Earthquakes are pretty common experiences in Alaska, but have you ever paused to consider why some quakes are so much more devastating than others? The Great San Francisco Earthquake was so devastating because about 1/3 of the city was built over an old lake bed that had been filled with debris. As a result, the homes that were built on that lake bed had the illusion that they had a good foundation. But unseen, 60 feet below, was a water saturated subsoil that once shaken would multiply the effect of an earthquake by 10 times. Everything that once stood on that filled-in lake bed collapsed, like building blocks on jello.
That is the danger of building a life on a lie. Everything else, no matter how well constructed, how true or how strong will collapse if the first things are not true.
What we believe about God is foundational to our entire belief system. If we have wrong thinking about God we will have wrong thinking about everything else.
What we believe about God determines how we live.
This past Sunday we looked at lies people believe about God and how those lies shape how we think and how we live. The World wants you to believe that there are MANY ways to God; Jesus said there is ONLY One (John 14:6). The World wants you to believe that the God of the Old Testament has “changed” and He is now more tolerant of sin and more focused on grace and mercy. God said, “I am the Lord, I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6). The World wants you to believe that “a loving God would not send people to Hell.” Scripture says that God provided to EVERYONE the opportunity to choose to go to Heaven by accepting the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ (John 3:16) and that God desires that NONE perish (2 Peter 3:9). Since the Serpent first deceived Eve in the Garden, Satan has been practicing his lying. He specializes in slandering God by trying to make us believe that God really isn’t all that good; that He doesn’t have our best interests at heart. The truth is that God is Good – All the time (Psalms 119:68).
What we must understand and accept is that TRUTH IS EXCLUSIVE! Either you believe the Bible or you don’t. Each one of us has to make a personal decision: upon what foundation am I going to build my life? The Firm foundation of the Exclusive truth of Scripture or the flawed foundation of the lies of Satan and the World. Choose wisely – the consequences are eternal.
-Pastor Dave Jones