Pastor Dan Eddy
Isaiah 44:6-8
“How can you say your God is the only God?”
7-17-11
I.
Introduction
– The Summer Barbeque
Summer times are so much fun with cookouts, family gatherings, and
birthday parties, Imagine yourself outdoors this afternoon enjoying some great
food, and while you’re in the middle of chewing your delicious brat someone
says something like: “Hey you go to church. You’re a Christian. How can you
say your God is the only God?”
You practically choke on the remaining part of your brat, and as you
clear your throat with a swig of beer or soda, you stammer and stutter for an
answer that will get this person off your back while not embarrassing yourself
in the process.
So let me ask you how would you respond to the question, “How can you
say your God is the only God?”
After all that is what our Old Testament Reading from Isaiah 44 verse 6
is stating? The Lord is speaking through the prophet Isaiah saying: “Besides
me there is no god.” Wow. Pretty bold statement. Very politically
incorrect.
So how would you respond? If you’re thinking of not responding, verse 8
of our text the Lord is saying, “You are my witnesses.” So a thoughtful,
God-pleasing answer is in order.
This morning’s sermon is going to help you do that. I am not going to
give you answers that sound like clichés. Rather as we explore God’s Word I
want you to think about why the other person is asking the question in the
first place.
Okay…here’s what we’re going to so. The 3-A side of the sanctuary is the
person asking the question: “How can you say your God is the only God?”
Go ahead and do that. Great. When I
point to you I want you to ask that question. Okay?
And the Woods side of the sanctuary is not going to get defensive or
ignore the question…but will begin to answer the question with a very important
question. When you hear someone ask the question, “How can you say your God
is the only God” I want you to respond with a genuine smile: “Why would
you like to know?” Go ahead and do that. Fantastic.
II.
Don’t
all religions lead to the same God?
Let’s say as you listen you find out that they basically believe all
religions lead to the same God. So, to
claim that our God is the only God seems quite arrogant with all the other
religions out there.
And you might express how you can see how they would feel that way. For
example if you believe that the Bible is just like any other religious book on
the library shelf, and that all religions have cultural origins rather than
believing that the text of Genesis accurately describes the origins and the
early history of humankind…you could see their viewpoint.
However, you could avoid getting into a protracted argument about the
Holy Spirit inspired Scriptures and the inerrancy of the God’s Word…which is a
good discussion to have…and instead start at a more basic level, pointing out
the biggest difference between Christ and the rest of the “gods” out there. And
I point you to verse 6, right to the word “redeemer.” The sense from the
text is that God is not a one-time redeemer, but His power to defeat evil, to
save you from ruin; to win you over is present and ongoing.
This prophecy was written 150 years before it was first fulfilled as God’s
people were living in Babylonian exile…in slavery. Their lives were
marginalized. They were facing a crisis of faith. They were being ruled by
people with great military power. And the Babylonians had many gods. Some
scholars counted over 2500. These gods were described as having “supernatural
brilliance” or “divine splendor” but none were described as
all-powerful. That’s what is meant by “Lord of Hosts”. And none were
described as having always existed and living forever…in other words “The
First and the Last” or as Revelation 22:13 describes Jesus Christ as the “Alpha
and Omega.” The one God has no creator, because He is the Creator.
And because of that He is the only One who can redeem His people from
their miserable conditions in life.
I like the way author and evangelist Max Lucado put it his book He Still Moves Stones:
All the world religions can
be placed in one of two camps: legalism or grace. Humankind does it or God does
it. Salvation is a wage based on deeds done – or salvation as a gift based on
Christ’s death.
A legalist believes the
supreme force behind salvation is you. If you look right, speak right, and
belong to the right segment of the right group, you will be saved. The brunt of
responsibility doesn’t lie within God. It lies within you.
The result? The outside
sparkles. The talk is good and the step is true. But look closely. Listen
carefully. Something is missing. What is it? Joy. What’s there? Fear. (That you
won’t do enough.) Arrogance. (that you have done enough.) Failure. (That you
have made a mistake.)…
Spiritual life is not a
human endeavor. It is rooted in and orchestrated by the Holy Spirit. Every
spiritual achievement is created and energized by God.
No other god or gods makes that claim…not then…not now. Next one.
(Point to 3-A side). (How can you say your God is the only God?)
(Point to woods side). (Why would you like to know?)
III. Show me
the money…show me the proof
As you listen it becomes apparent that they want you to show them
incontrovertible proof. “Show me the
money,” as they said in the movie Jerry
McGuire.
And as you inquire as to what they think “incontrovertible proof”
is, you find out they have preconceived ideas and expectations as to who God
is, and what He should be doing. Maybe they are even so bold as to say that the
proof God doesn’t exist is because of all the evil in the world.
