Note: Last Sunday, I had the opportunity to preach at my church. Missio Dei Church
, in Asheville, NC. We are in a series on the 10 Commandments, and my message was on the 1st Commandment, “you shall have no other gods before me.” In my message, I indicated that the true God has revealed himself to us by his name and by his work in history. What follows is a recitation of some of the true God’s deeds…
Who is the true God?
He is God the Father, the God who created all things out of nothing by the power of his Word, which we know is his Son, Jesus Christ…
The God who placed the crown of his creation, man and woman created in his image in a perfect garden, with the promise of life if they obeyed and immediate death if they did not,
Who, when they sinned, graciously withheld his immediate judgment and promised a future redeemer and covered their sin with clothing from a slain animal,
Who judged the wicked world by flood but spared Noah and his family so that mankind and his redemptive promise would go on,
Who entered into a covenant with a pagan Abram and promised his seed would be as numerous as the stars.
This is your God!
Who preserved his people by sending Joseph to Egypt in chains so that the family could be saved from famine,
Who 450 years later spoke to a lowly shepherd from a burning bush and sent his servant Moses to rescue this now nation from bitter bondage,
Who spoke from the mountaintop and gave his people laws and commandments so they would know how to worship and obey,
Who time and again was patient with his people when they failed to keep the covenant he had made with them.
This is your God!
Who, after speaking at many times and in many ways by the prophets, spoke to us in these last days by his Son, Jesus,
Who was God-made-flesh, born of a virgin, God with us, Emmanuel, Jesus, who shall save his people from their sins,
Who lived a life in perfect obedience to the law, both in deed and in thought,
Who, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, was crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
This is your God!
Whose death lovingly purchased forgiveness for the sins of all who would believe in him, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus,
Who, when his work was complete, demonstrated the Father’s acceptance of his sacrifice by raising from the dead,
Who ascended to heaven, with the promise of his return as reigning King of kings and Lord of lords.
This is your God!
Who sent the Holy Spirit, who is himself God, to indwell his people with power, and to intercede for us with groanings too deep for words,
By whom, even to this day, is building his Church upon the rock of the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God,
Who now is seated at the right hand of the Father in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come,
And he is the God who in the fullness of time will by his return unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth,
To the praise of his glorious grace!
THIS IS YOUR GOD!
“The design of your productivity tools will affect how eager you are to use them. Attraction often breeds commitment.”