What Do You Say?

I. God Loves Truth

A. The Creator leaves His mark on Creation. “But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” (Isaiah 64:8)

B. Truth is ultimately expressed in Jesus. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

C. The future is bright for those who turn to Jesus and all that He represents. “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” (John 10:9) “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)

II. Satan Is the Father of Lies

A. Satan lied and murdered from the start. “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44)

B. Satan shares in every human disaster, but falsehood is not so strong as truth. “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:1-7)

III. Your Allegiance Will Reveal Itself

A. Jesus set a pattern; speak the truth for those who unable to speak the truth for themselves. “Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” (Proverbs 31:8-9)

B. Believers will take up the cause of those who are unable to do so for themselves. “These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:” (Zechariah 8:16)

C. Doing unrighteousness to yield righteousness has nothing to do with Christ. “Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.” (Leviticus 19:15)

D. There is no way to mix truth and lies; ultimately there is no safe way to side with evil. “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.” (1 John 3:8-12)

E. Satan seeks recruits; take nothing for granted. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (1 Peter 5:8)

F. Will you share in the triumph of truth? “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Proverbs 4:18)

Close to Correct

Deuteronomy 6:1-25; Mark 12:28-34 / Proverbs 21:1-31

I. What Matters in Life?

A. An intellectual asked Jesus to identify the foundation of Christianity; where does the religious journey begin? “And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?” (Mark 12:28)

B. The question reminds a thinker of the Shorter Catechism--What is the chief end of man? “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

II. The Answer Begins with God

A. The priority of God is the starting point for life; this insight is a pervasive feature of the Old Testament. “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:” (Mark 12:29) “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39) The Shema is recited twice daily.

B. Genuine love of God will fill every realm of life; heart refers to the center of all intellectual activity. “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” (Mark 12:30)

C. Just as the cross has both vertical and horizontal dimensions, the love of God has two dimensions. “And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:31)

D. Disrespect for the image of God, man, is inherently disrespect for God; a believer who loves God must consequently love the image of God. “Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” (James 3:9-10)

III. The Intellectual Was Pleased with Jesus

A. The intellectual approved of monotheism; Jesus had the right answers. “And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:” (Mark 12:32)

B. Being right from the start is far better than repairing what has failed. “And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (Mark 12:33)

C. God demands comprehensive devotion at every level; everything in life flows from how a person interprets reality. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

IV. Close Is Not Enough

A. While the man had the right idea, something was missing. “And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.” (Mark 12:34)

B. The exchange demonstrated that right answers are not enough; only God can give new life to the dead. “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20) “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” (Romans 3:10)

C. Jesus was about to demonstrate on the cross exactly what these two commandments meant. “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:7-12)

D. Fulfill these two commandments in your own life by seeking and nurturing the signs of a transformed life in yourself and others. “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.” (1 John 3:23-24)