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 “Can You Handle the Truth?”

 

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We have begun a new series entitled: “The Inner Ear of the Spirit.” It's vitally important to be able to “hear” – and, in a spiritual sense it means more than just to listen.

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Today I want to talk about “truth” - the world today knows nothing of truth - there is no absolute truth to the world. It's a world of double speak, innuendo, denial; and refusal to answer. So, truth is in short supply. But if we are listening to the voice of the Spirit, you must be able to handle the truth. That is, accept it and be obedient to it.

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John 16: 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth;

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We're looking at a story today from 2 Chronicles 18 - It's a story of two kings. The nation of Israel is now divided, Israel to the north; Judah to the south. Ahab, the king of the north, is an ungodly king who takes an idolatrous wife, Jezebel from the Sidonians. In the southern kingdom of Judah; Jehoshaphat is on the throne – a good king, he wants to serve God. And as a result of that God blesses him with peace, honor and riches.

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But something changes – success and prosperity will often do that; it leads to arrogance and forgetting that God is enough. And so, he goes looking for additional security through other worldly alliances. He makes an alliance with Ahab - and is pressured through his alliance into going to war with Ahab. But when he gets into battle, he realizes that he should have listened to the voice of truth that told him not to go. The enemy surrounds him, and in desperation he cries out to the Lord, who rescues him.

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It's happened to me and probably you…we start to listen to other voices, and are oblivious to the voice of the Spirit and we get in deep trouble - relationship issues, house sales, issues with children, job situations - we didn't go to the Lord for guidance, but now we're crying out in our trouble. And God in His grace and mercy, even though we don't deserve it, delivers us. And that’s why we need to be cautious with our alliances…our relationships.

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We can either join ourselves to God, the truth of the Word of God, and the people of God or we can ally ourselves to someone who has no regard for God or His Word and suffer the consequences.