Jeremiah 10:6. There is none like you.
There is no one like the Lord! But be careful of cheap imitations and sloppy (or even near ‘perfect’) counterfeits.
I always loved that hymn by Don Moen. ‘THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU. https://youtu.be/wPtSTpAba4w
In fact, I sing it all the time. It was probably the first song i ever sang at Calvary Chapel. It resonates with me until this day. But 2 things happened.
First off, as I was teaching through the book of Exodus, I read that scholars said that Moses wrote songs in his youth. They say he was a popular general and war hero in the Egyptian army. He was also a poet and song writer. The songs written back then were usually spiritual in nature, and usually written to Pharoah, the sun god. One of the hymns that I found, to my chagrin, began with the phrase ‘there is none like you’! It was written to Pharoah, the sun god…. What a let down! It kind of made question just about everything. Who are we worshipping? Are we worshipping God? Or are we worshipping the worship? Or are we worshipping the worship band or the choir director? It made me question. Then I just took a deep breath. Obeyed the 1/5second rule. I put myself back into the ‘moment’, and stopped questioning, knowing that God knows my heart.
Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish questions.
Just embrace God in the moment. Don’t second guess Him. But I was still kind of bothered by this. Lately I have engaged an SEO to help us to receive more donations. He uses AI, which is fascinating, and scary at the same time. Artificial Inteligence, like internet itself, is extremely helpful and extremely dangerous at the same time. I am intrigued, but cautious. To test, a theory, I nervously decided to write a hymn to the Lord through Artificial Intelligence, (It’s not hard to do, you just say, ‘AI, write a Christian Praise and Worship song’). As I kind of suspected, the words of the hymn started out with ‘there is none like you!’. I was so perplexed. I felt cheapened somehow. Btw, you can write sermons I found out, through AI as well. They are seemingly great, but are they? A theologian from a seminaries would say so, except I know they came from a computer program, not from the spirit of God. Very perturbing! Give me a sloppy, unprepared sermon from the heart of a Godly man over the polished AI sermon any day.
2 Timothy 2:6 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness
Everytime I struggled with these kind of musings, I realized that I was out of the ‘moment’ mentally. I was worrying about the past or future. It’s enough to know that Jesus has our ‘six’.
Hebrews 8:12 For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.
He also has our future in His hands. Pay attention to the hear and now!
Matthew 6:34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
By being in the present we are in obedience to the will of God, and our questioning will be greatly diminished. Worrying or fretting is in disobedience of the Lord of God. Repent of you past sins, and believe that God will be with you in the future, but God is with you here and now.
We as human beings are limited by just so many words. The Bible tells us not to make images, not with drawings, not with carvings, not with words, not even in our minds. We have no idea how God looks, and mere words will only cheapen Him by comparison. Be in the moment when you praise God. Forget the ‘what if’s?’ Then you focus on the one true God. Not the sun god, not artificial intelligence, but on the only wise God Then you can truly sing ‘there is none like you’ to the Lord, because it’s in spirit and in truth.
John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
If your mind is out of control it can take you down some very dangerous paths. Billy Graham and his role model, Mr Templeton both had a crisis in faith at the same time. Templeton decided to go after the money. Billy Graham decided to just cling to Jesus and to put to death his wondering and wandering. Templeton was a billionaire when he died. When he was being interviewed on his death bed by the Christian Science Monitor magazine, he was asked if he missed religion. He laughed and said, ‘no way!’ Then, when he was asked if he missed Jesus, his eyes filled with tears and said ‘yes, I miss Jesus very much’! Be in the moment. The ‘what if’s?’ will eat you alive. Being in the present makes you truly be able to say ‘there is none like you!’ To the one and only living Lord. We all sometimes get tripped up when trying to praise God ‘ThereIsNoneLikeYou’ if we allow ourselves to be. Fight it!
Psalm 86:8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.
The rub is here. I can tell Winnie I love her. I can say I love pizza. I love my own children very much. I love the Pure Heart kids and staff. I love the bums that pound on my door day and night (although it might not look like I do sometimes). I love my own dogs. (Don’t love my neighbor’s dogs very much though.) Although the word love is used a million times, when you tell God you love Him, it’s unique. Don’t sweat the small stuff. It can kill you. Don’t strain on a gnat.
