Lesson # 3 God: His Character & Attributes (Fundamentals of the Faith by John MacArthur)

All right, so this is lesson number three from John MacArthur's book fundamentals of the faith God his character and Attributes, so if you don't have a book, but you would like to Fill out next week's lesson Here it is.

The Holiness and Names of God

Why don't you just pass these around the people can grab them most of you have a book, but if you don't Take one of those and thank you for Tony for printing those out. I want to start with the quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon Spurgeon said this January 7th 1855 he said plunge yourself in the Godhead's deepest sea be lost in his Immensity and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest refreshed and Invigorated he said I know nothing which can so comfort the soul so calm the swelling billows of sorrow and grief so speak peace to the winds of trial as devout musing upon the subject of The Godhead and again that is Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

So as we look at God and his character and Attributes, I just want to start out before we go through the book just start out by Thinking about God's name, you know, God's name tells us something about who he is you think of.

One of his names El Shaddai El Shaddai means God Almighty so his name that name of God tells you something about him that he is all-powerful and then Maybe my favorite name of God Jehovah Jairo, which means what?

Right our provider or More specifically the Lord Jehovah Lord the Lord will provide so in this lesson We're probably going to spend the bulk of our time discussing God's attributes the attributes listed in the book are God's holiness his righteousness and justice God's sovereignty his eternality God's immutability his Omniscience his omnipresence his omnipotence also his love his truth and His mercy.

Now, I think it's helpful before we go through the book to just give a quick definition to each one of these things, you know what I'm my Presence means right? What is on my presence? Right, okay. Yeah, I mean there's certain things that we we know.

But if I say well, what is his holiness define God's holiness, you know. Sometimes you've never really been put on the spot to think about you've heard. Yeah. God is holy. I know God is holy, but what does that actually mean?

So this is a very simple basic definition of these things God's holiness means that God is set apart God is separate from sinners. You could also say that God is completely pure. His righteousness and judgment.

You think of righteousness? Everything God does is right. Even those things you read about in the Bible where God does something and it's like hmm, you know, you think it seems harsh. Well, that's because you don't understand the depths of it.

Everything God does is Right and all his actions and judgments are in line with his righteous character. God's sovereignty. I would define that as saying that God has all Authority, he is sovereign over everything and we like to say that God is in complete control God's eternality that God is from everlasting to everlasting.

You know, sometimes you think of the word Everlasting as okay from this point going forward for eternity. Yeah, but with God it also goes back. So God is from everlasting to everlasting. What does the book of Revelation say?

What does Jesus say about himself? I am the Right the Alpha and the Omega and the Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet Omega the last letter. So I'm the beginning in the end. Then God's immutability, this is a word that we don't Use very often, but if something is immutable That means what?

Unchanging. I am the Lord. I change. Not. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. So God is immutable and that's really important because of God changed. That means okay. We know what he was when the scripture was written, but now he could be something else.

Right, you know God 2 .0. Well, that's that's blasphemy. There's no such thing as good God. You know, God doesn't learn anything. God knows everything he he can't be improved upon. So there's no No reason for God to change we need to change.

There's room for improvement with all of us, but God there's no need for God to change. There's great comfort in that Omniscience that is that God knows all things which is kind of a scary thought in some ways.

So God knows all things. Not only does he know all things. God is on my present meaning. He is everywhere all at once you think of David's who I think we're gonna read this in Psalm 139. You know, where can I go from your presence?

Now where can you run from you can run from the pastor you can run from the church. You can run from family and for you can't run from God. So that's his omnipresence. God's omnipotence he has all power.

Sometimes people define God's omnipotence that God can do anything, right? You've heard this you probably we've all said that God can do anything. Of course, that's not actually true. There are some things that God cannot do such as.

Why right the scripture clearly says that God cannot lie. Yeah, you can't change. God cannot sin. We would just make that general statement. It's also been said that God cannot create another God. You know, some people have the erroneous idea that God created Jesus and Jesus is this other God?

