"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse denounces the work of their hands." Psalm 19: 1 "The fool said in his heart: There is no God." Psalm 14: 1
Only a fool would say: "There is no God." When David raised his eyes and contemplated the glories and beauties of the universe, he burst into a psalm of adoration to God, the Author and Creator of all that his eyes contemplated. To preach, we rely on the premise that there is a God, that he has existed since the most remote times, and that he will live for all eternity. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." It will exist even after the heavens and the earth cease to be. A human author does not try to prove his own existence; he merely stamps the book with his name and disseminates it throughout the world. And so God has sealed the first page of the Bible with his name and until the end of the Bible, we must recognize the existence of God.
Through the ages men have wanted to know what kind of being God is. They have said: "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." (John 14: 8) They want to know the physical appearance of the Lord, their feelings towards men, and what their attributes are. The Bible reveals God but this is not the best revelation; nature reveals God but does not constitute a total revelation. Christ Jesus is the only total revelation of the Heavenly Father. He said: "He who has seen me has seen the Father." Through his life, Jesus showed what kind of being God is. Let's pay attention to this great doctrine of God.
I. THE PERSONALITY OF GOD
- It is a Spirit
John 4:24 says, "God is a Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth." This verse says that, being a true God, it is not something material and visible in our eyes. He had an encounter with Moses at the top of the mount and Moses exclaimed: "I beg you to show me your glory." (Exodus 33:18) God answered him: "I will make all my goodness pass before your face," but, "You will not be able to see my face." (Exodus 33:19, 20)
If God is a real entity, he must have form. Did not he say: "Let us make man in our image"? (Genesis 1:26) And yet, it is not a physical form but a spiritual one. We will never contemplate that form in this world but we will see it in all its splendor in heaven when we too will have been given a spiritual existence as well as his. When stoned, Stephen declared: "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man who is at the right hand of God." (Acts 7:56) He must have glimpsed God in his spiritual form. God operates in the world through his Spirit, not being visible here, but in heaven we will see him face to face.
- It is a Person
He knows, feels, loves, hears prayers, speaks, acts. The Bible always presents him as a person, a living God. He is a free person, not restricted by limitations, but can act freely with his power. He is above all and is the most powerful of all. He is the author of the universal order in matter, in life and in the mind. Such an order could only come from an infinite intelligence. When contemplating this old world with all its wonders, thinking about the regular succession of days and nights, meditating on the appearance of the seasons, reflecting on the fidelity of the sun, the moon, the stars, thinking about the wonderful machinery that is man, we can not but say: "Your wisdom is on the wisdom of the most knowledgeable, your thoughts are as above ours as the heavens are on earth."
II. The GOD ATTRIBUTES
- God Is Holy
The Bible presents us with many types, sacrifices, and ceremonies to emphasize the fact that God is holy. The prophet describes it as: "the High and Sublime, the one who inhabits eternity, and whose name is the Holy One." (Isaiah 57:15) Sitting on the apocalyptic throne, the angels sing: "Holy, Holy, Holy, Almighty God!" Jesus taught us that God is the only holy being.
In one vision, Isaiah saw that God was sitting on his throne; He heard how the seraphim cried out: "Holy, holy, holy, Jehovah of armies." (Isaiah 6: 3) When Isaiah saw God and heard these words, despite being the purest man of his day, he hid his face and exclaimed: "Woe is me, for I am dead, for I am an unclean man. lips." (Isaiah 6: 5) In spite of being a good man and a servant of God, he was so stunned by the holiness of God that he felt impure in his presence. If today we could grasp a real vision of God's holiness, we would all exclaim: "I am diseased, I am unworthy!"
We think about the rustic life of our parents.
Adam and Eve, and in all the changes operated in the world since then; but God existed even before. Go back to a past so remote that neither the stars shine nor the seraphs sing and even then you will be in the presence of God. He is the great "I AM" for whom a thousand years are like a day. Before there were assemblies, he existed; and after the earth is nothing but dust, he will still exist. He has always been, always is, and always will be. Yes, God is eternal.
- God Is Omnipotent.
