Sermon audio is available here.

I.     Introduction
       A.  We are to be people who speak the truth
       B.  But speaking the truth involves more than just not lying.
           1.  There is a need to speak relevant, pertinent truth.
           2.  Suppose you notice your neighbor’s house on fire, with him in it.
               a.  There is a need to communicate truth to him.
               b.  There are a number of things that you could talk about that would be truthful.
               c.  But what kind of neighbor are you if you neglect to mention that their house is on fire?
       C.  Love compels us to speak the necessary truths – even if we must do so bluntly.
           1.  We are told to be “speaking the truth in love”
           2.  Are we talking around the central spiritual issues?
           3.  Let us consider how we are to speak truth to the world.
II.    It is easier to speak inoffensive truths
       A.  We can easily rationalize away the need to speak frankly.
       B.  As a result, we speak less directly to the central truth of the Gospel.
       C.  But this isn’t the model we see in Jesus, or in His apostles.
           1.  They spoke bluntly, plainly stating the condition people were in.
           2.  They stated plainly what those in that condition needed to do.
III.   Jesus and the apostles spoke bluntly.
       A.  Jesus told people what they needed to hear, not what they wanted to hear.
           1.  To the crowd searching for physical food (John 6:25-27)
           2.  To the Jewish leadership (Luke 11:37-54)
           3.  To Nicodemus (John 3:1-5)
       B.  Peter told the people what they needed to hear, even though it indicted them.
           1.  At Pentecost, in trials (Acts 2:336-40; 4:10-12)
           2.  To Simon (Acts 8:19-23)
       C.  Paul told Peter what he needed to hear (Gal 2:14)
       D.  What was their motivation?
           1.  Were they fault-finding? Judgmental? Argumentative?
           2.  No! They spoke out of love, true concern for those in danger.
IV.  We too must be lovingly blunt in speaking the truth of the Bible message.
       A.  There is a great need for us to speak the whole truth.
           1.  We must not heal the woulds of people lightly (Jer. 6:14)
           2.  We do no service to our God or our neighbor by softly speaking irrelevant facts.
           3.  People who are lost without knowledge of the truth need to hear it. (Acts 20:27)
       B.  We must consider what we say (Col. 4:5-6)
           1.  We should not be rude, contentious
           2.  Our approach needs to be contemplated wisely
           3.  Our words need to be seasoned with salt.
       C.  There is no guarantee that it will be well received
           1.  Jesus’ direct, blunt message to the crowd was not well-received (John 6:41-42, 52, 60)
           2.  When we speak His message, we either draw men or repel them.
           3.  But revealing truth is the only way to bring about the repentance that leads to life.
V.    Conclusion
       A.  ”Speaking the truth” implies active participation in the truth.
       B.  Is your house on fire?

Glenn Record
March 1, 2009