No, no, if Jesus is God in human flesh, then that means Jesus is From everlasting at the Alpha and the Omega so God can't do anything. The next Attribute is his love. And you know, this is the attribute that has been elevated above all today that God is Love and that's in the 21st century.

That's what that's what it's all about and yeah, that's that's fine as long as you don't emphasize God's love to the you know, exclusion of all his other attributes, but God is.

Love.

That's especially displayed how. How do you know for a fact? How do you know for sure that God is love? We love him because he first loved us. But God's love is demonstrated. Are you gonna give the answer?

We're still here. We're still here. Okay.

Right you two had it it's the cross that's how you know that God loves mankind because he sent Jesus Romans 5 8 but God demonstrates his own love toward us that while we were yet sinners Christ Died for us.

So that's God's love. And then when we think of his truth God cannot lie. God's truth is really portrayed in Christ as well because Jesus is the way the truth. Jesus is sort of the embodiment of Truth he is truth incarnate you could say.

And then God's mercy. His mercy is his compassion and loving kindness towards sinners and. Yeah, that's the perfect Answer, how do you know God is merciful because we're still here humanity still exists.

Sometimes we look at the way things are and how much is God gonna put up with. Well. There is a point where he's not gonna put up with it anymore. Then we think God why God why don't you do something about this.

Well. You might not want to you might regret that if you if you think about what God has done to nations in the past but anyway, these are the things that we're gonna look at. So any questions or comments so far.

The One True God and the Importance of Knowing Him

All right. I Think my favorite verse in Scripture has to be Romans 828 because it takes the sovereignty of God and His his power and his love and mercy. All all in one verse and I think about it this way if God wasn't sovereign and if God didn't have all power Maybe he would be a loving and merciful God, but if he doesn't have all power if he's not sovereign He wouldn't necessarily be able to display his love.

So that's that's the verse that really gives me the most comfort. So let's go through this book. Again, this is lesson number three. God his character and attributes. The introduction it says in the religions of today's world.

There are many so-called gods and you notice God there has a lowercase g. And just as many opinions about God or God. Well, let me reread that in the religion in the religions of today's world there are many so-called gods and just as many opinions about what God or God lowercase g is like so when you see capital G.

This is the true God and lowercase g represents a a false God. The Bible on the other hand claims to be the revelation of the one true God. The Bible never tries to prove that God exists. It simply States that in the beginning.

God.

And that's one thing I like about How the Bible just presents it. Moses doesn't try to convince people that God exists. He just says he does. Now there's two ways of you know, what apologetics is. Who knows what?

Apologetics is what does it mean?

Giving reasons or arguments to one side or another.

Yeah defending the faith giving an answer giving a reply for what you believe and why and there's really two approaches. Either you just proclaim what the scripture says and then back it up With the authority of scripture or you use philosophy and human reason and archaeology and there's really two types of apologetics the the apologetics I see in scripture is just as Spurgeon said, you know, the scripture is like a lion.

A lion doesn't need to be defended. You just need to let them loose. So just declare what the scripture says. We don't need to get into philosophy although that you know, it can be helpful for some people, but I would take the The approach that God really doesn't need and he can people already know that God exists really the second or the first.

Question a how does Psalm 89 verse 7 and verse 8 describe God? Who wants to answer that question? How does it describe God? He is what to be to be feared to be feared. In reverence and mighty, okay held in reference reverence.

He is awesome and mighty so God is to be feared and Really right off the bat this goes against the culture even mainstream evangelicalism. That's not being preached today. That's not the the message that sells today the message that sells is God's Compassion and his love but the idea that God is to be feared.

That just doesn't really sell books does it and speaking of selling books? Go on to section B. What statement is made to point to the fact that there is only one God Isaiah 43 verse 10 the answer before me.

This is the Lord speaking before me. There was no God formed and there will be None after me. Okay, so there there is no other God now the best-selling. I'm gonna bring this up because I think it's I don't want to say it's earth-shattering because it doesn't really surprise me.

It might surprise some of you the best-selling Christian author. Does anyone know who the best-selling? Christian author is. It's not Rick Warren. Yeah, I think he had the best-selling book purpose-driven life.

