What Is Like God? Series

We are beginning a new sermon series entitled “The Attributes of God,” or stated another way, What is God Like? What are His characteristics. How do we define God?

Look at the picture I’m using to illustrate. It is Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam, that adorns the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Notice how God (on the right) is straining to reach out to touch man, and there is man, laid back, with a limp hand, looking like he is doing God a favor by allowing Him (God) to touch him. Isn’t that the story of man in general? Man wanting God to do all work. Wanting God to serve him. Anything man does is doing god a favor (Can we ever really do God any favors?) Thinking God a nothing more than the big “Santa Claus” in the sky to come to our rescue when ever we need him. And if we don’t need him, then God is suppose sit tight on the shelf until we do need Him.

The world as a whole, just does not have a clue as to who or what God is or what He is about.

However, notice the title of today’s message. It is not “What is God like?” but rather “What is like God?” Is there anything comparable to God? Is there anything that can be substituted for God?

To the church crowd that a statement about a substituted for God may seem absurd. If you said nothing can be substituted for God, you would be right, except this is something that the masses, even church people do every day. They substitute for God their cars, their houses, their careers, their stuff. Anytime time we worship anything other than Almighty God, we just made a substitution. What does God have to say about that?

Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me.

Look up the 10 commandments. This is commandment number one. Yet arguably, this commandment is the commandment most violated.

There is no god like our God. Today we are looking at what is like our God. The Lord God Himself asked that question as recorded in the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 44:6–8

Isn’t it interesting, the Bible makes no argument for the existence of God? In scripture the existence of God is always assumed. We have notable apologists who argue or give a rational defense for the existence of God and for our Christian faith. Often these arguments are made using reasoning apart from the Bible. We can know some of these reasonings and even the Bible says we ought to be ready to make a defense.

1 Peter 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

One reason some of these arguments made are apart from Scripture is that most people do not accept the Bible as authoritative for many different reasons. In fact when it comes to scripture, most of the world can not get past the first verse in the Bible:

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

If you cannot get past the first verse, the rest of scripture will be worthless to you. Even those first four word is a stopping point: “In the beginning God,” stops most of the world. This is where most of the world runs into problems. Even for those who profess a belief in God, most of those people do not understand the implications of such a belief. For starters The Bible tells us that God has very clearly made His existence known.

Romans 1:18–20 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

The Bible is clear. God has made known His existence known to everyone and everyone who has rejected the existence of God has made a deliberate, willful choice to do so. Scripture is also clear, God will deal severely with those who chose to not acknowledge Him.

God’s name for Himself deals with His existence. When Moses met God at the burning bush, and asked "Who shall I say sent me?" God replies:

Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

Translators have a difficult time translating this phrase because it can be interpreted in so many ways: I AM THE PRE-EXISTING ONE, I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE, or I AM THAT I AM. God’s name proclaims His existence. We cannot begin to please God unless we sincerely believe He exist.