Tozer BlogPost # 9

Right Thinking About God...at Christmas

It's Christmas. Last time we talked about the sad event in Newtown, CT where 20 young children were senselessly murdered. We talked about this tragedy and tried to point out that there is a logical flow to the tragedies we are seeing. If you raise up a generation of young people to believe that God does not exist, then you will see what people act like when there is no fear of God restraining their actions. It's not pretty, it's really quite scary!

On a brighter note, the Christmas season offers a great opportunity to bring back before us the real truth....God never intended that we live without Him. Even knowing about all our sin and rebellion, the Scriptures remind us that 'God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...'. So, who is He? How should we then rightly think of Him?

Think of Him as .... 'a child' ... 'For unto us a child is born...' Is. 9:6

There is no more helpless, needy person than a child. They are totally dependent beings! Why would God send Him as a child? Why not send Him as a conquering king or at least a mighty prophet? He would be all those things, but in order to establish his true humanity it was essential that He 'share in flesh and blood'. But, He was not just any child.

Think of Him as...'born of a virgin'... '...a virgin will be with child and bear a son...' Is. 7:14

The miraculous birth would be undeniable. A 'virgin birth' is not possible. We know that. And, both a mother and a father are needed. The 'seed' must come from somewhere. But, if not Adam's 'seed' then whose?

Think of Him as... 'Immanuel' ... 'a virgin conceive, and bear a son and she will call His name Immanuel.' Is. 7:14b

The answer is in His name. 'Immanuel' means 'God is with us'. This 'act of God' was more than just a miracle, it was the start of a new race. This child had no 'sin nature', no built-in bias toward evil. He was true humanity, as God intended when He first created Adam. Only now, it was eternally joined to God. Later He would declare unequivocally, 'I and the Father are one'. This is an amazing truth! God and man joined forever.

As He grew 'in wisdom and favor with God and men', He increasingly revealed His manifold mission and purpose in coming. Why did He come?

Think of Him as... 'a Savior' ... 'the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord'. Lk 2: 10-11

To the angel at least, the news of a Savior was 'good news of great joy'. The angels know that the 'wrath of God' is the only end for those who are not 'saved' by this Savior. So, someone has to pay the penalty for the sin and rebellion of mankind. The righteousness and justice of God demand it. The responsibility for sin is ours, totally and personally. Our only hope is a 'savior'. 

 

Think of Him as ...'Jesus' ... 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Matt 1:20-21 NASU

Think of Him as...a 'Mediator... 'For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all'.1 Tim 2:5-6

This child 'born of a virgin' is 'of the Holy Spirit', He is 'Immanuel', 'God with us'. He is

able to save us from our sins because He is 'one of us', He took on 'flesh and blood'. He was the ransom, His death was the ransom price that had to be paid to free us from the bondage we were in, the condemnation we were under. It is important to note that this ransom was not paid unjustly, we were not imprisoned unfairly. We deserved all the wrath and condemnation we were under.

It's also important to note that His role as ransom was not some mystical, spiritual experience. It was an ugly, bloody and agonizing death. The Scriptures tell us 'He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross'. In His role as 'mediator', He stood between us and the wrath of God which would have eternally separated us from God.

Think of Him then as...the 'Good Shepherd'... " I am the good shepherd ; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." John 10:11-12 NASU

The one great characteristic of the Good Shepherd is his faithfulness to protect the sheep at all costs...even at the cost of his own life. To truly appreciate the value of the shepherd we have to realize his faithfulness is to a bunch of dumb, helpless sheep. The value of His life is infinitely more valuable than their life...even than all of their lives added together. But, that's the point. This is who He is! This reveals the character of God. This is divine love. It makes no sense from our earthly, human perspective...but, it did make sense in heaven. And, it did make our salvation (and an unlimited atonement) possible.

Peter puts it all together when he writes, "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls." 1 Peter 2:24-25 NASU

If, as Tozer says, the thoughts which come into our minds when we think about God will determine our eternal destiny, then it's equally important that the thoughts which come into our mind about the 'Savior, who is Christ the Lord' must be right as well. After all, "...when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy,..." Titus 3:4-5 NASU

It really is an amazing mystery. Well, did Wesley write:

'And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's blood?

