Okay. Not afternoon yet. Well, Brother Keith, I probably should have preached that message. Lord willing, I'm going to preach the end of the month. It is titled Amazing Testimonies. That was a pretty amazing one there, wasn't it? And I couldn't help but think, you know, here's a man, young man at the time, who would ever dream what God was gonna do with him. And that's the way it is with all of us, you know, who knows what God, and the beautiful thing is, everyone that God gives a testimony to because of his work of grace, doesn't have to do that to be a blessing. Doesn't have to be like Spurgeon. He had a special gift and he used it. He stirred that up and used it. What a blessing that was. So I better get to the message because again, usually I have quite a bit of time in preparing. And so that's a blessing for you because I spent half my time preparing and the other half the time cutting it down. So this time I just was able to prepare. So it may be longer than normal. You can just weed it down yourself, I guess. But you know the title, God is, God is. And you know, the problem is we live in a day when so many, even as Brother Keith's testimony, they say God isn't. They don't believe in God. And so I was reading a book, I've read in the past, a tremendous book called A Portrait of God, basically dealing with his attributes, And a couple thoughts in here I wanted to share before we get to the actual message. First of all, it says in Psalms 14.1, which I didn't give to the men, the fool hath said in his heart there is no God. And then he goes on to say there are three kinds of atheism. First, absolute atheism denies altogether that there is a God. Second, providential atheism confines God to heaven and keeps him from earth. Deism falls into this category. And third, natural atheism denies the nature and perfections attributed to God in the scripture. And then he goes on to deal with, in another chapter, and I'll just read the introductory to this part, just a kind of cover the bases, I marked it, what did I do with it? There it is, called Practical Atheism. Practical Atheism, a man can have an atheistic heart without an atheistic head. He may not question the existence of God and may even defend the same while his heart is empty of affection toward God. This is practical atheism. This is to say atheism in practice. The devil himself is a practical atheist. He knows there's a God, but acts as if there were none. Among mankind, relatively few will absolutely deny that God exists, but no man naturally reverences God in his heart. All men are practical atheists. They are described in Titus 1, 16. They profess that they know God, but in works they deny him. Since action speaks louder than words, those who acknowledge a God but live as if there were none are more worthy of the title atheist than those who deny a God but live as if there were one. Right, sorry. This secret atheism is the spirit of all sin. Every sinful motion practically throws off God's law and sovereignty, declaring him unworthy of his being. If it were allowed to be carried to its logical end, every sin of mankind would impugn, dethrone, and annihilate God while setting up the sinner as a wiser authority. When we sin, we are actually wishing that there were no God, or that he did not possess all his qualities and perfections, which would amount to there being no God. Furthermore, those who only outwardly worship because of a slavish fear, murmuring all the while, manifest the same wish. Any desire for God to change, or for his dealings with us to be changed is the essence of practical atheism. Well, we're really not dealing with that, we're dealing with God is, and we'll be talking about that in further detail in the message today, since it's still morning. Pray for me, I had some dental work done recently, and I'm thinking that my tongue wanted to find out what was involved, what was going on, and I'm thinking that the dentist said, get back with the drill to my tongue. But anyway, hopefully you can't tell I'm kind of Lithuanian. And so as we think this morning, let's go to the Lord in prayer and thinking of what a God we have. We're gonna look at some of his attributes in a different way than, for instance, this book. is about the attributes of God, and it's mainly a condensed version by Brother Chamberlain, pastor in Broken Arrow. But the original author and writer of the book was 1,100 pages. Well, my whole Bible is barely 1,100 pages, a little over 1,100 pages. And so we're not gonna deal in that depth, but we're gonna look at the scriptures that identifies some of the characteristics of God's attributes Father, thank you that we can come, and thank you that you can use us. Thank you that you can bless us with your word, and you do bless us with your word. I pray that you would bless hearts today, and Lord, that you would be honored and glorified, that we'd see who you are and who you desire for us to be, as once created in your image. So bless us, we pray now, and we'll thank you for it in Christ's name, amen. Just a couple of quotes. It says, the attributes of God tell us what he is and who he is. William Ames. If we take away any of the attributes of God, we do not weaken God, but we weaken our concept of God. A good point there. We never take away from God's attributes. What we take away is the blessings we