What is Truth?

we're here in John chapter 8. I'm going to read verses 31-47. John chapter 8 starting at verse 31. It says, Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the what? Truth. And the truth shall make you free. And they answered him, We are Abraham's descendants and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say you will be made free? And Jesus answered them, Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore, if the son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. He says, I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill me because my word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with my father, and you do what you have seen with your father. And they answered and said to him, Abraham is our father. And Jesus said to them, If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the what? The truth, which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father. Now notice what he's saying here. They're claiming their heritage. We have our Jewish heritage. Abraham is our father. He's like, No, Abraham is not your father. I mean it might be the bloodline. But you're not doing what Abraham would do, because you're trying to kill me. Abraham wouldn't try to kill me. He says, No, you're just doing the deeds of your father. Now, he's going to tell them in a minute who their dad is, ok? Keep reading. Then they said to him, We were not born of fornication. We have one Father, God. Now, that's a derogatory comment they're making. Because you see, they don't believe that He's Messiah, and they think that Mary committed fornication. That's how she got pregnant before marrying Joseph. So, they see Jesus as an illegitimate child.

So, they're slamming Him. They're saying, Well, you know, we weren't born of fornication, right? We have a good heritage. We have one Father, God. In verse 42, Jesus said to them, If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God. Nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? And He answers it, because you are not able to listen to My word. And then He says in verse 44, You are of your Father the Devil. And the desires of your Father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the, what? Truth, because there is no truth in Him. When He speaks a lie, He speaks from His own resources, for He is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God's words, therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God. He says, look, you know, blood heritage only counts for one thing. But real heritage needs to be in the Lord. We all come from a certain physical line, our family tree. But what really matters is to be born again. What really matters is to have a relationship with the Lord and to be a part of God's family. And that is what uniquely unites us. I just met some people after the First Service who were here visiting from Trinidad and never met them before. But because they know Jesus, and I know Jesus, we are instantly family. And so this is the thing that He is emphasizing here. They don't belong, because they don't believe. And if they don't believe, they don't belong. And therefore they don't lay claim. They can't lay claim to being a part of the family of God. And that's why they want to kill Him, instead of loving Him and listening to Him. Well, let's pray first, and then we'll dive into our story. Lord, thank You for this time together in Your house. We pray that You would be glorified, not just through the worship, but also now

through Your Word as we study it, and as we take to heart what it says, and as we do our best to live it out every day. We need Your help with that, Lord. We thank You for Your grace. And we thank You, Lord, for this time together in Your house studying Your Word. We love You and praise You. It's in Jesus' name we pray, and everybody said, Amen. Well, there were a couple of times that I asked you to emphasize the word truth with me. Fact is that the word truth appears seven times in the passage that we just read. And every time the word truth is mentioned in that passage, it comes from the mouth of Jesus, not the people. Jesus is the expert on truth, not us. His most famous statement concerning truth that a lot of people quote, a lot of people don't even know that Jesus said it, and a lot of people who quote it misapply it to other things of life. But it's verse 32 when Jesus said this, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you or set you free. We'll talk more about that later. Remember last week when we were in the first part of chapter We looked at the story of the woman caught in adultery and we saw Jesus is amazing grace that he extended toward her because she was humiliated. She felt convicted. She felt ashamed of her sin. And so Jesus graced her That was the first part of chapter 8 Now we're here near the end of chapter 8 and we see that the emphasis is on truth which is interesting because John 1 14 says and we beheld his glory the Glory of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. Jesus personifies both grace and truth And we see that right here in chapter 8 first part is about grace this part here is about truth and so Jesus knows a little bit about grace and truth and Just like we talked last week when we kind of put ourselves in the shoes of the woman caught in adultery how much all of us Need grace The same is true on this topic all of us need truth Especially in a day when truth is under such attack Now that's not really anything new

