======================================================================== RECEIVING THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH by Alan Martin ======================================================================== Summary: This sermon emphasizes the importance of abiding in the truth of Jesus Christ to experience true freedom and avoid falling into deception. It contrasts the path of walking in the Spirit and following Christ with the dangers of turning away from the truth and being lured by personal desires. The message highlights the critical choice between living in the light of God's truth or being led astray by the lies of the enemy. Topics: "Abiding in Truth", "Freedom in Christ" Scripture References: John 8:31, 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 1 John 2:3, Revelation 22:12 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This sermon emphasizes the importance of abiding in the truth of Jesus Christ to experience true freedom and avoid falling into deception. It contrasts the path of walking in the Spirit and following Christ with the dangers of turning away from the truth and being lured by personal desires. The message highlights the critical choice between living in the light of God's truth or being led astray by the lies of the enemy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once again, if I didn't have another opportunity to speak with you, what would be in my heart that I just want you to be able to remember long after I'm gone? I would want you to know that all the grace of God has been given to us in Jesus Christ. Amen. All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ bodily. And we you and I are made complete only in him. And this completeness comes to us through the knowledge of him. As we grow in grace and knowledge, we grow in the understanding of all that God has already given. And we grow in the capacity to fully utilize and receive all the spiritual blessings that God has prepared for us from before the foundation of the world. But it's all through Christ in Christ and outside of Christ. You can encounter God's general kindness like the world does. He's kind to the wicked and the ungrateful. But to know him and to know his grace and power and life and wisdom and all his goodness. This is only encountered through Jesus Christ alone. And Paul knew this. And so in Colossians, if you want to turn with me in Colossians chapter two, verses six to 10, Paul says to the Colossian believers, by the way, who he had never met, he wrote to them. He had heard of their faith. He had not met them personally at this time. Starting for six, as you therefore have received Christ Jesus, the Lord so walk in him rooted and built up in him, established in the faith as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. And beware. And this is what I'd like us to do. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty to see according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you are complete in him who is the head of all principality and power. And Satan knows that we are made complete in Christ. And so he will use every means available to him to divert us, to entertain us, to distract us from seeing the glory of God in the face of Christ. And he will use religion. He will use law. He will use morality. He will use whatever can attract your attention to prevent you from discovering all of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ. And Paul was aware of this and sought to warn the Colossian church about that. The way a believer becomes a stable and fruitful Christian is by becoming established in the faith. The same way you receive Jesus Christ as Lord, you receive Christ Jesus as Lord by faith. And the same way you receive him as Lord, this is the way you become established by faith. You're strengthened in the faith, rooted and established in it. And we gain access into God's grace, Paul says, through faith. Through faith we gain access into this grace wherein we stand. Not only do we gain access into this grace of God in Christ, we continue in that access through faith, through an active faith. And as we spoke about last week, we spoke about entering into the kingdom of God here. And by the way, here in this life. The kingdom of God, and I want to remind you of this, the kingdom of God is spiritual life in this age. Now, the kingdom of God came when the king came. The son of God and his dominion and power brought the kingdom with him. And so the kingdom of God is life underneath the lordship of Jesus Christ. With Jesus Christ as Lord, believing in him as Lord, loving him and loving his word, doing his will is life in the kingdom of God. Men without the Holy Spirit cannot even enter this kingdom to enter this spiritual life. You must be born again or born from above. You must be born of water and of the spirit. Because the man without the spirit does not receive the things of the spirit of God. They are foolishness to him because they must be discerned spiritually. So only those who have been born again and have the spirit of Christ dwelling in them, enter in to the kingdom of God. Now they their eternal life begins. The death of their body does not interrupt the eternal life we have entered into, because the life of God dwells in us through the Holy Spirit. And the life of God goes beyond our mortal bodies. Our mortal bodies wear out. But those who abide in Christ, Jesus said this. