The Attributes Of God - Session 2 - Steve Lawson

well we want to pick back up on our study on the attributes of God and last session we talked about by way of introduction just the attributes themselves what is an attribute what are the attributes how are they interconnected why are they important in your life we now come to the first attribute that I want to sit asked to consider and it's difficult to know where to begin because it's almost like where do you god I mean it's almost like 10,000 oceans where do you first put your toe into the water and different theologians and different systematic theologies start at different entry points and there is no right or wrong way to begin the study but I will start with you as many others have started with the Asiya T of God that's a word that I don't normally use in my day-to-day conversation and you probably do not either it's a Latin word and it speaks to the self existence of God the self existence of God is an incredibly important truth about God let's begin with the meaning of a city it's a Latin word that means out of self out of self or self reliant it means to have being or existence within oneself only God has a city only God has being in existence with within himself every one of us has existence from God everyone of us has life from God and and in God it is in God that we live and move and have our being acts 17 only God is self contained within himself dependent upon no one in nothing outside of himself for his own existence the basis of God's self existence is found within himself he is not caused by anything or anyone outside of himself as I've already said he is not dependent upon anything or anyone therefore God alone is independent that's what the word independent means you're not codependent you're not dependent upon anyone or anything else for one's existence Hermann Babinec the great Dutch theologian says Assiut II he says which means absolute essence may be called the primary attribute of God's being babban it goes on to say we must therefore affirm God's Assiut II that there is nothing above him close quote so what we are saying and what the scripture teaches is that God is self-sufficient God is self-sustaining and God is self-satisfied God is the source of all that there is God is life God possesses all life and God is the giver of all life God has received life from no one else or nothing else he is the source and the giver of all life whether it be physical life spiritual life or eternal life God receives nothing from outside of himself the staggering thought concerning the self existence of God we see it the first verse in the Bible Genesis 1:1 in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth before creation of all that there is God was already in existence God has always been in existence who had all eternity past God was always God without beginning Psalm 93 verse 2 your throne is established from of old we would ask the question well how old is the throne of God the next line in verse 2 gives the answer you are from ever lasting that is what Ephesians 1:4 calls before the foundation of the world Titus 1:2 refers to as long a jazz ago Daniel 7:13 says God is the Ancient of Days Micah 5:2 concerning Christ it says his goings forth were from long ago from the days of eternity he stepped out of eternity into time Psalm 90 verse two before the mountains were born or you gave birth to the earth and the world even from everlasting to everlasting you are God connected to the acidity of God is this aspect of the eternality of God you and I have existence throughout all eternity future whether we are in heaven or in hell there will be no end to the eternal living of our soul but that is only in one direction we have a beginning but with God not only will God exist throughout all eternity future but God has existed from all eternity past without beginning at no point did God not exist there was never a time when God was not our see Sproule has argued brilliantly if anything exists then something has always existed c-loc pause and meditate if anything exists then something has always existed SPRO goes on to say in this same unit of thought if there was if there ever was absolutely nothing then nothing could possibly be now because you cannot get something out of nothing which is what the Atheist is forced to believe SPRO goes on conversely if there is something now then that in itself demonstrates that there was always something and that which always is exists in and of itself that is the one capital of who has the power of being within himself the Living God close quote it's a powerful argument if anything exists now then something has always existed and that something is a someone and that someone is the Living God so godsey turn a latina Sencha Li a part of his acidity God is without beginning God was without in he is the uncreated creator Isaiah 43 verse 10 before me God is the speaker before me there was no God there was no God formed and there will be none after me nothing precedes God no one precedes God nothing and no one upholds God and no God will follow God aw pink is classic the attributes of God everyone needs to go buy 10 copies and read them all the first chapter of the attributes of God which just I'll never forget being in seminary and picking up this book and reading it and my mind being expanded