Struggling With The Truth
Sermon
THE WORD IS NEAR YOU
Sermons For The Church
Aesop told this old story. A wild boar was busily whetting his tusks against a tree in the forest when a fox came by. "Why are you wasting your time in this manner?" asked the fox. "Neither a hunter nor a hound is in sight, and no danger is at hand." "True enough," replied the boar, "but when the danger does arise, I shall have something else to do than to sharpen my weapons."
He was right, wasn't he? The time to sharpen the weapon is before the trumpet sounds and you are in the thick of battle. The price of being unprepared is often very high. Think of December 7, 1941. The Japanese "Zeros" came, practically unopposed, and heavily damaged the U. S. fleet in Pearl Harbor.
In the life of faith, preparedness is a necessity, too. This is what Paul was saying in Ephesians 6. He was aware how easily people could slip into a drowsy dullness that leaves the watchtowers unguarded. He had seen it time and again. People, good people, did not keep awake in their faith and before they knew it, they were overwhelmed by some enemy. So he wrote to his friends in Ephesus and advised them to prepare themselves because sooner or later, they would be in battle and they needed to be ready.
As Aesop had observed in his story, "It is too late to whet the sword when the trumpet sounds." How do we get ready and stay alert? It is no great mystery, for we are told in verses 13 and 14: "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist...." "The belt of truth buckled around your waist." There is our clue to spiritual readiness. Consider with me the matter of "struggling with the truth."
I. Christians Are In Nothing Less Than A Cosmic Battle
In battle one of the first things to do is to determine who your friends are and who the enemy is. So who or what are we fighting? Look carefully at verses 11 and 12: "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
We are not up against flesh and blood, but against every scheme, plan, and devious technique thought up by the devil. Paul specified several aspects of these schemes. He called them "rulers," "authorities," "powers of the dark world," and "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm." We are up against "spiritual terrorists," a "hit squad." Now what does all that mean?
It means that all the powers of darkness seem to concentrate upon certain goals and targets. These "powers" and "rulers" are easy enough to see take shape and take on a life of their own. You see it when anything in this world is raised up to the rank of God. It might be revolution, or materialism, or communism, or democracy, or apartheid, or sex, or race, or pleasure. When any of these things is made of first importance in life, chaos is soon to follow. For example, Adolf Hitler wanted to elevate the "Aryan race," and a bloodbath followed like the earth had never witnessed. The first commandment is still in force: "You shall have no other gods before me." Not the god of race or color or nationality or anything!
We are in a battle with forces strong and unrelenting. If we yield to them, they will smother us. God's antagonists are many. They include anything that breaks life apart and pulls you to pieces. These forces are the things that seek to contradict God's purpose in your life and give you confusion. They are the things that overturn the values of love and which shatter sure standards. They are everything which undermines the stability which faith in Christ gives us and leaves us teetering on the edge of disaster. Yes, these powers of darkness are strong.
II. We Are Not In This Fight Alone
"Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power," Paul had told his friends in Ephesus. The greatest ally you and I have is God himself. He has provided us with all the resources for waging spiritual war. We move along through life doing the best we can but wondering all the while if our best is enough. A sign I saw recently puts it cleverly: "Don't look back - they might be gaining on you." We wonder what life is all about, and what our place is. But whatever else might be said, this much is clear: God is on our side.
I do not mean that God prefers those of us in this room over other people. I simply mean that God has shown himself to be an ally to the human race. He cares what happens to us, and he works to benefit us. That is why Paul could say confidently, "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." We can do that because he wants us to be strong in him.
It is not the power of your enemies that counts, but the power of your allies. That is the good news here. Not only has God shown himself to be on our side, he has also provided us with all the equipment we need to fight this spiritual battle.
"Put on the full armor of God." We have armor provided by God to wage this fight! The goal is to win because victory in this realm is too important to leave to chance. We fight with God's armor on us, as he puts it, "to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." As someone said, "The soldier's ultimate purpose is to be standing at the end of the battle while his foe lies vanquished at his feet." This battle is not the dropping of an atomic bomb from six miles up. It is hand--to--hand combat! How do you get ready for this type of battle? You put on personal armor. Paul mentions several pieces here: the breastplate of righteousness; special combat shoes; the shield of faith; the helmet of salvation. I want to zero in on the first one he lists: the belt of truth.
