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Hundreds of years before the first word of the New Testament was penned, Hosea spoke for God and said, “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6.6). Jesus cited this very passage on at least two occasions during His earthly ministry (see Matthew 9.13,12.7). A deficit regarding this principle lay at the root of Israel’s problems during Hosea’s ministry, and it was also a key problem with the Jews during Jesus’ time here on the earth. Beyond this, the basics of this principle are also lacking in…  ( Click for more )

Paul warned of some who would be lost “…because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2.10). Our focus has been on the fact that this virtue – the love of the truth – is necessary to salvation. In as much as this is a prerequisite to spending eternity with God, it is essential that we understand what “the love of the truth” is and what we have to do in order to avoid the deception that comes from the lack of it.

To sharpen our focus on this important text, we noted that the thing…  ( Click for more )

Two storehouses/treasuries (one earthly and one heavenly). Two roads (the broad way and the narrow way). Two groups (the many and the few). Two men (the foolish and the wise). Two foundations (sand and rock). Two destinies (eternal destruction and eternal blessings).

Jesus “taught as one having authority,” but He also taught in the simplest of terms much of the time. If the concepts in the opening paragraph seem familiar to you, they should; they are taken from the Sermon on the Mount. Continue with me to see how His simplistic teaching continued throughout His ministry…  ( Click for more )

“They brought to Him [Jesus] a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.’ And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, ‘This Man blasphemes!’ But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven you,” or to say, “Arise and walk”?’” (Matthew 9.2-5).

We focus our attention on Jesus’ question to the scribes and Pharisees. Indeed,…  ( Click for more )

When Jesus spoke to the paralytic and said, “Your sins are forgiven you,” how could the scribes and Pharisees have known the truth about Jesus? How were they to know that He was not just another crackpot who was coming to erode the power of the religious establishment and cause discontent among the Hebrews? We have expanded this question to include, “How can man – any man – know the truth and know that he knows it?

If the scribes and Pharisees had talked to almost anyone in the countryside they could have determined that there was something far above…  ( Click for more )

The Love of the Truth is essential to salvation; those who lack it are sure to be deceived and are set for destruction (2 Thessalonians 2.9-12). Following that line of reasoning, we conclude that one cannot receive the love of the truth without knowing the truth. This leads us to explore the question, “How can man – any man – know the truth and know that he knows it?” The answer to this question must not originate with man; it must come from God!

We noted with great interest how Jesus spoke to the paralytic man who was brought to Him. When He “saw…  ( Click for more )

Before one can truly possess the Love of the Truth, the truth must be known. The truth of which we speak is the truth that can only originate with God. Apart from God's revelation, man may envision many things that are of earthly benefit, but he cannot imagine one single thing that will lead Him to a remedy for sin or reconciliation with God! Furthermore, even if man could stumble upon one of the gospel's saving truths, he could not know it was the truth without God's revelation of the fact. So, how can man – any man – know the truth and know that he knows it? This question…  ( Click for more )

Before one can truly possess the Love of the Truth, the truth must be known. The truth of which we speak is the truth that can only originate with God. Apart from God's revelation, man may envision many things that are of earthly benefit, but he cannot imagine one single thing that will lead Him to a remedy for sin or reconciliation with God! Furthermore, even if man could stumble upon one of the gospel's saving truths, he could not know it was the truth without God's revelation of the fact. So, how can man – any man – know the truth and know that he knows it? This question…  ( Click for more )

According to the Bible, what town was identified as Jesus’ “own city?” Furthermore, what is the background for this place having that noteriety? Did you say Nazareth? If you did you might be with the majority, but you would also be wrong! Jesus was brought up in Nazareth (Luke 4.16), but He later “adopted” another city as Him home. The reason may surprise, even shock you, but it has a direct bearing on the question of how someone who possess the love for the truth might be treated.

Yesterday we posed this very question: How was Jesus treated, the…  ( Click for more )

According to the Bible, what town was identified as Jesus’ “own city?” Furthermore, what is the background for this place having that noteriety? Did you say Nazareth? If you did you might be with the majority, but you would also be wrong! Jesus was brought up in Nazareth (Luke 4.16), but He later “adopted” another city as Him home. The reason may surprise, even shock you, but it has a direct bearing on the question of how someone who possess the love for the truth might be treated.

Yesterday we posed this very question: How was Jesus treated, the…  ( Click for more )

If one believes the Bible to possess any credibility at all, Jesus must be seen as a person with an unequaled devotion to truth. Likewise, He must be seen as the author of the love that is produced when one wholeheartedly embraces the truth. In fact, He totally epitomizes the love of the truth!

How would someone (such as the Christ) who epitomizes the love of the truth be treated by other human beings? To ask this question another way, how would you expect to be treated if you were able to epitomize the love of the truth? Would you be treated honorably by the world, or would you…  ( Click for more )

The expression, The Love of the Truth can be seen in at least two different ways. Grammatically, it could mean the love for the truth, or it could just as easily mean the love which the truth produces. It is this writer’s opinion that the latter meaning is the one that Paul intended when he wrote about some people being deceived because they failed to receive “…the love of the truth.” (see 2 Thessalonians 2.10). If that was, in fact, Paul’s intention, this corresponds both with Jesus’ words and His deeds.

