Creating Gods

“In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.” (Acts 14:8-18)

The people of Lystra believed that the  had visited them once before.

The people concluded that and  had come again!

Paul and Barnabas didn’t understand the Lycaonian .

This story seems COMPLETELY !

The “god” the people of Lystra craved and desired was anything and everything .

They didn’t want a “god” who would call them and challenge them to “lay down their ” and to “love their neighbor” and “feed the hungry” and “clothe the naked”… “love their enemies”.

They wanted a “god” characterized not by love…but by .

Illustration: An old Larry Gatlin song.

Nothing  for the presence and power of the living God!

Sometimes being committed to the one, true God … has nothing to do with things or wonderful things or pleasant things.

C.S. Lewis writes that we must persist and be determined through the  of Christian living.

“The greatest hindrance in our spiritual life is that we will only look for  things to do. Yet, “Jesus… took a towel and…. began to wash the disciples’ feet…” (John 13:3-5).

“[It is] the  of life which is actually God’s way of saving us between our times of great inspiration which come from Him… I must realize that my obedience even in the smallest detail of life has all of the omnipotent power of the grace of God behind it. If I will do my duty, not for duty’s sake but because I believe God is engineering my circumstances, then at the very point of my obedience all of the magnificent grace of God is mine through the glorious atonement by the Cross of Christ.”  (C.S. Lewis)

Do you mistakenly think what the people of Lystra were doing isn’t repeated every day?

“” – is not the real and significant problem in our world!

The real problem… is the worship of a ______________ of gods.

“The decision before us is not between atheism or God. It is not [really] an issue of God or no God. That is not our choice. The question is  we will worship….” (David Seamands, “God’s Blueprint for Living”)

“Whatever your  clings to and relies upon, that is properly your God.”  (Martin Luther)

Whatever is a person’s “ultimate ” – that is their “god.” (Paul Tillich)

What is of primary importance?

“Kent, you can write someone’s life-theology by looking at their .”  

“You shall have no other gods before me!”  (Exodus 20:3)

The true and living God revealed in Jesus Christ will tolerate no  in your life and mine!

Illustration:  Missionaries in Calcutta

God claims   that we are.