Sermon Tone Analysis

Today, I would like to conclude our study by doing brief review of it.

My hope is that we would be able to look very broadly at who God is and what that means for me.

Why study who God is?

Why study who God is?

>>>>>>>>>>Slide 3

Who God is a basic question of life.

>>>>>>>>>>Slide 4

“At its very roots, life is about God.

Whether you shake your fist at him, consider him so distant that his existence is irrelevant, or tremble before him because you feel that you are under his judgment, the reality is this: the basic questions of life and the fundamental issues of the human heart are about God.

Life is about knowing him or avoiding him.

It is about spiritual allegiances.

Whom will you trust in the midst of pain?

Whom will you worship?”

Welch, Edward T.. Depression: Looking Up from the Stubborn Darkness

Further, that question of life had it’s basis in the fall.

I am not going to take time to explain from Genesis 3 because we talked about that when I introduced the topic.

But I will briefly survey that idea.

The Fall.

Many theologians have noted that the fall was caused by two questions:

a.

Is God really who he says he is?

b.

Should I give reverence to God or should I give reference to myself?

>>>>>>>>>>Slide 5

“As long as man trusted God everything was all right; human beings were healthy and holy (or at least innocent), and pure and good.

But then the devil came along and threw a question mark into the mind of the woman: “And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said… ?” (Genesis 3:1).

This was equivalent to sneaking around behind God’s back and casting doubt on the goodness of God.

And then began the progressive degeneration downward.

When the knowledge of God began to go out of the minds of men, we got into the fix that we’re in now:”

Tozer, A. W., and David E. Fessenden.

The Attributes of God: Deeper into the Father’s Heart.

Vol. 2. Camp Hill, PA: WingSpread, 2001–.

(pg.

3-4)

Thus struggle has not change.

Much of our spiritual, social, and sometimes even physical disorders are related to how we view God.

The Importance of our View of God in our life.

>>>>>>>>>>>Slide 6

The wrong view of God often results in:

•Anger

•blame-shifting

•Depression

•Envy

•Jealousy

•Guilt

•Rebellion

•self-pity

•sexual deviation

•addiction

•Anxiety

•Fear

•Discouragement

•Despair

•Frustration

•Bitterness

•Hatred

•Guilt

•Shame …

I have already shown you the manifestation of our choices and emotions being a result of what is in our heart.

I have shown you how Jim Berg demonstrated, I showed you how Edward Welch (Biblical Counselor, Professor at Westminster), today I would like to give you a 3rd persons perspective.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Stuart Scott, Exemplary Husband, Pg. 45.

Reverence of God is the beginning of knowledge.

(Pr 1:7)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Slide 8

We do not have a basic understanding of life until we have a reverence for God.

The Adoration is the building block for understanding life and it’s meaning.

“Genuine faith is expressed in, and animated by, a reverential awe, and this is the basic meaning of the biblical idea of the fear of God.”

(Baker’s Encyclopedia of the Bible)

This begs a practical question.

What leads us to be in awe of God?

Principally, there are two ways we began to awe at God.

a.

A knowledge of God himself.

b.

A knowledge of how God has worked among humanity (Biblical history).

Therefore, we gain reverence for God by a study of who he is.

Explanation and Exhortation:

We often take evangelism as simply communicating the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for our sins, as according to Scripture.

And I do not think that is bad because Paul does that in 1 Corinthians 15.

But, may I also say that a basic knowledge of the Gospel must eventually include a knowledge of not just what God has done in salvation, but also in who he is.

A true belief in the Gospel is also an understanding of who God is, and basic component of true Christian faith.

How have we divided the attributes of God in this study?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Slide 9

a.

God’s Being (What is God made of)?

b.

God’s Attributes (What is God like)?

(Neither the final nor only way to understand God’s Attributes)

I come to this conclusion

1. because Scripture does not clearly specify how we are to understand God.

2. It matches the dichotomy of man: Man is Physical and Immaterial - Soul and Body.

(Handout sample of survey from Paul Enns, Moody Handbook).

With that being said, let’s quickly look at our God.

What is he made of and what is he like?

I have added the definition of God’s attributes to serve as an index or appendix for you.

But I am primarily concerned with putting it all together into one view that demonstrates the greatness, perfection, and magnificence of God.

God’s Being (What is God made of)?

•Trinity

Spiritual Comfort: God the Father loves us like a father, God the son redeems us giving us a future, God the Holy Spirit leads by comforting, convicting, and illuminating Scripture.

The Trinity of God should give us confidence that God is working on our behalf in a manifold of ways ultimately for our good.

(God the Father, God the son, and God the Holy Spirit)