Hello, I'm God! - Part B

Neither Jesus takes the punishment for your sin where you do what's the one you want to stand before God on I'm good with a dumb idea that it assailed like Jesus, take it for me and God is willing is ready to forgive God be both merciful and just can't today and connect with Skip Heitzig Skip explains many of God's attribute great and encouraging insight into God's character and at the end of today's program Skip in the sun made sure why it's so important for you to get a full glimpse of who God is. God is loving God is gracious God is strong God is compassionate, but is also just is also holy gives all the and that's why we talk about God. We can't pick and choose character traits that we like and forget the rest thanks skip. Be sure to stay tuned after today's message to her the full conversation. Now we want to tell you about a resource that will help transform the way you pray in the way you live Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China said it is possible to movement through God by prayer alone and down to the other nine books on prayer said God shapes the world by prayer, the more praying.

There is in the world, the better the world will be in. Billy Graham said to get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees here. Skip, I think you know the Bible says that we will experience God's peace. When we pray, and it tells us to pray about everything. We want to help you know how and what to pray.

What to expect. That's why were offering. Lord, teach me to pray in 28 days by Kay Arthur when you give to support this ministry. Prayer is meant to the game of peace and joy in our hearts, Lord, teach me to pray is our thanks when you get $25 or more today to help keep this ministry on the connecting you and others to God's work, call 800-962-1888. Get online securely connectwithskip.com/offer exit Skip Heitzig to say on your way to church today. You later and I'll be happy on the gas pedal. So you go 5 miles of the speed limit, 10, 15 to 20 miles of the speed limit, a police officer pulls you over looks at your license.

You know your speeding 20 miles over this really is also another, and the officer says okay I'm in a right to a citation for that. That is called justice. That's fair. You deserve that. But let's say the officer says you know what I'm assuming to be a warning this time. Your 20 miles over the speed limit. I'm not a righteous citation but just stop doing that and you go thank you thank you thank you thank you Lord, thank that's mercy that's not getting what you deserve, but let's just say you do 20 miles of the speed limit police officer set on the right to ticket have to do it righteous citation hands it to you and then before you can put it away takes it out of your hands and says don't worry I will pay for it myself. Now he's giving you money to cover your infraction. That's grace.

By the way, a never to happen, but if I did, and it is does with God.

That is great.

Scott is merciful, compassionate God is gracious.

There's 1/3 word that describes him long suffering, whatever you say that word you got a sailor is long-suffering because some translations render it slow to get angry, slow to anger simply means God doesn't fly off the handle. God does not need anger management classes, the word long-suffering the literal Hebrew word means a long nose and here's why the person gets angry. His face turns what color red I can see the blood flowing in the face and the nose appears to burn is really really mad so the ideas the longer the nose, the longer it takes to show or display anger so the name of the word literally means a long nose so it's it's as if God takes a deep breath before he deals with sin.

He is slow to anger, you should know the Bible reveals that God has a legitimate basis for anger. It's grounded in his holy perfect character and there will be a day when those who reject Jesus Christ will stand before God at the great white throne and be judged.

But you know that Scott is in no hurry for that day. He has anger, but his anger kindles very, very slowly, is not up in heaven with some celestial flyswatter waiting for you to do something wrong so we can go got them.

He slow to anger, as Peter said he's not wanting that anyone should perish, but that everyone should come to repentance. Of these three attributes sum up his benevolent character God is merciful God is gracious God is long-suffering. Now I want you to notice the next category and that is his bountiful attributes in their two of them. It says in verse six and bounding in goodness for a long time now churches for centuries have set a very simple little refrain somebody says God is good and the other person or people say all the time all the time God is good. It's a great thing to be mindful of God is good all the time. But to say that God is abundant in goodness means the God's goodness will never run out. So there's always enough goodness for you.

He never runs dry of his goodness. God is abounding in goodness. Now this is a word that you need to know the Hebrew word is he has said has said and when its use in human terms it means loyalty when it is applied to God. It speaks of God's consistent unchanging love in ancient times are King was expected to demonstrate has said goodness are to the people that he was in covenant with weather was his own people or a conquered people so God is abundant never runs out with goodness. I tell you my favorite memory with his word a few years ago I the privilege of being in the office of the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and we were having a discussion about Jesus and he said not been written about Jesus lately and he said what I discovered about Jesus is that Jesus had an extraordinary said Jesus displayed an extraordinary amount of any paused as he was thinking of the English word he and his aide was sitting next to him. He said Jesus displayed an extraordinary amount of has said has said now that was one word I don't know Hebrew but I knew that work and when he said has cycle lovingkindness.

