God: A Short Autobiography - Part A

Here's why it's not alluring to follow God or to believe in him and why it is enjoyable in our text in verse six, God describes himself read it all just a moment as merciful and gracious, long-suffering, abounding in goodness and truth. That's the kind of God were talking about enjoyable. It's not drag your encumbrance to follow him world since following God's. And it's more fun to look for yourself.

Give our lives to God gives us a purpose and our life becomes an adventure today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip explores the biography of God show you what God has to say about himself and why it matters to begin. Here's a great resource that draws on philosophy and science to help you understand God is and how you can know him on a deeper level.

Hey I want to let you know about my latest book is called the biography of God by the very subject matter of God is the loftiest of all topics in the pinnacle of all human pursuits as we discover who God is and how aware he is of the human condition.

We will be inspired to know him more each day. But we cannot stop with just gathering information about God to truly know him. We must believe and act in the light of that information all share how you can do just that in my newest book, the biography of God.

Here's how to get your coffee. The biography of God is our way to say thank you when you give $35 or more today to help expand this Bible teaching outreach to more people request your copy when you get online securely connectwithskip.com/offer or call 800-922-1888 Exodus chapter 34 to get into the teaching of Skip Heitzig. I was watching a lot of the news programs recently in they gave a report that there's several bus ads on buses in Washington DC that are running from now until Christmas, and a little bit unusual there sponsored by the American atheistic Association versus media American humanist Association and here's what one of the ad says why believe in a God just be good for goodness sake there, lifting a line out of Santa Claus is coming to town and it's designed to target people at the holiday season. Why believe in a God just be good for goodness sake of the spokesman for this group man by the name of Edward Fred Edwards said this. Our reason for doing it during the holidays is there's an awful lot of agnostics and atheists and other types of nontheists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion all a similar campaign last month in England by the British humanist Association on the London buses read. There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life interesting ads never seen something like that before. The statements reveal something affect their very revealing how one hand they're saying life is lonely without God, the spokesman admitted that on the other hand, they're saying to believe in God must mean that I can't enjoy life of the first statement is true. Life is lonely without God in fact God made you that way. The Bible says we were created, subject to emptiness. God put the whole inside so we wonder why it's there, but the second statement is not true that to follow God to believe in God means you can enjoy life. In fact, I discovered people who enjoy life the most are those who love God, the most and realize the most.

The God loves them. The most compelling people I've ever hung around are those who are deeply in love with God. To the extent that they believe in him, and they obey him, and here's why it's not a worry to follow God or to believe in him and why it is enjoyable and our text in verse six, God describes himself and will read it all in just a moment as merciful and gracious, long-suffering, abounding in goodness and truth. That's the kind of God that were talking about. He's enjoyable and it's not drag your encumbrance to follow him and a girl by the name of Danny Dutton from Chula Vista, California sometime back was given an assignment is third grade class to explain God how would you like that for an assignment explain God.

Theologians can even do that to listen to Danny Dutton give it a shot one of God's main jobs is making people he makes them to replace the ones that die so they'll be enough people to take care of things on earth pretty good so far. He doesn't make grown-ups just babies. I think that's because they're smaller and easier to make. That way he doesn't take up his valuable time teaching them to walk and talk. You can just leave that up to mothers and fathers, God, second most important job is listening to prayers on off a lot of this goes on at some people like preachers and things pray. At other times beside that time. God doesn't have to listen to the radio or TV on account of this, as he hears everything not only prayers.

You must have a terrible lot of noise going into his ears unless he thought of a way to turn it off.

God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere. This kid has got some good stuff, which keeps him pretty busy so you shouldn't go wasting your time by going over your parents had an asking for something they said you couldn't have atheists or people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any, and Chula Vista. At least there aren't any who come to our church. Well, rather than us writing an essay to explain God. The great thing about this section of Scripture is this is God explaining himself to Moses this is God's autobiography at such an important section of Scripture that it is referred to no less than 12, perhaps even 13 times in the rest of the Scripture. Going back to this self-disclosure of God will will look at this tonight JI Packer someone that I love to read and respect greatly said ignorance of God is the root weakness of the church. I agree with that.

I agree with that.

So if that's the case if that is even a possibility.

Let's see what God says about himself in these verses is simple. He gives us his designation. His name and then his description verse five now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaim the name of the Lord and the Lord passed before him and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, in a pounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the front third and fourth generation. This is God talking about himself to Moses in this very special meeting, the first thing is, God gives his designation. His name, the Lord, the Lord God in Hebrew, the probable pronunciation Yahweh. Yahweh is twice used was usually the first question when you stick out your hand and you meet someone you say what is your name itself all important question to ask you to want to call them number something or your so-and-so you want to know their name so you are given the name because the name is the designation of the person identifies a person and when I was born.

