Abundant Truth

Justin Turney

Abundant • Sermon • Submitted 4 months ago • Presented 4 months ago

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INTRODUCTION

Truman Show

Each and every day we live in a false reality. We live in a world that feeds us lies.

We live in a culture that diminishes and most often out right denies the reality that we are Created beings with a divine Creator.

If we recognize this truth, the immensity of such a reality is severely diminished by the world around us.

Even in our own beliefs about God, we have many distortions about who He is and who we are in relation to Him.

The more we align with Jesus, the more we draw near to Him…the more we come to see reality and know absolute truth.

John 8:12–14 ESV

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.

John 8:30–36 ESV

30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him. 31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

1) We Are in Desperate Need of a Guiding Light (v.12)

Jesus spoke these things during the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths

This was a Jewish celebration and remembrance of God’s provision for His people during the Exodus as He led them through the desert.

If you are reading along with our daily Bible readings, you are right in the middle of this text!

During the feast that involves a water pouring ceremony (to remember the miracles of water) and a candle ceremony (to remember the pillar of fire that led the people through the wilderness).

One of the main reasons for remembering these miracles is to remember that we are in need of God’s guidance and His provision for our lives.

When Jesus says declares, “I am the light of the world…” in this setting, He is saying, “I am the guiding light for your lives. Follow me and you will not wander around confused in darkness, but will know truth, reality, purpose, direction, and not be led into aimlessness.”

We live in a metaphorical wilderness that causes people to lose all sense of direction for their lives.

When Israel left Egypt, the didn’t know where they were going and didn’t know the way. They only knew where they had come from and couldn’t even maintain a realistic view of what that was like.

The wilderness experience for them was one of learning to trust God and therefore learning to know who God was. Without God leading them, they would have ended up back in Egypt as slaves.

Our world is an easy place to get turned around and backwards in. We can easily live our lives aimlessly going in whatever direction seems desirable for a season but with no real purpose and destination.

Even as Christians, we can get crippled by the “Good ole days” mentality that leaves us longing for a false reality that take our focus of where we are now and the direction God is leading us to in our lives.

We need to desperately follow daily our Lord and Savior. He is our guiding light. He is the One who truly knows where we are in this world, where we are going, and what we will need each step of our journey to our Eternal home.

2) Abundant Truth is Always Denied by Those Who Love the Lie (v.13, 33-44)

The Pharisees, the religious leaders who taught people the law of God and drove people to live according to the law, saw themselves as the arbiters of truth. They accuse Jesus publically of speaking falsely and not knowing truth. (Honor and Shame culture, battle of wits)

Jesus’ response is that His testimony is true because He knows who He is, where He came from, and where He is going…

The Pharisees on the other hand, can’t handle the truth because they love their own deceptions of self-righteousness.

The Pharisees can’t even see beyond their own egos to realize they are enslaved to sin.

They are living in a deception and can’t even realize it.

They are treating the things of God like they are trying to count to ten in alphabetical order.

They are missing the reality of truth by embracing a false reality that can’t coincide with the other.

Far too often, we are playing the same games. We try to fit the realities of God into standards of this world, or even worse, we try to fit the standards of this world, into the realities and truth of God.

God is too great to be defined by this world. This world is too inferior to be on par with God.

We need to be constantly reminded that Jesus was in this world but not of this world. We as His followers must understand and daily embrace the fact that we too are in this world, but must not be of this world.

The more we are of this world, the less we are of God.

3) Abundant Truth Always Rejects the Lies of This World. (v.45-58)

Jesus calls out the lies of the Pharisees and puts them on the spot. (v.45-47)

When confronted with truth, the Pharisees hurl insults. (v.48)

Jesus responds to the insults by exalting God and keeping the truth front and center. (v.49-58)

In today’s culture, if you do not agree with someone else’s worldview, they will often hurl insults and try to shame you like the Pharisees did to Jesus.

If you disagree with the green energy agenda then you’re labeled a climate-change denier.

If you disagree with findings of a particular research team you’re labeled a science denier.

If you believe there was fraud and interference with the 2020 election you’re labeled an election denier.

This isn’t unique to this time of history.

The Pharisees are accusing Jesus of being a God-denier.

Jesus is setting the record straight on ultimate truth and reality…if you reject Him and who He is, you’re a truth denier.

When Jesus calls the Pharisees liars who reject truth, there is no ground for them to stand on.

As Christians, we are to be deniers of this world and deniers of self so that we can embrace absolute and abundant truth that is only found in Jesus.

When we embrace the truth of Jesus, we can expect to be insulted and the world will try to shame us.

Don’t shy away from the truth as a Jesus follower. Stand firm in the truth and be freed from the sinfulness of this world.

John 17:13–20 “13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. 20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,”

Call to Respond

Jesus is Abundant Truth. The only reality is His reality. The way God sees the world is how the world really is. As Christ-followers, we must embrace abundant truth and remember that we are not of this world. This world is a facade. The realities of this world are being hidden and distorted in order to keep our eyes of Jesus who is the Light of the Word. If we will follow Him the way He calls us to follow Him, we will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life that sets us free from the sinful cares of this world.

IN WHAT WAYS ARE YOU LOOKING TO JESUS AS YOUR GUIDING LIGHT? ARE YOU FOLLOWING HIM THE WAY HE CALLS YOU TO FOLLOW HIM?

WHAT CARES OF THIS WORLD, KEEP YOU FROM EMBRACING THE REALITY OF TRUTH?

IN WHAT WAYS ARE YOU STANDING FIRM IN TRUTH? WHAT INSULTS ARE YOU EXPERIENCING FROM STANDING FIRM? HOW CAN YOU STAY FOCUSED ON JESUS AND NOT GIVE WAY TO THE SHAMING THIS WORLD TRIES TO BRING?