Warmest greetings to you, friend! I’m Mack Lyon. The program’s “In Search of the Lord’s Way.” What is God really like? Well, the one true and living God of the Bible differs from the concepts that many people have of Him. Phil Sanders has prepared a message about that, and you’re going to be blessed by it. I just know you are. So stay tuned.
Thank you Mack! Mack Lyon has been such a blessing to all of us, and we are so grateful for all that he is doing for the Lord. Hello, I’m Phil Sanders and today we are searching the Scriptures to find the Lord’s way to live the Christian life. Thanks so much for letting us into your life. We really, really appreciate hearing and knowing that you are watching or listening. We want to be a part of your life each week.
For some people God is an old man in a white robe and a long beard like a doddering grandfather. God is often thought of as naïve and very understanding and compassionate, rarely ever stern or harsh. And then other people when they think of God think of God as an angry disciplinarian just waiting for any of us to make a mistake. Well, still others think God is merely a grand figment of man’s imagination. For thousands of years people have built their own idols and called them “God.” There are numerous man-made gods, but they are nothing like the true and living God of the Bible.
For thousands of years men took wood, silver, gold, and stone and made idols out of them. They shaped them into images of what they thought their god looked like. They developed rituals to worship these supposed gods, often celebrating with drunkenness or immorality. Ancient worshipers felt the need to pacify their gods to keep them from bringing disaster upon them. If some flood or fire or famine came about, the ancient people felt sure their god had been offended and was punishing them for it. Some went so far as to offer human sacrifices to placate the gods they imagined.
Ah, this is so different from the loving, Creator God that we read about in the Bible. This is the God that we should come to know and love. This is the God who wants to be part of your life and to bless you forever. God is God; and He is the only true and living God!
We want you to know that God, so as we have been doing for thirty years Search is offering the information on this program free. And if you’d like a printed copy, a CD or tape of today’s study, mail your request to In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083 or by e-mail to searchtv@searchtv.org. Or, if you like, call our toll-free telephone number. We’ll pay for the call. That number is 1-800-321-8633. We also stream this program on our website; that’s www.searchtv.org. Now, Ken Helterbrand’s going to lead us in song; and then we’ll read from the book of Romans chapter 1, verses 18 to 23.
Our reading today from God’s Word comes from Paul’s epistle to the Romans, chapter 1, verses 18 through 23. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 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, 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. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.” That’s from the New King James Version. Let’s pray together. O Heavenly Father, we pray that we may come to know You as You truly are and not try to make You into something that is created. And, Father, we are thankful that You are our God and that You love us so much. It is in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen!
In the first Century some gods and goddesses had elaborate temples like Diana at Ephesus or the Parthenon in Athens, which was built to the goddess Athena. Now, while these temples had priests and priestesses, these religions were built around making money and did little for the moral or spiritual life of the people. Since idols are actually just a figment of one’s imagination, they have no revelation or moral teaching to guide their followers. They cannot speak, cannot hear, cannot see, and cannot help in times of trouble. They cannot promise any future life. One might wonder why anyone would have an idol.
Well, if you make an idol, that idol won’t tell you how to live. Idols have no moral law. Humans can tell the idol their beliefs rather than listen to the moral law of the true God of heaven. When men reject God or ignore God, there is still within their hearts the desire to worship something. And out of this desire, they concoct gods to suit their own desires and lusts. The Bible talks very straight about the way people through the history of time have regarded the God of heaven. How we view God and how we react to God is one of the most important factors in how our lives go. God does bless those who love and appreciate Him.
The apostle Paul said in Romans 1, verses 18 to 20, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” The God of heaven hasn’t hidden Himself but has revealed his power and attributes through his creation. The true and living God is nothing like idols. He’s not worthy of our praise and our obedience, that is the idol.
But only the infinite God who does not dwell in temples made with hands could have created this universe—the sun, the moon, and the stars. God must have infinite wisdom and power to have so designed this earth so grand and so beautiful. Rather than think we can construct a god to worship as we wish, we would be far greater served to seek after the only true god that is! The Thessalonians “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” That is from 1 Thessalonians 1 and verse 9. When men forget the true God, they also lose what is true and good in their lives and what they do is they replace it with an empty deception.
The Bible says in Romans 1, verse 20 to 23 this about idolaters; it says, “So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile (or vain) in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling man and birds and animals and reptiles.” Idols destroy our understanding of God. Idolatry steps down from understanding, the understanding of our great God to live in foolish speculation.
Paul says in Romans 1:24 and 5, “Therefore God gave them (that is the idolaters) up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and they worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” People often say no to the God that created them; but when they do, what they do is they replace Him with their own desires or lusts. And they hurt themselves spiritually and morally when they reject God and His moral teachings. My friend, every law of God is for our good; and when you say no to God it always hurts those who reject Him.
The apostle Paul continues in the book of Romans saying, “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them” (Romans 1, verses 28 to 32). God and morality are unalterably linked together; and the further that you get away from God, the worse your life and our society becomes.
It’s only when we personally take it to heart that God made us and allow His authority to work in our lives, and to control our behavior, and our destiny, that we see the need to discipline ourselves and to live as God wills. Now, men who worship idols live by their own rules. And those who serve the God of heaven have His revealed Word, the Bible, which He has given to guide man, you and me, to the ways of peace and love. This great gift of wisdom in the Bible helps us to understand that God is not only powerful; but He is also wise and moral and He wants the best for our lives. Wherever God’s Word goes, it makes man better, nobler and purer.
