TNG God's Word on the Supernatural

Why does it seem like some people are closer to God than others?

And if I want to grow closer to God, what can I do to achieve that? Hi, welcome to the program. This is TNG Radio.

Alex McFarland with Dylan Burrows. And Dylan, I was in a conference some years ago, and somebody asked the speaker, why are some people closer to God than others? And the person gave a great answer that I want to allude to. But thinking about where we stand with God and really reflecting on God himself, that's an important part for every person to do, every disciple to do, to really focus on the person of God. Yes, and if we want to grow closer to God, and I believe all of us as believers do, what are those things that we need to aspire to?

What are those things that we need to pursue? So we want to talk about that today here on Truth for a New Generation Radio, how to equip you to be closer with God, how to experience him daily. And we firmly believe that you must invest your life in the Word of God if you're going to be strong in a life for God. So Alex, introduce us today to our topic, where do we begin in growing in God's Word in our lives? You know, this is a few programs we're doing on what I would call the X-factors, the things that make the difference between really going deeply with the Lord or not.

We've said this many times, you know, some people have been a Christian 20 years, some people have been a Christian one year, 20 times. And when I was in that conference and somebody asked the speaker, why are some closer to God than others, the speaker said, because some people are willing to invest the time and the energy to grow and to pursue God. People pursue God.

Now the good news is, if you're willing to pursue God, he is absolutely willing to meet with you and pursue you. And what an incredible thing that we can have a relationship with the true and living God. And folks, as I'm sure you know, salvation is not merely fire insurance against hell and a passport to heaven. It is that, if you're a born again believer, it is the assurance that we will go to be with Jesus when we leave this world, and that's wonderful. But Christianity is about being a disciple and walking with the Lord and knowing the Lord. And I think one of the key things, as we said on a previous show, is the Bible.

If you were going to thrive as a Christian, Christianity that thrives, the Bible has to be a very significant, very tangible part of your day-to-day life. But in the Bible, we find God. In the Bible, we read Isaiah 45, 22, where he said, I am the Lord.

That is my name. Besides me, there is no Savior. That God is the main character of the Bible. And so I want to talk about God and how we meet the Creator, the Eternal Almighty, in the pages of his Word. And Dylan, let me throw a quote out.

I was up at Liberty University for a conference to speak. And nowadays, we've become very, very hyper-pluralistic in our culture that people say, well, the Christian view of God, other people have a different view of God. And everybody's got their own beliefs, and there's the assumption that all beliefs are equally valid. Of course, the Bible mitigates against that.

There are some things true, there are some things false. And this particular speaker at this conference said, we have got to trust that God knows who he is. And in the Bible, God has revealed some very, very specific things about himself. God has revealed some characteristics about his nature and how he works in history, some things that delineate the God of the Bible from all the others.

And I thought it was brilliant, because in the Bible, we get a very, very definite picture of who the true and living God is. And the speaker said, we have got to trust what God says about himself. And I think that's something in our politically correct, pluralistic world that we've got to remember, God has revealed himself in certain ways. And it's our job to accept that.

Right. And so many of us have trust issues today. In fact, so many people have grown up without a father or without a good father figure in their lives that it's hard to imagine God is a good father, has a good plan for our lives. And when we ask ourselves, how do we know God's plan for my life?

How do I know God's will for my life? We don't always initially think, well, I should just ask him according to what he has already written and revealed in Scripture. But if we look at Scripture, we see things like James 4-8 that tell us, draw near to God and he will draw near to you.

That is our starting point. We may not know every single detail God wants for our future. But if we draw near to him, we will hear his voice more clearly. And we will see things that are clear in his word, like Hebrew 6-18 that says it's impossible for God to lie. He will never speak untruth to us, only truth. Titus 1-2 that tells us God who cannot lie. It's not part of his nature.

It's not who he is. So we can trust that he is good, that he has revealed truth to us through his word and then if we seek him, we will find him. That's a promise of Scripture. He's not hiding from us. He's not trying to play hide and seek with us in some way.

