Craig Groeschel - The Danger With "Your Truth"
Today we're gonna begin a new message series. It's called "Almost True". There are so many beliefs in our culture today that sound true, feel true, and they're almost true, but they're not true. And I just wanna warn you, if you don't like this message series and you find yourself wanting to push back, it's probably for you. Today, I wanna play a game just to kinda get us in the mood. Anybody wanna play a game? Yeah. If you wanna play a game online, just type it in the comment section, "I wanna play a game". We're gonna play the game called Two Truths and a Lie. Two Truths and a Lie.
I am going to lie to you, but it's all for the glory of God, so it's legal when you do it for a sermon illustration. What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna give you three statements. Two of them are true. One of them is not true. Just for fun, we'll let you guess which one is not true. Statement number one, "I did my first professional magic show at the age of 12". Statement number two, "Two of our six children were unplanned". Statement number three, "I sneak M&Ms when I don't preach my best". Two of these are true. One is not. Let's vote online. You can type in the comment section whichever one you think is untrue.
How many of you would say that I didn't do a magic show professionally when I was 12? Raise your hand up, raise your hand up, raise your hand up. You are actually wrong. I did. How many would say all of our kids were planned, at least by God, two of 'em weren't, that's not true? Put your hands down. The one that is not true is the third one. I don't sneak M&Ms when I don't preach my best. I sneak M&Ms when I preach really, really good. And I'm hoping for something that melts in your mouth and not in your hands. That's the M&Ms slogan tonight, today. I'm hoping for that today.
And now that raises the question. Some of you would say, "Okay, two of your kids were not planned, which two"? Everybody knows number six was a bonus, a surprise. She knows it. She loves it. She tells everybody she's the favorite. That leaves one other kid. Which other one was unplanned? Amy and I are sworn to secrecy. We're never gonna tell anybody. You can all wonder for the rest of your lives. Truth or lie. That raises the question, what is truth? This is the same question that Pontius Pilate asked Jesus in the New Testament when the Jewish leaders were plotting to kill Jesus.
Pilate was questioning the motives of Jesus and ask Him that question, "What is truth"? And Jesus said in John 18:37, Jesus said this. The reason I was born and came into the world is to what? Let's all say it aloud. Jesus said, "I in the world to testify to the truth". Everyone on the side of what? "Everyone on the side of truth," Jesus says, "Listens to me". And then Pilate ask back, "Well, what is truth"? What is truth? This is one of the most important questions that we need to answer, especially in our culture today. What is truth? So we're gonna build a working definition for this message series on truth. This is accepted broadly that truth is absolute, constant, and true for everyone everywhere all the time.
What is truth? Our working definition, truth is absolute. It's constant. It's true for everyone, everywhere, all the time. Yet many people, especially today, confused truth with perspective, and there is a difference. Truth is absolute, but our perspectives are different. They vary. And the challenge is if we confuse truth with our perspective, then we may start to think that truth is subjective. And we may believe that truth changes over time. And if we believe that, then we might start to believe, well, what's true to you isn't true to me. And therefore, since your truth is unique to you, then you get to determine your truth.
So the logic goes, if something sounds right to you and feels right to you, it must be true. And if you believe that your truth is unique to you, then, as it's properly said today, speak your truth, live your truth, own your truth, your truth is your power, your truth is who you really are. But I wanna raise the question, what if your truth is a trap? What if your truth is not really the truth and therefore your truth is a trap? It's so easy when we wanna believe that our perspective is the same as truth. So we'll say, "Well, this feels right and this seems right to me". But there is a verse in Scripture from Proverbs 14:12 that says, "There is a path before each person that seems right, it feels right, but it ends in death".
In other words, just because something seems right doesn't make it true. Are we okay? 'Cause this is just a warmup. Buckle your seat belts two truths about truth. Number one, just because you believe something doesn't make it true. Can we agree to that? If you agree, say I agree. I agree. Type it in the comment section, I agree. Just because you believe something doesn't make it true. For example, for centuries, everyone believed that the earth was flat. How many of you know that the earth is flat? And then they discovered it's not flat, it's round. Until recently, some people have discovered it really is flat. And if you believe it's flat, don't fall off the edge. Just be careful. And you can go and debate that in your life.