Truth has always been under attack since the beginning of human history We see lies introduced into human history in Genesis chapter 3 God had blessed Adam and Eve and told them that they were free to eat of any of the trees of the garden except one The tree of the knowledge of good and evil for in the day you eat of it You shall surely die. He was giving him choice a Relationship with God is based on choice. And so there was one tree He said don't eat of it the day you eat of it. You will die and literally it means the dying process begins Human beings were not supposed to experience death. You know why that's the reason grief is such a very very difficult emotion We were not originally wired to experience grief because we were not supposed to experience death Death entered the world because sin entered the world through the human race and God offers choice to Adam and Eve and we see in Genesis 3 Satan comes along and he lies and he distorts what God said and he deceives Eve and He and he says to her did God say I mean, come on really and then he twists the Word of God distorts lies Deceives her she then sins against God eats from that tree Gives to her husband who's standing there passively he eats also and then the dying process begins in the human race But we're introduced to lying there in Genesis 3 with Satan this is the reason why Jesus in this passage that we're reading in John 8 in verse 44 says that Satan is a liar and the father of lies Because lying mistruths deception falsehood originated with Satan he is the father of lies and so it's always been a part of human history and fortunately since the fall of man we see Isaiah mentions about the lack of truth in his day in his culture and that's the 8th century BC Isaiah would write in Isaiah 59 verses 14 and 15 So justice is driven back and righteousness stands at a distance truth has stumbled in the streets Honesty cannot enter truth is nowhere to be found and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey What Isaiah wrote then in the 8th century BC could be written today truth has stumbled in the streets I guess nowhere to be found who knows anymore what is right and wrong what is true and false what is good and evil? Well, thankfully we have the source of the standard of truth And so we among all people as Christians should know what is right and wrong good and bad true and false But we're living in a culture that is very confused right now truth is

Absent it is nowhere to be found that has stumbled in the streets It's not just Genesis 3. It's not just Isaiah 59 It's it's even more recent history and more modern history Here's a quote by Joseph Goebbels who was Hitler's Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Look what he said He said quote if you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it people will eventually come to believe it The lie can be maintained only for such time as the state can shield the people from the political economic and or military Consequences of the lie it thus becomes vitally important for the state to use all of its powers to repress dissent for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie and thus by Extension the truth is the greatest enemy of the state end quote We're living in these days to the more power to the state To control you to control the narrative to tell you what is true and what is false Be very aware friends. I mean at least Goebbels was willing to acknowledge that if they want to advance their agenda, they had to suppress the truth, that's where we're living also, and just keep telling the lie until enough people would eventually believe it. He admits it. There was a, an article written by an English teacher in the Dallas area, his name is August Mirat, this was several years ago, it actually appeared in the Federalist, and it was entitled, listen to his article, it was entitled, How Public Schools Indoctrinate Kids Without Almost Anyone Noticing. This was written about ten years ago, listen to what he said, quote, people who are indoctrinated with a certain narrative or ideology do not arrive at the intended conclusions through their own thinking, but hear the same thing repeated in a million different ways until they finally take it as unquestionable truth, end quote. Yeah, I mean, he wrote a true statement there. It's just like, we're gonna indoctrinate you by saying the same thing a million different ways until eventually parents believe it, and then they're gonna be called domestic terrorists, and this kind of, you know, in reaction to this, right? But this is the kind of thing that is happening in our own world, so we need to be wise to it. Basically what Goebbels admitted and what Mirat is suggesting in that op-ed piece from the Federalist that I just quoted is basically this, that if enough people say it, especially enough smart people, if enough smart people say it, or enough people in terms of the majority of people say it, or enough scientists think that it's so, or

