Ten Lies About God
Lesson # 1
If the church
could be aroused to heed the voice of God, quite possibly our entire indulgent culture
might rouse itself and take a second look at it moral and spiritual malaise.
A.W. Tozer has said that what we
believe about God is the most important thing about us. The phrase “I Believe In
God” is one of the most meaningless statements a person can make today.
Although public opinion polls tell us that 92 % of Americans believe in God, the God of
the Bible is not who they have in mind. Today’s generation often believe in a god of
their own making, they have combined fragments of Christianity, Buddhism and any number of
notions derived from personal experience and have come up with a god that bear little
resemblance to the God of the Bible.
Tonight I want us to begin a study of the “Ten Lies About God And How You
Might Already Be Deceived” Based on the Book by the same name by Erwin Lutzer,
pastor of the Moody Church in Chicago.
1. True Knowledge of God can be
derived from the Bible Alone.
2. The Better we Know God The Clearer
We Will See Ourselves.
3. The More We Know About God the
More We will Be Drawn to Worship Him.
This is
illustrated in the life of Israel when they became
impatient when Moses lingered to long on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments.
Exodus 32, verse one tells us that they became nervous and wondered
whether Moses would ever return. “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed
coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him,
"Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who
brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."
Because God seemed distant and uninvolved they fashioned a more present,
realistic god, a golden calf.
Erwin Lutzer tells, “When a
friend of mine left his wife to live with another woman, he withdrew from his friends at
the church and formed new friendship in bars and sports complexes. He felt better
associating with people who could accept his choices without judging; he wanted to be
affirmed, rather than rebuked, for the ‘courage’ to leave his wife. Just so, we
want a god who will not mess with the core of our lives.” [Lutzer, p. 5]
Only a God who
judges us can save us. Idols do not judge us, but neither can they redeem us.
Some modern conceptions of God are
not entirely wrong they are just shewed; others are as far from reality as you can
possibly get.
Gloria Copeland, wife of Kenneth Copeland,
has written, “The Word
of God simply reveals
that lack and poverty are not in line with God’s will for the obedient…. Allow
the Holy Spirit to minister the truth to your spirit until you know beyond a doubt that
God’s will is Prosperity.” [Lutzer. p. 7] We need to understand that this is only a western
misconception. It flies in the face of both what plainly thought in Scripture and the example of hundreds of
years of Christian history. In Hebrews 11 after having spent 32 verses
describing the wonderful victories of faith the author reveals that this is not always the
case.
“And what more shall I say? For the time would
fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and
the prophets: (33) who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained
promises, stopped the mouths of lions, (34) quenched
the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong,
became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. (35) Women received
their dead raised to life again. And others
were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.
(36) Still others had trial of mockings and
scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. (37)
They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the
sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted,
tormented—— (38) of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and
mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.
(39) And all these, having obtained a good testimony
through faith, did not receive the promise.”
Jesus said of
himself (Matt. 8:20) "Foxes
have holes and birds of the air have
nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His
head."
Paul said about
his situation (Phil. 4:11)
have
Some denominations today use hymnals that have “inclusive”
language that eliminates all male references to God. Some have even set out to do the same
with translations of the Bible, some refer to this as being
gender neutral. The Todays New
International Version (TNIV) is one such version. The NT was published in 2002.
Almost 100 well know scholars have signed a document rejecting the accuracy of the TNIV.
The reason that this is such a big problem is that TNIV rest solidly on the original NIV,
which is the most widely read translation in the World. Dr. Dobson said it well when he said, “I find it
breathtaking (that anyone) would feel justified in editing the utterances of the Holy One
of Israel.” [Ed
Vitagliano. “New TNIV translation plays fast and loose with God’s Word” AFA
Journal. May 2002. p. 16]
Obviously God is neither male nor female; but like it or not, God has chosen to
reveal Himself in masculine language. To knowingly change what God has revealed can not be
considered innocent ignorance but willful disobedience.
