LIES THAT MANY BELIEVE, PART 1:  "THERE'S NO ABSOLUTE TRUTH"

TEXT:  "Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?" - John 18:38

Pilate seemed to ask a philosophical question when he asked, "What is truth?"  The question is more than a philosophical question; it is the most important question of all.  Our society is very uncomfortable discussing the subject of truth.  Here's the reason:  truth is more than a philosophical subject; it is a very spiritual subject.  Our society is in the process of banning all spiritual content from public discussion.  Even worse, most in our society refuse to even consider anything spiritual because they believe that spiritual matters are offensive.

At the core of our problem is this issue:  does absolute truth really exist?  Right now, our society is boldly and forcefully proclaiming that there's no such thing as absolute truth.  Instead, they promote something called, "relative truth."  Relative truth is a belief that what may be true for me may not necessarily be true for you.  Each person can define and express his or her own view of truth.  At the core of this belief is a refusal to embrace absolute truth and a rebellious spirit that objects to personal responsibility and accountability.

In an effort to practice political correctness, our society finds comfort in relative truth.  They believe that relative truth offends and hurts no one.  Most believe that relative truth promotes relational harmony and personal liberty. 

Here's the real problem:  if absolute truth really exists, then relative truth is false.  If absolute truth exists, then those who embrace relative truth believe a lie.  If absolute truth is reality, then those who promote relative truth are facing severe consequences. 

Again we return to the important question:  does absolute truth really exist?  The answer is obvious.  Absolute truth DOES exist.  Let me give you some examples:

·    Those who believe in relative truth cannot be absolutely positive that their view is correct.  After all, if they are absolutely convinced that relative truth is factual, they have destroyed their own argument, because they would be saying that relative truth is absolute truth.

·     When I was in school, many subjects were taught.  We were often given exams to verify that we learned the content taught in the class.  When I took math, I knew that 1+1=2.  This is an absolute fact.  If I answered, 1+1=7, because 7 is true for me, this would be wrong.  In mathematics, there is absolute truth.  The same is true for history.  If I were asked what year was the Declaration of Independence signed, the answer would be absolute:  1776.  There is no other correct answer.  Absolute truth DOES exist!

·        For those who promote relative truth, there is a core problem.  There are many moral issues that are absolute.  If you believe in relative truth, let me pose this question:  If Adolph Hitler believed in his heart that it was okay to murder 6 million Jews, was he right?  If relative truth is believed, then a person would have to say that his actions were fine ... which of course, is absurd.

·      The basics of our legal system are based upon absolute truth.  Without it, a criminal could use relative truth as a defense and should be set free.  He could argue that the law he broke was based upon absolute truth and he felt that his deed was acceptable.   Furthermore, no citizen could participate in jury duty.  How could a person sit in judgment about a situation if relative truth could render a crime acceptable and a law as being unacceptable?

·    If relative truth is carried out to its fullest extent, we would have civil unrest in our country.  Our nation would be destroyed if absolute truth is not factual.

Here's the main reason that relative truth is so popular in our day.  At the core of the matter is Biblical truth.  Jesus said, "I am the way, THE TRUTH and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me." (John 14:6).  Jesus declared Himself to be the person of truth.  Furthermore His statement makes it clear that He is exclusively the only way to the Father.  Relative truth permits each individual to create his own belief system, one that he is comfortable with.  However, if Jesus is right, then absolute truth hinges upon Him.  If Jesus is who He claimed to be, relative truth is a vicious lie of the devil and many will suffer the most severe consequences by embracing such a lie.

Ultimately, every person will stand before God in judgment.  His judgment will be absolute ... based upon absolute truth.  Relative truth is just a mirage.  Relative truth is designed to deceive people into believing a comfortable lie that will ultimately destroy them. 

The reason I boldly promote absolute truth is because truth does exist and truth is absolute.  The future of each person hinges upon his or her response to the absolute truth embodied by Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ IS the truth. 

Believe the truth and you will live.  Deny the truth and you will perish.  

