This is a sermon that was given on April 19, 2020. The service was conducted in our church parking lot because of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on public gatherings. Attendees were able to hear the speaking and music via FM radio in their individual vehicles. The sermon is intended to continue the theme of resurrection and presents three logical conclusions to the truth: God is not dead!
Written Excerpts:
Rev. 1:18 (NKJV) I am He who lives, and was
dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades
and of Death.
Introduction:
In a theology & public policy journal, Matthew Rose wrote these
words over three years ago (Aug. 2016):
On April 8, 1966, a … cover story appeared in Time magazine,
sending the country into a panic over a group of theologians few had heard of
then and nobody remembers now. [The theologians] are forgotten. The cover,
however, remains memorable. The first [cover] in the magazine’s history not to
feature a photograph or illustration, it shocked readers by asking, “Is God
Dead?”
The author, John Elson, worked on the story for more than a year…. He
introduced the nation to a school of thought that would come to be known as
“Death of God theology.” Although its proponents differed on matters of
substance and style, they shared an idea that was easily sensationalized: Christianity
can and must dispense with belief in the divine….
What does it mean to say that God is dead? The phrase unsettles, even
menaces, and much of the antipathy directed at Death of God theology reflected
a misunderstanding. The phrase was not a call to action. It announced a historical
event. Something has happened in Western culture over the last three centuries,
altering the conditions of human experience. Man has learned to understand the
world and to order his life apart from God.
(https://www.firstthings.com/article/2016/08/death-of-god-fifty-years-on)
William E. Hordern says, “The term ‘God is dead’ was originally coined
by the [German] philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. It has been used frequently by
theologians to describe the fact that, for many in our age, God seems to be
unreal and thus is dead.” (A
Layman’s Guide to Protestant Theology,
p.235)
From what I have read and understand, it appears that some of these
theologians had not become true atheists, but they simply believed that
traditional views of God and theology had become irrelevant and certainly
unconnected to the way people lived their lives.
Well, the purpose of my sermon today is not to give a lengthy
presentation about modern trends in theology. In fact, I’m hoping not to give a “lengthy” presentation at all, for
which I assume many of you are happy! I do want to speak to you today on the subject: “God is NOT dead!”
Last Sunday we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus. We sang and spoke
about His victory over death, hell and the grave.
When we talk about the death and resurrection of Jesus, we do not mean
that the eternal God died and then rose again, but the man Jesus died and
proved His own divinity by rising from the dead. He is not just a man, but He
is also truly God in His nature.
For the rest of our time this morning I want to ask you a question and
then offer a few answers to that question. The question is this: “What does it mean to say, ‘God is not dead’?”
I. If
God is not dead, then He is still sovereign.
As I stated a few moments ago, some of the
theologians were not true atheists, but they merely expounded the implications
of modern thought and practices. Mankind had simply arrived at the point that
old ideas about God were no longer relevant, and because of science and
education, man could live life and order his world just dandy without God.
This seems to mesh with the concept I’ve
heard expressed before – some people may not be atheists in doctrine, but they
are in practice, i.e. they live their lives as if God is nowhere in the
picture. They succumb to anxiety and fear as if God
is AWOL. They make choices and decisions as if they are autonomous and God is
absent or non-existent.
However, if God is not dead, then He is
still sovereign. He is still in control of the affairs of this world.
It is, and always will be a mystery concerning
the relationship between the sovereignty of God and the free will of man. But
the Bible is very clear about the fact that God orders the affairs of this
world and we are all moving toward the climax of earthly existence.
I just read in my devotional reading
yesterday, Daniel 4:17 (NIV) ‘The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the
verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all
kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the
lowliest of people.’
This specific passage is talking about the
Lord humiliating King Nebuchadnezzar and decreed that he would become like an
animal for seven years. There has never been a time in the history
of the world when world events got out of God’s control.
I remind you again today, as I have done
before, the events of our world that we are living through right now are not
out of God’s control. The disease is not out of His control, and the
over-reaching arm of Government is not out of His control. I have legitimate concerns about both the
disease and the strong-armed policies of government, but I can rest in the
knowledge that none of it surprises God nor prevents His ultimate will for mankind. No disastrous events in history have ever thwarted
His plan of redemption and none will stop the final fulfillment of it.
II. If
God is not dead, then biblical revelation is still authoritative.
If the theologians and philosophers are wrong
about mankind getting along very well on his own without God, then we must come
back to the reality that the living God has revealed himself and his purposes
to humanity. If God is not dead, then we can rely on His
Word and trust in it for every area of life.
2 Pet. 1:20-21 (NKJV) knowing this first, that no prophecy of
Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy
never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by
the Holy Spirit.
The revelation of God through His Word
teaches us many, many things, but there are two I want to emphasize today.
A. Revelation tell us that Redemption is
still necessary.
We may reach the point where we think we can
live our lives however we please, and just keep God “in His place” right over
there on the shelf where we can find Him if we ever need Him. However, the revelation of God clearly
explains that we are desperately in need of redemption and tremendously incapable
of redeeming ourselves.
B. Revelation tells us that Human
accountability is still applicable.
If God is not dead, then it is He to whom we
all must give account after this life is done. Every atheist that has ever lived and died
found out at the moment of death that he/she was still accountable to the very
One they had insisted did not exist.
Heb. 4:13 (KJV) Neither is
there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are
naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
III. If
God is not dead, then biblical ethics are still necessary.
If God is not dead, not only does it mean He
is still sovereign and His Word is still authoritative, but it also means
biblical ethics are still binding. The Bible is full of ethical requirements
for creatures made in the image of God.
I have mentioned several times in the past
that I am on a mailing list that allows me to receive an email devotional every
week from Dr. John Oswalt, an OT scholar and author. In the devotional he sent out just
yesterday, Dr. Oswalt quotes from a French political scientist who wrote that
during the 1960’s and ‘70s ethical values in Europe and America changed radically.
“The Christian vision was replaced
with another in which the desires of the individual became the basis of
all ethics and all political legitimacy. What humans desire, they have an
inalienable right, and even duty, to do.”
Oswalt continues, “The Bible tells us that desire is
tyrannical, and that Jesus has come to set us free from that tyranny. Our enemy
whispers that if we can just do whatever we want, we will be free. But that is
a lie.”
He had much more to say in the devotional,
but it is just an example of the fact many people have moved away from ethical
conduct based on the values of Scripture to embrace an ethical system based on
satisfying fleshly desires. But God’s Word calls us to ethical behavior
rooted in the nature of God Himself.
Micah 6:8 sums up the ethical duty of man.
Micah 6:8 (NKJV) He has shown you, O man, what is good; And
what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk
humbly with your God?
As we walk humbly with God, through the
power of the Holy Spirit, we are to pursue justice and mercy, or holiness and
love. We must allow His Spirit to cleanse us from
all manifestations of ungodliness so that our conduct reflects His holiness.
That is the negative aspect of ethics –
removing sin from our lives. But there is also a positive aspect to ethics. It
is our responsibility, or privilege to demonstrate the love of God in our
conduct toward others. It is a privilege to show people around us what the love
of God looks like in human experience.
Maintaining the balance between justice and
mercy (love) is not always easy but that is our calling. It is our ethical
standard. May the Lord help us to adjust our conduct
to His standard and not ours.
Conclusion:
As we close today, I want to remind each of
you that the resurrection of Christ is a reminder that God Is Not Dead! He is just as real as ever and He reigns
from heaven above with wisdom, power and love. Our God is an awesome God! Hallelujah!
Let us finish the service today with another
great hymn that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Christ Arose!
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