enough people just repeat something often enough, then it must be true, and if you don't buy into it and agree with it, then you must be ignorant, or a bigot, or a hater, or all the above. That's what we're being told today. Now, there are two important aspects about truth that we must understand. First is the source of truth, or the standard. The source or the standard. The other important aspect of truth is the terminology, that is the definition of words. Now, let me start first with the source or the standard, because this is a fundamental aspect of truth, the source. Now, I'm not talking about an individual source, like when somebody comes to you and says, hey, so-and-so told me this, and then you say, well, what's your source on that? Because if that person said it, I'm not going to believe it, but if this other person says it, then I will believe it. I'm not talking about like individual sources of information. What I'm talking about, when we have to examine the source or the standard of truth, is the universal source. The universal source and standard by which all things are judged as either true or false. Every single one of us has to answer that question. What is the source of truth that you then evaluate all things through in order to determine if it is true or false? Who or what determines and or defines truth? What is your standard of truth by which you judge everything? So, you know, some things look, some things are just universally true, and we need to accept that. There are some things that are just universally true. The sun rises in the east, sets in the west. Water always seeks its own level. Two plus two is four. What goes up must come down. Well, in that category is truth, because truth never changes. If it's really true, it never changes. And why is that? Because God is the source of truth, and God never changes. God is the source of truth, and God never changes. Listen to Deuteronomy 32, verse 4. It says, he is the rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice, a God of truth, and without injustice, righteousness and upright is he. So, the Bible makes it clear, God is truth, and he's the source of all truth. And Malachi 3, 6, I the Lord do not change. So, if God is truth, and he doesn't change, then neither does truth, if in fact you believe as I do that the source and standard of truth is God and is his Word. You see, if God is not the source or the standard of truth, if the source and standard of truth is ever changing, which seems to be the popular notion today, then how can you ever definitively know what is true? If things keep changing, you know, and people say, well, this is true, but tomorrow

it's different, and so truth changes, then how will you ever really definitively know what is true? surveys several years ago between, one survey was with teenagers, one survey was with adults, and the survey had to do with truth and moral decision-making. And one survey among the teenagers found that at least 5% of teenagers listed six different approaches to discovering truth. They said there's not one way to understand truth, there are six different ways. They gave six different examples of how to discover truth. It was worse among adults. Adults gave eight. Eight different ways that you can discern truth and make moral decisions. And in spite of the variety that teenagers and adults had, six and eight different ways, by far the most common basis for moral decision-making, according to this survey, between both adults and teenagers was, quote, doing whatever feels right or comfortable in a situation. That's alarming. Nearly four out of 10 teens, 38%, and three out of 10 adults, 31%, described that as their primary consideration. The way that I discern truth, the way I make moral decisions, is basically doing whatever feels right or comfortable in a situation. That's very alarming. Other popular means that they said, you know, the six and the eight examples of other popular means of determining truth or moral decision-making were on the basis of the values people had learned from their parents, on whatever outcome would produce the most personally beneficial results, on whatever would make the most people happy, on whatever they thought their family and friends expected of them. That's the way our world operates. That's the way people are trying to figure out truth these days. And I tell you, it's very comforting to know that God is the source of truth. Then I don't have to try to figure anything out. I just go to the Bible and understand, what does God say about this?

What does God say about that? Okay, might not always be popular, but this is what is true. And so now this becomes the guidebook for my life. And Jesus was praying for his disciples in John 17, 17, just before he went to the cross. And Jesus said in his prayer, Father, sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. We need to be sanctified by God's truth. We need to understand what his truth is so that we can live our lives accordingly, instead of vacillating and wandering in our world and being caught up by all the cultural opinions and all the chaos that's so prevalent in our world today. So it's absolutely critical that we understand the source and the standard of truth is God. It's God and his word. But then the other aspect that's important is terminology. What do words mean? Words are important. Not only do we have to understand the source of all truth, we have to also understand the terminology. And without some agreement on what words mean, we can't have understanding about anything, especially what is true. So, for example, if I were to say, if I were to make a true statement and I were to say, it's sunny outside today, that assumes that you accept the universal English definition of sunny. If I say it's sunny outside, you know, generally, most people understand sunny means the sun is shining and that if you go outside during the day, you're liable to see your shadow and you also are liable to feel the warmth of the sun rays on your skin because people have a common language. So when you say it's sunny outside, people go, yes, it's sunny outside. But what were to happen if enough people get together and say, no, no, no, no, sunny doesn't only mean those things. Sunny can also mean cloudy and foggy.