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And he that believeth in me shall never die, because we enter into eternal life through receiving the spirit of the law of the life in Christ Jesus. And I want us to know that and make sure you understand that. So entering into this kingdom is also described in the New Testament as walking in the Holy Spirit, being led by the Holy Spirit. We follow the Lord Jesus Christ, our good shepherd, by being led by his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the presence of Jesus Christ here now. He's here with us now through his Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit makes known to us every spiritual blessing that God has given us in Christ. If you have your Bibles and you want to turn and see this in John chapter 16, verses five through seven, this is what we read. John chapter 16, verses five through seven. Now I go away to him who sent me. And none of you ask, where are you going? Because I have said these things to you. Sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away. How in the world could it be an advantage for Jesus to lead the disciples and go back to the father? How in the world could that be an advantage? This is how it's an advantage. While Jesus was in his physical body on the earth, he could be in one place at one time. If he were here with us, he would not be in Missouri. If he were there in Jerusalem, he would not be here in the United States in a physical body. But when he ascended back to the right hand of the father, he became a life giving spirit. And since spirit is not limited by physical boundaries, Jesus Christ can be with every single one of us. Every moment of every day in every situation we find ourselves in to live with us and walk with us and be there to give us instant grace. Always. That is the advantage of him going back to the father and becoming that life giving spirit. And he goes on to say, he says, it's to your advantage that I go away for. If I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send him to you. Then he adds a few verses later, when he the spirit of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak and he will tell you the things to come. He will glorify me or he will take from what is mine and make it known to you. That's one of the most incredible statements that you and I could hear, because this means that all the riches of God. All the fullness of God, the reason Jesus Christ has it is so that his spirit can make it available to you and I when we need it. It's not a museum piece to be looked at and marveled at how wonderful Jesus is, how beautiful Jesus is, how wise Jesus is, how strong Jesus is. If I could only touch him. No, no. The reason Jesus has the grace of God, the father, because God wanted it to be given to you and I through Jesus. And the ministry of the spirit is to take the things that God has fully invested in Jesus and make them known to us as we need them. And it's so beautiful. As we learn to receive the Holy Spirit, the spirit declares to us more and more about the fullness of God in Jesus Christ. And the spirit in this way guides us into all truth. And let me give it just an example of what that might look like. The scripture tells us that the husband should love his wife as Christ of the church. That's a scripture. But the Holy Spirit can guide us in very specific ways. The Holy Spirit can say, why don't you love your wife today by letting her know how much you appreciate her? Why don't you love your wife today by leaving a little note? Why don't you love your wife today? Why don't you do the dishes for her? You see, guided into the truth, beyond what the scripture says, he guides you into how to actually do the truth. So the spirit guides us into all truth, how to live by the truth. Because and this is this is so important because there is another spirit at work in the world. The Holy Spirit is not the only spirit who's at work in the world. There is the spirit of the Antichrist, the spirit of Satan, the spirit, Paul said, the spirit of disobedience who now is at work in the sons of disobedience. The word there for disobedience means in those who have not been persuaded. Those who are not in Christ are sons of disobedience. They're the unpersuaded ones. And the spirit of Satan is at work in them. So one way or another, we're going to be led by a spirit. As believers, only those in Christ can experience the law of the spirit of life in Christ. Only those in Christ can learn to be led by the Holy Spirit. Everyone outside of Christ will be led by, captured by, controlled by the spirit of disobedience, the spirit of Antichrist. We need to understand a connection. And this is where I want to take us this morning. We need to understand the connection between being led by the spirit and believing the truth. There is a connection because the Holy Spirit is sent to guide us into all truth. So being led by the spirit equals receiving the love of the truth. See, there's no truth in the devil. That's what Jesus told the Jewish leaders in John chapter 8, that the devil has never stood in the truth. He's always stood outside the truth. He is a liar and the father of lies. So when the devil speaks, he's always lies because lying is his native tongue. He's the father of it and it's always a lie. And this is why we need to follow the spirit of truth. Because Satan controls the world and ruins the lives of people by leading them into believing his lies. He can't forcibly take over you. But he can speak to you, deceive you into believing the lie and hold you captive by what you believe. And the spirit of truth, the spirit of the Lord Jesus comes to set us free from that. Remember what Jesus said about those who are sinning? If you are sinning and this is how Jesus put it. If you are sinning, you know what you are? You're a slave to sin. If you are sinning, everyone who is sinning is a slave of sin. And you remember what he added to that? Whoever the Son is setting free will be free indeed. So the question for us is, how does Jesus set us free from sinning? How does he set us free from believing the lie? Well, he says it in John chapter 8 verses 31 and 32. Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed him, if you abide, which is another way to say remain. If you will remain in my word, then you genuinely become my disciples, my students, those learning from me. And if you become my students by staying, remaining in my word, then you will know the truth. And it's the truth that sets you free. Free from what? Free from sinning because you've been believing the lie. The way that we're free from believing the lie and sinning is hearing the truth, believing the truth, and it sets us free from living under the lie. That's how being led of the Spirit works. Those who are led of the Spirit will develop a love for the truth. And Jesus said to the father, my word is truth. You will love the word of God. You will love the truth of God. So entering into the kingdom, OK, and being led by the Holy Spirit happens through believing the truth. Let me show you this in Ephesians chapter one. If you have your Bibles and you want to see that, this is where it begins. This spiritual life is entering into the kingdom. The beginning of our freedom begins when we believe the truth that we hear in the gospel. Ephesians one verse 13 in him. You also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation in whom also having believed you were sealed with the spirit of promise. When we believe the good news. We are sealed with the spirit of promise. That is how we receive the Holy Spirit. Paul said to the Galatians, we receive the spirit through the hearing of faith. We hear the good news. And as we believe the good news, we receive the Holy Spirit. And he enter into the kingdom and a new life and a new freedom begins. We begin to live in the kingdom of God while we are still here on the earth. Spiritual life begins, then everyone who is living by the Holy Spirit loves the truth and does the truth, not just loves the truth. They do the truth. They live by the truth because the Holy Spirit is guiding them to do these things. Receiving the love of the truth and doing the truth is the same as John described it in another place. John uses the expression if we walk in the light as he is in the light. We'll remember what the psalmist said. Thy word is a lamp to my feet, a light to my path. Jesus is thy word is a truth. So it is the word of God that is true. So when we are walking, believing the truth, doing the truth, that is what it means to be walking in the light, living as sons of a light, living our lives in the light of what God has revealed to us through Jesus Christ and what the Holy Spirit is continuing to reveal to us. First John, chapter one, you'll be familiar with this. First John, chapter one, verses five and seven. This is a message which we heard from him and declare to you that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we are having fellowship with him while we are walking in the darkness, notice the present tense in both. If we say we are having fellowship with him while we are walking in the darkness, we are lying. And the truth is not in us. But if we are walking in the light as he is in the light, we are having fellowship with him and the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, is cleansing us from all sin. Notice it didn't say is forgiving us. It's literally cleansing us from all sin. It's even cleansing our conscience so that we can serve God and draw near to him with confidence without without that sense of condemnation. The spirit reveals God is our father is the one who has such a pure heart for us, who wants to help us. And as we draw near to God and resist the devil and the devil, please. And we experience more and more of the grace that God has for us in Christ. So we can let me put it this way. Those who are doing the truth are walking in the light. Walking the light means you're doing what the word of God says. You do the truth. This is what Jesus said in John chapter three verses 19 to 21. If you want to see this, John three, 19 to 21. This is the judgment or the verdict. I like the term verdict. Jesus has already told us what the verdict will be for the entire world. I know what the verdict is going to be for you or I. It's going to be one of two things. It's going to be well done. Now, good and faithful servant or it's going to be depart from me, you workers of iniquity. One of those two verdicts we're going to hear. How do we know that? Because Jesus said this back then in John chapter three verse 19. This is the verdict. Light has come into the world. Light's here. Jesus is the light of the world. He brought the revelation and the light of who the father is. He only spoke what the father gave him to say. He only did what the father showed him to do. The light has come. But men love darkness more than light because their deeds are evil. And then he says everyone who is practicing evil. The Greek word proselyte. Everyone who is practicing evil hates the light. And he does not come into the light for fear that what he's doing is going to be exposed. What exposes what he's doing? What God says about it. That's why you have these situations where people tell you I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it. What they're saying is I don't want to know what God says about it. I don't like the light. I don't want to hear it. Leave me alone. And it's because their deeds are evil. And Jesus went on to say but he, the one who is doing the truth. The one who's already doing what God says. That person comes to the light. That's what he's seeking. He wants to know what God says. He sees it as a blessing. He sees it as that truth that literally will set him free. So he's coming to the light so that it may be seen. He's simply doing what the father has shown him