This is the manuscript of the second sermon in the "Doctrines Of Our Faith Series". The series is not about the doctrines of any denomination or group or association of churches, but the doctrines of our faith as Christians.
Doctrine is defined as a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, political party, or other group.
The doctrines of our faith serve the same function for our spiritual lives that the skeletal systems do for our physical lives. The skeletal system is the body system composed of bones and cartilage and performs the critical functions for the human body: the skeletal system supports the body, it facilitates movement, and protects internal organs. So the doctrines of our faith support and protect our beliefs As Acts 17:28 says "for in Him we live and move and have our being....."
The goal of this series is to strengthen our understanding of the teachings, the doctrines of the Christian faith.
This second is the that the One we believe in and worship does exist and He is Almighty God.
Doctrine is defined as a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, political party, or other group.
The doctrines of our faith serve the same function for our spiritual lives that the skeletal systems do for our physical lives. The skeletal system is the body system composed of bones and cartilage and performs the critical functions for the human body: the skeletal system supports the body, it facilitates movement, and protects internal organs. So the doctrines of our faith support and protect our beliefs As Acts 17:28 says "for in Him we live and move and have our being....."
The goal of this series is to strengthen our understanding of the teachings, the doctrines of the Christian faith.
This second is the that the One we believe in and worship does exist and He is Almighty God.
Background Scripture
Psalms 19:1-11 ESV The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
This is the second in our series “The Doctrines Of Our Faith”. Not the doctrines of any denomination or group or association of churches, but the doctrines of our faith as Christians.
Remember what we learned last week;
Doctrine is defined as a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, political party, or other group.
The doctrines of our faith serve the same function for our spiritual lives that the skeletal systems do for our physical lives. The skeletal system is the body system composed of bones and cartilage and performs the critical functions for the human body: the skeletal system supports the body, it facilitates movement, and protects internal organs. So the doctrines of our faith support and protect our beliefs.
The verses 1-11 of Psalm 19 are doctrinal. Verses 1-7 teach us to know God by nature, from creation. But that’s not sufficient to save anybody so the second part verses 7-11 shows that we have a better way than just nature and that is what we talked about last week the divine inspiration of scripture.
We talked about that last week
Last week we talked about the doctrine of the Bible being divine revelation, or the Living Word. We said that the Living Word or divine revelation is a
A specific revelation that can only be understood when the Holy illuminates that revelation.
The Living Word in addition to being specific is also progressive. When Christians begin a systematic study of the Bible, they discover that it is a gradual unfolding of God’s plan and purpose that starts in the garden of Eden with a scarlet thread that runs through the Bible. It begins in the garden of Eden, where the blood of an innocent animal was shed to provide coverings for the nakedness of Adam and Eve after they had sinned. It runs through Calvary and culminates with a new heaven and Earth when Christ returns.
In addition to being a specific and progressive revelation of God to humanity, the Bible is also an inspired revelation.
Not by “common inspiration”—or in the same way that human literary geniuses are inspired. Rather, God gave his thoughts to the individual writers, and they then expressed them within the framework of their unique personalities. They spoke and wrote as they were “moved,” or inspired, by the Holy Spirit
2 Peter 1:21 CEV The prophets did not think these things up on their own, but they were guided by the Spirit of God.
And finally we said that since John wrote Revelation. See, God has not given any new or further revelation to humanity. His will for people and for the ages is contained in the Bible. Everything people need to know to be saved from their sins and to live a Christian life is in God’s Word. It tells people that they are lost and condemned in their sin. It also tells people that God loves them and that he demonstrated his love in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All they need to do is accept by faith the message of the living Word of God.
Psalms 19:1-11 ESV The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
This is the second in our series “The Doctrines Of Our Faith”. Not the doctrines of any denomination or group or association of churches, but the doctrines of our faith as Christians.
Remember what we learned last week;
Doctrine is defined as a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, political party, or other group.
