(Psalm 14:1) "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God."

Is there anything more important than a relationship with God? Is there anything else that has both tremendous and terrible possibilities and consequence? Nothing else governs a relationship with God because the relationship itself is governing. The economic climate and the value of the dollar, or political climate of a new president and a country still at war should make no difference to a relationship with God. If another disaster hits our country the question will not be 'what do we rebuild in its place' but 'do we have a relationship with God?' The attitude that says 'there is no God' is lived out void of a relationship with God on that very supposition. King David wrote the psalm and he does not say 'some people who say there is no God are fools' or 'fools make this statement' or 'uneducated people say it' or 'educated people say it' but he makes a universal statement without exception to any age, culture or education that 'the fool says in his heart there is no God.'

What is a fool?

The Bible describes the fool as a superficial person who does not think. It is contrasted with the man of understanding or the wise man. (Psalm 14:2) "The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God." The fool lacks understanding or the ability to think clearly. He will react and not consider the consequence of his reactions. He lacks insight. But this has nothing to do with education. What King David said in his time can be said of our time. It is the business of the pulpit to bring that insight, understanding and wisdom. The fool is someone who is driven by his heart. (Psalm 14:1) "The fool says in his heart…"We must tread carefully at this point and not destroy the heart. What is meant is that the fool is governed by the desires of the heart without thinking it through. They are governed by what they like and want to do. There are multiple examples of this by simple observation in how people live and love. They do what feels good to them without limitation, boundaries or prohibitions.

Sense of God

Every person has a sense of God in them. A fool is governed by the desire of the heart without consideration of the sense of God in them. We are all created in the image and likeness of god. (Genesis 1:27) "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Both man and woman have a sense of God in them. From a distance we look remarkable like a castle on a hill. But a closer examination shows that the widows are broken, the wooden beams are exposed and wild animals roam through broken walls where royalty used to be entertained. But there is still a sense of God in every person. (Romans 1:20) "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Not the redeeming blood of Christ that makes a man whole again. But a remembrance of Eden of what life used to be like is in every person. If you ask any woman what she desires the most it will find its roots in the beauty of Eden. A man longs for the adventure of Eden. If this is true it makes it difficult to explain this sense of God we all have while at the same time trying to deny God. Investigate the 194 countries in the world and the subcultures within them and you will find a sense of God in every person from worshipping a tree, animal spirits and many forms of idolatry. Distorted and ruined like a fallen castle that was once glorious. This cannot be swept aside to assume there is no God. For the Christian it is delightful but for the unbeliever it is haunting. People who come to this assumption that there is no God are fools - superficial thinkers. Such a person goes against the very sense of God in them.

Conscious of God

Every person is also conscious of God. When we do something wrong our conscience tells us and condemns us. We feel miserable passing to remorse if not repentance. Regarding the way we live Paul made it clear (1 Corinthians 10:25) "…question of conscience…" Paul repeated to Timothy to keep his conscience clear, pure and blameless. But the more we dispute this consciousness of God in us there are personal consequences. (1 Timothy 4:2) "…whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron." A fool is not governed by his own conscience but what he wants to do and would like to be true. He sees sin and is tempted by it but his conscience convicts him. So to carry on in his sin he must declare to himself 'there is no God' and deny his own conscience searing it with a hot iron. This is where so a terrible consequence occurs. (Romans 1:28) "…since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind…"

Knowledge of God

King David tells us that fools do not listen to the sense of God or their consciousness of God. But he takes it further by saying the fool does not listen to their own knowledge of God. (Psalm 14:2) "The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand…" People say there is no God because of their knowledge. The argument is that only ignorant people believe in God because they have no intelligence. But if this is correct then every person with a college education does not believe in God because their college education has somehow proved there is no God, and every person who went no further than high school is an automatic believer in God. Is the denial of God based on learning? Some of the great thinkers believed in God.

" Scientific minds: Isaac Newton is known for his scientific discoveries especially the falling apple but Newton spent much of his time studying scripture and writing commentary. He was a towering genius and a man who believed in God. Pascal was a brilliant mathematician creating news systems of calculation and geometry. This genius believed in God. Robert Boyle made outstanding contributions to the world of chemistry known as 'Boyles Law' studied today. He believed in God.
" Leaders of men: Napoleon Bonaparte's dying words: 'Alexander, Caesar, and myself founded empires; but what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded an empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.'
" Authors: H.G Wells said: 'I am an historian, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.'

