't focus in exactly on how distinct truth is from false. In fact, as human beings, we kind of accept and sometimes advocate a blending of the two. Have you considered that from Genesis to Revelation, God and Jesus Christ and the other writers of the Bible state clearly that if you reject living God's truth, you will die? That's pretty final, and that death is an eternal death. It's just you won't be there. Or if you embrace that truth and participate in that truth and you become truth, like Jesus said us an example of being truth, then you and I will have life more abundantly in God's family and live in harmony within the kingdom of God family forever.

If we go to Ezekiel chapter 18 and verse 4, we see God's perspective on this matter. Oftentimes you and I will tend to think of church and our religion and our lives as this opportunity we have to try to get into God's kingdom. And we have some buffeting along the way and some distractions and some carnal human nature, but hopefully we'll get there one day. But let's reverse that. How does God, who created you and me and created this whole environment and the whole plan of salvation, how does he look at this? Ezekiel chapter 18 and verse 4, God says, Behold, all lives are mine. He owns everybody's life. He created us.

The soul of the Father, the life of the Father, as well as the life of the Son, is mine.

The one who sins shall die. Now we know that that penalty hangs over anyone who sins, but through the blood of Jesus Christ, if we repent and truly strive to change, then that is set aside. And God doesn't remember that sin. And so we gradually, like children, kind of bumble into this, and more and more, we become more perfect or complete in our mindset linking up to God. But again, you and I can sort of say, well, okay, I'm doing pretty well. I think I'm doing okay. I'm sort of balanced. I'm half sin, half righteousness, half truth, half lie, whatever we think balanced is. You know, not some radical person off way over there, you know, who is just strictly obeying God, got names for people like that. Or some carnal sinner over there who's just absolutely... But, you know, we're balanced. How does God see this? The soul whose sin shall die. If we don't come out of a mindset of rebellion to truth and accepting of deception, well, then what are we? We're a person eating off the tree of good and evil. Adam and Eve were ejected from the garden, and you and I would be ejected from participating in God's church, like those mentioned in the seventh church in Revelation 3 that could be vomited out of the body if we're just sort of warm and sort of cold. Not quite hot, not quite cold. Somewhere in the middle is balanced. Jesus's view of that was the soul that sins is going to die. Verse 5, but... Here's where it gets good. But, God says, if a man is just and does what is lawful and right according to God's Word, according to the truth, God's Word is truth. Capitalize the W. Jesus Christ, the Word of God is truth. Jesus Christ, the Son of God from the Father, brought the truth. They are truth.

The man is just and does what is lawful and right.

Going down to verse 8, if he is not exacted usury nor taken any increase, what that is referring to is he is not taking more than what a contract or more than an agreement was agreed to or was right. He didn't catch somebody in an extreme situation and therefore take advantage of that.

Because of a scarcity of what that person needs, he can overcharge them or that person's in a bind and so no one else can help him but you. And so you just, you know, give some incredible increase or usury. But he has withdrawn his hand from iniquity and executed true judgment between man and man. Executed true judgment. He's taken the law of God and he's applied that. He's made judgments as to how that law of God applies in situations between himself and other people.

In verse 9, if he has walked in my statutes and kept my judgments faithfully, he is just. He shall surely live, says the Lord God. So we have this contrast, don't we, of truth and living truth and sort of mixing it up. One is going to die and one's going to live.

It's a continuous theme throughout the Bible all the way to the end time. In 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2 and verse 9, we come to a time at the end where lawlessness abounds.

See, breaking all of God's laws and man's laws, it's just everybody is lawless.

There's no truth. Truth falls in the street, the Bible says. In 2 Thessalonians 2 and verse 9, there's an individual who sort of leads that parade, you know, this beast, this great false teaching, sinning, lawless one.

In 2 Thessalonians 2.9, the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders. Oh yes, there's going to be wonders. They're going to be dramatic. Jesus said, even maybe convincing the saints, if at all possible, the elect, they're going to be that dramatic. But they are lying wonders. They're false.

In verse 10, breaking into verse 10, it says, So here we see the contrast between one who's going to be thrown in the leg of the Lord, the fire, early, the beast and the false prophet, followed later by Satan and the demons, and then later on by humanity that won't repent. We have that in the one hand, and the other is those who will be saved if they are in and of the truth and they love that truth.

