god’s plan for us

God’s Plan For Us

Fall—This We BelieveThe fall quarter will present the importance of the Word, inspiration, basic history, salvation, the Christ, and the church.

Winter-This We TeachThe winter quarter will study the oneness of the church, the Holy Spirit, authority, grace, faith, obedience, repentance, confession, and baptism.

Spring-This We DoThe spring quarter’s emphasis will be on worship and our participation in it.

Summer-This We RecognizeThe summer quarter will focus on fellowship, teaching, and serving while understanding church structure, anticipating the return of Jesus, and giving serious thought to judgment, heaven, and hell.

The Reality of God

Gen 1:1 (ESV) In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Where do we find this verse in the Bible?



Does that seem like a logical place to start?




What has already happened before “the beginning”?





Tell me the backstory of superhero (Superman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Groot, Yoda, ???)





Tell me the backstory of superhero (Superman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Groot, Yoda, ???).

Tell me the backstory of God.


Could the Bible have started with a backstory or a detailed argument designed to force us to make the logical conclusion that God exists?



But, it doesn’t.

The Bible starts out with God exists.

And then it proceeds with what He did to create the universe …

And then it proceeds with what He did to redeem us.



As a side note, according to the Wikipedia entry on atheism on 09-21-2014:

- Atheism is the rejection of belief in the existence of deities (gods)-The first people to identify themselves as atheists lived in the 18th century - 2.3% of the world’s population are atheists (4% US)- 11.9% more consider themselves nonreligious

Ex 3:13-14 (ESV) Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

What does God tell Moses that His name is?

Ex 3:13-14 (ESV) Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

What does God tell Moses that His name is?

What can tell about God just from His name?

Ps 90:2 (ESV) Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Ps 93:2 (ESV) Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.

How is God described?

Ps 90:2 (ESV) Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Ps 93:2 (ESV) Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.


Eternal

Is 46:8-10 (ESV) “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors,9 remember the former things of old;for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me,10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done,saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’


Is 46:8-10 (ESV) “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors,9 remember the former things of old;for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me,10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done,saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’


All-knowing (omniscient)

Is 46:8-10 (ESV) Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

Jer 32:17 (ESV) ‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.


Is 46:8-10 (ESV) Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

Jer 32:17 (ESV) ‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.


All powerful (omnipotent)

1 John 4:7-8, 16 (ESV) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.


1 John 4:7-8, 16 (ESV) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.


Loving

Ps 139:7-10 (ESV) Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.




Ever present (omnipresent)

Is 6:3 (ESV) And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;the whole earth is full of his glory!”

Ps 99:9 (ESV) Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy!


Is 6:3 (ESV) And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;the whole earth is full of his glory!”

Ps 99:9 (ESV) Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy!


Completely holy

Gen 18:25-26 (ESV) Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”


Gen 18:25-26 (ESV) Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”


Continually just

Rom 11:22 (ESV) Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

The characteristics that make God who He is (eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, loving, ever-present, and completely holy, continually just) are perfectly balanced. He is not more loving than just, and not more just than loving.

John 4:24 (ESV) God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Does God possess a physical body?

John 4:24 (ESV) God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Does God possess a physical body?

Does that make Him any less real?

Ps 77:14-15 (ESV) You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples.15 You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph.

Focusing on God’s reality, our lesson emphasizes:

- God’s active work in the creation (Job 38:1-11)- His concern for humanity (Ps 8:1-9)- His presence in our lives (Ps 139:7-10)

On Facebook, I asked the question: Do you have a favorite Bible verse/passage/story that shows God's reality to you through His creation, His concern, and/or His presence?

John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled:ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.“

Susan White responded, “This was my mom's favorite verse and she passed that along to me. He is so present and always caring for me both here in in eternity.”

On Facebook, I asked the question: Do you have a favorite Bible verse/passage/story that shows God's reality to you through His creation, His concern, and/or His presence?

Rom 1:18-20 (ESV) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

This one’s mine: Even those who don’t believe see Him.

God the CreatorJob 38:1-11

Job 1:9 (ESV) And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?

How does God describe Job?

Job 1:9 (ESV) And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?

How does God describe Job?

In Job 1-2, Satan takes away about anything and everything Job had: his wealth, his kids, and his health.

In Job 3-37, Job complains and his friends urge him to curse God and die.

Job 38:1-3 (ESV) Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?3 Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.

How does God respond to Job?

Job 38:1-3 (ESV) Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?3 Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.

How does God respond to Job?

“Instead of discoursing on authority, justice, and sovereignty and completely ignoring the case of Job, he [God] blitzed the patriarch from Uz [Job] with a myriad of questions about the created order!”-Robert Alden, Job (The New American Commentary)

Job 38:4-7 (ESV) “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone,7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Can Job describe the processes involved in creation?

Can God?

Job 38:8-11 (ESV) “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb,9 when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band,10 and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors,11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?


Can God?

Job 40:1-5 (ESV) And the Lord said to Job:

2 “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.”

3 Then Job answered the Lord and said:

4 “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.5 I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.”


Can God?

Job 42:1-6 (ESV) Then Job answered the Lord and said:

2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.4 ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;6 therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

What did God’s questions in Job 38-41 open Job’s eyes to see?

Ps 19:1 (ESV) The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Have you ever watched a sunrise or a sunset, or stared into the night sky, and seen the glory of God?

God and ManPs 8:1-9

Ps 8:1-4 (ESV) O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!You have set your glory above the heavens.2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

Creation is not the only indicator pointing to God’s existence. We can also see that God is real in His involvement in the affairs of humanity.

Ps 8:1-4 (ESV) O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!You have set your glory above the heavens.2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

How can God be concerned with us even though we are but small bits of matter in the universe?

Ps 8:5-8 (ESV) Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

Rather than just being small bits of matter in a vast universe, what value does God place on us?

Gen 1:27-28 (ESV) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”


John 3:16 (ESV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.


Heb 2:9 (ESV) But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.


Ps 8:1-9 (ESV) O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

We believe God is real because of His involvement in the affairs of humanity.

God’s PresencePs 139:7-14


God is present everywhere we go.

Is this good news or bad news?

Ps 139:11-12 (ESV) If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,”12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

What comfort can we find in God always being present?

Ps 139:13-14 (ESV) For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

Does his presence and concern for us reassure us that He is real?

Applications

Any discussion of God’s existence must at least consider the world in which we live.

It is reasonable to argue for the existence of a Creator on the basis of the creation.

Hebrews 3:4 (ESV) For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.

From the creation, we also observe marks of design that beg to be explained.

Whether one is studying the design inherent in the human body or in other aspects of creation, one is led to conclude that marks of intelligent design point to the existence of an intelligent designer.

Perhaps the best proof for God’s reality is derived from the life and death of His Son, Jesus Christ. Besides the reported miracles Jesus performed throughout the course of His ministry, His vicarious death and subsequent resurrection stand as a testimony to the concern God has for humanity.

How thankful we should be for the Bible, which declares to us the story of our God and His Son! God not only created our world but also concerned Himself with it and sent Jesus to redeem us by His death

Eph 1:7-10 (ESV) In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Even if one rejects the traditional arguments used to support God’s existence, he must consider the life, death, and empty tomb of Jesus.

Rom 11:33 (ESV) Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

Would you like to know more about God?

Please join us for the next 51 weeks as we look into His plan for us.

Next WeekThe Inspired WordPs 119:89-1042 Tim 3:16-172 Pet 1:19-21

god’s plan for us

Documents

backstory of god

logical place

logical conclusion

detailed argument

wonder woman

recognizethe summer

teachthe winter quarter

church structure