Theme: What is Truth
Songs
- Above All
- Our God Reigns
- Christ the Lord is Risen Today
- Before the Throne of God
Scripture
- John 8:31-32
- Genesis 1:1, 1:26-1:31, 2:15, 3:19,
- Galations 5:22, 5:19,
- John 3:16-17
- Romans 5:12, 1:20-22, 1:28-32 5:19, 6:23, 4:24-25, 3:21-26
Everybody knows the story, but what do you believe about Jesus? What you believe about who Jesus is, will determine how you interpret or view the Bible.
John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
What is the truth Jesus was talking about? What is the truth that would set us free? Where do we find this truth?
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
God created the man and the woman in his own image and in his own likeness. He was designed to be like God. Notice he is created like God but he is not God.
Genesis 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.
Genesis 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16 ¶ And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
By choosing God the world would be filled love, peace, joy, long suffering – which is patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, – everyone would worship and obey God, meekness – which is not seeking glory for yourself, temperance – which is self control, you would never be out of control over your emotions, feeling or actions.
If they chose to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil it would produce just the opposite. By rejecting God’s way of life they would have to develop a system based on their own desires. It would be completely opposite of God’s standards. This is what it would produce.
Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
Why do people die? Because Adam sinned. His sin was imputed or passed down to us. We are conceived and born sinners therefore we will all eventually die.
Roman 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
These verses tell us that the existence of God are clearly seen in creation itself and that we choose not to acknowledge God’s existence. We choose to be blinded to the truth so we can go on living the way we want to and not the way God wants us to.
Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
This does sound like an accurate description of the world we live in. It sounds like a more accurate description of what I am and what you are when we choose to do things our own way.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Romans 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
God’s justice demanded that man needed to be punished for his rebellion and God’s love for man devised a way in which He could satisfy His justice and also restore us in our relationship with Him. This would require a man who was sinless to be willing to take the punishment we deserved and to experience death and separation in our place.
Ro 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Now in the same way that the sin of Adam was imputed to the whole human race Christ righteousness could be imputed to all those who are willing to turn back to God through repentance and placing their faith in what Christ did for all of us on the cross. It is not something we can earn by any effort on our part. It is a gift from God which we can only receive by accepting forgiveness for our sins by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
His death was necessary to pay the penalty for our sins but it was his resurrection that was necessary for our justification. The resurrection was God’s demonstration that he had accepted Jesus death as full payment for our sins.
