Thursday, April 5, 2018
Ephesians 6:14
The Armor of God, Pt. 4, The Belt of
Truth, Pt. 4, The Truth Must Be Taught!
Grace Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard
Stand in Warfare –
Eph 6:10-20.
The Equipment, vs. 13-17.
Many ask, “How do I know if I am
learning truth or receiving truth?” Well, the simple answer is, Truth will
cause you to be stable, certain, and sure. As we have noted, the basic Hebrew
word for Truth is EMETH that means, “stability, certainty, and
trustworthiness.” It means that which produces faithfulness, stability, and
security. Therefore, truth is firmness, security, and integrity of mind. If you
lack faithfulness, stability, and security, it is usually because you lack Truth,
(i.e., Bible Doctrine in your soul) in your life.
Prov 23:23, “Buy
truth, and do not sell it, also buy wisdom and instruction and understanding.”
God’s righteousness loves to see His Truth in action,
especially in you when you have stability of mind and soul. Therefore, truth is
something we must be taught. It does not come naturally, it must be “put on,” Eph 6:14. Cf. Psa 25:5; John 8:31-32.
Psa 25:5, “Lead me in
Your Truth and teach me: for You are the God of my deliverance.”
John 8:31-32, “If you
continue in My Word then are you My disciples indeed. And you will know the
Truth and the Truth will make you free.”
To reveal Himself to mankind and angles, God can only do so
in terms of truth. Therefore, Bible doctrine is absolute truth and perfectly
reveals the truth and holiness of God. The whole purpose of the Gospel and the
object of salvation is to bring us to the truth about God, Psa 31:5; 40:11; 91:4.
Psa 31:5, “Into Your hand I commit my
spirit; You have ransomed me, O LORD, God of truth.”
Psa 40:11, “You, O LORD, will not withhold
Yo ur compassion from me; Your
lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.”
Psa 91:4, “He will cover you with His
pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His truth is a shield and bulwark.”
Bulwark
is the Hebrew word SOCHERAH (so-kay-raw’), used only here in the entire O.T. It
is something surrounding the believer similar to the analogy of the “armor of
God,” especially the girding of the loins with truth. Truth protects us and
surrounds us.
Truth protects us and keeps us from deception. This is why
the apostle Paul warns us that in the last days truth will be rejected and
deception accepted. There are many false doctrines which oppose and supplant the known
will of God which can only be rejected by those which believe and know the
truth, 2 Thes 2:10-11; 1 Tim 4:3;
2 Tim 3:5-8; 4:1-4.
1
Tim 4:3, “Men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God
has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the
truth.”
Truth is always accompanied by God’s grace and mercy, which
combined provides blessing to man, Psa
26:3; 85:10-11; Isa 65:16; John 1:14.
Isa 65:16, “Because he who is blessed in
the earth will be blessed by the God of truth; and he who swears in the earth
will swear by the God of truth.”
Psa 85:10-11, “Lovingkindness and truth
have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. 11Truth
springs from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.”
Therefore, we should be presenting our hearts to the Lord as,
“teachable,” to receive the truth of His Word, Psa 25:5; 86:11.
Psa
25:5, “Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.”
Psa
86:11, “Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to
fear Your name.”
Truth must be taught. This is why fathers are told in Deut 6:6-9; Isa 38:19, to make truth
known to their children.
Deut 6:6-9, “These
words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7You
shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in
your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise
up. 8You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as
frontals on your forehead. 9You shall write them on the doorposts of
your house and on your gates.”
Truth must be taught. This is why in Mat 22:16, our Lord taught the way of God in truth.
Truth must be taught. This is why the apostle Paul tells us
that God’s will for all mankind is, “to
be saved and then to come to the
knowledge of the Truth,” 1 Tim 2:4.
Truth must be taught. This is why we are commanded in Prov 3:3, to bind it to our necks and
have it written upon the tables of our hearts, so that it will never be lost.
Prov
3:3, “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.”
Truth must be taught, because God desires truth to be within
us, 2 Cor 11:10, “As the truth of Christ
is in me….,” because without Truth it is impossible to properly worship
God, John 4:23-24.
John 4:23-24, “But an
hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in
spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24God
is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Josh
24:14, “Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and
put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and
serve the LORD.”
1
Sam 12:24, “Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for
consider what great things He has done for you.”
1 Kings 2:4, “…If
your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their
heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of
Israel.”
Psa 86:11, “Teach me
Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.”
Truth must be taught, because Truth is to be meditated upon, believed,
and embraced, Phil 4:8; 2 Thes 2:12.
Truth must be taught, because Truth
is the basis for our Christian fellowship and love for one another, 1 Peter 1:22.
1
Peter 1:22, “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a
sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart.”
Truth must be taught, because love will always rejoice in the
truth, 1 Cor 13:6.
1
Cor 13:6, “Love does not rejoice in
unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.”
Truth must be taught, because Truth is according to godliness, Titus 1:1.
Titus
1:1, “Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith
of those chosen (the
elect) of God and the knowledge of the
truth which is according to godliness.”
Truth must be taught, because Truth abides continually with the
saints, 2 John 2.
2 John 1:2, “For the sake of the truth which abides in us and will
be with us forever.”
Truth must be taught, because our
prayer life will be more effective when we walk in Truth, 2 Kings 20:3.
2
Kings 20:3, “Remember now, O LORD, I beseech You, how I have walked before You
in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight.” And
Hezekiah wept bitterly.”
Truth must be taught, because the fruit of the Spirit is
accomplished in the sphere of Truth, Eph
5:9.
Eph
5:8-9, “For you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk
as children of Light, 9(for the fruit of the Light consists in all
goodness and righteousness and truth).”
Truth must be taught, so that the people of God, as His servants,
always speak the Truth, especially to one another, Zech 8:16; Prov 12:17, 22; 2 Cor 12:6; Eph 4:15, 25; Col 3:9.
Zech
8:16, “These are the things which you should do: speak the truth to one
another; judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates.”
Eph
4:15, “But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into
Him who is the head, even Christ,”
Eph
4:25, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS
NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.”
Truth must be taught, even if others do not always appreciate
hearing the Truth spoken, Gal 4:16.
Gal
4:16, “So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?”
Truth must
be taught, because Truth is what will judge the believer at the Bema Seat
Judgment, and the unbeliever at the Great White Throne Judgment.
Heb 4:12, “For the
word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and
piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow,
and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
John 12:48, “He who rejects Me and does not
receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the Word I spoke is what will judge
him at the last day.”
Psa 96:13, “For the Lord is coming to judge the
earth; He shall judge the world with righteousness and the people with His
Truth.”
This is why if a Pastor really loves and worships the Lord,
he will 2 Tim 2:15, “Be diligent to
present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed,
accurately handling the word of truth.”
And He will feed the flock of God, John 21:15-17, “If you love Me, feed My sheep, ... lambs...” Feed
them what? Truth, 2 Cor 6:4-8.
2 Cor 6:4-8, “But in everything commending ourselves as servants
of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, 5in
beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger,
6in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy
Spirit, in genuine love, 7in the word of truth, in the power
of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, 8by
glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and
yet true.”
It gives the Pastor and God great
joy to see His children walking in truth, 3
John 1:4.
3 John
1:4, “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the
truth.”
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