Sermon Brief
Date Written: May 21, 2010
Date Preached: May 16, 2010
Where Preached: OPBC (AM)
Sermon Details:
Sermon Series: Great Doctrines of the Faith!
Sermon Title: Who is God!
Sermon Text: Exodus 3:14 (ESV)
13 Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
15 God also said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
Introduction:
Just who is God? There have been many who have asked that question and to be honest with you there is not enough time in one sermon to fully answer that question… in fact there is not enough time in a lifetime to answer that question fully!
When we hear the question who is God, it could refer to “How do I do God exists? Is God really there?” To which there are many approaches to answer that particular question. Scripture tells us in Rom 1 that there is a universal belief in God that is hard wired into our very hearts and we are without excuse if we choose to believe and the Psalmist reveals that only a fool would say that there is NO God!
From a human standpoint we have had philosophers and theologians present their case from many perspectives to ‘prove’ the existence of God. They have argued from the Cosmological standpoint that there had to be something or someone to ‘Cause’ creation and this world to happen…
They have presented arguments from the “Teleolgical” standpoint that refers to a single Designer that created all things. We have had people to share the “Ontological” argument that God always has been… He just is…
Others have argued the existence of God from an Anthropological standpoint that God is the moral compass… the moral argument for the human species. And there are many many more that I could bring forward to you about the very existence of God.
Another question that one might consider when asking the general question of “Who is God?” is the question, “What is God like? or What is His nature?” And there are many avenues of discussion in that line of questioning as well. But today my sermon will be based in a very specific part of God’s Nature… so what I want us to see and hear this morning when it comes to the question “Who is God?” is…
God is One who desires a relationship with His creation… He desires an intimate and personal relationship with YOU today! But preacher, this is God we are speaking about… the God of the entire Universe… how can He desire a relationship with me?
Well this is where His nature of love is revealed and we can see it by His very actions and this morning I want to briefly look at 3 actions that God has taken and is still taking so that you can come to know Him on an intimate and personal level.
1. 1st Action – God’s Love Proves His Desire – John 3:16 [ESV]…
16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
This shows us 2 things about God’s nature… it proves His love for His creation, but it also reveals to us that it is God that has already taken the 1st step toward redemption and reconciliation to Him!
As a creation, we turned our backs on God and allowed sin to come between us, but God in his LOVE for us has reached down thru His Son, to open a doorway so that we can come to know Him, and experience a relationship with Him.
There was NOTHING that prompted this action from God outside of His love for us… we could do nothing to sway him or convince him… He has done it all out of His eternal and perfect love for us!
God loves this morning and wants you to know and experience a relationship with Him…but it was not only His love that I can see that He took action with… but the 2nd action I see God taking to bring us to a relationship with Him is…
2. 2nd Action – God’s Grace Proves His Desire – Eph 2:8-9 [ESV]…
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
You may have heard the phrase, “May God have mercy on your soul” and we all pray that God does have mercy on us… mercy is compassion shown to the offender, it is clemency or kindness extended to the one who deserves strictness and severe punishment… mercy saves us from what we actually deserve!
But what I am speaking about this morning is NOT God’s mercy, but God’s grace! When we define grace we can see it as generosity shown by God to man; especially divine favor that is totally unmerited by man! In other words we get what we do NOT deserve… We deserve God’s justice, we receive His grace!
You see the love of God is revealed through the Grace of God… and it is only by His grace that we can experience His love and deliverance! God has made the choice to open up heaven and open up His heart to His creation… God has made the choice to bring forgiveness and reconciliation to the lost sinner…
There is NOTHING we can do to impress God enough to garner His love and favor, but God in his Gracious Love, has come to us…He has reached out to US! He has opened up a doorway for us to step through, so that we can know Him, so that we can experience His love, and forgiveness… so that we can be with Him throughout eternity!
God’s grace is extended to humanity so that we can experience His love, and a relationship with Him. God’s love and grace are 2 actions that God has used to reach down to us! God’s love is eternal, God’s grace is eternal, but the 3rd action I see from God is one that has a time limit… it is…
3. 3rd Action – God’s Patience Proves His Desire – 2 Peter 3:9 [ESV]…
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Now here is where a lot of people miss the boat when it comes to God. They believe God to be a harsh and cruel judge who has NO patience with us and that God writes us off when we trip up and when we sin…
Scripture proves to us that God is a holy and a just God and that there will be a day when God finally does draw a line in the sand and say… ENOUGH! But that day is a day that only God knows and until that day, we have the opportunity to come to God and know Him as Savior!
That means that NO matter what you have done, no matter where you are in life… God desires a relationship with you! God wants you to come to Him… He is ready and willing to forgive you when you come to Him confessing your sin!
4. Conclusion…
Today if you are here and do not know God… if you do NOT have a relationship with God, He is waiting for you…patiently waiting for you to come to Him! He is willing to forgive you of your sin and graciously spare you from what you truly deserve…why? Because He loves you!
Today as Bro Steven comes… I ask you to step out and come and allow God to forgive you of your sin and enter into a relationship with Him today… a relationship that will last for all eternity. Come as we begin to sing…
