The Australia that I was born into was dominated by a philosophical worldview called modernism.
Modernism took hold during the 18th century and it trusted human intellect rather than God to solve the world's issues for us and to discover truth.
There was, however, a general agreement in modernism that there was a right and a wrong and it was universally true and it was absolute
and that objective truth could be known.
But at the time of my, when I was born around 1969, I was born in 1969, but around that kind of time in the 1960s,
the tide was starting to change and quite dramatically.
The worldview known as postmodernism began to emerge and postmodernism believes that there is no objective and absolute truth
that is to be understood and accepted, which ironically is in fact an absolute truth claim.
But that's another point.
Each individual is entitled to create and act on their own truth as they perceive it.
And this entitles them to live and to do whatever is right in their own eyes.
The final court of appeal on all religious and moral decisions is personal desire and opinion.
This view was captured brilliantly by the American moral and social philosopher Abraham Edel when he wrote in his book Ethical Judgment,
It all depends on where you are.
It all depends on who you are.
It all depends on what you feel.
It depends on how you feel.
It all depends on how you're raised.
It all depends on what is praised.
What's right today is wrong tomorrow.
Joy in France, but England sorrow.
It all depends on your point of view.
Australia or Timbuktu in Rome do as the Romans do.
If tastes just happen to agree, then you have morality.
But where there are conflicting trends, it all depends.
It all depends.
Very few, if any, have consciously adopted a postmodern view of thinking and living.
Most have taken it on without thought or without critique
because it's just part of the cultural soup that we've kind of been marinating in for so long.
The rejection of absolute truth sounds great.
It sounds liberating.
It sounds like it brings freedom.
But like any truth claims, there are consequences.
And so for the postmodernists, life has no meaning.
It is simply a game.
You are the only one who cares about you.
There is no story which is universally true.
Every claim to truth is simply a grasp of power.
And so therefore we must trust every claim to truth.
It also believes that there's no order.
Everything is random.
You have only one life.
There's nothing beyond this.
There's no truth.
There's nothing else out there.
And so live this life with a whole heap of gusto.
There's also an ability to say one thing but do something completely different
and not be concerned in any sense that there's an inconsistency with that
or to even feel any shame associated with that inconsistency.
And in the worst case scenarios, there is a complete disregard and rejection of all external authority
which ultimately, left unchecked, leads to anarchy and chaos.
But ultimately our justice system will ultimately hold you accountable
and so postmodernism prepares us for the jails is what it ultimately does.
It's one of the great tragedies of our age that there is a flippant attitude towards truth.
Our culture is drifting in a vast ocean with no solid anchor points
flipping here and there depending on where the tide's taking us at that particular point.
And this is where our core value of Christ-centered Bible saturation is so essential.
It's what our world needs.
It's what we need.
This value, like all of our values, we aspire to hold deep in our minds and our hearts
and for it to drive and to change our passions and our behavior.
And so this value, Christ-centered Bible saturation, is so profoundly more important than
a verse a day keeps the devil away, can't put an attitude to the Bible.
And one of the aims of what I'm hoping to do here today is to awaken in us
a passion for the sheer existence of truth
and for it to shape our behavior as we look at this core value
and what the scriptures and where we get it from in the scriptures.
So here we go.
The Bible makes the claim
that truth is what God speaks
and it is absolute truth
for every culture,
every generation,
every individual.
And the reason why God's word
is absolute truth
is because God is absolute reality,
ultimate reality.
Genesis 1 makes a very significant point
that there was no reality before God.
It says,
In the beginning,
God created the heavens and the earth
and the earth was formless and empty.
Before creation,
God was.
He stands outside of all things created.
He wasn't part of what was created.
God is from everlasting to everlasting.
He had no beginning and no end.
And the one who had no beginning,
but always was and is and will be,
he's the one who defines all things.
He is.
You remember,
for those of you who remember this,
Exodus 3,
Moses,
the burning bush,
and God tells Moses to get on back to Egypt
and tell Pharaoh,
the most powerful man in the world,
you better pull your socks up, dude,
because God's going to come and smash you.
