Wayne Neyland provokes each of us with a relevant word!

Script. Text:  Isaiah 52:7 declares, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!”  

Acts 17:23  “For as I was out walking I saw your many altars, and one of them had this

I.  FREDERICK NIETZSCHE, THE NOTED PHILOSOPHER, PROFFERS HIS NON-THEIST IDEALISM IN HIS DRAMATIC LITERARY WORK, “THE MADMAN”
 A. He writes, “Have you not heard of that madman who lit a lantern in the bright morning hours, ran to the market place, and cried incessantly: "I seek God! I seek God!"— As many of those who did not    believe in God were standing around just then, he provoked much laughter. Has he got lost? asked one.  Did he lose his way like a child? asked another.  Or is he hiding? Is he afraid of us? Has he gone on a voyage?  Emigrated? — Thus they yelled and laughed.

The madman jumped into their midst and pierced them with his eyes. "Whither is God?" he cried; "I will tell you. We have killed him — you and I. All of us are his murderers. But how did we do this?  How could we drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What were we doing when we unchained this earth from   its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving?  Away from all suns?  Are we not plunging continually? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there still any up or down? Are we not straying, as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space?  Has it not become colder? Is not night continually closing in on us? Do we not need to light lanterns in the morning? Do we hear nothing as yet of the noise of the gravediggers who are burying God?  Do we smell nothing as yet of the divine decomposition? Gods, too, decompose. God   is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.

"How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of    all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves?  What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it? There has never been a greater deed; and whoever is born after us – for the sake of this deed he will belong to a higher history than all history hitherto."

Here the madman fell silent and looked again at his listeners; and they, too, were silent and stared at him in astonishment. At last he threw his lantern on the ground, and it broke into pieces and went out. "I have come too early," he said then; "my time is not yet. This tremendous event is still on its way, still wandering; it has not yet reached the ears of men. Lightning and thunder require time; the light of the stars requires time; deeds, though done, still require time to be seen and heard. This deed is still more distant from them than most distant stars---and yet they have done it themselves.

It has been related further that on the same day the madman forced his way into several churches and there struck up his Requiem Aeternam Deo. Led out and called to account, he is said always to have replied nothing but:  "What after all are these churches now if they are not the tombs and sepulchers of God?"
 B. Nietzsche’s Mood, without Apology, is Funeral.
 C. In 1882, A Godless world being welcomed into the Waiting Arms of Philosophy was already stirring –
     1. The Ominous Anti-Christ Forces were manifestly working to attempt their Coup & Secure Certain Victory in North America –
     2. Teeming Demons thrill at the thought of relegating any Idea or Notion of God working among men, into History past!
 D. Philosophy originates one step away from the Edge of Faith & Future! 
 E. Philosophy is the study of matters such as Existence, Knowledge, Truth, Beauty, Law, Justice, Validity, Mind, & Language – 
 

II. AND YET – FAITH, DEMANDS ACTION IN THE ARENA PHILOSOPHY REFUSES TO ENTER!

III. A GODLESS SOCIETY IS NOT A NEW PHENOMENON, ACTS 17 IS COMMENTARY TO FAITH-FILLED MEN MEETING DEMON-DRIVEN AGENDA’S,
 A. Script. Acts 17:18-19 – “A group of Epicurean & Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him.  Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.”
 B. The Followers of Epicurus acknowledged no gods except in name, & absolutely denied that they exercised any government over the world or its inhabitants – 
 C. So it is – that the Bible declares that the social atmosphere was hostile toward God – 
 D. So, they immediately sent Paul away to Athens because of the Uproar!
 E. Everywhere Paul went – his JESUS Message was being received in an Environment of Hostility
 F. While Paul waited for Timothy & Silas to catch up with him in Athens, he began noticing how many people were Pagans – worshippers of Idolatry!
 G. Paul went immediately to the Market Place and began to share Jesus with everybody he met…
 H. And it was there – that Paul met Philosophers – the Epicureans & the Stoics – who said of him “What will this babbler say?”  vs. 18 
  I. These Philosophers called Paul a “babbler” – in Greek it is “Spermologos” :  a collector of seeds, 
 J. They also said, “A setter forth of strange gods” – 
 

IV. JESUS WAS THE PHENOM OF PALESTINE –
 A. In fact, it was said of Him, “God had anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him” Acts 10:38
 B. This was the Testimony – the legacy if you will of the Man, Christ Jesus –
 C. Oh’ how swiftly humanity forgets the Righteous works of God –
     1. How easily we find ourselves swept away in the maelstrom of Political Perspicacity & Social Acceptance –
 D. History continually reminds us what happens when a people forget the testimony of God…
     1. Script. “Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.”  Ex 1:8
     2. Judg 2:10-11 says, “…and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.  And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, & served Baalim:
 E. So it was in Athens, that men worshipped Devils in the name of good, & cursed the preacher of the Gospel of Jesus & called him “a setter forth of strange gods” 
 F. When the heat of Adversity rises & the Political Winds shift & become Hostile against God’s Church – remember, Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”        Matt. 16:18
 G. The Church is Triumphant as long as she is declaring JESUS – 
 H. Jesus went about “doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil”    Acts 10:38
    1. The Church’s DNA & Modus Operandi comes from our Founder – Jesus our Lord 
    2. Injustice is quieted by the Ministry of the Church
    3. Social Ills are healed by the Church – 
    4. Inequities are Absolved by the glory of God working through His Church –
    5. The Hungry are fed by the grace of His Church –
    6. The Dead are raised by the power of His Church
    7. The Lame Leap in His Church
    8. The Deaf hear from the Testimony of the Church
    9. The Forgotten become the Begotten in His Church
    10. The Unrighteous get Right in the Death, Burial, & Resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Church
    11. The Lost are Reached by the Evangelization of the Church –
    12. The Believer is strengthened and made ready by His/Her ministry in the Church –
    13. And God is Glorified by His Church