Just because you believe something, whatever it is, doesn't make it true. Or, imagine this. Imagine that you're gonna take a flight and you're walking up to an airplane. And so my boy walks up to you and says, "Hey, I feel like I'm a pilot". And you're like, "That's a weird thing to say. What do you mean"? He goes, "I feel like I'm a pilot today. I feel like a pilot". You're going, "Um, have you ever flown before"? He's like, "Nope, but I feel like I'm a pilot. I believe I'm a pilot, therefore I am a pilot". Are you gonna fly with him? And the answer is, please do not in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. don't do that. Just because you believe something is true doesn't mean that it is.
Now, I want the pastoral side of me to come out for a moment. I wanna say this very clearly, that you have a perspective and your perspective matters. What you've experienced, what you've gone through, it matters, it is real, and it is valid. Everyone has a story, and your story is important, and you should be able to tell your story, but what you experience and what you feel doesn't equate to absolute truth. There is a difference. And you may say, "Okay, Craig, but I thought I was supposed to follow my heart. I mean, everybody says, follow your heart". What does your heart tell you to do? Your heart will lead you to the truth. Follow your heart. Do whatever your heart says. But scripture actually says this in Jeremiah 17:9 that "the human heart is the most deceitful of all things and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is"?
People say we have a good heart. Without God, our heart is wicked. We need a redeemed heart because our heart will lead us astray over and over, and you know this is true. Because whenever you let your feelings determine your truth, you are in trouble. Why? Because your feelings lie. You know it's true. If someone cuts me off in traffic, what do you think I feel like doing? Long before I was a pastor, I used to be a man. And every now and then the man wants to come out and come play, right? And if someone pulls me over, I feel like laying holy hands on them, showing 'em a little jujitsu Jesus. That's my truth, you cut me off, and you deserve it. You deserve judgment from God, and I am the instrument He sent to bring you to repentance.
Okay, just because I feel like it doesn't make it right. And here's where I want you to pay very careful attention, because if you'll follow me logically, here's where it's easy to see how believing in my own unique truth becomes very, very, very dangerous. Because if truth isn't constant, in other words, if truth is relative, if truth changes, then you can see how it will lead us down a very, very slippery slope. Let me show you. If you don't believe that truth is constant, what's going to happen? Well number one, then there are no absolute truths that apply to all people. There's no such thing as absolute truth. And who's to say there's absolute truth? I mean, you can do what's true to you, and I can do what's true to me. Even if you wanna kill me, that's true to you. It's crazy.
Second thing is this. Morality becomes subjective because right and wrong are relative, which leads us to the thought that my perception determines what's true and I am the source of truth. If I believe I'm the source of truth, then what do I think? Well, if it's true to me, then you can't question my truth. And Paul warned us about the dangers of these false beliefs. And I wanna show you the words pinned by the Apostle Paul 2,000 years ago, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and I want you to see just how true these words are in our culture today.
This is what Paul said, 2 Timothy 4:2 Paul said, preach the what? Somebody help me. He said preach the... Word. Say it again. He said preach the... Word. Type it in the comment section, preach the word. Preach the word. Don't preach feelings. Don't preach opinions. I'm not gonna preach my perspective. We're gonna preach the word because the word of God never changes. The word of God is living. It's active. It always accomplishes what God purposed it to do. We're gonna preach the word scripture says, and then he says patiently, not arrogantly, not with a condemning attitude, but patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
"For there is a time coming, watch this, when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching". But what are they gonna do? They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they wanna hear, who will tell them what their itching ears want to hear. And what will they do? We see this in our culture today. They will, say it with me, they will reject the truth and chase after myths. They will look for people who will tell them what their itching ears wanna hear, and they will reject. We will reject, our culture will reject the truth of God and chase after myths.
And that's why it's so easy to look for people who tell us what we wanna hear because what we wanna hear is so much easier to stomach, but God's truth doesn't change based on our ability to stomach it. It's constant. It's true. And what we wanna hear is so often different than what we need to hear, isn't it? Because when someone wrongs, you wanna hear, "Well, you have the right to be angry. I mean, you're a victim. And after what they did to you, they should pay for it". But what you need to hear is the teaching of Jesus that says you should forgive, and of Paul who said you should forgive others as you have been forgiven. Man, you wanna hear, "Hey, it's my body. I can do whatever I want with it. No boundaries, it's my body".
But what you need to hear, and you need to hear this, and if you're pushing back, you need to hear this, if you belong to Christ, your body belongs to God. You're stewarding something that belongs to God. And he says your body is to be holy and set apart for the glory of God. You don't wanna hear that, but we need to hear that. You wanna hear, "Hey, we may not be like legally married, but we're married in our hearts. We're married in our hearts, therefore we can do whatever we want sexually because we're married".