I’ve usually found that when people go down this road they have a
tremendous lack of knowledge about the Lord and how He reveals Himself in
Scripture. And their view of Christians is many times reinforced by the
stereotypes painted in the media. They see believers in Christ as ignorant,
narrow-minded, hypocritical and judgmental. In fact the next time you watch
a crime show like Law and Order and
one of the suspects is a Christian…chances are he or she, by the end of the
show, will be the culprit to the crime.
One of the ways you could respond to this is simply to remind people that
there is not a promise God makes in Scripture that He has not kept. In verse 7
of our text when the Lord said, “Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.”
The structure of the rhetoric harkens the listener to challenge God in a
courtroom setting. In other words, make you best case against God. The Lord is
lovingly challenging the person to get out the resume of their god or gods and
compare it to His.
The phrase, “Who is like me?” may not mean much to us, but it reminded
the Israelites in Babylonian captivity that the Lord saved their ancestors from
Egyptian slavery some 900 years before they heard these words. This verse
should remind the Jews of another verse from Exodus 15:11…words that Moses sang
after Pharaoh’s Army was defeated at the
And in verse 6…look at the words God is saying: “I AM”. Sound familiar?
When God was talking to Moses through the burning bush, what was Moses suppose
to say to the Israelites when they asked who sent him: “Tell them I AM has sent
me to you.” (Exodus 3:14) Where else have you heard those words: “I
AM the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6), “I AM the good shepherd”
(John 10:14), “I AM the vine and you are the branches” (John 15:5), “I
AM the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25) Words that connect to
Jesus. Words He spoke. From the cross,
Jesus kept His promise to liberate us from death by giving us everlasting life.
I mean they can try to make the case that Disciples or their followers
made this stuff up about God in Christ Jesus. But there are too many Holy
Spirit inspired authors who wrote Scripture over a 1500 years period, and so
much documentation, and annotations as to the validity of Scripture that if you
used those standards other ancient literature like the Iliad and the Odyssey they wouldn’t hold up to that kind of
scrutiny.
But if you really want to break it down…many times when people want proof
of God, or are angry at God it’s because they want a god who looks and acts
like them. Wasn’t that what Satan as the Serpent was trying to convince Adam
and Eve of as he was tempting them to eat the forbidden fruit when he said “You
will be like God?” (Genesis 3:5)
Who among us can live up to God’s resume, and as verse 7 says what god
can tell us what is to come. Only Christ knows…only He can come to end time and
complete His restoration of creation for all who have faith in Him.
Name me another
god in the world who does not demand
good works as a condition for salvation.
Name me another
god who sacrificed, died for our sins.
Name me another
god who gives Himself to us by the water and the Word or give His body and
blood through the bread and the cup.
Name me another
god whose gives us hope…certainty…confidence for His care for us and our everlasting
future.
Name me another
god is give grace, Who give us His righteousness, His holiness, His perfection.
Name me another
god who is as merciful as our God, our Lord and Savior.
Name me another
god who wants all to be saved, regardless of background, ethnicity, the type of
sins, or the number of sins committed.
We are totally at His mercy…we can’t
control Him…but He controls our future…our eternity.
The very essence of faith is not proving
God’s claims based on the terms of the unbeliever or weaker believer, but for
them to trust despite the lack of evidence they perceive.
Ready for the last one?
(Point to 3-A side). (How can you say your God is the only God?)
(Point to woods side). (Why would you like to know?)
IV. Searching
for God
Sometimes the stronger the objection against God…the more someone might
be searching for Him. What that famous
Shakespearian line “She doth protest too much.” Perhaps the person who
are talking to may be “protesting too much” about God. They may actually
be hiding their fear. And they may see you as providing the path to true
security. They may be strong on the outside but falling apart inwardly.
Almost 30 years ago the date, I was wrestling camp at the
In verse 8, the Lord said, “Fear not, nor be afraid.” God is
basically saying here “You will not be afraid and you will not tremble
because I have caused you to hear that I am the only Rock, the only shelter
that can save you from the world and from yourself.”
It’s a call to trust in the Lord…for the Jews in exile, for you, and all
people today.
In the movie Superman I
When you witness for Christ and people see that God has got you
and how confident you are about what He is done….many times they may not admit
it, but they want what you have.
And at the core of that…is knowing there’s a God there to unconditionally
forgive them for all the guilt and wrongs they have done in life. They don’t
want to rely on themselves anymore they want a God they can rely on. They want
the God of Psalm 18:2 ESV:
“The
Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
They want to see the power of forgiveness that’s so strong…that there’s
no doubt that they can have it for their lives.
V. Conclusion
You see the central challenge of this text wasn’t so much that there were
others that believed in other gods, the problem was with God’s chosen people
believing He was the only God, and sharing that with others. How about you?
Let us pray:
Lord God. Give us the courage, the love, and the wisdom to listen to
those who don’t see You as the only God. Then let us without fear express Your
almighty power, Your everlasting redemption, and Your eternal protection in
giving people the true Hope that is built on nothing less than Your Son’s blood
and righteousness. Let us win souls and not arguments. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.