Major Doctrines of The Bible: God The Father | Steve Benson

Well, he's where the weather's warm, but

I don't envy him. I like the cold

weather. I'm kind of different.

>> Well, good evening. We've been started a

new series of major

doctrines of the Bible

and going through that.

And this evening we are going to look at

and continue on the person of God.

in the word of God. We saw

John read that chapter tonight that he

where it says the truth is in Christ. So

that's where it's at. That's where we

want to look

and that's where we'll find it. And we

looked at some of that uh the last time

that we we were together. And

and

uh the first part of chapter 4 starts

with uh with meekness and and loneliness

and longsuffering.

>> No, I'm sorry. You read you read

Ephesians 4. I'm just referring to that.

The chapter starts out, I'm going to

start in 2 Corinthians chapter 6. I'm

2 Corinthians 6 · chapter mention

just referencing that good chapter in

Ephesians about what the church is here

for. And we have to come in loneliness.

We have to come inness before God. We're

not going to learn anything um any other

way. You know, pride is the devil's sin

and he's got the world caught up in

that.

And we're caught up in it to some degree

cuz we battle it as well.

But God reveals himself to us. He's

given us the word of God.

Um, incredible book that we have, a

miracle that we have. This book, if it

weren't for God, we wouldn't have this

book. So, what that's, you know, that's

the high um

the high thoughts we ought to have about

God's word.

It is the the living word of God from

the living God.

And he's given it to us to help us.

And one of the things that it does, it

helps us to learn of him.

And you know, we wouldn't have a church

without the word of God. We wouldn't

have a Christianity without the word of

God. We wouldn't have a salvation

without the word of God.

So God has brought those things to us

and

he's met us here at the cross. He's met

us here where, you know, we find that we

are sinners. We saw that uh as well the

last time we were together. We have

problems. You know, we are not meek and

we're not lowly and we're not like that.

We we are the opposite. So we we learn

these things about God. We learn these

things about ourselves. We learn these

things from him. And we learned from

Psalm 27 the last time that David

uh sought the face of God. That's what

he said. God, you said seek my face and

I said I will seek your face. So the

invitation's open and God wants us to

communicate with him, to worship him, to

learn from him. How many times did David

say that in the Psalms? Teach me your

ways, Lord. Show me your ways, Lord.

Help me with your ways, Lord. Because as

Isaiah the prophet says, our ways are

not God's ways. Our thoughts are not

God's thoughts. So, we have to abandon

ours and embrace God's

and with the thought of seeking God to

understand who he is. He's a person.

He's real. You know, he's not a force.

Um he's not a you know he's not an it.

Um he's certainly not dead.

Um and all those things that the world

thinks and even some churches proclaim

God is not dead. He's living. And here I

want to begin tonight in in uh 2

2 Corinthians 6 · chapter mention

Corinthians chapter 6.

And we're saved by faith and and we walk

by faith. And as we walk by faith, we

walk on this narrow road of the word of

God. You know, we um don't need anybody

else's opinion. We don't need to know

what men think. We need to know what God

thinks.

So that comes back to who he is. the the

Trinity

describes God,

you know, as three persons, but it

doesn't tell us who God is and what God

has done. Now, we we can learn that as

we study the Trinity. We can learn that

as we study God. And that's what's

important is we see who God is that we

learn, you know, more about him and what

he's done. And we can't put God into

categories, but you know, that's sort of

the way that the Bible has for us to

learn about him, who he is, and you

know, what he has done.

And uh here are

God, the person. We saw that David

wanted to seek the Lord and the Lord

said seek David. So here Paul says that

same thing to this this Corinthian

church. A similar thing. God is a

person. And he's created everything. We

belong to him. Everything owes us

existence

to God. And here in verse 18 of chapter

6 of 2 Corinthians, he says, "And I will

be a father unto you."

Now, that's God speaking. You know, he

wants to be a father to us. You will be

my sons. You'll be my children. You

know, he only has one son, the only

begotten son. That's Christ. But we are,

you know, we're adopted now into into

his family. And daughters, do you want I

want you to be my sons and daughters,

says God. God wants to be our father.