can have from them. Worship is the proper response of all moral sentient or ability to feel or perceive. beings to God, ascribing all honor and worth to their creator, God, precisely because he is worthy, delightfully so, D.A. Carson. God is the creator and giver of life, and the life that he gives does not run dry. Always, everywhere, God is present, and always he seeks to discover himself or manifest himself to each one. That's his desire, and we know him. And he gives us good hints as to who he is and blesses our hearts in that and then causes us to desire that because he's put it in our hearts. And then to fall in love with God is the greatest romance, to seek him the greatest adventure, to find him the greatest human achievement, St. Augustine. And so God is. And I thought, well, that would start, what got me started thinking about this is I'm preparing a message for camp, God is love. But we're not gonna deal with that today. But God is, I could stop it right there, God is. In the beginning, God, God is. And it doesn't matter how many atheists line up to deny it, God still is. And is, it's interesting, it's a present tense verb. And listen to some of the synonyms of is. Exists, lives, rules, breathes, continues, survives, subsists, persists. You know, I think of that, again, doesn't that describe God? The is, I've used that word, we use that word all the time. But God is, and he does exist, and he does live, and he does rule. Look at 2 Corinthians 4.6. I believe that maybe that's not where I wanted to use that. Don't go to 2 Corinthians 4.6 yet. We'll get to there. When I say that, you can go ahead and start closing your Bibles and pack up. But we're gonna look at God is, and we're gonna look at several scriptures that define and speak of God is. So we're not gonna deal with the traditional aspects of finding the verses that describe this, but I want us to go to what God says I am. And in Deuteronomy, and he starts out earlier again, but in Deuteronomy 4, 24, for the Lord thy God is a consuming fire. speaks to his holiness, speaks to his seriousness. And he's consuming fire, even a jealous God. In Deuteronomy 6.15, for the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you. And you know, we think of that word jealous, and of course, for us, it's a negative thing. For him, it's a positive thing in that it's his character, his jealousy for us. He wants us. He cares for us. We'll see that in the rest of his attributes. He's jealous over it. Now, of course, back here, again, I know a lot of these verses I'm dealing with basically out of context. I mean, but I think they will fit into the context. He's dealing with his people, chosen people, the nation Israel. He's showing them, he said, I'm jealous of you. I've given you all these areas and I'm jealous over you. Deuteronomy 431, for the Lord thy God is a merciful God. You know, when we consider who we are, who we were before God saved us, aren't you thankful he's a merciful God? Now, this isn't the word merciful that we dealt with out of Psalms for so long. This isn't the chesed mercy. This is the mercy that speaks to his compassion. It speaks to what Brother Keith preached I don't remember, I lost track of which one. But his pity, that's what it means, his pity. His compassion. Aren't you thankful for that? You know, aren't you thankful he didn't get you what you deserve? When you think of the cross and all that he bore, we've been reading through the gospels again, and when you get to the chapters on his death, you just, you shake your head and you say, for me. Though I would have been one of those same ones in my old way. I would have been one of those saying, crucify him. I've been one of those mocking him and dead before the Lord saved me. But his mercy, he was merciful to me. He was compassionate to me. He had pity on me. That's his character. That's his attributes. That's one of his attributes. You know that they say, some say, well, the Old Testament, he was an angry God, a bloodthirsty God. No, he was a merciful God. Merciful to the people there that as many times as they betrayed him, as many times as they caused him to have jealousy, because they chased after other gods, chased after the nations, and God yet had mercy on them. And of course, before we point the finger at him too hard, we'll have to take a look at where we were. God is a merciful God. And then when we see these, this verb, this action, he's a merciful God, oftentimes in these verses, it speaks to what, how it applies. He says, he will not forsake thee. Because he's merciful, he'll not forsake you. Should he? I mean, could he? No. He's a merciful God, that's his character. Would we deserve it? Yes. He will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers, which he swear unto them. a merciful God. And then Deuteronomy 6, 4, Hereo Israel, the Lord our God, is one Lord. He's not like the nation's gods. He's not like all the gods of this world. And you know, sometimes, I know you probably know that India, millions of gods, and yet the nation of Israel go after others, other than the God. He says he's one Lord. And then Deuteronomy 33, 27, the eternal God, description of God, eternal. Eternal God is thy refuge. Wow. Aren't you thankful for that? What it is, the eternal God, but aren't you thankful in his very character, he's a God of refuge. And