Is There Any Absolute Truth? - Life of Christ Part 98

There was a new CNN Gallup poll that was just on and in this poll among all the things they found that among Americans 44% of Americans now say that they believe that homosexuality is an acceptable form of life for Americans. This is up from 34% just over 12 years ago what arise and when they asked why people felt this. What was the rationale here is what folks are the overwhelming majority said that in their opinion, there is no absolute truth when it comes to how adults in America should run their sexual lives, and therefore, since there is no absolute truth that you can use as a yardstick. How can you say that any form of consensual sex is really wrong. I'm not here this morning to discuss homosexuality with you. I'm here to discuss truth with you.

I mean, what about this position that so many of us Americans are now taking that there is no absolute truth on the key moral and social issues that are facing America want to talk about truth this morning and asked the question, are there certain things that we can say are right and wrong. 100% of the time. Are there certain morals and ethics that apply 100% of the time to every body in the world and in our society because Pontius Pilate asked a very important question in the passage were to look at about truth and Jesus answers it and by answering it.

He answers our questions so I put together here in chapter 18 of John's Gospel beginning in verse 28 then the Jewish people led Jesus from Caiaphas, the priest to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness. The Jews would not enter the palace because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and he asked them what charges are you bringing against this man Jesus of course. Well, they said if you want a criminal you nincompoop we would handing them over to you. Well I will make you think we would come near the end on some and and Pilate. In response, that woman taking yourself and go.

Judging by your own law, why are you bothering me but we have no right to execute any one of the Jews objected.

This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken, indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled. See they could've taken Jesus and killed them by way of a mob but they wanted him formally executed crucified. That was the way things were done then by execution, and the only way to get that done with the handing over the Romans. Jesus had predicted this weeks before when he said in Matthew 20 they're going to take me to handing over the Romans and up beat me and whip me and crucify me and that's when John says this does happen to fulfill what Jesus predicted was going to happen to him while he went back inside and he summoned Jesus and he said hey I have. I need to know this. Are you the king of the Jews, Jesus said was this your own idea honey did you figure this out or did the people outside talking about me. Pilate said my Jewish I know all the things that you people are doing to my touch with all the petty squabbles you guys have. It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me now. What in the world have you done Jesus said, my kingdom is not of this world. Pilate if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest but my kingdom is from another place Pilate said so your king Jesus answered and said you're right you're right in saying I am okay that's your king but you the king of some other kingdom.

It's a logical question, don't you think to ask woman what you doing here and so Pilate wants to know that in Jesus answers this question will, in fact, Jesus says, middle verse 37. For this reason I was born and for this I came into the world to testify to the truth. That's an interesting comment to the truth about what well what he Jesus testified to. We testify to the truth about God, the truth about himself the truth about sin, the truth about salvation, the truth about eternal life. The truth about human relations. The truth about how to live and stay all good did stay out of the ditch. The truth about all kinds of things right. He testified to, and he goes on to say, everyone on the side of truth listens to me. Pilate responded and said that what is truth is no truth.

Jesus there just politics. You know that truth, what are you talking about the true truth and he went out and said again to the Jews. I don't find any basis for charge against this man that was a pretty good question. Pilate asked Courtney what is truth.

We don't know exactly how we ask you whether ask it cynically or whether he asked, genuinely. But however he asked if the decent question and Jesus gave him the answer he gave the answer to all of us and look back one chapter in chapter 17 and Jesus is going to tell us the answer to the question what is truth is there any absolute truth word I find truth here is what Jesus said. Chapter 17 verse 17 he's praying to God the father and he's praying God. Verse 17 set them apart. Sanctify them by the truth. Now watch your word is truth man that says it about is simply as it can be said your word is truth. You see, Jesus wasn't the only person that God had ever used to communicate truth to mankind in use people like Moses in use.

People like David did use many of the prophets in the Old Testament, and yes he used Jesus and then he took them all. Everything they communicated, rolled it together wrote it down in what we call the BRI BLA real simple and Jesus in answer to Pilate's question what is truth. Jesus and I'll tell you what truth is. Your word God the Word of God is truth.

So what's the answer Jesus gave. He said the Bible is absolute truth from God that is timeless and culturalist and nonnegotiable. That's the answer to your question, Pilate God's word is truth.