That is, God has all power. Pharaoh thought he was a powerful ruler. Napoleon, the Kaiser and Hitler, thought themselves powerful, but all the powers of the world have to prostrate themselves at the feet of the great God. The winds and the waves obey him; he speaks and his word is fulfilled. Jesus said: "Everything is possible with God." (Matthew 19:26) "O Lord God, behold, you have made heaven and earth with your great power, and with your outstretched arm, and there is nothing that is difficult for you." (Jeremiah 32:17) "I know you can do everything." (Job 42: 2)
When God created the world, He said: "Let there be light" (Genesis 1: 3) and in less than a second the light flooded the universe. By a simple expression, God accomplishes what he wants to happen, since all power is his. Not only nature is subordinate to him but also man is subject to his will. James admonishes us that we should not say, "Today and tomorrow we will go to such a city," (James 4:13), but we will do such things if they are God's will. Happy of the man who submits to the will of God; but, do it or not, it is still subject to the will of God. He is more powerful than all rulers and will carry out his divine purpose in our life and in the world.
- God Is Omniscient
Since God is omniscient, he knows all things. "God ... knows all things." (1 John 3:20) "He counts the number of the stars, he calls all of them by their names." (Psalm 147: 4) "Do not two little birds sell for a quarter? Yet, not one of them falls to the ground without your Father." (Matthew 10:29) Throughout the ages God looks and uses even the wickedness of wicked men to make it work for our benefit and for his glory. A horrendous war has ended with its bloodshed, its atrocities and its pain; God was aware of all this and will make it all go well; He takes the most scandalous things in our lives and proves to us "that those whom God loves, all things work together for good." (Romans 8:28) There are no postscripts with God; He knows from the infinite past what happens and what will happen through eternity. He is omniscient.
- God Is Omnipresent
This means that God is everywhere at all times. "Although true (he) is not far from each one of us." (Acts 17:27) He is with us in the light of noon and in the dark midnight. He accompanied the soldiers who fought on African soil, in the German mountains, and on the deserted islands of the Pacific during World War II.
He is very close to us, whether we are on sea or land; He accompanies us when we serve him; He is at our side when we fall into sin. S; we stopped to think and to remember that God accompanies us and that we must give an account, we would put more care in the way we live daily. When you go through bitterness and think that everyone has abandoned you, God is at your side; When difficulties, like sea waves, flood your soul, he still remains. He is a God who is at our side.
The pagans walk long distances in order to prostrate themselves before their gods carved in wood. Roman Catholics believe that they should prostrate themselves before an altar in the church to be able to worship God, or that they should be in a confessional to confess their sins. But, my friend, God is anywhere and everywhere when men need him.
God Is Great
He is Great in Creative Power If you want to see the greatness of God, look around you; contemplate the mountains, the rivers and the oceans. The poet has wisely said that only God can make a tree. Only a great God can create all the wonderful things that make up the present world of nature. We estimate the world as something very grand, but if the sun were hollow and if its surface could be pierced, one million four hundred thousand worlds could be placed inside the sun and there would still be enough room inside for it to rotate. And yet, there are many other planets in God's system much larger than the earth. A powerful God made them all. It is necessary for man to be reverent before his presence.
When we think of the man capable of thinking, making plans, and acting, we realize that it is the most amazing machine in the world. But God did it with thought and with words. On one occasion, an atheist said before a large crowd: "Yes - there is a God, that he kill me at this precise moment." God paid as much attention to him as the ocean would do to the barking of a dog. It is foolish for a small man to challenge a powerful God.
- He is Great in Redeeming Power
Man was created innocent but sank into sin. However, God, with great redeeming power, saves him from his sin. God did it, the devil undid it, and God can remake it.
Meditate on the life that brought some fearsome character and say: "Nothing can change that individual, except God." And God makes that change; you hear about an evangelist, who refers to his past life in the following way: "From the gambling house to the pulpit." What made the change? Only the redeeming power of a powerful God. If you are the vilest sinner in the world, you are the one God seeks. His power can transform your life.
