God Answers To Himself Series

God Answers to Himself

(topical)

1. I want to wish all our dads a happy Father’s Day. Some people think Father’s Day should spot light more than just dads.

The only child said: Hey Dad, I think I deserve to get half of your Father’s Day gifts.

Dad: Oh, what makes you think that? I’m the dad.

Kid: Well yeah, but without me you wouldn’t be a father! [parentingnest.com]

Fathers are unique. The first Person of the Trinity goes by the title, “Father.” Man – meaning human beings of both genders, are created in the image of God, but mankind is fallen in sin. To be in God’s image means to be like Him, but in limited ways. Since mankind is fallen, sin is added to the image of God in man. So people try to remake God in their image: they rob Him of His infinity and try to control God and contain Him in images or with incorrect theology, or they make Him sinful.

So it is important to us, as those who wish to be faithful followers of the One True God, to, every so often, realign our understanding of God, to the degree we can understand Him. We do this but observing what He has revealed to us in His Word.

Today we will begin a series titled, "Who Is God and What Is He Like?."

God wants us to focus on what He has revealed in His Word, not to overly speculate about what He has not revealed. Deuteronomy 29:29 reads, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

2. 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. Such a pharmacist would not only lose his license, but end up in jail.

3.. God is MORE important that the pharmacist's prescriptions, and His desire is that people come to know Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. The abundant life comes through knowing God through Jesus Christ.

MAIN IDEA: God can do whatever He pleases; His only limiting factor is His own character.

I. God Does As He PLEASES (Psalm 115:1-3).

A. God does what brings Him GLORY.

Psalm 115:1-3, Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.”

B. God is FREE to do just as He pleases (Psalms 135:5-6).

For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.

C. God controls the course of HISTORY.

• After God humbled Nebuchadnezzar with animal-like insanity for seven years as a predicted judgement for his arrogance, he recognized God for Who He is (Daniel 4:34-35).

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

D. God is limited in what He does by His holy CHARACTER (Hebrews 6:18).

“...it is impossible for God to lie…”

E. Attempts to CONTROL God – by Christians or others – are soomed to flop.

II. Because God Knows All and Has All POWER, He Cannot Fail (Jeremiah 21:45).

• He doesn’t need a superior to keep Him in line.

Omniscience: omni (all) + science (knowledge) = God knows all things (has all knowledge).

Omnipotence: omni (all) + potence (power) = God is all powerful.

Omnipresence: omni (all) + presence = God is present in all places (everywhere).

A. God’s Word cannot FAIL.

Jeremiah 21:45, “ Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.”

Romans 9:6, “But it is not as though the word of God has failed.”

Is. 55:11, “...so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty,