What's
God really like?
Does
God exist? If so, what on earth is he like? Can we know?
Asked
‘do you believe in God?’ most people today would either say “yes” or
“I’m not sure”. Scratch a little deeper and ask them to describe God and
you’ll get a huge range of answers!
So
is it possible to discover what God is really like?
He,
she or it?
An
impersonal force or personal, relating being?
Involved or distant?
Caring & loving or critical & angry?
What’s your image of God?
We
have limited minds – never great enough to fully comprehend God
[example:
Like a toddler trying to understand Einstein’s theory of relativity]
Danger
is we settle for an image of God which is comfortable (but untrue)
“The
truth is out there” – and truth is absolute not relative
So
how can we discover the truth - what God is really like?
Only
if God reveals himself to us.
Thankfully he has done exactly that. We don’t need to invent an image of God,
we can discover him
God
has come into our world, revealed himself in a way we can understand.
Born
into an ordinary family, he walked, talked, laughed, cried, worked and sweated
alongside us.
Jesus
as a historical figure is known to have existed.
But
was he really God – or just another good person?
He
certainly had a huge impact – date, art, culture, laws, lives – all have
been transformed by him
But
to claim he is God – surely that’s outrageous?
What
evidence is there to support such an outrageous claim?
1.
The Miracles:
·
Changed water into wine
·
Fed 5000 men (+) with 5 loaves & 2 fish
·
Restored sight to a blind man
·
Healed cripples and lepers
·
Raised a dead man to life, and more, much more
è
all in public – even his enemies didn’t deny what happened!
2.
He was self-focussed:
·
Most leaders of religions have pointed their way to God
·
Jesus pointed to himself, not away from himself – he said things like:
°
‘come
to me if you’re weary and I’ll give you rest’
°
I
AM the way, the truth, the life (purpose, meaning, direction)
°
I
AM the bread of life (fulfil your inner need)
·
He
claimed to have authority over life, death, judgment, the future
3.
He showed God’s character:
·
He
was compassionate, loving, inclusive
·
He
challenged the religious hypocrites
·
He
welcomed all who would follow, to start a new life
Jesus
– the ultimate human being “The visible image of the invisible God”
Do
you want to hear what God is saying? – look at Jesus
Do
you want to know what God thinks? – look at Jesus
Do
you want to know what God is like? – look at Jesus
Look
at Jesus – God in human form
4.
Jesus claimed to be God:
·
“….seen
me, seen the Father”
·
“I
and the Father are one”
The
religious leaders were furious!
·
He
claimed to have always existed (before Abraham was, I am)
·
He
forgave sins:
(paralysed
man – Jesus forgave his sins – religious leaders said “who but God can
forgive sins?” – Jesus said “You’re right” and healed the man to
demonstrate his authority)
·
Spoke
of himself as the Messiah (the promised one):
(at
his trial he replied ‘yes, I am’)
Jesus:
-
God in human form
-
God in a way we can understand
-
God made plain for us all to see
So
was Jesus “just another good man”?
That’s
really not an option. Someone who made these astonishing claims about himself
must either be deluded (mad), trying to deceive/mislead people (bad) or actually
who he claimed to be (God)
So
was he mad? – doesn’t fit
Was
he bad? – doesn’t fit
Or,
is he God? - However astonishing, amazing, awesome that may sound, it fits!
God
has revealed himself to us by coming & living amongst us
To
discover God – the truth about God – is a transforming experience
And
you can do it.
You can discover the one, true, living God.
Just
be sure to look in the right place Be sure to look to Jesus
Next week: Can you believe that?
