Before Jack read to you in Nahum,
I want to look at verses 2 through 7. And there's five things in these
verses we want to talk a little bit about, Lord willing. First
of all, in verse 2 it says, God is jealous. God is a jealous
God. Verse 3 says He is slow to anger. He is great in power. He will
not at all acquit the wicked. And the Lord hath His way. And in verse 7 it says the Lord
is good. So these are the attributes.
These are the attributes recorded here in these Verse 7, verses
concerning God, the God of the Bible, the Holy God. So, and an attribute of God is a
noble character, a noble character. The attributes that we have according
to our nature are sinful attributes because we are sinners inside
out. Through and through. We're not
sinners because we do something. We do something because of who
we really are. And so that's God. That's the
character of God. God has all these characteristics. They are attributed to God only. So we speak of attributes as
belonging to God, right? We are speaking of those things
which are essential to His being. These things are not essential
to our being. The only thing that's essential
to our being is sin. You see what I'm saying? These
things belong unto God and to God alone. Even when you're talking
about His jealousy, it's a holy jealousy. God is jealous over His own holiness. Henry said holiness is His chief
attribute and all other attributes apply to who He is. Holy. God
is holy. So we're speaking of those things
which belong only to God only. Without which He would not be
God. See there? If He don't have these
attributes, then He's not God. But this is God we're talking
about. So in these six verses here that we're talking about,
the verses of the inspired Word of God by the grace of God, the
prophet Nahum gives us six distinct things that are attributed to
God, six attributes of God. God is a jealous God. God will not share His glory. He will not share His holiness.
He will not share His attributes with others. He will not share
His glory with sin. You see what I'm saying? He will
not share it. The only way that a sinner can
ever be justified before God is through the person of His
Son, by the grace and power of God, by God only. Jealousy of God is not a fault
of God. Jealousy with us, we can call
that a fault, can't we? We're jealous. We attribute it
to ourselves more than we do to others, don't we? That's our
nature. That's our nature. Well, God
is a jealous God, and He will not share His attributes with
any sinner, with any sinful man. Jealousy is an attribute of God. It's right for him to be jealous. It's right. Right for him to
be jealous. You know, man by nature is against
God. That's his nature. That's who
he is. He's against God and his sin. Sin is his attribute. Sin is
man's nature. But God who is jealous, this
is not an imperfection of God. He has a perfect jealousy. He is jealous of His own holiness. You see that? He will not share
His glory. He will not count to man to be
holy apart from his designated factor or his designated one
in whom he is accepted. He is a perfect God. James 1.17
says, Every good gift and every perfect gift. See, everything
good is from God. Everything evil is from Satan,
from men, right? All goodness belongs to God. We get exalted in ourselves,
don't we, by our nature? And we get to thinking we're
pretty good people and we do good things and so on and so
forth, but not so. Even our righteousness, the best
deed we ever done, is not counted in Christ as nothing but filthy
rags. Filthy. Because of who we are. God is jealous. He has a holy
jealous. He's perfect. Every good gift
comes from Him. Every perfect gift. Why? Because God is perfect. Whatever
God does is perfect. When God creates grace in you,
that's perfect. It's perfect. Every gift is from above. Everything
that's good comes from God. Everything coming down from the
Father of lights, in whom is no variableness, neither shadow
of turn. Hebrews 13, verse 21 says, Make
you perfect. Who? Who makes you perfect? You're
not perfect in this flesh. I'm not perfect. I'm a sinner. But through the Lord Jesus Christ,
and in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are accounted before God
as though you had already entered into glory in the mind and purpose
of God. You are perfect in Christ, and
only in Christ. God is perfect. What God does
is perfect. You're perfect in every good
work, as Roland talked about. If you've got the right attitude
for what you're doing, if God has given you a spiritual attitude,
