Participants:
Series Code: AU
Program Code: AU000120S
|
00:00 - So what's the deal with a God
00:02 who seems to insist that you can only ever worship him? 00:06 Does that really make sense 00:08 or does it rob you of your freedom? 00:11 You might wanna stay tuned for this. 00:13 [rustic music] 00:25 [rustic music continues] 00:34 In recent programs we've been talking about The Decalogue, 00:37 The Ten Commandments, 00:38 and I think the time has probably come 00:40 to start just expounding on them one by one. 00:44 Now, I'm not entirely sure 00:45 I'm gonna go through all Ten Commandments in order, 00:47 but I'll try to get to all of them. 00:49 And what I really want to have happen 00:51 is that you start to study them for yourselves. 00:54 Today, I'm gonna start at the very top 00:56 with the first commandment, 00:57 which is the law against having other gods. 01:00 So here's the way that it reads 01:02 in the version you find in Exodus 20, 01:05 which is probably the better-known version 01:08 of The Ten Commandments. 01:09 You'll find another version in Deuteronomy 5, 01:12 which is kind of a repeat performance, a second telling 01:15 that takes place a little later in Israel's history. 01:18 And between the two versions, 01:20 there are some minor variations in the wording 01:22 that you should probably pay attention to 01:24 because they provide you with all sorts 01:26 of interesting things to think about. 01:28 In particular, you'll find two different reasons given 01:32 for keeping the Sabbath, 01:33 or at least it seems that way when you first look at it. 01:36 And I'll let you go and read that 01:38 and wrestle with it on your own. 01:41 But for today, let's just start at the very top 01:43 and look at commandment number one. 01:45 And here's the way that it reads 01:47 in Exodus 20:1 where it says: 01:50 "And God spoke all these words, saying, 01:52 'I am the Lord your God 01:54 who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 01:56 out of the house of slavery,'" 01:58 and here comes the first commandment: 02:00 "'You shall have no other gods before me.'" 02:04 Now, the first commandment really does start 02:06 right at the top of the passage 02:08 with those words, "I am the Lord, your God," 02:11 because that's the thought that kind of provides the glue 02:14 that holds the rest of the moral law together. 02:17 Because after all, if there is no God, 02:20 then there's not much point to studying his commandments 02:22 because they would just be a list of requirements dreamed up 02:26 by some ancient so-called Hebrew prophet named Moses. 02:30 I mean, it would still be interesting 02:32 because those commandments have been so influential, 02:36 but it would be like reading 02:37 the ancient law code of Hammurabi the Babylonian, 02:40 or maybe the sayings of Confucius 02:42 or some of the other famous sages 02:44 who helped create the world's most notable civilizations. 02:49 But The Ten Commandments are different 02:51 because they begin with a distinct claim 02:53 that these are God's words, and not just any old God, 02:56 but the God of the Hebrews, 02:58 the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 03:02 Any number of ancient cultures claim 03:04 to worship large numbers of deities and demigods. 03:08 But the God of the Hebrews was different. 03:10 He claimed absolute exclusivity. 03:14 This is Yahweh, the one true creator God, 03:16 whose very name reminds us 03:18 that his existence is underived and unborrowed. 03:22 In fact, when Moses first met this God 03:25 at the burning bush back in Exodus 3, 03:28 he defined himself as the "I am," 03:31 which is a very unusual name if you think about it. 03:34 Unless of course you happen to be 03:37 the very definition of what existence is. 03:41 You see, when you read the myths from other cultures, 03:43 what you find is a list of gods 03:44 whose existence is dependent 03:46 on something or somebody else. 03:50 Somehow the Pagans always felt this need 03:52 to explain where their gods came from, and that's largely 03:56 because their gods were the product of human imagination. 