This Week"s Sunday School Lesson, "What Would Happen If There Is No God", 7/12/2015

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THERE WAS NO GOD?

Micah 3:5-12

V:5. " This is what the Lord says: "As for the prophets who lead my people astray, if one feeds them, they proclaim 'peace'; if he does not, they prepare to wage war against him."

A. If there is no God, there would be no Word from God.

     1. Every man would be for himself.

     2. You would have false prophets telling you what you want to hear.

     3. You would have to pay someone to tell you that there is hope.

     4. I believe that there are people who chose a church based on the message that

         the preacher brings that is agreeable to them.

B. If there is no God, there would be no peace in our lives.

    1. You would be at  war with your neighbors all the time.

    2. The promise land was designed as a place of rest.  Joshua 1:13

    3. Because of Israel's sins against God, they were always at war.

    4. Much of the conflict in our lives is a result of our disobedient behavior.

    5. When you know God's Word and are disobedient, there is an internal conflict

        between  your spirit and your flesh.   Rom 8:5-8

 C. If a preacher preached to much on sin, he would soon have his congregation rising up

      against him.

    1. We are in the " name it and claim it generation".

    2. We want the milk of the Word which draws us to Christ, but not the meat of the

        Word which grows us in Christ.

        a. The milk of the Word is John 3:16.  This is all about faith in Jesus which brings

            eternal life.

        b. The meat of the Word is Romans 12:1. This is all about growing in Christ.

        c. The meat of the Word is to present our bodies as a living sacrifice which is against

            our nature.

V:6. " Therefore night will come over you, without visions, and darkness, without divination. The sun will set for the prophets, and the day will go dark for them. "

A. If there was no God,  man would constantly be in the dark.

     1. Jesus is the light of the world.  John 8:12

     2. His Word is a lamp to our feet.  Ps 119:105

     3. Darkness is separation from God.

B. Without God there is no vision for the future.

     1. God has given us His Word, which contains His vision for our lives.

     2. God said, "my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge".   Hos 4:6,   Isa 5:13

     3. Life is found only in the truth which is the Word of God.    2 John 2:2

     4. Men are captivated and imprisoned in darkness.

         a. But it is the truth that sets us free.  John 8:32

C. Without the Word, there is no hope for eternal life.

    1. We can't claim Jesus without claiming a sacrifice for Jesus.

    2. We can't claim Jesus without trusting in His Word.

V:7. " The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced. They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God."

A. Without the true and living God, men make up gods of their imagination.

    1. Since idol gods  are nothing, there can be no answer from them.  1Cor 8:4

    2. Those who claim to know the future without God will, be brought to

        shame.

B. A false prophet will be found to be an imposter when his prediction does not

    come true.

   1. Only God knows the end from the beginning.   Isa 46:10

   2. Without God there is no spiritual insight.

C. Without God, who will answer our prayers?

   1. We have a history with God answering our prayers.

   2. Why pay a fortune teller to give you an answer, when

        only God has the answer?  Eze  13:2-3

V:8 But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin.

A. It is the job of the preacher to point out to God's people their sins.

    1. God's preachers must speak the truth with love. Eph 4:15

    2. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  1 John 1:8

B. The Word of God is the only thing that can convict us of our sins.  John 16:8

    1. Preachers must speak the truth with conviction through the power of the Holy Spirit.

    2. God's people need to know  the truth to be drawn to repent of their sins.

    3. Sometimes, the truth about our sins is hard to hear, but it is necessary.

    4. People in the dark, must hear about light to be drawn to the light.

    5. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

V:9-10. " Hear this, you leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right." V:10. " who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness.

 A. Justice or injustice starts with the  leaders and the rulers of the people.

     1. Justice and fairness must be enforced from the top.

     2. If the Word of  God is not taught and practice from the top leaders, injustice will

         exist.

 B. The righteous guide for leadership is the Word of God.

    1. People can protest all they want, but if the leaders don't respond with the Word of

        God, no change will be made.

    2. In the US, the needs of the people are not met because powerful well funded

        lobbyists control our leaders with their campaign contributions.

    3. Our elected leaders run  for office  on a platform of justice for the people, but are

        quickly changed to the views of powerful lobbyist.

    4. For example, our Texas state leaders past a bill that allows anyone to carry a gun

        

           openly.

        a. This makes it possible for any upset or angry person to shoot another person

            "just because".  

        b. Who is going to check to see if the person has a permit to carry a gun and is

             mentally stable?

V:11 Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the Lord and say, "Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us."

 A. There is nothing new under the sun.

     1. Everything that is happening today, happen doing Biblical times.

     2. We have powerful preachers who get rich  preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

         without a need to repent for sins.

     3. Money collected from the members in some cases is spent on luxury living rather

         than promoting the righteousness of God.

 B. The United States was founded on a platform of justice for all.

     1. We even have "In God We Trust" on our money.

     2. We are gradually pushing God out of our lives.

     3. We put the mention of God out of our schools.

     4. Our government have now changed family to include same sex marriages.

        a. God's design for  marriage is one man and one woman.

        b. Our views have changed, but God's Word has not changed.

        c. God is the authority, not the government.

 C. The glory of God is shown in every major disaster.

     1. Hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes show the unlimited power of God

         to destroy that which He created.

     2. As preachers, we must be careful to preach and teach the Word of God

         without perversion.

     3. Our job is not to make people feel good but to convict them of their sins with the

         Word of God.

V:12. " Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets. "

A. We must take the Word of God at face value.

    1. What God says He will do, He will do.

    2. Scripture is the evidence of God keeping His word.

B. Israel has a history of God destroying their cities because of their disobedience.

    1. In the book of Daniel we have the prophecies that the Greek and Roman

        empires would be destroyed they have already been fulfilled.

   2. Why do we not believe and why do we not take God's Word seriously.?

C. God warned the Nation of Israel that they would be destroyed if they did not

     repent. They did not repent and God destroyed their city.

BE FORE-WARNED, GOD IS TRUE TO HIS WORD

Rev. M. Mitchell,   Asst Pastor of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church.