God’s Distinctions Between Men and Women

Transcript

GRM 1256
01/24/2021
God's Distinctions between Men and Women
Selected Verses
Gil Rugh


Our last week we talked about our responsibility to civil government, governing authorities, and how important it was for us to function biblically in accord with Scripture. We want to be careful about getting caught up in things in the wrong way. We are citizens of this country, we have concerns about our country naturally, but our life is not invested here. And we want to be sure that we are testimonies for the God that we serve, citizens of heaven, good citizens of the nation to which we belong, and obedient in that context. But there are areas that will bring us into conflict, and I want to talk a little bit about that today, since we had just talked about the submissiveness to government. There are things going on that concern me that will bring us into, I think, growing conflict with our government, and we cannot submit to governmental authority in areas where the Word of God clearly instructs otherwise. There may be points, and there would be few, I think, of where it is not clear; certain things are very clear. It's not surprising but the unbelieving world is moving more openly and more strongly in opposition to biblical truth and biblical positions. They have always been opposed, but in our county we have had great freedom and respect for religious differences and for believers to proclaim biblical truth.

There are certain things being passed into law that affect us, and I want to talk about the roles of men and women. This will be review but important to understand. I'm reminded of it as I read some of the things going on, and you are aware of it, some of the legislation being passed. We've become more openly in defiance of what the Word of God clearly says, more rejecting anything that is rational, scientific, or what has been recognized as normal through the millenniums of human history. We live in a unique day, not surprising, but disappointing.

Let's start by looking at Psalm 58, we're not going to study the psalm but there is a verse here I want to pick up. We want to keep our foundation clear so that we do understand what is going on. There is so much of Scripture, we don't have time to elaborate this, it comes up in our other studies, it will come up in our study in the book of Ephesians which I anticipate starting with you in the near future. Psalm 58, pick up with verse 1. “Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men? No, in your heart you work unrighteousness; on earth you weigh out the violence of your hands.” So ungodly people, unrighteous people function in unrighteous ways. But note verse 3, “The wicked are estranged from the womb; these who speak lies go astray from birth.” That's foundational for us not to forget, from birth, from the time they are born, men are on a course of rebellion against God, they are estranged from God because of sin. “These who speak lies go astray from birth,” it's characteristic. And they talk about their lives and the pictures of the following verses. They deserve the judgment of God, a strong statement in verse 6, “O God, shatter their teeth.” Verse 7, “Let them flow away like water that runs off.”

The judgment of God is righteous, verse 10, “The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance.” You understand, the day when judgment comes, that ultimate judgment at the Great White Throne, I take it we will be there as witnesses, not as judges, and we will rejoice with God that finally justice is done. Important to understand the seriousness of the situation that exists in the world. Believers… somehow we can get comfortable and we just go with the flow and we make adjustments, some adjustments have to be made. Some adjustments must not be made and those adjustments which must not be made are compromises with the Word of God. So the foundation to our understanding—the wicked are estranged from the womb, they go astray from birth. So we look and say, that's not surprising, that's what they are because they are born sinners.

Back up to Psalm 51, David the accredited author on both these psalms. Psalm 51, it starts out by the psalmist seeking the cleansing and forgiveness that only God can bring, he is aware of that. That's the beginning; until you recognize you are what God says you are, a sinner defiled by your sin, separated from God, without hope in the world, there is no salvation for you. What would be coming to God for salvation for if you think you are fine as you are? I have my religion, I have my beliefs. It's not until you realize I am what God says I am, and by God's grace… the Spirit clarifies that in convicting you. “According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.” All I can ask God is for His grace, His kindness, His compassion. I deserve nothing. His wrath is justified in being poured out, He is justified in that. Our sin is against God and Him alone, verse 4, “Against You, You only, I have sinned.” It's not a big sin and they weren't that important and it didn't make that much difference; then when you say God is the One we sin against, sin becomes very significant, very important. But look at verse 5, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” And here the Spirit of God moves us back. In Psalm 58 he says the sinners would go astray from birth. But do you know what? That started before we were born, nine months before, because when the act of conception occurred the sin nature was passed on. This is something to say about the teaching of abortion. If there is not life from the beginning, how did we inherit sin from Adam? We want to be careful, well, there are different views. Yes, but only God's view counts, it says that we were conceived in sin. And we saw this in Romans 5, in Adam all sinned. So life had to be present with conception because that was passed on, it has to be part of a life, and it is clear.