04:00 In fact, when some of the Greek philosophers started 04:04 to feel a little embarrassed 04:05 by the terrible behavior of their gods, 04:08 which is something we've covered on other episodes, 04:11 some of them actually started to point out 04:13 that their gods were made in our image, 04:17 the human image, they resembled us. 04:19 They were petty, violent, and salacious just like we are. 04:25 But the God of scripture is completely different. 04:27 In fact, you'll notice that 04:28 when the story of the Bible opens 04:30 with that famous line in Genesis 1, 04:32 it just says "In the beginning, God..." 04:36 and it never bothers to tell us where he comes from. 04:39 And that's because, well, he didn't come from anywhere. 04:42 He's self-existent, which means 04:44 that he doesn't depend on anything or anybody else. 04:48 I guess you could say that the God of the Bible 04:50 is non-contingent, and that's a detail 04:54 that has given some skeptics a lot of headaches 04:56 because, well, they can't seem 04:58 to wrap their mind around what that's telling us. 05:01 In the past, I've pointed out 05:03 that guys like Richard Dawkins attack the existence of God 05:06 exactly on this point. 05:08 When believers insist 05:10 that the universe looks like someone designed it, 05:13 Dawkins made fun of them by essentially saying, 05:16 "Well then if everything 05:17 that appears to be complex demands a designer, 05:20 then who in the world designed your complex God?" 05:24 Now, to some people that might look 05:27 like a death blow to the design argument, 05:30 but really it isn't. 05:31 It's kind of like saying, 05:33 "Here's a beautiful and sophisticated painting 05:35 and it has all the hallmarks of a Rembrandt. 05:38 So we know that Rembrandt probably painted it," 05:41 but then the skeptic says, 05:43 "Well then who painted Rembrandt?" 05:45 Nobody painted Rembrandt 05:46 because Rembrandt is not a painting. 05:50 So when somebody says, "Who designed God" 05:53 the answer is nobody. 05:54 Because God is not a creation. 05:57 He's a creator and there's a world of difference. 06:00 God is the great I am, the only being 06:03 whose existence does not depend on anything else. 06:07 Of course, you and I derive our existence from him 06:10 so it makes perfect sense that his moral code 06:14 would begin with a statement reminding us 06:16 of who he is versus who we are. 06:20 "I am Yahweh, your God." 06:22 It's the perfect way to introduce the topic 06:25 because we are not on the same level as God 06:28 and the one who made us 06:30 is about to show us the very best way to live. 06:33 Now of course, this was originally addressed 06:36 to the children of Israel. 06:37 Even though the moral principles found 06:39 in The Ten Commandments are timeless and universal. 06:43 It's not as if these were brand new laws 06:45 that God thundered from the top of Sinai. 06:47 Otherwise, you end up with a very strange proposition 06:50 that murder and stealing were just absolutely fine 06:54 before God spoke those words from Sinai. 06:57 And obviously that can't possibly be true 06:59 because the entire Book of Genesis deals 07:02 with people breaking God's law long before Mount Sinai. 07:06 I mean, why in the world condemn Cain for killing Abel 07:09 if it wasn't already wrong to murder? 07:12 And did Abraham do wrong 07:14 when he bore false witness to Abimelech? 07:16 And really what was the problem 07:17 with the serpent lying to Eve? 07:20 The Ten Commandments, of course, 07:22 they're timeless principles. 07:24 Now, in the world of 21st-century Christianity, 07:27 you'll sometimes hear people saying 07:29 that The Ten Commandments were just for the Jews 07:32 because of that opening statement at the very top of them. 07:36 But let's just think about that for a moment. 07:38 I mean, who else was God supposed 07:40 to give the list of commandments to? 07:42 To some other culture that didn't believe in him? 07:45 Of course not. 07:46 Just because the Hebrew people were the vehicle 07:48 through which God revealed himself to the world, 07:51 doesn't mean that his revelation wasn't for everybody. 07:54 And if you take the time to read the entire Bible, 07:58 that becomes really, really obvious 08:00 because it tells us that the Hebrews 08:02 were supposed to be a light to the Gentiles, my ancestors. 08:06 They were supposed to reveal the love of Yahweh 08:08 to absolutely everybody. 