underneath are the everlasting arms and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee and shall say, destroy them. Destroy them. Second Samuel 22, three. God is my strength and power and he maketh my way perfect. Kind of several times in the first message. Several times there was reference to his strength and his power and salvation and it is his strength and his power and that's one of his attributes, his strength. We have a mighty God, mighty to save, mighty to keep, mighty to provide, strength and power, and he makes my way perfect. In 2 Chronicles 30 verse nine, for if ye turn again, and again a picture of the people wandering off, your brethren and your children shall find compassion, that mercy, before them that lead them to captive so that they shall come again into this land. For the Lord your God is a gracious, and there he is again, a gracious and merciful. He is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you if you return unto him. And you know, as I think of these, as we look at these attributes, we have to ask ourselves, God's done a work in our heart. Are we gracious and merciful people? It should be something that he's put in our heart. because we're his, and he wants us to be in his image. Again, another emphasis, Job 36, five, behold, God is mighty. God is mighty. Mighty, I've mentioned already, to save. His arm is not shortened that it cannot save, and despises not any. He is mighty in strength and wisdom. That's one of his attributes, his wisdom. He's a wise God. Blessed is a nation, Psalm 33, 12, blessed is a nation whose God is the Lord. And again, we see the outpouring of his attribute. We're blessed because he is the Lord. And the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. Rest in that, and then Psalm 47, seven. For God is the king of all the earths, seeing he praises with understanding. He's the king. And as I was thinking on that, 1 Timothy 1, 17 came to mind concerning the king. Jesus himself being king. Again, I think there's reference to God, there's reference to Jesus being king. He says, now unto the king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. I don't know about you, but that pretty well tells me Jesus is God. Jesus is deity. In Psalm 50 verse 6, and the heaven shall declare his righteousness, for God is judge himself. God is judge himself. And again, look at what is said of Jesus in Acts 10 verse 42. And he commandeth us to preach. I'm reading it back to back. to preach unto the people and to testify that it is he, and if you go back, you'll see all that has to do with Jesus, it was he which was ordained of God to be the judge of the quick and the dead. God is judge himself. And Jesus has been ordained to be the judge of the quick and the dead. And then Psalm 116, five, gracious is the Lord, and righteous, yea, our God is merciful, as though we forget, we've been reminded on numerous occasion, our God is merciful. And then the lesson, Psalm 30, verse five, I mean, Proverbs 30, verse five, the text for our Sunday school lesson today, every word of God is pure, is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. You can trust his word, his word is pure. It made me think of last week's message, Mother Kate bringing up the institution or the college, and that's not the word either, but anyway, that felt they had to advertise in a filthy way, in a vulgar way, their college. I thought, well, it must not be of God, because my God is pure. He is pure, and his work in us will cause us to desire that which is pure, in my way of thinking. He's the shield unto them that put their trust in him. And then Matthew 22, 32 says, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and God, what is not here, God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Praise God. That's his very attribute. to gather us in as the living. We live because he lives, and he has given us life in Christ. And then John 3, 33, he that hath received his testimony has set to seal that God is true. You know, that's the, God is true. You know, I remember back, first pastorate, I went to a teacher's college for a while, and while I was there, I met one of my high school friends who'd gone to Vietnam and come back, and he was of the opinion that there is no truth. You cannot know truth. So we had the opportunity to point him to the truth in Christ. Invited him over for a meal, and I don't know that he ever came to that, but at least he heard the word, he heard the truth. But you know, there's the perfect example of Someone not wanting to know God if they don't want to know truth. Someone not wanting to know God if they don't believe there is truth. Yet they make up their own truth. And then, you know, you hear that now, too. Well, my truth. Well, no, you don't have any truth. Only truth that there is is associated to God. And so we come to truth. God is truth. What a blessing. What an attribute. And then John 4, 24, God is spirit. God is spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. And then Acts 10, 34, then Peter opened his mouth, and of course that verse, two or three messages out of the verse I just read. Then Peter opened his mouth in Acts 1034, then Peter opened his mouth and said, of a truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. Do you remember the context of that? Cornelius came in and brought down the