He's there and he wants to reveal truth to us if we will take the time to find it. And you know, Dylan, so often we want God to do things for us. You know, God, here's my prayer request. I need this to happen.

I need that not to happen. And God does do things for us and God provides and God answers prayer. But one of the most fundamental things that's very easy to miss though is that God himself is the answer to our prayers. And a big part of the Christian life is not to have God externally do things, but for us to experience him personally. I mean, like you, I love the James passage you quoted, to draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Let me quote a friend of mine, I've got a friend in Christian publishing, Bayard Taylor, and we were one of the first times we ever had a conversation about publishing and writing and he said, my life mission is to increase the worship of the triune God. And I said, whoa, whoa, repeat that. And Mr. Taylor said his life mission was to increase the worship of the triune God. And I thought that was a beautiful thing because God is Trinity, Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

He's revealed himself as that. I love what John Piper says about missions. We often say that missions is because people are lost, and that's true. But missions exists because worship currently doesn't exist among all people. Now as we close this first segment, I think one of the keys to a spiritual life that thrives is to make our spiritual life theocentric. In other words, get it all about God. It's not about us. Our life and our ministry is not to be anthropocentric. It's not to be focused on man or on me, but theocentric. Our thoughts, our attention, our priorities focus on the Lord. That changes everything, doesn't it?

It does. And when we come back, we're going to talk about God as the main character of the Bible. We'll discover five key truths about who God is. So stick with us here at Truth For A New Generation.

We'll be right back. As we take a break, let me tell you about three tens, three books that will answer questions that come your way from others or even yourself about the Christian faith. Book number one, Ten Answers for Skeptics. Today's skeptics are looking for authenticity, integrity and straightforward faith. And in this book, you'll learn how to answer intimidating questions, identify the root issue behind those questions and dismantle the spiritual bombshells dropped by non-believers.

Those usually end up just being a puff of smoke. Number two, Ten Answers for Atheists, where Alex looks at the philosophical assumptions at the root of atheism and agnosticism exposing logical, historical and conceptual fallacies. Alex shares clear explanations of beliefs and biblical answers to those questions that often leave you stumped, but no more. And number three, the ten most common objections to Christianity and how to answer them. You know, many Christians hear these objections and have a crisis of faith, but Alex and Dylan have been around. They've visited many places and talked with many people through the years and can offer straight answers that will give you confidence and understanding about your beliefs. So the three tens once again, Ten Answers for Skeptics, Ten Answers for Atheists and the ten most common objections to Christianity and how to answer them.

Find them wherever Christian books are sold or at AlexMcFarland.com. We care about justice and aren't afraid to ask hard questions. In fact, we care about a lot of things. We have passion for truth. We are EngageMagazine.net, an online group of millennials brought together by a common goal to share truth, apply scripture and to get involved in our lost and hurting world. EngageMagazine.net, host discussions that help you apply a biblical worldview to your daily life.

EngageMagazine.net. This is Dylan Burrows back at Truth For A New Generation Radio with Alex McFarland. We are talking about God's Word and God as the main character of God's Word. In our last segment, we talked a little bit about the importance of drawing near to God and He will draw near to us. And as we pursue Him, He grows in our lives in a way that can only be described as supernatural. He is true.

He is the one and the only who could change us from the inside out and make us His own. And we want to talk about these five key truths that have been discussed by Alex in many occasions as he's been speaking, as he's been writing nationwide for so many years. So, Alex, dive right in and tell us a little bit about these five key truths about who God is. Alex, describe these for us this morning.

Alex McFarland Well, thanks, Dylan. I'm going to give these in order and then we'll go back and unpack a bit. God is one. That's Deuteronomy 6, one through four, the Shema, that famous declaration, Hero Israel, the Lord our God is one. But God is Trinity, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. God is the sovereign King of the universe. God is holy. And then fifthly, God establishes a covenantal relationship with His people.

