Subscribe to our PODCAST here.Is Your God Too Small?
Intro.
A. Even among those who regularly attend church there is little understanding of God. They are engaged in “church activities,” but seldom if ever are they taught anything about Him, His nature and His attributes. It is no wonder that many churches have to give prizes to get people to ride their busses to the church house” (God The Creator, Jack Cottrell, p. 16).
B. J.B. Phillips wrote “Your God is Too Small” - not talking about false gods but our concept of God.
1. Children asked to define God - most began “He is a very old gentleman who lives in heaven.”
2. Adults were asked to answer without reflection - “Does God understand radar?” Many said “no” then laughed when they realized absurdity of their answer. The creator of the world and everything in doesn’t understand its composition?
C. Too often we think God is like a man (Ps. 50:19-21).
Body:
A. God is spirit (Jn. 4:24)
1. A spirit does not have flesh and bones (Lk. 24:39).\
2. Paul wrote concerning Jesus - “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Col. 1:15,16).
3. John said: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we behold His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth...No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (Jn. 1:14,18).
4. Anthropomorphism - “the attributing of human shape or characteristics to a god, animal, or inanimate thing” (Webster).
a. “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Pet. 3:12).
b. “Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings” (Ps. 17:8).
c. “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler” (Ps. 91:4 buckler - any protection or defense).
5. The world is not God - “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Ps. 90:2).
Pantheism - “the doctrine that God is not a personality, but that all laws, forces, manifestations, etc. of the self-existing universe are God” (Webster).
B. Some His names:
1. El - means power, strength - creative power. Elohim (plural) is used 31 times in Gen. 1:
God saw (4), called (5), said (6), made (7), blessed (22), created (27). - translated singular (one Godhead) but plural beings (vs. 26,27).
a. El-roi - Sarai - “Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” (Gen. 16:13).
“There’s an all-seeing eye watching you” - “He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see?” (Ps. 94:9).
b. El-shaddai - translated Almighty (all sufficient) “Also God said to him: I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body” (Gen. 35:11). “By the God of your father who will help you, and by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb” (49:25). (Signifies nourish and supply - He supplies our needs - all-sufficient)
2. Jehovah - means “to be,” or “being” - “I Am” - self-existent - always present - “And Abram said, LORD (Jehovah) God (El), what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus” (Gen. 15:2). “Hear O Israel: The LORD (Jehovah) our God (Elohim); the Lord is one” (Dt. 6:4).
a. Jehovah-jireh - “And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide (YHWH), as it is said to this day, In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided” (Gen. 22:14).
b. Jehovah-shalom - “So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Shalom (Jehovah our peace). To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites” (Judges 6:24).
c. Jehovah-rohi - “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1).
d. Jehovah-sabaoth - “This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh...Then she made a vow and said, O LORD of hosts...” (1 Sam. 1:3,11).
C. New Testament names:
1. Theos - God - equivalent to El (Theist vs. atheist) - (Jn. 1:1; Mt. 1:23)
2. Kurios - Lord - corresponds to Jehovah, translated Lord. (The word Jehovah is not in the N.T. but when it quotes the O.T. uses LORD. “David himself said by the Holy Spirit: The LORD said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” (Mk. 12:36). Jesus said “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (Jn. 8:58).
D. God (the Godhead, Deity) is:
1. Omniscient (Ps. 139:1-6)
a. “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite” (Ps. 147:5).
b. Infinite - not limited by anything outside Himself - Only limitations are self-imposed -
c. He cannot lie (Tit. 1:2), be tempted with evil (Jas. 1:13) - act contrary to His nature.
d. He can know anything He chooses to know - “They have also built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into My mind” (Jer. 19:5). “The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that id does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I wold benefit it” (Jer. 18:7-10). (Cp. Gen. 22:12)
2. Omnipresent (Ps. 139:7-12)
a. “Am I a God near at hand, says the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him? says the Lord; Do I not fill heaven and earth? Says the Lord?” (Jer. 23:23,24).
b. Actions betray a lack of understanding of God - do evil because human beings do not see us; go out of town and leave God at home; make excuses that human beings are not able to see through.
3. Omnipotent (Ps. 139:13,14)
a. “Behold the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the balance; Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before Him are as nothing, and they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless. To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him?” (Is. 40:15-17).
b. “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” (Rev. 19:6).
Concl.
Do you know God? “Ginosko” “frequently indicates a relation between the person knowing and the object known” (Vine)
“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 Jn. 2:3-6).
(Ledger, Lakeland, 11-7-93 said - 80% Floridians claim to be religious; 21% attend religious services once a week; 10% more than once a week; 88% believe in heaven; 63% believe in hell.)