Got the idea?
That's my,
that's a whole lot of chapters shrunk in a little bit.
And Moses is freaked out by this
because, you know,
what am I going to do?
And he says,
well,
what if they tell,
what if they ask me,
who sent me?
Who should I tell them?
Bob,
Bill,
I mean,
you know,
give us your name.
And God says,
I am who I am.
I just am.
That's it.
That's the best way you can define God.
He just simply is.
Now,
if I tried that and said to Isabel,
go and tell those people,
and they say,
well,
who sent you?
And say,
well,
I am sent me.
I mean,
that's just pretty much arrogance on my behalf.
But when you are ultimate reality,
when you're the ultimate being,
you just say,
I am,
I define all things.
My friends,
let it hit you,
the absoluteness of God's existence.
Never beginning,
never ending,
never becoming,
never improving.
Simply and absolutely there to be dealt with on his terms.
Or not at all.
Whether we want him to be there or not,
he is there.
We do not negotiate for what we want reality to be.
No ranting and raving or sophisticated doubt or skepticism has any effect on the existence of God.
He simply and absolutely is.
And if we don't like it,
we can change for our joy.
Or we can resist for our destruction.
But one thing remains absolutely unchanged.
God is.
He's the main thing in life because he's the main thing in the universe.
And he's the main thing in the universe because he's created all that is.
Romans 11,
36.
From him
and through him
and to him
are all things.
To him be glory forever.
Whichever way you want to come at it,
he is.
And it's all about his glory.
And so,
what that means is,
his reality is created by him,
determined by him,
defined by him.
And when God speaks,
he reveals reality.
He reveals the way things actually are.
Have a look at Psalm 119.
It was just read out to us.
Psalm 119,
verse 160.
It says,
All your words are true.
All your righteous laws are eternal.
Now,
the word translated all there,
in the NIV,
literally means head.
It can mean the head of a body
or the head of a river
or the head of a tribe.
And the same word there
is used in Exodus,
chapter 30,
verse 12.
When you take a census
of the Israelites
to count them,
it's also used
in Numbers,
chapter 1,
verse 2,
which says,
Take a census
of the whole Israelite community
by their clans and families.
In both cases,
what Psalm 119 translates all,
they translate as census.
And what I think,
verse 160 is saying,
is that if you took a census,
a survey,
of the word of God,
then the conclusion
of that census and survey
would be that the sum total of it
is truth.
It is the word of God.
It is true.
The totality of the Bible is truth.
But notice the second half
of verse 160.
All your righteous laws are eternal.
And so it's not just the sum total
is truth.
It's all the individual parts
which are truth.
And so the census would reveal
that the whole and the parts
are all true.
They are true
because when God,
who is ultimate reality,
speaks,
he reveals the way things
actually are.
He reveals reality.
2 Corinthians 3,
verse 16,
says that all scripture
is God breathed.
The whole Bible
is,
comes out
from the mouth of God,
from the ultimate reality.
And when he speaks,
he speaks what is true.
So the Bible
is where God speaks
what is real
and absolute.
Now we haven't quite
got there yet.
We've still got a little bit
of work to do here.
And so far,
we've understood
that God is ultimate reality.
And when God speaks,
he speaks ultimate reality.
He speaks truth.
And truth
is when ultimate reality
and the revelation
of ultimate reality
or the communication
of ultimate reality
align with each other.
That's what truth is.
The opposite of truth
is lies.
And lies
are when reality
and what I communicate
about reality
don't align
with one another.
I'm feeling really rotten
and someone says to me,
how are you feeling?
I'm okay.
Liar.
Reality
and communication
don't align
with one another.
The place where reality
and the communication
and that reality
come together
in the most profound senses
is in the person
of Jesus Christ.
Firstly,
it's because Jesus
speaks truth.
Jesus says this.
John chapter 18.
Go to John
because we're going to be
lingering there
for a little bit.
So John chapter 18.
We're going to go to the back
and then move our way forward.
So have that in mind.
John chapter 18
verse 37.
Jesus says,
For this I came
into the world
to testify to the truth.
