Four Truths - Realities that Satisfy and Set Us Free (II)
In my previous three articles, we looked at the “4 Gs” - four truths that summarize well who God is, and what He’s about, along with four “source idols” - four different types of roots that produce bad fruit in our lives. We also looked at the first two realities that satisfy us and set us free. The good news is that the core longings of those idols find their true rest in those four truths about God. In this article, we’ll look at the final two realities, and we’ll conclude our series.
God is Glorious
Those with an approval idol struggle intensely with fear. In particularly, they fear others - what others think. They long for affirmation. They greatly fear rejection. They do whatever they can to receive this love - even, at times, smothering people and pushing them away.
Here is the slogan for those enslaved to approval: “life only has meaning/I only have worth if I am loved and respected by _____________.” John, however, in his gospel, in chapter 12, describes to us and warns us against searching for glory in the wrong places. He speaks of those who initially believed in Jesus, but who turned away because they “loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.”
We come from the generations that have been taught that self-esteem is everything. We want to feel good about ourselves, so we pander to others to try to get their approval. God just exists on the side. He’s not our main focus. We are. If He serves any purpose at all, it’s just to remind us of how awesome we are. But that takes us nowhere. Their acceptance and praise are imperfect and won’t ever fully satisfy.
We are born with a glory hunger. Unfortunately, we turn from the glory found in the face of Christ, to other, lesser glories. We exchange the glory of God for idols (Romans 1:23). We sin and fall short of the glory for which we were made (Romans 3:23). We serve those idols. They disappoint us. We become like them (Psalm 115:4-8).
However, there is a better way. If we are in Christ, our “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” We were made to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:1-2). Psalm 149 puts it this way:
Psa. 149:1 Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the godly!
Psa. 149:2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
Psa. 149:3 Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
Psa. 149:4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.
Psa. 149:5 Let the godly exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their beds.
Our glory hunger finds its satisfaction in Him. As John Piper has put it so well, “God is most glorified in us as we are most satisfied in Him.”
Therein is the remedy - the remedy to being enslaved to the approval of others. Here is freedom from trying endlessly to manage your reputation, from worrying constantly about what other people think, from comparing yourself incessantly to others. That’s the remedy. To gaze on the glory of God. Here’s the truth we need to remember to fight against this idol of approval: because God is glorious, so we do not have to fear others. Proverbs 29:25 puts it like this: “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” Who wants to be in a snare? Don’t we want to be safe? Let’s trust in the Lord.
God is Gracious
Those who serve power idols run around looking for hills to climb and even to die upon. They’ll over-work, putting their families and health at risk in the never-ending pursuit of success. They fear failing. They fight to be in charge. They seek to accomplish much - and in their own strength. But in so doing, they turn from the God who loves to give. Here is the slogan for those who love and serve power: life only has meaning/I only have worth, if I have power and influence over others.
But hear these words from Ephesians chapter 2. Hear these words from Ephesians chapter 2. After describing our desperate, dead predicament apart from God, Paul says this:
Eph. 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Unlike other world religions, Christianity is al about grace. Our God - in Christ - welcomes undeserving people to His table even though He is not obligated to do so. In our attempts to do things with our own hands, we’re working against what our generous God is trying to do. As the Giver, He alone gets the glory. And He won’t give that glory to another.
In Isaiah 46, we see this grand picture of God’s power. And the Lord says, in verse 9, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.” Before that, though, in verses 1 through 7, the Lord says this:
Is. 46:1 Bel bows down; Nebo stoops;
their idols are on beasts and livestock;
these things you carry are borne
as burdens on weary beasts.
Is. 46:2 They stoop; they bow down together;
they cannot save the burden,
but themselves go into captivity.
Is. 46:3 “Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been borne by me from before your birth,
carried from the womb;
Is. 46:4 even to your old age I am he,
and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save.
Is. 46:5 “To whom will you liken me and make me equal,
and compare me, that we may be alike?
Is. 46:6 Those who lavish gold from the purse,
and weigh out silver in the scales,
hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;
then they fall down and worship!
Is. 46:7 They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it,
they set it in its place, and it stands there;
it cannot move from its place.
If one cries to it, it does not answer
or save him from his trouble.
Bel and Nebo are the gods of Babylon. They’re father and son - Bel, or Ba’al, the god of the storm, Nebo, the god of science, math, and learning. But Bel isn’t controlling the weather. And Nebo and those who follow him aren’t too smart. Animals are lugging their statues around, and they can’t carry the burden. And those gods can’t save anyone anyhow.
The Lord mocks his people for falling for such nonsense. Making a god from gold or silver? Falling down before that? But here’s the key thing to notice. “They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it” (verse 7). These so-called “gods” are burdens they must carry around! They carry them. But the gods can’t move. They can’t answer. They can’t save.
But check out again the glory in verses 3-4. Wedge these words into your heart. This is our God.
Is. 46:3 “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; 4 even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.
The Lord says, “Listen to me.” From the cradle to the grave, I’ve carried you. I will keep carrying you. “I will bear.” I’ll carry the burden. That’s my job. And I “will save.” Friends, this is our God. He is a God of power. But He’s a God of grace. In all other religions, we carry the weight, we save ourselves. But the gospel is that God carries us. He rescues us. And that’s the most freeing thought in the world.
What a beautiful image of grace! He carries us. We’re his bride. He lovingly carries us over the threshold into the house. And then he carries us joyfully all over the house. Grace - which is karis in Greek - more specifically refers to God’s unmerited favor. We can’t earn our way into God’s house. We can’t keep ourselves there. This is the remedy for this quest for power. God is gracious, so we don’t have to prove ourselves. Let’s stop trying. It’s not just that we can’t prove ourselves. We can’t. It’s not just that we shouldn’t prove ourselves. We shouldn’t. But we don’t need to. We’re the adopted kid, who’s still acting like he’s being fostered, trying to win his parent’s favor. Let’s throw that burden down. Let’s trust in Him to save. Let’s rejoice.
For Discussion:
Have you seen glimpses of yourself in these two source idols? What bad fruit do you see in your life?
How are the current trials we are going through exposing these idols in your life?
How do these truths about God’s glory and grace encourage us today? How do they meet real needs in your life? How can they satisfy you and set you free?
To know this God who is great, glorious, good, and gracious is indeed good news. Because of who He is, we don’t have to fret or fear. Our search for pleasure is over. The efforts to impress God and people can stop. However, these promises apply only to those who are in right relationship with Him. Thankfully, our Lord took costly measures to restore us to a place where we can enjoy who He is.
The good news is that the Lord is recreating a people who see and delight in His greatness. He is gathering together a family that is being remade into His image, who is reflecting His glory as intended. He is drawing to Himself rebellious, hurting people who turn from things that won’t satisfy and experience His infinite goodness. He is rescuing guilty sinners from destruction who then will glorify Him for His grace. The Lord is doing this all through the work of Jesus, in what we call the gospel.