What you need to hear is, no, sex is actually God's gift between a man and a woman in the covenant of marriage. And He says we are to honor him by keeping our bodies pure until we celebrate the gift of love making in a covenant that he blesses. You wanna hear that, "Hey, I'm just looking a little bit, just kinda looking at some stuff. I'm looking at some... I mean, I'm just looking at porn. I'm not doing anything. I'm not touching. It's not that big of a deal. I'm not hurting anyone". But what you need to hear is it's a sin against the Holy God, and that the devil's lying to you and robbing you and isolating you and numbing you, and your addiction may end up costing you what you value most. You don't want to hear it, but you need to hear it. You want to hear, "It's not my fault. This is just the way I am. I can never, ever change".
But what you need to hear is that what you experience and what you feel doesn't determine who you are. You are not what someone did to you. You are not what they said about you. You aren't even what you feel about you. You are who God says you are. And if you are in Christ, he says you are a new creation. The old is gone. You have the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of you, resurrection power. If that power can raise Jesus from the dead, that power can help you overcome the power of sin. You need to hear it, believe me. If you're mad right now going, "Yeah, the old preacher guy..." No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You need to hear this. What we wanna hear is so much different than what we need to hear. Just because it seems right, just because you believe it, number one, doesn't make it true.
And the second truth about truth is this. That truth isn't just something we believe, but truth is someone that we follow. I'm gonna say it again 'cause that's some good stuff. Thank you, mom, for clapping, but I'm gonna say it again, okay? Truth isn't just something we believe, but truth is someone that we follow. In fact, scripture says this, whenever Thomas was asking Jesus, "Hey, Jesus, where are you going"? And Jesus answered in John 14:6, Jesus answered, "Hey, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me". What is Jesus? He's not a way. He's the way. He's not a life. He's the life. And he is not a truth. Jesus is the truth.
And this is where people get kind of bothered. They get upset. When Jesus says, "No one comes to the Father except through me. I am the truth". People don't mind the love of Jesus. They love the love of Jesus. He loved the sinners. He healed the lepers. He was good with kids. He cared for the least of these. They like his love, but they don't like his exclusivity, and this is where some people push back. They say, "Well, he can't be the truth. Anyone who claims to know the truth, they're either arrogant or dangerous or both. And no one has the right to tell me what to do". Really? There is a God and you're not Him. I mean, if we believe there is a God, we gotta acknowledge you try to be Him all the time, but you're not very good at it, neither am I. Truth isn't just something we believe. It's someone we follow.
Who is Jesus? Jesus is the Word made flesh. It is the truth of God made flesh. It is the truth in bodily form. It is the truth made flesh. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God. And the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth, full of grace and truth. Jesus is an a truth. He is the truth. So if what I feel, if what I think, if what I want is contrary to God's word, then it's not true. It's a lie. And so all that is a long introduction to basically a one sentence message. Here's the application, and the whole message hangs on this application. You ready for it?
Here's the application. If Jesus's truth is different from what you believe, then die to your truth and live according to the truth. Let me say it again. Let it sink in. If what Jesus says He is not a truth, He is the truth, if what Jesus says, if what scripture says, if what the word of God says is different from what you feel, it different from what you believe, is different from what you call your truth, then die. Scripture says that we should die to our flesh. It's not our skin. It means our sarx. It's our sinful nature that we crucify it. The Bible says we put it to death. I want it, but I don't do it. I feel it, but that's not who I am. That's my sinful nature, lying to me, taking me in a different direction. That is not who God... I want it, but everything I want isn't good for me.
In the garden, the serpent said, "Did God really say don't eat of that"? All the way back to stage one in God's drama in the garden, the serpent, "Did God really say"? And what could Eve has said if she lived today? Well, is my truth, I want the fruit? Is my truth I want the fruit? If our truth is contrary to His truth, then die to our truth and live according to His. Because at some point, you're gonna feel like something that's not God's will. I feel like getting drunk. I feel like getting high. I feel like cussing them out. I feel like watching that show that I know is not good for my faith. I feel like going to that place where I know I'll probably do the wrong thing. I feel like talking about her and tell 'em all about her, and then asking to pray for her and acting like it's holy 'cause I'm asking to pray for her, but I'm really gossiping about her. I'm gonna feel like acting out sexually or whatever it is.
Just because you feel it doesn't make it true. So therefore, if I am doing something that is not God's will, I'm lying, I'm selfish, I'm full of pride, I'm puffed up, I'm arrogant, maybe I'm jealous, I'm judging somebody else, or I could be greedy, or I might be lusting after some. I might be hurting somebody. I might just be harsh, and unkind, and rude, and uncaring, and divisive, but that's my truth. If my truth is contrary to God's truth, then scripture tells me to die, crucify my truth, my flesh, my feelings, my desires, and live according to God's truth.
