Perhaps the most pernicious lie the devil promotes about God is that all paths lead to Him. The following Sunday School lesson by Josh Hunt attacks the lie with the truth: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh to the Father except through me."
1. Read the story on page 74 (Masterwork week of April 10). How would you respond to this lady?
Still, I wasn’t through attempting to harmonize them. “Maybe the various religions each have a slice of the truth,” I suggested. “Theologian John Hick said the world religions are different culturally conditioned responses to the ultimately ‘Real,’ or God.15 Isn’t this like the old story of the three blind men feeling the elephant—each religion is a sincere but inadequate attempt to explain the mystery of God, and so each one is valid in its own way?”
Zacharias started with a bit of philosophical judo. “Either Hick is the product of his own culture or he has transcended his culture in making that statement,” he countered. “And if he has transcended his culture, why hasn’t anyone else transcended culture? It sounds very academically sophisticated, but it has too many problems at its heart.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“For instance, does the atheist have a piece of the truth, or is the atheist marginalized here? If the atheist does have a piece of the truth, which piece is it, since the fundamental tenet of atheism is the denial of God’s very existence?”
He paused, letting the question answer itself. Then he added: “I will say this: there are aspects of truth in virtually all of the major religions. They contain some great thoughts and ideas. Reading the notable Eastern philosophers is very, very stimulating. But it’s not like we are blind people exploring the elephant, with one person feeling the leg and thinking it’s a tree; the other person feeling the trunk and thinking it’s a rope; and the third feeling the ear and thinking it’s a fan.
“The point is,” he said, his voice rising for emphasis, “the parable has already given away the fact that this, indeed, is an elephant! The blind man may tell you it’s a tree, but he’s wrong. It is not a tree or a rope or a fan. The seeing man knows this is an elephant. He knows the truth; his sight has revealed it to him. And Jesus Christ has made it clear that the eternal truths of God may be known. Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of the gospel—in him, all of truth came together. So while there may be aspects of truth elsewhere, the sum total of truth is in Christ.
— The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity by Lee Strobel
2. Read Romans 1:21-23. These verses describe who know know but something is missing
They glorified him not as God. They did not honor him as God. This was the true source of their abominations, To glorify him as God is to regard with proper reverence all his perfections and laws; to venerate his name, his power, his holiness, and presence, etc. As they were not inclined to do this, so they were given over to their own vain and wicked desires. Sinners are not willing to give honor to God as God. They are not pleased with his perfections; and therefore the mind becomes fixed on other objects, and the heart gives free indulgence to its own sinful desires. A willingness to honor God as God-to reverence, love, and obey him, would effectually restrain men from sin.
— Notes on the New Testament Explanatory and Practical.
3. Exodus 20.3. What gods do people put ahead of God today? What are some examples?
Fans can go to the extreme in their devotion to musical performers.
In the
At the First Presbyterian Church of Denver, a Reverend Mort Farndu said that Elvis worship was spreading. Followers believe Elvis watches over them. If someone reports seeing Presley, the high priests at the Church of the Risen Elvis in
Idolatry is alive and well in
— 750 Engaging Illustrations.
4. Genesis 4.4 – 5. Why did God reject Cain’s offering? What do we learn about following God from this?
The reason for this contrast is never stated. Perhaps the issue was the attitude of the respective worshipers rather than the nature of the offering. Some interpreters suggest that the attitudes expressed were faith versus non-faith (cp. Heb. 11:4). Others suggest that the contrast was between a careless, miserly offering and a choice, generous offering (cp. Lev.
But if the Lord had given prior revelation about sacrifice, it is likely that he would have included some specifics about the nature of the sacrifice as well. Although later sacrifices could include grain (i.e., bloodless), this was usually given in conjunction with another sacrifice (e.g., Lev. 2). The Book of Hebrews speaks of the “better sacrifice” of Abel (Heb. 11:4a) and that God “spoke well of his offerings” (Heb. 11:4b). Later the author of Hebrews wrote of “Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Heb.
The contrast here is not between the death of Abel and the blood Cain spilled (this blood did not create fellowship) but the acceptable blood sacrifice of Abel and the better sacrifice of Jesus. The contrast then is not primarily about faith, although faith is absolutely required, but between offering what the Lord had declared was acceptable and what Cain decided was admissible.