And so the definition changes and now people are going around, they go outside and they're like confused. I don't know whether I'm supposed to say it's sunny or cloudy today because I don't know what the right terminology is. I don't know if I should say it's foggy. It feels sunny, but a lot of people are telling me it's really foggy today. So maybe I should say foggy because I don't want to offend anybody. And dare you say, dare you say to somebody, no, I'm sorry, it's sunny today, I don't care what you say, it's not cloudy or foggy, they're going to call you a cloud-a-phobe and a fog-a-phobe. And they're going to say to you, you're a weather bigot, you're a weather bigot. And you're going to be like, no, no, you're going to be caught off guard, you're going to be like, no, no, seriously, I think clouds are fine, I respect fog. It's just not a cloudy and a foggy day, it's a sunny day. People are going to look at you, listen, I got an email, I get emails from people time to time who say the same thing. I got an email from a guy a little while ago and he said. He says, Gary, I'm raising four girls with my wife. Let me tell you why we come to Cornerstone. Because we're coming to hear the truth because we want to be reminded that we're not going crazy. You know? Isn't that true? Isn't that true? Isn't that true? Isn't that true? Isn't that true? Isn't that true? Isn't that true? Because you can go out in the world and think you're crazy. People are like, it's foggy today.

No, it's sunny. No, no, no. Don't you ever use that word around me. Don't you ever use that word around me. Don't you ever use that word around me. It's like, how's that offensive? Because, because. You need to be more tolerant. Tolerant of fog and clouds. I'm fine with the fog and the clouds, okay? They can coexist. All right, it's fine. But listen, don't tell me what I know. It's sunny outside. Have any of you seen the, Matt Walsh did this documentary on what is a woman? I haven't watched the whole thing. I've seen bits and clips of it. There's a little spicy language in some of it as he interviews people. They're just being themselves. But it exposes the insanity of how, you know, kind of the woke progressive, whatever that means these days, you know, people who can't even define what a woman is. And that if you dare to say, well, you know, a woman generally XX chromosomes and, you know, women, by the way, are the only one of the two genders who can actually give birth. Like, that's offensive to people now.

This is craziness. I don't know how many of you caught recently before a Senate committee, Senator Josh Hawley, who was here, actually, when we had the Prayboat Stand Summit. This is a brother in the Lord. But Senator Hawley was interviewing this professor. Her name is Kyra Bridges. She's a professor at UC Berkeley. How many of you saw that? Okay, for those of you who didn't, I'm gonna show you a clip, okay? Because you got, this is rich. This is rich. But it just illustrates, it illustrates like the confusion on words and terminology and who can have babies and all this. So take a look at the screen. Professor Bridges, you said several times, you've used a phrase, I wanna make sure I understand what you mean by it. You've referred to people with a capacity for pregnancy. Would that be women? Many women, cis women have the capacity for pregnancy. Many cis women do not have the capacity for pregnancy. There are also trans men who are capable of pregnancy, as well as non-binary people who are capable of pregnancy. So this isn't really a women's rights issue. We can recognize that this impacts women while also recognizing that it impacts other groups.

Those things are not mutually exclusive, Senator Hawley. So your view is, is that the core of this right then is about what? So I wanna recognize that your line of questioning is transphobic and it opens up trans people to violence by not recognizing that. Wow, you're saying that I'm opening up people to violence by asking whether or not women are the folks who can have pregnancies? So I wanna note that one out of five transgender persons have attempted suicide. So I think it's important for us. Because of my line of questioning? So we can't talk about it? Because denying that trans people exist and pretending not to know that they exist is not true. I'm denying that trans people exist by asking you if you're talking about women having pregnancies. Do you believe that men can get pregnant? No, I don't think men can get pregnant. So you're denying that trans people, look at this thing. And that leads to violence. Is this how you run your classroom? Are students allowed to question you? Absolutely. Or are they also treated like this, where they're told that they're opening up people to violence by questioning? Oh wow, we have a good time in my class. You should join.

