202. How Do We understand Gods Character And Nature

[00:00:00] Hi friends welcome to another episode of Making Disciples my name is Chris and I am your host

[00:00:14] my name is Chris Rogers and I am your host. I recently met some people who listened to this

[00:00:24] podcast and didn't know who made this podcast and it wasn't until later in a day when my full name

[00:00:35] was mentioned and making Disciples that they realised they knew the person the adjunct

[00:00:42] records his podcast and because I start most weeks by say hi my name is Chris

[00:00:49] they didn't know who this Chris was so there you go and it was lovely to meet them very nice to

[00:00:53] meet you because I presume that you're listening now and you're like oh my gosh he's talking about me

[00:00:58] maybe i'm talking about somebody else who had an interaction with me as well so don't overthink it

[00:01:04] don't worry but yeah my name is Chris Rogers I'm your host I'm at East London church leader church

[00:01:10] panter I've been here 14 years now and lead on this ministry called Making Disciples where we

[00:01:16] want to walk in the way of Jesus don't we want to become more like him living our lives

[00:01:22] in such a way that we look like him in all areas of our lives and after the last few months we

[00:01:28] have a look at different questions that the podcast listeners have kind of posed to us and said hey

[00:01:34] could you answer this for me and that's what we're going to do today's episode so I sent a question

[00:01:39] through and I thought it was really interesting because there are a lot of jargon out there

[00:01:46] but a lot of jargon that's actually quite important or quite helpful or can be helpful

[00:01:52] and so the listener sent me this question I hear lots of long words describing God and His nature

[00:01:59] but they make no sense to me can you help me understand terms like omnipotence and omnipresence

[00:02:06] and I thought yes we can do that we definitely can do that because understanding

[00:02:16] something of who our God is helps us understand who we are and what He's wanting from us now look

[00:02:24] we're never going to be able to grasp the magnitudes and the holiness of God it we just can't

[00:02:33] grasp it we don't have the language to help us grasp the character of God all we have a lot

[00:02:41] little windows that will allow us to see in an understanding different aspect of who God is

[00:02:48] so we're going to look at some of those aspects of God's character who he is how he acts how he

[00:02:55] navigates time space and all of that that might help us understand just a bit more about who

[00:03:03] he is and I hope that what will happen here is you'll go you'll go wow I isn't God absolutely

[00:03:08] amazing so we're going to be looking at some of these these big words that help us understand

[00:03:15] something of who God is and I'm going to start by using my translation of the words before I

[00:03:20] then use the word so hopefully you'll get it you'll be listening oh wow this is this is really

[00:03:24] helpful now I know what those words mean so let's jump in as we talk a little bit about God's character

[00:03:31] and some of the words that we may use that help us understand him a little bit more

[00:03:48] I'd love to start by just thinking about why it's important that we understand some of these

[00:03:56] aspects of God and his character and it's not just about knowing big words sometimes by knowing

[00:04:04] what they mean and understand what they're saying can really help us with our faith and grow our

[00:04:08] faith because we get a little bit more of like a wow who is God so I think there's a few reasons why

[00:04:14] I think it's really important that we do understand something about the character and nature of God

[00:04:18] though we just go through some of the reasons why I think this is important before we even get to

[00:04:22] some of those words so a few things like number one I would say this understanding God's attributes

[00:04:27] fosters reverence and awe as we start to grasp what God is like and as we start to see who he is

[00:04:37] in his fullness the response has to be reverence and awe we have to go wow isn't God amazing

[00:04:47] so as we understand something more about him the effect on us is that we have reverence and that we

[00:04:54] awe it also I think strengthens our faith and our trusting God so once we start to grasp

[00:05:01] who God is what God knows and how God behaves what that can do for us is it strengthens our

[00:05:07] faith in him because we know wow he really does know more than me but also it means that we trust

[00:05:13] so we may therefore know why is God more trustworthy so if this is true why is God more trustworthy then

[00:05:22] than maybe what I thought about previously it also proves to us I think something that it gives

[00:05:30] us a bit of comfort and security because whenever we think we're in charge there is always

[00:05:36] going to be fear and anxiety because it's all it could all go wrong but once we grasp who God is

[00:05:41] then what ends up happening is we find comfort in knowing that his hands are bigger than my hands

[00:05:50] and that we find security in the fact that that's where we are I do love the song he's got the whole

[00:05:54] world in his hands old kids song yes yes yes from old Sunday school he's got the whole world

[00:05:59] in his hands oh why is it important because it meet when we realize that God is bigger than us and

