The Imperative of Walking in Truth

Temple Baptist Church - 10-21-2015

2 John 7-8

Introduction:

A.  Our text for tonight begins with the word “For.” 

1.  We believe in the Verbal Inspiration of the Bible thus making every word in the Bible the word of God and vital to the interpretation of a text.  Every word is right and every word is necessary!  That discounts every new translation on the market because they change thousands of words as well as leave our many entire verses or portions of Scripture. 

2.  The word “for” is a preposition: A preposition is a word that indicates the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence.  The reason for the word “For” is found in this sentence: “For many deceivers are entered into the world.”  It ties verse 7 with the preceding verse which says, “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.”

B.  John expresses the importance of true love which is in truth.

1.  Today’s “Christian” love is a false love.  We, who are separatists, are called judgmental and unloving.  The love of todays “Christian” (notice that I put “Christian” in quotation marks because to be a real Christian, we are to be like Christ and He never broke the Scriptures) sets aside doctrinal truth.  Today’s deceivers say, “Doctrine divides but love unifies.”  Modern ecumenists set aside doctrinal truth in the pretense of biblical love.  we are called unloving because we are not ecumenical.  True love is always found in walking in truth. 

2.  It is true that we are to love sinners but it is also true that that love is different from the love that unifies us within the realm of truth.  True biblical love is consistent with the commandments of the Bible!  I do not want to spend the night on biblical love but it is essential to understand that biblical love never violates biblical principles!

3.  True love is not found in acceptance - Proverbs 3:12  For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

4.  True love is found in correction - Proverbs 13:23  Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.

C.  Therefore, verse 6 becomes a safeguard against the present apostasy of deceivers in verses 7-8.  We have spent a few weeks dealing with the Truth which is the Bible.  The apostasy of the last days is in full swing and spiritual deceivers are everywhere.  They make a pretense of being prophets of God while violating the very basic doctrines of the Bible.

D.  It is imperative that we walk in truth!  The truth and our Christian love is the glue that binds us to Christ and produces stability in unstable times.

1.  It is imperative that we have God’s Word, not a book that contains it.  If the Bible has errors, then it can only contain God’s Word.  Matthew 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

2.  It is imperative that we believe God’s Word.   I am going to give a verse and its interpretation; then I am going to make a practical application. Romans 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;  (In this verse, the truth that is being held in unrighteousness is the truth of creation by God.  The world sees this magnificent, perfect world in which we live and attribute it to random acts of evolution.  This world has God’s “finger print” all over it.  By application, we see the magnificence of the Bible!  No man or men could contrive such a masterpiece!  Scientifically correct, medically correct, historically correct, prophetically correct, in every point correct!

2 Thessalonians 2:10-13  (10)  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  (11)  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:  (12)  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.  (13)  But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

3.  It is imperative that we understand God’s Word.  Nehemiah 8:8  So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense,and caused them to understand the reading.  (Notice the problem of not understanding the Bible is exposed in this verse.  It is, generally speaking, a pulpit problem!  I know that the natural man or lost man cannot understand the Bible but we live in a day of shallow pulpits that produce a shallow people who have not spiritually matured.)

Colossians 1:9-11  For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;  (10)  That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;  (11)  Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

4.  It is imperative that we walk according to God’s Word.  2 John 1:6  And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.  (God’s commandment concerning our behavior and fellowship has never changed.  Notice the words “from the beginning!”  Times change, people change, churches change, but God’s commandments NEVER change!  You are either walking in truth or you are walking contrary to truth.  There is no middle ground.)

1 John 1:1, 5-7  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life … (5)  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  (6)  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:  (7)  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Romans 2:8  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

Conclusion:  You can hear truth; you can know truth; and you can even understand truth, burt failure to walk in truth is devastating.  I fear that this is where most Baptist churches are today.  They have heard truth for most of their lives; they have known what the truth is and have been assured of it; they have understood the ramifications of walking contrary to the truth as well as the blessings of walking in the truth.  Yet, they have chosen to leave the old paths as set forth by our fathers.  Walking in truth keeps us in line with what God says and not what man thinks!