Week 7
September 16, 2023

Who Is God

Your Prayers and Petitions
Are Directly Linked To His (God’s) Person

When We Misunderstand “Who God Is” and “Why He Does Things”
It Will Hinder Our Faith In Him

Unfortunately
Religion & The Misinterpretation and Application of the Bible
Are The Number One Source of Misinformation About “Who God Is”

Who Is God?
Is He Good? Is He Mad? Is He Ready For Our Judgement?
Is He Compassionate? Is He Holding Back From Me?
Is He For Me? Is He Against Me? Does He Love Me?

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4:8

Do You Believe God Is Love?
Do You Believe That God Is Good?
Do You Believe God Is For You?
Do You Believe God Loves You?

Two of The Most Often Asked Questions I Get:

“If God Is So Loving, Why Does It Seem That God Is
Hard, Mean, Angry, Bitter In The Old Testament?”

“If God Is So Loving Why Does He Do and/or
Allow Bad Things To Happen To Good?”

The Bible Must Be Understood In Three Time Periods

Time Period 1 – Patriarchs – 2500 Years
God: Grace and Faith
From Genesis 1 To Exodus 20

Time Period 2 – The Law – 1500 Years
God: Law, Justice, and Wrath
From Exodus 20 To The Cross

Time Period 3 – Grace and Faith – Resurrection Till Today
God: Grace and Faith
From: The Resurrection To: Today

Time Period 1 – Grace and Faith – Patriarchy – 2500 Years

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:7-8

Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
Genesis 3:9-11

Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—
Genesis 3:21-24

therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from
which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of
the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Genesis 3:23-24

Lamech
Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.
Genesis 4:19

Then Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for hurting me. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
Genesis 4:23-24

Cain – Killed Abel
Noah – Got Drunk
Abraham – Lies
Isaac – Lies
Jacob (Israel) – Lies, Cheats

This Time Period’s Problem:
The Lack of God’s Punishment Was Misunderstood
As God’s Approval And Acceptance of Man’s Sin

Time Period 2 – The Law – Justice and Wrath – Exodus 20 Until Jesus Died – (1500 Years) – Law of Moses

Sticks

Now while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. They put him under guard, because it had not been explained what should be done to him. Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” So, as the Lord commanded Moses, all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died.
Numbers 15:32-36

The Law Was Added To Restrain Sin

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”
Romans 7:7

This Time Period’s Problem:
The Old Testament Is Not Wrong Or Inaccurate;
It’s Just An Incomplete Picture of God

Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life (THE LAW CAN NEVER GIVE LIFE), truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture (THE LAW) has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
Galatians 3:21-25

The Abundance of God’s Punishment Before Christ, During The Law
Has Led To The Misunderstanding of God’s Nature In The Church

The Abundance of God’s Punishment On Christ Has Brought Us Into Complete Harmony With God Through Our Acknowledgement of Christ’s Sacrifice

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:17-19

You Are A New Creation – 2 Corinthians 5:17
God Has Accepted You – Romans 15:7
God Has Chosen You – Ephesians 1:4
God Has Forgiven You – Romans 8:1
God Loves You – Romans 8:39
God Calls You Friend – John 15:15
God Calls You Family – Ephesians 2:19