In The Defense of Our Faith

In the Defense of our Faith # 5
“The Doctrine of God”
Hebrews 1:1-3, 11:23-39, Exodus 2:11-22, 3:1-4:17

Wayne J. Edwards, Pastor

“The Church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted for it one so low, so ignoble, as to be utterly unworthy of thinking, worshiping men. This she has not done deliberately, but little by little and without her knowledge; and her very unawareness only makes her situation all the more tragic.”  A.W. Tozer

• The low view of God exhibited by many churches today is the main cause of the lack of holiness among God’s people.
• A high view of God gives a high view of sin – guilt and shame.
• A low view of God gives a low view of sin – no guilt or shame.
• A low view of God prioritizes the desires and feelings of the worshipper over the God who is to be worshipped.
• A high view of God demands our reverence for Him in worship
• A low view of God leads to a god in our own image.
• A high view of God respects the image of God that is revealed in the Bible.

   Humans of every generation and every geographic location have wrestled with the same questions about life.

• “Where did I come from?” “Why am I here?” “Where am I going?”
• In Romans 1:18-32, the Apostle Paul said, if, in their search for answers to those questions, they conclude that because there is a creation, there must be a Creator, or because there is design, there must be a Designer; if they respond to the light they were given, God will give them the additional light they need to see Him as the God He is and turn to Him for the answers to life’s questions.
• However, if they reject the evidence of God, He will turn them over to a reprobate mind, and they will worship the creation rather than the Creator God, and therefore, be lost forever.
• Those who reject the God of the Bible design other concepts of God, or a lesser view of the one true God.
  • Pantheism – God is in all creation – He is the power behind all the forces of nature, but not personally involved with man.
  • Polytheism – the belief and worship of many gods, but not believing any of them has absolute power and authority.
• Other religious/philosophical concepts of life include Atheism, Agnosticism, Deism, Materialism, Naturalism, Monism, and Relativism, plus the hundreds of other false religious systems.

   So, when a Christian is asked to defend their faith in the God of the Bible, some of the non-biblical methods include:

• The Ontological Argument – since perfection exists, there must be a perfect being.
• The Cosmological Argument – since the universe exists, there must be a cause behind every cause, and an un-caused cause.
• The Teleological Argument – since creation has design, order and purpose, an intelligent being must control it all.

   However, these arguments only confirm God’s existence and exhibit some of His attributes. They do not show man’s sin, or His need for a Savior, and Jesus Christ as the Savior he needs.

• In Psalm 8, David saw the smallness of man compared to the greatness of God, and when he finally grasped that chasm, he wondered why God would even bother with man.
• In Isaiah 6, Isaiah saw the sinfulness of man compared to the holiness of God, and when he finally grasped that difference, he saw himself as a sinner in need of a Savior.

Two declaratory statements:

• God has not fully revealed Himself to anyone.
  • The Bible begins with the presupposition, “In beginning, God.”
  • God is God! He is not obligated to reveal Himself to anyone.
  • Man is man! No man could fully comprehend the full revelation of God.
• But God has revealed Himself to all men in two ways:
  • The Bible – God’s written revelation of Himself. Hebrews 1:1, 2 Peter 1:20-21.
  • The Son – God’s personal revelation of Himself. Hebrews 1:2-3, John 1:1-14
• God revealed Himself to Moses in a very special way:
  • Moses was a miracle baby – Exodus 2:1-10
    • Pharaoh decreed that all male babies be killed, but God spared Moses and trained him at his mother’s knee, as well as in the Egyptian Schools.
    • His name means “the drawn out one.”
  • Moses was a miracle man – Exodus 2:11-22
    • Moses saw an Israelite being beaten by an Egyptian.
    • Moses killed the Egyptian, and fled to the desert of Midian to save his own life.
  • Moses had a special Ministry – Exodus 3:10
    • He was to “draw out” the children of Isarel from their slavery in Egypt.
  • Moses had a special calling of God – Exodus 3:1-4:17
    • The burning bush – God’s sovereignty and grace.
    • The bush was not destroyed – God’s indestructible nature.
    • God told Moses not to come near – God’s holiness.
    • God said He remembered his fathers – God’s faithfulness to His covenant.
    • God heard the cry of His people – God’s Compassion.
    • God would deliver His people out of their suffering and into a new land – God’s grace.
    • God was going to remove six people groups from the land He was giving to Israel – God’s sovereignty.
    • Moses asked why he was given such an assignment – God’s power.
    • Moses asked God who He was – “I AM THAT I AM” – God’s sufficiency.
    • God told Moses just to mention His Name – God’s Power.
      • Hebrews called God YAHWEH
      • Moses referred to God as ELOHIM
      • Abraham, Isaac, Jacob addressed God as EL SHADDAI – Lord, God, Almighty

• • • God changes the rod of Moses – God’s power over creation.
    • God changes the hand of Moses – God’s power over the human body.
    • God reminds Moses Who made his mouth – God’s power over every part of man.
    • God’s anger burned against Moses – God’s jealousy.
    • God tells Moses his brother is coming – God’s omniscience.
    • Pharaoh rejects Moses – God sends plagues – God’s power over nature.

   There is an ETERNAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN:

• Having an awareness of God – I know God exists.
• Having an intimate knowledge of God –
• John 17:3, “This is eternal life, to know God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
• Jeremiah 9:23: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me.”

“These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.” Psalm 50:21