Charles Stanley - Building Truth into Your Life (02/27/2017)
In this sermon "Building Truth Into Your Life," Dr. Stanley emphasizes truth as an essential, foundational character quality for every person—especially leaders—citing Exodus 18:21's call for men who fear God, are men of truth, and hate dishonest gain. Using Ephesians 4:25 and other Scriptures, he shows that without truth, lives and societies crumble into error and distrust, but building truth in brings protection, guidance, courage, and true relationships, with Jesus as the ultimate Truth who offers salvation.
Where Does Truth Rank in Your Life?
Where does truth fit in your personal list of essential character qualities? Do you just take it for granted, for example, that you're a truthful person? Do you take it for granted that everything you say is truthful? Or is truth an issue with you?
And when I think about how important it is, I think oftentimes we overlook how central it is. For example, when truth loses its particular area of strength—when it loses its supreme position in our life individually or in the life of a nation—everything begins to crumble on the inside. All you have to do is look around and see something is happening to truth in our land.
Well, the Bible has a lot to say about truth. For example, in the New Testament, ninety-eight times I believe it is that the Bible speaks of truth. In the Old Testament about ninety-nine times.
And what I want you to see in this message entitled, "Building Truth Into Your Life," I want us to go all the way back to begin with to the book of Exodus. Because you'll discover something here. Not only is that one of the first times that truth is mentioned, but there is a characteristic given that I think every single person in political office should have to adhere to. And that all of us in positions to influence other people should adhere to. And the truth is, everybody.
So I want you to go back, if you will, to the eighteenth chapter of the book of Exodus. And let me give you a little idea of what's happening. Here, Moses has led the people of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, and now he is in the process of governing them.
Moses' Father-in-Law Gives Wise Counsel
And so his father-in-law said to him, he said, "This is not good. This is not working." And the eighteenth chapter of Exodus, beginning in verse seventeen, listen to what he says. "Moses' father-in-law said to him, 'The thing that you're doing is not good.'" That is, he was just trying to do it all.
"You surely will wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you. You cannot do it alone. Now, listen to me. I will give you counsel, and God will be with you. You be the people's representative before God. You bring the disputes to God. Then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk, and the work they are to do."
Now, watch this next verse. "Furthermore, you shall select out of the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain."
Would you not agree? These are the kind of leaders our nation ought to have. Men who fear God, men of truth, and men who hate dishonest gain. Truth is very, very essential. It is a primary, essential characteristic that should be found in every single person, and especially in leaders, I would say.
Scriptural Foundation: Kindness, Truth, and Jesus
Well, you can look through the Scriptures, for example, and you'll remember in Proverbs chapter three, and one of these verses that I... it's one of my favorite verses in this third verse. He says, "Do not let kindness and truth leave you. Bind them about your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart."
Kindness and truth. Why would He put those two together? For the simple reason they're very essential in a person's character, who they are, how they respond, how they relate to other people.
Remember, Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth." All truth is to be found in Him. He said, for example, speaking of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit is the Spirit of truth.
And you remember what Pilate asked Jesus when they were before the trial? Pilate said to Jesus, "What is truth?" And I believe Pilate meant exactly what he said. He had no earthly idea, in that corrupt society of Rome, what truth was really all about. But it was all about corruption and power, and all the things that were going on around them at that particular time.
And on one occasion, for example, in Galatians, the Scripture says that the Apostle Paul had written a letter to the Galatians, and one of the things that he was having to deal with was the fact, he said, "Now that I have written you this letter," he said, "You hate me because I tell you the truth." And I wonder how many pastors could say that. They tell the truth, and oftentimes people don't like the truth, because the truth hurts. It cultivates, it digs up, it reveals.
Paul's Command in Ephesians: Put on the New Self
And so, when you come to this passage here in Ephesians, that I want you to turn to, if you'll turn to this fourth chapter of Ephesians, and look at this one simple command that the Apostle Paul gives. But I want us to start with the seventeenth verse, because he's describing, beginning in this seventeenth verse, the lifestyle that people are living and so forth.
And so he says, beginning in verse seventeen of chapter four, "So this I say and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer," that is, "stop walking just as unbelievers," that's what he calls Gentiles also walk in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that's in them because of the hardness of their hearts.