And we'll talk about what that is. You know, Aquinas says the main business of life is to think on and know God, to reflect on God and the Trinity and to know God. And I will say, Dylan, at a time when, you know, a lot of people, they get depressed, they get stressed, we can be very narcissistic. And the more we think about ourself and our situation and our life, really, you know, the less happy we are very often, it is its own reward to think about God. Because the more you think about the eternal God, who is perfect, who does all things well, he has my best interests at heart, and he's omniscient, he has all the wisdom.

I mean, it will definitely change and I believe vastly improve your emotional state and your perspective to think about God and where to think about God. Let me mention the third thing about God being the main character of the Bible, that God is the sovereign King of the universe. You know, Dylan, I play the guitar and I love music. And I heard an old blues song from the 20s, although it wasn't blue, it was joyful. But it said, He is the King of who I am. And there's a lyric, it says, He is my story. He is my song. Jesus is the King of who I am. He is the King of the universe. And our world is at its best when the King is sitting on the throne of our life.

Amen. It's so well said, this idea of God as the sovereign King in the universe is so important. And often we forget it. We see the problems around us and we think, oh God, why are you letting me go through this? But I love the saying that you often hear in sermons or in messages that says, hey, if God's on my side, it's not even a fair fight. Me and God make a majority no matter what the situation is. And I love remembering that because when everything seems to be against us, when everything seems to be going wrong, remember if God is for us, who can be against us?

It's not even a fair fight, is it, Alex? I know. I know. And in Hebrews 13, where it says in Hebrews 13, 5 and 8, okay, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So He doesn't change. If Jesus did love you, today He still does love you. Even if you blow it and stumble, tomorrow He will still love you. But in Hebrews 13, it also says, He will never leave us or forsake us.

Now that is a great comfort to know. And I want to mention the fact that God doesn't change. Malachi 3 says that, I the Lord change not. So we need to understand, and this is really the fourth point in five key things about God, the main character of scripture, is that God is holy. Now how does God's immutability, the fact that He doesn't change, relate to God's impeccability and Christ's impeccability that He doesn't sin? You know, we say something is impeccable.

It's just perfect. Well, God is impeccable. He doesn't sin. He is holy.

Alright, here is my point. At least this is one point we draw from this, is that what the Bible tells us to repent from, sin, turn from sin, the wages, the result of sin is death. Sin will draw you away from God. Sin will rob you of life. Look, what was sin still is sin.

There have been no sins that have been declassified. And Dylan, I think in our world we don't take seriously the holiness of God, and automatically we don't take seriously the gravity of sin. Don't you think it's important for all people, especially even the church, to get a fresh reminder of God's holiness, and conversely, sin's seriousness?

Yes, and so much in our culture. We see Jesus as our friend, Jesus as our homeboy even, but we don't think of... Our bud. Yeah, our buddy is our friend, but we don't think about Him as being the holy and righteous Lord of lords, King of kings above all, the Creator of all things. And we have to remember that the same one who loves us, who died for us on the cross, is the same one who made us and sustains us. Without Him we are nothing, the Bible says.

Apart from Him we can do nothing. And so there's this sense in which we should revere God, where we should be like those in scripture who fell on their knees before the Lord Almighty and trembled in fear at His name. We lack that reverence so many times, even in our worship, but when we come to God as the one who is Almighty, it should do something within us that changes us in a special way. And even that fifth idea that you talk about, Alex, that God establishes a relationship with His people, that becomes so much richer when we realize that God, who is holy, also is present with us every moment of our lives. I think of that especially with the Great Commission that at the very end of that, Jesus said, I will be with you always to the very end of the age. I don't know about you, but when I share my faith with people, sometimes I think, I don't know if I have the right words to say, the right way to go about this, but then I remember Jesus is with me every moment of this process, and it gives me strength to move forward and to do what God has called me to do.

Absolutely. And think about the salvation covenant. The Bible promises that God will not abandon the believer, and it says He cannot deny Himself.