08:12 So yes, The Ten Commandments were originally delivered 08:14 to the people who were liberated from Egyptian slavery. 08:17 But that doesn't mean that Yahweh is only for them. 08:21 He belongs to all of us because he made all of us 08:23 and he wields authority over all of humanity. 08:27 Now, I know I've read this to you before, 08:29 but listen to this remarkable statement 08:31 from Revelation 4 where an assembly in heaven 08:34 addresses God with these words, 08:37 this is Revelation 4:11, 08:39 "Worthy are you, our Lord, and God, 08:42 to receive glory and honor and power, 08:44 for you created all things, 08:45 and by your will, they existed and were created." 08:49 Now, here's what we've gotta think about. 08:51 In the first commandment 08:52 God says, "I am the Lord, your God." 08:55 So now we've got to ask ourselves, 08:57 what does it mean to have a God? 09:00 That's a question that Luther wrestled with 09:02 in his "Large Catechism," 09:03 but right now, I've gotta take a quick break, 09:05 so I'll be right back after this 09:07 to tell you what Martin Luther said. 09:09 [gentle music] 09:12 [bright music] 09:13 - [Announcer] Here at The Voice of Prophecy, 09:15 we're committed to creating top-quality programming 09:17 for the whole family. 09:18 Like our audio adventure series, "Discovery Mountain." 09:21 "Discovery Mountain" is a Bible-based program 09:24 for kids of all ages and backgrounds. 09:26 Your family will enjoy the faith-building stories 09:29 from this small mountain summer camp and town. 09:32 With 24 seasonal episodes every year 09:34 and fresh content every week, 09:36 there's always a new adventure just on the horizon. 09:42 - I don't know if you ever had to go 09:44 to catechism class when you were a kid, but I really did. 09:47 We were required to go 09:48 and learn the basics of the Christian faith, 09:50 things like the Apostles Creed, the Lord's Prayer, 09:54 and of course The Ten Commandments. 09:56 Now, I did not grow up in a Lutheran tradition, 09:59 so I actually studied a different set of catechisms. 10:02 But if you happen to be Lutheran, 10:04 what I'm about to share with you might just seem familiar. 10:07 This is from Luther's "Large Catechism." 10:09 "What is God?" he asks. 10:11 And the answer is: "A God is that to which we look 10:14 for all good and in which we find refuge 10:16 in every time of need. 10:18 To have a God," says Luther, "is nothing else 10:20 than to trust and believe him with our whole heart. 10:24 As I have often said, 10:25 the trust and faith of the heart alone 10:27 make both God and an idol. 10:29 If your faith and trust are right, 10:31 then your God is the true God. 10:33 On the other hand, if your trust is false and wrong, 10:36 then you have not the true God 10:38 for these two belong together, faith and God. 10:41 That to which your heart clings and entrusts itself 10:43 is, I say, really your God." 10:47 Now, that's a pretty good definition 10:49 and a good place to start unpacking 10:50 the meaning of the first commandment, which challenges us 10:54 to understand what it means to have a God. 10:57 And it reminds us that everybody has one 10:59 whether they know it or not. 11:01 If you place your absolute faith, 11:03 your absolute trust in your own intellect, 11:06 well then your intellect becomes your God. 11:08 If you trust scientific discovery to define your existence, 11:12 to go beyond material fact and explain who you are 11:16 and the purpose of your existence, 11:18 well then you've probably adopted a religion of scientism, 11:21 even if you wouldn't want to call it a religion. 11:24 We all seem to have this hardwired sense 11:26 that there's something out there bigger than us, 11:29 or at least we all appear to hope there is. 11:31 And we have this instinct 11:33 that our existence is supposed to mean something. 11:36 Even if you happen to believe 11:37 that we all just emerged into the universe by accident, 11:40 there's still a big part of you 11:42 that tries to make sense of it. 11:44 You really want your existence to have purpose. 11:48 And it's precisely on this point 11:50 that everybody behaves like they're religious. 11:53 I mean, you might practice a perfectly secular religion, 11:56 which means you're probably gonna really hate 11:58 what I'm about to say and I'm okay with that, 12:00 but you will never convince me 12:02 that you have a rational, comprehensive, 12:04 secular explanation for everything. 