What is Truth? – Part 1 — A ‘Time With God’ Audio Devotion

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Transcript

Good morning.

Each weekday morning at this time we start our day by taking some time with God in His word, the Bible.

You know, there’s a way of living life that is just kind of existing, surviving, getting enough money to eat, to live, and make it through, but that’s not real life. Real life is what God designed for you, and that is life with Him at the center of it, because he brings real life into your life. He brings healing. He brings wholeness. The purpose for which he made your life comes into your life.

And there’s joy. God is working in your relationships. There’s nothing like life with God at the center of it. So we want to start this morning talking about our topic for this week, which is a bit deeper than some of our topics. Here’s our topic.

What is truth?

In the New Testament, as the Bible describes Jesus’ life, and it comes to the time of his death, Jesus’ teaching was causing big ripples in the Jewish scene in Jerusalem, and the Jewish leaders decided they wanted to kill him to get him out of the way. They arrested him. They trumped up some charges, and they took him before the Roman governor, Pilate, Pontius Pilate.

Here’s what the Bible says in John chapter 18 starting in verse 28.

Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest, to the governor’s headquarters, that’s Pontius Pilate.

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It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters so that they would not be defiled but could eat the Passover.

So Pilate went outside to them and said, What accusation do you bring against this man?

They answered him, Ah, if this man was not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you. Pilate said to them, Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.

The Jews said to him, it’s not lawful for us to put anyone to death. This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, Are you the king of the Jews? Jesus answered, Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?

Jesus answered. My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world. Then Pilate said to him, So you are a king. Jesus answered, You say that I am a king, but for this purpose I was born, and for this purpose I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth.

Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice. Pilate said to him, What is truth?

This is one of the most important questions of life. What is truth?

Pilate was pretty skeptical. He served the Roman Empire, and the empire had its truth, its way of seeing the world and situations. The Jews had come to Pilate with their truth. Pilate obviously did not like the Jews.

And in Pilate’s mind, was there any such thing as ultimate truth? What would qualify as ultimate truth? What would that mean to his life? As Jesus answered, Pilate, Jesus said that the very purpose of his birth and entry into our world was to bear witness to the truth.

He referred to one who is of the truth. Well, what does it mean to be of the truth? At the very least, I want to suggest to you this morning that it means that you ask the question that Pilate asked, that you go on the search, and that your heart is open to life changing truth. Galileo once said all truths are easy to understand once they are discovered.

The point is to discover them, and I want to encourage you today if you’re struggling in your life, if you’re looking for answers, don’t just wait for something to happen to change your life. Go on a search for truth, a search for God.

God says if you search for me, you will find me if you search for me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

I’m John North.

To go deeper in your faith, visit AFCI.com.au.

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