And they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity and greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way. If indeed you have heard Him, and have been taught in Him just as," look at this, "truth is in whom?" In Jesus.
That in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.
Now, I would ask you this simple question. Where does truth fit into your life? Would you say, I'm a truthful person? Or, I'd like to be truthful? Or, I'm truthful sometime? Or, how would you say truth fits into your life?
Truth Must Be Intentionally Built—It Doesn't Just Happen
Let me just say this. It doesn't happen. It doesn't just happen. In other words, truth doesn't just happen. For example, your children. All of us would have to say that when we were growing our children up, at first when they're very small and we ask them not to do something, they did it anyway.
Then if you ask them if they did it, the truth is, they lied to you. "No, no, I didn't do it. I'm just laying on the floor broken. No, I didn't do it. I absolutely didn't do it."
Well, why would a child lie to his parents? Are they evil? No, they came into the world from your body with a sinfulness nature, so I take part of it. They came into this world with a sinful nature, and so they lie.
And if you ask a child why do they lie? So I can remember when Andy was very small, and he would just tell me things that absolutely were not true, and I knew it wasn't, and I'd catch him in it.
So I asked the Lord to show me how to deal with it. So I took him to the Dairy Queen, and I said, "Now, just whatever you want, have all you want." So I forgot what we have, but it is a big whatever it was.
So I took him over next to the bay, and we sat and looking at the water and so forth, and we started talking. I didn't even bring that up. And finally I brought up the fact that sometimes that I ask him to do something, and he tells me he did it, and he didn't do it.
And I said, "Now, you know, Dad loves you, and why would you do that?" Finally, the conversation all boiled down to the fact that he didn't want to disappoint me as his father. So he said, "I didn't want to hurt your feelings."
I said, "Well, you won't hurt my feelings telling me the truth. You hurt my feelings by telling me something that's not true." So we talked that out in just a loving father, gentle way, and eating ice cream, that always makes the bitterness go down better.
But so we talked it all out, and to my knowledge, after that, he never lied to me. Notice how I said, "To my knowledge"... He'll hear that. But anyway, so it settled the issue.
But I had to figure out what the problem was. The problem was, it isn't that he didn't like his dad, or he wanted to be disobedient. He didn't want to hurt my feelings. Sometimes, people don't tell the truth because they don't want to hurt someone else.
But telling the truth is very, very important because of many, many aspects of it, and I'm going to give you a lot of notes because it's very important. I hope you'll jot them down and pass them on to your own children.
Defining Truth: What It Really Is
So, first of all, let's clarify the meaning of truth. And I'll put all these on the screen so you can jot them down so you won't forget them. And it's simply this: it's, listen, truth is what corresponds to what actually is, as things really are.
Truth isn't what I feel like it is. Truth isn't what I want it to be. Truth is what corresponds to what absolutely is reality.
And when you think about it in that way, then you realize that truth is something that is very specific. That is, true statements are those that correspond to what is really true.
Now, falsehood, for example, is a misleading statement. That is, falsehood is not telling it like it is, but it's telling it in a way, it's a misrepresentation of the truth.
So, we either tell the truth, or we don't tell the truth. Now, some people say, "Well, I sort of tell the truth." That means you sort of sand it off here, and sift it off here, and cut it here, and by the time you get through massaging it, it may look like the truth, feel like the truth, but it's not the truth.
If it's not the truth, you suffer the consequences of telling a falsehood.
Honest Self-Examination About Truthfulness
Now, let's just take a few moments to have a little self-examination. This is just between you and God, it's nobody else's business, but I think it's something that would be good for us to think about as we think about being honest.
And I would just ask you to consider these questions. Do you consider yourself a truthful person? You say, "Well, that's an odd question." No. Would you consider yourself a truthful person?
And some of you might say, "Well, sometimes. Most of the times." And oftentimes, that's the way it is. Many people are truthful when it's convenient, when it protects them, they think, or when it profits them in some fashion.
But truthfulness is a character quality. It isn't just a word. It's a character quality. It has to do with the reality of what's on the inside of you. It's like your spine. It's... in other words, it's there. And everything is going to get sifted through that one way or the other.
