Participants:
Series Code: SCM
Program Code: SCM190008A
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00:39 Previously on Law of Love & Liberty:
00:43 If God can cause the Red Sea to open up 00:46 and let His people cross that thing on dry land, 00:49 then God can move in your life. 00:52 He's not only Sovereign over the wind and the waves. 00:55 He's Sovereign over what's going on in your life, too. 00:57 I was lost. With loving hands 01:03 He reached for me. 01:07 So tenderly 01:09 He sought to give 01:12 me victory. 01:16 Here He's actually saying: "Look, I did not come to 01:19 destroy the law. I came to magnify the law. " 01:22 Soon this old life 01:27 and all of its trials 01:32 will be left behind... 01:36 there's a new day a'dawning. 01:41 The law is made for the unrighteous we're told. 01:43 That's what it's made for... that's what it's for. 01:44 Let the law do what the law is supposed to do. 01:48 Let the law convict you 01:50 and let Jesus save you. 01:52 I've got a mansion 01:56 just over the hilltop 02:01 For Thine 02:04 is the kingdom, 02:07 and the power, 02:10 and the glory 02:14 forever! 02:22 God's 02:24 glorious church! 02:29 Oh, Amen, 02:33 Amen! 02:49 Well, hello and welcome to 3ABN 2019 02:55 Spring Camp Meeting: 02:56 The Law of Love & Liberty. 03:00 Are you being blessed? 03:01 YES! Amen! 03:03 And I'll tell you: we are in for a special treat 03:06 this hour. My dear brother, my friend Ty Gibson, 03:11 who is the co-director for Light Bearers Ministry... 03:15 He is also the pastor of the Storyline SDA church 03:20 in Eugene, Oregon. And he is going to talk to us 03:24 tonight on Make No Idols... 03:28 commandment number two. 03:30 But before Ty comes out 03:32 we have Gene McDonald back with us. 03:34 And hasn't he been a blessing? 03:36 Gene is, you know... he's an anointed singer. 03:40 He's got a real heart for the Lord. 03:42 And he is going to sing How Big Is God? 03:46 And then the next voice you hear will be Pastor Ty Gibson. 04:03 Though man may strive 04:07 to go beyond the reach of space. 04:12 To crawl beyond 04:17 the distant glimmering stars. 04:23 This world's a room 04:26 so small within 04:30 my Master's house. 04:33 The open sky 04:37 is but a portion of His yard. 04:43 How big is God? 04:47 How big and wide 04:50 His vast domain? 04:53 To try to tell 04:57 these lips can only start! 05:03 He's big enough 05:07 to rule His mighty universe 05:13 yet small enough 05:17 to live within my heart. 05:23 The winter's chill may cause 05:29 the tiny seed to fall 05:33 to lie asleep 05:37 till waked by summer's rain 05:43 The heart grown cold 05:47 will warm and drop with life anew 05:53 The Master's touch 05:57 will bring a glow again. 06:03 How big is God? 06:07 How big and wide 06:10 His vast domain? 06:13 To try to tell 06:17 these lips can only start! 06:23 He's big enough 06:27 to rule His mighty universe 06:33 yet small enough 06:37 to live within my heart. 06:43 How big is God? 06:47 How big is 06:51 God? 06:58 AMEN! Hmm... what a blessing! 07:03 That's a real man right there! 07:06 That's a manly voice that brother has! 07:09 We've never had the pleasure of meeting 07:11 but thank you. Thank you... what a blessing! 07:14 I've said this before when I've heard someone sing 07:16 like that, that you know if I could sing like that 07:20 I'd max out my credit card 07:22 and pay payments until the second coming 07:24 just to be able to do that. 07:27 But I can't, so I'm going to have to just preach. 07:31 But I'm happy to be here with you this evening. 07:34 I've been assigned the second commandment. 07:37 It's an amazing amazing word from God. 07:41 And I want to have a level of clarity 07:44 that is not within my power to achieve. 07:47 And so I'm going to ask you to pause with me 07:49 and pray one more time. Father in heaven, 07:52 You are truly great! 07:54 You're incredible; You're beautiful beyond description. 07:59 We try and we try to portray You as You are 08:03 and we come short. 08:06 But Father, right now I pray that You would help us 08:08 to understand the delicate relationship 08:12 between our perception of Your character 08:16 and the impact that perception has upon 08:20 our actual lives and relationships. 08:23 In Jesus' name, Amen. Amen! 08:26 Well some of you are old enough to know 08:29 that back in 1939 08:31 when Gone With The Wind 08:34 was on screens across America 08:37 that something very unexpected happened. 08:40 Clark Gable, the dashing lead in the movie, 08:46 did something that had never been done before 08:48 on the screen. He was wearing a kind of 08:52 blousy shirt with three buttons undone 08:58 revealing that there was no undershirt 09:02 and undershirt sales dropped precipitously across America. 09:10 The two companies that were in constant competition - 09:13 Fruit of the Loom and Hanes - 09:15 considered bankruptcy. 09:17 People just stopped buying undershirts! 09:22 Apparently there's something about us human beings 09:26 that makes us very impressionable. 09:29 Apparently there is a vital connection between what we see 09:35 and what we do. 09:36 More precisely, as human beings there is a direct correlation 09:41 between what we idolize and what we become. 09:47 Now the second commandment 09:49 is getting to the heart of this deep truth about human nature. 09:55 There is a late Stanford professor, 10:00 a history professor named René Girard, 10:03 who has encapsulated this idea, this truth about human nature, 10:07 with a very interesting term that he's wrapped around it. 10:11 He calls it mimetic desire. 10:14 In mimetic you hear to mimic. 10:16 Mimetic desire is the idea that we human beings 10:19 for some reason we are wired to mimic. 