KNOWING GOD - Part 1
This series was was preached to a congregation of people at all levels of spiritual maturity over a period of nearly half a year. It will take you about half an hour to read. The notes were made for small groups to look at these themes together and apply to their own lives. The purpose of the series was to help us to:
1) To focus on God Himself
2) To appreciate His nature and character
3) To be inspired to revere, love, worship, please Him and get closer to Him
4) To help others to know Him as He is.
THE GLORY OF GOD
God is called the 'God of Glory’ (Psalm 29v3, Acts 7v2). Glory is, as someone has put it, “the sparkling of the Deity”. He is full of glory, it is who He is, it is as essential to His nature as light is to the sun. “Glory” = "Resplendent majesty, beauty, or magnificence." The Queen in her royal robes and crown is glorious – that is the glory of her office, but dressed in country clothes she’s just like anyone else – there is no glory in herself. God is glorious in His office, as God, AND in Himself - in His character and being.
Ps 19v1: “The heavens declare the glory of God.” Isaiah 6v3: “The whole earth is full of His glory.” Those who fail to recognise that, fail to glorify Him as God (Romans1v20). God displays His glory in nature and in people so that we realise how wonderful it will be to know Him and be with Him.
Having caught a glimpse of the glory of the Lord, Isaiah was humbled and scared (Is 6v5). He then offered to go and preach and he proclaimed: “The glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind will see it together” (Isa 40v5). Jesus fulfilled that in His life, ministry, death and resurrection. At the last supper He prayed to the Father: “I have glorified You on the earth” (John 17v4).
Another meaning of the word glory is: "Exalted renown, honourable fame": To bring glory to God is to spread His fame, to demonstrate to others how good He is - so that they can know Him, love Him and be loved by Him. But to do that we need to be glorifying God in our everyday lives the following ways:
Appreciation
We give God the glory when we are God-admirers: 'Thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.’ (Psa 92: 8). To glorify God is to set God highest in our thoughts. When we do that, we cannot help but praise Him and “Whoso offers praise glorifies Me.”
Adoration
We give God the glory when we worship Him: 'Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.’ (Psa 29: 2) When the people of God set themselves to worship Him by the building of the Temple – God’s glory filled the place (2 Chronicles 7v1).
Affection
We give God the glory when we love Him fully: 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul’ (Deut 6: 5), Knowing and loving Him intimately and delighting in Him, not for what He can give us or what He does for us, but for who He is.
Life Application / Cell Discussion
1 Cor 10v31 says: “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” What does this mean in practical terms? See John 15v8, 1 Corinthians 6v20, Philippians 1v11 for further ideas.
Our purpose in pursing this theme is to give ourselves the opportunity to appreciate God more, in His character and His nature. We are rational beings with minds and intellects (given to us by God) so it is right that we use our minds to seek to understand what He has revealed to us of Himself in His Word. However, this is more of a heart thing than a mind thing, because we will never fully appreciate God just with our finite minds. Because God is Spirit, He can communicate with our spirits in a way that goes beyond the human mind. As that happens, hopefully we will be inspired to love and worship Him more and help others to do the same. Last time we looked at the glory of God and today we see that He is glorious in holiness…
THE HOLINESS OF GOD
"Who is like unto You, O LORD among the gods. Who is like unto You, glorious in holiness." (Exodus 15v11)
These words come from the Song of Moses which was sung after the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. God is glorious because of His holiness. Holiness is His very nature.
In her song of praise, Hannah said "No one is holy like the Lord." (1 Samuel 2v2). In heaven the saints sing the Song of Moses again: "Who is like unto You…glorious in holiness" and they sing the Song of the Lamb which declares the same thing: "You alone are holy" (Rev 15v4). Holiness is a unique characteristic of God. It originates with Him – the gods or lords of other religions do not have this attribute and it is not natural to human beings. What is the holiness of God? It is His perfect purity. "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil" (Habakkuk 1v13). God is infinitely, perfectly pure and spotless. John says "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1v5).
