This is Your Dad

At the end of tomorrow’s sermon on prayer, I’ll suggest that enriching our understanding of our Heavenly Father enriches our love for Him–a weapon in fighting the devil who’s trying to separate us from Dad.  Because He loves us, the Father told us a lot about Himself in the Bible so we could worship Him and love Him back.  The quest to knowing Him is lifelong.  The following Bible verses may aid your journey.

What’s true of God that’s not at all true of us?

  1. He is Spirit: John 4:24.  The Father is not hampered by a body, but He sometimes take on one.  Genesis 18:1-2, 16-23
  2. He is Invisible. John 1:18; 1 Timothy 1:17; 1 Timothy 6:16; Colossians 1:15
  3. He is Sovereign. Daniel 4:32; Isaiah 46:10; Acts 17:26
  4. He is Eternal. Isaiah 26:4; Romans 16:26; 1 Timothy 1:17
  5. He is Unchanging. James 1:17: Malachi 3:6
    1. If this is so, is the God of the OT different from the God of the NT?       Does He evolve? Improve? No!       God OT is identical to God NT.       However, the fulfillment of God OT’s plan by the coming of the Messiah, does change a lot of things. (Like, no more animals to sacrifice!)
  6. He Knows everything. 1 John 3:20; Hebrews 4:13; Psalm 139:1-2
    1. What is going on that He is ignorant of? Is He aware of how unjustly you are being treated? Of the awful crimes being perpetrated against innocent children?
    2. What secret do you think you’ve been able to hide from Him?       What façade doesn’t He see through? Isn’t it startling that God knows every major and minor detail about you…, every good and horrible thing about you…, and still loves you with an everlasting love!
  7. He Is everywhere. Psalm 39:7-10.  Can’t run from Him; can’t hide from Him (although Adam tried).
  8. He has unlimited power. Jeremiah 32:17; Matthew 19:26; 2 Corinthians 6:18 [anywhere in the Bible God is called “Almighty”, it refers to His limitless power.] (also Job 42:2).  There is nothing He can’t do—INCLUDING raising the dead.
  9. In His being He is a Unity: Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Timothy 2:5 (also 1 Corinthians 8:6)
  10. He is Free. Romans 11:34-36; Psalm 115:3; Acts 17:25; Daniel 4:35

What’s true of God that in some small way we can mirror?

  1. He is Holy. 1 Peter 1:16; Exodus 15:11; Psalm 29:2 (also Joshua 24:19); Revelation 4:8.  Holiness is not just something that’s true of Him, it’s His identity.
    1. Holy means “Other,” set apart, separate.  Hosea 11:9: I am God and not man, the Holy One among you. Leviticus 10:8-10 (learning to distinguish between the holy and the common); Leviticus 20:26.
    2. Sinless perfection (purity); fire often represents this such as the burning bush Moses saw, Mt. Sinai on fire as God visited, fire of punishment on Israel’s camp [Numbers 11], chariot of fire…, works tested by fire [1 Corinthians 3:12-15], final plague (scorched with fire [Revelation 16])
      1. How others have reacted to an encounter with Holy God.
        1. Isaiah 6:1-7
        2. Luke 5:1-11
        3. Revelation 1:9-18
      2. The natural response to God’s holiness is reverent awe, wonder, even dread. Psalm 96:9
  2. He is Just. 2 Thess.1:6-10a. Ps.9:16
    1. Conforming to a standard of correctness. Acting or being in conformity to what is morally upright or good. (Justice: Deciding guilt or innocence with complete impartiality, with absolute fairness.)
    2. 2 Chronicles 12:1-8. If God is just when he orders judgment, is He unjust to then relent when people humble themselves?
    3. Romans 9:14-18 (Because God is just, no one will ever be judged with a judgment he/she does not deserve. But because He is merciful many will escape the judgment they do deserve.)  [The only Christians who grasp their justification enough to leap and shout with joy, are those who grasp God’s justice.]
  3. He is Merciful. James 5:11; Ephesians.2:4; Titus 3:5; Nehemiah 9:31When God shows mercy He withholds the punishment that we rightly deserve.
  4. He is Loving. 1 John 4:8; John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Galatians 2:20 (also Psalm 25:10; 1 John 3:1; Psalm 62:12)  How wonderful! How have you seen the love of God in your life? God didn’t need to love us, He chose to.
  5. He is Gracious. Exodus 34:6; Ephesians 1:7-8; 2:8; 2 Chronicles 30:9; Titus 2:11; 2 Corinthians 9:14.  Grace is everything good that God gives us which we do not deserve.
  6. He is Kind. Romans 2:4; Isaiah 54:8; Titus 3:4
  7. He is Good. Mark 10:18; Psalm 107:1; Psalm 145:9; Romans 8:28.  This is why His sovereignty is reassuring instead of terrifying.
  8. He is True. Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2; 1 John 5:20; 1 Thessalonians 1:9
  9. He is Glorious. Ephesians 1:17
  10. He is Wise. Romans 11:33; Colossians 2:3.  Anything He recommends you do, become, say, avoid or devote yourself to, is pure wisdom.
  11. He is Patient. Exodus 34:6; 2 Peter 3:9 (& 3:15).  Without God’s patience, each of us would feel the weight of God’s wrath at the first breath we took as sinners (which would be our very first breath!). If He were not patient, we would know no mercy, no grace, only wrath.
  12. He is Wrathful. Ephesians 5:6; Romans 12:19; Psalm 7:11; Jeremiah 21:5; Revelation 19:15; Romans 2:5.  That God expresses wrath does not in any way checkmate God’s love, mercy or grace. His wrath it is neither constant nor haphazardly applied.  But when its fullness is one day experienced by the world (Revelation 6-19), all people will know just how violently God objects to being ignored, despised, unloved and unworshiped.  Hell is the fitting fulfillment to His righteous wrath.
  13. He is Zealous. Ezekiel 39:25; Isaiah 9:7
  14. He is Jealous. Exodus 20:5; 34:14; Joshua 24:19; Nahum 1:2
  15. He is Righteous. Daniel 9:14; Romans 3:4; 1 John 2:11; Jeremiah 12:1
  16. He is Faithful. 1 John 1:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalm 25:10
  17. He is Orderly. 1 Corinthians 14:33
  18. He is Peaceful. Isaiah 9:6 (also possibly John 14:27 & Micah 5:5)

Author: Keith Rohrer

Husband, Dad, Grandpa, Gospel-lover, churchplanter, pastor, woodworker, biker.

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