I want to stop there. In terms of our working through the passage and ask the really important question in Yolo with that question is what is so what Launcelot me what is this really mean for our everyday life. How does this change the way I live when I go to work tomorrow morning well on that answer that for you. How many of us you believe in polls raising hand. Note that nobody well you may not like how this is going to go them for the next couple minutes because I didn't realize that there was that of you know few but anyway Newsweek did a poll and in the poll they found that 76% of Americans believe that the United States is in moral and spiritual decline.

How many of you agree with that. I see you don't believe in polls right to vote along with anybody else. Okay well it's true I think I agree with that statement, Michael Josephson, who runs the Josephson Institute on ethics wrote there is a hole in the moral O zone of America.

I think that's a pretty picturesque statement.

There is a hole in the moral O zone of America and it's getting bigger and the reason listen to what Mr. Josephson says he says and I quote it's because we live in a jungle of relativism where nobody believes they know anything for sure and were no one will impose values on anybody else." Newsweek points out in an article on virtue, entitled what is virtue and I'm quoting despite the call for virtue by politicians and others. We live in an age of moral relativism. According to contemporary thinking since truth cannot be known, absolutely.

Neither can anything be branded, good or bad. Absolutely understand what they're saying about where we are as a culture. Now nobody can can tell anybody that anything is wrong anymore. Nobody can tell anybody anything right anymore. It may be right for you, but that doesn't mean it's right for me. I have my truth you have your truth and so as a result, Mr. Josephson says nobody knows anything anymore. Nobody over imposes values on anybody anymore and the whole country whole country is in spiritual and moral decline. Man this works out.

It's really dangerous way. I mean, many of us would say murder is wrong right but if you asked the Menendez brothers. They will tell you that that somebody else's truth is not there. Truth. You can live with their parents. If you live with their parents murders five murders right in light of the way their parents treated them and they went into court and try to convince a jury that murder was right for them, because of the cut appearance. They have what about when we say adultery is wrong. I think most people would would be inclined to say. Adultery is wrong with name. Maybe well in a new book that you beguiled by Robert Reich called the moral animal evolutionary psychology of everyday life.

He says no adultery. Being wrong is just Christian truth, religious truth, but there's all kinds of other truths on the subject, like evolutionary truth, and he says and I quote, he says human beings are not designed or by evolution to stay in love. It is natural for both men and women to commit adultery, natural because dogs do it.

Monkeys doing guerrillas doing and so we humans were just big guerrillas and big monkeys. We do it to its natural this is a state imposed religious truth.

That's not true for everybody about cheating cheating is wrong one allow high schoolers who would say that's grown up. Truth is not high school truth that's grown up truth wanted a high school truth hears high school truth. Question what happens when you cheating school answer. You make good grades of high school. Truth in another poll found that roughly 2/3 of American high schoolers admit that they cheat in high school and they don't see a thing wrong with Jesus once said I am the way the truth and the life.

Nobody gets into heaven unless they get in by way of me you try to go out laid out on some folks in this culture and see what you get right back in your teeth, they will say to you, hey, don't you be coming out here in Landa, truth on me.

That may be what your truth is not my truth, my truth is is all kinds of ways to get to heaven are all equally just as good if you're sincere you want to follow your truth, that's fine.

But don't you try to lay your truth on me and the rest of the world. Josh McDowell says America is facing the greatest cultural shift in its history. There is no longer any hierarchy of truth. All beliefs are equal, all values are equal, all truth is equal in this mindset has now pervaded our entire culture. None of this is a little more of a cerebral message that I usually give you but this is important folks to understand where we are and how do we get here and we get here. I don't know how we get here. Well, it all began back in the mid-1800s with a philosophical movement called existentialism a man I know much about it but existentialism was founded by German philosopher named Guenter existential and Guenter exit you all know that's wrong. Does anybody know that's wrong. Folks that's wrong that's supposed to be funny, but the fact duty and laugh really worries me, you probably think that's right.

That's wrong.

Okay, I know you went to school. I know y'all went to school.

Existentialism was started by Danish philosopher named Soren Kierkegaard, and Kierkegaard's whole premise when he began this in the mid-1800s. Is this that absolute, universal, objective truth is unattainable.

You can't get there. There is no absolute truth standards for right and wrong that you can make moral judgments by so all truth is relative. All truth is subjective and today while we done is given us a new name we now call it relativism.

It's just the same thing as this.