The second question is this: Do you have a tendency to tell the truth with it sort of edged off, and it's sort of the truth, and kind of the truth, and close to the absolute truth, but not always the truth? And so, we... what we do is we rationalize. We say, "Well, I did tell the truth, sort of."
Well, the truth isn't sort of. Remember, we said it's what actually is, not what it appears to be, but it feels good.
A third question is, do you sometimes feel threatened by the truth? Do you feel threatened by telling the truth? When somebody asks you a question, whatever it may be, do you feel threatened by that question? So, therefore, in immediate subconscious or conscious self-defense, you don't exactly tell the truth, or you may just come out and lie about something.
Truth is very important because, listen, it goes to the inside. It may be verbal from your perspective, but that nature and that spirit and that attitude from which it flows is something at the heart, the foundation, and the root of your life. And that's why it's so very important.
Is It Okay to Lie If It Doesn't Hurt Anyone?
Then I'd ask you this question. Do you feel like it's okay to lie as long as you don't hurt someone else? Somebody says, "Well, as long as I'm not hurting anybody else, I guess it's okay." Is it really true? Is it okay?
Not according to what Scripture says. He says, "Speak truth to one another." That is, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth." All truth is found in Him.
That is, you can't come up with a single problem that has to do with life in which Jesus has not given us an answer, either Himself or through one of His apostles or somewhere in the Word of God, because this book is a book of truth. It isn't a book about truth, it is a book of truth. It doesn't speak about the subject, it is the subject.
And so, when we come to the Word of God, we have the truth in this book. We have the truth in Jesus, and Jesus wants the truth in every single one of us. We best represent Him when we are speaking the truth.
How Lies Affect Feelings and Relationships
Then, let me ask you this. How do you feel when you don't tell the truth? When you know that you answered someone or some question and you know you didn't tell them the truth, how do you feel? Do you feel like you got by with something? Do you feel like you escaped something? Do you feel like maybe you don't feel so good? Maybe you regret it. Maybe you shamed yourself. Maybe you can't figure out why you didn't tell them the truth. How do you feel when you know you have not told someone the truth that you've told a falsehood?
Then, of course, how do you feel when you know that someone else is not telling you the truth? What kind of relationship can you have with someone that you can't be truthful?
So, how do you feel when you're talking with someone? It may be in your business or be in your family or whatever it might be, and you know that they're not telling you the truth and they're just with a straight face telling you something? How do you feel? Doesn't it do something to you on the inside? Doesn't it cause conflict? Isn't there a little bit of stress there when you know, well, here's somebody... maybe it's a member of your family, maybe it's your husband or your wife, or maybe your son or daughter, or maybe a friend of someone you work with.
You know they're not telling you the truth. You just want the truth. Maybe the truth that you're seeking would be of great help to you.
I had a staff member on one occasion, he's a fine guy, and he's a good preacher, and yet somehow in our relationship, he couldn't be honest with me. Somehow he thought if he said something to me that would hurt my feelings or something, oh, what would that be? And I had to ask myself the question, "What kind of relationships can this wonderful guy have if he can't just face up to the truth about something?"
And yet, many people cannot and they give you some kind of reason that they can't.
Do You Want Honesty from Others? Real-Life Examples
And then, for example, let me ask this, do you, do you want other people to be honest with you? Yes or no? Well, some of you didn't say anything, so I'm going to ask it this way. Let me ask it this way.
If you're going to buy a house from someone, would you or would you not want them to be honest with you? Suppose you were going to buy their used automobile, would you want them to be honest with you? Yes, you would.
Suppose you were receiving your bank statement. Do you want them to be honest with you? Yes. You didn't sound very excited about that one.
Suppose you went to the doctor and you've been having some real pain. Don't you want your physician to be absolutely, deadly honest with you when you go to see him, right? Right.
So, truth is a vital part of our life. It's a vital part of our thinking. It affects everything about us. And so, oftentimes when we want to massage you a little bit and want to feel better, then what we're asking is, "What is it going to cost us?"
So, ask yourself this question. Would you want to work for somebody who's not honest with you? No, you wouldn't. Because you don't know whether you can get paid or not.
