What God Has Always Been

The title today is, What God Has Always Been. What God Has Always Been. What does the title mean? It means that God has always had these qualities and characteristics. Let's look at Malachi 3 in verse 6. Malachi 3 verse 6, the last book in the Old Testament. Malachi, one of the so-called minor prophets, in Malachi 3 in verse 6.

For I am the Eternal, I change not. Therefore, you sons of men are not consumed. I am the Eternal, I change not. God revealed Himself in a very skilled and slow manner in some ways. Recently, Mr. Bob Dick, former pastor of Portland, Oregon, long-time minister, served on the council and chaired the council for many years, gave a two-part sermon titled, Who was God Before He was a Gopi?

If you read the Old Testament, there's hardly anything mentioned about love in the Old Testament, but it's there. It's just you have to bring it out of what God has in store for all of us. Also, in James 1-17, here we see that I am the Eternal, I change not. I would encourage you to listen.

It's posted on the church's website. All you have to do is go to ucg.org, click on sermons, menu sermons, and then you do the search for this two-part sermon, Who was God Before He was a Gopi? Today, our title is, What God Has Always Been. In James 1-17, every good gift, every perfect gift, is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no bearableness, neither shadow of turning.

So God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Whatever He was in past eternity, He is today. Whatever He is today, He will be in future eternity. You don't go through eternity, you live in eternity. And hopefully we will all live in eternity. Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creation. I know the old King James, maybe the new King James has a creature there, but a better translation is creation.

Humankind was made and created in the image of God, as we've heard so often. Man was made from the dust of the ground. That is, from existing material. Man was made from the dust of the ground. We turn back to Genesis 2.9. I think we'll see this in Genesis 2 and verse 9 about man being made from the dust of the ground.

And another aspect of this verse is also included in Genesis 2 and verse 9. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life, and in the midst of the garden, and the knowledge of good and evil. So God wanted us to look to Him for the knowledge of good and evil.

And in verse 7, and the Lord God formed out of the dust of the ground and breathed into His nostrils, that is, into Adam's nostrils, the breath of life. Now some people think, well, this was the Spirit in man, or this was the Holy Spirit. But you look at breath in the Old Testament, in the Hebrew, the word for breath and for Spirit are there the same. It's ruach. And so God, God ruach'd man became a living soul. That is His life essence, His life potential.

We don't have a soul, we are a soul. And of course, we know that very well. And the Lord God planted a garden, each were in Eden. There He put the man whom He had formed. So Adam was created out of existing material. But we note here that God breathed into Him the breath of life. Life only comes from God. Life only comes from God, and it is an unmerited act of grace.

We'll have a little more to say about unmerited grace as we go along. An unmerited act of grace. But man was also special in that he was created in the image of God. That is the form, the shape. Of course, he did not have, he was not a spirit being, and he did not have the intellect and all of the qualities and characteristics of God. But he was created in the image of God. You remember when Philip asked Christ to show us the Father, and Christ said to Philip, have you been so long with us and with me, and you don't you ask that question.

If you've seen me, you've seen the Father. So in Genesis 1.26, Genesis 1.26, and God said, let us make man in our image. In this Genesis chapter 1, you'll see at times, God says, let us make. And generally, that's from existing material. And then you also see in God created. And God said, let us make man in our image after our likeness. But you see, you can have all the material you want. You can have all the dust you want, but you can't form it and shape it in a man and breathe into his nostrils the breath of life.

In our image after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in his own image. In the image of God created him male and female created he them male and female. And of course, that is so very important in the overall plan, purpose, and providence of God that he created male and female.

And God blessed them and God said unto them. So what's the first thing that God said to Adam and Eve? Well, it's first thing recorded in the Bible. It may not be the first thing he said, but it's first thing recorded in the Bible with regard to instruction is to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth.

In other words, produce offspring. These offspring were to be potential sons and daughters of God in his glorious family. What a great opportunity. What a great blessing that is to be able to reproduce potential sons and daughters of God. So we're fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, and subdue it. Now, I've often joked about this, and some have taken exception to say it's to be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth, and I say it's the best-obeyed commandment in the Bible, maybe second or first only to thou shall not eat pork.

