Introduction:

 Man responds to truth in various ways.   To illustrate the point suppose that their were three men traveling through a Western desert became lost.  In several days they used up their water and food.   Their horses soon died the men  sat down too exhausted to go on and having lost all hope of being rescued.  Suddenly out of nowhere appeared an Indian and stood looking at them. The Indian gave each man a drink of water and little food then drew a map and pointed them in the direction of a town he said was about a 1/2 days walk towards the west.
 
 One of the men gratefully thanked the Indian who then went on his way leaving the men to follow his instructions.      The grateful man having regained some strength stood up and beckoning to the two other men said, "lets get going. We can be in safety in just a few hours.      However, one of the men, said he was not going and explained although he did not personally know anything about Indians he did not trust them because he had heard a lot of bad things about them.   He said I am going north because I feel that is the where help will be.      The other man too said he could not believe that there was a town only a half a day west and said he was going south because he reasoned that was the best way to go.
 
 The first man said "Fellows, this man was an Indian who lived all his life here and knows the area.   He gave us water and food and has showed us the way why will you not believe?"     Both men gave various reasons which all boiled down to feeling the Indian was wrong, not trusting him, or reasoning that there was a better to go.

 The three men each went in the direct they chose.  That evening the first man found the town was saved.   Search parties a few days later found the other two men dead.

 Each man responded to the truth in a different way.   The third man refused to believe the truth and rather turned to his own reasoning ability and feelings.  He refused to believe the truth and it killed him.   The second man also trusted in his feelings and because of prejudice he too would not believe the truth and he too died.   The first man believed the truth thus trusting the good intentions and experience of the Indian.   All three knew the truth, yet it only saved the first man because he believed it.

 God has revealed to us the truth in His word the Bible.   It is truth and points the way to salvation and eternal life, yet it must be believed.   We can trust it because of who God is.    God's character, His person and His attributes assure us that He is truth.

 Last week we saw that the Bible tells us that God is the Creator of the Universe and in particular you and I.    Let's us further today look at Who God is.

I. The Bible tells us that the God of the Bible is the only God that exists.

         A. The Bible says God is the Only God. Note, what the Bible says about God in the following Scriptures:

              1. Deut. 4:35, "Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD (Jehovah) he is God (Elohim); there is none else beside him."      (Lord=Jehovah and God=Elohim which refers to the redemptive work of God in Salvation)

              2. Isaiah 44:6, "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel , and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."
 
              3. Isaiah 43:10, "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me."

     B. These verses teach that God is the only God and not other gods exist in the Universe that He created.    The Bible clearly reveals that there in only one God and He is the Creator of the Earth and the Universe.
 

II. The Bible tells us that God is Infinite.

     A. The Bible says God is infinite. This refers to God in relation to space.   God created the vastness of the space of the Universe and thus God must be greater that His Creation. Being infinite God is not limited to space in a material Universe.   The word "infinite" means without end or limitation.

          1. His name, "EVERLASTING GOD"   (El Olam) Gen. 21:33. The Hebrew "Olam" is used in Scripture: an indefinite time or age (Lev. 25:32; Joshua. 24:2). Hence the word is used to express the eternal duration of the being of God (Psa. 90:2), and is the Hebrew synonym of the Greek aion, age or dispensation" (Scofield).

          2. "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."  (Psa. 90"2)
 

        B. Note how the following passages present this truth:

          1. 1 Kings 8:27, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?"
          2. 2 Chron. 2:6, "But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?"
          3. Jeremiah 23:24, "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD."
          4. Isaiah 66:1, "Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?"

III. The God of the Bible had no Beginning and is Eternal.

     The Bible says God is eternal. Genesis 21:33, says He is the "Eternal God." This means that God is not subject to time as are material men in a physical world. God created time when He made the heavens and the Earth (Gen. 1:1-2, Heb. 1:2, 11:3). Psalm 102:27, says "thou art the same, and thy years have no end" (see Heb. 13:18, James 1:17). God created time and space and exists beyond them, and He is not subject to either.
 

IV. The God of the Bible is the Self-Existing God.

     A.  The Bible says that God is self-existent. Man's existence comes from God who is life and the giver of all life. Man exists because of God's power. God "breathed" life into man and he became a living soul. God's existence is not dependent on outside forces. This is the meaning of God's statement about Himself in Exodus 3:14, "I am that I am."

