To Whom Are We Listening?
Psalm 81:8-13
Someone said, “We live in a world of competing voices. Everyday we are bombarded by various voices from radio, television, videos, DVD’s, books, music, newspapers, internet, billboards, friends, etc. These voices are constantly shouting at us, telling us how to live, what we need to buy, how we should spend our time, what we should believe, how we should act, what we should accept.” The Bible in 2 Peter 1:19 tells us that as believers we a reliable voice that we can have confidence in if we but listen to that voice. The question for us is “To whom are we listening?”
I. To whom are we listening as to what we should believe
A. 2 Peter 3:3 “knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
B. Reason and Logic
1. A man once stood on a soap-box at Hyde Park Corner, pouring scorn on Christianity. "People tell me that God exists; but I can't see Him. People tell me that there is a life after death; but I can't see it. People tell me that there is a judgment to come; but I can't see it. People tell me that there is a heaven and a hell; but I can't see them." He won cheap applause and climbed down from his "pulpit." Based on reason and logic what this man said sounds good to those skeptical of faith. But another struggled on to the soap-box and said, "People tell me that there is green grass all around, but I can't see it. People tell me that there is blue sky above, but I can't see it. People tell me that there are trees nearby, but I can't see them. You see, I'm blind…" Refusal to see God at work is not the result of wisdom or enlightenment, but of simple spiritual blindness. - copied
2. Man attempts to rationalize belief in God or to rationalize Him away. But all his attempts fall short.
3. Romans 1:20-22 (CEB) “Ever since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities, God’s eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, because they are understood through the things God has made. So humans are without excuse. Although they knew God, they didn’t honor God as God or thank him. Instead, their reasoning became pointless, and their foolish hearts were darkened. While they were claiming to be wise, they made fools of themselves.”
4. 1 Corinthians 1:20, 23 “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? ...Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
C. Science
1. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
2. Genesis 1:27 “...God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
3. Genesis 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
4. Sir Francis Crick, decoder of DNA, in a 1968 lecture entitled "The Sociological Ramifications of Biology" before University College stated that “We cannot continue to regard all human life as sacred. The idea that every person has a soul and that his life must be saved at all costs should not be allowed.” He went on to say “It is not right that religious instruction should be given to young children. Instead they should be taught the modern scientific view of man's place in the universe, in the world and in society, and the nature of scientific truth.” - Nature, vol. 220, Nov.1968, pp 429-430
5. The French Mathematician, Lecompte de Nouy, examined the laws of probability for a single molecule of high dissymmetry to be formed by the action of chance. De Nouy found that, on an average, the time needed to form one such molecule of our terrestrial globe would be about 10 to the 253 power--billions of years. "But," continued de Nouy ironically, "let us admit that no matter how small the chance it could happen, one molecule could be created by such astronomical odds of chance. However, one molecule is of no use. Hundreds of millions of identical ones are necessary. Thus we either admit the miracle or doubt the absolute truth of science." - "Is Science Moving Toward Belief in God?" Paul A. Fisher, The Wanderer, (Nov 7, 1985), cited in Kingdoms In Conflict, C. Colson, p. 66.
6. “The probability of life arising by chance is the same probability as throwing a six on a dice five million consecutive times.” --Sir Fred Hoyle, astronomer and mathematician (1915-2001)
7. Some say that science and the Bible are not in harmony, that they are antagonistic one to another. But the fact is not only that they are in harmony, but the Bible often has anticipated discoveries of science by thousands of years, and many scientific references in the Bible have now been proved to be true. Let us look at some examples.
a. It is generally regarded that Columbus (1451-1506) was among the first to establish the fact of our earth's roundness, yet centuries before, the Hebrew prophet announced—'It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth' (Isa. 40. 22) Moreover, when our Lord spoke of His second coming He referred to a night scene (in bed), a morning scene (grinding), and a midday happening (men in the field), and showed that all these things would be witnessed simultaneously when He appeared, which of course is an indirect reference to the rotundity of the earth.
b. Science recently discovered that the moon had an influence on plant life. But in the Bible it has been foretold—'For the precious things put forth by the moon' (Deut. 33. 13, 14), which gives evidence of the fact that the writer knew of the power of the moon to affect plant life thousands of years ago.
c. Dr. Harvey (1578-1657) was the first scientist who discovered that the life of the flesh is in the blood. But thousands of years ago Moses wrote—`the life of the flesh is in the blood' (Lev. 17. 11).
