September 20, 2009 Key Passage: Psalm 139 “Somebody, anybody, God help, help me please. I want to be accepted … I’m so tired of crying and dreaming. I’m so, so alone.” Kurt Cobain – Nirvana – journal entry days before suicide A 2005 film, entitled “The God Who Wasn’t There,” lays out the case for a Christ who never existed. We’re currently seeing the quickest rise of atheism in the history of mankind. Popular authors and speakers Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins lead a particular brand called “evangelical atheism,” which is an aggressive movement designed to counter the efforts of evangelical Christians by “helping man to overcome Christ and religion” through pro-active efforts. Both endorse “The Blasphemy Challenge,” an internet phenomenon that encourages viewers to submit videos of themselves blaspheming God. That’s the bad news…the good news, so to speak, is the fact that people are literally screaming out for acceptance, purpose, and friendship in a world that has completely gone haywire. Never before have more cried out against God while pleading to Him in a desperation that supports the highest suicide rates in history. Listen, one of the greatest truths in life is that there is NO escape from God. Like fugitives, we may run, but we cannot ultimately hide from the God who penetrates even the darkness with the gaze of His light. Folks, we don’t need to “find” God…we need to receive Him. We don’t find God by running faster or working harder. We find God by stopping and inviting the Creator of the universe – our Creator – to take control of our lives. God is in control, He loves us, and He cares. Truth # 1 – I can’t escape God’s knowledge of me (139:1-6) Omnipresence (notice “present) Christianity is NOT following a set of rules or going through a bunch of goofy religious rituals. At its heart, it’s a personal relationship with the living God who knows you thoroughly. Truth # 2 – I can’t escape God’s presence (139:7-12) Omniscient (notice “science) Since God is everywhere, you can’t get away from Him. Again, David is intensely personal about it; God isn’t just everywhere; everywhere I go, He lays hold of me!Truth # 3 - I can’t escape God’s power and sovereignty (139:13-18) Omnipotence (notice “potent”) God has fashioned and has a purpose in this fallen world even for those whose bodies or minds are not perfectly formed. That God creates and ordains the days of each human life gives significance and value to each life and it strongly confronts the abortion of any baby, even if it is supposedly “defective.” Truth # 4 – Therefore, we should commit ourselves to holiness (139:19-24) We each must constantly expose our inner life to God…”search me, try me…” As well, we need to constantly yield our lives to God. We’ve got to become doers of the Word, and not hearers only. We can turn to God when we’re:
Q: Is theistic evolution a viable option for Christians? What do we lose when we negate God as Creator? |
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