Treasuring Truth | Part 2

The truth from Scripture is meant to transform.

Listen to Love Worth Finding featuring the insightful biblical lessons of Adrian Rogers. In this day, it's not values we desperately need, but virtue. We must be able to differentiate truth and fact. We acquire facts, but learn truth. Facts deal with knowledge, and knowledge can double, but truth never changes and is settled for eternity. We must make a habit of treasuring truth.

If you have your Bible turned out a verb, chapter 23, verse 23, as Adrian Rogers delivers the powerful conclusion of treasuring truth. We are drowning in an ocean of facts, and you can see this, because where are the facts taking us? Where does mere intellectual knowledge take us? Today we see more suicide, more broken homes, more illness, more heartache than ever before, and yet we have facts. You see, facts are like a recipe. Truth is the meal, and we have not learned truth. Now look at our passage of Scripture here in Proverbs, chapter 23, verse 23. Buy the truth and sell it not.

Also wisdom and instruction and understanding. Buy the truth and don't sell it. Now Satan is the sinister minister of evil. He is the master of camouflage and deception, and his method is to deceive. Jesus said of Satan that his motive is murder. He wants to bring death to youth, happiness, joy, purity, spiritual death, physical death, eternal death. He's a murderer, and his method is the lie.

His motive is murder. His method is the lie. And so we need today to learn to treasure truth. Now again, look at our verse of Scripture. The Bible says here, buy the truth and sell it not. Three things I want to lay on your heart today out of that verse of Scripture. Number one, brothers and sisters, we must prize the truth. That is, we must value truth in our own heart. Truth is indispensable.

Why did God give us the Bible? Well, the Lord Jesus says the Bible is truth. It is called the word of truth.

Jesus said in John, chapter 17, verse 17, I will buy them through thy word. Thy word is truth. The Bible is the precepts of truth. Jesus Christ is the person of truth. Jesus said of himself in John, 14, 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. And the Holy Spirit is the power of truth. John, chapter 16, and verse 13, he is called the spirit of truth. And Jesus said, he is the power of truth. And he will guide you into all truth. Now, you see, if you have the precepts of truth, understand the person of truth, but you don't have the power of truth, then truth without power is deadening and depressing.

That's what the Bible calls the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law. Knowledge without transformation avails nothing. It only increases your judgment. If you sit here today and hear truth and do not allow the Holy Spirit, then truth is the power of truth to transform you from information to transformation.

If that doesn't happen, your judgment is going to be all the greater. And it would be better for you not to have heard it than to hear it and to refuse to live by it. So what I'm saying is, first of all, we must value, we must prize the truth. Number two, we must purchase the truth.

Do you see what it says? It says, buy the truth. Notice also, it says, also wisdom and instruction and understanding. Now, how do you get the truth?

Through wisdom, instruction and understanding. You see, the search for truth is costly. There's a price to pay if you would have truth.

What's it going to cost? First of all, it's going to cost you time. Time is precious. Ignorance is more costly, however, than time. And in your quiet time and in your search for truth, hurry is the death knell of prayer, study, and meditation. It costs precious time.

Another thing it's going to cost you is discipline. Now, look in verse 23. There's the word instruction.

Do you see it there? That word may be translated discipline. Instruction means self-discipline.

Now, you've got it. You can pray for wisdom, but you have to study for instruction. Now, when you learn, when you read, you don't read just to be a gatherer of facts. You learn to be a channel of truth. If you read and you grow in knowledge, but you don't grow in grace, you're going to make yourself obnoxious. You're one of these people who parades your knowledge. The Bible says knowledge puffs up.

Love builds up. Don't read so you can split a theological hair into nine different sections. But read so that you can be a whole person. You read for enlightenment to know truth as to know God. Number two, you read for enjoyment. Reading is not dull. Reading is exciting. You take books and you can meet people that you've always wanted to meet, the great leaders of all history. Read books and you can visit faraway places, places you will never go to if you do not read.

Read books and you can grapple with the great issues of life and death and eternity. You read for enlightenment. You read for enjoyment. You read for enrichment. People say, well, books are expensive.

Friend ignorance will cost you a whole lot more. Buy books. Education costs money. Your treasures in your home ought to be your books. Your children can inherit your books. Your children can enjoy your knowledge. In your home, you need to be building character by putting truth into your children. There needs to be devotional truth for the heart. There needs to be doctrinal truth for the mind.

There needs to be practical truth for the will. Getting truth into the hearts of your children. Practical truth is so important. Children need to learn about missions, about prayer, about souls.

About soul winning, about home building, other disciplines. Would you like to test yourself right now to find out whether or not you're growing in knowledge, growing in truth? Let me ask you this question. Are you excited about truth? A person asked me, I had dinner with a person. He said, Pastor, what new truths are you learning?

