John Hagee - Who Is Your God?
Today we begin a powerful series of sermons entitled "Knowing God" with this sermon, "Who is your God"? The God of the Bible is a God of all hope. He's a God of mercy. He's a God of love. He's a God of amazing grace. He's a God of wrath. Who is your God? All people believe in something. But in whom do you believe? Who is your God? You believe in socialism. That's your God. Some of you believe in communism. That's your God. That's not the God of the Bible. You can know about God and certainly not have Jesus Christ. The question is, "Do you really know the God of the Bible or just do you know about the God of the Bible"?
I had university professors, who studied the Bible, to argue, to debate, and to humiliate students who expressed faith in God. The point: they knew the Bible, but they did not know God. They knew about God, but did not know him. What if the majority of church members in America believed they are saved, but in fact, by Bible standards, they are lost: not mine, but by the standards of God? What if you believe you're saved, and at the judgment bar of God, you hear these words, "Depart from me, worker of iniquity: I never knew you"? Angels with flaming swords will escort you into the Chambers of hell. According to the Bible, exactly that is going to happen in the future.
Jesus said in Matthew 7:22, "Many will come to me in that day (the Day of Judgment), and they'll say, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name'"? Listen to this. "And did we not cast out demons in your name? Have we not done many wonderful works in your name"? And then Jesus says, "I will profess to them, 'depart from me, worker of iniquity: I never knew you'". Not a few are going to say that, but Jesus said, "Many are going to say that". Jesus said again, "Broad is the way that leads to destruction, and narrow is the way that leads to heaven. And few there be that find that". So the question is, "Do you really know the God of the Bible"? Today, I'm going to paint the portrait of God as presented in the scripture, and then talk about knowing versus knowing about God, and then the evidences of knowing God. Read with me, if you will, John 17:3. If you're there, say, amen. "And this is eternal life that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent".
Father, in the authority of your name, let us discover today the God of the Bible, and let us live according to his dictates and not our own. In Jesus' name, we pray and ask this. And all of God's children said, amen.
You may be seated. Consider the portrait of God in the Bible. In the Genesis of time, God is the Creator of heaven and earth. And he said, "Let there be light," and the darkness vanished. He sprinkled the stars against the velvet of the night and he calls those stars by name. Listen. Science is now saying there are billions of galaxies with hundreds of millions of stars. And God calls every star by name. Think of the grandeur of the Lord. Then he breathed into a handful of dirt and man became a living soul. He took a rib from that man's side and created woman, and said to the both of them, "Turn off the television," "Be fruitful and multiply".
Do you know that God? Some of you know him better than others. For centuries, God Almighty did not allow his name to be known. Then God revealed himself as the Most High God. The God that we serve is higher than the highest. He is greater than the greatest. He is wiser than the wisest. He is all-powerful. He is all-knowing. He is ever present. And he's the God that we serve! Then God revealed himself as God Almighty. That means you will never have a battle that you can't win, and you will never have an enemy that you cannot defeat. Moses defeated Pharaoh. Elijah defeated Jezebel. America can defeat socialism. America can defeat the moral corruption in this country. Then God revealed himself as Jehovah Jireh, meaning God will provide all of your needs according to his riches in glory. Jehovah Jireh also can be translated as "God sees". Therefore, it is the Lord that gives you the power to get wealth. Do not be pushed around by your problems. Be led by your dreams. Nothing is impossible if you trust in God. It is the Lord that gives you the power to get wealth.
God's children have traditionally been wealthy. Why not you? Why not you? Then God is revealed as the Lord our healer. Israel left Egypt, and not one in that crowd of over a million people was sick or feeble for the next 40 years. That's healing power! Think about it. Next in the scripture, comes the name that he is the mighty conqueror. He is the conqueror of death, hell and the grave. Demons tremble at the mention of Jesus' name. Next in scripture, God is presented as the God of peace. Jesus says, "Peace I give unto you. And my peace I give to you, not as the world gives. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid". Next, God is presented in the Bible as Jehovah Shammah, the God who is always there. When the Bible says, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you," even to the ends of the earth, it means exactly that. God is next presented as the God of love. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son". "The love of God, how rich, how pure, how measureless, how strong. It shall forever more endure," the saint's and angel's song. And finally, he is the God of wrath.
Would it surprise you to know that, in the Bible, there are two verses describing the wrath of God for every one verse that talks about the love of God? You don't ever hear the wrath of God preached in church, because we don't want to be negative. But I assure you, if you disobey God, you will experience the wrath of God. That's the God of the Bible. Let's consider now, knowing versus knowing about God. The Bible says, in 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Let a man examine himself to see if he be of the faith". Do you really know God or are you confusing ritual with righteousness? Have you confused ceremony with conversion, and hype with holiness? There are about 160 million church members in America. If they were all truly saved, if they knew the God of the Bible, America would not be swimming right now in this socialist sewer. We would not be in this moral dilemma. America is swiftly becoming a pagan nation. Socialism makes the government God.
