The Battle for Truth

Speaker: Pastor Darin Browne

1 John 4:1-4
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Truth is in short supply these days! Of recent days the term “fake news”, which is defined as “false information that is broadcast or published as news for fraudulent or politically motivated purposes”, is common. What we are seeing is both social media and traditional media being weaponised to push a political agenda, in much the same way Goebbels weaponised his propaganda in 1930s Germany, and we are left to battle for truth.

We have especially seen it in sickening operation around Charlie Kirk’s martyrdom, where sound bites, small segments of what he said, have been taken out of context and twisted to serve their own narrative, accusing a dead man of racism and sexism to try and soil his name. Listen to the full debates you will find that he was nothing of the sort!

With the rise of AI and fake news, we as Christians need to be more discerning than ever before in history, and John’s warning is more prevalent today than ever before!

HOW FALSITY IS WEAPONISED

What we are seeing now is that untruths can be weaponised to serve a sinister purpose. We live in a world that dresses up lies to look like truth, to try force you towards a certain conclusion or opinion.

Isaiah 5:20
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Twenty years ago, the difference between a man and woman were obvious. Fifty years ago, murdering a baby was unthinkable. But today, this world delights in calling something evil, like the murder of babies, good. Something dark, like the mutilation of a child, as something that is light, they call it gender diversity or dysphoria. This world calls bitter, something like the murder of a righteous man, sweet, that Charlie got what his rhetoric deserved. This world is messed up. But how does this evil world do this?

1. PITHY PHRASES

Note the words evil men and women use. They use pithy phrases rather than facts.

So, it’s not global warming, it’s climate change. Now it’s not gay or homosexual marriage, it’s marriage equality. It’s not abortion or the murder of babies; it’s women’s reproductive rights. It’s not speaking truth and life to a homosexual or transgender; it’s conversion therapy, now illegal.

Psalms 64:2-4 (David said)
Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the throng of evildoers, who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows, shooting from ambush at the blameless, shooting at him suddenly and without fear.

Beware of those who use pithy, catchy phrases instead of Biblical truth.

2. HALF-TRUTHS

From the beginning Satan used half-truths to entrap mankind. Half-truths involve just enough truth to make a lie seem less obvious or more appealing. Half-truths avoid what is meant, but they live in technicalities and portions of the truth.

Colossians 2:4
I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.

Half-truths sound plausible but are wrong. This is what they are doing to Charlie Kirk, taking a small portion of a quote and inferring something he never said.

Reverend Howard John Wesley accuses Charlie Kirk of being a racist, saying, “How you die does not redeem how you live.” But in context Charlie never made racist statements.
He said Charlie was racist because he was against DEI, diversity, equity and inclusion, which says companies have to hire a quota of black people. He cited United Airlines, who hope to raise the number of black pilots, saying, “I don’t want the pilot flying my plane because he’s black, I want him to be the best!”

Is speaking out against illegal immigration racist? Is caring enough to tell a transgender person the truth transphobic?

3. FALSE SCIENCE

We are asked to believe the science about so called climate change, despite paper thin evidence. We are told we must believe the science in evolution, despite zero tangible evidence of interspecies evolution. But strangely, when it comes to gender, we are told we must overlook science in favour of how someone feels. Science today us not about discovering truth, it’s about supporting a pre-existing viewpoint. Whether you feel you are a male or female, you are either XX or XY. Sorry, that’s science!

1 Timothy 6:20-21
O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.

4. USING LOVE TO EXCUSE LIES

We are seeing this falsehood all the time these days. It goes like this: I know the Bible says homosexuality is wrong, but God is a God of love. They tell us that God’s love excuses our sin!

1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,

They say God is love, therefore He accepts everyone, regardless of whether we are obedient or not. They sacrifice God’s truth and God’s holiness on the altar of His love. God balances justice and mercy, truth and grace. If you are all truth and no grace you become harsh and legalistic, but if you are all love and no truth, you become the Anglican or Uniting Church.

In this mixed up, non sensical world of half-truths and Facebook opinions, believers have to find a standard for real truth, not so-called truth designed to manufacture an agenda.

JOHN’S THREE TESTS

Johns implores us in 1 John 4 to test the spirits, because many are false.

1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

The Greek word for test is DOKI-MAZO, which means to examine, scrutinise and prove, and it was used in metallurgy to determine if a metal was pure, or an alloy, compromised. Just because a church leader says it, doesn’t make it true, because as Paul said…

2 Corinthians 11:14
for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

So, test everything, even what I say! John recognised the attack against the people of God, and against truth, and so he set out to provide a framework for recognising truth.

1. DO THEY ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS?

1 John 4:2
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

Does the teaching acknowledge the truth about Jesus? Jesus is God, and so this immediately knocks out many cults. Jehovah Witnesses say Jesus was a created being. Mormons claim Jesus was a brother of Lucifer, one of a pantheon of Gods. Islam recognises Jesus as a prophet. Either Jesus is God and central to the teaching, or it is the Spirit of the Antichrist, and false.

2. DO THEY LIVE A GODLY LIFE?

1 John 4:4-5
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.

The second test of teaching is this…does the teacher have a divine life? Is the one in them greater than the one in the world? Do they speak from the world’s opinion, or from God? Is the life they are living showing them overcoming the world, or compromising with it?