Also related is the what could be called the “God Of My Sexual
Preference” Theology. This is the view that God approves of my sexual lifestyle no
matter what it might be.
One of the more popular books of this type was
The Bible also reveal about the role of judge will
While on the
face of it seems that there is a growing interest in spirituality, it comes with the
misconception that there are many ways to reach God. As
I noted in my sermon on the differences between Islam and Christianity “Allah is not
our God,” If you asked the average American
today what the difference was between the major world religions, they would probably
mumble something about all religions being pretty much the same. People assume that all
religions have nearly the same moral teachings and ideals. They might have different names
for God, but it is the same God. These religions, many people believe, may travel
different roads, but they all lead to God. As long as you believe in something, as long as
you believe in God, it really doesn’t matter what form your belief takes.
While there has been a growing tolerance for any kind of belief system you care to
have there ironically been an increasing intolerance toward historic biblical
Christianity. To be thoroughly biblical in our day is to be controversial. Our culture
outright rejects the notion that God can be approached in only one way.
The prophet
Isaiah in the Old Testament sounds the warning (5:20-21) “Woe
to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for
darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (21) Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And
prudent in their own sight!”
Paul repeats the
warning in the New Testament in Romans 1:20-23; “For
since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they
are without excuse,
(21) because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (22) Professing to be wise, they became fools, (23) and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man——and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”
Even in the
church we can hear “it does matter how you come to God, as long as you come.”
The experience of some of the people in the Bible reveals otherwise.
In Genesis Cain
thought that it didn’t matter how he came to God in worship. His brother Abel offered
a sacrifice from the firstlings of his flock but Cain, thought he could come to God anyway
he pleased. But his offering was rejected (Gen 4:5). The New Testament speaks of those who
have “gone the way of
Cain” (Jude 1:11), that is, those who think they can make themselves
worthy to come to God.
Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron and priest
What each of
these individuals the mistake they made was not that they came to the wrong God; but that they came to the
right God in the wrong way.
Through An Acceptable Mediator.
All entrance into the presence of God is
mediated. In Old Testament times
this mediator was the priest, as is revealed in Hebrews 10:11, “And every priest stands
ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away
sins.”
There are not many ways into God presence, because there is only one person who is
able to meet God’s requirements for a mediator. We are told in 1 Timothy 2:5; “For there is one God and
one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”
Jesus said of himself in John 14: 6;
"I
am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
As a part of his defense before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4, Peter said (4:10-12), “let it be known to you
all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom
you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you
whole. (11) "This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has
become the chief cornerstone.’ (12) "Nor
is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men
by which we must be saved."
2. Through An Acceptable Sacrifice.
The abiding principle of sacrifice; was that the sacrifice must be equal to the offense committed. As we have
already seen in Hebrews 10, the priests continually offered sacrifice in the temple for
the sins of the people, but they were only good for. But Jesus answered our need for a
acceptable sacrifice in verse twelve, “But this Man, (Jesus) after He had offered one
sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, (13) from that time waiting
till His enemies are made His footstool. (14) For by one offering He has perfected forever
those who are being sanctified.” Jesus
made a “once
for all time” sacrifice for our sins on the Cross.
Don’t ever
make the mistake of thinking there are many ways to God. Jesus is the only qualified mediator, he is the only qualified sacrifice and he is the only qualified Savior.
3. Through An Acceptable Attitude.
The invitation into the presence of God is found in Hebrews 10, verses 19-22, “Therefore, brethren,
having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, (20) by a new and living way
which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, (21) and having a High
Priest over the house of God, (22) let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of
faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure
water.”
What is our response to be to our Mediator and our Savior, the proper response is
recorded in Revelation 5, verses 9-12, “And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy
to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God
by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
(10) And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth." (11) Then
I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures,
and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands
of thousands,
(12) saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the
Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and
glory and blessing!"
Conclusion
The scriptural portrait of God will not always fit neatly with our own predispositions.
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