Verse 12, That they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

It pleased them to have unrighteousness.

So here God looks at our calling, this opportunity, through this lens. Who wants to be part of my family? Who wants to think like us? Let's give them opportunities, allow some temptations, some testing. Let's see who will stand on the laws, the way, the mindset, the principles that we have in our family, and who really doesn't want that. If we go to an end of all things physical, in 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 11, I'll just remind you that verse 9 speaks of that God does not want any to perish. It's not his will. If you want to know what the will of God is, it's in verse 9 that all should come to repentance, right? That all should come around and love the truth and live in righteousness. That's the will of God. If you wake up one day and say, well, you know I'm thinking about doing something or buying something. I wonder what God's will is.

Well, there's God's will that you repent and that you do his way of life.

If you pursue the rule of God and his righteousness, all these other things will be added to you. You don't have to go seeking them. We have to be in a position where God can bless us.

And so in 2 Peter 3 verse 11, therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness? That's the will of God. That we have holy conduct and godless. What is holy? Godly. All right? God is holy. Everything about God connected with God is holy. It's godly because God is godly. He wants us to be like him. So we want to have this godly conduct and godliness.

Verse 12, looking for, looking for, and hastening that we all want the coming day of God. Yes.

Because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and elements will melt with fervent heat. Do we look for that day? Do we long for that day? The end of all things it's called in 1 Corinthians 15. Then comes the end when everything will be burned up and death will finally be erased. Verse 13, nevertheless, we. Put your name there.

Nevertheless, your name. According to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Now that wraps up the Bible right there. That kind of simplifies and synchronizes from God's perspective what he's doing here and what he wants us to do. And we should come on board with this truth and this truthful way and this truthful mindset and this truthful parentage that we have in heaven. Coming on board with it and look for a time after the earth and the physical universe is burned up and new heavens and new earth in which only righteousness dwells. Now what is righteousness? It's not a not some sort of a religious term. It just means right.

Doing what God does. Thinking like God thinks.

Doing truth. Being truth. That is right. The other is wrong. So one is called righteousness, one is called sin. Or one is called right, one is called wrong. One is called evil, one is called good. So which are we going to be? You can't be both. You can't be both.

Sounds clear and easy to do, doesn't it? Ah, we'll just let's all go home and we'll be truth.

Right? We'll do truth. Just do right and follow truth. Well, today let's examine our personal connection, our personal individual connection to truth. Let's look at that carefully because only through truth in love can one enter the divine kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, and live in harmony in the family of God forever. And that's what we want, and that's what God wants. And that's what they've done all this effort for, and Jesus Christ died and lives in us for.

The title of this sermon is Truth or Die. I just thought I'd make it real clear. Truth or Die.

Truth is a challenge for us saints, and it only gets more challenging according to Jesus Christ. Truth, living truth, not only believing truth, but doing truth, obeying truth—it's a challenge.

In our age, why is that a challenge? Well, increasingly, society around us is falling more and more into lawlessness, into the opposite of truth.

In fact, some of the things that our society and our nation really stand on and appreciate are falsehoods. Some of the things that make us great as a nation are actually false—false according to the Bible. And you could march down through those things from monetary systems to political systems to military systems of deceit, through greed, through lust, you know, pornography, all types of corporate and sales entities and methodologies that make us great as a country, including social norms that are more and more encouraged and tolerated and accepted that just violate the laws of God and marriage and family and right.

So, social norms around us that we rub shoulders with all the time—in fact, we often grow up with them in the education system and friends and especially television, music, all these things are pumped at us all the time. We can become very tolerant and, in some ways, participant.

