Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
June 24, 2001 a.m.
Truth Or Consequences
Reading... Acts 3.13-19 & Acts 17.23-31
Words in any language are constantly changing in definition.
Words not only carry with them a denotation... The detonated definition which is found in the dictionary. But also have a connotation... A feeling or idea suggested by a word, that may or may not have anything to do with the definition.
Ignorance is the word we want to focus on this morning.
The definition of ignorance is... Lacking knowledge--of the thing specified.
For instance... Most of us are ignorant of the theory of relativity.
We all have seen Mr. Einstein’s formula: E=mc2 ... But we are lacking in knowledge as to what it all means!... How to make use of the formula... RIGHT?
Now church... Just because we are ignorant of the theory of relativity doesn’t mean we are ignorant of everything.
You see... The word ignorant also has a connotation. A connotation which... In our culture... Is emotionally charged. When we say someone is ignorant... The connotation is that he or she is...
-Dumb...
-OUT OF TOUCH...
-A real nerd!...
-Stupid.
SO... For the purpose of this lesson this morning... We will use the word according to its denotation... Not its connotation. We’re making a big deal out of this because we want to understand that ignorance is not necessarily tied to intelligence. One can be very intelligent... Yet be completely ignorant of some things. For example... How many of you know the names of my six grandchildren? You see... You are ignorant of the thing specified.
-But that ignorance has nothing to do with your IQ.
IGNORANCE... In the Bible... Is simply a lack of knowledge of a specific subject.
For instance... Peter Pointed Out the Ignorance of the Jews.
In our reading... Peter was preaching the second Gospel sermon as recorded in Acts 3.
He told the people that they had killed the Messiah... The Son of God.
He pointed out that they... and their rulers acted in ignorance.
He also made the point that all the things which happened in connection with Jesus’ death had been prophesied about... and recorded in the Old Testament scriptures.
You see church... If these people had studied the scriptures... They would have known Jesus to be MESSIAH... The Son of God!
But they didn’t... And so they crucified their hope of salvation... Out of ignorance!
Secondly... Paul speaks of the Ignorance of the Gentiles.
In Acts 17... Paul was invited to address a group of elect Gentiles on Mars Hill.
Having spent several days in the city of Athens... He had noticed their many idols.
Furthermore... He had taken note of an altar with the inscription... To An Unknown God.
As he spoke to those of the Areopagus... Paul told them about the God they did not know.
-He declared to them the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
-He told them that... Before the coming of Christ and His church into the world... God had
overlooked ignorance... The lack of knowledge about HIM.
But NOW... BUT NOW... He demands that all people everywhere must repent.
Why was this important to the men of Athens?... And why is it important to us?
Paul goes on to tell us... Because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through JESUS... Having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.
You see... Ignorance of Truth is a Serious Matter... Isn’t it?
When we examine these two sermons closely... Peter and Paul were both saying is that ignorance of truth has serious consequences. Peter said the ignorance of the Jews led to the murder of the Son of God. Paul was saying that... In the Christian dispensation... Ignorance leads to judgment. John Wesley once said... Ignorance is the devil’s college.
We must know this morning that... IGNORANCE IS THE ANTHESIS OF FAITH & TRUTH.
Jesus said... Sanctify them through thy truth... Thy word is truth.
If we do not know truth, then we cannot be Sanctified... Cleansed... Made Holy... Forgiven, etc.
The Hebrews’ writer tells us that... Without faith it is impossible to please our God.
Now church... FAITH comes by what... HOW DO WE GET OUR FAITH?
Romans 10.17 says... Faith comes by hearing TRUTH... By hearing the word of God.
So... IGNORANCE is the enemy of both faith and truth.
It’s amazing isn’t it... that so many Bibles are available to us today. We probably have six to ten in our home... Yet so many are ignorant of God’s truth. Even among God’s people, there are many who are not rooted in truth. But instead deal in superstitions... speculation... assumptions... and personal preference.
INDEED... IN MATTERS OF RELIGION... IGNORANCE IS A SERIOUS MATTER.
Remember a few Sunday’s ago, we talked about how as Israel was about to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land... and Joshua challenged the people with these words... CHOOSE TODAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE.
This morning... Their challenge becomes our challenge...
We too... stand ready to cross our own personal Jordan...
We must choose between TRUTH... and the CONSEQUENCES of IGNORANCE.
Which will it be?... Which will it be indeed?
Note with me now... some of the serious consequences resulting from ignorance of truth
First... Ignorance of Truth will cause us to distort God’s word.
I’m convinced that most religious error taught today is not intentional... but is a result of ignorance of the word. Most people are honest in their religious convictions... but they are ignorant of God’s Word... and what it teaches. I’m convinced that false teachers don’t intentionally start out to teach falsehood... but because of ignorance, they distort truth.
Listen to Peter as he writes about such a problem concerning his brother Paul in 2 Peter 3.15-16... Our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him by God, wrote to you... Speaking of some things which are hard to understand... (LISTEN NOW!!)... Which the untaught and unstable distort... As they do also the rest of the Scriptures to their own destruction.