          God's name Jehovah means "self-existent one."  The name Jehovah is made of two Hebrews words Yehwe and Havah. It has the meaning of the "self-existent one who reveals Himself."
 
           ALMIGHTY GOD (El Shaddai) Gen.. 17:1-8; 28:2,3). The all-sufficient God. "God (El) signifies the `Strong One' (Gen.. 1:1)

     B.. God was not created, but "the" Creator and is the eternal God.   "From everlasting to everlasting thou art God" (Psalm 90:2). He is self-existent and does not exist because of some outside power. He is a power unto Himself. This is better understood by the next statement about God.

V. The God of the Bible is Invisible.

     A. The Bible says that God is invisible.

          1. Deut. 4:1-19, says that at Horeb God appeared to Israel. God reminds them that they did not see any form of God, but only heard His voice. God commands them not to corrupt themselves by making any image of Him referring to Him as either male of female, or after the likeness of any animal or after the sun, moon and stars.

          2. Isaiah 40:18 states the same truth, "To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?"    God does not have gender as material men and women do.   God not being like men cannot be compared to men.

          3. John 1:18, says that "No man hath seen God"    In Romans 1:20, Col. 1;15, 1 Tim. 1:17, Paul refers to God as being invisible.

          4. 1 Timothy 6:16, says, "Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen." Thus the Bible is clear in teaching that God being a spirit is invisible and cannot be seen my material men.

     B. The Bible does say however in some passages that men did see God.
 
          1.  Is this a contradiction? The answer is no. God appeared to men in physical form so that men could see him, but they did not see God in his true essence, but saw only a reflection or manifestation of God. John 1:32, says that Spirit can be manifested in visible form. In Genesis 16:7-14, the Bible says the angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar. This is referred to as a "theophany" which means an appearance of God in human form.

          2. Exodus 3:1f says that the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush (Ex. 3:2). Thus, the Moses the flame in the midst of the bush revealed God's presence, but not His true essence. The flame Moses saw did not represent what God looks like anymore that when God appeared as a man. God used these forms so as to appear to men in some visible form they could see.
 

VI.  God tell us He is Unchanging.

         A. In Malachi 3:6, God told said to Israel,   "For I am the LORD, I change not  neither are ye sons of Jacob consumed."     In other words because God does not change His promises are eternal.      Living in Utah among the Mormons the we very familiar with a religion whose god is always changing and giving new revelation.
 
     B. James speaking of the comfort and knowing that God is immutable says,  "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (James 1:17)
 

VII.  The Bible tells us that God is Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresence.

     A. God is omniscient meaning all knowing.

          1. Job 34:21,   "For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings."
          2. Psa. 147:5,  "Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite." {his...: Heb. of his understanding there is no number}
          3.  Heb. 4:13,  "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do."
           4.  1 John 3:20,  "For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things."
 
     B.  God is Omnipotent meaning all powerful.

          1. Job declared in Job 42:2,   "I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. {no thought can be...: or, no thought of thine can be hindered}

          2.  Psa. 115:3,   "But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased."

          3.  Matt 19:26,   "But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."
 
           4.  Rev. 19:6 proclaims that at the Second Coming the Lord Jesus who is God will reign.  "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."

       C. God is Omnipresence meaning in all places at once.

          1. Psa. 139:8,  "If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there."
 
          2.  Prov. 15:3,  "The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good."
 
          3.  Isa. 66:1,   "Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?"

          4.  Jer 23:24,  "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD."

          5. Acts 17:27,  "That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us"

CONCLUSION:

         1.  This message clearly teaches us who God is and that we are responsible to Him.    He is our Creator and our wondrous and Almighty God.   His nature and attributes tell us of His greatness and compels us to believe and put our trust in Him.

          The last verse we read in Acts 17:27,  tells us something that is beyond our understanding.   "That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us"

          The Marvelous God who made, who is greater than our ability to imagine....is always there...seeking us...never far from us....only a prayer away.

          At the Jesus's Transfiguration God spoke from heaven and said, Matt 17:5    "While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."
 
         2. Jer. 15:16  "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

           3. Paul said, Roman 1:16  "¶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

         4. God has told us in His word,  He has reveal to us His plan of Salvation and that is simply to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.   Acts 4:12  "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

         "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

          "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life . . .  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him"
 (John 3:16, 36)