by Dr. Bob Gray Sr.
Proverbs 23:23, “Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.”
Two parts involved in this thought! One, buy the truth! Two, sell it not!” It is a sad commentary on this generation that it is ok to “sell” if the price is right. It is accepted practice for a politician to decide how he will vote based on whether he will become elected or not! If you do not get elected then realize there really is life after politics. What action should this Senator take, or this Congressman, or this Mayor takes? “If he or she does take this action it will hurt their chances of re-election.” Wait a minute! Regardless of the outcome he or she ought to “buy the truth and sell it not.” There is life after politics.
When our country’s leaders base their decisions how it will affect my family and my grandchildren on the basis of their re-election alone, our nation is in a mess! They ought to refuse to violate their principles! They ought to say when Hell freezes over, or when they sell popsicles in the Bogger Man’s house will I sell out.
If certain type preaching makes you unpopular or especially if it will not draw crowds then some will advise you to not preach in such a manner. Do not sell out for there really is life after the pastorate!
Two things at issue here! Buy the truth and sell it not! When the philosophy becomes justifying the end we have sold our souls to Satan. If a church doesn’t like the pastor’s convictions, aggressive soul winning, standards, or his preaching then the pastor should realize there is life after the pastorate. Buy the truth and sell it not!
If a denomination decides to blackball you and the Associational Missionary tells you, like they did me, “You’ll never preach in one of our churches again” then realize there is life after a denomination! Buy the truth and sell it not!
If your wife walks out on you with the children and runs off with some one else, yes you are hurt, you are mad, you are sad, and you are broken hearted, but there really is life after a divorce! Buy the truth and sell it not!
If the children are turning out to be punks, rebellious, disrespectful, and rebels: be hurt, be disappointed, and embarrassed, but please realize there really is life after rebellious children. Buy the truth and sell it not!
Ok, you lost your job and the company cut back or you were fired, may I tell you something, there really is life after a losing a job. Buy the truth and sell it not!
So, you have dropped the ball as bus captain and your route is not doing well at all, or your Sunday school class is failing to produce, may I remind you that there is life after failing. Buy the truth and sell it not!
Have your friends turned on you? You must realize that there is life after Demas! Buy the truth and sell it not! Have the finances gone south and you are in a mess financially? Wait a minute there is life after bankruptcy! Should I quit my bus route and give up on people? There really is life after losing it all! Buy the truth and sell it not.
I must not trim truth. I must always preach the truth that I have purchased regardless of its acceptance or rejection. No one can have truth without paying a price! People are attempting today to figure out what works and what doesn’t work rather than finding out what is truth and what is not truth. Whether it works out or not is not the issue. The truth is the issue of Truth is the only real indicator of success. Buy the truth and sell it not.
The Charismatic and Emerging church methods work one man says. They are successful as far some are concerned. However, Jesus came to Jerusalem on a donkey and went out of Jerusalem on a cross and He said, “I am the truth…” The neo-fundamentalist methods may work in gaining the crowds, but I would rather ride in on a donkey and go out on a cross with the truth! I have chosen to buy the truth and sell it not!
The only one who went out with the money from the first twelve preachers was Judas. He sold what he did not buy! The end does not justify the means. Some fundamentalists bought the truth in the 60’s, 70’s, and early 80’s then ended up selling out to the new Millennium crowd. Buy the truth and sell it not.
It is not just enough to buy the truth you also must not sell the truth! Do you have a price? They say every man has a price! Do you? So you want to see more people saved and you think by trimming the truth you can bring more people to Jesus? I say to you buy the truth and sell it not! Preach the truth and if God gives you 10,000 converts amen! If God gives you ten converts amen! It is much better to buy the truth and sell it not!
Spare no pain! Spare no cost! Spare no sacrifice to obtain the truth and when you have purchased the truth protect it, keep it safe, and secure. The truth will always cost you something and it is a shame to pay the price and then sell it for a poultry or a penury sum.
