\u201cSo Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, \u201cIf you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.\u201d – John 8:31-32 (ESV)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we as citizens of the United States approach this text. Two words come to mind: Truth and Freedom. We hear it all the time in places such as our court system\u2026 \u201c…the truth shall set you free.\u201d We yell it at the top of our lungs when we don\u2019t agree with something and decide to blabber out a phrase that we remembered is in the Bible. The scenarios in which we use this claim are endless. However, brothers and sisters, I believe we have forgotten the deeper meaning of Jesus\u2019s words here, as recorded in John\u2019s Gospel. I believe we have forgotten what the Truth really is, so much so that when we in the United States yell \u201cthe truth shall set you free\u201d, there\u2019s no freeing truth being proclaimed; rather, we take a profound, ultimately supreme, freeing truth and turn it into a dangerously misconstrued utterance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, I want to explain why I have made such a statement: I do not believe that we have actually forgotten what Jesus means deep into John’s eighth chapter.. I believe that many of us know that when Jesus refers to, \u201cthe Truth\u201d. He is referring to Himself. As a collective body, do we really want to know more ABOUT the Truth? It seems to me that we know what the Truth is ||We know who Jesus Christ is|| We may even know Him as the Savior; BUT\u2026 even knowing Him as Savior, we don\u2019t want to know anything more about Him. We would rather know enough about Him to reap the reward and escape the condemnation\u2013 condemnation we built up against ourselves through our own sin\u2013 than to actually walk in closer relationship with the Truth Who bought our redemption. Yes, when it comes to actually digging deep to find out more of the Truth, our efforts typically come to a grinding halt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For many, this is a harsh reality preferably ignored and even perhaps replaced with something a little more \u201cuplifting\u201d, \u201cmotivating\u201d, or –Heaven forbid it!– \u201cfun\u201d that focuses a little more on me so that I feel Jesus “relates to me” at my unholy level…. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brothers and sisters, read these next words carefully. If this kind of \u201cself help\u201d message is what we define as \u201cfreeing truth\u201d, then it is abundantly clear that pride still blinds our eyes and the chains of sin still hold our hearts captive! There is no sweeter, nor more liberating truth than this: \u201cChrist is more and I am less.\u201d To some, that statement may mean very little to absolutely NOTHING. That, my friend, is the whole point of my writing to you today. As a people that claim to have been radically saved by the grace of God and the blood of Christ, we should be THIRSTING to find out just how the statement \u201cChrist is more and I am less\u201d is TRUE. How do we do that? Simple! Pick up the Word. Open the Word. Read the Word. Feast<\/em> on the Word until your soul cannot take anymore. Once you have done that, do it again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ladies and gentlemen, we are living in a time where the general public has no capacity for the concept of \u201ctruth\u201d Any attempt to define truth as absolute is shot down by mobs armed with typing fingers and angry souls. Our culture has made the only concept that is solid as ice into something so gaseous it evades our grasp entirely. And without truth upon which to stand firm and cling in the midst of these roughest of storms, we will certainly sink. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This truth that we have found in our Savior Jesus Christ is beyond the beauty that our minds can fathom and brings liberty more than our souls can comprehend. And what makes Him all the greater than any \u201cself boosting\u201d message that we can hear on Social media today is that not only is He the Truth that we can know, but He is the Truth that ALREADY knows us! I implore you… Don\u2019t settle for the temporary boost in morale that a face-value message brings you. Strive greater! Dig deeper! Run faster! Hold tighter! Look up! Celebrate freedom in the TRUTH of Christ and who He is!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cSo Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, \u201cIf you abide in my word, you are truly my<\/p>\n