So we are dealing with a situation where everyone is a sinner. If we lose sight of this… You know what happens to believers even, the church, we get shaped by our feeling and desires, we lose what the Scripture says. Well, they don't look like bad people, I think they mean well, I think in their heart they are probably good people. And these kinds of things and then we begin to develop our theology to fit our feelings. And now we are on a road that only can take us further away from the Word of God. There is objective truth outside of us, given by the living God. That must be the final authority, I must bring my thinking, my feelings into line. The devil works and he has long term plans and we are saturated with things that adjust our thinking.

We're going to talk about marriage and the male and female. We have TV programs and they are innocuous. Sometimes when Marilyn and I want to put our minds in neutral we sit down and watch the house programs and people buying houses, and that's enjoyable and we enjoy it and see what people do. But often it is a man with a man and they're partners or they're married, or a woman with a woman and they are partners and they are married. But there is something subtly being conveyed there, not just the house that's being sold and what's going on. But these are nice people and they are likable people and they really are good people, and they laugh and they joke and they seem to get along. Can that kind of relationship be bad? And they can tell you how they met each other and on they go. And pretty soon I'm thinking that's nice, that's not so bad, I mean, it's not like murdering somebody. Wait a minute. Well, they were born this way. We had a political candidate who has now been appointed to a political office that is married to his husband. And his claim when he was out candidating, he said God made me this way, so if you have trouble with me, you have trouble with my God. Well, I do have trouble with your god, he is the god of this world. Now you were born a sinner. So be careful here, don't get confused. They say, I was born this way. I don't doubt that. How were you born? Well, I was conceived in sin, I went astray from birth. We get in an argument, in a debate, and think, you weren't born that way. Well, there is an element of truth in what they said, they were because they were born sinners. Maybe we ought to agree with them and tell them, that's the problem. You were born a sinner and the older you got the more enslaved to the sin you were born in controlled you, and the more the god (small ‘g’) of this world had control over you, your thinking, your desires. So we oughtn't to be allowing ourselves to have our thinking adjusted. And this is true in all areas.

Being a pastor for many years, many of the problems that people come with is their thinking. And to come back and say, here is what the Word of God says, here is what has to be done. So we are starting with this, we are sinners from birth, from the womb. Well, then they can't help it. Well, in one sense that is right. They are sinners by birth and by choice, they are enslaved to their sin even as we were. We don't want to get trapped in our own theology if we are not careful, and then when our feelings begin to govern, who am I to judge and say that is wrong.

Come over to Isaiah 55, we're going to look at Isaiah so keep a marker here, we'll read this verse and then I want to go back to the beginning, literally. Because everyone is born a sinner, the invitation of God goes out. So that poor innocent baby is a sinner. Now we're not going on the sidetrack right now, but I do believe there is indication in the Word of God that God's provision in grace and the provision of Christ and salvation does cover those little ones. And they are saved not because they were born innocent, but because the grace of God applies the work of Christ to those who never came to be of an age of responsibility. But that's another sermon. Isaiah 55:1, “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” What it is is an invitation to sinners to come to God for cleansing, forgiveness, for spiritual life, and nourishment. And it is free. So we have to start out there, everyone is a sinner, under the wrath of God, condemned to an eternal hell, so their conduct as they get older just manifests it. That sweet little baby that just couldn't be any cuter will almost drive you insane by the time they get to their teenage years. Will I survive this? They become more manifest in character, some worse and some less. This is reality.

But God invites us to salvation, verse 6, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.” There is a warning here, you do it on God's time. God invites you to salvation. It's a dangerous thing to say no, I'll think about it, maybe tomorrow, maybe next week. Maybe not, “seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.” That's why Paul wrote to the Corinthian church and said, today is the day of salvation. God doesn't say think about it, maybe tomorrow, maybe next week. Maybe not. I'm not saying that it won't, but He gives you an invitation, seek Him while He may be found, there will come a time when it will be the last time, the opportunity will be gone. And for some the heart becomes so hardened, they are not open to it anymore. And I could give examples of people from this own ministry over many years and went to that, that the rejection came to a point there was no openness to even talk about it anymore.

“Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” There are no excuses here. You said I was conceived in sin, I was born a sinner, it's not my fault. Yes it is, you are to blame, I am to blame, because we chose as soon as we could. We began to manifest it very early, the selfishness that characterized. Think about that. If there had been no fall and Adam and Eve hadn't sinned, they would have had perfect babies who never squawked in the middle of the night to be fed because they wouldn't have been selfish. They would have just patiently waited for morning. Well, that's another subject for another time. But sin has brought this into the world. But God is gracious—come to Me. We are always looking for excuses, it's not my fault, I was born that way, it's not my fault this has happened, it's not my fault I was raised in poverty, it's not my fault. God says you are to blame, you are accountable, I hold you responsible. But come, it's free, I will give you a pardon, I'll have compassion. It gets no better than that.

All right, we're going to start back in the book of Genesis and we're going to look at what God says about creation, His will, His pattern and just work through some of this so we are clear. You start in Genesis 1. This is not complicated, it's very simple, it's a matter of do we believe what God says or not. Now you'll note, I said the devil does his work well. A hundred years ago, more than a hundred, a hundred and fifty years ago, whatever, something like evolution came in. There has always been human explanation but evolution was the idea God didn't create it, man did. That's just an example, you could go back earlier for others, but we are familiar with that, that's taught in our schools, evolution, didn't begin with God; but we come to God's Word and God says yes, it did. Look at Genesis 1:26, we're not going through all the days of creation, but verse 26, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over’ ” all the rest of creation. Man was created to have direct authority over all creation and at that point without sin all creation would have been in subjection to man. But he is created to rule. “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” And you'll note, here is where you begin to drift. When God created man, male and female He created them. We have this debate going on about using man generically. Where did it start? It started in my Bible in Genesis 1:27, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created him.” So since God created man as male and female, we talk about man in the sense of mankind, all. Now I realize that is offensive today, you shouldn't use that. We can only use generic terms. It's just a little way that we try to get our Bibles in so people will understand that this use of man in this verse, God instructs all men everywhere to repent. Well, obviously men there is used as a generic. Maybe I have to explain, the Bible uses it that way, and then on occasion we have reason to explain why it is used that way, because God used it that way. In fact He is going to name the first man as male, man. Do you know what the Hebrew word is? Adam.

So when He is going to come down to Genesis 2 then God gives the details. Verse 7, “The Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” That's Adam, Adam became a living being. And then the Garden. Verse 15, “The Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.” Man would have responsibility, there is no sin in the world, that would be a pleasure. Some of you enjoy gardening but there are problems with it because the result of sin in Genesis 3, there will be weeds, there will be bugs. But the fact of the gardening, it was a pleasant place. Then He gives man instruction, you can eat of all the trees, but you can't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, verse 17. Then the Lord God said to the man it's not good for him to be alone, I will make a helper corresponding to him, suitable for him, fitted to him. The word ‘helper’ is not a pejorative term, it's not something inferior. It's the word used of God being our helper, doing for us what we need to have done. So that word, well yeah . . . No, it's the one fitted for him. But that order is complete—I will make a helper fitted for him, that becomes key in the rest of Scripture.

So what does God do? Verse 21, not find helper in the animals. Some of you love your pets, that's fine. When we had a dog I used to say to Marilyn, I could use that affection. That doesn't have anything to do with this verse. So He is going to make a helper suitable for him, repeats what was said in verses 18 and 20. Then the man is put to sleep and God does surgery, He takes a side part out of the man and builds it into a woman. Now you'll note, He could have just taken more dust, more ground and made a woman and then brought her. There is a point in the way God did creation. He took the woman out of the man, so in that sense man is the term to cover male and female because it all begins with man as male. And then a woman will be made out of that male man. Think about that one. So verse 22, “The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.’ ” Note what he is saying, she is part of me, she is part of me. So she is not an independent created being like him, she is created to be a dependent being created for him to bring him to all that God intended him to be. God didn't intend him to function alone, He didn't intend him to have man as male as his closest companion. Nothing wrong with having men as friends, but they are not created to fill what God created the woman to fill. The same with a woman. “She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” We are back to the beginning, they were one flesh to begin with because she was made out of Adam's flesh. And now joining together, and expressing that in the physical relationship, and the sexual relationship expresses that. That's God's intention. It was intention from the beginning there would be marriage, there would be children. They were told to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

