The Constancy of God in a Changing World -- Absolute Truths in Relative Terms

Listening to Ravi Zacharias radio program - also on his linked website - "Let My People Think". The Constancy of God in a Changing World, Pat 2. (Sorry don't have part 1).

We are warned many times of the dangers of Temptation. What temptations did Christ face.

The Absolute is necessary for Life.

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.....Tempter said - If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to turn to bread. Jesus said, Man does not live by bread alone but by every word from the mouth of God.

Article on ethics = death of ethics in business - in Piedmont Airlines magazine.

Man sitting next to woman on plane, she was attractive, he propositioned her for one million dollars. She said are you serious. He said yes. About a half hour later he told her would you do this for ten dollars. She looked at him astonished and said ....what do you think I am! He said, we have already established that...we are only haggling over the price.....

Author of article saying we all have a price....

Ravi - the older I get and the more I travel the healthier respect I have for the fact of the powerful temptations that the world has for us...especially today...offered to us....

The Apostle Paul talked of his own personal struggle. He loved the law, he was even willing to be a terrorist to exterminate those who followed Jesus in his allegiance for the law.

Read Romans 7. Paul confesses that as much as he loves good and hates wickedness, his mind is an arena in which a battle goes on.

We have all been embattled by temptation.

So what does this experience by Jesus Christ in Matthew's recounting tell us....he is "driven by the Spirit" into the wilderness to be tested by the devil.

Satan comes to Him in 3 specific temptations:

1. Why don't you change these stones into bread, because if you do, the whole world will follow you.

Satan makes the fallacious assumption that if God would just be a constant miracle worker, then the whole world will follow Him.

Satan was saying if you satisfy people materially, then they will turn and follow you. If God satisfies you intellectually, you will follow Him.

Not true.

Wrong assumption.

You see, ladies and gentlemen, with all of our education and sophistication today, we have tried to find other descriptions of who we really are.....the Bible explains that if we could see ourselves as we really are...we would fall to our knees before God.

Psychologists: Mawhrer???SP??? - We have lost our deepest sense of self and identity and are asking who am I, what does living really mean. Atheist, secular thinker, makes the comment that in losing this transcendent connection with wrongness we have lost our sense of being and our deepest sense of identity.

If we bring before God this heart, and admit to the reality that we have been in rebellion against Him, He will go to work in that heart and bring life.

Jesus did not come into this world to make bad people good - he came into this world to make dead people live!

When Satan says the problem is material - Jesus says the problem is not material, it is spiritual.

2nd Temptation - Jump and let the Angels bear you up....see if the Angels will come and protect you.

Satan made right assumption based on word of God----reality of God's intervention in this world...

Ravi - I was doing an open forum at Univ at Florida - over 1600 that 2nd night.....Opening student actually stood up and said he did not even know if he existed...he couldn't be too sure. Ravi - are you sure if I exist - no came the answer.....Ravi talked about what Professor Nathan - who had a student ask this question - how can I know that I exist - and Dr. Nathan said, "Who shall I say is asking?"

Ravi went to dinner that night with several professors - and said to them - How do we explain the origina of the universe? Why don't we ask questions about the Big Bang that we ask about any other bang.....Bertrand Russell - The Universe is "just there"....so why can't I say, about God, then, He's just there.

Dr. John Polkingham - leading quantum physisists in the world - lecturing on the first 3 seconds on the existence of the universe...the ratio between the exp and contraction had to be so exact that it would be literally like taking aim on a 1 square inch 20 billion light years away and hitting it bullseye.

This Professor - said, ladies and gentlemen, there is no free lunch, somebody has to pay. You don't get a universe so densely textured and so infinitely rich by accident.

Point: Man if not just a physical being - we have spiritual needs that can only be met by God alone.

CD #120 = Absolute Truth in Relative Terms.

Sorry did not do a good job but trying to type as Ravi spoke.

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