A Transcript of Character
Pastor Rod Thompson
Midland SDA Church
April 14, 2018
Put yourself in the place of Moses. God calls him up the mountain, he is gone for forty days – receiving the 10 commandments. The people grow tired of waiting for him to come back, they go to Aaron and say, “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.” Aaron bends to the wishes of the wilderness congregation and makes them a golden calf.
The Lord said to Moses
Read Exodus 32: 7-9
God is ready to destroy all the people but Moses intercedes on their behalf and God relents (vs 14) from the harm which He said He would do to His people.
Moses goes down the mountain he finds them just like God said he would, they were unrestrained, worshipping idols and raised up in harlotry. Moses becomes angry – throws down the tablets of stone with the 10 commandments on them, calls for those who are on the Lords side to come to him, 3,000 Israelites are killed.
Moses goes back up the mountain of God to make atonement for them
Read Exodus 32: 31- 33:3
God says to Moses, take the people and go to the Promised Land, I will send my angel with you, he will help you, but as for me I’m not going with you. If I do I’m going to destroy this people.
Read Exodus 33: 12-17
Can you feel the heart of Moses? He says to God, you say that you know me, and that you have found grace in my sight. If this is true then show me. And God says I will go with you. Moses says if you don’t go with us then don’t send us. And God reminds Moses of what He had just said. I know you and you have found grace in my sight.
Then notice what Moses says to Him.
Read verse 18
According to Webster’s dictionary glory is something that secures praise or renown, a state of exaltation.
In other words Moses is saying show me why you should be praised, honored, worshipped. And notice what God says.
Read Exodus 33:19-23
Isn’t that interesting? Moses says show me your glory and God says I will show you my goodness.
Read Exodus 34: 1-9
So as God passes by Moses He defines who He is. The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth. Here we see God sharing with Moses some of the attributes of His character. You want to know me? You want to know why I am worthy of your respect, admiration and why I am worthy of worship – It’s because of my goodness.
In Luke 18:19 Jesus said to the rich young ruler, why do you call me good – No one is good but God. In other words He is saying, do you realize what you are saying? Do you realize that I am God
I’d like to talk to you about the character of God today and what the Bible has to say about Him.
Read 1 John 4:8
I want you to notice that it doesn’t say that God has love, or that He shares or gives love but rather that He is love.
God and love are inseparable, they are one in the same.
1 Corinthians 13 says that love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things; love never fails.
1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
Read Isaiah 5:16
Here we see that God is Holy – He is just or fair He is righteous.
Read Jeremiah 23:6
God is righteous – that means that He acts in accordance with divine or moral law – He is free from sin
Psalm 145: 17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works.
Read Matthew 5:48
God is perfect – That means He is entirely without fault, He is flawless, has all the desired qualities and characteristics. He is complete and I love the biblical definition, He is mature – lacking nothing
After spending 3 ½ years with Jesus, John describes Him this way.
1 John 1:5 This is the message that we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all
In eastern religions that they have something called the ying and the yang. The large black area with the little white dot indicates that in all evil there is a little good. And the large white area with the black dot indicates that there is a little evil in all good. But in speaking of Jesus, John says he is all good – He is perfect
Brothers and sisters God is good, He is love, He is Holy, righteous, and He is perfect.
Read Psalm 36:9
Here we see that God is life. He is the source and producer of life.
John 14:6 Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life.
He is the revelation of what God is
John 1: 3-4 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men
Hebrews 1:2-3 God, in these last days has spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, … Upholds all things by the word of His power…
Desire of Ages P. 530 In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived.
Read 2 Corinthians 3:17
In other words the Lord is liberty. With Christ you have freedom, you have been saved from the condemnation of the law and you are free to marry another – namely Christ
He brings liberty to the captives, sight to the blind and freedom to the oppressed
Read Hebrews 13: 20-21
Here we see that God is peace
Romans 15:33 Now the God of Peace be with you all
Philippians 4:7 and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ
Only God can give a peace that transcends all the storms of life. He can either remove the storm or calm His child in the midst of the storm – And why? Because He is peace.