a right attitude, a heart attitude, and you do out of faith and love
in Christ, then that work in you is a perfect work, right? You might not fulfill it perfectly
because of the flesh, but that's a perfect work of God that's
given you. He's given you grace. He's implanted
in you the Holy Spirit. He's given you the desire. He's
given you the will. And therefore, you are using
it for His glory with the right attitude. So He makes you perfect
in every good work to do His will. See that? Working in you
that which is right and well-pleasing in His sight. How? Through Jesus Christ. We're perfect
through Christ and in Christ, right? And when God works grace
in your heart, He puts Christ in your heart and in your life,
and you perform for His glory, it's God working in you that
which is right to do His good pleasure for His glory. Man don't
look at what he has done and say, I'm justified before God
because I'm not a bad person. I go to church. I go to Sunday
school. I study God's Word. I do all these things. I'm not
a bad person. And if something would happen
to me, I believe, because of my life, that God would receive
me. No, you are a bad person. That's
a bad thought. To think that you are good enough
for God to receive of and in yourselves. You see that? Not
knowing Christ, the substitute for His people. Well-pleasing
in His sight through Christ Jesus, our Lord, ain't He? Ain't we? Through Christ. To Him, to God,
to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 5-9 says,
"...and being made perfect." Christ was always perfect. That's
what He's talking about here. He was with the Father eternally,
wasn't He? Before the foundation of the
world. He stood as a Lamb slain as though He had already been
slain. He was sure to be slain for the sins of His people. to
put away the wrath of God against them. But he was being made perfect. He became a man that he might
represent, take the place of and represent man by his perfect
obedience under God's holy, holy law. This law must be honored. This law must be satisfied. And Christ honored God's law.
In perfection, He who was holy became us, became a man without
sin, took upon Him our nature without sin, and did for us what
we could not do, and served God on our behalf as our representative. Didn't He? He obeyed God's law
to every jot and tittle. I can't imagine that, can you?
I don't know all the jot and tittles, do you? I'm so sinful.
But he obeyed God's law to every jot and tittle. And by his obedience
of life, he satisfied God in his keeping and honoring His
law. And that wasn't the end of it.
We're still sinners and sin must be accounted for. He had no sin
and He served God's law perfectly on our behalf. But we disobeyed
God's law. We sin against God continuously
because of our nature, don't we? So, when He took our nature
and obeyed God's law, He went to the cross of Calvary to suffer
the penalty, the justice of God against us to satisfy not only
the law, but the law in justice. You see that? and died in our
room instead, and satisfied the wrath of God against us. And this is the only way it is.
God is jealous. You see what I'm saying? God
is jealous. This is the way God has it, and
this is the way it is. And this is the way that a sinner
comes to be accepted of God, is in Christ. That's the only
way. The law could make nobody perfect. The law made nothing
perfect. But the bringing in of a better
hope did. See, Christ, He honored that
law. He served under God as a substitute,
didn't He? And He, in Him, only in Him,
Are we perfect before God? We shall be made like Him, but
only in Him. The bringing in of a better hope
did. All those old high priests and
those sacrificing and those burnt offerings and all these, these
just pointed to the One to come. They did these things looking
to whom they pointed. Do you see that? And when He
was come, He was bringing in of a better hope. And these things
could not justify us before God, could they? Could not justify
those people. They were only justified in the Lord Jesus Christ. So when He came, He put an end
to this. They no longer go by the law
anymore and do those things pointing to Christ. Christ has already
come. He whom these things pointed
to has come. And He is coming back again in
God's appointed time. So this is by the witch will,
by the will of God, we are made perfect through the Lord Jesus
Christ. It became Him for whom were all
things and by whom were all things. Do you see that? In bringing
many sons unto glory. To make the captain of their
salvation perfect. As I said, he's already perfect.