And we get used to that because it's what we see. It's reinforced all the time. You will leave this message and go out into the world where we all live, and lawlessness and lack of truth will be reinforced constantly. Constantly. We relate to human concepts, by the way, and those are human concepts, and they sound logical to us at times. I mean, after all, if somebody's put a gun to your head and says, uh, uh, do you have a lot of money? Uh, no. Or whatever, you know. Well, that's a good lie, right? That's a white lie. White lies are good lies. If you're a salesperson or if you're trying to win over a lady or a man, you know, you just fake it. And that's... you get what you're after. And so on and so forth. Well, what will God's response be to this secular humanism that pervades the planet and is increasingly more and more rolled out as the way to be? Remember the scriptures we read about truth or die? Well, let's go to Hosea chapter four and read the first two verses. Hosea chapter four, beginning in verse one. Here, the word of the Lord. So this is God going to tell us. Here, the word of the Lord, you children of Israel. Now you might think, oh, ancient Israel. Fine. Let's do the Israel of God, New Covenant Church, the Israel of God, as it says in Galatians. For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land. There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. That's the land in which you and I live. There's no truth.

Look at the holidays. Look at the religions. Look at the politics. Look at anything. There's no truth.

Look at the latest advertising you get or the things that pop up, you know, trying to, I don't know, on your phone you get a call. Who is it really? Is it really some little cute girl from, I don't know, across the block? Or is it some Russian hacker out there trying to break into your bank account? There's no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. You hear the word God. It's interesting in politics or on TV. You'll hear the word God once in a while, and you think, oh, they use the word God. There's nothing associated with it ever. Just that. God bless something. Usually it's cursing, but anyway, sometimes it's positive. There's no knowledge of God. There's nothing about the Scripture or application. There's no follow-up. It's like lies and hypocrisy and lawlessness. Oh, and God bless it. By swearing and lying, killing and stealing, committing adultery, they break all restraint with bloodshed upon bloodshed. What's God's response? Therefore the land will mourn. Everyone who dwells there will waste away. That's God's response, because there's nothing that you can do with that. He can't package that and put it somewhere. He can try to correct it, discipline. In Isaiah chapter 59 verses 13 through 21, let's hear more about what God will do.

Isaiah 59 verse 13.

In transgressing and lying against the Lord and departing from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart the words of falsehood. Now that surrounds us, and that in a way permeates the Church. What you see outside tends to come along within the Church over time.

It just seeps in. Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off. Truth has fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. You could analyze, truth fallen in the street, equity doesn't enter, and look at the world around you. When was the last time you heard a news item that was truthful, that you thought was truthful, absolutely truthful?

Or someone say something that was absolutely truthful? You know, we're all like, well, this one's got that's land, that's got that's land. You got to watch out for this. You really can't trust that. I mean, even the weather this week, did you look at the weather all week long? Missed it every single day. And we're just used to that. That's our world, right? Truth has fallen in the street. Well, there it is. So truth fails, verse 15. And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. That's where you and I begin to come into crosshairs with a society that does not want truth, not just factually truth, but living truth, godly truth, a mindset of God and Jesus Christ.

The Lord saw it and displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man and wondered there was no intercessor. And therefore his own arm brought salvation for him. And his own righteousness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on his head. He put on the garment of vengeance and clothing and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay. That's what God is going to do. Now if you notice right there, that's pretty powerful what Jesus Christ is going to do, right? To humanity who's sinning. But if you go right back and look in verse 17, he offers you and me the same thing. He put on righteousness as a breastplate. Oh, sounds like Ephesians chapter 6, doesn't it? Put on the whole armor of God. Well, this is God in his armor. He's offering it to you and me as a defense, a helmet of salvation, garments of vengeance for clothing, zeal as a cloak.

We don't have the vengeance. We leave that with him, but we should have a zeal for truth and for being part of the family of God. You know, when we pray, we get on our knees and we pray, God, our Father in heaven, holy is your name. Your rule come, your will be done. We are submitting to that mindset of truth and love every day. We desire it. We want to participate in it. Now, when Christ returns, second resurrection, you know, through eternity is the bride.

We want to be truth, truth and love with God and that family. So this is what God wants for you and me. He wants us to really be involved in it. And if we're not, well, as we just saw, God's not going to just be okay with that.

He can't. He can't bring eternal beings, powerful eternal beings, into the kingdom of heaven and let them tear it apart like Satan and his demons would have had they had more power than they did. I'd like to give five points that foster truth and love. They did yesterday, they do today, and they will forever. And this is the thing about truth. This is the thing about right. It's God has always ruled down through time. He continues to rule and he always will rule. He's looking for people who welcome that rule from the heart. Do you and I welcome God, his truth, his ways, his laws, from the heart.