You can obtain error for free! Any TV evangelist can give you error. Any gossip can give you error, but if you receive truth you will have to pay a price to possess it! Any sensual draw can attract a crowd, but we are commanded to buy the truth and sell it not.
Bill Hybels had a study commissioned by an internal group as to the result of his tremendous growth. He began by surveying the area and asking the people what they desired in a church. He then created a church to match their desires. After several decades of existence he had an internal study to evaluate the ministry. Their study concluded they had the crowds, but had not produced the Christians.
The Emerging church is heading down the same road. They do everything within their power to make the attendee feel comfortable and not challenged with their lifestyles. The truth is we are to bring man up to God not bring God down to man. The local church is a called out body of baptized believers, who are to be given a foretaste of Heaven not a reminder of this world.
Whatever the cost is you go ahead and buy the truth. It will cost you hours of study, cost you tuition, cost you so-called friends, long hours of work, days and nights of prayer, or a denomination but what happens to you doesn’t really matter. What happens to truth is what matters! The stand for the truth is the big thing! “Preacher, aren’t you afraid your stand for truth will cost you followers?” I’m not attempting to have followers! I am attempting to stand for the truth. Buy the truth and sell it not.
John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The Scripture does not say you will know the truth and the truth shall make you famous, popular, gain crowds, or gain riches! Buy the truth and sell it not!
The truth cost me my denomination. My denomination told me I could not run with Dr. Jack Hyles, Dr. John Rice, Evangelist Lester Roloff, or Dr. Lee Roberson. C. H. Spurgeon also got into trouble with his denomination so I am in pretty good company. Jesus got into trouble with the biggest denomination of His day too!
The truth is the issue not our future and not the crowd we run with or against! What difference does it make if truth is not upheld whether we succeed or not? We are only here for a little while. Just a brief time on this planet called earth. Buy the truth and sell it not!
The purchasing of truth is a factor! It cost me my denomination, my family in some cases, my home church, some so-called friends, nights of tears, and a time of searching. You show me a preacher concerned with the truth and not himself and not whether the people like it or not and I will show you someone who has purchased truth at a high price.
Mrs. Gray and I went to Elkhart, Indiana, to preach for a denominational church. I just surrendered to preach. That Sunday night the State Associational Missionary came to the service and met Mrs. Gray and I outside the church to announce to us that we would never ever preach in another one of their churches. The reason was my recent association with Dr. Jack Hyles and Dr. John R. Rice.
Mrs. Gray and I both were shocked and we wept. We honestly thought it was all over as far as preaching was concerned. I didn’t know anything about the independent Baptists. I thought our American Baptists group was the only group of true churches in the world. I decided then to buy the truth and sell it not!
“But preacher your stand is costing you friends!” No! You don’t lose real friends. Buy the truth and sell it not! Buy the truth preacher, preacher boy, mother, dad, son, daughter, Sunday school teacher, bus captain, academy teacher, college professor, staff member, usher, bus driver, deacon, missionary, pastor, and sell it no!
Refuse to be reasoned out of the truth, laughed out of the truth, pressured out of the truth, mocked out of the truth, ridiculed out of the truth, or befriended out of the truth! Don’t trust the truth to liberal colleges, liberal churches, liberal friends, liberal pastors, liberal literature, or liberals period. Stay in fellowship with those who have paid the price and purchased the truth and refuse to sell it for any price!
When some big named preacher starts questioning the inerrancy and inspiration of the Scriptures you hold in your hands in the old King James Bible, then you run from him because he has sold the truth. Buy the truth and sell it not.
All of the disciples, except Judas, died an unnatural death. Peter was crucified upside down. Thomas was martyred in India. We are not here to promote ourselves! We are here to promote truth! Buy the truth and sell it not!
You receive error free of charge. You can easily receive error from any perversion of Scripture but you will never have to buy it! You can get error from any liberal college, liberal church, liberal preacher, liberal seminary, and liberal literature and it will cost you nothing! Buy the truth and sell it not.
JUST A THOUGHT!
Original article can be found at http://www.bobgraysr.com/2013/08/buy-truth-and-sell-it-not.html