Now, we have some of us had fathers,

some of us did not. Some of us had good

fathers and some of us did not.

But God is a good father

and he wants us to come to him and to

have that relationship. So, you know,

God is a, you know, God is a greater

than our parents. You know, he really

does want to have this fellowship with

us. Having therefore these promises,

dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves

from all filthiness of the flesh,

perfecting holiness and the fear of God.

So God says come come to me that we can

have um fellowship and there you know

there there are material things in the

universe and there are immaterial things

in the universe and you know our body is

a material thing and our soul is an

immaterial thing. Well, you know, we

have the similar to with God. He He's

the spirit. There's a part of God that's

immaterial, invisible

and and unseen and we can't see. But

there is a part of God that we can see

and that's his son who come to earth.

That's what the incarnation

was all about. That's why Jesus said

about in Hebrews that a body has thou

prepared for me. So God is a spirit and

God is a person

and uh you know we have understanding

you know we can learn we can reason

we can think.

So if we can plan and if we can do all

those things and God says he made us in

his image then he must be able to do

those things as well.

So when it comes to God, I mean, he's

he's a there's no one to compare to him.

And that's what he says. Who you going

to liken him to me?

So, you know, he's he's able to think.

He's able to plan. He's able to to do

those things. And as we go through this

series, we're going to get into some of

those things that God has spoken and God

said that he was going to do. But he has

understanding. He has reason. He has

wisdom.

He has emotions. Remember Jesus wept and

and it says in Hebrews that one of the

reasons that Jesus come to the earth was

to learn what it was to be a human and

and and the sufferings that humans uh go

through

you know so God is you know he's greater

than his creation you know some people

believe in pantheism

you know mentioned that while we were

talking about this and pantheism means

that the un the universe is God,

you know, so they worship the universe

as God. That's that catches up a lot of

people around the world. But God is

separate from his creation, you know.

He's over his creation. He's not his

creation,

you know. So, we need to know that

that's what the Bible says. So, you

know, as we get into these some of these

attributes of God and and the

characteristics of God and we talk about

the nature of God, his perfections are

here in the word of God for us to see.

And and as well, we see that he is uh he

desires fellowship with us as he said

here. He's not just, you know, holy and

just, he's also righteous and kind.

Look in the book of Titus chapter 3.

Titus 3 · chapter mention

Titus chapter 3

Titus 3 · chapter mention

in verse four.

Paul says that here to Titus in this

letter. He says, "But after the kindness

and love of God our savior toward man

appeared." So

God is kind.

God is loving. And as we look for the

kindness of God and we look for the love

of God, there's no greater place for

that to be displayed than Jesus Christ

our savior. And you know, John says

similar thing back in the book of John,

first John, that herein is love, not

that we love God, but that he loved us

and he gave himself for us. So God

didn't wait on us to love him.

He began to love us. You know, we're

going to some night, someday, we're

going to look at the love of God if the

Lord carries. But that's one of the

great attributes of God.

And you know, God's God's attributes can

be broken down into a couple categories.

They have there are the incommunicable

attributes.

That means they belong to God alone.

You know, there are things about God

that that are different than angels and

humans and you know and and many things

like that. Many things uh are you know

God is God is the sole possessor of

these things. Nobody else can create.

You know, God created

us in this universe. And you know, he is

transcendent and he is infinite in his

nature. You know, we just aren't going

to be able to

get out our books and our our our slide

rules and our

scientific calculator

and figure God out. It just doesn't work

that way. No one's going to figure God

out no matter

who they are, how you know there's does

this is not an IQ thing. It's a faith

thing.

So God is beyond our finding out. So

if

you've learned that, then you you know

those things about God. If you've not

learned that, then know this about God.

He's beyond our our finding him out.

That doesn't mean he doesn't reveal

himself. That's what he says. You you'll

never figure me out.

you know, fully and completely. But but

know this, I'm faithful. Know this, I'm

loving. Know this, I'm kind.

