Thursday 26 December 2019

God our Creator

"Who is God and what is he to you?" - When this question is asked by someone who's searching for God, it's an invitation and an opportunity - an invitation to give a word of personal testimony and an opportunity to help someone find their way back to God.
"Who is God and what is he to you?" - We can ask this question personally - to increase our knowledge of God, to grow in our experience of him. We can ask it to assist us in our witness for Christ - to equip us for communicating the gospel, sharing with others what the Scriptures teach us about God, sharing our personal testimony.
"Who is God and what is he to you?" - God is our Creator. He's not just the Creator. He's our Creator. He's more than the Creator, at the beginning of the world. He's our Helper, here and now - "Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth" (Psalm 124:8): "My help comes from the Lordthe Maker of heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:2). The Lord's help is better than human help - "Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless" (Psalm 60:11). He's "our help" (Psalm 124:8) He's "my help" (Psalm 121:2). Our help and my help - what's he's done for others, he can do for you. Our help and my help - We should not focus so much on my help that we fail to learn from one another. If  the Lord is helping each of us, we can learn from one another.
In seeking help, we go to the person who can help us (electrician, plumber ... the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth). 
We look beyond the creation to the Creator. The Creator is greater than the creature. God is greater than Satan - that's why we can rejoice on the truth of God's Word: "With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies" (Psalm 60:12). 
 * Who is God the Creator? What is he like? Is he like the mad scientist who created "Jurassic Park", the mad scientist who abandoned his creation when things didn't work out right? Of course not! God has not abandoned his creation. He still has a glorious purpose for his creation.
God is the faithful Creator. He does not create us, and, then, decide we're only fit for the rubbish heap. God does not give up on us. He perseveres with his purpose of love.
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth ... And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good." (Genesis 1:1,31). "I saw a new heaven and a new earth" (Revelation 21:1). From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells us the story of God's faithful love. God continues to love his creation. He remains faithful to his creation. This is God, the faithful God. When you feel like giving up, remember God's faithfulness. He does not give up. He remains faithful to his creation.   He remains faithful to his people. "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).
 * What is the future towards which we are heading? It is "the glorious freedom of the children of God" (Romans 8:21). By God's grace, we have become God's children - This is our great privilege. Glorious freedom: "When he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall we see him as he is" (1 John 3:2) - This is our great future. This is our future, my future, your future.
When we think of God the Creator, we must not only think of an event which happened a long time ago.We must also think of God still doing his work in us - creating in us the character of Jesus Christ, enabling us to live as anew creation in Christ, preparing us for our glorious future - "the glorious freedom of the children of God."
 * How is God preparing us for this future? "We ourselves ... have the first fruits of the Spirit ... the Spirit helps us in our weakness" (Romans 8:23,26). The Spirit helps us. How does the Spirit help us? Here's one thing He does - He creates in us a sense of "eager expectation" - "the creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed" (Romans 8:19). We share in this sense of eager expectation. We say, "My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:2). When we say these words, our thoughts are not, first and foremost, concerned with the creation of the world. That event took place a long time ago. we are far removed from that now. There is, however, another event which is happening day after day - "My help comes from the Lord." When we say, "I believe in God the Creator", we are also saying, "God, the Creator, is helping me day by day. He is helping me to face the future with confidence in him."
Learning about God the Creator - Does this take your mind back to the distant past? We began with the question, "Who is God and what is he to you?" Why do we ask, "Who is he to you?" Asking this question reminds us that we must not allow ourselves to get locked in the distant past. We look at what God has done in the ancient past so that we might learn lessons about trusting him and living from him in today's world.
 * Truth is not only to be believed - "I believe in God the Creator." Truth is to be lived - "My help comes from the Lord."
 *  Faith is not only to be true - I believe God created the world." Faith is to be authentic - "The Lord really is helping me day by day."
When we think of God the Creator, we need both humility and depth. God is great and there is so much to learn. Growth in faith includes an increase in both humility and depth.
First and foremost, we must think of his love. He loves us more than we realize. His purpose for us is greater than we realize, He is more ready to help us than we realize. 
After the fall into sin, God kept on loving Adam and Eve. No matter how far you may have fallen, God continues to love you.  How do we know this? - From the cross, Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them." After the fall, God pursued his plan of salvation, After your fall, God is still planning for your restoration.
 * Are you learning to appreciate his love?
 * Is your love for him growing?            

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