God of Truth

What is reality? A few years ago we had a discipline problem at our school and I called a meeting with the parents. I explained what happened and how we were going to correct the behavior. The mother's response was priceless: "that is your reality, its not my reality." Her response made me realize that we sometimes pick and choose the stuff we want to hold on to, and ignore the rest. Does ignoring the facts change the truth of the matter? A blind person cannot enjoy the beauty of a sunset. Does their not seeing change the fact that the sunset exists? A color blind person may see the sunset in black and white tones, but does their inability to see the vibrant orange and red colors change the reality of a sunset's true colors? Reality is something that is real, genuine, and reliable. It is the truth. We can count on it. In math, an addition equation of 4 + 4 is always 8. It is never 7 or 9. That is a real number and it is always reliable. Scientists observe something over and over. They repeat experiments until they know that the outcome is real and reliable. Their conclusions are based upon that which is observable and measurable. When something is always true, scientists call it Scientific Law. Reality is that which is true or real. The actual state or truthfulness of the matter. Truth recognizes the indisputable facts. We can either conform to the truth of the matter of we can try to ignore them. But our response, either way, does not change the nature of reality or for that matter, that which is true and authentic. Many yearn for something that is real and authentic. There is a desire for truthfulness, not a shadow. A desire for honesty, not deceit. A desire for genuineness, not imitation. There is something about truth that we desire. Not a fabrication, or imitation, but the real deal. Our yearning for that which is true and real comes from the ultimate reality behind all that is true, it’s an echo or reflection of something that was lost to the human race long ago. Made in the image of God, the human race began with enjoying God and each other. Then came the fall into sin which distorted the present reality by introducing sin into the picture, causing both Adam and Eve to feel shame and defensive, blaming each other for the new reality. God is in the business of restoring that which was lost in people. Through faith we experience a new birth into a living hope. Our hope is that God will restore His image in us. It isn't the echo we desire, but the first shout. It's not the reflection we want, it is that which is real behind the reflection. If God is who the Bible claims He is, then He is completely true and all that He is, does and says affects the reality in which we live. The Bible tell us several things about God: (A Broad Overview of What the Bible says about God) GOD IS THE CREATOR As Creator, He brought everything into existence and maintains everything in its place. Creation is also the cosmological argument for the existence of God. Creation is beautiful, orderly and has the appearance of a design. He is the First Cause which caused all things to be in existence. Like cause and effect. The theory of evolution says that it all happened by chance and over a great deal of time. If we found a watch on a beach, would we assume it was a chance of nature created over a great deal of time? (if it was a rolex- maybe, as we put it on) The answer is No. What about your cell phone. Convenient having the means to communicate at your side, along with internet access, games and calendar to schedule your life. Was your cell phone an accident of nature or was it designed? You know the answer. It seems almost foolish. But the universe is much more complicated than any cell phone or watch. Our bodies also are incredible. Are they designed or here by accident? The Bible assumes the existence of God in the first book of the Bible. Genesis 1.1 "In the beginning God.....created the heavens and the earth." Through His spoken Word God has brought everything into existence and has wonderfully revealed Himself to us. He is the Cause of all that exists. Therefore God is the foundation upon which we can build our lives. Our very lives depend upon His faithfulness. God doesn't change, as a shifting shadow based upon the sun rising and setting (James 1.17) God will always be God. He will not become something more or something less than who He is. He is the reason for our existence and the basis for truth and reality that our hearts desire. Bible tells us that God is true- completely true as revealed in His nature, IOW His essence and character. as revealed in His Word only God is completely true. For something to be true, then all of its characteristics must agree with its nature. For a person to be true or genuine, his or her characteristics as well as all that they say and do must be in harmony. They must be perfect in everyway. No human being, except Jesus Christ has been perfect. (PICTURE OF A SOVEREIGN KING) The Bible presents God as Sovereign, in other words He is the King, the Ruler over all. The picture is of a monarch or earthly king who has complete rule over his kingdom. As the King or Ruler, God has set the rules of His kingdom. He has given us Laws to live by. Like rulers of old, He goes throughout His kingdom to see his people in order to encourage, give speeches and hold accountable. Let's Look At What the Bible Says about The Nature of God A SLICE The Bible describes God's nature in a variety of ways, from His nature to His various names. Looking at the character trait of truth is like taking an MRI picture. It is a picture of a slice- a small part, not the whole. Or think of it as a loaf of sliced bread. If we stand back, we have the whole view of God. Today we're going to take a slice out of the middle and look at one aspect of God- that God is the God of truth. TRINITY The Bible says that God is a triune God revealed in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. What is true of one is true of the other. For instance, God is eternal. Bible describes Jesus as living in eternity past, the same yesterday, today and forever. The Bible also says that the Holy Spirit is the eternal Spirit. let's look at What the Bible says God the Father: Titus 1.1-2 "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness- a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior." Paul reminded Titus, and us today, that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the truth which rests upon the existence of God, who DOES NOT LIE. He keeps His promises. He does what He says. Therefore, we can take God at His word. We can act upon them. Psalm 15.2 Who can stand in the presence of God? He whose walk is blames and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue..." Truthfulness is important to God because He is True, he does not lie nor does He want His servants, ie believers or followers of Christ to be liars, instead we are to speak the truth in