Who is God? God is Patient

2 Peter 3:8-9 (ESV)
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

God is Patient. And that is a good thing!

(This is part 18 of our study on ‘Who is God‘)

God is content to wait for the exact right moment to put things into action, or to take a certain action. Our Father is also slow to anger, which means whilst He is still just, and righteous, He doesn’t take unnecessary immediate action, when there is a better way.

1 Timothy 1:16-17 (ESV)
But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

What does this mean for me?

God is not slow. You might be waiting for something to happen, you might be praying for something to take place. God is not slow! But God knows the perfect time, and is willing to be patient for that perfect time to come along. It doesn’t mean the answer to every prayer is always ‘yes’, but either way, the answer will always come at the most appropriate time.

God is just, yet forgiving. God will punish sins, but He withholds that final judgment until the right time. He has allowed a time, which is right now, for the world to continue on its fallen path, that more people might come to know Him, and trust in Him as savior and Lord. On the last day all people will know Him as Lord, but only those that have confessed it prior to that final judgment and revelation will be saved. But don’t be fooled! Judgment is coming, and it is coming soon. It will come at the exact moment it needs to come.

How often in our lives are we too impatient to wait for the perfect time? Even in simple things like driving or crossing the road, or even walking through a shopping centre, how often are we patient to do things at the right time, like merge, rather than just taking off at a time that suits us? And if we fail in the small things, as I know I do often, how much more the big things in life! We jump before the ship has docked, we move before God wants us to.

But God is patient with us, knowing our weaknesses, and so treats us as young children, who need to be taught the right way, with love and gentleness, but followed by a firm hand. For If God wasn’t patient, would any of us be here now?

Exodus 34:6 (ESV)
The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

Lord God, almighty Father, thank you for Your patience. Thank you that You were patient with me until the right time to bring me to know You, and to trust You as Lord. Thank you that You hold back your final judgment until as many people as possible can come to know You, and be saved from themselves. Just as you have perfect patience, guide us, teach us, help us to be also patient like You, not just in the big decisions in life, but in all things. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Who is God? God is Holy

1 Peter 1:14-16 (ESV)
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

God is Holy.

(This is part 17 of our study on ‘Who is God‘)

I find it interesting – for years I have proclaimed God as Holy – we hear it in the psalms, we sing it in our worship songs. We hear it in our sermons; we write it when we share with others. But what does being holy mean?

Holy means in one sense without sin – but more than that it means separated from sin, not just without it, but utterly against it. God is totally, completely, and utterly separated from sin. God is set apart, perfect, and without fault.

So God is not only without sin, but he hates sin. That is why he sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins, that we might be right with Him. Because He is holy, He cannot accept our worship when we are sinful. He cannot be in fellowship with us because of our sin. But those who have accepted Jesus payment for that sin can once again be seen as holy before God, and be right with Him.

1 John 1:5 (ESV)
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

What does this mean for me?

There are two key messages I think we can take immediately from God’s holiness.

The first is, God hates sin. So when you sin, God can’t just ‘let it slide’ or excuse you. No, each time we sin we need to rely again on the blood of Jesus that cost so much, to atone for that sin. Do you want to be right with God? I would assume so since you are here reading this! Then you need to as much as possible, remove yourself from sin. It is a tough line to follow – yes, the blood of Jesus covers your sins. But that sacrifice was given at a great price – at the death of the incarnate Son of God. If you want a motivator not to sin, take some time to think on God’s holiness.

Matthew 12:50 (ESV)
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.

I know – we can’t live a perfect life! Romans 6 and 7 are examples of this. We are caught in a ‘body of death’ that is born into sin and just can’t help it. But there are things we can do. When we see sin and recognise it, we need to run! When we see that we are being drawn into sin, we need to avoid it! When we feel tempted to sin, we need to pray that God might strengthen us to overcome it, or to run from it, anything but be a part of it.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (ESV)
Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

The one last thing is we need to know we are not perfect. We need to not ‘think’ we can stand, that we can on our own resist sin and overcome it. Only Jesus lived a perfect life of obedience and without sin – it is simply beyond our natural means to live it. Don’t use that as an excuse though, but recognise then your need for God to intervene supernaturally into your life and circumstances, pray, and watch what miracle God will achieve!

Secondly, God does not author sin; God does not condone sin in any form. God is holy – He hates sin! There are times when things happen to us and we might claim ‘why is God doing this to me?’ God isn’t doing anything to you that involves sin! We live in a fallen world, and could take a long time discussing what that means. But know this – God doesn’t condone sin, and God does not author sin. People will sin against us, but God doesn’t direct them to do it. So when bad things do happen, because we live in a fallen sinful world which will stay that way until Jesus returns, call out to God! You may not like what is happening to you, but know that God hates sin more than you ever could.