We see God's holiness in His hatred of sin: because one sin is a blot against the spotless light of God's holiness. One sin in the Garden of Eden cast Adam and Eve out of Paradise, out of the presence of God because He is perfectly holy and they had lost their purity and innocence. Their one sin was an affront to His holiness. His holiness causes Him to utterly hate sin not only because it is a blot but also because of its consequences upon His perfect creation. One sin brought death and separation from our holy God forever.
We see God's holiness in His law: Paul says: "The law is holy, and the commandment is holy." (Romans 7v12) Everything in the law of God was commanded out of God's holiness, in order to forbid sin and to condemn sin, because His holiness causes Him to hate sin. Even the dietary laws, the laws concerning what was clean and what was unclean as well as the moral laws, including the Ten Commandments, were all emphasising the holiness of God calling His people to be holy too. However as soon as we break the law even once, we are condemned. As Paul says in Romans 7v24 we are in a hopeless situation – until…
We see God's holiness in the cross: Jesus cried "My God, My God why have You forsaken Me?" The answer is found in 2 Corinthians 5v21 "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us." In taking our sin upon Himself Jesus took the full force of God's holiness – His utter hatred of sin. Jesus experienced separation from God in that moment. Stephen Charnock wrote: "Not all the vials of judgement that have, or shall be, poured out upon the wicked world… give such a demonstration of God's hatred of sin (holiness) as the wrath of God let loose upon His Son." In the same passage as quoted above, Paul says "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself." (2 Corinthians 5v19) We unholy mortals are reconciled to a holy God who cannot compromise what He is, even at such a great cost to Himself, because Christ took God's holy wrath against sin upon Himself!
Life application / Cell discussion
What does such a glimpse of the holiness of God do to you? Look again at Isaiah's encounter with holiness (Is 6).
THE LOVE OF GOD
"God is love" (1 John 4v8)
We can rightly say that God is holy, glorious, righteous, faithful, true, just, almighty, everlasting, eternal etc. These are all wonderful adjectives that describe what God is like but when the scripture above says "God is love," the word "love" is a noun – it does not just describe what God is like, i.e. He is loving, it is saying who God is – it's not just part of His nature, or an aspect of Him, it is His very being – He is love. At the same time He is holy and He hates sin – His holiness means that His love is not sentimental or indulgent. His love means that we sinful human beings are not just destroyed at birth by His holiness and His wrath. We have the opportunity in this life to seek after Him and receive His love.
The Love of God is for EVERYONE
God loves all of mankind. "He first loved us" (1 John 4v19).
"For God so loved the world" (John 3v16).
Love originates with God and His love is available to everyone because He loved us, not when we are good enough or loveable enough, but when we were defiled sinners (and that is everyone) and that includes Adolf Hitler or any other wicked person you care to name. God loves them all. How much does He love us? - Enough to die for us! - Christ died for ALL.
That love is seen in the Cross: "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5v8) - but not everyone receives His love or benefits from it because it can only be received at the cross. "He came to His own but His own received Him not, but to all who received Him, He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe on His name" (John 1v11-12).
Those who receive Jesus receive the love of God: "The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5v5). We either receive the love of God poured into us, or eventually the world will receive the wrath of God poured out on those who have rejected His love – for God could not have loved us more (because He loves us perfectly) or done more to show us how much He loves us.
The measure of God's Love
How much does God us? He loves us like He loves His only begotten Son. Jesus prayed at the Last Supper for those who would believe "You…have loved them as You have loved Me" (John 17v23). How does God love His Son?
God's love for His only begotten Son has no beginning and no end. There will never be a time when God stops loving His Son – therefore there will never be a time when He stops loving us.
God's love for His Son never changes – as believers, God's love for us never varies. God is delighted with His Son "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3v17). He was pleased with Jesus' perfect obedience but He is beloved because God's love for His Son never varies. Of course we are not always obedient and there are times when He is not well pleased with our behaviour but His love for us never varies.
