WHAT’s So GREAT About GOD?-I—1Peter 1:3-12(:3-9; 10-12)
Attention:
The Congregation Replied!
One Sunday, a preacher was speaking on what it would take for the church to become more Christ honoring. He said "If this church is to become better, it must take up it's bed, & walk.”
The congregation said "Let it walk, Preacher, let it walk."
Encouraged by their response, he went further. "If this church is going to become better, it will have to throw aside it's hindrances & run!”
The congregation replied, "Let it run, preacher, let it run!"
Now really into his message, he spoke stronger. "If this church really wants to become great, it will have to take up it's wings & fly!”
"Let it fly, Preacher, let it fly!" the congregation shouts.
The Preacher gets louder. "If this church is going to fly, it will cost money!"
The congregation replied, "Let it walk, Preacher, let it walk."
We can sometimes miss the power of God by choosing rather to enjoy the social aspects of ‘our church.’ And when confronted with our fears in such situations, we come to a standstill, not realizing ‘What’s So Great About God!’
Peter recalled basic justifications for glorifying God.
Blood-bought believers are justified in their glorifying/pointing to God.
Why are believers justified in glorifying/blessing/pointing to God?
Why is God considered Worthy?
10 governors for blessing God.
WHAT’s So GREAT About GOD?
1—God is Great because He offers...
GOD(:3a)
Explanation:(:3a)
:3—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”
God is fully deserving of being “blessed” in the hearts & actions of those who fully appreciate what He has done thru His offer of real salvation & sanctification to a lost & selfishly blinded mankind.
He deserves to be approached as “blessed,” first of all, due to His being “the God & Father of” the One we call “our Lord”.
?What does a “God” signify?—That One who is greater than me or us or us & them(all that men can muster).
“Blessed”—euloghtov—Adj.—1) Blessed, praised. Strong—Adorable. Used 8X.
From —eulogew—English=‘Well Speaking.’ meaning to to praise, celebrate with praises; Favor; Invoke blessings upon.“Abundant/Great”—poluv—Adj.—1) Many, much, large. Strong—singular--Much(in any respect) or plural--Many; neuter(singular) as adverbial--Largely; neuter(plural) as adverb or noun--Often, mostly, largely.
“God”—yeov—1) A god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities; 2) The Godhead, trinity; 3) Spoken of the only & true God; 4) Whatever can in any respect be likened unto God, or resemble him in any way. Strong—of uncertain affinity; A deity, especially(with o)--The supreme Divinity; figuratively--A magistrate; by Hebraism--Very.
Argumentation:
1Chron. 29:6-13—“Then the leaders of the fathers’ houses, leaders of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands & of hundreds, with the officers over the king’s work, offered willingly. They gave for the work of the house of God five thousand talents & ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, & one hundred thousand talents of iron. And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, into the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the LORD; & King David also rejoiced greatly. Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; & David said: “Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever & ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power & the glory, The victory & the majesty; For all that is in heaven & in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all. Both riches & honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power & might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, We thank You And praise Your glorious name.”
Deut. 32:39—“ ‘Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill & I make alive; I wound & I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.”
Isa. 43:7-13—“Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” Bring out the blind people who have eyes, And the deaf who have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together, And let the people be assembled. Who among them can declare this, And show us former things? Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified; Or let them hear & say, “It is truth.” “You are My witnesses,” says the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know & believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no savior. I have declared & saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says the LORD, “that I am God. Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, & who will reverse it?””
Isa. 44:6-8—“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First & I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it & set it in order for Me, Since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming & shall come, Let them show these to them. Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, & declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.’”
Gen. 2:7—“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, & breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; & man became a living being.”
Rev. 1:8; 22:13—“I am the Alpha & the Omega, the Beginning & the End,” says the Lord, “who is & who was & who is to come, the Almighty.”.....“I am the Alpha & the Omega, the Beginning & the End, the First & the Last.”
Ps. 41:13—“Blessed be the LORD God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! Amen & Amen.”
Ps. 72:18-19—“Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things! And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen & Amen.”
2Cor. 1:3-5—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies & God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.”
Eph. 1:3-10—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy & without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom & prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven & which are on earth--in Him.”
Deut. 10:14-21—“Indeed heaven & the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it. The LORD delighted only in your fathers, to love them; & He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day. Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, & be stiff-necked no longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods & Lord of lords, the great God, mighty & awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the fatherless & the widow, & loves the stranger, giving him food & clothing. Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him, & to Him you shall hold fast, & take oaths in His name. He is your praise, & He is your God, who has done for you these great & awesome things which your eyes have seen.”
