The Only True God

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 17th of September, 2023, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  A recording should be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams.]

This morning we sang and spoke of God’s majesty, and it is right that we should do so.  That word majesty has been used for centuries to denote human royalty, a king or queen, or their children.  It means lofty, regal, holding supreme authority.  And that certainly describes God.  He sits high upon His heavenly throne.  He is the King above all kings.  And He holds the ultimate authority over all of creation because He is the Creator of all.

Now I admit that this is what we believe, and not everyone will agree with us.  First, this belief accepts that God is living, has always been alive, will always live.  Second, it accepts that God is the only god, that there are no other gods in existence.

There are many today who will not agree with the first, who say that God is dead, or that even if He is alive, He doesn’t care about mankind and has gone away.  And throughout history, man has worshiped many gods, even creating some with their own hands.  The god of the sun, a god of the stars, a god of wind, a god of fire, a god of water, gods of fertility, gods of the harvest, and on and on.  These people just couldn’t accept that there was only one true God who created all and manages all creation.  Sadly, some still can’t, even today.  They do not, or cannot, recognize and acknowledge the one true living God.

Family, I’ve given you a break from the New Testament epistles the last two Sundays, but today I’d like to return to them and close out John’s 1st letter.  And it is fitting that we do, because in this, John reassures us of the truth of God, and of Jesus His Son.

Throughout this 1st letter, John has emphasized love – God’s love for us, and our commandment to love others as we are loved by God.  He has given us instructions on how to conduct ourselves as Christians, our reasons for helping others, our need of separating ourselves from the ways of the world even as we must live in the world.  He has shown us how we should fellowship together, and warned us to be cautious of those who would come among us to teach false doctrine.  He has given us a way to distinguish between children of God and children of the devil, by whether or not they confess that Christ Jesus has come from God in the flesh.  And he has presented verification of our Christ’s credentials to us, as witnessed to by God at His baptism and before His crucifixion, and by His Holy Spirit speaking in our hearts.

So now let us be assured of the only true God’s sovereignty, His mercy, and our eternal life through His Son.  Please listen and follow along to the conclusion of the Apostle John’s 1st letter to the early church, from chapter 5 verses 13 through 21, and I’ll be reading from The Living Bible version of our Holy Bible this morning…

13 I have written this to you who believe in the Son of God so that you may know you have eternal life. 14 And we are sure of this, that He will listen to us whenever we ask Him for anything in line with His will. 15 And if we really know He is listening when we talk to Him and make our requests, then we can be sure that He will answer us.

16 If you see a Christian sinning in a way that does not end in death, you should ask God to forgive him, and God will give him life unless he has sinned that one fatal sin. But there is that one sin which ends in death, and if he has done that, there is no use praying for him. 17 Every wrong is a sin, of course. I’m not talking about these ordinary sins; I am speaking of that one that ends in death.

18 No one who has become part of God’s family makes a practice of sinning, for Christ, God’s Son, holds him securely, and the devil cannot get his hands on him. 19 We know that we are children of God and that all the rest of the world around us is under Satan’s power and control. 20 And we know that Christ, God’s Son, has come to help us understand and find the true God. And now we are in God because we are in Jesus Christ His Son, who is the only true God; and He is eternal Life.

21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. Amen.

Sincerely, John

--1 John 5:13-21 (TLB)

Let us pray…  Almighty God, Thank You for assuring us, through Your own voice, that Jesus is Your Son, sent to wash away our sin and offer us eternal life with You in heaven.  And thank You for making sure we will know this by having Your child and Jesus’ beloved apostle John write it in his letters to the early church, saved for us.  Father, we believe that You are indeed the one true God, the only true God.  Anything made by human hands can never be god because we are flawed and what we make will be flawed.  Only You are God, and You created all there is.  Thank You, Father, for loving us enough to give us the faith to believe.  Thank You for wanting us to live with You forever in Your heavenly home.  Sadly, Father, sometimes we are bombarded by messages of disbelief.  Too often we’re mocked and scorned for our belief.  And sometimes we give in to what others say.  Forgive us these times, please Father.  Help us keep our faith strong and vital.  Keep reminding us that You are always at our side.  Please help us by shielding us from all those who serve Satan and carry out his wicked deeds here on earth.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe in the days ahead.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Help us avoid committing that one fatal sin, and help us seek Your forgiveness for ourselves and others who sin.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Theologian Klyne Snodgrass, in his book, Between Two Truths - Living with Biblical Tensions, tells this little story:

Once the Devil was walking along with one of his cohorts.  They saw a man ahead of them pick up something shiny.  "What did he find?", asked the cohort. 

"A piece of the truth," the Devil replied. 

"Doesn't it bother you that he found a piece of the truth?", asked the cohort. 

"No," said the Devil, "I will see to it that he makes a religion out of it."

Making a religion out of a piece of the truth.  Many might wonder how that could be a bad thing.  Well, we only need look to the Pharisees as an example of how a piece of the truth, the truth that is God, can be shaped into an all-encompassing religion that actually takes away from worshiping God.  When religion gets in the way of worshiping God, it becomes a bad thing.  Jesus came to remind us that’s it’s all about love – God’s love for us, and our love for Him, shown by our worshiping and serving Him.  He told the Pharisees they had it all wrong, and one name Saul finally saw the truth once the Lord blinded him.

We still try to make religion out of things and concepts and ideas, even when we know the truth.  How many worship at the throne of NASCAR or the NFL on Sundays?  How many seek only after the almighty dollar?  How many fawn over celebrities and human idols?

Where we place our love, our heart, our worship, that is our god.  Let’s make sure we worship only the one true God.