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES

TEXT:  "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." - John 8:44

When I was growing up, the worst whippings that I ever received from my parents were given when I lied.  My parents were intolerant with lies.  In hindsight, I am appreciative of their stand against dishonesty.  As an adult, nothing angers me like a person telling me a lie.

As a Bible-believing Christian, I am troubled about America's eroding moral and spiritual foundation.  To put it bluntly, our society has been duped into believing lies.  To make things worse, our culture has not only embraced lies, it is now forcefully promoting these lies. 

When I was growing up, there was an old TV show called, "Truth or Consequences."  Bob Barker was the host of the show.  A contestant was randomly called from the audience.  After a little chit-chat, Bob Barker would give the person a riddle and ask them to solve in just two or three seconds.  If they failed to give a correct response, they had to face "the consequences," which was usually some funny game. 

The fact is, there is truth.  If we fail to believe and practice truth, there will be consequences --- and those consequences will be severe.

To counter this, our culture has embraced and proclaimed the concept of relative truth.  Basically, they believe that there is no absolute truth.  According to their belief, something may be true for me but the same thing may not be true for someone else.  The concept of relative truth is designed to relieve a person of responsibility.  The idea is that a person's conscience can be kept from guilt or remorse if relative truth is embraced.

Here's the problem with relative truth:  It is a lie.  For the most part, people are being deceived.  They believe lies.  Here are some of the lies that are embraced and promoted by our society:

• Abortion is a "woman's right," and thus it is a medical decision, not a moral or spiritual issue.
• It is acceptable to expand the terms of marriage to include gay marriage.  After all, if two people love each other, it is nobody's business to interfere.
• There's no such thing as sexual sin.  Sexual freedom is fine as long as it is consensual.  Co-habitation is fine.  Even adultery may be good in some cases. 
• It is expected for everyone to observe "political correctness."  It is always wrong to say or do something that may be deemed "offensive," to someone, even if the person is just hypersensitive. 
• "Tolerance," is defined as treating all lifestyles as acceptable.  If you disagree with a lifestyle choice, you are "intolerant."
• It is always wrong to judge.  Judging someone's deeds or lifestyle is a sign of ignorance, hypocrisy and bigotry.
• The theory of evolution should be taught as fact.  The story of creation should not be taught at all because it violates, "the separation of church and state."  
• All roads lead to God.
• If a person is a Christian, his or her faith is a private matter and should never be expressed publicly.  Faith should never be spoken of or affect a person's job or decisions.   

It could be that some reader of this blog will take exception that one or more of these statements are "lies."  In coming weeks, I'll be addressing each of these matters individually.  For now, I think it safe to say that a Spirit-filled, Bible-believing Christian should recognize the deceit in each of the above statements. Believing, practicing or defending these lies will ultimately bring great consequences.     

For the Christian, we realize that lies emanate from the father of lies, the devil.  Our text teaches us that the devil is a liar.  The spiritual darkness that now covers our land is part of the devil's strategic design to remove the Christian influence from our nation.  Sadly, the devil has even infiltrated churches with lies.  It is tragic to see churches compromise the truth.  When truth is compromised, you give place to the devil.  Truth that is compromised is no longer truth --- it is a lie.

Our thoughts, actions and lifestyle should be anchored in the foundation of truth.  These days, people don't hunger for truth.  Instead, they simply want to be entertained. 

Either you will embrace truth or you'll be forced to face the consequences. 

  

CLOSET CHRISTIANS

TEXT:  "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." - Matthew 6:6

It is almost a daily occurrence to hear of some notorious person that "comes out of the closet."  The public boldness of those proclaiming their sinful practices is sad and disgraceful.  While the world cheers such behavior, the Bible-believing Christian mourns and weeps over the sinner who shamelessly reveals his or her wicked lifestyle. 

For some time, I've said that it is time that all Christians come out of the closet and let it be known publicly where we stand.  We need to be publicly bold about our faith and our Lord.  We should be vocal in our opposition to the sinful erosion of our nation, but we should be even more vocal about the answer to this nation's woes, Jesus Christ.

