Buy the truth

I want to read just a few words that you are all very familiar with. Proverbs 23. Proverbs 23 and verse 33.

Buy the truth and sell it not. Also wisdom and instruction and understanding. Now, if you're going to pardon me, I'm going to take the supplied words out if my glasses are reading correctly.

And I would read like this. Buy truth and sell not. Also is supplied, so you could just go from the not and add wisdom and instruction and understanding.

Buy the truth and sell it not. I would gather that that brother he was speaking about knew what that was about in the decision that he made. What does it mean to buy? It means to secure it for oneself.

When it comes to buying truth, it is something that we need to be selfish about. And we need to secure it for ourself. What does it mean to sell truth? It simply means to disregard it and put no value upon it.

So when it comes to divine truth, brothers and sisters, today, this is a very solemn thought. Buying truth and not selling it. I really wasn't going to incorporate this into my message, but I think I will.

Sometimes we have the sad experience of seeing people leaving God's assembly. And I may be wrong, and if I'm wrong in my conclusion, you can tell me afterwards. But we think of the blessedness of being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in assembly capacity.

And all the privilege and blessing that goes with it. But yet sometimes people leave the assembly. And you wonder why, and you try to find an explanation to it.

I have a few things I want to offer to you. Because maybe there's someone here today, and you're wavering, and you're wondering, Do I want still to be in God's assembly? You would wonder if people can digress to that. But that is certainly possible.

Perhaps they never bought the truth of the assembly. I'm not going to enlarge on that. Sometimes in the assembly there are personality conflicts with others.

And so rather than the spirit of Christ being upon individuals that are involved in such a case as this, it winds up that sometimes people leave the assembly because they feel there is conflict with others that are there. Perhaps people feed on the failures of others, and they think because of what they see in others in the assembly is a divine standard associated with the assembly. You know, God's assembly is ideal.

It is perfect. It has been brought to pass by divine persons and the purpose of testimony being born in a place. But sometimes we can be occupied with the failures of others.

All these things are very unwise. It is a tremendous distraction from the person of Christ and who he is and what he has done in relationship to an assembly that has been planted to his name. I met a person recently, and they said, I don't feel that I am loved or cared for at the assembly.

To which I had to say, How do you come to that conclusion? That would not be my observation at all. But yet people feel that they're not wanted or they're not loved, and they leave the assembly. For some people, it's easier to take a way of living outside of the assembly, to take a path that has less responsibility.

And that too is very sad. Because, you know, when we're in God's assembly, God has use for us there, and he wants us to be useful for himself, and he wants us to carry responsibility and gift, as the case may be, as guided by the Spirit of God. Here's another thing.

I have just wondered about all these things, so please don't be too hard on me. But I have wondered if people leave an assembly because it justifies their own disobedience. They realize maybe they're not moving in a way that they should.

And they can't face their own judgment. And they leave God's assembly. And of course, it may be just simply from peer pressure.

You know, sometimes it not only happens to young people, it may happen with older people. You know, family members or friends, whatever the case may be, and they leave God's assembly. Now, I want to make a very startling statement.

What I buy or sell, when it comes to divine truth, is a reflection of what I think of the Lord Jesus Christ. Want to let that soak in? I might say that again before I'm done. What I buy or sell is a reflection of what I think of the Lord Jesus.

My love to Christ is reflected in my obedience to Him and His Word. All right? You can weigh that up for what it's worth. Buy truth.

Sell it not. Don't sell it. Don't disregard it.

I'm thinking today of a question that Pilot raised. It might have been a question of contempt. It might have been a question of honest investigation.

I don't really know where Pilot was. But he says, what is truth? Truth is that which is unconcealed or unmasked. Something that is not hidden.

It is that which is revealed and manifested for its accuracy. It is that which is certain. It is that which is established.

And so when we take some of those definitions and we apply it to divine truth, isn't it wonderful that we have come to a measure of understanding of divine truth? Sometimes when you deal with unsaved people, and you see the darkness and the lack of truth that they're willing to accept, and you just thank God again and again, and you thank God every day that I've ever come to know divine truth. We are privileged, brothers and sisters, when it comes to the truth of God. You say, what about this truth? I would mention to you the truth.

There is positional truth. What's positional truth? What I became when the Lord Jesus saved me. Let's everybody quiz ourselves, when did he save me? My salvation isn't something of my motivation and my energy.

But as a lost sinner, can you remember when the Lord Jesus saved you and he brought you into positional truth? What I am in Christ. Then there is practical truth. Or doctrinal truth.

And that tells me what I should be for Christ. What I should be for Christ. And you think of all the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ and that truth that was revealed in this blessed person.

And the apostles' doctrine. And the truth that has come to us. This doctrinal truth.

The practical truth that is ours to live out in our lives. One more thing. Is there not prophetic truth? That tells us what we are going to be with Christ.

There is a day coming when we will know the scenes of time no more. And the purposes of God will be carried out and the Lord will come. And all the church will be at home gathered with the Lord.

And we are going to see things prophetically taking place and carried out. And so I just suggest that to you today. When it comes to divine truth, I think of positional truth.