Is that what we welcome? See, it's not going back. It's not me trying to do enough things where I can get into God's kingdom. No, he wants us to welcome him. You know, pray, our Father in heaven, you know, your rule come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

What do you want that? Well, during the fall of the angels, we sure wish they hadn't fallen. You know, in past histories, we go through the Bible, it's like, oh no, Israel's going to rebel again. Oh, no. Oh, they got a righteous king. Go, you know, stay righteous. No, crash. You know, if you're of that heart, you want his rule then. You want it when Jesus Christ walked the earth.

You're like, come on, rally here. He says he's the king. He says he's the Lord. Rally. Nope.

Crucified him. Now he says to us in the church, okay, here's the head of the church. He is true truth. He is truth. He's the word of God. I give truth. His written word is truth. All about God is truth. Live it. Live it. Live it. Grow it. Be part of the first harvest like me. You become the truth like me and I'll resurrect you and we'll be the truth together called first fruit. First one's up. First one's in. And we'll roll out the government to future generations of humanity together. That's a wonderful, wonderful opportunity. Point number one, recognize falsehood around you at all levels. Quit glossing it over. Quit saying, oh yeah, our our troops are better because we deceived them that we were going to be over there and we gave them a whole bunch of false propaganda and we told them this and we told them that and our our CIA just fed people the whole bunch of miss, you know, and and then we we got the we got the, you know, advantage. Just just leave the world and leave the wars and leave it all. Dive back into God and his way of life and think on the things that are truthful and honest and lovely. Things of the family of God that are right and just.

Internationally, everybody is faking it. The governments are faking it. The politicians, there is corruption at so many levels. The justice system is not honest, not truthful. Hope that you never have to fall prey to the justice system.

The news. Don't trust the news. Any news for anything. Trust the news that's in the Bible. The good news with reward. That's what the word gospel means. Look it up in the Greek. Reward for good news. That's the good news and it comes with a reward. Don't trust advertising or businesses or sales. Salespeople. Don't even trust family members. How much should you trust yourself?

Jeremiah 17.9. The heart is deceitful, above all things, and desperately wicked.

Who are you going to trust? Realize that falsehood around you is at every level.

Trust God.

Let's go to Jeremiah chapter 9, verses 5 through 6. Jeremiah chapter 9 and verse 5.

It says, everyone will deceive his neighbor and will not speak the truth. There's a few times when, you know, you go to sell something to your neighbor, maybe you're a salesperson, and you just really build up your brand.

You know, there's other brands, too, and every brand has its weaknesses, its deficiencies, but you're going to sell the brand. Everyone will deceive his neighbor. When you go to sell something on eBay or Marketplace or, you know, on a garage sale or however you sell something, do you do it truthfully? Do you do it truthfully? Everyone deceives his neighbor. You know, once in a while, a person will come along and say, wow, you represented this accurately. Thank you.

I've gotten that from people, and they're just so surprised. I sold an airplane one time. Another time, I sold something else, and the guy came and said, you know, your description was right on, because, you know, you put in how it really is, and you put in the good parts, and you also put in the other parts, and the person comes along and says, wow, it's just like you described it. That's amazing. That was the tenth one I've come to see, and it's the first one that I can expect to be like it is. But that's not how it normally is. He will not speak the truth. They have taught their tongue to speak lies. Good at it. Good at it. They weary themselves to commit iniquity. Your dwelling place is in the midst of deceit, and through deceit they refuse to know me, says the Lord. So he talks about here in verse 9, shall I not punish them for these things?

That's... God cannot wink at that type of thing.

Point number two. Equate anything false to Satan's sinful mindset. Quit putting a rosy polish on it and saying, oh, that wasn't bad or that was clever.

You know, this person that I really liked, he said all these lies, but, you know, he got what he wanted. I'm glad he got what he wanted or she got or whatever.

Point two. Is equate false, anything false with Satan's sinful mindset?

This comes from Jesus himself in John chapter 8 and verse 44.

