Infinite Gain Or Loss

Introduction

Good morning. I want to talk to you about a philosopher, a mathematician and physicist from the seventeenth century, actually from the early to late 1600s. His name was Blaise Pascal. And he was also known for his work in the area of apologetics. After his death, his material was put together as a treatise on the subject of evidences for God. And particularly a thought that came out of his work and his thinking is what has been called Pascal’s wager. And in Pascal’s wager, he posits that humans all bet with their lives. Either that God exists or does not exist. Given the possibility that God actually does exist, and assuming the infinite gain or loss associated with belief in God or with unbelief, a rational person, and we all want to be that, a rational person should live as though God exists.

If God does not actually exist, such a person will have only a finite loss. Some pleasures, luxury, etc.

Many consider Pascal’s wager to be the weakest of all arguments in the area of apologetics for the existence of God. But that’s not what Pascal believed as a result of all of his work. In fact, he thought it might be the strongest argument and says, this is conclusive, and if men are capable of any truth, this is it. In my research on this week, I ran across one source that said, Oh, that’s just, you know, just a bunch of bunk. You know, after all, if you do make the wager to believe in God, to believe in God exists, which God do you serve? And we’ll sort of tackle that a little bit as we move on, but that was his answer to it. Peter Creed, who is a popular Christian writer, wrote about Pascal’s wager.

If you believe in God only as a bet, that is certainly not a deep, mature, or adequate faith. But it is something. It is a start. It is enough to damn the tide of atheism. He says the wager appeals not to a high ideal like faith, hope, love, or proof, but to a low one, the instinct for self-preservation, the desire to be happy and not unhappy. But on that low, natural level, it has tremendous force, he says. And so just on a very base level, whether you choose to believe in God or not, two options present themselves to you. Believe in God, not believe in God. And he says, if you wager believing in God, there is some cost to that. But whatever cost is involved, it’s a very finite wager.

But think about what is potentially lost if God exists and you bet against it. And you wager against it. And so he talks about the concepts of infinite gain or loss. Creecht also offers these three illustrations. I don’t think they’re exactly equal, but they are interesting. He says, suppose someone terribly precious to you lay dying. And the doctor offered to you a new miracle drug that he could not guarantee, but that seemed to have a 50-50 chance of saving your beloved friend’s life. Wouldn’t it be reasonable to try it? Even if it cost a little money? And suppose it were free. Would it be utterly unreasonable not to try it? Or suppose you hear reports that your house has caught on fire and your children may be inside.

Well, what do you do? Do you risk, oh, you don’t believe that report is true? Or would you might want to run by the house as quickly as possible to check on the status of things at home? Suppose he says a winning sweet stakes ticket is worth a million dollars. And there are two tickets remaining. One of those two winning tickets, you can buy one of them. But it’s going to cost you a dollar. Would you take the risk? Most of us would. No reasonable person would refuse such an opportunity. And so he reasons it is therefore the height of folly to not bet on God, even if you have no certainty, no proof or guarantee that you will win. That was his argument. If God doesn’t exist, how you wager doesn’t matter.

1. Believe in God, Believe Also in Me

But if God does exist, your only chance of immortality is through believing in Him. And so I thought about a text that would relate to this thought. And I thought of John 14, where Jesus speaks to his disciples, and he says, Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. We can have every confidence that God exists. Jesus says, you believe in God, believe also in me, and there is a future home awaiting you.

And I go to prepare a place for you. Do you have confidence in that? If so, you have to place this wager. I believe in God. But whatever that wager is, it is finite. That wager involves life here and now in this world that has a very finite container in which it is lived, in which you posit this. But the implications are infinite. Your choice to believe in God or not believe in God, if God exists and the evidence is overwhelming that he does, infinite gain and infinite loss are at stake. And thus Paul would make his wager in Philippians chapter 3. I love this statement of Philippians chapter 3. As he talks about how he had progressed in Judaism, but that wasn’t the answer to immortality.