10:24 To be like what it is that we revere and exalt 10:28 and look up to. 10:31 We tend to take on the characteristics 10:34 of whatever it is that we're giving focus to. 10:38 That's why all Canadians say "eh" 10:40 as in: "Beautiful sunrise, eh? " 10:43 That's why all Southerners say "y'all" as in: 10:47 "Let's go to a buffet for dinner, y'all. " 10:50 Right? That's why everybody out West where I'm from 10:54 for some reason says "like" way too much. 10:58 As in: "I like want to have something yummy like 11:00 for dinner like now. Like what do you think? 11:03 Do you like want to have something like with me, too? " 11:07 That's West Coast. 11:08 For some reason everybody's talking like that. 11:13 That's why everybody here at 3ABN says 11:15 over and over again 11:18 "So excited! " 11:20 Have you heard that? 11:21 Pay attention now. Pay attention from this stage. 11:24 Everybody's so excited that you're here... 11:27 so excited for what we're about to explore. 11:30 And I want to get right into it because I am so excited 11:34 about what we're going to be looking into. 11:36 So... so human beings according to, you know, 11:39 René Girard, this historian, 11:42 this guy who's looking at human history, 11:44 according to him human beings for some reason... 11:46 Now he doesn't know exactly why; 11:47 he can't put his finger on it, he's just making an academic 11:50 observation. He's saying: "Hey, human beings for some reason 11:53 are psychologically emotionally wired 11:56 to mimic whatever it is that occupies the most elevated 12:01 position in their minds. 12:04 The entire advertising industry 12:07 is based on the psychology of mimetic desire 12:11 or the fact that human beings mimic what they see. 12:14 In 2019- just read this - 12:17 In 2019 when the year is done we in the United States 12:21 of America will have spent 240.7 billion dollars 12:25 on advertising. $240 billion dollars! 12:29 That is more than 160 12:34 countries' gross domestic product combined. 12:38 All on advertising... all to get people 12:41 to mimic, to copy, to do 12:43 what others are doing. 12:46 We as human beings are not really originators. 12:51 There's something about us, 12:53 and I'm going to tell you what I think it is 12:55 according to Scripture. 12:57 There are only really two categories to reality: 13:01 Creator and created. 13:04 I mean, that's panning way out, right? 13:07 There are lots of other sub-categories, but really 13:10 if you pan way out there are just two categories to reality. 13:13 There's the Maker and the "made. " 13:16 Creator and created. 13:18 And that means, among other things, 13:21 that you and I originate really nothing. 13:24 Everything that we experience is derived 13:27 from pre-existing realities. 13:30 We're not original. 13:32 We were made by God in His image 13:36 in such a way that through relationship with Him 13:39 we would become more and more and more beautiful 13:42 in His image throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. 13:45 And if the fall of humanity had never occurred 13:48 think of what would have happened with you and I 13:50 in fellowship with one another as human beings. 13:52 God's character is so big - so oceanic - 13:56 I mean, think of all that God is in His character. 13:59 We might think of the word infinite. 14:01 God is infinite in His love and His goodness 14:04 and His character, right? 14:05 So infinite, in fact, that all of us... there are billions 14:08 of us... all of us can be exactly like Him 14:11 in character and yet completely uniquely different 14:15 in personality. So you and I would have been 14:19 if the fall - this is hypothetically - if the fall 14:21 had never occurred and sin had never entered the picture 14:24 you and I would have been essentially cross-pollinating 14:27 the beauty of God's character 14:30 among ourselves with one another forever and ever. 14:33 We would have been taking on one another's discoveries 14:37 about God. We would have been having fellowship 14:41 and I would be benefitted by what you know 14:45 and see in the character of God 14:46 and my character and personality would flower even more. 14:51 I would grow and mature forever through fellowship with you. 14:54 And you would grow and mature forever in fellowship with me. 14:57 And all of us would grow and mature forever 14:59 and ever through fellowship with God. 15:01 Because psychologically emotionally we were wired 15:05 for taking on the attributes of God. 15:11 There's the Creator, there's the created. 15:14 And this poses a danger 15:17 because once the fall of humanity had occurred 15:20 now we were in a situation 15:23 where sponges that we are 15:26 we were in danger of taking on 15:29 the characteristics of God's enemy 15:33 and taking on the characteristics of one another 15:35 in our fallen condition. 15:37 And the second commandment is getting at this. 15:39 But let's begin with the first. James took us through the 15:41 first commandment, but the first and second commandment: 15:44 they're kind of a continuum. They just go straight together. 15:47 So in the first commandment as James pointed out 15:50 it doesn't begin with a "Thou shalt" or "Thou shalt not. " 15:53 It begins with: "I am the Lord. " 15:54 "I'm Yahweh, I'm the Lord who brought you out of the land 15:57 of Egypt out of the house of bondage. " 15:59 So: "This is who I am" God is saying. 16:01 "I'm a liberator kind of God. " 16:04 "I'm the kind of God that doesn't want human beings 16:07 enslaved. I want human beings free. " 16:11 "I'm not the kind of person, the kind of character, 16:14 the kind of God who keeps people in bondage. " 16:17 "I'm a liberator in character... that's who I am. " 16:22 By the way, all false gods 16:25 in one way or another to some degree or another 16:29 bring human beings into bondage. 