Two Infallible Witnesses That Describe God the Father

I'm going to talk about a pretty important topic today, and it's hard to do this particular topic justice because it's a pretty big topic. We're going to talk about God. We're going to talk about God, and we're going to talk about His Son, Jesus Christ. We'll also talk a little bit about angelic beings, not much, a little. And we'll also touch on you and I, human beings. In the Youth Instruction Program, which has been utilized in some of the churches around the country right now, they've been focusing on the fundamental beliefs of the church. And the first one that was addressed was God.

It was God. In fact, there's been several series of instructional material for the youth, and it's basically entitled, Making God Real. Making God Real. You know, I don't know about you, but whenever I find myself seriously thinking about God, I find myself sometimes short-circuiting totally in awe about this being. I'm astonished by creation. Not only the massiveness of it, you know, to travel light years, you can't even get out of our galaxy at 186,000 miles a second. You know, I'm astonished by the power of creation, of what type of power it had to take to be able to make what we see, even with our naked eye, and we see through the telescope.

And I'm also in awe of the God before creation, because you have to think about Him. You have to realize there was a before, there was a time when there wasn't anything that we can see out there at all. It wasn't there. And what we can see today, it wasn't there, but there was God.

He was there. He's from everlasting to everlasting. He has no beginning. He has no end. And He's always been. And He always will be. And sometimes I think about that. If you ever woke up in the middle of the night and you're thinking about that, trying to go backwards, I can imagine eternity in the future, but I have a hard time imagining eternity in the past. That's a tough one for me. So you think about that and you meditate upon that, and even that alone is an awesome thing to contemplate when you think about going back in time of eternity.

And then we talk about a power that is so strong, it has the ability to create the sun. It has the ability to create planets. It has the ability to create this galaxy. And there's multiple galaxies that are out there that they have found. And we see all of this. And also to create a planet like ours. And to create life. It's an amazing thing. And when I think about it and meditate upon it, I find myself just short-circuiting.

I find myself in awe. And it seems to me when people argue about God, whether He's a trinity, whether He's a unitary God, whether He's a family, or how His name should be pronounced, or whether He's omnipresent, or whether He's at a certain place, omnipresent means being in all places at once, or whether He's in a certain place, or whether He's all seen or whether He chooses not to see everything.

You know, it seems to me that men inevitably minimize God and trivialize God, in a sense. And I suppose that's inevitable as we begin to think about Him or argue about Him or try to explain Him. And we get off into different areas of trying to explain God. We find ourselves diminishing God because of our conceptions. We often tend to look at Him in our own image, if you will. In a sense, we create Him or the way He is in our own minds, but we try to visualize Him in our own minds.

And the question may arise, well then, how can we know anything about God? How can we know anything about God? How is it possible to know anything about God? If I could ask you a question, you don't have to raise your hands or maybe just think about this. If I could ask you a question, what infallible witnesses come to mind that would help describe God the way that He really is? What true infallible witnesses could we think about that would help us to explain God and the way that He is?

Well, there are at least a couple that I'd like to cover today. Two infallible witnesses of what God is really like, and one of them is His Word. It's the Scriptures, brethren. I think we all understand that this is a revelation from God. God breathed, in a sense, but He inspired people to write down the words from His mouth that He put imparted in their minds that they could write this down.

A revelation from God. I think we understand that. That's one infallible true witness of how God reveals Himself. The second one, I think that's an infallible witness. It's true infallible witness, is the creation. Is the creation. I think these are at least two infallible witnesses to God. Now, I think it's very true to say that many people do not understand, or they fail to understand, the things above God.

But the creation and His Word, the Bible, are two absolutely infallible testimonies about God. Let's begin in our first scripture to Romans 1, verse 18. God is basically saying to you and to me, you can begin to know me by the things that I've created and by the Word that I have inspired to be written down. You can know me by my creation and you can know me by my Word.

Let's look at Romans chapter 1, verse 18. In fact, we covered this in the last Bible study that we had. Romans chapter 1, verse 18. Paul is writing to church members in Rome. And he says this, Sometimes, brethren, men don't want to believe God.

Well, they know He's out there and then He manifests Himself to them, but they're not interested. They have a different way that they want to go. And so it says, the truth of God, men who suppress the truth, as it says in verse 18, in a sense, by the way they live their lives. They suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

I think we can see a lot of that in our culture today. And so what we have are people that are suppressing the truth. It's been made known to them by God. Why? Because God says, I've shown it to them. How did He show them this truth? Verse number 20. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made. We can understand, then, from His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. You know, not all of you were here last time when we had the Bible study.

I quoted from an article here from the Berean Publishers, entitled, Creation Proves the Bible as the Living Word of God. I'm not going to go through as much information as I did at that Bible study, but for those of you that were not here, this is quite fascinating about how God's creation begins to show evidence that He's there, who He is.

We'll take a look at here, part of what I read here. Talking about DNA. We're talking about scientists that are atheists, that used to be atheists, and they're beginning to change their mind because of what they are seeing through a telescope or what they are seeing under the microscope. Some of these people, and I'm going to refer to one of them, which I did last time, his name is Anthony Flew. He was an English philosopher. He was an atheist for most of his career. In fact, he was a champion of atheists, writing books where people would say, Yeah, evolution is the way to go.

Read this book from Anthony Flew. He was a champion. People referred to him. Read his books. He had several of them out there. But because of what he was seeing under the microscope, because when they looked under the microscope, people were beginning to think that as they got to simpler and simpler, smaller things like the cell, that things would get more simple.