Peter is saying that the untaught... those who are ignorant of God’s word... have a tendency to distort the Scriptures! He further points out that... It’s the more difficult Scriptures that they tend to distort more frequently.
Here is something else we need to understand... Distortion of TRUTH can be as dangerous as the total rejection of truth. Jesus and the inspired writers of the New Testament took false teaching very seriously.
-Peter warns... But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false
teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies... to their own destruction.
-Jesus said... Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly
are ravenous wolves.
-Paul warned the Ephesian Elders... Take heed to yourselves and the flock... (WHY?)...
Because even from your own number some will arise and DISTORT THE TRUTH... and
draw away followers after them.
You see... Every false teaching starts out... not with an outright rejection of truth... but with distortion of it... CAUSED BY WHAT?... Ignorance.
So... What must we do to keep from being IGNORANT of the Word?... I believe Paul tells us in his letter to Timothy... STUDY... STUDY... Do your best... Be diligent... to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who rightly divides... correctly handles... properly uses... the word of truth.
We don’t learn to walk... talk... or do long division in a day.
Similarly, we cannot expect to become masters of the Bible in a week... month or year.
-Learning God’s truth...
-Learning how to properly divide it... interpret it...
-Learning how to properly use it...
Is a gradual process which takes much practice.
The Hebrews’ writer speaks of this principle... You have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
May God help us resolve today... choose today... to start learning truth... and how to properly use it... So that we will not be distorters of truth.
Ignorance of Truth can cause our best efforts to be worthless.
In the religious world... There are a lot of people who are very active... in their religion... who do not know... teach... or practice truth. Some of these folk stand up for what they believe to the point of ridicule and persecution.
We’ve known those who have lost their jobs because of their stand for what they thought was TRUTH. The reason is because... They really believe what they teach.
But... But... If what they are teaching is not true... Then all those efforts are for naught... Their efforts are wasted.
Note a couple of examples... One such case was Saul... Before his conversion.
You see... His efforts to destroy Christianity was the result of (WHAT??)... Ignorance!
What he thought he was doing for the Lord... was wasted effort... In fact it was counter productive to God and His cause.
Another example is the nation of Israel... Paul’s greatest hope was that the Jews would turn to Jesus. He said... For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God... But their zeal is not in accordance with knowledge... Not according to truth.
-These people believed in God... And wanted to obey Him...
-They were eager for God... And working hard in their religion ...
-They thought they were working for God...
But... They didn’t know the truth... They were ignorant of the fact that Jesus was God’s Son!
So... Ignorance has the potential of taking our best efforts and rendering them good-for-nothing.
Ignorance of Truth can cause us to fall into the trap of sin.
Peter warns us with these words... Be of sober spirit... Be on the alert... Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Satan’s chances at getting us to into sin’s trap are increased by our own ignorance of truth. Jesus... In His wilderness temptations... Defeated the devil every time by quoting Scripture.
Church... If Jesus used truth to overcome Satan... Shouldn’t we?... Shouldn’t we?
But... You see... Jesus was able to call upon scripture... Because he knew scripture.
-If we are ignorant of truth... We will not be able to use it.
-If we are ignorant of truth... We might not even know when we should use it!
Ignorance caused the Jews to reject Jesus and kill Him.
Ignorance caused the Athenian Gentiles to worship idols.
Audience... In matters of religion... Ignorance of God’s commands is deadly.
Peter wrote... Do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours... In your ignorance.
You see... Ignorance of truth makes us vulnerable to sin... And the wages of sin.
Ignorance of Truth can cause us to be excluded from the life of God. I want you to understand that... Knowledge of the truth is a matter of life & death! Listen to Ephesians 4.17-18... Walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind... Being darkened in their understanding... (LISTEN NOW!!)... Being excluded from the life of God... Because of the ignorance that is in them. Paul clearly says that... Ignorance leads us to exclusion from the life of God.
I believe the phrase... THE LIFE OF GOD has two meanings...
The life of God includes the good life Jesus came to offer in the here and now. Jesus said in John 10.10... I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly...
Life at its best... Life above the common... Life above the ordinary.
This life... The Christian life... Is the best life God has to offer in this world.
And He has given us the operation manual for the species... The instruction book on how to both find and maintain the good life He came to make possible.
The life of God includes eternal life in heaven. Jesus says... Trust Me... because... in my Father's house are many rooms... many mansions... many abodes... If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Ignorance of God’s commands could result in our being eternally lost.
So... The choice is ours to make this morning...
We are all standing on the Jordan...
-The Promises of god...
-The Promise Land of God awaits us.
CHOOSE TODAY... TRUTH... OR CONSEQUENCES.
Choose truth this morning... by becoming a child of God by faith... Repentance and New Testament baptism... Immersion in water for the forgiveness of sins.
Perhaps... as a child of God...we need to need to make some things right in our life...
Perhaps out of ignorance we’ve been doing some things that we shouldn’t... And need to change.
Maybe we need to start doing some things we’ve been leaving undone.
How ever the lesson has spoken to you, choose truth as we stand and sing.
Will you come!! 