I'd have to guess take a guess Joyce Meyer. No, please. It's a good it's not a bad guess really, okay, Max Lucado from what I understand is the best-selling Christian author and What does that have to do with Isaiah 43 verse 10 well, he went on Glenn Beck's Radio program recently.

Because Max Lucado wrote a new book. So he's promoting his new book and if you know anything about Glenn Beck You'll know that Glenn Beck is a a Mormon. Glenn Beck has been a Mormon for a very long time and The Mormons believe that God was once a sinful human being living on the planet Kolob.

Or.

The star is Kolob in the planet was surrounded. But they believe that God was a sinful human being who through the rites and rituals of Mormonism Elevated himself or was elevated to God status. They believe that Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer.

They believe in work salvation. They believe that Mormon men can literally become.

God.

God of their own planet. Here's why that's relevant Max Lucado the best-selling evangelical author.

Affirmed.

That Glenn Beck has the Holy Spirit within him. You realize what that means? He's affirming that Glenn Beck is a true Christian. If you say the Holy Spirit is within a person you're saying they're saved.

So again, that doesn't surprise me because I I you know, this started with Billy Graham. And Billy Graham had a lot of good things that he taught. Massive influence, but he really opened the door for evangelicals to accept Catholicism and and liberalism and later on in his life towards the end.

It was Rumored that Billy Graham even accepted Mormonism as a legitimate form of Christianity. So and Billy was the by far the most famous evangelical I think of all time certainly of the 20th century so that kind of opened up the door for the next generation of Joel Osteen's and and Max Lucado's to.

Really? I think go off the reservation. But why is that important if you think Mormons are saved? You don't know who God is. Who is God? God is from everlasting to everlasting. God is eternal. God was not a sinful human being.

It to me it's. It's really kind of sad that these types of things happen. Isaiah 43 verse 10 before me there was no God formed and there will be none.

After me.

Can anyone think of any other religions that Teach that there are other gods.

Barb Right.

Thousands and thousands of gods maybe even more than that and While I'm mentioning those Christian authors Joel Osteen was asked about other religions are Hindus saved he said well, I believe I visited India with my dad and he said I believe Hindus love God.

Well, the thing is Hindus don't know God. To them God their ancestors or you know, they have these whole Spectrum of deities they don't know the one true God and so we need to Say this to people who have kind of bought into this lie of Universalism that all paths lead to God if you think that you don't know who God is.

Any questions. But here's why this study is important we've heard these things. We need to apply it because the majority I would say the majority of people today They believe that there is a God maybe they believe he's out there that he's the Almighty that he's Truthful.

They might even say that God's Word the Bible is true. But what does the Bible say that Jesus is the way? The truth and the life and no man comes under the Father except through me that There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Acts chapter 4 verse 12. So as soon as a person Opens up there the possibility to well God is like this or God's gonna accept everybody or maybe the Bible. Yeah, that's what it says. That's not what it means.

You've just fallen out of the Christian faith. So let's move on to number C. You say well that sounds narrow. I know I'm preaching. I've you'll you forgive me. I'm free I'm supposed to be teaching this morning.

I'm preaching they say that sounds narrow doesn't it? Right well didn't Jesus say something about broad is the path that lead to destruction narrow narrow is the gate right? You're right. It is it is narrow.

Jesus is the only Savior, okay. See what is it? That's the heavy part of the okay. Let's Actually, it's all heavy. This is God. We're talking about. All right. See, what is it that God will not give to another Isaiah 42 verse 8.

He will not give what? Okay, he will not give his praise he will not give his glory to another section number two the importance of knowing God. Jesus equated knowing God with what? John 17 verse 3 Knowing Jesus, which is how you get eternal life.

So having eternal life in knowing God. It's it's one in the same to have one. You have to have the other. So to have eternal life, you have to know the one true God and to know the one true God you have to know about God, I mean if you say hey, do you know this guy John Doe?

Oh, yeah, I know John Doe. Tell me something about him. Yeah, well, I don't I don't know. I mean his name's John Doe like you eat to know somebody you have to know about them. So again, there's the majority of people in the world would say they believe in God or a God.