But what they found was more complexity. They found systems. They found components. Everything had to be there. You take out one component and nothing worked. And so they were shocked by what they began to see. And Anthony Flew said, I have become a believer in God because I see intelligent design in the microscope. When I get to the cell, I don't see simplicity. I see systems. I see complexity. I'm going to quote from this article here. It says, and I read this at the Bible study for those of you that were here, for the Bible study the last time I was here.

It says, today, school children know about DNA. They even taught about DNA. And DNA has an incredible capacity for storing information. The information contained in DNA the size of a pinhead. Now, I've got a pin here in my hand. It's got a little larger head than probably most pinheads. You can maybe even see this pinhead from the back row. Can you see that, Holly? Okay. This is probably a little bigger than the normal pinhead. But anyhow, the size of a pinhead, and maybe in a more appropriate size if you've got a pin in your hand would be the ballpoint tip of your pin.

How much information could be contained in DNA on the ballpoint tip of the pin in your hand or the tip of this pin in my hand? The information contained in DNA the size of a pinhead would fill a stack of books 500 times the distance from the earth to the moon. 500... a stack of books 500 times the distance from the earth to the moon.

Now, this begins to go beyond and begins to blow your mind as to how much information is there. It says the world's fastest semi-computer, supercomputer, is now being completed. It's called the blue gene, G-E-N-E. And I also mentioned this last time, but not everyone was here. It says this computer will perform one quadrillion calculations per second. That's one with 15 zeros behind it. It is being built to map the 3 billion chemical letters in the human genome. There is language in DNA. There is instructions in DNA. There are 3 billion chemical letters in the human genome, which is equal to a 100,000 page run-on sentence of operating instructions for a human being.

All put together by chance. Blue gene's first task will be to figure out how the body makes just one protein molecule. Just one. And, by the way, each cell has thousands of protein molecules. Just the cell. One cell has thousands of protein molecules. And this computer's first task will be to figure out how the body makes just one protein molecule. To solve that problem, it will run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a full year.

Yet the body, following the instructions imprinted in DNA, creates a protein molecule in a fraction of a second. You tell me who's got better construction methods. Were the instructions which this computer will take a year to understand arrived at by random processes? All of this for just one protein molecule.

Years ago, the conundrum was which came first, the chicken or the egg? Now it's which came first, protein or DNA? Because, you see, it takes protein to construct DNA, but it takes DNA to make protein. They, in a sense, are interdependent on each other.

And so they had to come into existence at the same time. Interesting information, isn't it? How this can be something so powerful that people... Anthony flew until the age of 81, was an atheist. And then he began to believe in God because of what he was seeing, some of the things that we're just talking about here. He began to believe in God. So we see, as we go back to Romans chapter 1 and verse 20, what Paul is revealing to us here is that creation is also a witness of God, just as God's own word is an infallible witness to God. You know, when it comes to the Word of God, men may misunderstand it, men may misinterpret it, and men may even lie about the Bible. But the Bible is always true. Everything that's written is true. John chapter 17 verse 17 says, God does not lie. Everything that is here is true. And when it comes to creation, men may misunderstand, men may misrepresent, men may even lie about creation. But creation is still true. It is what it is. If you look at it and you analyze it, it's true. It is what it is. So I conclude from what Paul is writing here in Romans chapter 1 here that the creation is also one of the infallible witnesses of God. It doesn't lie. It doesn't mislead. It will not deceive. And the same thing for God's Word. It will not lie. It will not mislead us. It will not deceive us. Everything that it reveals about God is true. It's true. So let's begin to analyze some of these things. Now, I don't mean to suggest that we can know every single thing that there is to know about God. I'm not saying that we can at this time know every single thing about God and the way that He is. But there is a lot revealed. And there is enough revealed. Let's go over to Deuteronomy chapter 29, verse 29. Deuteronomy chapter 29 and verse 29. That the things of God that are revealed by these two witnesses, His Word and creation, neither of these two things, and this is important, will mislead us. They won't deceive us. They won't lie. And so we can count on them as being the truth. Let's see what is said to us in Deuteronomy chapter 29, verse 29.

It says, The secret things belong to God. But those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children. So, in other words, there are some secret things that belong to God. They belong to Him and apparently to nobody else. But He goes on to say, He also says, But those things that are revealed belong to us and to our children, so that we may do all the words of this law. So, you know, in a way, brethren, we don't have to worry about certain things. You know, you and I can, in a sense, relax. We can sit back and relax about all the different questions that people like to talk about when it comes to God and what He's like. You don't have to worry about that. You don't have to know about all the nuances. You just have to deal with the things that are revealed in the Scripture. And those are things that we can come to know because they're here. They're here.

So, we have these two infallible true witnesses of God, creation and the Word. And they both are true. And we can count on them. So, let's begin to take a look. With this firmly in hand, let's begin to consider what God reveals to us and what's important for Him to reveal to us that we can find in His Word. Let's go to Genesis 1, verse 26. And maybe we can begin to see what God is like as He begins to reveal certain things to us. Genesis 1, verse 26. Right back to the first chapter of Scripture. And the first thing, one of the first things that God points out to us here is we begin to understand Him and what He is like, or what He looks like, is it says here in verse 26. It says, And God said, Let us make man in our image. God said, Let us. Now, that's a uni-plural noun there. That means more than one. You know, in the Hebrew, the word is Eloim. Eloim said, Let us make man in our image. You know, in the Hebrew language, you've got karab, which stands for an angel. Or you've got karabim, which means more than one angel. And the same thing, you have El, which means God in Hebrew. Or you've got Eloim, which means more than one. And so we see a plural here. God said, Let us make man in our image. So we begin to understand here that there may be more than one God. Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion. So mankind is going to be made in the image of God. He's going to have dominion, in a sense, over the sea, of the fish of the sea, the fowls of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. And so God created man in his image, God's image. In the image of God, he created him, male and female. So both men and women, male and female, are created in God's image, after his likeness.

