Understanding Truth Through a Moral Lens

Devotional

Day 1: The Heart's Willingness to Do God's Will

True understanding of Christian truth is not achieved through intellectual inquiry alone but through a heart willing to do God's will. This moral approach aligns with the nature of God, who is personal and holy. Intellectual pride and academic prejudice can blind individuals to the truth of the Gospel, as seen in the Jewish authorities who dismissed Jesus because He did not fit their intellectual standards. Instead, a genuine desire to know God and live a life aligned with His will opens the door to understanding His truth. [07:59]

John 7:17 (ESV): "If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority."

Reflection: In what areas of your life are you relying solely on intellectual understanding rather than seeking God's will? How can you begin to approach these areas with a heart willing to do His will today?

Day 2: Overcoming Intellectual Pride

Intellectual pride and academic prejudice can prevent individuals from recognizing the truth of the Gospel. The Jewish authorities marveled at Jesus' teaching yet dismissed Him because He did not fit their intellectual standards. This serves as a warning that intellectual pride can blind us to divine revelation. True understanding of Christian truth requires humility and a willingness to approach God with a heart open to His will. [04:40]

1 Corinthians 1:27 (ESV): "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong."

Reflection: Can you identify a time when intellectual pride has hindered your spiritual growth? How can you cultivate humility and openness to God's truth in your life today?

Day 3: Recognizing Our Need for Salvation

Genuine seekers of God will recognize their own sinfulness and need for salvation. This recognition leads to an acceptance of Jesus' teachings, which provide forgiveness, a new nature, and strength to overcome sin. Understanding our need for salvation is a crucial step in embracing the teachings of Jesus Christ, who offers the way to eternal life. [38:08]

Romans 3:23-24 (ESV): "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

Reflection: What specific sins or struggles are you currently facing that highlight your need for salvation? How can you seek Jesus' forgiveness and strength to overcome them today?

Day 4: Christianity as a Personal Relationship with God

Christianity is not merely a set of moral and ethical teachings but a personal relationship with God. It involves knowing God, being reconciled to Him, and living in fellowship with Him. This personal relationship is at the core of the Gospel, emphasizing the importance of a genuine connection with God rather than just intellectual understanding. [27:28]

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (ESV): "Thus says the Lord: 'Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.'"

Reflection: How can you deepen your personal relationship with God today? What specific steps can you take to know Him more intimately and live in fellowship with Him?

Day 5: The Comprehensive Answer of Jesus' Teachings

The teachings of Jesus Christ answer every moral and spiritual need. His life, death, and resurrection provide the way to forgiveness, a new nature, and victory over sin and death. Embracing Jesus' teachings leads to a transformed life, aligned with God's will and empowered by His strength. [50:27]

Colossians 2:13-14 (ESV): "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to experience the transformative power of Jesus' teachings? How can you actively embrace His teachings to address these needs today?

Sermon Summary

In the Gospel of John, chapter 6, verse 17, Jesus presents a profound truth: "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself." This statement challenges us to approach Christian truth not merely through intellectual inquiry but through a moral and spiritual lens. The Jewish authorities marveled at Jesus' teaching yet dismissed Him due to their intellectual pride and academic prejudice. They failed to recognize that true understanding of divine doctrine requires a heart willing to do God's will.

The essence of unbelief, as illustrated in this passage, is a wrong approach to truth. Many people today, like the Jews of Jesus' time, approach Christianity as a theoretical or philosophical concept rather than a personal and moral quest. They engage in intellectual debates about miracles, the incarnation, and moral philosophy, missing the core of the Gospel, which is a personal relationship with God. Jesus emphasizes that the true approach to Christian truth is moral rather than intellectual. It requires a genuine desire to know God, to be holy, and to live a life aligned with His will.

This moral approach is essential because God is not an abstract concept but a personal being. He is holy, righteous, and just, and our approach to Him must reflect these attributes. Our intellect alone cannot comprehend God; it is our moral condition and desire for righteousness that open the door to understanding His truth. When we genuinely seek to do God's will, we realize our own sinfulness and need for forgiveness, a new nature, and divine strength. This realization leads us to embrace the teachings of Jesus Christ, who offers salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life.

