The Consumer is NOT King

Is there anything in your past that causes you to wonder if you're outside each of God's grace that is the invitation, and that is the impartiality of the gospel saves the I hear you talk about the proclamation of grace. But you don't know my past.

You don't know what you don't know my past.

I don't know your past, but I can tell you with Jesus Christ you have a future. You have a future and it is something you cannot that category of center and by the way you do.

Jesus Christ came for you, but there's a common hindrance that keeps many people from responding to the message of the gospel today, you'll learn what that hindrance is as well as the solution. This is wisdom for the heart. Today Stephen Davey looks at the power of God's saving grace as it continues through a series entitled how to get to heaven from Earth. Stay with us interesting.

I was reading on the USA Today and the front page headline announced. You want your way this newspaper article begin America is becoming a nation of picky eaters where in just the last year. 70% of restaurant orders had some form of personal customizing the article on to quote Ron Shipe who said we live in an ever-increasing world of quote give me a lot of choices so I can customize Ron Shipe believes customization is the way to go and with it he has turned his company Panera bread in only 10 years and will one billion-dollar operation what the food giants want to know is what will people want one thing is certain customers want choice would be so bad if we could keep that growing sentiment that growing philosophy in the coffee shop or in the grocery store. The consumer is K will give you whatever you want to consume we can.

It happens to be our current national anthem. Rightly, Duke University with its own politically correct makeover two years ago I read this article its annual encouragement because it's supposedly really just go right. It challenges its students toward chastity in a particular word was challenged 24 months ago by homosexuals on campus.

They confront of the faculty. Does the faculty mean to imply that their activity is unchaste to the faculty put their heads together and decided to redefine chastity so that he could now include sexual relations between members of the same sex, but evidently not between members of the opposite sex but just redefine the definitions make it all up at all cost.

So whatever happens, the consumer can get what the consumer wants because the consumer is king. But frankly, that it really bothered me because I expect the world to live. That is the bottom dollar that is the way those without the authority of God's word, act and live.

What really keeps me up at night is the fact that the church is adopting this attitude more and more and more and more their students graduated from seminary I graduated from the train and challenge that when they got to plant a church.

All that is no polar neighborhood asked the people what they want to have it if you give them what they want to have them come. Consumerism is now the practical theology of men entering the ministry is all built around the phrase felt needs will meet your fellow needs. What if we don't know what we really need what we really need is God and his word. While it may trouble us to some other need that really is less important. So, most churches now Tuzla wants to believe and will vote to decide. It will get its vote from some synods some hierarchy and it will believe and teach those things don't get so hung up on the Bible and besides no longer really is the only authority the consumer now has the freedom to carve it up disregard some of it disagree with much of it believe some of it scoff at the rest of it. It doesn't matter God won't mind was well demonstrated by an interview recently with longtime musician Paul Simon who was asked what you think God requires out of us.

He responded, and I quote the only thing that God requires from us is that we enjoy life in that convenient, you know, the only thing God demands of you is that you have a good time in life is in parenting teenagers.

That way when I philosophy in Friday night honey I don't care what you do out there. Just make sure you have fun, for heaven's meaning because you ready to go to school. I don't care what happens at skill was that young man listen to me you just have fun. How convenient that is. Someone recently sent me the satirical cartoon. It shows a middle-aged man sort facing the camera, who announces quote I have just edited the New Testament to make it reflect our individual rights to her own choice of lifestyles. I have cut out all the New Testament passages which refer to sinful activity of all kinds. Then I went on and took the liberty of removing all of the offensive sections which seem to inflict archaic biblical notions of authority and morality, leaving only one nonoffensive verse. Jesus wept. This attitude of consumer sovereignty and self-sufficiency is a new course go back to 1875 when a man named William Henley wrote a poem you never memorize, but you know the last phrase it by heart is famous palm attribute to human self autonomy and self reliance and self-sufficiency, and pride is entitled in fictive sort, invincible out of the night that covers me, Black as a pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate I am the captain of my soul simply another way of saying what our nature loves to declare I the consumer. Am King but it didn't start there you go all the way back.

In fact, to the Garden of Eden.