God's love for us is seen in the sacrifice of His Son - There was a moment when it looked like God even loved us more than He loved the Son in whom He delights. "He did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all" (Romans 8v31). THAT'S HOW MUCH HE LOVES US! And Jesus did it because He was in complete agreement with the Father – That was God on the cross showing us how much He loves us! (see Romans 8v35-39).
THE JUSTICE OF GOD
"The LORD is a God of Justice" (Isaiah 30v18)
God is Just – "All His ways are just, a God of truth and without injustice" (Deut 32v4). The multitude around the throne of God sing: "Just and true are Your ways" (Rev 15v3) – in other words God is entirely fair in all His actions and dealings with mankind. Why do they sing that? – Because God is just about to bring about His final judgement upon a fallen world – putting everything that has been wrong - right.
God's Justice comes out of His love
Because God is love He is totally fair and impartial. He cannot let some people "get away with it" and others not. That would be to show partiality and have favourites which would be totally unfair and unloving. Moses said "The LORD your God… shows no partiality" (Deut10v18). "Peter said God judges "without partiality… according to each one's work" (1 Peter 1v17). There is justice for all in God but that means that wickedness must be punished.
Because God is love we can be sure He will do the absolutely just and fair thing. The very first reference to God's justice is Abraham saying: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18v25).
Because God is love He is very concerned about the injustice of our world "The LORD stands up to plead, and stands to judge the people…'What do you mean by grinding the faces of the poor?'" (Isaiah 3v13-15). "He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow and loves the stranger" and He expects us to do the same: "Therefore love the stranger" (Deut 10v18-19)
Because God is love He must judge what is wrong in order to put right what is wrong. We live in a very unjust world. "He is coming to judge the earth" 1 Chronicles 16v33. If He did not do it, He would not be just or fair or loving. God has set a time to "Judge the righteous and the wicked" (Ecclesiastes 3v17). "He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17v31).
Because God is love, His justice is tempered by His mercy. "The LORD passed before him (Moses) and proclaimed, the LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and sin, by no means clearing the guilty" (Exodus 34v6-7). "The LORD is slow to anger and great in power and He will not at all acquit the wicked" (Nahum 1v3). Mercy and punishment are in perfect balance in the Justice of God.
Because God is love, He has made a way for His justice to be satisfied and for sinners to be saved from His wrath against sin. "God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood we shall be saved from wrath through Him." (Romans 5v8-9). Once again we see how, from the Character of God – whether we look at His love, His justice, His judgements or even His wrath – we are led to the gospel.
Because God is love when He judges the wicked He will reward His saints (Rev 6v10-12, 11v18). He shows justice on behalf of His people: "The LORD is our Judge…He will save us." (Isaiah 33v22). We must continue in His goodness to receive this (Rom 11v22).
So far we have seen how the Justice of God comes out of His Character of Holiness and Love. We saw how, in order to be totally Just (fair) God must ultimately judge what is wrong and put all wrongs right, now we take that a step further with a look at…
THE WRATH OF GOD
Some people think that the wrath of God is an Old Testament view of God but we shall see that that the New Testament has just as much to say about the wrath of God as the Old Testament. Others think that the wrath of God is out of character with a loving God but this is also a misconception of what God's wrath is, what it is directed against, and how it works.
A Biblical view of the wrath of God
What God's wrath is: Maybe we can answer this better by seeing firstly what it is NOT: It is not an emotional anger, it is not a temper tantrum, it is not an uncontrolled manifestation of violence. It is a manifestation of indignation based upon justice. It is the other side of the love of God. Only those who love, get angry on behalf of wrongs done to those they love, or wrongs done by those they love. God's wrath is a terrible rage but it is under the total control of His love.