So, all of these questions are questions we have to ask about life for the simple reason. We relate to people all the time. And so, people are either telling us the truth or not telling us the truth.
Truth Brings Protection—Why We Need It
Now, there's a two-fold necessity in being truthful and having true relationships. And the first one is this. That is, when we build truth into our life, it's for our protection.
For example, you do not want a pastor who does not tell you the truth. Now, you can't say that about everybody, because there are some people who deliberately, willfully go to a church where they know that it's okay to drink, they don't expect you to tithe, and you can do this and you can do that, and especially since they will tell you that all the Bible's not true.
Now, most of it is true, and a lot of it is left to personal interpretation, and therefore, that gives you a lot of freedom. Is that the kind of church you want?
In other words, do you want a church where truth is not absolutely essential? If you want to go to a church where truth is not the bottom line, and where the Bible is not the ultimate expression of divine truth, then what you're saying is, "I don't really want to know the truth. I want to know the truth that I... I want to know the things that I agree with, but I want some... I want some room." In other words, I want some Liberty that I can do some. Nobody's going to bring it to my attention. That's deadly.
Truth is part of our protection. If I said to you, "That snake is not going to bother you, and it's a diamondback rattler." Is that what you... you want me to tell you that it's okay? No, you do not. Truth is a protection. It's a form of protection. And God has given us that quality in our life because He wants it there.
For example, we end up with wrong thinking, wrong actions, wrong belief system. In other words, everything in our life gets contorted when there is no truth there as a bottom line, as a foundational principle by which we operate.
And so, many people go astray in their life because, first of all, they don't know the truth. And on this last trip, meeting lots of people, and many people, for example, who do not go to church, and most of the people of them did not go. And some of them believed in God, sort of.
And it was just... it was very, very almost depressing to talk to people about God, whose perspective of God is so distorted, it's unbelievable, because it's been distorted by people who have distorted the truth, who've turned away from the Word of God, and have a form of religion, but do not have the essence of Christianity.
And I think every member of our team felt the same way. And so, they don't have the truth. And I remember our guide was such a fine young man. He said, "Do you believe in God?" "Hmm, well, I don't know."
And I think about many people who genuinely would like to know the truth. So, I said to him, "Do you want to know the truth?" He said, "Well, I'd like to know the truth, but I'm not interested in church, and right now I don't need God in my life."
Well, that was his honest opinion based on what he had seen, what he had heard, what he felt. His parents don't go to church. He didn't go to church. Nobody interested in church in that particular area, it seems.
And so, it's a protection. If I know the truth, I can protect myself from error and missing out on things that God, very evident, has given us in His Word.
And so, people deny the truth. They resist the truth. They don't want the truth. And when you don't have truth, let me ask you, what do you have to anchor your soul when you don't have the truth? What do you have to anchor you in times of difficulty and hardship and pain when you don't have the truth that God is with you?
What do you have to anchor you when you are trying to make a decision and you don't know which way to go? And everything in your life hinges on that decision. It is the truth of Almighty God. I will guide you with my eye. I will teach you in the way in which you should go. It is truth that protects us.
What Truth Provides: Guidance, Wisdom, Strength, Courage
Not only that, truth provides us with several things. Now, I'll put them on the screen so you can jot them down quickly. It provides... listen to this... guidance to know what to do. That is, if I know the truth, I will know what to do in a given situation.
Secondly, I will have wisdom to know the best way to go because truth will show me the best way to go in whatever that situation may be.
Thirdly, truth strengthens us, enables us because we have a solid, firm... you see, it's a foundational part of our very being, truth is.
Then, of course, truth gives us the courage to do whatever we need to do. It motivates us. And this is why, when you and I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He's the only way of salvation, it gives us courage to state that clearly to people, whether they like it or not, whether they accept it or not, that's not the issue, we are being truthful.
And many Christians today compromise what they believe for fear of rejection. Oh, well, you know, if I were to say that... and this is what Paul meant again. I said it again. He says, "Do you hate me now because I tell you the truth?"
And I think many pastors, many, many pastors face that very thing. They will not tell the truth. They will compromise what they really and truly believe because they don't want their congregation to not like them.
