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.

One God

On September 16th we will begin a new FUEL bible study on the Attributes of God. This study will be called "One God" and will run from September through February.

We will be having a FUEL leadership meeting on September the 9th at 4:30 to talk about the bible study and the vision for FUEL. If you are or want to be a table leader, assistant leader, or a sub leader then you need to be at this meeting.

If you are new to FUEL and to this blog then let me just say we are excited to have you with us. The next few months are going to be really exciting and beneficial for you and the students. Thank you for your willingness to serve and pour out your life to show students how great our God is.

Ruins That Have Been Rebuilt

There is a lot to cover in Acts 15:1-35, but the focus of this short blog article is Acts 15:13-19.

Jesus came into the world and began to gather a true believing remnant of Israel. First there were 12 apostles; then there were 5,000 converts in Jerusalem. This spread as God began to fulfill his promise to rebuild the dwelling of David and repair the ruins of his people.

The purpose of these rebuilt ruins in v. 16 is to open up a way for men to call upon the name of the Lord.

As we put our faith in Christ, we are restored to a right relationship with Him. We are new creations in Christ. We live during a time of not tearing down but a time of building up. The ruins are being rebuilt.

Our purpose in being restored it to point all those who have not seen Christ and believed in Him for salvation to Christ as the Messiah, Savior and Lord of Creation.

God has restored you. You have been made new. Go and tell it on the mountain tops what Jesus has done.

Paul and Barnabas

According to Acts 4:36 Barnabas' real name was Joseph and the apostles called him "Barnabas" because it means "son of encouragement." Barnabas was one who felt compassion for those who were outsiders. He loved people. We see this in his relationship with Paul.

If anyone was an outsider to the early church it was Paul. No one would touch him. He was the enemy. "What if he just wanted to infiltrate the church and carry us all to prison." Though many would dare not believe Paul had put his faith in Christ, Barnabas believed.

Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith (Acts 11:22). Barnabas was one who encouraged and loved others because he was a man of faith and full fo the Holy Spirit. He remembered that Christ had loved and accepted him. He saw the powerful love and compassion of Christ in Paul's life. He knew God's unconditional love. Faith feels the wonder of being accepted into God's family. He was once cut off. But now he is family.

Encouraging others and loving others is commanded in Scripture. We are to be people full of faith. The story of Barnabas and his relationship with Paul challenges us to remember what God has done for us and to know that he has the power to do that in the lives of anyone he pleases.

Go into all the world and preach the gospel. Paul and Barnabas did just that. And they loved every second. Not because of success or comfort or attention, but because they knew God and were joyful to proclaim the wonderful news of Jesus Christ.

Prison Break

In reading Acts, we notice two main themes. The first is that Jesus is alive. The second is that Jesus is in charge. In Acts 12:1-19 we see the second point with 20/20 vision.

The FUEL material does a good job of sculpting the background info on the story of Peter's prison break so I will not repeat all of that. What I want to point you to is the fact that Jesus is in control and he changes things.

Peter is in a seemingly hopeless situation. He is being imprisoned by a ruthless king. He is being guarded by four squads of soldiers (16 soldiers). And he is chained to two soldiers in a cell that is also guarded by two soldiers. Wow. He is doomed right? Is there any way out of this situation?

How often do we ask ourselves that? Is there any way out of this situation? Often we get in a rut and think that things will always be the same and things will never change. My parents will never change. My job will never change. My spouse will never change. My life will always be this way. That is just the way I am. I will never change. But as John Piper says, "We breath God ignoring air." There is a God working all things for your good and for His glory. How often do we enter into a tough situation and think God is in control and he is using this to make me more like Christ for his glory? Instead we ask, "God, why is this happening to me?" How quickly we forget that God is working to change us and that he can change situations in the blink of an eye. Peter is in a tough situation, but Christ easily changes it for Peter's good and God's glory.

Jesus is a game changer. He is always in control and is never surprised. He is always at work in our situations changing us to be more like Him. Trust Him.

In you shall all the nations be blessed

There are huge things going on in God's kingdom in Acts 9-11. Not that there aren't always big things happening, but in this passage we find something especially significant.

In Genesis 12:3 we find that God makes a promise to Abraham. He says this

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

In Acts 9-11, God is fulfilling this promise. Until then the chosen race were the Jews. What is important in this passage is that the chosen race becomes all those who place their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Jews and now Gentiles as well.

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying "In you shall all the nations be blessed." So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Galatians 3:7-9)

You and I are sons of Abraham. And in this passage (Acts 9-11) we see the beginning of the new covenant in which all those who put their faith in Christ, Jews and Gentiles, shall be saved.

What great news! God could have excluded us be he chose, in his infinite wisdom, to include us into his family.

God is in the heavens and he does all that he pleases. Thank Him that he was pleased to save us for his glory.

Saul's Conversion

The conversion of Saul/Paul is a wondeful story given to us as a hope for ourselves and for those we pray for to be converted.

In 1 Timothy 1:15b–16, Paul says, "I am the foremost of sinners; (16) but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life."