That was an old covenant, an old system, but now God has something new. And he says, whatever things used to really matter to me. He says in verse 8, I count all things to be loss. Verse 7. But whatever things were gained to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. I count all things to be loss. In view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. Here’s the thing about Pascal’s wager. Everybody chooses.

2. Everybody Chooses

No. Everybody chooses. Either I’m going to pursue the route of believing in God or I’m going to pursue the route of not believing him. But everybody chooses. Most people in our world live by the popular slogan, carp a deal. Seize the moment, seize the day. Squeeze every ounce of happiness that you can out of life. Pursue your dreams. Pursue a feeling. I’ve been amused this week at the news reports coming out of the state of Washington that they have legalized the recreational use of marijuana. Up to a small amount. And saw the sad report this week of Auburn’s quarterback being pulled over with some in his car. But that’s not in Washington. That was in Georgia. He was cited for that. But there was all of this uproar, excitement.

People were all lining up at stores to buy, legalize marijuana. This is historic, and we’re better as a society for it, let me tell you. That stuff’s not good for you, folks. It was against the law for so many years for a reason. I have a good friend that’s involved in drug counseling in Alabama who says, I’ve seen people lose everything to a marijuana addiction. It’s an addictive substance. It’s dangerous. But the clamor, the mood of society is we want to do it. We want that feeling. We want that high. And so there’s all this excitement. Listen, you can drug, party, play, spend, accumulate, indulge the senses until your eyes bug out. And that’s what people do. Even gain the whole world. But the inevitable end result is infinite loss.

On the other hand, if you choose to serve God, I’m the first to tell you that there is a cost involved with that. Jesus talked to his disciples about sitting down and counting the cost in Luke 14. There’s going to be a commitment that’s required of us. There’s going to be the need to exercise self-control in regard to our conduct and not just follow every whim and impulse that most people do. And a lot of folks, when they look at us, those who are striving to be committed to the Lord in the way that He’s prescribed the New Testament, they say, you know, that commitment business that you’re all about, I’m not all about that. There’s a cost involved. But the offer of the Lord is one of abundant living.

John 10 and verse 10. An offer of the peace that surpasses all comprehension. Philippians 4 and verse 7. God hath brought immortality to light through the gospel. It is the offer of immortality. 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 10. And so as I look at Pascal’s wager, I think of the countless millions of people that reside now in our world who make the choice, whether they think they’re making a choice or not, they make the choice to live as if God does not exist. And according to Pascal’s wager, and if indeed God does exist, then the result of such a choice is infinite loss. Even if you gain the whole world and forfeit your soul, Jesus says in Mark chapter 8. I mean, what are you what have you profited?

3. Many Bet That a Judgment Day Is Not Forthcoming

So we’re talking about a loss that is extremely catastrophic. Almost impossible to really grasp. Many bet their lives that a judgment day is not forthcoming.

A day where we will answer to God for the deeds that we’ve done in this life. The New Testament is clear about that. You can’t sign on to belief in God and not sign on to the day of judgment. 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 10, we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, Romans 14, every knee shall bow. Acts 17, he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness. But a lot of folks, they’re not going to wager that. They’re going to wager that God does not exist. My question is, don’t you see how finite that decision is? Where’s that going for you ultimately? You’re still going to get gray hairs and wrinkle. And your health is going to deteriorate.

And you’re going to die.

Tony? But you know, I marvel all the time at people who were once at the top of their respective fields. The athlete.

And I saw pictures of him right before he died. He’s gotten a lot older. One of my boyhood heroes, Pete Rose. I know he gambled on baseball. He’s got some moral character issues. But he was my hero. I love the way he played baseball. He’s in his 70s now. And some of the actors and actresses, George Clooney, remember when he used to be ladies, that young, best looking guy in the movies. No, he plays the old guy roles. Sandra Bowen’s not far behind in the old woman roles. She’s trying to hang on to that stardom. But time passes. So very quickly. People place all of their energies and hopes and dreams in a very finite space and time. On things that are earthbound. They follow every whim that they can imagine, that they can possibly pursue in hopes of finding happiness.