love. The Apostle John had numerous visions of heaven. In Rev 15 he saw thousands upon thousands of believers who died for their faith. They were before the throne of God,singing a song. They sang- Rev 15.3 “Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways , King of the ages." These are the martyrs singing in heaven before God. There are no complaints, only praise. There is no pointing to any injustice done, only recognizing that God is true and just in all He does. God the Father is the God of truth. Let's look at What the Bible says about Jesus, the Son of God: John 14.6 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 18.37 Jesus before Pilate: "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." "I was born" reminds us of humanity-human nature and body like us. "for this came into the world" reminds us of His divinity. He existed prior to his physical birth. Jn 1.14 The word became flesh. God Incarnate. God in flesh. His purpose: to testify to the truth- he had come from a different realm. Even his kingdom was not of this world. It was a kingdom of Truth based upon the coming of Messiah, who is the TRUTH. 1 John 5.20 "We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true- even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." "him who is true" = God. That is who he is by nature, and in his word. "and we are in him who is true"= either we are in God or we are not in Him. true is used in 2 ways. First, in reference to God's character. 2nd, in reference to there being no other God. He is the true God. All other god's are false gods. Let's look at What the Bible says about the Holy Spirit: John 14.16-17 "…Spirit of Truth…" The Holy Spirit has the same character trait as God the Father. The Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. 1 John 4.6 "We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood." (What we find out about God: ) From the Bible we see that God's nature is true.. But for God to be reliable and trustworthy, His character must match His Word. Let's Examine What God says: Ps 119.160 "All Your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal." God's Word is an extension of God's truthful character. His Word is true. His Word is eternal. IOW His Word will always be true. Pro 30.5 "Every Word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him." The word "flawless" was used elsewhere of purify in metal. It has the idea that it is trustworthy. Nothing impure or deceitful in it. It is the truth John 17.17 Jesus prayed for all his disciples, including us today. He prayed, "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." Sanctify means to make holy or to set apart for a holy use. God makes us holy through His Holy Spirit inspired Word. When we do His Word rather than our own ideas, we are further set aside for God's use. Your word is truth. All that God says is truth. All of God's written word is truth because it comes to us from God. 2 Tim 3.16-17 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." The Bible is inspired- God-breathed. In OT times, there were lots of gods to choose from. How did the people of Israel know that their God was the true God above all gods? God revealed himself through telling them what would happen before it happened. Isaiah 41.21-23 "bring in your idols to tell us what is going to happen. Tell us the what the former things were so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or delcare to us teh things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods..." Isaiah 42.8-9 "I am the Lord, that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you." Isaiah 44.28 "Who says to Cyrus, "He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, "let it be rebuilt." and of the temple, :Let its foundations be laid." Read Isaiah 45 and you will discover that even though Cyrus doesn't know God or acknowledge God, yet God will use him to rebuilt Jerusalem and the temple. Here's the great part of this passage. It was written 250 years before Cyrus came to power. And what did Cyrus do? he ordered the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple. Want to know more? Through out God's Word God proclaims what will happen before any of it does. Daniel- when Messiah would come and be cut off and end times so accurate that non believers think it was written after the fact Genesis- the promise of a deliverer and ruler to come Moses.- the promise of a prophet like Moses David- a promise of a descendent sitting on his throne forever Isaiah- telling us about Cyrus, then the suffering servant who would die for our sins, be buried with the rich, and yet live to see his inheritance and the future glory of Messiah 1 &2 Thess- the coming of Jesus and end times Through prophecy, God reveals the fact that He alone is God, and is Sovereign and that what He says goes. The Word of God is true because it comes to us from the Spirit of Truth, and confirmed by the Son of God who is the Truth, and authorized by God the Father who is the God of Truth. Challenge: What should our response be to God's truthfulness: We would be in error to tell God, "That's your reality, not mine!" That would lead to a huge disappointment. But if we choose to accept God's reality, then we are to be like Him. Paul challenges us to imitate God. PILLARS 1 Tim 3.15 "If I am delayed, you will know how people out to conduct themseves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth." Architectually, pillars upheld all that lay on top of it. The church isn't the truth, but like pillars we uphold the truths of God. We uphold it through teaching it, proclaiming it, living it by allowing it guide us, purify us, and to encourage one another. We entrust our lives to the One who said "I am the way, the truth, the life." For us there is no one else- no other truth, no other god, no other way to go. We are called by God to be holy, true, to live by the Spirit and not to grieve the Spirit by living according to our flesh or the ways of the world. We are called to be light in the the darkness. If we let go of the Word of God we let go of the only revelation that tells us how to be saved from sin and gives light to our path. If we set aside the Word of God, we set aside the Truth of God and the God of Truth. Proverbs 3.5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." trusting God and His Word as the basis for our lives- Gives us purpose Gives us direction Gives us hope Gives us a firm foundation for this life and for eternity. Gives us great joy. When difficulties come, and they come to all of us, we can rest in the truths of God, and in particular, the fact that God is the God of Truth. He will not lie to us. His Word gives us answers to the trying times we may face. His Word gives us hope, not despair. His Word is something we can rely upon because God IS the God of Truth. The God of Truth then is the foundation on which we are to build our lives. Heb 10.23 "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."