[00:06:08] that his hands can hold all things what we experience isn't more anxiety we experience more peace

[00:06:15] because we know we're in the right place we get a sense of comfort and we get a sense of security

[00:06:20] of knowing that we are really safe I also think it helps shape our perspective and our priorities so

[00:06:28] once we know who God is then we know who we are that are part in this and then once we know our

[00:06:36] part in this it can really help us get a different perspective on a situation and it also can

[00:06:43] help us prioritize what's our response so if God really is all powerful and he can hold all

[00:06:51] things in his hands then actually the effect on that is either perspective shift because I know

[00:06:57] that he's got a different perspective to mind so I want to know what his perspective is but also

[00:07:01] changes my priorities because I can stop therefore trying to control the situation trying to hold

[00:07:08] it all together trying to make it make sense because I don't need to because it's now in his hands

[00:07:13] and my priorities can change it can also encourage us to be more obedient and to submit to him so

[00:07:22] just keeping about this this this sense of the whole world in his hands well actually if we know

[00:07:27] that everything is in God's hands what's the knock on effect well we now know that actually he

[00:07:34] really is in charge so I want to become more obedient and it also means that I submit to his

[00:07:41] authority because I know that he knows better than I so if God says something that we're to do

[00:07:47] something or to be something or or in scripture directs us in some way now my response is to be

[00:07:54] obedient to that because he really does know more than I do and it means that we submit to his

[00:07:59] ways not submitting to my ways submission is the is the act of kind of bowing ourselves before knowing

[00:08:08] that the other person is better placed than I am or knows more than I am as more authority than I

[00:08:17] have so we end up submitting to their authority and then I think the final kind of knock on effect for

[00:08:24] us is this I think it fosters a sense of humility independence so once you know the whole world is in

[00:08:33] his hands just going back to that then what that ends up creating is an environment where I know

[00:08:40] it's not in my hands and therefore to try and claim that I can change events

[00:08:47] it's just preposterous so it humbles us we become humble people because we know he's the one

[00:08:54] yes we have prayer and that comes with a sense of authority and we can change situations but

[00:09:00] let's be honest it's not the prayer it's the one that's listening to the prayer and responding

[00:09:04] so we end up still coming back to this sense of he is the powerful one

[00:09:09] and he's the one that can make the difference so we become more humble and in that we end up becoming

[00:09:17] more aware that we need to depend on him he's the one that makes the change not us

[00:09:21] therefore we depend more on what he can do rather than what I can do so he is the one that's

[00:09:28] going to provide he is the one that's going to make a difference so let's just think about this

[00:09:32] for your life for a second before we go any further knowing the character and nature of God

[00:09:38] can help you as a disciple have a better sense of reverence and awe of who he is

[00:09:46] we can end up with greater faith and greater trust in him because you know less than he does

[00:09:52] you can end up the real sense of comfort and security in peace because you know you're held by

[00:10:00] someone that is capable of holding those things it changes your perspective on your priorities

[00:10:05] because you no longer are going to defend and fight for the things that you want to defend and

[00:10:09] fight for so your perspective has changed and now you want his perspective on things not your

[00:10:14] perspective and encourages us to be obedient just submit to him so I'm no longer in charge of my life

[00:10:23] he's in charge of my life and then finally fosters this sense of humility and this sense of

[00:10:30] dependence on him so we become more dependent on him rather than dependent on ourselves and so

[00:10:38] this is essentially the knock on effect of knowing more about who he is we become more peaceful

[00:10:45] we become more content we're more obedient because we know who's we are and who's we belong to

[00:10:52] we sense his comfort in his peace we become more trusting of him and actually the response in all

[00:10:58] of that turns us to be better worshipers because when we have greater awe and wonder we become

[00:11:04] better worshipers because we go wow really isn't God incredible so as we look at God in his character

[00:11:15] in nature the knock on effect is those things so my question for you is as we start now to look at

[00:11:22] some of these aspects of God's character who God is how he behaves as well as how he's positioned

[00:11:33] are you going to allow this to change how you see him how you see the world how you see your part

[00:11:41] in the world how you see the things that you're trying to cling onto the places you are trying

[00:11:46] to cling onto the power other places where you are trying to control and be God and actually as

[00:11:53] we talk about who he is you realize that it's foolish it's just utter foolishness isn't it to try

[00:11:59] and hold on to the things that we can't even hold on to our hands are just not big enough

[00:12:04] and therefore is there some corrections that you want to make in your life I know that when I start

