WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR GOD TO BE SELF-EXISTENT AND SELF-SUFFICIENT?

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (I Timothy‬ ‭1:17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

It means God is INFINITE “the King eternal”  Literally, He is King of the ages (so rendered by the ESV)—that is, God stands above all the ages—He was before all time, He transcends all time, and will rule over the eternal ages when time is no more—at least, not as we measure time.
 
It means God is INCORRUPTIBLE “immortal”  The word means incorruptible—a word Paul only uses to describe God—for it could not describe anyone or anything else, except that which pertains to God.  God cannot age, decline, or be defiled.  He is immune to the corruption we face.

It means God is INVISIBLE “invisible.”  Ref. 1 Tim.6:16.  God is a Spirit—and has no body—therefore He cannot be confined to a locality.  His presence fills the universe and transcends it.  The invisible God has only become visible in the person of Jesus Christ.  The glory of God is such our eyes could not behold His fullness.

It means God is INCOMPARABLE “God…alone”  The word “wise” found in some manuscripts isn’t found in the oldest and best—though it is certainly true that God has incomparable wisdom and other texts substantiate that.  He has incomparable wisdom, power, holiness, love, and all His attributes, because He is an incomparable Being—and that is the thought here.

He is God and God alone!

GOD AND GOD ALONE

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
‭‭(1 Timothy 1:17)

We live in a sound-bite culture.  Communication has been reduced to texts and tweets.  Even the very names of social media convey the brevity and immediacy of communication—we have Instagram and Snapchat.  I fear the result is that we are developing the attention span of a gnat and are losing our capacity to think deeply.

Many churches have just decided to go with the flow—and today if you go to one of those you will get a sermonette.  My concern is that sermonettes produce Christianettes!

So, at the church I serve, we have decided to resist the tide, and ask you to think deeply—and specifically to stretch your mind in an attempt to comprehend the incomprehensible.

God is a subject so vast, we will never—not even in eternity—exhaust the end of a Being who is boundless.  The study however is mind-blowing, heart-gripping, and life-changing.  Just look at what is contained in this one verse!  Zero in on this phrase: “God who alone is…” and stop right there!  God IS—He just IS!  He IS self-existent and self-sufficient.  That will be the truth we will meditate on this week.  Let us drink deeply from the fountain of Scripture!

GLORY EXPERIENCED

“The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”  Thus says the Westminster Catechism. God’s glory and our joy are bound together in our experience with God.  John Piper puts it like this, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”  Puritan Pastor, Jonathan Edwards declared, “The happiness of the creature consists in rejoicing in God, by which God is magnified and exalted.”

We get glory from God when we give glory to God.  This is the glory that Adam lost and what Jesus came to restore,

“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one...Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John‬ ‭17:22, 24‬)

How can we experience that glory?

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Cor.3:18).

All that we go through—especially the groans—lead to glory, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,” (2 Cor.4:17).

Yet, whatever experience of God’s glory we may know in this life, cannot compare with what awaits.  Romans 8:17-18 promises, “and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” This is glorification.  We shall behold God in all His glory and be changed into His likeness!

GLORY EXPRESSED

Everything—absolutely everything is meant to declare the glory of God. The sun and stars shout of His splendor from the sky, “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.” (Ps.19:1).

Although this world has been degraded because of sin, it still is full of glory, “And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!’” (Isa. 6:3).

It is God who shines into the darkness of sin and dispels it with His glory, “Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.” (Is.60:1-2).

The people of God have a duty to declare God’s glory to all mankind, “Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.” (1 Chron.16:24).

There is nothing for us to boast in—our glory is in the Lord, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.’” (1 Cor.1:26-31).

Perhaps the most fundamental principle relates to this,
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor.10:31).  May God help us to be guided and governed by the goal of His glory!

GLORY EXHIBITED

We’ve heard it said, “A picture is with a thousand words,” so rather than just trying to say a definition of glory, let us see a demonstration of glory.  Look at Deuteronomy 5:24:

“And you said: ‘Surely the LORD our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man; yet he still lives.’”

The Jews had seen His glory and were in awe of it.  They had heard God’s voice and were amazed by it.  God’s presence had been so over-powering, they were surprised they were not consumed by the fire.  Such is the wonder of His glory.

The clearest expression of that glory was in the Living Word, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14).  In every way, Jesus displayed the glory of God.

That glory was manifested on the mountain in a majestic manner. Picture this:

“Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.” (Matt.17:1-3‬). There was glory exhibited!

GLORY EXPLAINED

If I were to try to explain the glory of God, where would I start? Let’s begin with Exodus 24:17:   “The sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.”

This tells us what the glory of the Lord was like—the visible manifestation—a fiery cloud.  That would have been impressive—but we didn’t see it.  It is descriptive—but, still hard to grasp since we weren’t there.

