John 18:37-38

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." 

38 Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"      NKJV

Truth is not in knowledge which we can seek…..it is in KNOWING by relationship the reality of the God of the universe in all His glory…..which flows out of an encounter with Jesus.

John 17:3-4
3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.    NKJV
 

2 Cor 5:19
God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them .....      NKJV
 

Are you seeking to KNOW truth…or to define your own ‘truth’?....this is demonstrated by WHO you are listening too.

John 1:14-18

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"

16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.     NKJV

Truth is not in our religious behavior…..but in the God of grace as revealed in Jesus. The only way we can know truth is to KNOW God. Jesus came to reveal God to us.

John 14:6

6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.     NKJV

This exclusive claim cannot be ignored…He was either a liar or a madman…or God incarnate!

John 3:20-21

20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."     NKJV

Your response to His claims reveals the integrity of your heart…What are you hiding or running from?

John 4:21-24

21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."     NKJV

Many in religion are content with only external observations and rituals…God wants a totally open and deep relationship. What is it that you are seeking?

John 8:32

32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."       NKJV

Truth reveals the nature of God….his awesome love and provision for us. The unshakeable confidence that this results in, produces a peace in us and a tangible security that sets us totally FREE

John 8:46-47

And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  47 He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."    NKJV

Those who do not listen to Jesus are NOT of the True God.

John 14:16-17

16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever —   17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.    NKJV

John 15:26

 …the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.     NKJV

The Spirit of Truth points us to Jesus….all spiritual experiences that point elsewhere are NOT truth.

John 16:13-15

13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.   NKJV

We need to know what we have in Christ…the fullness of Christ….this is what the Spirit reveals to us!

John 17:17-18

17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.      NKJV

Truth is what the scriptures say it is…not mans opinions

Eph 1:13-14

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.   NKJV

Col 1:3-6

We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth    NKJV

1 Tim 2:2-7

3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle — I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying — a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.     NKJV

The TRUTH is revelation of who God is….He  is awesome….and His love and mercy towards us is mind-blowing…..it is shown in the message of Jesus…his life , death and resurrection for us…..and the whole provision of God for us in the cross. This is the gospel of His grace.

This is what we are called to live in ….and share with the world!

Jeremiah shows an interesting departure….man's preference for religion over relationship

Jer 2:13

13'For My people have committed two evils:

They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,

And hewn themselves cisterns — broken cisterns that can hold no water.    NKJV

Much of religion ....even Christianity .... exists apart from the life of God.

Jesus illustrates this in the encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well

John 4:7-26

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."  8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. ....  Religion is that which divides and separates ...and does not know God

10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." 

Brethren if you want to KNOW .... ALL it takes is for us to seek and to ASK!....and HE will give!   

11 The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"   …  She engaged!

13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,  14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." 

15 The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

She asks….and he NOW takes her to the next stage….to reveal Himself. God encounters are the gateway for life changing revelations.

16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." 

17 The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." ... a truthful response....partly

Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly." 

19 The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."

Please note that she did not REPENT of her sins….she was gob-smacked because she was encountering the living God who knew her inside out…and she was still trying to process what was happening.

21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." 

25 The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things."

26 Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."      NKJV

The entry to relationship is the revelation of who Jesus is  ….not just a man but the Son of the Living God

Living water is the Spirit of God filling us and then flowing through us to the world...vs dead religion which never satisfies.

John 7:37-39

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water " 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.   NKJV

John 5:39-40

39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.     NKJV

Do you want ‘LIFE’…or do you just want knowledge about God?

Do you want a comfortable ‘ritualistic religion’ …or a ‘relationship with the Living God?

Are you satisfied with a ‘placebo’….or do you want the real thing?

Another great example of an encounter is Nicodemus in the following passage

John 3:1-17

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews   …    Religious leadership positions do not mean we know God

2 This man came to Jesus by night  …  The first step we must take is to COME to Jesus...not to a 'religion'

and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  … SEE the spiritual realm… Admit that it is NOT something you understand  ….say “God I want to KNOW what this is about” …don’t run from it like most religion does…Run TO it.

3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  … You will not understand the first response. Persist…it is an invitation to engage... you will understand later!

4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" …. God will ask you a question…or make a statement …which throws you totally off-guard.   Engage…respond the best way you can… ask for clarity.

5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  …. There is a whole world of the Spirit which is not understood by the religious man at all….Nicodemus was religious PHARISEE! (Not a wicked sinner). We need to receive spiritual LIFE to know the spiritual realm. John 1:12

9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, How can these things be?" …  Engage…ask questions

10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.  12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  … The realm of the spirit is not known by most so-called religious Christians.... I was one. The realm of visions and dreams and words from God and miracles are often denigrated as delusions.

13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  … the only access is by FAITH in Jesus. He is God who became flesh to reveal himself to us.

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  ….  God’s purpose in Christ is to reconcile mankind to himself. God sees a lost and dying world, one which has no idea of its purpose, and says  “Come to me and you will have LIFE”

The choice is yours …

Ignore Him…pretend that He is not relevant….and miss out of finding LIFE.

OR   

Seek Him...come to Him…ask Him to reveal Himself...and KNOW TRUTH and LIFE and peace!

Acts 17:24-28
24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being,
NKJV