III. "Stand Firm Then, With The Belt Of Truth Buckled Around Your Waist"
The concept of truth is our day is really taking a beating. It is almost as if many people are intentionally fleeing truth to embrace falsehood. One U. S. Representative recently said, "There is an attitude that if you can get away with it, go ahead and lie." There is evidence to support his statement, too.
* One study accuses 47 Harvard and Emory University scientists of producing misleading papers.
* A congressional subcommittee estimates that one of every three Americans falsifies career or educational credentials to get jobs.
* Vicious "negative campaigning" in recent elections was fueled by deliberate misinformation about opponents.
A member of the Ethics Resource Center said that when commitment to truth is thrown out the window, "trust and confidence break down, you get apathy, cynicism and, ultimately, anarchy."
But such as this belongs to the works of darkness, not to you and me. We are Christians by calling and by decision. We have renounced the powers of darkness. We have refused to have our lives fueled by lies. As Paul says, we are in a battle in which we have the "belt of truth tied around the waist."
IV. But What Is Truth?
It is a question as old as the Bible. On the day of his crucifixion Jesus stood before Pilate and said, "Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." Pilate spat back, "What is truth?" Every philosophy and way of life tries in some way to answer that challenging question.
Right after the Civil War, a host of people became teachers because they thought it was an easy way of making a living. Booker T. Washington tells about one of these fellows in his autobiography, Up From Slavery. This man went from village to village teaching a little and receiving pay for it. In one town the people asked if he taught that the earth is round or flat. The teacher replied that he was prepared to teach that the earth was either flat or round, according to the preference of a majority of his patrons. Truth by survey!
Even in the church we wonder about this matter of truth. You cannot help but wonder if truth is to be found in the church. But think about it this way. Suppose someone came up to you and said, "I don't know what an automobile is. Could you show me one?" Now, would you take that person to a junkyard and show him the wrecked, rusting heaps? No, you would take him to a new car showroom and point out the latest shiny model. Suppose someone said, "I don't know what truth is. Could you show it to me?" You would not show him the moral wrecks and incompetent heaps. You would take him to the source. In this case, it is Christ himself.
Christ is truth - not just the way to truth, or a teacher of the truth, but he is truth. In the Bible the word "truth" means, "solid," "without a hollow ring." That's it. That is Christ. There is no hollow ring to his life. He is the truth. Let us go to him.
He was right, wasn't he? The time to sharpen the weapon is before the trumpet sounds and you are in the thick of battle. The price of being unprepared is often very high. Think of December 7, 1941. The Japanese "Zeros" came, practically unopposed, and heavily damaged the U. S. fleet in Pearl Harbor.
In the life of faith, preparedness is a necessity, too. This is what Paul was saying in Ephesians 6. He was aware how easily people could slip into a drowsy dullness that leaves the watchtowers unguarded. He had seen it time and again. People, good people, did not keep awake in their faith and before they knew it, they were overwhelmed by some enemy. So he wrote to his friends in Ephesus and advised them to prepare themselves because sooner or later, they would be in battle and they needed to be ready.
As Aesop had observed in his story, "It is too late to whet the sword when the trumpet sounds." How do we get ready and stay alert? It is no great mystery, for we are told in verses 13 and 14: "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist...." "The belt of truth buckled around your waist." There is our clue to spiritual readiness. Consider with me the matter of "struggling with the truth."
I. Christians Are In Nothing Less Than A Cosmic Battle
In battle one of the first things to do is to determine who your friends are and who the enemy is. So who or what are we fighting? Look carefully at verses 11 and 12: "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
We are not up against flesh and blood, but against every scheme, plan, and devious technique thought up by the devil. Paul specified several aspects of these schemes. He called them "rulers," "authorities," "powers of the dark world," and "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm." We are up against "spiritual terrorists," a "hit squad." Now what does all that mean?
It means that all the powers of darkness seem to concentrate upon certain goals and targets. These "powers" and "rulers" are easy enough to see take shape and take on a life of their own. You see it when anything in this world is raised up to the rank of God. It might be revolution, or materialism, or communism, or democracy, or apartheid, or sex, or race, or pleasure. When any of these things is made of first importance in life, chaos is soon to follow. For example, Adolf Hitler wanted to elevate the "Aryan race," and a bloodbath followed like the earth had never witnessed. The first commandment is still in force: "You shall have no other gods before me." Not the god of race or color or nationality or anything!
