Real God 1: Eternal, Creator, Sovereign
Preaching weekly 30 yrs, never done this series (1/2 TC RF new)
No one is born knowing who the real God is. Every generation must be taught.
All Bible study/theology is either man-centered (bad) or God-centered (good)
We are seeing a generational falling away from the knowledge of God
We are ignorant of God’s attributes & enamored w/our personality.
The less we know about God, the more mental health problems we are seeing
Start w/God (BIBLE FOR VS ABOUT)
Sermons/notes @ realfaith.com – book coming
There is Only One Real God [Trinity]
Deuteronomy 4:35 the LORD is God; there is no other besides him.
Deuteronomy 32:39 there is no god beside me…
Psalm 86:10 you alone are God.
Isaiah 43:10 Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.
Isaiah 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God…
1 Timothy 1:17 the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God…
1 Timothy 2:5 there is one God…
Comforting – don’t need to know all religions, spiritualities, philosophies – just 1 God
The Only Real God is Father, Son, Spirit
Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning, God [Father] created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
John 1:1-3, 14 In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
- Trinity made us
Isaiah 48:16 “And now the Lord GOD [Father] has sent me [Jesus], and his Spirit.
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD [Father] is upon me [Jesus], because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor…
Luke 1:35 “And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High [Father] will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God [Jesus].”
1 Peter 1:2 the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood
- Trinity saves us
Matthew 3:16-17 when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…
Comforting – Real God is personal, relational, not needy but gracious
There are Many Demonic False gods
Exodus 12:12 I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord.
Exodus 18:10-11 “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods
Exodus 20:3-5 (Commandments 1-2) “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God…
- Idolatry = man-made 1. Things & 2. Thoughts
John 17:3 …the only true God…
I Corinthians 10:20 what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.
2 Corinthians 4:4 the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception…
Comforting: we understand spiritual warfare in unseen realm & = battle intensifies as 2nd Coming Christ nears (birth pains)!
There are Counterfeit Christs
2 Corinthians 11:3–4 I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
False view of Real God = Every religion & spirituality tries to include Jesus somehow
Cults
- Progressives – good man, not God, social justice warrior
- JW – archangel Michael created being became man
- Mormons – created being, one of many gods, polygamist, ½ bro Lucifer
Spirituality
- New Age – Jesus a guru/shaman NOT God
Occult
- Masons won’t say the name Jesus in ceremonies, underwent occultic evolution to spiritual power & Masons help people do the same w/levels demonic initiation
World Religions
- Hinduism/Buddhism – teacher, shaman, enlightened holy man NOT God
- Islam – prophet not God or highest prophet
Comforting: the key to everything is knowing/loving Real Jesus! Start w/HIM!
God’s attributes
Self-revealed perfection about Himself (not our guess). =trait, characteristic, quality
Unshared & Shared
Understanding the Real God’s Attributes
Jeremiah 9:23-24 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.”
Hosea 6:6 I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
John 17:3 this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
Philippians 3:8,10 “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
- Every member Trinity shares all divine attributes (Creator)
- God continuously works from all of His divine attributes in perfect harmony.
- Angels/demons/Satan do not have all divine attributes (Gabriel Daniel 9)
- Bad teaching happens when we take some of God’s attributes, but not all.
-Progressive – Love/Mercy (universalists)
-Pentecostal – Imminent Presence/Power (chase signs/wonders)
-Reformed – Sovereign/Holy (not relational)
-Fundamentalist – Truth/Judge (low empathy/compassion)
- God can be known truly, but never known fully (not mastery but marvel)
- We must pursue humility as we study God (3 lb fallen brains & limits language)
- The goal of learning about God in the mind is loving God from the heart (Satan)
The Real God is Eternal
The Bible uses words like “everlasting”, “eternal” “forever and ever” & “before”
Genesis 21:33 “the Lord, the Everlasting God.”
Psalm 90:2 “from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”
Jeremiah 10:10 the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King.
Deuteronomy 33:27 “The eternal God is your dwelling place…”
Romans 1:20 his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature…
Hebrews 9:14 the eternal Spirit
1 Peter 5:10 his eternal glory in Christ…
1 John 5:10 his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Psalm 10:16 The Lord is king forever and ever…
Revelation 4:9–10 whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever.
Revelation 11:5 Christ, …shall reign forever and ever.”
Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
John 8:58 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “…I am!”
Revelation 21:16 I [Jesus Christ] am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
Revelation 22:13 I [Jesus Christ] am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” 1st & last letters Greek alphabet of NT
Comforting: God sees time/history not like us
The Real God is Creator
Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Isaiah 43:15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator…your King.”
Jeremiah 32:17 ‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you..
Romans 1:20 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.
Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
Comfort: Created & Connected (Jesus & HS)!
The Real God is Sovereign [alone in highest authority/dominion/rule]
Psalm 33:6-11 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host…Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.
Acts 4:24 …they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them…
1 Timothy 6:13–16 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus…to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ…he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality…”
- We want a “god” we can control & use = magic/witchcraft/occult
- God = FREE A). control outcome, or B). allow us to make decisions
Guardrails
#1.OPEN THEISM – false teaching that denies God not outside time & sovereign
#2. DETERMINISM (meticulous providence = evil)
=God is FREE. Not everything happens God’s will (miscarriages. Babies in heaven?)
Comfort:
1. Allows perfect prophecy (25%) 2. Nothing is out of control
3. God’s good bigger everyone’s bad 4. God uses our evil for His good.
Genesis 50:20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
- God is sovereign over Satan, demons, & evildoers
Romans 8:28 we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
- Does not guarantee in this life (faith vs sight)
- =HEAVEN NEW TESTIMONIES & SONGS FOREVER
SHIP – passengers decisions w/in limits. Captain sovereign -direction/destination
Band UP Image.
King/throne (center 2 realms)
- 196X Bible, 45 of 61 NT in Revelation 17 of 22, chapter 4 highest concentration
- John sees Heaven open
- Revelation 4:1–11 SOVEREIGN GOD/JESUS CHRIST IN GLORY
3. Jesus on throne =worship angels/saints “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty”
– 1. Eternal “worship him who lives forever and ever”
– 2. Creator “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things”
1.HISTORY GOING TO JESUS THRONE 2.WE’RE GOING TO JESUS FEET
-Kings & rulers take their crowns down & lay them @ Jesus feet
-See NAIL SCARRED FEET – “proskuneo” = Kiss the Feet