4. Little Children, Keep Yourselves From Idols

And little concern for the potential consequences if God indeed lives. Now there are two dangers here. There is this danger of rejecting God altogether, but there’s also a danger of believing that you wager that God exists, and yet manufacturing a God of your own thinking and design. And that’s where the problem of idolatry comes in. Some are still really wagering that God doesn’t exist because what they’ve done instead is manufactured a God from themselves and their own whims that’s consistent with their own desires. Just like in biblical times. They manufacture a God that agrees with their lifestyle and choices rather than turn their lifestyles and choices in submission to the real God that exists. The reality is this, young people. We can’t just say, well, I’m going to choose Pascal’s wager.

That makes sense. Choose to serve God and then reinvent God the way that we would like him. And that’s really the point of 1 John chapter 5. The very last statement of John. I like how that book’s end. The book says nothing about the word idolatry anywhere through the book, but says this at the end. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. I’ve always found that interesting. Idolatry is not mentioned anywhere in 1 John. You come to the very last verse of 1 John. It says, Little children, last statement, keep yourselves from idols. What’s that about? He’s talking in 1 John about false concepts that people had of Jesus. That they said Jesus really didn’t come into the flesh. He’s a spirit being. And all the things associated with Gnosticism.

5. Choosing Foolishly: The Sobering Moment of Reality

And what he’s saying is, any false concept of God, any false notion becomes tantamount to idolatry. And all idolatry is empty. Let me tell you about choosing foolishly in regard to Pascal’s wager. There is the sobering moment of reality. And there’s so many texts in Scripture that help us with this. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 1 through 3, after he’s talking about what’s going to happen on the last day when Jesus returns in the air, and the dead shall rise first, and then we who are alive and remain will be caught up, caught up with the Lord in the air. He says, now as to the times and epics, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well.

Notice, they know full well that the day of the Lord will come. Just like a thief in the night. You know, when people don’t place the wager on the existence of God, what they instead wager is that this day’s not happening. And he tells these people in Thessalonica, you know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night, while they are saying peace and safety. Everything’s fine. Then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pains upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. Infinite loss. The sobering moment of reality. That day is coming when the Lord is going to come. People aren’t going to be expecting it. They’re going to be doing what they always do on Sunday, perhaps.

Who knows what day it might be, but right now there are people, hey, the malls are open, restaurants are open. It’s the last day of the weekend. They’re going to be sitting at Olive Garden and Chili’s at Maybrook Mall or whatever they’re doing, or just sitting back in the recliner. It’s not football season, probably not until the fall, they’re going to start doing that. The Lord’s going to come, and then all of that is going to be reduced to meaninglessness. And they’re going to say, should have listened to Pascal who talked to me about that wager. Because now what? He says, They shall not escape. Remember what we talked about in the sermon, Remember Lot’s wife a couple of weeks ago? When Lot was told, whoever you have in this place, get them out of here.

And so he goes to his sons-in-law and tells them of the destruction that’s coming. And it says in verse 14 that he appeared to them to be jesting. You’ve got to be kidding. God’s going to. Your God is going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone tomorrow, really. They didn’t go. I wonder what their last thoughts were. Father-in-law was right. But that did them little good then. And then Lot’s wife, who was told not to look back, and then as she looks back, becomes a pillar of salt. Permanently done in this world affairs. Then there’s the story of Belshazzar in Daniel 5, as they are drinking wine and decide to bring all the stuff they captured from Jerusalem out that they’ve stored over the years, and to drink out of those vessels, that those beautiful vessels from Solomon’s glorious kingdom.