Saul was a strong opponent against Christianity. After his conversion he called himself the foremost of sinners. But Paul received mercy. Why? So that in him Christ might display to us his perfect patience. Paul's conversion was to glorfiy God by putting on display his perfect patience and kindness for us (those who were to believe for eternal life)to see.

Today a person like Paul would be considered the last person that would ever become a Christian. He hated Christianity. He "breathed murderous threats" against followers of Christ. But God saw fit to save him and his conversion is a huge event in which God shouts a very loud, "HEY, the chief of sinners was converted. Trust in me, I can do the impossible!"

In Paul's conversion we see among other things that God is two things:

Patient
and
Powerful.

We can trust our God who loves us and is powerful enough to do all that he pleases.

God is Holy

This Sunday we will look at four ways we see God's holiness:

God's holiness is seen in his works. - Ps. 145:17 - Everything that God does is perfect and without any blemish or hint of sin. Holiness is the rule of his actions. Every action that God takes is pure and perfect. He is completely just and righteous in all his works. His ways are incomparable.

God's holiness is seen in his law. - Romans 7:12, Ps. 19:8-9 - The law leaves no room for sin. It demands holiness; perfection. God's law deals not only with actions, but also demands pure motivations. Because God is holy; his commands demand holiness.

God's holiness is seen in his hatred of sin. - Proverbs 15:26, Romans 6:23 - Sin only earns us the wrath of God. God hates it so much that He demands punishment for those who sin. Even just one sin earns us the an eternity in Hell, separated from God.

God's holiness is seen in the cross of Christ. - John 3:16, 2 Cor. 5:21, Romans 3 - The price for sin is so costly that only God's son could pay the price. An eternity of good deeds on our part would never pay the price for sin. A.W. Pink said, Because God is holy, acceptance with him on the grounds of creature-doings is utterly impossible. The best we can give is filthy rags. But Christ gave his life, took upon himself our sin, and made for us peace with God. (Romans 5).

This is the basic outline (taken from A.W. Pink's book Attributes of God) of what I will be talking about this Sunday. I will try to keep it as short as possible so that you can have the time you need with your students.

Comments on Attributes of God

Take a minute and share what you thought about the Attributes of God study this past Sunday. Also as a way of testimony share how your students responded to the "Immutability of God."

Immutability

Here are some additions to the material that you will be discussing with the students this Sunday: (I will be sharing some of this during my teaching time, but it would be good for you to study it in order to discuss it a little more in depth with the students.)

A.W. Pink said that you can say that God is immutable in three different ways:

He is immutable in his essence.
He is immutable in his attributes.
He is immutable in his counsel.

This means that God's nature, unlike ours, is unchangeable. God is the I AM (Ex. 3:14). He always has been and always will be. He is fixed. Pink states that God has never grown nor improved. God does not grow or become more holy or more loving. God is. Period.

Malachi 3:6 "For I the Lord do not change." He is unaffected by anything outside himself. He cannot be changed by anything. For example, God's love cannot be changed. His love for you is based in his nature and not in your actions. The fact that God is love is a fact that always has been and always will be.

It is absolute truth that God is love.

God's attributes are a part of his being. God not only shows love; he is love. God not only give justice; he is just. God not only shows mercy; he is merciful.

His attributes will not change. He is powerful, supreme, sovereign, holy, faithful, good, patient. It is a very glorious and joyous thing that God is unchanging.

God's counsel and his purpose are unchangeable (Hebrews 6:17, Ps. 33:11, 1 Sam, 15:29, Num. 23:19). Because God is all-knowing and all-powerful he is not does not get surprised by anything. He knows what he wants completely and will bring it about. His will does not change. There is never a need for God to have a plan B. God's thinking does not change and therefore he does not have to amend his words.

God does not change. His truth remains the same. His ways remain the same, his attributes remain the same (the fact that he is immutable will never change), his purpose is solid, like a rock. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Encourage the students to apply this to their life. When they see that God does not change and that his promises to them do not change no matter what they will be moved to trust God and his promises. God is not human. His promises do not fail. We can trust our lives to our Father who is immutable.

Philip

In this weeks Fuel we read about Philip. Philip was one of the seven men chosen along with Stephen by the church in Acts 6. And just like Stephen we see Philip used greatly by the Lord in the midst of a tough time of persecution of Christians.

The study takes us through Acts 8:4-8 and 8:26-39. There are many things that will be valuable for you to study in order to prepare for this weeks lesson but I want to draw your attention away from Philip and to our wonderful and great God. Notice the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. Out of all the tens of thousands Jews, Gentiles, and Samaritans that need Christ, God rests his favor on this man from Africa.

This was God's plan. He chose this man. He set up the meeting between him and Philip. God, in his sovereignty and grace, molded the situation in such a way that the timing was perfect. Philip, not knowing where he was, what he was doing, or who he was going to encounter chose to be obedient to the Spirit. The timing was perfect because as Philip approached he heard the Ethiopian reading from Isaiah. This provided a perfect opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

There are two points to this story in Acts 8. The first I think is that God is sovereign. He is in complete control of all things and he is the one who plans and makes things happen. The second point is that the story of Philip is an example of one of the ways God uses to evangelize the world. There is no doubt that evangelism should be planned and carried out (look at all the planning in Acts), but this story emphasizes that we should also be sensitive to the leading of the Lord in personal evangelism as well. God is good and as we abide in Him and his word he will lead us by His Spirit to the right people at His perfect time.

