“Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth.” (John 17:17)

Have you ever noticed that a lot of sermons are preached on the subject of “truth?” Of course you have. And I’ve written several editorials on that subject in the past. I believe that the reason we hear sermons about “truth” and I know that the reason that I’ve written about it is because it’s very important to our salvation. Guess what, we’re going to look at it again today because of that importance.

And, talking about preachers and sermons, I’ve also noticed that many of them are delivered in the “standard three-point and a conclusion” format. If it’s good enough for preachers, then it’s good enough for me, so that’s how we’re going to consider this lesson today.

If you look up the definition of “truth” you’ll find that it means something like “a representation of things as they are.” That’s generally what Webster and Merriam and other dictionary writers say that it is. As far as our lesson today is concerned, the best definition is what Jesus says that it is: “Thy word is truth.”

I mentioned earlier how important “truth” is and I’ll back up that statement by citing a passage to you from 1 Tim. 2:4 where it says: “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” That simply tells me that “truth” is necessary for salvation and that makes it pretty important, doesn’t it? And, backing that up, Peter says that we “purify” our “souls by obeying the truth…” (1Pet. 1:22)

OK, let’s get to our three-point lesson and it’s going to come to you in the form of three messengers, their messages and the results of their efforts. Following that, we’ll draw a conclusion and see if I can produce a scriptural lesson that, hopefully, will benefit us.

Our first point and our first messenger is none other than Noah, identified by Peter as being a “preacher of righteousness.” (2Pet. 2:5) When we read the 6th chapter of Genesis we see that Noah lived in a wicked and evil world. A world so bad that God says that “it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth…” and that He was “grieved in His heart” over this situation. (Gen. 6:6)

But, in the midst of all this evilness, we find that Noah “found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (6:8) This shows us that there had to be knowledge of God and His “truth” in the world at that time, it’s just that Noah and his family were the only ones believing in that “truth” and obedient to it.

So, what did Noah “preach” to the world around him? He did so by doing the same thing we are supposed to be doing today. He showed his faith, his belief in God’s “truth” by doing what God said for him to do. He built an ark, exactly how God said to build it and while the construction was taking place he “preached” to all of those who watched and heard him all those years spent in it’s building.

The results of his “preaching” was the saving of himself and his family when the deluge came and everyone else perished. I just wonder how many people must have seen and listened to Noah during those many years and rejected his teaching. Who had the opportunity to believe and change their ways. To believe the “truth” right in front of them and refused to do so.

My second messenger is another famous Biblical preacher by the name of Jonah. He was sent by God on a mission to “preach” the “truth” to the city of Ninevah. The Bible says that it was a “great city” but that it was also a very wicked city. God wanted the people living there to repent of their evil ways and save themselves from being destroyed.

Of course, Jonah wasn’t keen on doing this at first and tried to avoid the mission and, well you all know the story, God had a special way of persuading him to do his duty and it worked. He got to Ninevah and immediately began preaching (Jonah 3:4) the “word of the Lord.” At this point I want to remind you of the thought that we started with? – that God’s word is “truth” and then we’ll look at the results of Jonah’s preaching.

Did his message work?” Absolutely! The whole city repented and turned from evil and guess what happened then? God “repented” from His plan to destroy the city. Here’s my next question: What saved them? Answer – they heard the “truth,” believed it, repented from their evil ways and were saved. Don’t you think that if Noah’s “congregation” had believed his preaching they would have been like the “congregation” at Ninevah – SAVED? I do.

Now for our 3rd point and messenger. That, of course, will be Jesus Christ and His preaching to the Jews. To say Jesus was a preacher doesn’t adequately describe the scenario of what took place. He was the living, breathing, walking, talking visible example of God and His Word. He was the long-promised and long-awaited Messiah. He was God’s “Truth” in the flesh.

The results of His “preaching” to the “congregation” of the Jews can be summed up in the sad epilogue found in John 1:ll, “He came unto His own and His own received Him not.” Why didn’t they receive Him? One of the reasons is told us in John 9:29 where we find Jesus performing a miracle by healing a blind man and the Jews still not believing Him. They said, “We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we know not from whence He is.”

Don’t you find that revealing? That they could believe in Moses, whom they hadn’t seen and yet not believe in Jesus who had just proven that He was from God by His miracle. Here’s why I think this was so with the Jews. To believe in Moses and the other prophets of their past didn’t require any repentance or change of ways on their part. But, to believe in Jesus would require them to make some changes and they weren’t willing to do that. Jesus was preaching a “truth” that they refused to believe. They rejected the actual “Truth.”

What a sad footnote is seen regarding their lack of faith in Jesus’ comments as He lamented over the city of Jerusalem. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not. See, your house is left to you desolate. For you will not see me again, until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Matt. 23:37-39)

Now, as promised, the conclusion. Who is the messenger today? If you said, “The Church” you’re absolutely correct. And, who is the Church? Right again – Us. Proof of this conclusion is found in Eph. 3:10-11: “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God. According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We are to continue the preaching of Noah, of Jonah, of Jesus Christ to a wicked and evil world. We do this by showing the world the evidence of our belief, our faith, by doing as God’s Word (The Truth) tells us to do. And by doing so, we might have influence on whatever little part of the world is ours, with the result that souls will be “sanctified” by the “Truth.”

Respectfully submitted,

Ron Covey