So, you have to make a decision in life. Do I want to please God or other people? Listen, once you settle that issue, then it's over. If people like you, fine. If they don't like you, that's not your issue, it's their issue.
And so, it's a protection. To be truthful is to be protected. And when you say, "I'm committed to the truth of the gospel," whatever that means, you'll make enemies from some people, and you'll make people who'll love you forever because you told them the truth.
Then, not only that, it's a comfort. It produces a comfort in us to lift us in situations. Well, I know this is the truth, and I have done exactly what God said. Now, Lord, I'm going to leave all the consequences to You because this is what You said I'm to do.
And then, of course, I think it produces a faith in us to act on the truth that we need. That is, if we're truthful persons, there's a sense of faith in God that He is going to do what? He's going to sustain you in living, walking, and speaking the truth.
Truth is very, very, very important.
What Happens When We Fail to Build Truth In
Then, what can we expect if we fail to build truth into our life? As we said, it doesn't just happen. I think about most people who don't go to church. So, they're not hearing the truth.
Now, a lot of folks watch it on television. We're grateful for that opportunity. Every single time we can get it out there, we want to, radio, television, every way possible. A lot of folks, they're just out there. They don't think about it.
And I'm thinking every day, "What about today? Where do you turn? What's your guide? Your decisions you have to make? No Bible, no church, no God, no anything. What is the truth?"
See, you see, if the truth is only what you think it is, and what she thinks it is, and what they think it is, and what he thinks it is, then what is the truth? And as I said, when Pilate said to Jesus, "What is truth?" He meant exactly what he said.
And if you ask the average person, "What is truth?" They don't even know where to stand on that subject. They don't even know how to answer that question because they don't know the truth.
And I simply said to you, "The truth is a basic foundational principle of life." And that's why one of the reasons Jesus said, "I am not only just the way and the life, I am the truth." All truth that relates to anything about life is wrapped up in the person of Jesus because He is the answer in some form or fashion.
So, the question is, if we fail to build truth into our life, and as we said in the very beginning, it doesn't just happen. You think about how many children are growing up today in homes where there is no Bible, nobody goes to church, Sunday is a day of recreation, and God is never mentioned.
What do they know? They know about money, and cars, and clothes, and booze, and sex, and all the rest. What do they know about life? Well, where do you find out about life? Where do you find out about life and death? Where do you find out about eternity? Where do you find out about dealing with guilt and sin? Where do you find out about getting victory over those things that destroy a person's life?
You find it from the truth of the Word of God. And that's why truth is so very important.
And if you'll think about it, listen, every single one of us who is a walking, spiritual believer is a personification of truth. That is, we know the truth, and we speak the truth, we live the truth, we share the truth. Truth is what it's all about.
You want your children to trust you, you want to trust them. You want your husband to trust you, you want to trust him. And so, it's all about truth.
Consequences: Believing Error and Remaining in Confusion
So, what happens when we fail to build it into our lives? Well, let me just give you a list of things. I hope you'll jot them down because they're worthy of remembering.
First of all, you'll believe error. You don't know the truth, you'll believe error. And many people are genuinely believing in error. They believe you can fall from grace. Some of them believe you have to go to purgatory when you die. Many of them believe there's no such thing as hell. Many of them believe that heaven is just in your mind. People believe everything imaginable.
There has to be a depository of truth. It is the living Word of God. And you will... listen, you will remain in confusion. You will remain in uncertainty until you settle this issue, that the Bible is God's book of truth. Not just about truth, it is the book of truth. And if you want to find out how to live and how to die, this is the source of that truth.
Developing Evil Habits and Emotional Bondage
So, a second thing happens, you develop evil habits. When a person doesn't know the truth, what happens? They drink. They get on drugs. Now, many people do that, and they know the truth. But you see, when a person knows the truth and violates it, then the consequences are devastating.
And if somebody says, "Well, oh, I don't believe drinking's going to hurt anybody, you know, as long as I don't hurt anybody else, then that's okay," then they're believing a lie. And you could just go right down the list of activities that people engage in and say, "Well, that's not going to hurt me." Well, they're being deceived. It does hurt. Drinking does hurt. Unfaithfulness does hurt. And all kinds of emphasis, overemphasis on things. Hurt somebody says, "Eat all I want, anytime I want, it's not going to hurt me." You're believing a lie.