God is good, love, holy, righteous, perfect, life, liberty and peace
And now I would like to show you something absolutely amazing. Notice this
Romans 7:16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good
1 timothy 1:8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully
Romans 7: 12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good
2 Peter 2:21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
Romans 9:31 But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness
Psalm 119: 172 My tongue shall speak of your word, For all your commandments are righteous
Psalm 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
James 1:25 But He who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
Psalm 119:45 And I will walk at liberty, for I seek your precepts
Psalm 119: 165 Great peace have those who love your law
So did you make the connection?
God is good, love, holy, righteous, perfect, life, liberty and peace and so is his law. Why?
Because His law is a transcript of His character.
Now brothers and sisters I have given you a very small sample of 8 characteristics of God and how those characteristics are a part of His law. But I will suggest to you that there are at least 32 characteristics of God that are identified and coincide with His law
God is Eternal – and so is His law
God is truth – and so is His law
God is pure – and so is His law
God is spiritual and so is His law
God is just – and so is His law
God is faithful – and so is His law
God is Light – and so is His law
God is Honorable – and so is His law
God is great - and so is His law
God is wonderful - and so is His law
God is the way - and so is His law
God is sure – and so is His law
God is wise and so is His law
God is enlightenment – and so is His law
God is blessed – and so is His law
God is happiness – and so is His law
God is merciful – and so is His law
God is understanding – and so is His law
God is a delight – and so is His law
God is knowledge – and so is His law
God is Hope - and so is His law
God Should be our meditation – and so should His law be
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ATTRIBUTE |
GODS CHARACTER |
TEN COMMANDMENTS |
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LOVE |
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PERFECT |
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HOLY |
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ETERNAL |
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TRUTH |
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PURE |
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GOOD |
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SPIRITUAL |
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JUST |
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FAITHFUL |
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LIGHT |
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LIFE |
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RIGHTEOUS |
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TRUE |
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PEACE |
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HONOURABLE |
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GREAT |
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WONDERFUL |
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THE WAY |
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SURE |
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UNCHANGING |
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WISE |
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ENLIGHTENMENT |
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BLESSED |
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HAPPINESS |
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MERCIFUL |
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UNDERSTANDING |
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DELIGHT |
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LIBERTY |
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KNOWLEDGE |
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HOPE |
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OUR MEDITATION |
So why then are so many Christians today trying to make void the law of God? Why are they saying that it is no longer applicable, or that it was nailed to the cross? I’ll tell you why. Because of the fourth commandment. You see the majority Christians today would say that it’s still a sin to commit adultery or steal, and that children should honor their mother and father, but when it comes to the fourth commandment they immediately say, oh, we’re not under the law, we’re under grace. Or, that’s the only commandment that isn’t reiterated in the New Testament.
But let me give you one more transcript of the character of God and His law.
Malachi 3:6 For I am the Lord, I do not change
Hebrews 13: 8 Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow
Read Matthew 5: 18-19
Psalm 11: 7-8 The works of His hands are verity and justice; all His precepts are sure. They stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name
You see brothers and sisters, God’s law is a transcript of His character. You can’t do away with God’s law without doing away with Him.
Do you remember when Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane and He said Father if it is possible, let this cup pass, never the less not my will but yours be done.
What was Jesus saying there? He was saying if there is any other way for man to be saved then let’s go that route. The law of God commanded - keep me and live – But if you don’t the wages of sin is death.
So if the law of God could be changed then don’t you think God would have done it, so that Christ didn’t have to die? But the law of God can’t be changed. It is as eternal as He is - Why? - Because God Himself cannot change.
And God wants to develop His character in you. That’s why He gave us the new covenant promise
Hebrews 8:10 I will put my law in their mind and in their heart
God puts a love for His character in your mind and in your heart and he will help you to live out the law and become more and more like Him – if you let Him.
Is that the desire of your heart? Let’s pray