What Is Truth?

We have a handout that the ushers are now going to be passing to you. The purpose of this handout, the origin of it, dates back to when I was teaching a class. I taught the first, quote, philosophy class in the history of Ambassador College, titled Introduction to Western Thought. In that class, we had a term paper in which the students were to answer the ten of the basic questions of life from the Bible and from other sources, but the Bible being the principal source. Then, later, I enlarged upon that and brought it up to 15 questions. Then, when I taught fundamentals of theology for years at the college, one of the term papers was to answer these ten basic questions of life. Then, I also used this handout now at ABC. If a person were to go through this, they would be able to develop a comprehensive view of life, a worldview, and also prove what is the truth. We're going to focus on number two today, what is truth? If you would, put your handouts away now. Today, we're going to examine one of the great questions of life. The question has been asked over and over in the course of human history. It is the question that young and old are seeking today. Young and old are asking what is truth, but especially young people today are also asking what is truth. In John 18, if you would turn there, John 18, here we have Jesus appearing before Pilate, one of the appearances he made before various religious and civil authorities, in this case Pilate and civil authority. Pilate begins to question Jesus in John 18 and verse 37. Pilate therefore said unto him, Are you a king then? Jesus answered, You say that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause I came unto the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth hears my voice. And Pilate said unto him, What is truth? And of course, Jesus had already answered that, or in this Gospel it had already been answered, if you turn to John 17, 17, back a page or so. Jesus says, Sanctify them, set them apart, set them apart, sanctify them through your truth. Your word is truth. So what do you think of when you hear the word truth? There's just something about the word for me. What is the truth? The ring of truth. However, this word is pronounced in whatever language, it has a real good sound to me. As the old saying goes, God loves the truth. Being a truthful person is one of the greatest virtues of all time. Just think what the world would be like if everyone told the truth. Most of the problems of the world would disappear overnight if everyone would tell the truth. I mean, probably 50% of the time would make quite a difference in the overall world scene. So how much do you value the truth? How much do I value the truth? And what would you or I give for the pearl of great price? Our loving Heavenly Father gave all that He could give, that is, His only begotten Son, as you heard read in the first split sermon. He gave His only begotten Son. Then the only begotten Son gave all that He could give. He gave His life, as it says in John 15, 13 through 15, greater love have no man than this, that He lay down His life for His friends. So we hear the politicians of the day continually talk about freedom, but they don't know the way to peace and freedom. Look at John 8 in verse 31. Back a few more pages, John 8 and verse 31.

Once again, Jesus is the spokesman. John 8 verse 31.

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If you continue, notice the word continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Do you want to be set free from fear, ignorant, superstition, and the dogmas of man? Do you want to know and know that you know who God is, what God is, what is His purpose, who man is, what man is, what is His purpose? If so, you want to know the truth. Jesus told Pilate that He came to bear witness of the truth, and so He did. There's only one way to be set free in mind and spirit, and that is through the truth of God. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Young people today say, what is the truth? They hear so many different conflicting statements about everything under the sun. We even have students at ABC. They'll come ask an instructor, well, what do you think about this scripture? And the instructor will explain it, and some of them will say, well, thank you for your opinion. The Bible is not a matter of opinion, as I think we shall see here today. Of course, there are many types of truth, and how do I know what is the truth? And, as I said, many types of truth. There are physical truths, physical laws. There are truths about social things, economics, political matters. There's truths about people, and there's also a lot of rumor about people. Some of these rumors are so incredible that you dare not repeat them. But if you take a glance down when you're checking out at Globe or National Enquirer, you'll see some of these ridiculous claims. I guess, in some cases, some of that's true. But it seems that we want to know the truth about people. So, we've had all of these magazines spring up in recent years. It supposedly tells you the inside scoop about people. And in addition to that, we have the television programs, Entertainment Tonight, and others that give you the inside scoop, so-called, about people. Over the years, I've heard so many young people who grew up in the church state that they just went to church with their parents, and they never proved it for themselves. As if that's an excuse. Okay, I'm excused. My daddy made me go to church. Now, I sat there and I listened to about 900 sermons, but I never proved the truth. I just sat there. But sadly, in most cases, the people who say that, the people who parrot this line never did really prove the truth for themselves. So I guess there's some truth to it. But is it a valid reason or a valid excuse for them being where they are? So the question of whether children are responsible for what they hear is often a topic of discussion and debate among church members and others. And through the years, we've often excused our children and others by saying it's up to God to call them. I noticed one of the posts on Elder's Forum this past week. It's been quite a discussion. I've had some posts on it about public proclamation of the gospel and how it should be done. And it's like, well, we're doing everything we can do. And it's not resulting in many people being called. And so that's up to God.

