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Incomparable God of gods – Part 1

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Any exploration of creation and Scripture soon reveals that Yahweh is stunningly unique. Samuel proclaimed, you are great, O LORD Yahweh. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you… (2 Samuel 7:22). Jehovah stands apart from all others. Every aspect of His existence and character are unequalled in perfection and majestic holiness. There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours declared David (Psalm 86:8). 
Incredibly, Scripture reveals God as 3 in 1. That is, the one God equally exists and manifests Himself as three separate yet like-charactered persons. Deuteronomy 6:4 tells us that the LORD is one. This one God spoke everything into existence and there is no other besides Him (Deuteronomy 4:35). Yet in Genesis 1:26, speaking about the creation of mankind, God said, “let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” When God speaks of Himself in the plural, He is telling us that He is not only one, but He is also more than one. God exists in three persons who are coequal, coeternal, and altogether self-existent. All three are inseparable and unified in all things. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit exist is perfect unison (Matthew 3:16-17).

Following Peter and John’s release from prison in Acts 4, they returned to their friends. Together they lifted their voices to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them…” (Acts 4:24). Later, they said that what appeared to have worked against Jesus, was really God at work. Jesus’ enemies: Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, were doing …whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place (Acts 4:27-28). God is the absolute ruler who created and reigns independently and supreme over all. Deuteronomy 10:14 informs us that, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. Therefore, nothing happens on planet earth outside of God’s control and timing. God alone governs all, beyond challenge in His absolute authority and power. John declared that Jesus is the ruler of kings on earth (Revelation 1:5) even though earth’s kings think they act independent of God.

God is indomitable! His sovereignty towers above human intellect, above human reasoning, and above human strength and will. Technology seems impressive from our standpoint, yet the most advanced technology pales in comparison to God’s sovereignty. God defines Himself in Isaiah 46:9-10; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose. God is dominant, self-governing, and without external influence. He never weakens, never strengthens, never tires, never sleeps, and never feels challenged or threatened.

Being Yahweh means He is unchangeable …who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does (Job 23:13). In the believer’s life, it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). The Lord invisibly works within His children, accomplishing His purposes, while His children may not even perceive His workings but consider it to be their own volitional actions. God’s children can rest secure in the knowledge that Yahweh is incomparable yet makes Himself known to us through His Son Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:2).

To be continued…

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God is Awesomely Holy

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture boldly proclaims that  GOD IS HOLY. The Old Testament word “holy” means separation, or apart from. God’s nature separates Him from all His creation. No being is the same as God, or even similar to God. Not even mankind, who God created… in his own image… male and female… are like God (Genesis 1:27). Only humans are imprinted with the image of God, yet God remains set apart and different from mankind.

God does NOT have the capacity to sin. God is set apart from all levels of evil, sinless in purity and beauty. Holiness distinguishes God from everything and everyone. Holiness defines and permeates every facet of Yahweh’s character and actions. No-one gave God holiness, and no-one contributes to or enriches His holiness. God lacks the capacity for even the most microscopic degree of unholiness. He is simply NOT capable of anything less than ultimate perfection and purity. God is the standard of holiness, and everyone is measured according to God’s standard.

The all-consuming theme of God’s holiness echoes through heaven. Around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures… day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come! (Revelation 4:6-8). These mighty creatures are not calling out about God’s love, or any other wonderful quality, but ONLY His holiness. Habakkuk 1:13 testifies that God, you are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong. All degrees of sin are repugnant to God, causing Him to look away. Sin is humanity’s violation of God’s holy image and offensive to the Lord. Holiness shapes and directs every divine attribute and action of the Almighty. Holiness is the foundation and the summation of all that IS God. Holiness encapsulates every facet of His nature and indelibly imprints itself into everything that IS God. It is impossible to be exposed to any facet of God without being exposed to His holiness.

