Who is God [2]

To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, 

dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Jude 25

Just to recap from last week, we’re talking about all things God; who is He, what’s He look like, what’s He all about, and what does He want from me.  Who is He and what is He to me?   We covered the fact that God is a spirit – He doesn’t consist of flesh and blood; therefore, He doesn’t look like a Caucasian, blue-eyed, blond hair man we see in pictures – because He’s a spirit!  Even the pictures describing Jesus this way is in error as Jesus as an Israelite. We talked about His nature; how He loves us, is caring and kind toward us.  We also talked about some of who He is like; He’s:

      ·         Relational
·         Approachable          
·         Creative       
·         Forgiving                             
·         Honest and
·         capable

Let’s go back to relational for a moment.  We know from the reading of His word that God strongly desires a relationship with us.  When we think about God and just how great and wonderous and magnificent He is, it just begs the question, what could He possibly want with me?  But then if we consider that if God created the entire world as a place to accommodate human beings – as we believe in our Hearts and in accordance with His word that He did – then He must have had some sort of plan in mind. The Bible says God wants as many people as will to choose to love Him and spend eternity with Him  [John 3:15].

God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whosoever believes in Him will not face eternal destruction, but will have everlasting life.  Get this, God didn’t send His Son into the world to judge it; instead, He sent Him to rescue a world headed toward destruction [John 3:16].

 

Because God's standard for behavior is perfection in thought and deed, we often find it very difficult to meet His standard on our own. But, since God loves us so much; desires a relationship with us, He provided us a means where we can attain spiritual maturity and salvation. This was done by:

*          God, the father, as He took on the form of a human being [Jesus Christ] and lived on this earth for a short period of time and set himself as the perfect example:   Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:   In other words, adopt the mindset of Jesus.  We should live with His attitude in our Hearts. He was a servant in form – the very likeness of humanity [compassion], He humbled Himself and He was obedient to death!  Philippians 2:5-8

*           And him teaching repentance and the kingdom of God.  Jesus main purpose was to provide the ultimate sacrifice for sins, by living a completely sinless life,  for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

*              And dying on a cross

And He is the Head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence.  For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in Heaven.  And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: Colossians 1:19-20

*               And rising from the dead

Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God.  Romans 6:9-10

 

It’s through belief in Jesus and His sacrifice for sins that we’re declared righteous and free from sin.  We who believe in Jesus follow Him, being indwelt by God’s Spirit, who guides us as we become conformed to the image of Christ: For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son . . .  Romans 8:29 

It bears repeating that if we want to have a real relationship with God, we need to know Him in His fullness, not just superficially or vicariously through others.  We have to know Him and experience Him for ourselves.  It’s called a relationship builder.  In bible days God was described in many different ways by men who had relationships with God:

 Jude describes God as all powerful, the one whom at some point, we’ll all face, the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.  Jude 25

 

King David describes Him as righteous and holy.  For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.  Psalm 11:7

 

Apostle Peter describes Him as Holy:  But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."  1 Peter 1:15-16

 

These men had up close, intimate relationships with God.  What about you?  One thing we can all attest to is God’s love; how He demonstrates His love toward mankind.  Even before the advent of mankind, God wanted to share His love with others, He created the angels — spiritual creatures who relate and worship Him. 

 

Because God is love, He wants us to love Him and love other people.  Everything we read in the bible, which was told by God, spoken of by the prophets and written by the apostles are based on and are variations of the principles of love. 

 

. . . Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.   Matthew 22:37-40

 

There’s more!  We know God reveals who He is and tells us of Himself as recorded in His word.  This is what I want to share with you today so we can better understand the ruler of the Kingdom; His majesty, dominion and power:

 

¨   Who does God claim to be?

Who is God? He's been described as everything from an impersonal life-force to a benevolent, personal, almighty Creator. He’s been called by many names, including: "Zeus," "Jupiter," "Brahma," "Allah," "Ra," "Odin," "Ashur," "Ahura Mazda," and "the Great Spirit" to name just a few. He's seen by some as "Mother Nature" and by others as "Father God."