to do. That's walking in the light. Because he loves the light. Because he has the spirit of God dwelling in him, guiding him to live this way. So walking in the light and doing the truth is something you do. And you do the truth because you believe the truth. And here's what happens when you believe the truth, you love the truth. And when you start loving the truth, you start doing the truth. Because everybody does the things they love to do. How many of you like music? How many of you, I should say, how many of you listen to music? Anybody here? All right, do you listen to music because someone tells you every week you should? Te gusta, si. You listen because it pleases you. You don't need a preacher telling you you need to spend time with your music this week. You don't need me to tell you to turn your television on, do you? How many of you need to be told when your favorite program is? You don't. You do the things you love. And when you have come to believe the truth and love the truth, the truth is what you do because that's what you enjoy. Because Jesus said it's written of him in the volume of the book, I delight to do thy will. And when you have the spirit of Jesus working in you and maturing in you and transforming your life, your thinking changes from what I have to do to what I get to do. I get to serve the Lord. I get to do what's pleasing to him. I don't have to sin and destroy my life anymore by believing the lie and doing what's wrong. The Father's changing me, renewing me, bringing me into greater and greater freedom. This is what God's heart is. This is why John wrote this. First John chapter 2, verses 3 and 6. First John 2, 3 and 6. Now by this we know that we know him. How do you really know that you know Jesus? So if you are asking how can you be sure that you really know Jesus, this is what John said. By this we know that we come to know him. If we keep his commandments. That's how you know. You cannot separate what Jesus says from Jesus. You cannot love Jesus and not keep his word. That's an idiosyncrasy. You're allusing. That is a contradiction. Jesus is the very person who never spoke a single thing on his own. He only spoke what his Father gave him to say. He only did what his Father showed him to do. And when you love the Father, you love the Son. And if you love the Son, you do what the Son says. John went on to say, the person who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar. And the truth is not in him. And he strengthens it by giving us the positive side of that. But if you see a person who's keeping the word of Christ, and that person, the love of God has been perfected. You know how you can tell when someone loves Jesus Christ? Because they love keeping his word. They love doing what Jesus says. And the love for his word is flowing out of their love for him. When you see a man keeping his commandments, that man is maturing in a powerful love of God. And it's not because he has to. It's because he delights to. His heart wants to. Not that it's not a struggle at times. But he's got the love of God being shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Spirit. And he's tasting what Jesus said. Remember, Jesus said, I only say what my Father tells me to say. And I only do what the Father shows me to do. And you know what he said about that? My yoke is easy. My burden is light. You know why our yoke is not easy? And our burden is light? We're trying to serve two masters. Ourself and the Lord Jesus. When you're divided like that, it gets hard. Because there are times you're torn between yourself. Life doesn't make sense. You're confused. Up and down. Inconsistent. Back and forth. But when your heart is single, Jesus said, if your eye be single, your whole body will be full of light. And once it's full of light, there won't be anything in you that's causing you to stumble. You'll have the light of life. By simply seeing, doing what Jesus said, by loving the truth is the way to greater and greater freedom. Freedom from living under the lies of Satan. Freedom from allowing Satan to destroy and ruin your life. Remember, the thief comes only to kill, steal, and destroy. And you know how he does it? Bait and switch. Bait and switch. He treats you like an animal. He appeals to something you desire. And lures you into his. And Jesus' words can free us from that. The Holy Spirit can guide us into the way of truth. And keep us from being lured to thinking we can somehow enrich our lives by satisfying our own desires. If we, through loving Jesus, lose that old life, we really discover life in Christ. And it's so much better than the old life could ever be. Now, to refuse or to, well, let me back up real quick. This is why Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. So loving Jesus is loving the truth that he reveals. Jesus said, he told this to his disciples, he who has my commands and is keeping them, he is the one loving me. And the one loving me, guess what? There's a promise for the one loving Jesus. Guess what that promise is? The Father will come to him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him. So by doing the word of God, by loving Jesus and loving the truth, the Father and Jesus dwell with me? I'm not alone. Everywhere I go, the Father and the Lord Jesus and the Spirit of God is with me. It's just what he promised. Just loving the Lord and loving his word. Because refusing to accept or believe what Jesus said, if Jesus only said what the Father told him to say, if we refuse anything Jesus said, we're refusing the Father. And if we refuse the Father, why would the Father come? If you don't love the Father's word, why would the Father want to come to you and make his home with you? He doesn't want to force himself upon you. We draw near to God, and what does he do? He draws near to us. He invites us. He longs for us to come. But he is gentle enough that he waits for us to draw near him. And when we draw near, like the father of the prodigal son, from afar off, when God sees us coming, he runs and pours his love out on us. It's just such a good life. It is those who are refusing this love of the truth whose lives are being destroyed. When you refuse or resist loving the truth, the destruction of your life is already happening. This is what Paul said in 2 Thessalonians. If you want to turn there, 2 Thessalonians 2 9-10. Paul said that the coming of the lawless one, and that would be the antichrist that he's talking about. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan. With all power assigned and lying wonders and with all unrighteous deception among those who are perishing. This happens among those who are perishing, and then Paul explains why they're perishing. They're perishing, he says, because they did not receive the love of the truth. Now, notice it. It did not say they are perishing because they did not hear the word of the truth. God does not force the truth upon us. He speaks the truth to us, and we either receive it or we reject it. And those who are rejecting the truth that God has sent to save us, because if we receive in meekness, the implanted word is able to save our soul. But by refusing the word he sends to save us, we're already entering into destruction. And Paul goes on to say, because they did not receive the love of the truth so that they might be saved. And for this reason, God will send them a strong delusion. Now, why would God send someone a strong delusion? Think about that. Why would he do that? Well, what else can God do? If God only speaks the truth, that's all God can do. He's holy. He is true. There's no darkness in him. He only has one language, what is true, what is good, what is righteous, what is best. And if you refuse that, what else has he got to send? You know what it means by he sends a strong delusion? He lets you do what you think. Oh, you think that's OK? Even though my word says no? Go ahead. Do it. Beat your head against the wall. Shoot yourself in the foot. God's not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that is what that man will reap. God's trying to save us. But if we refuse the word that he sends to save us, there's nothing left for him to do but give us over to our own thinking. Then Paul goes on to say, God will send them a strong delusion so that they should believe a lie, that all may be condemned. Here's why. Who did not believe the truth, but they took pleasure in unrighteousness. See, pleasure means they were more interested in pleasing themselves with something God did not consider right. The reason God is against certain activities, the reason God calls certain things evil, the reason God says not to do certain things is because God is good and he would never approve of anyone doing anything that harms him. But if you refuse that, then you're choosing the things that are harmful to you. Because even sin is pleasurable for a season. Just a season. But it's like it's like the rat poison. It kills and it kills because you partake of it, not because God didn't want you, because you refuse the help he tried to give you. And it's, you know, it's interesting, this this role of desire. I better I better mention this. In Second Timothy, chapter four, if you want to read Second Timothy, chapter four, verses two through four. This is what Paul told Timothy. He said, told Timothy, preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when men and women will not endure sound teaching or sound doctrine. Now, what is he talking about? What would be a time when men and women would not endure sound doctrine? I believe that could only be people in the church. The world out there has never. They're not they're not following Christ. Paul is warning about a time when those who are in church will no longer put up with sound teaching. And look what he says they'll do. They will no longer endure sound teaching. Because what they will do is according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth. And remember, it's the truth that set us free. And if you turn your ears away from the truth, what do you start listening to the life? And the lie brings you into the bondage of sin. And sin brings you into captivity to Satan. And the destruction of your life begins because you have refused the very word of truth that God sends to save. They turn their ears away from the truth and their turn aside to miss. The reason a person begins to turn his or her ears away from the hearing of the truth is because the truth stands in the way of them fulfilling what they're desiring. And so what they start doing is they start looking for a new teacher, a new teaching. They've got this kind of itch. They start looking for someone to scratch that. Have you ever had that where an inch you couldn't reach? You wanted to find someone who would scratch you in that spot. So it feels so good. That's what he's describing. That when their desires, when they are not dealing with their desires, when they're giving into their desires, they actually start looking for someone who's teaching will scratch that itch. They're the ones with the itch. It's not that it's not the teacher's fault. Don't blame just the teacher. He's just convenient. The teachers telling them what they want to hear. And of course, they feel so much better because now they get to do what they want and feel good about it. That's what Paul warned about. Peter warned about this danger as I bringing this to a close. Peter warned about the danger and especially for this. And I'm looking out here and I see, I see the people that Peter described