BUY THE TRUTH

Prov 23:23, "Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding."

This verse advises that "truth" with its "wisdom," "instruction," and "understanding" be purchased and preserved whatever the effort or cost, whether friends, status, possessions, or even life itself.

TRUTH CAME THROUGH JESUS

John 1:14, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."… {17} "For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ."

President Abraham Lincoln loved to employ this brain-teaser to make a point to constituents. He would ask, "How many legs would a sheep have if you called his tail a leg?" Naturally, they would meekly respond, "Five." "Wrong! You are mistaken. The sheep would still have just four legs. Calling something a leg doesn't make it so." The Cross is God's truth about us, and therefore it is the only power which can make us truthful. When we know the Cross, we are no longer afraid of the truth. Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945)

TRUTH COSTS MOVEMENT

We most move from where we are toward the Truth.

John 3:20-21, ""For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. {21} "But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.""

THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE

John 8:31-32, "Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; {32} and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.""

Are we ready for the responsibility that comes with freedom?

WE MUST CHOOSE WHAT TO SERVE

Rom 6:16-23, "Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? {17} But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, {18} and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. {19} I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. {20} For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. {21} Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. {22} But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. {23} For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

TRUTH COST YOU LORDSHIP OF YOUR LIFE

Luke 6:46, ""And why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?"

1. We sing Sweet Hour of Prayer and are content with 5-10 minutes a day.

2. We sing Onward Christian Soldiers and wait to be drafted into His service.

3. We sing O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing and don't use the one we have.

4. We sing There Shall be Showers of Blessing but do not come when it rains.

5. We sing Blest Be the Tie That Binds and let the least little offense sever it.

6. We sing Serve the Lord With Gladness and gripe about all we have to do.

7. We sing I Love To Tell the Story and never mention it at all.

8. We sing We're Marching to Zion but fail to march to worship or school.

9. We sing Cast Thy Burden on the Lord and worry ourselves into a nervous breakdown.

10. We sing The Whole Wide World for Jesus and never invite our next-door neighbor.

11. We sing O Day of Rest and Gladness and wear ourselves on traveling, cutting grass or playing golf on Sunday.

12. We sing Throw Out the Lifeline and content ourselves with throwing out a fishing line.

THE TRUTH COSTS YOU YOUR PRIDE

James 3:14, "But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth."

TRUTH COST TRUST IN RICHES

1 Tim 6:6-12, "But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. {7} For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. {8} And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. {9} But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. {10} For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang. {11} But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. {12} Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

TRUTH COST WORK

Rom 14:19, "So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another."

TRUTH COSTS SELF-CONTROL

1 Cor 9:19-27, "For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more. {20} And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law, though not being myself under the Law, that I might win those who are under the Law; {21} to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law. {22} To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. {23} And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a fellow partaker of it. {24} Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. {25} And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. {26} Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; {27} but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified."

THE TRUTH REQUIRES HUMILITY AND SACRIFICE

Luke 9:23-25, "And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. {24} "For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. {25} "For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?"

Phil 2:5-8, "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, {6} who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, {7} but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. {8} And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Whales really do communicate with each other. One whale sounded the following caution to his dear mate: "Better watch it; when you get to the top and start to blow, that's when you get harpooned!" What's true at sea is also true in our world.

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