Now, let's ask a question. Do you think then that God may understand if we think that God looks a little bit like us?

Or maybe more correctly, that we look like him?

Because we were made in his image, you know? Now, maybe we might be wrong. We go into the presence of God, and we have a chance to see what he looks like, and maybe he'd look differently than that. But do you suppose, based on how God reveals himself to us, in his word, that since we are made in his image, that maybe we look like him? Or again, that he looks like us? And that says... Let's notice Acts 17, verse 29. Acts 17, verse 29. This is the time in Scripture when the Apostle Paul is in Athens, and he has seen all of these false gods, all these false images, idols, statutes, and he's seen all of these different things, and he's really moved. God has moved him. He sees one little idol that says to the unknown God. And that's... he begins to want to relate to them the truth about the real God, in a sense, by utilizing that unknown God. Idol. Acts 17, verse 29. Paul looks around, he sees all these different religious devotions, and he's moved to speak. And this is what he says in verse 29. He says, For as much then as we are the offspring of God, in other words, we're created in his image, we should not think of the Godhead that it looks like gold, or silver, or stone, or graven by art. That's interesting to me in this verse here, the offspring. For as much then as we are the offspring of God, if you look up the definition of offspring, that means children of a parent. Children of a parent. He says, if we understand that we are the offspring of God, and we're in his image, we shouldn't think of the Godhead like it looks like gold, or like it looks like silver, or that it looks like stone, or something that's been engraven by a human being, like a bird, or a bull, or some serpent, or some other critter. We shouldn't think that God looks like that. We're his offspring. Usually the offspring look like the parent, don't they? Which implies we should think that God is a little like us. So again, we are a lot like him. So there are some implications here that God reveals to us in Scripture. Brother, let's go over to John 1, verse 18. Let's go over to John 1, verse 18. We'll pick it up maybe a little bit in the context of verse 1. I don't want to spend too much time here because I'm going to come back to this. But I've got a few things that I want to bring out here. John 1. And we'll pick it up in verse 1.

It says in the beginning, so we're talking about even before the creation of the heavens and the earth. This is really the very beginning of Scripture, even before Genesis 1, verse 1. John 1, verse 1 is really the very beginning of Scripture in the sense of things that are happening. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And we're going to spend a little more time with that a little bit later in the message. But we read in verse 14 that the Word became flesh. So we know that the Word is referring to the One who became flesh, Jesus Christ. And He had pre-existed before His human birth because He was there in the beginning, verse 1. John 1, verse 1, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, referring to the Father. The Word was with the Father, and the Word was God. The Word was a God being.

So we see that in verse 14, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the Father. At that time, He was the only begotten of the Father. There were others that came later. Hopefully you and me are part of that group now. And notice verse 18, but no one has seen God at any time. Jesus is saying that no one has seen the Father at any time.

Well then, who was it that talked to Moses face to face? Who was it that talked to Abraham face to face? Well, let's go back to Exodus chapter. Well, before we go to Exodus, we're in the book of John. Let's go to John chapter 5 and verse number 36. John chapter 5 and verse number 36. It says, But I am a greater witness than John's.

Now, Jesus is speaking. He's talking about, I've got a greater witness than John the Baptist. Because John the Baptist testified that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. But Jesus said, I've got a greater witness than John's. For the works which the Father has given me to finish, the very works that I do, they also bear witness of me. You know, God the Father was doing some tremendous miracles through Jesus Christ. And he says, not only is John the Baptist testimony true, that I'm the Messiah, but also because the Father is performing miracles through me is also a testimony.

Verse 37. And the Father himself who has sent me has testified of me. You have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his form. So no one has seen the Father at any time up to this point in time. No one has seen God. No one has seen his shape. No one has heard his voice, the Father's voice. So then who was the spirit being that was talking to Moses in Abraham? Let's go back to Exodus chapter 33 and verse number 17. There are several things here. Exodus chapter 33 and verse number 17 is where we're going to pick it up here.

There are several things to notice here. First of all, that this is a divine spirit being called the Lord Yahweh that is talking with Moses. And we're going to see here in a moment that he also is going to show himself to Moses. Moses asked if he could see him. So we're going to find out this is not God the Father here, but this is the Word, the one who became Jesus Christ that was there at the beginning. This is the one this is referring to.

Exodus chapter 33 verse 17. And the Lord said to Moses, I will do this thing also that you have spoken. Moses said, I want to see you. I want to see your glory. Show yourself to me. And so the Lord said to Moses, I will do this thing that you've spoken for you have found grace in my sight and I know you by name. And verse 18 and then Moses said, I beseech you. Show me your glory. And you could see why he might ask a question like that. Show me your glory. And he said, I will make all of my goodness pass before you and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you and I'll be gracious to whom I'll be gracious and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

And then he said to this Moses in verse 20, but you can't see my face. You cannot see my face. Now, this would be an irrelevant statement if he didn't have a face. You cannot see my face because no one shall behold my face and no man that sees me shall live.

And so in verse 21, and so the Lord said, okay, there is a place by me and you're going to stand upon a rock. And then there's going to be a cleft of the rock between you and me. There's going to be this small little opening between you and me. And he said, and it shall come to pass, verse 22, while my glory passes by that I will put you in a cleft of the rock and I'll cover you with my hand while I pass by.