So, you have to decide, "Am I going to live by the truth? Am I going to live by what satisfies me at the moment?" So, you develop evil habits.
Third, it's emotional bondage. If you're not living in truth, you're living in emotional bondage because, listen, your whole psyche, your whole personality is affected when you do not tell the truth. It's emotional bondage. You have to bear that.
In other words, lying is a sin. Do not bear false witness is the Word of God. Why do you tell us that? For lots of reasons. So, if we violate that, somebody says, "Well, it's not going to hurt me to lie," then you just, you just believed a lie. Because it does hurt.
Hindered Growth, Destroyed Testimony, Grieving God
Then, of course, it's going to hinder your spiritual growth. You cannot ignore the truth, violate the truth, and grow in your relationship with the Lord. It just doesn't happen that way. Because God has made us to be truthful sons and daughters of God, truthful to Him, truthful to ourselves, truthful to each other. And that's why Paul said, "Speak truth one to another."
Likewise, it will continually throw you off balance emotionally. When a person is not truthful, here's what happens. When they tell something that is not the truth, something happens on the inside. There is conflict. There is an emotional disturbance. There's a mental disturbance that goes on.
They may do it over and over and over again, and it appears not to have hurt. Yes, it does. Because it is a part of a person's physiological, emotional structure. That truth is absolutely essential.
And so, when a person says, "Well, lying's not going to hurt anybody." It hurts everybody, beginning with a person who does not tell the truth. He says, "Do not bear false witness."
Likewise, it's going to destroy your testimony. How many people do you want testifying to you about Jesus who lies to you about other things in their life? And when a person has a reputation of not telling the truth, they have no reputation for bearing the truth of Jesus. So, it hurts your testimony.
Likewise, it grieves the heart of God. Think, when we do not... when we do not tell the truth, it grieves the heart of God.
Because, listen, somebody says, "Well, now, look, tell..." let's put it this way. I don't know where we got the idea that there are white lies and black lies. There's only one kind of lie. And that is the sin lie. That's the only one.
Either in my... what I may say may not be as significant over here as it was over here, but falsehood is falsehood. It's telling something in a way that really and truly is not the way it is. It's just that simple.
And so, when that takes place in a person's life, somebody says, "Well, a little lie is not going to hurt anybody." What is a little lie? It's a little determined attempt to bring about a misunderstanding about something, and it may be small in your eyes, but not in the eyes of God.
Continuing Disappointment, Poor Relationships, Damaged Self-Image
Likewise, you're going to live in continuing disappointment is what's going to happen. If you don't live with the truth, you're going to be disappointed in yourself. Because you sometimes are going to say things that you know are not true, and when you walk away, they may never know the truth of what you all discuss.
But deep down inside of you, there's this little something, and if you're a Christian, He's the Holy Spirit saying to you, "That's not right." So, you've got conflict. Why do you want to live with conflict in your life?
You see, you cannot... you cannot lie and have peace in your heart. God did not create these physical beings, emotional beings, these spiritual beings to lie and not have any consequences at all.
Likewise, you're going to have poor relationships. What kind... who wants to have a relationship with you if you don't tell the truth? Oh, so you know so-and-so, I wouldn't believe what he said. I wouldn't believe what she said. Oh, why? Because they told me this, they told me that, they told me the other, I don't believe any of that.
And I think about families, for example, husbands and wives getting big fights over what? Somebody said something that wasn't true? Didn't tell the truth about something?
And listen, how many... watch this. How many times do you have to tell the same person something that is not true before the crack of distrust opens so wide? How long does it take to mend broken trust? Sometimes, it never mends.
That's why what we say and what we do is so very important. And it's important in the eyes of God.
Likewise, it does something to you personally. It hurts your self-image. Because after... listen, if you become a person who doesn't tell the truth, after a while, watch this, you see yourself that way. And if you don't see yourself as an honest, truthful person, then you see yourself as a person who's not honest, not truthful.
Then, after a while, you don't know whether anybody's telling you the truth or not. If that becomes a habit in your life, you begin to see, well, it's a habit in his life, her life, then who do you trust? That is, what kind of society do we have? Who's trusting who?