But it's on the serious side, it is so serious. So humankind was given the responsibility of producing offspring which are potential sons of God. This is an awesome, awesome responsibility. And the birth rate in most nations is falling in the sense of those who founded the nation. Not necessarily from all ethnic groups, but from those who founded the nation. The birth rate is falling drastically. But among other ethnic groups, the birth rate has greatly increased. And so we now have over eight billion people on the face of the earth.

So they were to replenish the earth, to subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl and the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I've given you every herb-bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed. To you it shall be for food.

So evidently, the first diet of humans was vegetarian. It doesn't mention eating the animals yet. Later on, of course, you have the dietary laws given in the Pentateuch.

Of course, Genesis is a part of the Pentateuch. In recent research, I just read an article in the past couple of days that said a vegetarian diet has proven to be no more healthy for people than those who eat meat. And to every beast of the earth and every fowl of the air, and to everything that creeps upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb, some say herb, for meat, and it was so. We don't want to eat herb, we would rather eat it than herbs.

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good, and the evening and the morning were the sixth day. So the creation of man on the sixth day.

God defined marriage as a union between male and female, and of course, that is so under attack today. The current attack on the nuclear family is on as an attack on the very purpose, plan, and providence of God for bringing sons and daughters to glory in God's family, his divine family. After he finished recreation, preparing the earth for human habitation, the seventh day God revealed to them the Sabbath. So let's look at Genesis 2. So in creation week, or we call it recreation week, which the earth was prepared for habitation of humankind, of course, Genesis 1-2 tying in with Dr. Erwiller's sermon last week, which was an excellent sermon, which was an important sermon, and I hope you grasp what he was saying in that sermon with regard to the age of the earth, that the earth became Tohu and Bohu. We used to hear that quite often. The earth became void and a wasteland and not inhabitable, but God made it inhabitable. And then this very important event, now this is recreation week. This is the seventh day after creating Adam and Eve. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all the hosts of them, and on the seventh day God ended his work, which he had made, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work, which he had made. So according to this, God and Christ observe the Sabbath. It is such an important time. Now this verse reveals God as a spiritual creator, as well as a physical creator. We just read above that after he had finished the heavens and the earth and the hosts thereof, that he created or made man and woman. And we know then, you can hold your place there, we're probably coming back. If you look at Romans 7 and verse 12, in Romans 7 verse 12, we'll see that the law is spiritual. So this verse reveals God, this verse we just read, Genesis 2.2 and Genesis 2.3, which we'll read when we turn back.

It reveals God as a physical creator and a spiritual creator, and the law of God. See, the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments, and the law of God is spiritual. So we're going to pick it up in Romans 7 and verse 12. Wherefore the law is holy, now what are holy things? Holy things have God's active presence within them. Wherefore the law is holy, the commandment holy, and just and good. So there's nothing wrong with the spiritual law. Was it then that which is good made death unto be? God forbid. It wasn't that it was bad, but sin. The wages of sin is death, because if you break the law, of course, the death penalty is on your head. And Romans 3, 23 says, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But sin that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good, that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual. So therefore you see that Genesis 2, 2, and 2, 3 show that God is a spiritual creator as well as a physical creator and maker. But I am carnal, soul under sin. So from Scripture, it can be concluded that God is a physical and spiritual creator. God revealed to Adam and Eve the sanctity of marriage. And we'll note that in just a second as well. Now let's go back to Genesis 2 and let's pick it up and read 3 as well. So in verse 2, God ended his work. He rested on the Sabbath. In verse 3, And God blessed the seventh day, sanctified it, set it apart, to be observed forever, because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

So he revealed that some things were created and some things were made, as we notice, and we noted that made things are generally made from that which already existed, and he was preparing the earth for the habitation of man. So God revealed to Adam and Eve the sanctity of marriage. And while we're in Genesis 2, let's note across the page there in Genesis 2. In verse 20, And Adam gave names to all cattle, and the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a help-beet for him. The Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slipped, and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof. Flesh in my flesh, bone in my bones, as it says in Ephesians. And of course, that is able to be done in intimacy to become one flesh. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, man made he, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, flesh in my flesh, she shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be one flesh.