How glorious is the change in my being,
Coming to my life the Lord;
There is a peace in my soul that I longed to have,
The peace that your love brought me.
- It is Great in Protective Power
When God saves an individual, there is no power on earth, in heaven, or in hell, strong enough to wrest it from the hand of the Father. God is more powerful than the devil and all the demons of hell. They may assail the soul of man, but God will protect him. Jesus said: "And they shall not perish for ever, nor shall any man snatch them out of my hand: My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand." (John 10:28, 29) A man may say he can not stand. But the responsibility to endure is not yours; it's from God We must fully trust him and not try to live by trusting in our own strengths. God is great and all the demons of hell are small compared to him. If we surrender our lives to him, he will protect us eternally.
7- God Is Loving
Some people believe that God is a severe tyrant who gets angry at a smile and sends us to hell when we move a little away from the path. This is absolutely wrong. God loves us and God cares for us. If we are punished for our sin, it is not God's fault; It's our fault.
(1) God's Love Is Demonstrated in the Gift of His Son, Who Came to Die for Us
The greatest love in the world is not that of a mother for her son, nor the love of a patriot for her country, but it is God's love for lost sinners. Suppose someone told me, "You must sacrifice your son to die for the sin of another man." I would immediately tell the subject: "No, I will not sacrifice my son, let the man die for his own crime." But what did God say? His Son, the most beautiful among ten thousand, the completely beautiful whom God loved with all his heart, gave him to die, so that sinners could find the way to heaven, hearing the groan that rose from a world sinner.
Sacrifice is the most severe test of love. Someone can tell me that he loves me, but in reality I do not know if he loves me until I try him through sacrifice. I read that God loves me and I believe it, but my faith seeks reality when I approach the cross. I contemplate the form of the one who is dying and moan: "Lord, do you love me?" And then he shows me the prints left by the nails in his hands and on his feet, and I know that God loves me. Christ suffered intensely on the cross but there in heaven, God also suffered. Each sting, each moan, and each lash was a thrust in the great heart of the Heavenly Father.
Suppose one of your children had been taken prisoner of war. Suppose you had to witness, impotently, the scourge inflicted on your son and, to top it off, his death. It would have hurt and broken your heart. You would never be the same after having witnessed such torture. But let me tell you that God was witnessing the scene when sin killed his Only Begotten Son. It hurt the great heart of God but he endured it all for his great love for you and me
- God's Love Is Demonstrated in His Daily Care
We are prone to forget that God is the one who takes care of us every moment of every day.
It's been a long time since we had ceased to exist without your care. In fact, we can affirm as Jeremiah of yesteryear: "... his mercies, new are every morning." (Lamentations 3:22, 23) When the doctor is placed next to the operating table and practices a delicate surgical operation, the slightest slip of the hand can cause death. But God guides that hand. Hundreds of times we have been in situations where a mistake would have meant death. We did not know it, but God was there by our side, taking care of us.
- The Love of God Is Demonstrated in His Mercy Towards Sinners
You and I were sinners so perverse that we deserved death and only death. How much God must have loved us, even when we were in our sins!
The old Moody Tabernacle of the city of Chicago, USA UU of N. A., bore these three simple words about the pulpit: "God loves you". One day a sinner was walking down that street, stood before the temple, opened his door, and looked inside. When he saw this inscription, he cursed, saying: "God does not love a debased individual like me." He continued walking down the street but could not erase the impression that those three words had produced him. He realized that he felt impelled to return to that temple. He returned, entered, and with his eyes fixed on the inscription, he headed straight down the corridor. Just at that time, Mr. Moody entered the tabernacle through another door. He saw the man, spoke to him, prayed with him, and soon the man was rejoicing in his salvation. Oh, if we could get men to realize how much God loves them, we could more easily earn them for Christ!
III. RELATIONSHIP OF GOD WITH THE WORLD AND WITH MAN
- Govern World Affairs
Sometimes it seems that the world is teetering on the verge of impending catastrophe but behind the clouds, God is still sitting on his august throne and God still reigns supreme in the universe. He extols nations and he overthrows them, according to his purpose. He exalted many nations in ancient times; these nations are turned aside by paths of sin and iniquity, and the Lord has overthrown them.