And then, verse 23, I will take away my hand and you will see my back parts, but you will not see my face. Wow! Okay, because he said no one's going to see my face and you will. There must be a brightness to it. Now, this is quite a revelation, in a sense, for us humans to wrap our minds around.

This is a revelation here from the Lord to Moses. One of those off-the-cuff things that maybe it's just about something else, but we can really pick up several things here. One is that the Lord has a face and he has a hand, and also that he has a back, which suggests that he has a front. You know, we find ourselves thinking about all these things here.

It's kind of interesting here. You know, this is the way that God is revealing himself to you and to me and to Moses. He's not going to mislead. He's not going to lie. He's not going to deceive. He's revealing it the way that it is. So the Lord has form. He has shape here.

You know, this is how God's Word reveals it. Of one Moses, who actually had eyes to see, who would see someone, a being. He saw a being that had form and shape, that had a face, that had hands, that had a back, that had a front. If we went through Scripture, which we don't have time to do today, there are all kinds of references to God about the finger of God.

The eyes of God. The ears of God. Revelation talks about Jesus Christ. I think it's Revelation 2, verse 3, that His eyes are like flames of fire. His feet are like brass, and His hair is like white as wool. Why would God reveal it that way if that's not the way that it is? Why would He mislead us? He would not. He wouldn't. He will always reveal the truth of the matter.

So, as we see in the Scriptures here, we know that God sees, hears all of these things that we're used to. Because we're in His image. We're made like Him. Look at the form and shape that you and I have. So, when we look at this, and this is what we're told in Scripture, that God tells us, I want you to imagine me this way. I'm revealing myself to you in this way. So, we shouldn't then be surprised that God doesn't look like a bull or a golden calf.

Or that God looks like nothing. Because some people think that He has no form or shape at all. But here again, in God's Word, God has shape. He has form. That's the way He reveals it Himself. So, in a sense, I suppose we could try to explain, come up with some kind of a recommendation that this isn't really the way God is. But why go through all the trouble of doing that? Why not just accept God's revelation that He has face, He has hands, He has a back, He has a front.

He has eyes, He has ears.

Now, we could look upon Him with His help and live to tell about it, as Moses did. He saw shape and form. Why not take it as it is? Some people ask the question, well, okay, how is it possible for God to be in a place and yet to be everywhere at the same time? That's the fancy word omnipresent, meaning you could be everywhere at the same time. How can God do that? Well, brethren, He's a Spirit being. He has the Holy Spirit. That's one utilization of the Holy Spirit, that God can move at the speed of thought. He can be wherever He needs to be. It says, a sparrow doesn't drop from the ground without Him knowing about it. He's not misleading us. That is the reality of it. And there could be sparrows in Russia and there could be sparrows in the United States. He sees it all. We don't understand the power that He has. And He can be omnipresent through the power of His Spirit. He can be wherever He chooses to be, whenever He chooses to be. And yet it's a combination of incredible power and He has love. God is love. That's one of the definitions from Scripture. God is love. He's merciful. He's kind. He's patient. He's a Father. All of these things wrapped up in an incredible being that we talk about. And God is a being. And He has shape. He has form. Let's go to 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 4. 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 4.

There is much more to God than I can share with you today. We're just scratching the surface. These are some basic things, but they're very, very powerful. 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 4.

This is the same Scripture that utilizes, possibly, in the sermonette. 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 4. Let's take a look at what we can find here in relation to the topic today. It says, In whom the God, small g, God, referring to Satan the devil, who is the present God of this age, in whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine upon them. That's the second point, I guess. We talked about the first point is that we're created, human beings are created in God's image. We look like Him. He looks like us. Second point is that Jesus Christ is also in the image of God, referring to the Father. Jesus Christ is in the image of His Father.

And probably in many respects more than one. Not only in the way that He looks with form and shape, but also with character and the divine nature. Let's look at Matthew 11 and verse 25. Matthew 11 and verse 25.

Matthew 11 and verse 25.

It says at that time Jesus answered and He said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and you reveal them to babes. Jesus Christ began to understand the wisdom of the Father. He said, I am glad you didn't reveal some of these truths to the wise and the arrogant and the prudent. You are revealing these things to babes because they have a different heart and attitude. Verse 26. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in your sight. Verse 27. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. You know, that's one of the reasons Christ came was to reveal the Father.

They didn't know He was even there. Christ came to reveal the Father.

Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and the One to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Jesus Christ, one of His responsibilities was to reveal this Father, God the Father.

Let's go over to John chapter 14.

John chapter 14.

Jesus Christ is in the image of God. When you see Christ, you see the Father. Jesus Christ was a representation of the Father. What He looked like, what He was like. John chapter 14. Pick it up here. Maybe a little bit before verse 9, maybe some of the context. Verse 6. Jesus said to Him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have also known My Father. Why? Because Jesus was the express image of the Father. If you would have known Me, you would have known My Father. It's kind of like a father and son. You know, the son looks like the dad, he walks like the dad, he has some of the same characteristics of the dad. If you would have known Me, you would have known Him is what Christ is saying. And Philip says to him in verse 8, one of the disciples, Philip says, well, Lord, show us the Father. Good question to ask. Show us the Father, and that will suffice. That will be sufficient. Just show us the Father. Jesus responds very interestingly in verse 9. He says, Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? It's almost like the Father speaking through the Son. Have I been with you so long, and you haven't known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. So how can you say, show us the Father? How can you say that? Jesus said to him, you know, so Jesus is in the image of God the Father. So if you've seen Christ, in a sense, you've seen the Father, you know what He looks like. You can tell what God the Father is like by the things that Jesus said. You can tell what God the Father is like by the things that Jesus said. You know, how many times did Jesus say, I don't speak my own words. I only speak what the Father has told me to speak. You can tell what God the Father is like by the things that Jesus did. The way that He lived His life. You can tell what God the Father is like by the things that Jesus did and by the things that Jesus said. You can begin to know the Father. Jesus was the express image of His Father.

