Hope Fellowship Sermon Notes: February 12, 2006

This past Sunday, we continued to look at John 16. We focused mostly on versus 13 - 15.

As we continue to proclaim His Word, it is the Holy Spirit's responsibility to convince the world of sin. Way too often Christians feel that they have to convince their unbelieving friends or loved ones of the sin in their lives. That approach is not only unproductive as the normal reaction is raised defensive barriers, but it also goes against what we see here in John 16.

One of the debates is whether we will ever know real truth. Face it...one day you hear that low fat foods are the way to go and then the next day you find out that cutting fat out of the diet is actually harmful. Who is right? For every scientific 'fact' proved untrue is a ton of 'experts' who touted the fact in the first place. It makes one doubt the existence of truth.

Thankfully, however, we do have Scripture. I believe that the Word of God, a.k.a. the Bible is 100% truth and that this truth is revealed through study and by the Holy Spirit. It is through this real truth that all other things must be filtered and measured.

So what do we do when we identify truth? So many times the truth is ignored. Why? I believe it is because we focus on the cost instead of the benefit. The application of truth in our lives requires us to grow and sometimes it is so much easier to curl up in the corner with your thumb in your mouth and your head buried in your favorite blankey. It's time to grow up, friends. You can start by:

1. Commit your life to Jesus Christ.
2. Study the Bible to identify truth.
3. Filter things that impact your life through Biblical truth.
4. Apply the truth to your life and actions.
5. Share your experiences with others.

You are going to find that the journey is not going to be linear. What God reveals to you and challenges you with may not be the same as a fellow believer. Rather, the experience will resemble more of a matrix by design. In this way, you can relay your experiences to others in order to help them grow and realize truth and also use others as a resource for the exact same reason.