 

But who is He really? Who does He claim to be? What has He revealed about Himself? To begin with, whenever He refers to Himself in parental terms, He always addresses Himself as "Father," never "Mother." He calls Himself “a Father to Israel," and in one instance, when His "children" were particularly disrespectful to Him, He said to them, "A son honors His father, and a servant His master.  If then I am the father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence?"  Malachi 1:6

The prophets acknowledged Him as Father by saying, “You are our Father, we are the clay, and You, our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand,"   Isaiah 64:8

 

Malachi asked the question:  "Do we not all have one Father? Has not one God created us?"  Malachi 2:10   

 

Never once does God refer to Himself as "Mother" and never once is He called mother by the prophets to whom He spoke. Calling God "Mother Nature" is comparable to calling your earthly father "Mom."   Prayerfully, we put that to rest, God is not mother nature.

 

¨   What Does God Care About?

So, who is God in terms of moral attributes? What does God have to say about Himself in this regard?  Justice and equity are very important to God. But so are grace and mercy. And so, while God will hold everyone accountable – each for their own lives – He extends His grace to the repentant sinner. He promises that,

. . . if the wicked will turn from all His sins that He hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, He shall surely live, He shall not die.  All His transgressions that He hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto Him: in His righteousness that He hath done He shall live.  Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that He should return from His ways, and live?  But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall He live?

 

God extends grace and mercy and we should take advantage of it because if we don’t, He has this to say:  All his righteousness that He hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that He hath trespassed, and in his sin that He hath sinned, in them shall He die.   Ezekiel 18:21:24

¨     God is Knowable; He makes himself known to us.

 

Many religions describe a being referred to as "God." Some of these religions describe the being God as one of many other gods created by more powerful gods or councils of gods. But the bible lets us know, but every believing child of God should know:

 

    ·          God is the Creator of not only the earth but the Heavenlies (matter, energy, space, and time), along with other principalities and beings.    

 

However, God did not just create the universe and leave it to its own fate as deists proclaim. God is this personal life force who walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.

 

God is also Savior of mankind, who came to Earth in the person of Jesus of Nazareth to provide the ultimate example of holiness and the ultimate sacrifice for humanity's sins, in order to restore our personal relationship with Him.

 

According to Christianity, God is the self-existent One, having no need of being created, since He has existed forever and is the cause of all things, including the dimension of time, to which He Himself is not subject.  God's power over the physical creation is absolute, such that He can manipulate matter, energy, space, and time at will. For this reason, God is said to be all powerful—able to accomplish any task He wills to do. Along with being all powerful, God is also all knowing—having knowledge of all things that are possible to be known, including the entire History of the universe—past, present, and future. God is

 

a)         all powerful (omnipotent) and

b)        all knowing (omniscient)

c)         He’s also able to be present at all places at all times (omnipresent). 

d)        God is all loving—according to the Bible, "God is love". 

 

The love of God prompted Him to create human beings in His image, in order to share His love with us. The scriptures, Matthew 22:37-40, say that we can fulfill the entire law of God by loving Him and loving our fellow human beings.

God is absolutely holy—without any moral or character defect.  In fact, the Bible says that God is incapable of doing any evil and despite being all powerful. God is unchangeable.

God said it:  For I the Lord do not change . . .  Malachi 3:6

 

In other words, He doesn’t change any of His attributes or character at any time. Despite humanity's tendency to change its definition of morality, God's moral character does not evolve with the times, but remains constant.  He’s not fickle; following every wind and whim of man.

 

Lastly, the Bible says that God cannot be contained within the universe.  Solomon asked the question:  But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the Heaven and Heaven of Heavens cannot contain the; how much less this house that I have builded? 1 Kings 8:27

 

In addition, the Bible says that God fills both Heaven and earth:  Can any hide Himself in secret places that I shall not see Him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill Heaven and earth? saith the LORD.  Jeremiah 23:24

 

So, God is both transcendent (Heavenly) and innate (natural).  In other words, God is present at all places at all times (omnipresent). 

