Sermon Tone Analysis

Good evening.

•We are continuing our study of the Baptist Catechism.

•Specifically, we are using the edition found in the white catechism booklets that we give away here at the church.

(Published by Reformed Baptist Publications)

•And this evening, we come to Question 8. 

•And this question has to do with the single greatest theme of Scripture: God Himself.

•Our question this evening is this: “What is God?”

Now, I confess that the subject at hand is beyond me.

•It’s beyond everyone.

•And I am humbled before the matter about which I must speak this evening.

•There are better men than I who have taught on this subject and in a much deeper way than I can go.

•This question is deep.

It’s deeper than any can go, really.

Nobody can fathom what God is. 

•But, at the same time, it is so important for us to consider and think about the question: “What is God?”

•And we must think through to an answer.

And, if it is to be correct, that answer needs to come from God Himself.

•So then, we need to look to the Scriptures if we’re to understand anything about what God is.

This question will be divided into two sermons.

•What I want to do is give a 30,000-foot view of what our catechism teaches about God in His nature and attributes.

•I simply want to affirm and proclaim to you what the Word of God says about God Himself.

That’s my plan in this sermon and the next one.

I confess that some of the things that we are going to learn about God will no doubt breed questions in your minds.

•As we will see, God is incomprehensible.

We cannot fully know or understand everything about Him, nor can we understand one single thing about Him ENTIRELY.

•So, there will be questions.

And I probably won’t answer them.

Not in the sermon, at least.

(There wouldn’t be enough time.)

•But, as always, I will make myself available to talk to each of you about anything you’d like to ask.

(Whatever knowledge I have is yours.)

So, all I want to do this evening is consider what our catechism affirms about God, and flesh it out a little from the Scriptures.

•As I said earlier, the knowledge and skill of all men are nothing compared to the subject of God. 

•But regardless of my limited skill, I can say this: The things we are about to see from the Scriptures are going to knock us to the ground in awe of God. 

•We are going to learn that God is simply NOT LIKE US. 

•God is God.

He is utterly unique.

So, let’s consider the question, “What is God?”

•But first, let’s pray for God’s blessing.

(PRAY)

Holy God, 

You are so high above us.

You are majestic and glorious.

You are comprehended by none but yourself.

You are simply beyond us.

Beyond what we can fathom in our finite minds.

And so, we ask now that you would teach us about yourself from your Word.

Give us a glimpse of what you are.

Show us something of your holiness.

Show us something of your glory.

And, revealing yourself to us, change us.

Leave us in awe of the only true and living God.

Grant that by understanding more of what you are, that we would have a deeper respect and love and for you.

Change us this evening.

And show us yourself.

We ask these things in Jesus’ Name and for His sake.

Amen.

Our question for this evening.

I ask that you would read the answer with me.

Q.

What is God?

A. God is a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.

•(Let’s do that again.)

1.)

In this sermon, we’re going to consider some things about God. 

•We’re going to consider some “basic” things, if you can call them that, about what God is.

First, our catechism declares that God is A SPIRIT. 

•If nothing else, this means that God has no physical or material body.

He is a pure spirit.

•Jesus explicitly tells us this in John 4:24: “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

•So, God has no body.

He is a spirit.

He is immaterial.

In light of this explicit teaching, when the Bible ascribes physical traits to God, they are meant to be understood symbolically or metaphorically.

•When the Bible speaks about physical body parts and says that God has them (usually in poetic portions of Scripture), what is going on is that God is communicating certain truths about Himself to us in a way that we can understand.

•Hands/arm represents His power and His ability to protect and care for His People.

•His face represents His blessing and kindness.

•His eyes and ears represent His omniscience and awareness of all that goes on in the universe.

•You get the idea: While God does not literally have a body, we do.

And so, we understand what is being communicated when body parts are ascribed to God. 

•Truths are being communicated in ways that human beings can understand.

•By the way, that’s how the Scripture speaks to us about God in general: In baby talk so we can understand something true about the incomprehensible God.

But the divine nature/essence, God, cannot be seen.

•Only one Person of the Trinity can be see: Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 

•And only He can be seen because He is truly human and has a human nature.

He can be seen because He, the Second Person of the Trinity, took a human nature to Himself and the human nature is visible.

•But GOD, properly speaking, cannot be seen.

God is a spirit.

•John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known.”

•No one has ever seen God.

No one has ever seen the divine nature because God is immaterial.

Notice something interesting about our catechism at this point: It says “God is A spirit.”

It does not say “God is spirit.”

•Why does our catechism say “A spirit?”

•It says “A spirit” because our forefathers in the Faith wanted to clearly affirm that God is a PERSON.

•God has personality.

He is not a mere cosmic force.

He is a HE. 

•He does things with volition and will.

He speaks.

He acts consciously.