TWO GUIDING QUESTIONS DURING THIS SERMON SERIES
Are you growing in the knowledge of God?
Are you growing in loving God and loving people?
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SERMON TEXT
There is none like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 1 Chronicles 17:20 (ESV)
ATTRIBUTES OF GOD
God wants us to KNOW HIM in a deep and intimate way more than all the things we do for him. The more we meditate on his attributes the more we will know him. The more we know him, the less we want anything else. Knowing him is life, joy and peace. The following are some brief definitions of some of God's attributes along with some practical application for us.
Incmprehensible – God cannot be known unless he reveals himself to us. God can be known truly because he has revealed himself; but not fully.
Self-Existence – God did not come from anything or anywhere. He exists eternally within himself.
God is the only self-existent being. All other creatures derive their existence from him.
Self Sufficiency - God is not in need of anything outside himself. He is sufficient in his Triune self.
God did not create us because he was lonely or needed us. Our worship or lack of worship does not add to who he is.
Simplicity - God is not divided into parts, but his whole being includes all of his attributes: he is entirely holy, loving, wise, just, good, merciful, gracious, and truthful.
This helps us not pit one attribute of God against another (e.g., God’s love against his holiness and justice).
Eternal – God has always existed and will always exist. God is beyond the limits of time in such a way that the whole of his existence is in one indivisible present.
Infinity – In all that God is (in his attributes), he is without limit.
Holiness - The absolute perfection and set apartness of God in all of his attributes. He is holy in the sense there is no unrighteousness in him.
Displayed in the cross of Christ – not only his love but his hate for sin demonstrated on the cross
We must all pursue to lives that are set apart from this world and conform to Christ
Immutability - He does not change in who He is. He is the same yesterday today and forever. He fulfills all that he promises.
God is faithful in judgment just as he is in blessing. He is faithful in punishing sin, just as he is faithful in rewarding righteousness
He is faithful in sanctifying us and preserving us until that final day.
Trinity - There is only one God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons of the same God. Each person is co-equal and coeternally God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinguished by their relationship to one another
This exalts the uniqueness of God and should cause us to worship him
The gospel does not make sense apart from the Trinity.
"In praising God’s triune name, we do not praise him as mere spectators, stunned before the magnificence of his being and works. Christian praise of God the Trinity is self-involving. The God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the author and end of all things, wills to be our Father, through the Son, in the Spirit. The blessed Trinity who dwells in a high and holy place, who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy, wills also to dwell among us and to make us eternally blessed through union and communion with him, to the praise of his glorious grace" - Swain, Scott. The Trinity
Omnipresence – All of creation is in the immediate presence of God
He is always with us, even when we think we are alone.
Omnipotence - He can do whatever he wills to do, for nothing is too hard or difficult for him because He possesses absolute power.
The power of God saves people. We must trust in God to save our loved ones. He is able!
The power of God enables us to overcome sin in our lives. We must call on him to empower us to overcome sin.
Omniscience - God knows all things. He has always known all things. He possesses perfect knowledge of all things.
He knows about every aspect of our lives, even when we feel like no one else understands.
Wisdom - He is perfectly and sovereignly guiding all things in this universe according to his perfect knowledge and perfect will
All of his purposes for our lives are infinitely wise. So we trust him in uncertain times.
Goodness – God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all.
God is good to all people and exceedingly and abundantly good to his children
God’s goodness is our foundation for trusting him.
Sovereignty – God is subject to none, influenced by none. He does as He pleases, only as He pleases always as He pleases.
Since he is sovereign and in control, we should not be anxious.
We must hold a balanced view. God is fully sovereign (in control) and man is fully responsible (real choices with consequences).
Justice – Upholds his righteousness by doing the right thing in any given situation.
All of us were under the just condemnation of God, until Jesus stood in our place to take the just punishment for our sin.
God can’t simply grant eternal life in heaven (goodness) to everyone without the price being paid for sin (justice).
Wrath - This is His eternal hatred of all unrighteousness. It is His displeasure and indignation against evil.
Meditating on this attribute enables us to see God’s hatred for sin.
We should have a heart of thanksgiving and praise because through Christ we have been saved from the wrath of God.
Patience–God is able to sustain great injury against his holiness, without immediately avenging himself.
God’s patient kindness is meant to lead us to repentance.
We should be patient toward others who have wronged us.
Mercy - God looking compassionately over all creation in its fallen sinful state.
God is not only slow to anger (patience), but compassionate (merciful) toward us
Grace - God’s Righteousness at Christ’s Expense (Preserves the Integrity of Heaven Yet Gets Us There)
Greater the depth of our understanding of sin, the greater our understanding of grace leading to a greater love for God.
Grace says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Love – His love is different from human love. 1 Cor 13:4-5 and 1 John 4:10
Uninfluenced Love - there is nothing in his creatures that causes him to place his love upon us
The love of God springs forth from himself, uninfluenced by anything outside him. He takes pleasure in loving us.
Eternal and Unconditional Love– his love is from everlasting and does not place any conditions on us
Since God is eternal, his love is everlasting. He loved us before the foundation of the world & his love toward us will never end!
Infinite Love – The depth and height of his love is infinite.
No one can fully comprehend the depths of his love, no one can understand it fully and we never will!
Let us strive to love people the same way God abundantly pours out his love on us.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Knowledge of the Holy - A.W. Tozer
The Trinity: An Introduction - Scott Swain
SONGS TO ENCOURAGE