Everyone
on the side of truth
listens to me.
And Jesus is saying there
that he speaks truth
and if you want truth,
you listen to what Jesus says.
But he says something
even more profound
than that
a couple of chapters earlier
in John 14.
He says this
in verse 6.
I am the way,
the truth,
and the life.
And no one comes to the Father
except through me.
He doesn't just speak the truth.
He says,
I am the truth.
I am where
ultimate reality
and the communication
of ultimate reality
come together
in perfect alignment.
And he could only say that
if he was,
in fact,
God himself.
Which is, of course,
what John chapter 1 says.
Flick over to John chapter 1.
Remember what we've seen?
Ultimate reality.
God existed before
ultimate reality.
Sorry,
his ultimate reality
because he existed
before all things were created.
He defines everything.
Beginning of the Bible.
Before anything was made,
God was.
John chapter 1,
verse 1.
In the beginning
was the Word.
Now the Word
existed before anything was made.
And the Word was with God
and the Word
was God.
He was with God
in the beginning.
Verse 3.
Through him,
that is,
through the Word,
all things were made.
Without him,
nothing has been made
that has been made.
And so the Word
existed before
anything was created.
The Word
made everything
and the Word
is God.
That is,
the Word
is ultimate reality.
The Word
is absolute truth.
Then down
into verse 14,
we see something
startling.
this Word
became flesh
and made
his dwelling
amongst us.
And we have
seen his glory,
the glory of the one
and only
who came from the Father
full of grace
and truth.
And so the question is,
who then
is the Word
who is God,
who existed
before creation,
who created everything
and is full
of grace
and truth?
Well,
let's not
deliberate on that.
Let's go to verse 15.
John testifies
concerning him.
He cries out,
saying,
this was he
of whom I said,
he who comes
after me
has surpassed me
because he was
before me.
Verse 16,
for the fullness
of his grace,
we have all received
one blessing
after another.
Verse 17,
for the law
was given
through Moses,
grace and truth
came
through Jesus
Christ.
You see,
Jesus doesn't just
speak God's Word.
He is
the Word of God.
He is
the center,
the high point
of God's
self-revelation.
It's where
reality
and the communication
of ultimate reality
come together
in perfect alignment.
And Jesus
himself
endorses
the message
of Psalm 119
verse 160
which says
that all of God's
Word eternal,
all his righteous
laws are true.
When Jesus
himself says
in Matthew
chapter 5
verse 17,
do not think
that I've come
to abolish
the law
and the prophets.
I've not come
to abolish them
but to fulfill them.
I tell you the truth,
until heaven
and earth
disappeared,
not the smallest
letter,
not the least
stroke of a pen
will by any means
disappear from the law
until everything
is accomplished.
You see,
the main reason
that I wrestle
with the Old Testament
is because of the
ringing endorsement
that Jesus gives
of it as
the Word of God.
And so,
the sum
of truth
that I want
St. Paul's
to embrace
is the 66 books
of the Bible
with Jesus
as its center.
And that's what
makes his core value
called Christ-centered
Bible saturation,
so important
for us.
Jesus is the center
of God's
self-revelation.
And this is not
just essential
for us,
it is essential
for our world.
The Bible
is the way
that God,
the ultimate
and all-important
reality,
reveals himself
to us
with authority
and with clarity
today.
And if God
is more important
than anything,
then the Bible
is more important
than anything
but God.
And so,
we need,
as far as I'm
concerned,
to be saturated
in it.
Not the
minimalistic
type of Christian
that thinks,
like I said
before,
a verse a day
keeps the devil
away.
Saturated,
drenched through
with the Word
of God.
Truth,
clarity
of reality,
because everything
that we face
is touched
by the Bible.
It is either
touched directly
because it's
in the Bible
or it's
indirectly touched
because the
Bible shapes
the attitudes
and criteria
in which we
deal with it.
Now,
I have no doubt
that there are
plenty of things
that we need
to know about
in this world,
but the Bible
will be the sun
in the solar
system of all
that we learn.
It gives light,
it gives perspective,
it gives meaning.
Its truth
needs to permeate
everything.
