The Character of God
Critical Thinking and the Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Knowing God is the foundation of being a Christian.
Knowing God is the foundation of being a Christian.
This is the very basis of eternal life! (Jn 17:3-4; Rom 8:29)
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.
Through the Bible we can come to know and imitate His ways. (Rom 8:29)
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
The basis of all morality comes from this knowledge.
Remember that those who oppose God have no moral basis for any of their convictions.
Their subjective, shifting “morality” lives and dies with them. God’s morality is eternal and objective.
“The science is settled” quickly turns to “the science has changed”!
The character of God does not change! (Mal 3:6; James 1:17; Heb 13:8)
“For I am the Lord, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The universal truths found from God’s holiness are to be imitated by all men.
Those who deny a universal standard of truth do not know God.
To Know God is to Understand His Holiness
To Know God is to Understand His Holiness
God’s Holiness (1 Sam 2:2; Isa 40:25; Hosea 11:9)
“No one is holy like the Lord,
For there is none besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God.
“To whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.
I will not execute the fierceness of My anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim.
For I am God, and not man,
The Holy One in your midst;
And I will not come with terror.
“In the New Testament, the words holy, holiness, sanctify, and sanctification all come from the same Greek word “hagious,” which means “sacred, (physically) pure, morally blameless, consecrated, innocent, modest, perfect, clean, pure.””
God appeals in holiness in order to teach us. (Lev 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:26; Mic 6:8)
For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.
Consider how you might begin a relationship with another. What must you learn?
God wants us to know what He is like so that we might change! (Mic 6:8)
We have to be taught what is holy! What is justice? Whatever God says that it is.
God Teaches Us Justice.
God Teaches Us Justice.
God is Just. (Deut 32:3-4; Job 34:11-12, 6; Ps 89:14; 2 Chron 12:6; 14; Psa 101)
Justice - kri,sij, ewj, h` (1) as the action of a judge decision, judgment (JN 5.30); especially as the activity of God in a final time for judging h`me,ra kri,sewj day of judgment (MT 10.15); in an unfavorable sense condemnation, punishment (RV 18.10); (2) as a personal evaluation of someone else's actions judgment (JN 7.24); (3) as the standard by which judgments and evaluations are to be made right, justice (MT 12.18); (4) as the basis on which a judgment is made reason for a judgment (JN 3.19)
All of God’s ways are right and thus is always based upon truth. (Deut 32:3-4)
For I proclaim the name of the Lord:
Ascribe greatness to our God.
He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice,
A God of truth and without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He.
He will give others what is their due. (Job 34:11-12, 6)
For He repays man according to his work,
And makes man to find a reward according to his way.
Surely God will never do wickedly,
Nor will the Almighty pervert justice.
Should I lie concerning my right?
My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’
The foundation of God’s throne is justice. (Ps 89:14)
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Mercy and truth go before Your face.
The work of the Messiah involves bringing justice to the earth. (Isa 42:1-4)
“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.
He will not fail nor be discouraged,
Till He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
God will never lie nor promote lies! (Tit 1:1-2)
Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,
All is repentance based on the character of God. (2 Chron 12:6; 14; Psa 101)
So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, “The Lord is righteous.”
And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.
Psa 101
Does God teach us concerning justice and accountability? What is true “fairness”? (Ezk 18:20-21; 2 Cor 5:10; Rom 14:11-12; 2:5-6; 3:25-26)
Justice begins with individual responsibility. I am not guilty for what others have done. (Ezk 18:20-21; 2 Cor 5:10; Rom 14:11-12)
Accountability demands evidence and a just process. God promises that all men will be judged individually in a righteous process. (Rom 2:5-6)
God’s forgiveness satisfies justice! (Rom 3:25-26)
Mankind loves justice. (Jn 10:10; Mt 7:12)
Being created in the image of God we have in our nature a recognition of fairness and a hatred of those that cheat and steal. Children say: “That’s not fair!”
Satan has no interest in justice and will lie, steal and kill. (Jn 10:10)
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
How would I want others to treat me? (Mt 7:12)
Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
A hypocritical heart will make false assumptions and act without mercy.
A person who seeks to be just must act on principle (universal law) in all things. If he does not, Satan can take one’s desire for justice and emotionally turn them into instruments of great injustice. (Grace can be used as a cover for injustice!)
When a nation turns its back on true justice, it will fall. (Acts 25:16; Acts 8:33; Hab 1:3-4)
Rome had just laws, but cowardly men consistently denied justice to the righteous. (Acts 25:16; Acts 8:33)
To them I answered, ‘It is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man to destruction before the accused meets the accusers face to face, and has opportunity to answer for himself concerning the charge against him.’