And he's talking here to religious people, zealots for the religion, the religion supposedly of the Bible. But it wasn't truth anymore. It was a mixture of good and evil that they were promulgating. And Jesus spoke to them and said, you Sabbath keepers, you feast keepers, you people who are keeping God's law, but mixing it with false concepts, you are of your father, the devil, the Greek word pater, the author, the originator, you're of your father, the devil. You relate to that author, not the author of your salvation, but the author actually of your demise, or of getting what you want carnally. And he's the devil. And the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the author, the originator of it. There was no lies in the kingdom of God before Satan turned and he invented it. So he's the the father of lies, the father of murders. We need to look at anything that's not truth and associate it with Satan because it cannot be of God and it cannot be in God's kingdom. Third point, come to appreciate more, and I'm striving to do this in my life, come to appreciate more that truth equates with God, Jesus Christ, and the family of God.

Anything to do with truth. Now that truth might hurt you in the sense of it might you might suffer loss, discredit, lack of opportunity. You might not be hired. You might lose your job. You might not be able to graduate, etc., etc., if you live and obey truth. But appreciate truth equals God the Father, equals Jesus Christ, equals the laws of the Agape family. That is truth. They are truth.

You be truth with them. Come to appreciate that truth and you're being connected, more than connected. Truth becoming you, like it is them. Appreciate that.

I want to start with Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse 3.

Deuteronomy 32 and verse 3. I was studying this this morning, and it says here, for I proclaim, this is something that you and I need to not just say, oh yeah, God's truth, and that's truth, and that's the Bible. But these words, I proclaim the name of the Lord, ascribe greatness to our God. Verse 4, 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. Now, if we were to take this and substitute a few words, we might say we would want to be able to say, for I proclaim to be a son or daughter of the Lord, ascribed greatness with our God, the rock, who is perfect, a God of truth without injustice, righteous and upright, are we. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Wouldn't God revel to know that somebody really began to feel a connection at that level with truth and with God and godliness in their mindset? Well, in fact, that's why God is living in you. God the Father and Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, if you are truly baptized and truly growing and attached to the vine, they are in us. We are not just associated with them. We are one, one with them in truth. Regarding those who teach, and I know those who stand up here, we talk in the back rooms and privately, and we say, you know, the one thing that we really want to be careful of, we strive to be careful, we sweat it out at home in preparation, is to make sure that everything that comes out is truthful. It's accurate. Not me, but, you know, we just ask God for the inspiration, and we carefully check, double check, that it's truthful. Let's look in Malachi chapter 2 and verse 6. God speaks here of the teachers. In particular, he's going back to Levi and his sons, the priests. The modern New Covenant application here would be the ministry or those who are teaching.

Sometimes, say, prophesying is used when teaching is being referred to. Malachi chapter 2 and verse 6, the law of truth. Think about those words. God's law is truth. The law is truth. If you keep God's law, if we're wrapped up in God's law of loving God with a heart, soul, and might, lover, neighbor as ourself, and executing all the judgments according in our lives with people, according to that, there's the law of truth was in his mouth. That's a good teacher, God is saying. An injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with me in harmony and equity, and turned many away from iniquity. So the purpose here of the teachers, of the ministry, or of the priests, is to turn many from iniquity. Throughout the Bible, you'll find that Noah was a preacher of righteousness trying to turn people from iniquity. God came along through Moses trying to turn the Israelites from iniquity, through Samuel, the high priest, trying to turn the leaders and the people from iniquity, down through all the major prophets and the minor prophets. That's the theme. Turn from iniquity. Ezekiel's warning. Go out and warn them to turn from their iniquity.

Isaiah 58.1, cry aloud, spare not, tell my people their sins that they turn from iniquity. John the Baptist came preaching the gospel, saying, repent! Jesus Christ came. Repent! The rule of God is at hand. It's here. Touch it. It's here now. Turn from iniquity. He told the person, if you want to inherit eternal life, keep the commandments. Turn from iniquity. All the apostles and some of the scriptures we've read here. Turn from iniquity while there's still time.

