What is God Like?

HONOR

My goal tonight is that we would see God for who He really is and worship Him in THAT

What is God like?

Anyone never been camping?

Camping is like always a better idea than a reality. Like the idea of camping is more fun than the reality of camping.

One time we had to set up a tent at 1am … horrible

When you put up a tent - there are tension rods.

All Truth lives in tension. Not conflict — but centered between 2 seemingly opposite truths

For example:

Faith and works

God’s control and our free will

Abuse of authority and the sin of independence

ALSO — God’s Love and God’s Holiness

In all of these — It is not one or the other. It’s both/and.

I want to focus tonight on God’s LOVE and God’s HOLINESS

DEFINE HOLY

I’m going to show you how God is Love, but God is also Holy

John 4:23–24 ESV

23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Let me ask a rhetorical question:

If you could describe God in one word what would it be?

If I were to guess … probably most of us would answer: Love.

And that’s a good answer! It’s a true answer! But I wonder if it is the most accurate … Is that how God describes Himself?

In the Bible there are over 400 mentions of God calling Himself Holy.

There is only ONE CHAPTER that says God is Love.

But sometimes we take ONE VERSE and use that ONE VERSE to view all other parts of scripture.

It’s like taking that verse as a telescope and only viewing the Bible through that lens.

What is holiness? It is His absolute moral perfection. It is OTHER. It is something that is SET APART

The angels in Heaven aren’t singing “loving, loving, loving” — Its says in the Revelation that they’re singing “holy holy holy”

And so we have to approach Him in Spirit, on His terms, and in Truth: accurately.

Benjamin stealing my cheese. Benjamin not caring to know me. No concern with my wants.

Christianity is not you trying to become the best version of yourself — It is the complete surrender of yourself.

So what is God like? We have to get to know Him on His terms

3 big ideas for you tonight

Allow God to Self-Define

What’s happening today in some parts of the Church is they are really Christian Buddhist.

It’s build-a-bear Christianity. They overemphasize the parts they like — God is love, and accepting, my provider, and I’m made in the image of God so therefore everything about my personality and sexuality is just right and how it’s supposed to be.

And instead of submitting, repenting, and obeying the parts of the Bible that are challenging, they are just ignored.

Tent. Heresy is like taking one peg out — it all falls apart.

We must allow God to self-define.

It’s pretty rich that we’re a generation SO OBSESSED with identity and self-definition that we don’t allow God the same curiosity

Every other relationship in our lives we allow them to define themselves.

Throughout the Bible — Like literally all over the place — God is telling His people to worship Him a certain way. Like the book of Leviticus is like a manual on how to worship God.

God has preferences

God is saying - “Do what I’m asking.”

Marriage can be like this at times --- I do things that Paula didn’t ask for. No points for that.

Like if your mom asks you to do the dishes but you take out the trash — YOU DON’T GET POINTS FOR THAT

It would be really crappy of me to only love my wife the way I wanted to love her. Husband, friend, lover

Maybe the reason most of your relationships don’t work out is because you’re only interested in loving that person the way YOU WANT TO LOVE THEM.

And we treat God the exact same way.

God is a person with preferences.

God is Better Than You at Everything

You are not better than God.

God is the best worship leader there is — You can’t bring an offering better than Jesus did. You can’t worship better than Jesus did

You don’t understand sexuality better than God.

Justice. Love. Mercy.

To say you couldn’t serve a God that would allow people to go to hell, is saying you understand Grace and Justice better than God does

God is a better worship leader than I am. I can’t worship God and come to Him on my own terms. God knows what YOU NEED in Worship!!

When I do that — I’m really saying that I know what’s better more than God does

Sin always starts when we think we know what’s best for us. When we define what justice is, what love is, what good is.

God is not Holy because He is Love. He is loving because He is Holy.

God is not a desperate boyfriend - No he’s a person that has preferences and we have to worship Him on His terms. Because He is God and we are not

When you find scripture that challenges you — assume you’re wrong and move from there.

You don’t change the Bible; the Bible changes you.

IT IS MEANT FOR BROKEN PEOPLE!!! If you’re hurting and broken = THIS IS THE PLACE TO BE!

God isn’t looking for perfection! He’s looking for people who will worship him on His terms and accurately (John 4)

So where do we go from here?

Don’t Be Afraid of God; Fear God

It’s the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of knowledge. Because you put yourself on His terms.

You can’t make everything about yourself and reject Gods definition

A fire isn’t safe for those who don’t respect it

God is a consuming fire

I’m not going to project on God. I’m not going to pick and choose what I believe about Jesus.

God is a chiropractor. He’s not here to make you feel good, but align you. So you can walk like you’re supposed to.

We have to come to God on His terms. This isn’t some sort of moral therapy. We are here to worship God and allow Him to align us.

Jesus isn’t a Build-a-Bear.

We have to learn to live in the tension. God is love and God is holy.

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