Jesus said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free,”
John 8:32
In this bible study
lesson, I’m talking about both moral subjects and subjects of interest to people today, based on God’s truth and His marvelous righteous Word.
The subject of truth is what we’re thinking about in this lesson, a study of God’s truth. Can we know the truth? What is truth in a world that is often confused, where people think there may be multiple truths on an
idea? What does God’s marvelous righteous Word say on these issues? And so, in this lesson
we’re thinking about the great questions that we can find and read in Jeremiah 37:17 and Romans 4:3, ‘What does the marvelous righteous Word of God say’ on both moral subjects and subjects of interest that people are thinking about today?
Our goal in thinking about these very important things on the truth is that we desire to notice that God’s marvelous righteous Word is the truth. That truth is in the Word of God. The scriptures teach, the Bible teaches, that we should desire to know the truth.
Ephesians 5:17 says, “Do not be foolish or do not be unwise, but understand the will of the Lord.” God gave me the Bible so that
I could know, and I could understand His precious devine will. The bible passage in
Ephesians 3:4 says that when we read, we can understand God’s divine will. Our almighty dear caring Lord Jesus Christ also taught us in John 8:32, “You can know the truth and truth will set you free.”
And so today we’re not considering if you can know the truth, the Bible clearly teaches that we can know the truth to be pleasing to God. The goal in this study also is not to determine whether somebody in our family, our parents, or some family member knew the truth, I’m not asking, ‘What did somebody else know? What did some family member know?’ I’m asking, “Can you know the truth?” It’s truly a personal matter.
Romans 14:12 says, “So then each of us shall give an account of
himself to God.” We’re asking, “Can we know?” Regardless of what anybody else may or may not have known, it’s a personal matter. In Luke 16:27-28, the rich man was told he had his opportunity; he should have taken care of that regardless of what his brothers did. It was his responsibility to know truth and be accountable to our Almighty dear caring Heavenly Father. Our goal in this lesson is also really not to consider or debate what truth is, we want to recognize from the outset if a person believes in the
Bible, that God’s marvelous righteous Word is the truth.
Psalm 119:160 reveals, “The entirety of your Word is truth.” God’s marvelous righteous Word is the final truth, it’s the final authority, and whatever this book says, that’s the truth on the matter.
Jesus Christ in His prayer
to the Father in John 17:17 prayed, “Sanctify them by your truth, your Word is truth.”
“I receive to begin by emphasizing some things here’
Can a person know the truth? Absolutely; but if we’re not really careful there are can be some hindrances that may be in our heart, or in our mind, or in our life that can keep us from really knowing and focusing on the truth.
What are some of those?
I can be hindered from knowing the truth if I only believe and practice what other people tell me. That’s going to hinder you from knowing God’s truth. In Matthew 15 and Mark 7, the Jews were great at focusing on the
traditions and the commands of the elders. Jesus said, “You hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying, ‘This people draw near to me
with their mouth, they honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men.’” If all you believe and practice is what other people tell you, what somebody else tells you, and what you’ve heard all your life, that may
hinder you from knowing the truth. We must have a heart desire not to follow a multitude, (Exodus 23:2), in doing evil.
In the Bible there are two paths, There is the wide path that the multitude of people are going down, that leads to eternal destruction. Then, there is the narrow way which leads to eternal life, and fewer going down that path.
What path are we following? The path that focuses on God and His marvelous righteous Word, or are we just going along with the crowd?
