Read Textual Sermon from John Hagee
Truth That Sets a Nation Free
We are a nation in need of truth. But what is truth? And what do we do with truth?
Jesus Christ said very clearly, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” These are two different statements that are put together in the context of His conversation. First is the knowledge of truth, and then comes the question: what do you do with the truth? Often, when we know the truth, we pretend that we’re ignorant of it because we do not want the responsibility of living under it—“playing dumb.”
But the reality is, it doesn’t matter whether you ignore the truth, debate the truth, argue the truth, or refuse to apply the truth. No matter what you do with truth, truth does not change.
A Nation in Desperate Need of Truth
We are a nation in desperate need of truth. There are all kinds of arguments happening in our world today—about who should be in control and who is out of control; who should be defunded, who needs to be refunded, and who is overfunded.
If you want to defund people who kill innocent people, defund Planned Parenthood.
If you want to refund somebody, refund taxpayers whose dollars have been wasted on failed programs.
If you want to know who’s overfunded, it’s celebrities and sports stars who think their talents and wages give them a certified expert opinion—they’re overfunded.
United Under God’s Blessing
We argue about who’s essential and who’s non-essential, what needs to be done and how to do it. The louder the arguments get, the more we forget how to solve problems. Look back at the 240-plus years of our history. The way this nation has solved problems is not like any other nation. Why? Because this is not just any nation. This is one nation under God. These are the United States of America. And when we are united, we experience what Psalm 133 declares:
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!… for there the Lord commanded the blessing.” (Psalm 133:1, 3, NKJV)
Our blessings do not come from a political party, a savvy economic scheme, or individuals who decide when and where we receive them. Our blessings come from the one source the Bible names: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
The truth is, in this nation we like to treat symptoms, but we seldom find the cure.
Sin: The Real Problem
We say that our murder rate is a problem with gun control. We don’t have a gun-control problem—we have a sin problem.
We say that our national debt is a problem with the economy. We don’t have an economic problem—we have a greed problem, and greed is a sin problem.
For every symptom, there is one source: sin.
I believe the words of Abraham Lincoln when he paraphrased the Scriptures. Jesus Christ said, “A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.” Lincoln warned that a nation divided against itself cannot stand. If America falls, it will be from within, not from without. His words are prophetic today, for we are destroying ourselves on many levels. Why? The arrogance and pride of self-deception.
We believe we can do it on our own—fix the economy, correct failing education, resolve racial divisions, right every wrong, overcome evil, and “make America great again.” None of that is true, because the truth has not changed. Jesus Christ said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” It is time to put Jesus Christ back where He belongs—not as a book on the coffee table, but as Lord on the throne of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
What we need as a nation is truth—not truth that makes us comfortable, but truth that makes a difference. That truth comes from God’s Word, and God’s Word alone. We don’t need a denominational takeover, a political party in power, or the reign of personal opinions. We need to submit ourselves to God’s truth and let freedom ring from sea to shining sea.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32, NKJV)
The Yoke We Choose
The Intolerance of Truth
As tolerant as we claim to be, the one thing we do not tolerate well is truth. We’ve used the word tolerance until it has lost its meaning—on T-shirts, hashtags, bumper stickers. We pretend it can cure the world’s wrongs, and we sound absurd.
People say, “If they’d just get along in the Middle East and be tolerant…” That conflict goes back to Jacob and Esau. “We’d stop violence in our cities if people were just tolerant.” “There’d be no social injustice if we were tolerant.” We’ve stripped the word down until no one listens.
We tolerate each other’s opinions until truth enters the conversation. The second truth requires us to change what we believe, we become intolerant. When truth is uncomfortable, we pretend it’s confusing. Many claim to be “confused” about what the Bible says on giving. The Bible says, “Give, and it will be given to you.” The confusion isn’t in the verse; it’s in our unwillingness to adjust to truth. Truth is uncomfortable—we pretend it’s confusing. Truth is unpopular—we ignore it so we won’t lose the favor of friends.
Christ’s Easy Yoke vs. the World’s Heavy Yoke
Truth also brings a burden—the responsibility to apply it. Truth that isn’t applied won’t bless you; it will burden you. Jesus said:
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest… Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me… For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30, NKJV)
When Jesus spoke of a yoke, He used a picture of balance and shared work. The Greek word is zygos. A yoke means there is work to do. Farmers yoke oxen because there’s a field to plow. We live in a world that doesn’t want a yoke because we dislike the idea of work. But it’s not if you work; it’s who you work for. If you labor under the world’s yoke, you won’t enjoy the harvest. If you labor under Christ’s yoke, He will return blessings to you “pressed down, shaken together, and running over.”
