God the Father

1) The Incomprehensibility of God—Acknowledging Limitations of Study

Question for consideration: What is your favorite thing about God?

A. As we begin, we MUST ACKNOWLEDGE OUR LIMITATIONS in studying God, who is INCOMPREHENSIBLE .

&& THIS STUDY CERTAINLY ISN’T COMPLETELY COMPREHENSIVE, EVEN of BIBLICAL INFO...

WE’LL NEVER FULLY UNDERSTAND GOD...

A.W. TOZER said something like, “If I could understand everything about God, He wouldn’t be worthy of my worship.”

TURN: a. Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

b. 1 Cor. 1:25 ESV “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

c. See also: Job 11:7-9; Romans 11:33-36

B. ALL that WE NEED to KNOW about God is REVEALED in the PERSON of His SON. He is the final revelation of the Father.

a. John 1:18 ESV “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

TURN: b. Hebrews 1:1-2 ESV “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”

i. God’s holiness, justice, love, and compassion are all revealed in the person of Christ.

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2) God as Creator—Implications of God as Creator & Us as Creatures

QUESTION for CONSIDERATION: WHY DOES IT MATTER THAT GOD MADE US??

A. GOD as CREATOR

a. We’re STARTING WITH GOD BECAUSE SCRIPTURE DOES!

b. Genesis 1:1 ESV “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

i. The SCRIPTURE ASSUMES the EXISTENCE of GOD. He is in the beginning, BEFORE the HEAVENS and EARTH were created, and has always existed.

TURN: c. Jeremiah 51:15-16 ESV “It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. 16 When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.”

i. See also: Psalm 8:3; Psalm 104; Acts 14:15-17; Acts 17:23-27; Rev. 4:11

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B. God as Creator = Eternal, the Living God

a. GOD IS OUTSIDE TIME & SPACE as time and space are both created.

TURN: i. Psalm 102:26-27 ESV “Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, 27 but you are the same, and your years have no end.”

ii. Revelation 1:8 ESV “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

1. See also: Psalm 90:2-4; Isaiah 57:15

iii. HARD to GRASP GOD’S ETERNITY… EVERY WORLDVIEW MUST ACCOUNT FOR SOMETHING in BEGINNING…EVEN EVOLUTIONARY-NATURALISTIC WORLDVIEW HAS TO....

b. God is the GREAT I AM, the SELF-EXISTENT GOD.... God is in the past, in the present, and in the future simultaneously! He can see it all at the same time, even as it’s unfolding.

TURN: i. Exodus 3:13-14 ESV “Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

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c. GOD is THE ONLY TRUE & LIVING GOD... Consistently He is contrasted with idols and false gods who are dead.

i. Jeremiah 10:6-10 ESV “There is none like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is great in might. 7 Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For this is your due; for among all the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like you. 8 They are both stupid and foolish; the instruction of idols is but wood! 9 Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz. They are the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith; their clothing is violet and purple; they are all the work of skilled men. 10 But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation.”

1. See also: Psalm 42:2; 84:2; Acts 14:15-17; 1 Thess. 1:9

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D. God as Creator = Rightful Owner

a. God, because He’s the Creator, HAS the AUTHORITY to DETERMINE RIGHT FROM WRONG... the APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR and PURPOSE of EVERYTHING in the created order.

i. Psalm 24:1-2 ESV “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.”

b. Mankind: Created to be Image-bearers & Worshippers/ A REFLECTION of GOD to CREATION...

TURN: i. Genesis 1:26-28 ESV “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

c. Although this PERFECT IMAGE was BROKEN at the FALL, GOD has CONSISTENTLY SET APART FOR HIMSELF a PEOPLE of HIS OWN CHOOSING... In the Old Testament this was seen in the nation of Israel, in the New Testament it contains both Jew and Gentile within the church!

i. While all of creation belongs to God and is under His authority and rule, this is ESPECIALLY TRUE in the CONTEXT of the CHURCH because God has paid for us, to redeem us back to himself!

1. 1 Corinthians 6:19b-20 ESV “You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

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3) God’s Revelation—Both General & Special

Question for consideration: How does God reveal Himself? What revelations has He given to us as His creatures?

A. General Revelation

a. The Lexham Survey of Theology defines general revelation as follows, “General revelation is God’s testimony to his character and works given to all human beings indiscriminately through the created order.”[1]

b. GENERAL REVELATION ISN’T SUFFICIENT to SAVE BUT IT’S SUFFICIENT to CONDEMN...

TURN: i. Romans 1:18-20 ESV “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse,”

TURN: ii. John 3:17-18 ESV “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

1.CREATION ALONE SHOULD CONSISTENTLY DRAW US TO WORSHIP, marveling at the great God who has care for us (see Psalm 8).

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B. Special Revelation

a. Special revelation is defined by the Lexham Survey of Theology as follows, “Special revelation is the teaching about God and his works that he has given to us through the prophets and apostles and which is now contained primarily or exclusively in the Bible.”[2]

i. Beyond this the VARIETY of TIMES that GOD HAS SPOKEN to INDIVIDUALS like Noah, Abraham, and countless others is considered special revelation.

ii. What makes special revelation special? It’s not given or available to all humanity at all times.

