Calling God a Liar?

I struggled with the title of my message this week. It seemed like such an unconventional title, one that was a jolt of lightning in my mind when it arrived in my thoughts as I pondered on what I should write about. Calling God a liar? How exactly does one accomplish that? Are we even guilty of that?

We worry about the visible sins in our lives, but what about the invisible sins, the ones no one knows about but us and God? Because no one knows about them, we often find ourselves procrastinating when it comes to dealing with them, and while we delay we condemn the same faults in others that we ourselves are guilty of.

1 John 1:10 states that if we say are without sin, we are deceiving ourselves and also calling God a liar. Cherished sins, though often hidden from the prying human eyes, do not escape the eyes of the One who searches the hearts of men and reads them like an open book (Prov 21:2).  When mixed with pride, these invisible sins are a dangerous concoction brewing in our hearts leading to denial (a state of spiritual blindness where we refuse to acknowledge our sins) which further leads to the trap of presumption which makes our hearts hard so that we cannot admit our need of a Saviour. This is a very dangerous condition which often leads to a festering wound of hypocrisy, which destroys the credibility of our witness for Christ.

There is also the other extreme, where people have committed such heinous sins that they think they don’t deserve to be forgiven or cannot be forgiven. The Bible provides many examples of people in history who experienced God’s great forgiveness regardless of the “size or seriousness of the sin” in men’s eyes. King David was forgiven for lying, adultery and murder when he confessed it to God and was able to say: “Blessed is he whose transgression is covered and whose sins are forgiven.”

Both extremes lead to the deadly sin of calling God a liar. We call God a liar when we think we have no need of His forgiveness because we refuse to admit our failures. We also call him a liar when we underestimate His redeeming love for us and His ability to save to the utmost all who call on Him. (Heb 7:25) Some of us find ourselves hemmed in by a pattern of destructive, dangerous sinful practices. It’s one thing accepting the Lord and being baptized. That only leads to a greater confrontation with sin than ever before, a spiritual battle we will wage all our lives, but praise God that with Him ALL things are possible! (Matt 19:25-26) Jesus wasn’t lying when He said this! Old habits die hard, but deliverance is ours if we claim it in faith, asking Him to transform our characters every day.

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."-1 John 1:8-10

Scripture refs: 1 John 1:10, Prov 21:2, Heb 7:25, Matt 19:25-26

True Worship P3-Reverence in His Sanctuary

In Part 1 of our series on “True worship”, it was emphasized that WHO you choose to worship DOES matter. True worship does not exist apart from the true God. Part 2 examined the bringing of gifts to the altar and the posture of a true worshiper. This week we will spend a bit more time examining the state of a true worshiper’s mind and heart during worship. When we enter the sanctuary of God, we must always remember to do so with great reverence, but also great enthusiasm! We should exclaim with the Psalmist: “I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord!”

We are reminded of the words of Jesus when he admonished the moneychangers in the temple, saying: “My house is the house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of thieves!” (Luk 19:46) Today, He could well say to us: “My house is a house of prayer for all nations, but you have turned it into a social club!” God’s sanctuary is not the place to catch up on the latest gossip. Rather, it is a place where we ought to give Him our most precious gift of all. Rom 12:1 describes this as surrendering yourself to God as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to Him. God wants your heart, not your money! Although tithing is an important part of worship, a heart surrendered and totally yielded to Him is what He requires. When your heart is surrendered to God, your body will always stand ready to serve Him with great enthusiasm, respect and love.  Your duties in the sanctuary will no longer seem a chore, but a precious gift of love evidenced through devoted and committed service. Service without being asked-first time, on time, every time! A soldier is always to be in a state of readiness for battle – so it must be with the soldiers of the Cross! Our minds and hearts must be ready to worship and our hands eager for service.

There are many activities in the house of God which the servants of God have prepared with the help of the Holy Spirit, with the sole purpose of encouraging the people of God. We must come to His sanctuary on His holy day to learn of Him and to ensure that our relationship with Him gets stronger daily. Sabbath school, mission stories and divine service are equally important in equipping the child of God for active service in His Kingdom. There are many churches that do not have such privileges as we do, so we should not miss any opportunity to take advantage of these opportunities for radical spiritual growth. However, just coming to church on time and performing your duties is not enough! The mind and heart must be wholly focused on worshiping God and giving undivided attention to the message He has for His people, as delivered by His servant.  If Christ Himself were in the pulpit, would we be spending nearly as much time watching others so we can find fault with them, or would our very beings be entranced by the words spoken by Him? We ought to remember that the presence of God IS in the sanctuary and when we fail to pay attention, we disrespect Him. Come to the sanctuary with the sole aim of meeting with God, and come timeously and with great excitement! After all, if you can keep appointments with your employer, how much more should you keep your appointment with the King of the Universe!

"A Song of degrees of David. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD"-Ps 122:1.