 

God's normal abode is in Heaven, which is not located within the physical realms of the universe. According to the Bible, Heaven operates under different physical laws.  And the Heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.  Revelation 6:14

 

And all the host of Heaven shall be dissolved, and the Heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. Isaiah 34:4

Sermonette

Trusting God in Prayer

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.  Jeremiah 17:7

Do you know that we can’t say we trust God when we are not aligned – or I should say refuse to be aligned with the will of God.  Do you understand that when we pray for our will to be God’s will – in essence, asking that our will replace the will of God - that we’re not only praying amiss but we are in direct conflict with the will of God?  When we pray that God bless what we want rather than we being obedient to what He wants is a direct contradiction to His word.  God knows our wants and desires and He also knows what is best for us – what will keep us on the path of righteousness and what will cause us to detour.  It’s just as important to understand that we can’t live in sin and think just because we pray and ask in the name of Jesus, we’ll be granted our requests. In accordance to the word of God, tremendous power is released through the passionate, heartfelt prayer of godly believers.  That’s what the word says:

. . .  The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.  James 5:16

It is the prayers of righteous men and women that avail with God:

If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.  John 15:7

This means IF we’re abiding in Christ we can ask and it shall be done. IF we’re walking in obedience to God's Word, then we can ask with assurance in the name of Jesus.

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, . . . John 13:14

Some may disagree with this Biblical teaching. They say you can ask ANYTHING as long as it’s asked in the name of Jesus and it’ll be done.  But that would imply that God acquiesces to our will when the bible clearly indicates that we are to submit our will to His will.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.  Romans 12:2

That scripture is loaded; it speaks to not only how we are to be living our life but our thoughts and our prayers to God in order to walk this scripture out.  I know we prayer for a whole bunch of things – natural and spiritual and as long as they’re godly, keep praying them.  But, in want to be in alignment with this scripture [Romans 12:2], what ought to be foremost in our petitions to God is:

      ·       a hunger in our hearts for souls

      ·       forgiveness in the areas of poor stewardship.

      ·       wisdom & application of effective stewardship.

      ·       knowledge of money for the building of God’s Kingdom.

      ·       With all the disharmony in the church, more than ever pray for unity within our church family

I know we need temporal things, but our spiritual needs should have preeminence.  To be clear, I’m not saying don’t pray for natural or temporal things but we must be careful when they are not aligned with the will of God.  God may grant you your request but there may be consequences to follow.  When we’re presumptuous in our prayers without submitting our requests to God’s will, He may answer our requests, but it may not be in our best interests. He did this with the children of Israel in their wilderness experience when they prayed out of the lust of their flesh [this is an excellent example of praying amiss]:

And He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.   Psalms 106:15

God gave them their request, they wanted meat and they got it in great abundance:

And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.  And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague.  Numbers 11:31-33

There was a problem here because God had given them what they needed to sustain them on their journey.  So now, they were praying [the bible says crying] out of their lust for Moses to go before God so they could eat meat and instead of the positive response they were looking for there was a negative recompense.

Imagine the insult to God that His people didn’t trust Him enough to realize that He had already given them what they needed to sustain them on their journey.  But instead of trusting God, they listened to a ‘mixed multitude of people’ who escaped Egypt when they did but who didn’t even have a relationship with God.  And they allowed them to whisper in their ears.  And the children of God had the nerve to follow their thoughts instead of the will of God.  How many times have we put our confidence in man instead of trusting in God.  God tells you one thing and you listen to someone else’s opinion about what God told you!  But, if you trust in God, in His will, you’ll find yourself strengthened as did Apostle Paul when he put in his prayer request; not once, but three times and He didn’t get the response he was looking for.  He was seeking his will that God deliver him when God had a whole other agenda for him!  He didn’t seek counsel from the other disciples; ask them what they thought he should do; no, he continued to pray and wait on God’s response.  Here’s what he had to say about his prayer and the result of it:

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9

But because his prayer wasn’t answered, that didn’t stop Apostle Paul. He didn’t lose faith, in fact, he was strengthened because of it.  God used Apostle Paul’s infirmity to strengthen his reliance on God and keep him humble before God and man!

That’s a lesson for you:  just because God can, doesn’t always mean He will.  If our faith is based on the premise that God can do and will do anything that we ask, all we’ve done is created a recipe for disappointment and loss of faith. This is bible. God is sovereign, and yes, He can do anything, He is capable and able to do anything.  He tells us that in His word:

And he said, the things which are impossible with men are possible with God.  Luke 18:27

But that doesn’t mean that it is an automatic that He will.  The three Hebrew captives understood that though God is capable of the impossible doesn’t mean that he’ll always do the impossible according to our desires and requests.  They acknowledged this when faced with the fiery furnace:

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.  Daniel 3:17-18

The catch is that He does what He does according to His will, not our will. We have to trust His will with every aspect of our lives and every fiber of our being including what we pray for or about.