You might learn a lot. Wow, I would learn a lot. I've learned a lot just through this exchange. Extraordinary. It's just, it's just what is happening. I'll tell you what's happening. Now, we should laugh. We're not laughing at her. We're laughing at this dialogue of insanity. And we should laugh because it helps us to realize we're not going crazy, right? We're not going crazy. Let me tell you why this is happening. If I don't like the standard of truth, I'm gonna change the terminology of truth. This is what is happening. That's why standard and terminology are very important. If I don't like the standard of truth, I'll change the terminology to fit my narrative, my lifestyle, my choice, my agenda. And so what we're up against now is a culture that is not only denying the standard of truth, but is muddying all the terminology so that it creates confusion and people in our world aren't even sure what is true anymore. This is why we need to, yeah, come to church and center our hearts and minds on the Lord and His word to understand what really is true and what really is false, what really is right

from what really is wrong in our world because we hold the handbook of life and we should know what is true in today's age. We should. And it's doubly hard, you see, because we wanna minister to people who disagree with us even though they might call us bigots and haters and all that. stuff. We want to try to engage people like that professor. I would. I want to try to win them over, but it's so difficult when you're not even speaking words that mean the same thing anymore. Paul would write in Colossians 2 8 to 10, Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit 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. Let me read it to you in the NIV. It says it this way, See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. See, that's what the culture wants you to embrace. The culture's mission is be conformed to us. That's what the world and the culture is trying to say to all of us. Just be conformed to us, be conformed to the principles, be conformed to the ideals, be conformed to the academia, be conformed to everything that we say is right and wrong, true and false. Whereas the Bible says we need to be transformed, not conformed to the world. We need to be transformed by the person and power of Jesus Christ, which is our mission. Our mission is to go into the same world that wants to try to conform us into its image and present the good news of Jesus that they might be transformed into his image. And doing that in this day and age is not easy. But friends, this is why I want to encourage you, because Jesus says if you know the truth, the truth will set you free. Now he says that in a very specific way, and

the last few minutes I have left I want to address quick points about truth, because it's critical that we of all people, the Church of Jesus Christ, should know what truth really is, so that we can hold the real truth out and hopefully help people find that kind of freedom that Jesus spoke about there, being set free by the truth. You see, Jesus right before he was crucified, he stands before Pontius Pilate in John 18, verses 37 and 38. And Jesus said to Pilate, for this reason I was born, and for this cause I came into the world, to testify to the truth. And then he says, everyone on the side of truth listens to me. And Pilate looked Jesus in the eyes and he asked the question that people are still asking today, what is truth? What is truth? I'll give you five quick things about what truth is from a biblical perspective. Here's the first one. Truth is objective. Truth is objective. Truth can never be subjective. I know it's very popular today to hear people say, well it's my truth versus your truth. There's no such thing. There's no such thing as my truth versus your truth. You can say it's my opinion, you can say it's my perspective, but truth is not determined by you or me. Truth can exist only if there is an objective standard by which to measure it. Okay, now we believe that the ultimate objective standard is God and the Bible. But even on a practical day-to-day basis, you try that little my truth, your truth thing out and see how it works. Let's say you're going 75 miles an hour down route seven in a 55 mile an hour zone. And a deputy pulls you over, you roll down the window, the deputy says, do you know how fast you were driving? Yes officer, I know how fast I was driving. How fast were you driving? 75. That's right, you were. That's what my radar picked up. You're driving 75 in a 55. I'm gonna have to write you up a ticket. And you say, well that's your truth. My truth is that 75 is completely legal. Okay, it ain't gonna work. Try it out. It ain't gonna work. Go to your bank. You have $6.19 in your bank account. Try to withdraw $10,000. Well, you don't have $10,000 in your account. Well, that's your truth. My truth is I do. There are certain realities here. We just have to like wake up to reality here. Number two, truth is universal. If it's true for me, it's true for thee. It should be. What is true for one person should be true for all. If it's really true, because truth