Now, if we ask the question, “what is God like?” the Bible gives us a good answer. The Bible says in John 1, verses 17 to 18, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” or as the New American Standard Version says, “He has explained Him.” We know what God the Father is like by looking at Jesus Christ, His Son. We learn about His character, His power, His love, and His goodness every time we look at Jesus!
The Lord Jesus told his disciples in John 14, verses 7 to 9 that, “If you had known Me, you would have known my Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him. Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us. Jesus said to him, Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, Show us the Father?” The more we come to know Jesus, the more we know what God is like. God is alive and can be seen in a form that we can understand, in Jesus Christ. We are blessed to know that our God is real and can be loved.
The apostle Paul by inspiration said about Jesus in Philippians 2, verses 5 to 8, “Have this mind in yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but He made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” We know that God is loving and compassionate, that He is willing to sacrifice Himself for our sake, because He loves us so very much. And every day we should give thanks for such a God.
The word of God continues in Philippians 2, verses 9 to 11, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Jesus would die for you, but God has given Him a place of authority over you and me. Love and forgiveness are ours, but we must humble ourselves before God and be obedient to His will. We can’t have Jesus as Savior unless we also are willing to embrace Him as “Lord.”
God is not like the idol. The idol is made of material things; it doesn’t care what you believe or do. But God is a Father in Heaven who cares about you and about your life and your destiny. He sent His Son Jesus to die for you, He gave you a Bible to guide your life in the right way, He gives you His ear to listen to your prayers, and He gives you hope of life beyond this life. God the Father is a Person, not the force of Star Wars and not a lifeless thing. Jesus taught us to pray and to pray, “Our Father, who is in Heaven.” And He is indeed like a loving Father who provides for us, and protects us, and corrects us. It’s in our best interest to love Him and to listen to Him.
The psalmist David said of God in Psalm 139, verses 1 to 5, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.” Oh, God knows each of us intimately and loves us dearly. We are so blessed to have a Father such as that!
Our God is so much better than an idol. An idol is worshipped not for its shape but for its imagined power. One can own an idol, but you can’t own God. I can control my idol, but I cannot control God. People made idols for themselves, for their own benefit. You see, an idol is selfishly owned, but God rules over everyone. People believed their idol loved them but not others; it answered their prayers but not others. To own an idol was to own an image of a "god." In ancient times people would bathe, and dress, and feed their idols. They felt they could by this means manipulate their god to their own interests. The God of the Bible is not an idol to be manipulated.
Today people still worship idols of their own making. Some worship money, some worship their flesh, some worship fame, and some devote their lives to their job or their hobby. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 6, verse 24 that, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” My friend, only the Lord can make a positive difference in your life. Don’t let imaginary beliefs keep you from coming to know the true and living God.
God is our Creator, our Lord, our Savior, and our Father. We are to love Him, fear Him, and serve Him as the great God He is. God wants to have you as His child; and I hope you want to have Him as your Father. The more you get to know the God of heaven, the more you are going to love Him and want to serve Him. There is no higher calling than to be a child of God.
How do you become a child of God? You do it through hearing the gospel of Christ, how He died for your sins and was raised from the dead on the first day of the week. Hear the gospel and believe it with all your heart. And in faith, repent of your sins. Forsake them and then turn to God in love, wanting to do His will. Confess the name of Jesus Christ before others. And then undergo the new birth by being baptized in water and into Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. When you are baptized, you become a child of God and the Lord adds you to His church. There is not a more important thing that you can do today than to be obedient to the will of God. And then stay faithful to the Lord and His church all the days of your life. Oh, the Lord invites you to be His child today, if you will. Let’s pray. O Father, may our hearts be set upon serving You and glorifying You as the one true and living God. And, Father, help us always to be obedient to Your will and to love You with all our hearts and souls. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!
Each day we are choosing what God we follow. Some serve the flesh, some serve money, and some serve imaginary gods. We should think and think again about what God we’ll serve. We hope that you will choose to serve the true and living God. Paul said in Romans 6, verse 16, “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, that you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” The devil himself would love to have you become his slave. He’ll promise you the world, but all of his promises are vain and short-lived. The devil loves to deceive people with counterfeit gods and counterfeit churches.
The devil will lie to you to get your loyalty, but he will only sell you out to the most destructive of masters. Sin first enslaves, and then it destroys. How much better to choose God who loves you and will guide you through His Word to the things that are healthy and good? The Bible says in Galatians 6, verses 7 and 8, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” Which God do you serve?
If your god is not the God of the Bible, turn from it and serve the true and living God. You will never regret serving Jesus Christ. You’ll never regret giving your heart and life to the God who made you, who loves you, who wants to be close to you, and who has prepared a home in heaven for you. You’ll never regret serving the God who was willing to send His Son to earth to die for your sins and save you.
We hope you have been blessed by today’s study. We hope you are thinking about the things that we have talked about. The time that we spend together is always important; and if you want a free printed copy, a CD, or a tape of this message that, “God is God,” mail your request to In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083 or you can e-mail us, searchtv@searchtv.org.
You can call the Search office toll-free at 1-800-321-8633. Now, all of our programs appear on our website at www.searchtv.org. We also offer free study sheets to go along with our programs, and free Bible correspondence courses. Now, you can download our programs on our website-- that is searchtv.org. Well, we pray you will come by and visit with us. And from all of us at In Search of the Lord’s Way God bless you and we love you.
|