as it has never been expanded before it is a classic aw pink writes in that opening chapter called the solid Darien as' of God there was a time if time it could be called when God in the unity of his nature subsisting equally in three divine persons dwelt all alone in the beginning God there was no heaven where his glory is now particularly manifested there was no earth to engage his attention there was no angel there were no angels to him his praises no universe to be upheld by the word of his power there was nothing no one but God and that not for a day a year or an age but from everlasting during a past eternity God was alone self-contained self-sufficient self-satisfied in need of nothing had a universe at Angel's had human beings been necessary to him in any way they also had been called into existence from all eternity the creating of them when he did added nothing to God essentially it changed changes nothing therefore his essential glory can be neither augmented nor diminish God was under no constraint no obligation no necessity to create that he chose to do so was purely a sovereign act on his part caused by nothing outside of himself determined by nothing but his own mere good pleasure for he works all things after the counsel of his will Ephesians 1:11 that he did create was simply for his mana festive glory close quote nothing lacking in himself no necessity within himself he has created everything out of nothing simply as a venue to manifest his own greatness before his own eyes and that his son would have a bride who would sing his praises for ever and ever and ever a CD means to have being or existence within one's self God has all life in himself the basis of his own life is himself John 1:4 says of the second person of the Godhead in him was life John 526 jesus said the said the father has life in him self then it's just say he is the possessor of all life he is the source of all life he is the power of all life he is the giver of all life he is the taker of all life jesus said in John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life John 14:6 I am the way in the truth and the life Romans 9 26 Paul writes that God is the Living God acts 17 verse 28 it is in him God that we live and move and have our being God is all-sufficient in himself in need of nothing outside of himself Romans 11 verse 34 to 36 are some of the most transcendent majestic verses in the entire Bible whenever I sign a book for someone I write my name and write a letter omens 11:36 and the church where I have pastored we have Romans 11:36 on the wall of the church it is the most all-inclusive statement in any language on the planet there is nothing that exists outside of Romans 11:36 it is a systematic theology in itself there is no thought outside of Romans 11:36 I want to begin in verse 34 as we're thinking about the Asiya T of God the self existence of God that God is not dependent upon anyone or anything in Romans 1134 Paul quoting the Old Testament writes for who has known the mind of the Lord or who became his counselor to whom does God go for counseling the rhetorical question the answer of which is no one no one gives God direction God gives direction no one gives God insight no one gives God help he was known the mind of the Lord or who became his counselor it is God consult no one there's nothing from the outside coming in to God look at the next verse which advances this argument further or who has first given to him that it might be paid back to him again who has given God any provision who has given God any power who's given God anything the answer is no one nothing God has it all God is all then verse 36 is the slam-dunk netis the first word for the word for introduces an explanation of what has preceded this is the bottom line summation of the previous two really three versus four from him and through him and to him or what is there anything outside of all things all things are all things from him through him to him are all things from him means that God is the source of all things all things have come forth from God second through him means he is the means of all things the upholding the maintaining the directing of how many things all things and then it says and to him which means he's the goal the aim all things are not for us all things are for him hard to put it another way from him means all things are from his sovereign will I was dramatic all things are from his sovereign will has anything come forth that is not from God you need to understand even the devil is God's devil all things are from him then through him means through his sovereign activity and then to him means to his sovereign glory nothing originates in itself nothing proceeds in itself and nothing is for itself that is a weighty thought I meet some people and sometimes I wonder what is the deepest thought that has ever entered your mind nothing originates in itself nothing proceeds in itself and nothing is for itself God is even proverbs 16 verse 4 says God has made even the wicked for the final day the ultimate goal and chief purpose of the universe does not revolve around us but it revolves around his eternal self-contained self-sufficient being it's the acidity of God let me give you some more verses these are really worth writing down to first Corinthians 8 and verse 6 reads yet for us there is but one God