Like Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, the word of God must be accepted as precise and authoritative. If the Lord declared that Cain’s sacrifice was unacceptable, then this was true. What was now required of Cain was to offer what was acceptable to God.
— Holman Old Testament Commentary – Genesis.
5. Leviticus 10.1 – 3. What do we learn about seeking God from this passage?
Another case of trivializing that which is holy can be seen in the brief reference to Nadab and Abihu offering strange fire on the altar of God (Leviticus 10:1-3). It is impossible to say whether the two sons of Aaron, the high priest, erred in the manner in which they lighted their fire-pans, the timing, or in the place of the offering. The connection with strong drink and the possibility of intoxication cannot be ruled out, given the proximity and discussion of that matter in the same context (Leviticus 10:8-11). If that was the problem, then the drink may have impeded the sons’ ability to think and to act responsibly in a task that called for the highest degree of alertness, caution and sensitivity.
The offense, however, was no trivial matter. Nor was it accidental. There was some reversal of everything that had been taught, and what had been intended to be most holy and sacred was suddenly trivialized so as to make it common, trite and secular. Exodus 30:9 had warned that there was to be no “other incense” offered on the altar to the Lord. From the phrase at the end of Leviticus 10:1, “which he did not command them” (literal translation), what was done was a clear violation of God’s command.
As a result fire comes from the presence of the Lord and consumed Nadab and Abihu. Again, the fact that they are ministers of God makes them doubly accountable and responsible. Moses then used this as an occasion to teach a powerful lesson on the holiness and worship of God (Leviticus 10:3).
— Hard Sayings of the Bible.
6. Ecclesiastes 5.1 – 2. What sin is warned against here?
The possibility of presumptuous and foolish worship is described in this opening verse. The fool’s sacrifice is a habit that is hard to break because he is ignorant of the fact that he is doing evil. Religious sincerity not anchored in truth is lethal. Our inclination to self-deception is taught in both testaments of God’s Word (2 Sam. 12:1-13; Ps.
If we don’t come to God with a willingness to hear from him first, we are doing something far more sinful than we could ever imagine. We should “not talk to God as boldly and carelessly as we do to one another, not speak what comes uppermost” -(Henry, 1006).
— Holman Old Testament Commentary – Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs.
7. Habakkuk 2.20. What attitude should we have in approaching God?
Now let’s be specific. What are these feelings or affections that make the outward acts of worship authentic? For an answer, we turn to the inspired psalms and hymns of the Old Testament. An array of different and intertwined affections may grip the heart at any time. So the extent and order of the following list is not intended to limit the possibilities of pleasure in anyone’s heart.
Perhaps the first response of the heart at seeing the majestic holiness of God is stunned silence: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). “The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him” (Habakkuk
In the silence rises a sense of awe and reverence and wonder at the sheer magnitude of God: “Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!” (Psalm 33:8).
— Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist.
8. Habakkuk 3.2. What is Habakkuk feeling here?
Spiritual fervor can ebb if left unattended. We all begin our walk with the Lord enthusiastically, with an excited sense of anticipation. But over time, busyness creeps in. We become distracted and let our sin go unchallenged. We may take our relationship with God for granted and not notice the gradual decline until we find ourselves drained of spiritual vitality.
This descent can happen in your church just as it does in your personal life. Do you remember a time when the Holy Spirit was moving mightily in your church, and the members sensed God leading in an exciting direction? Are the services now lifeless and the power of God only a memory?
At a time like this it is futile to try to bring back life yourself. You can organize many activities and exhort those around you, but only God can resurrect what is dead. If God has initiated something in your life, or family, or church, only He can sustain it or revive it. If you sense that the spiritual vigor has gone out of your life or the life of your church, this is God’s invitation to pray. He wants you to intercede with Him so that He might revive His work. Jesus said that He is Life. It is unnecessary to remain spiritually lifeless when He has promised vibrant, abundant life if you will claim it. — Experiencing God Day by Day: A Devotional and Journal.
