Hello, I'm God! - Part B

Neither Jesus takes the punishment for your sin where you do. Which do you want you want to stand before God on doing good with a dumb idea that a sale like Jesus, take it for me and God is willing to God be both merciful and just can't today on connect with Skip Heitzigs or Skip explains many of God's attributes and encouraging insight into God's character first want to invite him to see the very places Jesus walked taught and performed miracles. This is pastor Skip and I want to let you know that our 2022 trip to Israel is full speed ahead. Israel is now open trip is safe and you can still register, we will be touring May 4 through the 15th and this is such a beautiful time of the year to be in his room enjoy the sea of Galilee where Jesus spent so much of his time will stop at Mount Carmel and potato then I look forward to walking with you through the court to support Caesarea baptized people in the Jordan River will tour Masada and will even float in the Dead Sea, then the highlight up to Jerusalem, where there is so much to see and do.

Finally, we will enjoy a powerful time of worship as we take communion in the garden to those are just the highlights. There is so much more in this tour and lady and I hope you will make plans now to see Israel with us on this trip. There's more information to our agenda and registration details that connect.com Israel inspiration Chris is towards the one 800-4789 20 Army for three days over 40 iconic state meets for excursions around there's still time to join and Lenny think foreign think tour is registration open connect with time lapse Israel. Exodus chapter 34 as we dive into her study. Skip Heitzigs, grace and mercy have nothing at all to do with fairness and we also I want I want fairness I want justice. You say that, but you don't always mean that example. Let's say on your way to church today you looked at regarding Obama to be late others I better just you know be heavy on the gas pedal. So you go 5 miles over the speed limit 1015 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 family is also another, and the officer says okay I'm alike to a citation for that. That is called justice. That's fair. You deserve that ticket, but let's say the officer says you know what I'm just to give you a warning this time you're 20 miles over the speed limit unlocking a righteous citation but just stop doing that and you go thank you thank you thank you thank you for thinking that's mercy that's not getting what you deserve, but let's just say you just 20 miles over 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, ain't never gonna happen, but if it did, and it is does with God.

That is grace. God is merciful, compassionate God is gracious. There's 1/3 word to describe 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, it 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 what 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 or 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 for you. I know this God 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 him.

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 founding 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 once, drive his goodness. God is abounding in goodness that this is a word that you need to know the Hebrew word is has said has said and what 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 the king was expected to demonstrate has said goodness are to the people that he was in covenant with what it 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 you know I've been reading about Jesus lately and he said what I discovered about Jesus is that Jesus had an extraordinary sin. 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 have cynical lovingkindness. That said, Jesus displayed an extraordinary amount of lovingkindness sizable. I agree with that 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 who 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.convinced him brought him 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 getting 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 is Jonah God's representative wasn't. I was reading a recently back. Yesterday I was reading an interesting article. Do you know the South Pole 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 if that's true, if an article if the South Pole is the healthiest place to live wire 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 his constant 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 week 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, in real life, but this one guy in our 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 as 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 say they even have a little Arabic phrase I'll 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 Allah. 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 LME impact adverse 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 living in the country you I'm to 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 noticed three different categories for an infraction iniquity one transgression two and cinema.

Consider the difference when all of them would take too long. We just put it this way with you since just a little bit or a whole lot God is ready to forgive God loves to forgive the first words of Jesus from the cross were father forgive them that 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 it loves to work 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 annul his justice. Simply put, God can never forgive unrepentant sinner, you can just automatically live your life anyway you want and 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 to understand 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 is bothered.

A lot of people it's as visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children. What does 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 were say what the fathers have eaten sour grapes for 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 are goddesses. Nope, 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.

Question, 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 we looked at her but 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 regular worship songs. Make sure you pack some good theology and additional make it a great little hook in a nice little turnaround with the music in the middle eight with a good beat. Add some substance and take your cues from the old hymns mirror. If you have had much spent much time studying him knowledge of some of those hymns there's and it's a theology course and and some of those hymns and select three verses are two verses. Some of them have eight verses like 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 artistic 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 our turn to tell God that we love him based on what we just learned about this what we always do and that's what Moses did in this section would you pray with me as we close this enemy to say is we are closing this. It could be that you don't have a personal relationship with his 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 I'm an essay.

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 Jesus as my Savior. I will follow him as my membership Skip a text message below from the series 2020. Right now want to share about weeklies that will help you understand the significance of what Jesus did on the cross for what is truth. The question may seem like a postmodern using the core of the Christian deconstruction movement, but Scripture records that Pontius Pilate asked that very question. Just before he handed over Jesus to be crucified so what is truth here Skip night for the Bible makes truth claims in some of those claims are pretty absolute. Here's why Jesus said I am the way the truth, the life.

No one comes to the father except through me. But you know it's really true, we won't help you get started in answering that question with two focused resources the booklet why truth matters and blood both by pastor Skip our way to say thank you for your gift of $35 or more today to help connect more people to God's truth through connect with skip.

Jesus is absolute truth pilot thought it couldn't be found. So he dismisses the case and in effect, he dismisses Jesus amount of his life get your copies of these two powerful resources when you get online securely connectwithskip.com/offer or call 892 1882 in tomorrow as Skip Heitzigs of shares held God's omniscience can be inspiring rather than intimidating you don't want to miss it, so be sure to listen, imagine knowing somebody who knows everything about. Now imagine somebody who knows everything about you and loves you and were dealing with.

We deal with the knowledge Skip presentation of connection communication changing truth