Died He for me, who caused His pain,

For me who Him to death pursued?

Amazing love, how can it be, that Thou my God shouldst die for me.'

BlogPost #8: Living with Tozer's God

"Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me,

'Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me

all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children." Deut 4:10 NASU

I. Right Thinking About God...and the NewTown Massacre

I had just about finished this post when the news about the tragedy in Newtown, CT hit the news. The correlation was so strong, I wanted to go back and incorporate this terrible incident because it goes to the core of what is wrong in America today. The Apostle Paul said it best,

15 "THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,

16 DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,

17 AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN."

18 "THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES."

Rom 3:15-18 NASU

Former Governor Mike Huckabee attracted attention shortly after the story broke on the news when he attributed the ultimate source of the tragedy to the 'systematic removal of God from our schools'. Of course, the mainstream media would normally attack a comment like this, but this was a little different. If Huckabee has said this was some sort of 'judgment' from God, he would have been roundly castigated! But, that's not what he said, so they were at a little bit of a loss. I would like to amplify what I believe the Governor is saying (forgive me governor, if I put words in your mouth that you do not intend.)

What should we learn from this tragedy? What I believe God is saying through this tragedy is quite simple. He is saying, 'This is what the world looks like when you exclude Me! Evil reigns, vileness is unchecked, senseless tragedies abound and lawlessness and foolishness is exalted. If this is what you want, I will allow it. If not, then you need to learn a new word, 'Repent'.'

Assuming we eventually get the message, how would we 'turn this mess around. The children of Israel provide a great example. The verse from Deut. 4:10 cited above summarizes the key elements. After 40 long years in the wilderness, the children of Israel are about to go into the 'Promised Land'...more accurately, a new generation is about to enter the Promised Land. Moses is speaking to those who were too young to be judged like the stubborn, unbelieving generation that died in the wilderness, but they were old enough to remember that awesome day when God spoke to them at Mt. Horeb.

Why does it say that God assembled the people? What did God want them to learn? It says plainly that His purpose was that they might learn to fear Him! This principle is, as I hope we have seen, fundamental to knowing God. That's why Tozer chose Prov. 9:10 as his theme verse, 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom...'. If you don't get this right, you will never truly know God. Why? Because this is where right thinking about God begins.

The Basic Flaw

One thing we have to be perfectly clear about at the start is this: All Our Thoughts About God are Wrong! It nothing personal. It's simply where we all start. Why? As Gov. Huckabee noted, 'Our problem is not a gun problem, it's a sin problem'. How refreshing is that! And it's true. It's the fruit of the poisoned tree; our sinful natures carry with them an inborn predisposition to distrust and rebel against God. Why? We choose to believe the lies about God rather than the truth He has revealed. There are always consequences to believing lies. Ultimately, in spite of all He has done and provided us with, we doubt God's essential goodness...especially when we consider how little we deserve His goodness.

Regardless of the reason, the main point is that we start with wrong thoughts about God, about who He is, what He is like and what our relationship to Him is meant to be. What's worse, we have no ability 'fix' the problem ourselves. Here's a sobering thought: IF God does not reveal Himself to us, we will never find Him, much less find out the truth about Him. We give out Nobel prizes every year to people who really don't do much more than discover some new secret about the way God has put this universe together. While that's exciting, you would think that discovering God Himself might be considered the ultimate prize, but it just ain't so. If this isn't proof that there's something flawed in us, I don't know what it will take!

Is He or isn't He, that IS the question.

The truth is, many today don't know why the question of whether God exists is important. As we'll see, incredibly, this is the most important question of our time. So, let's quickly lay the groundwork for this, so we can see what has happened to our culture.

It's always important to note the 'firsts' in Scripture; the first time someone is introduced, the first time something is revealed...these texts are usually foundational to a right understanding of what they mean. What is the 'first' revelation we have of God in scripture? As virtually all of us know, Gen. 1:1 tells us that 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth'. These few words tell us a lot about God.