I think of practical truth. And I think of prophetic truth. Now then.

There is something that has been entertained for a long time in my mind. And it is this. What has the truth of God done for God's people? What has it done for God's people? I am going to come around to the positive side of things here now.

And a lot of the references I would take would be from the upper room ministry of the Lord Jesus. And I am taking them all from the Gospel of John. Because after all, John said that the commandments of our Lord are not grievous.

They are not burdensome. Brethren and sisters, the truth of God that has been given to us is not a heavy load. There is a sweetness to it.

And it is a blessedness to it. Not one of us would want to be without the truth of God that has come to us. I am sure.

I want to think of the first one. It is in John 8. Verse 32. The Lord Jesus says, he shall know the truth.

And the truth shall make you free. What is going on here? I am coming to a wonderful discovery. The divine truth, as it has come to me, does not bring me into bondage or hardship.

But it brings me into freedom and liberty. Now I have noticed people, thankfully not too many, they profess to be Christians. And you know, when you talk to them about truth, or you try to discuss it with them, it is like pouring vinegar on them or something.

Truth! What do we want with truth? Why do we need truth? Truth may line us up. It may conform us. It may shape us to a place where we are pleasurable to God.

But let me just say this. I am not interested in legalism. What is that? Well, it is just coming with some kind of a law that fits my opinion, that I cannot support or substantiate by the word of God.

We are not interested. You know, if you want bondage, go to legalism. If you want bondage, go to the law.

And putting yourself back under the laws. The Apostle Paul was burdened about in the book of Galatians. He said, you did run well.

What has hindered you? What has distracted you? What has derailed you? If you want to get under rules and regulations and under the law, you will find all kinds of burden. But I am telling you today, I am old enough to understand this. I believe I am accurate on it.

When it comes to the revelation of divine truth, it brings God's people into liberty. If you disagree with me, I won't say a word if you tell me about it. What a liberty we have been brought into when we have come to the understanding of divine truth.

A liberty to serve God. A liberty to walk in a way that is pleasing to the Lord, who has loved us and suffered and died to save us. Do we not owe to Him a loyalty and a love and an exhibition of our appreciation for the truth that we have and the truth that accompanies God's great salvation.

So one thing the truth has done for you and done for me as a believer, it's brought us into freedom. It's brought us into liberty to serve the one true God and to seek to live for Him. Not moving around with a lot of rules and regulations of men and organizations, but living in this sweet relationship with our Lord.

The Lord Jesus says, you shall know the truth and the truth will make you free. I like to preach that in the gospel, but you know, it's really applicable to God's people. If I were to turn you to John 15, maybe we could just turn there and read it.

It might be a little more effective to us. John chapter 15 and verse four. He is talking here about he is the true vine and his father is a husband in verse one.

I'm interested in verses four and five. Abide in me and I in you as a branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine. No more can ye except ye abide in me.

I am the vine, you're the branches. He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me, you can do nothing.

The truth of God has brought us into a knowledge of this relationship with our God. In particular with the one who has bled and died to save us. He is the vine.

The moment we were saved, we became a branch attached to that vine. There's a lot of things we could say about it, but I want to be very brief. We are to abide in the vine and that really carries the thought of being at home in the vine.

Do you know anything so pleasurable and enjoyable in being linked with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ? After all, he loved us so and suffered and died for our sins that he might reconcile us to God. We have been redeemed by his precious blood. We have been brought into association with this vine.

And he says, abide in the vine. You see, there's this need of us having a personal responsibility and conviction of being very close to Christ and in that communion with Christ. That's what the truth of God has done for us.

People stand around and say, Humbug as to the truth of God. They need their head examined. I tell you what, we have been brought into this relationship.

We are at home in the person of Christ and we have communion with him and it is through in him that any fruitfulness that is found, he is the source of all spiritual power and strength. It all comes to us in and through the lovely person of the Lord Jesus who has not only saved us, but has us attached to himself in the vine. Do you appreciate that fact today? Do I appreciate that fact today? You know, when it comes to communion with the Lord, it will have a tremendous impact on our horizontal fellowship and communion one with another.

You cannot say you have communion with the Lord and not have communion with every one of your brethren and sisters. That's just on the side. But I think of the relationship that we have come into through the blessed person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And of course, in verse five, he says, without me, you can do nothing. And so if we have aspirations and we have desires to carry out for God and for his glory, there must, it is essential that we are living in the good of the vine branch relationship. And there's truth associated with this, no doubt.

Now down to verse 11. These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full. And it's interesting.

This seems to be somewhat of a theme with the Apostle John because you come to his first epistle, chapter one in verse four, he's talking about the fullness of our joy. This isn't talking about Christians running around silly and giddy and all that. That isn't what it's about.

But it's in the deep recesses of our being, the truth of God brings to us joy. And he talks about his joy and he talks about our joy. And our joy comes out of the joy that is his and the fullness of it.