12:07 I mean for starters, how in the world 12:09 do you explain something like human consciousness? 12:12 Here you are, self-aware, 12:14 and you even find yourself kind of mystified 12:16 by the fact that you exist. 12:18 How in the world do you explain your conscious mind 12:21 from a perfectly rational perspective? 12:24 How do random molecules smashing into each other 12:26 over billions of years somehow give rise, well, to you? 12:33 To date, nobody has actually been able to explain this. 12:36 And so there's a whole lot out there 12:37 that we all take on faith. 12:40 Which means there really is such a thing 12:42 as a secular religion 12:43 because we all have religious beliefs. 12:46 Again, to use the words of Martin Luther, 12:48 "That to which your heart clings 12:50 and entrusts itself is your God." 12:53 But of course, if you accept 12:55 that Yahweh, the God of Abraham, is real, 12:57 and you accept that we were put here by the will of God 13:00 and that's what you trust, 13:02 well then Yahweh becomes your God. 13:05 Now, obviously it's a little more complex than that 13:08 and we're kind of oversimplifying, 13:09 but still I think Luther's definition works. 13:13 What the first commandment tells us 13:16 is that if you choose something besides the creator 13:19 that you're going to trust with your life, 13:21 then whatever that is, it becomes your God. 13:24 I know we tend to think of other gods 13:26 as little statues that sit in a shrine 13:28 or on the shelf in your house, 13:30 but that's just a physical representation 13:33 of what an idol actually is. 13:35 And when we get to the second commandment, 13:37 we're gonna look at that. 13:38 In reality, an idol is anything you elevate 13:41 to the position of the creator, 13:43 either wittingly or unwittingly. 13:46 And because we all seem to be wired for relationships, 13:50 I guarantee you're going 13:52 to elevate something to God's level if you don't have God. 13:56 It might be power or money or sex 13:59 or the writings of a philosopher 14:01 or the prowess of some athletic team, I don't know. 14:05 But if you're trusting something or somebody 14:08 as the very highest guiding principle for your life 14:10 and it is not God, 14:12 well, that would be a violation of the first commandment. 14:15 Now, I probably need 14:17 to make something really, really clear 14:18 before I move along because, unfortunately, 14:20 some Christians have given the world the wrong impression. 14:24 I remember a long time ago I was holding 14:26 a series of lectures on a university campus 14:29 and there was this young guy sitting in the front row 14:31 who was getting agitated 14:32 whenever I mentioned that I had faith in the Bible 14:35 as a revelation of God's will, 14:37 and it was the ultimate guide for my life. 14:40 I noticed that he hung around a little bit 14:42 when I was finished. 14:43 So I went and sat with him. 14:44 We made a bit of small talk, 14:45 and then he told me what was eating at him. 14:48 "Are you saying that we should only read the Bible? 14:51 What about all the other great thinkers 14:53 who helped to shape our civilization?" 14:55 Now, honestly, I don't know where he got that impression 14:58 because if you know me, that's not what I teach or believe. 15:02 If you've been watching this show for a while, 15:03 you'll know that I tend to read a lot, not just the Bible. 15:10 So I assured this kid I didn't mean to give that impression. 15:11 We'd be foolish to just ignore everything 15:14 that the great thinkers have tried to tell us. 15:17 But if you're gonna place absolute faith 15:18 in what those writers say, 15:20 I promise you, you're going to hit a wall. 15:22 There's going to be a dead end 15:24 because it really is still just human opinion. 15:28 So do I read other books? Of course I do. 15:31 But again, to use Luther's wording, 15:32 I don't entrust myself to these people. 15:35 I read them, I value them. Sometimes I even admire them. 15:40 But am I gonna take my life 15:41 and place it in the hands 15:42 of a 19th-century enlightenment philosopher? 