Ten Lies About God
Lesson # 2
God Is More Tolerant Than He Used
To Be
Hebrews 12:18-29
Last Wednesday night we began a study of the “Ten Lies About God And
How You Might Already Be Deceived.” In our first study we examined the first two
lies. Lie 1 - God is Whatever We Want
Him To Be. Lie 2 – Many Paths Lead Into God’s Presence!
Tonight we will
look at the Lie 3 – “God is More
tolerant than he use to be!”
How do we answer those that say that God is more
tolerant today than he was in the Old Testament? Back then the law dictated that
homosexual, adulterers and witches (to name just a few) be stoned to death. Seemingly
today everything has changed. Today
Homosexuals march in the streets demanding rights to marry and have spousal health
coverage. Is God more tolerant today? We need to answer that question for two reasons.
First, people want to know if they are free to sin with a minimum of consequences. Many young lady
confided in Pastor Lutzer that “she choose a life immorality in part because she
was sure that ‘God will forgive her anyway.’ ” [Lutzer p. 41]
Secondly, people want to know whether they can depend on God to punish those who are guilty of horrendous
crimes against humanity.
There are several attempts to answer this question prevalent today. One is to view
the Bible as presenting two different Gods, the harsh God of the Old Testament and the
compassionate God of the New Testament. But there are compelling reasons to believe that
God has not changed.
The
Psalmist testifies in (Psalm 103:8-12)
“The
LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to
anger, and
strive
with
Nor
punished us
great
is His mercy toward
He
removed our transgressions from
Malachi 3:6
“For
I am the LORD, I do not change…”
1. God’s Nature
Does Not Change!
A.W. Pink says it well, “He cannot change for the better, for he is
already perfect; and being perfect he cannot change for the worse.” [Lutzer
p. 44]
2. God’s Truth
Does Not Change!
Isaiah 40:8 “The
grass withers, the flower fades, But
Psalm 119: 80, 152 “Forever,
O LORD, Your word is
testimonies,
3. God’s Standard’s Do Not Change!
How then do we account for the difference between the consequences of disobedience
in the Old and New Testaments? If God cannot be more tolerant than He use to be, why are
the Old Testament penalties not carried out? Why does it appear to be safe to sin today?
In Hebrews 12:18-29 we see the unity of God reflected in both Mount Sinai and Mount Calvary. In a contrast between the two
mounts we see the change in management represented in three ways.
(Heb 12:18-21)
Mount Sinai
First of all the author of Hebrews gives a vivid description of the scene at Mount
Sinai.
“For you have not come to the mountain that may
be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, (19) and
the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the
word should not be spoken to them anymore. (20) (For they could not endure what was
commanded: "And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or
shot with an arrow."
(21) And so terrifying was the
sight that Moses said, "I am exceedingly afraid and trembling."
The physical distance between the people and the mountain symbolized the moral distance between God and mankind.
R.C. Sproul in his book “The Holiness
of God” says, “When we met the Infinite, we become acutely
conscious that we are finite. When we meet the Eternal, we know we are temporal.” [Lutzer. p. 48]
Isaiah the prophet spoke of his experience of standing before a holy God (6:1-5)
In the year that King Uzziah died,
I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled
the temple.(2) Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his
face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
(3)
And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of
hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" (4)
And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and
the house was filled with smoke. (5) So I
said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in
the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of
hosts."
Mount Sinai was a picture of man in God’s presence without atonement, without
a mediator. It pictures sinful man in the presence of a Holy God.
In verse twenty-two we are transported from Mount Sinai to Mount Zion (Calvary).
“But you have come to Mount
Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to God the judge of all, [to an innumberable company of angels (KJV)] to the spirits of just men
made perfect.” (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are
registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,
(24) to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks
better things than that of Abel.”
There are now six privileges which we invited to enjoy.
1. Assured citizenship “…you have come to
Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem…”
2. Joyous Celebration. The believer is invited to
join “ you have come
into.. .the company of angels .. (23) to the general assembly” but the
phrase “general
assembly” literally is a picture of a festive or joyous celebration. Mt.
Sinai was closed to all, because no one could keep the law; but Mt Zion is open to
everyone willing to take advantage of the sacrifice made by Christ.
3. Communion with all believers. ““ you have come
into.. …church
of the firstborn who are registered in heaven…”
“There is neither Jew nor
Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all
one in Christ Jesus.”
4. Relief from the Threat of Judgment.
“There
is a story that comes form the early days, when a man and his daughter spotted a prairie
fire in the distance. Fearing being engulfed by the flames, the father suggested they
build a fire right where they stood. They burned one patch of grass after another, in an
ever-widening circle. Then when the distant fire came near, the father comforted his
terrified daughter by telling her that flames would not come to the same patch of ground
twice; the father and daughter would be safe if they stood where the fire had already
been.” [Lutzer. pp. 58-59]
The Old Covenant Versus the New
Covenant
(Hebrews 12:23-24)
“…..
Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant…”.
The Bible assures us that there is but one mediator between God and man (1 Tim
2:5).
Immediate Physical Judgment
Versus Future, Eternal Judgment
(Heb.12:25-27) “See that you do not refuse
Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more
shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, (26) whose voice then
shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake not only the
earth, but also heaven." (27) Now this, "Yet once more," indicates the
removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things
which cannot be shaken may remain.”
Principles Worth Remembering.
1. If the penalties of the law were
severe the penalty for rejecting grace will be worse.
The greater
the grace, the greater the judgment for refusing it!
(Hebrews 2:2-3)
“For if the word spoken
through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just
reward, (3) how shall we escape if we neglect so great a
salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to
us by those who heard Him.”
2. Sin is not ignored but it is
allowed to accumulate.(Romans 2:5)
“But in accordance with your
hardness and your impenitent heart you are
treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the
righteous judgment of God”
3. Grace should never be viewed as
tolerance and used as a license for sin.
(Jude 4)
“For certain men whose
condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are
godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license
for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”
4. Man must never view God’s
silence as indifference. (2 Peter 3:9)
“The Lord is not slack
concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not
willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
Mount Sinai
Covered with clouds
Mountain of fear
Symbolic of judgment and death
Old Covenant Message was “stand back”
filled with light
mountain of faith
Symbolic of life and forgiveness
New Covenant
Then it came to pass on the third
day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the
mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in
the camp trembled. (17) And Moses brought the
people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. (18) Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because
the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and
the whole mountain quaked greatly.(19) And
when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and
God answered him by voice. (20) Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of
the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
(21) And the LORD said to Moses, "Go
down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the LORD, and many of them
perish.”
“Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness
over the whole land until the ninth hour.
(34) And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (35) Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, "Look, He is calling for Elijah!" (36) Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down." (37) And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. (38) Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.(39) So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, "Truly this Man was the Son of God!"
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