Scripture Text:  “He who supplies the Spirit to you &  works miracles among you, does He do it by the  works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” 
                  Gal. 3:5

I. TODAY, QUESTIONS ABOUT LIFE, MANKIND, PURPOSE, REALITY, ETERNITY –  ALL SEEM TO BE TOO DISCOMFORTING & THEIR ANSWERS TOO FOREBODING –
 A. For Centuries, warnings have been  sounded that, if indeed MAN was the measure of all things – Someone had to determine “which MAN”
 B. Was it going to be Hitler or Hugh Hefner, Stalin or Mother Teresa?
 C. The strategic course our enemy has taken is to flood the Coffers of our Mind with the idea Man is the Ultimate End – 
 D. And yet –Hungry People keep Pursuing – 
 E. Isaiah 52:7 declares, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!”         NLT
 F. How beautiful are the feet of the Messengers of Redemption – 
 G. From the Lamentations of Jeremiah to the Sorrowful Songs of Captive Jews travailing in Bitter Distress  
 H. So, the Tacit Suggestion that Man is his own, & he needs no God postulates its own end – the Treachery of Emptiness!

II. THE COBBLESTONES OF CAPERNAUM BORE THE TEEMING MASSES OF PEOPLE WHO PRESSED NEAR HIM –
 A. Audacious Claims were made of Him –
 B. It had been reported that just a few days prior, in the Region of Decapolis, the Pitiable & yet famed  Devil-Possessed Man, who wore no clothes, neither abode in any house, but rather lived among the tombs… 
 C. Now – this Nazarene is here, walking toward the house of Jairus (ee-ahee'-ros), whose daughter is dying!
 D. As the Throng pressed through the narrow passages of the city, suddenly the Woman with the Issue of Blood is seen fighting her way thru the crowd... 
 E. The Woman with the Issue of Blood did not see Jesus as Hard & Condemning – she saw Him as a Gracious Savior overflowing with Mercy & Compassion!
 F. The Moment she touched the Hem of His Garment, immediately her fountain of blood was dried up & she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction –
 G. Was she ever conscious of her faith – NO – she was only conscious of JESUS & His Grace – 
   

III. TO LIVE THE ABUNDANT LIFE JESUS PROMISED YOU DOES NOT REQUIRE YOU     TO CONJURE UP FAITH FOR A HEALING OR FOR A BLESSING –
 A. FAITH for any breakthrough or miracle in your life springs forth when you see His Grace –
 B. He died – so You could live!
 C. It’s His Cross – for You to Live Abundantly!
 D. And, it’s His Grace – Your Faith!
 E. When you see His Grace – your faith becomes unconscious and miracles will break forth!

IV. IN READING THE ACCOUNTS OF JESUS –  WE DISCOVER THAT THERE WERE ONLY     TWO PEOPLE IN THE BIBLE WHO JESUS SAID HAD “GREAT FAITH”
  A. First – was the Roman Centurion     (Matt. 8:5-10) 
  B. Most people have been taught that the Reason the Lord told the Centurion he had not seen so great a faith is because the Centurion understood Authority –
  C. But then – that supposition poses a problem for the only other person to whom Jesus ever spoke of as having great faith!
  D. The Syro-Phoenician woman who had a devil-possessed daughter.   (Matt. 15:22-28) 
  E. So Now – if the Centurion had great faith because he understood authority, what about this Syrophoenician woman?  
  F. Watch this – the common denominator is not the level of their faith – that’s not the focus!
  G. The common denominator was not their occupation nor was it their gender – 
  H. Here it is – Both were GENTILES – they were not Jews! 
  I. The Law is indeed opposite of Faith – 
  J. Condemnation disqualifies us from receiving any blessing from the Lord – 
 K. The Secret to having Faith for any situation in your life is to Lift Up Jesus – Magnify Jesus! 
 L. Dr. Ricky Allmon spoke to us regarding the Magnanimity of God’s Love for us – 
 M. Watch it now – The Fruit of God’s Love manifested in YOUR Life – is the Expression of His Love flowing From Your Life – & that makes (constructs) HIM Larger & More Magnified in your life – 
 N. So now – my need is viewed only as a Vehicle to display my Desperation – my Hunger for Him –
    1. My Focus is ON Jesus!
    2. It’s ALL about Jesus!
    3. It’s ONLY about Jesus!
    4. It’s ALWAYS about Jesus!
 O. Beloved – it’s now about YOU having mature faith, enough faith, perfected faith, right faith, believing faith, non-negotiable faith, prosperous faith , uncommon faith or steroid faith – 
 P. You don’t allow the baggage of Condemnation to keep you from positioning yourself where He is manifested in Power –  

Wayne Neyland shares a powerful, relevant message regarding the times in which we live!