It is not one
amongst many books,
it will be the
central book,
the all-permeating
book.
The other truths
are dark planets,
the Bible is the
light-giving sun.
All other truth
claims will be read
in the light of this
book,
all other things
will be judged
by this book.
All things will
find their meaning
in the world view
which is built
by this book,
which means that
this book,
the Bible must
be known first
and known better
than anything else
if you want
a firm foundation
in the way
things actually
are.
And if not,
we are like
a boat,
a drift
at sea,
tossed about
by every wave
and storm
and latest idea.
my friends,
this core value,
this truth
is so essential
in a world
that wants to
invent its own
truth
and with all the
consequences that
go with that.
And let's be
frank here,
what I've said
right now
ain't so popular
in our culture.
And so how
can this world
come to know
the truth
and be joyfully
confident in it?
How can they know
ultimate reality
and absolute truth?
How can they know
that the Bible
is true?
How can they
come to know
that Jesus
is the centre
of God's
self-revelation?
And let me tell you,
there's a temptation
here for us
to rely upon
intellectual arguments
that prove
that God,
that Jesus
is God.
and there are
so many
great arguments,
so many
external reasons
as to why
we would credit
Jesus
to be
the Son of God.
But the
external
evidences
are not
decisive
in and of
themselves.
I'm not saying
you shouldn't use them,
I'm saying
they're not
decisive
in and of
themselves.
You see,
the Pharisees
didn't conclude
that Jesus
was God
the Son
when they
saw
enough
evidence
in the
miracles
of
Jesus.
They were
literally
metres
away
when
Jesus
called
Lazarus
out
of
the
tomb.
A bloke
that they
themselves
had buried
four days
earlier.
They knew
he was
dead.
They were
metres
away.
Jesus
called
Lazarus
out of
the tomb.
He walks
out alive
and what
do they
do?
They
immediately
plotted
to kill
Jesus.
Instead
of going
God,
we were
wrong.
They
saw it.
The
evidence
was
there.
The
external
evidences
were not
and are
not
decisive
in and of
themselves.
And there's
only one
thing that's
decisive in
people seeing
truth.
Matthew
16
verses
13
to 17.
When
Jesus
came to
the
region of
Caesarea
Philippi,
he asked
his
disciples,
who do
people say
the son
of man
is?
And
they
replied,
some say
John
the
Baptist,
others say
Elijah,
still others
Jeremiah,
one of the
prophets.
But what
about you,
he asked,
who do
you say I
am?
And
Simon
Peter
answered,
you are
the
Christ,
the son
of the
living
God.
the
conclusion
that the
Pharisees
didn't
come to
when they
saw
Lazarus
walking
out of
the
tomb.
What
does
Jesus
say to
him
in
verse
17?
Blessed
are you
Simon
son
of
Jonah
for
this
was
not
revealed
to
you
by
man
but
by
my
father
in
heaven.
My
father
opened
your
eyes
to
see
glory
is
what
happened.
When
God
the
father
opens
the
eyes
of
your
heart
you
will
see
and
you
will
know
the
facts
are
not
decisive
in
and
of
themselves.
It's
like me
trying to
explain
to you
that
this
chocolate
is
sweet
and
tastes
pretty
good.
And I
could
explain
it to
you by
reading
you some
of the
facts
that the
ingredients
are
sugar
and
cocoa
mass
and
vegetable
fats
and milk
fat
and this
contro
in it
and
a bunch
of other
numbers
and stuff
like that
and I
can
explain
to you
and say
those
things
combined
at the
right
sort
of
way
produces
something
that
tastes
pretty
good.