We are in a battle with forces strong and unrelenting. If we yield to them, they will smother us. God's antagonists are many. They include anything that breaks life apart and pulls you to pieces. These forces are the things that seek to contradict God's purpose in your life and give you confusion. They are the things that overturn the values of love and which shatter sure standards. They are everything which undermines the stability which faith in Christ gives us and leaves us teetering on the edge of disaster. Yes, these powers of darkness are strong.
II. We Are Not In This Fight Alone
"Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power," Paul had told his friends in Ephesus. The greatest ally you and I have is God himself. He has provided us with all the resources for waging spiritual war. We move along through life doing the best we can but wondering all the while if our best is enough. A sign I saw recently puts it cleverly: "Don't look back - they might be gaining on you." We wonder what life is all about, and what our place is. But whatever else might be said, this much is clear: God is on our side.
I do not mean that God prefers those of us in this room over other people. I simply mean that God has shown himself to be an ally to the human race. He cares what happens to us, and he works to benefit us. That is why Paul could say confidently, "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." We can do that because he wants us to be strong in him.
It is not the power of your enemies that counts, but the power of your allies. That is the good news here. Not only has God shown himself to be on our side, he has also provided us with all the equipment we need to fight this spiritual battle.
"Put on the full armor of God." We have armor provided by God to wage this fight! The goal is to win because victory in this realm is too important to leave to chance. We fight with God's armor on us, as he puts it, "to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." As someone said, "The soldier's ultimate purpose is to be standing at the end of the battle while his foe lies vanquished at his feet." This battle is not the dropping of an atomic bomb from six miles up. It is hand--to--hand combat! How do you get ready for this type of battle? You put on personal armor. Paul mentions several pieces here: the breastplate of righteousness; special combat shoes; the shield of faith; the helmet of salvation. I want to zero in on the first one he lists: the belt of truth.
III. "Stand Firm Then, With The Belt Of Truth Buckled Around Your Waist"
The concept of truth is our day is really taking a beating. It is almost as if many people are intentionally fleeing truth to embrace falsehood. One U. S. Representative recently said, "There is an attitude that if you can get away with it, go ahead and lie." There is evidence to support his statement, too.
* One study accuses 47 Harvard and Emory University scientists of producing misleading papers.
* A congressional subcommittee estimates that one of every three Americans falsifies career or educational credentials to get jobs.
* Vicious "negative campaigning" in recent elections was fueled by deliberate misinformation about opponents.
A member of the Ethics Resource Center said that when commitment to truth is thrown out the window, "trust and confidence break down, you get apathy, cynicism and, ultimately, anarchy."
But such as this belongs to the works of darkness, not to you and me. We are Christians by calling and by decision. We have renounced the powers of darkness. We have refused to have our lives fueled by lies. As Paul says, we are in a battle in which we have the "belt of truth tied around the waist."
IV. But What Is Truth?
It is a question as old as the Bible. On the day of his crucifixion Jesus stood before Pilate and said, "Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." Pilate spat back, "What is truth?" Every philosophy and way of life tries in some way to answer that challenging question.
Right after the Civil War, a host of people became teachers because they thought it was an easy way of making a living. Booker T. Washington tells about one of these fellows in his autobiography, Up From Slavery. This man went from village to village teaching a little and receiving pay for it. In one town the people asked if he taught that the earth is round or flat. The teacher replied that he was prepared to teach that the earth was either flat or round, according to the preference of a majority of his patrons. Truth by survey!
Even in the church we wonder about this matter of truth. You cannot help but wonder if truth is to be found in the church. But think about it this way. Suppose someone came up to you and said, "I don't know what an automobile is. Could you show me one?" Now, would you take that person to a junkyard and show him the wrecked, rusting heaps? No, you would take him to a new car showroom and point out the latest shiny model. Suppose someone said, "I don't know what truth is. Could you show it to me?" You would not show him the moral wrecks and incompetent heaps. You would take him to the source. In this case, it is Christ himself.
Christ is truth - not just the way to truth, or a teacher of the truth, but he is truth. In the Bible the word "truth" means, "solid," "without a hollow ring." That's it. That is Christ. There is no hollow ring to his life. He is the truth. Let us go to him.