So that's the great God of this book.

He's he's selfsufficient. He didn't need

anybody to help him with anything. He

could have just went on being God

forever, never created us. He's

self-sufficient. Uh and uh in need, not

in need of anything, including us.

And uh he's eternal.

He can't share that one with us. He has

given us eternal life and we are going

to live forever. But we have a birthday,

don't we? Time when we began. God has no

time when he began.

Uh he's immutable. It means that he's

never going to change.

God's that's what he said in the the

verse in numbers. I'm not like a man

where I'm going to change my mind.

You know, God says it. It's going to

happen. God proclaims it. It's that's

the way it is. That's just one of the

things about God that he doesn't share

with us. His omniscience, you know, he's

he's all knowing. Um God's never learned

anything.

And we're going to dive into some of

these. I'm just touching on them briefly

as we go through uh the series. is um

you know God has the power he's all

powerful. That's what the Bible says. He

can

he he's not he can't sin. He can't be

tempted with sin. There are things that

God can't do. But when it comes to

power, there's nobody stronger than him.

There's nobody going to overpower God

and overthrow the universe.

It won't happen.

So anything that is within his will, he

he has the power to do it. And God's in

need of nothing. You know, he uh we saw

these verses where he God said, you

know, come seek my face. He's not in

need of that, but he he desires that. He

desires that for us. He wants the

fellowship. He wants to be our father.

um he wants us to be his sons and

daughters. So you know those are some of

the incommunicable attributes about God

and the these others that he can share

with us they are called communicable

attributes

and these are things that he shares with

humans.

His love, his mercy, his grace, his

goodness, his justice,

his holiness. We saw that the last time

his faithfulness, his wisdom, and his

longsuffering.

And that's maybe you can think of some

more, but those are the things that God

can share with us. And as we study him

and we study the word of God, we can

see, you know, that God is kind, God is

loving, you know, so we should be kind

and we should be loving like him. and uh

turn over to Psalm 139. This great Psalm

of David.

Psalm 139.

David talks about some of God's

attributes here in Psalm 139.

Where can I go to get away from you?

That's what this psalm is. And you know,

wherever David went, God was there.

And

David said God searched him and known

him there in verse one. So know that

about God. He knows you.

He knows me.

He knows our thoughts. He knows uh what

time we're going to get up tomorrow

morning.

He knows what time we're going to go to

bed tomorrow night. He knows everything

that's going to happen tomorrow.

Not just about one of us, but all of us.

That now we got to jump down to what

David says,

if you will, down in verse six, he says,

"Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.

It is high. I cannot attain it." What?

God knows my thoughts before I take

them. God knows the future. Yeah. And

you know, that's the great thing about

God. Not only does he know the future,

he's he he's he has a way of affecting

the future. You and I had a terrible

future awaiting us

in the lake of fire that we were born

separated from him. And now he's done

something to to help us. That's what

David's so excited about here in Psalm

139. God delivered him and God set his

feet on a rock, you know. So it's it's

impossible to define God but that

doesn't mean we can't try. It doesn't

mean we can't look and uh God invites

invites that. That's the way the word of

God is. You know the word of God says

you know come and see. God says come and

see. Search me out. See if you can see

if you can understand me.

So you know that's what we have in the

word of God. These are the, you know,

God's words and God's ways and, you

know, we're trying to define them. We're

trying to look at them so we can

identify God. We can see his personality

and who he is. Uh, turn over to Acts

Acts 17 · chapter mention

chapter 17.

So, we're going to be a while trying to

understand who God is. He's so great.

And you know, we I've been saved for 36

years. And

some of you have been saved longer, some

of you have been saved shorter shorter

times. But that's, you know, that's what

our life should be devoted to.

You know, devoted to learning more about

this wonderful God in this book who

cares so much about me, wants me to be

his son, wants me to be he wants to be

my father.

He doesn't like seeing us struggle with

sin and difficulties down here. He He

wants us to avoid those things. And

we're not going to avoid everything.