Paul said in Galatians 1:14 that had he wanted to, he could have focused on the commands and traditions of the people he was raised with, but instead he focused on what he received as revelation from our almighty dear caring Heavenly Father. We should not practice or believe what we always heard, in what others have always told us. We should first of all always pray to receive the truth throughout God’s truth fulfilling Holy Spirit, and check out the marvelous righteous Word of God in the Bible, to find out for ourselves. Don’t always assume what your parents or friends have told you to be the truth. I’m not saying that they’re trying to purposely deceive you. I’m not saying that they’re bad or anything like that. What I’m saying is we have to know the truth. We have a personal responsibility to check and to base ourselves what we believe and receive off the truth fulfilling marvelous righteous Word of God This is what God desires us to do.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 clearly says, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” Don’t just accept it hook, line, and sinker. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” Don’t blindly accept what other teacher’s are telling you. I’m not saying they’re bad people. I’m not saying that they don’t want you to go to Heaven. I’m not saying that they’re evil in that sense, but we have to understand that we have a great personal responsibility to make sure that what we are receiving, doing and that our believe is based on the truth fulfilling marvelous righteous Word of God. There are a lot of people who are teaching and doing things that may not be found in the Bible. It is our
responsibility to check that out.
Another hindrance to knowing and believing the truth is not only
believing and practicing what other people tell you, but human tradition and personal bias, that’s definitely going to hold you down from knowing the truth. Sometimes, when we talk to people about matters of religion, matters of salvation, why we worship the way we do, the unique nature of the Lord’s church, and we say, ‘Why do we do this; why do you do that?’ Someone might say, ‘Well, that’s the way we’ve always done it.’ Is that a good reason to do what we do? Again, Matthew 15:7-9, “They taught as doctrine the commandments of men.” Matthew 23:17-26, Jesus spoke harshly against the religious leaders of His day. ‘They would go halfway around the world to make a proselyte then they would make Him twice as much a son who is as bad themselves.’ They were binding things that they shouldn’t bind, they were not teaching things they should have taught, and a lot of what God desired them to do was being left out.
As we think about these ideas, we should not base our thoughts, nor focus on our personal bias or human traditions. We need to realize that God’s marvelous righteous Word is our final destination.
Who has all authority?
Matthew 28:18 reveals that Jesus Christ has all authority. Whose words can save me? John 6:68, Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of life.” When I stand before the almighty throne of God, whose words are going to be the judge on that
day? John 12:48, Jesus said, “He who rejects Me, does not receive my words, has that which judges him, the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”
A third hindrance to somebody really knowing the truth is by putting our faith in the books of men. That’ can be a hindernes for us from knowing the truth. We don’t want to ask, what did some religious leaders say? What does some doctrine, or commandment, or catechism, or book of discipline of men say? Again, we’re asking, ‘what does God’s marvelous righteous truth fulfilling Word say?’ And how can we improve our intimate life with our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ramans 4:3)
As we can read in Romans 4:3, is there any word from the Lord? The truth fulfilling marvelous righteous Word of God is the only inspired guide to receive a joyous blessed eternal live. Books that are are not inspired of God can be flawed, and they’re not from the mind of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God is God’s infinite loving fulfilling plan of salvation for
Humankind. In Romans 1:16, Paul said, “I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is God’s power unto salvation.” We are to receive with meekness, the implanted Word, which is able to save our souls. The Word of God is what we’re born again by, 1 Peter 1:23. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father except by Me.” Do you remember the verse that we mentioned at the outset? John 8:32, Jesus said, “You must know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Only the marvelous righteous, truth fulfilling Word of God can set us free. Jesus said in John 12:48 that His Word would be our judge. The Bible teaches in 2
Peter 1:3 that God, in His divine knowledge in the Bible, has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness, everything.” That’s why we shouldn’t put our focus on the books of men. The Bible tells us clearly that we have everything we need for life and for godliness guidance. And so, creed books, church tradition, the Apocrypha, the apostles’ doctrine whatever book it may be, we have to make sure and right that we know the truth. Put our focus on what God reveals, not what man says.
Another hindrance today is that you almost have to go against the grain to know the truth. Popular opinion, what culture says is right, what the media pushes and what everybody around you is doing, if that’s all we focus on that’s not going to help us to know the truth. In our day and age, there are a lot of moral subjects that our world feels very strongly about, and if you don’t agree with that, if you don’t get in line with the way they think, if you kind of go against the grain you’ve seen this multiple times in the last
few weeks and even last the last few of years, if you do anything different than what society likes, they’ll pretty much cancel you from receiving the truth. The deceiving cultures and the cancel cultures are pretty much demanding that if people don’t believe the way they believe, you’re not right, and you can’t be a part of society like that and you’re an oddball.
