Pastor Allen Rea

Does anyone remember the gameshow “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” I was never a fan of that gameshow, but what stuck with me is that the contestant had to confirm his or her answer by giving a “yes” or “no” to the host’s question: “Is that your final answer?” This was meant to add some tension in the show, and perhaps, it was an attempt to cast doubt on the confidence of the contestant. Regardless of why it was asked, it became the trademark of the show.

Do you know that God has given His final answer? In his phenomenal book, The Silence of God, Sir Robert Anderson speaks about the supremacy of the New Testament Pauline revelation of Christ as being God’s final answer. God is currently silent because there is nothing more that He chooses to say. Even the author of Hebrews recognized this when he wrote: “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,  has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2). There is an increasingly dangerous notion in the modern church of wanting to “hear from God.” If someone doesn’t hear from God, then he thinks that he being punished. Although past revelations came in “various ways,” in these last days, the final answer is God’s Son. We must not only avoid the call of the modern church to “seek a word from God” or “hear a word from God,” we must proclaim the Word of God as the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. In this case, there is more at stake than simply a million dollars. And there is more at stake than simply being an evangelical pop star. The very basis of Truth is at stake. If the Truth is not finalized, then everyone seems to be getting contradicting words from God. We as Christians await only the Rapture; we are not awaiting further revelation. Just as we are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10), the Revelation is complete in Christ.

God is not being mean nor is He punishing the church by being silent. He has simply given His final word – Jesus Christ. Christ came to reveal the Father to us, and He achieved his mission perfectly. “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18). When the modern church greedily seeks a new or different word from God, it is actually declaring: “Christ is not enough.” As so often is the case, what is popular is not biblical. While books like Jesus Calling continue to fly off bookshelves, I think I’ll just stick with my Bible. I will not put words into God’s mouth. I will not remove words from God’s mouth. Jesus is God’s final answer. Jesus is my final answer. What about you?

 

Pastor Allen Rea is pastor of Higgston Baptist Church in Aileh, GA. He is a Doctor of Ministry student at Luther Rice Seminary. Pastor Rea is married to Kara and they have four children. His sermons are online at www.faithlife.com/higgstonbaptistchurch.