Psalm 99:9 (ESV)
Exalt the LORD our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for the LORD our God is holy!

Lord God, thank you for Your word that can teach us about You. Guide us to it, draw us to a place that we can’t help but read it every day, and meditate on it every hour. Teach us to know you more. Help us to know how truly holy You are, and what that means. Give us a desire to be holy, just as You are holy, as we look forward to the return of Jesus in this earth to set all things right once again. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Who is God? God is Righteous and Just

Isaiah 45:18-19 (ESV)
For thus says the LORD,
who created the heavens
(he is God!),
who formed the earth and made it
(he established it;
he did not create it empty,
he formed it to be inhabited!):
“I am the LORD, and there is no other.
I did not speak in secret,
in a land of darkness;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,
‘Seek me in vain.’
I the LORD speak the truth;
I declare what is right.

(This is part 16 of our study on ‘Who is God‘)

God is righteous and just. This means that He always does what is right, without partiality or prejudice, to all people. When we talk about God, it is difficult to separate both His righteousness and His justice, so we will treat them together.

God always does what is right. One who is righteous is one who always does what is right. Or in the negative, someone who is righteous never does any wrong. Our God does not do anything the wrong way, or for wrong reasons, or with wrong intentions, or with prejudice which is wrong. (If you think about it, God cannot have prejudice in any case, as the meaning of prejudice is to make a judgment without all the facts, or to make a judgment on limited facts or predispositions, such as racial prejudice. Since God is Omniscient – He knows all – and he is righteous, he cannot have prejudice!).

Deuteronomy 32:4 (ESV)
“The Rock, his work is perfect,
for all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,
just and upright is he.

God is always just. That means He administers justice correctly. It means that God always does what is right – which is why righteousness and justice go together.

Romans 3:21-26 (ESV)
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

What does this mean for me?

Combined with God’s love (John 3:16), the righteousness and justice of God means that Jesus came to this world so that you can be right once again with Him, and not suffer eternal punishment as you deserve.

For being righteous and just, God cannot just allow sin to go unpunished. An earthly judge cannot allow a criminal to go free unpunished, lest he cease being a ‘just’ judge. How much more then our just and righteous God let us free, for without payment for sins, there can be no forgiveness. But God, who knew there was no way we could pay our debts, sent Jesus to pay those debts for us, to give full satisfaction for our sins.

Lastly, for us, it means that God will always do what is right. We may not see or understand, but God does – and He will make the right choices. He will make the right choices for our lives, for our direction, for what happens in our lives, without prejudice, without bias, without sin. He will make the right choices, and we can trust Him in that!

Thank you Lord God that you are righteous and just. We know without you, we cannot be righteous or just before you. We know that without the payment for our sins, but the blood of Your Son Jesus, that we could not dare to stand before you. So we come before you humble, and thank you for what has been done for us, in your righteousness and justice, that we can be free of ourselves and made right with you once more. In Jesus Name. Amen.

(photo flickr/al_hikesaz)

Who is God? God is Merciful

Exodus 34:6-8 (ESV)
The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.

(This is part 15 of our study on ‘Who is God‘)

God is merciful.

One of the most amazing things about God is His mercy. Because it is His mercy, balanced with His righteousness and holiness, that gives us Jesus. It is His mercy that brings us salvation. It is only by His mercy that we are here today.

What is mercy? The dictionary says something like this – Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.

Mercy is one of the key themes throughout the Word of God, throughout all of time. It was Gods mercy that kept the world turning when Adam and Eve sinned. It was mercy that kept the promise of God alive when His chosen nation turned away from Him – over, and over again. It was Mercy that caused Jesus to become man and pay the price for our sins.

The Bible is full of stories of mercy. The exodus. The bronze serpent (Numbers 21). The sins of David, and all of the other Kings of Israel and Judah. Even small parables like the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)

Psalm 103:8-14 (ESV)
The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.

Personal Application

What does this mean for me?

God is merciful towards those who fear Him, to those who love Him. Go back and read the verses from Exodus and the Psalm above. God knows us – He created us! He knows our weakness. Yes, He will punish sin, but He will also be merciful with us. God doesn’t just take us outside and shoot us at the first sign of dissent! Instead, he might in his mercy correct us in some way, but He will also forgive us. We could never pay the debt for our sin – but it has been paid for us. God is merciful.

Yes, we need to look out for sin. Yes, we need to avoid sin. Yes, we need to put our words into action and do the right thing. But when we fail (and fail we will), God is merciful!

God is merciful to others. Sometimes we look on others, and forgetting even the grace that God has had towards us, condemn them in our hearts because of their actions. We look, and we judge (and could probably do with a reading of Matthew 7:1-5 again). But God is merciful! Who are we to know the heart of that person? Who are we to know whether God is working in their lives as well? Who are we to know anything? And who are we to forget that for our own sins we deserved death and eternal punishment for rejection of our very own Creator! God is merciful not just to you, not just to me, but in some way God is merciful to all people – we need to thank Him for that (for we are part of all people), not take time to judge others.