But God, when He come as the substitute and represented His
people and died for His people, the captain of their salvation
had been performed in that regard. So this is a perfect work of
God through Christ and in Christ and by Christ, you see? We're
perfect in Christ. Nothing can be added to you if
you're in Christ. Nothing taken from you. What
He did is forever. What God does is forever. What
Christ performed is done. He's not coming back again to
do all of this thing and putting away sin all over again. It's
been put away. And Ephesians 4.13 says, Till
we all come into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of
the Son of God unto a perfect man. the unity of the faith and
the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man. God's people
know they're not perfect in themselves, but they know for a fact they
are perfect in the Lord Jesus Christ. They've come to that
knowledge by the grace and power of God, ain't they? They see
Christ their substitute. Their faith rest is only in Him. Faith don't look back. Faith looks to Christ, don't
it? We're perfect in Christ. He became
a perfect man, the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ. We're perfect in Christ. He became us, didn't He? He represented
us. Now, through Him and by Him,
we are perfect before God. 1 Corinthians 13, when that which
is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done
away with. We're still in this flash, aren't
we? But Christ has come, ain't He? And He's coming back, right? And when we enter into heaven,
you know, when we die, our spirit goes back to God. But when He
comes back to receive the body, He receives a perfect body. likened to His glorious body.
I can't understand that. Can you? But that's the way it
is. And he that believeth shall not
be damned. Why? Because he has faith in
Christ. Is he saved because he had faith?
No. He's given faith because he's saved. God saved him. He
gave him faith. He looks to Christ. He rests
in Christ. He dare not look to himself for anything. Anything. You know, we come to church and
if we ain't careful, we'll get wrapped up in coming to church.
You're not saved because you come to church. But you come
to church because you're saved. You see that? You don't come to serve God in
that regard in order to be this or that. You come to worship God. You
don't come to get God to love you. You come out of love to
Him. You see, it's altogether different from what the religious
worlds are looking at, ain't it? It is. Any assault upon God, upon His
person, any resistance to His will, any rebellion against His
rule, any objection to Him is sin. It's evil. And it must be
punished. But our sins were punished in
Christ. We know that. But yet, yet, if we ain't careful,
we'll get the wrong attitude at times. Won't we? We will. We'll get the wrong attitude
at times. And we'll be looking to the flesh instead of the Spirit. I'm telling you the truth. That's
who we are. That's what we're subject to.
So, God will avenge His elect, yes. He will avenge the honor of His
name. And God works in the hearts of
His people in honor to Himself. God will not allow men to stay
in this condition. His people, I'm telling you.
We might be drift off at times, but God will not allow such things. And God will not allow men to
declare themselves to be righteous because of who they are. God
is a jealous God. And He will not share His holiness. See that? He will not share His
holiness. We look to Christ by God's grace
in Christ. We see God's glory and God's
holiness in His Son. But we don't see it in here. If you have the right attitude,
the right heart, the right mind, you look to Christ. You look
to the holiness of God Himself. Yeah, you're counted holy in
Christ, but only in Christ. Romans 1.8 says, The wrath of
God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness
of men. See that? That's all we are.
Ain't it? By nature. who hold the truth
in unrighteousness, but those who hold the truth in unrighteousness.
Those who are centered on false attitude, false doctrine, and
so on and so forth. You see that? The wrath of God
is revealed to heaven against such one. Because why? Because man has put salvation
in their own hands. See that? And because of who
they are and what they do, God will receive them. No, that's
not so. God's a jealous God. You see that? God will not accept
anything any less than His own self. He's a jealous God. God will not give glory to men
apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. He will not. He will not give
any glory to men at all. We're glorified in Christ the
only way. We don't have any glory of ourselves.
None whatsoever. We look to the glory of God in
Christ. We see God's glory in His Son,
don't we? Give unto the Lord the glory
due His name. Lord, help me to honor Thee. Help me to magnify Thee rightfully
and truthfully in my heart. Worship the Lord in the beauty
of His holiness. He's jealous, ain't He? Psalm 23.3, David said, He restoreth
my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for His namesake. See that? David didn't look to
himself. David looked to God in Christ,
didn't he? For His namesake. He leads me
that way for His glory, for His honor. Not for me to exalt myself,
and I won't if God leads me. See what I'm saying in that regard? Hebrews 16 says, For God is not
unrighteous. For God to share His glory. You
see what I am saying? He would have to be unrighteous.