So then in Genesis 3 we have the fall into sin. Important that we establish here the clarity how God created, the details are important, this is crucial. We have some who say this is like accounts outside the Bible, the Babylonian creation account, others, it's not meant to be taken literally, it's mythology, creation mythology. There may be principles that are true but we don't take it… Wait a minute, the rest of the Bible does. One example before we look at the Old Testament some more. In Matthew 19 Jesus is asked by the religious leaders of His day about the issue of marriage and divorce. And Jesus' answer is very important to us. He basically says what is your problem, haven't you ever read the Scriptures? The One who created them in the beginning, created them male and female. Now Jesus our Savior takes literally the account in Genesis, just what we read in Genesis 1:27. “God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female He created them.” Then Genesis 2 explained in detail how He did. So Jesus, and that's a stinging rebuke to those religious leaders, Jewish leaders who prided themselves in such knowledge of Scripture when He said, didn't you ever read the beginning of the Torah, your Old Testament, the five books of Moses, how did God create, what is your problem? You'll note there is no room for moving away, well, culture is different, that wasn't meant to be taken literally. Jesus said it is just as it is recorded. So this is the foundation for everything else.

I want to walk you through some Old Testament passages. What God does through the Old Testament is make clear a male is a male human being, a female is a female human being when you talk about God's creating man. They are not to be blurred, the distinction must not be blurred. I say this because I have shared on other occasions, our emotions get drawn in—they are good people. So some Christian schools, and I took the articles out of my notes, I reread them but I decided not to share them with you, of Christian schools who now allow for same-sex relationships. Our feelings replace the objective authority of the Word of God, this is the battle all of us face as believers. When the Word of God addresses something I am doing that I shouldn't but I don't want to change, then I begin to maneuver and think well… There is no room for maneuvering.

Come over to Leviticus, we're still in the first five books of the Bible which is the Torah and the Scripture for Israel, foundational, given through Moses. Leviticus 12, and just going to read a little bit of this. What you'll see is God makes a distinction between a male and a female from birth. Verse 1, “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, “When a woman gives birth and bears a male,” so she gives birth to a male, a boy, “then she shall be unclean for seven days.” On the eighth day he is circumcised.” Verse 4, “Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification,” she remains unclean ceremonially, which restricts her. She can't touch any consecrated thing, she's not allowed in the sanctuary verse 4 says until the days of her purification. Thirty-three more days, a total of 40 days.

One thing you ought to pick up right here, they know from birth whether it is a boy or a girl. Now it has taken all the history of mankind for mankind to come to the place of stupidity he doesn't know. We just had two great-grandbabies born, that gives us four. Do you know what? They did an ultrasound, they told us what the baby was before it was born. I wonder how they knew. And you don't even have to be a scientist to know chromosome patterns. I've shared with you an article by one professor, he says I can tell you whether it is a male or female, look at the chromosome pattern. When they are born, a male will have this chromosome pattern, a female will have this chromosome pattern. No matter what kind of drugs they take, no matter what kind of surgery they have, no matter how they dress, when they die do you know what? They'll have the same chromosome pattern. They will be a male just like they were born, and they'll be a female just like they were born. And then there used to be an old rock and roll song, not that I listen to rock and roll, but it had a line in it—open your eyes and look, look. Sometimes we say look, isn't science supposed to deal with demonstrable evidence? And you have very intelligent people say we can't tell. Don't write on the birth certificate whether it is a boy or girl, they'll have to decide. I just want you to know God decided and it is clear.