And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

To be naked in the spiritual sense is a bad thing, but between husband and wife, you see what it says.

God also revealed his name to Moses after Israel came out of Egypt. And you should imagine that God had not revealed his name to the people that he had worked through until they came out of Egypt. Sort of getting ahead of it.

If we go to...

Let's go now to Exodus chapter 3.

Exodus chapter 3 and verse 13.

Exodus chapter 3 verse 13. Here God reveals his name to Moses.

And even here Moses has to ask, well, whom do I say is sending me? And he told him who he was, and one of the chief characteristics of God is noted through his name. So many things are noted through his name. So in Exodus 3 and verse 11, Moses said unto God, Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be a token with you that I have sent you when you are brought forth the people out of Egypt. You shall serve God upon this mountain.

And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers has sent me unto you, and they shall say to me, What is his name?

What shall I say to them? So Moses didn't know God's name, and as we'll read from later, that Abraham did not know God's name in the sense of revealing that he is eternal.

Abraham only knew him by a different name.

And God said unto Moses, I am that I am. He said, Thus shall you say unto the children of Israel, I am has sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, Note this, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me unto you, This is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

So go and gather the elders of Israel together and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt.

Now this I am that I am, the literal meaning of that is I am the one that always exists.

I am the existing one. I exist. I existed in the past. I exist in the present, and I exist in the future. So one of the chief characteristics of God, of course, is that He is eternal.

His name is also in the Word, the angel, the malak, the messenger that led them to the promised land.

The angel of God's presence. This is very important to understand. So we go to Exodus 23 in verse 20 with regard to His name being in the one who became Jesus Christ.

And Jesus Christ is the one that led them to the promised land. In Exodus 23 in verse 20, He is the one who became Jesus Christ. Behold, I send an angel. An angel is the Hebrew word malak, and it can be used for a human being or for a spirit being. In this case, of course, it is referring to the one who became Christ.

Behold, I send an angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him. See, beware of him and obey his voice. Provoke him not, for he will not pardon your transgressions. See, no angel has the power to pardon any transgression to pardon sin. Only God and Christ can pardon sin. He will not pardon your sin or your transgressions. And continuing that last phrase so important, for my name is in him.

So many times in the Old Testament when you see Yahweh, it can refer to the Father or it can refer to the Son. Also, we look at Isaiah 63 in verse 9, and we see that it was the angel of God's presence, Isaiah 63 and verse 9. This answers so many questions with regard to who is the God of the Old Testament. Well, God is God in every sense of the word. The one who interfaced with Israel so often was the one that became Jesus Christ. So in Isaiah chapter 63 and verse 9, we see this angel of God's presence leading Israel into the Promised Land. Isaiah 63, 9, in all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence. Remember I read from Exodus 23 verse 20 that I will send an angel before you, obey his voice, or he will not forgive your transgressions, for my name is in him. And the angel of his presence saved them in his love and in his pity he redeemed them, and he bared them and carried them all the days of old.

Now, do we find this in the New Testament? Yes, we do. In 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 4, we see that it is in the New Testament as well. In 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 4, we see that it was the rock.

And in the Bible study by Isaiah 51 this past Wednesday night, we talked about the rock in the rock chapter of Deuteronomy 32. So in 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 4, and did all drink the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them. Actually, he led them, and he was their rearguard as well. Spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. So there's no doubt that his name was in the angel of his presence. And as we see here, the rock that they followed was Christ. The word, the one who became Jesus Christ, is the eternal and uncreated. He is the eternal, and he is uncreated. He has always existed. My mind can't really grasp that. Infinity, as far as the east is from the west, is infinity, and it is unknowable. How do you describe infinity? In Hebrews chapter 7 and verse 1, so the sun also is eternal and uncreated, as we see here from Hebrews chapter 7, and we'll begin in verse 1. Hebrews 7, 1, For this Melchizedek, the king of Salem, and Melchizedek is also one of the names. He was the one that Abraham paid ties to after his conquering of some of the surrounding tribes. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham, returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all first being by interpretation, king of righteousness. What a human being could you possibly call the king of righteousness?

