Intro: FROM ONE QUARTER POUNDER WITH CHEESE TO ANOTHER...
1. "Fly Me to the Moon" a song written by Bart Howard and made popular by Frank Sinatra.
"Fly me to the moon
And let me sing among the stars,
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars;
In other words, hold my hand;
In other words, darling, kiss me."
2. If we could fly to the moon we would discover on that planet, a microfilm packet containing Genesis 1:1 in sixteen languages and a complete RSV Bible, it was deposited on the moon by Apollo 14 LEM commander Edgar Mitchell.
3. Introduction - key word is Existence.
Trans: Gen. 1:1-5
We begin and continue with God in the creation story - The first chapter of Genesis is one of the most God-centered chapters in the Bible. God is mentioned by name 32 times in 31 verses.
Add to that the use of personal pronouns, and He is mentioned no less than 43 times. Thus, on the very first page of Scripture brings us into the presence of God and keeps us there.
I. FIRST, THE SELF-EXISTENCE OF GOD. "In the beginning God."
A. His Nature
In the beginning God - was already there.
Packer, "Children sometimes ask, "Who made God?" The clearest answer is that God never needed to be made, because he was always there.
He exists in a different way from us: we, his creatures, exist in a dependent, derived, finite, fragile way, but our Maker exists in an eternal, self-sustaining, necessary way—necessary, that is, in the sense that God does not have it in Him to go out of existence, just as we do not have it in us to live forever. We necessarily age and die, because it is our present nature to do that; God necessarily continues forever unchanged, because it is His eternal nature to do that. This is one of many contrasts between creature and Creator...
The word aseity, meaning that He has life in himself and draws His unending energy from himself (a se in Latin means "from himself), was coined by theologians to express this truth, which the Bible makes clear (Pss. 90:1-4; 102:25-27; Isa. 40:28-31; John 5:26; Rev. 4:10)."
Steve Charnock, "God is without beginning. ‘In the beginning God created’ the world,’ Gen. 1:1. God was then before the beginning of it; and what point can be set wherein God began, if he were before the beginning of created things? God was without beginning, though all other things had time and beginning from him...Time began with the foundation of the world, but God being before time, could have no beginning in time; before the beginning of the creation and the beginning of time, there could be nothing but eternity, nothing but what was uncreated, that is, nothing but what was without beginning. To be in time, is to have a beginning; to be before all time, is never to have a beginning, but always to be."
1. First, we should expect some Confusion.
"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!" Romans 11:33
At human birth the brain weighs, on average, 14 ounces. It usually reaches its maximum size at age 15 (proving the size of the brain has nothing to do with intelligence level). At its maximum size, the brain weighs an average of 46 ounces, slightly less than three pounds. In liquid measurement, that’s about a Big Gulp from the soda machine at the local gas station.
There is no way for medical professionals to prove this, but the old theory was that we only used about 10 percent of our brain capacity. If that were true and we only start out with a Big Gulp in the first place, we’re down to about a Quarter Pounder with cheese by the time we’re done.
And we think that with our Quarter Pounder with cheese, we’re going to comprehend the infinite, decipher the mysteries of the millenniums, we’re going to answer all the questions? Right!
Isn’t it logically impossible that we as finite creatures could ever fully understand the infinite?
2. Furthermore, the Conception.
A simple definition of self-existance is "that God exists independently of any cause." He is independent of us and is in need of nothing from us!
God asked Job, ""Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine." Job 41:
"9 "I shall take no young bull out of your house Nor male goats out of your folds. 10 "For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. 11 "I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. 12 "If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains." Psalm 50:9-12
"24 "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;" Acts 17:24-25
God loves you, wants you - but He never needs you or I!
Tozer, "The picture of a nervous, worried God fawning over men to win their favor is not a pleasant one; yet if we look at the popular conception of God, that is precisely what we see. So lofty is our opinion of ourselves that we find it quite easy, if not to say enjoyable, to believe that we are necessary to God.
But the truth is that, God is not the greater for our being, nor would He be the less if we did not exist. That we do exist is altogether of God’s free determination, not by our desert, not by divine necessity. Probably the hardest thought of all for our natural egotism to entertain, is that God does not need our help!"
3. Next, the Contrast.
Between God and man is infinite.
Novatian, "God has no origin and it is precisely this concept of no origin which distinguishes that which-is-God from whatever is not God. Origin is a word, that can apply, only to things created. When we think, of anything, that has origin, we are not thinking of God...By familiar experience, we are taught that everything, came from something else. Whatever exists, must have had a cause, that antedates it, and was at least equal to it, since the lesser, cannot produce the greater, and so, back to the One, who is the cause of all, but is Himself, caused by none."
