John 13:31 As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him. 32 And since God receives glory because of the Son,[i] he will give his own glory to the Son, and he will do so at once.33 Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” 36 Simon Peter asked, “Lord, where are you going?” And Jesus replied, “You can’t go with me now, but you will follow me later.” 37 “But why can’t I come now, Lord?” he asked. “I’m ready to die for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter—before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.
There is very little truth left in this world and no pure truth except God's Word. That sounds a little dire, doesn't it? Truth is important because it is a counterbalance to lying. Pure Truth has a definitive line that those who want to hedge the truth hate. Here are some man-made examples of tainted truth that are presented as pure truth. When someone says something, and then they immediately say, "Just kidding," which translates into what is really being said, and that is "just lying." Another one is when someone says something is true and then they follow it up with "Probably that is true." Probably is a trash word that waters down the very statement made because it is based on supposition. Huge gossip fires begin with the use of the word probably. Another one is when someone says something and then they follow it with, "I'm pretty sure that is true." That is called a half-truth, and those are the elusive ones that don't hold water when challenged. There are too many other examples to list, but suffice it to say, "We have a lot of lies being said out there!"
When Jesus says something, it is pure truth, or none of what He says is true, and all Jesus said is pure truth because He is Pure Truth. The problem is not the Word of God, but our ability to believe we can make it on tainted truth from tainted minds that have been influenced by the impure ways of the world. There is a point where we believers need to quit watering down the Word of God with our own additions and just trust the Word. If you are willing to follow half-truths that won't hold water, then everything you base your thinking on will crumble in light of the pure truth of God's Word. Church fellowships have been built on these half-truths and even flourished, but it is all for naught. In the above scriptures, in John 13, Jesus is telling them He will only be with them a short time more. Then Peter asks Him this. "Lord, Where are You going." Jesus then says the following, And Jesus replies, “You can’t go with me now, but you will follow me later.” 37 “But why can’t I come now, Lord?” he asked. “I’m ready to die for you.”
Was Peter really ready to die for Jesus? In his mind, maybe he was, but in reality he wasn't and his statement sounded tough and good, but it was a half-truth. Jesus tells him the "real" truth about what was going to happen and what Peter's reaction would be because Jesus "knew" Peter. The pure truth in the reality of the situation Jesus told Peter he would deny Him three times even before the rooster crowed in the morning. How many times have we said yes to the Lord in our hearts and then denied Him full reign of our lives? Too many times for me. Here is how Jesus responds to our half-truth commitments. He calls again and again and gives us every reason to follow Him faithfully because He is the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
Jesus illustrates what needs to happen when we say "I will follow you." Luke 9:57 As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” 59 He said to another person, “Come, follow me.”
The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” 60 But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” 61 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” 62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
It is very important to commit to following Jesus, and it is possible by taking up our cross and following Him. We don't even need Jesus to tell us we will fail because we know how hard it is to really follow Him. It is scary but very doable. There is a commitment of the heart that drives the ship that sails with Jesus, and He takes that willing heart and grows it into a life that follows the pure truth of God's Word and the rest is lives being changed. Peter called it growing into the full experience of salvation, which is where we need to be. 1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. Immerse yourself in the pure truth of God's Word and your commitments will become full truth commitments based on the Pure Truth of the Word.
Today's Message,
David Warren
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