Sermon: Seeing God as He Is

Seeing God as He Is
Jim Davis
(Much of this sermon is taken from Robert Deffinbaugh, Let Me Se Thy Glory, A Study of the Attributes of God, http://www.bible.org/docs/theology/proper/attrib/attrib-02.htm. I have rearranged much of his material and added some of my thoughts and illustrations . A link is provided to that site from the Sermon Links provided on this site.)

Psalms 50:21
These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face. (NIV)

A little boy was drawing a picture on a piece of paper. His mother came up to him and asked him what he was drawing. The little boy responded, "I am drawing a picture of God." The mother informed him that no one knows what God looks like. The little boy retorted, "They will when I get through drawing this picture."
What kind of mental picture do we have of God? The danger we all face in our thoughts about God is that we tend to recreate God in our own image of him rather than seeing God as he has revealed himself in Scripture. Too often our thoughts about God are adjusted to our own desires rather than adjusting our thinking to see God as He is. When we adjust our concept of God to conform to our own thinking we end up with a distorted inaccurate view of God. We may end up believing in the kind of god that we wish to believe in, while disliking and rejecting the God we refuse to know and understand. We may end up creating God into whatever we want him to be.

"The God of the Bible is not the product of human imagination and His nature is not changed by our opinion of Him. So it really doesn't matter very much what kind of God we would like to believe in. Yet people keep talking about "the kind of God I believe in . ." It's all part of our culture's search for a permissive God . . . When Jesus called His disciples, He did not ask them what kind of God they believed in or even if they loved God; He just said, "Follow me." (James Edwards "God lite". Christianity Today, Apr 29, 1991. Pages 30-31. Via InfoSearch Database, Arlington, TX)

Seeing God as He is, this is the greatest need of each Christian today. Realigning our thoughts about God with those divine characteristics revealed in the scriptures is our greatest challenge.

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (NIV)

When the children of Israel made a molten calf in the wilderness, it wasn't that they were completely rejecting God, but they wanted to recreate him in their own image of him. Notice what Moses writes.

Exodus 32:1-6
Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." And Aaron said to them, "Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." "So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, "This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!" So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD." Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. (NKJ)

When the molten calf was made they said, "This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!" It was not a complete rejection; they attempted to recreate God in their own image of him.
If we spend our lives trying to fit God into the pattern we think he ought to follow, then we have done the same thing the Israelites did in the wilderness when they shaped their God into a molten calf.

Isaiah 40:18-22
To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to? As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. A man too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot. He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple. Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. (NIV)

"Over 30 years ago, A. W. Tozer wrote concerning the desperate need for the church to revise its concept of God due to a very distorted conception of Him:

'It is my opinion that the Christian conception of God current in these middle years of the twentieth century is so decadent as to be utterly beneath the dignity of the Most High God and actually to constitute for professed believers something amounting to a moral calamity.'
Tozer goes on to say,
'The heaviest obligation lying upon the Christian Church today is to purify and elevate her concept of God until it is once more worthy of Him--and of her.'" (Quoted from Robert Deffinbaugh, Let Me Se Thy Glory, A Study of the Attributes of God, http://www.bible.org/docs/theology/proper/attrib/attrib-02.htm)

An Inadequate View of God Is Dangerous
An inadequate view of God is the root of many sins. Wrong thoughts about God in Eden led to the fall. Think of what would have happened in Eden if Adam and Eve had only turned from Satan's lies about God to seek to know God better.
It is in Eden that we begin to understand that knowledge of God is the key to life. This is a theme that runs throughout Scripture. God told the Israelites, I desire . . . the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." (Hosea 6:6) "This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD . . . (Jeremiah 9:23-24 NIV) Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17:3 NIV)

