Why Wouldn't the Jews Believe the Truth?

Tom:

Well if you are new to this program; maybe if you started from the beginning of today’s program, you saw that we have segments and this segment we try to get right into the scriptures.We are going through the gospel of John.We are going through verse by verse and that’s our encouragement to all who are listening to search the scriptures daily.You’ve got to read God’s Word to have an idea of what he has in mind.

Dave:

Well if we really believe this is God’s Word, which we do—

Tom:

And it will prove itself.

Dave:

We can prove it, right.Then what could be more important than to read and heed what God has said?

Tom:

Amen Dave.We are in John:8:45And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
See All....Jesus has been addressing the Jewish people and among them some Jewish leaders, religious leaders who are not exactly happy with what he had to say.So in verse 45 he says, “And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.”

Dave:

Tom, that’s one of the most staggering indictments, not just to these people, but of all of us.What Jesus is saying is you would apparently believe anything that I would tell you, any fancy tale, but the one thing you won’t face up to is the truth.And you don’t like what I say because it’s the truth.Because the truth is the very last thing you want to hear.Tom that’s a horrible indictment of the human heart.

Tom:

And Dave, it doesn’t make sense.Jesus said earlier in what, verse 31 or 32, that the truth will set them free.

Dave:

Right, hmmm.Tom, look, let’s just put it in practical matters.Look, you and I are lousy writers, but we try.And I say, I’ve just written something okay?And I would like you to look it over and tell me what you think about—I don’t want you to tell me how bad it is.

Tom:

Dave, I’m writing this month’s article and maybe the next two.Is this for my sake?

Dave:

Yes, but you know that’s in our hearts.

Tom:

Right.

Dave:

See I’d rather that you would flatter me a little bit, but the truth hurts.We have that saying.The truth hurts, but it’s beneficial.

Tom:

Right.

Dave:

No pain, no gain they say.So Jesus is trying—well he’s not trying, he is giving them the truth.They don’t want to hear it and just going back over it very quickly for those who haven’t been following us, it says that “…as he spake these words many believed on him.”These are people who supposedly believed he’s the Messiah and yet when he says he wants to set them free they say they’ve never been in bondage to anybody.They are under the heel of Rome.But he’s not even talking about that.He wants to set them free from themselves.

Tom:

Right.

Dave:

From sin that dwells within them and they don’t want to hear that.They want to be set free from the Romans to whom they say they are not in bondage, but that’s the Messiah they are hoping for on a white horse with a flashing sword leading an army that will chase the Romans out of their country.That’s the freedom that they are looking for.Jesus says that’s not what you need.What you need is to get right with God and basically what Jesus is—if you want to read between the lines, what he is saying is that if you would go back and read your prophets you would know that it is your disobedience to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that has brought this upon you.It’s because you have rebelled against him that you have these problems now.That you are dominated by the Romans and so forth.So he says look, I am trying to tell you the truth guys.And that’s the last thing you want to hear.

Tom:

And he goes on with that.“Which of you convinceth me of sin?And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?

Dave:

Tom, that’s such a question.Don’t you want the truth?I’m trying to tell you the truth and that relates to everything we’ve been talking about on this program.The pagans don’t want to know the truth.Christians try to force it on them.But isn’t this the way it is?In fact [in] our universities it’s popular to deny that there is such a thing as truth.

Tom:

Right.

Dave:

Relativism is—

Tom:

They call it postmodernism.

Dave:

It is the mode of the day.A denial of absolutes.There are absolutely no absolutes.

Tom:

And that’s connected to ecumenism, or as they say in academic circles ecu-menism.

Dave:

And they say don’t push your truth on me.That’s what people say.Or what’s true for you okay, but it’s not true for me.I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it on this program, but my oldest son is a philosophy professor and in the introductory philosophy class one of the things he says to the class, well he gives the class a little test.He finds out that about 20% of them coming into the class believe that truth is absolute and about 80% believe it is relative.So he says look, if you can point out a truth that is true for you and not for me, truth that is true here, but not somewhere else in the universe I will give you an A in this course and you don’t have to do anything else.He says by the end of the course, he has reversed it.He hasn’t convinced everyone, but now about 80% believe truth is absolute and about 20% still don’t.Look, truth is truth.If it’s the truth, you can’t change it.It doesn’t get modernized.It doesn’t get revised.Jesus said, “I am THE truth and scriptures says that Jesus Christ is THE same yesterday, today and forever.Do you want to know the truth?Do I want to know the truth?Yes, I want to know Him who is the truth.Well don’t you know him?Yes, but I want to know him better and Paul cried out, “Oh that I might know him and the power of his resurrection.”That should be the passion of our hearts.The psalmist said, “As the deer pants after the water brook, so panteth my soul after thee O God.”I remember Pascal said, I count only two people rational, the man who loves God with all his heart, and mind, and soul because he has come to know him; or the man who seeks God with all his heart because as yet he doesn’t know him.But he seeks him, he knows God exists.Jesus said I am THE truth; thy Word is truth—we are studying the scriptures.This is the Word of truth the Bible says, but these people didn’t want to know the truth and that is the tragedy.

Tom:

Dave, give us a simple, as simple as you can, definition of truth.Because I know people who are confused by that.

Dave:

Tom, there is an eight volume—it’s been a long time since I looked at it—compendium on philosophy.I think it has three lines on truth; how to talk about it.You can’t give a definition of truth any more than I can give a definition of justice because justice depends upon God who is just.Truth depends upon God who is the truth.However, the truth—we talked enough about it last week I think.We get enough about it in scripture.Jesus said in John 14 I am going away and I will send you a comforter, even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive and in John:16:13Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
See All... he says, “When he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will lead you into ALL truth.”And he says to the Father, “thy Word is truth,” in his prayer in John:17:17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
See All..., “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”Now we know that truth is something very special.It sets free.He said “if you continue in my word and you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”So we know that THE truth comes only from the Word of truth, God’s Word.It comes only from the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive.You have to be born again by the Spirit of God to know the truth of God.It doesn’t come from book learning; it doesn’t come through education.We’re not talking about knowledge; we’re not talking about scientific facts.We’re talking about THE truth which is Jesus Christ himself which is contained only in the Word of truth and is known only by the inspiration of the Spirit of truth who wrote the Word of truth and it comes to those who are born-again of the Spirit of God.Now that’s not a definition and I can’t give you a definition of it, but I can tell you what it isn’t and who reveals it.Paul in 1 Corinthians 2 says the carnal mind is at enmity against God and it’s not subject to the law of God.You can’t know the things of God.The things of God are only revealed by the Holy Spirit.Now we want to be careful.The gospel that Christ died, that we are sinners, that we’ve broken God’s laws, that because of that his judgment is due to come upon us, we all know that.Every human being knows that in his conscience and that Christ died for our sins, was crucified, dead, buried, and rose again the third day according to the scriptures, that’s something that every person can believe.And once they believe that, then they are born of the Spirit of God.Then they can get insights into the Word of God.This is why an atheist who’s trying to analyze the Bible doesn’t get anywhere.Because he doesn’t know the One who wrote this book.

Tom:

Dave, wouldn’t truth—wouldn’t a sort of definition that it’s who God is, what he says, and what he does?Is that too simplistic?

Dave:

Well that’s fine—the truth about God, but it’s not defining truth.

Tom:

No, but just to get a handle on it, in other words that’s the reference.Outside of that reference it’s just what man makes up.

Dave:

That’s right.And that’s what we want to know Tom and that’s what we want to study.This is what we want to talk about to others.Not our ideas, but what God has said.