The Week in Review

“The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth”
Originally preached by Jewel D. Williams
at Faith COG 8/06(Part IV)

Modern day false prophets – I have to tell you, it saddens my heart to hear so many of the popular preachers on television today that are teaching this softer, gentler Jesus. I mean the Jesus they preach doesn’t have any backbone! Who wants to serve a God that can’t tell you what is right and wrong? Who wants to serve a God that just lets you do what ever you want? We might all say, I wouldn’t mind, but be real, how much respect would you have for your parent if you knew you were doing wrong and they just let you get away with it? You would think they were weak, marshmallows. We have churches filled with thousands of people listening Sunday after Sunday to messages by preachers telling the people that God loves them, and that he only wants the good for them, and that he wants them to have everything they want. Please someone tell me the scripture verse that agrees with that. See the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth says,

“Beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” Roman 12:1 or how about “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” Luke 14:27. The truth of God’s word tells us that you must count the cost of our salvation in him, and that while we cannot save ourselves, we must live completely for him, which calls for us to die to ourselves, our own ideas and our own desires. So I’m not going to preach to you some cotton candy message with no meat in it. That’s what I call those messages that preach no repentance of sin, cotton candy messages. After the message you wait for the choir to get up and sing, don’t worry be happy. That stuff might sound good for a while, but start going through a hard place, and see if that cotton candy will sustain you. You’ll be looking for some meat to sustain you through those hard times. We also have those that preach you can accomplish salvation through your own works. Just give up a few bad habits and you’ll be just fine. You can’t give up bad habits and be fine. You need cleansing from you sins, and that is what preachers are commanded to preach, “Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” – Luke 24:46-47

When I first accepted my call to the preaching ministry in ’04, I asked God what do you require of me? I had many tell me, you have to say things in love and not be harsh or too abrupt. You have to make sure you are careful. So I was becoming confused, because that is not how God would send me. He told me to go to the book of Jeremiah. I went on what I call a Jeremiah journey for 8 months. I came back from that place with this important understanding. I have to say what God tells me not matter what your faces look like. He already knows whom he is sending me to. He knows the hardheaded people in the bunch. He knows those that are ready to hear and receive. He knows those that might want to stone the messenger. But don’t get mad with me, I’m just the messenger; get mad at the sender of the message. I am held accountable to God for what I am required to tell you.

So then what is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Just as I mentioned early, it is that Jesus died to take away our sins so we could stand righteous and justified before God. Jesus death and resurrection was to do a two-fold thing.

“But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water” – John 19:34 The blood shed from Christ was for the forgiveness of sin. The people of God in the Old Testament had to sacrifice animals that were the first male, without blemish or defect, over and over again for the sins of the people, but it was not a permanent thing, yet the blood of Jesus, that lamb without spot, or blemish was done once and for all. His blood was shed to forgive sins. The water that came from his side represented the cleansing we need. We do an injustice to people when they get saved, by making the gospel hard to follow because of our own ideas that we place on them. This is also what Paul is speaking to, those that were adding ritualistic ideas for the people to keep, putting a heavy yoke of bondage on them. The truth is this; the day we get saved we are new. The old man is dead and now we are a new creature in Christ Jesus. Yet, even thou we are new, we still have something that has stayed with us, our flesh. And in that flesh dwelleth no good thing. So how do we connect this new creature with this no good flesh? That is where the cleansing process comes in. Daily God is molding us into vessels of honor. The day you get saved all your old habits won’t disappear. What you do is begin to seek God so that he will begin the process of removing not only the old habits, but also the desires for those old habits. Old habits are not just smoking, and drinking. There are some saints still sitting Sunday after Sunday raising holy hands, yet if you look closer they are tainted. They still have old habits they should have let go of years ago. That’s why some are still on milk and not on the stronger meat of the word. Habits like anger, being unforgiving, and no tongue control (that think flaps every time it gets a chance). Sometimes that tongue flaps so much it looks like it is having a seizure. Habits of being selfish and mean, habits that should not be dwelling within if you have the spirit of God there.

Reflection: Do you believe you can live a holy life? Do you believe that old habits can be changed or do you believe this is just the way you are?

Come back next week for part V of the message, The Truth, the Whole Truth and nothing but the Truth. If you missed part III of this message look under “Week in Review” on April 27, 2008 to read it.