16:32 You find throughout history 16:34 that really all the gods... If you just, I don't know, 16:37 Google "the gods of history" 16:40 among the Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians, the Assyrians 16:43 what you'll find is a bunch of names. Everything from 16:46 Dagon to Molech to Ishtar. 16:50 You'll find all kinds of gods, false gods through history. 16:54 And if you just do a little bit of thinking, a little bit of 16:56 study all of them fall into three basic categories. 16:59 Three basic categories really. 17:01 The gods that were most prominent for example among 17:05 the Romans and the Greeks were the gods Mars, 17:07 the god of war or power, 17:10 and Aphrodite, the god of sex or sensuality, 17:14 and Mammon or Plouton, the god of money. 17:19 Well there you have it. You have the complete trinity 17:21 of false gods in human history 17:25 are composed of power, sex, and money. 17:29 This is what human beings without God focus on 17:33 and exalt and become more and more like in their characters. 17:38 So it doesn't matter where you look in history 17:40 the one and only True God stands over against or in contrast to 17:45 everything that is ugly in the world. 17:48 God alone is beautiful, and those who associate with Him 17:53 become beautiful in His image. 17:57 The first commandment God simply says: 18:01 "I am a particular kind of God. 18:03 I'm a liberator kind of God. I want you free; 18:06 I don't want you in bondage. " 18:07 I could put it to you this way: 18:09 if there's one thing that God Almighty doesn't want 18:13 it's control. What God wants is to nurture you and me 18:19 into healthy responsible self-governance. 18:23 This is called The New Covenant. 18:25 This is where the law isn't externally imposed 18:27 but internally owned by each human being. 18:31 "I love Your law, God. I've taken it on board. " 18:35 "I've taken it into my heart; it's written inside of me. " 18:39 "It's a part of the fabric of my own character. " 18:42 "You haven't made me a slave with Your law... 18:44 Your law is a law of liberty. " 18:46 "The more I know You through the paradigm, through the prism, 18:49 through the lens of Your law the more free I am! " 18:52 God is a liberating kind of God. 18:55 So He says in the commandments right at the beginning: 18:59 "I'm a liberator kind of God. I set you free... 19:02 you shall have no other gods before Me. " 19:04 Now this is really interesting. The second commandment 19:07 follows that: "You shall have no other gods before Me. " 19:11 Note the language: "no other gods. " 19:13 And then it says this: 19:15 "You shall not make for yourself 19:18 a carved image... " Note the word image... 19:21 "any likeness of anything that is in heaven above 19:25 or that is in the earth beneath... " 19:27 This is Exodus chapter 20, the Ten Commandments 19:30 verses 4 through 6... 19:32 "or beneath the earth or that is under the water 19:37 under the earth... " Now notice this... 19:40 "You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. " 19:45 Back in verse 2: "I want you free. 19:49 Those other gods? They want you in bondage. " 19:54 God is saying to us in this commandment 19:59 "I am here to free you; they are here to enslave you. " 20:05 "Don't serve them. " And then He says something 20:07 that can be taken wrongly. He says: "For I the Lord your God 20:09 am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers 20:12 upon the children to the third and fourth generation 20:14 of those who hate Me 20:16 but showing mercy to thousands 20:19 of those who love Me and keep My commandments. " 20:22 Is God jealous in an ego kind of way? 20:26 Is God an egomaniac? Is He a narcissist? 20:29 Does He just want to hear His name all day long? 20:31 "Say it again... say it again. " 20:33 "Tell Me how wonderful I am. " 20:35 No, God is in fact 20:38 jealous not for His ego but jealous for your wellbeing 20:43 and mine. Amen! In those other gods are attributes 20:47 character traits that if you worship them 20:49 you will become gradually "uglified" in their image. 20:54 But the one and only True God is beautiful 20:57 and to worship Him is to become beautiful. 21:00 It is in our best interest to worship the one and only 21:04 True God. The second commandment essentially 21:10 tells us that we were born to a battlefield. 21:14 There's a war zone... and it's planet earth. 21:18 How do we know this in the text? 21:20 Well, there are other gods. Other gods? Really? 21:24 Is this a figment of human beings' imagination? 21:28 How are there other gods? 21:30 There's rivalry, so the great controversy 21:33 between good and evil is right there embedded within the law. 21:37 "There are other gods vying for your attention 21:40 and your worship but I'm the only True God. " 21:43 But not only does the second commandment 21:46 introduce us to the fact that we live in a war zone 21:49 the second commandment tells us, and this is crucial, 21:54 that the war is primarily psychological in nature. 22:03 That is to say we become like 22:07 what we worship. 22:09 So the other gods... Who are they? What are they? 22:14 Do they actually exist? This is fascinating. 22:17 The first time that other gods are mentioned in Scripture 22:20 in a way that alerts us to the fact that 22:24 there's actually something to this other than 22:27 little figurines on ancient peoples' shelves in their tents. 22:32 There's something more to this. In Genesis chapter 35 verse 2 22:36 "And Jacob said to his household 22:38 and to all who were with him: 22:40 'Put away the foreign gods. ' " 22:42 I want you to note the language "foreign gods. " 22:45 These gods are somehow foreign. 22:47 They're associate with the other nations. That's point #1. 