But here in in Acts chapter 17, you're

Acts 17 · chapter mention

familiar with this uh this chapter.

And um

Paul says up there in verse

I'll start in verse uh 22. Paul stood in

the midst of Mars Hill and said you men

of Athens I perceive in all things that

you are very religious

and that that's the way fallen man is.

You know, if you you've been isolated

from other people and you've been

isolated from other religions and you've

been isolated,

you um believe me that there are people

out there that are, as Paul puts it,

very religious.

You know, they'll and very religious

people make idols.

So, there are a lot of idols out there.

We need the we need the word of God. And

you know that's what fallen man does.

He's an idol maker. You know, if he

doesn't have a god, he'll make one.

No matter where people have went all

over this world,

you know, the the the cultures and the

people and the tribes,

you know, most of them have some sort of

idol,

um some sort of god that they've made

up. In some of the cultures, they they

worship the leaders.

So, you know, that's who man is. That's

what man does.

You know, we need God to come along like

Paul comes along here and helps us who

understand some things that they're, you

know, the false gods that are out there

that they're not the true God. They're

not um, you know, that's not the way.

The way is the word of God. The way is

the the God in the Bible. And Paul says,

"Here, I passed by and beheld your

devotions, and I found an altar with the

inscription," to the unknown God, whom

therefore you ignorantly worship him,

declare I unto you. So, we need people

to declare to us who God is. We're not

born with that. Doesn't matter who your

ancestors were. You know, we ultimately

go back to Adam and we're born with a

sin nature. We're born separated from

God. We're born bent on sinning. We

That's who we all are.

And Paul says, "This is the God I'm

going to declare to you, the real God,

the true God,

the God of the scripture." And Paul

starts and he says starts with the with

the world. And he says, "God who made

the world, all things that are in it,

seeing he is the Lord of heaven and

earth and dwells not in a temple made

with hands." You can't put God in a box.

But he did make everything that we can

see out here. It did come from him has

its origin with him. We have our origin

with God. That's what men need to need

to learn.

You know, if you're unsaved, you're

you're going to die and go back to God.

That's what the Bible says. You're not

going to uh disappear into cremation or

or or you know, however

you choose to depart from this world.

You cannot get away from God. The Bible

says, uh, it's appointed unto man once

to die and then the judgment.

So, it's not all over when we get out of

this world. It's there's more, a lot

more.

And he says here, neither is worship

with man's hands as though he needeth

anything. So, God doesn't need anything.

He doesn't need us to worship him.

He doesn't need to mess around with us.

He could have just spoke us all into

hell, but I'm glad he didn't because

he's a loving God. He's a kind God. He's

a caring God.

And he has made of one blood all nations

of men to dwell on all the face of the

earth. So all the people come from God.

The world comes from God.

And uh he says here he's determined the

times beforehand and appointed and the

bounds of their habitation.

You know, God God has his providence.

There's no such thing as luck. Good

luck, bad luck. We have the providence

of God.

And it through him and it's not far from

every one of us. For in him we live, we

move, we have our being. So we're made

in the image of God. That's where we

come from. So Paul even tells these guys

here, "Yeah, you come from God. You

might not be saved. You need to hear the

gospel,

but you belong to God.

And their own poets have said, "For we

also are off as offspring. For as much

then as we are the offspring of God, we

ought not to think that the Godhead is

like gold and silver." Paul says he

talks about the Godhead here,

you know, the Lord of hosts, you know,

the great trinity, you know, the

Godhead.

He mentions

he's not going to like uh gold and

silver and stone and and carved by art

and man's devices. Boy, that catches up

a lot. You know, that's one of the

commandments. Don't make anything on the

earth to represent God.

And you know, so many people do it.

That's that's who we are. We're idol

worshippers. We want to make an idol so

we can worship it. In the times of the

ignorance, God overlook, but now he

commands all men everywhere to repent.

And here's why.

Because he's appointed a day that he

will judge the world in righteousness.

that the man whom he has ordained

concerning that which he has given

assurance unto all men that he has

raised him from the dead and that's

Christ.