15:45 Absolutely not. 15:46 In fact, some of them actually lost their minds 15:49 by taking their own ideas all the way to the end zone. 15:53 Christianity doesn't mean shutting out the world completely 15:56 or isolating yourself in the desert 15:58 like one of those fourth-century ascetic monks 16:00 who disappeared from civilization just to avoid temptation. 16:05 What the Bible actually teaches 16:06 is that you and I need discernment. 16:09 You're supposed to take the ideas you're exposed to 16:12 and compare them to what God says. 16:14 And if there's a difference, 16:16 then the Christian goes with God. 16:19 It's a matter of faith, 16:20 but it's not a matter of blind faith. 16:23 It's a matter of allowing God to inform your life, 16:25 a matter of putting him at the pinnacle 16:28 of what you're going to trust. 16:29 "I am the Lord, your God." 16:33 And if that God is real 16:34 and if the claims of the Bible are real, 16:36 then the first commandment makes really, really good sense. 16:41 I mean, why in the world would you wanna trust anybody 16:43 or anything as a supreme guiding light 16:45 if it isn't the one who made you? 16:47 I mean, would you rather fix your car with my help 16:50 or with the help of the engineer who designed that car? 16:53 It's kind of a no-brainer. 16:55 It's a little like the role that parents play. 16:58 When your child first sets out to go and explore the world 17:00 it can be a little bit nerve wracking 17:02 because you, as a parent, know 17:04 there are 1,001 voices out there 17:06 who will try to tell your child what to do and how to live, 17:10 and you know full well 17:12 that none of those voices loves your child like you do. 17:16 I mean, who else is willing to die to save your child? 17:19 Who's gonna love you like that? Absolutely nobody. 17:24 You know, there's a reason 17:25 that a lot of scholars over the centuries 17:26 have suggested a direct parallel 17:28 between the first commandment and the fifth, 17:31 the one that deals with honoring your parents. 17:33 And there's a really good reason 17:35 that God reveals himself as a father in the Bible 17:38 because at the end of the day, 17:39 there's nobody you can trust like the one who created you. 17:43 Now of course, as we make our way through life, 17:46 a lot of us learn the hard way 17:47 that our parents did have our very best interests at heart. 17:50 And sometimes unfortunately, 17:52 we only figure that out when it's a little too late. 17:56 I'll be right back after this. 17:58 [gentle music] 18:00 [bright music] 18:02 - [Announcer] Life can throw a lot at us. 18:04 Sometimes we don't have all the answers, 18:07 but that's where the Bible comes in. 18:10 It's our guide to a more fulfilling life. 18:13 Here at The Voice of Prophecy, 18:14 we've created the Discover Bible guides 18:16 to be your guide to the Bible. 18:18 They're designed to be simple, easy to use, 18:20 and provide answers to many of life's toughest questions, 18:23 and they're absolutely free. 18:25 So jump online now or give us a call 18:28 and start your journey of discovery. 18:31 - Alright, we're back from the break 18:32 and we were talking about this parallel you can find 18:35 between the first commandment and the fifth commandment. 18:38 In the fifth commandment, God tells us to honor our parents 18:41 so that our lives can be fulfilling and prosperous. 18:45 And in an ideal world, 18:46 nobody really has your back like your mom and dad. 18:50 And I promise you, in this universe, 18:52 nobody has your back quite like God does. 18:55 I know that sometimes people look at this commandment 18:58 as if God is some kind of cosmic narcissist 19:01 who demands our attention, 19:03 but that's not the essence of the first commandment. 19:06 I mean, let's just think about this rationally. 19:09 If there really is a God 19:12 and there's only one God, 19:14 then putting anything else in his place 19:16 is only going to lead to a world of pain and heartache. 19:20 How in the world would it help you 19:22 to form an intimate relationship 19:24 with something that is not your maker? 19:27 So now let's read the commandment one more time, 19:30 starting in Exodus 20:1 it says: 19:34 "And God spoke all these words, saying, 19:37 'I am the Lord your God 19:39 who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 19:41 out of the house of slavery. 