First, it corresponds with Jesus’…  ( Click for more )

Disciples do not establish the conditions of discipleship! This is a fundamental in ANY discipline. The mere fact that a person is a disciple or wants to become a disciple implies that the person is willing to accept the terms of discipleship established by the master/leader of the discipline! How more fundamentally can this be explained?

Jesus saw something amiss in the man who expressed his intentions of becoming His disciple (see yesterday's devotional). The scribe's statements were completely unambiguous, yet something missed the mark. Merely to say, “Teacher, I will…  ( Click for more )

From Paul's writings to the saints in Thessalonica, we have focused on the need to have what he called “the love of the truth.” (2 Thessalonians 2.10). Without that love of the truth, men are void of the first prerequisite for salvation. Without that love of the truth, men are ripe for delusion and deceit; they are set for damnation!

In examining this universal need for the love of the truth, we have noted that Jesus, the greatest lover of truth ever to set foot on this planet, exemplified what it means to possess the love of the truth. We began looking at how…  ( Click for more )

From Matthew’s account of Jesus’ healing of the Centurion’s son, we have examined three great truths and we will conclude by considering the fourth and final one today. The text we have considered is this: “Assuredly, I [Jesus] say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8.11-12).

From…  ( Click for more )

"But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.” (Matthew 8.12a).This line from Jesus’ response to the Centurion in Capernaum reveals a great deal about the nature of the Kingdom. We will develop this line of thought as we continue to glean from the four great truths contained in Jesus’ dialogue with this Centurion.

Concerning the above quotation, A. T. Robertson comments that sons of the kingdom is “…A favourite Hebrew idiom like ‘son of hell,’ (Matthew 23.15) [and] ‘sons of this age.’ (Luke 16.8).…  ( Click for more )

When Jesus was approached in Capernaum by the distraught centurion (Roman Soldier), He was greatly impressed. In fact, He was so impressed that He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8.10-12). By speaking in this manner, Jesus not only uttered a timeless compliment to the man,…  ( Click for more )

The Sermon on the Mount was not a soothing sermon to the ears of the religious establishment in Jerusalem. In fact, it was just the opposite; it pointed out the spiritual deficiencies in the power-mongers who “sat in Moses seat.” When Jesus was through with that discourse, there could be little doubt as to the fate of those who followed the blind guides who took to themselves the task of leading Israel! However, other events in the life of Jesus would further accentuate the truths that He began revealing on the mountain where His most famous sermon was delivered.

“Now…  ( Click for more )

We are still dealing with the Sermon on the Mount and the tremendous love for and love of the truth that Jesus demonstrated in that discourse. However, we will begin in a somewhat distant setting and show a connection to our Lord's mountainside discourse.

“Pilate therefore said to Him, 'Are You a king then?' Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.' Pilate said to Him, 'What is truth?' And when he had said…  ( Click for more )

Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7.15-20).

False prophets are not purveyors of truth; they are promoters…  ( Click for more )

Some say, “Just preach the truth and let other people alone!” Others seem to delight in condemning the actions of others without any consideration given to the replacing of inappropriate actions with appropriate ones. Jesus did not come down on either side of these coins; He preached the truth, pointed out the error of others, and provided Divinely approved courses of action that should be followed to replace unapproved actions. Our study today will take a brief look at how these principles played out in His teachings.

During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Therefore,…  ( Click for more )

Every ruled human entity has a political machine of one sort or another running it. The machine might be very, very simple or it may be extremely complex. The Pharisees and Lawyers who held sway over the hearts of many Jews in and around Jerusalem was a formidable political force. They withstood the pressures of the Roman Empire and still maintained to a large degree the power to rule that had historically belonged to Jerusalem, the seat of political power in Israel. Hence, the foe against which Jesus pitted Himself by means of the Sermon on the Mount was one which could not be taken…  ( Click for more )

Having presented the fact that no man loved the truth more than Jesus Christ, we will now proceed to see how this supreme love for the truth manifested itself in His Life and Teachings.

The Sermon on the Mount is unquestionably a classic. It contains truths that are forever embedded in the minds of almost all civilized men, even those who do not know the origin of the truths they espouse. It begins with the Beatitudes, a series of blessings pronounced on those who are of a true heart and who truly seek to please God. However, let no one mistake the fact that the Sermon on the…  ( Click for more )

The love of the truth is, as we have established earlier, a spiritual fundamental. It has no substitutes; there is no “plan B” to make up for a genuine love for the truth. Moses was a man who loved the truth. David also loved the truth and pursued it with all his might. The prophets were men who had an insatiable love for truth and declared it without fear or favor. However, no one could have loved the truth more that Jesus Christ. Our message today and for a few days hence will focus on this tremendous trait of our Lord.

From the outset, there was a contrast between…  ( Click for more )