A couple thousand years ago Jesus stood before the Roman Governor of Judea, a man named Pontius Pilate. Pilate asked him, "Are you a king?" Jesus said, "You are right in saying I am a king. It was for this reason that I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." Pilate followed by asking Jesus, "What is truth?" Hmmm? Good question.
Imagine you're at a funeral and there are five hundred people present, actually five hundred and one. I almost left out the guest of honor! The mood, as you might well imagine, is somber and tears are flowing freely. The casket, surrounded by flowers and pictures of the deceased in his younger days, sits on the raised platform in the front of the church. As the pastor quotes from the obligatory Twenty Third Psalm "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death . . . " there is suddenly a strange sense that things are not quite right. The lights flicker, the building trembles, and the casket begins to shake. The casket top opens and out crawls Fred wondering where he got the cheap suite and why he's in the front of the church. He always sits in the back of the church in case he dozes off. And why are all the people running for the door?
Don't you think that if you saw a dead man raised you'd be forever changed? Do you think that you'd get up the next day and head off to work or take the kids to school and go about business as usual? Not a chance! You'd be rocked to the core. You'd tell everyone you know. You'd would be calling and visiting Fred to make sure you weren't losing your marbles.
Last week I said we'd be getting deeper into this idea of "Truth" and that it might be a bit challenging so here we go. Tomorrow people all around the world will celebrate Easter and many will not. Of the ones that do, many will paint eggs, wait for the Easter Bunny, and eat ham. Some, however, will celebrate a monumental event that they believe to be true, an event that changed their life: the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. For these people this is not just some religious fable or tale but a literal, factual event. The question is this: Is it truth? Because it can't be true for some and not true for others. You might be reading this thinking it's a bunch of bunk, a story for the weak minded. You might be absolutely convinced that its true. You both can't be right. Either he rose bodily from the grave or he didn't. Truth just is! My opinion and your opinion do not determine truth. Two plus two equals four even if I happen to believe sincerely that it equals eleven. Either Uncle Fred is alive or he's not. The question isn't "What do you believe?" but "What is true?"
I asked you last week to come as you are with your world view; Mormon, Christian, Atheist, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, New Age, Scientology, Jehovah's Witness, Wiccan, Secular Humanism, or Agnostic (you're not really sure). I asked you to begin to ask yourself this question, "How do I know what I am following is true?" Because who in their right mind wants to willingly follow a lie. It doesn't matter who you are, everyone believes something and everyone puts his or her faith in something. Wouldn't you want to know if the thing you're leaning on can hold you up? Wouldn't you want to know that the bridge you're on won't crash to the river bottom as your car passes over?
Back to Fred for a second. How would you determine if Fred really ruined a perfectly good funeral and had to return all of those flowers? Well, if you saw him and talked to him that would pretty much seal the deal for you. But some of you would need to shake his hand and ask him a few questions that only the real Fred would know the answer to. If you weren't actually there you'd asked someone you knew who was there and not just anyone but someone you knew to be honest. Actually, you'd probably ask a few people just to be sure. You'd head over to the funeral home and poke around the casket to see if Fred was still in it.
You might be saying, "Who cares?" "So what if Jesus rose from the dead?" "What does that have to do with me?" Here is your answer. Listen carefully. If Jesus rose from the dead, if it is true, then Jesus is who he said he was. If he rose then what he said was true. If he rose from the dead then you better listen. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." He said, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." Jesus was seen by the women, two men on the road to Emmaus, his disciples, and more than five hundred people at one time. It was recorded by four different men in the Gospels and reported by secular historians (smart dudes outside of the bible) that lived at the time (eg. Josephus). His disciples who were hiding and cowering in fear after the crucifixion on Friday were preaching in the street on Monday.
Look, my friend. Today is the day. Be humble and honest with yourself. If you want to know what's true then you first have to be open to the truth. You might actually have to look at the evidence but ultimately it becomes a matter of the heart. I believe that if you really want to know the truth you'll find it but if in your heart you want what you want regardless of the truth it will remain hidden from you. Jesus said that the truth would set you free. Pilate asked "What is truth?" then he walked away. What will you do?
Happy Easter,
David
PS.. Ivor's CD is in final production and will be available after April 27th. Stay tuned!
Amen! Thanks for continuing to share THE TRUTH!
ReplyDeleteThanks Liz for your prayers and your faithful comments.
ReplyDeleteSo, if one knows the truth intellectually how do they let go of the past and let their heart follow? Along the same lines how does a person open up to God and talk to him when they haven't talked in years? "Just start" isn't cutting it, I don't know how.