What God's wrath is against: "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men" (Romans 1v18). God's wrath is towards sin because He sees what it does to the individual (whom He loves) and to nations (whom He loves). It is often said "God loves the sinner but He hates his sin." This is true, but if the sinner does not repent of his sin – in the end the sinner himself will be on the receiving end of God's wrath. "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things (see verses 3-5) the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 5v6).
How God's wrath works: "The wrath of God is (present tense) revealed" (Romans 1v18). There is a degree to which the wrath of God is already manifest in the world:
1.By death – "Through one man, sin entered the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because all sinned" (Romans 5v12). "The sting of death is sin." We must all die, but the sting is removed for the sinner who repents.
2.By futility – "The creation was subjected to futility" (Romans 8v20) Everyone experiences this in everyday life – life is futile when we leave God out – but God put the sense of futility there "in hope" v20 – in the hope that people would turn to Him again and be saved from futility and ultimately saved from His wrath.
3.By degradation – Romans 1v19-23. Sin left to its devices always leads people further and further away from God and deeper and deeper into trouble. Again this consequence is in the hope that people will turn to God in their depravity and despair and be saved from the full consequences of God's wrath against sin.
The way to be saved from the wrath of God All mankind are "by nature children of wrath" (Ephesians 2v3) but once again we see how this subject leads us to the gospel. God has "no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Ezekiel 33v11). He has done everything that needs to be done to avert it. He Himself, in the person of His Son, has received the full force of the wrath of God on our behalf by dying on the cross in our place. So for the repentant sinner "We are saved from wrath through Him" (Romans 5v9). Ray Stedman says, "No man who turns to God will ever experience His wrath… God only exercises His wrath when men have rejected His love." (John 3v36).
This is the God with Whom we have to deal A righteous God who is angry at sin and a loving God who has provided the way for us to return to Him and live. We cannot change Him but He can change us. This is the Gospel we have to proclaim If people do not realise they are sinners who are already under the wrath of God and destined for the full force of that wrath – an eternity separated from God forever (hell) - then they will not see the need to be saved.
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
“The Lord God Omnipotent reigns” (Revelation 19v6)
God reigns supreme
He is the Creator and therefore it is His right to govern. This is a fact, but one which has been disputed and questioned since the beginning of time, starting with the serpent in the Garden of Eden, and expressed in Psalm 2:2-3 "The rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed saying 'let us break their bonds in pieces.'" Another way that mankind has denied God's right to rule is by denying His existence. "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'" Psalm 14v1.
God does what He pleases
"I am God and there is no other…My counsel shall stand and I will do all My pleasure" (Isaiah 46v10). The great King Nebuchadnezzar, was one of those kings described in Psalm 2, whose power went to his head and he went mad until he recognised that God: "Does according to His will… who can restrain His hand or say to Him 'What have you done?'" (see Daniel 4v30-35). Notice also his final submission to the sovereignty of God over his life and the blessing that brought to him (Daniel 4v37).
God is in control
But He is not a control freak (if we can say that reverently). Control freaks love to manipulate people – God gives us free will. Control freaks love to dominate people, to have their own way – God's sovereignty is big enough to contain and work around anything we may do. He is a loving Father who can be entreated – it's not all fixed – see Abraham's request of God, Genesis 18v20-32. Control freaks love to interfere – God waits for us to call upon Him. However, in His love and wisdom there are many times when God makes the first move, as He did with the Virgin Mary, Saul of Tarsus, and countless others – but it was still up to them to respond to that and follow it through for the rest of their lives.
God has His way God can do whatever He chooses.
"I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy " (Romans 9v15). We may not understand why He does what He does but that should not surprise us, "His does great things past finding out" (Job 9v10) but He always does what is right – He is a righteous God (Romans 9v14). He reigns in righteousness and everything He does is under the control of His love. If we do not believe that, we do not know Him. If we do know His nature, we can trust His sovereign will.
Life Application What difference does God's sovereignty make to us?