Chris Kierkegaard invented with existentialism and were teaching and all the public schools of America, folks were teaching it to all our children is the way that intelligent sophisticated people live were teaching them up to hold onto absolutes of right and wrong is antiquated and quaint and out of date and even prehistoric that he went out with the dinosaurs and this is what our media is preaching to us all the time and with the people who were big in the arts are preaching to us all the time and what has come to dominate American society and let me tell you something very interesting about relativism existentialism. The guy would invented. Soren Kierkegaard went on to write in many of his writings about the outworking of this and listen to what he said. He said that this position that there is no absolute truth and I'm quoting leads to seeing life as ultimately futile and absurd. He goes on to say, it casts a dark shadow over all of life and result in high levels of anxiety and dread. The guy who invented it says that I'm not saying that he said that that this is where this takes us walk down the Metro sometime walk the streets of Washington some time walk around your office sometime and looked deep into the hollow eyeballs of all the people in our world who are living this way and you'll know Soren Kierkegaard was exactly right. This takes all meaning all-purpose all sense out of life. When you live this way. It just becomes total chaos and confusion. Now in direct contradiction to all of this, Jesus says there is absolute truth available to us. We don't have to live in is your truth. My truth chaos, but that there is absolute truth available to us truth upon which we can make stable functional decisions about how to live life truth upon which we can make decisions about how to plan for eternity truth that will keep us from self-destructing and ruining our lives.

Jesus says that truth is available and it's found right here, right in the word of God is with Jesus You go out and you take this position in our world.

You can get challenged you can get ridiculed to attribute to get challenged when I was a brand-new Christian is living on Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and I just criminal.

Christ, I've been a Christian may be I don't know. Couple weeks and I you know I mean I didn't look like I do now. I had hair out to my shoulders, love beads, tank tops that were bellbottoms and motorcycle boots, a little goatee and I smell. But anyway God loves me in spite of that and and and I hung out with a bunch of people who looked and smelled just like I did, and those who took about as much dope as I took and I remember when I first started telling these people that I'd given my life to Jesus Christ and that I believe the Bible was absolutely true. These people are thought I had dropped one too much LSD there like what are you crazy, are you out of your mind. You know this is so medieval. This is so a prehistoric. Did you take philosophy here did you learn anything. There is no absolute truth may challenge is that how can you be sure that the Bible is absolute truth that would prove what evidence do you have who is a good question, if we can answer the question. There were idiots for basing our faith on a book that don't have any evidence to back it up. So let me, let's close this morning by talking a little bit about the evidence to back up what Jesus said I want to give you four quick zingers. I don't have long to develop them but here we go number one. What proof does the Bible have a first proof. I would suggest he is archaeology and how the Bible stands the test of even the most intense scrutiny that everything it says winds up with everything we did out of the ground. You know a lot of people who said the Bible is wrong because Pontius Pilate never existed your allies and all the records we have of the Roman Empire that Pontius Pilate's name never appeared one single time in any of those records, except in the Bible. That is until the mid-1960s when an Italian team excavating at Caesarea Caesarea's in Israel is on the coast is about 100 miles from Jerusalem. It's where all the Roman officials live they did live in Jerusalem. They lived in Caesarea excavating there in the 60s they unearthed a big old slab of stone about the size of this plat for this pulpit. I'm speaking on and guess who's name was written right smack dab in the middle that big old piece of stone you'll never guess Pontius Pilate that there was written good old Latin Pontius Pilate to us is written right in the middle of it. You go the Israeli museum in Jerusalem. You see the slab of stone for yourself and suddenly it wasn't the Roman records and for 2000 years of lost his name that were right.

It was the Bible been right all along. Then people said well you see, but that still proves the Bible is wrong, as you yourself said that he lived in Caesarea 100 miles from Jerusalem. And the story in the Bible is they took him a few hundred yards down the road the meat pilot piloted live in Jerusalem. So there will know what we do know from Roman records. We know that yes the governor pilot lived in Caesarea all year long. Except for the three times a year that there were major festivals in Israel and one of them was Passover and whenever Passover came. We know from Roman records that that extra troops were sent to Rome to keep peace because of all the Jewish people flocked into Jerusalem to pilgrimage that day and that is part of that the governor himself would go and live in the city for several weeks that these three times a year so he could be there to command the troops when there was trouble, the Bible, right or wrong. Absolutely right. I tell you, folks, and I keep telling you, the more we dig out the ground. The more the Bible's right. What's the second proof I could give you about some change lives.