That said, Jesus displayed an extraordinary amount of lovingkindness Festival. I agree with and and that is often how this word is translated in the Old Testament, lovingkindness, or goodness or mercy. Now, do you know that there was somebody in the Bible was actually mad that God was so gracious and so good number what his name was Jonah. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach a message. Jonah didn't want to go around the other direction God convinced him brought back to Nineveh and it worked. Nineveh heard the message turn to God. Jonah doesn't like it is ministry was to successfully gets mad at God. Jonah chapter 4 verse two says Jonah became angry at this is Jonah talking to God. Listen how he quotes Exodus 34, he said. I fled previously to Tarshish, for I know that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, this is Jonah get mad at God, so God is slow to anger Jonah is quick to anger Jonah had lovingkindness or God had lovingkindness Jonah lacked in kindness.

God is merciful. Jonah's mafioso he wants to destroy Nineveh, not really, great. If you are representative of God. Jonah was called to represent God before the Ninevites. I have a question for you. How well do you represent God is your life a reflection of these attributes in this section as God reveals this is who I am because Jonah God's representative wasn't. I was reading a recently. In fact, yesterday I was reading an interesting article.

You know the South old is considered the healthiest place in the world to live south of Antarctica. That's because there's no pollution there is no dust and there are no terms so cold article that I read yesterday they said Antarctica is the one continent untouched by the coronavirus libido and social distancing for years and only 4000 people live on that continent. So that's true Antarctica of the South Pole is the healthiest place to live.

Why are people beaten down the door to live there. Easy answer. It's stinking cold there gets 200° below zero. Know my point in using that as an illustration is are some people who are like that. They know the truth error has no chance of survival in their environment there so coldhearted they don't represent this God very well. God says I want to know who I am I merciful and gracious, I'm long-suffering. I'm up counting and has said in Wisconsin. Love and goodness.

So that's the first abounding or bountiful attribute.

The second one is that he abounds in truth word says and abounding in goodness and in truth word means certainty, it simply means God is reliable. God is dependable. You can depend on his character. You can depend on his promises. You can depend on his warnings, God keeps his word. If God says something take it to the bank never change. I have a friend.

I've been friends with for a long time. If we have in the solar group we give ourselves old nicknames are we given each other little nicknames and I will tell you who it is a real life, but this one guy in a little circle of friends we've nicknamed him pencil and that is because if he gives you a date that he'll be there. We always say well I'll pencil within because it might change you might change your mind or you might have something that comes up, and so will pencil within you never have to pencil it in with God. You can write it in stone man, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. Jesus said my words will never pass away. Heaven and earth may pass away. My words will never pass away. So what that does for us.

When same God abounds in truth it makes us live with certainty because we live with certainty.

Relive the joy you can count on God. Now this is different in other religions, for example, in Islam God Allah changes God has the right to change, they said even have a little Arabic phrase all not seek while monsoon, which speaks of abrogation. God might say something today change his mind and say the opposite tomorrow. Say something completely different. Next week, so because of that one never knows where he stands with all but when it comes to Yahweh you know where you stand and God is always abounding in truth, so those are his benevolent attributes and his bountiful attributes. We end in verse seven with his balanced attributes.

Look at verse seven keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But here's the balance by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation nonimpact outburst quickly. This is keeping mercy for thousands. The word mercy is that word has said again that means goodness or lovingkindness. So the question is why does God have to use that word again, why does he repeat himself again. He simply say Moses my covenant love my has said my goodness isn't just for you but it's for your descendents. All the people that come through you.

I'm in the be available in my goodness and mercy and kindness for them right for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so God's love is for all people of all times in all places God's love is for the African the South American the European the Middle Eastern or the American the Australian following that keeping mercy for thousands, is forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin you notice three different categories for an infraction iniquity one transgression to inset on record say the difference when all of them would take too long. We just put it this way. Whether you sincerest a little bit or a whole lot God is ready to forgive God loves to forgive the first words of Jesus on the cross were father forgive them that don't know what they're doing. I gotta believe Jesus couldn't wait to say those words and the cross enabled him to say those words father forgive them. So not only is he slow to get angry over sin he's ready to pardon you when you do send.

I guess you could say this means God is a big eraser and he loves to use and loves to whip it out and erase your record. He forgives iniquity and transgression and sin but now we flip the coin. Now we balance all of these wonderful attributes of God with another attribute of God and that is his justice. So it says by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation.

See, though God traffics in mercy, though God delights in forgiveness, God cannot unknow his justice.

Simply put, God can never forgive unrepentant sinner, you can just automatically live your life anyway you want expect when you died of this overlooking forgive that would be just God's perfect character demands just so he doesn't forgive unrepentant sinners. He's provided a way to be forgiven, but if you reject that way. Forgiveness is on you, and all bets are off. So you boil it down to this either Jesus takes the punishment for your sin or you do. What do you want you want to stand before God on you all do it. I'm good with it. I'll take my chances dumb idea.