What about if she bears a female? Verse 5, “If she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks.” How long was she unclean for a boy? One week. She bears a female, she's unclean for two weeks. “And she shall remain in the blood of her purification for 66 days,” that's double the amount for the male, for whatever reason, and we don't have to go into them. All we want to note here for this time, God makes a clear distinction from birth. And you'll note, it's not just that there is blood associated with birth, so the touching of the blood and that, we say that could have defiled. Both these babies are born of a woman. The distinction is made whether it is a boy that is born or a girl that is born. If a boy is born she is unclean for 40 days; if a female is born, a girl, she is unclean for 80 days. I don't have to explain it right now, we don't have to go into maybe why the reasons, the fact is God has made a clear distinction. Now if somebody were here saying, I can't say whether it is male or female, you have a problem, the mother has a problem. Everybody knows the Creator made it that way. In fact, as far as I know, we are the only major decision in the history of mankind who didn't know, sad as that is.

Come over to Leviticus 27. The distinction is clear throughout our lifetime. We don't have time to read this, you can mark the chapter, I'm just going to give you the points to note. What happens in chapter 27 is if a person takes a serious vow, a difficult vow, there is financial commitment to be made in connection with that vow, guaranteeing the vow and so on. So it is according to age, it is according to sex. Look at verse 3, “If your valuation” for how much they are required to pay, “is of the male from 20 years even to 60 years old, then your valuation shall be 50 shekels of silver… If it is a female, then your valuation shall be 30 shekels.” Now again you'll note there is a clear distinction between male and female. Israel could not function in obedience to God nor carry out their worship system without recognizing the distinctions. That's what the book of Leviticus is about, worshiping a God who is a holy God so you must be a holy people as God is holy, as He instructs them. And you go through each age, I'll just tell you. From 20 to 60 a male is 50 shekels of silver, a female is 30; from 5-20 years of age, younger, a male is 20 shekels, a female is 10; over 60 years of age a male is 15 shekels, a female is still 10. So it's the same for a female over 60 as from 5-20; it varies in the male. The important thing here is God keeps clear distinctions for Israel between male and female. Because homosexual practices and so on were and have been true, and you're aware through the Old Testament we see that happening. But for Israel there is to be 36:20 omit ‘no’ phrase distinction, there is to be clarification. And God assigns different roles and responsibilities, and to reject that and refuse to acknowledge it is to rebel against God. The penalty for trying to have a relationship with another man was death, the same for another woman. In Israel, it was an earthly nation, this is God's plan.

Come over to Numbers 1, they are taking a census. You'll note, verse 2, and this is the word of the Lord. Each of these chapters opens up with something like you have in Numbers 1:1, “Then the Lord spoke to Moses,” this is God's word, Moses records it, there is one ultimate author, God. He spoke and He tells him in verse 2, “Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, every male.” Wait a minute, this is a little bit sexist; the family units are identified by the father who is the head of the unit; you are only going to count the men. “Every male, head by head from 20 years old and upward, whoever is able to go out to war.” Verse 4, “With you, moreover, there shall be a man of each tribe, each one head of his father's household.” The women weren't the heads, God appoints the man to be head, it was so from creation, there is an order established. We fight that down, now the battles have gotten more open. For God's people it's clear, here is the way it is, there is an order, the men lead, the men go to war, they are the providers, the protectors for their family. And you are familiar where there may be exceptions, example of Deborah and Barak, but then there is a penalty for not being willing to go and fulfill the role as the man should have. But we'll leave that, too, for another day. Each man is the head of the tribe, and the tribes are counted by the men, head of each family unit. This is God's order, it's established, the census is done on that.

Then you have an extended list here. One of the things that makes the book of Numbers challenging sometimes is the numbers that we go through. In Israel there were no priestesses, there were only priests, male. A woman could not be a priest in Israel, all the men couldn't be either, in that sense, they were of the tribe of Levi and the guidelines there. But the point is a patriarchal society. Those who attack Scripture, and particularly the Old Testament because it was patriarchal, they are exactly right. But their attack is not against the system in Israel, their attack is against the God of Israel who established the order. But He established that before there was an Israel because remember we read Genesis 1 and 2. There is no nation of Israel until you start in Genesis 12, and there you begin with one man and his barren wife, Abram and Sarah. This is God's plan from creation, it's just going to be implemented and required among the nation that is God's people comprising it. There were no queens in Israel, there is an exception, Athaliah, but she is not one you want to take to be an example, the one who murders her own family during a godless time.