So you know people need to know you know

that the unknown God Paul said I'm here

to tell you about him. He's created

everything. He created you and he has

sent his son to this earth to die for

our sins so we might um have eternal

life. So you know what is

things that are visible or you know are

from God the creation us but there are

also invisible things you know that are

gods. We can't see heaven. You know,

Paul got took up there. Um, John got

took up there. Um, but everybody's going

to have to wait.

You know, Peter and the the apostles,

the mount of transfiguration, they got a

glimpse into heaven. They got a glimpse

of glory. But there's something above

us. There's something out there from

this God who has made everything. and

beware and get ready.

And that's what Paul tries to tell them

here. Turn to Colossians 1.

And you know, God has told us not to

make any images of him.

And I know somewhere in the home study

program, somebody said, uh, be like, you

know, your kid coming in from school and

bringing a toad in saying, "Dad, this

toad reminds me of you."

Not good.

And when we try to make an image of God,

that's what we do.

We're holding a toad before God and

saying, "This is you."

You remember when the in 70 AD when they

tore down the temple, they got into the

holiest of holies, you know what was

there? Nothing.

Nothing. No images, no pictures, no

nothing. Nothing.

So, we don't want to make any image of

God on this earth. It's dangerous to do

that because ultimately what follows and

the and the apostles a couple of times

remember when they got in the presence

of angels they fell down and worshiped

angels.

They said nope don't do that.

So we don't want to become idol

worshippers. We want to only worship God

and do it the way he says.

And here in verse 15 of Colossians

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1, who is the image of the

invisible God, the firstborn of all

creation? You know who that is.

So God's God did something. Say, "Oh,

God, give me an give me an image. I show

me who you are." Well, God answered that

question here with his son. I'll show

you who I am. I'm gonna send you my son.

Uh by the way, we saw in that

the psalm this morning about who is the

king of glory. Then we saw at the end

Christ is the king of glory. Well, here

he is again. He existed before anything

ever existed.

So some people have a hard time with

that. What do you mean Jesus existed

before he existed? Well, that's what

this says.

And the Jews had a problem with that.

You know, he said, you know, you you

think you're older than Abraham. How old

are you, Jesus? Well, he is older than

Abraham. He's eternal. The Son of God is

eternal. And that's what he says here.

For by him were all things created. And

not only did he exist before he come to

earth, he made everything that you and I

are seeing

in heaven. and that is in earth visible

and invisible. So there's both

categories.

So there's nothing invisible

that Jesus is not going to that he

doesn't have dominion over. And that's

what he says. Whether they be thrones,

dominions, principalities, powers, the

ultimate power is Christ. The ultimate

person is him. He created the universe.

It's he made it. He's going to destroy

it. It's his right.

And he says here, "All things were

created by him and for him." Get that

last part.

For him.

Whatever those dominions might be. Now,

now there are a lot of fallen angels.

And now they're going to be unbelievers.

And now we have this old pitiful world

that's about that's about to end.

But everything was made by him and for

him. Now, he didn't create sin. Sin does

not find its origin with God.

We'll get into that later on.

He is before all things and by him all

things consist. So, not only did he make

everything, he's running the show here.

That's why there's no such thing as

luck.

We have the providence of God.

He's doing his his whatever it is he

wants to do because he's God.

And that's what we're looking at. Not

necessarily what he's doing, but who he

is.

For it pleased the father, in him should

all the fullness dwell. So the invisible

God the father said to God the son, you

know, and God the son said as I said in

Isaiah, here am I, Lord. Send me. So we

have the Godhead working on our behalf

and all glory is going to come back to

him.

And that's what the rest of this says.

And having made peace through the blood

of his cross.

But people don't like that either. What

do you mean God?

Jesus is God. He He shed his blood. Oh

yeah.

He's God.

And he shed his blood.

And uh he's over heaven. He's over the

earth. And you that were once alienated

and enemies in your mind wicked works,

you have now been reconciled. That's all

of them. We just wicked. We didn't even

think about it. We didn't even want to

think about it.

