When God Was Alone Part 2

You ever stop long enough to ask why am I here where my going, what's it all about anyway. For believers, there is a big picture view puts everything in perspective makes sense of seeming chaos want to know more.

Stay with the Moody Church in Chicago.

This is running to win with Dr. Sir, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line as you teach again on what is God up to your explaining how God can be both personal debut made a remarkable statement and you know we read in Psalm 107 that God numbers stars and calls them all by their names in the previous verse in the Psalm says that he heals the brokenhearted, you're absolutely right that God is distant and fast but also personal and direct and works in our lives. What a God we serve. And of course during this Christmas season.

We are especially grateful that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not have to ask you folks a question all who are listening when this Christmas began in your home will in the looser home.

It begins the first week of December. We began playing Christmas carols and we begin thinking about the Christmas season and the coming of Christ, and we have prepared a special CD entitled songs for a holy night, you know, no matter how often we hear those carols.

We are so deeply grateful that they warm our hearts and remind us of that which is most important. Songs like oh come all ye faithful, silent night, O holy night all little town of Bethlehem. This is a CD that is been especially prepared from the music of songs in the night Glenn Jory and the Kings carolers for a gift of any amount. It can be yours. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com and by the way thanks in advance for helping us because together we are making a difference. You go to RTW offer.com or if you prefer, call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for songs for a holy night, and now let us listen as we continue to contemplate God.

The fact that the Lord is with us.

I will never leave thee, nor forsake, and that isn't a computer that's talking that's the tenant mission grade might he personal God who is speaking and to a woman who had had a series of bad marriages five to be exact, and now living with a six man without the benefit of marriage. Jesus could say to her. Those that worship the father worship in spirit and in truth, for the father seeks such to worship him a personal God. Number five we have the consistency of God. What I mean by consistency.

His unchangeable mess. Malachi chapter 3 verse six I am the Lord. I do not change. It says in Hebrews chapter 1 that the Lord created the earth and the sun and the stars and someday they will all be folded up like a garment and they will be tucked away remains the same and is unchanged. You realize that there is no attribute that God has that needs development. There's nothing that God is working on to improve himself. You realize of course that there is no attribute that God has that he never always had God has not changed his mind about a single thing I know you read the Bible in some places it says in the Lord changed his mind regarding what he was going to do to somebody that is a human way of saying that somebody prayed and repented and got acted differently than he would've acted otherwise. But that doesn't mean that God didn't know that that person was going to change his mind or that God was caught off guard and had to rethink a decision God never had to do that. Not even once you realize he is not changed his mind regarding homosexuality and adultery and all the other sins listed in the Old Testament. Sometimes we read the Old Testament installers tell us you know the God of the Old Testament is so angry again said he's killing 3000 people and ascending judgment and there are plagues that killed 25,000 at a time, but oh, the God of the New Testament is so loving and so kind and gracious. He would hurt a flea. Oh wow, you have missed it by a mile, maybe buy a couple of light-years. I want you to know that God doesn't change. He has not changed his opinion. He is not Marlene yet he has not grown mellow with a of course got exchanged only in the sense that during this era of grace he is deferring judgment for a little time but in the end God will judge with horrifying accuracy and clarity because every thought that you have ever had is known to God and there is nothing that is hid from him.

One of the most sobering thoughts I think that is ever crossed my mind is this the reminder that God did not choose the attributes that he has.

He didn't choose them. He always had to realize how sobering that is, if God had been a being who was a satirist who like nothing but creating people and watching them suffer. There's nothing that we could have done about. We could have said that we don't like that kind of a God, let's get us a new one that is more compatible with the way in which we feel the way in which we think God should be because the attributes that God had from the beginning are the attributes that he had. He never chose them. He didn't decide to be loving, tedious Islamic thankful didn't choose to be compassionate, he is compassionate and all those attributes were a part of him from the beginning of time, and they consistently are with him today. I'm glad that in addition to justice, God is also compassionate and loving and kind and thoughtful and I just read in my devotions today that throughout all of eternity. He wants to display his loving kindness and grace to his people by my thankful for that.

That's wonderful.