9. Ephesians 3.12. Should we be fearful in approaching God?
Only because of Christ and people’s faith in him can they approach the holy God. Paul described the most awesome privilege any mere human could have—to be able to come fearlessly into God’s presence. Most of us would be apprehensive in the presence of a powerful ruler, but faith gives us confidence. The Greek word translated “approach” implies a formal introduction into the presence of a king. Thanks to Jesus Christ, Christians can enter directly into God’s presence through prayer, assured of his glad welcome (see also Hebrews
1) How does Christianity differ from other faiths in this regard?
The Christian has the great blessing of being able to approach God through Jesus Christ. Those who serve other gods do not have it so good.
Oswana lives with her tribe in
Prima is a good Hindu. Her access to her god is framed by three ways to salvation: 1) the way of works, 2) the way of knowledge, and 3) the way of devotion. Just in case one god is unapproachable, there are a million others from which to choose. And if she does not like the way this life is going, she can always come back as a cow.
If you are a Buddhist, your goal is not access to god but to a place called Nirvana to become a god. Your goal of life is the end of existence. The only “catch” to Nirvana is that it is impossible to get there from here. Ask Dali. He was convinced that “the eightfold path” would get him to Nirvana: simple for a god; impossible for a mortal man. In order to get to Nirvana and have access to the gods and become a god, he had to: 1) have right views, 2) have right aspirations, 3) have right speech, 4)have right conduct, 5) have the right livelihood, 6) have the right effort or endeavor, 7) have the right mindfulness, and 8) have the right meditation or concentration.
What a glorious privilege Christians have, for our goal in life is to live in the presence of our Heavenly Father both now and forever! That guarantee does not depend on how effectively we can work out the details, nor does it depend upon our becoming gods. We have access to the Father as a result of one thing and one thing only: the shed blood of Jesus Christ. — Practical Illustrations
– Volume 9: Galatians-Colossians.
10. Jeremiah 5.22. Do you think we are too nervous, or not nervous enough in approaching God?
In light of God’s omnipotence, the people should have stood in awe of him. The Hebrew word used in verse 22 and translated fear is quite often translated “reverence.” The word translated tremble comes from a Hebrew verb that means “to turn about, twist, whirl, dance, writhe, be in pain.” It can mean “to shake or be brought forth.” The cumulative effect of these two verbs is that the prophet felt God’s people should behave carefully and respectfully toward God. Verse 22 closes with a metaphor, the sea. Even this great body of water obeys the limits God has set for it. But the people of Jeremiah’s day exalted themselves above any restrictions God had set for them. What arrogance and folly!
— Holman Old Testament Commentary – Jeremiah, Lamentations.
11. Isaiah 8.13. What difference does fearing the Lord make in our day to day lives?
When you fear the Lord, you don’t need to fear people or circumstances. Peter referred to this passage when he wrote, “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ‘Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.’ But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord” (1 Peter
12. What three things are we commanded to do in Revelation 14.7?
At the time of final judgment, everyone will acknowledge God, as expressed in three commands:
1. Fear God. They must reverence him instead of the monster.
2. Give him glory. They must honor him instead of the dragon.
3. Worship him. They must fall before him instead of the beast’s image.
These commands are based on acknowledging God as the one who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water. In other words, although people may refuse to worship Christ as Savior, they will certainly worship God as Creator. The reference to sky, land, salt water, and fresh water reminds us that the Creator who had already destroyed a third of these (8:7-13) is on the verge of unmaking them completely in his terrible judgment (16:3-21). — Holman New Testament Commentary – Revelation.
13. Hebrews 10.11 – 14. What do we learn about God from the posture of standing and sitting?
Standing was a position of continuous work. Sitting was a position of accomplishment. The priests continued to stand because their work was never done. Christ sat (v. 12) because he had made payment for the price of sin.
The standing priest performed his religious duties, doing what he was commanded but without permanent results. Again and again translates a single Greek word which stands in contrast with Jesus’ once for all work (v. 10).
The work of the priest was ineffective, offering repetitious sacrifices which could never take away sins. By contrast, Christ’s single offering effectively removed sins for all time.
— Holman New Testament Commentary – Hebrews & James.
1) What does this passage teach us about what we are to do if we feel guilty?