But do they know the one true God meaning do they know about him? Do they believe that he has revealed himself through his only begotten Son and they believe that he's omnipresent. Omniscient, etc. Yes, it's more than knowing about.

Them it's it's. Being able to carry on a conversation With them. You can know all about somebody without. Without really experiencing them it can't just be an intellectual kind of thing. I don't think okay.

All right. Well, no, that's good because yes, you can know these facts that God is Omniscient eternal and all the rest without actually knowing him personally, but that's a good point. So, how do you know him?

Personally.

Okay, you talk to him and he talks to you. He you hear his voice. He certainly hears our voice. But like where Jesus said there is going to say to some people. I never knew you. So it talks. It's there's a connection.

There's there's a Spirit I'll say then us not an intellectual or a mental connection. There's a spiritual connection. Yes a spirit. And we have a spirit which is either been born again, yeah, of course.

Right going back to the Holy Spirit, you know God if he is within you if he's within you. You know him because he dwells within you has made your dead spirit alive towards him. So, you know about him, but you know him personally because he dwells within you and that's through a a trust.

Once you start trusting in Christ and in Christ alone and worshiping him and praying to him and Serving him then your relationship grows from there. But yeah, you had your hand up.

Just as you are referring to an intimate.

Relationship.

As it says in the scriptures, you know, especially the Old Testament that Adam knew Eve and she conceived, you know, I mean there was this intimate Not, you know knowledge of one another. To you know where they shared.

Life right.

Yep.

Amen, okay, let's move to the next page. It says a right conception of God is Basic not only to systematic theology, but to practical Christian living as well. I Believe there is scarcely an error in doctrine or a failure in applying Christian ethics that cannot be traced.

Finally to imperfect and ignoble thoughts about God and that's a W Tozer so knowing about God is essential to really having that close relationship with him. This is section 3. How can one know God? Question a what does Jesus say about the means for knowing God John?

14 9 and 10. We'd like to read those two verses. All right. Well now you're gonna look him up. I'll just say I'll just read this. This is have I been so long with you and Yet you have not come to know me Philip.

This is Jesus speaking to Philip his Apostle he who has seen me Has seen the Father. How can you say show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? So we believe that the only way to really know God is to know Christ if you know Christ.

Then you know God this is the thing with Hindus. Hindus don't believe in Christ. They don't believe that Jesus is the Savior who died and wrote no other religions believe that. So they cannot know the one true God if they do not know Christ.

And someone can say well, I don't believe any of that. Well, all right, you don't believe but This is the Christian faith. The only way to know God is how? To know Christ. So if you know Christ, you know God the Father.

Be what does Paul say about Christ in Colossians 2 9 because that's quite the claim For Jesus to say if you've seen me you've seen the Father. Well, this is what Paul taught and Colossians 2 9 Said for in him that is in Christ all the fullness of the deity dwells in bodily form.

Isn't that a cool thought. The fullness of deity dwells in the form of a man Christ so Christ is The Son of God and that means he is he is God in human flesh. Yes, you got something.

It's all the fullness I thought that. Because you mean fullness. Isn't that all? Anyways, but he says all the fullness. So it's it's kind of it reminded me of Ephesians 3 19 that says talking about your relationship, but exceedingly Abundantly above all that we could ask for things.

So I mean Exceedingly is a lot but abundantly so exceedingly abundantly, you know, I mean, it's not redundant.

But it it gets the point across right?

Right.

So this is key believe in the deity of Christ all the fullness Exceedingly abundant all the fullness dwells In in him. There's a new ad campaign That has come out who's heard of this. It's called he gets us.

I Just heard of this this past week. Apparently there's ads being run on television. It's on social media. So you might come across this. I bet you if somebody on the in the next 24 hours. You're gonna see this on TV or on Facebook or something, you know, you're your phone just picked up me saying it now.

He gets us so it's an ad campaign that's trying to. Well, it's supposedly about evangelism to try to Paint Jesus a little differently in a relevant, you know hip way to kind of draw in new people. One of the statements though the reason I bring it up one of the statements made by this campaign they said something to the effect that you know, some people believe that Jesus was Divine or the some people believe he lived a sinless perfect life.

