Disciples constantly decide what is true. Is truth what the world tells us or what God’s Word tells us? In this session, we will explore…
- Our own definition of truth.
- Defining faith (Hebrew 11:1).
- Developing a plan for showing faith in action.
- Understanding the relationship between faith and truth.
HOW TO KNOW THE TRUTH:
- Read John 8:31-32 regarding truth.
- Who is the source of truth?
- What happens when we know the truth?
- Apparently we can be disciples through obedience, and then we can be set free!
- Truth is God’s revelation of himself to us, most recently in the incarnation.
- What does the truth do for you? (John 8:32)
- From what are you set free? (Romans 6:17-18)
- Who is the source of lies? (John 8:44) The opposite of truth is error, which the world constantly does all around us; twisting God’s truth into something that he has not said nor intended to communicate (often pulling things out of context, or claiming that the Bible SAYS this, but never asking, “Is that what that passage MEANS”?
- The physical person makes decision based on the world around them.
- The spiritual person bring into the conversation, “What does God have to say about this?”
- Followers of Jesus must develop a biblical worldview, discerning truth from error (John 16:13).
- Slavery is certainly biblical (it’s in there and apparently a common practice).
- But is slavery RIGHT to embrace? (certainly not).
- What does Paul write about truth? (2 Timothy 2:15)
TRUTH LEADS TO FAITH:
- Once truth is discerned, now we have something into which we may put our faith.
- Faith is not believing something you find hard to believe, or something that is not true.
- Faith is not blind allegiance that hopes something is true.
- Biblical faith is grounded in truth. Truth is found in God’s Word (Romans 10:17).
- Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1a.
- Substance can be translated as assurance.
- Believing God’s promises as something that is as good as done, even if we cannot see it in our present situation or experience.
- Jesus and the lame man (John 5:2-9).
- Jesus’ promise of healing was a reality waiting to be claimed.
- The basis of his healing was faith in God’s Word.
- Faith is further defined in Hebrews 11:1b.
- The word evidence refers to conviction.
- Believe may be something you hold, but conviction is something that holds you.
- A conviction is what you hold so strongly that no one can easily talk you out of it.
- A Mormon missionary tells you about another testament of Jesus Christ.
- A progressive church tells you there are more ways to God than what’s found in the Bible.
- Many persons of the Old Testament are affirmed in the their faith, embracing the promises of God but never seeing them fulfilled in their day. They are listed in Hebrews 11 because of what they thought or believed, but for their action (Hebrews 11:13).
- Able worshiped
- Enoch walked
- Noah worked
- Abraham went
- Sarah wondered
- Faith is not so much intellectual belief or an emotional response, it is acting upon the reveal word and will of God.
- Ephesians 2:8-9
- Galatians 2:20
- 2 Corinthians 5:7
- Matthew 21:22
- Hebrews 11:3
- Faith in action uses God’s Word to know and do God’s will in God’s ways.
- How are we going to commit to acting in faith?
- Once you know what is to be done, your lifestyle will be to walk in faith; to live it out.