God Is Spirit Series

God is Spirit

Intro

1. ¡§The turning point in our lives is when we stop seeking the God we want and start seeking the God who is.¡¨

¡X Patrick Morley

2. Many perceive God like one person noted: God is a lot like our pastor. I don¡¦t see him through the week and I don¡¦t understand him on Sunday.

3. A THIRD GRADERS EXPLANATION OF GOD

Written by Danny Dutton, age 8, from Chula Vista, California, for his third grade homework assignment to "Explain God."

One of God¡¦s main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn¡¦t make grown-ups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way, He doesn¡¦t have to take up His valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.

God¡¦s second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times besides bedtime. God doesn¡¦t have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because He hears everything there must be a terrible lot of noise in His ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it off. God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn¡¦t go wasting His time by going over your mom and dad¡¦s head asking for something they said you couldn¡¦t have.

4. True or false, questions you should be able to answer after the sermon

(1) being in the image of God means we look like Him

(2) God does not have size or dimension

(3) Jesus Christ only looked like a man but He was not really human, but He was simply God in disguise

(4) God is made up of invisible atoms and molecules

(5) Many people have seen God in His pure form

5. Today we will focus upon the spirituality of God. When it comes to the spirituality of God, we are again on Holy Ground.

MAIN IDEA: What does the Scripture mean when it says, ¡§God is Spirit?¡¨

TS-----„³ Let¡¦s look at several conclusions about this subject and the Scriptures that under gird them.

I. God Is Spirit Means That God is Invisible and Has No Physical Body

1. That God is Spirit is declared clearly by Jesus when talking to the woman at the well:

John 4:24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

2. What it means to exist as a spirit is explained in another context by Jesus, after the Resurrection:

Luke 24:39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones, as you behold me having.

Jesus here tells us that a spirit has no physical body.

3. As a spiritual being, God is invisible: 1 Timothy 1:17, ¡§ Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.¡¨

What is God like? This is a question, which has exercised the minds of mankind. It reminds me of the story of the little girl who was in deep concentration over her drawing. Her mother asked her what she was drawing and received the curt reply, ¡§God.¡¨ Her mother protested, ¡§But no one knows what God looks like!¡¨ The little girl replied, ¡§They will now!¡¨

4. When we read of man being in the image of God, we mean like Him in a small way; Jesus, on the other hand, was in the image of God (demonstrated God¡¦s nature) in a unique and complete way:

Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Since God does not have a body, to be in His image means to be like Him in some way; e.g., both men and women created in God¡¦s image, but there are differences between the genders¡Kspiritual natures, moral responsibility, creativity, etc.

5. Wayne Grudem defines God¡¦s spirituality as follows: ¡§God¡¦s spirituality means that God exists as a being that is not made of any matter, has no parts or dimensions, is unable to be perceived by our bodily senses, and is more excellent than any other kind of existence.¡¨

6. If God is invisible, what did people see when the Bible says they ¡§saw God?¡¨

1 Timothy 6:16 ¡§¡Kalone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.¡¨

What people saw were representations of God, manifestations of God, but not God as He is¡K

Even in Jesus people say God ¡§veiled in flesh.¡¨