4. The Caution.
Not to be confused with self-creation.
Sproul, "It is impossible for something to create itself. The concept of self-creation is a contradiction in terms, a non-sene statement. For God to create Himself He would have to be before He is. Even God can’t do that.
Every effect must have a cause. That is true by definition. But God is not an effect. He has no beginning and therefore no antecendent cause. He is eternal. He has, within Himself, the power of being. He requires no assistance from outside sources to continue to exist. That is what is meant by the idea of self-existent."
Nothing whether God or the universe can come from nothing!
"A professor once declared, "The greatest question which has ever been asked is why there is something rather than nothing." At the time the young student was impressed. But he gradually came to see that this is not a profound question at all.
In fact, it is not even a true question. Because if nothing really is nothing, then nothing defies conception and the choice vanishes. What is "nothing"? If you think you can answer that question, you are the person least qualified to answer it.
As soon as you say, "Nothing is...," nothing ceases to be nothing and becomes something. "Nothing is what the sleeping rocks dream of," said Jonathan Edwards. Therefore, as Gerstner observes, "Anyone who thinks he knows what nothing is must have those rocks in his head." Boice
5. The Comprehension of God’s total independence.
Gruden, "God’s being is also something totally unique. It is not just that God does not need the creation for anything; God could not need the creation for anything. The difference between the creature and the Creator is an immensely vast difference, for God exists in a fundamentally different order of being. It is not just that we exist and God has always existed; it is also that God necessarily exists in an infinitely better, stronger, more excellent way. The difference between God’s being and ours is more than the difference between the sun and a candle, more than the difference between the ocean and a raindrop, more than the difference between the arctic ice cap and a snowflake, more than the difference between the universe and the room we are sitting in: God’s being is qualitatively different. No limitation or imperfection in creation should be projected onto our thought of God. He is the Creator; all else is creaturely. All else can pass away in an instant; he necessarily exists forever."
6. The Biblical Consideration.
a. Ex. 3:14.
"God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ’I AM has sent me to you.’" Exodus 3:14
John Davis, "I AM WHO I AM" the verb is considered a Qal imperfect first person singular of the root hayah. If simple Qal sense is maintained, it carries the fundamental idea of the self-existence of God."
Criswell, "I AM WHO I AM is a very literal rendering and expresses God’s real, perfect, unconditional, independent existence. God exists in a way that no one or anything else does. His nature is implied by His ever-present existence without beginning or end. He is the Only God who exists, and all other existence is dependent upon His uncaused existence.."
Swindoll, "In the Hebrew language, the divine name I AM is only written with the consonatnts YHWH...The name translated I AM comes from the Hebrew verb for "to be." Thus the name YHWH is a declaration of God’s eternal and immutable self-existence. He is pure being. Nothing has brought or could bring Him into existence. Nor could anything ever cause Him to cease to be. He has always existed and will always exist because He is existence."
b. Jn. 5:26
"For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;" John 5:26 (NASB)
"For even as the Father has life in Himself and is self-existent, so He has given to the Son to have life in Himself and be self-existent." John 5:26 (AMP)
"The son from all eternity had the right to grant life (Jn.1:4). The distinction involves Jesus’ deity verses His incarnation. In become a man, Jesus voluntarily set aside the independent exercise of His divine attributes and prerogative (Phil. 2:6-11). Jesus here affirmed that even in His humanity, the Father granted Him "life-giving" power, i.e., the power of resurrection."
[MacArthur]
"John 5:26 further stresses that Father has life in Himself. An unborn child is dependent on its mother life; animals are dependent on their surroundings for life; trees and plants are dependent on sun and rain for life; every living thing is dependent someone or something else but God is independent and existent in Himself (Dan. 5:23; Acts 17:28)." The Moody Handbook of Theology.
Strauss, "What we are really saying is that because God is eternal He is self-existent, the only being there is who does not owe His existence to somebody else. He is independent of any other being or cause. He is over and above the whole chain of cause and effects.
He is uncreated, unoriginated, without being, owing His existence to no one outside Himself. He has life in and of Himself. As Jesus put it, "For the Father has life in and of Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have live in Himself." (Jn.5:26).
Were it any other way He would not be God. An eternal being msut be self-existent. Even our common sense tells us that ultimately, behind every other cause and effect, there has to be One who Himself is uncaused and self-existent."
