THE MOMENT OF TRUTH (3 OF 9)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: John 18:28-40, John 19:1-22
This content is part of a series.
The Moment of Truth (3 of 9)
Series: Whose Line Is It?
Jeff Strite
John 18:28-19:22
OPEN: Two psychiatrists were at a convention. As they visiting, one asked, "What was your most difficult case?"
The other replied, "I had a patient who lived in a pure fantasy world. He believed that an uncle in South America was going to die and leave him a fortune. All day long he waited for a letter to arrive from an attorney. He never went out, he never did anything, he merely sat around and waited for this fantasy letter from this fantasy uncle. I worked with this man eight years."
"What was the result?"
"It was an eight-year struggle. Every day for eight years, but I finally cured him... then that stupid letter arrived!"
APPLY: That letter was “truth”
It was the truth a man had waited for - for over 8 years.
But until that letter arrived – at least as far as psychiatrist was concerned – “truth” didn’t exist
Truth was a fantasy
Truth was the fabrication of a “mentally challenged” individual who needed to be cured
And even when that “truth” turned up in the mailbox – he was still uncomfortable with it
I. Many people have difficulty with the idea of “Truth”
ILLUS: According to a survey done by Barna Research back in 1995
About 3/4 ’s of all adults in America rejected the notion that there are absolute moral truths. Most Americans believe that all truth is relative to the situation and the individuals involved. Similarly, at least 3/4’s of our teens embrace the same position regarding moral truths. Not only did more than 3 out of 4 teenagers say there is no absolute moral truth, 4 out of 5 also claim that nobody can know for certain whether or not they actually know what truth is.
For these people – truth is a fantasy. It doesn’t exist. Or if it does exist – nobody knows for certain what real truth is. Nobody knows what it looks like.
ILLUS: Some have compared the search for truth to the story of the Hindu blind men who were standing around an ele ...
Series: Whose Line Is It?
Jeff Strite
John 18:28-19:22
OPEN: Two psychiatrists were at a convention. As they visiting, one asked, "What was your most difficult case?"
The other replied, "I had a patient who lived in a pure fantasy world. He believed that an uncle in South America was going to die and leave him a fortune. All day long he waited for a letter to arrive from an attorney. He never went out, he never did anything, he merely sat around and waited for this fantasy letter from this fantasy uncle. I worked with this man eight years."
"What was the result?"
"It was an eight-year struggle. Every day for eight years, but I finally cured him... then that stupid letter arrived!"
APPLY: That letter was “truth”
It was the truth a man had waited for - for over 8 years.
But until that letter arrived – at least as far as psychiatrist was concerned – “truth” didn’t exist
Truth was a fantasy
Truth was the fabrication of a “mentally challenged” individual who needed to be cured
And even when that “truth” turned up in the mailbox – he was still uncomfortable with it
I. Many people have difficulty with the idea of “Truth”
ILLUS: According to a survey done by Barna Research back in 1995
About 3/4 ’s of all adults in America rejected the notion that there are absolute moral truths. Most Americans believe that all truth is relative to the situation and the individuals involved. Similarly, at least 3/4’s of our teens embrace the same position regarding moral truths. Not only did more than 3 out of 4 teenagers say there is no absolute moral truth, 4 out of 5 also claim that nobody can know for certain whether or not they actually know what truth is.
For these people – truth is a fantasy. It doesn’t exist. Or if it does exist – nobody knows for certain what real truth is. Nobody knows what it looks like.
ILLUS: Some have compared the search for truth to the story of the Hindu blind men who were standing around an ele ...
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