But God took action

and sending his son to redeem us.

And then and he says here in the body of

his flesh through death to present you

holy

and unblameable and unreprovable

in his sight. What a plan.

But that's who Jesus is. He not only can

control the universe and take back the

universe in between time. He he he did a

little side work for us in paying for

our sins. I'm not saying that was a side

work.

an additional work.

If you continue in faith, grounded and

settled, not moved away from the hope of

the gospel which you have heard, which

was preached to every creature that is

under heaven, I Paul made a minister. So

that's where it's at. It's in the

gospel. It's in the gospel of this great

God here in this section. Manton, Thomas

Manton said this, "God cannot make a

creature equal to himself, nor begott a

son unequal to himself."

That's a pretty good insight there. So,

God

the Son has come to our rescue and the

fatherhood, the the Godhead is equal.

Look over in chapter 2

and in verse 9.

For in him dwells all the fullness of

the godhead bodily.

These people in this in this town

thought, you know, that the last thing

you want to be is a person or in a body.

You know, if God's so great and God's so

good, boy, it'd be a shame if he had to

become a man.

Well, they don't understand why he

become a man.

And here Paul dealt with that. Here Paul

explained that. He says, you know, Jesus

is he's equal with the other other two

in the Godhead.

And not only is he equal, but we're

complete in him. So a member of the

Godhead died for us,

paid for my sin, given me eternal life,

and I'm complete in him. I don't need

anything else. I don't God doesn't need

my money for my salvation. God doesn't

need my good works for my salvation. God

doesn't need anything from me for my

salvation. This is not something I do.

This is something that God has done for

me.

And that's what this says

as he goes on. Then he says in chapter

3, seek those things. Verse three of

three chapter 1 verse chapter 3 verse

one.

If you then be risen with Christ, we're

not waiting to be risen with Christ

when he gave us the new birth. Romans 6

says we were raised right then and

there. The day you were saved, the day I

was saved,

we were risen Christ. Now we consider

you consider

our heart on things that are above which

is Christ. Can't wait to see him. Can't

wait to thank him.

Can't wait to talk to him.

Yeah, he's there. He's just just on the

other side.

Set your affection on things above and

not things on the earth. You're dead.

So, I'm dead to this life. I'm dead to

this earth.

And and it's because of who God is. God

has life in himself.

God breathed into Adam and Adam became a

living soul. God breathed into us with

the his spirit. God breathed into us the

uh the um regeneration, the new birth.

And God has given us a great gift and

his son.

So now we're not dead anymore.

And our life is hidden with Christ in

God. And when Christ who is our life,

he's everything, the alpha and the

omega.

when he shall appear, we will be with

him in glory over there on the other

side that we can't see. We can't handle

that glory yet, can we? So, you know, it

it it doesn't mean that we just

surrender everything in our thought

process and just say, "Well, I'm just

going to be, you know, I'm just going to

be a robot and march on into heaven."

No, the the Bible doesn't tell us to

check our intellect out at all.

you know, scripture,

uh, it just doesn't

try to prove the Trinity. You know,

that's that's hard to do. I've tried to

do it. It's almost impossible. You can't

prove the Trinity.

If someone doesn't believe the Bible,

if you believe the Bible, then it's it's

here. It is. That's one of these things

where God says, "Humble yourself.

It's all loneliness and meekness. The

truth is in Christ." These are great and

wonderful things for us. And you know,

God, you know, he's not a mathematic

equation or a scientific, you know,

formula

or project.

He's he's here in his word and he shows

us who he is. He shows us, you know,

what he is and what God is and who God

is are just bound together.

you know, when it when we we start

getting into

some of the decrees of God and the

things that God has done, it's, you

know, the the the wisdom of God is just

intense. Turn to Mark 6.

Mark chapter 6.

Mark 6 · chapter mention

And you know, God is our father. He

we're his children. He can't do anything

without being tender and kind and nice

to us. He's not an ogre sitting in

heaven waiting on us to step out of line

so he can smack us with a whip.

That's not God. That's some ogre.