[00:12:11] to grasp the majesty of God the awe of God the wonder of God the almighty nature of God it changed

[00:12:22] how I acted because no longer am I doing it for myself I'm working under him with all that he

[00:12:30] is able to do rather than what aim I'm able to do and I think whatever workplace you find yourself

[00:12:34] in family setting whatever street you live on knowing that he's the all powerful one he's the

[00:12:41] one that holds it on his hands means that you know that you are not the one who has to hold it on

[00:12:46] your hands and I think for some of us we just need to know that you can let go of trying to hold it

[00:12:52] together you cannot hold it together only he can hold it together only he can make the difference

[00:12:59] only he can bring about change so let's look at this there are one two three four five six aspect

[00:13:08] well seven actually I'll split the last one into two and say seven aspects of God I just think

[00:13:14] we want to look at and I think five of them I've got what you were described as clever words

[00:13:21] words that make you go you what what where's that wrong where's that from now these are not words

[00:13:27] that you're going to find in the Bible but they are what you would describe as theological words

[00:13:33] at frameworks that help us understand something more about the glory of the Lord so

[00:13:41] let's first talk about God as all powerful all powerful now the clever word for this it is omnipotence

[00:13:56] omnipotence okay and it means all powerful if you say right what's the definition of define that word

[00:14:03] for me what does that mean what does it mean that God is all powerful it means that God is the one

[00:14:08] who has ultimate power and ultimate authority it's the all powerful God okay that there is no

[00:14:18] one greater than him and you know where do we see the examples of God's power in scripture well

[00:14:26] of course let's talk about creation the all powerful God who's able to create things with words

[00:14:35] themselves how God is able to form people from the dust God is the God who shows his power

[00:14:44] in creation and he shows his power through miracles what we would describe as signs and wonders the

[00:14:54] all powerful God and of course Jesus on the cross is the ultimate example isn't it of of God's omnipotence

[00:15:02] God's all powerfulness on the cross when Jesus raises from the dead that's revealing towards the

[00:15:09] all power of God there's no one greater there's no one mightier there's no one with greater authority

[00:15:18] than God because he is the all powerful one the implications of God being all powerful is that

[00:15:26] ultimately he has sovereignty he has the rule and reign he's he's the king and he has all

[00:15:34] the sovereignty and all the rule and the other words you might tie into this is the authority he

[00:15:41] is the one with with authority because he's the powerful one he has the authority now is

[00:15:49] you know the big question is you know if God is all powerful it's God all powerful and good

[00:15:55] uh because we know that power corrupts you know the phrase isn't it the ultimate power will corrupt

[00:16:02] well no so with God the fact that he's all powerful also has to go alongside the fact that he's

[00:16:10] he's perfect and in his perfection his powerfulness does mean that he has this uh this authority

[00:16:20] and this sovereignty that is also perfect God's power is a perfect power not a manipulative power not

[00:16:28] a controlling power not a dominating power so God's all powerful and what's really fun is

[00:16:34] well look at Jesus then when we look at Jesus he is not the all powerful one that clings onto that

[00:16:42] power but he relinquishes that power to wash feet to die on the cross to to give away power

[00:16:50] so the all powerful one in his omnipotence is also the God who is the ultimate servant

[00:16:58] and the one who serves his people so that's omnipotence the next word

[00:17:04] we're going to look at this idea of all knowing okay and omniceense omniscience

[00:17:12] and it really means the all knowing one so let me just define this for you so omniscience is a state

[00:17:20] of possessing all the knowledge that there is that there is no more knowledge to be known by God

[00:17:29] that everything is known nothing can be hidden nothing can be put away nothing can be protected

[00:17:38] or hidden by anyone there's no bank of data that is with how he really knows all things

[00:17:48] because God is all knowing omniscience okay biblical examples of this the God who knows everything

[00:17:58] then we know that God is prophetic and God is able to know what is going to happen

[00:18:10] he knows what has happened what is happening what is going to happen but also means that he

[00:18:16] understands and he knows and he relates God knows everything he knows every secret of our hearts

[00:18:26] and with that knowledge shapes who he is and the implications of this for us and God is that God's

[00:18:37] all knowingness at least to his wisdom and to his guidance he's the one that has

[00:18:44] ultimate knowledge and therefore the ultimate guidance he will direct our paths because he

[00:18:50] knows what's ahead on the path that anyone else their wisdom is foolish because he's only

[00:18:56] knowing in part but he knows in full so the God that is all knowing is the God that has

