The Great Experimenter (Pastor Michael Lombardo, 01/20/24)

From Sabbath to Sabbath, actually from

from day to day, as followers of Christ we spent

quite a bit of our time reflecting on the many attributes of God.

We're often reminded of the wonderful

mercy of God, something we'll be marveling about for the rest of eternity.

I don't know about you but I often catch myself looking forward to the justice of

God. We talked about this in Sabbath school reading some of the Psalms.

There's so much evil and corruption in this world but a day of judgment is

coming. We could study about the incredible patience of God. I mean we

wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be looking forward to eternity if we weren't for

God's long-suffering. Or we could focus on the wonderful love of God. That would

need to be a ten-part series if we wanted to just scratch the surface of

God's love. Or we could consider the wrath of God. There's a lot of confusion

about that. God is a God of love and of justice, so there's the wrath of

God all through Scripture. We could study about the mighty power of God and

spend lots of time focusing on that. But today I would like us to look at one

particular attribute of God that maybe you haven't thought of as much but it's

it's all through Scripture. I'd like to direct your thoughts this morning to God

the Great Experimenter. Before we begin let's pray. Dear Lord as we open your

word today we we pray for your Holy Spirit to attend us to help us to

understand and also to to put into practice in our lives the principles

that are there for us Lord. Thank you that you're a loving, merciful, long

suffering God. You're the Great Experimenter and we pray for you to be

with us now as we open your word in Jesus name. Amen. So God is actually in

the business of conducting experiments. You know we're made in the image of God

and and we certainly have this this need to be curious, to be inquisitive, to

kind of experiment, to hypothesize, and then try to understand why things happen

the way they do. That's just part of our existence but this idea of God being an

experimenter that might seem a little strange because doesn't God know

everything before it happens? Doesn't he know the end of from the beginning like

it says in Isaiah 46? The purpose of doing an experiment is to find out the

what and why but but God already knows. So let's let's go to God's Word and

let's look at several examples of God as the Great Experimenter. Probably the best

known is right there in the book of of Job. You already know that the book of

Job attempts to answer the question why do bad things happen to good people?

Summarizing the story, Job a righteous man is found in the beginning of I mean

he's found a righteous man through no faith of his own. He finds himself in some very

hard times. His children are killed, his property taken, I mean he loses everything

and on top of all that he's inflicted with a very painful disease. The reason

for Job's dilemma or for it being portrayed in the Bible is found right

there in the very first chapter of the book. Of course Job wasn't privy to that

chapter. He didn't know what was going on behind the scenes, at least in the

beginning. Scholars believe by the way that Job was actually written by Moses,

not by Job, and it was probably written before Genesis, maybe the very first book

of the Bible. At any rate, Job wasn't present for this encounter between God

and Lucifer that we find there in the chapter 1 of Job. We're going to pick up

at verse 6 in chapter in Job 1. One day the angels came to present themselves

before the Lord and Satan also came with them. Wow, is that not an eye-opener?

The Lord said to Satan, where have you come from? God knew but you know he had

to kind of get it on record. Satan answered the Lord from roaming throughout

the earth, going back and forth on it. And boy he sure has been, you know he's all

over the place, isn't he? And each of our trying to cause trouble with all of us.

Then the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job? So God's kind

of introducing this possibility for an experiment here. Have you considered my

servant Job? There's no one on earth like him. He is blameless and upright, a man

who fears God and shuns evil. Wouldn't you like that to be said of you?

Satan comes back, you know, why is he doing this? Is he doing it for nothing?

Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has?