In His humiliation His justice was taken away,
And who will declare His generation?
For His life is taken from the earth.”
God’s law became powerless if men refuse to enforce it with justice. (Hab 1:3-4)
Why do You show me iniquity,
And cause me to see trouble?
For plundering and violence are before me;
There is strife, and contention arises.
Therefore the law is powerless,
And justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.
Even though a righteous law may exist, if moral people are not involved in the enforcement of it then it becomes powerless.
“Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people; it is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.” - John Adams
“But when religion loses its voice and the media worship success, when right and wrong become relativised and morality is condemned as “judgmental”, when people lose all sense of honour and shame and there is nothing they won't do if they can get away with it, no regulation will save us. …. Markets … depend on respect for the people affected by our decisions. Lose that and we lose not just money and jobs but something more significant still: freedom, trust and decency, the things that have a value, not a price.” - Jonathan Sacks
Once laws are ignored and just processes are discarded in an emotional “rush to judgement”, then true justice has been abandoned for all.
Satan Corrupts and Perverts Justice
Satan Corrupts and Perverts Justice
We ought to expect law and order to prevail when someone is charged and prosecuted for a crime, but such is not the case today. (Jn 7:51; 18:29-30; Acts 26:30-32; 25:7-9, 16-19; Prov 18:13, 17; Eph 4:17-18)
An impartial system – both the laws and the men enforcing the laws will act upon reality of what has occurred. Judgment without truth is evil. (Jn 7:51)
“Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?”
An impartial law – laws that are clearly defined and applied equally to all.
A clearly defined charge – both a clear application of law and clear evidence of wrongdoing are necessary. What if definitions are constantly changing? What if the laws violated are constantly changing? (Jn 18:29-30; Acts 26:30-32)
Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”
They answered and said to him, “If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.”
When he had said these things, the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them; and when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, “This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains.”
Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
Individual responsibility – the individual is responsible for his actions and has a right to defend himself. The process will show evidence that the individual can see and he then must have an opportunity to defend himself. What others did apart from him in time and space are not evidence of guilt. (Ex. History as proof of present guilt)! (Acts 25:7-9, 16-19; Prov 18:13, 17)
When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about and laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove, while he answered for himself, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended in anything at all.”
But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these things?”
To them I answered, ‘It is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man to destruction before the accused meets the accusers face to face, and has opportunity to answer for himself concerning the charge against him.’ Therefore when they had come together, without any delay, the next day I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought in. When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I supposed, but had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.
He who answers a matter before he hears it,
It is folly and shame to him.
The first one to plead his cause seems right,
Until his neighbor comes and examines him.
When the bible condemns gossip it is an exhortation for every Christian to learn what fairness means. When we give into injustice it will change our character, our very being. (Eph 4:17-18)
This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;
Critical race theory is a subset of postmodernism based upon race. It does not offer true justice.
Why does the application of this universally look at “whiteness” as evil? Is this not “verdict first, and then maybe we will look at the evidence?”
How wise is it to make assumptions about any race and then indiscriminately apply these assumptions simply based upon their skin-color at birth? I thought that was what the civil rights movement was all about!
Look at how the current writers describe “whiteness, white supremacy, white privilege” and many other terms. Does what some individuals do mean that the whole is guilty?
The same approach has been taken to this culture’s view of men.
In this culture, men have been vilified as a source of oppression.
Men are not represented as having any valuable answers, but are being encouraged to “step back and listen to others”, which in this mindset truly means to fall into passive inaction.
Men in the local church are being cowed into thinking that this is “love” and “grace” when it is anything but the kind!
The “bullets” for the battles of this culture consist of seeking charges to attack someone else. (Lk 6:7; Mk 3:2; Mt 23:23; 2 Thess 2:11)
What did the Pharisees diligently pursue? (Lk 6:7; Mk 3:2)
So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.
So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.
If you want something bad enough you will find it. When love, justice and mercy are cast out you can believe anything! (Mt 23:23; 2 Thess 2:11)
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
I am concerned that this kind of thinking can enter into our “bones” through the current political culture.
Hasty accusation is common in this culture. (Jude 9; Acts 25:16; Prov 18:17; Jn 18:29-30)
Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
The Romans had a process that when applied, would defeat slander. Righteousness takes time and effort! (Acts 25:16; Prov 18:17)
To them I answered, ‘It is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man to destruction before the accused meets the accusers face to face, and has opportunity to answer for himself concerning the charge against him.’
The first one to plead his cause seems right,
Until his neighbor comes and examines him.
When you blindly follow a party then when your “leader” makes an accusation then no further investigation is needed! (Jn 18:29-30)
Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”
They answered and said to him, “If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.”
