The God People Want I. Introduction A. Let us spend some time today examining the following question: B. If mankind had the ability to create their own god based on their desires, what would he be like? What is the god people want? C. Let us think of some of the characteristics that would comprise such a god II. Attributes of the God People Want A. Power 1. This god must have power, else he will not be able to be of any value 2. There is no sense in having a god that you do not believe has the power to make or change anything B. Wisdom/Experience 1. The god must also have wisdom and experience and great knowledge 2. After all, if you know more than your god does, why bother? 3. He can then be tapped as a resource for knowledge or guidance C. Moral Standard of Living 1. The god himself must hold to a moral standard of living-- he must make it clear what is right and wrong 2. The theoretical expectation exists that he will reward good and punish evil 3. His existence and the standard established, of course, will be a teaching tool for persons to get them to behave in a way beneficial-- or at least not harmful-- to us D. "Love" 1. On the other hand, of course, this god must be loving 2. And not any kind of love, but the love of a doting, spoiling parent 3. Even though there is a standard, this god will know how hard your life is and will make it okay, and there will not actually be any punishment for any wrongdoing you might have done 4. Well, maybe in the most extreme cases there will be punishment...but wait, maybe they had a bad childhood and their parents abused them or they were socially disadvantaged or something like that...so maybe this god will not really punish anyone! E. Toleration 1. This god, of course, cannot be non-politically-correct, so he will be tolerant of everyone's belief systems 2. You can believe as you wish-- indeed, you can even not believe in him, if you are so not inclined 3. This god will accept you for who you are F. Convenience 1. This god also recognizes, of course, that people are busy 2. Therefore, whatever worship or praise you want to give to him is fine, and whenever you feel compelled to do so, in whatever way you feel compelled to do so 3. You can petition this God whenever it is convenient for you! G. Personal 1. Even though this god is very powerful and wise, you are not a number to him, and it might as well be that you are his only care 2. It is all about you: he will cater to all your needs, and of course by needs we mean your need for two cars, 2.4 children, a large house with a white picket fence in the suburbs, and the latest technology 3. After all, if this god does not help you keep up with the Joneses, what good is he? 4. Furthermore, he respects your own space, and will not rebuke you or lecture you about your life: no looking over the shoulder! H. You can perhaps think of other characteristics of how this god would be, but I think that the majority of us would agree that this would be the type of god that people want and would choose III. The God People Want: Santa Claus A. While of course no one character in myth or history would precisely parallel the god that people want, there is one character who comes close B. Santa Claus! C. After all, Santa Claus... 1. ...is a kindly old man with a long beard and a hearty laugh 2. ...is able to go to every household in the world in one night with a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer 3. ...knows who is naughty or nice 4. ...expects kids to be nice to give presents to them 5. ...yet, in the end, no matter how naughty or nice you really were during the year, you still get presents 6. ...is an equal-opportunity giver 7. ...finds out what you want for Christmas and gets you that gift 8. ...and drops them right under your tree! D. Santa Claus, then, is a good portrayal of the type of god people want IV. Gods People Have Wanted A. The idea of people having gods of their own desire and manufacture is not new to me, of course; people have been coming up with gods to suit their own desires for millennia! B. Some instances are more direct than others 1. Most direct form: the Greeks and Romans a. their gods were considered to be in human form and very powerful... b. ...but had plenty of foibles and sins c. their gods were essentially immortal, powerful humans! d. Zeus/Jupiter was a noted philanderer, Ares/Mars commits adultery with Aphrodite/Venus to the chagrin of Hephaestus/Vulcan, there are all kinds of catfights and squabbles, just like a modern dysfunctional family! e. of course, their belief system required only sacrifice, not obedience, not even necessarily belief-- as long as you made your requisite sacrifices to the relevant gods, all was well! 2. More indirect forms are found in most places, with people thinking for themselves what divine powers would be like and how they would want to be worshipped/placated a. belief either in animals as gods or gods residing in natural forces or places b. expectation that gods needed sustenance from hands of man, therefore, animal sacrifices c. ancestor worship C. We could go on and on, but I believe what has been said is sufficient to show that man has often concocted his own gods D. The question, however, must be asked: is the god people want the true God? What can be known about the one true God? V. Trying to Find the One True God A. I believe that most of us recognize, of course, that the god people want, described above, does not exist 1. Santa Claus is a mythical figure, and so would be any god having his characteristics 2. The god we described was a self-contradictory mess, really! B. The question rings out, however: with all of the different gods being posited out there, which, if any, is the one true God? C. With no empirical evidence that can be conclusively pointed to, it is difficult to answer such a question, but perhaps some guidelines would help 1. The one true God will prove himself to transcend human thought and action 2. The one true God will prove himself to be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent 3. The one true God will not be primarily physical in substance 4. The one true God will be able to prove His authority by acting in supernatural ways D. When all kinds of religions are examined and sought, their divinities will not fit these guidelines 1. Judaism: while the God they profess may be the true God, He has been lost in either their traditions or their rejection of previous traditions 2. Islam: a god who reveals himself to a bedouin promising virgins and a resplendent garden for those who conquer political territory for the religion...very humanistic! 