Better to sell it. Jesus take it for me and God is willing to do that he is ready to forgive but if not, if you refuse that by no means clearing the guilty. Now this next part is the last part of this verse has bothered a lot of people it's as visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children. What is that mean only tell you what it doesn't mean it doesn't mean that children will get the punishment that the parents deserve because Ezekiel 18 makes that clear in Ezekiel 18 people are say what the fathers have eaten sour grapes with the children's teeth are set on edge. The parents sin, but God's gonna take it out on their kids got to punish the children and children's children for what their parents or goddesses know I'm holding people accountable for their own stuff. So what this does mean here in this verse is that God will not erase the natural consequences of sin in a given example let's say you decide to get drunk and you walk out into traffic and you get your leg broken or let's say a person who is an unbeliever walks out into traffic and gets his leg taken off completely, but he in the hospital he gives his life to Christ? Will he be forgiven if he asked for.

Yes. Will his leg grow back automatically know he will still suffer the natural consequence of the decision he made or if a drug addict receives Christ asked for forgiveness will he be forgiven or she be forgiven.

Yes, of course, but that might not reverse any brain damage or health consequences as a result of that person's choice. Now many children and grandchildren have had to experience consequences of parents decisions abuse from a parent absence from a parents relationship. But what I want you to notice is the comparison between the generations.

Notice it says to the third and fourth generation of a look at the beginning of the verse keeping mercy for thousands, the way it's written in the Hebrew would be translated keeping mercy for thousands of generations consequences last of the third and fourth generation. But the ideas God's mercy goodness and love overshadow it infinitely more for thousands of generations.

So God's designation. I'm Yahweh I'm God's description he gives a list of attributes and then there's an expectation that Moses complies with verse eight.

So Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and he worshiped. We covered this in part last time I looked at it.

But here's the idea as soon as Moses heard this little theology lesson from God.

He did what was proper what was expected. What anybody should do he bow down and he worshiped his appointment.

Good theology is the foundation and impetus for true worship. I always still worship leaders of July worship songs.

Make sure you pack some good theology and just to make it a great little hook in a nice little turnaround with the music in the middle eight with a good beat at some substance and take your cues from the old hymns mirror. If you have had much spent much time studying him knowledge in some of those hymns there's and it's a theology course and and some of those hymns. That means only three verses are two verses. Some of them have any verses like a Bob Dylan song we just keep going on and on but they're so rich that's because good theology is the foundation and the motivation for true worship. That's what we always have a closing song. We were not doing this for an art to stick punctuation point at the end of the service.

Let's all get up and sing a song.

Now get out of here is not that it's now we are responding to God. It's all return to tell God that we love him based on what we just learned about is what we always do and that's what Moses did in this section would you pray with me as we close this and let me to say is we are closing this.

It could be that you don't have a personal relationship with this God who introduced himself to Moses, the God who is full of mercy and grace, who is slow to anger, who abounds in goodness and truth, who loves to forgive people, maybe you don't have a relationship with him and him and say if you would like to change that you can right now by simply talking to him and giving him your life. You could say something like this. Lord I give you me I come before you as I am. I know that I am a sinner. I ask you for forgiveness. I'm sorry for my sin and I turn from it. I believe in Jesus that he died on the cross that he rose from the dead, and I turn from my past and I turned to Jesus as my Savior. I want to follow him as my Lord that wraps up Skip a text message from the series 2012 pre-debt. We love to talk with you. Just give us a call 892 to 18 8892 to 1880.

Now let's go in the studio with Skip inmate as they share why it's so important for you to get a full glimpse of who God is, skip, what is the danger we face.

We lose sight of even just one of God. Well, that's a great great question to ask because we become in imbalance in the very least and idolatrous in the very most so you think of the golden calf. They were both imbalanced and idolatrous. They were focusing on one attribute of God that is a strength.

That's why the fashion likable. They were used to seeing that in Egypt and was idolatry because they were worshiping this thing and and so so that's what happens God is loving God is gracious God is strong God is compassionate, but is also just is also holy.

He's all those things and that's why we when we talk about God. We can't pick and choose character traits that we like and forget the rest, or were going to be worshiping in imbalanced or idolatrous version of God.

That's why we always go to the Bible and say what is the Bible reveal about who God is and then once we do that worship God in his fullness in his totality, so good. This is a historic problem.

This is why even in the times when the Scriptures were written to agnostics and agnostics and there's two very different spectrums that really both focusing on one attribute of God's character yes was important to stay balanced important to stay true to God and only way to do that is to stay in. Thanks Stephanie. We hope you enjoy getting to know Stephanie this conversation. Now he's teaching coming your way to connect more listeners like you to password again 892. Again, I think hundred 92 or visit connect/donate.com/donate to noon tomorrow is Skip six years of God's omniscience can be inspiring rather than intuitive, so be sure Skip presentation of connection communication through