In his sermon last weekend, Pastor Bobby Chaw reminded the church that God is the God of truth, and that they must walk in the light because He is consistent, faithful, and dependable.
By Gracie Lepcha
Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me”.
Reading this verse, Bobby Chaw, City Harvest Church’s executive pastor, preached that God is the God of truth, and knowing the God of truth has become more important than ever in this day and age. He was preaching on the weekend of September 12 and 13.
“We now live in a post-truth society,” the pastor said. People find it increasingly difficult to believe in what they read and see because, in this age of “deep fake”, it is increasingly difficult to tell the truth from false and misleading information.
Does truth still matter? Yes, because God is the God of truth, said Pastor Bobby.
Numbers 23:19 tells Christians that God does not lie. “God is not post-truth; He is truth,” the pastor added. He went on to explain in detail the three things about the God of truth that all must know
ONE: GOD IS CONSISTENT
God stays true to the commitments He makes to His people (Mal 2:6). Even when the Israelites failed Him during the time of Malachi, God remained fully committed to them. In Malachi 2:7, God declared that He does not change.
“He does not abandon you when you are surrounded by troubles or crises,” Pastor Bobby assured the church. “In the past, God has blessed you with good and perfect gifts; today, He is still doing the same and, in the future, He will continue to do so.” Even in this time of economic and social disruption, God is still the same because He cannot deny Himself (2 Tim 2:13).
Jeremiah 10:10 and John 17:3 both called God the “true God”. Pastor Bobby explained that “true” in Greek is the word alēthinos, which refers to someone who not only has the name or resemblance but the real nature corresponding to that name. In other words, if God reveals Himself as Jehovah Jireh—
“God will provide”—He will supply in every situation, whether good or bad.
Similarly, when God reveals Himself as Jehovah Rapha, it means that God’s will is to heal. When Christians obey Mark 16:18, they will have the authority to boldly pray and lay hands on the sick and they will recover.
TWO: GOD HAS COMPLETE INTEGRITY
This means that what He says and He does are synonymous. “With God, there is no pretense, no shading of the truth, no understatement or overstatement,” said Pastor Bobby. “In everything, there is total integrity; what you see is what you get.”
Reading Psalm 33:4, Jeremiah 1:12, and Isaiah 55:11, Pastor Bobby preached that God is not careless with His words; He is a promise keeper.
He went on to share his personal testimony to illustrate his point. A few years ago, his father-in-law suffered from cancer and stroke. His business debts and medical bills started to pile up. Pastor Bobby and his wife, Cindy held fast to God’s word, trusting that He would provide. They sowed into God’s house during building fund and trusted that God would be faithful to His promise. By the grace of God, they were able to clear the debt by early last year.
“God is the God of integrity,” Pastor Bobby declared. “He will surely perform His word”. He encouraged the church not to become bitter or angry when they meet with a crisis, but to keep their eyes on the true God.
“Trust in His promises because He does not change,” he encouraged them.
THREE: GOD IS FAITHFUL AND DEPENDABLE
1 Corinthians 1:9 (AMP) reads, “God is faithful (reliable, trustworthy and therefore ever true to His promise, and He can be depended on…”
Since ancient times, God’s name has always been an unshakable tower in times of trouble (Prov 18:10).
Pastor Bobby cited a recent report that showed that COVID’s presence has resulted in a 50 percent surge in online searches for prayer as people turn to religion to cope with feelings of anxiety and hopelessness.
“In a crisis, people always search for a secured anchor—Jesus is faithful and dependable,” the pastor emphasized.
1 Peter 2:6 calls Jesus the chief cornerstone. The last seven months of the pandemic might have turned people’s lives upside down but Pastor Bobby encouraged the church, “There is a rock that cannot be moved and His name is Jesus! Cast away every voice of worry and fear, choose truth, call on His name, trust in His nature, hold fast to His promises and you will by no means be put to shame because God is the God of truth.”
WALK IN THE LIGHT
Pastor Bobby added that God is now calling His people to the same kind of consistency and integrity. 1 John 4 reads, “…as He is, so are we in this world”.
John also calls the church to “walk in truth” in 3 John 4. “When you walk in truth and honesty, when you are a promise keeper, when your word is your bond, you become faithful, trustworthy, and dependable. And when people go through harsh times, they always look for someone who is faithful and dependable.”
Quoting 1 John 1:7, Pastor Bobby taught that fellowship is only possible when one is walking in the light because without truth there can be no intimacy.
Pastor Bobby used the fellowship of the first two humans as an example. Genesis 2:24-25 records that Adam and Eve were naked and were not ashamed: they were totally open and had nothing to hide. There was no fear of betrayal or malice—that was how two could become one flesh.
Honesty promotes intimacy; without truth, there can be no intimacy. Pastor Bobby compared Adam and Eve’s nakedness to Satan’s cunning nature. He explained that naked in Hebrew is the word arom, and cunning is arum. Genesis 3:1 reads, “The serpent was more cunning (arum) than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made”.
“When a person is not honest, he has to be cunning and crafty to keep lying to make others believe in him. That is a very tiring way of living life,” said the pastor.
Without integrity, there can be no trust, honesty, intimacy. To be in a close relationship and in intimacy with God, one needs to be walking in truth (Ps 15:1-2).
When Adam sinned, he went into hiding and his fellowship with God was broken. The first thing God did was to call out asking Adam where he was. Pastor Bobby appealed to those who living a lifestyle that is threatening their relationship with God, and those who are lost in the darkness of lies. He encouraged them to step out into the light because God is in the light.
“Don’t be afraid, the Holy Spirit will help you!” assured the pastor. “He wants to lead you into a life of truth. He wants to restore your relationship and intimacy with our heavenly Father. He wants to change you, transform you into the image of Lord Jesus Christ”.
In conclusion, Pastor Bobby reiterated that God is the God of truth, and He wants to set His people free from the stress and bondage of lies and deceit, and to live a life of truth.
He ended the service with a powerful prayer for those struggling to walk in God’s light.