19:43 You shall have no other gods before me.'" 19:47 It really is that simple. 19:49 And if I didn't have 19:50 to fill 28 minutes and 30 seconds today, 19:53 we'd already be done. 19:54 Putting anything that isn't God in God's place, 19:58 that's only gonna end in disaster. 20:01 And if God is love, 20:02 why in the world would he turn you loose in this world 20:05 without any kind of warning about the dangers out there? 20:08 Now, the Bible does make it clear 20:11 that he's not gonna force you to worship him 20:13 because, well, that's not how love works. 20:16 But a God of love is also going 20:18 to care enough to tell you the truth. 20:19 He's going to warn you about the pitfalls because he cares. 20:24 Now, it might also be helpful 20:26 to look at another important human relationship, 20:28 and that's the one you find in marriage. 20:32 The Bible often describes God's covenant people as a bride. 20:36 And so you might wanna ask yourself, 20:38 what is the potential for a healthy marriage 20:41 if you choose to include a third person? 20:44 I mean, apart from a really bad episode of "Jerry Springer," 20:48 where do you think that's going to get you? 20:51 The marriage covenant reminds me every day 20:54 that my wife comes first, 20:56 and if I put something else in her place, 20:59 it's going to damage the joy 21:00 that God intended us to have in our relationship. 21:04 So in the story of the Exodus, 21:07 God's covenant people, his wife, if you will, 21:10 they're about to enter the land of promise, 21:13 or at least they were supposed to 21:15 until their violation of the covenant 21:17 led to exile in the desert for another 40 years. 21:21 Listen to this interesting passage found in Exodus 23, 21:24 just a few pages after The Ten Commandments. 21:27 Listen to what God says in Exodus 23:31, 21:31 where he explains why the present occupants of the land, 21:34 the Canaanites, well, they have to be removed. 21:38 Here's what it says: 21:39 "You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. 21:42 They shall not dwell in your land, 21:44 lest they make you sin against me; 21:46 for if you serve their gods, 21:49 it will surely be a snare to you." 21:52 So here's what I want you to notice. 21:54 God's primary concern here is for the welfare of his people. 21:58 This is not a matter of divine narcissism, 22:01 it's a matter of what's best for you. 22:04 If you choose to serve other gods, 22:06 you're going to discover it's a very painful trap 22:09 because other gods are nothing but human fabrications. 22:16 I'm reminded again of one of my favorite ancient characters, 22:17 Xenophanes, a guy I've talked about on this show 22:20 over and over and over. 22:22 He was an early Greek philosopher 22:24 who rejected the Pagan pantheon 22:26 because, well, the gods were behaving so badly, 22:29 it was just getting really embarrassing. 22:32 He realized that false gods 22:34 are just projections of human beings. 22:36 And he made that point by saying this: 22:39 "But if horses or oxen or lions had hands 22:42 or could draw with their hands 22:44 and accomplish such works as men, 22:46 horses would draw the figures of the gods 22:49 as similar to horses, 22:50 and the oxen as similar to oxen, 22:52 and they would make the bodies 22:54 of the sort which each of them had." 22:57 So in other words, the Pagan gods were looking bad 23:00 because they were made in our image. 23:02 They were just projections of fallen humanity, 23:05 and they were saddled with some of our very worst qualities. 23:09 And the problem with that 23:11 is that people tend to become what they worship. 23:13 And if you create your own God 23:15 and your God just looks like you, 23:17 you've got this circular problem that gets worse with time. 23:20 The Pagan gods were nothing more than a terrible caricature 23:24 of what a human being is supposed to be. 23:27 And when you worship those gods, 23:29 you yourself become something less than human. 23:32 And then you project 23:33 those new worse qualities back on the gods 23:35 and the cycle continues. 23:37 "Those who make them become like them," the Bible says. 23:41 So there's a good reason that God forbids it. 23:45 It's because a false God is gonna make you less than human. 