Don’t let the world
squeeze you into its poisoning mold. Remember, we are going to be edified, matured by the truth, fulfilling marvelous righteous Word of God and His Holy Spirit. God decides what’s right and wrong, not culture, not
society, not men, and not what the doom and gloom media desires to do. An attachment to this world and all the allurements of satan is only going to hinder us from knowing God’s fulfilling truth, and doing that which is pleasing to our almighty dear caring Heavenly Father.
We thought about some hindrances to knowing the truth, now let us persevere about some things that will really help and benefit us to know God’s truth and know right from wrong and good from evil.
What’s the first step to know that you receive the truth? We must have a clear conscious,
good and honest heart. Matthew 13:1-19, Matthew 4, and Luke 8. That seed that fell on the good soil, fell on a good and honest heart a person who wants to do what’s right, a person who will honestly evaluate truth and who, more than anything, desires to know and please God. A prime example of that we can find in
in Acts 9. Saul of Tarsus believes with all his heart he’s doing right, Acts 23:1. He is headed down the road to Damascus with official letters from the religious leaders of his day, that if he finds any Christians who are following Jesus Christ, he can take them bound to prison. Along that way, you remember, the Lord presents Himself. He’s blinded by that. “Who are you, Lord?” “I’m Jesus, whom you’re persecuting, it’s hard for you to kick against the goads.” And listen to Saul’s good and honest heart. “Lord, what would you have me to do?” That’s the kind of individual who really can know the truth who more than personal opinion, more than family, more than society, more than anything else in the world, desires to know, “God.
What can I do to honor You Lord?”
I truly love the words of John 2:5, Jesus mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” That’s the kind of attitude we need. In 2 King’s 22:14, Michea said, “I’m not going to turn to the right hand or to the left, whatever my God says to me, that will I do.” Remember the request of Samuel, the young boy Samuel, in 1 Samuel 3:9. God’s voice came to Samuel multiple times, and finally he was told to say, “Speak, Lord, your servant hears.” That’s a good and honest heart. Let’s hear God’s voice clearly; whatever God says, let’s obey that, because we love God. A second help to making sure you know the truth is to have a mindset that is: “I am going to seek, I’m going to prove, and I’m going to test everything I hear.” Let me give you an example of that. In Acts 17:11, the Bible reveals that the Bereans were more fair minded in that ‘they received the Word with all readiness, and then they searched the scriptures daily to see if these things were truth.’ Paul came and presented the gospel to them. They brought Paul into their home. They heard what he had to say, but they did not automatically accept it. They got out their Bible and checked everything they heard. That’s what God desires us to do. Isaiah 34:16,
“Search in the book of the law of the Lord and see.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Prove all things, hold fast that which is good.” God says, “Come, let us reason together, we need to use our reasoning faculties.” When I hear
somebody say, ‘This is what you’ve got to do to be saved,’ or, ‘This is the right belief, this is what God says on this moral issue.’ I am not
automatically going to accept that just because somebody said that. There are a multitude of liars and false teachers out today. I’m going to accept it when I see and receive it throughout the marvelous righteous Word of God, the Bible. Now, somebody may say something and point me toward the Bible, but I’m going to believe it because God said not because somebody else said that to be true.
Let me give you just a few examples that are so clear to see and understand in the Bible today, where often times people hear something and before they check it, they automatically accept that. Some people will say, for example, that man, some man somewhere is the head of God’s church today. Some people will say, ‘The pope is the head of the church today, he’s the Holy Father today, and we need to look up and venerate, and call him father, and put our trust and hope in them.’ It’s so easy to see today that’s not the case. In fact, the scripture clearly says in Matthew 23:9, “Call no man father.” The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the head of the church and still God’s spokesperson today. “God, who at various times and various ways spoke in time past by the fathers,” listen now, “Has in these last days spoken to us by His son.” Jesus Christ is the head of the church. The Church is not decapitated; Jesus Christ is the head, Ephesians 1:22-23. We can know God’s marvelous righteous Word and be right with Him.
