This I Believe Sermon Week 2 - Who is God?

Justin Ashurst

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Intro/Welcome

Good Morning — Welcome Online

Continuing our “This I Believe” Series where we are examining the foundational truths upon which to build you life.

Week 1 we looked at “What is the Bible?”

Today we will look at “Who is God?”

Intro

Many people will say that all religions basically teach the same thing.

That they all worship the same God

But as we will see today, when it comes to “who is God”

these different religions have very different conceptions of who God is.

If someone came to you and asked what sets the Christian God apart from all the others, what would you say?

Would you be able to articulate why the Christian God is utterly unique among all the worlds religions?

TODAY we are going to answer that question.

In GENERAL Who God is

In PARTICULAR how the God of the Bible is different from every other conception of God

Which Foundation

It really matters who you think God is.

All of us, whether we know it or not, are building our lives off of our belief of who God is.

Atheist, agnostic, hindu, buddhist, muslim, new ager, or anything else.

We are all building our life on this foundational truth.

solid rock and sand

Furthermore

it is important to know about God

but it is infinitely more important to know Him personally.

this question of WHO IS GOD?

is a question that needs to be asked and answered everyday of our lives

it matters everyday who you think God is

let me pray for our time.

Books / Resources

Pray

Isaiah 61:1–3 (CSB)

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, 3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord to glorify him.

Exodus 34:6–7 (CSB)

6 The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, 7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.

Two Ways to Know God

The first question to answer is: Does God even exist?

Which the Bible simply states the case:

Genesis 1:1 (CSB)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

It is perhaps the most fundamental truth

There are two ways to answer this question: REASON & REVELATION

Of course biblically, these two must function together for this is how God has made us.

How could we understand revelations without our ability to reason? (use God given intellects)

Reason

Scripture says that the existence of God is obvious from the elegance, design and beauty that exists in the world.

Psalm 19:1–2 (CSB)

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge.

Romans 1:19–20 (CSB)

19 since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse.

ENT Trip — the marvel of the human ear

Arguments

Furthermore, Reason has led to a number of arguments for the existence of God.

Main Arguments for God

Ontological argument: The non-existence of God is not consistently conceivable.

Cosmological argument: The contingent universe required a necessary first cause.

Teleological argument: The apparent design in the universe points to a designer.

Moral argument: Objective moral laws point to a transcendent law-giver.

Kalam Argument from Time : The existence of time necessitates a beginning as a reference point from which time proceeds.

The Bible asserts that at the end of the day the reason people disbelieve in God is: “Suppression of the truth”

Romans 1:18 (CSB)

18 For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth,

to suppress: to hold down, restrain — like holding a beach ball under water

its natural state is to float — it takes effort to suppress it.

To the Atheist

In fact Scripture says of those who doubt God’s existence:

Psalm 53:1 (CSB)

1 The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.” They are corrupt, and they do vile deeds. There is no one who does good.

the Bible also says this about fools

Proverbs 26:11 (CSB)

11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so also a fool repeats his foolishness.

Summary

So reason is enough to believe that God exists

but we need Revelation to know what he is like

God exists (contra atheism)

We can know him over and against Agnosticism - God cannot be known

The Bible is just that Revelation

The Bible is called revelation as it reveals the very nature and purposes of God

Hopefully last time I convinced you that the Bible is trustworthy, becuase it is from the Bible that we learn about God

The Bible is God’s words written down to us and for us.

God is Like and Unlike us

John Calvin, in his monumental work the Institutes, opened it up stating that we cannot know God apart from ourselves and we cannot know ourselves apart from God.

Both Like and Unlike us.

God creates us in his image so there are ways in which we are like him and ways in which we are unlike him.

Unlike

1. Creator/Creation Distinction

Perhaps the fundamental truth is again seen in the first chapter of the Bible.

Genesis 1:1 (CSB)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Gen 1:2-25 is all about creation and culminates in

Genesis 1:27 (CSB)

27 So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.

This is the fundamental truth about God:

We are not Him and He is not us.

Theologians call this the Creator - Creation Distinction.

Contra: pantheism that says everything is God or a part of God

Contra: panentheism that says that God is in everything.

Some new Age Beliefs — Christ Consciousness

Some strands of Buddhism

Religions teach that you can become a God — like mormonism.

The Oldest Lie

This is actually (literally) the oldest lie in the Book

The Serpent ‘reasoned’ with Adam and Eve that they could ‘be like God’ — implying they could be their own God.

We’ve already seen one way: We are not God and God is not us.

2. Self-Existent

God is completely Independent (Self-Existent)

not contingent on anything else

He simply exist

Exodus 3:14 (CSB)

14 God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”

3. Unchanging (immutable)

Scriptures tell us he is unchangeable: God is unchangeable in his being, attributes, purposes, and promises — his Character

Malachi 3:6 (AV)

6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Hebrews 13:8 (CSB)

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

4. Eternal

Genesis 1:1 (CSB)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Ephesians 1:4 (CSB)

4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.

Revelation 1:8 (CSB)

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Contra to reincarnation

These are some of the ways we are ‘unlike’ God, but there are also many ways we are like God to varying degrees

Like God

1. The ‘omni’s’

God is ...

Omni-present

Omni-potent

Omniscient

We are present locally

We have some degree of power

We have some degree of knowledge

2. Other attributes:

Exodus 34:6–7 (CSB)

Compassionate, gracious, slow to anger (has emotions), faithful, loving, truthful, just, holy, righteous

God is fully these things

we are these things in part and to varying degrees.

yet they teach us about who God is and what he is like.

