Exploring Faith: What is God Like - Part 4?

by Jeff Fry

I.       Intro

A.   In our Exploring Faith series we are now on the topic of "What is God Like?"

1.     God gets depicted in all kinds of different ways by contemporary culture.  Many times nothing like Scripture depicts Him.

a)    Recently in the US election there was a political cartoon depicting Sarah Palin, running mate to John McCain, talking with God.  The cartoon was so offensive to the character of God that hundreds of Americans wrote into the Washington Post requesting that they issue an apology and remove the cartoon from their site which they have.

b)    it depicted God as an old, white-haired, grandfather type who uses swear words!

2.     So far we've learned from the Bible

a)    God values us greatly (Luke 12:22-32)

b)    God prunes us to make us holy (John 15:1-8)

c)     God delivers us from the oppression of our enemy because He is our covenant God (Exodus 6:1-8)

(1)  God waited until the Exodus from slavery in Egypt  to tell the Israelites his proper name, "Yahweh"

(2)  Yahweh was linked with God's covenant - "I will be their God, and they will be my people"

(3)  There is an intimate closeness in the name Yahweh = "I am" or "I will be" or "I am here for you" (depicts the  faithfulness of God to His special covenant people)

II.    God is Lord (control)

A.   State

1.     Read Isaiah 48:9-15

2.     Getting our head around the passage

a)    who is speaking?

b)    To whom is he speaking?

c)     When we read "Israel" in the OT who should we apply it to today? (people of God = Israel = believers in Christ today)

d)    does verse 12 remind you of anything we learned last week (what same phrase does it have)?

3.     The Lord

a)    The message of the Old Testament is that God is Lord.

b)    The message of the New Testament is the Jesus is Lord.

4.     But what does it mean that God is Lord (or Jesus is Lord)?

a)    I would say that it means control, authority and presence.

b)    Today we will look at the aspect of control.

5.     In Isaiah 48:12 we begin to see the concept of God as "Lord"

a)    "Yahweh" which literally means "I am" or  "I will be" which is translated into English as "the LORD" .

b)    "I am the first and I am the last"

(1)  God was from the first generations and will be there with the last of generations.

(2)  He is the God of all time and all history.

6.     In Isaiah 48:13 the concept of God being "Lord" sharpens depicting God's control - one aspect of His Lordship.

a)    He first talks about the creation of the earth and then the creation of the heavens. 

(1)  Isaiah 48:13 "My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens …."

(2)  He is the creator God

(a)    creator of us

(b)   creator of the natural world

(c)    creator of the covenant between God and man

b)    Then He says an amazing thing: "when I summon them they all stand up together"

(1)  when God calls the elements of His creation they respond, they stand at attention!

(2)  This shows that all creation does God's bidding

(3)  "God Rules" - as the youth say!

(4)  And this is one aspect of what it means for God to be Lord.  It means that He is in control.

c)     Psalm 103:22 says, "Praise the Lord all his works everywhere in his dominion.  Praise the Lord, O my soul."

(1)  dominion = reign, rule as in a kingdom; kingly rule; kingdom

7.     Jesus calls on legions of angels

a)    It is reminiscent of when Jesus was taken by the soldiers in the garden of Gethsemane and one of his disciples pulled out a sword cutting off a man's ear.  Jesus responds in Matthew 26:53 "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels".

b)    Even situations that appear out of control are under God's sovereign hand

(1)  When things get difficult it is easy to forget that God is still in control

(2)  We want to start chopping ears off

(3)  But God knows what He is doing.  It is our part to obey Him and trust Him.

8.     Does it matter what you do if God rules everything?

(1)  yes

(2)  Two parallel truths run side by side in Scripture all through:

(a)    God is in control and rules

(b)   Man is responsible  for his actions

(c)    Death of Christ a good example

(d)   Ezekiel 36:27  - "I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws"

B.   Illustrate

a)    Isaiah 48:14-16 gives us a picture of God's control over king Cyrus. 

(1)  Isaiah is fortelling what will happen about 100 years later

(2)  verse 14: " … the Lord's chosen ally will carry out his purpose against Babylon; His arm will be against the Babylonians"

(3)  who is the ally that this verse refers to?  It is king Cyrus, king of Persia, (559 - 530 BC) who conquered Babylon in 539 and issued the decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem. (cf.  Isaiah 44:28; Isaiah 41:2)

(4)  God used king Cyrus to free His people from slavery.  Even the non-believers do God's will and help accomplish His purposes.

(5)  God is in control.

C.   Apply

1.     The controversy with DH

a)    Some people want my resignation as chair of the residents association because they don't think it is representing the wishes of the residents.

b)    God is in control ultimately. 

c)     Nobody can thwart God's purpose

(1)  Westminster Cathechism: The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. (1 Corinthians 10:31 ".. whatever you do, do to the glory of God")

(2)  No matter what happens with this controversy, I am going to focus on glorifying God which is my calling and not on the circumstances.

d)    Believing in God's control in this situation helps me to:

(1)  not worry

(a)    When God's in control you don't have to worry, just pray and do your part.

(2)  do all things with integrity and truth

(a)    When God's in control you don't have to tell lies

(3)  not to fall into the trap of bitterness and anger

(a)    we don't lash out at other people when we know that God is ultimately in control.

(b)   we pray to God instead.

2.     Where do you need to apply the truth that God is in control in your life?

a)    Do you have a worrisome work project in which you have to trust God?

b)    Do you have a health issue in which you are trusting in God?

c)     Do you have some enemy that is trying to frustrate your goals?  He/she can only frustrate what God allows them to frustrate!

III.  Conclusion

A.   So God is Lord means that God is in control

B.   So, as the atheistic "no God" poster on London buses says, "stop worrying and enjoy life"!