God's a person. God has a great

character.

Um

and here in Mark in chapter 6

and you know there's a the unity of the

Trinity. We're going to look at that

someday too. And that's,

you know, that's an amazing thing that

no matter where we look and how we look

at the word of God, that the Trinity is

united

and and what they're doing

and bringing us to God.

And in Mark chapter 6

Mark 6 · chapter mention

and then verse 34,

and Jesus when he came out, he saw many

people. He was moved with compassion

toward them.

So, you know, God is a being. God is

able to love. God is able to to give and

to care and to do something.

And that's what he says because they

were sheep not having a shepherd. That's

why he was moved.

And as he began to teach them many

things, so we like David, teach us,

Lord, we're glad you have compassion on

us. We're glad you care about us as you

cared about these folks. Look in Luke

Luke 7 · chapter mention

chapter 7.

Luke

7.

just

almighty God cares deeply for us.

He's more than just, you know, all of

these attributes and all these great

things. He's a caring, loving, kind.

And here in Luke 7

in verse 13,

and when the Lord saw her, he had

compassion on her and said unto her,

"Weep not." Well, this is the I think

the widow, isn't it? That God had Jesus

had compassion on the widow. He had saw

her and had compassion on her. And

that's who God is. God has compassion.

God is caring.

He his character is He is merciful. He's

loving like Jesus said. When we get to

heaven, what do you think is He's going

to change?

No. When we get to heaven, he's still

going to be just like this. He's this

way for eternity. And he's made us this

way for eternity.

And you know, compassion does what to

us? It it it leads us to do something.

That's what First John says. What how

can you say you have the love of God in

you and somebody needs help and you

don't help? Don't don't say the love of

God's in me. Rather help them and then

say, "Yeah, the love of God is in me."

So that's the way it is with God. God

didn't sit in heaven and say these poor

guys are in trouble.

He sent his son down here

to

do more than just die for our sins. that

he did and we're forever grateful for

that will be in him with him for

eternity. But he's done more. He's, you

know, I was a I was a slave to sin. I

was a I was a terrible sinful man.

And you know, he come to me and his

kindness and his love. And that's that's

what that's what uh turn over to Matthew

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11.

Matthew chapter 11 says,

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

you know, all the great things about

Almighty God

up there in verses 25, 26, and 27.

You know, we could we could spend some

time on those, but

all those great things about God. Yet

Jesus says, "Come unto me, all ye that

labor and are heavy laden, and I will

give you rest. Take my yoke upon you.

Learn of me, for I am meek, lowly in

heart, and you will find rest unto your

souls.

My yoke is easy, and my burden is

light."

So Jesus was what God, you know, God, he

chooses to use the meek, doesn't he?

That's why he wants us to be meek.

That's why he wants us to trust in him.

You know that the nation of Israel was,

you know, an example. God said, "I

didn't I didn't choose you because

you're the greatest. I chose you because

you're the least."

So, we can apply that to ourselves. God

didn't choose me because I'm great. He

chose me because I'm least

and I'm indebted to him. Turn to John

John 14 · chapter mention

chapter 14.

You say, "I I want to I want to know

God, you know. I want to be like David.

Want to seek him, you know. I want to

take him up on his invitation.

to get to know him.

And you know, there's only one way to

that that can be done.

There's no other way. Jesus said in John

10 about about the about the uh the

thieves and the robbers. He said they'll

they'll try to climb up some other way.

And that's what people do.

They try to climb up some other way. Oh,

I can I'll figure God out. I'll be the

guy that does it.

You know, God knows every thought in

your head. So, please don't try that.

Just come humbly to him in in loneliness

and meekness like he's asked us to do

and say, "The truth is in Christ. Show

me." And and Jesus here says a similar

thing in in John chapter 14

John 14 · chapter mention

and verse 8.

Philip said unto him,"Lord,

show us the father and it suffices us.

We'll be happy. We'll be uh we'll be

satisfied."