Ps. 136:1-26—“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever: To Him who alone does great wonders, For His mercy endures forever; To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, For His mercy endures forever; To Him who laid out the earth above the waters, For His mercy endures forever; To Him who made great lights, For His mercy endures forever--The sun to rule by day, For His mercy endures forever; The moon & stars to rule by night, For His mercy endures forever. To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, For His mercy endures forever; And brought out Israel from among them, For His mercy endures forever; With a strong hand, & with an outstretched arm, For His mercy endures forever; To Him who divided the Red Sea in two, For His mercy endures forever; And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His mercy endures forever; But overthrew Pharaoh & his army in the Red Sea, For His mercy endures forever; To Him who led His people through the wilderness, For His mercy endures forever; To Him who struck down great kings, For His mercy endures forever; And slew famous kings, For His mercy endures forever-- Sihon king of the Amorites, For His mercy endures forever; And Og king of Bashan, For His mercy endures forever-- And gave their land as a heritage, For His mercy endures forever; A heritage to Israel His servant, For His mercy endures forever. Who remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever; And rescued us from our enemies, For His mercy endures forever; Who gives food to all flesh, For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever.
Illustration:
Our pets—Little Bit(dog), Bazooka & Cheerwine(cats)/We leave them at home while we go to work or run errands or play/We leave them food, water & litter box/BUT, I have never even once ever come home to the dog &/or cats having undone the deadbolt & unlocked the doorknob/We have never experienced a meal having been cooked while we were out/In fact, we have come home to a pile of poo or a pee-spot(on our rug) because the dog could not get outside/Because—she is incapable of pushing the chair to the door unlocking & opening the door/In fact, the dog & cats have never teamed-up’ to accomplish such!/They need ‘god’ to aid them in things that are too wonderful for them to comprehend & bring about/We are ‘god’ to them—We are able—It is our world & we have such power to affect change in it whereas the pets do not!/Likewise, you & I & the world we all need Almighty GOD!
Application:
?You accepted God’s offer of GOD?
?Is God Great/to be Blessed for you?
2—God is Great because He offers...
His MEANS OF SALVATION(:3a)
Explanation:(:3a)Mediation/Relationship
:3—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”
?What does a “Father” signify?—Headship/Commitment/Status/Authority/Provision/Position/Love/Wisdom/Knowledge
?What does Jesus’ “Father” signify?—Jesus shares the same nature & essence with “God the Father.” And though having voluntarily taken on human flesh, is Divine.
The entire concept of mankind’s needing a Divine Savior was envisioned & implemented by “God” the “Father”(originator).
The driving force of God’s being “Jesus’ ” “Father” was His intense love for His creation(mankind).
The result or outworking of His ‘Fatherhood’ is:
1)“our Lord”—the One to whom we must go as the Sovereign Ruler & Master(of everything including our very lives);
2)“Jesus”—our Savior(from sin & eternal hell);
3)“Christ”—the sole anointed(of God) King & means of our salvation.
Argumentation:
Jn. 14:1-7—““Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go & prepare a place for you, I will come again & receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, & the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, & how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, & the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; & from now on you know Him & have seen Him.””
Rom. 5:15-19—“But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God & the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace & of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”
Eph. 1:3-8—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy & without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom & prudence,”
Acts 4:11-12—“ “This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” ”
Heb. 2:10—“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things & by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”
Heb. 5:5-10— “So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.” As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”; who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers & supplications, with vehement cries & tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, & was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” ”
Heb. 12:1-4—“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, & the sin which so easily ensnares us, & let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author & finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, & has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary & discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.”
Illustration:
Neither—Buddha/Allah/Multiple Gods/Psychology/Scientology/Eastern Mysticism/Science, Politics, Governmental systems, Work, Income, Savings, Property, Alcohol, Sex, Drugs, Relationships, etc. None of these are God’s MEANS OF SALVATION!—Only Jesus is God’s Means!
U. S. Coast Guard/Boat in danger of sinking—Storm, waves, sharks, temperature—certain death!—A ‘May-Day!’ goes out—Flares launched/Coast Guard exists for such as this!/The MEANS OF SALVATION for mariners
Lighthouse/MEANS OF SALVATION/
Application:
?You accepted God’s offer of His MEANS OF SALVATION?
?Is God Great/to be Blessed for you?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
The Congregation Replied!—"Let it walk, Preacher, let it walk."
Action:
God is Great because He offers...
1. GOD(:3a)
2. His MEANS OF SALVATION(:3a)
pts. 1-2 Presented 10/19/2014am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave.(Ave A) SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