You've blessed the work of his hands so that his flocks and herds are spread

throughout the land. But now just stretch forth your hand and strike

everything he has and let's see what he does then. Let's see if he doesn't curse

you to your face. It's as though the curtain is pulled back on a

heavenly stage and everything is revealed. The recorded account in Job 1

gives us a behind-the-scenes look at this heavenly caucus that's taking

place. As this curtain is pulled back, it's there where God is challenged to

prove that his creatures love him for himself alone and not merely for what

they can get from him. Think about it. How many times do you thank God for what

he's done, but how many times do we praise him and thank him when things

haven't gone our way? When there's nothing necessarily that's coming to

your mind to thank him for. So Satan might have a point here. You know, he's

proposing an experiment and he's basically saying, you know, why not rob

Job of all his blessings and then let's see what happens. The amazing thing is

that God accepts the challenge and he allows the experiment to take place as

the whole universe looks on. It is as if this earth becomes a laboratory where

one man, Job, is placed in a crucible to see whether faith will triumph over

tragedy in a fallen world. Well, not too far into the experiment, Job's wife is

used by Lucifer to try and push Job over the edge. She says in Job 2 verse 9, are

Job 2:9

you still maintaining your integrity? Just curse God and die. You can imagine

the devil is cheering that on, wouldn't he, as Job's wife gives Job some advice.

But before we rush the judgment about Job's wife, remember she just lost ten

children too. She's just lost everything herself. She's expressing some grief but

not in a very productive way. And Job comes back and says in verse 10, you're

talking like a foolish woman. Shall we receive good at the hand of God and

shall we not receive evil as well? Now that good that Job refers to in verse 10

was all we were supposed to experience until we made that choice in the

Garden of Eden. And since the rebellion, we have suffered the consequences of our

choices. I mean life is all about choices and consequences. Choices and

consequences. We've all made choices that we've had to suffer the consequences to,

haven't we? I wouldn't need to get a hand raise on that one. We've enjoyed some of

those consequences when we made some good choices and we've had to learn the

hard way on some choices we've made and suffered those consequences as well.

As we continue the story, after Job's wife leaves, who comes in? Now we've got

his three friends. Maybe the wife didn't leave. Maybe she cheered them on because

you know if you have friends like that who needs enemies. You remember what they

started accusing Job of? Bad things don't happen like this to good

people. Job, you must be doing something behind her back. You deserve what's

coming. That's just a quick summary of kind of what they conclude. And so we

usually end the story of Job somewhere about here saying, well Job stood up, you

know, his faith was intact in the midst of all this. But I want us to go further

into Job here. I want us to go to, oh there's the three, I'm sorry, there's his

three friends. It took me an hour to make that painting work the way it did. So

you've got to enjoy that for a minute, okay? That's a lot of Photoshop work. But

now look at what Job says in chapter 30. This is after he's

suffered the pain on himself. You know, that usually can break you down pretty

quick when the boils came and he's in constant pain. But look at what he

says in Job 30 verse 19. We don't usually go to this part of Job. Look what he says

Job 30:19

here about God being unfair. God has cast me into the mire and I have become like

dust and ashes. I cry to you for help and you do not answer me. I stand and you

only look at me God. You turn on me ruthlessly. You turn on me ruthlessly.

With the might of your hand you attack me. Wow, Joe, why don't you tell us how

you really feel? I mean Job's wavering in his faith a little bit or maybe he's

just being real and candid with God. You think God can handle it when we

struggle? When we wonder? He gave us that ability to wonder and to question and to

think. The thing is Job hangs around for the answer and God does give him the

answer. That was Job 30 in verse 38 and 39. God answers Job with 62 different

questions in Job 38 and 39. I mean questions that neither Job nor you or I

can fully answer with the implication that if you can't understand the ways

of the universe that I created by the way then why do you think you can

figure out me and why I am allowing things to happen the way they do? I mean

questions like in chapter 38 verse 4, where were you when I laid the earth's

foundation, Job? And where were you when I established the seashores? And have

you explored the recesses or the trenches of the sea? By the way the

Mariana Trench over in the Western Pacific is six times deeper than the

Grand Canyon. In fact the Mariana Trench is deeper than Mount Everest is tall and

it runs a 1,550 miles in length, seven miles down. And so you know he asked Job

have you explored the trenches of the sea? And do you have any idea how large

this earth is Job? And speak up Job if you have even the beginning of an answer.