Well, we're to do our part. That's true. But there's also a responsibility of the people who hear. This is to say, well, they've read it. They've read it. You know, since I've been here in Houston, I've had four or five letters sent from the home office saying this person, Mr. and Mrs. X, have completed the Bible correspondence course. And they would like to know where services went and where about services. So I write them a nice little letter. Invite them to call me and so on. I've not heard from a single person. And in the 10 years that I have been pastoring, well, actually it's more than that, that I've been pastoring since, Ambassador, I've had only one person who's completed the Bible correspondence course to return, to communicate back with me after receiving one of those letters. And his message was, I have a job on the Sabbath and there's no way that I can start attending services. But it's like we're so quick to say it's up to God. A lot of it is up to us. Somehow, some people view God's calling as some kind of mystical, magical event in which God supernaturally flips a switch in the back of a person's mind and they're called. Now, is that in keeping with what the Bible teaches? Of course, God does have to call. We quote John 644, no man can come to me unless the Father sends him, unless the Father is the one who initiates it. How does he initiate it? Well, we covered that when we talk about repentance, that through the Spirit of God and the Word of God, one becomes convicted of sin. Let's go now to Psalm 95. Psalm 95 verse 1.

Psalm 95 and verse 1. O come, let us sing unto the Lord, let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving. See, coming before the presence of God is a sacred privilege. And make a joyful noise unto him with psalms, for the eternal is a great God and a great king above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth, the strength of hills is his also, the sea is his, and he made it and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the eternal our maker, for he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. Today, today, if you will hear his voice, he tells you in the first few verses who he is and how great he is.

Then he says today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation, as in the day of the temptation in the wilderness. When your fathers tempted, tested me, proved me, and saw my works. 40 years long was I agreed with this generation. As you know, none of them save Joshua and Caleb, and those who were under 20 went into the promised land. 40 years was I agreed with this generation and said, it is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways, unto whom I swear in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. They saw miracles from the time that God began to deliver them from Egypt, the plagues, the ten plagues that came upon Egypt, the various miracles that they experienced in that deliverance, even the parting of the Red Sea, and all of that, and yet they hardened their hearts. Now, notice in Hebrews chapter 3, Hebrews chapter 3, that Paul in essence quotes this admonition here that we have just read in Hebrews and Psalm 95. Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 8.

Harden not your heart, as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the wilderness. And so you'll see verses 7, 8, 9, 10, and also 11 are quoting from Psalm 95. Then we come to verse 15. While it is said, today, today right now, if we are in the presence of God and He's offering you something sacred, are you going to treat it profane as Esau did his birth right? Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. And in Hebrews 4 verse 7, again, He limits a certain day's saying in David. Today, after a long time, as it is said, today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.

You can always harden your heart. The Bible says, don't harden your heart. And one way to illustrate this is by the old saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. I've led many a horse and mule to water.

Some would drink and some wouldn't. Most of them did because they were very thirsty. But anyhow, we can have the truth of God served up on a silver platter week after week, and we can refuse to receive the truth. And so it is served up on a silver platter in the Church of God, churches of God throughout the world, every Sabbath. We have Sabbath school. We have teen Bible study. We have young adults. We have literature coming out our ears. We have correspondence course. We have a television program, and we could go on and on with our efforts to serve up the truth of God. We want to use that figure of speech on a silver platter. Our children live in a virtual garden of Eden when it comes to having access to the tree of life. It's here. It's not out there. It's right here. Now let's go to 1 Corinthians 7 and verse 10. In 1 Corinthians 7 and verse 10. Often times we call 1 Corinthians 7 the divorce and remarriage chapter, but there's a lot more in it. We break in somewhat on the thought. Verse 10, 1 Corinthians 7, 10, And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord. Paul is saying here, I get this straight from the Lord. Let not the wife depart from her husband, but if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband, and let not the husband put away his wife. My point here today is not to get into divorce and remarriage because nobody wins in that. Verse 12, But the rest speak I, not the Lord. If any brother has a wife that believes not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath in husband that believes not, and if it be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. This is the verse I wanted to get to. This is the key verse for now. Verse 14, for what I'm talking about. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband. In other words, if you have an unconverted mate, then they too have access. They could come here with you. They could hear the truth. And in a way, you present the truth to them every day by the way you live. Else were your children unclean, but now are they holy. They're sanctified, set apart, having access to, as a figure of speech, tree of life, holy spirit. They have access. The holy spirit is active here today.

The Bible once again says the words I speak, their spirit and their life. So I'm reading some of those here today.