And they’re drinking, and then all of a sudden, the handwriting on the wall, and they shake in their knees. I love that. In Daniel chapter 5. They’re scared to death. Because all of a sudden, this mysterious hand is writing on the wall.

Which means that you have been weighed by God and found deficient. And that night. That very night, he was slain by the Medes and Persians. All of a sudden, all of his drinking and partying and carrying on is replaced by sober reality. You know that’s really the story Jesus tells in Luke 15, is it not? A discussion that begins with a fellow says, Hey, I’m having a problem with my brother over my inheritance. And Jesus says, that’s not my business. Beware of covetousness. Beware of an undue affection on material things. And then he tells the story about the guy who had this barn, but it wasn’t big enough to store all of his stuff. He has this plan. It makes sense, you know. I’m going to tear this barn down.

I’m going to build bigger barns, and he invests all of his mental energies in that. And finally he gets done with his project. He has a place to store all of this goods that he’s amassed in this life. And then the point of the story is he was not ready to meet the Lord. This night your soul is required of you. So is the person who is not rich toward God. And so, in regard to Pascal’s wager, I want to tell you first of all, if you choose not to believe in God, you are accepting a very finite, limited result that is only going to be received. Whatever you get out of it, as Solomon says in Ecclesiastes chapter 2, this was the reward for all my labor.

6. The Reasonableness of That Wager

Whatever you get out of it, that’s what you get. And then this. Your soul is required of you. Then what? Infinite loss. But on the other side of the wager. We choose faith. Belief in God. But we must not be a God of our own manufacturing or choosing. Rich toward God. The real God of Scripture results in an infinite gain. An infinite gain that emanates from an infinite God. And so I want to tell you about the reasonableness of that wager very briefly. Sometimes we lose sight of how reasonable the wager is. This is my father’s world. Oh, let me ne’er forget.

Though the wrong seems oft so strong. God is the ruler yet. Isn’t that what happens to us? We were singing that song this morning. That’s exactly what happens to us. We start forgetting about the fact. This is my father’s world. And what is wrong is so compelling and also strong that we’re worn down. But God is still the ruler. Infinite things are at stake here. Infinite things. Why should I believe? You know, some people look at the decision to believe in God as irrational, without evidence. You know that we’re so intellectual. Did you know how intellectually small you are? You know you’re not very smart. You’re intellectually small because you would believe in a God that you cannot see. But listen. The evidence, the reasonableness of this commitment of faith is extraordinary.

It is compelling evidence. And that’s what Blaise Pascal understood as he examined all of this and other evidences for the existence of God. First of all, let me tell you what this book is. It’s extraordinarily perfect for one. There is a harmony that runs throughout in regard to God’s plan to save man from sin. And there’s perfect harmony, there’s historical accuracy. But I want to tell you what this is. This is a document from real historical people who saw these things. And I might look back and say, well, fulfill prophecy is one of my strongest proofs, and it is incredible that something could be said so specifically about an event that’s hundreds of years in the future. I mean, 500 years, 700 years. But I want to tell you, really, the whole Old Testament is prophetic.

Going all the way back to Abraham, 2,000 years when he says, through your descendants shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. That’s a 2,000-year-old prophecy. Genesis 3 15, let’s go even further back in history. And there’s a harmony about all of this. And we have these specific prophecies. How many times have we looked at Isaiah 53 during the Lord’s Supper? It’s like the crucifixion in high definition. 700 years before it ever happened. That’s compelling. And then what about all the miracles? But I didn’t see any of those. I can see fulfilled prophecy in Scripture and marvel and be astounded. But what about miracles? I don’t have to see the miracles. When I read the miracles, I transport myself there, and I want to tell you why, because I believe these people who did see them.