the Father from whom are all things and we exist for him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we exist through him all things are from him by him through him to him it is a worldview of prepositions in Ephesians 4 and verse 6 we read one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all I mean we can start stacking these prepositions up I mean all things are from him through him in him by him for him to him there is your worldview Colossians 1 verse 17 he referring to Jesus Christ the Son of God he is before all things and in him all things hold together that is to say all that he has created nothing he sustains the universe moment by moment and maintains his laws of gravity and thermodynamics and in all of the affairs of Providence he is the mighty Atlas who is holding everything up and holding everything together and sometimes people say we're going to blow the world up no you're not not till Jesus does he's got the whole world in the palm of his hands hebrews 1 verse 3 and he referring to jesus christ is the radiance of his glory referring to the father Jesus not just the reflection he is the radiance of his glory referring to his intrinsic glory and the exact representation of his nature that is to say he is co-equal and all that the father is the son is and upholds all things not just England not just the UK all things by the word of his power he spoke it all into existence and by his mere breath he upholds all that there is the orbit of the planets the turning of the earth the tilt on the axis the changing of the seasons he controls it all everything is flowing from him some 36 verse 9 says he is the fountain of life all life is flowing from him Jeremiah 2 verse 13 he is the fountain of living waters there are no waters flowing into him all waters are flowing out of him I've been on a one of these buses I've become a addicted to being on top of one of these but I just been riding around the city I think I've gone around it five times last two days just looking everywhere there's the blue line there's the red line I know all the bus routes in London now and we go right past Westminster Chapel Martin lloyd-jones preached there before Martin lloyd-jones was G Campbell Morgan G Campbell Morgan was preaching across town on the greatness of God and when the service was over a very proper small older lady with white kid gloves at the end of the service came to G Campbell Morgan in the lobby and said oh what a fine sermon lovely and she asked Campbell Morgan do I pray only about big things in my life can I pray about little things G Campbell Morgan said my dear lady everything in your life is little you have nothing big in your life we are all dwarfed by Almighty God and the things that seem big to us in our life if the nations are a speck of dust on the scales what must our problems be we are vitally important to God don't misunderstand he has set his affections upon us there is nothing hard there is nothing impossible there is nothing big everything that God does in our life is effortless that is the acidity of God let's move to the spirituality of God aw Tozier also said I believe it's in the knowledge of the Holy One the weightiest word in any language is its word for God the mightiest word in any language is its word for God close quote the reason is God is the mightiest and God is the weightiest reality in the universe we are studying the attributes of God are see Sproule has shared that this study of God which in systematic theology is known as theology proper there's Biblio a the ology proper Christology pneumatology anthropology or angelology anthropology hermit ology sociology ecclesiology and eschatology those are the ten areas of theology study of the Bible study of God study of Christ study of the Holy Spirit study of the angels including Satan and demons study of man study of sin study of salvation study of the church and study of last things therein is our the disciplines of systematic theology sproule argues that theology proper which is the study of the existence of God the attributes of God the tri-unity of God and the eternal decree of God is the key that unlocks every other area of theology it becomes the worldview through which we see every other area of theology we can't understand the Bible what it is how we have received it nor the Sun or the spirit nor Angels nor man made in the image of God nor sin which is revolt against God nor salvation which is the grace of God nor the church which is the body of God the body of Christ the kingdom of God nor the last things without a proper understanding of theology proper God Himself that's how important this is that we're studying now as we consider the spirituality of God the spirit duality of God there are three headings that I want to hang to develop this and we may only have time for one of these three just to give you hope for lunch number one immaterial and when I say immaterial I do not mean unimportant in material means that God is without material substance God is without a physical body God is a spiritual substance God is a spirit being small s God is not enclosed in a physical body John 4 verse 24 says God is spirit and by the way that's a small s as it's properly translated and thus there's no capital letters in the Greek but means God is a spirit being you may say what about those verses