A. W. Pink wrote:

"The god of this century no more resembles the Sovereign of Holy Writ than does the dim flickering of a candle the glory of the midday sun. The god who is talked about in the average pulpit, spoken of in the ordinary Sunday school, mentioned in much of the religious literature of the day, and preached in most of the so-called Bible conferences, is a figment of human imagination, an invention of maudlin sentimentality. The heathen outside the pale of Christendom form gods of wood and stone, while millions of heathen inside Christendom manufacture a god out of their carnal minds." (Quoted from Robert Deffinbaugh, Let Me Se Thy Glory, A Study of the Attributes of God, http://www.bible.org/docs/theology/proper/attrib/attrib-02.htm)

In one of his letters to Erasmus, Martin Luther said, "Your thoughts of God are too human." (Quoted from Robert Deffinbaugh, Let Me Se Thy Glory, A Study of the Attributes of God, http://www.bible.org/docs/theology/proper/attrib/attrib-02.htm)
Knowing God Is Life's Greatest Ambition
The only hope of transforming our lives and our world is through coming to know God as he is revealed in the Scriptures. The truly great men and women throughout history, are those that devoted themselves to a study of God's character.

Philippians 3:8-11
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (NIV)

"It would be difficult to over-estimate the importance of the study of God. Charles Haddon Spurgeon’s words are often quoted by those who embark upon a study of the attributes of God:

'Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued, investigation of the great subject of the Deity. The most excellent study for expanding the soul is the science of Christ and Him crucified and the knowledge of the Godhead in the glorious Trinity.

The proper study of the Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the doings, and the existence of the great God which he calls his Father. There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity. Other subjects we can comprehend and grapple with; in them we feel a kind of self-content, and go on our way with the thought, "Behold I am wise." But when we come to this master science, finding that our plumbline cannot sound its depth, and that our eagle eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the thought 'I am but of yesterday and know nothing.'" (Quoted from Robert Deffinbaugh, Let Me Se Thy Glory, A Study of the Attributes of God, http://www.bible.org/docs/theology/proper/attrib/attrib-02.htm)

Knowing God's Ways and His Character
Seeing God as He is has to do with knowing God's ways and his character. How else can you know any person. Knowing a person goes beyond knowing what they look like; it involves knowing their character and ways.

Exodus 33:12-17
Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people." The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." (NIV)

Moses longed to see God, but when God descended in a cloud and passed in front of Moses, God stressed his character traits.

Exodus 34:5-8
Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation." Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. (NIV)

Looking at God's brilliance would be as blinding as looking at the Sun. Yet, God's character is where God's real glory shines. So God tells Moses of his grace, compassion, lovingkindness and his holiness and justice. These attributes reveal God's glory; unless we know of the attributes of God's character we cannot know and worship God. It is little wonder that Moses bowed to the ground when God revealed his character traits. It is God's attributes that demand our attention.
Throughout the Bible, when God is worshipped, he is worshipped in response to His attributes. It is only when we come to know God's attributes that we can bow in humble adoration. God's attributes are a description of who He is.

Psalms 7:17
I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. (NIV)
Psalms 107:1-2
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say this-- those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, (NIV)

