This morning, I'd like to talk
about the attributes of God. There's a lot of attributes to
God. There's no way we can cover very many today, but that's what
I would like to try to talk about today. Earlier this month, I
went to help my son move out of his apartment into a house.
Sarah was in Richmond with work and come home one night or that
night and There was a flyer in my back door from some religious
organization. And on the front of this flyer,
it said, who really controls the world? And underneath that,
it said, do you think it's God with a question mark, humankind
with a question mark, someone else with a question mark? And so on the inside, on the
other page, it says what the Bible says. And on the very top
there, it says the evil one controls the world. And there was some
explanations for why we have the problems we do in the world
and reasons to believe that our world is going to change for
the better. This is not glorifying to God.
God is in control. He's in control of all things.
And He's not just in control, He rules and He reigns over everything. God will not share His glory
with another. The Bible tells us that. He said,
I am the Lord. My glory will I not give to another,
neither my praise to graven images. This is God's glory and God's
praise not to be shared with anybody. As I said, He's in control of
all things. Every breath we take, every heartbeat is from God. He controls everything. In the
Bible, we don't have to go very far to see who's in control.
The first book of the Bible, the first verse, the very first
sentence, Genesis 1-1, in the beginning, God created the heaven
and the earth. He's the creator. The Creator
has power and control over His creation. So God is in control. My point to that is read the
scriptures. Be careful what you listen to. We've said that here
many times. Be careful who you listen to, what you listen to,
and verify what they say with the Bible. If it's not in the
Bible, don't believe it. It's that simple. Attributes of God. The first
one that I would like to talk about is holiness, the holiness
of God. People use many words to discuss
the characteristics of God. The most common, I think, is
probably love. God is love, kindness, righteous, holiness. God is holy. His Bible, the Bible is the holy
Bible. It's the written word of God.
2 Timothy 3.16 tells us all scripture is given by inspiration of God
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness. God is omniscient. He's all knowing. He has complete and unlimited
knowledge, awareness, and understanding. He knows everything. Hebrews
4.13. Great is our Lord and of great
power. His understanding is infinite. God is omnipotent, which means
he's all powerful, having unlimited power and authority. Nothing
is impossible for God. He's omnipresent. That means
he's present everywhere. His presence is everywhere. There's
nowhere that he isn't. Jeremiah 23, 24, he says, do
not I feel heaven and earth? Sayeth the Lord. God hates all sin. He does not
tolerate the wicked and we are sinners. We sin because we're
sinners. And our sin is against him, against
God. Our rebellion and our disobedience
is sin against God. Proverbs 3.32 tells us, for the
froward is abomination to the Lord. Froward means disobedient,
and abomination means offensive. The thoughts of the wicked are
an abomination. He will by no means clear the
guilty. He is slow to anger, he is great
in power, and he will not clear the guilty. God judges. He judges the righteous
and he's angry with the wicked every day. That's from Psalm
711. We can see God's holiness in
his works. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all
his works. We see God's holiness in his
law. His law is holy, just, and good. The law of the Lord is
perfect. The testimony of the Lord is
sure. The statues of the Lord are right. The commandment of
the Lord is pure. The fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are
true and righteous altogether. We owe God our obedience to him
for giving us life, for preserving us, for providing to us, We owe
him obedience to the law, and we're not capable of giving him
any obedience. We violate the law. We can never
pay him what we owe. Our sin is against him, and the
wages of sin is death, is what the Bible tells us. Ecclesiastes
12, 13 tells us, let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter,
fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of
man. I'm going to read from Psalm
5, verses 2 through 6. This is a Psalm of David, starting
with verse 2. Hearken unto the voice of my
cry, my King and my God, for unto thee will I pray. My voice
shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord. In the morning will I
direct my prayer unto thee and will look up. For thou art not
a God that hath pleasure and wickedness. Neither shall evil
dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in
thy sight. Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that
speak leasing. The Lord will abhor the bloody
and deceitful man. Now that word leasing means lying
or deceit. God is to be greatly feared. We should fear the Lord and give
Him reverence. The heavens are His. The earth
is His. He created the world and the fullness thereof. Psalm
89. The grace of God. Grace is the
love and salvation of God unto His chosen people. The grace
of God is a gift. It's not anything that we can
purchase. It's not anything that can be earned by us, and we certainly
don't deserve it. No work by us can cause us to
receive any grace from God. It is freely given by God to
his chosen people, not through any merit of themselves. Natural
man has a problem with this. He wants to have something to
do with his salvation. He wants to have some purpose
in working out his salvation for pride, for glory to himself,
whatever it might be. Salvation is of the Lord. We
hear that here all the time. It's God's grace and it's a gift. Grace is receiving what we don't
deserve. Grace is a gift and nothing that
we deserve on our own. God's grace is eternal. He saved
us. He called us not according to
anything we've done, but according to his own purpose and grace
