The Nature Of God Series

Two brothers were left alone in the kitchen. The older brother pulled the egg carton out of the refrigerator. He pulled the eggs out of the refrigerator and told his little brother, “I’ll give you five dollars if you let me break three of these eggs over your head.” The little brother said, “You promise?” And the older brother said, “I promise.”

Then he pulled out an egg and broke it over his brother’s head. It oozed down through his hair and ran down his face. Then he pulled out the second egg and broke it over his brother’s head. This one was really messy. It went all the way down the back of his neck and inside his shirt collar. After the second one, the little brother really braced himself. He knew the third egg was going to be really nasty. And he waited. And waited. He waited but the third egg never did come. Finally, he spoke up. “Hey, when’s the third egg coming?” Finally, the older boy told him, “It’s not—if I broke that one over your head, it would cost me five dollars.”

Could have quoted verse 16 to his egg soaked brother

1:16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

1. Long list of deceived names in the Bible when it come to difficult times

a. Job’s friends & wife b. Elijah c. WHY ME LORD? d. Eve

2. Satan’s nature is to deceive

3. Danger of deception during trials over the nature of God.

1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

A legend tells of an ancient kingdom whose king had died. Ambassadors were sent to choose a successor from two twin infants. They found the little fellows fast asleep, and, looking at them, found it difficult to decide which one should be made king. But then, they noticed that one of the infants had his tiny fists closed tight and the other slept with his little hands opened. They choose the infant with the open hands and the infant grew to be known as “The King with the Open Hand.” Our God is not the “God of the clutched fist” but the “God with the Open Hand.” Our God is a giving God. He is a God, as we shall see, that gives and gives and gives.

God’s Interest “God has a great interest in every one of us.

A. In the original Greek there are two different words for gift, to emphasize the perfection and inclusiveness of God’s graciousness towards us.

1. “Good gift”, speaks of the act of giving.

a. God is a giving God. And no matter how hard you may look no one gives more than God. It implies that the gift is “beneficial for the recipient.” All that God gives us is for our benefit.

2. “Perfect gift” refers to the object of the gift

3. Perfect also means there is nothing evil that comes from God.

D. We enjoy a lot of good things. Whether it’s friends, health, employment, family or whatever.

E. We must come to the attitude and understanding that all things good come from God

God’s Immutability(changlessness) “With whom there is no variation of shadow of turning.”

A. From our perspective, everything around us changes.

1. Day turns into night. Seasons change. Music changes. Styles change. Leisure Suits

2. We live in a changing society. A society that says…

a. If you don’t like yourself, change. job, wife or husband, church, your god.

James says GOD DOES NOT CHANGE

His promises are sure

As the first American astronaut prepared to go into space, one reporter asked, “What are you depending on most in your venture?” No doubt, the reporter expected the astronaut to say something about the quality of his equipment, his navigational skills, or the people at the space center. But instead, he replied, “That God will not change His laws.”

His love for you will never diminish

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? (Even the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8:35-39 NLT]