Let Me Be Honest: People today have a complicated relationship with the truth. We feel that certain things are universally true but may actually be preferences or opinions. Other times we bend the truth to get out of commitments. Still other times we know that the information presented or shared online isn't true. All these things undermine our ability to trust one another. The way of Jesus calls us to not only speak truthfully, even when it's costly, but also to be men and women of our word. Recorded on August 7, 2022, on Matthew 5:33-37, by Pastor David Parks.

This message is part of our sermon series "The Unexpected Way," from the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7 in the Bible. The way of Jesus is totally unique; it's different from every other way of life, philosophy, or religion. Why? Because the teaching of Jesus — emphasizing holiness, humility, justice, faith, and sacrificial love — leads to a whole new gospel-centered ethic. This ancient ethic, if actually practiced, has the power to bring abundant love and joy and peace to anyone, anywhere today. This is the way.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re focusing on Learning the way of Jesus, which means basically all year, we’ll be answering the big question, “If the gospel is true, how then should we live?” To start, we’ve been working through a very famous teaching of Jesus known as the Sermon on the Mount in a sermon series called, The Unexpected Way. The teaching of Jesus leads to a whole new gospel-centered ethic which is totally unique. The way of Jesus is a different way from the other philosophies or religions in history and, if it’s actually put into practice, leads to a life of love/joy/peace. For the past few weeks, Jesus has been teaching us that the heart of God goes way beyond the Law because the Law is rooted in the goodness/wisdom/love of who God is. In our ability to value other people or in our faithful love in marriage, again and again, Jesus refuses to shrink the requirements of the moral law. Instead, he raises the bar far higher than we would expect. Today, we have another example of this high standard relating to our commitment to speak the truth and be men and women of our word. Is this not such a needed teaching for our world today? Before we jump into this, let’s think about the world we live in. We live in a culture that doesn’t believe in truth, at least not in the absolute/universal sense. Whether you look at our politics/education/art/media, if you pay attention to the stories we tell or read the news, it’s clear we’re becoming more and more secular. A secular life doesn’t have a view of God. It could be you don’t believe in God, or perhaps you do believe in God but it doesn’t have any impact on your life. And if there is no God who is transcendent over all, then there is no objective truth that is over all. So what are we left with? We’re left with only facts and opinions. We’re left with scientific facts that may very well be replaced, and often are replaced, by further scientific inquiry. What is a fact today may not be a fact tomorrow. Also, there’s a well-documented history of confirmation bias. Of course, this is a problem for everyone, but also in science, of only looking for evidence that supports our existing beliefs. Stories of confirmation bias undermine our ability to trust the facts. Now I am certainly not anti-science, but many people have the feeling that so-called facts change, that what is presented as true will change over time. Beyond facts, in a secular society, everything else is just an opinion. With no God, with no objective truth, there can be no higher law, no objective right and wrong, no real good or real evil. Of course, no one actually lives like this is fully true. Even the most secular people still believe that cops ought to come if their house if it’s being robbed,