“Tell Me what you Know about God- In one Sentence”  1/29/12  Lake Murray Presbyterian, Dr. Ben Sloan

¹⁵ For this is what the high and exalted One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. ¹⁶ I will not accuse them forever, nor will I always be angry, for then they would faint away because of me—
the very people I have created. (Isaiah 57:15,16)

¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17)

One of my favorite action movies is “the Bourne Identity” in which Jason Bourne, a CIA operative, has amnesia and spends the whole movie trying to discover who he is- really David Webb whose identity was lost.   He ends up discovering who he is when he discovers who made him the way he is today.   There are many people wondering who they really are and why they exist.  The answer for us too, is not discoverable until we know who made us and rescues us.  In fact, I believe that we really cannot discover our true selves until we discover the true God.  God made us, we have strayed from Him- and He desires to make us better peopleToday we will be looking at the identity of God in hopes of discovering our own identity. 
     If I meet someone and I want to get to know them and their identity, the first step is to get to know about them.   In South Carolina that means asking them “Where are you from?”  Then you may ask something like “What do you do?”  Then you might start looking for mutual acquaintances.   It is the same in many ways if you want to know God.  If you really want to know the person of God, then first you must believe that it is possible to know Him- that He exists and wants to be known.  The Bible says, “If anyone wants to please God- they must believe that He is and that He reqards those who diligently seek Him.”  Once you established that you are not talking to the air, then the next step is to seek to know about God.  Who is He?  Who does He say He is?  What kind of things does He do?  Such things are not to be taken for granted in a pluralistic society. 
If one of your neighbors who may not have been to church since they were a kid asks you, “Who and what is God?”  Would you know what to say?  You could say, “Call up my preacher and he’ll tell you!” 
   I have two caveats before we enter into this daunting task of speaking limited words about the limitless God.   There is a real sense in which we are limited in our knowledge about God.  How can you possibly squeeze anything about the infinite eternal unchangeable God into a 20 minute sermon.  But simply because we are called to speak humbly does not mean we have nothing to say.  God has revealed to us something about Himself in His Word.  The second caveat is that saying anything that would define God is not politically correct because it might offend someone.  Jesus spoke of this offense too saying houses will be divided because of him.  But the truth is too important to ignore even though it must be held humbly. 
GOD IS INFINITE- That is God is omnipresent.  The Psalmist said, “If I go to heaven you are there.  If I make my bed in the depths even there your hand will guide me, and your right hand will hold me fast.   What if you thought God was in heaven but not with you?  This is the Muslim idea- God is great but God is not love.  It is the Deist idea that God wound the world up like a clock- let it go and then doesn’t bother with it.  Isaiah says God lives both in the high and holy place but also with the contrite and lowly.  As the air is way up thousands of feet but also everywhere on earth- in every cell of your body, so God is everywhere.  This is not my idea but the biblical idea.   Because God is everywhere, He is able to know everything.  There is nothing that escapes His being and His eye.  When you are sad- God is there.  When you are joyful God is there.   When you go to through the valley of the shadow of death- God’s rod and staff are there with you- He is shepherding you through.   When you go on the heights and everything is going your way- God is there too.  When we leave God- we may feel God has left us.  But God is there.  Even when Jesus said, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?”  The Father absolutely knew and cared about what was happening on that cross.  We cannot put God in a box.  We cannot unlock God for when we want Him to act.  God is always there.  It is not that God intrudes on our lives- rather we are the guests of God- He is the Maker.  The earth is His- and we are but stewards of it.  What do you know about God?  We can know that God does not hide or reside in a corner.  It is not that God is just a super-fast human, but God is everywhere at once. 
GOD IS ETERNAL- Jesus said it like this- I am the beginning and the end; the alpha and the omega; the first and the last. There never was a time when God was not, and there never will be a time when he ends.  The good news for us is as the shorter catechism says, God’s being is eternal; his wisdom is eternal; his power is eternal; his justice is eternal; his goodness is eternal; and his truth is eternal.  It is not like God’s wisdom stops at certain times giving way to human wisdom.  It is not that God’s power only goes so far and He only performed miracles way back when and answered prayers way back when.  It is not that God cares about justice in one place and at one time but not about justice here and now.  It is not that God was good at one time but is fickle or bad now (like the Greek/Roman/pagan gods).  It is not that God’s truth was for way back then but doesn’t really apply to today. 
There used to be an old tradition in America that when someone dies you break the clock at the time they die.  Earthly time is no more for them.  But God’s clock never stops.  He remains perpetually young, energetic, powerful.   
GOD IS UNCHANGEABLE- The Bible says, “Let God be faithful though every person is a liar.”  We change our minds- we change our minds about God.  But just because we change our minds about God does not mean God changes, or that His promises change with them.  James says “God does not change like shifting shadows…or like a tossed boat going up and down with the waves, or like someone sailing on the wind.”   The good news for us is that God is a rock in a weary land.  He is a shelter we can go to in the storms or in the heat. 
     There is a self-centered philosophy today that says that God has to adjust to us.  But in reality- we must adjust to God. 
The terrible cruise ship disaster a few days ago reminded me of a story.  A navy ship was off of Cape Hatteras.  It was  a terrible, foggy storm and the Navy ship’s horn was blowing and light was flashing to warn other ships.   The ship’s captain saw a light in the distance and radioed out.  He said, “This is a United States Navy ship- change your course.”  The other party radioed back and said “I cannot change my course.  You must change yours.” The captain got a little angry, “I am a United States Navy ship with 300 souls on board.  Turn back or be crushed.”  The other party replied, “I am a coastguard lighthouse.  You decide.”  We must adapt to God- not vice versa.
    In the best and perfect world friends can be totally trusted, and no one says any mistakes about God.  I have people who believe that.  I know some young people who will “friend” anyone who appears on their Facebook page as a possible friend.   But the danger in that is illustrated this week when Richard Beasley was indicted for killing three people who answered his Craigslist ad.  You may get this idea that because someone wants to be your friend that they are trustworthy.  We need to be careful who we know and ask what we know about them.  God is a great and wonderful God. Billions bear testimony to His greatness and  His power.  We should click “friend” on God.  We should seek to know Him better because we know about Him.  Seek to know Him- read scripture, pray, come to worship, seek to serve Him.  For when you get to know God- you find your love, your joy, your hope, your strength, your courage, and I would also say you find yourself.