The Thruth Shall Set You Free...If You Can Find It!

Can you say for certain that there is definite, absolute truth in this life?

The following contains excerpts from http://www.probe.org/worldview--philosophy/worldview-and-truth.html

One of the foundational aspects of a Christian worldview is the matter of absolute truth. The Bible rests upon belief in it. Yet surveys by George Barna show that a minority of born again adults (44 percent) and an even smaller proportion of born again teenagers (9 percent) are certain of the existence of absolute moral truth.

Even more disturbing is the growing evidence that even adults have abandoned their belief in absolute truth. By a three-to-one margin adults say truth is always relative to the person and their situation. This perspective is even more lopsided among teenagers who overwhelmingly believe moral truth depends on the circumstances.

Social scientists as well as pollsters have been warning that American society is becoming more and more dominated by moral anarchy. Writing in the early 1990s, James Patterson and Peter Kim said in The Day America Told the Truth that there was no moral authority in America. “We choose which laws of God we believe in. There is absolutely no moral consensus in this country as there was in the 1950s, when all our institutions commanded more respect.”

Researcher George Barna, writing ten years later in his book Boiling Point, concludes that moral anarchy has arrived and dominates our culture today. His argument hinges on a substantial amount of attitudinal and behavioral evidence, such as rapid growth of the pornography industry, highway speeding as the norm, income tax cheating, computer hacking, rampant copyright violations (movies, books, and recordings), increasing rates of cohabitation and adultery, Internet-based plagiarism, etc.

When asked the basis on which they form their moral choices, nearly half of all adults cite their desire to do whatever will bring them the most pleasing or satisfying results. Although the Bible should be the basis of our moral decision-making, the survey showed that only four out of every ten born again Christian adults relies on the Bible or church teaching as their primary source of moral guidance.

The survey also found that the younger generation was even more inclined to support behaviors that conflict with traditional Christian morals. “Among the instances in which young adults were substantially more likely than their elders to adopt a nouveau moral view were in supporting homosexuality, cohabitation, the non-medicinal use of marijuana, voluntary exposure to pornography, profane language, drunkenness, speeding and sexual fantasizing.”

Clearly, Christians are neither thinking nor behaving as Christians. And a large part of the problem centers on this abandonment of a belief in absolute truth. If Christians believe that morality is relative and determined by the situation, then they have changed biblical moral principles. Today there is a critical need for Christians to think and act biblically in every area of life.

How true indeed. In fact, Winston Churchill may have said it best when he quipped,

“Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.”

This week, as we continue our look into the Gospel of John, we continue in chapter 8 as we see Jesus himself declare what is truth and can be trusted. In the end, the list was short – Jesus and His words. These alone, the Savior teaches, will produce absolute truth that will bring both life and freedom. All else is slavery.

As you worship this week:

Meditate – on the truths pointed out in God’s Word that are absolute, unchanging.

Contemplate – your first response when challenged in your morality…do you go to the Truth, or seek your feelings first?

Seek – the wisdom and mind of Christ to be his man or woman in all circumstances.

Find – the freedom that comes from practicing and believing the Truth of Christ.

Resounding Themes:

Everlasting to Everlasting
I AM the Way, the TRUTH and the Life
Set Free by the Spirit of TRUTH
Honest Discipleship

Getting READY to Worship

Ready, Set, READ

John 8:12-42

Ready, Set, MEDITATE

- Why does Jesus have to constantly defend himself against what the people thought? If you were a Jew, would you have believed Jesus? Do you tend to believe people that testify about themselves, or are you more apt to believe someone testifying on their behalf?

- Jesus tells them that if they hold to his teachings, they would know the truth and they would be free – what does he mean? What did the Jews think he was talking about? How does Jesus respond?

- Is there absolute truth in the world? What is it? What isn’t it? Why do we fight so strongly against the idea that something can be true once and forever? Are Jesus’ truths enough for life? Why or Why not?

Ready, Set, PRAY

Infinite Father…Who spans both time and reality…we worship You in all of Your glory. From Your throne, You have seen the ages come and go and come again – all at your bidding. And form the beginning of time, You set firmly Your decrees in place, rooting and establishing them in love, as truth for all time. Indeed, Lord Jehovah, You are the embodiment of absolute truth. Only Your wisdom could stand against the ebb and flow of time and remain constant.

And what of Your character is steadfast and unchanging? Faith and hope and love. For in these three truths, we find a greater truth and reality than can be found by any other means. Because of your undying faithfulness, we have faith in Your promises. In response to Your power over sin and darkness, we have hope in this life and the one to come. And because of the love you first showed to us, we, in turn, find the joy that comes from loving others.

For what greater truth can be known in this life, than the love of our Almighty Savior. And in His name and supreme sacrifice we pray.

AMEN.

Ready, Set, WORSHIP!