- Punish Sin and Reward Justice in the World
Man can not break the law of God here in the world and succeed. You can say: "Teach what the Bible will teach, I will do what I want," but you can not get away with it. God has some unchangeable laws in this world and if these laws are broken, the punishment automatically descends on the transgressor.
In this way, the believer is punished. A child of God will never suffer in eternity, but if he does not live the way he should in this world, God will punish him. The children of God are also rewarded in this world. If you live a consecrated life and walk according to the will of God, he will bless you here on earth as well as in eternity.
IV. THE FUTURE RELATIONSHIP OF GOD WITH THE WORLD AND WITH MAN 1. He will be a just judge
He will judge those who are without Christ. The rich, the poor, the beggar, the thief, the connoisseur, the clumsy, the king, the slave, the great, the small, all men will have to give an account to God about the way they have lived in this world.
According to the Word of God, there are two thrones of judgment that await us in eternity. The first throne will be that of Christ, where the Lord Jesus will judge all Christians according to their works, praising them according to the way they have served the Lord and lived for his glory. The other throne is the great white throne, where Christ will judge all unbelievers and sinners, punishing them according to their works. You can not declare yourself innocent when you are in front of this throne. God keeps the accounts and he knows everything we have done, said, or thought. Now he offers to save you; then, it will be your judge. His arms are open, giving you loving invitation; On that day, his arm will signal the eternal fire for the lost.
- Reward the Faithful and Punish the Sinners
Before the throne of Christ, he will reward the faithful; before the august white throne, he will pronounce the sentence on the sinners. You can live here miserably but you will be condemned there. You can not escape from the judgment. The hand that was pierced on the cross for you will point the way to the dark abysses. But, thanks be to God, those who have trusted in Christ are now saved and will be rewarded then.
A preacher dreamed that he had died and that he was before the eternal tribunal. He was asked: "Have you always been good?" "I do not answer. "Has it always been fair?" "No," he said. "Has it always been pure?" "No," he replied, bowing his head under the weight of the condemnation he already felt. Then he saw that a bright light illuminated the room where he was and that he looked up to see the face of Jesus Christ. The Savior surrounded him with his arms and looking up to the throne, said: "Father, I know that it has not always been good, that it has not always been just, that it has not always been pure, but there in the world he testified for me. and here I will intercede for him. " Thank God, if we confess his name here, he will confess to the Father. In that land where there will be no tears, he will give us abundant reward; we will leave the cross to take the crown.
- Live Eternally with Your Children
The greatest joy a believer can have in this world is to enjoy a few moments of uninterrupted communion with the Heavenly Father. But in heaven we will have perfect communion with him, where the congregations will not disperse or end on Saturdays. So we will always be with the Lord.
My friend, this is the God for whom you must live.
He is the God whom you must know, powerful and good, loving and merciful. He offers you the best here, but if you refuse to accept his offers, he will be your judge in eternity. Are you ready to face that day? Are you ready to meet God and give an account of your life?
Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman was pastor of a large church in Philadelphia, USA. UU One Sunday after the service, one of the leaders of the church told him: "Dr. Chapman, how I wish you would enjoy health like mine! I never complain about any pain, I never need the services of a doctor, I never take medicine. " Three weeks later, Dr. Chapman's phone rang very early in the morning. They called him from this guy's house. When Dr. Chapman arrived there, the aforementioned lord's daughter made him pass, crying in such a way that it seemed that his heart was falling apart. She said: "This morning my father woke me up and asked me to meet in fifteen minutes in the dining room, I went there and I waited for him, but he did not come in. I went up to his room and found him there." He was sitting in his favorite chair, with the newspaper in his hands but with his head bent over his chest, his soul had flown to be with God. " He had never suffered a pain, he had not had a complaint, he had not needed a doctor, and yet in the short space of fifteen minutes he had left one world to enter another.
Are you ready for when that time comes? There is only one way by which you can prepare yourself; Approach God through Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, and everything will be ready forever.