Does It Matter What I Believe?

Text: I Kings 18:25-40

 

I.         When Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal in I Kings 18

            A.        It wasn’t that the false prophets were insincere or had no belief at all

            B.        They cut themselves, danced in a frenzy, and spent a day calling on their god.

            C.        If all you needed was sincerity and faith, they had it. But their faith was in something that did not exist.

II.        Truth is knowable

            A.        Truth is what actually exists - John 8:31-32

            B.        If you claim that truth doesn’t exist, then you are claiming to know a truth – but you said it doesn’t exist. Claiming there is no truth is self-contradictory and therefore false.

            C.        Thus, truth is attainable

                        1.         Jesus said that God’s word is truth - John 17:17

                        2.         David said that God can teach the truth to men - Psalms 25:5,8-9

                        3.         Paul said that by reading we can understand - Ephesians 3:4

                        4.         In fact, we are commanded to understand God’s will - Ephesians 5:17

III.       Truth is narrow

            A.        The road to heaven is narrow - Matthew 7:13-14

            B.        Truth is limited to reality, so there can only be one truth - John 14:6

            C.        Truth is not subjective to the person, but is objective

                        1.         Otherwise there would be many truths

            D.        Truth doesn’t change with time. What was true in the past remains true.

                        1.         Again, otherwise there would be many truths

IV.      Truth must be loved

            A.        Some don’t have a love for truth, so they don’t recognize it - II Thessalonians 2:11-12

            B.        We have to seek truth - Proverbs 3:13-15

            C.        With such a desire for truth, ...

                        1.         We won’t attempt to change it - Proverbs 30:5-6

                        2.         We will handle it properly - II Timothy 2:15

                        3.         We will rejoice in truth - I Corinthians 13:6

                        4.         We will speak truth - Ephesians 4:24

                        5.         We will think on truth - Philippians 4:8

                        6.         We will keep truth with us - Proverbs 3:3

V.        Truth is binding

            A.        If we love the truth, then we will change ourselves to keep ourselves in line with the truth

            B.        At times I hear people who say they don’t believe everything that their church teaches, but they continue to attend anyway.

                        1.         There will always be variances because we all are constantly learning.

                        2.         But if there are major differences between what a church teaches and what the truth says, then the person is not being honest with the truth

            C.        II John 9-11 - Without the truth, you do not have God

            D.        The truth will judge us - John 12:48

            E.        We don’t want to be among the condemned - II Thessalonians 2:11-12