The very first man and woman who ever lived, became infected with this consumerism. Think about Adam and Eve decided they wanted something that wasn't on the menu either we believe whatever we want to eat we will believe whatever we want to believe and they did and then God visited them, and they discovered the harsh absolute reality that they were not King God was king. In Romans chapter 10 Paul is in the process of telling his world of consumers and ours. A number of things primarily they're not getting it heaven the way they want their I got to get to go the way they think they want to go there not going to be able to redefine God to not be able to redefine salvation.

This is the absolute truth from polls inspired pin and it sounds like bad news, but eventually becomes very good news. Let's rejoin our study, let me show you where Romans chapter 10 verse 11 in this first of three things I want to give you this is first of all, the invitation of the gospel for the Scripture says you want to stop there long enough to understand this is not the opinion of Paul is not the opinion of man. This is the opinion of God. The Scripture says whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.

Would you know that Paul does not say whoever believes in himself. Whoever believes in the church, even whoever believes in the latest spiritual fat as long as you believe in something, God will understand.

No, Paul says very clearly whoever believes in him you want to circle the word him. You might ask whose him will go back to verse nine. If there's any question that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness and the with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says whoever believes in him. The antecedent is our Lord Jesus Christ, and this is the invitation of the gospel. Whoever believes in him and Paul in this gospel presentation bookends that thought with him. Verse 11 looked out of verse 13. For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

Call upon him. What is it mean call upon him. Let me give you four things. It means first of all to acknowledge him in the book of Genesis. It says there came a time when men began to call on the name of the Lord. In other words, they begin to acknowledge his sovereignty and authority over their lives. It means to acknowledge. Second of all it means to praise him.

David wrote is someone 45 make glad the soul of your servant for you, oh Lord I lift up my soul for you, Lord, are good and ready to forgive and abundant in loving kindness to all who call upon you. It means to identify with him. Thirdly, Paul wrote to the Corinthians to the church of God which is at Corinth, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. In other words, calling on the name of the Lord becomes an identifier of the believer. With this object of identification who is Jesus Christ there to call on him means to identify with his nature and his name is Dede's attribute for that means to depend upon him for salvation and another song David saying these words. I called upon the name of the Lord.

Oh Lord, I beseech these say my life. I love that song save my life.

Psalm 116 45 so to call upon the Lord means to depend upon him for salvation to identify with him and salvation appraise him and to worship him in salvation.

Would you notice not only belabor the point. Too much but you notice that Paul repeatedly defines the object of our worship.

The object of identification.

The object of our praise. The object of our salvation. He says whoever believes verse 11 in him. Verse 13 whoever calls upon the name of the Lord, and there you have it again, the Lord, all capital letters probably in your translation is that Greek word curious which, as we study last session translates Yahweh or Jehovah. It is this Lord.

It is not any Lord is not one you make up it is the Yahweh and flashed. It is this Jehovah God among us: saying in this invitation of the gospel. I invite you to this Lord and Savior.

You see those two titles use repeatedly. Don't you Lord and Savior Lord and Savior Lord and Savior. Think of these two titles in this way, Lord, is a reference to who he is Yahweh in the flesh. Jehovah in skin and bones. That's who we is Savior.

That's what he did. He came to die to seek and to save those who are also whoever calls upon the name of the Lord then believes who we is and what he has done Hilary Swank and actress who won the 1999 Oscar for best actress was asked I don't know if this is a Christian journalist who would come a blunt question, but where does Jesus fit in all your successes in life, and she responded somewhat embarrassed quote.

It's not like were Catholic or Christian or Episcopal or practicing Judaism or Buddhism. Even we just kind of believe in a higher power and course we hear that all the time right she want to add these interesting words and that doesn't mean a man God or somebody on a cross. You see, in one sentence. She denied who Jesus was the man God or God, man, and she denied what he died on the cross. But of course was thus buried, and rose again from the dead to call upon the name of the Lord is to recognize and believe in the very core of your being that he is who he is and who he said he is and he did what he did and what he said did not long ago a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, law professor at Depaul University, said this before the cameras in the world who lapped it up as it was some kind of sophisticated wisdom.

All religions lead to God using different paths. We've heard all that before. Right.

