God’s Ways Are So Superior

Social turmoil, even in our different areas, there have been all kinds of malls broken into, a lot of anger, a lot of frustration been shown. And what are we to make of all of this? What should be our attitude? After all, we should be learning to become kings and priests in God's coming kingdom. First, we need to go to the Bible for guidance. Notice in Proverbs 3, verses 5-8, it says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.

So when we see confusion, anger, violence, injustices, and lawlessness, before judging or deciding on something, the Bible tells us to first consider certain principles. The first one is in Proverbs. In Proverbs chapter 18, verse 13. In Proverbs 18, you have two very important principles about judging. Proverbs 18, verse 13, it says, He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him. Now, that might not be very clear as far as what is trying to explain. I'll read the New Living Translation. It says, Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish. Another version, the easy reading version, it says, Let people finish speaking before you try to answer them. That way, you will not embarrass yourself and look foolish. And I know there's a temptation to cut a person off before they have finished trying to explain something. And I think we all have fallen into that mistake in the past. But here it tells us, now before jumping the gun, jumping to conclusions, it says, first carefully hear a matter out. Now, as a compliment to verse 13, you have verse 17, which also adds another point.

It says, The first one to plead his cause seems right until his neighbor comes and examines him.

Another translation, the Passion Translation, says, There are two sides to every story. The first one to speak sounds true until you hear the other side and they set the record straight. So, it tells us if we're learning to be kings and priests, we have to, first of all, not jump to conclusions, not let us get all emotionally caught up in the moment going on. And just carefully, first, let's look at both sides of an issue. That's what the Bible tells us. He says, don't lean on your own understanding. So, we should lean on what the Bible's guidelines are.

And to consider a matter, also in the New Testament, another complementary scripture along this line is 1 Thessalonians 5.21. 1 Thessalonians 5.21.

It says, Test all things. Hold fast what is good. But not what is good in man's sight. It's talking about what is good in God's sight. The Believer's Bible Commentary supports this point. It says, We must evaluate what we hear and hold fast what is good, genuine, and true. The standards by which we test all teaching and preaching is the Word of God. That's what we should compare and we should hold to that. Because man, as the Bible tells us there, Proverbs 14, 12, that there is a way that appears to be good to a man, to be right. But that way is the way of death. So, if we just start using human reasoning, that is flawed. There are going to be serious problems involved in that.

In John 17, in verse 13, John 17, verse 13, Christ was giving his prayer before being arrested. And he said in verse 13, But now I come to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

And so, Christ is saying that we have to remember, when we make this commitment before God, we become different than the rest of society. We have God's standards, which are above the standards of society. And so, we are held to a far higher standard before God than the rest of the world. Notice in John 18 verse 36, just one chapter over, after Jesus Christ was arrested, he came to a pilot, and Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now, my kingdom is not from here. Christ is not setting up His kingdom yet here on the earth. And we are a group that has been set apart, as the Enrico Sermanet mentions. We've been set apart, just like the Sabbath has been set apart. And that God tells us that we are special. We are not of the world. We are not of the same values as this world. We had to change our values to God's values. Start following His laws and principles. And so, when we consider what's going on, we have to also remember that we are not into going out and doing violence and causing problems and all of this. God's people are peaceful people. And we go before God. We bring our concerns to Him. But we have a different guideline to go by, different principles than the world. I'd like to quote from Paul Johnson's History of Christianity. He said this about when Augustine, who was one of the Catholic bishops, that he was the one that started allowing Christians to have violence and apply violence, if necessary, in that Roman Empire. And he justified, yes, you know, the state can punish. And the church can take up and use the state to punish people. And, if necessary, he said to beat them. And if necessary, to kill them if they don't go along with our teachings. Notice what he says. He says, this was in the original Christian tradition. Violence was abhorrent to the early Christians. A abhorrent means odious, detestable. You couldn't get them to do violence on someone else. Who preferred death to resistance.