Like when Jesus turned the water and water to wine in John chapter 2. And as we quoted Mary last week, whatever he says to you, do it. How many times have I pictured that story in my mind? And I know that it happened. Or when Elisha causes the axe head to float, one of my favorite in the Old Testament in 2 Kings chapter 6, and what flows out of that when his servant sees the chariots of fire all around Elisha as he’s able to peer into the spiritual realm. The parting of the Red Sea, you name it any miracle in the Bible. There were people there who saw it. This is eyewitness historical testimony. Amazing evidence. So I believe this book tells us about my very real creator.

And some amazing and marvelous things are said. I mean, Jesus says, and this is to me one of the most amazing things when Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. How many times have you heard that? John 14, 6, right? I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. Same context from which we started in John 14. Do you realize what it takes to say something like that? If I were to say that, I am the way. You listen to everything that I say and follow me, you’re going, that guy’s got a few screws loose. That’s extraordinary. Or he says, I am the good shepherd. I am the light of the world. Extraordinary claims.

And these are eyewitnesses, men who saw it and gave their lives for this person.

Because they saw the miracles. They knew the fulfilled promises. I’ve not committed intellectual suicide in believing in God. I’ve done the wisest, most rational, reasonable thing. And I want to tell you what I’m promised. The infinite God of infinite understanding who counts the stars and knows them all by name, offers me an infinite reward. If I will listen to him. Now that’s the part of Pascal’s wager, believing in God. We have to believe in the real God of Scripture and we have to listen to him. And once we have heard what he has told us, we must submit. Oh, there’s the rub right there. We must submit to him and obey him. He is the author of eternal salvation to all those who obey him. But I want to tell you something about that choice.

It makes all the sense in this world. And sometimes we’re called to do difficult things. And sometimes we fail in the pursuit of those and we have to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off and say, nope, this is ultimate wisdom. I’m being foolish. I’m coming back to this commitment to a very real God because of what he promises me.

That’s where our struggle will be. I think I’m speaking to an audience this morning who knows God lives, and that it is reasonable. Nothing is more reasonable than believing in him. The problem we have is fully trusting that his way is best. One thing I noticed in Jesse’s reading from 1 Peter 2, verse 23, the example of Jesus that we’re supposed to be following in his steps, verse 21. It says, He kept entrusting himself to him who judges righteously. That’s really the wager. You keep entrusting yourself because you believe in this.

I said, I and the Father are one in John 10. He kept entrusting himself to the Father.

Conclusion

To him. Peter said it. 1 Peter 4, verse 19. I know whom I have believed, Paul said. And I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I committed in him against that day. I want to conclude this morning by reading a few verses from 1 Timothy chapter 6. 1 Timothy chapter 6, because this really summarizes this appeal of the world to pursue its stuff, its pleasure, versus embracing the Lord’s will for your life. But I want you to notice what he says in context. We have to read this whole context, starting in verse 6. When he says, But Godliness actually is a means of great gain. That’s the offer of the gospel. When accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into this world.

So we can’t take anything out of it either. And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge men into ruin and destruction. The love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many a pain. Flee from these things. You man of God. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called. And you, he tells Timothy, made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. And I charge you in the presence of God who gives life to all things, I believe that.

Who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate. I believe that happened. But you keep the commandment without stain or reproach. Until he comes as a thief in the night, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the proper time. He who is the blessed and only sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of Lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. And then this.

So that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. You know, Pascal’s wager was about taking hold of life. That which is life indeed. I’m going to do this now so I don’t forget. So you’ll have something to sing in a second. Perfect choice. Take my life and let it be. How reasonable. How rational. How infinitely rewarding. Such a choice. Somebody says, Well, I’m just, I’m not ready to sign on to that. Well, let me tell you, what you’re signing on to is the prospect of a lot less. And ultimately, infinite loss. Like Belshazzar.

Like Lot’s sons-in-law. And his wife. Are you willing to say this morning, take my life, Lord? And let it be. Holy, consecrate. Lord to thee. If so, we’ll help you do that. Come to the front if you need to. We’ll baptize you into Christ. We’ll pray with you if your faith is weak, whatever your need might be today. Let’s stand and sing together.