Did Stephen waste his life?

Stephen is a great example of one who gave his life to advance the gospel. In a world where students give their lives to be with a girl or boy, the story of Stephen screams at them to give their lives to know Christ. In a world where teens spend much of their time living in a dream world facilitated by video games, ipods, movies, and a host of other things, the story of Stephen points them to live in the real world where people die every day and leave this world only to spend an eternity separated from God.

We waste our lives and do not love people if we are not pointing them to the good news of Jesus Christ in the cross.

Stephen pointed to the cross. He boldly proclaimed the message that Jesus is our mediator to God and is the only way to heaven. He proclaimed the message that Jesus has satisfied his soul more than riches, relationships and life. He died with the good news of Christ being shouted with this last breath. Stephen did not waste his life. He lived it to the fullest. For God's glory.

Ananias and Sapphira

This weeks FUEL is about a husband and a wife who try to get one past the Holy Spirit. But we see that this does not work out the way they had planned. And you can be sure that Ananias and Sapphira did have this planned (Acts 5:4). But as we have learned and what Ananias and Sapphira seemed to have forgotten is that the "eyes of the Lord are in every place keeping watch on the evil and the good (Pr. 15:3).

There are many things that can be said about Ananias and Sapphira. They loved this world more than God. They desired the praise of men rather than honoring God. They were hypocrites...representing themselves as one thing but in reality were something totally different. They wanted to seem more generous than they really were. They lied to God. All these things I am sure you will look at and study, but really quickly I want to point you to Proverbs.

I wont take the space to type it, but read Proverbs chapter 16. If Ananias and Sapphira had only taken the time to read this small chapter they might have done things a little different. For example, verse 2 says, "All the ways of man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weights the spirit (motives in other translations)."

The story of Ananias and Sapphira is told in contrast to the story of Barnabas contained in chapter four. During my time in Fuel I am going to ask the students to compare and contrast Barnabas with Ananias and Sapphira. There are some major differences between them so if you get a chance check it out.

Lastly, we see that God used Ananias and Sapphira to warn the church that this is what always happens to phony Christians, sooner or later.

And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

Where did Peter and John's power come from?

Peter and John had changed. There was something different about them. They had spent the last three years with Jesus, but were relatively weak with in their faith during that time. They questioned Jesus numerous times. Jesus often rebuked them for lack of faith (i.g. Matt. 8:26). But in Acts we see different men. They were powerful. They were bold and full of faith. They seemed almost...fearless. What had changed?

Two words. Holy Spirit. They had been clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:49). Peter and John's power and boldness didn't come from themselves, but came from them being "filled with the Spirit." Look with me at the emphasis of being filled with the Holy Spirit in the Acts:

Acts 1:8 "And you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you."

Acts 4:8 "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit," spoke to the rulers of the people. And they saw the boldness with which he spoke (v. 13).

Acts 4:31, "And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken and they were all filled with the Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness."

Acts 6:5, 10, Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit and faith and the Jews could not withstand the wisdom with which he spoke.

Acts 7:55, "Stephen filled with Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God."

Acts 11:24, Barnabas was full of the Holy Spirit and faith; and a large company was added to the Lord.

Acts 13:9, "Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at Elymas and said."

Do you see the importance of the Holy Spirit in the work of God's people? Without him we have zero power to proclaim the riches of God's grace.

There is so much more that can be said about the Holy Spirit and his power in our lives, so I would encourage you to spend some time looking at the following verses:

Ephesians 3:14-18, 5:18, and 6:17.
Romans 15:13

Praise be to our Creator that he did not leave us to live for him on our own power! Have a great week.

Pentecost

The word Pentecost means "fiftieth", referring to the fiftieth day after the Passover. When we talk about Pentecost we are referring to what happened in Acts 2 with the coming of the Spirit. This is a very significant event. The "Background for the Bible passage" section in your notes provides a good description of what is going on at Pentecost. I want to call your attention to a passage in the Old Testament about Moses. Check out Numbers 11:24-30:

So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, But they did not continue doing it.
Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth said, "My lord Moses, stop them." But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for me sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!"

Moses is pointing to a time when all of God's people would have the Holy Spirit. And that time is Now. No longer does the Holy Spirit rest on certain individuals, but we live in a time that Moses and Joel both longed for; a time when the Holy Spirit indwelt all of God's people. At Pentecost we see this happen in a BIG way.

How does this work in your life? God has put the Holy Spirit inside you and wants you to be a prophet. Not in the sense that you know the future, but in a sense that you are so filled with the knowledge of Him who has saved you that you constantly talk about his greatness.

The promised Holy Spirit has come. This promise is for you and has been kept by God. He has poured out his Spirit on you in order that you might be empowered to glorify Him. Rejoice in the promises of God! Have a great week.