in the Bible that says the hands of the Lord Isaiah 65 - or the feet of the Lord Genesis 3:8 or the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth seeking looking for the heart of the one who is completely his first Kings 829 what about the ears of the Lord Nehemiah 1:8 is this a contradiction in the Bible to the contrary this is a figure of speech that is known as an anthropomorphic expression that represents God to us in human-like features I spoke of this Sunday night the face of the Lord the back of the Lord and I do not want to repeat myself needlessly but it bears saying again that as John Calvin said God is infinite and we are finite and for infinite God to communicate himself to finite man he must come all the way down to our prekindergarten state and talked to us in virtually baby-talk dead death mama and in order to communicate himself to us he has had to use figures of speech to represent himself to us in ways that we can gain some small concept of the vast infinite greatness of God and so the eyes of the Lord simply means God sees everything in every place the ears of the Lord means that God hears everything the hands of the Lord means that God is actively intervening the arm of the Lord the right arm of the Lord means that God is mighty and powerful God is a spirit being that is so important or we would not have omnipresence and other attributes would be sacrificed limited restricted but because God is immaterial there are no restrictions to his presence to his knowledge I also want to quickly say that God has personality this is still under immaterial and by personality I simply mean that God has revealed himself not as an it but as a person God is a personal living being in his immaterial substance he is not an impersonal force he is not an eternal thing he is not a inanimate object like this pulpit God possesses all the attributes of personhood and to blow those down to the three main components mind emotion and will a rock does not have a mind a rock does not have emotions a rock does not have a will but a person does God has intellect it seems trite to say but God is an infinite genius he is omniscient he knows everything he is brilliant he is all-wise God knows God thinks God reasons God studies God apprehends God comprehends God compares God deduces he assesses he analyzes he sizes up he concludes he makes judgments God is brilliant God has emotions God is not a stoic sovereign playing chest in heaven with the chess board of this world emotionally disconnected or without emotions the ancient gods of Greek mythology were above it all disconnected from the world below God feels God God loves God hates God rejoices he takes pleasure in God is grieved God is angered God is pleased God sets his affections upon and God has a will God chooses God purposes God determines God resolves God passes over God is determinative in his choices so as an immaterial personal being God is to be worshipped in similar fashion John 4:24 God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit small s and truth God cannot be seen therefore as we worship God it is the human spirit it is the heart attitude not the eyes that are important to God and we must worship Him in truth not his immaterial second God is invisible because he is immaterial second he is invisible God is in this room right now God is in our midst God is as much here as he is in heaven the fullness of God is in this room there is no part of God left out of this room because he is without any physical form he cannot be seen but that does not mean he is not present John 1:18 says no one has seen God at any time I've done a word study on this this is how it reads no one has seen God at any time it means what it says and says what it means if someone comes up to you and says they've seen God just write them off as an insane quack John MacArthur tells the story of this deranged highly emotional speaker who's shared with him I was in the bathroom shaving and God appeared to me and I saw God MacArthur said you you saw God he said yes I saw God he said did you keep shaving because if you did it wasn't God and what would you see if it was God if God is invisible God has manifested his presence in his son the Lord Jesus Christ in the Incarnation which makes for the extraordinary uniqueness of the Incarnation and God has made himself known through light as we saw Sunday evening dazzling blinding radiant light that even Moses had to go hide in Iraq and God cover him up with his hands and then only the backside passed by and then that light being a cloud filter after filter after filter after filter as God makes himself known through manifestation of of light but God is invisible John 6:46 not that anyone has seen the father Colossians 1:15 Jesus or Paul writes that Jesus is the image of the invisible God you cannot see the invisible God that's what it means to be invisible first Timothy 1:17 now to the king eternal immortal invisible the only God we sing that him immortal invisible God only wise first Timothy 6 16 God whom no man has seen or can see that's why we must live by faith and not by sight so God is invisible third God is infinite which means literally without end no end or the idea of no limitations no restrictions because God has no physical body and because God is a spirit being and because he is a divine spirit