A. Even among those who regularly attend church there is little understanding of God. They are engaged in “church activities,” but seldom if ever are they taught anything about Him, His nature and His attributes. It is no wonder that many churches have to give prizes to get people to ride their busses to the church house” (God The Creator, Jack Cottrell, p. 16).
B. J.B. Phillips wrote “Your God is Too Small” - not talking about false gods but our concept of God.
1. Children asked to define God - most began “He is a very old gentleman who lives in heaven.”
2. Adults were asked to answer without reflection - “Does God understand radar?” Many said “no” then laughed when they realized absurdity of their answer. The creator of the world and everything in doesn’t understand its composition?
C. Too often we think God is like a man (Ps. 50:19-21).
Body:
A. God is spirit (Jn. 4:24)
1. A spirit does not have flesh and bones (Lk. 24:39).\
2. Paul wrote concerning Jesus - “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Col. 1:15,16).
3. John said: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we behold His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth...No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (Jn. 1:14,18).
4. Anthropomorphism - “the attributing of human shape or characteristics to a god, animal, or inanimate thing” (Webster).
a. “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Pet. 3:12).
b. “Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings” (Ps. 17:8).
c. “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler” (Ps. 91:4 buckler - any protection or defense).
5. The world is not God - “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Ps. 90:2).
Pantheism - “the doctrine that God is not a personality, but that all laws, forces, manifestations, etc. of the self-existing universe are God” (Webster).
B. Some His names:
1. El - means power, strength - creative power. Elohim (plural) is used 31 times in Gen. 1:
God saw (4), called (5), said (6), made (7), blessed (22), created (27). - translated singular (one Godhead) but plural beings (vs. 26,27).
a. El-roi - Sarai - “Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” (Gen. 16:13).
“There’s an all-seeing eye watching you” - “He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see?” (Ps. 94:9).
b. El-shaddai - translated Almighty (all sufficient) “Also God said to him: I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body” (Gen. 35:11). “By the God of your father who will help you, and by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb” (49:25). (Signifies nourish and supply - He supplies our needs - all-sufficient)
2. Jehovah - means “to be,” or “being” - “I Am” - self-existent - always present - “And Abram said, LORD (Jehovah) God (El), what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus” (Gen. 15:2). “Hear O Israel: The LORD (Jehovah) our God (Elohim); the Lord is one” (Dt. 6:4).
a. Jehovah-jireh - “And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide (YHWH), as it is said to this day, In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided” (Gen. 22:14).
b. Jehovah-shalom - “So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Shalom (Jehovah our peace). To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites” (Judges 6:24).
c. Jehovah-rohi - “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1).
d. Jehovah-sabaoth - “This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh...Then she made a vow and said, O LORD of hosts...” (1 Sam. 1:3,11).
C. New Testament names:
1. Theos - God - equivalent to El (Theist vs. atheist) - (Jn. 1:1; Mt. 1:23)
2. Kurios - Lord - corresponds to Jehovah, translated Lord. (The word Jehovah is not in the N.T. but when it quotes the O.T. uses LORD. “David himself said by the Holy Spirit: The LORD said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” (Mk. 12:36). Jesus said “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (Jn. 8:58).
D. God (the Godhead, Deity) is:
1. Omniscient (Ps. 139:1-6)
a. “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite” (Ps. 147:5).
b. Infinite - not limited by anything outside Himself - Only limitations are self-imposed -
c. He cannot lie (Tit. 1:2), be tempted with evil (Jas. 1:13) - act contrary to His nature.
d. He can know anything He chooses to know - “They have also built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into My mind” (Jer. 19:5). “The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that id does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I wold benefit it” (Jer. 18:7-10). (Cp. Gen. 22:12)
2. Omnipresent (Ps. 139:7-12)
a. “Am I a God near at hand, says the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him? says the Lord; Do I not fill heaven and earth? Says the Lord?” (Jer. 23:23,24).
b. Actions betray a lack of understanding of God - do evil because human beings do not see us; go out of town and leave God at home; make excuses that human beings are not able to see through.
3. Omnipotent (Ps. 139:13,14)
a. “Behold the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the balance; Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before Him are as nothing, and they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless. To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him?” (Is. 40:15-17).
b. “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” (Rev. 19:6).
Concl.
Do you know God? “Ginosko” “frequently indicates a relation between the person knowing and the object known” (Vine)
“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 Jn. 2:3-6).
(Ledger, Lakeland, 11-7-93 said - 80% Floridians claim to be religious; 21% attend religious services once a week; 10% more than once a week; 88% believe in heaven; 63% believe in hell.)