Lies We Believe | Part 5 | Lies We Believe About God | Jon Sprouse

Lies We Believe About God
Lies We Believe and the Truth That Sets Us Free
January 30, 2022

A friend of mine recalls this story from her childhood...
When I was about 10 years old, our family traveled to British Columbia for the wedding of my mom’s cousin. At the wedding reception, wine was served. We never had beer or wine in our home growing up, and I’d never seen my parents drink. I don’t remember how the glass of red wine ended up on our table. What I do remember is my baby brother – who was in a high chair, so probably around 18 months old – demanding to have the “juice.” So, mom gave him a sip! Suffice it to say, it was not at all what he was expecting! The look of confusion, distaste, and disappointment was hilariously obvious.
 
As this story illustrates, sometimes our preconceptions lead to incredible disappointments. We see one aspect of a thing and end up drawing conclusions that are simply not true. Red liquid in a pretty glass must be sweet, right? Past experience said it was so. But the reality was a startling disappointment.
 
We are in week five of our series, Lies We Believe and the Truth That Sets Us Free. Over the past few weeks, we’ve talked about the lies we believe about ourselves, others, and life. This week, we’re taking a look at the lies we believe about God.
 
For some of us, our ideas about God were shaped by our families and our early experiences at church. But increasingly, there are many people whose ideas about God come from social media memes, movies, school, or other worldly influences. Regardless of where your first understanding of God came from, it’s likely that you have been influenced by lies about Him. We are drawn to the good or “sweet” characteristics of God...His love, compassion, kindness, and goodness.  But as we experience more of life, we begin to realize that God is less like grape juice and more like red wine. He is complex. And sometimes those complexities are unpalatable to us. They cause us to question and doubt. Like the little boy with the red wine, we experience confusion, distaste, and disappointment. Have we misunderstood God? Is He not who we think He is?
 
Having an accurate understanding of God is essential to every aspect of our lives. I hope you’ll join us!