22:51 Point #2: In Exodus chapter 12 verse 20 22:54 God comes against the gods of Egypt 22:59 to execute judgment on them. And then He says: 23:02 "I'm the Lord. I'm the one and only True God. " 23:06 The foreign gods are masquerading deities. 23:10 These aren't merely idols made of wood and stone. 23:16 Behind the idols made of wood and stone 23:19 there's something going on. Exodus chapter 15 verse 11 23:23 God is in contrast to the other gods. 23:27 There's a question posed. "Who is like You, O Lord, 23:30 among the gods? " The other gods. 23:34 There's a pantheon of gods. 23:36 The nations have other gods that the one and only True God 23:41 is warning Israel: "Have nothing to do with those 23:45 other gods. " Well... why? 23:49 Well this is interesting. 23:51 Exodus 23 and verse 24 says... 23:54 note the language here very carefully: 23:56 "You shall not bow down to their gods. " 23:59 The foreign gods. The gods of the Canaanite nations. 24:03 "You shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them 24:06 nor do any of their works. " 24:11 Those gods are characterized 24:14 by certain kinds of works or behaviors. 24:18 To worship those gods is to take on board 24:21 into your life those works... those behaviors. 24:26 That's the danger. So Exodus 23 and verse 33 24:30 adds another word. "For if you serve their gods 24:34 they will surely be a snare to you. " 24:38 It's a trap to lead you into adopting 24:44 character traits that are foreign to the character of 24:47 the one and only True God. Then in Deuteronomy chapter 32 24:54 this is so fascinating. 24:56 We're told explicitly in verses 16 and 17 25:01 that the foreign gods are none other than demons 25:08 masquerading as deities. 25:10 Deuteronomy chapter 32 verses 16 and 17. 25:13 So pan way out for a minute here. 25:16 We've just mentioned the fact that the first and second 25:20 commandments alert us to the fact that we are born 25:22 to a battlefield. That there is one and only True God 25:25 but there's rivalry... there's a conflict. 25:27 There are other gods that are trying to get our attention 25:31 and to command our worship. 25:35 Scripture tells us that we are in fact engaged in a great 25:39 controversy and that there is a covert and sometimes very overt 25:43 effort to displace God 25:46 not just from His throne far away in heaven 25:50 but from the citadel of human consciousness... 25:53 from the throne room of our minds. Or as Shelley 25:57 told us today - shared with us today - 25:59 that our minds constitute the Most Holy Place. 26:02 The fact is that we're engaged in a great controversy 26:06 between good and evil 26:08 and there's a lot at stake. 26:11 What's at stake is our very identities. 26:16 Idolatry... an idolatry crisis is an identity crisis 26:21 for the idolater. 26:22 To worship false gods is gradually to take on 26:27 the attributes of those gods. 26:29 Now panning way out we see that: "Hey, wait a minute! 26:33 These false gods of the other nations 26:35 weren't merely the figments of the peoples' imaginations 26:39 and then carved into little statuettes on their shelves. 26:43 Behind each one of those little idols made of wood and stone 26:49 was a demon masquerading as a deity over a nation. 26:53 And this is why you have in the Old Testament 26:56 a lot of territorial language. 26:59 When God comes to Israel He says: "I've chosen you 27:02 as My peculiar people and I have with you 27:06 staked out a territory in the world... 27:08 this battlefield that is planet earth. " 27:12 "I'm going to do something through you, 27:14 but as I'm doing something through you 27:18 the devil has jurisdiction out- side of the parameters of Israel 27:24 to lead people into other ways of thinking and feeling 27:28 and relating, so that when you read about the works 27:33 or the behaviors of the false gods 27:36 they are leading the people into all kinds of horrific behaviors 27:42 that involve war, sex, 27:47 and the acquisition of material goods, money. " 27:53 So the fact is that even though we live in a modern culture 27:57 in Western culture where people aren't making idols of wood and 28:02 stone and putting them on their shelves 28:04 we live in an extremely idolatrous culture 28:11 because we have deified sex and money and power 28:15 in our culture. And we are gradually watching 28:20 the corporate body of humanity 28:23 gradually morph and become more and more like 28:26 the ugly attributes of those enterprises. 28:32 So God is saying: "Listen, behind every idol is a demon. 28:38 And behind all of the idols is the ultimate 28:42 rival to the throne of God and that is the devil himself 28:48 who is through idolatry seeking to deflect worship 28:54 from the one and only True God to himself. 28:56 How does he do this? 28:58 Now the next Bible verse I want you to look at: 29:01 very quickly turn in your Bible to Psalm 135 and verse 18. 29:06 This is the key text for what we're talking about here 29:08 this evening. This in one simple statement 29:13 is where David, under inspiration, understands 29:16 the snare, the danger, the psychology of idolatry. 29:23 He says: "Those who make them... " 29:27 that is idols... "those who make them 29:30 become like them. So do all who trust in them. " 29:36 So God is warning us against idolatry 29:40 again, not because He is an egomaniac 29:44 who wants full, undivided attention for Himself. 29:48 God is saying: "Listen, listen: I'm the only One 29:51 who actually loves you, and to worship Me 29:55 is to become like that love 29:57 in our relationship and in all your relationships 30:00 with others. The false gods, the other gods - 30:05 the gods of money and power and sex - 30:09 those gods if you worship them you will gradually become 30:13 like them. " Listen, what- ever occupies the pinnacle, 30:16 the top of our value system 30:22 is going to gradually change us into its image. 