given in the Lord Jesus before the world began. 2nd Timothy
1-9 tells us who has saved us and called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to his own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began. God's grace is free. We're freely
justified by his grace through the redemption that's in Christ
Jesus. God's grace is sovereign. He
bestows his grace on whom he pleases. Nothing we can do to
deserve his grace or to earn his grace. It's God who bestows
his grace on us, on who he pleases, his chosen people. The Lord said,
I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. I will show mercy
to whom I will show mercy. Romans chapter 5, I'm going to
read a couple of verses from that. Verse 15, but not as the
offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense
of one, many may from the For if through the offense of one
many be dead, much more the grace of God and the gift by grace,
which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. Verse
17, for if by one man's offense death reigned by one, much more
they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness
shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. And down in verse 21,
That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign
through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. The mercy of God. It's been said
here many times, mercy is not receiving what we do deserve. And we deserve eternal condemnation
for our sin against God. God will by no means clear the
guilty. He said, I will show mercy to
whom I will show mercy. For he said to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. God does as he chooses. The natural
man seems to think that he can go through this world and live
as he wants to, disobeying God, disobedient to God, not giving
a second thought, living according to the ways of this world, And
then he expects mercy from the Lord. Not having any idea of
God's justice, of his wrath, of his holiness. It's a dangerous situation. People
go around saying, smile, God loves you. Everything's going
to be okay. You're a good person. Don't worry about it. It's false
and it's dishonoring to God. God is a holy God. And Christ told us, Luke 3.13,
He said, except you repent, you shall all perish. This is from
the Lord. He's telling us this. The wrath of God. God's wrath
is a subject we don't hear much about. People don't talk about
that as much as they do God's love. We hear more about the
smile God loves you. We see that on bumper stickers,
T-shirts. We bring God down to our level,
or we try to. We should never do that. We should
never lower God to our level, in our imaginations or our hearts.
He's ever, he's ever, he's unchanging, we're ever-changing. I'm getting
that mixed up. We should never make God equal
to us ever. We should always glorify him
above all things. He's holy and just, and we're
sinners. We're disobedient, we're corrupt,
wicked. God said, you thought that I
was altogether such a one as thyself, but I will reprove thee. Psalm 50, 21. We're nothing like God. We're
wicked by nature, we're sinful. God is holy and we are nothing
but sin. He's righteous, we're unrighteous.
And the Bible tells us there's none righteous, not one, no,
not one. And God's wrath is not hidden
from us. We see it plainly in the Bible. He hasn't kept his anger or his
vengeance a secret. We can see it throughout the
Bible. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. The Lord shall judge his
people, and it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the
living Lord. We should reverence him. We should
revere him. We should fear him. God said
there is no God with me. I kill and I make alive. I wound and I heal. Neither is
there any. that can deliver out of my hand. I live forever. I will render
vengeance to my enemies and I will reward them who hate me. Probably
won't see that on a bumper sticker. The wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. If you would, turn to Romans
chapter one, Verse 18, I want to read several
verses here. Romans 1, 18. For the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who
hold the truth in unrighteousness. Down in verse 20, for the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal
power and Godhead. So they are without excuse. We can see God through His creation. There's no excuse for not acknowledging
of God's existence. Verse 21, because that when they
knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful.
but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise,
they became fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible
God into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds
and four-footed beasts and creeping things. Wherefore, God also gave
them up to uncleanness through their lusts of their own hearts
to dishonor their own bodies between themselves who changed
the truth of God into a lie and worshiped and served the creature
more than the creator who is blessed forever. Amen. Psalm 95 says the Lord is a great
God and a great king above all gods. He said unto whom I swear
in my wrath that they should not enter and to my rest. Revelation 6, verses 15 through
17, I'll read these to you. And the kings of the earth and
the great men and the rich men and the chief captains and the
mighty men and every bondman and every free man hid themselves
in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains and said to
the mountains and the rocks, fall on us and hide us from the
face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of
the lamb. For the great day of his wrath
has come and who shall be able to stand? This is talking about the wrath
of God, something to be taken very, very seriously. Let us have grace whereby we
may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for
our God is a consuming fire. That's from Hebrews 12. And turn
over to Romans chapter three, starting with verse one. This
is Paul discussing the equality of Jews and Gentiles. He's telling them both are guilty,
both Jew and Gentile. There's no difference. All men
are wicked. All are depraved. This is talking about us as well.
