The Revelation of God

Scripture Reading | Hebrews 1:1-4

Series Breakdown

3 Part Series - each part containing 4-5 sermons (tentatively)

1. Finding Out God

Learn about the revelation of God and human enlightenment or illumination, its’ necessity, general and special revelation, progressive revelation, the existence of God, the attributes of God.

2. The Determinate Counsel of God

Learn the plan, will, and purpose of God with and for all things in Christ, God’s redemption of man in Christ, with an introduction to the progressive revelation of it all.

3. God Hath Revealed

Learn of God who worketh all things after the counsel of His will, the progressive revelation of His work in time past, to now - from that which He made known to that which He hid but now has revealed, as well as, God’s redemptive revelation.

Introduction

In this first section we will learn about the revelation of God (necessity, purpose, manner & mediums), the reception and effect of revelation (illumination), & the existence and attributes of God.

The Necessity of the Revelation of God

The Truth of the Revelation of God

The Lessons of the Revelation of God

The Kinds, Modes, and Mediums of the Revelation of God

Sermon

2. The Truth of the Revelation of God

1. The Law

Exodus 3:1–6 “Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.”

Exodus 6:2–3 “And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.”

Ezekiel 20:5 “And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the Lord your God;”

Ezekiel 20:9 “But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.”

Deuteronomy 6:10–15 “And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; (For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.”

Exodus 33:18–23 “And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.”

Exodus 34:5–7 “And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”

2. The Psalms

Psalm 19:1–6 “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, And his circuit unto the ends of it: And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.”

Psalm 19:7–12 “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: And in keeping of them there is great reward. Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults.”

Job 40:1–14 “Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? He that reproveth God, let him answer it. Then Job answered the Lord, and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: Yea, twice; but I will proceed no further. Then answered the Lord unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous? Hast thou an arm like God? Or canst thou thunder with a voice like him? Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; And array thyself with glory and beauty. Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: And behold every one that is proud, and abase him. Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; And tread down the wicked in their place. Hide them in the dust together; And bind their faces in secret. Then will I also confess unto thee That thine own right hand can save thee.”

Job 42:1–6 “Then Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, And that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel Without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: But now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent In dust and ashes.”

3. The Prophets

Isaiah 52:6 “Therefore my people shall know my name: Therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.”

Isaiah 45:3 “And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, And hidden riches of secret places, That thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.”

Ezekiel 35:11–12 “Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee. And thou shalt know that I am the Lord, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume.”

Isaiah 6:1–8 “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: The whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”

4. The Gospels

Matthew 16:17 “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

John 14:21 “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

Matthew 3:16–17 “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Matthew 17:5 “While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.”

John 12:28 “Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

John 17:6 “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.”

John 1:18 “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”

5. The Epistles

Romans 1:19–20 “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”

Ephesians 1:17–18 “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,”

Ephesians 3:3–5 “How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;”

Colossians 1:26–27 “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”

Ephesians 3:9–10 “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,”

1 Peter 1:20 “Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,”

Hebrews 1:1–2 “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”

3. The Lessons of the Revelation of God

1. God is so beyond human reach that without any aid or help would could not know Him.

Eye cannot see, nor can we discover, or can we deduce Him in our thoughts

2. God created man in such a way to know Him. Created for relationship with God.

3. Relationship with God depends on God revealing. God must take initiative.

4. Divine revelation is therefore very personal.

5. He freely chooses whether, when, where, how, and what to reveal of Himself.

6. God’s character shapes the character of His revealing.

7. God isn’t hidden or withdrawn from us, but rather actively engaged.

8. We are constitutionally equipped to receive and respond of His self-revelation.

9. The content of God’s revelation supremely concern God Himself — His nature, works, will, and purposes.

God wants to be known, not feared from a distance

God bridges the gap between the infinite and finite.

Conclusion

In light of what we have seen, the question before us is the same one raised in Book of Job 11:7–9: can a man, by searching, find out God? Scripture has shown us that the answer is no. Man cannot climb high enough, search far enough, reason deeply enough, or observe carefully enough to discover the Almighty unto perfection. The eye cannot reach Him through science and observation, the ear cannot arrive at Him through tradition or philosophy, and the heart cannot uncover Him through intuition or imagination. Left to ourselves, we would remain in darkness.

Yet this isn’t about what man cannot do—it is what God has done. God has revealed Himself. The very fact that we know anything about Him at all is because He has chosen to make Himself known. That means the revelation of God is not only necessary; it is an expression of His grace. He did not leave the world without light. He spoke. He made Himself known through what He has revealed.

If God had not revealed Himself, we would not know Him. From the Law to the Prophets, from the Psalms to the Gospels and Epistles, Scripture shows that God is not discovered by human reasoning but made known by His own initiative. He is beyond our reach, yet He created us in His image with the capacity to know Him. He has spoken, called, manifested His name, and reveals His glory according to His will throughout time. His revelation is personal, purposeful, and rooted in His holy and gracious character.

This means revelation is not merely information about God—it is God making Himself known. He is not distant or withdrawn but actively engaged, bridging the gap between the infinite and the finite. The content of His revelation centers on Himself—His nature, His works, His will, and His purposes. The question is not whether God has spoken, but whether we will humbly receive, believe, and respond to what He has revealed.

Questions for Reflection

Am I seeking to know God Himself, or only to know about Him?

Do I approach Scripture with humility, recognizing my dependence on His revelation?

Do I approach Scripture recognizing that it is God revealing Himself to me?

Has God’s self-revelation shaped how I think, worship, and live?

In what ways am I responding personally to what God has made known; how should my life change?

Am I drawing near to God, or keeping Him at a distance in my life?