Key Takeaways

1. The approach to Christian truth is primarily moral, not intellectual. True understanding comes from a heart willing to do God's will, not from academic or philosophical inquiry. This moral approach aligns with the nature of God, who is personal and holy. [07:59]
2. Intellectual pride and academic prejudice can blind us to the truth of the Gospel. The Jewish authorities dismissed Jesus because He did not fit their intellectual standards, missing the divine revelation He offered. [04:40]
3. Genuine seekers of God will recognize their own sinfulness and need for salvation. This recognition leads to an acceptance of Jesus' teachings, which provide forgiveness, a new nature, and strength to overcome sin. [38:08]
4. Christianity is not merely a set of moral and ethical teachings but a personal relationship with God. It involves knowing God, being reconciled to Him, and living in fellowship with Him. [27:28]
5. The teachings of Jesus Christ answer every moral and spiritual need. His life, death, and resurrection provide the way to forgiveness, a new nature, and victory over sin and death. [50:27]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:10] - Introduction to John 6:17
[00:52] - Jesus' Teaching and Jewish Reaction
[02:53] - The Essence of Unbelief
[04:59] - Positive Approach to Truth
[07:39] - Moral vs. Intellectual Approach
[10:07] - Misguided Intellectual Debates
[13:01] - Genuine Desire for God
[15:13] - The Beatitudes and Moral Qualities
[19:11] - Personal and Moral Approach
[22:22] - Jewish Authorities' Hypocrisy
[26:00] - The Nature of God and Man
[30:26] - The Folly of Intellectual Pride
[33:06] - Man's Sinful Nature
[37:27] - Moral Approach Leads to Truth
[44:38] - Embracing Jesus' Teachings
[50:27] - Conclusion and Challenge

Sermon Clips

"If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own Glory but he that seeketh his glory that sent him the same is true and no unrighteousness is in him." [00:01:01]

"The essence of unbelief, as illustrated in this passage, is a wrong approach to truth. Many people today, like the Jews of Jesus' time, approach Christianity as a theoretical or philosophical concept rather than a personal and moral quest. They engage in intellectual debates about miracles, the incarnation, and moral philosophy, missing the core of the Gospel, which is a personal relationship with God." [00:03:10]

"The true approach to Christian truth is essentially moral rather than intellectual. I would assert that that is an obvious proposition which emerges from this statement If any man willth to do his will he shall know of the doctrine. Very well I say that Christian truth is to be approached primarily and most essentially along moral lines rather than along intellectual lines alone." [00:07:46]

"Christianity is regarded as a kind of philosophy, a number of Concepts and of teachings and of thoughts and so people approach it in this purely intellectual detached academic and theoretical manner. It's a sort of diletanti attitude and that according to our Lord is the cause of the whole trouble." [00:10:07]

"There is only one way to know him, there is only one way to understand his teaching. It is this: it is to have within us a deep and a genuine desire to know God. It is to have within us a deep longing to be holy, to be clean, to be pure. If any man wishes to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine." [00:13:08]

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, not the self-confident academician, not the man who so proud of his learning and who feels that his little mind can Encompass the whole universe and speak authoritatively on every question God and life and death and Heaven and Hell and everything else." [00:16:06]

"Blessed are they that mourn. What are they mourning about? Oh, they're mourning because of the character of their lives. They're mourning because of their failures. They see their sins, they've taken their resolutions but they can't keep them. They're unhappy because of their moral failure." [00:16:50]

"God is not an abstraction. God is not the absolute. God is not the uncaused cause. God is a person. God is personal. God says I and he speaks. He talks about himself. I am. You see, when we're talking about religion and discussing these matters, we're not in the realm of abstract theoretical Truth at all." [00:26:34]

"Christianity, you know, is not just a question of moral and ethical teaching. I know there are many people who give that impression, these people who always give the impression that Christianity is nothing but a series of protests. That is not Christianity. I'll tell you what Christianity is: it is knowing God, being reconciled to him, being in fellowship with him." [00:28:20]

"A man who rarely seeks to do the will of God discovers that he doesn't know how to die. In other words, this is what he discovers: that his greatest need is not further intellectual and philosophical understanding. He is long since forgotten all that. He isn't waiting for the latest wonderful book to come or that brilliant lecture that the great philosopher is going to give on the wireless." [00:42:57]

"I need forgiveness. I need something to be done about my past sins. They're Rising against me. I want to erase the blocks out of my copy Book of Life. I can't get rid of it. My past, what can I do with this? I need to be forgiven. He's forgotten his mind. He's just a guilty sinner. He's been seeking to do the will of God." [00:43:51]

"You approach these questions along the line of your moral need and you will inevitably come to the conclusions that I've enumerated and you will see that the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ answers every one of them. I defy you to think of a single question but that he hasn't answered it already. He satisfies completely." [00:50:27]

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?