The God Who Does What He Pleases Series

Our Awesome God: The God Who Does What He Pleases

(topical)

intro

1. Today we will begin a series titled, "Our Awesome God."

2. As I was preparing this message, I put a CD on the computer titled, "1001 Contemporary Sermon Illustrations." I have gotten a few good ones from this CD, but I was surprised they did not have a category about God.

3. This helped to underscore what I have observed: it is out of style to preach about God.

4. Contemporary sermons deal with relational, financial, or social issues; but Christians miss the point if the above issues are not grounded in the nature of God. No matter how successful you seem to be relationally, financially, or socially, without the knowledge of God all your successes are shallow and your achievements worthless.

5. A.W. Tozer wrote, "What I believe about God is the most important thing about me."

6. We live in a day of relativism. Suppose your pharmacist was a relativist. The doctor gave you a prescription for antibiotics, but he said to himself, "All medicines are the same. They all intend to heal. Here’s some strong blood thinner, arsenic; I’ll put that in the bottle instead of antibiotics." Soon the patient dies from hemorrhaging.

7. Such a pharmacist would not only lose his license, yet end up in jail.

8. Yet in the realm of religion and God, anything goes. Take this quotation from Mother Theresa:

"Oh, I hope I am converting. I don’t mean what you think…We become a better Hindu, a better Muslim, a better Catholic, a better whatever we are…"

Note how this contrasts with Jesus words, "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, teaching them to observe all the things that I have taught you…" (Matt. 28:19-20)

Or His statement, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except by me" (John 14:6)

9. God is MORE important that the pharmacist’s prescriptions, even if the issue does not seem as urgent or pressing.

10. R.C. Sproul wrote the following:

"Recently I was lecturing on the conclusion of the first chapter of the Letter to the Romans. Paul explains that God’s judgment is being manifested to the world. Why is it? Because God reveals Himself clearly to all men. Paul declares that man does not see fit to take seriously the knowledge of God he has. He does not approve the idea of spending much time learning about the character of God.

"When man will not have God in his thoughts, that lack is immediately reflected in what man does. If we think that God is not worthy of our consideration, then that view will have a major influence on our thoughts and on our style of life."

11. I do not know if you agree with those statements, but I do.

12. Focusing upon God, growing in the knowledge of Him seems impractical to some people. My observation is the opposite.

13. The people who enjoy life the most and usually have the deepest and best relationships are people who consciously live life in the presence of God and seek to grasp the nature of God, for they understand what life is about.

MAIN IDEA: One reality that such folks acknowledge is that God is

unlike us in that He does just as He pleases. And, because He does

as He pleases, His purposes are never thwarted.

TS------- This truth can be sub-divided into several thoughts.

I. God Does As He Pleases

1. Turn with me to Psalm 115:1-3

2. Psalms 135:6, "The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths."

3. Daniel 4:34-35

At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?"

God is unlike us in that He does just as He pleases. And, because He does

as He pleases, His purposes are never thwarted.

4. Do you appreciate anew what it means to be connected to such a God through faith in Jesus Christ?

II. His Omniscience and Omnipotence Guarantee His Success

1. Isaiah 14:27: Turn there

(1) When my kids were young, I would purposely make blunders while playing games so they could have a chance to win…