Mob action is common in this culture. (Ex 23:1-2; Acts 19:32)
“You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice.
Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together.
We should not go “public” as a first act! This is how Satan tempts many people. “Why are you not doing something!”
Even if legitimate problems are raised Satan’s goal is the same, to destroy your enemy and enslave the victor! He conquers both!
We must be very careful about our social media or discontinue it entirely.
In the 1930’s several articles warned against “petitions” and majority rule. I would add to that warning concerning “open letters” and the internet!
The group you “belong to” identifies your personal worth in this culture. (“oppressor” vs. “oppressed” - Marxism)
This is a foundational principle of postmodernism. Are you in an “oppressor” group or are you in a group that is “oppressed?”
Who determines what oppression is? In totalitarian societies it is the dictator.
Who determines what group I am a part of? If we are arguing about shared values in a culture, then am I really a part of a group that I reject?
“Intersectionality” looks at one being part of many groups. The groups you are a part of will then determine a kind of “worthiness.”
It is asserted that those in “bad groups” have lost the ability to think and reason. As a result, you are not to be heard. Your voice is evil and must be suppressed.
If you are in a “oppressed” group then your voice is genuine and must be heard. You are to remember all oppressions and often tell that story to the oppressors.
If you are in a “oppressor” group and attempt to appeal by reason to your innocence, then that is evidence that you are “fragile” and thus guilty. You are not to be heard and your voice is to be suppressed.
Are we accountable to God as groups or as individuals? (Ezk 18:20; 2 Cor 5:10; Gal 3:26-29; Rom 1:32)
We are still only accountable as individuals to God. (Ezk 18:20; 2 Cor 5:10)
The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
We are accountable in how we act and speak in our relationship with others.
How can I know what “group “that I belong to? When I identify with Christ, I am no longer to identify in commonly accepted groups. (Gal 3:26-29)
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
How can group action make me accountable? I may support indirectly a wrong action or fail to stand up in cowardice when wrong is done. (Rom 1:32)
who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
I am a member of a local church and have responsibilities for the group. Israel had prayers confessing sin as the God-given nation ruled by His word (Daniel 9, etc.). We may also express similar prayers within local churches we attend.
Common ground with this world view
Oppression can come from groups
Individuals and groups often act without facts and reason
Organizations and governments often use their power to oppress and encourage stereotypes and to marginalize others.
We should acknowledge wrong and oppose it
Areas of opposition
One cannot overcome their prejudices and stand against cultural and group influences.
We can discount the words of another on the basis of their group
That politics is the main way to fight oppression.
That freedom from oppression is the key to finding a life filled with purpose.
Responding to Injustice
Responding to Injustice
We understand and accept that we will be persecuted as Christians. (Jn 15:18-20; 16:1-2; 1 Pt 2:21-23)
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
“These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.
We can be joyful while having our goods and reputation plundered? Why?
We follow the example of our Lord. (1 Pt 2:21-23)
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
“Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
The memory of my injustices is not tied to my identity! (Rom 8:18; 35-37; Eph 4:26-27; Heb 12:14-15)
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
If I do not quickly put away anger, it can become a cancer. (Eph 4:26-27)
“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.
Some that struggle with depression have trouble doing this.
Postmodernism is a recipe for personal misery. And destroyed relationships. (Heb 12:14-15)
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;
People get addicted to feeling offended all the time because it gives them a high; being self-righteous and morally superior feels good. As political cartoonist Tim Kreider put it in a New York Times op-ed: “Outrage is like a lot of other things that feel good but over time devour us from the inside out. And it’s even more insidious than most vices because we don’t even consciously acknowledge that it’s a pleasure.”
God’s people respond with love and prayer. (Psa 109:2-4; Rom 12:19-21; 1 Pt 2:23; James 2:13)
For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful
Have opened against me;
They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me without a cause.
In return for my love they are my accusers,
But I give myself to prayer.
Is it weakness to respond to accusations with love and prayer? NO!
Satan wants you and I to take on personal vengeance and in that we will destroy ourselves! (Rom 12:19-21; 1 Pt 2:23)
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
When we refuse to do this we will become like our accusers.
When we refuse mercy we will be destroyed! This cancer will enter into our very “body” and “bones.” (Psa 109:16-18; 1 Jn 3:15)
Because he did not remember to show mercy,
But persecuted the poor and needy man,
That he might even slay the broken in heart.
As he loved cursing, so let it come to him;
As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him.
As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
So let it enter his body like water,
And like oil into his bones.
Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Ask these questions often: “What do I know?” “Did this really happen or do I really think I can read minds?” Have friends that help you! (James 2:13)
For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.