Here's the problem:  many believers aren't coming out of the closet to publicly stand for Jesus.  I think I know one of the reasons.  Although we need to come out of the closet and publicly stand for truth, righteousness and justice, we aren't spending any time in another closet, the closet that matters most ... the prayer closet.

At the end of this month, the Kendrick Brother's new movie, WAR ROOM will be opening in theaters.  This past week, I finished listening to the audio book, WAR ROOM, which is based on the movie.  I won't go into details about the story (go see the movie yourself), but I will let you know that the prayer closet is the main emphasis of the movie.

The prayer closet is a location where we meet secretly with God.  The fact is that many need to spiritually clean their closet before much communion can occur. 

Jesus told us to get alone with the Heavenly Father and spend time talking with Him.  It may be that you need to literally go into a closet to pray.  For another, it may be that a walk through the woods accomplishes the same thing.  Some find that kneeling beside the bed in the privacy of the bedroom gives them enough seclusion to meet with God.  Regardless of the location, we need to have private time with God.

We live in a busy world.  The pace of life is often hectic.  Time limits and other constraints make it difficult to carve out sections of time to meet with God.  For many Christians, there is a temptation to say, "I don't have time to pray," or "I'm too busy to pray."  Actually, you're too busy NOT to pray.  The stress of time is an extra reason to seek the face of God.

Let me share a few things about making the most of your prayer closet.

1.         PRAY DELIBERATELY

First of all, we must deliberately seek the face of God.  Jesus said, "... when thou prayest," not "if thou prayest."   Prayer is not just a religious exercise, it is a time of holy communion with God.

2.         PRAY SECRETLY

Jesus does not condemn public prayer but He does criticize public prayers that are hypocritical.  Jesus stresses the importance of private prayer.  It was not uncommon for Jesus to get alone and talk with the Father.  We need that private time with the Father ourselves.

3.         PRAY EXPECTANTLY

In our text, Jesus promised that the Father would hear and reward us when we pray secretly.  Pray with faith.  Although God may not give us the answers we want, we can pray with assurance that God will answer.

4.         PRAY SPECIFICALLY

If you want specific answers to prayer, then pray specifically.  Make a prayer list and consult it as you pray.  Don't just pray for yourself.  Pray for others.  Learn from the Apostle Paul and focus primarily on the spiritual needs of others when you pray. 

5.         PRAY REGULARLY

Schedule a time to meet with God daily.  It is true that we should pray throughout the day.  There will be moments of spontaneous prayer.  However, it is vital to set and keep an appointment with God every day.  I suggest that you begin your day with the Lord.  It may be five minutes, fifteen minutes, an hour or even more.  Meet with God daily.

Yes, we need to come out of the closet and voice our opposition to the "political correctness," and sinful agenda that the world seeks to shove down our throats.  However, we need to also come out of the closet and let others know the Gospel --- the only real hope this world has.  While we need to come out of the closet concerning our faith, we need to stay in the closet when it comes to prayer. 

Whatever you may refer to as your "prayer closet," God will meet you there and will change your life.  So stay in the prayer closet!

We need to be closet Christians!     

TRUSTING GOD IN THE HARD TIMES

TEXT:  "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." - Psalm 42:11

We're living in difficult times.  Many are struggling financially.  Others are deeply hurt over relationship problems.  Several are facing great health problems.  Furthermore, Christians feel the assault of an anti-Christian society.  Persecution is spreading.  These are tough times.  The fact is, no one is immune to hard times.  Difficult times will come to each of us.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to live differently than unbelievers.  The Bible teaches us to live by faith and not by sight.  Living by faith is rather easy --- until problems come.  While you have a great job, good health and a happy family, living by faith is a breeze.  However, when you loose your job, face a health crisis or a relationship is severed, living by faith becomes very, very difficult.  Why is that?  During the "good times," perhaps we weren't really living by faith at all.  The difficult times expose the fact that we were living by sight and relying too heavily upon the flesh.

How should we deal with difficult times?  Here's a very simple, yet honest answer:  we must trust God during the hard times. 