ReplyDeleteChocolateQueen,
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think that we try too hard and think to hard. Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." There are a couple things that stand out for me. One, is that Jesus wants to give us rest and to take our burdens. This includes the burden of surrender. Stop thinking about it and just love Him. He'll give you rest for your soul. Second, is that he said, "Learn from me." We learn from him by being in the Word. This isn't work or obligation as such but what we do when we want to know Him. If you want to know someone you spend time with them, listen to their words, observe their actions, and ask them questions. Spend some time reading the book of John. Grab a cup of tea (or a candy bar), curl up on the couch, and spend time with the maker of the universe! Talk to him like you'd talk to a close friend. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the thoughts! I understand what you are saying about trying and thinking to hard. However, for more than the last 6 years I have gone through the motions of attending church and doing all the "right things". However, over 6 years ago I hardened my heart to God and have blamed him for a lot of things that happened. In the last couple of months my mind has realized that things need to turn the other way, but I can't get my heart to follow. I am scared of failing, scared he will reject me, scared he will tell me that all the bad things I think about myself are true.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of him as a loving father. I do not have that earthly example and cannot begin to fathom what that would be like.
However, in the last few months my heart and soul as been yearning for so much more. How do you start talking and opening up to someone you intentionally shut out? To someone you blame (probably incorrectly) for the things that happened?
We often blame God for things that have hurt us but usually what has hurt us is someone else or even our own actions. Sometimes we are hurt by natural evil (disease, accidents, floods, etc.). But the bottom line is that God has a purpose for allowing the things he allows. One thing we know from the Word is that God can not do evil or sin so we have to get past the blame and trust in his love.
ReplyDeleteAs far as God rejecting you, the Word says that, "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away." John 6:37
Peter denied Jesus, Israel worshiped Idols, Thomas doubted, and David killed a man. God did not reject those that repented and turned to him. The Father of the prodigal son gave him a new robe, a ring, and killed the fatted calf. I promise that if your heart follows he will not reject you.
Lastly, the way you start talking to someone you intentionally shut out is with one word... every conversation begins with a single word. You chose which word it will be but just start. By the way, I've found that some of what looked like the worst parts of my life were the very parts that led me to the Savior.... hmmmm?
Blessings
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ReplyDeleteGreat post.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is the truth, whether we want to accept it or like it or agree with it.
Read the early church fathers - the ones who knew the apostles and the ones who were in the early church - for further evidence of the Christ's truth that He left with the apostles through the Holy Spirit.
The early church fathers (Ignatius of Antioch - 50AD.., Justin,martyr-100 AD...,Jerome- 340..., Polycarp, martyr -69...,
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/
These fathers of the church followed the deposit of truth that Jesus handed down to the original 12 apostles. There was no Bible in the early church. They "held fast to the traditions" (2 Thess 2:15) The Bible came out of the Catholic Church around the end of the 4th century.
In our quest for truth - reading sacred scripture is paramount.
It's also very important for us to steep ourselves in the history of the church Christ established. If we don't know the history behind our beliefs, or we can be easily swayed. "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires." (2 Tim. 4:3)
Keep fighting the good fight!
Can't wait to get Ivor's CD.
God bless you.
Let's be clear that MANY in the early church and many more in the Church of Rome stepped outside of the truth of the Word. Paul was very clear in telling us to watch for those who would teach false doctrine and to "test" the spirits to see if the are of God. Jesus himself scorned the religious leaders of his day because they held tradition above the truth. The early "church father's" writings were not inspired by the Holy Spirit nor were they included in the Canon of Scripture for that very reason. I would encourage you all to read the Word. When you are finished with it then feel free to look at the writings of those that the Catholic church use as a defense of Roman Catholic tradition. The Church that Christ established was called "The Way" and it was not just lead by Peter but by Paul, Barnabas, John, and many others. Peter himself veered from the truth (at least in his actions) and was called out by Paul. We are all fallible and the Word is the place we go to test the Truth. We are nondenominational because for that very reason.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post .. Seems your getting a ton of feedback from it. My heart goes out to those feeling "unworthy".. I still have days where it is difficult to fathom that I, so great a sinner, could be so loved and forgiven ..Read the psalms and find comfort from the Lords word. Ps 103:2 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits-who forgives ALL your sins ...This chapter can remind you of all God does for you and vs 10 "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our inquities..He knows our heart and He loves us and deals with us with grace and mercy.
ReplyDeleteWe are very blessed and VERY LOVED by our heavenly father....