And the Apostle Paul, attempting to interpret Christ when he wrote the epistles with those principles, did not even try to construct a case for the legitimate use of force. And, of course, he added a lot of principles being guided by God. But you can't see it there, where a Christian is to go out and strike somebody and kill somebody else. He goes on to say, again, it was Augustine, the bishop in Hippo, who gave Western Christianity the fatal twist in this direction. He backed it up. He supported it. So then afterwards, then it became this huge church that had armies, that had police forces. And if you didn't go along with that, you were going to end up in prison. And you, if you're branded a heretic, could even be burned to death. And Augustine said, that's what it takes. We have to impose this through violence, so let it be. And now, thousands of years later, here we are, still, with violence around the world, especially in the Christian world. We are not of that view. And so, ultimately, the conclusion we need to reach is that man can't govern himself as he should because of his flawed human nature. That's something that just was a light, like a light bulb. When I first read that in our church literature, that man's not going to solve things through social reform and all kinds of different systems, that somehow we're going to reach an ideal state and that peace people are going to be peaceful and they will no longer resort to violence. Now, I realized man can't govern himself properly on his own because of his human nature. And after that, I realized that I can't govern myself on my own, that I have to start reforming myself. That's what I can do. I can't change society, but I can change myself. Start with myself, and I realized I had the wrong point of view on things, that I was deceived, and that I was following my own ways and trying to apply my own solutions to the problems. And I realized, you know what? That's not the right way. I need God to guide me. I need God to work with me and in me.

And so the solution is found in Isaiah 55 verse 6. Isaiah 55 verse 6, and it has to do with the title of this sermon. Isaiah 55 verse 6, it says, seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord and he will have mercy on him and to our God and he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

So we see the solution. God is the one that has true wisdom. He knows how to resolve things. His thoughts are so much higher than any man's and his ways are so much better than anything that man can ever conceive of. So I learned what we need to do is have God start reforming us first and then we can help others reform themselves as they desire to do so. But we have to begin with ourselves. In Titus chapter 3 verse 1, it says it all. You want a summary of what that change is all about? Here it is. So, simply in seven verses, Titus chapter 3 verse 1 through 7, it says, remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. That's human nature. We all have part of that mixture in us. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness, which we have done. Nobody has earned God's forgiveness. It's not because we're so good and holy and just that then God decides to call us because we deserve it. We should never think that way. Nobody deserves God's grace and forgiveness. It's something that He gives, and He gives out of His love, not because of obligation or that we merit it. He says, but according to His mercy He saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Here we have the washing of regeneration, talking about baptism, and then receiving God's Spirit, and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, the renewing of our minds. That having been justified by His grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. So that sums it up. When did we do that? At a moment in our lives, we said we were deceived by the world. We have been doing the wrong things. We're thinking the right and wrong thoughts. We were doing the wrong actions, and now there's a change. Now it's a different way of thinking. We're not trying to solve things on our own. So I began changing myself because the change never stops. We're always working on ourselves and then helping others in changing themselves through the same principles and guidelines. And then helping get that gospel out, the gospel of the way of true change. Just think how many people would never have to go through so many things and all this issue of crime and then repression and all of these things and multiply. Now if we're being God in this way, we're not going to be filled with all kinds of these emotions and all of this prejudices and all of this injustice. So we need to back that gospel to get it out and then set an example in word and deed. It's not to be just passive, but we have to set an example with our words and our deeds because that's what's difficult. We have to grow and change our way of thinking and acting. Don't let those lower passions get a hold of us and start causing all that agitation and anger and resentment and bitterness. And so there is a procedure at work that people do when you have lists and you have items to check off, whatever it is, things to do. You have these items and then you have a little check box, a little square, and when you get it done, you check it off. Well, I did this as far as man's thoughts and ways and then comparing it to God's thoughts and ways. When we're thinking about God's kingdom, we can check the boxes that God has which are all going to be fulfilled. This is going to bring lasting peace and justice to the world.