He will not share His glory. He is not unrighteous. And it says in Hebrews 16, He
is not unrighteous to forget your work and your labor. When
God places a work in you, see what I'm saying? When He places
the attitude, the heart, the faith, the love in you, when
things is done according to His power and Spirit, by His grace,
then He receives them through Christ, right? He receives them.
Christ presents them to the Father in Himself. But God's people... Roland, you
said, we don't work to be saved. God's people do labor, but they
are labors of love. You see that? Labors of faith
for the glory of God in Christ. But they don't look to themselves
and try to receive anything because of what they did. No. They serve
Him because they love Him. But they have faith in Him. They
show honor and glory to His name. You see that? in their heart,
which ye have shewed toward His name, in that ye have ministered
to His saints, and do minister." That's talking of the Apostle
Paul who ministered, as Roland talked about, to the saints of
God. He ministered unto the name of Christ, didn't he? To the
name of God. So the Lord will not share His
glory. The Lord God is a jealous God. He's holy, holy, holy jealous. You see what I'm saying? He's
slow to anger. That's the next attribute we're
going to look at. He's slow to anger. Have you
thought about this world? God has a purpose, don't He?
He created Adam. All others are descendants from
Adam, right, in this world? He has a purpose in His grace.
God also has a purpose in His wrath. You see what I am saying?
God is glorified. God is going to be glorified
the way I see it now by every human being up on the top of
this earth. He is going to be glorified. When all these hoaxsters and
false religionists come before God, they are going to see God
as He is. They are going to see Him who
is holy, holy, holy. And they are going to see themselves,
I believe, for what they really are. I was wrong. God alone is holy. I thought
I could be a good person, but God alone is holy. You believe
they are not going to see God? They are going to see God. And
He allows this, don't He? He is going to get glory out
of all. But He allows this evil. And I think about the evil in
this world. And if we are not careful, we
will get stooped in trying to pinpoint it and look at it. You
know what I am saying? But God is in control. God is
in control. He is slow to anger. He has allowed all this evil
to take place to bring about His will. It has already been
prescribed, His good and perfect will in His eternal glory. And it will come to pass just
like God has purpose for it to do. He either works it or allows
it. You see what I am saying? God is not evil because He allows
it. The person is evil because of who he is and what he's doing.
God just let him go. You see that? Just let him go
and they'll do evil. We'll do evil if God just leaves
us alone. So the Lord is slow to anger. Yes, His anger is going to come
out, ain't He? He's angry with the wicked every day. And His
anger is going to come out when His wrath comes down and His
judgment. Yes, it will. This great and
terrible anger of God, whose jealousy makes Him furious? Can you imagine that? He's a
jealous God. God is slow to anger. His anger,
He's a furious God in that regard. Righteously furious. You see
what I'm saying? He's patient in this thing. He's long-suffering. Not only with those wicked people
that's doomed for hell, but He's long-suffering with this wicked
person. Long-suffering. He's forbearing, ain't He? He forbears so much evil in this
world, don't He? He's in no hurry to punish
sinners. His time is prescribed. Nothing will happen before it's
time. Nothing that's happening now, even what we look at as
evil, is prescribed, allowed by God
for His own glory, right? So when we look at it that way,
that throws a different line, a different attitude, don't it?
God's in control. He's slow to anger. He's in control.
He's the judge. He'll do what's right. He's in
control. And when He's pleased, it's done.
That's right. Judgment is His work. We judge,
don't we? We look at things and we judge.
But judgment is God's work. God does what He will, with whom
He will, when He wills. He defers His own wrath. You see that? We can't bring
the wrath of God upon nobody. Even those ones with the most
sinful attitude, that's just their heart coming out, that's
all. We can't bring the wrath of God down on anybody. We don't
know. God can save whom He will, when He will. He's already purposed
to do so and He will do it.