I want to talk today about the value of honesty or truth. Why is this so important? Why does the church lift up the values of honesty and truth? Because every generation of Christians has lived in a cultural melting pot of lies. Every day it grows increasingly more difficult to discern what is true, what is false and how to then speak or live out the truth. I do not believe God is in the business of playing games with us. I don’t think He delights in our confusion or disagreements. Is it possible for truth to be known and acted upon? ABSOLUTELY. Yes, we will have to wrestle with it. Yes, we will sometimes get it wrong. But for those who seek Christ, we will always be able to see the truth shine through. We will not be kept in the dark forever.
The world does not enjoy this privilege. They are bound to whatever sounds or looks best in the moment. They are whipped up this way and that by whoever is the most charismatic or most powerful leader. How can Christians be exempt from the sway of these powerful leaders? We follow another leader. His power is unmatched and his charisma is felt in the depth of our hearts, minds and bones. He has changed us from the inside out and every time we hear His voice, we can bet we are listening to uncompromised truth. Jesus even describes Himself as truth! He says, “I am the way, the TRUTH and the life.” In another place He says, “and you shall know the truth (Him) and the truth will set you free!”
There is no question Jesus can be freely known by anyone who seeks Him, as well as know the truth He represents. Most of us understand what it means to seek Jesus. Just so we are all clear on that subject, we aren’t talking about seances or yoga sessions. We aren’t talking about getting in touch with your ‘inner self.’ Like Jeremiah said, your inner self isn’t worth talking to. It’s those who “follow their hearts” who get stuck worshipping gods who can’t talk, think or feel. Seeking Jesus is as easy as asking Him to find you. It’s as simple as opening the Bible and praying for understanding. It’s as informal as trusting Him to honor His word to lead you into truth. There is no ceremony or pretense. Simply trusting Jesus is enough.
Conflicting truth claims don’t work. One must be right and the other, by nature of the truth, must be wrong. How do I have any right to say this? Can’t both sides claim personal opinion and keep vigilantly moving forward? The answer is yes, unless God says otherwise. His voice settles all arguments and overrides all other decisions. The Church is obligated by the truthful Word of God to expose lies. We have a faithful obligation to refuse partnership with those who are bound up in darkness and walk as children of the Light. As people who value honesty and truth, exposing lies is a part of our makeup. We cannot tolerate any culture that proliferates lies and deception. We must not let the truth be hid. We must work to uncover what is right and let it be seen. This isn’t hate. If we are convinced of this truth, our actions must be loving.
Truth matters in every context, in every conversation, about every subject man can dream about. There is no corner of this universe that does not constantly reveal the truth about God and beg for the truth about Him to be known. There is no corner of our lives where lying is ok. People who make empty promises over and over, especially when their promises deal with life and death, will have to answer for their words one day. Their words sound sweet to those who listen, but in the end they are CONFUSION and DEATH. It’s not loving to say sweet things when they are empty. It’s deceitful. Again, Jeremiah quotes the Lord and says He is “against those who lead His people astray by their lies and recklessness.” He says their words “do not profit the people at all.”
What we see in Jesus is an exclusive truth. He says, “I am the Way…no one comes to the Father except by me.” We also see a love deep enough to carry Him to the cross for all the people in the world who disagreed with Him and even hated Him for His truth claims. Where do you come down on this issue? Can’t everyone just agree? Not unless there is only one accepted/recognized Truth.
