The God You're Looking For Series

French philosopher Blaise Pascal observed: "In every person’s life there is a God-shaped vacuum." Each of us tries to fill that vacuum with a god of some sort.

Christians are almost atheists. There are thousands and even millions of gods we DON’T believe in.

When someone tells you that they don’t believe in God, try saying: "There are lots of gods I don’t believe in either. Tell me about the one you don’t believe in." Chances are very good that you won’t believe in that god either. Or at least it will be a distorted view of the true God.

I often wonder about those who rejected God or deny the existence of God if they would have if they really would have known God for who he is.

Fowler: egomaniacal, childlike Christian God is another reason I dropped Christianity all those years ago

Doubt the existence of God?

Disappointed with God?

Searching for God?

Q: What is it that you are looking for in a God?

The Apostle’s Creed -- "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth"

"I believe in God ..." -- but not simply that he exists, but we mean something specific about God.

"I choose to believe what I want to believe and worship how I want to worship", reason many. But do we really have the right to do that? Or is God the only being that exists who doesn’t really care what you think of him? After all, who among us would not feel insulted or hurt if people chose to believe things that were untrue about us simply because they preferred to think of us in that way?

"Let me introduce you to Dave, he’s a big Oiler’s fan."

"Actually, I’m a Canuck fan."

"Well I prefer to think of you as an Oiler fan".

"Okay, but you’re never really going to know me!"

Absurd right? But let’s be honest, how many of us draw up certain conclusions about God (or refuse to believe certain things about God) simply out of preference?

The fact remains that God is the way God is regardless of what we might believe.

To believe in something that is not true is to believe a lie regardless of how sincerely and devoted we are in our belief. It can’t possibly save us or deeply transform us or give us any lasting peace or happiness.

By "God" we are not saying simply "higher power"; "prime mover"; "creator". We are not simply saying we believe in God, and that he is whatever you want him to be or however you want to define him.

We mean something far more specific.

24"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.

God is not part of His creation (Pantheism), He is not infused into His creation, His creation has come from Him, He originated it and He is over it.

He is God and you are not. And that’s one of the most important lessons you could ever know. Notice how it puts it: “It is He who has made us and we are His.” (Ligon Duncan)

"Father" alludes to the fact that God is Triune -- three-in-one/tri-unity -- Trinity. That he is "Father" assumes that he also has at least one child.

“For this reason therefore, the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He was calling God His own Father and making Himself equal with God.” - John 5:18

The Bible clearly teaches that although God is One, and that there is only one God, he exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Creed is also outlined this way.

Whereas other faiths would agree with God being Almighty, they deny that he is Father, because they deny the Son. Thus, although on the surface it looks like they and Christians are all talking about the same thing or being, when they talk of God, we discover that that is not at all the case

-yes, they also believe in one God, maker of heaven and earth. But it is NOT the God of the Bible or the God we as Christians believe in.

“Father Almighty” combines two words that don’t normally go together. Father goes in one direction, and Almighty goes in another.

To call him “Father” means that he is a personal God who cares about me.

To call him “Almighty” means that he is able to do whatever needs to be done. There are no limits with him.

“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’”Revelation 1:8