There is absolutely no doubt as to the necessity and utility of the truth. Jesus said, "And ye shall - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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There is absolutely no doubt as to the necessity and utility of the truth. Jesus said, "And ye shall

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Some say they want the truth, but they seem to have limitations or additions, as ... 'unity' of a local church, even to the point of division, they dare not agree. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: There is absolutely no doubt as to the necessity and utility of the truth. Jesus said, "And ye shall


1
Truth, How Much?
  • There is absolutely no doubt as to the necessity
    and utility of the truth. Jesus said, "And ye
    shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
    you free" (John 8 32).  Peter taught that
    purification of the soul takes place in the
    environs of the truth.  Hear him, "Seeing ye have
    purified your souls in obeying the truth through
    the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren,
    see that ye love one another with a pure heart
    fervently" (I Pet. 1 22).

2
Truth, How Much?
Truth
3
Truth, How Much?
  • In order to be Jesus' disciples and to be made
    free of the bondage of sin, we must continue in
    Jesus' "word" (John 8 31, 32).  Jesus' words are
    "spirit and life" (John 6 63).  The Spirit
    further revealed all truth through the apostles
    and others in the First Century through whom he
    spoke (John 14 26, 16 13, cp. I Cor. 14 37). 
    Furthermore, they did not "lie" (Rom. 9 1).  As
    a result, we are to abide in "the doctrine of
    Christ" and failure to do so results in having
    neither the Father or the Son (2 John 9-11). 

4
Truth, How Much?
  • I have known of a number of fellow preachers who
    manipulate the truth, withholding certain truths
    or "facets" of biblical truth, depending on the
    circumstances.  I have been told, "We cannot take
    all the truth!" Some local churches would implode
    if the truth in its entirety were ever preached
    to them.  The concept of unity under which some
    labor is, "If the whole truth were presented,
    there would be division within the local church
    therefore, we must withhold sections of truth in
    order to preserve unity."

5
Truth, How Much?
6
Truth, How Much?
  • Hence, in some churches, just enough truth is
    present in order for them to say, "We preach and
    practice New Testament truth."  If one does come
    along with the whole truth on every relevant
    subject and teaching found in God's word, he is
    usually attacked and charged with being divisive
    and a trouble-maker.  "Brother Love preached here
    twenty years and there was never a problem, you
    come and within a few months, we have many
    problems!"

7
Truth, How Much?
  • The plan of salvation  It is evident from a
    study of the book of Acts that there was
    something that the lost had to do in order to be
    saved (Acts 2, 3, 8, 16, 19, etc.).  Based on a
    composite consideration of these accounts of
    salvation in Acts, belief, repentance, confession
    of Jesus' deity, and baptism for the remission of
    sins are observed in people coming to God. Some
    will concede that there is "something," but they
    greatly restrict it, claiming to still believe
    the truth.

8
Truth, How Much?
  • Belief, repentance, confession, and baptism are
    all presented as essential and necessary to
    salvation (Acts 16 30ff., Acts 17 30, 31, Rom.
    10 9, 10, I Pet. 3 21).  I was called into one
    situation where the elders of the local church
    included unbaptized people in their new
    membership directory and had thus extended
    fellowship to them.  They wanted the truth, but
    not all of it, not the fully applied truth!

9
Truth, How Much?
  • The church Jesus built.  Jesus promised to build
    his church and he did (Matt. 16 18, see Acts 2
    47, KJV and Acts 5 11).   He is the head or
    boss, if you will, of his church (Eph. 1 22,
    23).  The only creed for Jesus' church is his
    word (Gal. 1 6-9).  When assembled in the local
    circumstance, God's people publicly worship on
    the Lord's Day by singing praise to God prayer
    preaching giving of their means and remembering
    Jesus' suffering and anticipating his return by
    partaking of his memorial, the Lord's supper
    (Eph. 5 19 Acts 4 31 Acts 20 7 I Cor. 16
    1, 2 Acts 2 42, 20 7).

