Castlebar Christian Fellowship

Intro - BREAK THE SILENCE
(Share about how God laid this message on my heart... and how I believe God is saying it's time to BREAK THE SILENCE in the ROI... Truth, Justice, Holiness) So we're going to listen in on 2 letters written by the apostle Paul to a young Pastor called Timothy, we're going to listen to what he tells him about the truth...
1. God wants everyone to understand the truth! (1 Tim 2:4)
"God our Saviour... wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth." It is God's desire that his truth be understood by everyone. No matter, who they are or what position they hold... No matter how rich or poor they may be. No matter what their social status, religion, nationality or race is. No matter what level of intelligence they are at... God's desire is that everyone understands his truth - especially the Good News about Jesus! WHY? Because [V5-7nlt] "there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity - the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at the right time." WHY? Because "God... wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth" - that's the first thing Paul tells young Timothy about the truth!
2. The church is called to be the pillar and foundation of truth! (1 Tim 3:15)
[3:15nlt] "This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth." We as the church are to be the pillar and foundation of truth in our society and in our generation. In the city of Ephesus, where young Timothy was pastoring, there was an impressive temple to the goddess Diana. It contained 127 pillars, every one of them the gift of a king. All were made of marble, and some were studded with jewels and overlaid with gold. Each pillar acted as a tribute to the king who donated it. However this was all secondary to their function of holding up the immense structure of the roof. What Paul is saying then is this: that as the foundation and pillars of the Temple of Diana were a testimony to a pagan false religion, so the church is to be a testimony to God's priceless truth.
We are to uphold and proclaim the changeless truth that God has revealed to us in scripture and we are to call others to join us in building their lives on the foundation of truth... We are to build everything on the truth of God. Not on the wisdom of this world, but on the truth of God! Jesus said; "Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock..." We are to be a solid rock in society where people can hear the truth of God and build their lives upon it! God has entrusted to us this task of promoting and protecting the truth - especially the good news about Jesus! We are to solidly, immovably and unshakably hold up the truth in the midst of a world where many people are building their lives on the sandy foundations of falsehood and lies, because when the storm of judgement comes, everything they're building their lives upon will be destroyed, and they will be swept away for all eternity...!
3. We must not let the truth be contradicted (1 Tim 6:2b-5a nlt)
"Teach these things, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them. Some people may contradict our teachings, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life. Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions. These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on truth."
People who contradict the truth normally have an agenda. In Ephesus the agenda was to become wealthy... or popular by telling people what they wanted to hear... It's the same today there are those who contradict and distort the sound and wholesome words of truth for the same reasons. The apostle John warns us to stay away from such people and to not even let them into our homes or encourage them in anyway. In fact John even says to do so is to become a partner in their evil work. Our job is to promote and protect the truth. There is a positive and negative side to looking after the truth of God. The positive side is that we do whatever it takes to promote it because we know it has the power to change lives. The negative side is that we do whatever is necessary to protect it because we know there will be people who will try and contradict it...
Some people think preaching and teaching of truth should always be positive. There's only one problem with that idea - SCRIPTURE! Paul tells Timothy in his second letter that God breathed scripture corrects error. He tells him, and us, to preach the Word of God in order to correct, rebuke and encourage... In fact sometimes it's when a person feels most compelled to stand against error that the truth shines brightest! Like when Martin Luther stood against the errors and contradictions of his day in order to promote the doctrines of grace. Or when William Wilberforce stood against the abuses of the slave trade of his day with the truth of God in hand! Truth by very nature opposes error.
J. Gresham Machen said it like this:
"Men tell us that our preaching should only be positive and never negative, that we can preach truth without attacking error. But if we follow that advice we shall have to close our Bible and desert its teachings. The NT is a polemic book almost from beginning to end...Every really great Christian utterance, it may almost be said, is born in controversy. It is when men have felt compelled to take a stand against error that they have risen to the really great heights in celebration of truth."
4. We should be prepared to suffer for the truth (2 Tim 1:8-11nlt)
"Never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don't be ashamed of me, either, even though I'm in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because it was his plan from before the beginning of time - to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Saviour. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News."
When we take a stand for the truth we need to be prepared for being misunderstood and rejected. We need to be ready to suffer for it and we should never be ashamed of it even when it costs us. And we should never be ashamed of others who suffer for truth. Just like God chose Paul to be a preacher, apostle and teacher of the Good News, he has also called us as his church to promote and protect the message of God that has been passed unto us! We are people of the truth and we have to remain people of the truth even when it attracts opposition and suffering.