The law of truth. In John chapter 3 and verse 21, Jesus Christ also encourages us to come out of sin and darkness and come into the light. John 3 verse 21. Again, he's going to tell us that truth isn't just something sitting in a book on a shelf. Truth isn't just accurate versus inaccurate. John 3, 21, Jesus said, he who does the truth comes to the light. Who's the light? Jesus is the light of the world. Do the truth comes to the light that his deeds may be clearly seen that they have been done in God. See that relationship there. It's not sort of God and us, you know, right and wrong. No, it's law of truth. He does the truth. He comes to the light, and these deeds are done in God. It's God's truth. It's God's Spirit. It's this bread of life that we ingest. We love, and we get rid of an 11ing. Let's go to Titus chapter 1 and verse 1. Titus 1 and verse 1. You think about what was Paul doing? Paul preached the gospel, and what was his message? Titus 1, 1. Paul, a bond servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgement of the truth which accords with godliness. This is what Paul taught. Acknowledge the truth. It is godliness. Go live it, internalize it, do it. Verse 2, in hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie—God's not—he can't lie—promised before time began.

This truth is something we have absolute confidence in, and if we live it, if we do it, if we are it, we will have eternal life. The fourth point is to realize that being truthful or being truthful can bring challenges, even persecution.

That should not in any way cause us to pause or be reticent or reluctant to only be truth, speak truth. Husband always saying truth to a spouse, always to a neighbor, always to an employer, always to whoever, a policeman. Were you doing 55 in a 40 zone? No, sir, I was doing 62.

Is that going to go well for you? Nope, it won't. Teach you two things. Slow down, number one. Number two, keep being truthful. You never know what that policeman's going to say. They might just say, you know what? You're the first person I have met. Slow down, go your way. But let's go to John 18, verse 33, because we have an example from our elder brother, from the one who is the first of the firstfruits who did this, and it cost him something. John 18, in verse 33. I'm sure you know that in the Roman Empire, you are not allowed to be a king in sort of contest with Caesar. Jesus was a Jew. You had the Jewish society there throughout the land, and you also had some Romans. They were not Jews. They were Romans. They were of a whole different mindset. They had a different system of religion, a different system of governance, and they had the military might.

Here in verse 33, Jesus is not with his culture. Pilate entered the praetorium again. Jesus is now over in the Roman building. He is in the Roman military compound.

And Pilate comes in and says to him, Are you the king of the Jews?

That's a lot bigger question than, Were you doing 55 in a 45 zone? Are you the king of the Jews?

Hmm.

Jesus, in verse 37, was asked again, Are you a king, then?

He might have added to that answer very carefully here.

And Jesus said, You say rightly that I am a king.

For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.

Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.

That's how strong Jesus was about who he was, what he was, and what his purpose here was, and who his are people of the truth.

That is a powerful example that you and I should just put right at the top of our minds and say, No matter what comes along, I am going to be like Jesus Christ. I'm going to be like the one living in me. I'm going to be part of the family that I belong to as a citizen of heaven.

Paul was also an example of being truth, speaking truth, encouraging people to repent. Let's go to 1 Timothy 2, verse 7. 1 Timothy 2, verse 7 sets us another great example.

1 Timothy 2, verse 7.

He's talking about Jesus Christ and what he went through, and he was crucified, partly for what he just said to Pilate.

And then he says in verse 6, he gave a ransom for all, for which, verse 7, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle.

And I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying, a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

That's a great example of a human who was imperfect but growing, preaching, teaching, living, faith and truth.

You and I should be bold about that. We should be absolute about that. There should be no blending of truth and faults in our lives, and we should clean that out. Clean that out wherever we find it.

In the end time, we're going to find that lawlessness will abound, we're told.

And if we're not careful, we either might tolerate and accept it or be afraid to resist it. Let's go to Matthew 24, verses 9 and 10.

Matthew 24, verses 9 and 10. It's not so easy to just say, oh, I'm of truth. I'll be of truth.

Because we know that, as we read back in Isaiah, I believe it was, truth has fallen in the street. Those who stand for the truth or righteousness make themselves a prey. Verse 9 of Matthew 24, then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my namesake. Are you willing to do that? Jesus did that. The apostles did that. The prophets did that. Are you and I connected to the God family enough that if outside persecution comes to this degree, do we stand still? Verse 13, He who endures to the end shall be saved. Is that you and me? We need to think about this. We need to internalize this. We can't just sort of be, well, I kind of like truth, and, you know, we'll see what happens. We need to know who we are. You know, the apostle Paul was truth. He got — how many times did he get 39 stripes on his back? You know, how about every time you start counting 39 lashes on your back, you begin to have some thoughts, and it happens over and over and over and over and stoned and left for dead and reviled? Verse 10, some won't want to have that. They'll defend themselves. They'll be offended and betray one another and hate one another. And many false teachers will rise up and deceive many. See, oh, I would rather hear a different message, something a little more easy, something that'll help me navigate this beast in his in time. Verse 12, because lawlessness will abound — lack of truth — lawlessness will abound.

