Wow! God Is Big!

Last week I showed a video to our Providence Church youth group. If I had told those young folks that we were getting ready to watch a presentation by a guy named Louie Giglio called “Indescribable”, I am not sure how many would have stuck around. Fortunately, Louie is an entertaining guy and he presents very well to both young and old. His topic was pretty huge. It was a presentation about the solar system, stars, and the universe.

Did you know that our solar system, as big as it seems, isn’t that big at all. If we compared the size of our solar system to the Milky Way Galaxy it would be like the size of a quarter (like the one in your pocket) dropped on the ground with in the continent of North America. So when you see a picture of the galaxy, the solar system is simply a speck in on of the numerous bands in the galaxy. But get this! The Milky Way Galaxy is only one of the billions of galaxies in the “known universe” WOW! Do you feel small or what? Yes, we are very, very, tiny in the vast expanse of the universe. The Hubbell telescope has allowed us to see in deep space and view areas of space that we never ever dreamed.

Now, here’s the cool part. As big as all that there is… is, God knows each and every one of you reading this article (or not) by name. Not only does He know your name, He knows how many hairs are upon your head (or lack thereof). Not only does God know you name and your physical appearance, God knows your heart and mind. Now… as big as the universe is, God has made it because we matter to Him. WOW! That’s pretty amazing isn’t it? God has chosen to be in relationship with human beings. Why might you ask? Because God wants to adopt each and every one of us as His child. That is the message of the gospels, adoption! We have no real right to be with God, but God has chosen us and cleaned us up so that He may take us home with Him and reveal to us His incredible glory.
Genesis 1 says, “God said, ‘Let there be light’.” Later, the gospel of John tells us that when God brought forth this wondrous Creation, Jesus was always a part of the Triune Godhead. John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

God amazes us by His extreme creation and vastness, yet He amazes us too by the fact that He cares about something so small as each one of us. We think we are big… we think we know… therefore it is hard to imagine that we are so small and that God has not only created the universe but is an active caretaker of the creation. That’s so much of our struggle. God is either too big to care or too small to do anything about our lives. Yes, God is big… bigger than we can imagine, but God does care and God is with each one of us.

Recently, I had a conversation with someone who was worried about our world and the future that is coming. Be it politics or economics, the world seems like a roller coaster. But it has been before and it will be again. You know, I can’t conceive of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit sitting around pondering what to do with this creation. I believe that there is a plan, a process that must be played out. We call it history. Really it should be called “His story.” But I know that whatever happens, whoever gets elected, whatever happens to the economy, whatever war breaks out… or peace for that matter, I believe that we have a God who can be counted on. I believe we have a God who is big enough to be in charge of the big picture. No matter what happens, we can be confident in God in this life and the next.

God Is More Than Fair

A few weeks ago I read a wonderful book by Pastor Andy Stanley entitled, “Since Nobody’s Perfect… How Good Is Good Enough?” The basic premise of the book is: Good People don’t go to heaven. I believe he is right when he says that most people reject this view. Clearly, there is a disconnect between what it means to hear Jesus’ words about salvation and what we think is fair and good. Stanley goes on to say that many people want God to let good people into heaven, but lack a real understanding of what “goodness” is. For example, when early scientists claimed that the world was round and that the earth orbited the Sun, they were thrown out of the church and placed under house arrest. Also, during the 1960’s an African American woman entered a church sanctuary to join in an all white congregation’s worship service. She arrived about thirty minutes before the service. The deacons were aghast and decided that the “good” thing to do would be to simply turn off the lights and maybe she would leave. When this tactic failed, they finally went to her and asked her to leave. Through the ages, we, as human beings, have struggled mightily with the concept of “goodness.” These are simply two minor examples, I am sure that you can think of so many more failures to be “good.”
So, do you believe Jesus? I have heard people say that they like Jesus. I have heard people say they admired Him. Even when someone said they didn’t believe in Him, I never heard anyone say, “Jesus is a liar.” So the question remains… do you believe Jesus? Do you? In many of Jesus’ confrontations with the religious and “good” people, the Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, and law keeping public, He was blunt and to the point about who is heading into the kingdom of God. Matthew 21: 42-45 reveals Jesus viewpoint, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, the stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner stone; this came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust. When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them.”
These may be hard words to hear. We know many good people who do not accept Christ or even those who claim to be Christians yet they rely upon their own “good lives” by the world’s standards but fail to seek God through the forgiveness of sins. It is hard to hear that not everyone you know or even love may be going to heaven. We may find ourselves wishing God let “good people” in. But if that were the case, what would be good enough? God has standards. But here is the real “Good” news.
God’s standard is more than fair. Going to heaven is not about being good! God does not want to judge anyone by their “goodness.” We would all fail. God wants to judge us by our acceptance of the fact that we cannot and never will be able to live up to God’s standard of righteousness. We cannot depend upon our goodness…we must depend upon God and the grace which is provided only by God. There are no other ways to heaven, no other gods, no buy-ins, no works, nothing except grace alone. Apostle Paul speaks to this when he says in Romans 12, “Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.” Yes, God is more than fair. God accepts everyone who believes in Him. If you didn’t know already… you are His beloved child and God yearns for the day when you stop fooling yourself into thinking that somehow you are “good” with God. God wants true dependence and submission not independence with a self centered view that you, like Adam and Eve, can make your own way in the world. Honestly, I believe this is one of, if not the biggest issue that plagues the modern church. Some good folks somehow think they can create a stairway to heaven with just being “good.” It was a struggle for folks in Jesus’ day and it is in ours as well. It is not about rules and regulations, but relationships. That’s it and that’s Good News!