Jesus is in the image of God. Now that means that He wasn't a frozen image, was He? He wasn't a statue. He wasn't an idol. He was a living image of His Father. But Jesus is more than an image of His Father. He's more than an image of God. He also is God. Now how can that be? How can that be? This was really a problem when Jesus came and He referred to Himself as the Son of God. The Pharisees and the Sadducees and many of the Israelites, they believed that the Lord God, He is One. There's only one God. Here Jesus comes and says, this God is my Father and I am His Son. They knew what that meant. They knew that Jesus Christ was proclaiming divinity for Himself. We'll get to some scriptures along that line in a moment. So this is a question that troubles a lot of people. Wait a minute. How many Gods are there?

How many Gods are there? Because this troubled Christianity even in the first and second centuries and they tried to wrap their mind around the fact that Jesus Christ, He's a God and then there's God the Father and Jesus is referring to His Father and the Father talks to His Son. How can there be two Gods? And so they tried to come up with a way to wrap their minds around this and what they came up with was the Trinity. A doctrine that says that God is one being that manifests Himself as three. A Father, a Son and a Holy Spirit. But that it is one being. And so that's the way they tried to get around this. That we're going to be monotheists. Mono being one. Theists meaning God. We believe in one God and we're not polytheists. Poly mean many. Theists meaning God. Which means we don't believe in more than one God. So this was a question that has troubled a lot of people. In fact, the Trinity doctrine is believed by most professing Christians around the world. We don't profess that understanding of Scripture. We believe that the Father is a separate being from the Son. But that they are both God beings. Let's go over to 1 Corinthians chapter 8 verse 4. This can be pretty confusing. 1 Corinthians chapter 8 and verse 4. Paul is dealing in a sense with an issue that's somewhat related here. He's on another subject, but in the process he tells us something regarding our topic today, which I think is helpful to know. 1 Corinthians chapter 8 and verse 4. 1 Corinthians chapter 8 and verse number 4.

As concerning, therefore, the eating of those things that are offered and sacrificed unto idols. So the topic here is people have been sacrificing to false gods, to idols. Paul is addressing that topic, but he begins to tie in some things here that affect our topic. He says we know that an idol is nothing in the world. They don't really exist. They're false. They're not true gods at all. So he says we know that an idol is nothing in the world and that there is none other God but one. Okay, that's getting to the topic now, isn't it? There's only one God. Verse 5. For though there are many that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, as there be gods many and lords many, there's these divine beings that are called gods and lords that are considered divine beings, but they're really false. They don't really exist at all. Verse 6. But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things. The Father is an author. He's the head of the family. So when it started at all, of whom are all things. And we in Him, we are made in His image. And He goes on to say, though, one Lord. He's talking about we know that there's all these false idols there. There are gods, small g gods, many, small l lords, many. But to us there's one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ. Both divine. By whom are all things. And we in Him. So let's analyze what Paul is writing here. How many gods are there according to Paul? One. And did you notice how Paul distinguished this one God by the use of the phrase, God the Father? God the Father. You know in the Bible, when we think about God, or we read about God, or we talk about God with each other, most likely the being that we are referring to is the Father. Most likely, most of the time. What we mean when we use the word God is God the Father. And so consequently, when you speak of it that there is but one God the Father, then there can't be more than one. He is the supreme being. And by nature, being a supreme being, that means there can't be more than one of those. There can't be two supreme beings. The one supreme being, or if there were more than one, then he wouldn't be supreme.

There's only one head of a family, only one father of a family. When we define God that way as the one supreme being, Paul is showing here that the one God is the Father, who is distinct from the one Lord Jesus Christ. This is an important concept because here in the Bible, again and again, we just need to get into our minds the way God reveals it through His Word. There is one God the Father, and we have Jesus Christ the Son. And they're not the same person. They're distinct beings.

Yet how can there be one God the Father, and how can Jesus Christ be called God then? How can there be one God the Father, and yet Jesus Christ is also called God? How can that be? Well, we know that Jesus Christ is called God in the Scripture. There's at least a couple of places. Let's look at one of them. John 20 and 28. John 20 and 28. Let's first understand that Jesus is called God in Scripture. John 20 and 28. You remember this story? Jesus had been dead, crucified, buried for three days and three nights, rose from the dead, was alive again, appeared to His disciples. They were all there except for Thomas. He didn't come through the door. Suddenly, He just appeared in their midst. And they were all happy. They were joyful. But Thomas wasn't there. And when they told Thomas, Thomas said, you remember the story? Unless I put my finger into the nail imprint in His hand or into the hole in the side, I will not believe.

So now we get to the point where this happens again. Jesus Christ appears. Let's pick it up here. Verse 24, Thomas wasn't with them. Verse 25, the other disciples said to Him, we've seen the Lord. And then Thomas says what He said, unless I see in His hands the print of the nails or put my finger into His side, I will not believe. And now eight days later, verse 26, His disciples were again inside and Thomas' time is with them. And Jesus does the same thing again. Suddenly, He appears right in the room. Doesn't come through the door. He's there in their midst. And of course, the other disciples are, you know what they're doing? They're looking at Thomas. We told you, Thomas, last time, and you didn't believe. And now here's Jesus and Thomas in the same room together at the same time. So all the attention is on Thomas and Jesus.