The doctrines of our faith serve the same function for our spiritual lives that the skeletal systems do for our physical lives. The skeletal system is the body system composed of bones and cartilage and performs the critical functions for the human body: the skeletal system supports the body, it facilitates movement, and protects internal organs. So the doctrines of our faith support and protect our beliefs.
The verses 1-11 of Psalm 19 are doctrinal. Verses 1-7 teach us to know God by nature, from creation. But that’s not sufficient to save anybody so the second part verses 7-11 shows that we have a better way than just nature and that is what we talked about last week the divine inspiration of scripture.
We talked about that last week
Last week we talked about the doctrine of the Bible being divine revelation, or the Living Word. We said that the Living Word or divine revelation is a
A specific revelation that can only be understood when the Holy illuminates that revelation.
The Living Word in addition to being specific is also progressive. When Christians begin a systematic study of the Bible, they discover that it is a gradual unfolding of God’s plan and purpose that starts in the garden of Eden with a scarlet thread that runs through the Bible. It begins in the garden of Eden, where the blood of an innocent animal was shed to provide coverings for the nakedness of Adam and Eve after they had sinned. It runs through Calvary and culminates with a new heaven and Earth when Christ returns.
In addition to being a specific and progressive revelation of God to humanity, the Bible is also an inspired revelation.
Not by “common inspiration”—or in the same way that human literary geniuses are inspired. Rather, God gave his thoughts to the individual writers, and they then expressed them within the framework of their unique personalities. They spoke and wrote as they were “moved,” or inspired, by the Holy Spirit
2 Peter 1:21 CEV The prophets did not think these things up on their own, but they were guided by the Spirit of God.
And finally we said that since John wrote Revelation. See, God has not given any new or further revelation to humanity. His will for people and for the ages is contained in the Bible. Everything people need to know to be saved from their sins and to live a Christian life is in God’s Word. It tells people that they are lost and condemned in their sin. It also tells people that God loves them and that he demonstrated his love in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All they need to do is accept by faith the message of the living Word of God.
Photo by Idella Maeland on Unsplash
Our Text today is:
John 4:24 ESV God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
Introduction
The doctrine that we want to talk about today is that the One we believe in and worship does exist and He is Almighty God.
God is constantly confronting humanity with His reality. Everywhere people turn, they are faced with unmistakable evidence of a greater power. In spite of atheism, materialism, rationalism, and agnosticism, the prophets and apostles in both the Old and New Testaments were certain that God “is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”, as it says in;
Hebrews 11:6 ESV And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Even in the midst of all his trouble Job said;
Job 19:25 ESV For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
And John said,
1 John 3:2 ESV Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
The Bible is filled with certainties in regard to God’s existence and involvement in human activities.
What's interesting is that the Bible does not attempt to prove God’s existence; His reality is assumed.
There are three areas in which we can trace the footsteps of God and I want to briefly talk about them today.
I. God is in creation.
We read that in the first verse of Psalm 19.
Psalms 19:1 ESV The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
The universe has an orderliness that cannot be ignored. The seasons come and go on schedule. Night follows day. There is an intelligence behind all this.
These manifestations of nature show there must hvve been something that caused it to happen. That “Cause” is an infinite creator who made it all, set it all in motion, and sustains it.
Paul spoke of God as the Cause behind everything when he described him to the philosophers in Athens;
Acts 17:26-28 ESV And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for "'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed his offspring.'
Furthermore, there is a purpose and design in God’s creation. The atheistic belief that life “just happened” is an affront to human intelligence. For example, consider a house. Would an agnostic say, “We cannot determine who the builder of this house is, so we must conclude that it ‘just happened.’ ”? How ridiculous! Rather, he would say, “We cannot see the architect or builder, but we know there was one because here is evidence of the handiwork, the product of his genius.” Likewise, there was an intelligent purpose and design behind God’s creation.
II. God is in humanity.
Listen to what it says in;
Romans 2:14-16 ESV For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
That says that the evidence is there in their hearts already. It’s just that they refuse to acknowledge it.
As another evidence of his involvement in his creation, God has placed within people a moral consciousness that makes them capable of responding to their Creator.