The enemy:

This is exactly where the enemy does his work of deception

His whole aim is to question the character of God — his goodness and power.

It’s the oldest lie in the book — and is happening all around us.

3. Spiritual

Furthermore we have a spiritual nature just as God does.

2 Corinthians 3:17 (CSB)

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Summary

We are limited — God is unlimited

We are finite — God is infinite

These are all ‘attributes’ or characteristics about God.

But what about his very nature?

The Nature of God (ontologically)

Transcendent & Immanent

He is both Far and Near

God is Transcendent:

Meaning, far above, wholly other, beyond reach, unapproachable, holy and righteous

Islam teaches this — that God is in some sense unknowable b/c he is so far beyond us.

that God is transcendence to the exclusion of his immanence.

God is Immanent:

Meaning ‘remaining in” creation, he is near, present, all around us.

New ageism, Hinduism — that God is immanent to the exclusion of his transcendence.

Transcendent & Immanent

Only Christianity teaches that TRANSCENDENT and IMMANENT

most clearly demonstrated in the INCARNATION

Why it matters?

God can both be great, majestic, holy and incomprehensible

And deeply personal, close, knowable and intimate.

Only Christianity teaches both of these.

Which leads to the last and perhaps greatest distinction of Christianity over and against all other belief systems.

Trinity

The most unique and fundamental difference between Christianity and every other religion (human belief system) is that God is a Trinity.

He is Three in One, triune.

How? — I don’t know — mystery — Daughters

But this is the testimony of Scripture

Trinity does not appear in your bible.

Trinity is derived from the Latin word trinitas, meaning “threeness”

The word Trinity is used as a shorthand way of explaining a great deal of biblical truth. It was first used by the church father Tertullian (AD 155–220).

One God:

Deuteronomy 6:4 (CSB)

4 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

The Shema

Contra: Polytheism — Hinduism

roman God’s in Jesus times

Greek God’s before then

Monotheism.

Three Persons:

Matthew 28:19 (CSB)

19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

In the New Testament:

When we realize that the New Testament authors generally use the

name “God” (Gk. θεός) to refer to God the Father and

the name “Lord” (Gk. Κύριος) to refer to God the Son,

and Spirit (pnuema) to refer to the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 13:14 (CSB)

13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Some insight into the different roles of the members of the Trinity

1 Peter 1:2 (CSB)

2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

The Father Sends, The Son Saves, The Spirit Sanctifies

The Father sends, the Son Accomplishes and the Spirit applies

What about in the Old Testament?

Also, hints of the Trinity in the OT

We see God as enthroned in Heaven

We read of the Spirit of God

These appearances of God “the angel of the lord”

with Jacob and others.

preincarnate Jesus?

Genesis 1:1–3 (CSB)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Genesis 1:26 (CSB)

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”

John 1:1–3 (CSB)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.

CONFESSIONAL STATEMENT

“We believe in one God, eternally existing in three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who know, love, and glorify one another.”

STATEMENT OF FAITH

There is only one God.

(Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 46:9-10; John 17:3, 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; 1 Timothy 2:5)

The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God.

The Father is neither the Son nor the Holy Spirit.

The Son is neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son.

God as Father

God the Father is the Creator of heaven and earth. By His word and for His glory, He freely and supernaturally created, sustains, and rules over all. In His grace, He gave His Son Jesus for mankind’s redemption

God as the Son

Jesus Christ is the Son of God and is fully God and fully Man. He is equal with the Father and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Jesus lived a sinless life and offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice for sins by dying on the cross. He arose from the dead three days later to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended into heaven’s glory and will return again to earth reigning as King of Kings and Lord of Lords

God as the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son and has come to glorify the Son, who in turn came to glorify the Father. He is present in the world and makes people aware of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He persuades people to repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation and provides power for living, understanding spiritual truth, and guidance in applying the truth of God’s Word

Mystery

This is hard to understand.

CS Lewis aptly put, this is exactly the kind of God we should come to expect and speaks to his reality.

He is not something we could fully grasp or understand.

Why it matters?

This means that God is a personal God

He exist in a relationship within himself

he exists in relation to his creation

He interacts with the World (contra: Deism)

It means that God has a relationship to you

the question is what kind of relationship?

God wants a redeemed and reconciled relationships with you.

he made that possible through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the second person of the trinity.

Exodus 34:6–7 (CSB)

How is that possible?

The Cross — Jesus Christ

We are going to spend a whole week looking at why Jesus is central to Christianity.

But this gospel — opens up a very important distinction.

the difference between knowing “about” God and knowing God personally.

Knowing God

We were made to know this God, to be in relationship with him

John 17:3 (CSB)

3 This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent—Jesus Christ.

Knowing about God

We’ve been discussing doctrines

theological beliefs about God

this is one kind of knowing

but being that God is Personal

there is the second, and most important.

Knowing God personally

we will find that what we know about God will be challenged as we walk with God personally

perhaps this is no where more evident in our pain and suffering

C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

“Pleasure can be ignored, but Pain insists upon being attended to.

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains.

It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

Invite Mike

So I want to invite Mike up here to share about about Who God is to Him.

Last week:

Culmination of Mother’s Day, and Mike’s Birthday

but also tragically 6 years ago was the last time those days converged

and that was the day that Mike’s younger brother was in an automobile accident that would ultimately claim his life.

Mike has wrestled with this for years.

Questions:

Who is God to you?

Do you believe that God is still good?

Closing Prayer

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