THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF GOD
A. When we realize that God really does exist and has communicated with man-kind, our most important task in life should be to learn "What He says in His 'love letter' to us?"
B. Our concern IN THIS STUDY, then, is to learn what God has said to us about Himself.
I. GOD IS A LIVING PERSON (Daniel 6:26).
A. He's not some kind of myth. He's Real.
B. He dwells in heaven (1 Kings 8:39).
C. He can see and hear (1 Peter 3:12).
D. He thinks and remembers (Psalm 103:14).
E. He is generous (Psalm 84:11).
F. He is eager to help (Isaiah 48:17,18).
G. He is approachable (Hebrews 4:14-16).
II. GOD IS ETERNAL (Hebrews 13:8).
A. He's
here to stay. He's permanent.
B. There
never was a time in which He did not exist (Psalm 90:2).
C. He
always will exist (Deuteronomy 32:40).
D. His
kingdom is ever-lasting (Psalm 145:13).
E. He
is immortal (not subject to death) (1 Timothy 1:17).
III. GOD IS OMNIPOTENT (ALL POWERFUL) (Revelation 19:6).
A. He is strong.
B. There is nothing He cannot do (Job 42:2).
C. He does as He pleases (Psalm 115:3).
D. Nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 19:26).
IV. GOD IS OMNISCIENT (ALL KNOWING) (Job 34:21).
A. He's smart!
B. His understanding is infinite (Psalm 147:5).
C. He hears all (Psalm 139:4).
D. He sees all. Darkness hides nothing from Him (Psalm 139:12).
E. He is the Source of all true knowledge (Romans 11:33).
F. To Him the future is as clear as the past (Isaiah 42:9).
G. He sees the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10).
V. GOD IS OMNIPRESENT (Psalm 139:7-12).
A. God is everywhere.
B. Wherever you are when you need Him, he is there.
VI. GOD IS PERFECT (Matthew 5:48).
A. He is in balance and harmony with Himself.
B. There are no extremities in God's nature.
C. God is never wrong, or out of order.
VII. GOD IS HOLY (Revelation 4:8).
A. He has not the slightest taint of sin on Him.
B. He's clean and pure through and through.
VIII.GOD IS RIGHTEOUS
(2 Timothy 4:8) AND JUST (Jeremiah 50:7).
IX. GOD IS TRUTH (1 John 5:20).
X. GOD IS GOOD (Mark 10:18).
AT THIS POINT, YOU'D THINK THAT GOD WOULD BE
INTOLERANT TOWARD US. BUT LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING
DESCRIPTIVES OF HIM.
A. He is super rich in mercy.
B. "Mercy" has many meanings. One is that He will not "get you" in the future for what you did in the past (see Proverbs 28:13) if you confess and abandon the sin from your being.
XII. GOD IS A GOD OF GRACE (Titus 2:11).
XIII. GOD IS A GOD OF BENEVOLENCE (Psalm 145:9,14,16).
XIV. GOD IS A GOD OF LOVE (1 John 4:8,16).
A. Love is God's very nature. Whatever God does, love does. Whatever love does, God does. Love is God's directing
Principle.
B. Consider what this love motivated God to do.
1. Philippians 2:6-8. Because of love, God came to dwell as a man among men. He did this in Christ. Man could not restore himself from the corruption of sin. He'd sunk too low (Titus 3:5-7). In Christ, God came to reconcile us to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19).
2. John 3:16. From
a. He loved children (Matthew 18:14; 19:13-15). Children never annoyed Him.
b. He loved the rich young ruler {Mark 10:21).
c. He loved Lazarus (John 11:5,36).
d. He taught us to love even our enemies (Matthew 5:44).
e. He taught men to call God "Father" (Luke 11:2).
f. People, like the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-24, who believe the Gospel, repent from their sin, and call upon God to save them, find a loving Father.
3. Romans 5:8. God's love is most fully and clearly expressed at
1 Timothy 2:6; Titus 2:14; and Hebrews 7:27). Perfect love manifests itself by self-surrender and submission. Christ was willing to die that others
might live. He was willing to lose that others might win.
4. Ephesians 3:19. God's love in incomprehensible by mankind. Angels cannot comprehend it (1 Peter 1:11,12) .
The Christian can, how-ever, know of this love.
5. Romans 5:1-11. Regard-less of how little we may know of this love, the results are clear:
a. Jesus Christ became the substitute for the sinner (Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 3:18; Isaiah 53:5,6,12).
b. When the sinner believes (that is, accepts as true the facts about Christ dying upon the cross for his sins) (John 3:16), repents to God from his sins (Luke 13:3,5), and calls upon God to saved Him (Romans 10:13), he is justified from sin and is at peace with God.
c. Only perfect love could devise such a plan.
CONCLUSION
In view of such wonderful attributes ascribed to the God of heaven, doesn't it seem wise to get on His side?
You may become a member of God's family today by doing the following:
1. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).
2. "The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
3. "For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be "saved" (Romans 10:13).
BOB BRUTON
(Autobiography of God)