CRUMB 0035 – CAN YOU HANDLE THE TRUTH?

There is this well made and popular Hollywood Movie called, “A Few Good Men”.

Most of you reading this would be familiar with ‘A Few Good Men’. I thought it was a great film with a highly talented cast in Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Kevin Bacon and Demi Moore.

I watched this film several times again after that. It seemed to have everything. It was a fight for justice for a crime at the highest level to expose the truth.

One particular scene from this movie, stood out for me. It was a high-tension, passionate-filled dramatic courtroom scene.

There was Jack Nicolson as a top military commander, in the witness seat being interrogated by Tom Cruise, a rookie defense lawyer.

Here’s how it went:

Tom Cruise: “I WANT THE TRUTH!”

Jack Nicolson: “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!”

(Do click here to watch it)

Against The Grain

The Truth will always go against the grain. Good men representing the truth will always be up against all the odds.

And they seek to fight the severest of battles in order to establish the truth.

Every battle for the establishment of truth is an uphill one, for the forces that come against it, far outnumber it.

However, truth is a force on its own drawing its strength from within itself.

It is a double-edged sword, which slowly but surely cuts through the raging waters of the dark opposing sea, creating a seemingly impossible and clear pathway to freedom and glory.

Release From Bondage

It releases us men and women from the chains of bondage, setting us on a journey to a land and life of liberty.

The truth closes the door to that chapter in our lives behind us, then enables and empowers us to keep looking ahead and exhorts us to “never look back”.

It is a fact that we all love the truth, we want the truth, we rejoice in the truth, but can we handle the truth?

It’s a big relevant question for it always comes with a price. Though it can be painful, it’s a good price and worth paying, but are we prepared to pay that price? Can we handle it?

When it comes to the Biblical truth of the Gospel of our eternal salvation, why do we men find it so hard to believe and accept?

Why do we struggle to believe that God was bodily in His Son, the Man Jesus Christ?

The Bible tells that, “For in Him (Jesus Christ) dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” [Colossians 2:9]

On the cross God Himself was paying the death penalty for the sins of every single human being that ever lived and those who were yet to be born.

“God was in Christ” reconciling the men unto Himself [2 Corinthians 5:19].

Divine Blood Shed

“Divine Blood was shed to purchase our eternal freedom”.

Why do we find it so hard to understand and accept that concept?

For when our soldiers go to war, they go to fight for and protect our national freedom. Their blood is shed in the process. They die. That’s the price that’s paid so that we can have life and liberty.

The price for our national freedom is the “shed blood” of these brave men and martyred freedom fighters.

They rarely go to battle for other nations, although it can happen. But primarily their blood is shed for their own.

The Bible tells us that, “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die” [Romans 5:7].

Is not that so true?

So why then, is it such a big deal to understand that God has done the same for His Own creation?

Going Through The Process

GOD took on the form of a human being in Christ Jesus, going through the process of birth and growing up just like we do, as an everyday, run of the mill, ordinary man.

Being God, He came as a ‘nobody’, displaying no fancy airs or graces of arrogance and pride. “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?”

[John 1:46] was the talk of the town in those days concerning Him. But He took it one day at a time.

He did not take any short cuts and just miraculously appear from out of nowhere and say, “HERE I AM” in a deep bass voice.

A Friend Of Sinners

The King and the Judge of the universe reduced Himself to our level for the first time in His eternal existence, so that HE could relate to us in our fallen state. He befriended and treated the worst of sinners with dignity, honour and respect.

He never had even one word of condemnation for any of them. Only encouraging commendation, and He meant it.

He had the guts, grit and the boldness to expose the hypocritical religious hierarchy of His day for what they were. They hated Him for it to the extent that they were willing to release a hardcore criminal in exchange for His life [Matthew 27:15-26].

He willingly allowed it, for to die for you and me He came.

Whoever and whatever you are, THAT IS YOUR TRUE GOD. There is no other and He has not changed one bit.

He went through everything that we have had to go through withstanding all the temptations, attacks and rejection. Yet He did not flinch.

He “set His face like a flint” [Isaiah 50:7] and held His ground so He that could be the perfect sinless sacrifice, “a Lamb without blemish” [1 Peter 1:19].

The Real “Mission Impossible”

JESUS was a truly a Man with a mission.

And when the moment of reckoning had arrived, He sacrificed Himself by shedding His Own blood for us on a gruesome Roman cross, which was the horrific capital punishment of the day.

On that cross, He took on all the dark spiritual forces and powers head on. We will never be able to even come close to scratching the surfaces of comprehension of what happened on the cross, as He openly defeated and triumphed over them.

This is how the Bible puts it, “And having spoiled (disarmed all the) principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it” [Colossians 2:15].

Having obtained our eternal freedom on that cross, He simultaneously destroyed Satan the devil and sealed his fate forever.

Talk about “killing two birds with one stone”. This was a massive victory.

The days of Satan the tempter and deceiver are numbered, before he gets thrown into the lake of fire prepared for him for all eternity.

The Bible tells us that this is how God “demonstrates(notice that this is in the present tense) His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” [Romans 5:8].

So the truth of this Scripture applies to us in all its fullness today at this very moment as it did then.

IT’S A LIVING WORD.

THE RESURRECTION IS THE SEPARATING GULF

“Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?” [Acts 26:8].

After being placed in a heavily guarded tomb, three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, NEVER to die again. This was the living evidence of Who He really was in setting our salvation permanently and irrevocably in place.

This was the greatest moment in all of human history. It is a historical fact. There will never be one like it again.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is that defining “separating gulf” from every human religion, philosophy, opinion and order, exposing their vanity, hopelessness and fallibility. It’s the ‘full Monty’ of all the ‘sad-gurus’ that our media accommodates.

It sets up “Faith in Christ” far above anything else, and is the very backbone of an infallible and eternal Hope, both yours and mine.

All the religions of the world have “NO LEG” to stand on. Hence they have “NO HOPE” to offer.

Every single religious and philosophical personality on planet earth, have all died and never returned.

Those who are alive today will die tomorrow, NEVER to return.

And let’s not kid ourselves. 2+2=4. DEAD MEN DON’T TALK!

The Resurrection of Christ Jesus, Who is the absolute “fullness of God”, throws out every religious structure, order, doctrine, thought and philosophy right out of the window, rendering all of them, meaningless, pointless, vain and deceptive.

We have heard all kinds of spiritual things concerning our lives as we seek to journey through this maze called ‘life’. Much seeking has caused much confusion.

It is time that we, “Let God be true and every man a liar” [Romans 3:4].

So Can You Handle The Truth?

The Resurrection, makes Christ Jesus today and forever stand both as Man (representing the entire human race) and GOD (representing the entirety of Heaven).

Because He lives, we will also live for He will raise us up at the last day [John 6:40].

This is the “Truth of God” and it stands boldly before us face to face.

It does and will continue to go against the grain of this pride-filled world.

You will be hated, ridiculed and persecuted, but you will possess something that is priceless. And which can never be taken away from you.

And that is an eternal salvation for your soul, the moment you place your faith in the Gospel of His Grace.

“Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried and rose again for your justification”. It is GOD’S LIVING WORD spelling itself out simply, powerfully and clearly in [1 Corinthians 15:1-4] and [Romans 4:25].

So can ‘we’ handle this Truth? Are we truly tough enough to stand up for it?

Because I’ll tell what:

This Alone Will And Does, Truly “Separate The Men From The Boys”

There are no “gender favourites” in the above statement, for “there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” [Galatians 3:28].

JESUS CHRIST, Who is the very embodiment of Truth said this:

“These things I have spoken to you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” [John 16:33].