So once again, I say our children live in a virtual garden of Eden when it comes to having access to the tree of life. And we might be quick to condemn Adam and Eve for not obeying, so they could have access to the tree of life. Oh, they had such a wonderful environment, great teacher. You know, if you were there, would you do what they did?

Well, there are thousands of people who do what they do every year. They hear the truth of God. They can have access. Draw an eye to me, I'll draw an eye to you. Knock and I'll open. Ask, you'll receive. But if you want to harden your heart, you can always harden your heart. You can run away. I firmly believe that my relatives run away from the truth.

They want to hear what I have to say about the truth, especially when it comes to prophecy, up to a certain point. They don't want to go beyond a certain point. It's only with prophecy. They don't want to hear this other stuff. They don't want to hear that you don't have an immortal soul and you're not going to heaven or hell immediately when you die.

They don't want to hear that because I think they understand to some degree if they hear it and see that it's true, they'd be responsible for it. Then they would have to give up their way of life. My brother, who will be scheduled to visit with us this coming weekend, has two sons. My nephews, they are medical doctors.

One is an orthopedic surgeon and one is a general surgeon. They could probably, at this point, work around most of that except in emergencies. But they'd have to give up a lot. So, we might be quick to condemn Adam and Eve for not obeying the truth. But what about us and what about our children? What we are professing each week by our appearance here is far more serious than it might seem.

It's a matter of life and death in the eternal sense. And sometimes we treat it very lightly. Adam and Eve, they didn't love the truth of God. They didn't love it the way they should have. Eve was deceived and Adam sinned willingly. We know that sin is deceitful. You can always harden your heart, refuse to listen. And even if you listen, refuse to allow it to have any influence or effect on your life.

You can always refuse to be a partaker of the bread of life. You don't have to partake. God's part is through His word, His spirit, through the ministry to bring it to you, to present it to you. You can always turn a deaf ear. In short, once again, you can always harden your heart. Now let's go to Proverbs 29 and verse 1. Proverbs 29 verse 1 is a very sobering passage of Scripture and should be taken, quote, to heart.

Proverbs 29 and verse 1. He that being often reproved hardens his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy. Read it again. Proverbs 29 verse 1. He that being often reproved hardens his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy. Satan wants you to harden your heart here this afternoon. He wants you to tune it out. He wants you to say, oh, that's just their opinion.

Oh, I've heard this before. Satan really wants you to harden your heart and use any old excuse that our vain imaginations can conjure up to tune out the truth. And one of his principal strategies is to sow seeds of doubt. Any little thing that you think might be a loose brick. And so the question might be asked, how do I know for sure what is the truth? When we talk about God's salvation and spiritual things, we need to establish our methodology.

In other words, how are we going to seek the truth and how will we know if it is the truth? When scientists seek the truth, they basically use the scientific method, especially in experimental design. But they search only for physical truths, ever learning, never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. There are four basic ways to receive truth, three of which have to do with physical things.

One is what is called empirical or sense knowledge. Knowledge through the five senses. We all learn quite a bit through the five senses. Another is what's called experiential knowledge. Knowledge that you receive through experience. And another is human reasoning. We put two and two together and maybe come up with a conclusion and some new insight. And then the fourth way to receive knowledge, the way that the world has rejected, is through revelation.

There have been four great systems that have tried to answer the great questions of life. If you will take that handout that I gave you, and if you will, not now, I'm talking about when you get home. If you will take that handout, and if you will, from the Bible, answer those questions. It will help you, in a more systematic way, prove the truth. If you want to prove the truth, you can do it. Now, the principle method of spiritual truth, of course, is through revelation. So let's go there. 1 Corinthians 2. 1 Corinthians 2 verses 9 through 12. 1 Corinthians 2 verses 9 through 12.

1 But Corrections of the Lord are not the ones who are prepared for them that love Him. There is just no way, really, for us to comprehend. We don't know what God has prepared for us, except in a very limited way. We do know that it is going to be wonderful, glorious, heirs of God, joint heirs with Jesus Christ. 2 But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God.

For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man, which is in him, even so the things of God, knows no man but the Spirit of God. Now, we receive not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. As we've already read John 17, 17. What is truth? Bible says, sanctify them through your word. Your word is truth. And then, John 6, 63, which everybody in here now should be able to quote in a semi-comito state. That is, the flesh profit nothing.

It is the Spirit that quickens the words I speak. They are spirit and they are life. So our methodology must be based on the Word of God, and we must use our minds and hearts. Let's notice what Isaiah says. Isaiah 1 verse 18. You read the first part of Isaiah. It sounds like the U.S. today, a sinful nation of people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers.