3. ARE THEY ENDORSED BY RESPECTED LEADERS?

1 John 4:6
We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

If someone produces a teaching or doctrine that runs contrary to most established church leaders, be wary! John is saying that the true Spirit of truth is one that established men of God accept, and error they do not accept. Beware of those saying, “I have a new revelation.”

DOES DOCTRINE DIVIDE?

In our day of watered-down doctrine and compromise, some believe we should not get hung up on doctrine. “Love is love,” is their mantra, and “Doctrine divides,” they say. We just all need to love everybody and get along. Let’s have an Oprah group hug and all sing “Kumbaya” around the ecumenical campfire. You don’t want to be intolerant and judgmental of people who don’t agree with you, do you?

That sounds modern, tolerant and appealing, does it not? It makes us popular with the media, but the fact of the matter is, true Christianity is inherently doctrinally intolerant. Jesus said…

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

There is no other way. Either Jesus is right or wrong. Either John 14:6 is true or false. Christianity is by definition a God-revealed religion whereby God says this is truth and that is error. God gets to make the rules. It is his world, it’s His Word, and He is truth, and His truth sets us free.

IS TRUTH ABSOLUTE?

Pilate asked, “What is truth,” and that is an even more valid question today. We live in a world where truth is subjective. Your truth might be different to my truth. It all depends on your opinion verses my opinion. Your way to truth, my way to truth.

Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

Some of the brightest people on the face on the earth are dead wrong and completely deluded about some things they believe and teach. It’s almost like…

2 Corinthians 4:4
The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Spiritual truth is not discerned or identified by reasoning alone. We have a standard to measure truth by!

Ephesians 4:14
so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

In 21st century Australia, we are watching before our eyes the church being dragged to and fro by every wind of satanic teaching, because they have abandoned their standard for truth. Having a standard for truth is not wrong, or racist, or homophobic, or even elitist, it makes sense because it gives grounding, and it is liberating. Yes, LIBERATING!

John 8:32
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

We must have a standard for truth, or nothing makes sense. If I told you I was 91.5 widgets tall, you would have no clue. I just made up the measurement widget. However, if you knew that one widget equals two centimetres, you’d then know that I was 182 cm, or six feet. Having a standard is not wrong, it’s essential for making sense of anything!

Constantly changing standards means constant confusion.

MEASURING TRUTH

Our standard must be the Word of God. Your opinion, my opinion, Albanese’s opinion, nothing has meaning unless we have a standard for truth. The Bible is how you discern truth from error today, the whole Bible, not a verse taken out of context or misapplied.

John 17:16-17
They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

Psalms 119:160
The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

Ignite Church, as long as I am pastor, will proclaim the Word of God as our measure of truth. So, we will adhere to the long celebrated and established doctrines of our faith, because that’s how we avoid error. We will not compromise our standard of truth in the Bible to accommodate the latest fad or inclusive teaching, or some new government law. We will balance love and truth!

BALANCING LOVE AND TRUTH

How do we balance love and truth? We must separate love for a person from condoning their actions. We must not hate the sin so much that we reject the person, but we also must not love the person so much that we accept the sin.

Galatians 1:10
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

So, if we want to be popular and please men, we will compromise truth to suit. If we want to be faithful, we must stand on God’s truth but do so with love and compassion. I choose faithful.

Ephesians 4:15
speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

In this world of great compromise, we must learn to speak truth in love. How?

1 Peter 3:15-16
but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy (true), always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame.

Here’s how to balance truth and grace. They are going to slander you if you stand for truth, but the righteousness of your life will make their actions appear shameful. Charlie Kirk.

1. HONOUR CHRIST AS LORD

Live a life that brings glory to Jesus. Compromising your lifestyle waters down your witness, so read His Word daily, learn His standards and truths, and be obedient. If you don’t know Him and honour Him, you will never stand for Him, you will be swayed and compromised by the standards of the evil world.

2. BE PREPARED TO MAKE A DEFENCE

I am amazed by Christians who are confused as to God’s truth about what the world wants us to compromise on. They say there are not sure about what God thinks of abortion, or homosexuality or transgenderism. They don’t know God or His Word enough and thus are confused and ill-prepared. Learn His truth, and it sets you free!

Then make a defence. This is not the time when we crawl away to a corner when these topics are debated. No, we have to make a rational, well thought out stand for truth, for what is right, just like Charlie! But…

3. DO THIS WITH GENTLENESS AND RESPECT

I have homosexual friends. They know that I believe they are wrong, and I say so, but they also know I am gentle and respectful. You can be strong and right, but also kind. You can disapprove of their actions or lifestyle but do so respectfully.

Is there anyone you meet regularly, maybe a family member, someone at the supermarket or a friend, whose lifestyle and beliefs you don’t approve of? Maybe their language is full of swear words, or their standards are worldly, maybe they have said things to hurt you, or spoken against you or God, or perhaps their lifestyle is offensive to you.

Instead of despising them, today I want to pray for those people, wherever they might be, and ask God for the opportunity to share the truth in love with them. Love prays for them, and rather than go head-to-head, front on assault with them on every issue, just shine your light, and pray for breakthrough.

Prayer
Proclamation
Persistence