Who is God? | Lesson 3

 

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.   ~Exodus 3:14

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Who is God?  How can we distinguish who is the true God with so many gods all around us??

Historically, there have always been idols, heroes, and worship of some greater power...gods made of man's hands..stone, gold, painted, sculpted.

For me, believing the God of the Bible is where I began and where I will stay.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the only God that sent his only begotten Son Jesus Christ as the price of redemption in order for me to have a relationship with God himself.

There is no other god, statue, man, or otherwise who has loved me so much to do this 2000 years before I was born.  And not for me only, but for all who will believe on him.

What is "this" price of redemption mean?  God is holy and perfect.  We are not holy nor perfect.  We have sinned.  Only the perfect sacrifice of the sinless Lamb of God paid the price of allowing man to get back into fellowship with God.  Only by believing on Jesus Christ the Lamb of God can we be saved from the clutches and destiny of hell.

Yes, there is a hell.  It's not this earth - it's worse!! The worst evil you could even imagine multiplied by a million...that's hell.  God made hell for the devil and his angels.  We have to choose whom we will follow and believe.  It's either God or the devil.  There is no middle ground.

The only escape from hell is found in Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life.

As God is the only LIVING God, I choose him.

Because I choose him, I also choose to read and obey the written word that he has provided and protected throughout the ages that I may know the Almighty God of the Bible better with each day.

This is the same God who said I AM to Moses when Moses asked whom should he say sent him to Pharaoh.

The same God who split the Red Sea that the children of Israel could walk on dry land to safety.

You will believe whom you choose. The Creator of heaven and earth has, in his mercy and lovingkindness, seen fit to have fellowship with man through his Son Jesus Christ.  I choose him.

Other gods have lured people for millenia with temporal pleasures motivated by selfish and destructive ways -- these are all of their father, the devil -- the father of lies.

If one believe in multiple ways to get to God, to be god, to have peace, to make it through this life until death.  Then it is clear that person won't have the fear of God.  You can only serve one.  You will love the one and hate the other; you will hold to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon.

Let's look at Hebrews chapter 11 -- commonly referred to as 'the chapter of the heroes of faith".  I contend that these people were mere men who believed in and obeyed the Living God and because they trusted him by faith in Jesus Christ saw God do great things in their lives.  It wasn't because they were great...but because they believed God and obeyed HIM.

If we look at the full story of each of these, we see the common thread that makes Hebrews 11 inspiring and uplifting.  They all did what we can do as well -- FEAR GOD by choosing him above ALL else.  Realizing that we are but dust and weak in ourselves -- we need God.

Today's assignment:

1. Read Job 38 
2. Write down the answers to the questions that God asked Job

Your conclusion?  I hope you came to the same conclusion as I did.  It's sobering, humbling, and puts us in our rightful place...bowed down low before the KING of Kings and LORD of Lords.  

I Peter 1:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 

Now let's review pages 6 - 8 of our text :A Treatise of the Fear of God

  (NOTE: throughout the Scriptures, we find that God looks at the heart of man.  The following should cause us to look at our self and determine if we are conforming to the LORD or rebelling against him.  If we fear God, we will conform to his ways..well...because they are HIS ways.)

We've discussed who God is, now let's examine these four points of worshiping God.

1. Because God is GOD, we should worship him -- his way
2. When we gather in Jesus' name, there he is in our midst...wow!! this should cause us to honour and revere him all the more!
3. We should look to the matter and manner of our worship of God.  Is it after the traditions of me/men? 
4. The judgments that sometimes God has executed upon men for their lack of godly fear.

This therefore should teach us to conclude, that, next to God's nature and name, his service, his instituted worship is the most dreadful thing under heaven.

Remember, Dear Reader, concerning all the Scriptures referenced in this study, you should look up for yourself.  It is important that we each do our due diligence to seek the LORD for our self and not take someone else's opinion on the matter.

Of course, one could get feel overwhelmed in the information discussed, and in the number of Bible verses given...but keep in mind that it pleases the LORD when we seek him with our whole heart.  That means we don't go about it 'half-hearted'....right...we give God our all.  Because He is God.

DIG DEEPER:   Look up Isa_55:6-9  Write it out.  Then ask the LORD to open the eyes of your understanding to know him more.

As always, I pray that we will be humble, obedient doers of God's word ... always by the grace of God.. because of Jesus and in Jesus' name.  Amen.