Our name | Mission | Vision | Leaders Ministries | Schedule | Directions | Contact Home   Gateway Church gathers for worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Location: 6425 Jefferson Rd. (Hwy. 129) in Athens, Georgia. For directions, click here. Ministry of the Word: Recent sermons Our quarterly e-magazine Gateway Today For the Gateway family Pastor Jerry's Weekly E-Mail A GATEWAY SERMON SUMMARY AUDIO Will the real God please stand up? (Fourth in the series, 'A Christian worldview') Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA August 29, 2004 Main Scripture text: Hebrews 1:1-3. A Christian Worldview Sermon Series Aug. 8, 2004 • The Power of Perspective Aug. 15, 2004 • The Holy Bible: Our Guide for Faith and Practice Aug. 22, 2004 • Origins Aug. 29, 2004 • Will the Real God Please Stand Up? Sept. 5, 2004 • The Spirit World Sept. 12, 2004 • A Warfare Worldview Sept. 19, 2004 • War Stories: Invasion and Liberation Oct. 10, 2004 • War Stories: At the Front Oct. 17, 2004 • The Enemy's Battle Plan Oct. 24, 2004 • Personal Defense Oct. 31, 2004 • Our Weapons: The Sword of the Spirit Nov. 7, 2004 • Our Weapons: The Name of Jesus Nov. 14, 2004 • Our Weapons: The Blood of Jesus Nov. 28, 2004 • Warfare Worldview: The Real Star Wars A number of years ago, on a TV show called "To Tell the Truth," the emcee would tell a true story about someone, say, Joe Smith. Three different people would then introduce themselves as Joe Smith, and the panelists would ask have to questions, trying to figure which one was the real Joe Smith. At the end, the emcee would say: "Would the real Joe Smith please stand up?" Sometimes I feel like I'm watching that show when I see world events unfold and hear the things that people say. Three of the world's major religions -- Judaism, Islam and Christianity -- claim the same God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We may all point to the same Supreme Being, but our perceptions and understanding of that Being are radically different. Why is that? First, we should not be surprised when people who are not practicing, orthodox Christians have ideas about God different from ours. If one reads only the Old Testament, his or her understanding of God will be limited to what is revealed there. If one puts other writings, such as the Koran or the Book of Mormon on the same level with the Bible, that person is going to have a much different view of God we do. In 3 B.C. just about every major city had its own God. There was Baal, Artemis, Athena, Molech, and Asherah just to name a few. Even some human rulers were considered gods. Surely the people were thinking would the real God please stand up. In response, the real God did just that! He wrapped himself in human flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. God came to fully reveal Himself to humanity in a way we could comprehend. If you want to know what God is like you have to know Jesus, for He is -- as today's text from Hebrews says -- "the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being." Jesus Christ is God in human flesh. C.S. Lewis said that what it boils down to is this: Jesus must either be 1) a liar, lunatic, or a fraud -- or else 2) the God of the universe. Because of the kinds of thing Jesus said, there are really no other options. Here's the bottom line: Any revelation as to God's character and nature beyond or contrary to Jesus, or any revelation of God's purposes and intents in the world contrary to what has been revealed in Jesus, are not from God. Period. When the world screams in frustration, "Will the real God please stand up?" we can respond: "He already has! If you want to know what God is like look at Jesus, for He is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being!" Supporting text: 1 Corinthians 2:14 | Isaiah 7:14 | Matthew 1:23 | John 1:1-3, 14 | John 10:29-30 | John 14:6-9 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here (28:00). (Download to a PC by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As." Mac users: click, hold, and choose "Download Link to Disk." Depending on your connection speed, the file may take several minutes to download.) An audio tape of this sermon is available free of charge (U.S requests only). Request a tape by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify tape number 040829a: Will the Real God Please Stand Up? © 2004 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us