Attributes of God, Knowledge of the Holy, and Knowing God.

These are the books that I am using for the One God Bible Study.

Connect Videos

Here are two connect videos to check out: The first is the introduction to Connect and answers the question "What is Connect?" and the second video is a short advertisement for the One God Bible study we are doing through March.

God is Self-Sufficient

What does it mean that God is self-sufficient? One thing it means is that God does not need anything.

"The problem of why God created the universe still troubles thinking men; but if we cannot know why, we can at least know that He did NOT bring His worlds into being to meet some unfulfilled need in Himself...The word "necessary" is wholly foreign to God.

The picture of a nervous, ingratiating God fawning over men to win their favor is not a pleasant one; yet if we look at the popular conception of God that is precisely what we see. So lofty is our opinion of ourselves that we find it quite easy (almost enjoyable) to believe that we are necessary to God." - A.W. Tozer (Knowledge of the Holy)

How often we go about our lives thinking that God needs us to do this or that. God does not need our worship nor our obedience; he deserves it, desires it, and commands it, but never needs it. God is not a busy or frustrated God seeking help to carry out his plan for the world.

God gains nothing from us (Job 35:7-8).

Think about it. Our lives, our joys and pains are in the hands of God who is not needy. He has in himself all power and knowledge to bring about what is the greatest plan that would accomplish our joy and bring him the greatest glory.

Then why did God create us? It is true that God could have "continued alone for all eternity, without making known his glory unto creatures" (Pink). So why did God create the world? He was pleased to create us and so he did. Not out of need but out of his own pleasure.

"He sustains all, but is himself independent of all. He gives to all, but is enriched by none." - Pink, Attributes.

Where does this leave us? It should leave us in a fear (in awe of his greatness) of God and in great humility. And it is great news that the God who needs no one will when faith is present work through anyone. This news should stimulate us to obedience and "holy endeavor." It should increase our faith. God does not need things outside himself to accomplish his purposes. We should rejoice in this because the God who does not need us, loves us still and desires to work in us and through us for his good pleasure.

"This truth...when viewed in its biblical perspective will lift from our minds the exhausted load of mortality and encourage us to take the easy yoke of Christ and spend ourselves in Spirit inspired toil for the honor of God and the good of mankind. - Tozer, Knowledge.

A Great Word on Small Groups

If you are interested, check out this message (it is typed out and really easy to read) by John Piper about small groups. It is really helpful in relation to our Connect Groups. The message is called Encouraging Each Other at the End of the Age. Also don't forget the additional "One God" material for the second week below.

Do I Know God or Just Know About Him?

What a crucial question. Do I really know God? There are so many things we can know about but still not know God.

We can know all the right answers to all the good questions such as, "If you died tonight and stood in front of God and he asked you 'Why should I let you into my heaven?' what would you say?" All sorts of people know how to answer this question the right way. Chritians and Non-Chritians. But do they really believe it with their hearts?

People (including ministers, ministers wives, missionaries, evangelists, deacons, and etc.) go for years thinking they are born again believers in Jesus Christ only to find out that they were not. (How gracious God is to open our eyes). This begs the question, "What does knowing God involve?" What is the difference between knowing God and just knowing about Him?

In the book, Knowing God, J.I. Packer puts forth some points on what it means to know God. (These points will be what I teach on Sunday morning so I will only briefly explain each)

1. Knowing God is a matter of personal dealing. Interaction between you and God. Dealing not just with theology or biblical facts but with God, himself.

2. Knowing God is a matter of personal involvement. This involves the mind, the will and emotions. Personal relationship.

3. Knowing God is a matter of grace. All the initiative is with God. Our knowing God is a consequence of God's taking knowledge of us. We know Him by faith because he first singled us out by grace. (Gal 4:9, Jn 10:14-15, 27-28)

Packer goes on to make a great observation. He says, "What matters supremely is not the fact that I know God, but the larger fact that underlies it--the fact that He knows me."

Take note of these last comments by Packer---

This is momentous knowledge. There is unspeakable comfort...in knowing that God is constantly taking knowledge of me in love and watching over me for my good. There is tremendous relief in knowing that his love to me is utterly realistic based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me so that no discovery now can dillusion him about me, in the way I am so often disallusioned about myself, and quence his determination to bless me.

How great is our God. He knows us through and through yet still loves us. Think on these things this week and be ready to share with your students your thoughts on Knowing God.

Why Study God?

"Thus says the Lord, 'Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understand and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercies lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for I delight in these thngs', declares the Lord" Jeremiah 9:23-24.


Why should we do a study on the attributes of God? Whats the difference? I am already a Christian. What good will it do me to know God in a deeper way?

Some people might find a study like this boring. Or unnecessary. They say, "Surely I can get by with what I know now. Can't I make it without knowing all this 'extra' stuff about God?"

Allow me to let J.I. Packer answer this question:

-A fair question!--but there is, I think, a convincing answer to it. The questioner clearly assumes that a study of the nature and character of God will be impractical and irrelevant for life. In fact, however, it is the most practical project anyone can engage in. Knowing God is crucially important for living of our lives. As it would be cruel to an Amazonian tribesman to fly him to London and, put him down without explanation in London Square and leave him, as one who knew nothing of English or England, to fend for himself, so we are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it.

The world becomes a strange, mad painful place, and life in it is a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know God. Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul. "Knowing God" pg 18-19.

This is God's world. Our environment is God. He is everywhere. He sustains our lives.

Knowing who God is and knowing what he is like from Scriptures is absolutely crucial to the way we life everyday. The way you think about God and who you believe Him to be flows out into your thoughts, behavior, attitudes, and motivations.

There is nothing more satisfying to the soul than knowing God. There is nothing that matters more than Him.

In your study this week let me challenge you to write some examples of how knowing a specific attribute of God would effect our everyday life. For example, How would believing that God is immutable change the way we think and live? Think of some examples and come prepared to share some with your students.

Update:
From A.W. Pink's Book The Attributes of God:

A spiritual and saving knowledge of God is the greatest need of every human creature. An unknown God can neither be trusted, served, nor worshipped.