God Is …
The Father is compassionate and gracious
January 16, 2022
How many of you were the kid who was always spilling and breaking stuff? How many parents have lost their temper over something that was not that big of a deal?
Exodus 32:19 NIV
So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
While God is speaking to Moses, the people below are building a golden calf to worship.
In an outburst of anger, Moses breaks God’s tablets!
Exodus 34:4-7 NIV
So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the LORD had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
Compassionate and Gracious
Slow to anger
Abounding in love and faithfulness
Maintaining love to thousands
Forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin
Punishes the guilty.
Psalm 119:68 NIV
You are good, and do good …”
If God is good, we can approach Him.
If God isn’t good, we should run from him.
Our enemy wants us to believe God is always angry because it will keep us away from God.
Exodus 34:29-30 NIV
Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.
There’s a noticeable physical response to encountering a good God.
Numbers 6:24-26 NIV
“The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 26 The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’
The Lord lift up his countenance upon and give you peace!
We do this at the end of the service because that’s the last thing we want you to remember as you leave church.
The world we’re returning to may not be good, but our God is good, and he wants good things for each of us.
The same encounter that changed the face of Moses is the same encounter that Jesus wants to have with each of us.
Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus represents us to a good Father!