The agape of many will grow cold. Don't forget, in the fog of war, there's an incoming to that. Verse 14, in this gospel of the kingdom, of the rule of God, will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations. There is an angel coming right when Jesus Christ returns, and you are standing with Christ in heaven at the throne of God. Then, it says in Revelation 14, and then an angel will preach the everlasting gospel. Repent and obey God. Repent and welcome the truthful rule of God in your life. It just continues going on. That'll be taught through the millennium. It'll be taught in the second resurrection. Jesus sitting on the white throne. What has he got? The books are open, and they're judged out of what's in the book. Repent and do the truth. And then the end will come. Verse 14. Then the end will come. And all of that false Babylon will just dissolve. And Christ and the saints will fight against that. Satan will be bound. Falsehood will disappear from humanity for a thousand years. Got to remember the end. Point five, the last point. Determine to become 100% truth in everything, even when it gets you in trouble.

In Proverbs chapter 3 and verse 3, there's a proverb that says, Let not mercy and truth forsake you. Let not mercy and truth forsake you.

Well, what is mercy? Mercy is that relationship that we have with God, that as we repent, he forgives us, but then he instills in us more understanding and more wisdom, more ability to obey, and maybe we bump in again and make a mistake. But in that relationship, that reciprocal relationship between God and us in our minds, there is a merciful relationship. Don't let that break. You've seen it happen in other people's lives where they just suddenly it went away or they went away, and there's no more reciprocal merciful relationship with God right now.

And truth forsake you. You're not forsaking the truth. Don't let God, God's truth, the living, the life, the doing of the truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart. And so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God, amen.

There it is. Forget what you might try to carve out for yourself, but have the high esteem of God and even of men. You know, how many times do you walk down the street of life and people step aside and respect you? They don't do what you do. They don't want to do what you do. They don't believe what you do, but they say, you know what? I honor, I esteem who you are and your family and what you do and your principles. It might be at work, it might be at school, it might be with an unconverted mate. They might have like, it's kind of like the old days with a feast, you know. We come into a feast, we'd be there in the town and then we'd leave. And if people would say in the newspapers, they sure have a weird religion, but they sure are nice people. We hope they'll come back next year. They're not like the rest of the tourists that come here. So you see there's esteem from even from men. And then Psalm 119 verses 104. Psalm 119 verse 104. Here's David, man after God's own heart, because he internalized many of these things and he himself hated falsehood. Through your precepts, I get understanding. Therefore, I hate every false way. Come to hate false ways, not people. Hate false ways, any false ways. Find them, avoid them, don't be part of them.

In conclusion, then, when truth comes, it's one of Jesus's names.

Hopefully it's one of your names. When truth comes and reigns on the earth, because as the bride of Christ, we will be one with him, and we will be truth and light with him, then we find that godly societies will flourish, growing across the earth. I'd like to conclude by reading Psalm chapter 85 verses 8 through 13. Psalm 85 beginning in verse 8.

By being truth now, growing in truth, living in the truth, obeying the truth, having truth, Jesus Christ, live in you, then we look forward to this time in the future.

People will be taught this by us in the millennium and the second resurrection.

I will hear what God the Lord will speak, people will say, for he will speak peace to his people and to his saints. But let them not turn back to folly. Surely his salvation is near to those who revere him that glory may dwell in our land. Jesus Christ will dwell in the temple in Jerusalem. Verse 10. Mercy and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed. They're no longer fallen in the street. Now they've met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

Yes, the Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.

Righteousness will go before him and shall make his footsteps our pathway.

Let's do all to be part of the firstfruits in the family of God so that we can be part of bringing truth and right to mankind in all future generations with Jesus Christ.