My father's name is Luis Frank Hite sick and so he wanted to call me his last Sunday. Thought I'd be a girl and I was on another boy. The fourth boy and so he settled in a column my name Lewis and I was name Lewis Frederick Hite sick but my mom said not so fast. I've always liked the name skipped. Let's call them that, while they bantered back and forth as to which name I get I got all of them so talk about an identity crisis in school. Nobody knew what the common, they often call me Hite sick is the least that was a name that would change but in the Bible. A name is more than an identity tag. The name of a person in the Bible denotes character, reputation, even a person's authority.

People in Bible times equated a person's name with the person's nature was far more important what a child was designated and called perhaps even then in modern times, names make a difference.

One psychologist studied 15,000 juvenile delinquents and he discovered that those with odd or embarrassing names were in trouble four times as much as others. Interesting isn't it a couple of examples that he gave the Turner family. Mr. and Mrs. Turner called their baby girl page help page is a great name, but we put it with Turner page Turner you know she would get hassled her whole life or the peace family PIE CEP's name their son Warren so sounds like a Russian novel by Tolstoy right war and peace. The bacon family name. Their son Chris middle initial B get crispy bacon.

Not a good idea in Scripture you find the parents will often give names to their child because they're hoping for some fulfillment of the name there giving that child so Judah means praise beautiful name. The parents were hoping this child would grow up to praise the Lord. Samuel means God hears what a great thought. I want my son to grow up listening to the voice of God. Others were named after the circumstances of their birth.

So we have the twins that were born, Esau and Jacob and Esau was born first and he was read and he was carrying. And so they called him. That's what Esau means Esau Herrick that his twin brother came up after him grabbing the heel so they called him, he'll catch her one who stumbles another yacht Cove Jacob and then there were people in the Bible that really got a raw deal like the wife of Phineas who named her son Ichabod that just sounds bad and it even means something worse. The glory has departed a joy to live without your whole life.

You go to school what your name glory has departed the name of God reveals his character. What's interesting is that in the Scripture, you have 300 different names of God is not always one name there's 300 different designations. Sometimes names or in combination with other names or adjectives are given, but each one of them reveals a certain special facet of his character so Elohim creator God generally used to mean strong one, or faithful one, or the word term Adonai, which means master, but here it's a different word. It's Yahweh I am. It was the name that God gave to Moses about himself when at the burning bush, Moses was being commissioned to be the deliverer of the children of Israel, and Moses knew that the people would say okay you say God sent you. What's his name and so he said God what am I gonna say who am I gonna say sent me, so God gives to Moses. First of all what his name means and then the name itself, I'm writing to you now out of Exodus chapter 3 and God said to Moses, I am who I am and he said that she shall say to the children of Israel. I am has sent me to you. This is my name for ever and this is my memorial to all generations see what kind of a name is that I am never heard anybody named, I am know what kind of a designation. What is it mean it's in the first person of a Hebrew word hi Ya which means to be to be. That's a very important truth to uncover and unpack what that name means the idea I am that I am means that God is the self existent one I want you to think about this God doesn't depend on anything else or anyone else. He is truly the self existent one is not contingent the self existent. That means that God doesn't have a creator means that God doesn't need a doctor means that God doesn't need a helper or a counselor. No one can ever inform God about anything. He doesn't know he's self existent. I am that I am, that's his name. The words I am also referred to his eternal nature is in the present tense.

He is the one who continually is not the great. I was the great I used to be at one time.

He is the great I am is always that way. The third thing that the name itself tells us about him is that God is active in his existence is in the context of this revelation, God will talk about what he is. To these people, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, so obviously it tells us were not dealing with a God is detached and aloof and up in heaven snoring doesn't care he's very active in the lives of his people, not just a note whenever you and your Bible. Most of your Bibles see the word Lord in the Old Testament, and it's all capitals like we have in this verse, LORD there translating the Hebrew word of four consonants we call it the tech for grandma time for letters and it is perhaps most probably pronounced Yahweh. That's the idea. I am that I am you probably know that the Israelites thought it best to avoid pronouncing his name after a period of time. They just didn't pronounce it because they thought better to avoid even mentioning his name into abuses name somehow.

So what a Jewish person would do and still does today whenever they come in Scripture to the term L capital all capitals LORD Yahweh. They replace it with another Hebrew word Adonai, or they simply bow their head and say hi shim, which means the name so this check for grandma town of Yahweh is the ineffable name it so high, so holy that they dare not pronounce it so that's his designation. Let's look at his description a list of attributes are given we just sort of want to marshal our way through this and I divided them up in your outline into three sections. First of all beneficial attributes is what God says about himself. Notice was first on the list is what merciful, come on. Isn't that interesting that of all of the ways God could describe him. The first it's not holy it's not sovereign and it's not loving, merciful.