And if you look at our government today, for example, and all the things that are going on, it appears that nobody much trusts anybody. Who's telling the truth? And we only hide things that we don't want people to know.
And so, it is a very important thing that we as a nation and we as individuals face up to truth. Very important.
Then, of course, here's what happens. A person doesn't tell the truth, they're always looking over the shoulder to the past. Maybe somebody they wronged. Something happened back there, they never settled in life. You don't want to live that kind of life.
Truth is very important. It's an essential part of our life. And what'll happen is this: if you don't become a truthful person, you will never, you will never reach your potential in life. Truth is such a foundational principle that God's built in life, and that's what sin does, if we don't practice truth, we'll never reach what God wants us to do in life. That's the way He's created us.
And Jesus said, "I am the truth." He is the epitome of all truth.
Practical Steps to Build Truth Into Your Life
Now, that all being true, how do we build, how do we build truth into our life? And all these statements are on the screens, and I hope you'll jot them down.
How do you build truth into your life? Well, first of all, you have to recognize truthfulness as a foundational life principle. That's how important it is... foundational life principle. That's how we start... that's the bottom line of building truth in your life.
Secondly, we evaluate the results of past failures of truthfulness and say, "All right, I didn't tell the truth here, I didn't tell the truth there, here's what happened." And you look at the consequences, and you recognize the consequences was not worth it. In other words, telling the truth is far more important.
Thirdly, you accept the Bible as the end of the Bible. It's the ultimate guidebook to practicing... listen, truth. There's got to be some... there's got to be some ultimate guide. What's the ultimate guide? Average person would say, "My opinion is as good as your opinion, and so why do you think you know more than I do?"
So that's the... in other words, you have the privilege to think the way you want to think, and I can think... don't try to pull me into your mold. And so people want to jockey it around, for example. And the truth is, there has to be some ultimate final principle of truth, and that truth is found in the Word of God.
None of us are perfect, we'll make mistakes, and sometimes we may say things that we think are absolutely the truth that we discover are not. Or you may make decisions based on what you thought was the truth.
Now, when you genuinely, with all of your heart, as best you know the will of God... watch this carefully... you make a decision based on the truth that you knew, and you make a wrong decision, you say, "Well, what's God going to do about that?" Romans 8:28. And that is, He works all things together for those who love Him, to those who call according to His purpose.
That is, God knows we're going to make mistakes. He knows we're going to make decisions based on things that we thought, that we were taught maybe, whatever it might be.
And I wonder how many of you, for example, have changed what you believe about your relationship to God over a period of time. And I can remember growing up that my view of God was He was a very judgmental God, and that He was a God of judgment primarily.
Well, it took me time to grow out of that, because that's the way I grew up, and that's what I heard all those early years. And so, I'm sure that I would... if you'd asked me about God, about something, I'd have said, "God will judge..." I'd have been very, very overemphasizing that part.
So, we make corrections in life. We learn. That's not what we're talking about. We're talking about deliberate, willful denial of the truth.
Practice Truth, Ask God for Desire, Fill Your Mind with Scripture
And so, what happens? Well, the way you build truth into your life is practice telling it and watch the consequences. Practice telling it and be careful to watch the consequences. For example, I told him the truth. I felt like I was going to be really rejected as a result of it, but I had to tell him anyway.
Well, what were the consequences? The consequences... you may have been hurt or you may not have been. But the fact is that you told the truth freed you up from any inhibitions you may have had.
You have to be honest with yourself when you fail and discover why. Why didn't I tell him the truth? Why didn't I tell him the truth? And I think sometimes, oftentimes, a person doesn't tell the truth for fear of rejection.
I wonder how many people, for example, who are dating a prospective husband or wife, and they don't tell the truth about something because they think, "Oh, if I tell her that, she'd never marry me." Or, "If I told him that, he wouldn't want me."
Well, you know what? It just may be the fact that you told him what you had to go through early in life, it'd be one reason he'd love you that much more. There's something about truth that just, just covers a lot of stuff in life. And people are more often more willing to accept truth than to find out later and then learn to be distrustful all the days of their life.
