Struggle for the Truth
Part of the Truth series
Proverbs 12:22; “The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.” And 14:24; “A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.”
In the gospels, Jesus used the phrase, “I tell you the truth,” 78 times.
Jesus said He IS the Truth.
In Jesus’ presence demons couldn’t help but speak the truth!
Truth is one of the 10 commandments.
Countless people have suffered and died because of truth.
Truth is important. God considers truth important.
The ultimate Truth about God is of ultimate importance!
Paul was devoted to proclaiming the truth.
2 Corinthians 11:23-28;
“I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.”
Now, we might say, “It’s alright for him, he was somehow special.” But Paul continues (v29); “Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?”
We might also say; “Well, he was good with words!” But Paul says earlier (v6); “I may indeed be an untrained speaker, but I do have knowledge.”
In another place, he says; “I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.” (2 Corinthians 2:1-5)
We might actually want to say that we are one with Paul in his untrained speaking, lack of eloquence, weakness, fear and trembling, and not having persuasive words. But, if we say that - if we feel solidarity with him in faith in Christ and in what he said about himself - then we have to accept what he also said; “…but I do have knowledge”, and also; “…but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power”.
Many in the church have read the bible for years, and books to help them understand it. Some churches have a grand heritage of solid evangelical, bible-based preaching and teaching, which continues today; good, relevant proclamation. They will have courses and schools, discuss the bible further in cell groups, and we have courses like Alpha that reveal the basic truth, and other discipleship programmes to help apply it. We have the church calendar that takes us through key events every year. And I’m sure that doesn’t cover everything.
We have the knowledge! If we say we don’t then we have to seriously examine ourselves as to why that is, because unless we’re a brand new bouncing baby Christian, or we’ve very recently come back to faith, there’s no reason why.
Imagine a book on a shelf, perhaps the bible even. The book is full of knowledge. That book - even the bible - is useless if it remains sat on a shelf and its content remains a secret. It is only worth anything once it is opened and read; only then is its content shared.
In the same way, our faith is useless - except to us maybe - unless it is shared.
We have knowledge about Jesus Christ; his death, resurrection, ascension, and the purpose of it all, and we need to share it.
We might say, “Actions speak louder than words”. I can’t recall anyone in the Bible who only expressed their faith through actions and without words. This statement has been perhaps the biggest cause of truth being withheld in our time. That, along with fear; which is usually the underlying reason we say that in the first place!
Our actions SUPPORT our words.
The knowledge we have of Christ is eternal food, the bread of life, unending; once we have been fed we share it with others so that they too may be fed and enjoy its benefits. We might feel like the knowledge we have is like the small provision of the loaves and fish, but Jesus can multiply that as much as He needs when we share it.
But it’s not just knowledge we have.
We also have the Spirit of God. When we speak the truth about Jesus the Spirit will follow it up, in whatever way he chooses. We might see demonstrations of power, miracles, signs and wonders. Or we might see something even greater, a life turned towards Christ.
Today we live in the struggle for the truth. The world is intent on locking the truth in a cupboard and it’s trying to throw away the key. The problem for them is that Jesus holds all the keys, and a locked door is no problem for Him!
The truth is, ‘truth’ is a struggle; it’s a struggle to live it and it’s a struggle to speak it. That’s because truth stands out. It’s like being in a dark place and switching on a light. Jesus said, “Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light”. (John 3:21)
Truth sets itself against lies, falsehood, and deceit. It’s a battle. What are we doing when we put on the armour of God (Ephesians 6:11-17) when we dress for battle?
Belt of truth. Truth holds everything in place. Not speaking the truth is like undoing the buckle.
Breastplate of righteousness. Being right with God is about living in His truth.
Feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Being willing to proclaim the truth.
Shield of faith. About holding on to the truth.
Helmet of salvation. Accepting the truth.
Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. This IS the truth.
Paul’s life was a struggle for the truth – a constant battle - but he struggled and fought because he considered it to be worth more than his life.
If we’re honest, we find it hard to give it the same value; and even though our lives are no longer ours we still value it as such.
What did Jesus say about the truth?
“I am the Truth” (John 14:6), and, “the Truth will set you free” (John 8:32). That’s the truth we need to hold on to - that should be our focus.
“When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13)
“God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). That’s not just when we’re singing; the whole of our life is our worship.
There are people, standing at a wall, which has a gate in it; and even though the gate isn’t locked they cannot get through the gate. There are people out there ready to hear the truth. Everything else they’ve tried doesn’t work – they’re empty, dissatisfied, left wanting. There is the gate, Jesus Christ Himself, waiting to welcome them into His fold, His pasture, but they can’t pass through. Why? Because they don’t know the gate is there, they can’t see it. They haven’t been shown it.
Are we pointing the way to the gate? Are we helping people through the gate?
There are people who need to hear the truth; who are desperate to hear it; who are ready to hear it. The challenge upon us is to struggle for the truth so that they get to hear it, making our struggle more than worth it.
How might our struggle sound if we wrote it down like Paul did?
“I have been mocked and laughed at, I have suffered long conversations and difficult questions. Five times I have been late home, three times missed the football, and once dinner was in the dog. I have been made a joke of by my workmates and considered weird by my neighbours.”
It’s unlikely to be worse than that – and even this we can feel is extreme!
There’s no denying that there is a struggle for the truth for us today. We see this each week on courses like Alpha. Alpha is hard work, tiring, and takes up a lot of time and energy. We face difficult questions and tough conversations, give up weekends, and leave ourselves open to ridicule. But we count it as nothing because people saying yes to Jesus makes it all worth it!
Each day I choose not to share the truth with someone, even though I may feel God’s nudge to speak to them, I withhold God’s truth from them and their opportunity to receive the gift of eternal life.
Do I have the right to do that? No, none of us do.
We have the knowledge of the truth, we even have the experience of the truth.
Will we struggle for the truth?