Now this brief description of God, which is altogether too unworthy of him. This brief description of this, God reminds us that he made many decisions but so far as we know the most important decision that God made was the decision to create heaven and earth and beings who also would have personality once the Bible says in the beginning God created that signals something brand-new. Can you imagine this that God decided to create even though everything that has happened in his universe was perfectly and accurately foreknown by him and he chose to create anyway he chose to create, knowing that he was setting in motion as series of events that would cause children to be abused he would set in motion a series of events that would eventually lead to wars and famines with 50,000 people dying sometimes in a single day because of starvation. There would be a whole chain of events that would take place and yet evidently thought to thought all that human suffering worth it for some man's but he wanted to accomplish some of the ends that we hope to discuss in this special series of messages.

What an awesome thought, you realize that of all the galaxies that we've talked about hundreds of millions of galaxies and tens of trillions of stars God decided to take a speck in his universe, namely the earth, and to use it as a stage, and on this earth would be played out justice and mercy and evil and good, and morality and immorality and obedience and disobedience, and on this particular planet Earth, which is one of the smallest of the planets and actually almost unknown definably small so far as the universe is concerned. God says this is the place where it's all going to happen and so he created Lucifer who fell created man who eventually chose in favor of Lucifer, you have the whole history of the human race.

And guess what you and I are playing a part in that drama and then we were asked whether we wanted to participate. This was not a thing were God's as you know I'm enacting something on earth to display certain true and what I'm wondering is I'm looking for some volunteers. Anybody was willing to participate. Nobody asked me whether or not I wanted to be born. Nobody asked you whether you wanted to be born.

That was not a choice that was made by you. There were prior choices made by your parents and your grandparents that eventually determined the fact that you would show up on planet Earth, but here we are and we participate in the drama you say. Well, wait a minute now. I'm an atheist and I don't believe in Jesus and I don't even believe in God. Well that's an interesting fact about you that has some rather eternal consequences.

But I must also very quickly tell you that you also are a part of God's drama and the drama that God wanted to enact because it is not simply a matter of being a believer to participate in one way or another in a district way. You will also participate in God's eternal plan. My friend today. Gone is so immense he is so wise.

He is so, knowing that there is not the slightest detail in your life and mine or in the universe at large that somehow is not contributing to his ultimate purposes, so awesome is true how quickly I run out of time, but I must ask you something. Do you now understand why it is that the greatest sin that you and I can commit is to ignore God understand that I can hear is these that the heavens cannot contain them.

He's created the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, the galaxies and then he has put us on this little speck that we call planet earth and he has a plan for the whole shebang as well as for you and me and we go our separate ways, thinking that the end of man is to have a little bit of pleasure, and to get all that you can out of life before you go to wherever awful fought disrespectful of the living and the true God. Jesus said that the greatest commandment is that thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul and with all thy mind there is no other purpose to live. How dare we settle for earning a living, even a good living. Even a wealthy living that is a goal with the God who created us boozy man sues great personal who became a man of all things to redeem us and where wondering about how were going to earn a living as if to say that is the predominant reason why we showed up on planet Earth, God went through all this expense to create a canopy to create a great big theater in which this little stage has been put. And we think that the purpose of life is to see how much pleasure we can get out of it before we die.

My friend today. Do you also see something that is very absurd.

You thought of how absurd it is that you and I close God out of part of our lives and say, God, I'm not going to submit to you in this area all submit here and I'll submit this and I'll submit that this area of disobedience that I know is sinful. I am going to keep to myself because I enjoy it and I think ultimately I know better than you as to what is best for me because I'm only going around the life once, and what I need to do is to do what really pleases me. And so, whether this is right or wrong, I'm than I do. Anyway, can you imagine the ultimate supreme lawgiver in the universe, the creator of the sun, the moon and the stars your creator and mine knowing less about what is best for you than you and I do so we say God I'm closing you out of this area of my life. Because if I surrender it to you. You're going to make this demand and it's more that I'm able to commit to and so I'm just going to do my own thing. My dear friend, today I want you to know that that is an insult to the living and the true God and God incidentally feels the hurt of our insults. I mean he could wipe us off the map just like that, but he doesn't keep what's up with rebellion. He allows evil to triumph temporarily. He is willing to endure the affliction of the people of God the Holy Spirit is greedy because of sin, and he continues to be grieved and Esther taught us and all the while were saying.