So we've covered a lot of ground, and I'm gonna slow it down. I wanna go back to our initial story with Pontius Pilate because there's more power in this story than you can imagine. Pontius Pilate was trying to make a decision, and he was essentially trying to kinda like satisfy the crowd and still do what's legal and right. He wasn't very popular and he knew Jesus had done nothing wrong. He looks at the guy, like, "He's innocent. I mean, I can't find any reason to charge Him". And because he was afraid of the crowd, and Jesus says He's the truth, Pilate asked back the question, "what is truth"?
With this, Pilate went out again to the Jews gathered there, and so there's a group of people and he says, "I find no basis of charge against Jesus. I've examined Him, I've asked Him questions. As far as I can tell, He's innocent. He hadn't done anything wrong". And then he explains, "But it's your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of Passover". So he's looking for a loophole so he can let Jesus free because they want Him crucified, but he didn't find any reason. So he said, "Hey, we're supposed to let one guy go". And he asked the questions, "Do you want me to release the guy who calls himself the king of the Jews"? And they shouted back, "No. Not Jesus. Give us Barabbas".
So here we have Pilate going, "What am I gonna do? This guy's innocent. But there is this custom, this kinda ritual that I'm allowed to let one person go, Hey, do you wanna let this guy go? I mean, look at him. He hadn't done anything wrong. He hadn't hurt anybody". "No," they say, "Give us Barabbas". Who's Barabbas? Well, Barabbas was a criminal. He was a liar. He was a thief. He was likely a murderer. And Pilate asked the crowd, essentially, "Should we release Jesus the truth or should we release Barabbas the liar"? And the crowd chose Barabbas. The crowd, the culture chose the liar, and the thief, and the murderer, which sounds very similar to the metaphors used of the devil in John 10. Who is Satan? He's a thief. He's a liar. He's called the father of lies. He's the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
Think about this. Why did Pilate release Barabbas? Because it's what everyone wanted. It's what the crowd wanted. The crowd wanted the liar. The crowd wanted the lie, and the crowd must be right, which makes sense when you think about it. Because who is Jesus? He's not just a truth. He is the truth. And let me tell you right now, if you think I'm being mean or condemning, I am not. It's with every bit of love that I have that I wanna tell you, I understand, the truth can be confrontational. Right? The truth steps on your toes.
Listen, if you come to church all year long and no one ever steps on your toe, the word of God's not being preached. The truth can be confrontational. The truth can be difficult to hear. Why? Because the truth often requires you to change, requires me to change, and it's so much easier to deal with a lie because a lie tells me I'm fine, I'm okay the way I am, this is my truth, this is just the way I am. It is so much more convenient and it's so much more comfortable. And that's why your truth is so appealing, because your truth allows you to do whatever you want. And that was my problem back in college when I was wrestling with Jesus, because I knew He was the truth, but my truth is I didn't want to give up some things. To follow him, I probably had to give up some things. And so I made up my own truth.
Well, it's the 1980s, modern times, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," "Animal House" 1980s. Surely, God understands my needs. If my needs, my desires are contrary to God's word, I die to my desires to live according to His truth. I was making up my own theology, and it was keeping me from Jesus, and that's exactly where some of you are right now. And that's the reason why the crowd chose Barabbas, because Barabbas makes us feel better about ourselves. The truth isn't just something we believe. The truth is a person. Jesus is the truth, the loving truth, the life-changing truth, a truth that doesn't condemn, but a truth that sets people free. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life". Jesus said, "And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free".
He didn't say, your perspective, or your opinion, or your experience. Your perspective is valid. Your experience is real. Your story matters. But it doesn't mean it's the truth. The truth is a person. The truth is Jesus. And when you know Him, when you know the truth, the truth sets you free. Are you free? Are you free? Are you whole? Are you healed? The truth sets you free. So, application, very simple. If Jesus' truth is different than what you feel, what you want, what you believe, die to your truth and live according to the truth because Jesus is the truth, and the truth will often go against what you feel. But the truth, Jesus, will set you free.
So Jesus, we come to you. We confess our need to you. We acknowledge that we're sinful, we're broken, we're flawed. Our hearts deceive us. Help us to know you. Help us to seek you. Help us to know your truth.
