Intro to the Attributes of God
Notes
Transcript
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations (2831 Hot Dog! Hot Dog! Hot Dog!)
2831 Hot Dog! Hot Dog! Hot Dog!
My favorite illustration comes from my own pastoral experience. It took place on Sunday morning at Bible Baptist Church in Elkton, Maryland. The Sunday morning service was just ready to begin when in came a man who had never attended our church before. He looked around with awe and amazement at the great number of people packed into the large auditorium.
He came slowly down the aisle looking from side to side and seated himself on the second row from the front. As I preached he listened with the keenest of interest.
When the invitation time came, I said, “Now how many of you are not saved, but you would like to be, and you want us to pray for you? Will you raise your hand?” He shot up his hand and waved it back and forth persistently until he was sure that I had seen it. When I asked those who would claim Christ to come forward, he literally bounced out and darted to the altar.
He stood stiff and erect: I asked, “Sir, do you believe that Christ died to save sinners?” “Yes, Sir, I want to do just that,” he said rejoicing, with a beam of triumph about him.
When he came into the baptistry, I dropped him into the water and out again to walk in the newness of life. He came up out of the water clapping his hands and shouting, “Hot dog, hot dog, hot dog.”
Our people roared with laughter. I quickly asked them for silence as I explained that this poor man had not been around the church and didn’t know about “Amen, Praise the Lord, and Hallelujah”; his word was “Hot dog,” and he was praising the Lord with the only vocabulary he knew.
—Tom Wallace
Proposition - I invite you to jump aboard as we introduce our study of the attributes of God this morning! We will examine four aspects of God. 1) Glory is an attribute of God, 2) Visible occurrences of God’s glory, 3) God’s glory manifested, and 4) the implications of God’s glory.
Interrogative question - What is your life saying about what you say that you believe?
18 Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!”
Glory of God
The “Glory of God” in its simplest terms is simply the revelation of God’s power and His characteristics.
The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Glory)
In the applications of the word glory in Scripture it is easy to trace the fundamental idea involved in it. Properly, it is the exercise and display of what constitutes the distinctive excellence of the subject to which it is spoken; thus, in respect to God, His glory is the manifestation of His divine attributes and perfections, or such a visible splendor as indicates the possession and presence of these (Ex. 33:18–22; 16:7, 10; John 1:14; 2:11; 2 Pet. 1:17; etc.). God’s “glory is the correlative of his holiness … is that in which holiness comes to expression. Glory is the expression of holiness, as beauty is the expression of health.”
1. Glory is an attribute of God -
1. Glory is an attribute of God -
7 Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 8 Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.
3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; The God of glory thunders, The Lord is over many waters.
40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
2 And he said, “Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,
1 After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;
2. Visible occurrences of God’s glory -
2. Visible occurrences of God’s glory -
The appearance of God’s glory -
24 “You said, ‘Behold, the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire; we have seen today that God speaks with man, yet he lives.
8 “Then the earth shook and quaked, The foundations of heaven were trembling And were shaken, because He was angry. 9 “Smoke went up out of His nostrils, Fire from His mouth devoured; Coals were kindled by it. 10 “He bowed the heavens also, and came down With thick darkness under His feet. 11 “And He rode on a cherub and flew; And He appeared on the wings of the wind. 12 “And He made darkness canopies around Him, A mass of waters, thick clouds of the sky. 13 “From the brightness before Him Coals of fire were kindled. 14 “The Lord thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice. 15 “And He sent out arrows, and scattered them, Lightning, and routed them. 16 “Then the channels of the sea appeared, The foundations of the world were laid bare By the rebuke of the Lord, At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
26 Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. 27 Then I noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. 28 As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.
4 His radiance is like the sunlight; He has rays flashing from His hand, And there is the hiding of His power.
God’s glory as a cloud -
15 Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.
9 Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the Lord would speak with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent.
5 then the Lord will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy.
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
27 “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
God’s glory in both the tabernacle and the temple -
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
13 in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised the Lord saying, “He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
1 Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. 2 The priests could not enter into the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. 3 All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the Lord, saying, “Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
4 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the appearance which I saw in the plain.
3 Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen at whose loins was the writing case.
19 When the cherubim departed, they lifted their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight with the wheels beside them; and they stood still at the entrance of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them.