30:26 The secret behind all idolatry 30:29 is that ultimately it is self-worship. 30:32 It is you and I as human beings isolating 30:35 a character trait - a fallen character trait - in ourselves 30:39 and then deifying it. 30:40 And focusing our attention on something this world 30:44 has to offer 30:47 to the displacement of the one and only True God 30:50 from our affections. So it can be anything literally. 30:54 Anything in the world can be idolized. 30:57 Anything can be exalted to that position in our thinking. 31:02 This is the psychology of idolatry. 31:06 This is God saying: "Listen, don't worship 31:08 false gods because it's dangerous to your very 31:14 make-up, to your identity, to your character. 31:16 You will become like them. " 31:19 So the second commandment essentially forbids 31:24 theological fiction. 31:31 The second commandment says: "Don't... " God is saying 31:34 in the second commandment: "Don't imagine Me differently 31:38 than I actually am. " Amen! 31:42 Don't concoct theological schemes 31:47 that diminish me in the eyes of the worshipers. " 31:54 The second commandment is warning us against the danger 31:59 of becoming like our own theological systems 32:04 that defame the character of God. 32:07 And the result according to the second commandment 32:09 is dangerous and generational. 32:13 God says: "Don't worship idols because there will be 32:16 a generational effect to the 3rd and 4th generation. 32:22 You and your children will be adversely impacted 32:28 by false worship systems. That is to say false theologies. " 32:32 Now there is overt idolatry and there is covert idolatry. 32:37 The children of Israel 32:39 oftentimes thought they were worshiping the one and only 32:42 True God, but by attributing character traits to Him 32:46 that did not belong to Him 32:48 they were idolators nonetheless. 32:52 So when we come to the New Testament - 32:54 this is fascinating - Jesus takes up the matter 32:58 of idolatry in a very fascinating way. 33:00 Turn in your Bibles to John chapter 8. 33:02 Look at John chapter 8 and starting with verse 32. 33:08 Jesus is teaching the people in general 33:10 but now He's having a con- versation with religious leaders 33:13 and He says: "Listen, you shall know the truth 33:16 and the truth shall set you free. " 33:19 Two things here: the context 33:22 here is what James broke down for us this morning 33:25 in John chapter 8 verses like 1 through 14. 33:29 The way that Jesus treated the woman caught in adultery 33:34 was a manifestation of the character of God. 33:38 Jesus then comes along because the religious leaders 33:42 are scandalized by the way that He treated this woman. 33:45 They wanted judgment and condemnation 33:47 and He gave mercy and forgiveness. 33:50 And Jesus comes along following that incident 33:52 with the woman caught in adultery 33:55 and He says to the people: "You shall know the truth 33:57 and the truth will set you free. " 33:59 Here in the language that is used 34:02 is "the truth" singular. It's not a list of doctrinal 34:06 points. It is the truth of the character of God 34:09 that is perfectly embodied in the person of Christ. 34:13 It is "the truth" singular! 34:15 It is known in Scripture with various different language. 34:19 The singular truth of Scripture 34:21 is the everlasting covenant. 34:24 The singular truth of Scripture is the everlasting gospel. 34:28 The singular truth, the one truth to rule them all 34:32 that encompasses all other truths, 34:34 is the profound truth that God is love: full stop. 34:39 You say: "Wait a minute. God's other things, too. " 34:40 No, God isn't anything else. 34:43 God is love, period... 34:45 and everything else that is true of God is 34:47 true of God because God is love. 34:49 Say: "Wait a minute, Ty. No, God is love AND 34:51 God is just. " No, God is just precisely 34:54 because God is love. Amen! 34:57 God is whatever God is because God is love. 35:01 If a parent speaks the truth 35:05 or disciplines a child that's not a break from love. 35:11 God is love, and that is the one truth 35:15 that embodies all other truth. 35:16 Sometimes I'll have an experience where somebody 35:18 that I don't know sitting on an airplane 35:20 or somewhere just interacting with people: 35:23 "Hey, so you're a Christian; you're a SDA? " Yeah. 35:27 "So what do you believe? " "Well I have just one belief. 35:29 I just believe one thing... I'm a simple guy. 35:32 I believe one thing... I have one fundamental belief: 35:36 God is love. " 35:39 Amen! "Well you don't believe anything else? " 35:41 "No, not really... no... uh-um. 35:44 That's what I believe, that's the whole thing right there. " 35:49 "But if you have a few minutes I can share with you how that 35:52 pans out and approximately 28 other things that... " 36:00 "There are 28 other things that magnify that thing 36:04 but there's just that thing. " 36:07 There is... According to Jesus there is a singular truth 36:10 and that truth is the truth that God is love. 36:15 And in that He is completely other than all other gods, 36:20 all other philosophies, belief systems, 36:23 and everything the world has to offer. 36:25 Now there's another way to encapsulate the distinction 36:28 between this one singular truth 36:31 and all the lies, all the Theo- logical fictions in the world. 36:36 And it's simply like this: 36:38 God is love... that's the one truth. 36:41 Everlasting covenant... that's the one truth. 36:43 Everlasting? That's the one truth. 36:45 Salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone: 36:47 that's the one truth. 36:49 Now every other false... every false system 36:55 is essentially some configuration of the salvation 36:59 by works program. 37:02 Really there are only two belief systems in the world. 