We received a special gift, it doesn’t matter how big or small this unique gift is so long we are using it in our response and duty in our life, during this temporary age in this world. A God given fulfilling role is that we can embrace ourselves with a truth, desirable, fulfilling heart of faith and infinite love throughout our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ said clearly, “He that believes and is baptized, will be
saved,” as we can read in Mark 16:16. Peter said, “Baptism does now also save us.” Here’s what the marvelous righteous Word of God says: I’ve got to check for myself, I’ve got to prove and not just trust what I hear, but do what God says. Those are just a few examples that I did like mentioned today. We have to get ourselves committed, having a God fearing heart desire, to study the truth fulfilling, marvelous, righteous Word of God ourselves. Our eternal destiny is our responsibility. We have to give an account of ourselves to God. The Word of God is God’s method of delivering and fulfilling His truth, what truly saves us. We got to make sure for ourselves. We shouldn’t going to let anybody else do this for us other than God in our midst. We got to make sure for ourselves that we study the Bible for ourselves and do what’s right, and do read, receive and understand. Ephesians 3:4 says that, “Don’t be foolish, understand what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:17, “Study to show yourself approved unto God.”
How can we know that God is approving us?
When we study His Word. Search the scriptures, Acts 17:11. 1 Peter 4:11, “Speak as oracles of God
and be ready always to give an answer,” 1 Peter 3:17. When we think about this idea, a person needs to be open minded to the scriptures. We need to have the mindset that we do not know it all, and we area ready to learn. Luke 11:1 is the perfect attitude. They came to Jesus and they said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray You want a good attitude. That’ll help a person to know the truth. Have that mindset: ‘Lord, teach me. I’m ready to learn from your marvelous righteous Word. I’m ready to know what You would desire me do. It’s my heart desire to make sure that I’m right with You.’ We should be open minded to the scriptures, be open minded to what God has to say, and find a good balance. I’m not saying being so open minded that you automatically accept what everybody says, but be open minded enough to say this: ‘If God’s Word says it, I’m going to do it regardless of who does or who doesn’t, I’m going to do what God clearly says in His Word, the Bible.’
If you’ve never received the Lord Jesus Christ, if you desire to be a child of God and receive Jesus Christ as you’re Lord, Saviour and Redeemer, than I encourage you to lift up you’re voice by prayers, and ask God to forgive you and to show you the truth way of life, to be renewed throughout His marvelous righteous Word, to be born again, set free and to receive total Salvation, eternal life. Do you believe believe with all you’re heart that Jesus Christ is God’s son, you’re Saviour and Redeemer?
(John 8:24). Would you turn to Him in repentance, turn from a life of sin? (Luke 13:3), would you make you’r confession? “I believe Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God,” (Acts 8:36-37.) To get into Jesus Christ, Galatians 3:27, to be forgiven of your sins and to be saved, would you desire to be immersed in water?( Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38). Then rise out of you’re old life and walk throughout the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit, His infinite LoVe, JoY, Peace and Blessings, through Jesus Christ who loves you so much and desires for you to live a eternal, joyous abundantly life.
I truly trust and believe in uplifting prayers for God’s infinite LoVe and JoY to shine on you, for His merciful gracious, marvelous righteous Word and truth fulfilling Holy Spirit to activate you, and guide you while you get ready to receive the Lord Jesus Christ in you’re life. 🙏
“Lord, teach us. Speak, Lord, your servant hears.”
Much LoVe, JoY, Peace and Blessings, through Jesus Christ, our wonderful, almighty, dear caring Lord, Saviour and Redeemer, in who we faithfully abide, trust, believe and abundantly do receive throughout His marvelous righteous Word and His truth fulfilling Holy Spirit.