It tells us that God already existed. He began the 'beginning'. He was the reason there was a 'beginning'! Without Him there is no beginning. At least this is what the Bible teaches.

And what did He do? He created the heavens and the earth. We know also that this work of 'creation' was done out of nothing. Why? Since it was the 'beginning', there was nothing for Him to use to help build the universe. He created it by bringing His own thoughts, desires, plans and purposes into existence...and He did it with words...with divine commands. He 'spoke' them into existence. Does anyone else do this? Can they? Is He unique?

Why did He do it this way? Could He have done it differently? Possibly. One thing is clear, He did it this way so that we could see something of His majesty, glory and power. Why? So that we might, as Moses wrote, 'learn to fear Him'. Isn't this what God is saying to Israel through the prophet Jeremiah?

"Do you not fear Me?' declares the LORD. 'Do you not tremble in My presence" For I

have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it.  
Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail; Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it." Jer 5:22 NASU

This is the beginning of the purpose of creation; that we might know the awesome power, the sovereign power of the God of the universe. It is meant to bring us something of the same awe and reverence which that little band of disciples felt the night Jesus commanded the winds of a terrible storm to 'Hush, be still. And what was the disciples reaction? Just what ours should be. "They became very much afraid and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and sea obey Him?'". They certainly asked the right question!

But, does anyone ask that question today? Most of the world scoffs at the idea today...and therein lies our problem.

Connecting the dots........to Newtown

We can talk all we want about the power of God and the need of 'fearing God', but the reality of our culture today is that it's considered irrelevant...a vestige of a history we've 'progressed' past. Our modern, post-Christian culture is 'enlightened', except for those few 'stuck in the past'.

Though most people do not seem to be able to connect the dots, this is exactly what the teaching of evolution in our schools has produced. We have a whole generation of young people who have been educated into ignorance because they have been coerced into classrooms which teach them an alternative theory...of what? Creation.

But, I am not really concerned about the so-called science of evolution. Though it's still officially a theory, it's taught as fact. Make no mistake, our young people are taught (and many believe) that science has overwhelmingly proven that evolution is true. The pressure to accept this teaching as 'settled science' is enormous! And that means that creation is not true. Both can not be true.

But, does this really matter to anyone? Does it really affect our daily lives?

Truthfully, nobody really cares about the science of evolution unless they're paid to care (i.e. teachers and scientists). The science of evolution really doesn't affect us on a daily basis. But, the philosophy of evolution is wreaking havoc on our culture. How? It's quite simple.

If the fundamental premise of a 'big bang' beginning is the truth about the source of our existence, then 'In the beginning, God did (NOT) create the heavens and the earth', they just happened as a result of time and chance. Please follow this, it's vitally important. This means that there can be no ultimate, transcendent meaning or purpose for our lives...or those of our children. As true evolutionists believe, we are really just an accident.

Why does this 'belief system' amount to a moral calamity? Because a whole generation of our young people have grown up, programmed to believe that evolution is truth. Most don't have a clue what the science teaches, but they clearly understand that No Creation = No God.

They get that! They get that if there really is no God, there is no moral foundation or moral authority to which we are accountable. The only logical conclusion is that there is no real meaning or purpose for our lives...and no eternal future to be concerned about.

Today, we are living in a society where the ramifications of the moral philosophy of evolution are coming to fruition right before our eyes. We wonder in amazement how a young person could just 'snap' and produce a Columbine or a Newtown massacre. The answers are right in front of us. 

When a young person embraces this mindset, when they get to a certain point in life where real adversity and overwhelming challenges flood their lives, when they conclude that 'life' has just (randomly) 'dealt them a bad hand' and they see no way out, the logic of their thinking is that just to 'end it' makes perfect sense. After all, 'I was just an accident anyway'. To choose to end their lives is really just an admission that 'I was unlucky'. The odds just didn't work out for them. If they're really angry or bitter about it, they won't mind taking a few others with them on the way out.