37:06 Really there are only two religions in the world. 37:09 There is salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone 37:15 and then there is everything else 37:18 which is just so many different wrong mathematical equations 37:23 that essentially equate to some version of the salvation 37:27 by works paradigm. Amen! 37:30 So Jesus says: "If you know the truth - 37:33 the one singular truth - you will be set free. 37:35 You will be liberated. " And then this... it's amazing. 37:39 And then Jesus says in verse 37: 37:41 He says: "But I know that you are Abraham's descendants 37:46 but the problem is you're a part of the right nation 37:51 denomination. You're a part of the right thing outwardly. " 37:57 "I know you're Abraham's descendants... " verse 37... 38:00 but you seek to kill Me. 38:05 So there's a disconnect 38:07 between your national heritage 38:12 and how it's panning out in the way you're behaving. " 38:17 Verse 38: "I speak 38:20 what I have seen with My Father and you do what you have seen 38:25 with your father. " Now He's starting to play 38:27 with their minds. They're like: "Father, father, father... 38:29 what are we supposed to say when that comes up? " 38:31 Well, they know what to say. Verse 39: 38:33 "They answered and said: 'Abraham is our father. ' 38:35 And Jesus said: 'If you were actually 38:39 Abraham's children you would do the works of Abraham. 38:44 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth 38:49 that I heard from God. Abraham... ' He says... 38:52 'didn't do this so your behaviors, your actions 38:57 are not aligning with your theological profession. ' " 39:03 And then, verse 41: "You do the deeds of your father... " 39:09 The whole time they're thinking: "Well, father... yeah. 39:11 Abraham's our father. " "You do the deeds of your father... " 39:14 And they said to Him: 'We have one father 39:17 and it's God. " So just check this out: 39:21 according to their perception of themselves they are 39:25 worshipers of the one and only True God. 39:28 And Jesus said to them, verse 42: 39:31 "If God were your father you would love Me 39:35 for I proceeded forth and came from God. 39:38 Nor have I come of Myself but He sent Me. " 39:42 "You actually... " He says, verse 44: 39:46 "are of your father the devil 39:49 and the desires of your father you will do. " 39:54 There's René Girard's mimetic desire. 39:58 You're simply following through logically 40:00 with your belief system. 40:02 You have bad theology and it's panning out in your behavior. 40:06 Jesus is saying: "You're of your father the devil. " 40:09 This is amazing. Think about this for a minute. 40:12 Essentially Jesus is saying: "You are worshiping 40:16 the devil under the name Yahweh. " 40:22 "You imagine yourselves to be worshipers of the one and only 40:26 True God but you are idolators. You are actually 40:30 devil worshipers because you are attributing to God 40:33 characteristics that don't belong to Him. " 40:36 Idolatry happens whenever a person attributes 40:40 characteristics to God that are foreign to the character of God. 40:45 And that's what they're doing. 40:47 The Israelites, they are in the process of putting the devil 40:51 in the place of God while retaining the right name 40:54 on the surface. In really really academic 40:58 technical terms this is called "a big switcheroo. " 41:03 They have actually undergone a process 41:07 of imbuing the name Yahweh with characteristics of the devil 41:12 and the devil is actually enthroned in their theological 41:15 system... and they don't even know it. 41:20 Then Jesus goes on and He says: "Listen, listen, 41:23 the devil: he was a murdered from the beginning. 41:25 So this impulse that you have to kill Me 41:30 is coming from him. You're carrying out 41:33 the character... you're follow- ing through with the character 41:37 of your true father... and it's not God. " 41:41 Verse 44: "When he... the devil... speaks... " 41:45 "he speaks... " in the Greek, now... 41:47 This won't show up very clearly in most of our English versions. 41:51 "When he, the devil, speaks he speaks the lie... " 41:54 singular... "and he is the father of 42:00 the lie. " It, singular, in verse 44. 42:04 So Jesus there is one singular truth 42:06 and that one singular truth is the everlasting gospel. 42:09 It is the love of God... it is the LAW of God. 42:13 One truth is THE TRUTH that Jesus personified 42:20 in Himself. And then Jesus says: "And there's one lie. 42:24 A singular lie, and it's everything that is contrary 42:26 to the gospel, everything that is contrary to the love of God. 42:30 And this impulse toward murder 42:34 is a derivative of that one lie that you are guided by 42:39 right now. " Now this is interesting. 42:41 When He comes to the end of this little discussion with them 42:44 He says in verse 50: "Hey, and by the way, I am God. " 42:50 "I am the I AM. I'm the One who 42:54 had all those interactions with Abraham 42:57 who you claim is your father in the Old Testament. " 43:00 "If anybody knows who I am it's Me because I'm Him. " 43:04 "And I'm not like what you have made Me out to be 43:07 in the way that you treated that woman earlier in 43:10 the context of this chapter that James walked us through 43:13 this morning. " Amen! 43:16 "You have deified your own fallen characters 43:21 and you're calling it God. " 43:23 So John 16 is fascinating in this connection. 43:27 So skip over to John 16 now. 43:29 Now we're going to move in the direction of the eschatological 43:33 or final events implications of idolatry. 43:37 Now we all know that Matthew, those of us who are familiar 43:42 with Scripture and have spent any time really looking at 43:44 Scripture, we know that Matthew has a chapter that is devoted 43:48 to the final events of human history, right? 