Jesus at the end of verse 26 says, Peace to you. And then He turns His attention to Thomas. He said, Thomas, reach your finger here and look at my hands. And reach your hand here and put it in my side. Don't be unbelieving, but believe.

And Thomas answered, you remember this, and He said to him, My Lord and my God.

And so here we see, and Jesus doesn't correct Him. He doesn't say, Don't call me God, because that's not what I am. I am a Lord, but don't call me God. He doesn't correct Him. Thomas says, My Lord and my God.

Now, if you're still confused, which is possible because there's been a lot of theologians that have been confused. Let's go to Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 1. Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 1. This will begin to hopefully explain a few more things. How can this be that there can be one God, supreme being the Father, but yet we have one Lord, but He's also referred to with that same word, God. So how can we put all this together to make sense? Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 1.

Hebrews chapter 1 and verse number 1. It says, God, referring to the Father, who at sundry times and in different manners, spoken times passed by His prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son. So the Father decided to speak through His Son in these last days, whom, referring to His Son, He has appointed heir of all things. And heir means your inheritor. That means you're the son of a parent. That means you're in a family and you're going to inherit something. Whom the Father has appointed the Son heir of all things, by whom also the Father made the world. He made the world through the Son. Who made the worlds? The Father? Was it the Father or was it the Son? Which was it? What was both? It says the Father made the worlds by His Son, Jesus Christ. You know, the Father was the designer. He thought of this. He was the author. He was the beginner of the thought of having a family. Then He engages His Son. He says, Son, I want you to build it. Like a carpenter builds the house. Jesus was a carpenter. That was His occupation. So the Father is the designer. Jesus Christ is the implementation, implementer of the design. He builds it. He constructs it from the instructions that He receives from the architect, from the Father. Now, if the Son made the worlds, didn't He have to exist before the worlds were... If the Son made the worlds, wouldn't He have to exist before the worlds? Yes. That's how God reveals it. He's not going to mislead us. He's going to tell us the way that it is.

Verse number 3. Being in the brightness of His glory, the Son is in the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of the Father's person. So here we see it again. Jesus Christ is the Son, is the express image of His Father. He's a chip off the whole block, if you will. And Jesus, referring to Jesus, the Son upholds all things by the word of His power. He created the worlds and He upholds them by the word of His power. That's one of His names. He's the Word. And this Word has power. If you can create the Son, if you can create galaxies, if you can create the universe, you have incredible power. And He upholds all things by the word of His power when He had Himself purged our sins. We're talking about Christ, aren't we? We're talking about the Word here, aren't we? He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High. We're talking about the Majesty on High as the Father, the one supreme being. There is no other that is equal to Him. He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High. You know, if you and I were able to walk into that scenario and see Him sitting at the right hand of the Majesty on High, how many beings would you imagine you would see?

Two or one? Some would say one. But that's not how God reveals it. He reveals it as two. That Jesus Christ is sitting at the right hand of the Majesty on High, of the Father. I'm going to have you write down a couple of scriptures here for the sake of time. Hebrews 8 and verse 1. Hebrews 8 and verse 1. You know we're in Hebrews. Let's just go over there. Keep your finger in Hebrews 1. Let's go a few pages to Hebrews 8 and verse 1. Hebrews 8 and verse 1. Now, this is the main point of the things we are saying. We have such a High Priest. So we're talking about a High Priest. Jesus Christ is a High Priest. Who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. That's where He sits. At the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. Let's go over to Hebrews 12 and verse 2. Hebrews 12 and verse 2. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. So He's involved with this plan of God. He's the author and finisher of our faith. So He's engaged in the plan. Who for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. He's sitting at the right hand of His Father. So how many do you see? How many beings do you see? Some would say one because God is only one being.

But God clearly reveals in His words that there's two. Why does He present it this way if it were not true? He's not going to mislead us. He's not going to lie to us. He's not going to deceive us. Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father. Why should this be so difficult when God shows it this way, reveals it this way?

Let's go back to Hebrews 1. We left off in verse 3. Let's pick it up in verse 4. Hebrews 1 and verse 4. Again, referring to the Word or referring to Jesus, God the Father, in a sense, is inspiring this. He says, Being so much better than the angels. Now, there are angelic beings, but the Word or Jesus, the Son of God, is so much better than the angels. He has, by an inheritance, obtained a more excellent name than the angels. Now, God's Word is establishing something there. There's kind of a hierarchy of beings here, different kinds of beings. We have angelic beings, and then we have God beings, and of course there's human beings, which we fall into that category. So we know from Scripture here that Jesus is not an angel. He's not like an angel. He's not an angelic being, in other words. He's in a totally different category than the angels. So which category is he in?

Well, we'll come to that. Go on to verse number 5, Hebrews chapter 1, verse 5. For unto which of the angels did he say at any time, You are my Son? He never said that of the angelic beings. He never said that You are my Son. He never said, Sit at my right hand to the angelic beings. For to which of the angels did he say, You are my Son? This day I have begotten you. And again, to which of the angels did he ever say, I'll be to him a Father? And he'll be to me a Son? He never said that to the angelic realm.

