Truth Or Consequences - Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ.

What yes I will want to know what the programs are.

I've heard of the church doesn't just so the little program I think that's why the others what about I never got should miss the whole point preach the word joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is again he shows us how God's word meets our work. The word is what I'm talking to you about is one thing I'm talking about. Truly, truly, I say to you everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever. The son does remain forever.

So if the son makes you free your free indeed. He said I know that your Abraham's descendents you seek to kill me because my word has no place in you what he saying look I know you're just religious folks, I got it.

That's why you want me dead because the truth you want the truth.

You see, that's what you say I know what you're doing. I know what you're trying to say if you were truly of the truth you love me why I am the truth, but no no you might, my religion got ideal fit well. He said I speak the things which I have seen it with my father.

Therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father. This is me Jesus saying what I represent my father knew represent your father. Now remember the context is talking to religious Jews.

So what's a religious Jew think he's talking about Abraham. He is not.

He's not talking about Abraham all, but they think he is.

So here's the response he answered and said to him, Abraham is our father. Jesus it was true said it's not true.

He said if you are Abraham's children do the deeds of Abraham know what the deeds of Abraham. We know that moments memo Paul said Abraham believed God, and God reckoned his faith as righteousness. That's the deeds of Abraham's faith. That's the deed that's the truth. And he says, but as it is you're seeking to kill me, a man who was told you the truth I just told her the truth and you want to kill me for why because your religious.

That's why he said which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. He said you doing the deeds of your father, and they said we are not born in fornication. We have one father God and Jesus said to him, if God were your father by the way by the tensor of the use the word if it is and is not it's not true. It's a second-class condition of assumption is not true if God were your father needs not you would love me for I proceeded forth and have come from God. For I have not even come on my own initiative, the God sent me you know I'm here because God loves mankind, for God so loved the world he sent me for truth and grace.

And now this is interesting if God sent his own son for truth and grace to help man and man should readily accept.

This is the greatest news that never happened for mankind, but since the fall man is skeptical of truth and he is incurably religious. You see, that's what he tries so Jesus, why do you not understand what I'm saying is, because you cannot hear my word. He said you are of your father the devil, he told us to religious Jews. Everybody respected them in a community Pharisees everybody. As I told you many times. Every parent would want their daughter to marry a Pharisee. They had so much deep spiritual respect in Israel he should give your father the devil what you mean the devil he said that's the source of the religion you believe not God see you deny the grace of God, you have your father the devil, any citizen you do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning he does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

He's about because I speak the truth, you do not believe me, there's the dilemma there's exactly what ends up happening believe.

Have you ever given the gospel to religious person you notice with the response, almost always is. That's too easy that's not taught by some possible the churches told me something else you have to do certain things to get favor with God is not true, but it's always the same note I did. I reject that Satan knows that religion immunizes you against Jesus Christ.

He knows that and Christ knows it and this is in some helter-skelter groupings of the Jewish people of the time the Messiah comes chosen by God and then reject them and I want to crucify because of the religious bigotry and how they see it. We will never be like that were not susceptible to that Ari don't be so sure does me to second Timothy chapter 4 and the last thing that Paul wrote before he died. Paul is writing to Timothy in these last words Timothy you gotta be able to give. Gotta be able to follow through here, you just got. So he says I solemnly what an interesting word calls about the guys that I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is the judge of the living and the dead, and by appearing.

He said by his appearing and his kingdom.

Timothy these are serious words as I can give you preach the word preach the word, why is the truth.

That's why it's the truth. One of the reasons is removed from Pennsylvania was in Pennsylvania to Dallas to preach the word in a big sign at Live Oak Ave., on the one side you stated live outlook or disseminate said changing lives through Scripture but them.

Aside from Dallas looking out, it says preach the word preach the word of God. That's what you have to do now watch what happens. He says preach the word be ready in season and out of season reproved rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction on what basis do I reprove and rebuke, and exhort Bible.

The only thing you could do this. I'm wasting all my time by just an appearance a limit to what I think that means nothing. That means absolutely nothing. He said everything you do is to bring the word of God to bear on the situation. Why because it's the truth.

That's the point. It is he says the truth that he gives us all morning for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires. That's what happened in the church was it happen to go all the way back to the Reformation.

Franciscan monk named Martin Luther study the New Testament in Greek and he came to this conclusion. Just two things basically everything he believed could pare down to and it's it's interesting the first thing Luther said was Sola FITA faith alone saves I was saying that as a Catholic priest and Catholicism which that is not true. That's completely rejected under all conditions. Said no. I looked at the truth so Sola FITA and a very much dislike them for that.

But the next thing he said got them in real trouble. He said Sola Scripture.

Only the Bible has authority boy. He was hated and wanted to be martyred in one of the martyr him for that. What you mean. The Bible has a Bible doesn't have a thought for the Bible's article, we have authority and that's the birth of the Reformation and it went on fine and then in the late 1800s and early 1900s, first in Europe and America.

Liberalism came into Protestantism and liberalism started this whole idea that you can't trust the Bible, there are some ideas and they are pretty good, but the rest of you can't trust running like that out of liberalism. Then came certain things. I know a Protestant pastor was a friend of mine in Pennsylvania and he taught universalism to the church and he said everyone goes to heaven and also all roads all religions all leave the same place to heaven and he was a great guy and he that's what he believed is that true, not according what Jesus said he did is that I'm the way the truth and the life and overcome the father but through me. But he he started believing that now we don't go through that too much but just think of evangelicalism today. I'll make a statement. One of the most important things is that you become prosperous. God wants all of us to be very prosperous and very healthy. That's what God wants for everybody. In fact, the largest attended church in America. The point of the pastor is to stand up and say you know I got exist God exist so that you can realize all your dreams. That's why there is a God and he's the same pastor who was said I would never and I heard him say it.

