Getting to Know the Greatness of the I Am
Psalm 33:8
DATE: 1 Jan, 2005 AM
PLACE: BBC Ballincollig
I. Introduction (Psalm 33:8)
A. Today is the first day of the year of our Lord, 2006! The first day of a new year.
B. This is a good day to set our course, and determine to keep our eyes focused on the Lord. On the Almighty One. The Most high God. The infinite, matchless, almighty God of all the universe.
C. When Moses wanted to know just WHO the God of the Bible was, God told him the most amazing words - God simply said, My name is “I Am”
D. What a name! In simpler terms, He was saying, God is all there is to worry about:
1. Not about your clothes, your house, your job, your health, or your looks
2. But only about ONE Being – the God who is all and all
E. Our Lord is NOT a Genie, a Good-Luck Charm, a Guardian, just a Good friend. He is definitely boring or uninteresting! He is not, and outdated.
F. He is Awesome! That means, God is overwhelming, breathtaking, humbling, terrifying, fearful, surprising, incredible, amazing
G. He is described as being:
1. He’s the Alpha and Omega (A-Z) – and every letter in between
2. He is Jehovah, the promise keeper
3. He is God of all gods
4. He is The King of all Kings
5. And He is Lord of all Lords
6. He is everything!
7. Folks, He is God, and God alone!
H. It would be pretty important to get to know Him, what He wants, and start doing what He says, don’t you think?
I. We’ll try to get to see just how awesome He is this morning by looking at:
1. His Creation
2. His Revelation
3. His Dedication
4. His Judgments
5. His Son, Jesus
II. Message - So, What is God Like?
A. God’s Awesomeness is Shown in His Creation (Psalm 8:1-4) – the work of thy fingers
1. The Universe – the heavens show His Greatness (Jer 31:37) immeasurable
a. God is the Creator God of:
1) The heavens (PICTURES)
2) The moon (PICTURES)
3) The stars (PICTURES)
b. God is greater and more awesome than the awesomeness of the Entire Universe Itself (1Kg 8:27; Acts 17:28)
1) And it is pretty awesome
2) This entire universe is INSIDE of God!!! Think about that!!!
c. Do you know what is even more amazing? He not only created every thing, He holds every thing together (Col 1:17)
2. Man – What is Man?
a. Man is just a little above nothing! Man is only animated dust!
b. Man’s accomplishments amount to nothing – all of it only crumbles, and rusts and pales in comparison to what God can do
c. All the nations in complete and perfect unity and cooperation and genius (Isa 40:17) are as nothing in comparison to our God (1Cor 1:25)
d. Man may rule this world, and step foot on a few other worlds, but God rules the entire universe
3. Folks, when the Bible calls God, the Lord God Almighty, it means it!
4. It is amazing that anyone would compare God to an idol (Isa 40:18-22)
a. Idols are made with hands, and no matter how exquisite, are only idols, only works of wood, or stone, or metal
b. He is the first and the last – the only God that there is (Isa 44:6,8)
c. He is the beginning and the end (Is 46:10) – what an awesome thought:
1) He is at both places at one time
2) AND, He is always in the middle, right where you are!
5. God is eternal – He had no beginning and He will have no end!
6. That’s our God! Amen!
B. God’s Awesomeness is Shown in His Revelation – the written word of God
1. Inspiration (2Tim 3:16) – God spoke, guided the writing of His words into a Book, the Bible, through 40 authors, across 2,100 years
2. Preservation (Ps 12:6,7) – God then preserved His written words (Mt 24:35) – some of that Bible was written FOUR thousand years ago!!!
3. Application – that Book applies to our lives even in the twenty first century – speaks to us TODAY!
a. How to live, how to love, how to learn, how to raise our families, how to forgive, how to judge, how to win, and how to lose!
b. That Book has it all! It is the most remarkable Book ever! Of its divine library of 66 books, there is history, biography, poetry, proverbial sayings (true sayings), hymns (songs), laws, parables (stories that teach truth), riddles, allegories (symbolic language), prophecies, records of birth, and death, mysteries, adventure, recipes, blessings, cursings, and all other forms of human expression!
c. And even though it may be speaking about a battle or an event 4,000 years ago, it still speaks to us today…
d. Luke 17:28-30 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
C. God’s Awesomeness is Shown in His Dedication (Dt 7:7,8)
1. He Loved us (Rom 5:8)
2. He Loves us still – never leave us or FORSAKE us (Heb 13:5)!
3. He is Committed to accomplishing His will with us (Philp 1:6; Rom 8:28), not just in spite of us
4. THAT is the awesomeness of our God!
5. No other ‘god’ comes close to the Lord Jehovah’s dedication to His promises and His love
a. The sun doesn’t care about you
b. The moon doesn’t think about you and want to be near you
c. The earth and Gaia doesn’t love you
d. Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Elton John NEVER decided to take your place in death so you could have eternal life!!!
6. Your Momma may dump you. Your girlfriend may hate you! Your kids may leave you. But God CANNOT!!!
D. God’s Awesomeness is Shown in His Judgments (Psalm 9:16; 58:11; 83:18)
1. Our God is an awesome God because He is a righteous Judge
a. He Judges sin - Has to
b. It makes us sit up and take notice, and respect, and fear Him
c. But when He does judge, He is right and good in doing so (Dt 32:4)
2. Let’s not forget that awe means to be in fear, and trembling
3. God’s Judgments are Awesome – inspire fear, and godly living
a. The world of Noah’s Day – violence - water covered the entire earth
b. Sodom and Gomorrah – homosexuality - fire that fell that incinerated a hundred square miles
c. The entire nation of Egypt – plagued and destroyed for resisting God
d. Korah – rebellion - the earth opened a huge gap up and swallowed Korah and his whole family (Num 16:32,33)
e. Achan and his family – for stealing what belonged to God (Josh 7)
f. Ananias and Saphira – for lying to the Church – killed (Acts 5)
g. Herod – pride – bowels fell out (Acts 12)
4. Fear God, and keep His commandments!
E. God’s Awesomeness is Shown in His Son Jesus (2Cor 4:6; Col 1:10; Philp 3:10)
1. All the fullness of the godhead is in Him
2. The GREATEST feat of all time was GOD becoming a Man, and living here with us, and among us, and putting up with us, and then dying FOR us, all because he loved us!
3. To know Him better and more fuller than ever before is a Christian’s goal
4. You can’t get any more awesome-ner than Jesus!
III. Conclusion
A. We have seen just how awesome God is by looking at:
1. His Creation
2. His Revelation
3. His Dedication
4. His Judgments
5. His Son, Jesus
B. But a good look is only half of the equation
C. The most important part of this message is your part – what will you do with Jesus? How will you relate to this Awesome Being called God in 2006?
D. It’s time to let him lead!
E. Will you let Him have your life, your sinfulness, and broken pieces?
F. Will you surrender the reigns, and let Him be Lord of your heart and home?
G. Get out of the driver’s seat, and Let him drive! Let Him lead. Let Him be God
H. He has the proven credentials. He has the right.
I. Let Him BE your Saviour and Lord, or one day, he will be your Judge!
J. It’s up to you!
Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church
Ireland