43:53 Matthew 24. We all know that Luke has a chapter 43:57 that is devoted to the final events of human history. 44:00 John has a section that is devoted to the final events 44:03 and we think you know: "John, he was just a little different. 44:06 He is not one of the synoptic gospels. 44:09 He is writing and he's on his own wavelength; he doesn't have 44:11 a final events treatment... he never addresses final events. 44:15 John DOES address final events 44:18 but he does it in a way that Matthew, Mark, and Luke 44:23 do not. He deals with final events from the standpoint of 44:28 idolatry, theology, and psychology. 44:32 Chapter 16 of John... this is John's treatment 44:37 of final events in two verses. 44:40 Verse 2: "The time is coming... " 44:42 eschatology... final events... 44:45 "The time is coming when whoever kills you 44:48 will think that he is doing God's service. " 44:55 And then Jesus explains what's going on here 44:58 in verse 3: "And these things they will do to you 45:02 because they have not known Me nor My Father. " 45:09 But they think they're doing God's service 45:11 so these are believers... these are worshipers. 45:15 These are people who are in churches on a regular basis. 45:19 Jesus is saying: "If you want to understand 45:22 what's going to happen at the end of time, 45:25 people are going to act out a false picture of God. " Amen! 45:29 The final events of human history 45:31 will simply be the outworking of everybody's theology. 45:37 Every person will finally be who they really are. 45:42 When the pressures come to bear 45:44 all of us will act out our picture of God. 45:48 Amen! So idolatry ultimately 45:53 will lead us to Revelation chapter 13. 45:57 Revelation chapter 13 might be looked at as 46:01 simply the final manifestation of climactic idolatry 46:07 in human history. 46:09 This is when the final image, the final false picture of God, 46:13 is set up for all the world to worship. 46:16 In Revelation chapter 13 and verse 3 46:20 "And all the world marveled and followed the beast. " 46:24 Now don't get tripped up over the word beast. 46:26 It sounds like something horrible. 46:29 But this is a grand masquerade. 46:32 The way that this beast manifests itself on the surface 46:35 in the actual world the way we encounter it 46:37 it's not a horrible, ugly, disfigured kind of creature. 46:42 It is a word... The word beast here is a word 46:45 for system. It is a religious system. 46:50 It looks good on the surface. 46:52 It's a religious system that is in "cahoots" 46:55 with the state. That's what's happening 46:58 in Revelation chapter 13. 47:00 The text goes on and says: "Listen. What's going to happen 47:03 is there's going to be a lethal combination between 47:08 two elements. Verse 4: "So they worshiped 47:11 the dragon who gave authority to the beast 47:14 and they worshiped the beast. " 47:15 So the first element in the lethal combination 47:18 is worship. Now something's about to be added to worship 47:22 here, and that is the power of the state 47:26 to enforce worship 47:29 because the text goes on to tell us how this pans out... 47:34 this system pans out finally 47:36 is that the worship... Verse 14: "And he deceived those 47:40 who dwell upon the earth by means of the signs 47:43 which he is granted to do in the sight of the beast 47:46 telling those who dwell on the earth that they should 47:48 make an image to the beast... " This is verse 14: 47:50 "who was wounded by the sword and did live. 47:53 And he was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast 47:56 that the image of the beast should both speak and cause 48:00 that as many as would not worship the image of the beast 48:04 should be killed. " What did Jesus say in John 16? 48:07 "The day is coming... " Jesus said: "Let me just 48:10 explain to you how this thing's going to go down in history. " 48:13 "People... " Jesus says... "are going to actually use force 48:17 and coercion. They're going to attempt to kill you 48:20 in the name of Jesus. They're going to actually 48:23 in the name of Christendom 48:26 there's going to be a colossal system 48:28 that is going to bring to bear upon the world 48:30 a lethal idolatrous combination 48:34 of worship and coercion. " 48:37 Worship and force. 48:40 So we might say it like this: the climactic act 48:43 of idolatry in human history 48:46 will occur when the forces of church and state 48:51 unite to form an image 48:55 that all the world is obligated to deify 48:59 and to worship. So we might look at it like this 49:02 stated from another angle: 49:04 the final events equation... 49:07 I mean, this is the book of Revelation 49:09 summarized for you in a simple equation. 49:11 This is Revelation 101. 49:13 The final events of human history boil down to this: 49:16 worship minus love plus force 49:21 equals the mark of the beast. 49:23 What's going to pan out in history as things unfold 49:27 is a fulfillment of what Jesus foretold in John 16 49:32 which He laid the groundwork for in John chapter 8. 49:35 There is one truth - one singular truth - 49:38 and that one singular truth is that God is love. 49:41 There is one lie, and that one singular lie 49:45 which was manifested in the religious leaders 49:47 of the time of Jesus was the impulse to kill for religion. 49:54 And then Jesus in John 16 said 49:57 that's exactly what happened in John chapter 8: 49:59 "Microcosm will take place on a global scale macro. 50:05 The big thing will look exactly like the small scenario 50:11 that I went through with the religious leaders 50:13 in John chapter 8. " 50:15 "Their impulse to kill in the name of God will pan out in 50:18 a colossal final events of human history 50:22 in which people will act out their picture of God. 50:27 Idolatry will finally manifest itself in such a way 50:31 that every person will move in one of two directions. 