sitting right before me. You are here now. You are here now because he talked about the danger, especially for those who are just entering into this new life. Those who are. It's still new. Listen to this warning from Peter. But there were false prophets among the people, even as there will be false prophets or false teachers among you who will secretly into introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them and they bring on themselves swift destruction. And many, many will follow their destructive ways because of whom the way of the truth is blaspheme. The more and more people begin to live this way, the less and less the truth is received. These people begin to speak against the truth. Actually, they don't stay neutral. They become hostile to truth. And this is by covetousness. They will exploit you. These teachers exploit you with deceptive words for a long time. Their judgment has not been idle and their destruction does not slumber for when these teachers speak, they're great swelling words of emptiness. The reason they're empty is because it's not speaking what God has said. They're making it up. They're, they're telling you what they think. They're telling you what they feel. It's not connected to God. It did not come from God. It's just a feeling. It feels good to them. And guess who else? It feels good to the person with the itch. Feels good to them as well. When they speak really great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lust of the flesh to the lewdness, which is a lack of restraint. They allure through a lack of restraint. The ones who have recently escaped. How long have you been in the Lord? A year? Two years? New? The devil is after you. And he's got a teacher for you. And you know what the teachers promise? Says they promise the ones who just recently escaped from the corruption in the world. You know what they promise them? Freedom. And you know, but you know what the freedom is from? It's freedom from living under the word of God. Rather than the freedom found living in the word of God. And those who are not yet rooted in established in Christ. Those who are not strong in Christ are very vulnerable to this. And he says. They promised him freedom, even though they themselves are slaves of corruption. And he goes on. This is this is so sad. For if after they have escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in and overcome. The latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness. And having known it to turn from the holy commandment, which is delivered to them. And basically, you know what the holy commandment delivered to the person who was a follower of Christ, who has begun to be a follower of Christ, is follow me. They turn from following Jesus, the following after what they want. Thinking they're going to get freedom. It turned from the holy commandment delivered to them, and it's happened to them just as Solomon wrote in the Proverbs, the dog returns to his own vomit and the pig to the wallowing in the mud. Now, why does a dog vomit in the first place? Because what he ate made him sick. And it makes him so sick that he goes over, find a place and pukes. Then he goes off and he forgets. He's hungry again. No one around to give him food. Oh, here's some over here. And he forgets. He just puked that. Isn't that an ugly picture? That's what happens to someone who was following Christ. Who was, who desired to lead them to freedom. Who turns their back on Christ and thinks they're going to find freedom in the things that are only going to destroy their lives. And the other, the other picture he gave is the pig, you know, like it's a stock show rodeo time. What do they do with these pigs before they take them to the show barn? Man, if you go into the show barn, you see these clean pigs. Still smells like a barn, but the pigs are clean. And they've got all this straw to keep them clean. But man, if you open those gates, all those pigs will look for one thing. They'd look for the same thing you just cleaned them from. How sad is that? How sad is that? That those who've been following Christ would turn their back on following Christ who was sent from God the father to set us free from the liar. Who controls the world by deception and, and, and seeks only to kill, steal and destroy. And the son brings comes that we might have life and we have it more abundantly and we turn our back on that and go back to the world. It is ugly. And some of us see it happening when people in our lives. We know people like this that are in this state. Well, pretty bad description. So we have to, this highlights or underscores the two choices facing a Christian. You will either learn to be led by the Holy Spirit and to walk in the Holy Spirit. And the person who learns to walk in the Holy Spirit does not fulfill the desires of the flesh. Or you'll be the person who stops walking in the Holy Spirit. You stop listening to the words of the truth that, that Jesus spoke to set us free and you turn away from following Jesus and start trying to fulfill your life by satisfying your lust. And, and Paul said to everyone who's trying to walk in the Holy Spirit, stop according to the flesh because basically the flesh is just that much lust. Everyone who's walking according to trying to satisfy his own lust is about to die. Cause you're, you're turning your back on the way of life. You're turning on the back on the, on the life of the son of God and the life of the Holy Spirit. That's what's happening. That's the two choices that face us. We either choose to abide in the word of Christ. We abide by abiding in the word of Christ. We're loving the truth and by loving the truth, we come to know the truth and what does the truth do? The truth sets us free, free from the lies, free