Matthew 28:11-15
Like
cockroaches scurrying for furniture bottoms when the lights go on, tiny men are
always in a panic: if not on the outside, at least on the inside. Like steel
balls in a pinball machine, they bounce from one experience to another. Their
plans are confined between sunrises and sunsets. Ignoring the certainty of the
grave, they make no plans for reality beyond it. Doubting eternal existence,
they spend every ounce of their assets in the here and now.
They
believe that the world is flat; there is no vertical dimension in their life at
all. They deny the supernatural, and if they do believe in a god, he is carved
out in their creative minds to their own satisfaction. There is a rude awakening
awaiting them when the God Who created human history brings it all to a close.
In a moment, at the blink of an eye, the sun will stand still, and time will be
no more. Watches will stop; calendar pages will turn blank. All of our
tomorrows and yesterdays will be swallowed up in eternity.
In
the meantime, tiny men move across the pages of history like fleas on a dog’s
back. They hold their banquets and promote one another’s greatness. They gather
in committees and summits to solve the world’s problems. With their proverbial
cigarettes lit, they pass laws promoting clean air. Professing themselves to be
superior to, and far more advanced beyond their forefathers, they are
delivering a wasted world to their grandchildren.
With the resurrected body of Christ barely
back to room temperature, they are withdrawing money from their bank to pay off
conspirators to promote a lie. Faced with two options, admit error or deceive
others in order to maintain their respect, they choose the latter. These tiny men
are headed for the magnifying glass of God’s judgment. One day, God will expose
them for the whole world to see. The damage that they did to the lives of
others will come up into full view of all creation.
In
the meantime, God’s emotions are exposed. When emotions are attributed to God,
it is a finite attempt at speaking of the Infinite in finite terms. Every
effort with this regard fails miserably; our finite limitations are all that we
currently have. We are told that when God’s children disobey, He grieves. With
regard to the wicked man’s misbehavior, God laughs. Unthreatened, the
Omnipotent One giggles.
It
is easier to reach the sun and hold it in your hand than to thwart the plan of
the Almighty. He has promised a good end to His children, and in order to make
that happen, He remains in full control of all events on this planet. The earth
is not aimlessly spinning out of control in space. Every detail of earth’s
history is under His power. Not even a gnat can fly without permission. Those who deny the resurrection and seek to
influence others present a grave problem for men but absolutely no threat to
God!
Matthew 28:11-15
Practical atheism
A. Omitting
B. Fabricating
C. Defying
Power & duration
A. The grace
B. The justice
C. The mercy
People & you
A. We are
B. We are
C.
We are