Last week we talked about being people “of the truth”. In John 18:37 Jesus says, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” According to Jesus, He was born to bear witness to the truth. He came to put truth on display. Jesus says in John 14:6 that He is the truth. He embodies the truth, He speaks the truth, His actions display the truth. If you want to know what truth is, you look to Jesus. He is the standard of truth by which everything else is measured. In John 10:10, Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” 1 John 3:8 says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” In John 8:44, Jesus says the devil is a lying murderer. Jesus is the Truth by which we receive life and destroy lies.
This past weekend, we celebrated Independence Day. 250 years ago, our Constitutional Republic, the United States of America, began with a Declaration of Independence from tyranny. That declaration was founded on a deep belief in God and truth. When they wrote the Declaration of Independence, they used language like:
- “God entitle them”
- “We hold these truths to be self-evident”
- “all men are created”
- “they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights”
Our founding fathers based the formation of our government upon the shared conviction that God and truth exist, that God created mankind, and that God has good intentions for mankind. Our forefathers would be completely shocked at our modern culture. They would be shocked by our rejection of God and our rejection of truth. They would be shocked by how we use language to obscure reality and by our indifference to truth.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled on protecting women’s sports. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, “Men and boys with gender dysphoria are not women or girls, even if they believe that they are. Sex is an immutable, ‘biological’ characteristic; it is binary; and ‘man’ and ‘woman,’ ‘boy’ and ‘girl,’ are the terms that correspond to adults and children of each sex. To use language to obscure reality—to show ‘indifference regarding the truth’—is to lie to the public and cease to treat our fellow citizens ‘as equal[s].’”
It seems crazy to me that these words are so necessary today: “To use language to obscure reality—to show ‘indifference regarding the truth’—is to lie…” Indifference to truth is the same as lying, but we are surrounded by influencers who are not only indifferent but intentionally obscuring truth. Obscure means to make something hard to see. If I get in your face and wave my arms, I make it difficult for you to see. Go to the mall and look around. How many people’s phones obscure the world around them?
Ephesians 2:2 says that this world follows “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience”. The devil has real power and his power is lying. His lies are in the air all around the world, and they are inhaled and breathed-out by the sons of disobedience.
When someone embraces and professes lies, they become a “Wormtongue”. Do you know who Wormtongue is? There is a famous scene in “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”, in which the corrupt advisor Wormtongue whispers lies into the ear of the king of Rohan. Wormtongue is aptly named because his speech worm’s into the king’s brain. He uses his words like a dark spell to keep the king weak and confused. Gandalf (the good-guy) silences Wormtongue, breaks the spell, and liberates the king. This is a fantasy illustration of a true Biblical incident, and it’s something very common —demonic liars slither into positions of influence, blocking and perverting the truth. They intentionally obscure truth in order to deceive and manipulate. We must ask ourselves if we’ve allowed Wormtongues into our lives through relationships and social media.
Acts 13:6-12 ESV — When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time. ” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
In Cyprus, the Roman governor requested to meet with Paul and Barnabas. Acts 13:7 says he was an intelligent man that wanted to hear what they were preaching. Unfortunately, a false prophet and magician named Bar-Jesus was in the governor’s entourage. As Paul and Barnabas shared the truth, Bar-Jesus opposed them with his manipulative lies.
People turn to prophets, wisemen, and magicians in search of knowledge. This exploded during the COVID days as people felt powerless, ignorant, and betrayed. They turned to news anchors, professional “experts”, and social media influencers who promised to provide truth, greater knowledge, and hidden secrets. Now our society is beginning to turn to Artificial Intelligence.
Remember, Jesus says, “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 1 John 4:5 (ESV) says, “They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.” Matthew 24:24, Jesus says, “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” Wormtongues actually operate according to the spirit of this world in order to lead people away from truth. And the world listens to them. If you belong to the truth, you listen to the Word of God.
Acts 13:9-10 ESV — But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?”
Isn’t it interesting that the sorcerer’s name was Bar-Jesus, which can be translated as “son of salvation”. Yet Paul called him “son of the devil” because in reality he lived to keep people from entering salvation. Bar-Jesus was actually an adversary of Jesus. Who is your source of truth? Do you belong to the Truth or do you belong to the world? To whom do you give an open ear? Are you continually testing what’s being communicated? Does it agree with Scripture? Is the Word of God your standard of measurement?
Some people are ignorant because they don’t know the truth, and some are malicious because they reject the truth. To those who seek the truth, we speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). To those who reject the truth and deceptively manipulate others, we speak the truth in love, but we also must confront in conviction and power. In the name of Jesus, we silence and separate the spirit of “Wormtongue” so that we can then liberate and heal others with the truth.
2 Timothy 4:1-4 ESV — I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
Are we choosing to live in the Word or to live in myths? There are those who will not endure truth, and they will choose to immerse themselves in a fantasy world of lies. They choose to live a lie and to embrace the algorithm that endorses that lie. In these last days, many will choose Wormtongue over truth. But that does not stop us as Kingdom agents and followers of Christ from doing what we’re charged to do: preach the word. This can sound intimidating, but preach just means to profess or proclaim. We are all responsible for speaking truth in order to reprove, rebuke, and exhort.
- Reprove means to expose. Truth is like a spotlight that exposes lies for what they are. Lies are revealed by speaking the Word of God.
- Rebuke means to give authoritative correction. Remember that Bar-Jesus was making crooked the straight paths of the Lord. Lies take us off course, and if we’re off course we need a hard correction. It’s not to hurt your feelings. It’s to save you from destruction. Lives are corrected by speaking the Word of God.
- Exhort is to partner with someone in order to strengthen, encourage, or comfort them. By speaking truth, we strengthen and heal those who were harmed by the lies. Love is demonstrated by speaking the Word of God.
Lies are revealed by speaking the Word of God. Lives are corrected by speaking the Word of God. Love is demonstrated by speaking the Word of God. 2 Timothy 4:2 says that you and I must always be ready to do this. Are you ready right now to speak truth? If not, what in your life needs to change? What would right steps of preparation look like? Are you willing to begin those steps today?
Recently I’ve been really encouraged by some of our young adults because they’ve been doing a 75-day challenge to improve their health and lifestyle. They’ve committed with each other to eat better, exercise, and cut out unhealthy habits. We must also make an intentional commitment to studying and speaking the Word. Together, let’s make this moment a line in the sand. Grab one of your spiritual siblings and declare, “I’m ready to get ready!” Today we prioritize the Word so we’ll be ready to speak the Word.
Seeking His face!
Matt
Matt Neese
Wellspring.Live
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