How Big Is God

HOW BIG IS GOD?

April 13, 2008 Jay Davis Robison ISAIAH 12:1-6

She was a precocious 6 year old with a pink bow in her hair

It was after worship service at church one Sunday

When she turned and asked her mommy How Big is God?

Is God bigger than our dog, or daddy or a mountain?

Perceptive question I wonder if maybe girl sensed two issues,

God big enough to handle everything that happens all over world?

And is God big enough to handle my life and care about me?

1st of these dealt w\in book 1952 Your God is Too Small JB Phillips

Shook the Christian world Phillips rightly understood as science

Advances inadequate understanding of God will not hold up

Many arrogant intellectuals say if smarter learn God is a myth

Phillips also said many believers had misconceptions about God

were no more than superimposed human characteristics see God

as Santa, our parents, or big police officer, or grand old man

Think of size of the universe. Nearest star is about 4 light yrs away

How far is that? Light travels at 186,000 miles per second.

This means nearest star is about 24 trillion miles away from earth.

That’s a long way, but it’s just a speck of distance in the universe.

Isaiah 40:12 God measured off space with his fingers.

Scientists estimate may be up to 200 billion galaxies out there

Feb 1, 2003 space shuttle Columbia crashed on re-entry to earth

Commander Rick Husband in space began each day w\CD

God of wonders beyond our galaxy you are holy, you are holy

If there are beings on other planets needing saving do that too

Sometimes we like our God to be more manageable

Don’t want God to get in and mess it all up

We may believe God is not bigger than our church

Or our pastor, or than my Sunday morning, God in a box

Far be it for God to expect any more than that

Phillips’ book asked How Big is the God we worship

Consider that today, cannot answer it all

But in Isaiah people there asking just such questions

They had many gods to choose from, as do you and I

But wanted to know does God really matter in our lives

1. Is God Bigger THAN MY MISTAKES?

Really this chapter is a couple of songs

Isaiah was overwhelmed thinking about God look at first one

"I thank you, LORD! You were angry with me, but you stopped being angry and gave me comfort. I trust you to save me, LORD God, and I won’t be afraid. My power and my strength come from you, and you have saved me." Vs 1-2 CEV

2 popular perspectives on how God sees our sin

Usually emphasize one or the other of these

GOD HATES SIN ROMANS 3:10-12

As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one: There is

none that understand, there is none that seek after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become

unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Cannot be friend of God without obedience to God

SIN IS EASILY FIXED BY GOD

Believes sin no big deal

Look at vs 1 again God is angry about sin

But you stopped being angry with me and gave me comfort

Psalms 103:8-12 TNIV 8 The LORD is compassionate & gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Sometimes we do not believe God is bigger than our sin

See ourselves only as a sinner that God hates

Listen to the first stanza of the hymn God was angry

Singer’s deliverance from great distress, God’s anger at sin

Not any more anger turned away, he has become his salvation

Name Isaiah means “the Lord is salvation”

Reggie McNeal says You are not a problem for God to fix

You and I are never gonna fill that hole of sin in our lives

Never be good enough or do enough

Why Jesus came to die and said It is finished

2. Is God Big enough TO LOVE THE WHOLE WORLD?

Is God bigger than my ideas? Does God really love the whole world?

Even my enemies, Crazy people not like me?

Those who vote for other candidate, Even those who not Baptist,

or who live in places we will never see or cannot pronounce