Mark it down, consciously or not, the value of a life is dramatically reduced in the eyes of people who embrace the moral philosophy of evolution. It allows us (actually leaves us no alternative) but to define and determine for ourselves what the 'moral' boundaries are for right and wrong, good and evil. Yes, some may argue that that's why we have 'laws'. But, don't forget, most of these laws are the vestiges of a day when men believed there was a God and, therefore, there was an ultimate moral authority and accountability. In other words, there was a reason to 'fear God'. Many believe that day is past. They may be in for a rude awakening.

Right Thinking about God is essential to knowing God. Evolution concludes there is No God. The Bible declares, it's the fool who says 'there is No God'''. For the sake of our children, we might just want to re-think the wisdom of not 'honoring God as God'!

Blog Post #7: Living with Tozer's God

" For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him ."

Ps. 103:11

Proposition: The Fear of God is more important than loving God.

Well, that statement should illicit some response! Could it possibly be true? It would probably depend on how you define 'important'. It may be a tad extreme, but not as much as you might think. But, what if we said it in this way. What if we said:

The fear of God is the key to more blessings than the love of God.

Could that be true? I know that many people believe that the love of God is the pinnacle of all God's blessings. That may be true. An argument can certainly be made that the love of God is the source of all His blessings. But, how do they come to us? A strong argument can be made that the fear of God plays a crucial role in our ability to love God and be in that place where He can bless us.

Remember from last time, the fear of God leads to what? Humility. And what does it mean for me to be humble? It means that I rightly understand that God is God and I am not God. Therefore, God rules over me. That's His rightful place. He is worthy to have that place because of who He is. My rightful place is way beneath Him. The fact that He has elevated me to the status of a friend/son/heir doesn't change the fact He is still God and I should be overwhelmed with a reverential awe and fear of Him. He's not my 'buddy'. He's my God and Father.

Americans don't normally think this way. But in most other countries with a history of kings and despots, these concepts are very familiar. They know what you mean when you talk about the cowering fear of being in the presence of terrorizing despot. They also know what you mean when you talk about being in the presence of a great and glorious benevolent, heroic king. And they know the difference between the two. They know the value of the two. And they know what their rightful place is in relationship to them.

This is where a word is needed which is rarely known or used in America. It's the word 'majesty'. It's a word that is only used to describe something of the highest levels of beauty and glory. It's a word we use in concert with words like regal, royal, princely, imperial, etc. The Queen of England is usually addressed as 'Her Majesty'. But, we also talk of 'majestic skies' and 'purple mountain majesties'. We use it to try to describe things which cause an over-whelming sense of awe whenever we're in their 'presence'. It's the sense of 'presence' which separates them from everything else. They are unique and glorious, unlike the 'normal'.

The Downside of 'No King'

That the Puritan Pilgrims had had enough of the 'pomp and circumstance' of kings when they came to America is clear. This was the fuel that fired the great American Revolution and galvanized the thirteen states into what we call the 'Great American Experiment' in representative government. But, these political pioneers brought with them something we lack today.

They brought a profound sense of the 'fear of God', a reverence for God and a determination to be free, but freedom with a purpose. They weren't anarchists. They didn't want to be free just for the sake of being free. They wanted to be free so that they could worship God as they believed He should be worshiped; free from the constraints of human government which wanted to control its worship. Their 'high view' of God demanded that He be exalted above the government... and they would pay any price to do it because they believed He was worthy.

This is an oft-forgotten element of the founding of our nation. Today, it's all about being 'free', but it's the freedom to do what I want, with no consequences. That's a long, long way from being free to do what I need to do to glorify God and do His will. Again, what was their motivation? The fear of God. Not the cowering fear of a despot, but the reverential fear of the One 'who is exalted in the heavens' and to whom I owe everything. 

I sorely miss that sense of 'awe'.

I was raised Roman Catholic. Catholic churches tend to be fairly large churches, at least in the bigger cities. When I became an evangelical Christian and felt the need to find strong biblical teaching, it inevitably led me to a relatively small church group. This was okay, but there was one thing I miss...large churches tend to have a greater ability to create an environment which lends itself to a sense of 'awe', a sense of the 'bigness' of God. When the great choirs would sing, you could at least begin to muster a sense of the awe and majesty of God.