This is verse 4 of each of their children that are corruptors. They have forsaken the Lord. They provoke the Holy One of Israel into anger. They are gone away backward. That's just one verse, Isaiah 1.4. I want verse 18. In view of all of this, maybe let's read 17, as I usually do. In Isaiah 1.17, learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow, come now, and let us reason together.

You know, one of the questions on that handout is, what is, apart from the Word of God, what is the greatest proof that you can come up with for the existence of God?

The answer is simple. Nothing else makes sense. How many words is that? Four. We've answered that question. Nothing else makes sense.

I heard someone talking on television about proving the existence of God. And now we have one of the newest things that Hawking and what's his name have come up with. There are others, but anyhow, there are multiple universes. Now, I don't know what their definition of universe is, but if the strict definition of universe, uni, means one, there's this one, and it seems like the universe is like infinity, that east and west never meet. And it goes on forever and ever. But if you want to talk about a solar system, a planetary system that will sustain life, as we know life, he said, let's say you flip a coin 100,000 times, always came up heads. Would you on the next toss want it to bet your life that it would come up tails? But that's why these people who talk about the universe and all that is therein happening some kind of mystical, magical way. So Isaiah writes, under inspiration, come now, let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Now, let's quickly note Acts 18 verse 4. This is not the only place in the book of Acts where you find this, that is Paul reasoning with them on the Sabbath day out of the Scriptures. This is Acts 18 and verse 4. And he reasoned in the synagogues every Sabbath and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. So we are reasoning here today from the Scriptures.

Now, there is another dimension that must be considered when it comes to understanding spiritual truth. We've talked about that no man knows the things of God except through the Spirit of God. We have to use our minds and put two and two together, as Isaiah says, and as Paul reasoned with them in the synagogue. Go to Hebrews 11 verse 6, which also should be a memory Scripture. Hebrews 11 verse 6. That other dimension is once again something that the world denies. But what does it require more faith to do? Believe that on that 100,001 toss, it will be tails, whereas 100,000 tosses have been heads. But what requires more faith to believe that will be tails on 100,001? Or to believe that God, the great Creator, created the heavens and the earth, as he says, in his Word. Which one requires more faith? To say that there is not a faith dimension into a person's view of a cosmos within itself is unreasonable, because it flies in the face of reason. In Hebrews 11 verse 6, Without faith, it is impossible to please him, for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. If God exists, he must have some means of communicating with us. If God does not communicate with us and instruct us and guide us on the right path, then his existence is meaningless. And, of course, the Bible is constantly under attack. Oh, it's just the results of the work of men over the years. Some copied from document J, and some copied from document E. And that's why, in some places in the Pentateuch, especially, it doesn't seem to mesh up in every case, and on and on, human reasoning goes. Let's turn now to Hebrews 1, verse 1. There is a faith dimension.

We had a booklet years ago. Several different religious organizations have had a booklet similar to this. Seventh-day Adventist has one. Proofs of God existed. Seven proofs of God exist. And one being, creation demands a creator. Design demands a designer. The skeptic always has one more question, and that question would be, if creation demands a creator, who created the creator? So they always have one more question. So there is a faith dimension. It doesn't seem that it's just, you can just say, okay, here is the absolute physical proof of the creator, in the sense of creating the physical. But when you look at history, and you look at what the Bible reveals, and foretelling history in advance, and those prophecies coming true, and especially those of Jesus Christ, and the historical record of him being here on the earth, then you have a lot more evidence to go on. Yes, I believe that there are ways, especially through the various secular and archaeological records, coupled with the Bible, to prove God's existence in that way. But one of the greatest ways has to do with the faith dimension. What has he done in your life? What has he done in my life? When it comes to communication here in Hebrews 1, God, who at sundry times, and in different ways, spoken times pass unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son. So today, you and I can hold the living Word of God. We can hold the living Word of God in our hands. Not only that, we can read it, we can study it, we can meditate on it. God spoke to the prophets through appearing to him personally as Genesis 1.1 and the Yawah appeared to Abraham. There were many theophanies, or there are many theophanies in the Old Testament. God spoke to them through dreams and visions that are recorded. So he spoke to them in different ways. We find in Exodus 20 in verse 1, on through the next several verses, that God thundered, he personally thundered, the Ten Commandments, if you believe the Bible, from Mount Sinai. Yes, God has spoken to his people. We sing the song, God Speaks to Us. By his great hand we are led.

If God does not communicate with us, then we can think no higher, gain no more knowledge than what humans can think and learn. Note what God says about human limitations in Isaiah 55.