Others find that to be a real stretch, but either way Jesus, you know, it's like wait, hold on a minute if that's your method of evangelism. Where you're kind of opening it up to where well you you can believe this other thing that Jesus was a really great guy.

But I mean he wasn't God he. It's not like he lived a sinless life. What's the problem with that? That's not the Jesus of the Bible. That's that's not the Christ of Scripture. Just like the God who accepts all faiths is not the God of Scripture.

So, you know and I say this again, it sounds narrow and some people don't like this. But I find it exciting because we actually have the truth. The whole world they're deceived. We actually have the truth and when you have that You want to tell people about it.

You're willing to die for it. Hopefully you're willing to die and hopefully that won't happen but you know, hopefully we should be should be willing. All right. See the writer of Hebrews says That God has spoken to us in his son.

How is Christ? Described Hebrews 1 3. And you're supposed to have this filled in so I get you shouldn't it shouldn't have to look it up. I guess how how is he described who wants to to read it? I'm not reading this one.

One of you has to do it. The brightness of his glory in the exact image of his person.

Mmm.

The exact Representation of his person or his nature. So Christ is the exact Representation of.

God.

The Attributes of God: Holiness, Sovereignty, and Love

All right. Number four. God's attributes. Now we're getting into the the main part of the study the attributes of God. It says an attribute is a quality or a characteristic that is true about someone.

Studying God's attributes allows us to have a limited understanding of this person. Now. Why does it say a limited understanding? Right, I mean the only way you could have an unlimited understanding of God and this person is if you yourself We're God.

I don't maybe in heaven. Maybe we'll understand the depths of it. I don't know but in this life That's not going to happen, but we can know a great deal about God Continues even though some concepts exceed the limits of our comprehension our ideas concerning God Need to be as true as possible you know, this is why I make a big deal about the Lucado thing and and preaching sound doctrine because as soon as you lose sound doctrine and You know, you're what we know about God is as true as possible.

Once that no longer is all that important. You're in big trouble so what we know about God we want to make sure it is as true as possible and Once we have that then when we hear something that's blatantly not true You know, then we can go to that person in a loving way.

Say hey, you know, I you know, I've heard you believe this or you said that let's let's have that conversation about it. Because ultimately we want people to know the truth. I want to know more truth about God.

I've been studying for a long time and I feel like I I know this much. How much is there to know the ocean itself could not fill the knowledge of The depths of God and his person and his work and what he's going to do, but you can know a little all right, so the Attributes of God are his holiness.

This is what we're going to look at his holiness righteousness and justice.

Sovereignty.

Eternality and mutability omniscience omnipresence omnipotence love truth and Mercy. So moving on to the next page I have the teacher's guide. So I'm assuming mine is the same as yours. So if it isn't just bear with me I think it is Number B or letter B.

God's attributes defined. Says first look up the following scripture verses. Then write down the part of the verse that best describes the given attribute. Second in the personal application section write out how that Attribute personally applies to you based on your understanding of the attribute.

So if you're willing to give the application of what you wrote during the week, that would be great. Let's start out. His holiness God's attribute of holiness and you notice holiness is first. That's not a coincidence.

Because you've heard you've heard me say this before that God's primary attribute is his holiness. And how do we come to that conclusion?

That's what the angels keep.

That's all they can say. Yeah, my proof text I guess would be Isaiah chapters chapter 6 where the seraphim Surrounding the throne cry out day and night. Holy holy holy. So God is love the scripture says but it says he's holy holy holy elevated to the third degree.

If I can't say this for certain, but it might be said more times than all the rest. The scripture talking about his holiness. I don't know how many. Thousands of times but that's what we would say. This is his primary attribute so God's attribute of holiness means that he is untouched and Unstained by the evil in this world.

He is absolutely pure and perfect. The first verse is Exodus 15 11, which says Who is like you? Majestic in holiness. And then Psalm 99 verse 9 Worship at his holy hill for holy is the Lord our.