You
know
the
best
way
that I
can
help
you
understand
the
sweetness
of
chocolate
is
to
actually
get
a piece
out
and
to
put it
in your
mouth
rather than
just
mine
and go
what happens
is
I explain
the facts
to you
and you
go
oh yeah
yeah
put it
in your
mouth
and you
go
oh
glory
you
see
the
sweetness
of
chocolate
is
self
authenticatingly
true
if
I
take it
out
and I
put it
in your
mouth
and you
don't
get it
I
can't
do
anything
for
you
I
can't
help
you
anymore
the
facts
won't
help
you
there's
only one
thing
my friends
that will
set us
out of
here
aflame
it's
all
gone
now
the
only
thing
that
will
send
us
out
of
here
aflame
with
the
glory
of
God
in
the
face
of
Christ
in
the
word
of
God
is
the
work
of
the
Father
helping
you
to
taste
that
the
Lord
is
good
that's
what
this
passage
in
2
Corinthians
4
1
to
6
is
so
helpful
for
us
so
flick
over
there
it's
essential
this
passage
therefore
starting
at
verse
1
therefore
since
through
God's
mercy
we
have
this
ministry
we
do
not
lose
heart
rather
we
have
renounced
secret
and
shameful
ways
we
do
not
use
deception
nor
do
we
distort
the
word
of
God
on
the
contrary
by
setting
forth
the
truth
plainly
we
commend
ourselves
to
every
man's
conscience
in the
sight
of
God
and
even
if
our
gospel
is
veiled
it
is
veiled
to
those
who
are
perishing
the
God
of
this
age
has
blinded
the
minds
of
unbelievers
so
they
cannot
see
the
light
of
the
gospel
of
the
glory
of
Christ
who
is
the
image
of
God
for
we
do
not
preach
ourselves
but
Jesus
Christ
as
Lord
and
ourselves
as
your
servants
for
Jesus
sake
for
God
said
verse
4
says
that
all
human
beings
are
blind
the
devil
that
is
blind
to
glory
of
Christ
the
devil
combines
with
our
own
corruption
to
cause
blindness
what
are
we
blind
to
it's
not
the
facts
I
want
to
emphasize
this
it's
not
the
facts
about
Jesus
because
the
devil
gets
many
of
the
facts
about
Jesus
right
the
devil
knows
that
Jesus
died
he
knows
that
he
died
for
sin
he
knows
that
he
rose
again
but
he
doesn't
see
any
of
that
as
glorious
what
we
are
blind
to
is
the
glory
of
the
facts
about
Jesus
many
people
including
those
who have
sat
in church
for
years
acknowledge
the
facts
about
Jesus
but
they
don't
actually
treasure
them
they
know
about
Jesus
but
they
don't
treasure
him
they
know
the
Bible
but
they're
not
shaped
by
that
they
haven't
seen
the
beauty
of the
facts
the
compelling
worth
of the
facts
they
haven't
seen
verse
for
the
glory
of
Christ
what
has
to
happen
verse
five
sorry
verse
six
for
God
who
said
let
light
shine
our
darkness
made
his
light
shine
our
hearts
to
give
us
the
light
of
the
knowledge
of
the
glory
of
God
in
the
face
of
Christ
that
is
what
has
happened
to
everyone
here
who
has
put
their
faith
in
Jesus
Matthew
16
to
17
is
what
happened
to
you
the
father
has
revealed
truth
to
you
it's
not
because
you're
smart
it's
not
because
you're
eloquent
it's
not
because
you're
clever
than
anyone
else
it's
because
the
father
has
taken
your
blindness
and
helped
you
to
see
that
in
itself
is
a
reason
for
humble
authenticity
but
we'll
get
to
that
in
a
couple
of
weeks
now
that
doesn't
mean
that
we
don't
do
anything
verse
4
says
people
are
blind
verse
6
says
God
calls
them
to
see
and
right
in
between
those
two
is
verse
5
which
reveals
the
means
by
which
God
causes
eyes
to
open
so
that
they
taste
and
they
see
truth
glory
for
we
do
not
preach
ourselves
but
Jesus
Christ
as
your
servants
as
Lord
as
King
as
Master
as
God
as
ultimate
reality
our
job
in
this
world
uncertain
and
wary
of
any
truth
is
to
so
portray
the
truth
of
the
Bible
and
especially
the
center
of
it
the
center
of
it
being
the
light
of
the
gospel
of
the
glory
of
Christ
who
is
the
image
of
God
combined
with
the
prayer
that
God
would
do
his
work
convicting
so
that
people
might
see
Jesus
and
while
we
are
reading
the
