God’s Revelation…and Our Response to It

posted Sep 6, 2009, 4:00 PM by Website Administrator [ updated Sep 6, 2009, 4:57 PM ]

September 6, 2009
Key Passage: Psalm 19

“God’s Revelation…and Our Response to It”

Let’s face it – we live in a day of spiritual and moral confusion. Everyone, it seems, has some claim to “this is the way we should live.” Philosophers, educators, sociologists, psychologists, politicians, and even pastors offer their speculations about how we should go about our lives; however, what we need is not more SPECULATION, but a sure word of authoritative REVELATION, which tells us why we’re on this planet and how we should live in light of that purpose. When we have a lackadaisical faith or, worse yet, a real irritation with God that actually says He’s not who He says He is, we essentially nail Jesus back on the cross. Let’s get this straight: God will be on His throne ten trillion years from now when all the potshots against his reality will have sunk into oblivion like BB’s at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. In a day where people are much more likely to worship the creation rather than the Creator, we need to remember that God can do anything he darn well pleases. His activity is what it is. There isn’t anything else. Without it there’d be no being, including human beings presuming to judge the Creator of all that is. Our response to God’s creation and His Word speaks volumes about our relationship to Christ, and tells a dying world whether or not we’re full of the Holy Spirit…or just full of it!

1. God has revealed Himself generally in His creation Psalm 19:1-6

a. There is abundant evidence of God’s glory in His creation (Psalm 19:1; 2; 4)

“Glory” comes from a word meaning “weight” or “worth.” Every day the sun in its incredible splendor and every night the stars in their glory tell about the greater glory of the God who spoke them into existence.

b. The reason people don’t see the evidence is moral, not intellectual (Psalm 19:3)

God’s glory is a silent witness. You don’t have to be literate, nor do you have to have heard “The Gospel” to grasp God’s general revelation. (See also Romans 1:18-20)

2. God has revealed Himself specifically in His Word Psalm 19:7-11

a. God’s Word is authoritative, adequate, accurate, absolute and abrasive. Notice the nouns used in these verses: law, testimony, precepts, commandment, respect, judgment. Now, notice the adjectives: perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true.

b. (See also Hebrews 4:12-13) Jesus is the Word, and the Word is a double-edged sword:

“Living” – If the Bible doesn’t seem alive to you, we can draw one of two conclusions: 1) the Word is dead, or 2) your heart is in trouble. Even Jesus says that hearing the Word is like a farmer sowing seed. When the seed of the Word of God goes into believer’s hearts, it comes alive. It takes on a life of its own.
“Active” – It’s active, it grows, it affects, it moves us. We get our word “energy” from the Greek form of “active.” “News may inform us; novels may inspire us; poetry can enrapture us, but only the Word of God can transform us.”
“Penetrates” – What’s the big deal about a double-edged sword? It cuts both ways. The reason why the Roman Empire was so powerful was because they created the double-edged sword – it was the atom bomb of its day (and it’s what Peter used to cut off the ear of the soldier). No surgical technique can change bad attitudes, lust, hypocrisy, greed, hatred, and an unforgiving spirit. Only the Word of God can change the hearts of people.
“Judges” – “judge” here doesn’t mean “condemn” – it means “assess.” Remember, every time someone met Jesus their heart was revealed to Him – and to them (e.g. the woman at the well). The Word discerns the intentions and motives of the heart – and reveals them to us by conviction.
“Lays Bare” – this is a sacrificial term – the phrase they used to describe an animal whose neck is being bent back before their throat is slit….there’s a nice visual for you, but that’s actually us.

Q: How would you engage a friend / teacher who adamantly supports the “Theory of Evolution?”

Q: How would you respond to the person who wonders what will happen to those living in the most
remote areas of earth who’ve never heard the name of Jesus, much less heard the Gospel?