Liberty By Truth

I. The gospel proclaims liberty to the captives. ISA 61:1. A. There are various liberties that concern us: political, economic, social, safety, etc. B. The greatest liberty is from the bondage of Satan’s lies, which take many forms since he is the father of all lies (JOH 8:44) and (as the saying goes), “Father knows best.” 1. father: 3. a. One who institutes, originates, calls into being; a constructor, contriver, designer, framer, originator. Also one who gives the first conspicuous or influential example of (an immaterial thing). 2. O.E.D. cites JOH 8:44 as an example of this definition. 3. Satan’s first conspicuous or influential example of a lie was his own delusion about his glory, in essence denying that he was a created being. EZE 28:11-17 c/w 1TI 3:6. 4. Satan’s first conspicuous or influential example of a lie to man was his mastery over Eve convincing her that God had withheld her from the fulness she could experience by an alternative to truth. GEN 3:1-6. C. The power of a lie is such that one can believe that it is the path of liberty, and “None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.” (J.W. von Goethe)

II. Truth makes us free. JOH 8:32. A. Truth is our first line of defense against Satan. EPH 6:14. B. Truth (when received and obeyed) sanctifies and purifies us. PSA 119:9; PRO 16:6; JOH 17:17; 1PE 1:22. C. If we have not a love of the truth, we are liable to be turned over to delusion. 2TH 2:10-11. D. Since delusion and deception are Satan's power over men, nothing less than repentance to the acknowledging of truth will set someone free. 2TI 2:25-26. 1. repent: To feel contrition, compunction, sorrow or regret for something one has done or left undone; to change one's mind with regard to past action or conduct through dissatisfaction with it or its results. 2. acknowledge: To own the knowledge of; to confess; to recognize or admit as true. E. The only truly free person is the person who is fed up with the lies that he has heard, the lies that he has read, and most of all the lies that he has been living and so submits himself completely to Christ and His truth. F. This process of acknowledging truth that leads to genuine liberty involves a need to be truthful about ourselves and our errors. G. Deception is essentially being enticed (by others or by one's own ignorance or carnality) to deem a lie an acceptable substitute for truth. H. We will never be at liberty until we stop deceiving ourselves about what constitutes right thought and action because deception blocks deliverance from bondage to a lie. ISA 44:20.

III. Our society is coming unravelled because it has departed from the concept of absolute truth. A. Rather than a deductive approach to truth (universal to particulars), we have an inductive approach (particulars to universals). B. Our society is based on opinions, polls, and data gathering, rather than ultimate truth. C. Man cannot begin from himself either individually or collectively and reason up to universal truth. ECC 3:11; PSA 40:5; 1CO 2:9-11. D. Direction for our lives does NOT proceed from ourselves. JER 10:23; PRO 3:5-6. E. ROM 1:19-32 describes what happens when men turn from the source of truth above himself and tries to reason from himself to truth. F. This issue distills down to the proposition that either the words of God or the words of man are ultimate truth.

IV. Scripture is the source of absolute truth coming from God down to man. PSA 119:89, 142, 151, 160. A. PSA 119:128 expresses the attitude we should have toward God's truth. B. The Psalmist had the relationship with God's word that He did because He loved God's word of truth. PSA119:47-48,97. C. As noted above, men open themselves up to delusion by not loving the truth. 2TH 2:9-12. D. A major obstacle to the truth is pride. The proud err from God’s commandments. PSA 119:21. 1. proud: Having or cherishing a high or lofty opinion of oneself; valuing oneself highly on account of one's position, rank, attainments, possessions, etc.; Usually in a bad sense: Disposed to take an attitude of superiority to and contempt for others... 2. Pride is at the root of disobedience. NEH 9:16-17. 3. Humility is submission to God. JAM 4:6-7. 4. We are to the follow Christ's example of humility. PHI 2:5-8. a. Jesus, Who is God, became a man. b. By contrast, rebellious man tries to become God. GEN 3:5. c. The example of Christ was one of submission of His will to the will of God. MAT 26:39. d. Christ is the way, the truth and the life (JOH 14:6). One cannot say he is a devotee of truth without conformity to the mind of Christ. 5. There are two religions: God is God or the creature is God. 6. There are two attitudes: God’s will be done or my will be done. 7. Choose wisely. The difference between these opposing concepts is the difference between a life of liberty and a life of bondage. E. (PSA 119:45) And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.

V. Christ is the wisdom of God (1CO 1:24). Beware of distortions and substitutes. A. Satan will use carnal wisdom and humanistic reasoning as he did with Eve. GEN 3:5-6. B. Paul says, “...the world by wisdom knew not God...” (1CO 1:21). c/w ROM 1:22. C. Paul purposed not to preach man's wisdom but to declare Christ. 1CO 2:1-5. D. We are warned against the spoiling characteristic of philosophy. COL 2:8. E. Humanistic wisdom, “oppositions of science falsely so-called” (1TI 6:20) can corrupt or destroy one's acknowledgment of the truth about God's existence, His power, His promises and His purpose for man and his environment. 1. It tends to make man the pinnacle of all things and therefore his own god. 2. It tends to assume that man is through gradual self-improvement attaining unto perfection and fulness without Christ. 3. It tends to reduce man to nothing more than a highly evolved animal locked in a chaotic struggle for survival which leads to expensive, futile and often fatal mechanisms for survival and personal peace. F. We must renounce the deification of human wisdom by ever subordinating it to the truth of God. ROM3:4;PSA119:128;LUK7:35.