I don't know of any human being. Of course, there is a lot of literature out there that's saying who is Melchizedek, and some say he was a priest, he was a human being. But according to this, it's way beyond a human being. It was the one who became Christ. And after that, also king of Salem, which is king of peace. Salem means peace, which is king of peace without father, without mother, without descent, having either beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, abides a priest continually. And of course, Jesus Christ now has been resurrected, sits on the right hand of the Father, making intercessions for us. Now we go back to Exodus 6, which I mentioned earlier, that even though Abraham was given the great promise of in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, Abraham was given the Abrahamic covenant in which it was declared unto him that he would inherit much greater land than Israel ever ever occupied during their day. But so we notice even here, remember I mentioned early on that in the Old Testament you don't find a lot about love as a word per se. But in all the while, in everything that God does, as we'll see, it is because he is love. Now notice this in Genesis chapter 6 in verse 1, Then the Lord sent unto Moses, Now shall you see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. And God spoke unto Moses and said unto him, I am the eternal. You remember we read from Exodus 3 13 through 17, I think it was 18, maybe 18, that I am the ever existing one, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty. And the Hebrew translation of that is El Shaddai. I appeared to them as El Shaddai. El Shaddai means the nourisher, the sustainer. It is, Shadd is the Hebrew word for female breast, and so it is the one that nourishes, that takes care of, that comforts.

And so God didn't reveal his name, I am that I am, to Abraham. It says very clearly here, and he didn't reveal it to Isaac or Jacob. But by the name of Yehovah, Yahweh, was I not known to them. So right from the from the scripture itself, and so as I said, and I encourage you to listen to Mr. Dick's two-part sermon as well.

In Galatians chapter 3, we want to go there. We see this, well maybe we ought to read once again the promise before we go there. We go to Genesis 12 verses 1 through 3. Genesis 12, 1 through 3.

We see the once again the promise. Now the Lord God had said unto Abram, his name was Abram, before it was changed to Abraham, get you out of your country and from the kindred from your father's house. That was early the caldis as you see in the chapter above. Unto a land that I will show you and I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing.

And I will bless them that bless you and curse him that curses you.

See there is a physical part to this, but the main part, how are all nations blessed through the seed of Abraham? And I think we still don't really grasp it in its totality. In a moment we'll read Galatians. And in you shall all families of the earth be blessed, not just those who physically descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, not just those who descended from what we call Israel from the twelve tribes. But we go to Galatians chapter 3. This is such an important understanding as well. And piecing the story together, the whole story with regard to what God has always been. In Galatians chapter 3, and we'll begin in verse 14. Galatians 3.14.

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the nations, might come on the nations, not just Israel. It might come on the nations how, through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Israel sought to be justified by the law. Maybe we'll read the scripture from Galatians that says that if you seek to be justified by the law, you have fallen from grace. But don't get ahead of the story. Brother and I speak after the manner of men, though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannuls or adds there too.

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He said, not and to seeds as of many. There's just one seed that he was speaking of. Of course, it is true that our Lord Jesus Christ sprang from Judah. And the Messianics want you to go back and try to recapture all the Jews have done with regard to the Pentateuch and the Torah.

And they engage in Torah studies. But justification can only come through faith in the sacrifice of Christ.

And many but of one and to your siege which is Christ.

Let's read 16 again. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He said, not to seeds as of many, but of one and to your seed which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, the law covenant, back in Exodus 24 or Exodus 25 talking is 24, I think, pretty sure. The covenant, the old covenant in which they said, I will do whatever God says, which was 430 years after cannot be, cannot disannul that it should make the promise of non-effect. In other words, the law covenant did not disannul Abraham's promise made to Abraham. And what was the promise made to Abraham? It threw his seed, one seed. That seed was Christ. That all the promises were to be given.

So in verse 24, we skip ahead to 24. We could give a sermon or two on the other, but wherefore the law was our schoolmaster bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

But after that faith has come no longer under a schoolmaster, you cannot be justified if you kept the law perfectly, it will not justify you because all have sinned. No matter how righteous a person might be, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and there's only way to be justified.