I once shared a conference with a fine Christian psychiatrist whose lectures were very true to the Word. “The trouble with psychiatry,” he told me, “is that it can only deal with symptoms. A psychiatrist can remove a patient’s feelings of guilt, but he cannot remove the guilt It’s like a trucker loosening a fender on his truck so he won’t hear the motor knock. A patient can end up feeling better, but have two problems instead of one!”
When a sinner trusts Christ, his sins are all forgiven, the guilt is gone, and the matter is completely settled forever.
— The Bible Exposition Commentary – New Testament, Volume 2.
14. How were people saved in the Old Testament?
Same way we are: by faith. The difference is, for them it was faith in what they did not know. It was faith in God, but they did not know how God would work it out.
15. John 14.6. How would you respond to the criticism that Christianity is too exclusive—that it is arrogant of us to believe there is only one way to God?
“You believe that all truth—” I began.
“Is, by definition, exclusive,” he said. “Yes, yes, I do. If truth does not exclude, then no assertion of a truth claim is being made; it’s just an opinion that is being stated. Any time you make a truth claim, you mean something contrary to it is false. Truth excludes its opposite.”
“There are those who deny that,” I observed.
“Yes, but think about this: to deny the exclusive nature of truth is to make a truth claim, and is that person then not arrogant too? That’s the boomerang effect that the condemner often doesn’t pause to consider. The clear implications of Jesus saying he’s the way, the truth, and the life are that, first, truth is absolute, and second, truth is knowable. His claim of exclusivity means categorically that anything that contradicts what he says is by definition false.”
“It’s one thing for Christians to believe that,” I said. “It’s another thing to communicate it without sounding smug or superior. But Christians often come off that way.”
Zacharias sighed. It was a charge he had heard all too often. “Yes, if truth is not undergirded by love, it makes the possessor of that truth obnoxious and the truth repulsive,” he said. “Having been raised in
— The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity (Lee Strobel)
16. How did you come to believe that Jesus was right and all others are wrong?
“On what basis do you believe this claim by Jesus is true?” I asked Zacharias. “Ah, yes, that is the heart of the question,” he replied, his head nodding. “On one hand, you can say that the resurrection of Jesus established him as being the son of God. If that’s true, then all other faith systems cannot be true, because they each assert something contrary to his divinity. And of course, the historical record concerning the Resurrection is extremely compelling.
“On the other hand, you can approach this issue by looking at the four fundamental questions that every religion seeks to answer: Origin, meaning, morality, and destiny. I believe that only the answers of Jesus Christ correspond to reality. There is a coherence among his answers unlike those of any other religion.”
That was a bold statement. “Can you back that up with examples of how other faiths fail those tests?”
“Consider Buddhism,” he replied. “Buddha’s answer on the question of morality does not cohere with his answer concerning origins. You see, Buddhism is technically nontheistic, if not atheistic. But if there was no Creator, from where does one arrive at a moral law? Or consider the Hindu version of reincarnation. If every birth is a rebirth, and if every life pays for the previous life, then what were you paying for in your first birth? You see—incoherence dominates.”
He was quick to add that he was not trying to denigrate those religions. “Great scholars will tell you there is incoherence,” he said. “Even Gandhi said that if he had his way he would expunge some of the scriptures from Hinduism, because they are so contradictory with each other. By contrast, Jesus provides answers to these four fundamental questions of life in a way that corresponds with reality and has internal consistency, unlike any other faith system.”
— The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity (Lee Strobel)
17. Is having faith in Jesus something you can try real hard to do? Why is it hard to try to believe?
You cannot make yourself believe something through willpower.
Sometimes people with “iffy” faith will think, I have to try harder to believe that I’m going to get the answer that I want to my prayer. It doesn’t work. Trying hard to believe is toxic. It is a dangerous practice. I can say, “I’ll try to learn. I’ll try to study. I’ll try to grow. I’ll try to know God better. I’ll try to pray.” But I cannot directly generate belief through willpower.
This is too much for poor
“I can’t believe that,” said
“Can’t you?” asked the queen, in a pitying tone. “Try again. Take a deep breath and shut your eyes.”
“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
— Faith and Doubt (John Ortberg)
No comments:
Post a Comment
What do you think? Let me know.