There was an interesting article in the Los Angeles times magazine and the title was the of the article was marketing that new time religion by gelding Barbara Bradley and what she did as she went and she interviewed some of the largest to grow the fastest growing churches in Southern California and she wrote the article in the articles about you know the different ways they market themselves and here's how she closes the article. She said however, the most successful marketing tool for all of these churches have are the stories of changed lives.

Nancy and Golda recovering alcoholic who now runs the clean and sober program, Miguel Espinoza, former addict who spent time in prison before meeting his future right the wife, another married and expecting a child. Ray Portillo, who shed his 300 a day dollars a day heroin habit six years ago and now works with addicts for Christ and on and on and on. The thing goes you know what she says the most powerful marketing tool of these churches is change lives friends when you believe the word of God.

Just the way it simply written as the truth. God transforms people's lives, living, walking example. So were many of you, I tried to believe Buddhism.

It was simpler and work. I tried to believe Confucianism what is much of a challenge and work. I try just about everything. I went to the rabbi on campus and told him I thought God was calling me to be a rabbi that didn't work out the way I looked. He said son I think you didn't hear God right well probably true, but I tried everything before this thing called true Christianity, and none of it were to say then try with the same intensity in the same dedication.

Don't tell me that yes I did. Oh yes I did.

I tried drugs without intensity alcohol with that intensity party with that intensity. That's all well how to do anything to do with that intensity and I'm telling you when I came to the point that I believe that the word of God was the truth from God, not a truth but the truth and I embraced it. It changed my life and transforming in his luck to you can say the same thing. Third, about the miracles that Jesus did really interesting flip back with me to John chapter 14 if you would John chapter 14, just a couple pages back. I want to see what Jesus said in John chapter 14 verse 10 Jesus said, John 14 verse 10 don't you believe that I am in the father and the father's name is Amelia look what he says in verse 10, the words that I speak to you are not my own words and not significant pieces.

I'm just not talking you off the top of my head telling you what I think I'm telling you what God says and look what he says father down.

He says believe me. Verse 11. When I say I'm in the father of the father is in me or if you're not gonna believe me because I tell you, at least, believe me. On the evidence of the miracles themselves.

Why did God give Jesus Christ why did Jesus invoke the power to do all the miracles he did to impress us so we can write them down in the Bible and go who know he did it to vindicate and validate and authenticate that he was from God and what he told us was directly from God because he did miracles. Nobody is ever done before and he did them to authenticate that driving God and God is in me and the words I'm speaking you are not just my personal opinion they are the word of God. Fourth and finally, I'll offer you the proof of the resurrection Buddha was resurrected. You want to be a Buddhist little Tommy change ahead at it.

If Confucius was resurrected.

We all moved to China friends Joseph Smith had been resurrected your all be Mormons and I recommend her highly. The admin, but none of them even claim to be a none of them ever were Jesus Christ was a how do we know for sure that really happen because all they had to do to stop the movement of Christianity in the early church was fine, the body or any evidence that there is been a body in the whole thing shuts down friends. It all comes to a stop. Don't you believe that there were people out there determined to stop the spread of Christianity all they had to do is find a body, but they could, you know why you say because the disciples were clever and found a great place to hide wrong because there wasn't a body there wasn't. So these are some proof that I'll give you you say to they do they lock it down airtight. No know there's still faith it's needed. But you know what they lock it down airtight enough for me that I'll take this way of living, as opposed to the relativistic way live in the world offer me. I can tell you that will self-destruct your life because I've been there and I done enough and therefore you I'll take this any day you sandlot the Bible gives us absolute answers to every single problem at issue in life. No, I'm not saying that all it will tell you how much money to give to God I won't tell you what college to go to a dozen tell you whether to use birth control were not what the Bible does speak to every major moral and ethical issue in life with absolute truth and gives us principles that we can use to apply to every other issue in life and it's not a truth. Jesus said it's the truth. Many of you here own a boat and money on a boat.

Okay you will about you know what it's like to own a real black hole. True, that's about how many of you ever driven a boat, you know, just, you know, okay, you're smart, you drive somebody else's boat.

You don't own a good deal.