The judgment is not by the choice we make, but by how we pursue the path of the choice we make different religions are equal in the eyes of God and should be seen as equal in the eyes of man. So which God is. It could be a contradictory God to another God could be the God of India colleague whose temple I visited I saw her picture of the goddess with her long tongue hanging down to the ground, ready to lap up the blood of sacrifices is it… Or is it the God of the Old Testament is of the God of the revealed in Christ.

Which is it is it that the law of non-contradiction no longer exists.

The two separate contradicting beliefs could somehow both be right this and my friends of that man were to take his logic back into his own field of law and to the decisions of the cords we have social chaos in a few days he were to take that logic into the field of science in physics and geometry on rhetoric, he would fail. And so when we every class. But you take religion and it doesn't matter, and I can move in with that law of contradiction in doesn't matter what you believe. Suddenly God just become so simpleminded and absent-minded that he really didn't care how you compasses longer having fun on the what. Remember, the consumer is king. Whether you're choosing 19,000 different options for coffee or between 19,000 God's this is the invitation of the gospel. Secondly, I want to show you the impartiality of the gospel to look back at verse 12 for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek for the same Lord is Lord of all that didn't even shock you did it.

There wasn't any hair on the back of your neck that immediately just to the reader here did see it's difficult to imagine the shock of this truth that Paul presents. Once again, but think of this white as shocking as it is to your friends and even your family, your coworkers, those people on that campus.

Those professors those shop workers. Whoever it is as shocking as it is to the people in your world to hear you say that salvation can only come one way, it was equally shocking to the June arena. Here are that salvation could come to more than one race Jew and Gentile. You can imagine, it is irritating as it is. And people say to you to tell me that you believe that only those who believe in Jesus Christ but you would be saying me to tell me Paul that the Gentiles can go to heaven with Jews. He is preaching a politically incorrect message to them. But it is a new fact. Chapters 9 and 10 of Romans quote more Old Testament passages than any other two New Testament passages in the entire New Testament all called as a string one to the other. What I just read you is quoted by Isaiah and pulse quoting him rather loosely. He's quoting the prophet Joel here, the plan of salvation is always been faith in God's redemptive plan in person.

The Jews were entrusted with this they were to be the blessing to the nations of the world through them. Paul is already taught us in Romans nine became the law and the prophets and the covenants and the blessings of the patriarchs and the Messiah go as evangelists in the world and tell them this but they hoarded it they Did and by the time of Paul.

They had developed a lifestyle that was anything but loving and compassionate and evangelistic and on the first century, when a Jew would return from abroad before he would come to the city limits of his city, he would take off his shoes and he would shake the dust out of them in dirt and he would brush his clothing and he would get all of the dust in the dirt off of him. Why, because he didn't want to defile the holy land with Gentile dirt.

They developed isolating customs in dealing with Gentiles, they wouldn't enter Gentile house. They wouldn't shake it Gentile hand they wouldn't eat or drink from a Gentile cup plate.

They wouldn't as much as get near want to say could help it. Every morning an Orthodox Jew would pray, among other things, he would say, oh God, I thank you that I was not born Gentile. That's why was so amazing that Jesus set by that well and I things John Foran comes the Samaritan. They were even more so that was a mixed blood Gentile and Jew.

They were hated even more by the Jews.

They would even speak to a Samaritan and here comes the Samaritan woman and Jesus says to her, would you give me a drink of water. Not only does he speak to her. But he says I'll drink out of your cup in her first response is how is it that you being a Jew would speak to me what you mean, Paul. There's no distinction between Jew and Gentile. What you mean that they can become the people of God. We are the holy ones.

We are separated we are his race and Paul gives this radical truth to his audience.

Guess who's going to happen. Gentiles Jews if they come to the name of the Lord. I remember reading several years ago about Robert E Lee who entered the church sometime after the Civil War and he was seated next to a former slave sang together and knelt in the order that service and pray together afterward somebody criticized Gen. Lee said why would you kneel and pray next to that man and he responded. I love this phrase he said the ground at the foot of the cross is left is left there is no race there.

