I want to begin this morning's service by singing, The Church's One Foundation. You know, I think about when the Lord was asking the apostles, who do you say that I am? And they said, well, first he says, who do the people say that I am? And the disciples said, well, some of the people say you're Jeremiah, some say you're Elijah. Some say you're a prophet of some kind. And the Lord turned to him and he said, well, who do you say that I am? I ask you this morning, who do you say the Lord Jesus is? And if you can say by the Holy Spirit with your heart that he is the Son of God, the Son of the living God, our Lord says that's the foundation upon which he will build his church.

that He is the Son of the Living God.

All right, as I mentioned a moment ago, we are looking at the basic Bible doctrines, the teachings of the Bible, and one of those basic teachings is your attributes, the attributes of God. Our brother Don takes his thoughts for this seventh chapter from John 17, 3, where it says, and this is life eternal, And here's the key, this is the important thing, that they might know thee. How are we going to know God if we don't know his characteristics?

And God has been very thorough in bringing us through several titles that belong to the Lord. Characteristics, attributes. And one of those is God is spirit. Another one is is unity, the unity of God, the three in one, the Trinity. And then we come to the next one, which is eternal. God is eternal.

And his eternality means that he always is. He's never been a time when God wasn't there. God is outside of time. Time is just as much a creation of God as everything else is. So when we think of God and His attribute, His characteristics of being eternal, He's before everything else. Everything is because of Him, because of His purpose.

He says in Genesis, He says, I am. That's who you called me when he was talking to Moses. And Moses said, who do I tell the people that has sent me? And he says, tell them that I am has sent me. What a wonderful way God has put in language for you and I to understand who he is. He's not just something of our imagination. He is our imagination. He is all that is. The air that we breathe, the things that we see, the things that we don't see. He's the great I Am.

Look over at Romans chapter 1, verse 20. Romans chapter 1. And I tried to think of a better way to do this. We're just going to have to muddle through it. The last couple of Sundays it's been kind of strange for me as well as it has been for you to go through and look at all the different verses that Don has set up for us. So I'm just going to look at one verse for each attribute this morning, and for the eternality, the eternity of God, here in Romans chapter 1, look what it says in verse 20, Romans 1 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 that they are without excuse." So we see just in those words alone, and Don gives us several, and I'll be happy to share those with you if you want at another time. But we're going to go on to the next one, which is his immutability.

Our Lord is unchanging, folks. There's no reason for Him to change. If God didn't do everything perfect, maybe He'd be like us and change our mind once in a while. But He doesn't change. He doesn't need to. Everything He does, every purpose He has, every thought He has is perfect, and there's no need for it to change. Amen to that is what Roger says. You know why we say amen to that? It's because if it was me, if I was in charge, you know, Gene and Judy, they're always telling each other, I'm sure glad you're not in charge. And Judy will say right back to Gene, I'm sure glad you're not in charge. I'm sure glad I'm not in charge, too, because I would change, especially after looking at me. There's nothing good in Him. Aren't you thankful that God's love is unchanging? It's eternal. It's everlasting. Therefore, with loving kindness, He draws us unto Himself.

Look over, if you would, again in Romans. We're just going to stay in Romans during these, so that way you don't have to do a lot of flipping back and forth. Look over to Romans 11. Turn over to Romans chapter 11. Look at verse 29.

For the gifts and calling. So the gifts that God gives us and the calling of God, remember what it says in Romans 8, verse 28 says, for we know that all things are good to them who love God, to them who are called. That's what this is called. This is what it's talking about.

Verse 29, for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. That means without changing, without turning. He never turns from them. The gifts that he had for us, Juan, have been gifts that he was going to give us from all eternity past. And he's never changed from that. Just like the eternal life, the gift of eternal life, which is through His Son, the Lord Jesus, by the shedding of His blood. That gift of eternal life is never changing.

You don't need to turn there, but let me read for you from Hebrews chapter 6. There's a couple of verses over there. Let me read for you, if you would.

Romans chapter 6 verses 17 and 18, wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability, that means the unchanging, his permanent character, of his counsel, the unchanging of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath. that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, a strong assurance, who have fled for the refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set before us.

So we're thankful for God's characteristic of immutability. He's unchanging. When the scriptures, Don says, are declared that God changes not, we are taught that though He changes all things, nothing moves or changes Him. Isn't that good? He changes everything if He wants to, if it's His purpose. He raises up men to sit on thrones, and He takes them right back down when He's done with them.

We may complain, and there's lots of people who are complaining right now about our president, who just flat out hate him. And there's many of us who didn't like Biden as well. But our God put him on that throne. Our God put him in the position that he was in. We think we had the power through our voting. It was our God who did the work. It was our God who turned the hearts, yet he never changes. Isn't that wonderful? He's omnipresent.

Now Don writes, he goes, he's not limited by space. He's everywhere present in all the fullness of all his being at all times. He's always God on his throne of all things. He fills all things with His being. He comprehends all things with His being. Let me read for you from Acts chapter 7. Acts chapter 7. I know I said I was going to stay in Romans here and I'm going out of it. Kathy reminds me of these things all the time. You said you weren't going to do that. And I love her for it because it reminds me that I need to stop saying certain things. Over in Acts chapter 7, in verses 48 and 49, we read these words. So we see that our Lord is omnipresent. He's also omniscient. Omniscience. There we go. I knew I could get it out if I tried hard enough. He knows all things. Do you realize God knows our thoughts? Yeah, yeah. Me too. I know. I know exactly how you feel when I said that, Roger. Yes, he knows all my thoughts. He knows everything. He knows the end and the beginning of all things.