People were created with an innate knowledge that there is a higher power and with a capacity to know that higher power, which we know is God. But at the same time, God gave people free will, by which they can choose to ignore and repress these tendencies toward God and morality. When they do that, they prove themselves to be fools, because they are asserting that which is contradictory to the very nature of humanity.
Psalms 14:1 ESV The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.
When people are born again, a miracle of restoration takes place in which God brings alive these feelings and intuitions about the existence of a divine creator and about our moral responsibility to abide by his laws.
God is able, because of his love and through the regenerative power of his Spirit, to resurrect those dead feelings. This is the miracle of the new birth.
John 3:5-6, 8 ESV Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
And when you're born again you are not just regenerated you are a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 ESV From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
III. God is in creation, God is in humanity, and God is in the Bible, the Living Word, His divine revelation.
Psalms 19:7-11 ESV The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
The Bible speaks of God’s nature. He is Spirit.
John 4:24 ESV God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
“Spirit” is the highest form of being, and God is essentially and eternally spirit. This means that he is not limited in any way. He is not confined to a human body, even though for thirty-three years he inhabited the physical body of his Son, Jesus Christ.
Still, however, God, although He is Spirit, He is a person. He has personality; he is not merely an impersonal force that inhabits the universe. His personality is expressed in his love, grace, mercy, pity, and compassion. Because He is a person with a personality the writer of Hebrews was able to say;
Hebrews 4:15-16 ESV For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
In other words, God is God; he is infinite and perfect in his holiness and power. Yet because of his inconceivable choice to identify with people and become their Savior, he understands our plight and is willing and eager to save us! We can go to Him with all our needs, concerns, anger, doubt, and fear and we will find mercy and grace.
The Bible talks about God’s attributes.
God is immense. At the dedication of the temple, Solomon prayed and asked,
2 Chronicles 6:18 ESV "But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!
In a school in geometry we learned that a circle has a center and a circumference. The circumference is the limiting, outer boundary of the circle. Well God has a center but no circumference! His “center” is everywhere.
God is eternal. He has no beginning or ending. People divide time into past, present, and future, but God knows no divisions like that. He told Moses to tell the people of Israel that he was sent to be their deliver by him who is the great “I AM.” That means God is everlasting, no beginning and no end.
Revelation 4:8 ESV And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"
God is unchanging.
James 1:17 ESV Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
People change—they start and stop and are up and down. But not so with God. His glory never varies it shines with a permanent brightness.
Conclusion
In summary, we can say that God is omnipotent. This means that he is almighty and has all power. There is nothing that he cannot do. God is omniscient. He has all knowledge. Simultaneously, God knows all things—past, present, and future. God is omnipresent. Not only is he everywhere, but there is also an added dimension to his omnipresence because he is love. He cares about everything everywhere.
In spite of his inconceivable majesty and power, God is concerned about mankind.
Psalms 8:1-9 ESV O Lord , our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord , our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
But even more than that;
Romans 5:6-8 ESV For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarc.ely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Think about that.
John 4:24 ESV God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
Introduction
The doctrine that we want to talk about today is that the One we believe in and worship does exist and He is Almighty God.
God is constantly confronting humanity with His reality. Everywhere people turn, they are faced with unmistakable evidence of a greater power. In spite of atheism, materialism, rationalism, and agnosticism, the prophets and apostles in both the Old and New Testaments were certain that God “is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”, as it says in;
Hebrews 11:6 ESV And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Even in the midst of all his trouble Job said;
Job 19:25 ESV For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
And John said,
1 John 3:2 ESV Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
The Bible is filled with certainties in regard to God’s existence and involvement in human activities.
What's interesting is that the Bible does not attempt to prove God’s existence; His reality is assumed.
There are three areas in which we can trace the footsteps of God and I want to briefly talk about them today.
I. God is in creation.
We read that in the first verse of Psalm 19.
Psalms 19:1 ESV The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
The universe has an orderliness that cannot be ignored. The seasons come and go on schedule. Night follows day. There is an intelligence behind all this.