10
Truth, How Much?
  • "I believe in public worship, but I believe we
    need to stress sincerity and not be concerned
    about doctrine."  Others word it on this wise,
    "We see nothing wrong with having the Lord's
    Supper on Monday."  Still others, "We believe in
    giving on the Lord's Day into the local treasury,
    but we also want to have bake sales in order to
    make money for the church." Yes, such want the
    "truth," but not all of it.  You see, once God
    specifies, man has no say in the matter, but is
    to humbly do what God has said (cp. Heb. 7 14).

11
Truth, How Much?
  • The government of the local church is clearly
    seen as autonomous and the local church as being
    superintended by God appointed elders (Acts 14
    23). The work of the local church is edifying the
    saved, preaching to the lost, and exercising
    benevolence for needy saints (Eph. 4 15, 16 I
    Tim. 3 15 I Cor. 16).  This is the truth of
    Gods word.  Some say they want the truth, but
    they seem to have limitations or additions, as
    the case may be. 

12
Truth, How Much?
  • "We want to be a member of a church, but one of
    many, none of this exclusion business."  "We
    believe our human foundations and organizations
    can actually do a better job preaching and
    edifying," others are heard saying.
  • They want truth, but not all the truth!

13
Truth, How Much?
  • Some preach the law of admission into the
    church, but elect not to talk about God's law of
    exclusion from the local church (Acts 9 26 2
    Thes. 3 6).  Preaching on "withdrawal from
    those who walk disorderly" is not very popular
    and there are churches and preachers who have not
    addressed or practiced withdrawal in many years,
    if ever.

14
Truth, How Much?
  • The matter of putting the Kingdom first. To put
    first the Kingdom and his righteousness means
    that we supremely enthrone God in our lives and
    place him above and before all others.  Some want
    Matthew 6 33 preached, up to a point.  In some
    abstract, vague way they think they believe and
    practice Matthew 6 33.  They may even be heard
    providing an "amen" when the preacher quotes
    Jesus' teaching.   

15
Truth, How Much?
  • Some provide lip service and claim belief
    regarding Matthew 6 33, but when the preacher
    says that the spiritual must be put before the so
    called "unity" of a local church, even to the
    point of division, they dare not agree.  Yet,
    such is what is taught in the scriptures (cp. I
    Cor. 11 19).
  • They want truth, but not all the truth!

16
Truth, How Much?
  • It is not a matter of the truth being
    establishable and intelligible it is a matter of
    the truth, how much?  It seems that most of us
    want just enough truth to make us conformable in
    the belief that we are pleasing to God, but not
    enough to result in persecution or sacrifice (cp.
    Luke 8 13).  Many of the early Christians viewed
    the truth so important as to suffer and be beaten
    for it (Acts 5 17-42).

17
Truth, How Much?
  • Some were put to death because of their
    dedication to the truth and refusal to change it
    in any way (Acts 12 1, 2).  Friendships were
    often severed due to putting truth over all
    else.  "Am I therefore become your enemy, because
    I tell you the  truth?," Paul asked the
    Galatians, people who before greatly esteemed
    him, but now due to the relevant truth he was
    teaching them had become his enemies (Gal. 4 16,
    see context). 

18
Truth, How Much?
  • 3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound
    him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake,
    his brother Philip's wife. 4 For John said unto
    him, It is not lawful for thee to have her8 And
    she, being before instructed of her mother, said,
    Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger
    (Matt. 14).

19
Truth, How Much?
  • The truth is so uncompromising and unique that
    Jesus thus warned the twelve when he sent them
    out on what we call the limited commission  "And
    the brother shall deliver up the brother to
    death, and the father the child and the children
    shall rise up against their parents, and cause
    them to be put to death.  And ye shall be hated
    of all men for my name's sake but he that
    endureth to the end shall be saved" (Matt. 10
    21, 22).

20
Truth, How Much?
  • The conclusion
  • The apostle Paul was able to make the following
    statement, a claim that we pray we all can
    legitimately make  "Wherefore I take you to
    record this day, that I am pure from the blood of
    all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto
    you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20 26, 27). 

21
Truth, How Much?
  • The command to not add to or take away from truth
    shows that truth, all the truth and nothing but
    the truth is requisite (Rev. 22 18, 19).  To
    truth seekers, seekers of the whole truth, Jesus
    made this promise  "Jesus answered them, and
    said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent
    me.  If any man will do his will, he shall know
    of the doctrine" (John 7 16, 17).
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