I would never even speak of the word sin. People don't like that.

No kidding with the largest attended church in America because what is he telling them exactly what they want to hear.

He's tell me exactly what they want to hear God exist for me and I got a whole bunch of stuff out of this. I like this you accumulate for yourselves. They commit themselves teachers a tickle their ears. Now, even when people from our church. Annetta moved away and going other churches I hate to say this but sometimes true, but it's interesting as they go through questions and trying to find the right church to go to what your criteria will first of all I want to know what kind of music they have what yes secondly, now I really want to know what the programs are. I I've heard of a church that doesn't just have a preschool program has a pre-preschool program so the little you have this computer program for and I think that's why should go, but they can be all those what about the Bible. What about the word of God. I never thought about that too much. We should that's the whole point preach the word I get stuff across my desk from people that mail and see if you really want to grow a gigantic church. You gotta diminish what the Bible says you must diminish that because people are like a lot of that, or the one I it's interesting now is whatever you do don't go over 10 or 15 minutes okay where you're not so lucky when it comes to that. But the point is this where is the truth.

He said to Timothy before it's time you preach the word.

That's the point we can accumulate for ourselves. Teachers like that you take this one step further. Go with me to second Corinthians chapter 4 second Corinthians chapter 4 Paul defines ministry here. What is ministry is a Paul says in verse one therefore, since we have this ministry, that's the ministry as we receive mercy. We do not lose heart.

But we have renounced the things hidden because of shame. We don't walk in craftiness are adulterating the word of God will play any compromises with the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth is right back to it by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

He said that even if our gospel is veiled, it's built of those who are perishing. Even I stand up and give the gospel in many years and I believe that you don't have to but you perishing now why did that happen what Paul says in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, so that I may not see the light or the truth of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who blinded the minds sickness blinded the minds they can accept is if we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus is Lord we just his servants or slaves. It's all about the true you see that's the whole idea of the angelic conflict when a man ministered and the gospel to me in my early 20s and I kept rejecting it. The New Testament says I was more like a Greek more like an intellectual. I wasn't very religious and I just thought when I heard the gospel might member even saying it. That's just stupid that's a stupid unit tell me that the reason God and that if some Jewish guy was crucified by the moments in the crucified thousands of people and I believe he died for my sins. I get to go to heaven and I'm okay with God, yeah, that's a stupid than make any sense to me now if you're a Jew, a religious person and someone gives her the gospel. What you say as I said earlier, is too easy. This is too easy. We got to the things to gain favor with God. That's how this works. Neither one of those things are true and you and the origin of both of those is Lucifer. That's where they come.

That's the way this works this whole idea of truth are ministry must be of the truth the whole truth and nothing else. But the truth so we don't have truth, we just don't have anything what you think of our culture house.

Truth doing under the relativism of our culture you're being taught.

There is no such thing as absolute all opinions you see holistic all opinions have equal value, but there's no such thing as absolute truth with there's no such thing as absolute truth. Does anybody have a platform to judge anyone else's moral behavior know and I'll be taught this all the time.

This is what the culture teaches you can judge anybody's moral behavior within what grounds is even the culture try to judge well. I've heard people say that it's by consensus were democracy if the majority of Americans think it's okay then that's gonna be what's right for us. Okay. If that's true, let me just give you a framework in this in the late 1930s and early 40s, about 80% of all German supported Nazi-ism so you can trust the crowd right because that's a good thing.

Now that doesn't work, but think of it from even another perspective. I decide when life begins within me. I decide if I want to kill the life I can kill it, and then we pass laws so you can because I decide I don't want no prenatal doctor tell me when light began. No biologist telling me I decide. How about this one. I decide my gender.

I decide I don't care what biology says. Gotta put bike biology in the back. When I decide what my gender is not biology. I just read an article where parents are now raising their children all at the school wage and never referred to them ever as he or she that's a decision no make later just the way this works and by the way, you can almost understand who if there is no truth.

Who are you to say that doesn't make sense that some you to say was anyone to say were just beginning this road and it's going to get much much worse in the future because there is no such thing as absolute moral truth at all. There isn't any change for the worse.

So how do we respond seek the truth. First thing we should do is seek the truth. Obviously you see what's in the word. It is in the word, however, it takes more than just understanding it. I have to submit to it. I have to believe it. And I have to submit to it. Secondly, you gotta turn your ears off to what comes into out there. I'll use a term we use today, but there's a lot of fake truth out there. It's everywhere.

It's just fake fake truth being told by people who are experts. Secondly, we have to speak the truth in love with the word of God says we need to speak the truth in love to people.

Some of us are really good at speaking the truth. I just love telling people the way it is shifted in the context of love even he said Timothy with Jonas to be careful with that.

Third, we have to live the truth that we believe this is where the church is failing is a profound weakness of the church right now.

If we don't live the truth you don't having to say to people see that such an important thing. What's one of the most common words that people are culture used to describe us. I'm not talking about perfection, but people are committed to living the truth out of the lives truth tellers do it with low so this Christmas season.

I just want to remember, as John said, we beheld his glory. The word became flesh we beheld his glory, full of grace and truth respect. Father, we are being affected by our culture. We are being inundated with false truth father is alarming that when you read polls among evangelicals. How many young people believe that there is no such thing as absolute truth. And yet they say they follow Jesus.

This is worthy of our attention.

Father and I pray that if you are one of the people that really struggled with the concept of grace and the concept of absolute truth, you're left with this decision. You're deciding about the credibility of Jesus Christ because the words that we use the day and looked at the they were his use of the words that is the Bible says that he is full of grace is our responsibility.

That's what I pray each and every pastor broke apart on the radio ministry or fellowship nor if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just take a listen to the message one more time.

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