These manifestations of nature show there must hvve been something that caused it to happen. That “Cause” is an infinite creator who made it all, set it all in motion, and sustains it.
Paul spoke of God as the Cause behind everything when he described him to the philosophers in Athens;
Acts 17:26-28 ESV And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for "'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed his offspring.'
Furthermore, there is a purpose and design in God’s creation. The atheistic belief that life “just happened” is an affront to human intelligence. For example, consider a house. Would an agnostic say, “We cannot determine who the builder of this house is, so we must conclude that it ‘just happened.’ ”? How ridiculous! Rather, he would say, “We cannot see the architect or builder, but we know there was one because here is evidence of the handiwork, the product of his genius.” Likewise, there was an intelligent purpose and design behind God’s creation.
II. God is in humanity.
Listen to what it says in;
Romans 2:14-16 ESV For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
That says that the evidence is there in their hearts already. It’s just that they refuse to acknowledge it.
As another evidence of his involvement in his creation, God has placed within people a moral consciousness that makes them capable of responding to their Creator.
People were created with an innate knowledge that there is a higher power and with a capacity to know that higher power, which we know is God. But at the same time, God gave people free will, by which they can choose to ignore and repress these tendencies toward God and morality. When they do that, they prove themselves to be fools, because they are asserting that which is contradictory to the very nature of humanity.
Psalms 14:1 ESV The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.
When people are born again, a miracle of restoration takes place in which God brings alive these feelings and intuitions about the existence of a divine creator and about our moral responsibility to abide by his laws.
God is able, because of his love and through the regenerative power of his Spirit, to resurrect those dead feelings. This is the miracle of the new birth.
John 3:5-6, 8 ESV Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
And when you're born again you are not just regenerated you are a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 ESV From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
III. God is in creation, God is in humanity, and God is in the Bible, the Living Word, His divine revelation.
Psalms 19:7-11 ESV The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
The Bible speaks of God’s nature. He is Spirit.
John 4:24 ESV God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
“Spirit” is the highest form of being, and God is essentially and eternally spirit. This means that he is not limited in any way. He is not confined to a human body, even though for thirty-three years he inhabited the physical body of his Son, Jesus Christ.
Still, however, God, although He is Spirit, He is a person. He has personality; he is not merely an impersonal force that inhabits the universe. His personality is expressed in his love, grace, mercy, pity, and compassion. Because He is a person with a personality the writer of Hebrews was able to say;
Hebrews 4:15-16 ESV For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
In other words, God is God; he is infinite and perfect in his holiness and power. Yet because of his inconceivable choice to identify with people and become their Savior, he understands our plight and is willing and eager to save us! We can go to Him with all our needs, concerns, anger, doubt, and fear and we will find mercy and grace.
The Bible talks about God’s attributes.
God is immense. At the dedication of the temple, Solomon prayed and asked,
2 Chronicles 6:18 ESV "But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!
In a school in geometry we learned that a circle has a center and a circumference. The circumference is the limiting, outer boundary of the circle. Well God has a center but no circumference! His “center” is everywhere.
God is eternal. He has no beginning or ending. People divide time into past, present, and future, but God knows no divisions like that. He told Moses to tell the people of Israel that he was sent to be their deliver by him who is the great “I AM.” That means God is everlasting, no beginning and no end.
Revelation 4:8 ESV And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"
God is unchanging.
James 1:17 ESV Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
People change—they start and stop and are up and down. But not so with God. His glory never varies it shines with a permanent brightness.
Conclusion
In summary, we can say that God is omnipotent. This means that he is almighty and has all power. There is nothing that he cannot do. God is omniscient. He has all knowledge. Simultaneously, God knows all things—past, present, and future. God is omnipresent. Not only is he everywhere, but there is also an added dimension to his omnipresence because he is love. He cares about everything everywhere.
In spite of his inconceivable majesty and power, God is concerned about mankind.
Psalms 8:1-9 ESV O Lord , our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord , our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
But even more than that;
Romans 5:6-8 ESV For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarc.ely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Think about that.
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