Okay, you're smart people. Now you know when you drive a boat down the channel what you have when you come down the channel yet boules on both sides, what the purpose of the movies. Purpose of the bullies is to keep you from running the boat somewhere. It's not supposed to go and put a hole in some of the guys boat in the bottom of it. True right that water they put bullies out there in the harbor because they love you. That's why they love you and they they want the boat to stay with the boat will float and when the bone arrived at the harbor safely.

That's why they put the booze out there for you to help you that friends life without that absolute truth is like a channel without the bullies mean view we have no place to know where the rocks are nowhere to know where the channel is and where it isn't and that's why so many people sailing around her neck channel would know bullies end up punching holes in the bottom of the boat and sink it.

God loves you and me so much he gave us bullies. That's what this is all about. To keep us in the middle of the channel to help us live a life that's functional and healthy, and meaningful and fulfilling. And to tell us how to arrive safely at the dock, on the other side that you want to at your boat, you sailor wherever you want.

You want to forget the boules and say the boys don't count for me and I got my own bullies don't give me your bullies God unaware the buoys are being output where I feel like put them at all sale where I want to sale Joe Bell boat.

I'm just telling you that's a pretty stupid way live in my opinion seems to me when you out the world you tell people that you're going by the buoys God gave us in their absolute people are going to call you all kinds of things are really cute. Should be an old-fashioned prehistoric, bigoted, narrow, intellectually arrogant, quaint and even unsophisticated, but you know what it seems to be the true mark of intelligence is how many people can fail up the channel and dock at the dock without punching a hole in your boat do not seem to be the true mark of intelligence to you. I don't care what people call me if I get up the channel and dock safely been pretty intelligent, well I sailed around all over everywhere and punch holes in my boat for 21 years I decided that's not a very smart way live in since I been doing it the way God told me, living by his bullies lies been going pretty good. I'd like to suggest to you. It's not prehistoric to believe in absolute truth, it's not unsophisticated to believe in absolute truth, it's not intellectually arrogant or bigoted to believe in absolute truth is only one way to get to heaven.

Jesus said if there is only one way to get to heaven, and he told you the truth we should thank you, doesn't mean were narrow.

I want to challenge you to reconsider how you define truth, you know, I landed on his aircraft carried out or longer with us on done endocrine experience… It twice and you know what I was on his aircraft carrier. I was watching them land you were practicing Landon's eyes up with the air, boss. You know, and this guy came in and he didn't do it the way that your boss wanted him to do it and he threw them off aircraft coming up physically meeting taking form over the side but he to get your airplane and fly back to shore, which was 80 miles away, nor folk, and you're not here anymore your you know he said you get off my carrier.

I didn't realize he owned it. I thought we owned it is the people, but he thinks he owns which is I guess all right.

He thinks he owns the aircraft carried through this guy off and when I asked I didn't have the courage to ask him later when later when I asked my tour guide you know that with that seemed a little, seem a little crazy to me.

I mean the guy was like going ballistic. You know, he said to me, sir. I hope you don't misunderstand this but he said there is only one way to land the plane on an aircraft carrier. It's the Navy way. There may be many ways you might think you can land the plane on the aircraft.

But there is only one way to land the plane on an aircraft carrier that are way if you landed our way.

You don't land on aircraft carrier. I said that's pretty clear I got that folks we call the Navy bigoted we say the Navy is unsophisticated and prehistoric because they make you land the one way that'll work. Giveaways don't work. I thought I will let you landed all the way.

You get yourself killed. We say there prehistoric and bigoted. No, in God's trying to tell you is only one way to land the plane is his way that's not unsophisticated, bigoted or stupid. Thank God he told us how to land the plane safe smart people listen.

I hope you will your heavenly father thank you for loving us enough that you didn't leave us out in the channel would know buoys that you can leave us up in an airplane without telling us how land safely.

Father for a world it's gone crazy for a world that has no desire in many respects to know where the channel is because they don't want any constraints they don't want any limits placed on four world was a result his thinking a whole bunch of books and people drowning.

Thank you that you gave us absolute truth teaches us how to go up the channel safely and dock have I pray that you would give us courage is your people not only to believe the word of God is absolute truth but to share it lovingly with others is absolute truth, whatever abuse we take to be willing to take it because we love people we care about how the logical, and we know there's no way their lives can go right unless they're willing to run by your buoy.

Thank you for the word of God help us embrace it as wise, intelligent people, help us live by is absolute truth. We pray these things in Jesus day