John Piper likened this to comparing the words basketball and beauty.  When I say basketball you can comprehend for you have seen one, likely held one.  It is round, weighs about 20 ounces, and can be bounced, passed, and shot.  The word beauty is abstract.  That is harder to define.

That’s the way it is with glory. Richard DeHaan said, “God’s glory is the total manifestation of all His attributes.  His glory is what will make heaven what it will be…. so unsearchable that it will take all eternity to begin to discover.”

To give God glory is to praise Him for all He is.  “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (Rom.11:36).

THE GLORY OF GOD

“All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O LORD, When they hear the words of Your mouth. Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, For great is the glory of the LORD.” (Psalm 138:4-5)

The Bible is a story of glory.  In its opening pages, we find the God of glory fashioning the heavens and the earth—all declaring His glory.  He creates man in His image with the capacity of reflecting His glory.  Then, when sin comes, that glory is taken away.  There follows the narrative of God working to restore that glory—a glory seen in Christ and that we can experience in the cross.  Because of that everything is moving to the fullness of glory restored in us and the praise of God’s glory for eternity.

“The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.” (Rev.21:23-26).

The glory of God is the essence of His being—the outshining of His person.  Everything begins and ends with His glory.

GLORIFYING OUR GREAT GOD

“You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name.” (Deut.10:20)

We respond to the greatness of God by giving Him glory.  As we consider Him, we are to “fear the LORD your God....”  To fear Him is to hold Him in reverence.  The outgrowth of fear should be the fruit of faithfulness.

This brings faithfulness in service, “you shall serve Him….”  He is the Great King and we are to be His loyal subjects.  You don’t disobey or delay when He commands.
 
Then, there will be faithfulness in steadfastness, “to Him you shall hold fast….”  Our life will not be wishy-washy or half-hearted.  His greatness means we do not abandon Him for another, for Who else can compare to Him?

Further, this means faithfulness in speech, “take oaths in His name.”  Because the very nature of our great God is truth—His attribute called immutability—then our word is to be our bond.  Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)  If we have treasured God in our hearts—stored up an awareness of His greatness—then we would want nothing to come from our lips or our lives that would cause men to diminish Him in their eyes.  Certainly, we will not take His name in vain—a fundamental commandment.  His name is too great and sacred.  What we say and our commitment to following through is a reflection of our apprehension and acknowledgment of God’s greatness or it will be a denial of it.

THE PROBLEM IN KNOWING GOD

Read Exodus 33:19-23.

What Moses wanted could not be done.  He could know God’s attributes,  “Then He said, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’” (v.19). He could see the afterglow of His glory,  “And the LORD said, ‘Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.’”(v.21-23). But, to see the face of God in full glory would dissolve Moses like a snowflake in a blast furnace,  “But He said, ‘You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.’” (v.20).

Why?  Here is the problem in knowing God: Moses was a man and God is not.  God is holy and Moses was a sinner.  It is still true for us in this mortal frame.  This is quite a dilemma.

How would this problem be solved?  God provided a refuge and covering.  That is what Jesus has done for us.

“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified....Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
‭‭(Hebrews‬ ‭10:12-14, 19-23‬)

The Old Testament priests could not enter behind the curtain into the Holy of holies where the glory of God dwelt. Only one man—the high priest—only one day a year—the Day of Atonement—could enter after first offering sacrifice for his sins. He did so with fear and trembling!  All that changed when Jesus died to atone for our sins once and for all. The veil in the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom (Matt.27:51).  Now, we have bold access to God, and are being changed into His likeness, (2 Cor.3:18), someday to see Him face to face and be transformed fully into His image, (1 John 3:2)!

A PASSION FOR THE UNKNOWN GOD

“And he said, ‘Please, show me Your glory.’”
‭‭(Exodus‬ ‭33:18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

Moses’ desire to see and know God is a common trait of the human race to some degree or another.  We are born with an understanding that there is something—someone—above and beyond us.

This is because humans were made in the image of God, and thus, created to experience communion with God.  Of all created things, man alone has the capacity to walk in fellowship with God.  Even though sin has marred that image and misdirected our desire, it remains a fact that we crave God. There is a God-shaped vacuum in our soul that only He can fill.  Consider Paul’s encounter with the pagan culture of Athens.

“Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’” (Acts 17:22-28).

Yet, our search leads down a detour to a dead end because of sin.  We grope along in darkness to find God and when we can’t we make a god in our image.  The warped deities of the Greeks—and other religions—were full of jealousy, anger, violence, and immorality.  Failing to find God who made us in His image, we make a god in our own.

Let us seek to know the True and Living God who will reveal Himself to us, and will fill that God-sized hole in our soul.

THE GOD YOU SHOULD KNOW: Knowing the Unknowable

Read Exodus 33: 18-23; 34:5-8.

What is God like?  Here is a definition: “God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” (Westminster Shorter Catechism) That is a good answer, insofar as it goes—the trouble is that it doesn’t go far enough.

