“Manifold Truths”
Biblical essentials for our modern times.
Ø Manifold Truth…Are you approved by God?
§ What is truth? Does it matter what we believe? Is God only looking for our sincerity and good intentions? It’s been said that truth is exclusive which means there can be only one truth. Yet, as we shall see in today’s episode, truth is not a set of doctrines or teachable principles…truth is much, much more, and today we’re gonna talk about it.
Ø Relativism or the belief that what is true for you is not necessarily true for another is one of the greatest confusions within our modern society today. It is often said, “It doesn't matter what you believe, just so you are sincere. There can only be one truth, one creator, one way of life that all men are called everywhere to embrace that leads to eternal life. The myriads of religions (even the hundreds of Christian religions) are not a tribute to God's diversity but a manifestation of man's spiritual blindness or inability to see and embrace the perspective of one great truth which is the foundation of the Christian faith.
Ø In order to sort through the varied opinions to get at the truth, we must first accept Scripture as authoritative on all matters pertaining to the Christian walk. The word of God must be accepted as a book that always points us to Christ and contains objective truth, or the Bible becomes merely the articulation of religious principles that are merely convenient for the moment. It must be accepted that the Bible is an infallible expression of truth.
Ø Psalm 11:3
§ If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
Ø Matthew 16:13-18
§ 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
§ 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Ø Ephesians 2:20
§ 19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.
Ø John 5:39-40
§ 39 “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! 40 Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.
Ø While the Bible expresses truth, there must also be an understanding that Jesus, himself, personifies truth. The way of life Jesus came to establish in the first century was not centered on the Bible but on Himself. The Word of God expressed in the Bible is the clothing of the word of God personified in Jesus. Jesus did not die to give us a book called the Bible. He died to give us Himself and to bring us into a personal relationship with Him. Therefore, true Christianity is more a relationship than a philosophy, lifestyle, or teachable religion.
Ø We can live a Christian lifestyle, hold to its philosophy, practice Christian religion, and still not be a child of God. A personal relationship with Jesus validates us as a child of God regardless of correctness of philosophy, lifestyle, or religion. Consequently, we may conclude that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the minimal requirement of true Christianity.
Ø Nevertheless, we should not stop there; although it is important above all else. To have all other aspects of Christianity in full affect in our life means nothing in the eyes of God if we are lacking in this one area. However, if we have a true relationship with Jesus, it will be impossible for us not to develop a philosophy of life, lifestyle, and religious sense of being pleasing to God.
Ø John 1:14
§ 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Ø The Man at the Pool of Bethesda
§ 8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” 15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, [d]and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” 18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. 19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
Ø If you have children, consider the basis on which you accept them you feed, clothe, and house them because you accept them. However, you may not always approve of them. You love them and are there for them, but sometimes you need to deal with them from a position of disapproval even though you continue to accept them as your children.
Ø When our children act in disapproval, there are privileges we will withhold for the purpose of teaching and training them. In fact, there are times we totally disapprove of our children's actions while in the same breath we never stop feeding, housing, or clothing them. Why? Because we accept responsibility for them because they are our children and we accept them.
Ø Hebrews 12:9
· 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?
Ø The Father deals with us on two very different levels. He deals with us mutually in terms of acceptance and also approval. There are benefits that accrue to us simply because we are His child (He accepts us). However; real growth and fulfillment, only comes as we go beyond spiritual infancy and seek God’s approval in our life. Our acceptance before God is secured by the new birth experience. The approval of the Father, therefore, is based upon obedience and ongoing surrender to His will for our lives. What then is the basis of the Father's acceptance?
§ 1 Peter 2:5
· You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Ø We’re acceptable to God through the person of Christ. Because of what Christ has done on the cross and who He is, we are accepted in the Father’s family. We cannot diminish our standing in the family of God by who we are, what we have done, or what we have not done in life. We are acceptable to God through Christ, and we are approved of God through our actions. This is the difference between the Father's acceptance and His approval.
§ Hebrews 11:6
· 6 …Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Ø The word for faith is “confidence.” If our children do not trust us, we would be displeased. We would not disown them, but we would disapprove of that unfounded distrust. As a parent, after all our labor and work to provide a home and supply their needs, we expect our children to have a level of trust in us. Likewise, we must understand that we meet the Father's approval through our trust in His nature and faithfulness.
Ø There are rewards from God's hand that will be withheld from us until we begin to seek His approval in our life through developing trust in Him. At the same time, however, we are still accepted as His child, and He is providing for us on that basis. Securing God’s approval involves soliciting and securing His will and direction in every area of our life.
Ø In John 20:22, Jesus would appear to all the apostles and breathe the Spirit of God into them, initiating the new birth experience. But at this moment, because the Holy Spirit was not yet resident in them as their Teacher, there was much they could not understand. Even though Jesus had “told them He would die and be raised from the dead,” they simply were not yet able to comprehend it. That’s why John 20:9 says, “For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.”
Ø Although the apostles had heard this scripture from Jesus Himself, the reality and full impact of its truth had not registered in their hearts. “After this historical and momentous day, the Bible tells us, “Then the disciples went away again unto their own home” (v. 10).
Ø Yet it starts making sense if we think about it. God has done so many good deeds for us. How many times have we walked “away unaffected by the goodness we’ve seen and experienced? God has delivered us, saved us, and rescued us from harm time and time again; yet we still tend to wonder if God is really with us or not. How could we ever question the faithfulness of God after all He has already done for us?
Ø Therefore, we need to make sure we don’t remain unaffected by the goodness of God that has worked in our lives. Instead, we should make the decision to fully embrace every good thing God has done for us — to soak it up so entirely that it changes us and our outlook on life. God is good! He has been good to every one of us. If we fail to remember this, it is only because we are not opening our eyes to see His hand of protection, provision, and safety all around us.
Ø So, let’s make the choice today to recognize what God has done in our life. Remember to thank Him for it, and then never forget that if we…
Ø “Trust in the Lord with all our heart, and lean not to our own understanding; In all our ways acknowledge Him…He shall direct our paths.”