NOT UNIVERSAL.

EVERYONE CAN SEE CREATION & CREATED ORDER…SIGNS of DESIGN…IT’S EVERYWHERE...

TURN: b. 2 Tim. 3:16-17 ESV “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

**SCRIPTURE DOESN’T TEACH US EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERYTHING…BUT IT TEACHES US EVERYTHING WE NEED to KNOW ABOUT KNOWING GOD & SALVATION…IT’S SUFFICIENT.

i. PAUL PROBABLY COINED the GREEK WORD theopneustos translated, “breathed out by God/God-breathed” describing the act of God’s inspiration of the Scriptures.

c. 2 REASONS to GIVE THANKS:

GOD HAS GIVEN US the ABILITY to KNOW HIM!

GOD BROUGHT SPECIAL REVELATION & GOSPEL MESSAGE to US...

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4) God’s Providence & Sovereignty—God’s Activity in the World

A. God’s providence

a. God’s providence is defined by the Lexham Survey of Theology as follows, “Providence is the governing power of God that oversees his creation and works out his plans for it.”[3]

i. So, while CREATION WAS GOD’S INITIAL ACT AS CREATOR... GOD’S PROVIDENCE = CONTINUAL ACTING & ORDERING of CREATION…TO REACH INTENDED END

ii. WE DON’T BELIEVE GOD’S UNINVOLVED LIKE DEISTS DO!

iii. GOD’S PROVIDENCE = BIG & SMALL

GOD ORDERS ENTIRE COSMOS

GOD ORDERS NATIONS

GOD ORDERS THINGS in OUR LIVES INDIVIDUALLY!

TURN: b. Romans 8:28-30 ESV “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

i. See also: Gen. 50:20; Prov. 16:9; Eph. 1:11

TURN: c. Jeremiah 18:1-6 ESV “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”

B. Divine Concursus

a. CONCURSUS: is the doctrine whereby GOD’S ULTIMATE MEANS are ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH HIS OVERSEEING of SECONDARY CAUSES! allowing for the FREEDOM of MANKIND WITHIN the BOUNDARIES of GOD’S PLAN

b. The Westminster Confession of Faith V.II states, “Although, in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first Cause, all things come to pass immutably, and infallibly; yet, by the same providence, he orders them to fall out, according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently.”[4]

C. God’s Sovereignty

a. God’s sovereignty is defined by the Lexham Survey of Theology as follows, ““God’s sovereignty refers to his absolute and unrivaled rule over all his creatures and their circumstances.”[5]

b. SOVEREIGNTY REFERS MORE to GOD’S POWER & AUTHORITY to RULE & REIGN AS the KING OVER CREATION, whereas Providence speaks more to how God oversees, cares for, and orders His creation.

i. Psalm 103:19 ESV “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” (NASB renders kingdom as sovereignty”

c. The CONCEPT of the KINGDOM of GOD further BACKS the CONCEPT of SOVEREIGNTY, because God is the Sovereign, or King, of the kingdom.

i. Jesus in MATTHEW’S GOSPEL refers to, “the GOSPEL of the KINGDOM” (Matt. 4:23; 9:35; 24:14)

ii. Jesus preached in Mark’s Gospel, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (1:15, ESV).

d. LORD’S PRAYER: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10, ESV).

i. While GOD is AUTHORITATIVELY REIGNING over the ENTIRE CREATION on His throne, the SPREADING of the KINGDOM of GOD BRINGS His REIGN into ACTUAL VISIBLE COMPLIANCE with His plan.

e. GOD = SOVEREIGN OVER the NATIONS!. God as the Sovereign means He’s King over all, including King over all other kings, and He’s ultimately in control.

i. NEBUCHADNEZZAR, the king of Babylon who conquered Judah, is in many places CALLED GOD’S SERVANT (Jer. 25:9; 27:5-7; 43:10). The only power he had over God’s people was issued and permitted by God Himself.

a. See also: Psalm 2:1-12; Daniel 4

ii. Even SATAN HIMSELF is UNDER GOD’S CONTROL and subjected to Him (see Job 1:6-12).

iii. God is also able to override human free agency if He so pleases (1 Samuel 19:20-24; Daniel 4)

f. PROVIDENCE & SOVEREIGNTY FUNCTION SIMILAR to BACKYARD FENCE.... THERE’S FREEDOM WITHIN the BOUNDARIES of GOD’S SOVEREIGN WILL & DECREE...

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5) God’s Holiness, Justice, & Love—Important Attributes of God

A. God’s Holiness

Question for consideration: How would you define holy?

a. Great SYNONYMS for HOLINESS are actually “SET APART” or “SEPARATENESS” with the connotation of PERFECT MORAL PURITY...

**GOD = PERFECT in ALL of HIS WAYS…OR ELSE HE WOULDN’T BE HOLY!

b. Isaiah 6:1-3 ESV “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’”

TURN: c. Revelation 4:8-11 ESV “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’ 9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 ‘Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.’”

i. HOLY = REPEATED 3X FOR EMPHASIS!!

