HE’S STILL GOD!
Mic. 7:18
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: Better Offer
1. At a wedding rehearsal, the groom said to the minister "I'll make a deal with you. If during the vows you'll leave out all of that love, honor and obey stuff, I'll give you a hundred dollars. "He slipped a hundred-dollar bill in the minister's hand and walked away with a smile.
2. The next day during the ceremony, the minister said to him "Do you promise to bow down before your wife, to take her breakfast in bed, to fulfill her every desire." He gulped in astonishment and said in a weak voice "I do."
3. Then he whispered in the minister's ear "I thought we had a deal?" The minister handed him back his money and said, "Your wife made me a much better offer!"
B. IDEA & TITLE
1. GOD IS STILL GOD! Despite all the arguments of atheists, all the denials of some scientists, the opposition of governments, and the mocking of the “learned,” God is still God!
2. His existence doesn’t hinge on our belief. He overthrows nations and sets up governments who will uphold His order. He frustrates the wise & brings all their efforts to nothing!
3. Today we’re going to see that God is still God in spite of opposition & contradiction, why He’s worthy to be praised, and the dangers of underestimating Him. The title of this message is “He’s Still God!”
I. GOD IS WORTHY TO BE PRAISED
1. “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness” Ps. 48:1.
2. “Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous: for praise is comely (fitting) for the upright” Ps. 33:1.
3. “And he has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord” Ps. 40:3.
4. “Let the people praise You, O God; let all the people praise You” Ps. 67:3.
5. “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” Ps. 107:8.
6. “Seven times a day do I praise You because of Your righteous judgments” Ps. 119:164.
7. “Every day will I bless You; and I will praise Your name for ever and ever” Ps. 145:2.
A. WHY IS GOD WORTHY TO BE PRAISED?
1. Coming before God reminds us of -
a. His Hugeness and our smallness;
b. His Power and our weakness;
c. His Glory, His Majesty;
d. His Perfection and our unworthiness.
2. A billionaire or a head of state may think of him/ herself as powerful, but standing next to a huge Mountain Range always makes one feel small again.
3. Even if we don’t see God’s hand of blessing today, we should still praise God for all He’s done for us in the past! “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits” Ps. 68:19. “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” 1 Thess. 5:18.
B. HE’S WORTHY TO BE PRAISED IN GOOD TIMES AND IN BAD. Think of all He’s done for you!
1. God gave us intellect; He gave us this beautiful world to live in. He gave us many joys – food, families, and opportunities for growth & achievement.
2. He made us spiritual creatures who can commune with Him and develop a personal relationship with our Creator.
3. He decided to humble Himself, become a human, and die a cruel death for us to redeem us with His perfect life. Paul saw in the death of Jesus the incontrovertible proof of God’s love for us. Since God DID difficult things for us, can He not also ASK some difficult things of us?
C. HE’S WORTHY NO MATTER HOW HE ANSWERS OUR PRAYERS
1. Most of the time God gives us what we ask for in prayer, but sometimes He doesn’t. Is He then not worthy of praise? Job stated it best, “Shall we accept [only] good from God and not [also] accept adversity and disaster?” Job 2:10, AMP.
2. Naomi, in the book of Ruth, whose name means “pleasant,” lost her husband and 2 sons and renamed herself “Mara – bitter.” She didn’t see that God would later make her King David’s grandmother! Joseph was sold into slavery, yet his imprisonment later led to his becoming prime minister of Egypt.
3. God’s ways are mysterious, but He knows what He’s doing and all things will work together for good to those who love the Lord (Rom. 8:28).
4. Regardless of trials, hardships, & persecutions, God is still God!
II. GOD IS STILL GOD...
A. EVEN WHEN POPULAR OPINION REJECTS HIM
1. In Elijah’s time there were only 7,000 out of millions that obeyed God. Paul said in Rom. 9:27 that “only a remnant shall be saved.” Don’t be surprised if you’re in the minority!
2. Many corporations today thrive on the approval of people for their products. To be successful, they have to be popular. Not so God. He doesn’t need our approval; He doesn’t care if the majority reject Him. All power belongs to Him. Psalm 2 says that He laughs at the world’s attempts to oppose Him. He will still accomplish His will in spite of them.
3. HOW DO I KNOW GOD IS REAL?
a. The complex & unlimited Universe violates evolution. If I am an accident, then my phone is an accident! How many think your phone is an accident? It took 40 years, 1,000s of scientists, & super-computers do decipher DNA. It’s an accident? Really?
b. God has SPOKEN to me many times.
c. As an agnostic (until 20) I could always feel God’s presence. That’s more important knowledge than I ever got from a book or the internet.
d. How many drug addicts/ alcoholics have ever conquered their addiction because of atheism? But millions have through Jesus Christ! That’s proof!