His omniscience must not be confused, though, with foreknowledge, Don writes. Omniscience is an attribute of God's being. Knowing all things is a part of his being. But knowing, foreknowing something, is an act of grace. Knowing that he's going to commit an act of grace on us in the future is foreknowledge. Knowing all that is and the reaction of all things and all the things that are in our minds, that is something totally different. Look at Romans chapter 8, verse 27 and 29. Two different verses, Romans 8, 27. Here's his omniscience. in character right here in verse 27. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is in the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the law of God. Now, here's foreknowledge, look over verse 29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son.

We also can think of our God as all wisdom, another characteristic, another attribute of our God. He's all wise. Everything He does, everything He has caused is according to His perfect wisdom, knowing that what will happen is exactly what He's purposed to happen. Folks, there's no plans B's with God. Oops, that didn't work out. God never says that. Every time we think that that's a possibility, that's us comparing God to us. I say things like that all the time. Oops, I wish I had enough before a moment ago. But I did, didn't I? God never does that. His wisdom is above all that we can even imagine. Look at Romans 11. Verse 33 to 36, speaking of the wisdom of God, Romans 11 verse 33, Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out.

His ways are not our ways. The sooner we can wrap our minds around that, the sooner we can just say, I trust in the Lord. I don't have to figure things out. I don't have to understand how God was made sin. I don't have to understand how I am made righteous in my Savior. I just know that He did because He has said so. I trust His wisdom in the way that things are made. I trust Him as God. He is all-wise, Don says. He always accomplishes the best designs by the best possible ways. And He is all-powerful, omnipotent. He's omnipotent. He's almighty in the truest sense. Nothing is impossible for Him to do. His will, His work, His purpose is irresistible because of God's omnipotent power. Look at Romans chapter 1. Romans 1, verse 20. All powerful. In Romans 8, at the end of chapter 8, Paul says, I am convinced, I am assured. Let me just say it in the right words here, I'll turn it over, you don't need to. For I am persuaded, is what he says, that neither death, nor life, nor anything, and then he goes through all these different things, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Why is he persuaded? Because God is all-powerful. Nothing can stop Him. Look at verse 20 of chapter 1. 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 Godhood, so that they are without excuse.

what power the Lord has. Over in the book of Jude, we read this, and I'll turn over there for you if you want. Over in the book of Jude, we read these, where it says, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life, and of some having compassion, making a difference, and others, say, fear with pulling them out of the fire.

Now, unto Him, And this is the key to all that right here, unto Him that is able to keep you from falling. How do we know He's able? Because He's all-powerful. Just like Paul says, I'm convinced, I'm assured. There's no doubt in my mind that God cannot lose anything.

Don takes on the word of holiness next. He says God is absolutely moral and purity. He can neither sin nor tolerate it. All that God is is holy. He cannot do anything by anything associated with or except anything sort of absolute perfect holiness.

A guy by the name of R.L. Dabney wrote this, he said, God's holiness is the collective and consummate glory of His nature. Another man by the name of A. Hodge wrote this, he says, infinitely moral perfection is the crown of His Godhead. Holiness is the total glory. thus crowned.

Look over, if you would, at 1 Peter chapter 1. And while you're turning there, allow me to read for you from John chapter 17. In John 17, there's one verse over there that I wanted to read for you. Now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world. This is verse 11. And I come to Thee, Holy Father, Keep thou Thine own name, those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one as We are one."

So the Lord Jesus Himself calls His Father, Holy Father. Over here in 1 Peter 1, we read these words in verses 15 and 16. But as for He which hath called you is holy, So be ye holy in all manner of conversation or living, because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy.

You know, it brings a thought to my mind. Brother Gabe and I were talking the other day and he mentioned this. He said, you know John, all these things we're demanded of, that we're commanded of God to be such as that, be ye holy. I can't be in this world.

And our next attribute that Don brings out is our God is a just God. His justice is perfect, that's part of His character. But the day is coming when I'm going to leave this world and I'm going to be every bit of that that the Lord has said, perfect. Exactly how it is. All those things that we are to be as we walk through this world, we will be perfectly when we cross into the next world.

How often, and I wonder if some of you haven't even thought of this. How often have you, as you walk this earth, considered this very thing, Lord, take me home today so that I won't sin anymore. Take me home today, Lord, so I don't have to be troubled with this body of sin anymore.

Well, this is where that next title comes in really well. Folks, our God is just. And I know that we go through this flesh right now and we see every day when we get up the filth and the sin that we commit against our God. And it troubles us greatly. But folks, Christ has taken our just reward upon Himself. The Son of God came and laid down His life for you and I that we wouldn't have to. We can go through that doormarked death and walk into the presence of our God because Christ has paid it all.

Sin had left a crimson stain on His flesh, but He paid it all. He washed it white as snow. Isn't that good news? How can our God be just and justifier at the same time? By sending his son, by preparing a body to be sacrificed in our stead, to prepare a lamb that God himself would accept. A lamb who would stand in our place, a lamb that would be made a curse, our curse. a lamb that would satisfy God's justice.

That's what it's talking about over in Romans chapter 3. That's what it's talking about over here in Romans chapter 3 verses 24 through 26. For being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. That's talking about His substitutionary act of love for you and I, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation, a mercy seat 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. I'm going to leave it at that right now. Next week, I'll be in San Diego next week. So there will be no 10 o'clock service next Sunday. Our services will start at 11.