50:37 Every person will move in the direction of a picture of God 50:41 that is oriented toward coercion and force 50:45 and a union of church and state 50:47 or in the direction of a non-coercive love 50:52 that embodies the character of God in the person of Christ. 50:56 Said another way: Human history will end 51:00 with people acting out either the salvation by grace 51:05 picture of God or the salvation by works picture of God. 51:10 All of human history will come to a conclusion 51:14 on the premise of that single factor 51:19 in human thinking and worship with God. 51:23 So now come back to where we began in our time together. 51:27 The psychology of idolatry is what we're trying to understand 51:31 this evening. 51:32 When God says: "Don't make an idol... 51:34 don't make and worship an idol... 51:37 it's not a matter of God being an egomaniac 51:41 who wants to hear His name over and over again. 51:43 It's God saying: "I am the one and only True God 51:47 and My character taken into your heart 51:54 is what is best for you. " 51:58 So when we come down to the bottom line 52:02 every person in the world has a decision to make. 52:07 Human beings are by nature worshiping creatures. 52:11 Back in 1972 Bob Dillon was converted to Christ 52:14 and he sang "You've gotta serve somebody. 52:17 It may be the devil or it may be the Lord 52:21 but you're gonna have to serve somebody. " 52:23 Timothy Keller gets at this when he says: 52:26 "You don't get to decide to worship or not. 52:30 Everyone worships something. 52:32 The only choice you get is who or what to worship. " 52:38 The human being is by nature a worshiping creature. 52:42 You're going to fasten your affections 52:45 upon something, someone. 52:49 You're going to have a focal point that will determine 52:53 your own identity as a human being. 52:58 Idolatry is worshiping anything... 53:03 anything that ought to be used 53:07 and idolatry is using anything that ought to be worshiped. 53:13 Anything in the world 53:16 that is for utilitarian purposes 53:20 that we exalt: money, 53:23 the exertion of power 53:25 in every relationship that we have as human beings 53:28 as husbands and wives, 53:30 parents and children, 53:32 fellow church members. 53:34 At every given moment under pressure 53:38 you and I are manifesting whether or not we are 53:41 in factor idolators 53:43 or worshipers of the one and only True God. 53:45 To the degree that in my marriage I exert 53:49 the pressures of manipulation and force I'm acting out my 53:53 theology and I am preparing myself 53:56 to be one of those who receives the mark of the beast. 53:59 It's just a logical outcome of what I've been doing 54:02 all along in my belief system. 54:05 Every single person at every given moment 54:08 is simply acting in accordance with what their theology 54:13 dictates. Dr. Bruce Alexander 54:19 is a remarkable researcher in the field of addiction. 54:24 He's the one that did a number of a years ago 54:27 what we called the rat park experiment. 54:29 And the rat park experiment revealed something 54:31 very interesting. Rats that were confined 54:35 became junkies. They went to the water that had the drugs. 54:38 Rats that had freedom to move 54:42 even though the water with the drugs was provided 54:45 chose the pure water and did not become junkies. 54:49 He draws some very interesting conclusion from his studies 54:53 regarding human addiction and he says: 54:56 "We as human beings need 54:59 by nature addictive commitment 55:02 because it is deeply essential to what we are as human beings. 55:06 So addiction... " he says... "can be a window to shed light 55:10 on the dual nature of human beings... " Which is this: 55:14 He says: "The dual nature is that we are beings 55:19 who need both independence and devotion, 55:24 both freedom and commitment. " 55:29 The only God available to human beings 55:34 that will guard your freedom 55:37 is the God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. 55:41 Amen! 55:43 The God of Scripture is the God of liberation 55:45 because He is a God of infinite other-centered self-giving love. 55:50 He is the God of covenant. 55:53 And if you give your heart to Him, 55:55 you know what He does with it? 55:57 He cleans it up; He sets it free; 55:59 and He gives it right back to you. Amen! 56:03 He allows you to be exactly who you are 56:07 in His image. Can you imagine anything 56:11 more delightful or beautiful 56:13 than for us to spend all of eternity in fellowship 56:15 with one another and in fellowship with God? 56:20 Cross pollinating the beauty of His character 56:22 and maturing more and more and more. 56:25 Here's what you're going to experience in this life 56:28 in my opinion: your heart's going to be broken over and over 56:32 and over again until it remains open 56:35 or closes beyond ever opening again. 56:39 Every single one of us is in the process of becoming 56:42 a flower that opens to God 56:46 or a rock that is forever hardened against Him. 56:49 Every one of us is in the process of becoming like 56:54 what we worship. 56:56 "You shall have no other gods before Me. " 56:59 "You shall not make any carved image 57:03 of any likeness of anything in this world 57:06 and exalt it to the place of ultimacy in your opinion 57:11 in your estimation. " 57:14 God alone is worthy of our worship. 57:17 And in worshiping Him we will become beautiful 57:20 in His image. Father in heaven, thank you 57:23 so much this evening for the second commandment 57:26 that reminds us that we should not formulate 57:29 any theological fictions 57:30 that are not worthy of Your true character. |
Revised 2019-08-06