That blessed me so much. Let me ask you that question. What new truths are you learning? Are you excited about truth?

Let me ask you another question. Are you excited about truth? Are you experiencing in your life freedom? Jesus said, you know the truth and truth will make you free.

Are you still in bondage to political correctness, prejudice, lies, the party line, pressures and fears? It is because you've not understood the truth. Are you learning humility? A man who is learning truth doesn't tell you how much he knows. He's telling you how little he knows and how much he has yet to learn. Because the more you learn, the more you realize that the ocean is so big and your boat is so small. Humility. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifies.

Are you learning balance? God help us to have balance. Not all worship and no evangelism. Not all evangelism and no worship. Not all prophecy but no devotion.

Not all program but no meditation. You need to be balanced. What I'm saying is this, friend, that you need to buy the truth and sell it not. And it will cost you time. It will cost you discipline. But not only do you read for enrichment, you read for enablement.

To do what you need to do. You know why I continue to read? Would you like a pastor who never read? A pastor who is just simply drawing out of his own will?

No. I want my doctor to continue to read. A man's going to work on my automobile.

I want him to be up to date. I mean, you want to do your job better, you need to upgrade your skills. You Sunday school teachers. You need to read a book on teaching. Wives, read a book on homemaking. You husbands, read a book on how to love your wife better. Now reading alone will not change you. You need to apply what you read. Don't become a book recluse. Readers are leaders.

And leaders are readers. It's going to cost you, friend, it's going to cost you time. It's going to cost you discipline. Now watch and listen carefully. If you buy the truth, it's going to cost you obedience.

Now this is very important. If you are just simply a gatherer of facts, a note taker, but you do not obey what you hear, you're living dangerously. Truth is to be transformational.

The Bible says I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed, how? By the renewing of your mind. As your mind feeds on truth, your mind is renewed. When you learn truth and don't act upon it, you do yourself danger. A wise man has said that impression without expression leads to depression.

Impression without expression leads to depression. The apostle James said in James chapter 1 in verse 22, be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. A person who hears truth and does not act upon truth is self-deceived. You know what Jesus said about him? Now don't get angry, but I'm going to tell you what Jesus said.

If you hear, and you do not do. There's a story I've often told about, I don't believe the story literally happened, but it illustrates the truth of a theater that was packed who came to hear a great actor. And everybody wanted to hear this man.

He was world renowned. The manager of the theater came to him just before he was to step on the stage and said to the actor, we have an emergency. A fire has broken out in the wings of the theater. And we don't want the people to stampede. We don't want to do, as they say, to yell fire in a crowded theater. So what we would like is for you to go out, tell the people that the theater is on fire, but keep the crowd under control and ask them to leave quietly and politely and nobody's life will be in danger. So when this great actor stepped on the platform, they applauded. He held up his hands to stop the applause.

He said, ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention? I have a serious announcement to make, and I want you to listen very carefully. He said, now I don't want there to be any panic. There's no cause for panic. Everything is under control, but I have been informed that a small fire has broken out in the wings of this theater. And so it is important for our safety that we rise from our seats and carefully leave the building.

There's enough time for everyone to leave in order. You know what happened when he made that announcement? He said, bravo. They thought it was a part of the act. No, he said, ladies and gentlemen, this is not a part of the act.

There's a fire. It is important that you leave the auditorium now. Bravo, that's even better. Now with the tears streaming down his cheeks, he said, for God's sake, you must go. Yes.

Wonderful, wonderful. So many times we sit in church and hear truth that way, as if the preacher's some actor. And this is some form of entertainment, and we do not act upon that truth. And Jesus said, when we hear truth and we do not obey the truth, we're like a foolish man that built his house upon the sand and the storms are coming. James said that, be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Impression without expression leads to depression. And so, folks, if you would buy the truth, it's going to cost you, but it'll be worth it. Buy the truth and don't sell it.

Now here's the third and final thing. You must prize the truth, you must purchase the truth, and you must preserve the truth. Now look at this verse of scripture. Proverbs chapter 23, verse 23, buy the truth and sell it not. Get a bulldog grip on the truth and never, never, never, never let go.

There is nothing so valuable that you should exchange that for the truth. Put these scriptures down. Titus 1, 9, holding fast the faithful word. Philippians 1, verse 27, that ye stand fast in one spirit with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.

Jude 1, verse 3, that ye earnestly contend for the faith. Now we're in a battle for truth. We have to deny the truth.

There is an open war today on the Word of God like I've never seen in all of my life. There are those who deny the truth. Even more dangerous are those who distort the truth.

