God as you Know Him

God as you Know Him 2020 10 04

Acts 17:22 – 31

Much lip-service is given to some vague entity known as “God,” but to what advantage? Certain organizations speak of “God as you know Him,” and even more vaguely, your “Higher Power.” Who are these entities in reality? If you are the one defining him, or maybe her, what is to be gained by any knowledge of this mysterious being? Is anything to be gained? Or is this unknown person more of a placebo to focus on, to help you make yourself into a better person?

Acts 17:22 – 31

As previously announced, I have been working on a message on repentance. But in studying that very topic, it became clear that this must first be addressed, even as Brother Paul addressed it all those centuries ago. Who IS this UNKNOWN GOD? It seems from our passage that it is very important to know who He is, but again, who IS He?

Many go through the motions of asking this person into their hearts, but who are they asking into their hearts? Have YOU asked Him into YOUR heart?

Is He God as you know Him? Is He YOUR higher power? Or is He much more and greater than that? This must be critically important, because Paul said we must seek after Him and find Him.

I Superstition

  1. Superstition is defined as “a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation” or “an irrational abject attitude of mind toward the supernatural, nature or God resulting from superstition.” (Merriam-Webster) Dictionary.com defines it as “any blindly accepted belief or notion.”

  2. Paul cried out to the men of Athens from Mars Hill, “You men of Athens, I can see that in all things, you are too superstitious!”

    1. He had noticed the strange practice they held to, perfectly fitting the very description of superstition – they ignorantly worshipped at an altar with the inscription, “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.”

    2. They didn’t know who He was or anything about Him, but they worshipped this unknown God out of superstition, believing that He must exist because of certain observations, perhaps, but having no idea who He was.

II Many are the Same, Today

  1. There are many people, today, who are just like the men of Athens.

    1. These are not necessarily people who think of themselves as superstitious, but while they recognize some kind of God or Higher Power, do not really know who this Higher Power is or how to worship Him.

    2. Many there are who will pray to their unknown god or higher power in times of difficulty or trouble, but their god is a powerless god of their own creation.

      1. Their god is only as powerful as the power of their own mind.

  2. The Bible says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

    1. This is a clue: You must believe that HE is by faith. But this is not mere blind faith, or superstition, because you must diligently seek HIM! It would be crazy to be expected to diligently seek someone who does not exist!

      1. This means that you cannot be carelessly worshipping some vague higher power or God as you know Him by the power of your own mind, but you need to know who He is!

      2. The Bible says, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23,24

III Who IS He?

      1. Paul told the men of Athens that they were too superstitious. They were worshipping God as they knew Him, but so little did they actually know Him that they made an altar with the inscription, “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.”

        1. Paul said that He is God who made the world and all things therein.

          1. This tells us clearly who He is. The Bible say, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” John 1:1 – 4 John 1:7 further tells us, that John the Baptist, “…came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.” And finally, we read in John 1:12 – 14, that, “…as many as received him, to them gave he power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God, and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

          2. So it is clear that God is not simply “God as you know Him,” nor is He simply, “Your Higher Power,” but He is Jesus Christ.

        2. He doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, nor is He worshipped with men’s hands, as if He needed anything. He is almighty God.

        3. He gives life and breath to all things.

        4. He has made all nations of one blood.

          1. God did not make races. He made nations. You will not find the word, “race,” in the Bible, except in the two places where it is talking about a race as a contest!

          2. He is NOT the “white man’s god,” but the God of ALL!

        5. He has determined from eternity the boundaries of the nations. Nations have borders for a reason! Genesis 10:31 – 11:9

        6. He expects every human being to seek the Lord, even though He is not far from every one of us

        7. We live and have our being in Him

        8. We are His offspring

          1. This does not mean we are His children just because we are born, but that we come from Him and have our life from Him. It is He who created us, not we who created Him.

          2. Paul further clarified this point when he said that the Godhead is not like gold, silver or stone, carved by man.

IV We all Must Answer to Him vv 30,31

      1. There is a day coming when God is going to judge the world. He has appointed a day. The day of judgment has been set. God has commanded everyone everywhere to repent. We must give an answer, either trusting in a “higher power, god as you know him,” a concoction of our own minds, or in the blood of Jesus Christ, our Creator, who stepped into this world, became a man, and paid the full price for our sins.

        1. We must answer to the One who has given us assurance, or proof, that He will do what He says, in that He has raised Jesus Christ from the dead, just as He said He would. No other fact in history is as well-documented as the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Only a fool would deny it.

      2. Everyone, everywhere, must repent, or spend eternity in Hell, out of the presence of God, the giver of life.

        1. To repent is to turn from believing in yourself and the things of this world to believing in God and doing as He says by putting your faith in Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

God is not simply a “higher power,” or a “god as you now him.” He is not an unknown god, because He has revealed Himself to us in His Word. The Bible says that all scripture is given by God, Himself (2 Timothy 3:16). He has not remained unknown, nor hidden Himself in some way, nor remained unknown. From the beginning, He has never been far away from every one of us. He has made Himself known to us by what He has made, by what He has told us in His Word, and by His own Son, Jesus Christ, and now commands all people, everywhere, to repent. Make sure your faith is in Jesus Christ, not some “higher power” or “god-as-you-know-him,” and He will give you everlasting life.