Do you know where the light comes from Job? We're still trying to understand

light and how it works, how it can pierce the darkness, the lights of the

heaven and so forth. Those are just a sampling of those 62 questions that God

posed to Job, but as we stand back and take an overall look at this book of Job

we find that this world is a lesson book, a laboratory. God did not precipitate this

experiment, but he is allowing it to happen, allowing sin to run its course so

everyone can see the horrific results of rebellion. You see God is all about free

will and we and the whole universe is seeing how things have gone with this

free will of ours. We're in the midst of a terrible experiment of rebellion which

when it's over will provide an eternal safeguard for the universe so that this

sin problem will never rise up again. Amen. Now in a court of law the lawyer

will ask a bunch of questions, questions you already know the answers to but they

got to get on record. You know that court recorder is recording a mile a

minute and the witnesses answering the questions it's all getting established in

that court setting. God knows all things. His understanding is infinite. His ways

are so far above ours. He knows the end from the beginning, but for the sake of

the universe who's watching and for our sakes since we too are watching there is

a great controversy being played out. Satan and Jesus have been in a war. Satan

and his angels they started this war and they were cast out of heaven and now

this great controversy is right here raging on earth. So let's look at some

some other examples in the Bible and build this case for God being the great

experimenter. Let's go to 2nd Chronicles chapter 32 verse 31 where God

withdrew from Hezekiah in order to what? To test him that he might know all that

was in his heart. As if God didn't already know? You probably remember that

Hezekiah got deathly sick. I mean to the point where they're telling him to get

his house in order, but when Hezekiah prayed God chose to add years back to

his life. In his sickness he had promised to walk in humility all the days, yet he

became proud after his recovery to the point that he even showed off the holy

treasures to the Babylonians who passed through and that's what they came after

many years later and brought back to Babylon. You know the rest of that story

in Daniel chapter 1, but he showed off all those treasures and he did

Daniel 1 · chapter mention

not give God the glory for the miracles in his life and so God left Hezekiah to

himself, we read, so that he would see his heart for what it was. How often do we

cringe when trials come our way? You know generally when a trial comes my way I'm

quick to pray for that trial to be removed when I probably should be

praying Lord help me in this trial to grow closer to you and pray that in

this trial you'll be glorified. Trials are a part of life. This

sight of heaven, heaven is not fair and you're going to face difficulty, but it

seems to be a necessary part of life for us to realize our helplessness and

imperfections that are in the way of our eternal allegiance to him. Hezekiah

needed to see that he was not so perfect as he thought he was. It's

good for us to know ourselves, to know our weaknesses, to know our sinfulness so

that we not become conceited or self-confident. Our need is to

always live in dependence upon the divine creator, not to be sticking our

fist up at God when things don't go our way, but to be trusting in the God who

loves us. We don't know the capacity for corruption that exists in our hearts, nor

what we would do if God left us to ourselves. Just as an experiment was

going on in Hezekiah's heart, so with with ours today. Us humans are so quick

to forget that it is through his grace, his power, that we're saved. So I asked a

question, not what's in your wallet, but what's in your heart? Because you know

by the way what's in your heart will determine what's in your wallet and

where it goes, but sticking with this thought of what's in our

heart, I think of Genesis 6 5. It grieves me to read this verse. God saw that the

wickedness of man, that's mankind, that's you and me, was great and that every

imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only what? Evil continually. Does what

is in your natural heart and the evil you have the capacity to do, does it not

drive you to your knees, to the foot of the cross? Now while we're still thinking

about Genesis, let's look at another picture of God as the great creator, a

great experimenter. In Genesis 18 verse 20, the Lord God said, because the outcry

Genesis 18:20

against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sin is very grievous, I'm

going to go down and see whether they have done all together according to the

outcry against it that has come to me and if not I will know. Again isn't that a

strange statement on first look from the one who knows everything to need

to come down and see? But God sends two angels as messengers to Sodom and

Gomorrah because the lesson is really not for God's benefit. Obviously he knows. He

sends these angels and they not only learn by watching, but the rest of the

universe gets caught up in the experiment as well. See the rest of us

need to see this and learn. And so here's another example in Genesis

and this one, oh yeah he sent the angels down, there's your slide for that, I'm

forgetting my slides, but as we continue with this theme of God the

experiment, look at Genesis 22. After these things, God did what? He tested

Abraham and he said to him, Abraham. Abraham said, here I am and here's the

experiment. God asked, no actually he tells Abraham to take his only son, Isaac,

the son that Seren Abraham had long for prayed for for decades, the son that the

future of God's people rested upon and he tells Abraham to sacrifice him, to slit