God contains Himself in the power of His Being! Thus God has not birthday nor will He have a grave stone!
God is Being - we call people human beings, but that is not really true! We are human becomings, because we are always changing. God is immutably the same - Pure, unchanging Being.
If God were to die, we would immediately cease to exist; but if the whole world were to perish - if would have absolutely no effect upon God at all. He could go His way singing:
"I got along without you before I met you, I’m gonna get along without you know..."
7. The Conclusion.
a. Self-existence means Self-sufficiency.
God never has a need!
Pink, "During a past eternity God was alone - self-contained, self-sufficient, in need of nothing. Had a universe, or angels or humans been necessary to Him in any way, they also would have been been eternal. Creating them when He did added nothing to God essentially."
Strauss, "Since He existed before time and space, before any created thing or created being, then obviously He can exist without any thing or anybody outside Himself. We know He can do it because He did it! He is in Himself and has within His own being all that He needs."
b. His self-sufficiency is our Sufficiency.
"24 "The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn’t live in custom-made shrines 25 or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn’t take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don’t make him. 26 Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living 27 so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; he’s near. 28 We live and move in him, can’t get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ’We’re the God-created.’" Acts 17:24-28 (MSG)
John Wesley, "He is self-existent; He has being, of Himself, and has no dependence upon any other. And being self-existent He cannot but be self-sufficient, and therefore all-sufficient, and the inexhaustible fountain of being and bliss to all His children."
Mackintosh, "There is a sweetness, as well as a comprehensiveness, in the name I AM, which is beyond all power of expression. There is not a single winding in all the Christains wilderness journey, not a single phrase of his souls experience, not a single point in his condition, which is not divinely met by this title, for the simplest of all reasons, that whatever he wants, he has but to place it, by faith, over against
I AM, and find it all in Jesus. To the believer, therefore, however feeble and faltering, there is unmingled blessedness in this name."
Reminds me of the man who was climbing up a steep mountain on his way to the summit when he began to slip. Unable to stop himself, he slid back down the treacherous incline toward a cliff that plunged a thousand feet to the canyon floor.
He was sure he would be killed. But just as he was about to go over the edge he threw his hands out and managed to catch a small branch. There he hung. He had saved himself. But he could not get back onto the incline, and he knew it was just a matter of time until his grip loosened and he fell.
He was not a very religious man. But this was obviously the time to become one, if ever. So he looked up to heaven and called out, "Is there anyone up there who can help me?"
He did not expect an answer. So he was greatly surprised when a deep voice came back, saying, "Yes, I am here, and I can help you. But first you are going to have to let go of that branch."
A long pause! Then the man looked up and called out again, "Is there anybody else up there who can help me?"
There is no one else. There is only God, the One who was in the beginning and who ever shall be. But he is able to help...no matter what the need might be!
Con:
1. In the beginning God - was already there - self-existantly.
2. Toney Evans, "The very thought of God supercedes your wildest dreams. Job put it best in Job 26:14. When he looked out on the creation, he was so awed he said, "These are the fringes of His ways; and how faint a word we hear of Him!"
Job was saying, "Men know so little about God. Even when people look as far as they can into the solar system, they’ve really seen just the fringes of God." What a metaphor for our study in this second and by far the largest section in this book: the attributes of God.
We begin with the attribute known as God’s sufficiency. This attribute of God means He is totally and absolutely complete within Himself. Nothing can be added to or taken away from God.
That thought defies comprehension because we don’t know anything else like that in our universe. But that explains why the Bible says nothing compares to God. Men that they can’t put a limit on God.
They can’t box Him in. The test tubes don’t work when it comes to Him. The mathematical formulas don’t equate when it comes to God because His sufficiency means that all that makes God who He is already resides within Him....
All of us can explain who we are by virtue of the influences in our lives...But God has no such explanation. No influences have ever made God what He is. All that God is He always was. All that God is and always was He always will be. You cannot offer anything that will enhance Him, nor can you take anything away that will detract from Him...
So God does not need you or me. We need Him. God is sufficient, complete within Himself...God’s self-sufficiency also means He is answerable to no one. He does not need our permission to do what He plans to do...What are the implications of God’s independence?
First, it means that you cannot help God out.
Second, God does not need to be defended. He can defend Himself.
Third, God’s independence means that He does not depend on us. Last, we must find our completeness only in Him. Whether it is spiritual, emotional, physical, or eternal."
Johnny Palmer Jr
StrugglingThruScriptures.ning.com