I know what's best for me and I'm to do my own thing in my short life I have never met anybody who has close to God out of a part of his life for her life who is contented and satisfied as a person. There's always that mixture of delight and disdain always that mixture of pleasure and pain always that unsettled feeling because in those areas where you and I defy the Almighty.

The Almighty is gated to make sure that we cannot be ultimately fulfilled yourself.

Where do I begin to honor God, which is the purpose for which we were created. The Creed has a correct chief end of man is to know God and to enjoy him forever. What is the purpose of man. Yes, Jesus said in John 17 verse three and this is life eternal, that they might know leave the only true God did notices in Daniel 1132 the people that know their God. The people that know their God will be strong and do exploits people know God people have got their priorities straight. Now. So where do I begin this business of honoring God. I want to ask you to turn to just one verse of Scripture John 523's a good place to begin. Some of you need to begin at an early stage of honoring the Almighty listen to the words of Jesus in John 523.

I'll begin with verse 22 for not even the father judges anyone, but he has given all judgment to the son, in order that all may honor the son even as they honor the father. Now get this.

He who does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him. Let that sink into your mind. You save all those people who were lining up in Japan to honor all of these 8 million God's are you telling me that they are not honoring the true and the living God, my friend is not me who is telling you that it's Jesus who knows a whole lot more than I do.

He says that those who do not honor the son do not honor the father and if you want to begin by honoring the father you honor the son you begin to fall in love with Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and you become a worshiper of Christ and you say with the apostle Paul for me to live is Christ and to die is gain all that I desire his knowledge of Christ, you begin to honor the father because Jesus said you honor me honor him you dishonor me.

You dishonor him because Christ is God, Christ, one day a man was going to church and a skeptic friend of his said well were you going is that the church said what are you going to do in church. The man said under the worship God in the skeptics as well. A big God are small.

God Christians in both a God that is so big that the heavens of heavens cannot contain him and get a God that is so small that he can live within my heart says in second Corinthians as God has said, I will dwell in them that I will walk in them, and I shall be there God and they shall be my awesome the heaven of heavens cannot contain the and yet you dwell in human heart.

Let me ask you something today. Is there a part of your life that you're unwilling to yield to the Almighty part is it that is so precious to you that you think it means more to you than what should parties, don't you think it's time to give up your petty desire is your wrong priorities and to save God day by your grace. You have all of me without a thing, though hesitation with nothing held back.

No closet door of my heart close by. Open the ball. I fling them open to you and I say God take your word boldly honor all the worship that I could possibly get you. Are you willing to say that today if it's true of you join me in prayer father we've spoken so inadequately. We have not done justice to you, but I have done the best that I could do father do something special with the church this morning. We pray may the hearts of many people be broken saying, perhaps for the first time they ought her foolishness holding something from God, who is Almighty and worthy of every single bit of us.

We pray father that you might pry open those parts of our lives that we are unwilling to give to you and we ask that we will rush to you seeking you wholeheartedly asking for your blessing and desiring the fullness of God. Father meet us today we pray at the point of our deepest need. In Jesus name amen my dear friend, this is Pastor Luther and in deed.

When we think of the sovereignty of God, and we think of the grace of God there should be no part of our lives that we are withholding from him and one of the reasons we should be so motivated to give ourselves to God is because in Christ, he has given to us his unspeakable gift. How thankful we are for the Christmas season that reminds us that indeed God does love the world and Jesus came to redeem us now in order for us to be able to celebrate Christmas.

We always think of course, of the Christmas carols and I need to say that this is one of the last times we are making available to you a very special gift.

It's a CD entitled songs for a holy night. Many of you will remember the continuing Ministry of songs in the night.

Remember Glenn, Jory, and remember the Kings carolers. While these songs are derived from those programs and of course these carols remind us of the coming of Jesus Christ. I think that this would be a great addition to your Christmas collection ask for songs for a holy night. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com or if you prefer to call us at 1-888-218-9337 you can write to run into when 1635 LaSalle Boulevard Chicago. I 60614 running to win is all about helping you find Bob's roadmap for your race of life.

Why would God's number one Angel turn traitor knowing he could never defeat his creator. Next time, don't miss Lucifer's greatest wonder running to win is sponsored by the teacher