Who is God? // PT 3 // What's He Like?

INTRODUCTION:

Recap: Does God exist? Which God is the right God? What is the true God like?

Image: The most interesting college application OR most interesting instagram bios illustrates the importance of things that people want as their first impression.

1. Just a cupcake looking for a stud muffin.

2. I’m not sure how many problems I have because math is one of them.

3. I’m not a complete idiot; some parts are missing.

4. Probably the most talented TV binge watcher you’ll find

Probably the most talented TV binge watcher you’ll find

5. My hobbies are breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

6. You couldn’t handle me even if I came with instructions.

7. I always learn from the mistakes of others who took my advice.

I always learn from the mistakes of others who took my advice.

8. Don’t follow me because I don’t even know where I’m going

9. I am so poor,I cant even pay attention.

10. I am not a player…I’m the game

11. A Caffeine dependent life-form

12. I’m not smart. I just wear glasses.

13. I’m real and I hope some of my followers are too.

14. I’m not special, I’m just limited edition

15. A man of mystery and power, whose power is exceeded only by his mystery

It’s possible that I’m eating frosting with a spoon.

16. t’s possible that I’m eating frosting with a spoon.

Need: Wouldn’t you like to know what God would put on his facebook page?

Subject: What is God Like?

Text:

Preview: deductive narrative

A Theophany Story: God Shows Up

Lets talk about what God is like. Well at least what the back of God is like.

Problem: A Messed up Story // We don’t always obey God

A Theophany Story: God Shows Up

A Theophany Story: God Shows Up

I want to tell you a messed up story. Wed often like to think that story about God would be majestic, full of trumpets and harps, and coffee and bacon, but I digress.

Here is the story: , God shows up and speaks to everyone the 10 commandments. all the people were trembling though. Too much to handle. they would tell you they “cant even right now” ok. So what happens? tells that Moses drew near the thick darkness. And Moses gets a bunch of instructions and the people worship God. Then, God invites moses up to Mount Sinai to get the stone tablets and some more instructions. In moses comes down from the mountain forty days later and the people have done something bad. They literally couldn’t even keep the first commandment.

This is just like us today isn’t it? We start a new year and we have all these goals and expectations and plans of how to make ourselves better, and a week later we fail. We say, Im not gonna do this any more, or Im gonna start this… and then we dont. Or we go to camp or church and we think YES, I need to get my life right with God and then a week later its like we never even believed it all in the first place.

So they made this gold cow thing and were worshiping it. Moses then smashes these tablets God gave him and the whole thing Is just a mess.

So they made this gold cow thing and were worshiping it. Moses then smashes these tablets God gave him and the whole thing Is just a mess.

Excursus: Now here is something interesting in God tells us he is upset with this people for being so quick to leave him (by the way aren't we like this?). And he says that he is going to destroy them. Does God mean this? Well apparently not. What he is doing is setting up a pattern in history. A pattern of people messing up and needing someone to fight for them. Jesus…

So Moses goes to God and intercedes for the people. He asks God to give them a second chance. And God does! Well Moses goes down, breaks the tablets, and yells at everyone. Its a mess. I told you.

Solution: Leave or Love // All Or Nothing // Will we give up everything for God?

Now we get a twist in the story. How will God fix this? How will things get better? What is God’s grand solution? WHAT’S GODS SOLUTION? how are you gonna fix this God. This place is a mess!

… well in God tells Moses that he will give him everything the people want, minus him. Imagine, What if God would give you everything you ever wanted… That relationship, that position on the team, that A on your test, that Job you want, that car you want, you will in the blank. You’d get it. THIS IS WHAT GOD OFFERS TO HIS PEOPLE!

This makes me wonder “What would I do? What would you do?” in this situation?

And here we have something amazing. Moses asks to See God. He doesn’t take the bait! Why. Because to Moses a life without God is not a life worth living. At some point in your life, You will face this question. I call it the “ALL OR NOTHING.” You see if you really have met God, you will realize that there is simply nothing better. Its not GOD + something.. its just GOD. You will either want all of him or nothing at all.

And Moses says in God I want you I want to know you.

Three levels of KNOWING GOD:

Belief in God

Acknowledge God

Seeking God

What about in your life. Are you satisfied with just belief? What about just knowing he is there? Or do you want to know him. I mean really know him. Know his name.

Application: Show me your glory // GOD IS BETTER

As we come to the end of this story, we finally get the answer we have been looking for… now we are ready to answer What is God like?

In God agrees to show Moses who he really is, what he is relly like. BUT in verse 20 god says you don’t get to see my face! And verse 23 says we get to see his back..

(Illustration: dating someone // back vs face // Which is more interesting)

Exodus 34:

Exodus 34:6–7 NET

The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness,keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”

We like all of these things don’t week. Gracious, Compassionate, abouding in love, loyal, Just. I think that its interesting that the things we find most attractive about God, are just his back

Acknowledge God

whats his face like!

Seeking God

(ALWAYS) What is God like?

So what does this story tell us? Well lots of things actually. What is God Like:

What we actually have here is a summary of the relationship God offers: It shows up in Psalms, it shows up in the Prophets, it’s at key points.

This is usually held by Old Testament scholars to be a summary of the covenant.

THIS IS WHO GOD IS

Look, God in infinite, and we are finite. That means we will NEVER fully know all there is to know about God. And there is SO SO SO much to learn. But i want you to get this. When this God decides to reveal himself. THIS IS WHAT HE CHOOSES TO REVEAL. This is what he puts on his instagram story, this is what his twitter handle reads, this is what his bio is, this is skin he chooses to wear on fortnight (i think that is right).

Acknowledge God

Seeking God

Excursus: One thing we need to point out. How can God be abounding in love, forgiving and giving compassion, yet also not leaving the guilty unpunished? Who gets the Compassion and Who gets punished? What determines this? ITS NOT SIN. Its not about people who sin or don’t sin, in this context it is people who have faith.

THE ALL OR NOTHING

The Face of God (NOW)

Do you have faith? Do you know God? Do you know him like this? Have to come to a place in your life where you have said, “God, its all or nothing” ?

Who gets the Compassion and Who gets punishedITS NOT SIN ITS FAITH

CLOSE:

Summary: Does God exist? Which God is the right God? What is the true God like?

Re-Image: If you want to know God… why dont you go scroll through his feed… get it.. SCROLL through his feed. Cause the bible was originally a scroll.

GROUP QUESTIONS

What part of this story meant, “or stuck out”, the most to you?

Where are you at in your faith? Are you struggling to believe? Or you do you believe and are trying to make him more a priority in your life? or are you sold out, seeking only after him? Why?

Read , what sticks out to you the most in this list?

If you were to answer the question, What is God like, what would you say?