God is on the Throne
If God is on the throne of our hearts and lives, that means He's in control – there's no such thing as luck, chance or fate for the believer. When things seem out of control – God is sovereign. Look at Job – we have insight into the fact that Satan could not touch him without God's permission and that God allowed Job to go through what he did for many reasons – but not least to bring Job forth as gold (Job 23v10) and to reveal His sovereignty to him (Job 38-41). Like Job, we may question what God is doing, and struggle with the seemingly unfairness of it all, but when we see that God is sovereign, that He knows best, that His plans for us are for good and not for evil (Jeremiah 29v11), we can rest in the centre of His will and trust Him to "lead us in triumph in Christ" (2 Corinthians 2v14).
"He knows the way that I take. When He has tested me I shall come forth as gold… I have kept His way and not turned aside." (Job 23v10-11)
THE GOODNESS OF GOD
"Therefore consider the goodness and the severity of God – on those who fell, severity, but toward you goodness – if you continue in His goodness." Romans 11v22
God is Good
God is goodness itself.
"The Lord is good" (Nahum 1v7) He is goodness personified. His Character, His very essence is good. He is infinitely, absolutely, totally good. This makes Him totally "safe." There is no dark side to God. He is light – we can be assured that He will never fluctuate. He is good all the time.
Even in His wrath He is good. Because of His goodness He is angry with all that is wrong - all sin, but when anyone repents, we know what His reaction will be – He will turn away His anger and forgive – every time – because of His goodness.
Everything God says and does is good. "You are good and do good" Psalm 119v68. Everything that is good comes out of Him.
God's Goodness is shown in His Creation
Everything God made is very good (Genesis 1v31). "The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord" (Psalm 33v5). It is sin that has spoilt His creation and that's why He must judge and why the wrath of God must finally be poured out on His creation before He creates a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21v1).
He has provided all good things for us to enjoy (1 Timothy 6v17, James 1v17).
His goodness is towards all His creation "He gives food to all flesh for His mercy endures forever" (Psalm 136v25). "The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works" (Ps145v9). "He makes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust." (Matthew 5v45).
God's Goodness is shown in His Communication
God has communicated His goodness to us – He revealed Himself in His creation "He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons filling our hearts with food and gladness" (Acts 14v17).
God's commandments are good
"The law is holy and the commandment holy and just and good" (Romans 7v12). His commands to mankind come from His goodness to show us the way to live a truly good life.
God has sent good news through the gospel "He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor… to heal the brokenhearted" (Luke 4v18). "The goodness of God" is meant to lead men "to repentance" (Romans 2v4).
God's Goodness is shown in His Redemption
Once again looking at God's character brings us face to face with our own shortcomings yet in His goodness He has reached out to mankind in the person of His Son. The cross is the ultimate demonstration of God's goodness to the world. "O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good and His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!" (Psalm 107v1). Let us tell of His goodness – it's the best way of witnessing - "For You Lord are good and ready to forgive and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You" (Psalm 86v5).
"The Lord is good and a stronghold in the day of trouble and He knows those who trust in Him"
(Nahum 1v7)
THE MERCY OF GOD
“The Lord is good, His MERCY is everlasting” (Psalm 100v5)
God is a merciful God.
Mercy is God's attitude towards everyone - "His tender mercies are over all His works" (Psalm 145v9). As Jesus said, "He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5v45). Jeremiah said "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed" (Lamentations 3v22).
This aspect of God's character is revealed in the whole of scripture, in fact it is mentioned even more times in the Old Testament than the New, although it is fully and completely revealed in the:
Coming of Jesus
Both Mary and Zacharias in their wonderful hymns of praise at the first Christmas, speak of the mercy of God: Mary's Magnificat states: "His mercy is on those who fear Him" (Luke 1v50). Note that, God's mercy can only be fully received by those who fear Him. If people harden their hearts towards God, or are too proud to come to Him they cannot receive His mercy – if they stay that way, ultimately they will receive His wrath instead. It's people who cry "God be merciful to me a sinner" who are saved.