I know Christians that are not, I'm going to dip to the word happy, but I want to stay with the word joy because I think joy is something far deeper than happiness. Happiness is something that the world can have by the way their pleasure and their fun. That isn't where we get our source of joy.

We get our joy out of our relationship with God and knowing divine truth. And he is just simply saying here, my joy and your joy. And he says, I want your joy to be full.

The blessed man who is seated in heaven today is our great high priest wants you to have joy to the full. He wants me to have joy to the full. And I'm telling you, brothers and sisters, that comes to us out of an appreciation for divine truth and living in communion and enjoyment with the Lord Jesus.

Chapter 16. If you're reading along with me. Verses 13 and 14.

Well, let's start at 12. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now, howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth. And of course we know that's one of the titles of the Holy Spirit of God.

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 show you things to come.

He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and shall show them unto you. Now, notice. Here's the Spirit of truth, and this is what he does for us.

It guides us into all truth. The Holy Spirit of God guides us into truth and more truth and more truth. And when can any of us ever say, well, I've had all the truth that I can handle anymore.

No, no. Out of this infinite pool of divine resource, he gives to us truth. And he takes things relative to the person of Christ and he teaches these things.

He shows them unto you and he shows them unto me. I want to say something about that. I want to put over that a little word.

Confirmation. Confirmation. The Holy Spirit of God confirms truth to us and teaches us truth.

And not only that, teaches us truth relative to the lovely person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And if there's anything a genuine believer longs for, day in and day out, is to know more about the lovely person of the Lord Jesus. If you don't have that appetite today, you go over your foundation.

He's here for a purpose. And he links us with himself. And he wants to bring us into a fuller and deeper knowledge and appreciation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So we have looked here at freedom. The truth brings us. We have looked at relationship.

The truth brings us. We have looked at joy. The truth brings us.

We have looked at confirmation. That truth brings us. Let's go to chapter 17.

I want to read verses 11 and 12. And you do know that this is a prayer of the Lord Jesus. Not far hence and away from Calvary.

And he says, And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world. And I come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou has given me that they may be one as we are. While I was in the world, I kept them in thy name.

Those that thou gavest me, I have kept and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition that the scriptures might be fulfilled. Back down to verse 19. And for their sake, I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Let me tell you something about the truth of God. In addition to what I have feebly said already. It brings to us preservation.

Preservation. Her brother here said that we're someone said this morning. We're no match for the devil.

Listen. We're thankful for the preservation. That is ours.

And it comes to us. By the truth. Of God.

And not only that, he said in verse 19, sanctified or set apart. By the truth. What is the truth of God do for me? After all is what we've already noticed, but the truth of God brings preservation to me.

The more I know about divine truth and the revelation of it to my own soul from the pages of Holy Scripture given to me by the Holy Spirit of God. As we have noticed in chapter 16, here's this truth and it proves to be our preservation. And our sanctification.

Being set apart to God by truth. I hope we've made up our mind already. We don't want to take truth and we don't want to sift through it.

And say, well, this is appropriate and I can accept that. And this here, well, maybe that's going to cause me a little different reaction in my Christian life. And therefore, maybe, maybe I'm not so much ready to get on board with this.

Listen, what about all the truth and the counsel of God today? Our sanctification comes to us by truth. Our preservation comes to us by the very truth of God. One more thing.

If we were to go to John chapter 14, and the Lord Jesus is talking about, if I go away, I will prepare a place for you. If I prepare a place for you, I'll come again, receive you unto myself. He soon says, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

I'm telling you, brethren and sisters, truth brings to our souls comfort day by day by day by day. If we are locked in and we are interested in, and we are seeking the truth of God for us. Anybody here today that would like to sell truth? Would not we want to secure for us all the truth, and to understand it, and to enjoy it, and to be preserved by it, and to profit thereby? We're living in a day in which, in many places, the truth of God is being set aside.

You know that? And the truth of God is revealed on the pages of Holy Scripture isn't so vital and important anymore. And it could be just as easy to go along with human opinion, or with the sway of the majority. Do you want to be part of that? I hope not, and I hope I don't want to be part of that.

I'm going back to my little text. Buy truth, and sell not. And that is a personal responsibility.

We make up our mind. What am I going to do in regards to the revelation of truth that's come to me? Am I going to treat it lightly and with indifference? Or am I going to love it, and want to assimilate all the truth that I can find in the Word of God for me to live out the rest of my days in fellowship with the Lord, and in fellowship of God's assembly? I've mentioned some of these things. It's good to quiz ourselves, isn't it? Some of the hardest things to do in life, you know, is to really judge oneself.

I've found that out personally. You know, you can take a look around, you can judge others. But you know, there's really no repercussion personally.

But when it comes right down to judging oneself, how am I doing with the truth of God? Am I buying it with this determination within my soul for the glory and honor of the Lord? I will not, I refuse to sell it. That's what we've been hearing about this story. Brother Ike has been telling about a man.

You think he bought any truth the day when he refused the big paychecks, but found his place? In the assembly gatherings, I say that man bought some truth. And we bless God for people like that. My parting comment is, what I buy or sell is reflected on what I think of my Lord.