1 Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing toward the east; 2 and behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east. And His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. 3 And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, like the vision which I saw when He came to destroy the city. And the visions were like the vision which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face. 4 And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate facing toward the east. 5 And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house.
8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.
3. God’s glory manifested -
3. God’s glory manifested -
In Jesus Christ -
3 He said to Me, “You are My Servant, Israel, In Whom I will show My glory.”
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
31 Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; 32 if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately.
5 “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
6 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”—
In His people -
19 “No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory. 20 “Your sun will no longer set, Nor will your moon wane; For you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, And the days of your mourning will be over. 21 “Then all your people will be righteous; They will possess the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified.
3 You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, And a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
In the world -
21 but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.
5 Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth.
11 Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth.
3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”
14 “For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea.
3 God comes from Teman, And the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His splendor covers the heavens, And the earth is full of His praise.
In heaven -
17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
9 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
In His name -
58 “If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, to fear this honored and awesome name, the Lord your God,
13 “Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.
5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah, said, “Arise, bless the Lord your God forever and ever! O may Your glorious name be blessed And exalted above all blessing and praise!
1 O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; And deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake.
In His works -
1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
3 Splendid and majestic is His work, And His righteousness endures forever.
5 Praise the Lord in song, for He has done excellent things; Let this be known throughout the earth.
2 It will blossom profusely And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, The majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the Lord, The majesty of our God.
40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 “I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” 44 The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
4 “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.
In His kingdom -
11 “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.
11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom And talk of Your power; 12 To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts And the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom.
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’
12 so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
4. The implications of God’s glory -
4. The implications of God’s glory -
As we think about the implications of God’s Glory there are three crucial elements we must first understand -
God’s glory cannot be fully seen -
15 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, 16 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.
To see God face to face guarantees death -
18 Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” 19 And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” 20 But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!”
22 When Gideon saw that he was the angel of the Lord, he said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” 23 The Lord said to him, “Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.”
20 For it came about when the flame went up from the altar toward heaven, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground. 21 Now the angel of the Lord did not appear to Manoah or his wife again. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord. 22 So Manoah said to his wife, “We will surely die, for we have seen God.”
5 Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”
18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
God’s glory experienced -
30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” 31 Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh.
2 The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.
11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.
21 Now the angel of the Lord did not appear to Manoah or his wife again. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord. 22 So Manoah said to his wife, “We will surely die, for we have seen God.” 23 But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have let us hear things like this at this time.”
1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.
9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
55 But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God;
God’s glory is acknowledged -
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in holy array.
19 And blessed be His glorious name forever; And may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen.
36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
1 After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;
God’s glory brings conviction -
10 Enter the rock and hide in the dust From the terror of the Lord and from the splendor of His majesty.
19 Men will go into caves of the rocks And into holes of the ground Before the terror of the Lord And the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble.
21 In order to go into the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs Before the terror of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
13 And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.
SO WHAT?
This has been and continues to be my prayer for our church family -
18 Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!”
What is your life saying about what you say that you believe?
God’s Infinitude
God’s Immensity
God’s Goodness
God’s Justice
God’s Mercy
God’s Grace
God’s Omnipresence
God’s Immanence
God’s Holiness
God’s Perfection
God’s Self-Existence
God’s Transcendence
God’s Eternalness
God’s Omnipotence
God’s Immutability
God’s Omniscience
God’s Wisdom
God’s Sovereignty
God’s Faithfulness
God’s Love
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations (2830 Old “Glory Face”)
2830 Old “Glory Face”
One of our favorite hymns was inspired by the glowing face of a man who seemed to live continually upon the lofty peak of consecration. Seeing him in the audience during an evangelistic campaign, a famous preacher noticed his radiant expression. The message that night was about the return of Christ, and often the man with the shining countenance would exclaim joyously, “Yes, yes! And that will be glory for me!” After the service the speaker inquired, “Who is the brother with the blessed testimony?” “Oh, that’s old glory face,” replied his informant. “He’s a Christian who always seems to be on the mountaintop.”
Later Charles H. Gabriel was so impressed with this same man that he was moved to write his familiar gospel song, “O That Will Be Glory For Me.”
—H. G. Bosch