2 Peter 3:8-10 (ESV)
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

So in the end, what are we to do? We need to know – completely know – that God is merciful. Part of that knowledge has to also be that God is Holy (for it is because He cannot stand sin that we even needed mercy). We all need to see the absolute depravity of our natural state, and then we can truly understand and rely on the mercy of God.

Psalm 57:1-3 (ESV)
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me.
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by.
I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
He will send from heaven and save me;
he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

Who is God? God is Love

1 John 4:8 (ESV)
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

(This is part 14 of our study on ‘Who is God‘)

God is Love. This is the Big One. This is the one everyone wants to quote, and wants to believe about God.

But what does it really mean?

It means that God is love! Love is defined by God – because He is Love. It means that love first comes from God. To better understand it, 1 John 4:7-21 is a good place to start (I will just quote up to verse 10 here).

1 John 4:7-10 (ESV)
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Personal Application

God loves you.

Not because you choose to love God. Not because you are necessarily loveable. Not because you are good, or because you do good things. Not because you are holy, or because you always try your best (or at least sometimes do).

God loves you.

Despite your sin. Despite your rebellion. Despite all of the wrong things you have said and are yet to say. Despite all of your offences against God.

God loves you. Unconditionally. That means that there are no conditions to Gods love – He simply loves you.

And because God loves you, you should respond to Him in some way.

And because God loves you, you should do your best to love others, just as God has loved you. Not because they are good. Not avoiding love because they are bad. But you should love others because God loved you.

So it really is that simple – God loves you. Take some time to think about it, despite the difficulty. Not just rejoicing in the fact that God does love, but that He is love. And He loves you not because of anything you have done, are doing or will do – but because of who you are.

That is a truly revolutionary thought – there is nothing I can do to make God love me more, or less. So stop striving for the unreachable, but take comfort knowing His love is unconditional.

John 3:16 (ESV)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Who is God? God is Good

Psalm 34:8 (ESV)
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

(This is part 13 of our study on ‘Who is God‘)

God is Good. This is something that those who go to church might hear a lot. It is an affirmation of the Christian, an affirmation pronounced from the pulpit. But what does it mean?

Good means that which is morally right, or, that which is righteous.

So God is morally right. God does the right things. God is righteous.

And yet, it is more than just ‘being right’. God defines goodness at it’s very core – our definition of good and right is God.

Wayne Grudem (systematic theology) has a great definition – The goodness of God means that God is the final standard of good, and that all that God is and does is worthy of approval.

In the negative sense, it also means God is not evil. God does not do evil. God does not approve of evil. You can never ascribe evil to God, because by definition if God is good, he cannot be evil. We do not believe in a ‘dualistic’ God where he is both good and evil.

God IS good.

Personal application.

What does this mean for me I hear you say? It means that since God is good, His intentions towards you are also good. His wishes for you are good. His will for you is good. Anything He chooses for you, no matter what it feels at the time, is ultimately good.

If you want to reverse the analogy, then God is not evil. He does not wish or will evil upon you. He does not intend evil for you. His will for you is never evil.

God is good. Take some time and meditate on the verses below – I pray they will help you see more the goodness of God, and His purposes for your life.

John 10:10-11 (ESV)
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Romans 8:28 (ESV)
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Who is God? God is Omnipresent

Jeremiah 23:23-24 (ESV)
“Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.

(This is part 12 of our study on ‘Who is God‘)

God is everywhere, always.

God is always present. God is always ‘right there’. There is nowhere you can hide from God – there is nowhere that you are out of His reach.

Psalm 139:7-10 (ESV)
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.

Personal application

God is always there for you. No matter what is going on in your life, no matter what your struggle, God is there. There is no place He cannot be! Think about that. The bottom of the sea? God is there. In the International Space Station? God is there. In the middle of the Sahara desert? God is there. In the middle of the most sinful place you have ever been and now are desperate to get out? God is there.

Quite simply, God is always there.

Psalm 17:6 (ESV)
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my words.

There is another part also to God being everywhere. He sees your sin. You might be able to hide it from your partner, husband, wife, parents, children, workmates and even yourself. But you can never hide it from God. He not only knows your heart, He sees your sin.

Luke 12:1-3 (ESV)
In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

In the end though, this brings amazing comfort! How?

We know that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. And we can know that even included the sins we have hidden from everyone but God. There is no sin hidden from God, and there is no sin that He did not cover on the cross. Jesus has already done the work on the cross – all you need to do is accept that work!

Romans 5:6-11 (ESV)
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely 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. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.