And verse 6, and again, when he brings in the first begot of the world, and that's referring to Jesus Christ, he said, And let all the angels of God worship him. I thought you were only supposed to worship God. And him only shall you serve. And yet God is telling the angels to worship his Son. Do you see that? The Father is telling the angels that they should worship him, referring to the Son. In verse 6, we know angels were not to be worshiped. We see that over and over in the Scriptures. John was having these visions. He was falling down before the angel to worship him. The angels said, Get on your feet. Don't worship me. Worship only God. So we're not supposed to worship angels. But we are to worship God. Verse 7, Hebrews 1, verse 7. And of the angels, what does he say? Of the angels, it says, He makes them spirits and his ministers. A flame of fire. Angels are helpers. They're ministers, helpers, servers. They're servants. They serve God. They serve God's children who are heirs. They're inheritors. So the angels are God's servants. They're not heirs. Jesus is an heir. He's God's Son. And this is an important distinction from Jesus Christ and the angels. They are not sons. Jesus Christ is. They are not heirs. Jesus Christ is an heir. Now we get to verse 8, which is a very important verse. Verse 8. And as we're looking at who's speaking here, this is very important. Who's speaking in verse 8? It's the Father. The Father is speaking. But unto the Son, the Father says this. Your throne, O God. Now he's talking to his Son. Your throne, Son. He's saying, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. And a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. Who's speaking? It's the Father. It's the Father that's speaking. Who does he say it to? He says it to the Son. How does he address the Son? O God. So here's the second place in Scripture. We already saw that Thomas said, you know, my Lord and my God, and Jesus didn't correct him. And now the Father is calling his Son God. So we have God addressing God. Calling him God. How is this possible? Well, it's not too hard to understand. We have Eric in the front row. He's a human being. We have John in the second row. He's a human being. John can say to Eric, hey, do you want to go out for lunch? We have a man speaking to a man. We have a human being speaking to a human being. They're talking together in conversation. Why is this a problem when we have a God being talking to a God being? Well, we can have a human being talking to a human being. Why do we have a problem with a God being talking to another God being? Well, I suppose it has to do with polytheism. The worry that the children of Israel had, that there had all these false, multiple gods of other nations, Babylon, Egypt, all of those other nations. And there was a concern that goes back to that. Now, there is a oneness to God, and we're going to talk about that in a moment. But the reason it's not a problem with John and with Eric is because we're talking about the same kind of being. Human beings talking to each other, mankind talking to each other. Why is this a problem with two God beings or two God kinds talking with each other? Why isn't that possible?

The issue here is confused when we talk about the word God because of our language, the English language. The Bible uses the word God with more than one meaning. It can be referring to the one and only true God, the Father, or it can be referring to a kind of being. The word God can also refer to a kind of being in which there can be more than one. Hebrews 1.8. God the Father is speaking to his Son and calling him God. So we have God speaking to God, in a sense. For them, the Bible uses the word God to designate the one supreme being, God the Father. It can also use the word God to refer to a kind of being of which there can be more than one. And that's the problem. It's a semantics problem, in a sense, isn't it? If we got our concordances out and we looked at all the places that the word God is used, sometimes, most of the time, a lot of the time, it's referring to God the Father. And sometimes it is referring to Yahweh, the Lord, the Word, the one who became Jesus Christ of the flesh, but he existed before then as the Word.

Hebrews chapter 1 verse 9.

You have loved righteousness and you've hated iniquity. Therefore God, even your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows. So God, Jesus Christ, has a God, the Father. Jesus Christ refers to the Father as His God. God the Father refers to Jesus Christ. I am your God. And Jesus said, you are my God. It's working both ways. You see that? Jesus said, refers to the Father as my God. And God the Father refers to a Son as your God. Keep your finger here, but let's go over to John chapter 20 verse 17. John chapter 20 and verse 17. Jesus Christ had been dead and buried for three days. He rose from the dead. And Mary Magdalene has now seen Him in the garden. She didn't realize at first. He thought He was the gardener. But then when He called her name, she realized who it was. And this was Jesus and He was alive from the dead. And Jesus responds to her in John chapter 20 and verse 17. He says, Mary, don't touch me. Don't touch me. Because I have not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brother. And He doesn't say go to my disciples. He says, go to my brother. This is a transformation here. Go to my brothers and my sisters. He doesn't call them His disciples or His servants. Go to my brothers and sisters. We're talking about family now. He says, but go to my brethren. And this is what I want you to say to them. I'm going to ascend to my Father and your Father. We have the same Father. Jesus said, I have the same Father that you do. And He says, and to my God and your God. Jesus has a God. It's His Father. And we have a God too. It's His same Father that Jesus has. He's our God too. Jesus said, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and I ascend to my God and your God. So again, Jesus, who's God, is a God being, He is a God, the Father. Let's go back to Hebrews 1, verse 10. Hebrews 1, verse 10. You know, a lot of these arguments that people have about this, if we just think of the word God, in a sense, is the term as a kind of being, who are we referring to? The context tells us, who are we talking about when we see the word God in here? Is it talking about the Father, or is it talking about the Son? It's a kind of being that will resolve a lot of difficulties in the way that the word God is used. Hebrews 1, verse 10.

Again, we're referring to the Son here. He never said that to the angels until I make your enemies your footstool. And then he talks about the angels a little bit further here in verse 14. Are not they, referring to the angels, aren't they all helpers, servants, ministering servants, if you will, spirits, sent forth to serve, sent forth to be servants for them, plural, for them who shall be heirs of salvation. Wow! What is written here is now extending the concept of Christ as an heir of God, therefore being God and of the God kind to other heirs of God, which are yet to come, bringing many sons to glory.

Let's go to John, chapter 17. Take a look at Jesus, one of his final prayers before his death. Read some things that touch on the subject today.

Things maybe we haven't thought about, but I think are relevant here. John, chapter 17, in verse number 1.