American believers are deeply influenced by the materialistic society we live in.  We tend to get sucked into the same pitfalls as unbelievers.  However, God expects us to trust Him and walk with Him through this life.  This requires more than a superficial Sunday faith.  Instead, it is a moment-by-moment dependence upon God.  We must take God at His Word.  We must stand on the promises of God.  We need to seek God rather than seeking comfort, ease or wealth.

Genuine faith shines best during adversity.  David's faith was most obvious when he faced Goliath.  Daniel's faith was plainly seen in the lion's den.  Paul and Silas were vocal with their faith while confined in prison.  The three Hebrew men were examples of faith when they refused to compromise --- knowing it would result in a fiery furnace. 

Perhaps we've gotten too spoiled by success, money and comfort.  We claim to desire revival and a great move of God --- but only on our terms.  Quite honestly, revival tends to come during times of adversity, not times of prosperity.  The Israelites grew rapidly when oppressed by Pharaoh.  Historically speaking, Christianity grew more during times of persecution than during times of peace. 

Here are a few things we need to consider when we face hard times:

1.         GOD CAN BE TRUSTED

We can trust God during the hard times.  If God can only be trusted when times are good, is He really trustworthy?  Here's the truth:  God CAN be trusted during the difficult times.  He is not a fair-weathered friend.  If He can be trusted with your eternal salvation, certainly He can be trusted as you face a layoff, cancer or heartbreak.  Like Job, we should honestly say, "Though God slay me, yet I'll trust Him."

2.         TRUST IN GOD'S PROMISES

God has given us glorious promises in His Word.  Trust the promises of God.  Stand on His promises regardless of the circumstances.  Don't trust your feelings; trust the Word of God.  Don't be swayed by the things you see.  Instead, be strong in the things that are unseen. 

3.         STAY FAITHFUL

Don't let hard times keep you from serving God.  Remain faithful with your church attendance.  Keep singing.  Keep giving.  Keep on living for God.  Keep in mind that Jesus remained faithful ... all the way to the cross.  Now, you are being called to do the same.

4.         ENLIST PRAYER SUPPORT

Ask other believers to hold you up in prayer.  The old James D. Vaughan song is true:  "I need the prayers of those I love."  What a blessing it is to have other believers pray for you and encourage you.

5.         HELP SOMEONE ELSE

Don't be so consumed with yourself that you fail to notice others nearby who are struggling, too.  Perhaps their struggles are worse than yours.  Find someone else that's going through a hard time and help him or her.  You'll find yourself being helped in the process.

6.         LOOK AHEAD

It may be that things won't get any better for you in this life.  Perhaps you have a terminal disease or have long-term disability.  Yet we can find hope in the future.  When we look beyond this veil of tears, we realize that the best is yet to come for us.  One day, we'll leave our difficulties and step into eternal bliss.  Look ahead and be blessed.

7.         NEVER GIVE UP

Finally, never give up.  Keep on keeping on.  Regardless of the cost, keep living for Jesus.  Ultimately, you'll be rewarded for it. 

Regardless of your plight today, let me encourage you to renew your trust in the Lord.  He is trustworthy.  No one has ever trusted God and then ultimately regretted it.  

Trust God in the hard times.

PASSING THE STRESS TEST

TEXT:  "From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I." - Psalm 61:2

Recently, I experienced a stress test for the first time.  A cardiologist watched as I walked a treadmill for a few minutes.  A machine was monitoring my heart's functionality as I kept walking.  I am grateful that I received good results from the stress test.

Life itself has stress tests that I face.  The treadmill of life is often difficult to handle.  The slope inclines greatly.  The speed that I am expected to maintain seem unbearable.  It seems like everyday I experience a new stress test. 

When expectations and demands exceed my capacity to deliver, I get stressed out.  When my "things to do list" grows but my time schedule shrinks, I get stressed beyond words.  When the needs are great but the resources are few, my stress level seems to soar.

If you struggle with the issue of stress like I do, you need to face the facts:  stress is part of life.  No one is immune to stressful situations.  However, some seem to handle stress better than others.  Think about Jesus for a moment.  As He walked along, He faced crisis after crisis.  People were pressing upon Him, requesting healing or seeking help.  He had full days, days of interruptions and pressure.  Yet He also got away and spent time alone with the Father in prayer.  He shared private times with His inner circle (the disciples).   Jesus knew how to handle stress.