B. EVEN IF OUR GOVERNMENT DENIES HIM
1. In Daniel 3, the God of the Hebrews was banned and an alternate deity was set up and everyone was commanded to worship it.
2. Today our government has banned the mention of Jesus Christ from our schools, our laws, and our marketplace. Instead it has set up the idols of secularism, humanism, immorality, and atheism. We are told to bow down to them.
3. But thank God, in Daniel’s time there were 3 Hebrews who refused to bow down, even though it would cost their lives. They said, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He WILL deliver us....But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” Dan. 3:17-18.
4. Did you catch that? They said God had the power to deliver them, but even if He didn't they still would not bow. These men were not “fair-weather followers” - just following God when things were easy. They followed God even if it was costly to them. They knew, that no matter the outcome, GOD WAS STILL GOD!
III. THE DANGER OF UNDERESTIMATING GOD
A. A GOD OF THE MOUNTAINS ONLY
1. In 1 Kings 20:20-29 the Syrian army was defeated by the Israelites on the mountains. They said, “Their gods are gods of the hills....but if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they” (vs. 23).
2. This is the same thing the devil says, “God is really only God when you’re on the mountain-tops.” You see, when we’re on the “mountain” spiritually - with shouts & praises in our mouths - we’re harder for the devil to handle. It’s hard for Satan to defeat an excited Christian. Maybe that’s why Nehemiah said, “the joy of the LORD is your strength,” Neh. 8:10.
3. Therefore, Satan assumes that if he can get us into a valley, we’ll be easier to defeat. If the enemy can get you to focus on the negative aspects of any situation, he can get you discouraged.
4. Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to what happens to us! If you develop a “woe is me” attitude, then we will be easier prey for the devil.
B. NEXT, THEY LIMITED GOD
1. The Syrians made a dangerous assumption about God: that He’s limited! God was greater than they thought He was! It’s true for us: God is bigger than our valley. When we’re in a valley, God is still God! When we enter the valley of...
a. physical pain, He’s still God!
b. valley of spiritual discouragement, He’s still God.
c. the valley of sorrow, He’s still God.
2. Genuine victory is never a matter of what I’m facing, but simple faith in the promises of God.
3. Fanny Crosby was blind since childhood and lived to be ninety-five. She wrote this poem at age eight:
Blind But Happy. “O what a happy soul am I, Although I cannot see. I am resolved that in this world, contented I will be. How many blessings I enjoy that other people don’t! To weep and sigh because I’m blind, I cannot, and I won’t!”
4. Never allow your circumstances to keep you discouraged; remember that God is willing & able to help you!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUS: GOD SAVES FROM CRACK COCAINE
1. Sandra Stoddard says, “I was addicted to crack cocaine for 8 years. My two-year old daughter and I were living in a crack house when I finally became sick & tired of my life of drugs. I’d lost faith and hope in the human race due to all the ugly things I had experienced.
2. I took my daughter and spent four days and nights in a motel, and found a Bible. As I read that Bible, I gained strength to say no to the drugs and make changes in my life.
3. By the grace of God, I’ve become a Christian and a witness for God. I’ve quit using drugs, and God has blessed my life so much since I turned it over to Him. Thank you for making God’s Word available to people when they need it most.” Sandra K. Stoddard, South Carolina.
B. ILLUS.: The God Who Couldn’t Save Himself
1. Hideyoshi, a Japanese warlord who ruled over Japan in the late 1500s, commissioned a colossal statue of Buddha for a shrine in Kyoto.
2. It took 50,000 men five years to build, but the work had scarcely been completed when the earthquake of 1596 brought the roof of the shrine crashing down and wrecked the statue.
3. In a rage the Emperor shot an arrow at the fallen colossus. “I put you here at great expense,” he shouted, “and you can’t even look after your own temple.” Today in the Word, MBI, August, 1991, p. 23
4. AREN’T YOU GLAD WE SERVE A GOD WHO CAN’T BE TOPPLED BY ANY FORCE IN THIS UNIVERSE? He’s all-powerful, Infinite, & Eternal, and has no problem taking care of an endless universe and 8 billion people besides!
C. THE CALL
1. GOD IS STILL GOD! My friend, nothing can change that! You may be facing a time of uncertainty; be in a fiery trial, or you may be experiencing persecution. Regardless, HE'S STILL GOD!!
2. The first step to victory is to take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there by faith. Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you.
3. “Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardons our iniquity...[You do not stay] anger forever, [but] delight in mercy.” Mic. 7:18.
4. COME TO THE FRONT if you’d like help from the Lord. He will empower you to victory! PRAYER
5. SONG: “HOW GREAT, IS OUR GOD.”
[This contains some thoughts of Kevin Jones & Rev. Martin]
