Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas

NT Framework - All People Worship

• Jeremy Thomas • Season 6 • Episode 131

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It is true that all people worship, the only question is what are you worshipping? Sitting where you are right now, are you worshipping the Creator of all that you see, or have you focused on some aspect of the creation?

More information about Beyond the Walls, including additional resources can be found at www.beyondthewalls-ministry.com 

This series included graphics to illustrate what is being taught, if you would like to watch the teachings you can do so on Rumble (https://rumble.com/user/SpokaneBibleChurch) or on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtV_KhFVZ_waBcnuywiRKIyEcDkiujRqP).

Jeremy Thomas is the pastor at Spokane Bible Church in Spokane, Washington and a professor at Chafer Theological Seminary. He has been teaching the Bible for over 20 years, always seeking to present its truths in a clear and understandable manner. 

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas and our series on the New Testament framework. Today, a smaller, bite-sized piece from the larger lesson. We hope you enjoy it.

SPEAKER_01:

This will help you as a Christian to understand why, you know, fellow unbelievers that you know in your life why they're not believing. Okay. The Bible tells us about unbelievers, and that's to help us be able to engage them. We know things about them that they may or may not know about themselves, not because we're so wise, but because God told us these things. Again, two sides, right? Different responses to the word of the cross. One foolishness, one power of God. Why is it foolishness to those who are perishing? By the way, same word used in John 3.16. For God so love the world that whosoever believes in him shall not perish. That word. Here it is again. But the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. Why is it foolish? Okay, forget what you think you know about the cross in the 21st century, you know, as it's like a piece of jewelry or something. The cross was a horror. It was so such a horror that you did not speak of the cross, you did not mention the crux. That word crux, you did not mention it in polite Roman society. They would just simply use a phrase, hang him on the unlucky tree. But they would not say the cross. So it was first of all, it was a horrible thing. We cannot imagine how horrible it was. The second thing is, you're actually in the first century, let's say you believed, okay, people would say, Why would you believe that a guy who died on the unlucky tree could save you? He died. You're believing in someone who died. Well, we'd say, Well, no, he rose again. But their point is that he died as a criminal in the Roman Empire in the worst horrible possible way. How could that be the way of salvation for the entire human race? That seems foolish to us. But some people realize what truly transpired on the cross, and to them, it's the power of God, right? Same thing happened for you. Most of the world thinks it's a silly thing, though. What? How could him dying for you save you? That doesn't make any sense. Um they don't they don't get it. But that's one of the reasons people did not believe. They just thought it's a foolish thing. Um, third thing, go over to chapter Romans chapter 1, back to Romans 1. Romans 1 through 3 is all basically about the whole world being condemned. I break it into three groups. I say uh pagan Gentiles, cultured Gentiles, and Jews. And each uh each part of these chapters goes through these three different groups. Um cultured Gentiles will be, you know, Gentiles that live a basically moral life or appearant moral life. Pagan Gentiles mean, you know, the rough crowd, you know. Rebellious. And then Jews, we know who they are, right? They were given the law. So in Romans chapter 1, verse 18, notice the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who what the truth suppress. Kateko means to hold down. In other words, do they know the truth? Yes. You have to know the truth before you can suppress the truth. So they know the truth, but they suppress it in unrighteousness. Why? Because that which is known about God is evident within them, because God made it evident to them. In other words, God made himself evident to everybody. Everybody knows. Everybody, everybody knows God, the one true God.

unknown:

Why?

SPEAKER_01:

They keep telling me they're not convinced of God's existence. Who is their father? He's the one who's been a liar from the beginning, right? What do you think his children are going to do? Lie? Keep you busy chasing your tail, trying to prove God's existence when they know it. They already know it. They're suppressing it. That's what it says. Verse 20, for since the creation of the world, can you go any before that? No, not in history. You go back to the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, his eternal power, and his divine nature have been how seen. How have they been seen? Clearly. Now, I'm not seeing so clearly these days when I get up close to stuff, so I gotta put these on, but I see clearly now. Um they clearly see God. Clearly. 20-20 vision. I was looking the other day, we went to look at the eagles and over in uh Kurt Alane, trying to find some eagles, you know. Um 25 vision. In some birds of prey, 22.5. Um, that basically means something like, and I'm not an optician or something, but some so somebody here could correct me. But like they can, like an eagle could see something, something like four or eight times farther away than you, they could see it as clearly clearly as you. That's why they could they could see literally a little over uh a third of a mile to a half of a mile, that distance, they could see their prey and from that distance and go get it. Like, what? I can barely see the back of the room anymore. You know. These people clearly see God, we'd say, with 20-20 vision, right? But what do they do with that? Verse 21, even though they knew God, there it is, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. They exchanged, here it is, they made an exchange. They exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. That is, they took the glory that belongs only to God and they moved it over onto something on creation. So we have the creator, right? That is the one to whom all glory is given. What unbelievers do is they take the glory that belongs to God and they transfer it over to creation. This is what we call an idol, right? You take something that belongs to God and only to God, and you give it to something that's created. You take it away from the creator, put it on the creation. Now, all created things are limited, they're finite. But not God. He's the creator. Now they've got to worship. Everybody worships, okay? Nobody is religiously neutral. That's that's a myth. Okay. Everybody worships. It's just a question of what you worship. Do you worship the creator or do you worship the creation? This text is saying they make an exchange. They exchange worship of the creator for worship of the creation.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for joining us on Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas. If you would like to see the visuals that went along with today's sermon, you can find those on Rumble and on YouTube under Spoke and Bible Church. That is where Jeremy is the pastor and teacher. We hope you found today's lesson productive and useful in growing closer to God and walking more obediently with Him. If you found this podcast to be useful and helpful, then please consider rating us in your favorite podcast app. And until next time, we hope you have a blessed and wonderful day.