Yes. Sometimes we think about God's closeness to us as being based on our performance. And listen, God is disappointed when we fail Him in sin. Ephesians 4.30 talks about not grieving the Holy Spirit. But God will not abandon the believer. God will not abscond with the promises and let you down, not because we're deserving of it, because He will not deny Himself or His Word. He keeps His covenant. We've got to pull away. We're going to come right back. We're going to talk more about God and who He is and what we can, with absolute confidence and comfort, know about God from His Word on this edition of TNG Radio.

Stay tuned. If you're a Christian parent, you of course want to instill a biblical view of life in the hearts of your children. If you're a pastor, you want to offer ministry that draws young families to your church. This is Alex McFarland encouraging you to check out my new book and video curriculum, The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask About Christianity. Why do bad things happen? I interviewed hundreds of children, ages 5 to 12, and we address actual questions from actual children, the spiritual issues that are on the minds of your kids.

Did Jesus ever sin? The book and video lessons are great for groups of any size and was produced with the goal of equipping kids to stand strong for Christ in any situation. The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask, the book, study guide, and video series. You'll find it at AFASTORE.net.

That's AFASTORE.net. First Peter 3.15 tells us to be ready always to give an answer for the hope we have. We're instructed to be prepared to defend our faith. This is Alex McFarland for the Life Answers Teams, students we train at North Greenville University, a leading Christian college in South Carolina. The Life Answers Teams are made up of students who will inspire and equip your congregation. These apologetics teams we train speak in churches to youth groups and train Christians of all ages to address key issues of our times from a biblical perspective. Like is there a God? Is the Bible true?

What about gender and moral issues? Call me at 864-977-2008 and we will arrange for the Life Answers Team to come to your church and give a presentation that will benefit your people for years to come. 864-977-2008 and always be ready. Welcome back to TNG Radio. We're talking about God, the main character of the Bible. And before we resume that conversation, I do want to remind you that we have the TNG app.

Regardless of what type of mobile device or phone you have, our app, which we are adding to and there's searchable content on there, there's my speaking calendar, you can access those things if you go to the app store and look for Truth for a New Generation. And the other thing I want to say is that the ministry, God is blessing. Oh, Dylan, we're so thankful that you're on board with Truth for a New Generation.

We have a growing staff. But the work that God has called us to do, which began as an apologetics work and still is, but it's grown to encompass two radio shows and a television show, events all around the nation, publishing the distribution of thousands of dollars of literature every year. Friend, God is using this to evangelize the lost and equip the saved. We are committed to an awakening in America, to a revival, to the gospel. And we've got some ambitious ideas about going places where really not a lot of ministry goes.

I mean, I really believe God wants us to go into some of the inner cities, some of the frankly unevangelized areas of our country, some of the dangerous areas of our country, to bring the message of Jesus, to equip the remnant, to stand strong for the faith. This is about a revival for the glory of God, for the salvation of souls, for God and country. And so I would ask you, number one, to pray and participate. But if you feel so led to support what God has led us to do, you can support us online at TruthForAnewGeneration.com, or you can write to us at PO Box 10231, Greensboro, NC 27404. We have a devotional book that we've been distributing for a year now that is growing by leaps and bounds to people who want that. So God is at work, and we appreciate your prayers and support, and we encourage you to look at what the ministry is doing and be a part of this. Because Dylan, hey, I tell people, we've got one button on our keyboard, and that is the Gospel for the United States of America, for the world of course, but especially for our country.