In fact, we cannot fully describe the indescribable.  When we ask, “What is God like?” the reality is that He is not like anything or anyone.  “‘To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him? ... To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?’ says the Holy One.” (Isaiah‬ ‭40:18, 25‬).  God is in a category all by Himself.

God is so far beyond what our finite minds can conceive, or human terms can describe, that while we can describe something of His nature, character, and attributes, we are still unable to grasp all that God is.  "Can you by searching find out God?" (Job 11:7)

Yet, God has revealed much to us that can be known, and this we ought to contemplate with awe. Eternity will be required to explore the boundless wonder of an infinite Being!  Let’s begin this great adventure today by praying as Moses did, “Please, show me Your glory.”

JUSTIFIED!

Read Romans 5.

What does it mean to be, “justified”?  Someone has said, “It is JUST AS IF I’D never sinned.”

Of course, we are sinners—Scripture makes that clear.  In this chapter, we are referred to as, “ungodly” (v.6), “sinners” (v.8), and “enemies” of God (v.10). Yet, by God’s grace and through faith in the work of Christ, we can be declared, “justified,” and “have peace with God” (v.1).  Our sins are blotted out.  The record of our crimes against God’s law has been expunged.  We were guilty, but now pardoned by the Judge!

The Triune God has undertaken to bring salvation to us.  By God the Father’s initiative, He has sent His Son to be our Savior (v.1). God the Son paid the price for our sins and reconciled us to the Father (v.6, 8-11, 15-21). The Son of God became the Son of Man, that the sons of men might become the sons of God.  Further, God the Spirit, has been given to us (v.5), binding our hearts to God with love outpoured within us (v.5). His presence assures us of the unfailing hope of heaven.  It is not only the death of Jesus, but His life within us that assures us, “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, MUCH MORE, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by HIS LIFE.” (v.10, emphasis added).

What a reason to rejoice!  We “rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance character; and character, hope.” (v.2b-4). “And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (v.11).

Christ on the cross, suspended between eternity and earth, has connected the two.  His arms outstretched, with one reaching to Holy God, and the other reaching to sinful humanity—that cross becomes the great “plus sign,” that equals reconciliation in God’s equation of salvation.

THE GLORY OF GOD

 

for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.  (1 Kings 8:11b)

We sometimes use terms without knowing what they mean and talk about doing a lot of things that we don’t do.  Worship is one such thing.  What is worship?  The term has to do with declaring the worth of God.  Jesus said there is only one true kind of worship—that which is in Spirit and truth.  But what does that mean?  It has been said a picture is worth a thousand words. In 1 Kings 8, there is a picture of true worship.

The Glory of God was manifest in the house of God (v.1-11).  When the children of Israel left Egypt, God led them through the wilderness by the glory cloud. When the tabernacle was constructed that cloud filled the sanctuary.  Now, Solomon’s temple has been built and God’s glory invades it.  The glory of God is the manifest presence of God.  God had been with them, but now they saw the evidence.  It was in the house of God that the glory of God was experienced.  Did you know that Jesus has promised that in a special way, He would always be among those, even two or three, that assemble in His name?  We may not encounter His manifest presence, however, but we need that!  It is when man takes a backseat and God takes over.  The ministers sat down as God became the focus.  That’s where worship begins.  It is all about Him. If we do not encounter God we haven’t worshipped.

Solomon shares Scriptural truth (v.12-21).  He has taken on the role of a shepherd.  That is what a pastor is.  God’s design was for His leaders to shepherd His people.  That included the responsibility to feed them the Word of God.  Solomon’s father, David had been a prophet and now we find the King preaching a sermon.  In fact, in the book of Ecclesiastes that Solomon authored, he called himself the Preacher.  Well, here is quite a sermon!  The theme of his message is the character and faithfulness of God.  When we come together for worship, we must be drawn into a passionate pursuit of God.  We see the face of God in the Word of God.  We hear the voice of God in the Word of God.  Whether that truth is shared in teaching or testimony, communicated in song or sermon, it is the way God speaks to us.

God’s plan for His house was that it be a house of prayer, so what better way to dedicate it than with prayer (v.22-61)?   This underscores the centrality of prayer to the worship experience. Again, this prayer was God-centered.  Solomon begins by praising God for who He is and thanking Him for what he has done (v.22-30).  In awe of God’s holiness, he confesses the people’s sinfulness. (v.31-40). Then He prays for blessing (v.22-53).  Note Solomon’s position (v.54) with knees bowed in humility and hands raised in expectancy.  He blesses the people and blesses God and shares the path to continued blessing—obedience (v.55-61).

The proper response to God in worship is the offering of sacrifice (v.62-66).  We do not offer animals, but what the writer of Hebrews called spiritual sacrifices.  To offer our lives up to Him is the supreme sacrifice we can render. The outcome of the worship was an expression of great joy. That’s how they left the house of God that day. Shouldn’t it be the same with us?