There is no social standing there, you just come by means of this person called Jesus Christ and his ministry newsletter Leonard Ravenhill told about a group of tourists visiting picturesque village and Europe. They walked by this one village by an old man sitting beside the path next to the fence and in a rather patronizing way. One of the tourists asked this old man to say with many great men born in your village. Now he said just babies, ladies and gentlemen.

There are no great people born in the kingdom of God. Only sinners that is the invitation, and that is the impartiality of the gospel you say the Stephen you don't know me, I hear you talk about the proclamation of grace, but you don't know my past. You don't know what I done. You don't know my past. I will know your past, but I can tell you with Jesus Christ you have a future. You have a future and it is something you cannot imagine the fact that lead me to the third thing that would be the inheritance of the gospel as he talks a little bit pulls back the curtain just a tad here. Go back at verse 12, where he talks about her inheritance. He says there is no distinction between Jew and Greek for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon him abounding in riches.

That's a sermon all by itself. Just take that word riches in your own personal study sometime and you just track it through the Bible, he will believe the implications for the life of the believer. Just do that K study the word riches. I want to give you at least a couple of passages Paul wrote to the Ephesians, referring to their incredible wealth. He says in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which Eli based on solid he just lavished on us. We are wealthy by means of his grace. Verse four of chapter 2, he says to the Ephesians but God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places, so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, we have these rounds awaiting us.

As will be co-writers with Christ.

Let me try to make you imagine at least a little bit of it. If I were to tell you after the service that I have this piece of paper appear. It's a document and if you come up after the service and sign it, promising that you'll join the church. That's what it says here within 48 hours, you'll receive $100 million to ready get set think there be a line. What if it were true, you sign here you will join the church and you're going to inherit $100 million. But not just that I'm to give you the key zero new personal estate orchards and gardens can be run River flowing through it and you can sit dividing swim in any cell, Stephen Allen, strength love to swim all of that reminds me also give you potion that will sorta revert all the effects of age and return you to a youthful age and health, and free from all your diseases and all your aches and pains and in life and you say that with rest of your life and it's all yours. Just sign right here it's all yours your friends most of us in this auditorium will experience everything I just said and so much more within the next 48 years guaranteed some sooner, some later not because you join this church but because you join the family of God. You took Paul with his word and at some point in your life, you called on the name of the Lord for salvation and saved and within 48 years you had that new body that new mind that new memory, sinless perfection, a new earth to explore and enjoys a personal residence with a river of life flowing through ago also commonplace. You walk its pavement.

Imagine that.

Never a sad thought ever again. Not a single thoughts. Nothing along those lines.

We cannot imagine the external and the internal riches of God through Jesus Christ. Paul, in this chapter lays, as it were the responsibility at our feet and is very interesting to me how he presents this. He, in effect, says if you want this. Ask but you have to ask the Lord Jehovah. You have to believe in who he is and what he has done for those who don't. Perhaps it's because they want to be king for now and refuse the King of Kings and maybe you're here like that in your gonna say none.

And though I how many continue to parrot the words of Hendley who rode with what I believe futile courage and misguided faith. Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate I am the captain of my soul. Maybe you can parrot the words of an anonymous Christian who many years ago, wrote a response to Henley's convicted that goes like this.

Out of the light dazzles bright as the sun from pole to pole, I thank the God I know to be for Christ. The conqueror of my soul.

It matters not those strait the gate, he cleared from punishments the scroll, Christ is the master of my fate. Christ is the captain of my soul.

Consumer is not Christ is King of the gospel. Taking hold in the life of an unbeliever is the belief that we are in charge and a desire to keep it that way. There's only one king, Jesus Christ, and only one appropriate response to him, faith. I hope today's lesson has encouraged you. This is wisdom for the heart. Stephen called today's lesson the consumer is not King. It's from his series entitled how to get to heaven from Earth. There's more lessons in this series and will bring you those in the days ahead.

Stephen is the president of shepherd's theological seminary in Cary, North Carolina. You can learn more about us@wisdomonline.org at the bottom of that website is a link to shepherd seminary you like information about how you can pursue graduate level theological training school offers in person training in North Carolina, Wyoming, Texas and Florida visit wisdom online.org to learn and then join us next time here on wisdom