23:48 It's gonna make you something less than the image of God. 23:52 And at the end of the day, you are the one who gets hurt. 23:56 I'll be right back after this. 23:58 [gentle music] 24:01 [harrowing music] 24:02 - [Announcer] Dragons, beasts, cryptic statues, 24:06 Bible prophecy can be incredibly vivid and confusing. 24:11 If you've ever read Daniel or Revelation 24:13 and come away scratching your head, you are not alone. 24:16 Our free Focus on Prophecy guides 24:18 are designed to help you unlock the mysteries of the Bible 24:21 and deepen your understanding 24:23 of God's plan for you and our world. 24:25 Study online or request them by mail 24:28 and start bringing prophecy into focus today. 24:31 - Well look at that. 24:32 I've run out of time again 24:33 because, well, I have this gift for blabbing. 24:36 But maybe let me sum it all up like this. 24:39 The Ten Commandments are not the work of a God 24:42 who's trying to rob you of a good and decent life. 24:45 In fact, the opposite is true. 24:47 The moral law holds the key 24:49 to discovering an authentic human existence 24:51 because it reveals the character of God. 24:55 And you and I were made in his image. 24:58 Worship the real God and live the way that he suggests, 25:02 and he begins to restore you. 25:04 He begins to give you something definitely more authentic. 25:08 I know that in this day and age, 25:10 some people are terribly offended 25:12 by the exclusive claims of the biblical God. 25:15 And it's popular today to say 25:17 that there are many paths up the mountain 25:19 that they all lead to the same place, 25:22 but that's just not true. 25:23 In fact, it's a dangerous lie. 25:26 In the not-so-distant past other gods led us 25:29 to things like human sacrifice 25:31 or unspeakable sexual practices, 25:34 and it really distorted the image of God 25:36 to the point where you couldn't see him in humanity anymore. 25:41 The pain and suffering that follows in the wake 25:43 of putting something else in God's place, 25:46 well, that devastation can be unspeakable. 25:50 You and I might not 25:51 be building massive pyramids to a sun god, 25:53 where we go and rip out the still-beating heart 25:56 of our enemies as an act of devotion. 25:58 But the harm caused by worshiping other gods 26:01 is still playing out in our generation. 26:04 Over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, 26:07 we saw powerful people suggest 26:10 that rationality alone can solve our very worst problems. 26:14 And we elevated our capacity for reason 26:17 to the status of a God. 26:19 And some people who claimed 26:20 to be disciples of rational thought 26:22 ended up elevating the state itself to the level of a God. 26:26 And when some people didn't fit the ambitions 26:28 of the tyrants who ran that state, 26:30 tens of millions were sacrificed 26:33 on the altar of human ambition. 26:36 I mean, just hop on YouTube 26:37 and watch a few Nazi rallies from the '30s or '40s 26:40 or watch some of Stalin's propaganda 26:42 and tell me they don't have religious overtones. 26:45 They do. 26:47 And every time we put something or somebody in God's place, 26:49 it only makes the pain and suffering worse for everybody. 26:53 Meanwhile, here in the pages of the Bible, 26:55 we have a God who makes this astonishing promise 26:58 for people who put the one, true God 27:01 on the throne of their hearts. 27:03 The Bible says "Therefore, they are before the throne of God 27:06 and serve him day and night in his temple. 27:09 And he who sits on the throne 27:10 will shelter them with his presence. 27:12 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; 27:15 the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 27:18 For the lamb in the midst of the throne 27:20 will be their shepherd, 27:21 and he will guide them to springs of living water, 27:24 and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. 27:29 So you tell me, 27:31 does the first commandment make really good sense? 27:33 Yeah, it does. 27:35 And I can tell you 27:36 as someone who's lived with God and without God, 27:39 this really is the better way to live. 27:42 Thanks for joining me today. 27:44 I'm Shawn Boonstra, and you've been watching "Authentic." 27:47 [rustic music] 27:58 [rustic music continues] 28:10 [rustic music continues] 28:22 [rustic music continues] |
Revised 2024-12-10