Because depending on who you read, some of the missions agencies say that percentage-wise, something like the fifth largest unreached people group in the world is the USA. I don't know exactly how those numbers play out, but I do know there is a lot of darkness, and this country needs the light of Jesus Christ. Jared Amen. And there are so many good stories on the flip side that are starting to emerge from Truth For A New Generation and our work among young people today. I think about a young group of high school guys that I work with on Sunday nights and how each week they come and talk about their friends they're telling about Jesus and ways they're trying to live out their faith, or even stopping to pray at lunch and what God does through those conversations. So those little things that we think, oh, God has forsaken the public schools or God doesn't work anymore among the young people in our generation, those are not true. God is at work in powerful ways, and we are privileged to be part of what God's doing. Now as we wrap up our last segment today, we want to talk a little bit about five key truths about what God does in our lives through the Bible. We've talked a lot about God as the main character of the Bible, but Alex, as we talk about what God does in our lives, tell us a little bit about what we can gain when we go through Scripture. Well, number one, God sent his Son to die for the sins of the world.

That's what God did. Number two, God establishes his church, which will be the movement that takes the good news of salvation to the world. Number three, God shows providential care for his people. Number four, God fulfills his promise to bring the blessing of his presence to the nations and forgiveness and restoration.

That would include the nation of Israel. But number five, due to all the attributes and actions of God, he alone deserves the worship of all of his creatures. Now I know this is a mouthful, but basically what you've got is salvation, the church, the preservation of the church, the fulfillment of all God's promises, and his ultimate eternal reign where we will, as the Catechism says, worship and enjoy him forever. You know, Dylan, let's talk about this for a second, because we talk about who God is, we talk about what God does, and his salvation includes the personal conversion and salvation of each believer, and we hope that is you, dear friend.

We hope you know him and are helping to make him known. But Dylan, when the Catechism and great writers have talked about enjoying God forever, how is it that we could, I know we can know God, we can turn to God, how could we enjoy God? Well, I always think of it as when I first met my wife and we started to date, and it wasn't a matter of how much time I could spend with her. You wanted to spend every waking moment with this person.

You were simply in love. And in some ways, it's similar to our relationship with God. Even in eternity, when we spend time with God, we're going to lose all track of time. We're not going to think about what the next thing is, what the next project is, what the next thing is that we're supposed to be doing to please God. We'll simply be with him forever and enjoy his presence.

It's hard for us to grasp that in our time today, because everything is so schedule-driven and everything is about what we have to do. But when we think about simply loving God and being among him for eternity and everyone else who loves him as well, it's something that we cannot fathom, but it's something that will exist for eternity, and we'll simply enjoy it. We won't have to do anything to make it better.

It's just as good as it can be forever and ever and ever. Exactly. You know, Hebrews talks about entering into God's rest. And certainly, heaven and being in the presence of God is not going to be just sitting on a cloud plucking a harp.

The rest, I think that Hebrews speaks of, is speaking of that great, like you mentioned, that great state of being in the presence of God. Now think about it, my dear friend. No more clocks. No more deadlines. No more rush, rush.

Gotta hurry off to this other thing. No more cancer. No more disease. No more funerals.

No more tearful goodbyes. Being in the presence, eternally, of our loving Savior, who just is. You know, it's really not accurate to say God was or God will be. God is. And so I'm so thankful that he is the God who fulfills his promises to bring the blessing of his presence to the nations. There's the redemption, the restoration of all things.

And let's just say this, and we're going to have to kind of place a pin here and come back to it. But because of all this, who he is, what he does, what he's promised, what he's done to guarantee those promises, what he has done to bring us into a relationship with himself, then he, God alone, deserves our worship, our loyalty, our fidelity, the worship of all his creatures. And so what a reminder that we make him the priority. And maybe today, friend, God is gently tapping you on the shoulder and calling you to himself to make God, the Lord and Savior, your priority in all things. Truth for a New Generation, in association with Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries, exists to equip Christians with a biblical world view through conferences and camps. For information about upcoming events, visit truthforanewgeneration.com or give us a call at 877-YES-GOD-1.

That's 877-YES-GOD and the number 1. TNG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries. PO Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. That's PO Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. Or give online at alexmcfarland.com or truthforanewgeneration.com. Thanks for listening and join us again next time as we bring you more truth for a new generation on TNG radio.