Today, as you're praying, all of our churches, I wanna talk to those of you that are believers and listen to me. I'm gonna tell you right now, nobody looking around, but this really should be all of you. If you've been born and spiritually made new, You wanna do the will of God. You know what you wanna do. You wanna please God. And so I'm gonna ask you right now, if you'll pray that if you're doing something that's contrary to God's truth, you'd be convicted, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, you'd change. If you're doing something, your truth, what you feel, what you want, that's contrary to God's truth, then what are you gonna do? You're gonna confess it, and you're gonna die to it, and you're gonna live according to God.
I'm gonna ask you just to kinda pray, and that I'm gonna lead you in a simple prayer, in that direction if you are sincerely wanting to pray that prayer, and I hope every believer is. Don't raise your hand if you don't because let's not be hypocrites. Let's do it or let's not do it. If you wanna pray that prayer, would you just lift up your hands right now? Lift it up. In the chat, you can just type in "I want to live according to God's truth". Go ahead and lift up your hands more. You put 'em down too easy. All of our campuses, I was visiting some campus, you guys can put your hands up. Wichita, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, put your hands up if you wanna pray that prayer right now. Just put your hands up and now just pray this aloud where you are. If you mean it, just pray.
Heavenly Father, show me truth. I'm open. If I'm disobeying, if I'm dishonoring you, show me truth. Help me to live your truth. If what I call my truth is different from the truth, I confess my sins. Lead me to the truth. Lead me in the way everlasting. I wanna honor you in all that I do. Help me know the truth. Help me live the truth that will set me free. Now, Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, would you work in the hearts of those who prayed that prayer? Every time, God, this week and the weeks to come, when we find ourselves rationalizing, justifying, God, help us to remember that the truth is a person, His name is Jesus, and He sets us free.
As you keep praying today, without looking around, I'm guessing this may be a little bit more difficult message for some, so I wanna speak just as lovingly as I can to you. And sometimes you just have to be direct and tell the truth. My fear is that there are many of you that call yourself Christians 'cause you kinda go to church every now and then and might follow some people on Instagram or whatever, but if you look at your life, you're really not submitted to the truth of Jesus. It doesn't mean you have to be perfect, but when you're a follower of Jesus, you actually want to live according to His ways, and you want to die to your own selfish and sinful desires.
So I want you to just to think about it right now and ask yourself like, sincerely, am I His disciple? If Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, is my life following his way? Am I living according to His truth? Is His life directing and empowering my life? And what I think is many of you would have to say, honestly, it really isn't. So what do we do? We tell the truth that I've been living for myself and not for Him. And what do we do? What's amazing about God is that when we repent of our sins, scripture says, God forgives us. When Jesus came, He came full of grace and truth. Grace like you can still come. Truth is you need to come. Grace is He still loves you. Truth is you need to turn to Him. If you find yourself today unsure, hey let's just be honest and say, "I turn from my old life. I wanna follow Jesus".
When you call out on Him, He hears your prayers. He forgives all of your sins. He makes you brand new. The old is gone and the new is here today. All of our churches and online, those who say, "Yeah, I'm not playing, not pretending. This isn't something that makes me feel better. My life desire is to follow Jesus. My life is no longer... I'm stepping across a line. I'm turning away from my sin. I'm dying to my desires. I wanna live for His glory. I wanna be saved by grace through faith. I wanna surrender my life to Jesus today". In all of our churches, those who say, "Yes, that's me. I wanna go all in for Him because of what He did for me, because of who He is, because of His grace, because of His truth, because of His love. Today, I step away from my old life. I surrender my life. I give all of my life to him".
That's your prayer. Lift your hands high right now all over the place and say, "Yes, that's my prayer". Others of you there, right back over there, others, both of you right there. Praise God for you. And over in this section. Oh man, right there, right back up here. Praise God for you today. Right over here. Come on, church, somebody ought to give God some praise. Others today who say "Yes, Jesus, I wanna follow you. I wanna serve you. I want to know you, holding nothing back. Be the Lord and Savior of my life". I want you stand to your feet all around the room. Just stand to your feet. Pastor Sam, why don't you come up here and help me. Would you just pray aloud right where you are? Pray:
Heavenly Father. I surrender. Forgive all of my sins. Jesus, be the Lord of my life. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. If I am living according to my truth. And is inconsistent with your truth. I die to my truth. I wanna live to your truth. Fill me with your spirit so I can do your will. Direct my steps. As I know you, serve you, honor you, live for you. My life is not my own. I surrender it to the glory of God. Thank you for new life. You have all of mine. In Jesus' name I pray.