“I am the truth” (John 14:6).

“I am the truth.” That’s some statement!

It’s interesting that Jesus didn’t point to something and declare that that thing is the truth. Jesus didn’t say, look at the truth…that’s the truth.

Jesus declared, “I am the truth.”

Who says that? Who has the audacity to make such a statement?

Jesus.

Jesus was simply telling us, well…the truth. Jesus was saying, if you want to know the truth, don’t turn to your feelings, don’t turn to what you think, don’t turn to what others say the truth is. If you want to know the truth, turn to me. Look at me. That’s what Jesus is saying.

That’s really good advice. Because when we live life, we will all experience both the tremendous highs and the tragic lows. And unless our eyes are on Jesus our faith life will ebb with the flow of life. To maintain the course, to live life the way God intends us to live, keep your eyes on Jesus.

He is the truth. In fact, Jesus is not only the truth, but he is the way, the truth, and the life.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say…’ (Genesis 3:1).

Did God really say…

The confusion was not that Eve did not know what God said. She knew. It’s just that the serpent convinced Eve that what he was saying was more desirable.

The serpent said, “You will not certainly die” (Genesis 3:4). A direct contradiction of what God had said – “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:16-17).

The serpent continued, “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5).

The thing that makes the serpent’s lies so dangerous is that it is partly true. It is true that her eyes will be opened. But it will come at the cost of having destroyed Eden and her relationship with God. A truth the serpent conveniently left out.

Eve gave into the serpent’s version of truth, not because she did not know what God said, but because the serpent said what she wanted to hear.

Be wise. Know God’s truth. It’s all right there in the Bible.

So you had a bad experience with a Christian or a church.

If that’s you, I am sorry. As a pastor, I hate when that happens. I am sorry that the place where you should have received the love and welcome of Jesus Christ was the not what you expected it to be.

Now is the most important decision. Lots of people at this point quit. They quit the church and they quit Christianity because they tried and it turned out to be a terrible experience.

Let me ask you a question: If you have a bad experience with a nurse or a doctor, do you quit healthcare altogether? Do you quit the entire doctors and hospital and healthcare thing?

Of course not!

You don’t quit on Jesus or his church because of a bad encounter. You can look for a different church or different setting, but you don’t quit on Jesus.

Jesus didn’t let you down any more than the entire healthcare system let you down.

The church is made up of people. People who are having a good day, and people who are going through a horrendous season in their lives.

If something like that has happened at the Little Church and Lakewoodgrace, please give us another shot. See if that’s the general practice or if it was an offshoot.