Now, after you are before and after you're justified, you are to seek to keep the commandments.

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There's neither Jew nor Greek. And read that a few times. There's neither Jew nor Greek. Greek place for Gentile.

There is neither bond nor free. There's neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

And if you be in Christ, then, it's then, if you are in Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, no matter what ethnic group you're from.

And heirs according to the promise.

The promises made to Abraham reveals why humans were created. That is, to become heirs of God and join heirs with Jesus Christ. Can you think of anything greater?

Turn back to Romans chapter 8 verse 17 than to be an heir of God and an heir of Jesus Christ.

In Romans 8 and verse 17. And if children then heirs, heirs of God. Why would you be heirs of God? Because you will be of the same essence that God is, and you will be born as a spirit being. And join heirs with Christ.

See, Christ has already gone through the process. If so be, we suffer with him that we might also be glorified together. Now, according to John 4 and verse 8 and verse 16, those two verses say, I'm not going to turn there. I think we all have a memorized. First John 4, 8, verse John 4, 16 says, God is love.

When Scripture notes that God is love, it shows that is his state of being. That's what he is.

God has always been love. There was never a time in which God was not love.

But it was not revealed that salvation was through faith and to the general population until the time of Christ and the apostles.

Because God is love, he created humans in his own image for a great transcendental purpose.

That is, for humankind to become members of his divine family. God could have created anything that he wished to create, but created beings have not and would not go through a begettle and birth process. God desired to share his glory with humankind and bring sons and daughters to glory through a begettle and birth process. Because God is love, I exist, you exist. Because God is love. God deeply desired born sons and daughters of God, not just created beings who are also called sons.

At times, the angels could be called sons because they were created by God, but they are not born and begotten of God. Let's go to Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 5. Hebrews chapter 1 verse 5.

Every time we turn to Hebrews, I remind you of Hebrews, and it compares and contrasts elements of the Old Covenant with the New Covenant.

In Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 5.

For unto which of the angels said he at any time, you are my son, this day have I begotten you. He never did. They were not begotten. They were not born. They were created.

And again, I will be to him a father, and shall be to him a son.

I skipped a line there. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, you are my son, this day have I begotten you. This day have I begotten you.

And again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.

And again, when he brings in the first begotten into the world, he said, and let all the angels of God worship him.

If angels were on the God plane and begotten and born of God, they would not necessarily be worshiping him. And of the angels, he said, who makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire. Now we look at the summary of this in verses 13 and 14.

But to which of the angels said he at any time, sit on my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. He never did. He never did.

Are they not all ministering servants sent forth a minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation?

We are heirs of salvation. As we read from Romans 817, heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. God and the Father agree upon a plan of begettle and birth that will require the sacrifice of the word so believers would be viewed as sinless upon repentance and in the sacrifice of Christ. We go to Philippians chapter 2 and verse 5.

In Philippians chapter 2 and verse 5, we oftentimes read verse 5, but we don't read what follows because what follows is the mind that was in Christ. And we're to have the mind that was in Christ, which was quite sacrificial. Philippians 2.5, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, notice that being existing. That's what being means, existing in the form of God.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God, John 1.1, who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal.

And the word robbery better translate it a thing to be seized to be equal with God.

He was already on that plane of existence.

6. But made himself of no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Wherefore, God also has highly exalted him, given him a name, which is above every name.

That is, the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven, things in the earth, and things in heaven, and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Now, this sacrifice of Christ made it possible upon repentance for us to be begotten of the everlasting Spirit.

We will have the everlasting Spirit abides in us now. It is the essence of God.

God is the one who gets us with his Spirit. Now, look at Romans chapter 5.

Oh, I see.

Romans chapter 5 and verse 6.

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly, took on the form of a man, gave himself up, and died on the stake.