from the control of the, of the evil one. Okay. Let me, let me try to put this simply as I close. This is how we know where we're at. We are what we do. What do you think with me? We are what we do so I can know who you are by watching the things you do. If you're not following Christ, you're not in Christ right now. You are what you do. I'll put it another way. We are what we believe. How are those two the same? Is we are what we do and we are what we believe the same? Yes. Because what we believe, that's what we do. We do what we believe. So you know why we're saved and you know how we're saved? We're saved by doing what Jesus says. You know why? Because when we believe, we do what he says. We're saved by faith. By grace through faith. And the person who believes does what Jesus says. He's the true disciple. He stays in the word of God. He stays in the words of Jesus. Because he loves the words of Jesus. Because he believes the words of Jesus. Faith is working through love. And in love, he does what the Lord tells him. And when he stands before the Lord, you know what he's going to hear? Well done. Yeah, the Lord is going to judge us for what we do. You know what he's going to tell us? Well done. You believed my word. You loved me. And allowed me to come to you and dwell with you. Well done. Now good, faithful. Servant. And those who refuse the love of the truth. Those who live the lie. Do so because it is the lie. It suits their own desire. The lie. You know, I have to admit. The lie is much broader than what Jesus said. I mean, how did Jesus live? Jesus only said what the Father told him to say. Jesus only did what the Father showed him to do. So he said, the way that leads to life is what? Narrow. And the gate that leads to life is small. But the way that leads to destruction is. It is broad. It's wide. Hey, you can do whatever you want. Have it your way. If you like it, do it. If it's truth to you, good. Broad. Pretty narrow. If you only say what the Father tells you to say. And you only do what the Father tells you to do. But you know what I see that as? I see that as a highway. That's a highway. The hidden way. Isaiah talks about God will make a way in the wilderness. And it's a way that he's made like this. The low places he raises up. The high places that are too steep. He levels the crooked way. He straightens out in the rough way. He makes smooth. That's a highway. And it's called the way of holiness. Holiness means to be set apart. Set apart. You know, when Jesus prayed for his disciples. John is the one who records this in John 17. Jesus was praying for his disciples because he knew he was about to go to the Father. And leave his disciples in the world. So he's praying for his disciples. And he asked the Father to protect them from the evil one. And you know how he asked the Father to protect them from the evil one? If the evil one's language is lying. And if the evil one's strategy is to cause people to believe the lie. How would Jesus ask the Father to protect his disciples from the evil one? Sanctify them. Set them apart by the truth. Cause my disciples to live by your truth. That's how we're protected from the evil one. By living by and loving the truth. And you know John must have known this. You know the Apostle John. Of all the times the word truth is used in the New Testament. There's 26 books in the New Testament. Do you know John uses more than half of all the times truth is in the New Testament. Oh 27, thank you. My Berean brother Rudy here. John uses the word truth more than all the other books combined. And it's interesting that John would say this. In his third John. He wrote this letter. I've heard it from the brothers. You guys are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear. My children are walking in the truth. Because John knew that means they're abiding in Christ. They're being saved. The evil one has not got those who are walking in the truth. And he was so happy. Because John knew this. John is the one that wrote the book of Revelation. In Revelation chapter 22 verses 12 and 15. Listen to this. John said and behold I'm coming quickly. My reward is with me to give to everyone according to his work. I'm the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end. The first and the last. Blessed are those who do his commandments. That they may have the right to the tree of life. And may enter through the gate into the city. And then he says this. But outside. So there's the city with a tree of life and the gates that let you in. But who's on the outside? Who's on the outside? But outside are the dogs. The sorcerers. The sexually immoral. The murderers and adulterers. And then he finishes with this. And everyone who loves and does the lie. No one who loves and does the lie can enter the city. Because Jesus is the truth. God is the Father is the truth. Heaven is the kingdom of truth. Only those who love the truth enter into life. And that's why I want us to understand. Being led by the Spirit. Living in the kingdom of God. Is receiving the love for truth. You want truth. You'll seek truth. You'll crave truth. And when you come and you have the opportunity. You'll listen very carefully whether it is true. If Jesus said. If you continue in my word. Then you're really my disciples. And if you continue in my word. And you're really my disciples. Then you will come to know the truth. And the truth will set you free. From. The lie. See. Let me stop there. ======================================================================== Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/I-zw7YtXPrM.mp4 Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/alan-martin/receiving-the-love-of-the-truth/ ========================================================================