And Jesus says, "Have I been such a long

time with you and you don't know these

things, fill? He that has seen me has

seen the father. How say, show us the

father." So they had to, you know, Jesus

had to to tell them, you know, there's,

you know, God the Father is not going to

come down here to the earth for you to

see. He's up there. I'm going to take

you to him. But before I take you to

him, you need some changes.

And this is what he's done. He's given

us this great hope.

So, you know, God gave life to Adam and

Eve.

He gave life to Christ when he was in a

tomb.

Bible says God the father, God the son,

God the holy spirit raised him. The

trinity was involved in the resurrection

of Jesus. But they, you know, life comes

from God. And that's, you know, that's

our hope with our resurrection. You

know, God is the only one that can

resurrect our bodies. He made them.

He owns them.

For those who are redeemed, he owns them

twice.

Through Adam and now through Christ. But

you know, everything and everyone had

their beginning with God except God. He

had no beginning.

He has no ending. He's eternal.

He's the one that we are uh that we're

here to to praise and to thank.

And um you know, how can you not agree

with the scripture about this? Does

anybody have a watch on? I didn't wear

one.

Where did a You got a watch? Where did

it come from?

Somebody made it. You didn't just find

it on the street. You know, it got found

all of its parts and got together.

No, a watch has to have a watch maker.

And this world is the same. We have to

have someone greater than the watch

maker. It's God who created us.

And we belong to him. He's our father.

We're his children. And he tells us here

in verse six, I am the way.

I am the truth.

I am the life.

No man comes to the father but by me.

The only way

into God's presence is through his son.

The only way into heaven

is through God's son.

And the trinity is united in this.

You know, that's that's the wonderful

thing. You know, God the father, he

didn't get upset with God the son for

dying for our sins.

They're rejoicing,

you know, they're glad, they're happy,

they're united in this.

So, the universe, it belongs to God. And

as I mentioned, he's he's uh he is not

the universe, but it belongs to him.

And he talks about the uh the unity of

the trinity back here in Isaiah. Turn

back to Isaiah.

Isaiah

uh 41

Isaiah 41 and verse4.

God's always been there.

He's eternal.

And that's what this verse says. Who has

wrought and done it.

So he's not just idol in heaven,

you know, waiting on us to die and hope

we make it. He's so active. He's active

in his world. He's active in his church.

He's active in our lives.

Calling the generations from the the

beginning.

I the Lord am the first. I am the last.

I am He. Again, God says, I'm however

far you want to go back, I was there

before. However far you want to go into

the future, I'll go farther.

God's eternal. He always been there. I

look in chapter 44.

Isaiah chapter 44

Isaiah 44 · chapter mention

and verse 6.

Three times he says this.

Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel,

and his redeemer, the Lord

of hosts. So here we have some God talk

between the father and the son, between

the members of the trinity

and they're they're equal. So they're

both first and they're both last. And

beside them, there is no one else.

That's who God is, the God of this book.

Now look over in chapter 48.

in verse 12.

So what do we do?

If God is who he says he is, then then

we humbly say, "Lord, teach us your

ways. Lord, show us your ways. Help us."

Um, and here we have in chapter 48 verse

12, that's what he says. says, "Hearken

unto me, oh Jacob, and O Israel, my

called.

I am he, I am the first, and I am the

last." So that's the God of this book.

And as we learn who he is, and we learn

these great things about him, we want to

say what what these men in the word of

God have said, "Show us your ways. teach

us your paths and and help us to listen

to you and get to know who you are and

get to know what you have done. Let's

pray.

Father, we thank you for your word.

And as a father pies his children, so

have you pied those, Father, that love

you. So we thank you for the great

grace, the great favor

that you've given to us through your

son, not just in our salvation, but that

we might know you, Father. We might know

you, Lord Jesus. We might know you, Holy

Spirit.

And we might know your word. So guide

and direct in everything in our lives.

We pray in Jesus name. Amen.

>> 642. Stand with us. 42.

>> Lord, as we go from this place,

loving you more, trusting you more.

May the power of your love and the light

of your word shine to a sin darkened

world. As we go from this place,