"But There Is A God..." by West End Church of Christ

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"But There Is A God..." How long has it been since you picked up your Bible and turned back to the wonderful books of prophecy and enjoyed reading some thrilling words of inspiration? Some of the most beautiful jewels of divine revelation are contained in the prophetic books of the Old Testament. Today, I want to read a part of one of those grand prophetic works as a basis of a study about God Almighty. But first, we of the West End Church of Christ presents these fifteen minute lessons every Sunday. We have only one reason for doing it -- we want to preach the truth of God's word without being restricted by human doctrines, creeds, and wisdom. That is why we repeatedly ask anyone who listens to communicate with us if you do not agree with what we teach on this program. This is not done out of a spirit of dare, or challenge, but in sincerity and in the interest of being absolutely right about the most important issue of this life and of eternity. We also want to invite you to attend our services. Bible study begins at 9 a.m., just under an hour from now and we have classes for all ages in which the Bible is discussed and made relevant to living in this world today. At 10 this morning we assemble to worship -- we honor God in the reading and teaching of His word, several prayers, gospel songs, giving of our means, and partaking of the sacred memorial feast of the Lord's Supper. Tonight we assemble for worship at 6 p.m. One more thing before we study this lesson is a special sermon to be preached at West End, tonight August 12th. It is entitled "The Drug Problem and the Church." No collections or donations will be taken for the sermon -- it is a study of how the current drug problem is affecting nearly all of our lives. You may be interested in it and if you are, please come. Bring your children and friends and join us at the West End Church of Christ meeting house, August 12th 7:30 p.m. Questions will be allowed at the end of the sermon. Please read with me Daniel 2:17-28. "Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said:, 'Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are HIs. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells in Him. I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You, for You have made known to us the king's demand.' Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: 'take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation.' "Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, 'I have found a man of the captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation.' The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, 'Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?' Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, 'The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon you bed, were these:" With as little offense as possible I believe those who still look to astrologers, enchanters, magicians, and soothsayers have as little chance of success in knowing the future as the wise men who served this old Babylonian king in Daniel's day. There are those who put more faith in some fortune teller's word than the word of God. Some are much more enthusiastic about reading their daily horoscope than they are reading their Bible. It is time for every responsible being to realize clearly that there is only one way anyone may know the secrets of God Almighty and that is through revelation. Long ago, Moses wrote: "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deuteronomy 29:29). Far too much time, money, and effort are spent delving into the unknown rather than getting acquainted thoroughly with what may be known. On the occasion of this text, the wise men of Babylon were in deep trouble. They had tried every wile and trick they knew to interpret a dream the king had which caused him great anxiety. Their failure to interpret it for him meant their death. At that very strategic point Daniel intervenes and boasts that he has the one true interpretation of the king's dream. Daniel knew that it was time for God's great power to be manifested accurately. The difference between God and human beings is clear. Daniel was brought before the king and was asked, "Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?" To which Daniel valiantly responded, in effect, "Not necessarily me, nor any of your wise men, your fortune tellers, and soothsayers, but there is a God who is more than able." Daniel's ability to reveal the dream and the interpretation lay not in the fact that he had a better understanding of life, nor that he was wiser than all the other wise men, but rather because there is a God in heaven that reveals such secrets. Daniel was simply God's tool in the achievement of what no mere man could ever hope to accomplish. We can all apply this principle right here very well, if we are wise. When a man reaches his wit's end, when he comes to the extremity of his powers, and when he has exhausted his every effort, in whatever goals he seeks to reach in life, he realizes that something is lacking. There is emptiness where he thought there would be satisfaction and fullness. He comes to the point, after all his successes, to the proposition that "there is a God in heaven" before whom he must bow in simply obedience and trust. How tragic it is that men are often brought to such extremes before they wake up and realize this fundamental truth, "there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets" unknown and unreachable by man unaided. The end of man's efforts puts him at the beginning block of God's way to eternal bliss -- the first step is belief. Remember this verse? "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). Many self proclaimed atheists find it impossible to believe that there is a God in heaven, or anywhere else. They seek some sort of logical proof, some scientific evidence, or some empirical argument that God is really the all powerful Being the Bible presents Him to be. But that is the wrong way -- it leads nowhere -- it is destined to fail. The right way is to start by faith. Notice -- the Hebrew writer does not say that before one comes to God he must offer proof of God's existence. He said the one who comes to God "must believe that He is." Simple and plain, the pleasure God has is in the faith His creatures cultivate in their hearts toward Him. And what is the basis of that faith? It is the word of God, the Bible. Paul wrote, "So, then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Faith in God is not based on a visible, tangible demonstration; it is based on faith gained through revelation. The ancient prophet Jeremiah once cried out, "O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jeremiah 10:23). The earlier we learn this fact the more enjoyment and satisfaction we will have in this life. If we early in life admit the truth expressed by this grand prophet we will have a clearer vision of what lies in the future. To admit what Jeremiah admitted is to put the future into the hands of the only one who controls it -- Almighty God. To reject it, to seek our own ways and thoughts, is to blunder fatally. Jesus came into this world at a time that was especially favorable for men to realize just how weak and helpless they were. You know, history records man's activities which is really a chronicle of his failures. There are times in history when men have run their full course and the children of Israel are a good case in point. For over a thousand years they had been living under the Law of Moses. They had been disciplined by it to the point that they recognized finally that no law could justify man. Paul, an inspired writer in the New Testament, described the law as "a ministration of condemnation" (II Corinthians 3:9). He taught that the law simply pointed the Jews toward Christ (Galatians 3:23-24). He also affirmed that the Law of Moses offered justification only to those who kept it flawlessly, never breaching a single point in the law. Something had to be added in order to relieve men of the burden and guilt of sin . The Jews could not save themselves. Nor were the Gentiles any better off. Paul's description of the Gentiles in Romans 1:28 and the following verses describes the depth of degradation and depravity. And when they became aware of the depths to which they had sunk, they then realized that their foundation for life was weak and faulty. It crumbled under the various philosophers and sages who sought to offer salvation. Salvation came neither through the Law or man's wisdom. It may very well be that this generation is coming to another dead end in life. We are plagued with many evils -- narcotics, crime, deterioration of family living, and a host of other issues. Suicides increase, and mental problems abound, largely because our generation has not learned the lesson, that there is a God in heaven in whom they must believe and to whom they must submit. You see that is the real secret of life -- there is a God in heaven. He is the God who created the universe, originated life, and sustains human existence. Those who find themselves in sin, at the end of the road with no promise of any relief have one opportunity -- only one -- to make things better. That opportunity is life itself and the betterment comes through change, which is another way of saying repent. Too long we have poked fun at those who wear signs, "Repent." Too long we have sought out our own ways of living. The time is soon approaching that all will have to be brought down from a lofty and false perch of faulty assurance to bow their knees and "confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father" (Philippians 2:11). What about you my friend? What a great thought -- there is a God in heaven. How fearful it is to fall into His hand, unprepared, rebellious, sinful, and impenitent! I urge you today that you think seriously about this matter. If you have a question about any of these things that have been said -- please contact us. Our mailing address is West End Church of Christ, 1609 Parkside Drive, Bowling Green, Ky. 42101. If you would like any kind of Bible study materials, we will try to help you. Well, thank you again -- we appreciate the opportunity to come to you each Sunday on this radio station and hope you'll be back here again next Sunday -- 8 a.m. Goodbye and God bless you. Radio Sermon No. 22