Matthew 23:24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel
I sat in an airplane a few years ago. The man besides me looked kind of familiar. After talking to him, I realized he was a pastor of a Calvary Chapel in Missouri. When we realized that we had met (I think I even had taught in his church!) he proudly announced a day out of the blue…. Something like, February 6th, 2008!! (Can’t remember exactly). He said, that’s the date that I because ‘unsaved’. I know his church. They sang ‘ThereIsNoneLikeYou’ for sure, I knew they did. What changed? What happened. It’s because he was taken out by the ‘what if’s?’ He didn’t take his thoughts captive. All of a sudden he was doubting, and his thoughts were’t taken captive. He didn’t fight.
2Cor 10:5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
I was like ‘whhhaaaattt??’ You’re ‘unsaved?’ (I almost added ‘and proud of it??’ He said yes! ‘I was studying the 400 years of silence, before the book of Matthew was written and discovered that all the other religions had many similarities between Jesus, Marie, Easter, Christmas, the virgin birth etc. My answer was ‘yes, and?‘ He seemed to be content to stay there. I went on ‘Counterfeits have always attacked Christianity, even from within the ranks of believers, what’s new?’ Then, after this weird argument, he said, ‘not only did I get unsaved but I left my wife and married this girl sitting next to me’ (now I understood everything). But it was still really an ‘unholy moment’ for me. I felt like needed to take a shower immediately when I got off the plane. Fight, or die.
Just be on guard brothers and sisters. Be in the moment, and take your thoughts captive. Be diligent and intentional to be a little more focused on Jesus and His righteousness for the little time remaining we have to serve Him.
2 Timothy 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived
Don’t be confused. Just believe and accept. And spread the Word. The best way to combat evil and doubt is to spread the Word. People kind of annoy me when they say they don’t feel ‘fed’ at a certain church. The reason, always, is because they are fat. They eat and eat, and don’t give out. You aren’t fed because you’re not sharing. Become entrenched in the Word, by sharing it. The best way to worship God with the song ‘ThereIsNoneLikeYou’ is to share Him with others. Why? Because if you really believed it you’d share Him. How? By the Word. My style of evangelism is pretty easy. It’s not rocket science, as my dear pastor Howard Davies loves to say. The plan of salvation is easy. Please share it with someone, anyone, before it’s too late. How? The Roman’s Road To Salvation will never lead you wrong.
Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.
Ashamed is better put as the word shy. Are you so politically correct that you are willing to let a loved on or a friend burn forever in hell? First step, show them *they already know*, that they are a sinner. As we all are.
1. Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
Everyone, you and me. All is All. We have all sinned. We all unqualified to enter into heaven on our own. Now show them what the wages of sin is. If you work all day you get paid. Good pay for saved people. (none of us) Bad pay for sinners, which is all of our wages actually.
2. Romans 6:23“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Fortunately, for all of us, God is love. He doesn’t want anyone to go to hell. He loves us and wants us to go to heaven. Christ died for all of us. He doesn’t reject anyone. People go to hell because they reject Jesus!
3. Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Then here’s the best part. It’s not complicated. Believe in your heart, confess with your mouth, and you are saved. Put the ‘what if’s’ to bed, and freely sing ‘There is none like you!!’
4. Romans 10:9, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
I don’t leave it open to debate, I grab the guy’s hand and say, let’s pray, I know you believe so let’s get you into heaven. *it usually works for everyone except for Jehovah Witnesses that come to my house, because they are always escorted by a bully*. But I say pray with me right now.
(I used to think it was spiritual to give them room, and space, but not anymore,, too many people are dying and going off to a Christless eternity).
They’ve now heard the Word of God, (no more excuses) it’s not psychology, it’s not my testimony, it’s His Word that is powerful. You are quoting scripture, not opinions, that’s where the power is. Not your arguments, cleverness or whit. It’s the Word of God, it’s living. Trust it. blindly.
Grab his hand, and say,, repeat after me.
Dear Jesus
I know i am a sinner
It’s true that you died for my sins/ I want to be forgiven
I believe you’ve risen from the dead, and I want you to come into my heart,
I receive the free gift of eternal life.
I give my life to you… in Jesus name amen,,
Now you’re saved, it’s that simple, give me a hug… your saved, the bible says if you believe in your heart, *which you do* and confess with your mouth *which you did* you are saved.
5. Romans 10:13 says it again, “for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and rescue us from eternal death. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
The final aspect of the Romans Road to salvation is the results of salvation.
Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Through Jesus Christ we can have a relationship of peace with God.
Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Because of Jesus’ death on our behalf, we will never be condemned for our sins. Finally, we have this precious promise of God
Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Love Dean and Winnie