[00:19:02] ultimate wisdom and God that has ultimate guidance so that's that's the all powerful God

[00:19:09] and it is the all knowing God omniscience and it is this idea that there is nothing else for

[00:19:18] God to know there's nothing that you have done said or behaved there's behind no closed doors

[00:19:26] in any closets where God does not know that God knows everything so powerful or knowing now let's talk

[00:19:35] about the God who is ever present so omnipresent or omnipresent and this refers to the quality of God

[00:19:46] where God is everywhere that there is nowhere where God isn't you know there is nowhere I could hide

[00:19:53] from you we're told in scripture that if you go to the deepest oceans or the highest mountains

[00:19:59] he is there now as our understanding of the cosmos has developed and our understanding of the

[00:20:05] known universe has developed we would say there is nowhere on earth there is nowhere in the galaxy

[00:20:12] and there's nowhere in the galaxies that God isn't God literally is everywhere God is present

[00:20:20] with us at all times the big biblical examples of this is that God is present with his people

[00:20:27] God is present in the universe in filling the universe that across the universe God is present

[00:20:38] and I also think it means that God is present in the destructive places that God is present in the

[00:20:43] harmful places God is there even when horrible things are happening God is present and I think with

[00:20:52] that so what's the implications of that then all the implications is even in those darkest moments

[00:20:58] God can come and bring comfort and ultimately can come and bring security that even when everything

[00:21:03] feels like it's going wrong when it feels like we are being pursued when it feels like we are

[00:21:08] being chased when it feels like we are abandoned actually we're not because God is there and

[00:21:15] in that he can give comfort you know I heard Terry wait if you never heard the story of Terry wait

[00:21:21] do google him but he was somebody that was kidnapped and was held for years upon years upon years

[00:21:27] in prison and whilst in prison all he could do was rely on the presence of God and you know he

[00:21:36] remembered scriptures he remembered songs and in that he knew God's presence now he was in prison

[00:21:43] and whilst in prison he knew God's presence because God is omnipresent where you know wherever we are

[00:21:51] even in prison I am there therefore even in that place God's presence brought comfort and brought

[00:22:00] security now so it was well yeah but I just got to open the door no no no no no no we're talking about

[00:22:05] the character of God that God is present everywhere but whatever you are going through

[00:22:11] wherever you are living through wherever you are experiencing wherever he's being put upon you

[00:22:16] God is present he's ever present in times of need all powerful or knowing ever present you know

[00:22:25] we're using the words omnipotence omniscience and omnipresent God there's just too many letters in

[00:22:34] these so all powerful or knowing ever present so let's now talk about the fourth or which would be

[00:22:41] unchanging immutability the unchangingness of God the immutability and this is the state of God not

[00:22:54] changing God being unable to change God isn't able to be negotiated and change well we do know that

[00:23:05] God had a relationship with Moses and that Moses at God changed what he was going to do in the

[00:23:11] story Moses because Moses has such a great relationship with him but that's not God changing

[00:23:16] that's God allowing relationship to play out in historical events differently but God's character

[00:23:25] doesn't change and he himself does not change so the biblical examples of of this unchanging nature

[00:23:32] of God is that through his promises his promises do not change his desires do not change what he

[00:23:41] once doesn't change his love doesn't change and his character doesn't change God God is stable

[00:23:51] God is the same yesterday today and forever immutability the unchanging dynamic of God and the

[00:23:59] implications of God's immutability is that he's stable he's got this state of stability he's stable

[00:24:10] and he's reliable so you can trust that if God has said what God's going to do and that God has made

[00:24:17] promises he is reliable and he will see those three he's not going to let you down if God said

[00:24:23] something then he will do it because he's not changing and I think to know that in a world of

[00:24:31] radical change that God is the one that doesn't change in a world where culture flip flops around

[00:24:40] depending on the present view on something and one minute you can say this the next minute you

[00:24:48] can't say this so you you can think that you can't think that you can do this then you can't do

[00:24:53] God is not like culture good God does not change because TikTok tells you you have to think

[00:25:01] like this God is not changing God is the same he is immutable he's unchanging so God is all

[00:25:10] powerful all knowing ever present he's unchanging and then got three more the next one is what I would

[00:25:17] describe as timeless timeless and the word that goes along this is eternality eternality it's

[00:25:27] the timeless one the god who is out of time I love there's a crowning with many crowns has the

[00:25:34] phrase he's the potentate of time the potentate of time I love that phrase he's a time lord God

[00:25:40] is doctor who he's a time lord and he's the lord of time the god who is the lord of time