The first description the God uses of himself Hebrew is Ra whom comes from a root that means a mothers womb that interesting a mothers womb. And so it's translated often compassionate because the ideas are just about as a mother would see that child in the such compassion and tender love for a child not just a mother, even a father in Psalm 103 verse 13 it says, as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. I remember how scared I was to be a father. It petrified me. I thought I was in up to. I thought I couldn't do that I can't do this. I could never love a little helpless infant until the moment he was born. It was an amazing transformation that another human being like that in your life. It was was like a magic spell is cast. After that is all over I doted over that child still do, maybe to a fault, some degree, but I remember holding Nate in my arms just last month and I'm just getting what he was a baby just so small and so helpless and we were at a restaurant. One time he was in a high chair, he accidentally fell backwards. We couldn't catch a mute Arches back any pushed his weight and his head hit a wood floor in his eyes rolled back in his head, momentarily and just the emotion that swelled up of tender, merciful compassion of a father and mother was something I'll never forget even as children grow from that stage and become teenagers and become rebellious or get into trouble. Parents no matter what, especially mothers always love their children.

I did some pretty rotten things growing up things. It broke my mother's heart.

She never stopped having compassion and loving God looks on his people like parents look on their own children with the same kind of doting love, compassion is merciful. Second thing he says about himself as that is gracious. This word comes up 13 times in the Old Testament to refer to God, is the idea gracious. It's somebody stronger helping somebody weaker.

I'm glad now sign up for that one, because it means I am the week one loved and held by God, the stronger one is the idea of what gracious means. What this means is that God will treat you and me. Well, not because were strong, not because we deserve it, but precisely because we are not strong. And because we don't deserve it.

Please understand, that's the whole idea of grace in the old and the New Testament. Somebody stronger helping somebody who is weaker.

It's perhaps best summed up by Paul in Romans chapter 5 verse eight God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us so right off the bat. God is merciful God is gracious, no later on we find it we don't find it to the end. The idea that God is just. At the same time. At the same time that balances it out but you know there's a huge difference between those three attributes justice, mercy and grace. Justice is you getting what you deserve mercy as you not getting what you deserve and grace is even better than that. It's getting something you don't deserve example, if you are pulled over by a police officer for speeding and he wrote you a ticket. That's justice. You deserve it.

If he said well give you a warning you're going 30 miles over the speed limit, but I'm just to give you a warning. Don't do it anymore.

That's mercy. He didn't give you what you deserve, which is the ticket is happened to me. Not too long ago. Actually, I would going 30 miles over the speed limit with the police officer told me I was going over the speed limit and he let me go thank you Jesus. Okay, what would grace me then grace would be the officer pulling you over cingulate over the speed limit writing you a ticket giving it to you taking it back and say I'll pay it myself that'll never happen. By the way just like that out of your wish list that's getting something you don't deserve them.

And maybe he will give you a tip on top of that, that he be more grace. I still love getting neat stuff is a little kid, I loved to go shopping with them and get himself in fact, my wife had these little fundies called I love Nathan days and adjustment. He got to choose what store to go to and what activity did use all his choice that there was a time when he and his cousin got into a fight and disobeyed her and she did something very unusual. She could get in the car, got in the car took him to the store and bought them a gift and Nina Nathan's looking like what went when the other shoe to drop. Hear me this is a right this is what you take away from me now and spank me here in the store and she just says I want you to learn a lesson that the way God treats us is often this way.

Not only am I not getting give you what you deserve.

Even though my heart is broken by what you did. I'm going to give you a gift to show you how good God is.

He said my mom never forget. Then look at the third long suffering, God is along suffering, you may have a translation that says he's slow to anger, what is that mean well you know what that means he doesn't fly off the handle it you. Aren't you glad God doesn't need anger management classes.

God is slow to get angry. Oh no mistake about it, God will execute his wrath and judgment upon this world, but it sure takes him along time to get that Skip ice message for you from the series the biography of God right now you're scared to tell you how your support helps keep these messages coming your way, connects more people to God's truths God is revealed who he is. Through his word and we want to help friends like you grow in your knowledge of. That's why we share these Bible teachings that you love to help you connect with the Lord, and you can keep these messages coming to you and many more people around the world through a simple gift today here so you can give right now. Visit connectwithskip.com/don't need to give your gift today that's connectwithskip.com/donate or call 800-922-1880 809 two 218 coming up tomorrow Skip examine several important attributes understanding of God to a new level. God makes a promise done Ray and Rolanda Castillo Skip presentation of connection communications go through