d. Scientists have analyzed the body of man and discovered it is made up of 14 elements. They have also analyzed the dust of the earth, and found it also is composed of 14 elements. 'God formed man,' Moses tells us, 'of the dust of the ground' (Gen. 2. 7).
e. Sir Isaac Newton, father of physics, established the law of gravitation in the seventeenth century. But thirty centuries before the advent of Newton, Job wrote—`He stretches out the north over the empty place and hangs the earth upon nothing (Job. 26. 7).
f. In the year 1643 Torricelli invented the barometer and hence discovered air has weight. But centuries before, in the sacred book it was written that 'God makes weight for the winds' (Job. 28. 25).
g. Galileo was the first scientist to discover that the number of stars is uncountable. But 2,200 years before Galileo, Jeremiah said that 'the host of heaven cannot be numbered' (Jer. 33. 22).
h. Sir John Herschel, the famous astronomer said, 'All human discoveries seem to be made only for the purpose of confirming more and more strongly the truth contained in the sacred Scriptures.'
D. God’s Word is truth
1. Some years ago, musicians noted that errand boys in a certain part of London all whistled out of tune as they went about their work. It was talked about and someone suggested that it was because the bells of Westminster were slightly out of tune. Something had gone wrong with the chimes and they were discordant. The boys did not know there was anything wrong with the peals, and quite unconsciously they had copied their pitch. So we tend to copy the people with whom we associate; we borrow thoughts from the books we read and the programs to which we listen, almost without knowing it. God has given us His Word which is the absolute pitch of life and living. If we learn to sing by it, we shall easily detect the false in all of the music of the world.
2. Psalm 18:30 “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
3. Mahatma Gandhi spoke forcefully to Christians when he said, "You Christians have in your keeping a document with enough dynamite in it to blow the whole of civilization to bits, to turn society upside down, to bring peace to this war-torn world. But you read it as if it were just good literature, and nothing else."
4. John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
II. To whom are we listening as to how we should live
A. Most of the world does not believe as we believe. They scoff at our way of life. They encourage us to join in their activities with the catch all phrase “Everybody is doing it.”
B. Again the appeal is for us to listen to reason – “Come on we live in different times. No one expects you to have the antiquated standards of an ancient and outdated religious culture.
C. Jeremiah 13:10 talks about people “who follow the dictates of their hearts, and walk after other gods to serve them and worship them.”
D. To whom are we listening? The voice of God or the voices of the world, the flesh and the devil?
E. What we listen to will determine how we live.
F. 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”
G. To what are you listening? To what kind of music are you listening? What kind of programs? What kind of videos are you looking at and what kind of programs are you listening to?
H. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
I. Who are we listening to – God or the best answers the world gives us?
J. John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
III. To whom are we listening as to how to be saved
A. Some will listen to Family and Friends
1. They tell you you’re no a bad person, you’re ok.
2. They will tell you that God is too loving to send anyone to hell.
3. They tell you that you were christened when you were little, that you’re a member of a particular church, and that you come from a good family that you haven’t done anything to deserve to go to hell.
B. Some will listen to Liberal Theologians
1. The Bible is not “God-breathed” and has errors. – 2 Timothy 3:16-17
2. The virgin birth of Christ is a mythological false teaching. – Isaiah 7:14
3. Jesus did not rise again from the grave in bodily form. – Matthew 28:6
4. Jesus was merely a good moral teacher and we are saved by following his example – Ephesians 2:8-9
5. Jesus wants you to prosper as we are all children of God – John 8:44
6. Hell is not real. Man is not lost in sin and is not doomed to some future judgment without a relationship with Christ through faith. Man can help himself; no sacrificial death by Christ is necessary since a loving God would not send people to such a place as hell and since man is not born in sin.- John 14:6
C. Word of God
1. The Bible tells us that it was written so that we can know we have eternal life.
a. 1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life”
b. The Word of God can make us wise about salvation
2. 2 Timothy 3:15 “...you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
3. The Romans Road to salvation
a. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
b. Romans 6:23a “...The wages of sin is death..."
c. Romans 5:8 "God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!"
d. Romans 6:23b “...But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
e. Romans 10:13 “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved!"
f. Romans 10:9,10 "...If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."
g. Revelation 3:20a "Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him..." - Is Jesus knocking on your heart's door? Are you listening?
