God’s Authority Illustrated
The one fundamental fact of the universe is that God is over all. He both claims and exercises absolute authority in all realms. One of the functions of revelation is to impress upon the human mind the essential nature of human subjection to the divine. Woven through even the figures God uses to illustrate our relationship to him is the consistent picture of Divine mastery. Consider the figures:
1. In the divine “family”, God is our FATHER.
Within the family figure there are various roles–filled by husband, wife, father, mother, son and daughter, brother and sister. In the figure, God is “father”. HE is the one to be obeyed by the wife (Eph 5:23-27); and the children (Eph 6:1-4).
2. In the divine “army”,. God is our CAPTAIN.
Heb 5:8,9 speaks of Christ (who is Divine) as the “captain of our salvation”. The figure is that of an “army”, in which Christians are “soldiers” (2 Tim 2:2-4) It is the soldier’s job to “please Him who hath called him to be a soldier.”
3.In God’s “church”, God (Christ) is our HEAD.
Eph 1:22, 23–Christ is “head OVER ALL THINGS to the church, which is His body”. All the members of the church are subject to the head “in everything”!
4. In God’s “vineyard”, God is the HOUSEHOLDER.
Matt 20:1-16 As “householder” He has the right to “hire” and “fire”, stipulate the realm of activity, determine the rate of pay, and to make any exceptions He deems suitable.
5. In God’s “sheepfold”, Christ is the SHEPHERD
John 10:1-28 The sheep hear His voice; He provides for them, and protects them.
In every case, disciples are dependent. Throughout, God claims His place as overseer, and authoritative guide. This is both necessary, and appropriate. Mankind CANNOT discern for himself, CANNOT provide for his own salvation, CANNOT remove the guilt of his own sin, and CANNOT succeed in his life without the leadership and grace of God. Only God is able to do for man what he cannot do for himself. -AcBelue
The Logic of Creation
The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." (Psalm 14:1)
Few, if any, truly believe that this earth is eternal. Almost everyone, regardless of his or her ideology, believes that this world had a beginning. For the creationist, the beginning is easily explained if not fully understood. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Ge. 1:1) For the evolutionist, explaining the origin of the universe is infinitely more complex.
Take, for instance, the origin of life. The evolutionist must rest his “faith” solely upon an unproven theory that is contrary to all observation. There are only two possibilities to logically explain the origin of life. Either life came from life, or life came from non-living matter. Of the two possibilities, which is easier to believe? Which can be observed in the natural world? Man has never proven that life can come from non-life. All attempts to do so have failed. On the other hand, anyone can observe that life comes from other living things. The certainty of such a theory is proven time and again throughout the physical universe.
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. (Psalm 19:1-3) You don’t have to be backward, ignorant, or emotionally weak to believe in God. You simply have to look around you. Men can and should believe in God simply by listening to nature. Are you listening? Are you watching? Are you observing the evidence God has placed around us all? God has not left us without testimony that He is there, and He expects us to search for and find Him (Ac. 14:17; 17:26). Are you looking for God? He is waiting for you. –JME
Man’s Submission to God
“Submission”! It is at once the most joyous and most difficult aspect of man’s well-being in his relationship with God. Nothing good can be achieved without it, and nothing bad will come with it. Man’s initial act of sin in the garden was fundamentally a rebellion against the submissive role God had created him for, and an assertion that man “deserved” to be like Him (Satan’s lure –“ye shall be as gods”–Gen 3) Ever since, at some level, ALL sin involves an effort to act independently of God. To be able to yield to a higher Person, to place complete trust in Him for direction and provision–in these, man achieves his greatest happiness. To be required to do so, relinquishing personal power and permission, goes against the human desire to be in control.
To be realistic, submitting or not is not an option! All must submit, and in fact all DO submit–it is simply a matter of “to whom”, or “to what”. Rom 6:16 says, “Know ye not to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servant ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness...” Man did not control his creation, and he does not control his life, except in his choice of masters. Even those who profess to be “independent”, and “self-sufficient” will, at the last, bow to the might and mastery of God (Phil 2:11–“...EVERY knee shall bow, and EVERY tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father...”)
In part, the grand design of the Bible is to teach man the value of submitting to God voluntarily, and the ruin of self-rule. Even accepting this truth to the extent that we become disciples of Christ is not enough. Though disciples, there is no room to be found for independence of thought and action. Both scripture and experience teach us that what we think of as “independent” action is actually the result of influence from some external force, and will set in motion consequences we neither foresaw nor intended. It is disastrous to confuse the momentary ability to act or speak contrary to God, with the ongoing ability to control what happens after. Such results are out of our hands, and are under the direction of a holy and just God. “Be not deceived, God is not mocked, whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap..” (Gal 6:7)
The life of submission is the life of “faith”–accepting two basic facts: (1) “the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” Jer 10:23; and (2) “...I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh to the Father but by me..” (John 14:6) When we acknowledge our own deficiencies, and when we realize that, among the many “ways” competing for our attention for direction, there is only ONE WAY to which we must SUBMIT with the hope of lasting good, LIVING BY THAT WAY, then we will “love life, and see good days” (1 Pet 3:10). Submitting to God will be a joy, and the harvest we reap will be “life everlasting”. -The Editors
One Final Thought:
Think About It!
In the New Testament, we find instances of a form of the question, “What must I do to be saved?”—Acts 2:37; 22:10; 16:30, etc. We have preached sermons on this question. It is important. Have you ever considered the significance of the things those N.T. prospects did NOT ask?
No one ever asked, “What must I FEEL?” Many believe one must “feel” something. Some churches even demand some “feeling” as a basis for church membership. No one ever asked (or was told) what he must “feel” to be saved.
No one ever asked, “What must I DREAM?” I have heard wonderful stories of dreams some have had, and which they took as an evidence of pardon. In the N.T., dreams were never used to prove pardon from sins.
No one ever asked, “What must I EXPERIENCE?” Even though with many this is significant, this question was never asked NOR answered in the Bible.
No one ever asked, “What must CHRIST do to save me?” When the sermon was finished, it was clear that Christ had done His part, and that it was then up to man.
No one ever asked, “What must the HOLY GHOST do to save me?” Men must have realized that the Holy Ghost had inspired the apostles, and confirmed the Word. But some are now calling on the Holy Spirit to do more.
No one ever asked, “What must I BELIEVE?” We know that this was essential, but this was still not the question that each one who looked for redemption asked and had answered. IN EVERY CASE, THEY WANTED TO KNOW WHAT TO DO! Was there something else that BELIEVERS must DO? Even so, and so must we all!--Acb
Do you find it hard to believe that the Bible contains the words of God? Check out Why I Trust the Bible under “Sermons” on our website: www.eastcolumbuschurch.com
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