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet preventured for a good man, some would even dare to die. But God commends his love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from his wrath through him. If when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God, the Father, by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

So Jesus Christ now lives within each one of us. Just before Jesus cried out on the stake before he died, he said, Father, into your hands, commend I you my spirit. And as it says in many places, you turn over a page to Romans 8 and verse 11, you will see that the Father resurrected him, and we will go through that same process ourselves. In Romans 8, 11, but if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also make alive your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwells in you.

God the Father is in the He begets us. Christ plays a role, and he also brings us to birth.

He is the one that resurrects us. It says it very clearly that by the same spirit that dwells in us, he will raise us from the dead.

And so we know that Christ is now the firstborn of many brethren, and we shall be born and become joint heirs with Jesus Christ, born in the Spirit.

Now we come to one of the most noble and loving characteristics of God, and that is grace, which is manifested in his acts of graciousness. Now virtually everything we have noted so far stems from these things. God's love, God's grace, God's mercy, God's righteousness, and God's long suffering. The word grace first appears in the Bible in Genesis 6 and verse 8.

We're noted there in Genesis 6 verse 8 where God called out Noah because Noah was righteous in his generations that he had tried to serve God in 6 and 8, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah found grace. The word for grace is king. K-H-A-N-E is how you pronounce it. That's phonetic pronunciation. It's spelled in Hebrew, C-H-E-N, but C-H has a k-e-n, and then E-N has a e-n meaning.

So the Hebrew word for chin is pronounced k-e-n. It means divine favor. It appears 69 times in the Old Testament. It's translated grace 38 times and favor 26 times. The Greek word for grace is kar-us.

C-H-A-R-I-S. It appears 156 times in the New Testament. It is translated as grace 130 times and favors 6 times in the rest of the miscellaneous. The first appearance of grace in the New Testament is in Luke 2 and verse 40. In Luke 2 verse 40, we see that Jesus Christ drew in favor for grace with God and man. Matthew Mark, Luke 2. In Luke 2 and verse 40, Luke 2 verse 40, and the child grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom and the grace of God which is upon him. In other words, the divine favor of God was on him. Just the word grace tells you very little about the meaning of the word. In both the Old and New Testament, in the majority of sense, it means divine favor. Because of God's divine favor, we exist. Noah received favor from God. He and his family were spared. Noah received divine favor. Noah was righteous in his generations and he tried to live as God had instructed him to live. Now, grace has two dimensions.

Three unmerited favors. You didn't do anything for you to be called. You either heard, read, or heard for somebody else, whatever it was, whatever way it was, you came across the truth that God's calling of you is unmerited. God didn't call you because you were rich, poor, smart, or dumb, or any of thee, because you were of high social strata, low social strata, none of that. Then there is grace that is based on merit. In other words, obedience. The plan of salvation is an extension of God's love and manifested through his divine favor, which is unmerited.

As noted earlier, God exists because of God's—that we exist, humankind exists because of God's desire to have a begotten and born family.

And you're sitting here today because of unmerited grace. God has called you out of the world.

He has removed the blinders from your eyes. He has lifted the veil, and you can see the truth clearly. And you know and you know that you know. Now, salvation is a gift, but it has conditions.

A person can only be justified through repentance and exercise in faith in the sacrifice of Christ.

Virtually all of the Christian world abuses and misinterprets Ephesians 2.7 through 10, so let's note that Ephesians 2.7 through 10.

And to just read it the way it's translated in most Bibles, you might come to that conclusion.

What conclusion? Salvation is a free gift, but it has conditions. You have to do certain things.

Otherwise, everybody would be saved.

So Ephesians 2.7, that in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus.

Generally speaking, Christ Jesus refers to Christ after resurrection.

And the other way, Jesus Christ before resurrection.

For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.

See, Greek follows the rules of grammar. For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. That not of yourselves modifies grace, not faith. Now, faith is necessary, but see, it concludes with it is the gift of God. For by grace are you saved and that not of yourselves. Through faith you are saved. Or we could read it, For by grace and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Through faith in Christ Jesus you're saved. You have to look at the rules of grammar there, which we don't have time to go through all of the rules there, but not of yourselves modifies grace, not of faith. You see, and a lot of people think that God just gives you the faith. You have to exercise faith in the sacrifice of Christ. You have to do something in order to be saved. I'll look at Galatians back a few pages.