being he has no boundaries no limits he is free from all physical limitations he is in no way limited by time and space God is above it all God is infinite in his being there is no place that his being does not permeate there is no knowledge that he does not have in full there is no power that he does not possess in full is not limited by any other being or by any other thing he is not limited by time he is not limited by by space and because God is infinite he is incomparable and he is incomprehensible and he is inscrutable Jobe 5 verse 9 speaks of God who does great and unsearchable things if it's unsearchable that means you can't find it out you can't figure it out it is beyond you those lines intersect far above your head if you could figure it all out and understand it all he would not be God joke 9 verse 10 God who does great things unfathomable and wondrous works without number their innumerable their unfathomable job 11 verse 7 can you discover the depths of God rhetorical question no can you discover the limits of the almighty the answer is no because he is limitless there is high as the heavens what can you do I mean you can only peer at the clouds you can only peer up into the end of the atmosphere but you can't even physically see all the way to the upper Missouri cesses at the heights of heaven where God dwells and by the way that's what the word heaven means it means Heights and to be in the highest heavens means to be in the heights of heights but it's not just physically beyond us he is intellectually beyond us there as high as the heavens what can you do the answer that is nothing deeper then she'll what can you know the answer to that is nothing it's measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea in other words we can't get to the bottom of God we can't get to the to the heights of God Psalm 145 verse 3 great is the Lord and highly to be praised and his greatness is unsearchable beyond the limits of our understanding sometimes I'll talk with someone that I meet randomly someplace or seemingly randomly and they will say well you know gods like this I'm just like blinking my eyes like so you figured out God without a Bible amazing Isaiah 40 verse 28 his understanding is inscrutable the word inscrutable means incomprehensible exceeding the boundaries of our abilities to think or comprehend now God by His grace has lowered himself to reveal himself to us and what he has revealed about himself we must embrace it we must receive it we must believe it but it is but the hem of His garment it is but the tip of a vast infinite mountain of reality this is the spirituality of God in material invisible infinite immense and because he is an inci cannot be contained first Kings 8:27 the heights of heaven cannot contain you God comes Church here God comes to church across the ocean if you got on a plane and fly to South Africa God's waiting on you and you get off the plane he was with you on the plane he was the one who helped you onto the plane the immensity of God cannot be contained or restricted in any place we'll talk more about the omnipresent of God it is so encouraging and it is so convicting that God is in every place I think I need to close in a word of Prayer and it's time for lunch and I understand that we'll be back in one hour at 2 o'clock and you're going to want to be here because we're going to talk about the sovereignty of God and in America we'd call this we're going to play big boy football we're going to play big boy football when we come back from lunch and then we're gonna follow it up with a holiness of God okay so we're not we're not letting up our foots on the gas pedal we're going to keep pushing down there's no brakes in this car we're just going to speed ahead into the greatness of God let me pray father thank you for this time for us to look into your word and to try to grasp who you are what you are how you are why you are where you are Lord it's it's so far beyond us it's we don't even know where to begin to communicate how far beyond us you are we praise you that you have initiated making yourself known to us that you have come to us in the person of your son the Lord Jesus Christ and you have made yourself known through special revelation through the Bible and through your son we thank you for general revelation all around us but we're most grateful for special revelation in your word I pray that you would bless everyone who is present here today I pray that this would be more than just thoughts more than just verses more than just statements I pray that all that we're discussing here which is you would work its way down into the very fiber and fabric of our being and that we would be so transformed that we would become godly as we will study your sovereignty after lunch make us humble under your sovereignty as we will study your holiness make us holy as your holy father we pray this in the name of him through whom you have made yourself known to us through the person of your son the Lord Jesus Christ and the one who has redeemed us at Calvary's cross and ushered us into a relationship with you we pray this in the name of Christ amen god bless you I'll see you in a little bit

Channel: GraceLife London

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Length: 57min 8sec (3428 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 10 2014