The supposition that an active, creative, innovative and inventive mind means you do not believe in God is superficial thinking. But quite the opposite is also true:

" Andrew Carnegie: Industrialist and philanthropist: 'I don't believe in God. My god is patriotism. Teach a man to be a good citizen and you have solved the problem of life.'
" Arthur C. Clarke: Inventor: 'It may be that our role on earth is not to worship God but to create him.'
" Gene Roddenberry: creator of Star Trek '…religion is nothing more than a substitute for a malfunctioning brain.'

The supposition that an active, creative, innovative and inventive mind means you do believe in God is also superficial thinking. The moment you begin to realize how a person arrives at the conclusion 'there is no god' rising and falling on intelligence it becomes superficial. No matter whose work you are reading, ancient philosophy of modern thinking there is nothing new about not believing in God. There has been nothing of new thinking, discovery or enlightenment to change what David wrote 3000 years ago. The oldest profession in the world may be prostitution but the oldest argument in the world is that there is no God.

Knowledge and understanding

People today have a great deal of book knowledge either self-taught, acquired in the field or taught in a classroom. But knowledge and understanding are not the same. You can be aware of the facts and a fool in your personal life. Learned professions that have knowledge of the anatomy, law, professors of education itself, politics and policy and Bible scholars but are as guilty as the blue color laborer in the areas of adultery, domestic violence, theft, lies and drunkenness. You may have a great career and an educated mind and still led by the desires of your heart in what you want to do and like to do but the Bible calls you a fool - a superficial thinker.

Do you know or understand?

People arrive at their conclusions about life with very little evidence to support it. David tells us that this is behaving like a fool. Jumping to a conclusions is even is even a way of life governed by a prejudice. 'If there is a God then why is America at war?' 'Why are there children born with special needs?' 'Why do innocent children die in high school shootings?' 'Why did my dad walk out when I was a boy?' I have buried people and listened to the family conclude God does not love them and therefore does not exist. With this kind of reasoning and argument momentous conclusions are drawn that there is no God. Did something negative happen to you in 2007? Did you bury someone you loved? Divorce or go bankrupt? Did you lose your job that had a domino affect on your family.' (Psalm 119:67) "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word." If this is true you can stop being foolish and conclude (Psalm 119:71) "It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." If we struggle to understand our own life why do we quickly conclude 'if God does not do this for me then he does not exist.' When you draw such a conclusion in your moment of need the Bible calls you a fool.

Look at the evidence

" Have you considered planet earth we live on, the atmosphere around it, the constellations and their suspension? How does it all exist and hold together without the control and manipulation of man? There is only one explanation for the universe and that is God
" Have you considered the mystery of mankind? Something greater than the universe itself? The intricate machinery and regeneration and reproduction of a human being born from another human body. There is only one explanation for mankind and that is God.
" Have you considered history itself both Old Testament and secular history? What about the Jews and their mysterious ability to persist despite the most horrific attempts to eradicate and exterminate a nation? There is only one explanation for the Jews and that is God.
" Have you considered Old Testament prophecy and the mystery of ancient predictions coming to pass exactly as it was foretold? Facts containing the birth, life, ministry, death under Pontius Pilate and resurrection of a single person? There can only be one explanation for Old Testament prophecy and that is God.
" Have you considered the person of Jesus Christ in both Biblical and secular history? Some draw strange conclusions but no one has been able to deny his existence as the Son of God or the Son of Man. There can only be one explanation to Jesus Christ and that is God.
" How can you explain the church itself? The persistence and endurance through the most painful birth in the days of Roman occupation and persecution? How can you explain that no throne, power, president, prime minister, army, democracy or dictatorship has put and end to the church? How God raised common men to bring European Reformation and American awakening. There can only be one explanation for the church and that is God.

Can you see that the conclusion that there is no God is founded on the weakest evidence? Every person has a sense of God, conscience of God and knowledge of God.

Opportunity and challenge

It is the role of the pulpit to bring insight into our lives of who God is and what he has done through Christ to give us redemption. The challenge today is that people risk eternity on such weak evidence that there is no God. The argument is that there is nothing after death. But can the fool prove it? If you are prepared to risk eternity on prideful subjective circumstances you really are a fool like a gambling man putting all he has on the roll of the dice. You risk everything on your number! Are you selling your birthright for a momentary 'something' that you want to do? There is no life like the Christian life. It is a clean life, good life; godly life, holy life and a life lived in relationship with God and each other. As the Christian life grows in God it gets better and better. As you begin to contemplate the end of life there is no fear of death or the grave but the conclusion of this life begins with seeing Jesus face to face. (1 Peter 1:4) "…into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you…" A life outside of this is empty with nothing to look forward to. You can stop being a fool and believe in God and what he did for you in Christ.

If you would like to see previous transcripts you can find them here: Teaching Series