sheet of unclean and clean. And then Peter said in the midst of all that, he said, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. And he was dealing with nations. No respecter of persons, and he's in no respecter of persons in regards to finances, in regards to intellect, in regards to looks. I often used to tell the students, I said, you know, you wanna know a no respecter of persons deal? You put two coffins up here and you put one of those representatives, and you put a rich guy in one and a poor guy in another one, and they're the same, they're dead. One of them might be famous, one of them may not be, but they're both dead. I've actually said that same thing about, well, I won't go there. But God is no respecter of persons. What a blessing. It's his grace, it's all of his grace, and it's because of that attribute. He's done the work, as has already been mentioned. The increases of God. Romans 6, 23, for the wages of sin is death. And of course, again, this isn't so much God is, but the gift of God is. This is the gift, his gift. Speaking, I think, coming from who he is, eternal life. The eternal God has given to us eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. And then 1 Corinthians 1.9, God is faithful. That's one of his attributes, he's faithful. And I couldn't help but think, wow, what a testimony to the, I don't know what the word, how I wanna word it, to the kicking God out of life. Then the fact of what, there's no faithfulness in marriage, there's no faithfulness in duty, It seems like for many. But when we have those faiths, we're expressing that very characteristic of God. God is faithful. You can count on him. And if he says, the wages of sin is death, it's death. But if he says, I'll give you eternal life, he'll give you eternal life. He's faithful. who also will do it, what a blessing. God is faithful by whom you were called unto the fellowship of his son, Jesus Christ our Lord. And you're never gonna hear, just kidding, you'll never hear that. He's faithful, he's faithful to his promises. He's faithful, I was thinking of the lack of faithfulness in men. Some aren't faithful in their giving, some aren't faithful in their attendance, some of them aren't faithful But God is faithful. I'm glad that I'm trusting Him and not man. I'm glad I'm trusting Him, not myself. Though He's given me a desire to be faithful, I will say that. But have I always been faithful? I'm always faithful, no. But what He's put in me is that desire. Then 1 Corinthians 10, 13. There's no temptation taken you, but such is common to man, God is faithful, there he is again. Aren't you thankful for that? God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you're able, but will the temptation also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it? Based on his faithfulness. Then 1 Corinthians 14, 33. And this is something again that God is not again, and I know author is put in here in parentheses to help. with the understanding of it, for God is not the author of confusion. You know, you get in a confused situation, you say, well, God didn't author that. That's not his character. But he is the author of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. Rest assured, when there's peace, true peace, it comes from the character of God, from the attributes of God that, again, he worked in us. What a blessing. In Hebrews 6.10, For God, again, is not unrighteous. And then I like what he says, he's not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love. There's no work or labor of love that will go unrewarded by God because that's one of his characteristics. He would be unrighteous if he did, but he's not unrighteous. Which you have showed toward his name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister, And then the New Testament, Hebrews 12, 29, for our God is a consuming fire, once again, speaking, I believe, to His holiness. And then 1 John 1, 5, another whole, definitely another whole message, this then is the message, which we've heard of Him, and declaring to you that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. That is again an attribute of God, his light. Not of darkness. Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. But when God does a work in our heart, we want to bring our work into that light. Have it be examined by him. He's the creator of light. He's the symbol of, that light symbolizes holiness and guidance and divine, presence and reflection of God's eternal light expressed in Jesus Christ. As Jesus said in John 8, 12, I am the light of the world. I can remember one of the earliest times in my life of teaching, I had the privilege of teaching the youth in the church I was a member of, and we taught through John. and the light, what a blessing to bring those young people into the light. Show them Christ, the light of the world. And then, in closing, I guess, and this will be unusual, I know it's usually another half hour, but this is it. 2 Corinthians 4.6, remember I told you? Start backing up. 2 Corinthians 4, 6, and this is such a tremendous, for God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, where? In the face of Jesus Christ. See, he's God. And we see that light in the face of Jesus Christ. Look unto him, even as was preached earlier. Father, thank you again for the truth of your words, who you are. Lord, help us.