Jesus is talking to his Father in heaven. He's praying. It says, These words spoke Jesus, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and he said, Father, the hour has come. So he knew it was towards the time of his death, his port of coming, and now the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. Now, where was Jesus when he said this? He was in Jerusalem. He was on the earth. He was on the ground. And he was speaking to the Father who was in heaven, in that sense. So the Father was in heaven, Jesus Christ is on the ground in Jerusalem. So you have one person talking to another here. You have two beings here that are talking to each other. Two separate beings. It's not hard. This is the way that God reveals it. Verse number two, As you have given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him. Notice verse three, and this is life eternal, Jesus is speaking, this is life eternal that they may know you the only true God. See, he's the supreme being, isn't he? Now, Jesus isn't denying that he's a member of the God family and therefore of the God kind. He's identifying God, though, as the one and only true supreme being, the Father. And when it comes to the one supreme being, Jesus Christ is saying there is only one of those. There's only one true God, the Father. But he doesn't exclude himself from being the same kind of being. Jesus said the Father is greater than I. Didn't he? Verse number four, Father, I glorified you on the earth. I finished the work which you gave me to do. And now, O Father, glorify me with your own self, with the glory which I had with you before the world was. Jesus therefore had glory with the Father before the world was. And I suppose he had to be there. He was there. He was the Word. He was at the beginning with God. And God created all things through him, including the worlds.

Verse six, I have manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me. And they have kept your word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever you have given to me are of you. So we have given to them the words which you gave me. We have givers and receivers here. Jesus said, I'm giving to them what you gave me. So we have givers and receivers going on here. And the Father sent him. Who sent who? The Father sent the Son from heaven to earth. The Father stayed in heaven. He sent the Son to earth. And I'm not sure if I fully understand the doctrine of the Trinity. The one thing that God clearly reveals here is that Jesus and the Father are two distinct beings from one another. That's how he reveals it in the Scripture. They talk to each other. One sends the other. One prays to the other. One brings the words from the other. You know, why did Jesus say, I don't speak my own words? If they're all the same being, I am speaking my own words. Jesus said, I'm not speaking my own words. I'm speaking the words of my Father who sent me.

So we have a communication back and forth, a relationship between Father and Son.

Let's go to verse number nine. John 17 verse nine. I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them which you have given to me, for they're yours. And all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to you. There's a lot of movement back and forth. I'm not where you are, but I'm going to come to where you are. I come to you. Holy Father, keep through your own name those whom you have given to me, that they may be one. Now we talk about this oneness, don't we? That God is one? That they may be one just as we, plural, are. That they, plural, may be one just as we, plural, are one.

Now that's an interesting point, I think. Whatever the Trinity is, it's going to get a lot bigger at the resurrection.

God's desire is that as the Father and the Son are one, that these many sons that are coming to glory, that they also may be one. And that they may be one in us, as we are one. This oneness in the Godhead is going to expand. Now, are we to be one with God in a different way than Jesus is one with God? No. It seems clear that Jesus is saying that they may be one as we are one.

Verse 21. That they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they may also be one in us. This oneness of the God family. It's hard to wrap our minds around, you know? But you can have a oneness in diversity. A husband and wife, too, shall become one flesh, right? Same mind, same attitude, same character, same goals, but not the same being more than one. Verse 22. And the glory which you gave me, I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one. Going overtime.

Let's go back to John 1, verse 1, just for a moment here.

It says, in the beginning was the Word. We talked about that already. And the Word was with God, it was with the Father. And the Word was God. The Word was not an angelic being, the Word was God being, of the God-kind. He said the Word was God and the Word was with God. Now I am me and I can't be with me at the same time. I am me and I can't be me at the same time. But now I can be a man and be with a man at the same time. Can't I? I can be a man and be with a man at the same time. That's what it's referring to here. The God-kind. Let's jump to verse number 18. John 1, verse 18. No man has seen God at any time. So we know that the God being that was talking to Abraham and Moses was the Word, wasn't the Father. The only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. So that's what Jesus Christ is doing, declaring the Father. And that's how we can begin to know what the Father is like. The things that Jesus did and the things that Jesus said, He is the express image of the Father. And I'll just refer for time to Mark 9, verse 7. This was the transfiguration. When they saw the glory, a few of Jesus' disciples saw the glory of Jesus Christ for a split moment in time. And then there was a voice from heaven that said, This is my beloved Son, hear Him. Listen to what He has to say, because He's going to tell you about me. So, brethren, we've got a pretty big responsibility because we understand this. We can begin to understand the Father because we can look at the express image of the Father which is the Son. And the Father tells you and me to hear the Son. Listen to what He has to say. You'll learn about me. You'll learn about what my purpose is. You'll learn about what my goals are. You'll learn about what my doctrine is. You'll learn about how I want you as a son or daughter of mine to live your life. So we've got a pretty big responsibility here, don't we? And yet, a tremendous blessing at the same time. One last scripture. John 12. When John won, let's go to John 12, verse 15. What's God's desire? John 12, verse 15. Well, there's a lot of things that God has a desire. This is just one of them here. John 12. We'll pick it up in verse 49. Jesus is speaking here. He says, I haven't spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me gave me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. I'm not speaking my own words. Verse 50. And I know His command is everlasting life. Wow! That's God's, the Father's desire, is for everlasting life for His sons and daughters. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told me, so I speak. Brethren, man is in the image of God, male and female, told to reproduce, told to replenish the earth, multiply. Even this gives us a hint of what the spiritual Father is doing at a spiritual level. Having a family, multiply, replenish, in a sense. Brethren, family is one of the strongest concepts in the Bible. And it's one of the best ways to understand God, who He is, what He's doing, and the relationship thereof. You know, it's pretty simple, but it's also really profound.