[00:25:49] and the biblical example with this would would come from his the alpha and the omega

[00:25:54] he's the everlasting one as oh as he's described it by Paul and by John in Revelation so God is

[00:26:04] the alpha in the beginning to the beginning and the end he's the everlasting one and the implications

[00:26:09] of this that God is timeless is that God has a different perspective and a different purpose

[00:26:15] he sees a different perspective on the world and he has a different purpose for the world in fact

[00:26:20] you could say that God has a bigger perspective and a bigger purpose because he sees the world from

[00:26:26] the moment he was created writes the very end of time when when Jesus returns and everything

[00:26:32] is caught up in his glory he sees all of this perspective he sees all the hurt he sees all of the

[00:26:37] harm he sees all the love and he sees all the joy he sees all the celebration he sees all of the

[00:26:42] death you know God sees all of this because God is timeless and in that a sense of being eternal

[00:26:50] the timeless one he has a different perspective on it all totally different perspective on it all

[00:26:56] and I wonder what God's perspective is of death apart from not not wanting death but I do wonder

[00:27:05] what God's perspective on our length of time you know when God sees generations come and go

[00:27:11] God sees cultures come and go I wonder what God's perspective is on life and the fragile years that we

[00:27:18] have you know humans have never been eternal and you know humans we told in the script you know

[00:27:24] have lived up to 900 odd years old but they're not eternal and therefore it's God's perspective

[00:27:30] on life different to us because God is living a timeless life and it's got a different vision

[00:27:37] or powerful or knowing if a present ever changing is timeless and the last two would be

[00:27:43] and I don't have clever words for these but I think they're really important that God's character

[00:27:48] is centered around love that God's love is unconditional that God is an unconditional love

[00:27:58] and I think because God is is love is unconditional you could say then well actually you know

[00:28:05] and yeah you know what's the biblical example of his unconditional love we see that on the cross

[00:28:12] when it dies for all people even the rubbers to his right and to his left that God's love is

[00:28:17] unconditional when he meets a tax collector when he meets the prostitute when he meets the leper

[00:28:23] is unconditional love for all people and he said well actually what's the implication of that

[00:28:28] then because what does this imply well actually the implication of this is sacrifice because

[00:28:33] his love is pure and his love is unconditional the implication of that love is the sacrifice that

[00:28:40] he makes on the cross so God is all powerful all knowing ever present and changing is timeless

[00:28:46] is unconditional his love is unconditional and then finally I think all of this together

[00:28:52] the power the knowledge is ever presents the unchanging the timeless and this love that is

[00:29:00] unconditional and perfect I think all of that then wraps up into what we would describe as holy

[00:29:10] holy and what does it mean holy it means perfect that he is the righteous one he is the perfect one

[00:29:21] that there is nothing that is needed for perfection in God there's nothing we can do that would

[00:29:28] make God more perfect because he is already perfect he is already holy he's the righteous one he's

[00:29:37] holy and the implication then friends of that what's the implication of God's holiness the implication

[00:29:45] is his grace and his forgiveness that actually we can't have a relationship with him because we are

[00:29:55] not all powerful all knowing ever present and changing and timeless with unconditional love

[00:30:03] everything about us is conditional our love is conditional our time is conditional

[00:30:08] we change we're we're only present in one place at one time we only know what we know and we only

[00:30:16] hold the power that we think we hold you know we can't do all what he does and therefore it's by

[00:30:24] his forgiveness and by his grace that we have that relationship with him so he's holiness it's all

[00:30:29] wrapped up in a knowledge of God's true holiness so omnipotence all powerful

[00:30:39] omniscience all knowing omnipresence ever present immutability and changing

[00:30:51] eternality timeless i hope those explanations of those words that you may have heard will help

[00:31:01] you go wow he knows more than i do he's more powerful than i am he is all air where i'm not

[00:31:09] i'm changing and he isn't i'm in time he's out of time my love's conditional his isn't

[00:31:16] i'm broken he's holy wow may you have a wow moment

[00:31:25] towards how amazing God is the God really is who he says he is the all powerful one the Almighty one

[00:31:35] friends i pray that that makes you think about yourself your place in the world

[00:31:41] and as i started as i talked about the impact of this you know reassurance trusting him more

[00:31:48] having comforts security in him changing our priorities become more obedient towards him because

[00:31:54] he knows more than i do and humbled ourselves because of what he is and what he knows i pray that

[00:32:01] maybe a reality for you this week friends grace and peace and until next time have a fantastic week

[00:32:31] you