3. Hinduism: gods concieved of in human forms, the later monotheistic veneer over an ancient polytheistic system manifest 4. Buddhism: founded by one who was an atheist 5. Animism: no transcendent, supernatural powers E. There is, however, one God who does fulfill all of those guidelines F. He is known as the God of heaven, YHWH, God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ 1. Isaiah 55:8-9: demonstration of God's ways and thoughts to be superior to man's 2. 1 Corinthians 1:18-25: the eternal plan of God in Christ Jesus was considered folly by the world, and was not understood by mankind until the revelation of God to the disciples (Acts 2) 3. Psalm 94:9-11: He knows the thoughts of man, and can percieve all things 4. John 4:24: God is a spirit 5. John 1:1, 14; Philippians 2:5-11: God the Son took on flesh and dwelt among us for a time, and was then exalted 6. Matthew 4:23, Acts 17:31, Acts 3:1-12: This Jesus had the power to heal and engage in other supernatural events, was resurrected from the dead, and the source of power by which others could perform supernatural deeds G. We can know for a surety then that there is a God, and He has revealed Himself and His purpose through Christ Jesus and the Word which He left us H. Since He is the one true God, it is good to compare how He has revealed Himself to the type of god people want VI. The One True God vs. the God People Want A. As we have seen, the one true God certainly has power-- is omniscient, just as the god people want would be B. The one true God is the Creator of heaven and earth and is omniscient, and the source of wisdom (James 1:5, Job 12:13), and His Son has experienced all temptations, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:14-16), and therefore has the wisdom and experience as the god people want would have C. The one true God is the author of the standard of conduct and belief to which man ought to hold (Galatians 5:19-23, 1 John 2:4-5, 3:4-5), as the god people want would be D. While the one true God is love (1 John 4:16), and has manifested His love for us in His Son (John 3:16), this love is not the "warm fuzzy only" love man imagines, but a sacrificial love that leads to rebuke whenever necessary (Hebrews 12:5-11) 1. Furthermore, God's love is not a license to sin, for God is not only a God of love but a God of justice, and judgment is rendered on the basis of a man's deeds (Acts 17:30-31, Romans 2:5-11) 2. Forgiveness is there for those desiring to be forgiven, but repentance and the expectation of conformity to God's ways is demanded (1 John 1:9; Romans 12:1-2) 3. Those who are found unrighteous and unrepentant will face punishment (Matthew 25:31-46, 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9) E. The one true God is not tolerant of people believing as they desire, but has the expectation of mankind to believe as He has revealed 1. Jesus declares that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and the only way to the Father (John 14:6) 2. There are but two choices allotted to mankind: to serve sin or to serve righteousness (Romans 6:16) 3. There is but one Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, as there is one faith, one Lord, one baptism, and one Father (Galatians 1:6-9, Ephesians 4:4-5) 4. These truths do not admit much variance! F. While the one true God does not set specific times for His people to come to Him in worship and prayer, He does have some requirements in that regard (first day of the week; Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 6:1-4, etc.), and expects men to worship Him as He desires (John 4:20-24) G. The one true God does care for each person, and loves each person individually, and calls each individual to Himself (Luke 15:4-10, John 3:16, Acts 2:40) 1. The one true God also promises the necessities of life (Matthew 6:25-34) 2. The one true God, however, does not promise the amenities of life, nor is there an expectation that each person ought to get what he or she wants-- the burden is concern for others, not yourself (Galatians 6:1-4, 1 Corinthians 10:24, Philippians 2:1-4) VII. The One True God and the God People Want A. Having seen then the one true God compared with the god people want, what shall we say in these matters? B. Paul was precisely correct in Romans 1:18-25 C. What is the god people want? He is the self, the "me" attitude, given great power and authority 1. He is the image resembling mortal man which the majority have accepted in exchange for the glory of the immortal God 2. He has no more reality than all of the animal idols or animist spirits of the ancients, or the gods of the Greeks and Romans D. Despite this being true, the god people want is worshipped everywhere and by a majority of persons 1. Some people go so far as to consider themselves to be the standard of all truth, and consider themselves as god! 2. Many others may accept various aspects of the truth as they see fit, but are more than willing to adapt what they don't particularly believe or like to fit what suits them better (cf. 2 Timothy 4:3-4) 3. In the end, they all worship the same god: the one they want E. Yet the Bible clearly shows the fallacy of this god and the "worship" provided him, and accurately presents it as the result of darkened minds having forgotten the manifest evidence of God in the creation 1. Science is substituted for God without sufficient cause 2. In the end, the tenets of true religion are too burdensome for most, and it is easier to compromise the truth than to live it F. I say to you today that worshipping the god you want is futile! G. Instead of worshipping the god you want, you must be the kind of people that God wants! 1. John 4:23: God seeks people to worship Him in spirit and in truth 2. Romans 12:1: our "spiritual worship" is being a living and holy sacrifice 3. The truth of God is present in His word, which we must strive to follow (2 Timothy 2:15) H. Songbook/invitation I. The question is asked of you today: who are you worshipping? J. The god you want? 1. The god you want has no power, be it yourself or the compromise you have created 2. The reality is harsh, and missed by most, yet true: worshipping the god you want is being a slave to sin, a slave to desire, a slave to what is, in the end, evil and death (Romans 6:16, 19; Proverbs 14:12) 3. Cease worshipping this god today: present your members as slaves to righteousness. Obey Christ today! K. The God of Heaven? 1. Are you worshipping the God of Heaven, the one true God? 2. Have you become the kind of person God wants, or do you still hold out? 3. If you are not the kind of person God seeks, and want to make your life right with Him today, we would love to help you 4. Or if you simply seek encouragement to continue to be the type of person God seeks, we would also be more than willing to pray for you L. However we can help you, let us do so! Come to the front as we stand and sing