ingredients
so to
speak
and
explaining
this
sweetness
of the
facts
God
might
unwrap
a piece
and put
in
people's
mouth
and they
go
Jesus
I see
him
and
if
that
happens
suddenly
all
the
defenses
will
fall
down
and
Jesus
will
be
irresistibly
compelling
as
true
and
beautiful
and
glorious
before
I
became
a
Christian
I
read
the
Bible
back
to
front
four
times
and
I
didn't
see
Jesus
I
heard
one
bloke
preach
one
night
and
I
just
went
oh
it
all
makes
sense
and
it's
not
because
I
read
it
through
the
fifth
time
it's
because
God
just
calls
me
to
see
my
friends
it is
simply
breathtaking
that
God
who
made
everything
controls
everything
as a
person
has
actually
spoken
to
us
it
is
impossible
for me
to stand
up here
and
actually
overstate
that
very
simple
and
basic
truth
God
has
spoken
to
us
we
are
not
left
without
a
knowledge
of
his
will
we
are
not
left
without
wisdom
we're
not
left
without
a
well
of
knowledge
that
will
never
run
dry
we're
not
left
without
a
revelation
of
the way
of
salvation
the way
of
everlasting
joy
he
has
left
us
without
a
way
to
measure
every
single
vital
thing
that we
face
in
life
including
all
of the
alternative
truth
claims
that are
currently
coming
at
us
this
is
simply
priceless
in a
world
with
little
grasp
or
of
truth
or
meaning
or
purpose
or
reality
and I
would
suggest
that if
we
could
awaken
to
this
truth
in
our
life
together
as a
church
just
imagine
how we
would
live
just
imagine
how we
would
navigate
the
complexity
of life
in this
world
the
implications
for our
lives
would be
countless
and
it
would
be
vital
and
so
let
me
be
absolutely
frank
with
you
I
am
pretty
much
baffled
by
Christian
leaders
who
preach
and
teach
on
things
other
than
the
Bible
as
if
it
is
not
relevant
or
interesting
and I'm
pretty much
baffled by
leaders of
ministries
who are
too embarrassed
to make
the Bible
front and
centre
in their
ministry
the church
culture that I
am to shape
here at
St Paul's
is a church
that's committed
to Christ
centred Bible
saturation
and the
implications
of what I
said about
reality and
absolute truth
in Jesus
are so
practical
because if
we believe
that value
and it's
deeply inside
of us
it impacts
our behaviour
our attitudes
and our
actions
it will mean
things like
that we value
individual and
corporate
biblical
reflection
assessment
of life
and ministry
that's we want
to critique
everything we
do through
the lens
of scripture
and consistently
be critiquing
everything we
do through
the lens
of scripture
we are
committed to
authority to
Bible teaching
and preaching
over reason
and experience
and tradition
we are
committed to
the God
centredness
of all
biblical
truth
we are
committed
to passing
on to the
next generation
a biblically
informed love
for God
we are
committed to
every believer
taking responsibility
to be spiritually
and physically
prepared to
listen and
obey as
God's word
is taught
and every
believer
having a
vital
personal
Bible
study
time
where the
Bible
is
read
and
meditated
on
and
memorized
and prayed
over
and obeyed
and so my
friends
may God
fill you
with a
strong
love for
truth
a deep
grasp of
the Bible
as the
sum of
all truth
and a
powerful
vision for
the glory
of God
in the face
of Christ
let's pray
heavenly
father on
the six of
this month
478 years
ago
William
Tyndall was
strangled to
death and
his body
was burnt
so that we
could have
your word
in our
laps
tonight
and so
may there
be nothing
trivial
about the
way we
speak
about the
Bible
not primarily
because we
owe a debt
to Tyndall
but because
it is you
speaking to
us
and so we
ask that
many many
more than
we could
even ask
for or
imagine
would come
to revere
you the
God of
the Bible
and your
word
for St
Paul's
Lord we
ask for
an awakening
to the
truth in
our lives
and in
this city
for the
glory of
your name
Amen