I believe that King David felt stress in his life.  He had the stressful responsibility of serving as king.  He had the stress of leadership as he led his army to war.  He had the stress of relationships as he dealt with numerous challenges among his family and friends.  As he wrote Psalm 61, David addressed the issue of stress.  As I look at this psalm, here are a few things that I want to implement for myself.  Perhaps they will help you, too.

1.         TAKE YOUR STRESS TO GOD IN PRAYER

First of all, the psalmist took his stress to the Lord.  Psalm 61:2 states, "From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee."  Stress can make you feel like you've reached the end of the world.  In these moments, open your heart to God and honestly share your stress with Him.  The worst thing we can do is to suppress the stress we feel.  Keeping stress bottled up inside creates pressure that will eventually lead to a blow-up.  Stress must be relieved as quickly as possible.  I know of nothing that will relieve stress like prayer.  When we pray, stress slowly ebbs away. 

Let me recommend quiet seclusion at times.  Obviously, we can't do this all the time, but it would be wise to set aside a few moments to meet alone with God.  Jesus took time away from the stress of ministry to commune with the Father.  Let's learn from His example.  You may not be able to get away on a stressful workday, but you can still take a momentary break to catch your breath and pray to the Father.  The weekend is a great time for longer periods of time of communion.  No one can relieve stress like the Father.  Go to Him in prayer and honestly share your burdens with Him.  Invite Him into your situation.  Ask for His help, guidance and mercy.

2.         BE HONEST ABOUT YOUR STRESS

David wrote, "When my heart is overwhelmed..."  Stress has a way of making you feel overwhelmed.  Notice David did not write, "If my heart is overwhelmed," but "WHEN my heart is overwhelmed."  It would be nice if life was stress-free, but we are not granted that blessing in this life. 

First, we need to realize when we are experiencing stress.  Sometimes stressful situations come so quickly that we feel overwhelmed before we realize it.  We need to recognize the stress that comes your way.  Maybe your job is stressful.  Perhaps your home-life is stressful.  It could be that certain relationships are stressful.  We are tempted to flee from stress.  However, David did not run from stress.  He was honest about his stress, but did not flee from the stress.

Secondly, we need to share our stress.  As I've already written, we need to take our stress to God.  Also, we need to share our stress with others.  Your family members need to support you when you face stress.  Your church family can intercede for you when you deal with stress. 

Be honest about your stress.

3.            TRUST GOD DURING THE STRESS

David wrote, "When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I."  A "rock that is higher than I," refers to a hiding place, a place of security and safety.  More importantly, we know that there is a Rock that is higher than us --- the solid rock of Jesus Christ.

Instead of looking at the stressful situation, we need to look to Jesus.  He is the Prince of Peace.  When we face stress and anxiety, we need to remember Paul's words:  "...the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  Trust Him with your stressful situation.

As Psalm 61 continues, we find David trusting God with his stress:  "For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings." (Verses 3-4).  David trusted in the Lord during his times of stress.

Jesus and His disciples were on a boat one time when a mighty storm came upon them.  Although the disciples were frantically working to keep the boat afloat, Jesus was asleep.  The disciples were stressed out, but Jesus wasn't.  When they awoke Him, Jesus spoke to the wind and the sea, saying, "Peace, be still."  Suddenly, the stressful situation ended.  Jesus then rebuked His disciples because of their lack of faith.  We need to exercise faith ourselves.  As we face rough waves and mighty storms, we need to keep in mind that Jesus is in the boat with us.  The situation may seem stressful and overwhelming, but we can trust Jesus to get us safely through.

God never gets stressed out.  Nothing causes Him to fret or worry.  God never suffers from stress because He is in control and sovereignly rules.  Nothing overwhelms Him.

We can trust Him with our stressful situations.  He is able to give us peace, guidance, wisdom and grace for every situation we face.  

Like David, each one of us needs to pray, "When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I."