You do not escape a yoke. Your master puts it on or takes it off. Submit your life to Jesus Christ, and He becomes your Lord—He places His yoke on you and grants rest. Refuse, and this world will yoke you with burdens you cannot carry.
God’s yoke will deliver you from poverty, for He has promised, “No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” God’s yoke will deliver you from destruction:
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105, NKJV)
If you are walking with Him, His Word lights your steps. If you insist on Him walking with you—while you lead—He will still warn you, but consequences follow when you ignore His voice. Proverbs says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
This yoke will deliver you from bondage:
“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36, NKJV)
The question is not are you wearing a yoke; the question is whose yoke are you wearing—the world’s, or the yoke of Jesus Christ that is easy and light?
Returning to God’s Word
It’s not that we don’t know the truth; it’s that we ignore the truth we know. Consider two pharaohs and how their choices align with our world today.
The first Pharaoh—an idol-worshiping pagan—had a troubling dream. Joseph, a righteous man in whom the Spirit of God dwelled, interpreted it: seven years of abundance would be followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh acted on the truth and prepared. The result? Egypt was spared famine and became powerful. Even a wicked king recognized God’s wisdom in Joseph.
A later Pharaoh “knew not Joseph.” Not because history was erased, but because he chose to ignore it. He enslaved the people God promised to bless, and Egypt declined. The corpse of Pharaoh in the Red Sea is a testament that God keeps His Word to a thousand generations.
So what do we do? We stop ignoring the truth and return to the Word of God.
“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (John 17:17, NKJV)
This truth has made us one nation under God. This truth has anchored our society. Past leaders called upon the Lord in crisis and found help. If America is being destroyed from the inside out, change will not come from the outside in. It must begin in us—then flow to those around us. No party, candidate, plan, or program can save the day. Only the saving power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit can transform a life.
Don’t waste your strength blaming those to your right or left until you are doing all you can—heart, soul, mind, and body—to serve Him. Be His hands and feet. Serve Him with gladness. God doesn’t want us dressing up and playing church. He wants us to be the church—shining His light until darkness is dispelled; entering His courts with thanksgiving and His gates with praise; rejoicing that His mercies are new every morning; celebrating that where sin abounded, grace much more abounded.
We have a decision to make today. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
God is not waiting for Washington to get it right; He is waiting for you to get it right. He is not waiting for a seminary student to enter the Senate; He is waiting for you to get on your knees, enter heavenly places, and make war in prayer on behalf of God’s children. He promised, “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh,” and “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Isn’t it time we called, asked, and followed? Isn’t it time we declared the truth—the whole truth, and nothing but the truth—that God is alive—let His enemies be scattered?
We are a nation in need of truth. The truth will make you uncomfortable. The truth will require you to change. The truth may ask you to say, “I was wrong.” But when you know the truth and put it to work, it will make you free.
Stand to your feet.
Heavenly Father, today in this sanctuary, we have heard Your Word, and Your Word is true. Your judgments are pure. Your lovingkindness is better than life. We as a people need to turn from our wicked ways so that You can heal our land. Grant each person under the sound of my voice—and those watching afar—the courage to turn today: to turn from pride, arrogance, and self-will, and to live selflessly for the King of kings and Lord of lords. In Jesus’ name we pray, and all of God’s children said, “Praise the Lord.”
Bible Quotations Added (KJV/NKJV)
- John 8:32 (NKJV) — “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
- Psalm 133:1, 3 (NKJV) — “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!… For there the Lord commanded the blessing.”
- Matthew 11:28–30 (NKJV) — “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden… For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
- Psalm 119:105 (NKJV) — “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
- John 8:36 (NKJV) — “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Questions This Sermon Answers
- What is truth according to Jesus, and how does it set people free?
- Why are national problems fundamentally spiritual (sin) rather than merely political or economic?
- What does it mean to wear Christ’s yoke instead of the world’s yoke?
- How does unity under God invite His blessing on a nation?
- Why must personal repentance and obedience precede national renewal?
- What can we learn from the two pharaohs about knowing truth versus ignoring it?
- How should believers respond practically to truth that is uncomfortable or unpopular?