In Exodus 15:11, the song of Moses reveals that God’s holiness is majestic. Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?  While manmade idols are oppressive, demanding, and unforgiving, God towers above them all with His holiness being self-evident in majesty. His holiness is awe inspiring as it radiates through His spectacular works. When we consider the wonders of what God does, we are magnetically drawn to worship Him. In Exodus 15:11, the word “awesome” means to fear, to revere, to be afraid. As Moses thought about all that he knew and had experienced of God, he realised God’s enormity and difference. Moses  was compelled to acknowledge that he was puny, weak, and impure compared to God.

Understanding a little of God’s holiness helps us understand the ugly violation that our sin is against God. The believer’s desire for holiness is a practical desire. Jesus prayed; I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one (John 17:15). We are to remain living amongst the world but separated from the sinful beliefs and behaviour of the world. Holiness is NOT a call for isolation but a call to purity in a hostile environment.

Let us invite God’s holiness to impact us, and to change us as an act of worship (Rom 12:1-2). Beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God  (2 Corinthians 7:1).

To be continued…

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God who is self-revealing – Part 2

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible makes it abundantly clear, Yahweh wants to be known by mankind. The God who created everything is not hiding in isolation. Yahweh does not live in secret behind closed doors. Actually, the very opposite is true. God has painted His ‘Identification’ across the entire universe for all to see and respond to. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse (Romans 1:19-20). The universe is God’s ID Card. Creation tells of its Creator, speaking in great detail of His intellect, His power, and His character. The universe cries out to the world, ‘look at me and learn of your creator!’

While creation is a confronting invitation from God, it pales in comparison to the revelation of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. God has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrews 1:2-3). God could not have sent a more exposing ambassador to earth than His only Son. Imprinted with the essence of God’s perpetual life, love, and holiness, Jesus revealed His heavenly Father to the world perfectly and openly. Jesus said this in John 14:9, whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

Years later, Jesus Christ revealed Himself to Saul without invitation. Now, it happened like this; as Saul approached Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:3-5). Saul was probably the worst God hater on the planet. An angel would not do for this mission, it had to be the glorified Jesus. So, Jesus stepped into Saul’s life, revealing Himself to the man who later became the apostle Paul.

The Bible has many examples of people God revealed Himself to. Genesis 35:6 tells of Jacob, who was at Luz (that is, Bethel)…  there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. Likewise, Samuel, in 1 Samuel 3:21, the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD. The Psalmist acknowledged in Psalm 98:2, the LORD has made known his salvation; He has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. Isaiah 22:14 confesses that the LORD of hosts has revealed himself in my ears.

Solomon prayed that as God brought foreigners to Israel, they would pray, and God would answer so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you (1 Kings 8:43). God has proven Himself; He is not idle or lazy. He says in Romans 10:20 …I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me. God is self-revealing through creation, through personal revelation, through His Son Jesus Christ, and through His written Word, the Bible. Yahweh has gone to extraordinary lengths to be known by mankind.

The question is, are we as willing and as enthusiastic to know God as He is to be known?

To be continued…

 

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God who is awesome – Part 1

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Many people have favourite Bible verses, and I am no different. Yet within my favourites there is one verse that I return to repeatedly. This single verse puts the universe in perspective for me. It reminds me of the incalculable difference between mankind and God, that He is nothing like humanity, and that He is merciful in His justice.  Deuteronomy 10:17, for the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. Here, Yahweh gives testimony of Himself. So there can be no misunderstanding or misrepresentation, Yahweh tells us plainly. Amongst all the spiritual beings, the Lord is the greatest, the highest, the one supreme God who is over all in every possible way.

It’s easy to read over this verse quickly as we pass through the chapter, missing the enormity of its content. With approximately 29 words, depending on your translation, we read a summary of Jehovah. If we had no other Old Testament declaration of God, this would be more than sufficient to communicate all that is needed. The truths of this one revelation should cause us to quiver with exhilarating fear, realising that we, who are so puny, have had revealed to us Him who is so enormous in presence and holiness of character.