People WILL misunderstand us and even at times get annoyed if the truth is being promoted it all its fullness! However we must remain patient and loving towards those who oppose us. Yes we should proclaim the truth with courage, confidence, clarity and certainty! But when doing that causes people to come back at us with hostile words or even actions, we should respond with patience, kindness and gentleness. We should respond lovingly! Here's how Paul advises young Timothy:
[2:23-26nlt] "Again I say, don't get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. PERHAPS GOD WILL CHANGE THOSE PEOPLE'S HEARTS, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants."
5. The truth should be handled with care (2 Tim 2:15esv)
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth ." We have been entrusted with something that can change lives so we should handle it with care! We are to study it to make sure we understand it correctly. This means that if we are to be people of truth then we need to invest TIME diving deep into the scriptures ourselves and time listening and learning from others who have dug deep into the Word of God...
Also we need to come before scripture with submissive hearts and careful minds listening to what all of scripture says on different matters. We have all been influenced by the world and by our own life experience... and we need to acknowledge that. So when we come before the truth we need to be prepared to have our thinking challenged. We need to be ready to change in order to adapt to God's Will for us. The truth never changes, but we always need changed more than we think. So handling the truth with care not only involves us reading and studying the bible, it also means us allowing the Bible to read and study and change us!
The more time you spend in bible study, with such an attitude, and with the Holy Spirit, then the more confident and passionate you will become in the truth. The key thing in all bible study in an awareness of and a reliance on the Holy Spirit! He is the ultimate teacher of truth. Others can fill our heads with great insights and even warm our hearts, but only the Holy Spirit can fill our hearts to overflowing and only the Holy Spirit can burn God's truth into our hearts with unshakable conviction!
6. The truth should be preached whether or not the time is favourable
In chapter 3 of 2 Timothy Paul goes into detail warning young Timothy about difficult times up ahead. Times when people will love only themselves and money! Times when people will be full of pride and scoff at God! Times when children will have no respect for their parents! Times when people will be ungrateful, unloving and unforgiving! Times when people will consider nothing sacred! Times when they will hate what is good. They will betray friends, live recklessly and love pleasure rather than God. They will even act religious at times, but they will reject the power that could change their lives! And in these times false teachers will come on the scene and tell people what they want to hear. They'll scratch were people itch!
It's almost as if Paul paints the blackest picture he can before he gives young Timothy his final and most important charge. Even when the whole world goes crazy Timothy you still have to remain faithful and fulfil your ministry. Even when all this happens you must stand for what you believe in. You still have to stand for truth even when no-one else does! You are called to stand up and BREAK THE SILENCE even when nobody wants to hear what you have to say...
[2 Tim 3:14-4:5nlt] "But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the Holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favourable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you."
The proclamation of the truth must never be dictated by popular culture or by a church tradition... Rather the proclamation of truth is dictated by the fact that one day we will be judged by God...
So then it's God's desire that everyone hears the truth and he has chosen the church to be the pillar and foundation of the truth! Therefore we - as the church - should make sure the truth is not contradicted and we should be willing to suffer for the truth as we handle it with the greatest of care! And we must preach it no matter what! Whether it is in fashionable or not, because from God's authoritative perspective truth is always in fashion and therefore must always be preached!

Call to action
We are called to be people of truth... that means we have to be prepared to BREAK THE SILENCE and speak up for truth whether the time is favourable or not! The truth has never been top of the popularity charts in this world, but it continues to bare eternal fruit all over the world... The truth is not top of the popularity charts in Ireland, but it has the potential to bare eternal, Christ exalting, fruit all over this land. It's time to BREAK THE SILENCE in the Republic of Ireland. It's time the people of this nation heard the truth about Jesus! It's time the true church found her voice... It's time to count the cost and shout the truth from the rooftops... God's changeless truth changes lives!
We live in a time of uncertainty! The TRUTH OF GOD can be a ROCK of certainty in the midst of a world of uncertainty. We live in a time of uncertainty, but there is certainty in the GOOD NEWS OF JESUS..! We are called to hold up the solid rock of truth in these uncertain days!
It all boils down to this: Loving OBEDIENCE to God and loving concern for others!
If we are going to BREAK THE SILENCE then it's not enough to know the truth with our minds only, we need to know it in the sense that it is burning in our hearts... Or in the words of Jeremiah the prophet it needs to be like "fire in our bones".
Jesus said; "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free."