Last week we looked at the name Phos. This name of Christ taught us that Jesus is the Light and in this name of Christ we learned how very infinite He is…

This past Monday in Co-op chapel we looked at Aletheia.

This is another favorite name of my Jesus…

Aletheia is Greek for Truth. Jesus is the Son, He is the Last Adam, He is the Tree of Life, He is the Light, and He is the Truth.

 

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us,

and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father,

full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

For the Law was given through Moses;

grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
John 1:17

Now let me take a little side trip here as we look at this verse… the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Christ… grace and truth does not mean that Jesus came to give us permission to ignore and break the Law with a grace override… Titus 2:11-12 makes it pretty clear, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,” You see the grace and truth realized in Christ is the power to walk in the Law not the permission to break it.

Jesus came to show us that truth is not an opinion… it is not a law… it is indeed a person… He is the Truth in the flesh. When He stood before Pilate after He had been accused and abused… Pilate questioned Him and Jesus answered him and told him that He came into the world to testify to the truth and everyone who is of the truth hears His voice… Pilate looked at Him and asked “What is truth?”

We have no record of Jesus’ reply… Jesus remained silent…  the Truth was looking Pilate in the face… Truth was standing right in front of him…

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life ;

no one comes to the Father but through Me.
John 14:6

Jesus is Aletheia. 

The definition of Aletheia is this:

objectively
what is true in any matter under consideration
truly, in truth, according to truth
of a truth, in reality, in fact, certainly

what is true in things appertaining to God and the duties of man, moral and religious truth
in the greatest latitude
the true notions of God which are open to human reason without his supernatural intervention

the truth as taught in the Christian religion, respecting God and the execution of his purposes through Christ, and respecting the duties of man, opposing alike to the superstitions of the Gentiles and the inventions of the Jews, and the corrupt opinions and precepts of false teachers even among Christians

and here’s my favorite…

subjectively
truth as a personal excellence
that candour of mind which is free from affection, pretence, simulation, falsehood, deceit

We live in a day that sings to us from childhood to let our “heart” be our guide… to let our “feelings” make our decisions for us… Truth is not dictated by our hearts or feelings… our hearts and feelings are usually way off from truth… they are the very last things on this earth that we should be letting guide us.

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,

But he who walks wisely will be delivered.

Proverbs 28:26

The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?

Jeremiah 17:9

 

We have to let the Truth come in and renew our mind and then let this renewed mind direct our hearts… if the Truth is not driving our hearts we are in trouble.

It is the Truth that sets us free…

and you will know the truth,
and the truth will make you free
John 8:32

It is the truth that sets us free because it was believing the lie that first put us in bondage.

Indeed, has God said…
Genesis 3:1

Indeed has God said…

God had said and a sneaky serpent snuck up and said has God said? He offered up a lie. He gave Eve an ultimatum… believe God or believe him. She believed the lie. She shared the lie… and Adam believed the lie instead of God… and in bondage to sin the world became. Chains.

It all goes back to the same lie… I love how Voddie Bauchman put it…

That’s what it goes back to. God is just not enough. “I need ???, regardless of whether ??? meets these requirements that God has set, because God is just not enough. God just doesn’t understand, and I need something other than God. There is something out there that is more powerful than God, and I’m answering to that and not to God.
~ Voddie Bauchman

Satan offered up the lie that God was holding out on Eve… that God was not enough… what He had supplied them was not enough… they needed more. They needed something outside of God to be satisfied. He offered up that God was the one who was lying… that His Word was not enough.

Eve bought it. Adam bought it… I bought it… Maybe you have bought it.

 

He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside.

And he cannot deliver himself, nor say,

“Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

Isaiah 44:20

This passage in Isaiah is from a chapter that breaks down the worship of idols. Anything we hold in our hands and depend on beside God is a lie.

For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie,

and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator…
Romans 1:25

Anything that controls us that is not God is a lie. Anything that we obey that is not God is a lie… and we are enslaved to it and we cannot deliver ourselves.

We are captivated, caught, and controlled by the liar.

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father.

He was a murderer from the beginning,

and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.

Whenever he speaks a lie,

he speaks from his own nature,

for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:44

So we are here today… we have a lie in our right hand… and Jesus, the Truth, Aletheia, stands right in front of us. He has came to testify to the truth. He has came to set you free. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Believing the truth breaks the chains.

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him,

“If you continue in My word,

then you are truly disciples of Mine;

and you will know the truth,

and the truth will make you free.”
John 8:31-32

When we believe Aletheia, then we are set free. When we choose to believe the Word of God rather than the lie of satan we find freedom. We are redeemed out of slavery… but in our redemption lies still are thrown at us from our previous owner. Jesus tells us that if we will continue to believe in Him, in His Word, then we will continue to be set free from every lie that binds us.

He prays over us…

Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
John 17:17

He equips us…

in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith

with which you will be able to extinguish

all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

And take the helmet of salvation,

and the sword of the Spirit,

which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:16-17

He empowers us…

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword,

and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit,

of both joints and marrow,

and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

And there is no creature hidden from His sight,

but all things are open and laid bare

to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
Hebrews 4:12-13

Did you catch that?

No creature is hidden from His sight!

When we believe the lie… we find ourselves worshiping the creature…

For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie,

and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator…
Romans 1:25

But here’s the thing… no matter how deep, no matter how dark, no matter how hidden, no matter how tightly the grip of the creature, no matter how powerful and mighty it might be, no matter the depth of the lie we have believed and been bound… the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, the Truth, the Aletheia, Jesus our God will lay it bare.

Yield that sword precious one!

Stop bowing down to that lie, whatever it might be, speak the TRUTH, believe the TRUTH, and be set free!

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