God Chasers and Myth Chasers

2Timothy 4: 3-4 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. (NLT)

The time has come in modern, western Christianity. The gospels being preached are not what the Apostle Paul risked his life for so many times over. Between prosperity in earthly riches and self-help disguised as religion; the true Gospel message can easily get lost. That is because the true Gospel message is not one that is easily accepted. Jesus Himself taught us this:

"Don't imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. 'I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your own household!' "If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. Matthew 10: 34-39 (NLT)

The Word of God divides people because not everyone wants to hear the truth. Because often the truth hurts. People do not want to hear that Christianity will cost you something. People do not want to hear that we are all sinners saved by grace. The world system sells us the lie that man is good but there is no equivocation with God:

As the Scriptures say, "No one is righteous--not even one. No one is truly wise; 

no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless.  No one does good, not a single one." "Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies." "Snake venom drips from their lips." "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." "They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them. They don't know where to find peace." "They have no fear of God at all." Romans 3: 10-18 (NLT)

That is a hard sell! But realize that the issue is man thinks man is good because he compares himself to other men. When the bar is set that low, it is no wonder we can start to feel a bit better about ourselves. But when we see our lives in the light of a holy God, we simply fall so vastly short of the mark. When we realize that we then can either seek God more or seek what we want to hear what our ears itch to hear. We either seek God or we chase myths.

Because we all believe in something beloved. Don't let anyone tell you any differently. We all put our faith into something. Even the atheist, who denies the existence of God, has a measure of faith. They may believe in the big bang theory for example. This theory of man says that all existence, all matter, once sat in a tiny space no bigger than the head of a pin. This then exploded, randomly creating the universe as we know it, including our little home called earth. From a mixture of rock and a "primordial soup" came single celled organisms, which evolved eventually into the civilization we now have before us. And you think that the person who believes this has no faith? I would argue they have more faith than me I simply believe God spoke the universe into existence as the Bible says He did. In fact when you break down the word universe you get "uni" meaning "single" and "verse" meaning "spoken sentence."

We all will believe in something, even if it is nothing. We all will chase something in our lives. It may be God or it may be myths, as the key verse indicates. Paul was writing to Timothy about the end times, but he did so knowing full well that this drama has always played out on this earth. There have always been myth chasers and God chasers. In Old Testament times and in the coming future. Paul understood.

In Old Testament times the nation of Israel was constantly in flux between chasing God and chasing myths. The entire span of the book of Judges covers 400 years and is nothing more than a repetitive cycle of obedience to God followed by disobedience:

The Israelites did evil in the L ord 's sight. They forgot about the L ord their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles. Judges 3: 7 (NLT)

So Moab was conquered by Israel that day, and there was peace in the land for eighty years. Judges 3: 30 (NLT)

The same cycle played out during Kings and Chronicles as Judah and Israel were constantly wavering between God and myths. The names of Baal and Asherah litter the pages of the Old Testament. They were the downfall of even the wisest King, Solomon. Baal was a false God who eventually was so popular that during the times of Elijah, there were 450 prophets of Baal. Asherah was considered the consort of Baal and was a fertility goddess. The "pole" was an object of worship. While the names of Baal and Asherah may have faded with time, the act of myth chasing remains to this day. Asherah can be closely related to the American obsession with sex (fertility). We see a society absolutely saturated in sex. We now live in a "if it feels good, do it" society. So much of it goes against the plan of God. It has become idol worship before a holy God. So many in the world are still bowing down to the Asherah pole. Baal worship continues as well. Baal is simply anything we value in place of God. In some cases, such as other religions, it can actually be other "gods" who people follow instead of the one true God. In other cases, our modern day Baal can be money, power, or greed. Anything that people may choose to pursue instead of God.

The myth chasing continued during the days Jesus walked the earth. The religiosity had grown out of control. The Pharisees and teachers of law had chased the myth that as long as you adhered to a certain set of legalistic requirements, that heaven awaited you. Jesus reset the bar. He said lust starts in the heart. He said murder starts in anger. He said love those who persecute you. These were radical teachings for that time, or any time. But His Gospel message corrected thousands of years of chasing the wind. All that was now required was faith in Him and a personal relationship. There was no longer a need to chase some set of requirements you could never adhere to. There was no longer a need to chase a false God. Paul knew that this teaching was the salvation of the world but he also knew that eventually, man would still revert to being man.

And so we find ourselves today seeking where to place our faith. The problem with prosperity gospel is not that God doesn't want to bless you of course He does! It is that the primary message confuses blessings with things you do not have yet as opposed to things God has already given you. It confuses prosperity with the temporal things of this earth. What did Jesus teach about that?

"Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6: 19-21 (NLT)

Our prosperity is found in Christ Jesus, not in the riches of this world. The Bible says you can only serve one master. Blessings need to be viewed as what God has given us already, not that we turn Him into an ATM for our whims.

Self help is another false gospel message. Yet so many American Christian movements are based on it. Your best life now is simply not possible without Jesus. There is nothing we can do to help ourselves that was why God sent His only Son:

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. John 3: 16-17 (NLT)

Through Him, not through myths. Not through the myth of prosperity in earthly riches:

Teach these things, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them. Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life. Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions. These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy. 1Timothy 6: 2-5 (NLT)

A show of godliness as a means to become wealthy. Sound familiar? Chasing the myth of false wealth and false blessings. Similarly, the world is saved through Christ, not through the self-help myth:

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9: 36 (NLT)

Confused and helpless; sheep without a shepherd. Chasing after the same myths over and over again. So it was and so it will be again. The true Gospel has come into the world beloved. It is filled with hope and salvation. There is more beyond this earth; so much more. There is a way. There is truth. There is a life. It is through Jesus Christ and not the myths of this world. Baal may have been replaced with another name. Asherah still lives on through the lustful spirit enveloping our nation. The Pharisaical spirit of legalism still permeates the church. The myths are still there.

Too many modern church messages are designed to make us feel better about ourselves when we really should be feeling worse about ourselves and better about the God we serve. The Prophet Jeremiah reminds us:

This is what the L ord says: "Don't let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the L ord  who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the L ord , have spoken! Jeremiah 9: 23-24 (NLT)

We do not boast in our wisdom or power because anything we get is only through almighty God to begin with! When kings thought themselves wise and powerful God deposed them. Our true boasting must always be in the Lord and all He has done and has yet to do. Paul understood this:

If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am. God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is worthy of eternal praise, knows I am not lying. 2Corinthians 11: 30-31 (NLT)

It is God and God alone that is worthy of eternal praise. If we must boast beloved, let us follow the example of Paul and boast in what makes us weak, because there is where God is strongest in our lives. Let us truly chase the Author and Finisher of our Faith and not the myths of man. Let your itching ears only itch to hear the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Do not be led astray. Amen.

Reverend Anthony Wade February 15, 2011