his throat on an altar. Abraham, I'm gonna take your son and lay him on the altar

and take his life. You know if somebody came in today and said you know God has

told me to take my child's life, I'm gonna kill him this afternoon, what would

you do? I hope you would call the authorities. Abraham trusted God and he

did what God told him to do. He took the knife, he's feeling for that

carotid artery, he's ready to do what God has told him to do, but the angel of the

Lord calls out to him from heaven in verse 11 and says, do not lay a hand on

this boy, do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God because you have

not withheld from your son, you have withheld from me your son, your only son.

So God tested, he experimented, he conducted an experiment on Abraham's

faith. I would say Abraham passed the test wouldn't you? Here's another example

of God the experimenter in Deuteronomy 8 verse 1 where it says, every

Deuteronomy 8:1

commandment which I command you today, you must be careful to observe that you

may live and multiply and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore

to your fathers and you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the

way these 40 years in the wilderness to humble you and what? Test you to know

what is in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. You see the

experiment taking place? Again, God already knows before we do what we do. So

who was the testing actually for? You know we're gonna jump down to verse 16

and get the answer. Look at verse 16 of the same chapter. God fed you in the

wilderness with manna which your fathers did not know that he might humble you

that he might, here's the two words again, test you to do what? To do you good in

the end. That's why God allows us to go through trials, through tests. That's why

the experiments going on. He could have wrapped it all up in the Garden of Eden

and that would have left us to have never existed. But instead he's performing

this experiment. He's saying, whosoever will, I would love you to spend eternity

with me. He always has this ultimate purpose to test us for good. So as we

face tests today probably before the sun goes down and tomorrow and the next day

it's for our good as we let God guide us, bless us, and fill us. There's also a

bigger reason why God is allowing this experiment to go on. We find this being

explained to us in Hebrews 12 where it talks about that great cloud of

witnesses that's looking on the whole universe. It's looking on as we run this

race called life. We have the privilege of vindicating the God of the universe in

this great controversy that we're in the midst of. And we get to validate

his trust and confidence in us as followers of him. By our lives surrendered

to him we can bring glory to God the great experimenter. Now permit me to read

to you just one paragraph from a book written for ministers. But I think it

applies to all of us. In fact, doesn't Peter tell us we're all a part of the

royal priesthood. The Lord Jesus is making experiments, experiments on human

hearts through the exhibition of his mercy and abundant grace. He is

affecting transformations so amazing that Satan with all his triumphant

boasting with all his confederacy of evil untied against God and the laws of

his government stands viewing them as a fortress impregnable to his sophistry

and delusions. They are to him an incomprehensible mystery. I like that

quote don't you? So are you a fortress impregnable? Are you an incomprehensible

mystery to Satan or does he have your number? Does he know just what buttons

to push and you go tumbling down every time? We can be this fortress impregnable,

this incomprehensible mystery to Satan. I love giving Satan a bad day don't you?

God will get us through if we're surrendered to Jesus so that when we're

put to the test we'll say not I but Christ who lives within me. But you know

about this time you might be tempted to say I don't know if I want to be the

subject of an experiment. I mean anyone's experiment. Can I opt out of this whole

thing? Well God could have ended the experiment at the garden couldn't he?

That first garden you know called Eden. Where would that have left you and me if

Adam and Eve had died in that garden that day? What was the warning? If they

ate of the tree, death. But it was only because Jesus stepped in, Jesus the Lamb

slain from the foundation of the world, that Adam and Eve didn't die immediately

that same day. Yes they died the first death later on but it's the second death

we have to be concerned about, the eternal death. God could have ended the

experiment at that garden. He also could have ended it at another garden, the

garden called Gethsemane. The humanity of the Son of God trembled in that trying

hour. The awful moment had come, that moment which was to decide the destiny

of the world. The fate of humanity trembled in the balance. Christ might

even now refuse to drink the cup, a portion to guilty man. He didn't have to

go through it did he? He prayed three times that it could pass from him, not

because he was shrinking from his duty but because he didn't want to lose his

eternal relationship with his father. He was giving up an eternal relationship

for people who were spitting in his face. That's why he couldn't see beyond the

portals of the tomb. He might wipe the bloody sweat from his brow and leave man

to perish in his iniquity. He might say let the transgressor receive his penalty.