***FOR ALL ETERNITY WE’LL NEVER GET BORED of WORSHIP!

B. God’s Righteousness & Justice

a. Psalm 11:7 ESV “For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.”

TURN: b. Zephaniah 3:5 ESV “The Lord within her [Jerusalem] is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame.”

d. GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS speaks to His RIGHTEOUS ACTS in JUDGING the WICKED and OFFERING JUST PUNISHMENT on SIN.

TURN: i. Nahum 1:2-3 ESV The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. 3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.”

e. GOD HAS NO PLEASURE in the DESTRUCTION of the WICKED.

i. Ezekiel 18:23 ESV “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?”

C. God’s Love

a. GOD’S LOVE ISN’T SOMETHING GOD DOES, IT’S WHO HE IS!

It’s a part of His nature. LOVE ISN’T GOD…BUT GOD IS LOVE!

TURN: i. 1 John 4: 7-8 ESV “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

b. In the OLD TESTAMENT, especially the Psalms, countless times God is praised or prayed to because of His goodness and His STEADFAST, COVENANT-KEEPING, FAITHFUL LOVE....

LOVE of GOD ISN’T JUST A N.T. CONCEPT!! GOD NEVER BECAME LOVE.

c. Psalm 36:5 ESV Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.

d. Psalm 63:1-4 ESV O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.”

i. See also: Gen. 24:27; 39:21; Exodus 15:13; 20:6; 34:6-7; Numbers 14:18; Deut. 5:10; 7:9; 2 Sam. 15:20; 1 Kings 3:6; 8:23; 1 Chron. 16:34, 41; 2 Chron. 6:14; 7:3, 6; 20:21; Ezra 3:11; Neh. 1:5; 9:17, 32; 13:22; Job 10:12 Psalm 5:7; 6:4; 13:5; 17:7; 18:50; 21:7; 25:6-7, 10; 26:3; 31:7, 16, 21; 33:5, 18, 22; 36:7, 10; 40:10-11; 42:8; 44:26; 48:9; 51:1; 52:1, 8; 57:3, 10; 59:10, 16-17; 61:7; 62:12; 66:20; 69:13, 16; 85:7; 86:5, 13,15; 89:1, and many more).

***GOD’S ATTRIBUTES AREN’T in COMPETITION…HE’S FULLY HOLY…FULLY JUST…FULLY LOVE…FULLY GRACIOUS… ETC. ALL of HIM…ALL the TIME!

6) The Revelation of God’s Nature & Character in the Gospel

A. The GREATEST QUESTION EVER ASKED: “How can God be both just, and the justifier of the ungodly?”

THINK ABOUT THIS....

FOR GOD to BE JUST…HE MUST PUNISH SIN...

THEN HOW CAN the UNGODLY MAKE IT???

ANSWER = THE CROSS.

TURN: b. Romans 3:21-26 ESV “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

B. CALVARY WAS GOD’S PLAN from BEFORE the FOUNDATION of the WORLD.

**GOD HASN’T EVER BEEN SURPRISED!

a. 1 Peter 1:20 ESV “He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you”

i. JUDAS…PILATE…RELIGIOUS LEADERS…ALL SECONDARY CAUSES FULFILLING GOD’S ULTIMATE PLAN of REDEMPTION…HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD??

Ta. CALVARY = THE RESULT of GOD’S LOVE!; it is the best revelation of His love for us.

TURN: a. 1 John 4:9-10 ESV “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

i. See also: John 3:16; Rom. 5:8,,

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7) Main Takeaways:

WE WILL NEVER FULLY EXHAUST WHO GOD IS && FULLY ATTAIN to A COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE of HIM....WE SHOULD ALWAYS COME to THIS SUBJECT HUMBLY....

GOD AS CREATOR = RIGHTFUL OWNER…DETERMINES RIGHT & WRONG ACCORDING to HIS OWN WILL!

GOD = SOVEREIGN RULER of ALL & WORKS ALL THINGS BY HIS PROVIDENCE to FULFILL HIS WILL…HE’S ON THE THRONE!!

GOD’S JUSTICE/HOLINESS & GRACE/LOVE ARE REVEALED @ the CROSS....GOD WAS BOTH JUST & the JUSTIFIER of THE UNGODLY!

ALL of THIS SHOULD CAUSE US to ABOUND in PRAISE & THANKSGIVING!!

a. That He is BOTH SOVEREIGN & GOOD...

b. That He is BOTH JUST & LOVE....

c. That GOD BROUGHT the GOSPEL & SCRIPTURES…SPECIAL REVELATION…TO US & WE RESPONDED in FAITH & WERE SAVED!!

d. THAT GOD WORKS ALL THINGS ACCORDING to HIS PERFECT PLAN…IN OUR LIVES to MAKE US MORE LIKE JESUS...

CLOSE in PRAYER...

[1]Bray, G. (2018). General Revelation. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Lexham Press. [2]Bray, G. (2018). Special Revelation. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Lexham Press. [3]Bray, G. (2018). Providence. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Lexham Press. [4]Warren P. (Pagán), J. (2018). Providence and Concursus. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Lexham Press. [5]Talbert, L. (2018). God’s Sovereignty over Creation. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Lexham Press.