Message summary:   Are you on the side of truth?

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“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me”. “’What is truth?’ Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, ‘I find no basis for a charge against Him (Jesus Christ)’” (John 18:37,38).

One of the great casualties of our increasing drift from a foundation of Biblical morality is truthfulness.

Psalm 51:6 states, "Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being". Today let us examine a lesson from Christ’s final hours before His sacrificial death on Calvary.

The last person recorded in Scripture to have a one-on-one conversation with Jesus prior to His death was Pilate. It’s plausible that Christ might have spoken to others on the Via Dolorosa and many are familiar with His last words from the cross. But His last recorded conversation was with Pilate.

This conversation so typifies humanity’s response to Jesus. Pilate is an enigma. On the one hand he was very reluctant about proceeding with the conviction, sensing that Jesus was not guilty with his famous words, “I find no fault in this man” (Luke 23:4). But on the other hand he was a typical politician “wanting to satisfy the crowd” (Mark 15:15), thereby developing his helpful alliance with Herod; “that day Herod and Pilate became friends” (Luke 23:12).

Today let us especially consider just these timeless words that Jesus said to Pilate, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me”. What a timeless truth!

Foundationally there is:

It seems that many want to remain neutral in the cosmic battle between truth and error, good and evil. After all, making a determination requires making a judgment. And that may not seem nice!

But you cannot faithfully stay neutral! Jesus said "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other" (Matthew 6:24).

One of the great spiritual responsibilities we have is exercising discernment and teaching those whom we influence to do so as well. There is a cacophony of voices that call out for us to go against the truth. We are exposed to these voices at all ages, but our youth are particularly vulnerable.  We need to constantly commit to hearing the voice of God, foundationally through His authoritative, inspired, and inerrant Word, the Holy Scriptures.

We firmly believe we have entered a period in history prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11. “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

We certainly want to be on the side of truth and thus I want to hear the voice of truth. I also want to take pleasure in hearing and speaking truth and bristle when lies are being spewed at me. May the Lord give us discernment to truly tune in so that we listen and heed His voice today! Let us listen to the One who is the author of Truth, even if it goes against the answers we prefer to hear!

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

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