Importance of Seeing God as He Is
Knowing God's character is the very basis of our faith and trust in God. Knowing that God's grace is wholeheartedly governed by his commitment to compassion, love, holiness and justice in every circumstance is the very basis of our relationship with him. This is especially important when we don't understand the why behind what is happening. In those times, our faith in the character of God enables us to trust that he is doing what is best in every circumstance. This is why it is important for us to see God as he is.
Knowing God's character gives us a new perspective on life; we begin to view life from God's perspective. Nothing will more radically change the way we look at life and circumstances than seeing God as he is.
God's character reveals to us the basis of his grace. There is no way we can fully understand God's grace without understanding his character. Moses wrote, "You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you."God has revealed himself to us because he is pleased with us. This gracious revelation is given that we might know him better. If we come to know him, then and only then can we continue to find favor with him.
When God revealed himself to Moses he said, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."
As we view our gracious loving forgiving God we realize that his love also demands that sin be punished. This is the very basis of God's grace. There is no way God can love what is good without hating what is evil. The very nature of God's grace forbids us to do what is wrong. It doesn't have anything to do with rules and regulations; it has everything to do with the character of Almighty God. His character is the very basis of life.
The question is not, "If God is an all good God, how can he send someone to hell?" It is his good character that demands that the evil destructive forces of sin be destroyed once and for all. His love forbids the suffering sin brings. Both love and justice temper his favor toward us. God's grace demands justice, but true justice also demands grace.
If this seems cruel, you must remember that it was God himself that died on that cross to meet the demands of his own character that demanded grace and justice. He is not demanding any more of us than he demands of himself. That is all the more reason to trust God's character and count on his grace.
Understanding God's character is the basis of understanding the Bible. Nothing will enrich our study of the Bible more than seeing God as He is. If we read the stories of the Bible and fail to see God reveal himself through the circumstances and lives of real people, then we have missed the purpose for which it was given.
Some people devote more time to learning about the Bible than to discovering its message. For instance, two men spent months compiling an impressive array of statistics about the Scriptures. Here are some of the results: The Old Testament contains 929 chapters, 23,214 verses, 592,439 words, and 2,738,100 letters. The New Testament contains 260 chapters, 7,931 verses, 132,253 words, and 933,380 letters. The word "and" occurs in the Old Testament 35,543 times.
This seems to be a boring way to study the Bible. But Bible text come to life when we begin to see the character of God described through them. This is what brought David, a man after God's own heart to say, "I will meditate on thy precepts, and regard thy ways. I shall delight in thy statutes; I shall not forget thy word . . . Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from thy law . . . " (Psalms 119:15-18)
Even obscure and difficult passages of the Bible come to life when we look to them for insight into the character of God. When we come to the scriptures to see God as He is, we will not be disappointed.
Understanding God's character is the basis of all morality. People today do not want a God who makes demands and interferes with our personal business, especially in the areas of sex and money.
Every time we began to lose sight of God we begin to do what we believe to be right in our own eyes. Our culture rejects the idea of moral absolutes because we have lost sight of the God of Scriptures. Many say they believe in a God of love, not a God of law. We have ceased to ponder the moral perfection of God.
When the laws at Mount Sinai were given, they were laws that emanated from the very character of the God who gave them. God said to the people, "Be ye holy, for I am holy" (Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7)
God revealed himself as "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."In doing so he stated the very purpose of his moral absolutes. His holiness was the very basis for his law.

1 Peter 1:13-16
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."(NIV)

We can only come to a recognition of our sin when we see God as He is. It is the only way we can know that we are lost. We can only fully understand human depravity in light of God's glory.
Our spiritual growth is dependent on seeing God as He is. It is essential for the church, the body of Christ to see God as He is that it might "grow up to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ . . . " (Ephesians 4:13) We have been saved that "we might become partakers of his divine nature." (2 Peter 1:4) By "seeing him as he is" we become like him. (1 John 3:2)
There is absolutely no way we can enjoy the presence of God in our lives without allowing the presence of his character to be manifested in every facet of our lives. This is what spiritual growth is all about.
Allowing God to manifest his glory through our lives as we seek to be like him is the only real means of reaching the lost.

1 Peter 2:9-12
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (NIV)

Conclusion:
The gravitational pull of our culture is to create God into whatever we want him to be. The god of our age is a god of individual human choice. In light of the foregoing facts, what better study could we engage in than the study of the attributes of God? This type of study will give us a feel for the heartbeat of Almighty God. It will help us see God as He is.
Mark Twain was traveling in Europe with his daughter. No matter what city they visited, Mark Twain was honored by royalty and by well-known artists and scientists. Near the end of their journey, his daughter said to him, "Papa, you know everybody but God, don't you?"
It is possible to have scores of influential friends and to associate with famous people and yet not know God. How tragic it is for a person to be acquainted with leaders in government and commerce but to miss having a vital relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ! No matter who we know, we remain spiritual outcasts unless we know "The only true God."