And so for the past 70 years, it's been a period when man has used science, reason, and imagination to try to come up with better ideas about society and even using science fiction, whether in books or films where they use imagination and they try to project, well, if mankind or society could be a certain way, how much better would it be? And there have been famous films, the one about Star Trek, where the imagination was used and said, well, let's have these humans visit the different planets in the galaxies, and they would have all kinds of different societies. And it was a projection. Well, and then they would visit it, and then they would visit it, and maybe there was one case where they had this couple that lived in this house, in this planet, and this couple were the only survivors. Everybody else had been destroyed except them. And so, of course, the Star Trek crew was curious about this. Well, how did they survive? And they finally came to the realization that it was this man who was immortal, and he was all-powerful, and he had created what turned out to be his wife to keep him company. And at that time, there were a lot of other people that were there. But then, the people started being hostile, and eventually they destroyed his wife who he had created. And in a fit of anger, he destroyed 52 billion people on that earth, and then he recreated his wife in this projection, and so they lived together. But he had remorse. He said, you know what? All those people, just because I had the power to do so. So, in a sense, that person had human nature. He had anger, and now he had remorse. And so, this Star Trek crew had to say, well, let's just leave him there and his created wife, because this guy, he's really in a bad shape, and he can't die. So, here you have all this power, immortality, and guess what? You're into a box canyon. You're into this blind alley that this guy, he's there, and he's not happy. This is not something that you can say, well, I'd like to check the box off and say, yeah, this is a good solution for mankind. No, it isn't. And you look at, time and time again, man projecting. Then you had the Star Wars series, and here was this idealized, also, projection of people living. But what do you have? Wars! Galaxies! Planets! They're all fighting! They're all trying to oppress and conquer, and others are trying to be liberated. That's not a solution. You have human nature right in the middle. You can't check off that human nature has been improved and changed.

I remember a movie I've mentioned to you. This was back in like 1955. It was called The Day the Earth Stood Still, and this was a spaceman that came in a flying saucer, went to Washington, landed there, and he had this big robot. He wanted to meet all of the leaders of the world because he had a very important message. Of course, man had already exploded the atomic bomb, developed a hydrogen bomb, and it just happened in this movie that this spaceman came, and he says, I come because there's this federation of planets, and we have considered that the earth is too dangerous now because they've developed these atomic bombs, and they can actually threaten other places if they ever get there. And so then he says, and what we've done in our federation is, see, we've designed this huge robot, and that robot has laser beam, and it can destroy anything that's present. It can destroy human beings. It can destroy a world, if necessary. And he says, and we have given that robot our authority to be over us, that anybody that exercises violence, that robot comes in with a flying saucer and then, you know, wipes out whoever is at war or whatever. He says, in that way, we've got these policemen, cosmic policemen, and that way he says, we're not perfect as a society, but at least we can't blow our own planet up or blow other planets up. But you see, there are flaws here, too. You got these all-powerful robots. Who guards the robots? What if those robots start saying, you know what? We're gonna set up our own rules here. We're more powerful than humans, or maybe they'll have a wrong programming going on, and all of a sudden they start destroying other planets and going against their human masters. So again, you see human nature is still in the middle of this. This isn't a real solution to it. So now, let's go to God's solution. God's thoughts and ways and his coming kingdom do check the boxes for an ideal life, for things that are going to be lasting. What science fiction writers try to imagine some ideal world where everything will be peace and harmony. But I've never seen a movie that has been able to portray that in an accurate way. So let's check the boxes here. First, human nature is changed for the better. For the better in God's kingdom. We have a new heart. We will be sinless.

We will be selfless. All will be goodness, but we still retain our free will within those parameters of goodness. So you see, nobody's going to go outside those parameters. It doesn't mean they're like robots, but we have freedom within those parameters, not outside. So we can always trust others. They won't abuse us, take advantage of us, ever do evil, ever oppress, or commit injustices. Now, God's way in the Bible, we can check off that first very important element. Human nature will be changed. Once we live in God's kingdom, we're not going to have this human nature. We're going to have God's nature in us. Notice in 2 Peter. 2 Peter.

Chapter 1, verse 2. Notice talking about the divine nature, God's nature, when they will be in us. Verse 2, it says, Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises.

These are things in the future that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through us. Yes, having to overcome. We're still working. We're still changing ourselves. We have to be overcoming, but that's a reward having a divine nature that will never be treacherous.

We will never commit crimes. We won't have evil thoughts. Check box number 2. God's kingdom that is coming solves the problem of aging, of death, because in these Star Trek movies, they've got all kinds of different planets, but even those that are the Star Trek keys that are the ones that are on the ship, they're getting older. They only have a lifetime left. Whereas in God's kingdom, these problems are solved by giving us eternal life, and it won't be flesh and bone subject to breakage and illnesses. No, it will be spirit essence. We will be made out of spirit, not matter. And so, it never deteriorates. But you see, God wanted us before to live our fleshly life, to realize what it is to deteriorate, what it is to eventually age and one day die.