is not selective to one group of people, one time that they lived, one particular culture. Truth is true across all nations, all cultures, and all time. It's universal. Let me give you an example from even just Christian so-called doctrine. There is a doctrine. I think it's a false doctrine that has been going around for many years. It's called the prosperity gospel. It basically teaches, and some people torture different verses of the Bible to basically try to make it say that if you're a Christian, God desires to make you wealthy. And so you should expect to be wealthy. You should drive an expensive sports car. You should live in a mansion because that's really a child of God. Now, does, does God certainly bless people? Of course he does. I mean, everything that we have is from the hand of God. And if he's blessed you, Well, then you should be generous with that. It's stewardship. No matter if you have a little or you have a lot But to go around saying that everybody's a Christian should be wealthy Here's how you can test if that is a true doctrine or a false doctrine. It should be universal You should be able to preach that across all people all cultures all taught I've been to some places in the world I've preached in churches and and I've shared in homes where people live with tin walls and dirt floors If I were to go into that home and say listen, by the way, if you're a believer, you should be wealthy driving a Fancy sports car and you should be living in a mansion. What are you doing in a tent in a tin shack with dirt floors? I mean, that's just ridiculous Because it's not true but I Can preach John 3 16 anywhere anytime to any people because that's a true doctrine that all our sinners We need to be saved Jesus died on a cross I can preach that in a shack with tin walls and dirt floor and a Manhattan studio apartment It doesn't matter because that truth transcends all people all times all cultures because real truth is universal number three truth is absolute a Lot of people believe the truth is relative. I just quoted some of those surveys Some people believe that truth is just, you know dependent on the circumstance and and it's relative to you know

Everybody's different situation. And so when people go around saying to you, there's no such thing as absolute truth Here's the question. You need to ask them just turn it on its head and ask them this question Then they say there's no such thing as absolute truth. Ask them. Is that an absolute statement? And They say yes, then you can say well then it implies the Existence of absolutes doesn't it because you want me to believe a statement. You just said is Absolute. Okay. The truth is the truth is Absolute and in that same Barna research survey that I quoted earlier They asked people if they believe that there are moral absolutes that are unchanging or if moral truth is relative to the circumstances Listen to this sadly by a three-to-one margin 64% versus 22% adults said truth is always relative to the person and their situation The perspective was even more lopsided among teenagers 83% of teens said moral truth depends on the circumstances and only 6% said moral truth is absolute and Here's what's even more alarming you ready for this in that survey less than one out of three born-again Christians Adopt the notion of absolute moral truth Christians Less than one out of three believe in the notion of absolute truth The Bible says in Psalm 119 verse 89 forever. Oh Lord your word is settled in heaven It's absolute We either live according to it or not But we can't think that truth changes based on the person or the situation. It's not relative. It's absolute number four I got two more here. Number four truth is eternal and that's because God is eternal and God is the author of truth in Psalm 119 160 it says the entirety of your word is truth and every one of your righteous judgments endures Forever and In Isaiah 40 verse 8, it says the grass withers the flower fades but the Word of our God stands for ever and Lastly number five truth is freeing and this gets us back to where we started in our study because I want you to look again at verses 31 to 36 in