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. Jeremiah 7:7

To believe otherwise is a setup for failure. Not only will it disturb and cancel out the peace of God that is promised to us, it leads to disappointment and a loss of faith.

Further reflection on the three Hebrew captives, reveals that they trusted God despite the obstacle.  Their demonstration of their obedience to God and their reliance in Him when they refused to bow to false gods at the King's request and subsequently were thrown into a fiery furnace.  Their response to this ultimatum demonstrated their obedience because of their trust in God.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.  Daniel 3:16

In other words, they let the king know that they knew who their God was, in whom they trusted and to whom they belonged.  Their trust in God, which was first spoken and then demonstrated by their actions allowed the glory of God to be manifested.

Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.  Daniel 3:28

When we trust in God, then we trust the will He has for us and our life and the responses to our requests.

Trusting God’s will is paramount.  If we’re not going to trust His will, then what is the point of praying?  We have to realize that all the things that we go through are not always about us.  We may just be the instrument that God is using for His glory to be revealed, Jesus trusted the will of God and made himself subject to it.  He prayed before His death:

Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done.  Luke 22:42

In the weakness of human flesh, Jesus didn’t want to suffer. He wanted the cup of suffering removed, but He submitted His will to God's will.   Why?  Because He wholeheartedly trusted in God.

Knowledge and experience builds our relationship with God.  It starts with trusting in Him.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  Proverbs 3:5-6

Sermonette 

* WHO IS GOD?

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   

John 1:1

 

God is the ultimate Being in existence, perfect in power, love, and character. Since God’s desire is to share His love with others, He created the angels and human beings—spiritual creatures who can relate to Him.  Because God is love, He wants us to love Him and love others just as He does.  We find that in Matthew 22:37-40.  God came to earth in human form as Jesus of Nazareth to teach us about Himself, to be the perfect example and to provide the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, so that those who believe can have fellowship with Him. The Bible encourages all people to turn from their selfishness to become lovers of God, to fulfill God's perfect law of love.

  

And yet, the question remains ‘Who is God, what’s He all about ,what does He look like?’  We define what He looks like according to His word. 

Since human beings are created in the image of God, most artists’ renditions picture God as looking like a human male. Although the Bible uses the personal pronoun "He" to describe God, it never says God looks like a human male. Word pictures describing God usually use words such as "like" or "as" in their descriptions. So, we find that both males and females were created in the image of God:  So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He Him; male and female created He them.  Genesis 1:27

 

Likewise, there are descriptions of God that describe Him with wings and feathers:

I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.  He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Psalm 91:2-4

 

In that passage, we not only get a description of who He is and also some of what He looks like.  Nobody would suggest that God is an overgrown bird or chicken.  In fact, the Bible says God is a spirit; meaning that He is

 

—without physical form (i.e., not composed of ordinary matter).  What does that mean Pastor Candy:  God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. John 4:24

 

Although God's primary nature is spiritual, He’s able to take on physical form in order to interact with human beings on Earth. The Bible says that God took on human form, coming to earth as Jesus.

 

The Bible says that believers who die will “see Him just as He is" .  Apostle John tells us Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear; we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2

 

-                     because they will be like Him, possessing "spiritual bodies”.  Apostle Paul explains how the body . . . is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 1 Corinthians 15:44 

 

So, there is no way to know what God actually looks like in Heaven, until we actually get there.  But we do know, through the word of God, that He is:

 ®      Relational

God, who created the universe in all of its magnitude and creative details, is able to be known, by us. He tells us about Himself, but even goes beyond that. He welcomes us into a relationship, so that we personally can get to know Him. Not only can we know about Him, we can know Him, intimately.  He wants us to boast of who He is . . .  let Him who boasts boast about this:  that He understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the Lord.  Jeremiah 9:23-24

 ®      Approachable

 God invites us to talk to Him and engage Him in what concerns us. We don't have to get our act together first. Neither do we need to be polite – although we do need to be diplomatic, - we don’t have to be theologically correct or holy. It is His nature to be loving and accepting when we go to Him in sincerity and a pure heart.

