Shepherd's Lighthouse Church

Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’”

Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" John 18:37-38 

In the rock opera “Super Star” Pilate finishes that question in a most provocative way when he asks, “What is truth?  Is it a changing law?  We both have truths; are mine the same as yours?” 

The question here is, how do you define truth?

1 Peter 4:17 tells us that, “… the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?”

I want to quote from a letter that I received from the American Family Association that says, “When I hear news like I’m about to tell you, my heart hurts for the sheep whose shepherd is leading them straight to the gates of destruction.  Here’s what happened.

“A few weeks ago, an influential New York pastor told his congregation that it is ‘insane’ for Christians to believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven.”

This Rev. Michael Walrond who pastors a church of 10,000 is quoted as saying, “There was a time when you would see people in the pulpit say, ‘Well, if you don’t believe in Jesus you’re going to hell.’  That’s insanity in many ways because that is not what Jesus even believes.  And so the key is you believe in God. And whatever your path is to God I celebrate that.  Personally, I celebrate that.”

Judgment truly does begin at the house of God and false shepherds are mostly responsible for it.

But the sheep are not without responsibility to know the truth that is readily available to anybody who will seek it as for silver and gold.

The Greek philosopher Plato gave us a famous metaphor that almost all philosophy students know about.

It is a presentation on Plato’s idea of a hierarchy of realities.

In his metaphor Plato takes us to a cave where a group of people are seated facing the cave’s wall.

Behind them there is a fire that burns constantly.

Between them and the fire is a path on which living beings move back and forth at regular intervals.

The people facing the wall cannot see the beings behind them but they see their shadows as the come and go – to them the shadows are reality.

In this age and culture of situation ethics truth is considered to be up for grabs.

For many today truth is established by the majority or those with the greatest influence.

But paradoxically it is generally believed that TRUTH is an absolute – that it is the end of a search for knowledge of what is real or genuine.

We seek the truth through question – in the legal; in the philosophical; in the personal; and in the religious. 

But in recent times truth has become PERSONAL – “We both have truths; are mine the same as yours?” 

Unredeemed man has inherited a rebellious nature and believes that truth should be whatever he wants it to be. 

In an episode of 60 minutes they showed how, through some simple experiments with children of varying ages from newborn to toddler, selfishness is not learned or aquired as we grow. 

Rather it is our nature from the womb so to say. 

It all began in a place called Eden with a man called Adam. 

Adam lived in pleasure (Eden) because he followed God and lived according to God’s way. 

While he was in agreement with his Creator his conscience was clear – he was naked and unashamed. Gen 2:25

That is, he looked to God for what is TRUE. 

But then Adam agreed with his wife Eve and took the advice of the serpent in Gen 3:1, he chose his own way over God’s way and cut himself off from the source of his life and his joy.  

Adam experienced the shame and destitution that is inherent in UNTRUTH.

So we see in verse 7 that Adam’s eyes were opened and he covered himself with fig leaves – human morality and human opinion are what is left when God’s covering is gone. 

So in our natural state we are all creatures of chaos thinking that we can bring order to this fallen world in our own strength.

In Matthew 6:22-23 Jesus said, "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.  "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”

The truth is a matter of what we choose to see.

A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.

Choice is the key.

The light in the verse is referring to what you perceive as truth.

Romans 1:19-21 reveals that, “… what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are  clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal  power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

The light of the knowledge of God was built into every creature and is seen in the third verse of Genesis when God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. Genesis 1:3

Then in Genesis 1:4 we see the difference between light and darkness – “And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.”

This was the first day of Creation and the question that many ask is, “If the sun and moon were created on the fourth day, what is “THIS light?”

It is the light of the knowledge of God that He gives to a willing soul.

John 1:4-5 declares the light to be Jesus who is the knowledge of God when it says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

The Light that God gives is order and is sustaining.

But the darkness is chaos and is destructive.

Light is Divine viewpoint and darkness is human viewpoint.

So when Matt 6:23 says, “...if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” It is speaking of replacing God’s truth with another.

History has shown that as we try to define truth by our experience rather than by God, we fall into greater decline.

To this very day it is in our human nature to engineer the truth in accordance with our opinions or viewpoints.

To TELL the truth is a matter of morality.   

But to KNOW the TRUTH is a matter of seeking Divine viewpoint in everything.   

Telling the truth is to admit to the reality of a condition or a behavior.

For example - Yes, I cheated on the test and then lied about it.

Knowing the TRUTH goes way beyond morality; it is the very revelation of who and what we are.  

Simply put, TRUTH is “WHAT REALLY IS” in the same way that GOD is “I AM THAT I AM.”  

That is why Jesus tells us in John 17:17, speaking of God, “… Your WORD is TRUTH.”  

Even God Himself is subject to His WORD – it is the embodiment of His Divine Character which is revealed in His Name – He cannot violate it without ceasing to be who He is – GOD! 

Psa 138:2 assures us that, “… I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” 

2 Sam 7:21 says, “For Your word's sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them.” 

Matthew 24:35 Jesus tells us that, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” 

Our great God and Creator hasn’t left us to stumble around in ignorance but has given us His WORD that we might know Him and His purpose in creating us. 

He tells us in 2Pet 1:4 that He has, “… given unto us exceeding great and precious promises:  that by these we might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 

The Devil, taking advantage of the weakness that is inherent in human nature, knows how to appeal to our lusts and has deceived the nations with delusions of grandeur and governments with a hunger for power.

Situation ethics and world views that are opposed to God’s character and purpose have usurped His authority and enslaved a sleeping population.

But Rom1:18-19 assures us that, “… For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.” 

We can be sure that God has placed a knowledge of Himself and His TRUTH in each person so that if we deny that knowledge and that truth we are without excuse.

The Creator of all that is real is the only source of TRUTH and the reality of all that a person believes must be tested by God’s Holy WORD. 

The Word of God is the filter through which human experience should be judged.

God is indeed the Original and the Standard of that which is TRUE. 

Jesus promised in John 8:32, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 

So we, as Christians, are called to be familiar with God’s Word and to be in agreement with Him in our decisions and our plans.

When we conduct ourselves in accordance with God’s character (revealed in the Scriptures)

we will experience success in whatever we undertake to do.

This is a matter of being in agreement with God. 

He promises in Proverbs 16:3 that if you, “… Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established.” 

Aren’t you glad that the Lord God is a truthful and reliable God?  That He promises to hear us when we call on Him; that He will never leave us nor forsake us?

That He is utterly dependable and trustworthy? 

Then take Him at His Word and seek His advise and test, by His Scriptures, what the world would have you believe. 

And make sure that your plans are in agreement with God’s Holy Character so that your plans will succeed and you can say, as the Lord says, "It is finished, and it is good."     

Amen.