Furthermore Mary said "He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy" (Luke 1v55). There are a number of places in scripture that speak of God remembering to be merciful. That's what the rainbow was all about (Genesis 9v14-15). It is significant therefore that in heaven there is a rainbow around the throne of God (Revelation 4v3).
The Encyclopaedia Britannica says that a rainbow is formed by "two refractions and one internal reflection" of light through the prism of water droplets. There is no rain in heaven but God is light and that light refracted and reflected through His total being emanates in a rainbow – What comes out of God's character? Mercy! He cannot forget to be merciful!!
Zacharias at the birth of John the Baptist but speaking of Jesus extolled: "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people…to perform the mercy promised to our fathers" (Luke 1v68-72).
Cross of Jesus
A person can only receive mercy if they deserve to be punished. Once again the character of God brings us to the cross every time and God's mercy is seen most perfectly displayed at the cross. Jesus died, "the Just for the unjust" (1 Peter 3v18). "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us… we shall be saved from wrath through Him" (Romans 5v8-9).
David wrote, "Oh give thanks to the LORD for He is good! For His mercy endures forever" (1 Chronicles 16v34). This became an anthem in Israel:
They sang it when the ark was brought into the Temple (2 Chronicles 4v13), when the glory of the Lord filled the Temple (2 Chron 7v3), and on occasions when God's people went to war against their enemies (2 Chron 20v21). Let's make it our anthem too! Let's be merciful to others – people fail and make mistakes – God is patient and forgiving towards us out of His mercy – let's be the same towards those around us.
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life" (Ps 23v6).
Why? - Because God is a Merciful God!
THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD
“Know therefore that the Lord your God is… the Faithful God” (Duet 7v9)
God is absolutely faithful, reliable, dependable, unwavering and unchangeable. His faithfulness comes from His love and is guaranteed by His immutability (unchangableness). His faithfulness means we can trust Him, we are safe in His hands. This works out in all the following ways…
God is faithful in FORGIVING
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1v9). Once again considering the character of God shows us the good news of the gospel.
God is faithful in PROMISING
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10v21-23). We can trust God’s promises because He is faithful. We can also be sure that He will deliver on His warnings if we continue in disobedience – because He is absolutely faithful to everything He has said. Ethan the Ezrahite who wrote Psalm 89 mentions the faithfulness of God six times but this was written at a time when it looked like God was not fulfilling what He had promised to King David – only the promise of punishment if David's descendants forsook the Lord. How would the promise of an eternal kingship for the house of David ever be fulfilled? It seemed impossible. Yet God did the impossible and showed His faithfulness by sending His Son, born of David's line!
God is faithful in FULFILLING
“As God is faithful… all the promises of God in Him (Jesus) are Yes and in Him Amen” (2 Corinthians 1v18-20). Isaiah 11v1-5 foresees Jesus as the embodiment of God's faithfulness (v5).
God is faithful in SANCTIFYING
“Now the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful who will also do it” (1 Thess 5v23-24).
God is faithful in PROTECTING
“The Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one” (2 Thess 3v3).
God is faithful in KEEPING
“Who will confirm you to the end that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called” (1 Corinthians 1v9). He will get us there. Lamentations 3v21-26 shows how even in the deepest despair the believer has HOPE because of the faithfulness of God.
We live in a world where unfaithfulness is the order of the day – disloyalty in friendships and relationships, unreliability in employment, undependability in business, infidelity in marriage which disrupts families, and a general lack of commitment which is even evident in the church of the western world. “If we are faithless He remains faithful, He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim 2v13)
God’s faithfulness challenges us to be faithful like He is. To be faithful to the end. This is one of the most important character traits that we need because all else hangs on it. “He who overcomes and keeps my works until the end to him will I give power over the nations” (Revelation 2v26).
This series continues - see KNOWING GOD Part 2