So, we can really appreciate when you have an eternal body. If you have an eternal body from the beginning, that's a given. You've taken that for granted. And so again, the checkbox. Yes, we're going to have eternal life. That's going to solve the problem of aging and death. The third box to check. Perfect justice because of the perfect nature in awe. It'll be perfect justice. Nobody will be out there, oh, this is an injustice, and I've had my rights taken away from me, and look at this abuse and all of this.

No, there won't be because God's nature is sinless. It's not going to cause anybody to feel injustices. It's interesting that even up there in heaven, God the Father and God the Son, they have that divine nature. But angels, some of those angels, well, they had other, they had angelic nature. And what happened? Lucifer started getting jealous and envious and power-hungry.

And so, you see, his nature had not been raised to that level of God. We can have our nature raised to that level of God, not to the level of angels. That wouldn't be enough with everything that God has prepared for us. Another, the fourth box. Having a transcendental purpose. That we don't ever have to worry about, oh, I don't know what the meaning of life is.

Or that person that's stranded on that planet, and he's cursed to live forever, lamenting what he did before, and he doesn't have a transcendental purpose. He doesn't have anything beyond his own life to long for. But here, we have a purpose that goes beyond this physical life. To live in love with a spirit of service toward all. To live in a spirit of love and a spirit of service. Notice in Revelation 22, the last chapter in the Bible, God reveals that transcendental purpose. Notice in verse 3, it says, And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it.

Talking about that New Jerusalem. And his servants shall serve him. What a privilege! Yes, part of that transcendental purpose is to learn to serve one another. As God is the greatest of servers, and he wants us to be part of that same attitude and family. And they will serve him. They shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads. They'll be part of that family. They'll have the identity of that family. And it's identified. Yes, you are one of God's children.

There shall be no light there. They need no lamp nor light of the sun. For the Lord God gives them light, and they shall reign forever and ever. So, you see, there's rulership involved. Because God is a ruler. And he says he's preparing us to be priests and kings in the future. Because he loves to serve and to extend his rule. And so they will continually extend God's rule. So, that's a check box as well. And then the fifth one is the box where you will never be bored.

See, a lot of these places, these ideal societies, eventually you're just stuck in the same place, and you just go on and on. But God has a greater purpose. He has an enormous universe that he has created to explore, to beautify, and to serve others. So, he has a lot of real estate out there. And he created it! So, just like putty, you're going to be able to mold and form all of these places according to your personality. Again, with that sinless nature, we're not going to have any fighting, any evil. And we're going to learn how much is worth living within God's goodness. Living in that realm of goodness doesn't mean it's boring, or it's stayed, or somehow it's square. Now we're going to learn all the dimensions. Christ said, I leave my joy to you. And so, God has a great plan, much better than anything you will ever see in any movie, in any type of novel, science fiction, or otherwise, because you see those are man's thoughts. Those people that design all of these programs, the author of the Star Trek, from what I read, you know, he didn't live a very good life. He had all kinds of broken marriages. He had all kinds of issues, alcoholism, estranged children, but then he was out there, oh yeah, I'm going to make the Star Trek with all of these ideal terms. But this man was a secular humanist, and he didn't have God in view. Despite all of the intelligence that he had, you see, he could never equal what God has in mind in the future. And so, thankfully, we don't need science fiction to wow us with some ideals. Oh, God's Word has the answers to man's true problems. Science fiction has failed to satisfy because it is still man's thoughts and ways and not God's thoughts and ways.

We know what God expects us to do. If we want to be part of that kingdom, we've checked those boxes off. But we need to commit to that, to focus on changing ourselves through God, to be an example to others and support the getting the gospel out to the world with this good news. You can change. You can overcome. You can be part of God's kingdom. God is not a respecter of persons. The invitation is out there for the people. Let's finish in 1 Corinthians chapter 2.

1 Corinthians chapter 2.

Truly, this is what will be fulfilled one day. But as it is written, It doesn't matter what science discovers. It doesn't matter what reason logic produces. It doesn't matter what imagination is created through inventive minds. He said, Who do what? Who love him? Who have committed themselves to him? That are letting God shape and reform us. That's what it's all about. This is the only true way of changing for the better and not allow society to dictate our actions.