Truth Endures Proverbs 12:19 Introduction: We are pressed everyday by people and circumstances to fudge the truth, not just to soften our words with kindness, but to really avoid speaking or behaving in accurate truth. For example: How do you like my new hairstyle? My taxes are how much!? Truth can be painful. Reality can cause us fear and tempt us to avoid the facts we would rather not deal with. The problem with this approach to dealing with the challenges of life is the durability of truth. Truth is not going anywhere. It simply is. As we resume our series in the Book of Proverbs, Solomon reminds us of the foolishness of lying. What is a lie? How can we define it? The obvious definition is: the falsehood spoken in place of the truth with the intention of deceiving. What are some of the less obvious ways we lie? Polite fictions - We seek to smooth out social tensions by not being honest with our perceptions. Do yourself a favor – allow people to tell you the truth without punishing them. We omit - We leave out critical information so as to shape the hearers’ perception in a way that obscures the truth. We exaggerate We promise to do or not to do something and then we break the promise. We are unfaithful – untrustworthy. We talk about somebody while they are out of earshot. As soon as they can hear, we change the subject. Drug abuse and other forms of pain avoidance – These are an attempt to live in a fantasy and hold the reality of life’s hurts outside one’s life. Improper processing of grief – Grief is what we feel when we lose someone (a spouse, a child, a parent, a close friend…) or something (a dream, a career, a marriage…) that is really dear to us. When we first experience the pain of the loss we go into SHOCK. We just can’t take in the enormity of the pain. This is a normal response. But eventually shock gives way to intense pain of loss, sorrow. Many people attempt to avoid this pain through denial – pretending the loss has not occurred so they can somehow not feel the pain. Or they get really angry and just stay angry, again trying to hold the pain at arm’s length. Unfortunately, we have to go through the pain to get to the healing and reconciling our heart to the loss. What are we doing when we lie? We seek to control that which frightens us, hurts us, makes us unhappy…stuff we don’t like. We seek to avoid painful realities by controlling other people’s perceptions of reality, and even our own perception of reality. When we lie at length we attempt to create an entire fantasy. A false reality that we like a lot better than real life. Why should I tell the truth and not lie? Truth is like concrete. We can build things on it. It may take a long time to get concrete in place, but when you do it has staying power. Lies are like houses of cards. We can build with cards, but any little disturbance can destroy it. All relationships are built on trust. If we lie, we undermine the relational bond. We are eroding the very thing that makes up our life. Once mistrust takes hold, the relationship is either dead or in very bad health. If you can’t trust me why would you allow me greater access to your heart? How do we live in truth? Courage is the critical choice. We must be willing to do things, feel pains, face fears, hear and say things we would rather not experience. Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the choice to do something even though we are afraid. By exercising courage we face the pains and struggles of life and learn to overcome. Live your life with Jesus. Jesus is very committed to truth. He speaks kindly, most of the time. But you can count on Him to tell you the truth and to insist that you tell the truth. Application There is a big lie which the Bible speaks of again and again. The lie that there is no God and we can ‘play this game’ without consequences. Rom.6:23 ‘The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.’ Sin, the core of it, is not just the bad things we do, like lying. Really, it is rebellion against God and a rejection of Him and His ways. This rejection of God ends in death, eternal death, because we reject the One who is Life. We have all rejected Him, we have all sinned. But God has provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him. Jesus Christ has taken our punishment upon Himself at the cross. God offers us a pardon, and it is free, Jesus paid for it, but it will cost you your independence. To receive His pardon you must reject the lie that He does not exist, and that He has no right to tell you what is right and wrong and no right to direct your life. He must be your Lord if He is to be your Lord if He is to be your Savior. Sermon notes by, Pastor Dave Norcross.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Aug 2013 23:45:30 +0000
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