Enemies of the Truth

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” -Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion

Enemies of the Truth

Genesis 2:1-7 “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. 5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

Genesis 2:1-7 “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. 5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

Elohim

Genesis 2:1-7 “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. 5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

Yahweh

Elohim AND Yahweh

Transcendent AND Immanent

2 Samuel 6:6-7 “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.”

Matthew 9:22 “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.”

Hebrews 13:8 “I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.”

Deuteronomy 6:4 “The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.”

So What?

WHO we worship impacts HOW we live So What? WHO we worship impacts HOW we live

Yahweh Idol Test

Yahweh Idol Test 1. You Prefer the God of the NT to the God of the OT

Yahweh Idol Test You Prefer the God of the NT to the God of the OT 2. You sin, and you are ok with it

Yahweh Idol Test You Prefer the God of the NT to the God of the OT You sin, and you are ok with it Sermons about God’s love move your heart, but sermons about God’s holiness leave you numb

Yahweh Idol Test You Prefer the God of the NT to the God of the OT You sin, and you are ok with it Sermons about God’s love move your heart but sermons about God’s holiness leave you numb You get mad at God when He doesn’t come through for you

Yahweh Idol Test You Prefer the God of the NT to the God of the OT You sin, and you are ok with it Sermons about God’s love move your heart but sermons about God’s holiness leave you numb You get mad at God when He doesn’t come through for you The God you worship never challenges you to change

Elohim Idol Test

Elohim Idol Test You struggle to view God as Father

Elohim Idol Test You struggle to view God as Father When you sin, you fear God will strike you down!

Elohim Idol Test You struggle to view God as Father When you sin, you fear God will strike you down! You feel that God is constantly frustrated with you

Elohim Idol Test You struggle to view God as Father When you sin, you fear God will strike you down! You feel that God is constantly frustrated with you When you mess up, you run away from God and not to God

Elohim Idol Test You struggle to view God as Father When you sin, you fear God will strike you down! You feel that God is constantly frustrated with you When you mess up, you run away from God and not to God You cannot embrace God’s acceptance

Elohim AND Yahweh