IS GOD DEAD?

I would like to open this blog with reference to Psalm 36: “Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts.  They have no fear of God to restrain them.  2. In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are.  4…they make no attempt to turn from evil.”  But… “5. Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. 6. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains…You care for people and animals alike…7. How precious is your unfailing love O God!  All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. 9. For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.” 

I wrote a few weeks ago about the moral decay of our culture in a posting entitled, “The Proclamation Has Never Changed” (February 17th & 24^th).  The proclamation referenced was the same one shouted to a fallen world by prophets of the Old Testament, John The Baptist, Jesus, Apostle Paul, and even Billy Graham: Repent! Turn from your sin and turn to God!”  While the proclamation itself has not changed, I believe the method of effectively delivering that message to today’s culture has certainly changed.  This is a visual, digital, sensory-oriented culture.  Therefore the timeless message must be delivered in a way that speaks today’s language.  Yesterday Pam and I witnessed what we think is a very effective method of resounding that timeless message, and if the response we saw around us was typical, the audience was certainly ready to hear such a message of hope.

The release of the movie, God’s Not Dead, could not be more timely. Culturally speaking, we are sinking into moral abyss and this is rapidly becoming an era of denigration. By that I mean what once was revered and held sacred is now being mocked, ridiculed and vilified. What used to be tasteless, shameful or even down right disgusting is now center stage and basking in the spotlight.  We could accurately describe the current political/social climate as one filled with anger; with hatred of other people and other people’s ideas if they are contrary to what is culturally “in vogue”; a time of name-calling, finger-pointing and shunning personal responsibility; and a time when lying, cheating and stealing at all levels is a common occurrence.  The worst part of that social indictment is…instead of being repulsed by society as a whole, it is often casually dismissed as “that’s just the way it is today.”  Have we become numb?  Then when you add to that the constant bombardment of a liberal/progressive political agenda that calls into question fundamental principles and shrouds moral and ethical questions with a hefty “gray area” in order to promote an agenda, is it any wonder our culture is DESPERATE for a message of hope?

WHAT MAKES THE MOVIE SO SPECIAL?

I led off with excerpts from Psalm 36 because I believe the first four verses accurately describe the pervasive attitude of our culture.  Verses 5-9 offer what I believe is, and always has been throughout history, the solution.  When people, or nations, are in line with God’s will, they are blessed.  When they are out of line with God’s will, they are on their own.  The movie God’s Not Dead addresses our need for God in a culturally relevant way.

The issue that keeps man separated from God is- and always has been- SIN, and I’m using the term as a noun in this case referring to our “state of being” rather than as a verb indicating action.  Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, mankind has been born with a sin-nature, meaning the spiritual connection that existed between God and man at the beginning was severed when sin entered the world. Without that spiritual connection, man – by his human nature – lives with the focus on himself rather than on God.  (Apostle Paul refers to “us sinners” in Romans 5:6). Therefore, we can go from the cradle to the grave living only for ourselves and in bondage to our sin-nature, or we can restore that original connection with God anytime WE choose to do so.

OUR HUMAN NATURE DEFINED

The first four verses of Psalm 36 describes accurately our sin-nature.  “Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts.  They have no fear of God to restrain them”. We don’t awaken in the morning and exclaim, “It’s a good day for sinning.  I think I’ll sin today.”  It’s not a conscious effort on our part; we just do it because it’s our nature.  Our number one priority is “ME!” We aren’t sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. Therefore, unless we “repent”, which literally means to change our mind, we will continue to live in that fallen state.

“2. In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are”. The biggest obstacle we have to overcome in order to repent is our pride; realizing “I am not God.”  The same lie the serpent used to entice Eve in the Garden is just as seductive today as it was then.  Unfortunately, while we are in the grips of our sin nature, we are our own god.  Whatever doesn’t fit into our paradigm of reality is dismissed as trivial or useless.  But James 4:6 tells us, “God mocks the proud, but he exalts the humble.”

God knew we would wrestle with his directives, either because they were beyond our ability to comprehend or because they just didn’t “make sense” to our way of thinking.  That is why he spoke through the prophet Isaiah in chapter 55:8-9: “My ways are not your ways; my thoughts are not your thoughts.  As high as the heavens are above the earth, as far as the east is from the west, my thoughts are not your thoughts; my ways are not your ways.”  And Psalm 46:10 tells us, “Be still and know that I am God.”  It seems clear to me that God is telling us not to try to figure him out, because we never will.  And we all know that “being still” and “trusting” in anything is our ultimate challenge.  We like being in charge. Right?

Now when you add to that scenario the fact we are living in a fallen world with this message: “be all you can be”; “you’re #1”; “go for the gusto”; “look out for yourself first if you want to get ahead”; “you’re in charge”; “ya gotta do what ya gotta do”…or you look at what’s on TV; what’s in the latest pop-culture magazines, or you listen to the lyrics of the latest and greatest songs and videos. Wow! It’s easy to begin deluding yourself by thinking, “Nothing’s wrong with me.  I’m just doing what everyone else is doing.  I’m not really a bad person…so what’s the big deal?”

THE SOLUTION

Well, the big deal is this…At some point we are all going to come face to face with a life changing event.  It might be a catastrophic issue with our health; our finances; a relationship; our career, or even our reputation.  We might have to admit for the first time that we are powerless to overcome this monster through our own volition.  What are you going to do?  Who are you going to turn to?  Where is your hope?

Well, the good news is…it’s in that state of brokenness that God becomes the answer-our ally our friend if we humble ourselves and ask him for help.  As stated in James 4:10, “When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.” And as we were told in the opening Psalm, “5. Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.  6. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains… 9. For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.”  These are not just scriptures.  These are God’s promises to those who are in Christ.  Because of our choice to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm and heir to all the promises in His Word.    Stop!  Think about that.  Do you get what that actually means?

That, my friends, is why we should answer the timeless proclamation, “Repent! Turn from your sins and turn to God.”   In the movie, God’s Not Dead, you can see the truth of the opening Psalm and the scriptures contained herein come to life in a timely message that is relevant to a culture that is rapidly sinking into moral decay.  It is a true-to-life portrayal of the conflict between the teachings of the world and the truth of God’s Word.  I personally would like to thank Pure Flix Entertainment for their courage to produce a film that boldly makes a statement that runs contrary to our culture’s bias, but also a film that brings hope to those who are looking for an answer to the question, “How did we get ourselves into this socio/political malaise?”

I believe the fix we are looking for will not be found in a political solution; a military solution, or – heaven forbid – in a revolution, but rather in a spiritual awakening. I believe if we can change the heart and soul of our culture, we can change our nation. This movie is like a life boat on a sinking ship.  And if the response I witnessed in a theater-filled-to capacity is a typical indication of the message’s impact, I believe God’s Not Dead is as welcomed today as water to squelch a blazing fire!  So I encourage you to grab your popcorn; take a seat in your local theater that has the courage to show the movie, and join the movement.  God is NOT dead!

My question to you is…Are you ready to support and proclaim the movement?

May God Bless Ya, and feel free to respond to this posting.

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)