 The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth."   Psalms 145:18

 ®      Creative

Everything we make is put together with existing materials or built on previous thoughts. God has the capacity of speaking things into existence, not just galaxies and life forms, but solutions to today's problems. God is creative, for us. His power is something He wants us to be aware of and to rely on.

"Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit."  Psalms 147:5

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my Help.  My Help cometh from the Lord, which made Heaven and earth.  Psalms 121:1-2

 ®      Forgiving

We sin. We tend to do things our way instead of God's way. And He sees it and knows it. God does not merely overlook such sin, but is prepared to judge and condemn people for their sin. However, God is forgiving and will forgive us from the moment we begin a relationship with Him according to His word. Jesus, the Son of God, paid for our sin with His death on the cross. He rose from the dead and offers us this forgiveness.

We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed His blood, sacrificing His life for us.  God is forgiving for whosoever will.  I thank God for being a part of that whosoever will!  The bible tells us that This redeeming justice comes through the faithfulness of Jesus, our Liberating King, who makes salvation a reality for all who believe—without the slightest partiality. 

And furthermore, When God set himself up in the person of Jesus up to be the sacrifice His blood became the demonstration of God’s restorative justice. All of this confirms His faithfulness to the promise.  We can see over the course of human history, make it personal, our own lives, how God has patiently held back his hand of justice as He dealt with the sins being committed.  Romans 3:22,25

®      Honest

Just like a person who lets you know their thoughts and feelings, God clearly tells us about Himself, the possible difference being, He is always honest. Everything He says about Himself, or about us, is reliable information. Truer than our feelings, thoughts, and perception, God is totally accurate and honest in what He says. Every promise He makes to us can be fully counted on; He means it. We can take Him at His word.

The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.  Psalms 119:130

 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  Psalms 119:105

 ®      Capable

How would you like to be always 100% right, about everything? God is. His wisdom is unlimited. He understands all the elements of a situation, including the history and future events related to it. We do not have to update Him, counsel Him or persuade Him to do the right thing. He will, because He is capable and His motives are pure. He will never make a mistake, never undercut us or deceive us. He can be fully trusted to do what is right, in all circumstances, at all times. He is the Lord of Hosts; Jehovah SA-BA-OTH, meaning majesty, power, and authority of God because He is able to accomplish what He determines to do.  Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.   Psalms 25:3

 

God wants as many people as will to choose to love Him 
and spend eternity with Him.

 

If God created the entire universe as a place to accommodate human beings – as we believe in our hearts that he did – then He must have had some sort of plan in mind. 

 

God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whosoever believes in Him will not face eternal destruction, but will have everlasting life.  Get this, God didn’t send His Son into the world to judge it; instead, He sent Him to rescue a world headed toward destruction.

 

When we choose to love Him, we follow His commands, right?  It’s recorded in His word, If ye love me, keep my commandments.  John 14:15

 

Because God's standard for behavior is perfection in thought and deed, we often find it very difficult to meet His standard on our own. However, since God loves us so much, He’s provided us a means by which we can attain perfection which is better understood as spiritual maturity; that is through Christ Jesus:

 

*     God, as Jesus, took on the form of a human being and lived on the earth, we know for a short period of time and set himself as the perfect example:   

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:   In other words, adopt the mind-set of Jesus.  Let’s live with His attitude in our hearts. Remembering, though He was in the form of God, He chose not to cling to equality with God; But He poured Himself out to fill a vessel brand new; He was a servant in form and a man – the very likeness of humanity, He humbled Himself and He was obedient to death!  Philippians 2:5-8

*     Besides teaching repentance and the kingdom of God, His main purpose was to provide the ultimate sacrifice for sins, by living a completely sinless life, For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

*     dying on a cross

 

For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell; 20 And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in Heaven. Colossians 1:19-20

*     and rising from the dead

 

Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. 10 For in that He died , He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God.  Romans 6:9-10

 

It is through belief in Jesus and His sacrifice for sins that one is declared righteous and free from sin.  One who believes in Jesus follows Him, being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who guides us as we become conformed to the image of Christ

 

For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Romans 8:29 

 

So, those who believe in Jesus; and are following the statutes of God, are declared righteous formed in the very image of God – we will see Him face to face as He is!

Sermonette