We as believers, we live, and remember, we are in Romans (in the morning worship service) and in Romans 12 “do not be conformed to this world,” don't be shaped by the world, don't be pressed into the world's mold, part of what the world does. The god of this world, he softens us up, he allows our feelings to take over and even subsequently replace the Word of God. And when that happens we are in rebellion against God, and it doesn't matter how I feel about it. There was a song, they even promoted it as somewhat a Christian song because some of the people connected with it claimed to be believers, “You Light up my Life.” Some of you remember that? It can't be wrong, it feels so right. Now can you believe some were promoting that, that was a Christian song conveying Christian truth? The key line, it can't be wrong, it feels so right. Well, that's what happens when we move away from the clear objective truth of God's Word.

I want to go with you to the book of Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 40. I want to just remind us, God's claim as Creator becomes foundational to much of the Word of God. Once you reject Him as the Creator of all things, you have laid the devil's foundation for the rest of everything. So it's marvelous. I've talked to believers and believers who are scientists and they claim to be theistic evolutionists, they claim to believe the Bible and believe salvation by grace through faith but the opening chapters of Genesis aren't to be taken literally. The earth is billions of years old and science has demonstrated that and along the way God may have adjusted but really He just used the process of evolution. What is it? Where do we cross a line where I can't accept you as a believer? I can't see your heart and you can claim to believe the Gospel, but at the same time to deny… The scientist says but I have good reasons. We want to be careful here.

Isaiah 40, look at verse 6. A reminder, this is a call to comfort God's people because He is a Savior and ultimately God's people, the judgment, the discipline and everything will ultimately bring them around. It is a prophecy of the coming of the Messiah, John the Baptist, verse 3, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness, make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.” That referred to John the Baptist. But come down to verse 6, “A voice says, ‘Call out.’ Then he answered, ‘What shall I call out?’ All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it. Surely the people are grass.” Can't miss that picture, Just like the grass and it seems beautiful, it seems lovely, but it wilts, the wind blows and there is nothing to it, its beauty is gone. That's what the people are, no matter how wealthy you are, no matter how beautiful you are, no matter what mansion you live in, you will be gone soon, I'll be gone soon. Like in the book of Ecclesiastes, a breath, transitory. “The grass withers, the flower fades,” verse 8, but note this, “the word of our God stands forever.” “The word of our God stands forever.” There is something permanent, enduring, and unchanging in this volatile world. And when God's people let go of that with a firm grasp we begin to float along with the world. We just have our own variation of worldly living. And if we don't hold on, who will? 1 Timothy 3 says the church is the pillar and support of the truth, and when the church lets go of its hold on the truth it becomes more and more like the world. That's why we keep reminding ourselves, God takes offense at those who challenge Him.

Look at verse 13, “Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord or as His counselor has informed Him?” Who has the audacity to challenge God, come up and say, I know that's what it says there but I don't agree with that? That's an offense to God. It shows the pride of man. Verse 15, “Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales.” Verse 17, “All the nations are as nothing before Him, they are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.” What is it that you would see believers so caught up in the affairs of the world that man can't sleep at night? Do you know what God says? They are less than a speck of dust to Me, they don't move the scale, they are nothing. He'd just have to go (blow breath of air), they are gone, they are transitory, they are temporary. That's why we want to be careful we don't get mixed up in these things.

Well, if the United States goes down, who is going to stand? My God will rule. I can understand the world ought to be in terror, we are disintegrating from within. I don't doubt that, the Bible tells me we are and will, but am I… What are we going to do? Now I not only have kids to worry about, I have grandkids, now we have to worry about great-grandkids, there is no stop to it. I remember my dad telling me, just remember your kids will always be your kids. I think he was trying to tell me something. But it all goes and the nations are nothing so remember that. As great as this nation is, and you hear the broadcasts, there has never been a nation as powerful as our nation and the world . . . And I say yes, but they are less than a speck of dust. So does God have to figure out now what He is going to do if the United States goes down?