We're guilty. And this is the condition of
all men that we're getting ready to look at. Verse one, what advantage
then hath the Jew, or what profit is there of circumcision? Much
every way, chiefly because that unto them were committed the
oracles of God. For what if some did not believe?
Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid. Yea, let God be true,
but every man a liar, as it is written, that thou mightest be
justified in thy sayings and mightest overcome when thou art
judged. But if our unrighteousness commend
the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous
who taketh vengeance? Paul says in parentheses, I speak
as a man. Verse six, God forbid, for then
how shall God judge the world? For if the truth of God hath
more abounded through my lie unto his glory, why yet am I
also judged as a sinner? And not rather, as we slanderously
reported and as some affirm that we say, let us do evil that good
may come, whose damnation is just. What then, are we better
than they? No, in no wise. For we have before
proved, both Jew and Gentile, they are all under sin. As it is written, there is none
righteous. No, not one. There is none that
understandeth. There is none that seeketh after
God. They are all gone out of the
way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that
doeth good. No, not one. Their throat is
an open sepulcher. With their tongues they have
used deceit. The poison of asps is under their
lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their
feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in
their ways, and the way of peace have they not known. There is
no fear of God before their eyes." Now here's Paul in verse 19,
talking about the law. Now we know that what things
soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law,
that every mouth may be stopped and all the world become guilty
before God. Verse 20, therefore, by the deeds
of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge
of sin. Under the law, every mouth should
be shut. The world is guilty before God. There is no defense
for our sin. By the deeds of the law, no flesh
shall be justified in his sight. We are all guilty before God,
everyone. God gave his law to his people,
to all people, excuse me. God gave his law to all people.
The law reveals our sin. The law is the knowledge of sin.
And the law declares us guilty. We will not and we cannot keep
God's law. We're not capable. We're disobedient
to God. Our sin is against God. And the
Bible tells us the wages of sin is death and all have come short
of the glory of God. Now, verse 21, same chapter. Romans 3. But now the righteousness
of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and
the prophets. Even the righteousness of God
which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that
believe for there is no difference. The righteousness of God by faith
of Jesus Christ upon all those that believe in him. Verse 25,
whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith
in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission
of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God, to declare,
I say at this time, his righteousness that he might be just and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. God sent his only begotten
son, the Lord Jesus, to take our sin upon himself. He died
so that we could live. He satisfied God's justice and
he justified us in him. Christ said, I am the door. He
gave a parable to the Pharisees and they did not understand a
thing that he told them. We find that in John chapter
10. If you'll hold your place and
turn over to John chapter 10, verse 9. And these are the words
of Christ. He says, I am the door. By me. If any man enter in, he shall
be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture. The thief
cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am
come that they might have life and that they might have it more
abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. But he that is in hireling and
not the shepherd, whose only sheep are not, seeth the wolf
coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf catches
them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because
he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good
shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the
father knoweth me, even so know I the father, and I lay down
my life for the sheep. and other sheep I have, which
are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they shall
hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love
me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No
man taketh it from me, but I lay it down myself. I have power
to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment
have I received of my Father. Now back in Romans 3, 27 and
28, where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay, but by the law
of faith. Therefore, we conclude that a
man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. That should be good news for
us. We cannot keep the law. We can
see God's holiness, His righteousness, His grace, His mercy, His love.
and his wrath on the cross. Man's sin was so bad. Man was
so wicked. God sent his only begotten son,
the Lord Jesus, God in human flesh to walk on this earth perfectly
and obedient to God. He was completely obedient and
he became our substitute for sin. Him who knew no sin for
his people. He took our place on the cross.
He bore our sins. He satisfied God's justice and
made us justified. He gave us eternal life through
his death. He willingly suffered God's wrath
in our place, the wrath that we deserve. God's holiness, God's
grace, God's mercy, God's wrath, and God's love for his chosen
people and God's son, the Lord Jesus Christ. May we give him
all glory and all praise.