We have now in extreme charismatic areas, those who are getting extra biblical revelations and visions and ecstasies. And what they're doing is simply distorting the truth. The Bible says, gets into these extra biblical revelations and somehow say what they say or what they think is compared to the Word of God. They distort the truth and it's a very dangerous thing because soon this extra biblical revelation becomes anti-biblical revelation and people are led away from the Word of God. There are those who deny the truth. Those who distort the truth. There are those who dilute the truth. That is that they mix the truth with error to try to accommodate biblical truth to what they believe to be, for example, modern science. I've seen people who accommodate themselves to modern evolution because they believe that that's the scientific truth and yet they say they believe the Bible so they just say, well I believe in evolution. And I believe the Bible. And I just believe that evolution is God's way of doing it.

Friend, I want to tell you something. That's very sloppy thinking. That's trying to ride one horse in two different directions. And when you become a thinking person, you're going to find out that that is impossible. You cannot have both because they are antithetical. They do not work together.

They do not merge together. But they're those who today would dilute the truth. A man came to him and said, will you do a funeral for me? The pastor said, if I can get it on my schedule, I'd be happy to do it. Who has died? He said, it's my dog, Old Shep. And he said, I'd like for you to do Shep's funeral. The preacher was a little incensed. He said, hey, look, we don't do funerals for dogs. The man said, I'm sorry.

I guess I'll have to go somewhere else. He said, I wanted to give the church a thousand dollars, whoever it was that did Old Shep's funeral. The pastor said, why didn't you tell me Old Shep was a Baptist? They're those who try to just simply fit things together that are not fitting together. They just dilute the truth. And then there are those who defile the truth. That is, somehow they preach what is true, but they do not live what they preach. And they make merchandise of the Word of God.

That's what we mean. For we are not as many which corrupt the Word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of God in the sight of God, speak we in Christ. So let me just sum it up.

Listen to me, folks. Buy the truth and sell it not. And when the child of God looks into the Word of God and sees the Son of God and is changed by the Spirit of God into the image of God for the glory of God, he has found the truth of God.

And he's been set free. Now remember, Jesus is the person of truth. The Bible is the proclamation of truth.

The Holy Spirit is the power of truth. I have given you God's Word today. And I want to present to you the Lord Jesus Christ who loves you so much that He died for you and died for you as if you'd been the only one who ever needed it. He took your sins and carried them to the cross. And with His own blood, He paid the sin debt that your sins have incurred and bore the punishment that is due to you. And when Jesus bowed His head and died, He said, It is finished.

That means it is paid in full. The debt that your sins have incurred has been paid with the precious blood. Now, what must you do? You must believe that.

You must receive that. You must confess it. Would you believe it? Would you say to God, God, I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son? I believe that He died on the cross for my sins. I believe He walked out of that grave risen and victorious.

I believe it. And then would you say, Lord, I receive it right now. I open my heart and by faith I receive your Son who is truth into my heart. Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Come into my heart right now. Forgive my sin. Cleanse me.

Make me your child. I receive it by faith right now. This moment, in this seat today, now, this moment, now, I give you my heart. I receive you. Tell Him that. Lord, I believe. Lord, I receive.

And then tell Him this. Lord, I will make it public. I will not be ashamed of you.

You hung naked on a cross for me. When that man gives the end of his life, the invitation I will go forward. Lord, I believe. Lord, I receive. Lord, I confess you now. And I want you to tell the Lord, Lord, if you just give me the strength, I'll let it be known that I'm trusting you. I believe.

I receive. I confess you now. Lord, I pray that many will do just that. In the strong, strong name of Jesus. Open hearts and draw people, Lord Jesus, to yourself. In your holy name. Amen.

Welcome to God's forever family. Let us hear from you today. Now, if you'd like to order a copy of today's message in its entirety, call us at 1-877-LOVEGOD. Mention the title TREASURING TRUTH when you get in touch.

You can also order online at lwf.org slash radio, or write us at Love Worth Finding, Box 38600, Memphis, Tennessee 38183. Do you treasure truth, prize, purchase, preserve, and proclaim it? Do you read scripture for your enlightenment, enjoyment, enrichment, and enablement?

Thank you for studying in God's word today, and tune in next week. Join us next time for more profound truth, Simply Stated, right here on Love Worth Finding. A listener wrote recently, and let us know how these messages have inspired her. She said, Love Worth Finding has been a great source to help me properly understand the Holy Bible, revealing who I am, where I came from, why I am here, and where I am going. We are overjoyed to hear that these messages have supplemented your understanding of scripture. And as a way to say thank you for your gift right now, we'd love to send you the book, The Incredible Power of Kingdom Authority. If your spiritual life needs a booster shot, you can't go wrong with this powerful work by Adrienne Rogers. If your spiritual life needs major renovation, Pastor Rogers also has that covered. Request the book, The Incredible Power of Kingdom Authority when you call with a gift at 1-877-LOVEGOD, or call us at 1-877-LOVEGOD. Or give online at LWF.org slash radio. And again, thanks for your generous support of Love Worth Finding.