God.

Now in the Old Testament, there was a site, right? The Israelites were supposed to travel to Jerusalem. That was a once a year or twice a year. But there was a place that God was to be worshipped and where was that?

Developed over time, but you know once the temple was built where was the place to worship God? Right on his holy hill Mount Zion. Jerusalem the temple that I mean that was the headquarters of the worship of Jehovah God today.

Jesus.

Spoke about this. Was it to the woman at the well? Was that the conversation. But he said that God desires to be worshipped, you know, wherever it is. But he desires to be worshipped in spirit and in truth.

So today in the New Testament Church, you don't have to worship God in any one location. It's not like you have to get on a plane and fly to Israel to properly worship God. You can worship God and spirit and in truth.

Every day. Now some people take that as well. See, we don't have to come here to this building to worship. Guy can where I can worship. Who's heard this. I don't need to go to church on Sunday because I can worship God in nature while I'm out on the boat fishing.

I can worship God on the golf course. How about you worship God on the golf course on Saturday and then come here on Sunday, but obviously we need the fellowship we need. To gather together, but it's true.

You can worship God anywhere. At any time you just need to do it in spirit needs to be from the heart and it needs to be in line with His truth and to be in line with the truth. That's where you get into the doctrine.

Okay, so what's the application of this. Because God is holy and we are exhorted to be holy first. Peter 116. We are to be set apart from sin unto God. So our lives are to shine as a reflection of God in an unrighteous world.

So what's the personal application. You have a personal application?

Vehicles and traffic and school buses. Okay work. That I should be as much like God as I can be and In these attributes that I should be gracious and forgiving and merciful. I had a I don't know if you'd call it an altercation, but I had a Signal or sign language.

A.

Exchange with a woman who was frustrated because she felt that I was leaving the red lights on too long because I had to also turn around.

And.

And so, you know my.

Immediate.

Thought was well, you know I'm stupid she isn't that there's 20 of us in the bus and there's just one of her in her car and and Children are more important. I mean, that's the whole idea and I was going on and on like that.

But then I was thinking well, no, I Need to be I need to be gracious in the Sunday school Lesson that that I taught when we were gone, of course. That was how I was teaching myself, but it ended up being esteem others as more important than yourselves.

Right and I had a lot more peace about it saying yeah, that's what that's what I would do. You know, right he he overlooks our faults and he and he sees our need and and We're supposed to serve others and and all these sorts of things.

So it's really and you've heard that acrostic joy of Jesus first others second and then yourself last.

Good.

So this is taking what you know about God and how he is and I want to be like that too. Now it's easy to be easier to be like that when everything's going great. But those moments of testing that's that's where it really counts just for me forgiving people.

You know, we don't always want to forgive. But when you think of how much God I think of how much God has forgiven me of and how much he continues to forgive me. How can I hold a grudge against somebody else?

Sometimes I still try, you know in my flesh I still want to. But When you think of it in those terms that what God has done and how he has shed his love and mercy on us then we are really in no position to To act contrary.

You know that doesn't hurt the other person one bit if you hold a grudge against them. It doesn't hurt him one bit, but it does.

Yeah, well you've heard this. I'm sure that was that holding a grudge or bitterness is Akin to drinking poison and expecting the other person to keel over and die or something. Pretty much. Okay. Number two righteousness and Justice is that wait a second.

I can't be. Class is over.

This is.

These fundamentals, they're deep this this is deep stuff. Larry's gonna get his wish. He's gonna get a part two on this. Cuz I don't want to hurry through. So yeah, like I said, it's gonna depend on your involvement.

But let me just read this. Alright, so. That paper you had for lesson number four still fill it out. We'll do it probably two weeks from now. Actually, you better be ready for next week just in case we get through part two.

But we'll pick up next time with God's righteousness and justice. Just to read this righteousness and justice are derived from the same root in the original language of the New Testament. The meaning is being right or just so everything God does is right.

Matter of fact what is right? Depends on what God does he he determines right and wrong. He determines truth. And we'll talk about these things next week.