Then ask God to give you an ever-increasing desire for truthfulness. Lord, just show me how to be truthful in every area. When I hesitate, God, bring it to my attention that you can trust me and that I can trust you with truth, whatever's going on.
Identify any area of weakness which pops up the most often. And find the Scripture that relates to that. And begin to quote that verse of Scripture in your heart. There's something about... that's the cleansing power of the Word of God, the truthfulness of God.
For example, let's just say that you're a fearful person. And therefore, because you're fearful... let's say you're fearful of rejection. What does God say about you? He loves you unconditionally. And so, whatever the opposite is, is the way you ought to go. If you fear this, then find out what God says about it. And then you can tell the truth, trusting God to work out all the results of that.
Then, of course, fill your mind with the Word of God. Sewing your mind with the truth of God's Word. And what happens is it strengthens you, it encourages you, it gives you the courage to tell the truth. And you'll find yourself becoming more truthful, more honest, when the Word of God is more powerful in your life.
And then, of course, purpose in your heart to be a person whose words are true, making you trustworthy, reliable, and believable. Isn't that what you want to be? Secondly, if you're not, you can't have any relationship.
And a person, for example, they want to be your friend. They can trust you to tell them the truth. I have friends who will tell me the truth. Listen, if you have a friend who will not tell you the truth, they're not a true friend.
In other words, watch this carefully, because it's not the way it looks. If a friend will not tell you the truth, because they don't want to hurt your feelings, the truth is they don't want to be rejected by you.
If you have a true friend, they're going to tell you the truth. They may get you by yourself and tell you the truth. They may get you on your knees and tell you the truth. They may say, "Let's go to lunch. There's something I need to share with you." But truth is the bottom line.
For example, if you didn't have a spine, you'd be jelly. If truth is not in your life, you're a ball of emotional jelly. The very principle that makes you who you are is wrapped up in truth.
The Ultimate Truth: Eternal Life Through Jesus
Now, let me ask you this question. Do you know the truth about eternal life? You say, "Yeah, I've been to church and I've heard all that." Are you sure you've heard the truth? I'm not sure you have.
So, let me just tell you what the truth is. Here's the truth about eternal life. The truth about eternal life is this. God recognizes the sinful condition of mankind, which has separated Him from all of mankind.
His love for you caused Him to send Jesus Christ to this earth, to reveal to us who God is and what He's like, and then to go to the cross, lay down His life on the cross, shed His blood, which paid your sin debt in full.
And only by His paying your sin debt in full can your sins be forgiven. You can't ever be good enough. How good would you have to be? Can't ever do anything long enough. Give enough, be good enough. It's what He did for you.
And the moment you're willing to ask Him to forgive you of your sins based on what He did, He is willing to forgive you. That is the truth.
He says, "If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that is who He is and what He's done, and you will be saved, forgiven of your sins. Name written in the Lamb's Book of Life, sealed by the Holy Spirit of God. That's the truth.
When somebody says, "Well, if you'd just be good, God'll take care of you," that's not the truth. What you have to ask is this. Do I want to know the truth? And when I've heard the truth, am I willing to abide by the truth?
My responsibility is to tell you the truth. Your responsibility is to respond wisely. And that's what I trust that you'll do. That you'll receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. That's what the Bible says. That's what I'm saying to you.
And it doesn't make any difference what anybody else tells you about, "Well, God loves you, and He's not going to do this," and He's, "Mm-mm-mm, what's the truth?" Not what you feel like the truth is. Not what you'd like it to be, but what is it? Straight from God's Word.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him," that's a belief that results in surrender to Him, "will have eternal life and will not perish."
There is no other way to get to Heaven except through the person of Jesus Christ. You'll hear a thousand different views, but that is the biblical view, that's the true view, because it is God's view wrapped up in the Son of God Himself.
If you're wise, you'll take advantage of that opportunity of trusting Him. And that's my prayer for you.
Father, how grateful we are that You made our access to You so simple, and that You'll make this truth so Paramount, that it'll penetrate every single aspect of this globe. So Lord, remind us of how blessed we are, that You've given us the Bible, that we have the Word of Truth to live by. And therefore, we are obligated to get it to the rest of the world. And that is our prayer, in Jesus' name. Amen.