John 8 31 it says then Jesus said to those Jews who believed him if you abide in my word You are my disciples indeed and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free and they answered him We are Abraham's descendants that have never been in bondage to anyone Wait a minute. That's ironic. They don't even know their own history. They were slaves in Egypt for 400 years What are you talking about? Of course, you've been in bondage, but the bondage Jesus is talking about is even more severe than that So they go on and they say how can you say you will be made free Jesus answered them most assuredly I say to you whoever commits sin is a slave of sin and A slave does not abide in a house forever, but a son abides forever Therefore if the son makes you free you shall be free indeed So he was talking about a greater slavery then The horrific human bondage that humanity can do to humanity. That is terrible but what's even worse is being in slavery to sin and being separated from God and So Jesus says here if you really want to be free you have to know the truth the kind of freedom he was speaking about is the freedom from sin and death through a Relationship with him because once we come into relationship with him, then our souls are set free Free from sin we are forgiven we go to heaven when we die because we have a relationship with Jesus, and he whom the Son sets free is free indeed. We should no longer be slaves to sin, but we should be set free by the Son and thereby join the family so that we can claim that inheritance in Jesus and thus, not that we earn it or deserve it, but the free gift of salvation that is found in Him and Him alone. That's why truth is so freeing. That's why truth is so freeing. And if you don't know that truth, I pray today that you would receive that because there is forgiveness of sins to all who believe and receive. There is relationship we can have with Jesus through faith in what He did on the cross. We can know the truth and the truth will set us free. So bow your heads with me and let's pray. Father, we

thank You for Your Word. And first I just want to pray that as we live in a culture so full of chaos and confusion, especially on the topic of truth, God we pray that we would know Your truth and that we would live by Your truth. That Your standard and Your source of truth would be our constant guide. So that we can lovingly and confidently say to people, I'm sorry but it is sunny. So that we can say things that we know are true and stop thinking we are going crazy just because a bunch of people tell us otherwise. All we want to do Lord is please You and we want to know what You say on the matter and then live our lives accordingly. But when it comes to knowing truth and being set free, the greatest truth we can know is that You love us so much. You died on a cross for our sins to forgive us. So that all who would come to You can be forgiven. And I pray right now for those who need You because they don't know You. They are not free. They are in bondage to sin. They are a slave to their own flesh, to the desires of this world and the desires of their heart. And they are miserable and they know it. Lord I pray You would set them free. And I pray they would be set free because they know You in a personal way that today they would surrender their lives to You. And I am just going to pause in my prayer with your head still bowed and your eyes closed and I just want to invite you if you don't know Christ as your Savior be free today. Know what it is to walk in freedom. To be free from sin and guilt and shame and to be forgiven. That is so liberating and Jesus offers that. So whether you are here right now or watching online or you hear this later, if you want to trust Christ as your Savior just pray this with me. I am going to lead in a prayer slowly and you can just make this your prayer and you

can pray it with me. You can just say, Jesus save me today. Come into my life and forgive me of my sins. Lord I want to be free. I want to be free from the shame and the guilt. I want to know that I have been forgiven today. And You tell me in Your Word Lord, we just read it, that he whom the Son sets free will be free indeed. So set me free today Lord. I confess I am a sinner like everybody else and I need You. Wash over my life, cleanse my heart. I want a relationship with You as my Lord and Savior. And we know that Your Word is true. So You tell us Lord, if we confess our sins You are faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That if we believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and we confess with our mouth Jesus as Lord we shall be saved. That is what You tell us in Romans 10. So we stand on Your truth and we receive Your forgiveness. Thank You Lord. And we praise You together in Jesus name. Amen. Now listen if you prayed that prayer with me there is going to be a pastor down front to hand out Bibles. You don't need to come and get one but it is our way of giving you a gift to remember today's decision. We don't want anything from you. We just want to be able to give you a Bible. So feel free after the service come down. Our pastors will be down here. If you prayed that online there is a number on the screen 703-844-9969. We'll mail you a Bible as a reminder of today's decision to celebrate with you. Praise His name church. Amen. God is good all the time. God bless you all. Have a great day.