Catching Up
Welcome to “Anthony’s Sermon on Why and How Is God…God (Part 3).” Before we wrap up this three part series, we need to review what we learned about God in the previous two installments. Do you recall the multi-syllable words we discussed to describe God?
- Uncaused cause — God was not created; He has always been and will always be.
- Incorporeal — God does not have a body and is not made of matter.
- Omnipresent — God is everywhere at the same time.
- Omniscient — God knows everything.
- Omnipotent — God can do anything.
- Immutable — God does not change.
Ready for the last three divine characteristics? Let’s dive back in with immortal!
[ These are quick sermon notes…not cleaned-up…and missing the “extras” that come out in the audio (which is available here). All quotes are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted. ]
Immortal
What does it mean to be immortal?
Per my Mac’s dictionary:
living forever; never dying or decaying: our mortal bodies are inhabited by immortal souls.
Immortal means living forever…never ceasing to exist.
And, sure enough, the Bible says God is immortal. We actually read both references when we learned God was incorporeal. Let’s first look at 1 Timothy 1:17 again:
17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Pretty simple…our invisible (because He is incorporeal) Lord is also immortal. That fact is also repeated in 1 Timothy 6:15-16:
15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
Who alone has immortality? The King of kings and Lord of Lords…God!
However, did you notice the second time Paul mentions that to Timothy he makes it clear that only God is immortal? (“Who alone has immortality…”)
Doesn’t that seem to conflict with the Mac dictionary’s definition, where…using immortal in a sentence…it said, “Our mortal bodies are inhabited by immortal souls”? Since this is a sermon about God and not us, I’m not going to delve into this more, but I would suggest that logically if we have immortal souls then we are immortal, which would conflict with Scripture. Something to ponder and study.
Love
Now, the last two characteristics of God are a bit different than the seven that preceded them…and I should note that even though we’ll end up with nine attributes of the Most High, clearly a lot more can be said about him. However, I suspect three weeks on this subject is enough for you all. 🙂
Our next divine characteristic can be found in 1 John 4:7-8 and 1 John 4:15-16:
7 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 (1 John 4:7-8).
15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 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 4:15-16)
God is what?
God is love.
“What is so special about that, Alan? We love too!”
Well, yes…humans do love. However, look around you. Look at your own self. Look at all the evil in the world. Look at the horrible things you have done.
Yes, humans love, but nobody can say, “Humans are love.”
But, we can say, and Scripture does say, “God is love.”
However, that love isn’t the warped version of it we so often see in the world…either marred by lust, self-interest, or virtue signaling.
God is love, because His love is pure, true, and complete.
I think all of you sitting here are great people and, in heaven, hope we are next door neighbors…but your love is not pure, true, and complete. Neither is mine.
Only the Almighty’s is…and only of Him can it be said…
God is love.
Worthy
Anthony, we have reached our last characteristic for your awesome question! The last one is…
God is worthy.
Let’s read Psalm 18:3 together:
3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
Do you agree with those sentiments? That God “is worthy to be praised”?
Of course He is! He is worthy to be praised because of all we have learned about Him:
6 “You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you (Nehemiah 9:6).
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! (Psalm 95:6).
God is worthy of our worship…and only our Lord is worthy:
13 You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim 14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), (Exodus 34:13-14).
3 “You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3).
God is worthy and only God is worthy…because of all we have learned about Him, especially, in my opinion, because He is love.
Wrapping Up
Well, we’ve made it…and learned nine things about the Most High!:
- Uncaused cause — God was not created; He has always been and will always be.
- Incorporeal — God does not have a body and is not made of matter.
- Omnipresent — God is everywhere at the same time.
- Omniscient — God knows everything.
- Omnipotent — God can do anything.
- Immutable — God does not change.
- Immortal — God lives forever.
- Love — God is love.
- Worthy — God is worthy.
Did I miss anything you think I should have included?
Do you agree with the last one? That God is worthy? Worthy of your worship? Worthy of your trust? Worthy of your love?
One final question for you…
If your answer yes to God being worthy, what are you going to do about it?!