Of course, reading this entire section from chapter 5:1 to 28:68 of Deuteronomy reveals a lot more. Moses is delivering the laws of God to the nation of Israel on the morning of their westward crossing of the Jordan river into the promised land (Deu 9:1), after wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. Knowing that he himself would not go with them (Deu 32:51–52), Moses faithfully alerts Israel to Yahweh’s covenant law (Deu 5:2). Once again, Israel is confronted by Moses with an expanded revelation of who Yahweh is, what He has done, and what He is like.

God has always revealed Himself as the absolute Sovereign who is beyond compare or challenge. David states this in Psalm 40:5, You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told. God always reveals Himself as the perfection of holiness (Jos 24:19). Just as in Deuteronomy, David declares that God has not been in hiding. While human language fails to express the fulness of Yahweh, we are still able to worship what we do know of Him accurately.

David, who was far from perfect, knew that God was dependable in His character, unlike David. So, when David sinned and came under the Lord’s discipline, he knew he could depend upon God’s mercy. In 2 Samuel 24:14, he confessed, I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man. Moses reminded Israel that the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders (Deuteronomy 26:8).

Moses was right in instructing Israel to rejoice in all the good that the LORD your God has given to you (Deuteronomy 26:11). Not only did God reveal Himself but He acted. We, like Israel, have seen the revelation and actions of God, therefore, we are to worship. God is just as awe inspiring today as He ever was. Therefore, let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:28-29).

To be continued…

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Friendship with others

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Rewarding Christian friendships are those permeated with God. While there is great diversity in how these friendships operate, the values should always be Christ centered and reflect our relationship with God. However, we live in an age of compromise where believers are often encouraged to look and sound like the world in hope of being accepted. James spoke to this; whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4). While some think these are harsh words, it remains true that out of fear of loosing friends and positions of earthly benefit, believers are tempted to sacrifice friendship with God in favour of friendships with worldly values.
Job, who understood the loss of friendships better than most (Job 1-2), connects the quality of earthly friendship with the character of a person’s friendship with God. Job 6:14 says, he who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. Here, it’s the absence of kindness that displays the absence of fear/respect of God. This makes sense because loving mercy are intrinsic to the nature of God. Therefore, a child of God, born again by the Holy Spirit, should increasingly grow in loving kindness (Gal 5:22-23). And the friends of that believer should experience those growing qualities.

When Jesus delivered the demon possessed man who lived among the tombs, Jesus sent him on the most amazing yet simple mission. Obviously, this man was grateful, and I’m sure we can understand why the delivered man begged him (Jesus) that he might be with him. But Jesus had a much greater and more personable plan for him. So, Jesus did not permit him but said to him, go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you. (Mark 5:19). Apart from anything else, Jesus knew this man would have wanted his friends to experience the Lord’s mercy as he had. Plus, this man had what it took to unashamedly declare the deity of Jesus who is Lord over demons. As this freed man gave his best when speaking of Jesus, so our friends should receive the best of Jesus when with us.

The fact is, this delivered man did such a good job that when Jesus visited the region of the Decapolis… they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him (Mark 7:31-32). Despite Jesus having never visited this Gentile area before, people knew how to recognise and respond to Jesus when He arrived. The delivered man had done a brilliant job of telling his friends about Jesus.

When the apostle Paul wrote from his first Roman imprisonment to the church at Philippi, it was a passionate expression of an uncommon friendship. Despite great distance, and the lack of fast communication, the believers at Philippi were effective at showing their love for Paul. They expressed partnership with Paul which produced joy (Php 1:4-5). Paul replied with encouraging words, and words of assurance (Php 1:6), words of affection (Php 1:8), and words of exhortation (Php 1:9-11).

These are all key elements in a healthy Christian friendship. Rather than sit disgruntled while chained to a Roman soldier, Paul wrote uplifting words for the benefit of his recipients. Paul’s words communicated an uncommon love which inspired the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Php 1:11). May the grace of God increasingly manufacture these qualities in our friendships also?

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