Wouldn't it be sad if humankind was limited strictly to the human mind when it comes to the course of or the study of origins? The study of purpose. The study of purpose is called teleology. The study of existence is called ontology. When it comes to ontology, teleology, those things that have to do with existence and purpose. I'm just going to be limited to my mind. Remember the four systems that have attempted, I don't think I listed those, I mentioned them, the four systems that have tried to enter the great questions of life. False religion that plays on emotion, methodology is deceit, philosophy. The basic method is human reasoning apart from the word of God. Science, basic method is the scientific method. And then the holy scriptures, basic method is revelation. Which one do you have faith in? In Isaiah 55 verse 6, Seek you the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way, the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return unto the eternal, 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 eternal. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. I don't want to be just limited to what I can think, and reason, and come up with, with regard to why we're here, what is the purpose of human existence, what is life all about. And I don't want hawking to be the one that tells me either, or any other so-called great scientist, philosopher, educator, politician that you can name. We've seen a trend in recent years among so many people to develop a belief system that is based on human reasoning apart from the Word of God. For example, people say such things as, I don't believe God is going to send anyone in the flames of the Ghein of Fire. God is too merciful for that. Where did you get that? You got it from your own vain imagination. You made it up. The Bible didn't say it. So who said it? Oh, you said it.

And they speak for God where He has not spoken. Make God over in their own image, and thus speaking for God where He has not spoken, make themselves into God, committing idolatry, and becoming their own God. The Bible says you shall have no other gods before Me. That's one of the main things that people are doing today, and one of the main ways that they are committing idolatry. People say, my God would not send a person in the Ghein of Fire, too merciful for that. Note the emphasis on my God. It's the one that I made up. The one they made up in their own mind because it agrees with what they've come to believe apart from the Word of God. So you see people creating God over in their own image. They love their image more than the truth. This is Oprah Land spirituality. It's Hollywood Land spirituality. It's the way the world is going. And just as Satan deceived Eve on what is truth, he advocated a shortcut to eternal life, which in fact was a lie, and the result of going his way is death. Don't be taken in. It just defies common sense and reason to be taken in. We have to come to the point to where what we believe with regard to God and spiritual things is in harmony with the Word of God. Isaiah 8.20 says, if they speak not according to the law and testimony, it's because there's no truth in them. Yes, there will be people who will go into the lake of fire. You know, our relationship to the truth has at least three critical aspects. Knowing the truth, doing the truth, loving the truth. And you cannot love truth and self if your hang-up is defending you or someone else, so your concept of things will remain intact. The Word of God and the Spirit of God must lead you into the truth. And if you are a yay butter with a hard heart, you may die in your own sins. As we've read in Proverbs 29.1, being often reproved hardens his heart, is suddenly destroyed, and died without remedy. The truth has no value unless it's obeyed. Go to James chapter 1.

James chapter 1.

James chapter 1 is the truth of any value unless you do it. So there's knowing the truth, which God through his Spirit and Word can reveal to you. There's doing the truth, James 1.22. Be you doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a teacher of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a glass. He beholds himself, goes his way straightway, forgets what manner of man he is. But whoso looks into the perfect law of liberty. All people think that the law of God is bondage. And as I've already recounted once since I've been here, that when I walked into the pastor general's office in January 1995, been called out. My wife and I, for the purpose of firing me, but on the way out, realized he couldn't unless the board approved, holds up a list of email messages. And the first one he reads is quoting Martin Luther King out of context, Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, free at last. We have been delivered from this bondage of the law of God. How wonderful it is. Get serious.

This says that the law of God is a perfect law of liberty because if you were to obey the spiritual intent of the Ten Commandments, everyone would basically be free.

And continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of his work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. You know, don't go away from here today, you being a yay-butter. Don't go away from here today giving intellectual assent to the truth, oh yeah, he told the truth there today. You have to take it the next step, be a doer. You notice in James chapter 2, James chapter 2, that even the devil gives intellectual assent to the truth.

In James chapter 2, verse 19, you believe there is one God, you do well. The devils also believe and tremble. The demons recognize that Jesus Christ was a Messiah, but they won't do what he says. As we've already mentioned, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. You know, I don't know the full explanation, but you'll find in Revelation 19, the last couple of verses, that the beast and the false prophet are cast in the lake of fire. I wonder if the beast and the false prophet are baptized. If so, we've got a lot of work to do. I doubt that they are. That is baptized. But it does show that they probably know the truth. Of course, they will have a powerful witness. The two witnesses will be there. The angels that are described in Revelation 14 that go out and preach the word. So the world is going to have a powerful witness and testimony. But that within itself shows that you can always harden your heart. But I say unto you today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your heart.