He deserves it. I'll just go back to my father. The words that fall tremulously

from the pale lips of Jesus are these, oh my father if this cup may not pass from

me except I drink it, thy will be done. God in his love and foresight chose to

take a very real risk with us and then for us for Jesus. He has given us a way

out of this hopeless predicament and there's only one way. Jesus said I am the

way, the truth and the life. He's given us this way out and if we choose the right

way then we we have a victorious Savior. If we're following him then we have

eternity to look forward to. Well all right if you don't want to be in God's

experiment then your only other choice is to be Satan's guinea pig. Jesus said if

you're not with me you're against me. So what's your choice? God tells us I have

set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore please choose life.

When a young person leaves home and you know does his thing and or her thing and

and and doesn't follow God and has to be free man, who's guinea pig? Guinea pig

is he or is she? When you start taking drugs and you're addicted and you're

you're you're bound, you're entwined, you can't even make decisions for yourself

anymore, you need help outside, is that freedom? That's not the experiment that

God wants us to go through. That's what the devil does with us when we we choose

to to walk away from God. Why not submit yourself to God's experiments? Because

God's experiment results not in the destruction of the specimen but in its

glorification, in its salvation. So we do have a have a choice. But remember when

you give yourself over to God, he does not treat you like a throwaway. The devil

sure does. When you play footsie with sin and get

entwined, he desires to to sift you like wheat. He wants to devour you like a lion.

Nothing would delight Satan more than to destroy you and your family. No wonder

the family's being attacked today. That's the the core that God created along with

the Sabbath. He created the family there in in the garden and he's doing a good

job of, the devil's doing an awfully good job of convincing families to fall apart

and not even be families. Change genders whenever they feel like it. 64 different

varieties today. Nothing would delight Satan more than to to destroy this world

before Jesus can even get back. He knows he has but a short time and so he's

seeking to drag down as many as possible with them. Even the devil knows that we're

vulnerable and easy prey to him when we're on our own. The question is do we

know that? Even the devil knows that there's a way that seems right, just like

that mouse seeing that big piece of cheese. There's a way that seems right

but the end thereof are the ways of, I did that children's story right here

Julie, where I would snap the mousetrap and it would ring and I thought that's a

little too hard on the kids to be that graphic but that's how graphic it is. When

we think we're going the right way, if we're not centered in God, we're gonna

wander right into the devil's way. Even the devil knows that he has everything

to offer, that God has everything to offer and that he has nothing to offer.

The question is this morning do we know it? It sure doesn't seem like it

sometimes and so even the devil knows that if we submit ourselves to God,

resist the devil, he will flee from us. If we come near to God, he will come near

to us. So that devil is pretty angry. He's going to make war, not have a

picnic, they're going to make war with the remnant of God's seed, the last-day

church. The final result of this testing, this grand experiment, is if we draw nigh

to God, submit to his experiment, we'll experience peace and joy and happiness

for eternity. As it was said there in Deuteronomy 8 16, God tests us that we

might, he might do us good in the end. So God is the great experimenter. He wishes

us no harm, just peace and happiness, internal life, but he can't

force it on us and he's wanting to perform that experiment in your heart.

In fact, he's in the process of performing experiments in lives of

millions in the world today. It's taking place in every willing heart. The

laboratory is planet earth. The experiment is one that will determine

the destiny for each of us. An experiment is just about concluded. Jesus is about

to come. Will you, will I be successful in this experiment that God is

performing? Are we willing to come under the watch care of the great experimenter?