Let me address all of you young people in the audience, who have been brainwashed by your college professors in the glories of socialism. Hitler was a socialist, and he killed 50 million people, converting them to his version of socialism. Stalin was a socialist. He killed a hundred million people, converting them to socialism. When a few control the many, it's a dictatorship, and freedom is lost. We are not going to bow at the altar of socialism, not in this generation! America's worshiping the God of pantheism. It's the worship of nature. The big item now is climate control. Don't get me started. Then there's humanism where man is God, and people are walking around saying, "My rights are my God". Humanism has murdered 62 million babies to this God.
Listen to me very clearly. You do not have the right to commit murder, and abortion is murder. There's the God of materialism. That's the worship of money. And some of you here and many of you watching by television have sacrificed your marriage for more money. You've sacrificed your children. You've sacrificed your health. You've sacrificed your peace of mind for money. Stop it! Stop it! Money can't climb up on your lap when your hair turns gray, and kiss your cheek, and say, "Good night, grandpa". I'll tell you that's worth a million bucks. I got a letter the other day that said, "Pastor, you're so intense about everything you do. But I'm a casual Christian". I returned the letter and said, "There is no such thing. You might as well talk about a heavenly devil or a kosher hog. There's no such thing as a casual Christian. You're either all in or you're not in at all".
I repeat, "Do you know God or know about God"? People say, "I've joined the church". The question is, "Are you saved"? Church membership is good, but it's not equivalent to salvation. "Well, I was baptized". You can go down a dry sinner and come up with wet sinner. You can be under the water but not under the blood. "Did you change"? That's the question. When you came to Christ, did you change? 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away". Hear that. "Behold, all things become new". You'll get a new vocabulary. You'll get a new group of friends. You'll even be going to church on Sunday. Hum. Dear Lord. What is the difference between Satan and most of America's church members? Church members believe the Bible is true. So does the devil.
Look at his conversation with Jesus in the wilderness. The devil knows the Bible very well. Satan knows that Jesus is the Son of God. Satan knows there is a heaven and a hell, and his Judgment Day is not far removed. Satan has never confessed Christ. Have you? If you haven't, you're not his. The world view of those who truly know God, think about this. This is saint Paul's world view. Saint Paul writes in Philippians 3:8, "Yea doubtless, I count all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but dung", D-U-N-G equals manure, "That I might win Christ: and that I might know him," end of quote. Paul, the most brilliant mind of the New Testament world, says the world is a dung heap. I have been given a tour of heaven. I know what God is offering you. I look at this world and see if you gained it all: what is it compared to what God has prepared for you? He is shouting to the top of his lungs, "It's a dung heap. Write it off. The earth is going to be burned with fire. The Kingdom of God is going to endure forever. Whatever you have to do to get to heaven, do it! It's worth the price".
Here are evidences in the Bible that you know God. These are not my opinions. Everything I've said, I mean jot and tittle, has been out of this book. Those who know God, stand firm and take action. Daniel 11:32 says, "The people who know God shall stand firm and take action". Look: "Stand firm and take action". The background of this verse is Daniel 11. Daniel was a righteous man. He was the person that God gave the revelation of what was going to happen from his generation to the end of the earth. He is called "The prince of prophets". This is a man that talked with God. This is the man that talked with angels. He is an example for America's spineless, Caesar-milk-toast Christians, who teach a non-confrontational Christianity.
Daniel is invited by Nebuchadnezzar to a huge banquet he's giving. Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful man in the world. The Babylonian empire covered most of the earth at this point in time. He is going to the biggest deal on the planet, and he's offered meat to eat, and he said, "No". Why? Because the meat had been offered to idols and it was contrary to his faith. When his faith was being violated, he says, "No". Hello, ladies and gentlemen of the cross. One of the greatest words in your vocabulary should be "No" - "I will not do that. No, I cannot say that. No, I cannot go there. No, no, that's contrary to the law and the Word of God. I will not do it. I will not offend the Lord by doing it".
The second evidence is that he and the three Hebrew children were invited to bow to the golden image of Nebuchadnezzar. They said, "At the sound of the music, you have to bow. If you don't, we're going to throw you in the fiery furnace". The music started, and they didn't bend, they didn't bow, and they didn't burn. They looked at the king, and said, "The God that we serve is able to deliver us". They knew God Almighty. They were thrown in the fire. But when they got in the fire, Jesus was there. I want you to hear this: when you get in trouble for standing up for righteousness, God does not send someone: he shows up himself!
