Truth Is Fallen in the Street - Pastor Stacey Shiflett

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Truth Is Fallen in the Street

Isaiah 59:14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

Intro: This passage has been preached many times.

This chapter is powerful for a number of reasons. Notice…

A. A Powerful Condemnation – vs. 1-8

The verbal imagery in these verses describe a spiritual condition that is desperate.

1. God condemned their Isolation – vs. 1, 2

2. God condemned their Iniquity – vs. 2-7 (“iniquity” five times.)

3. God condemned their Inaccuracies – vs. 3, 4

4. God condemned their Illusions – vs. 5, 6

5. God condemned their Intentions – vs. 7

6. God condemned their Ignorance – vs. 8

B. A Painful Confession – vs. 9-15

1. They confessed their Darkness – vs. 9

2. They confessed their Desolation – vs. 10

3. They confessed their Damnation – vs. 11, 12

4. They confessed their Departure – vs. 13-15

C. A Personal Confirmation – vs. 16-21

1. God confirms His Righteousness – vs. 16, 17

2. God confirms His Recompense – vs. 18

3. God confirms His Rebuttal – vs. 19

4. God confirms His Return – vs. 20

5. God confirms His Reassurance – vs. 21

Tonight however, I just want to focus on the one statement in verse 14 – “truth is fallen in the street.”

The impact of this statement needs to be dissected.

Let’s look at the significance of three words in this statement.

I. The Word TRUTH – the Proven Absolute

Truth is concrete; not abstract.

Truth is not your truth, or my truth – it is God’s truth.

God’s truth is timeless.

God’s truth is not contingent on current trends, cultures or ideology.

God’s truth doesn’t evolve with man’s opinions and practices.

God’s truth is forever settled in Heaven.

God is so passionate about truth that everything He is associated with involves the truth.

In fact, no less than three times in the King James Bible He is called “the God of truth.”

·       Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

(SEE also Psalms 31:5, Isaiah 65:16)

A. His Spirit is called the “spirit of truth.”

·       John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

B. His Word is called “word of truth.”

·       2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

C. His House is called “the pillar and ground of the truth.”

·       1 Timothy 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

D. His Plan is called “the way of truth.”

·       2 Peter 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

E. His Salvation is called “coming unto the knowledge of the truth.”

·       1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

In another place, getting saved is actually referred to as “…repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;”

·       2 Timothy 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

It is impossible to have the right relationship with the truth if you don’t have the right relationship with God.

A person that truly loves the truth will love God.

·       They will love God’s Word.

·       They will love God’s people.

·       They will love God’s house.

Show me a person that has a problem with any of those things, and their relationship with truth is shaky.

You can’t hobnob with the devil and have a love for the truth.

·       John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

·       1 Corinthians 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

You can’t rejoice in the truth and get offended by the truth at the same time!!

·       Galatians 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

You can’t listen to people that hate the truth, and then profess to love the truth.

·       1 Timothy 6:5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

You can’t be best friends with unbelievers and pretend to have a love for the truth.

·       Galatians 4:16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

You can’t love the truth, and then make enemies of those that tell you the truth!

·       Romans 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.

You can’t have a passion for truth and change the truth of God into a lie every chance you get!

II. The Word FALLEN – the Purposeful Abandonment

The word FALLEN here is also translated stumble, cast down, feeble, overthrown, ruin, bereave, decayed, faileth, weak

If something falls, it indicates a lack of stability or upkeep.

NOTE: It does not say that truth HAS fallen; it says it IS fallen; meaning it is ongoing. Present progressive.

Every generation has had access to the truth and will be held accountable for the truth they’ve been given.

We can get upset with our parents, grandparents or forefathers, but we have access to the same truth they did.

We should be far more concerned about what we are doing with the truth than what they did with it.

If truth HAD fallen, we would never been exposed to it.

If truth had died with past generations, we would not be accountable to God.

But they had it, and now we have it.

We can’t blame our ancestors for the truth that WE are neglecting.

We cannot blame our parents for the truth that WE are casting down.

We cannot blame our family tree for the truth that WE have allowed to decay and weaken.

That is on us!! That is our fault!

The child of God had unsaved parents has access to the same truth as the people that had saved parents.

That Bible you are holding in your lap is all the truth that any generation since the New Testament has ever had.

We are living in a day where multitudes of people are literally “turning away their ears from the truth…” 2 Timothy 4:4

III. The word STREET – the Public Annoyance

The significance of the “street” in this verse is key.

·       The truth is not fallen in a ravine up in the mountains.

·       It is not fallen in a crevice in the wilderness.

·       It is not fallen in a gopher hole out in the desert.

·       It is lying where everybody can see it.

It is where the entire population can observe its fallen state.

It is obvious; it is flagrant; it is widely known.

It is not a secret. It is not the opinion of a few fanatics.

It is a known fact; a public and prominent phenomenon.

The fact that it is in the street is also heartbreaking.

Everyone can see it, but nobody is making any effort to restore it.

Everyone knows it, but there is no one to raise it back to its place of prominence.

The truth is lying in the street to be trampled.

The truth is lying in the street to be stepped over and walked around.

It is no longer a signpost or an indication of clear direction; it is now an obstacle.

The truth is a hindrance to the plans and intents of the inhabitants.

The truth has been reduced to litter in the gutter.

The truth that once set the course is now lying with the debris of humanity.

The truth that was once proclaimed with boldness is now withered and dying in the streets.

SEE verse 14 

·       Judgment is turned away backward.

·       Justice standeth afar off – doesn’t want to get involved.

·       Equity cannot enter

EQUITY: straight in front, be in front of, straight, right, straightness; true things

Equity is locked outside. That which is straight and right and true is unwelcome.

They are rolling out the red carpets for everyone and everything but that which is right.

The text is crystal clear what the problem is.

·       Isaiah 59:4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

Conclusion: The remedy is very simple. Plead for truth!

Fall in love with truth. Demand truth. Insist on truth.

·       Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it not;

Don’t trade the truth for friendships.

Don’t trade the truth for popularity.

Don’t trade the truth for peace and quiet.

Don’t trade the truth for a promotion.

Don’t trade the truth for anything!

Don’t listen to liars.

Don’t pay attention to deceivers.

Don’t go to the unsaved for facts and information.

Don’t give heed to those that do not love God or love the Word of God.

Don’t lend your ear to those that do not love the house of God or the ways of God.

·       Romans 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar;

At the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, Jesus said:

·       John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.