Are we willing like the psalmist told us to to go under the eye of the

microscope, to let God see everything, to come to him just as we are, and willing

to be vulnerable with God, to be real with him so that he can begin to do his

work within us? What tests have you experienced this week? What trials have

come your way? With God's grace, did you pass the test? Or, refusing his power of

grace, did you feel miserably? If that's the case, Jesus is there to kiss away our

failings, to pick us up, and to get us back on the path again. He loves us with

an everlasting love. And so to our scripture reading for this morning,

consider it pure joy, James tells us, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. And

perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not

lacking anything. See, God is on our side. He's ever looking out for us. When we

willingly surrender to him, when we willingly surrender to him, we will never

have anything to regret for having allowed the experiment to successfully

take place. But the most important reason to participate in this experiment is not

for our salvation. I've come to that point in my Christian experience, I'm not

tooting a horn or anything, but there's times when I pray, Lord, I just want you

to be glorified. If I get lost in the shuffle, it's what happens with you, God,

you know, in the universe that you've made. I want you to be glorified in the

end. That's going to be God's children's wishes in the last days, Revelation 12

and 11. They love not their lives unto death. It's all about God. They have as

their model death before dishonor, or the transgression of God's law. That's

their model. And so the universe has been watching this experiment, this

laboratory called Earth. And we're foreseen, we're also compassed about with

so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight in the sin which does

so easily beset us, Paul says. Let us run with patience the race that is set

before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the

joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set

down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such

contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your

minds. The universe is watching. Simply keep your eyes on him who will finish

what he started in you, and the experiment will be a huge success. I can't close

this message about God the Great Experimenter without talking about the

greatest experiment of all, the biggest, the riskiest experiment of all. It was a

33-year experiment, but it began to be planned actually thousands before,

actually before the foundation of the world. When Jesus stepped forward and

said, my blood for them, Father, let me go and take their place. If I had been the

Father, I would have been too afraid of the risk. No, no, they're not worth it, son.

Let's just let them blow themselves up. You know, they've made their choices. You

mean too much to me. I can't let you go, but you know, God was in Christ reconciled

the world. God the Father loved us as much as his only begotten Son that he

gave up. And so Jesus was willing to be abused, to be tried, to be tested, to be

crucified. Thank God, praise the Lord for the results of that experiment. It was a

complete success. Jesus victoriously came out of the grave. As we, as we close this

morning, as we look at this messed up world that we're living in, is there

really any doubt that Jesus is not coming soon? No, and none too soon. I mean, the

tragedies are multiplying around the world, from natural disasters to hatred

of men going to an extreme, and all the accompanying results of this, this

rebellion that's, that's running its course. The results of our rebellion has

raked horrible results worldwide. We're clearly living in the last days, while

men and women's hearts are failing for fear for what's coming, we're instructed

to look up, lift up our heads. For our redemption, draweth nigh. The experiment is

occurring on different levels on a global scale and in your hearts too. So

God is waiting to finish the experiment, to show to the universe that his

character can be perfectly reproduced in his people, and everyone can see that his

way is the only way that makes sense in this universe. Imagine that day when the

experiment will be complete and Jesus will say to all those who have faithfully

vindicated his name, those who have faithfully put him above their own needs

and desires, who've blubbed out their lives into death, to all those who have

submitted themselves to be part of this grand experiment, Jesus will say, well

done, thou good and faithful servant, enter now into the joy thy Lord. Come ye

blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the

foundation of the world. And so our prayer until then should be, Father, Father

lead me day by day. Complete your experiment on me. Help me to do thy will

and vindicate and glorify you as this great controversy comes to a close.

Don't pray, Lord take those those trials away, but rather pray, Lord let me

glorify you in this trial, this experiment, this test. Lord may you be

vindicated. It's not so much whether or not God is on our side. I hope you

figured out a long time ago that he holds us by hand that won't let, won't

let go. He's on our side. The question is, are we on his side? Have we chosen to

follow him? We have an anchor, an anchor that will keep our souls sure and

steadfast, till the billows roll. Quoting from Hebrews 6 19, this

anchor is firm, secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.

They're in the most holy place where Jesus is pleading his blood for us. Only

Jesus can get us through. Will your anchor hold? Jesus is not going anywhere.

Are you clinging to him?