Thirdly, special interest groups in the government in Daniel's time entered into a conspiracy that public prayer was forbidden, tantamount to closing the church. Sound familiar? There's a difference between freedom of religion and freedom from religion. Daniel knew God. He stood firm. He took action. He not only prayed three times a day, but listen, he prayed three times a day this time in front of a window, in front of a window that was opened to the street. He prayed loud, because he wanted everyone to know he was violating the law of the king. I'm not afraid of the lion's den. I'm not afraid of this special interest group that's telling me to shut up my praying. I'm going to pray. Can you see me praying? Does it irritate you? Goody, goody gum drop. Get used to it. Would you be willing to publicly protest in defense of your faith, even to the point of going to jail?
Let me tell you, if this government keeps going the way it's going, that's not far off into the future. What kind of stand have you taken based on your Bible convictions? If you take no stand on the tough, moral, and spiritual crisis in America, you do not know God. Jesus is the lion of Judah. It's time for Christians to act like they're following a lion. The Bible says, "The righteous are as bold as a lion". That's what you're supposed to be in the world. When the ungodly start trashing God, rebut them face to face. Take them on. Shut them down. The ministerial alliance met to discuss Daniel. He's radical. He's right wing. He's extreme. He's out of touch with the mainstream. I'd like to shut his television program off. Nebuchadnezzar is president and you just must submit to what he says. That's wrong. The question is asked, "Can you disobey the government with God's blessing"? And the answer is "Yes, when the government condones what God condemns".
Write that down. And here are three Bible illustrations. When Pharaoh commanded them, the Egyptian midwives, to drown the Jewish male babies, the Egyptian midwives refused to drown the Jewish male babies, and God blessed them for it. They disobeyed the government on purpose to save the life of the child. In the book of acts, the city council said to the New Testament church, "You cannot preach in Jesus' name". But they did, because we ought to obey God rather than man. There's the illustration of the three wise men. They went to Herod, "We're searching for the Christ child". Herod, who was a murderer, wanted to know where he was too, to kill him. Herod said, "When you find him, you come back and tell me". That was the order of the government, because he was a dictator. "They found the Christ child," and the Bible says, "And they went home by another way". They did not do what they were told to do, because it was a violation of God's word. Compromise with the world is treason in the courts of heaven.
I want to say that again. "Compromise with the world is treason in the courts of heaven". The church in America is not developing recruits into disciplined soldiers of the cross. If discipline is necessary in arts and athletics, how can we expect to be conquering Christians without spiritual discipline enough to obey the Word of God? Ephesians 6 states we are to be the church triumphant. "We are to take a stand". We are to fight the good fight. We are to endure to the end, to love not our life unto the death. The victory is ours through Christ the Lord! Give the Lord praise in the house!
The fourth evidence that you know God: when you know God, you serve him with a passion. Jeremiah said, "It was like a fire shut up in my bones". King David says, "As the heart," that's a deer. "As the deer pants after water, so my heart longs for you, o God". That's passion. Jesus was passionate about his faith. He said, "If your eye offends you and will keep you out of the Kingdom of God, pluck it out. If your hand would keep you from getting to heaven, cut it off". That's passion. It's better to go to heaven without a hand than to go to hell with a whole body. To know Christ, means to be intimate. The word "Know" in the Bible is passionate, as in sexual. Adam and Eve were intimate. They were passionate. Adam knew eve. Abraham knew Sarah. Isaac knew Rebekah. That's a passionate relationship. Are you passionate about your relationship with Jesus Christ? Do you love him above all else? Or he is something that you have compartmentalized over in the corner of your life that only gets out of the box on Sunday? Is this world your God?
Or is this world, as Paul said, "A dung heap," and you're working to get the mansion? You don't have to be an investment genius to know which of those is the best. The story is told of a fabulously wealthy multimillionaire. He had no heirs. He left no will with his attorney. His wife had died, and his only son has lived until a teenager as a crippled, nursed by the housemaid. His attorney summons the family for a reading of the will. And the room was packed with those who were ready to get rich. The housemaid also attended. Sitting on a table was the picture of the millionaire's only son. And the housemaid asked the attorney, "May I have this"? And the attorney asked the relatives, "Do any of you want this picture"? There was a chorus of NO's. "We don't want the picture". She took the picture. She went home.
There was a bulge in the back of the picture. She opened it. It was the will of the millionaire. It simply said, "To the one who loves my son enough to want this picture goes all that I own". She was instantly a multi, multimillionaire. The point is, God the Father, who owns heaven and earth, is saying to every person in this room and those of you who are watching television across America and around the world, "To those who love my son, I will give you everything I own. And heaven is yours for the asking". Do you love the Lord? Can we stand to our feet? Let's pray.
Father, help us today to know you. Help us today to walk in paths of righteousness. Let us experience you today, in Jesus' name.