In Galatians chapter 2, we'll say this very clearly. Galatians chapter 2.

In Galatians 2 verse 15, We who are Jews by nature are not sinners of the Gentiles. We who are Jews by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in, and it should be translated, in Jesus Christ. You have faith in Jesus Christ.

If Christ gave everybody the faith, everybody would be saved. We have to exercise that faith, as we shall see. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But, and here, but if while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, as therefore Christ the minister of sin, God forbid. Soul is a still incumbent. See, on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was sent, Peter cried out, repent, be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

What did you have to do? You had to repent. He didn't include, at that time, exercise faith and the sacrifice of Christ, but that is a necessary step as well. For if I build again the thing which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I, through the law, am dead to the law that I might live under God. And you live under God through keeping His commandments.

We can, as we note here in Galatians 5.4, we'll start in 3, Galatians 5.3, for I testify again to every man that is circumcised. In other words, there was a contingent of Jews in Galatia that said you had to be circumcised in order to be justified.

But Paul is saying you don't have to be circumcised physically to be justified.

That he is a debtor to do the whole law. If you want to be justified, that way you have to keep the law perfectly through all of your lifespan. Christ has become of non-effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law. You are fallen from grace. Of course, basically, the religious world teaches that we once saved, always saved.

Christ is not the minister of sin, as we have seen.

Another great characteristic of God is His righteousness, and God abides by His law.

Psalm 119 verse 172 says, All your commandments are righteous. God is living truth, and all His works are done in truth.

He's long-suffering. He's merciful. God has life within Himself.

This is something you really need to pay attention to.

If we go to John 5.26, because this can so easily escape you, and you won't be able to answer the question of the gainsayer. In the Gospel of John 5 and verse 26, For as the Father has life in Himself, He has independent life. He doesn't depend on anything or anybody. So has He given to the Son to have life in Himself.

You see, what did we say when Jesus Christ was hanging on the stake in the last words, basically, that He uttered were, Into your hands, Father, come in, die you my Spirit. In other words, I'm going to die, and I'm depending on you to resurrect me.

When He was resurrected, He was now the born Son of God, and that He now, as the born Son of God, had life in Himself again. But He died, and for those three days and three nights in the grave, He was trusting, having faith in the Father, to resurrect Him from the dead. And He did. That's covered in Peter's inspired sermon on Pentecost in Acts 2.

Remember, just before Christ died on the stake, He cried out, Into your hands, come in, die you my Spirit, my life essence.

As we read from Acts 2, the Father raised Jesus from the dead, and now He sits on the right hand of the Father, making intercession for you and me.

Well, we didn't read it today, but you could read it.

So today I ask of you and me, seeing that we know all these things, what manner of people ought we to be? Peter asked that question, 2 Peter 3.11, in view of all these things that we see, we know. What manner of people should we be?

This is an opportune time as the trials come to show God that we are as Noah in building the Ark, that we are faithful, we're true, we're going to finish the job. If any man draw back, he says, "'My life shall have no pleasure in him.'" So now is the time to fight the good fight of faith as never before.

So we will not be found wanting when the bridegroom knocks on our door.

So let us read one final passage of Scripture as we close today. In 1 Thessalonians 5, 1 Thessalonians 5, and we'll begin in verse 1. 1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, we have no need that I write unto you, for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night. For when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them. So some kind of pseudo-peace will come, and then that covenant of peace will be broken and great travail and great tribulation. And eventually the day of the Lord will come as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.

But you, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief, for you are all the children of light and the children of the day. We are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober.

For they that sleep sleep in the night, and they that are drunk in the night.

But let us who are of the day be watchful, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, for a helmet the hope of salvation. There it identifies what the hope of salvation is, a plate of faith and love. For God is not appointed as a wrath, but obtained salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Wherefore, comfort yourselves together, and edify one another even also as you do.

So, brethren, I hope we have a little bit better understanding of what God has always been. He's always been a God of long suffering, mercy, and forgiveness, and because of that, we know what we know and we have the promises that we have.