February 11th: The Attributes of God (3)
Speaker: Chris Laws
The nature of Almighty God, revealed in His Word, is the foundation of true religion. God’s attributes, commonly divided into ‘exclusive’ and ‘reflected’, define the Christian life.
REFLECTED ATTRIBUTES OF GOD (continued)
So far: Omnipotent (governs everything)/ Infinitely knowledgeable (‘expert’ in everything)
3. Wisdom
Col 2.3: “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”
All wisdom and knowledge are in Christ. Wisdom = supreme intelligence
Look at Creation. Ps 104.24: “O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom thou hast made them all”
Look at providence. Joseph – pit, prison, prime minister. Esther and Mordecai: Haman hung on his own gallows.
The chief priests and scribes murder Christ and fulfil God’s plan.
The early church believers under persecution used to recall Luke 11.49: “Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute...”
Look at redemption. No one could work out we could be saved during 1000s of years of mankind. Mystery. Then Christ solved the problem.
The Word daily! Ps 73.24: “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, & afterward receive me to glory”.
4. God is Truth/Truthfulness/Faithfulness
John 14.6 “I am the Way, the truth, and the life.”
The only God who is really there. World full of false teaching.
He is entirely logical, the reason for everything. Evolution can give no reason for life, illogical.
He is utterly reliable. What He says and does agree. It is “impossible for God to lie” (Heb 6.18).
The truth resides in God, the foundation of all knowledge. The great ‘given’.
Without His Word we wander in a vast maze. Legion religions.
Untruth in politics, business, world’s entertainments, marriage, advertising.
Part truth. Scientific theories need improving. Dark matter.
Eternal, cannot forget promises. 1 Kings 8.56 “There hath not failed one word of all his good promise.”
Omnipresent: He alone knows the truth about all men’s hearts.
He tells the human race the truth about its guilt and condemnation. He is straight with us.
We thought we were good, upright people, until the Spirit opened our eyes to the truth.
Immutable: What He says cannot be altered, remains true – like the law of the Medes and Persians.
The whole world depends upon this.
Genesis 8.22 “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”
Colossians 2.17 “By him all things consist [remain together, continue].”
When we believe His promises, we find Him true. John 6.35 “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
Something solid to build a life on. A solid future for everyone that “believeth on him… I will raise him up at the last day.”
5. The Holiness of God
Exodus 15.11 “Glorious in holiness.” The seraphim – Isaiah 6.3 “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts”
Holiness is the essence of His being. Psalm 45.7 “Thou lovest righteousness.”
His Word breathes holiness.
He is separate, far distant from sin. There is a great gulf between Him and us before conversion.
Infinite: His holiness is infinite, which is why the apostle John fell at his feet as one dead.
Eternal: so that Heaven itself shall never admit any sin. Secure for ever.
Immutable: ours ebbs and flows. Angels fell.
God’s great design in the world is to make a people holy. This is His image in us.
1 Peter 1.16 “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” No holiness no conversion.
The Holy Spirit is within believers. ‘His spring feeds all our cisterns.’
6. The Justice of God
People have a strong sense of justice and injustice.
Holiness demands justice, fairness. ‘God does justice out of love to justice.’
Psalm 89.14 “Justice and judgement are the habitation of his throne.”
An impartial judge. He weighs everything in the balance.
He must be just – He cannot do the tiniest wrong to His creatures.
Problem 1: how can God punish sinners eternally? Some people so kind.
His justice is infinite, beyond the human mind. Romans 11.33 “How unsearchable are thy judgments.”
He sees everything in each life, we just the outside. The best worldlings are so different to believers.
He punishes by a law given to all men – conscience will be the full proof and evidence.
Problem 2: how can God, who must be perfectly just and punish sin, forgive sinners?
Either overlooks justice (He cannot), or punishes sin.
His desire to forgive has been reconciled with His justice at Calvary as predicted.
Psalm 85.10 “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”
Calvary enabled God to be “just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3.26).
His justice works for us. 1 John 1.9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and JUST to forgive us our sins.“
His justice demands we are fully pardoned.
Omnipresent: He rewards the tiniest efforts. Hebrews 6.10 “God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love.”
Immutable: everlasting life. The justice of God demands that we cannot be lost.
7. The Mercy /Goodness of God
Psalm 33.5 “The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.”
He is not severe as some atheists claim. His mercy receives more mention than His justice.
A ratio of 6:1 in Exodus 34.6 “The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty.”
God is “slow to anger.” Watson: ‘The bee naturally gives honey, it stings only when it is provoked.’
Mercy, kindness are His nature. Not a hard God.
The rainbow circles His throne (Revelation 4.3).
It is everywhere: even the wicked taste it. Psalm 145.9 “The Lord is good to all.” Life, food, health.
God lends the human race compassion, kindness. He is the “Father of mercies.”
God’s ‘mercy stays (delays) the speedy execution of God’s justice.’
8. The Love of God
Infinite: “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.”
Everywhere: He lends love to the human race. Maternal love. The earth is kept bearable.
Unchanging: it is longsuffering love.
It is feelingful love: Hebrews 4.5 “He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities.”
It is undeserved, gracious love.
It is sacrificial love.
