God The Father Series

“What We Believe…” God the Father 1 Corinthians 8:6

As the day of September 11 grows closer there are a lot of people once again discussing – GOD.

What is odd is - that church attendance now is no more than it was at Pre-Sept 11 levels.

During the last year, there has been no lasting change in people’s religious practices. Immediately after the attacks, church attendance rose for several weeks and then fell back to normal levels by November.

People may be asking but they aren’t asking in churches.

So what do you tell some one when they ask, and they eventually will, what you believe about God…

Anyone who has ever stared into a star covered night, into the vastness of all that God has created can appreciate the difficulty of trying to describe God in a thirty minute sermon.

I will not try to cover all that GOD is – frankly because I can’t and we don’t have enough time. But just because we cannot fully understand all of God does not mean we don’t try to learn more about Him… so we will look at what we know God to be…

First what GOD is not - God is not “the boss”, not the “big man” and He is not the “man upstairs.”

God is not an unknown He is mis-known (if you don’t believe that then explain why atheists argue against something they say doesn’t exist).

God is not a celestial bell hop or slot machine. Nor is He a genie.

But OH…WHAT HE IS – He is Unfathomable - A pastor of old, John Wesley said... “Give me a worm that can understand a man, and I will give you a man who can understand God.”

And in Psalm 145:3, David said of God, “His greatness is unsearchable.” We can only scratch the surface of understanding…

Folks, it is impossible for our finite minds to understand an infinite God.

God Himself says in Isaiah 55:8 that His thoughts are not our thoughts and that His ways are not our ways. Our understanding, our capacity to fathom the truth of God changes but GOD, Himself is

Unchanging – In Malachi 3:6 God says that HE does not change. The Bible and the nation of Israel – even Israel’s enemies never questioned God’s existence – they knew HE was…

In all eternity He was and is. Even His name Jehovah means – “I am what I am”, and “I will be who that I will be.” He is the same yesterday today and tomorrow. He cannot love you less and He cannot love you more… He does not change!

And God is – OMNIPRESENT = All Present –

In 2 Chronicles 6:18 it reads:

"But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You; how much less this temple which I have built!”

Because He is all-present He is not confined to either time or space.

Years ago there was a really nice song by Bette Midler – called “God is Watching Us.” It said that God was watching us from a distance. While it makes for a nice song it is theologically incorrect. He is not a distant God – He is an all present God!

David understood this concept – in Psalms 139 he basically says - that there was no place I can go to hide or get away from God

for where ever I go – YOU God are there.

When you are at your worst – God is there. When you are at your best – God is there.

When you think you are alone… you not – GOD IS THERE!

And God is - OMNISCIENT = All Knowing – Because God is not confined to time like we are He knows what we call past, present and future. Yet while He knows what will happen He is not a puppet master – He allows us free choice – does He know the choices – yes – but He does not predetermine them.

Parents you can understand this on a limited scale. When your child asks to do something or go somewhere… you can fairly accurately know what they will be up to.

That is why you tell them no, you can’t or yes you can… Kids you can understand this because when you have done something it never seems to fail that by the time you get home mom already knows, please undestand when you get home and mom says; "where have you been?" SHE ALREADY KNOWS...!

But do you know what is amazing here is that He knows what we will do… yet He still loves us.

The Psalmist wrote– in 147:5 “Great is our Lord, and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.”