5:49 PM
heavenslight
A High View of God - Part 1
Psalm 95:1-6 - 95 O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. 3 For the Lord is a great God, And a great King above all gods, 4 In whose hand are the depths of the earth; The peaks of the mountains are His also. 5 The sea is His, for it was He who made it; And His hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. NASB
Consider with me ….What is truly valuable? What is important? What is truly essential to life? What is at the center of our origin and what is the purpose of our existence?
Well we all know the answer is God! God is truly valuable. God is important. God is truly essential to life. God is at the center of our origin and God’s purposes are the purpose for which we exist…..after all we were “created by Him and for Him”…..Col 1:16
Therefore when we consider our lives and what is essential and what we should hold as truly valuable, we must see things in relation to the way the really are. If we want to know in what our value system should consist, or what we should consider to be truly valuable, we must see things as they have been defined by God. This is because everything in the world derives its meaning, purpose and value from God. God being the Creator of all things, is also the one who designs those things for the purposes for which He made them, and it is He who sees to it that His purposes are upheld and accomplished in the course of time and History. 1. God is bringing His world to an expected end by His own Almighty Providence, and God is the One who “works all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph 1:11). This includes everything in the world that He has created…..
2. Consider therefore that we as a group of local Bible believing Christians ought to consider what we hold as truly valuable and allow God to be the One who defines for us what is truly valuable and worthy of our worship, our efforts and the devotion of our lives. In short, whatever it is that God renders to be valuable, this should be what we consider and deem to be valuable as well.
With this in mind let me call you attention to the HCF Core Values handout that is in your bulletin this morning.
Now in the Church and in theological circles this matter is usually referred to as our Philosophy of Ministry….although our Philosophy of Ministry could be quite a bit more involved, these values makeup for us the “Core” principles of how we view God, our lives, our church and everything in the world. These are the essential things that makeup our value system.
Now I don’t intend to go through them all, but I do want us to look at our first Core Value and consider that this morning. What then, is our chief value? Have you ever thought about this…..what is the most truly valuable thing in the world? Well let’s give this some thought…
A High View of God - We value God far above everything, for He is the most worthy and valuable being that exists. It is imperative to see Him as He really is, the Creator of everything and paragon of all virtue, the Almighty God. It is our utmost desire to glorify God by pursuing a high view of God. To know God and to love Him is the all-consuming passion of our lives. The continual proclamation of His character and nature is a fundamental element in our worship. In fact, this is the definition of worship, to ascribe worth to God and to see, comprehend, experience, and exalt the glory of God.
Now in consideration of having and developing a “High View of God” I would like us to consider the text in Acts 17:24-31….with a particular focus on verses 24-29….open your Bibles to Acts 17:24….
Acts 17:24-31 - 24 "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things; 26 and He made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His offspring.' 29 "Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. 30 "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." NASB
Acts 17:24 - 24 "The God who made the world and all things in it, - God is the Creator of all things. It is God who made the world by His mighty power. God created everything out of nothing, and this was only a small example of His immense power. He is a being of unimaginable power and glory beyond our comprehension. He speaks and the universe leaps into existence….. so Jeremiah would say….
3. Jeremiah 32:17-19 - 17 'Ah Lord God! Behold, Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy great power and by Thine outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for Thee, 18 who showest lovingkindness to thousands, but repayest the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children after them, O great and mighty God. The Lord of hosts is His name; 19 great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds; NASB
since He is Lord of heaven and earth, - He is the Lord of Heaven and earth. This is to say that God is Sovereign, He is the supreme authority. God possesses absolute dominion and authority over all things. So He is said to sit on a “throne” in heaven! Just think how ridiculous it would be to say that God created the universe, but He is not in control of what takes place in it. 4. Well the truth is God not only controls nature and history, but He literally sustains the entire universe by his power, and orders the events of his entire creation to accomplish His own purposes and plans. He is the One who establishes all other authorities in Heaven and on the earth. And He does these things for His own purposes which no one can hinder or thwart. He is the only Almighty Lawgiver, Judge of the Living and the Dead and the great loving heavenly Father of Creation.
This knowledge then, dear family causes us to make a statement like this in our “Core Values”…
We value God far above everything for He is the most worthy and valuable being that exists. To say that God is most valuable is an understatement. In fact, God is what brings definition to value. In other words to say that we value God, is to say that we esteem Him, that we estimate Him to be most worthy of our adoration, our praise and our worship. This is obviously because He is the definition of that which is good, honorable and worthy of high esteem. As the scripture says,
5. Exodus 15:11 - 11 "Who is like Thee among the gods, O LORD? Who is like Thee, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders? NASB
Therefore we esteem God above everything else because He is so high above, or so
much more worthy than anything else because everything else derives it value in
relation to God because He is the standard for what is good or worthy of esteem, in
fact He is the Creator of everything. Things derive their value based on the purpose for which they were created.
6. Revelation 4:11 - 11 "Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created." NASB
Why is God worthy to receive glory and honor? Because at His will they “exist and were created.” Nothing has its existence except at the will of God. Nothing has its being, except by His design and continued
Acts 17:24-25 – 24b does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything – This is to say that God is Self-Existent and Transcendent. He is not dependent upon His creatures for happiness or any other thing. Sorry to blow your self-esteem bubble, but God doesn’t need you because He is lonely! On the contrary, we need Him for our life and breath moment by moment or we will perish. The entire creation is absolutely dependent on God for its existence. God is eternally self-dependent. The creation of angels and men added nothing to God, for He existed billions and trillions of years (eternally) prior to their creation. He was perfectly blessed in Himself before the first creature was ever called in to being….so He would say to Job….
7. Job 38:4-7 - "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, 5 Who set its measurements, since you know? Or who stretched the line on it? 6 "On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? NASB
God is Transcendent. If God is the source of life, He therefore transcends it, and the dimension in which it exists. This is to say that God is not so confined to time and space as to live in an earthly temple. God is omnipresent which means that He transcends the dimension of time and space. He is a BIG God…..He can handle your problems dear family….so that Isaiah would say….
Isaiah 40:12-18 - 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance, And the hills in a pair of scales? 13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or as His counselor has informed Him? 14 With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge, And informed Him of the way of understanding? 15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust. 16 Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. 17 All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless. 18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? NASB
since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things – This is to say that God owns everything as He Himself is the only Lifegiver and Sustainer of Creation. Further, that every living creature, including all living things, mankind and all angels (Satan included) owe their existence and their continued existence to God. As God says of Himself…..
8. Psalm 50:10-15 - 10 "For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. 11 "I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. 12 "If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all it contains. 13 "Shall I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of male goats? 14 "Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High; 15 And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me." NASB
And so we would express in our Core Values the importance of recognizing God for who He really is….It is imperative to see Him as He really is, the Creator of everything and paragon of all virtue, the Almighty God. It is our utmost desire to glorify God by pursuing a high view of God.
This Sermon can be heard on audio here:
http://www.abqhcf.com/sermons/08-09/misc/02-01-2009_Sunday_11AM.mp3
Handout
http://www.abqhcf.com/lessons/08-09/handouts/High%20View%20of%20God%2002.01.09.PDF
HCF Core Values
http://www.abqhcf.com/docs/HCF_Core_Values_2006c.pdf
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