John closes his 1st letter by assuring us of our eternal life in heaven because we believe in the Son of God.  We believe in Jesus, and we believe God will listen to our prayers because Jesus said He will.  But notice that John explains that God will answer our requests if what we ask is in line with His will.  If we ask for a million dollars and it isn’t in God’s will for us to have a million dollars, we won’t get it.  This is why, when we pray here in church, we say that we’re not asking God to do anything that isn’t in His will, but that He please include what we ask in His will.  If we’re not greedy or spiteful or seeking to advance our own agenda, but instead are asking for help out of love and trying to do His work, He will answer our request in a way that works to the good of all who love Him and are His called.  Because God is good, and He loves us dearly.

Then John speaks to us about sinning, and especially sinning in a way that ends in death.  Now we need to understand that this sin isn’t something like murdering someone and being sentenced to death by the courts of man.  Death in the Christian, biblical sense is the ultimate death, the final death – being separated forever from God.

John says there is one fatal sin, and if a person has committed it, then nothing can save them - no amount of prayer will help - for they are doomed.  We know that sin is disobedience of God, and so there are many sins we might be guilty of.  Which is this one fatal sin?

The Apostle Mark tells us of a time when a great multitude had gathered to be touched and healed by Jesus and to hear Him teach.  Some scribes in the crowd began spreading the word that Jesus could do all these miracles because He was possessed by a demon and had the spirit of the devil in Him.  After Jesus rebuked them, He said this to the crowd, as reported by Mark in the 3rd chapter of his Gospel account, verses 28 and 29...

28 “I solemnly declare that any sin of man can be forgiven, even blasphemy against Me; 29 but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit can never be forgiven. It is an eternal sin.”

--Mark 3:28-29 (TLB)

The spirit within Jesus was God’s own Holy Spirit, not the spirit of Satan.  We know this because the Holy Spirit descended on Him as a dove after he arose from the River Jordan at His baptism.  So the scribes were in effect saying that God’s Holy Spirit is the spirit of the devil.  And that is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which can never be forgiven.  Denying God’s Holy Spirit is the one fatal sin.  Commit that sin and lose all hope.

We can take heart in knowing that Jesus will help us not to sin, and especially not the fatal sin, for we are children of God, the one true God.  The rest of the world around us might be under Satan’s power and control, but we belong to God through Jesus His Son.

The Apostle Paul addresses the church at Thessalonica, and us, by saying "to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ".  In his 1st Letter to the Thessalonians, verse 8 through 10, Paul goes on to say...

8 And now the Word of the Lord has spread out from you to others everywhere, far beyond your boundaries, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your remarkable faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, 9 for they keep telling us about the wonderful welcome you gave us, and how you turned away from your idols to God so that now the living and true God only is your Master. 10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the return of God’s Son from heaven — Jesus, whom God brought back to life — and He is our only Savior from God’s terrible anger against sin.

--1 Thessalonians 1:8-10 (TLB)

The Word of the Lord was spreading out from that church family in Thessalonica to others in the surrounding region.  They were sharing the Gospel with everyone, just as Jesus told us to.  This church family consisted mostly of converted Gentiles, as noted in verse 9.  They had turned away from their idols and pagan gods and accepted the one true God as their Master.  They rejoiced in their salvation through Jesus, God’s Son from heaven whom God brought back to life.  And they let others know that Jesus is our only Savior, the only One who can save us from God’s terrible anger against sin and disobedience.

Family, this is our job, too.  The Thessalonians carried it out not as a responsibility or as a chore, but as a blessing and out of love.  They wanted others to know the same joy they had found, to get the same everlasting life in paradise that they would receive.

This is the mission Christ Jesus gave us, to make more disciples by telling others about Him and sharing His love through our love.  Let us turn away from our idols and false gods, from anything we worship that is not the one true God.  We must not let anything, not even religion, get in the way of our worshiping God and serving Him.  Let us go out into the world, ignoring the hatred it levels at us, resisting the temptations to turn from our mission, and spread the Good News of salvation through Jesus alone – Jesus, the Son of the one true God.

In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, who gave His all for us.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for showering us with Your mercy, Your love, and Your blessings.  Even when we rebel against You, You love us and forgive us.   Most of all, Father, we thank You for giving us the faith to believe in Jesus as Your Christ, Your Son, that by our belief, we are assured we will live with You in heaven forever.  Forgive us those times, please Father, when we let other interests get in the way of our worship.  Forgive us when we make for ourselves idols and false gods.  Forgive us when we fail to spend more time with You and with Your word.  Forgive us when we neglect the needs of others, when we turn our back on them or cross the street to avoid them,  when we let fear or hatred overrule our love.  Please help us be more like Jesus and do good while we still walk this earth.  And please, Father, shield us from Satan as he attacks our faith and tries to pull us away from You.  Help us be better servants, glorifying You in all we do so that the world can see You in us, through our deeds, in how we live.  And help us remain strong, faithful, and true to You in all things, no matter what the world throws at us or holds out before us.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, by our faith we believe that You are the Son of the one true living God, sent to atone for our sin by Your blood shed for us.  Thank You, Jesus, for redeeming us when we are so undeserving.  Before You returned to heaven, You left us with a mission to carry out.  You commanded us to love others as we love ourselves, and to make more disciples of the nations.  We show our love by helping others come to know You so they too can be saved.  Please forgive us when we fail to carry out the job You gave us.  Forgive us when we hesitate out of fear of what others may think of us, or of getting everything wrong.  We pray, Lord, that You will stay by our side and help us reach out to others, giving us the right words to say, the right actions to take.  And Jesus, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and empty promises.  Guide us around all traps and snares he lays in our path.  Help us see though his temptations.

Lord Jesus, please help us be faithful and true to You, putting all our trust in You, all our hope in You.  Please heal the hurts that separate and divide us one from another.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.