We need some sense of the awesomeness of God. We might argue that we really do believe that God is awesome, but where is the 'fear'? Those who have real struggles with the ideas of 'fearing God' and 'God is love' have to realize that they describe the same person. The problem is in us. The scriptures exhort us to both love and fear God. In the New Testament, this was how the Gentiles converts were described...'those who fear God'. Paul uses it twice in Acts 13. When Paul wanted to sum up the moral bankruptcy of mankind, the most devastating indictment he could bring was simply, 'There is no fear of God before their eyes'. This is why Tozer knew the theme verse for his book had to be Proverbs 9:10. The 'fear of the Lord' is the beginning point for all men of salvation for all men. Where is the God of Jeremiah who says...

"21 'Now hear this, O foolish and senseless people,

Who have eyes but do not see; Who have ears but do not hear.

22 'Do you not fear Me?' declares the LORD.

'Do you not tremble in My presence?

For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,

An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it.

Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail;

Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it.

23 'But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;

They have turned aside and departed. 24'They do not say in their heart,

"Let us now fear the LORD our God..."

"Jer 5:21-24 NASU

Or, where is the God of Daniel who could so impress a heathen king that He would make a decree such as this:

"25 Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language who were living in all the land: " May your peace abound! 

26 " I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel;

For He is the living God and enduring forever,

And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed,

And His dominion will be forever."

Dan 6:25-26 NASU

Of course, we declare with all sincerity that we believe the truth of these words, but where do they fit in our day-to-day experience? I will say this many times, Truth without application is merely information. Information has very limited value. Truth applied has eternal value. If you want God to be real in your life, you have to begin with a right understanding of who He is. 'Fear the Lord'.

There are literally multitudes of scriptures that promise 'blessings' for those who fear God. Time and space will not allow for but a few. Get a concordance and go through these promises; it's an enlightening experience.

Here are just a few:

The Blessings of 'Fearing God'

Q. Do you believe this?

"Holy and awesome is His name.

10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;

A good understanding have all those who do His commandments;

His praise endures forever. Ps 111:9-10

Q. Do you want the Lord Himself to guide and instruct you? 

Do you want to know prosperity that is accompanied with peace and joy?

Do you want to have a family who will follow you in that same prosperity?

Here's the answer. It's a secret God shares with a chosen few.

12 Who is the man who fears the LORD?

He will instruct him in the way he should choose.

13 His soul will abide in prosperity,

And his descendants will inherit the land.

14 The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him. " Ps 25:12-14

Q. Do you want the assurance that God is watching over you? Your family?

Both now and forever?

"18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him ,

On those who hope for His loving-kindness,

19 To deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine."  

Ps 33:18-19

"7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him ,

And rescues them. " Ps 34:7-10

Q. Do you want the assurance that your needs will be taken care of?

That you will not lack any good thing?

"9 O fear the LORD, you His saints;

For to those who fear Him there is no want.

10 The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;

But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing." Ps.34:9

Q. Do you want assurance that God forgives sin? Permanently?

"11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him .

12 As far as the east is from the west,

So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,

So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him." Ps 103:11-13

Q. Do you want assurance that God will always hear your call? That He will be kind to you? That He will fulfill the godly desires of your heart?

"17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways

And kind in all His deeds.

18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,

To all who call upon Him in truth.

19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him ;

He will also hear their cry and will save them." Ps 145:17-19

Q. Do you want to know why the world is in the state that's it's in?

"Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart;

There is no fear of God before his eyes." Ps 36:1

Q. Do you wonder why the church seems to struggle so much at times and have so little impact against the prevailing culture. Perhaps this is what's missing.

"31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase." Acts 9:31

There are many more verses like this, it's an enlightening study. People simply don't like to hear about 'fearing God'. But, as these verses clearly show, rather than something to be feared, it's leads only to God's greatest blessings. Why wouldn't you fear God?

Think about it...until next time...