Do you know what we have to be sure? That the trouble in the world doesn't become an excuse for us not to do what God says we must do, we are to be lights in this darkness. How am I going to answer to Him if He says, how did you get caught up in that mess? My will for you as one who belongs to Me was not to be part of the mess. You got so caught up in trying to fix the world that you forgot I didn't call you to fix the world. I called you to be a light to the world, I called you to call the world to the salvation that you found in Christ. How easily the world gets subtly into the church and we subtly get molded and shaped. Another time I am going to share with you something I've referred to, the criticism coming from within evangelicals and evangelical missions that the problem was that they only brought the Gospel of saving souls to South America. It wasn't the whole Gospel, they neglected the social needs, the injustice. We're rectifying that now, we've learned from Roman Catholicism and liberation theology we have to have a whole Gospel. I said, where is the truth? God is the Creator.

I have to read you a couple more verses. Go over to Isaiah 42:5, “Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it.” You note this, much time has gone by since Adam and Eve. Isaiah has to deal with coming judgment on the nation Israel and their rebellion against God. But God takes us back, He is the Creator, He created the heavens and stretched them out, gives breath to the people. Verse 8, “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give y glory to another, nor My praise to graven images,” other gods.” That's who He is. Verse 13, “The Lord will go forth like a warrior, He will around His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies.” We don't want to be on the wrong side. No matter where the world is, everybody holds this. Well, I only care what God holds. “Let every man be a liar and God be true.” We're not going to be shaped by the world.

There are other great verses, in chapter 43 he reminds them we are His witnesses, Isaiah 43:10, “ ‘You are My witnesses,’ declares the Lord.” That's why He saved us so we can announce that He is the Lord, there is no Savior besides Me says God. Isaiah 43:13, “Even from eternity I am He, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand.” We as believers, the more we allow the world to shape our thinking, most of us take in more of “the news” and with our electronic media and everything we are bombarded with it, we get more of that than we do the Word of God. And little by little we get shaped and then our feelings drive us, and how we feel about this, and I don't feel this is right, and I think that… God is not looking for advisers. He and He alone.

Come over to Isaiah 45 and then we have to be done. The most powerful man ruling the world empire will be Cyrus. And God says, and Cyrus is 300 years away from being born, but He tells Isaiah Cyrus is going to come on here. How did God know that? Because Who is sovereign? Look at verse 5, “I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God.” Then He says concerning Cyrus, “I will gird you, though you have not known Me.” I remind you of this, Cyrus never did become a believer, but he was God's servant because he did what God wanted done. He didn't know the living God but that shows you how much God is in control. Three hundred years from now I'll tell you what a man who doesn't know Me, who is going to rule the world at that time, is going to do. “I am the Lord,” the end of verse 6, “and there is no other. The One forming light and creating darkness.” Where do we get that? The opening chapters of Genesis. “Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these.” Then here is the one, and Paul refers to this, we saw it in our study in Romans 9 when man raises a question doubting about what God has done. “Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker, an earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth. Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’ or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands?’ ” Verse 12, It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands and I ordained all their hosts.” See, we are back to creation. So the foundational issue is one we have let go by and infiltrate our Christian schools, our churches. I talked to a man who is an elder in an evangelical church but he doesn't believe the creation account of Genesis. Where do you go? We have people who come to Indian Hills, they say they believe the Gospel, I'm saved, but they are comfortable not doing what God says. They think God thinks it's all right that I make excuses, I have reasons? Did God say think about this, see if it is okay? Tell me how you feel about this. We used to ask people, how do you think? Now we ask them, how do you feel? Because we assume people don't think anymore, they just do how they feel. If they feel like rioting in the streets, they riot. Did they ever give thought about how nonsensical that… No, I felt like… That's... But it comes down to us. We sort of think it's all right because I feel like this.

Well, we have to stop there, I'll have more to say about this tonight. Just want to be clear before we move onto other things. And if you don't know the Savior you could sit here every week and say amen to everything, but if your life is not submitted to the Lord, you are not fooling anyone. We sometimes think if I come up with enough excuses and reasons, God will be convinced. It isn't so. But He is a Savior and the invitation is now is a day of salvation, today could be that day.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your Word, thank you that it is a clear Word, it is Your Word. You give it so that we could hear it and understand it and believe it and in truly believing it submit ourselves to its truth. May that be true of us individually and as a church. We pray in Christ's name, amen.