LIVING WITH THE UNPOPULAR TRUTH And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.John 8:32,36 Truth is sometimes bitter but it remains the authentic solution to all our problems. The celebrated English philosopher and poet Edmund Burke once has this to say about truth; Truth is bitter speak it then life is dull without it. This truth must be founded upon the true Word of God for it to have any meaningful effect. Friends, Jesus represents that unfailing truth that leads to all time victory over the works of satan and his kingdom of darkness. In the book of John chapter 14 Jesus pointedly revealed Himself as that Divine truth of God that sets the captives free from the lies and wickedness of the world. “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:1-6 Breathen, dont seek the truth in a wrong way/place of worship/church. A bad tree cant bear good fruits. Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Matthew 7:17-20 Nothing good can come out of a bad church or place of worship and that explains why David, the Psalmist, asked God to show him the right way to seek this Divine truth. David indeed sought and found this truth and it helped Him win the enemies in all the battles he fought. Show me Your ways, O Lord;Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me,For You are the God of my salvation;On You I wait all the day.Psalm 25:4-5 Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around 2 Samuel 7:1 The world seeks the truth in a wrong place/form and this distorted truth is very popular, appealing and easy to come by. But the truth of the Word of God is unpopular, scarce and not easy to come by to the world. In the book of 1 King chapter 22, King Jehoshaphat knew the truth that the battle is lost without God and so in the midst of the distorted truth offered by the false prophets and messengers, opted to seek the unpopular truth from a genuine man or servant of God and got it. And let them deliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of the Lord; let them give it to those who are in the house of the Lord doing the work, to repair the damages of the house—to carpenters and builders and masons—and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house. 7 However there need be no accounting made with them of the money delivered into their hand, because they deal faithfully.”Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. So Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, saying, “Your servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of the Lord.”2 King 22:5-9 (Jeremiah 28:9-17) Prophet Jeremiah asked the Israelites to walk in the way where they can seek and find the Divine truth that will give them rest and victory over their enemies. The ones that heeded to this prophetic instruction had rest and victory over their problems but the ones that disobeyed got stocked in their problems. Thus says the Lord:“Stand in the ways and see,And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it;Then you will find rest for your souls.But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Also, I set watchmen over you, saying,‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’Therefore hear, you nations, And know, O congregation, what is among them. Jeremiah 6:16-18 Preaching/ teaching the Word of Truth to highlight the unpopular truth will help the church of the living God,founded and built with the precious blood of His son Jesus Christ, solve this problem and set a good example to the world, and as a result set the world aflame for Christ. (Matthew 10:27, John 15:18-19,24) The church must not be caught in the complex web of the great deceptions and confusions that is in the world today. We must strive at all cost to separate ourselves from the fashions, systems and depravity of the world for us to make a meaningful difference. Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you[a] are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them.I will be their God,And they shall be My people.”Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean,And I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (Proverbs 1:10-19). We must be ready to displease the people of the world as we walk in this unpopular truth of God. For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit. But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. 1Thessalonians 2:3-6 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved Matthew 10:22 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. John 17:18-19,24 THE CONSEQUENCES OF REJECTING THE UNPOPULAR TRUTH Friends God loves man and wants him saved and protected. He wants all men everywhere to be saved from the impending or the imminent danger and torments of hell. He has made all the necessary provisions for man to repent and turn to Him for true salvation, by giving His only begotten son Jesus Christ to die on our behalf on the cross of Calvary over 2000 years ago to spear us the torment and suffering of the life in hell. If we reject this gracious offer and refuse to return to Him, He is willing, more than ever before, to show us the other side of Him with its unpleasant consequences. The Holy scriptures says that every soul that sins and refuses to repent shall die. “Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die. Ezekiel 18:4 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 THE SIGNS OF THE POPULAR TRUTH The spirit of the popular (ungodly) truth is a sign of the end time and includes the following: 1. Lawlessness: disregard/dishonoring of Gods divine laws/commands/divine instructions. (Matthew 24:11-12, 2 Timothy 3:1, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, 1 Timothy 1:4, 2 Thessolonians 2:1-17, Romans 1:18-32) 2. Sins/transgressions in abundance. (Matthew 24;12;2Thessalonians 2;3) 3. Worldliness/lust/fashions. (Revelation 2;20-23) 4. Massive deceptions/falsehoods. (Revelation 13:11-16) 5. False doctrines/ prophesies/ revelations with their unrepentant prophets/teachers and as a result turning the righteousness of a Holy God into unrighteousness, myth and fables. (Jude 4,8,10-19) 6. The uncontrollable rise of false and deceptive signs, wonders and miracles. (Matthew 24:4-5,11,23-24, Revelation 13:11-16) OUR RESPONSE AND WAY OUT. 1. Hold fast to Jesus doctrine/teachings. (1 Thessalonians 5:21, 1 TImothy 4:16, 2 John 2,6,8-11) 2. Look up to Jesus. (Hebrews 12:2, Psalm 121:1-2, Colossians 3:1-4, Matthew 11:28-30, Jude 3) 3.Walk in the light of Gods word and complete obedience. 4. Walk in Divine wisdom. (Proverbs 4:7) 5. Walk in Holiness. (2 Corinthians 7:1, Matthew 5:48, 1 Peter 1:14-16, 1 Thessalonians 4:3,4,7) 6. Pray and watch without relaxing. (Matthew 22:40, Colossians 4:2, Luke 18:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:17-20) May God help us attend, obey, walk and propagate this unpopular truth of Gods word to a world that is blinded in the pool of darkness. May we shine fort as light to illuminate the dark corners of this world of evil and sin. God Bless all. Pastor Martins Okonkwo
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 20:42:03 +0000
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