Attributes of Greatness (7)

All right, we are studying, as you know, what the Bible teaches about God, and we've been looking at the attributes of greatness. Remember those are a grouping of attributes that we do not share with God. They are unique to God Himself. If we get through all three of these tonight, which I doubt that we will, but if we do, then next time we will begin on the attributes of goodness, attributes like holiness, faithfulness, those kinds of things that we can, at least to some degree, share, but we do not share the attributes we're talking about now. These are unique to God. Just to remind you, we've talked about the fact that God is self-existent, God is eternal, God is unchangeable, He is omnipresent, He is omniscient, He is omnipotent. My present means everywhere, present at the same time, He is omniscient, He knows all things, and omnipotent, He has all power. So tonight we're going to begin with the seventh of the attributes of greatness, and that is the fact that God is perfect. God is perfect. Now, what does perfect mean? Let's talk about that to begin with. What does perfect mean? Absent of any defect. It's a pretty good definition. Hard to improve on that one. Absent in any defect. Any other thoughts to contribute there? Pardon me? I heard something. Yes. Without blemish, okay? Yes. All right? Yes, Vicki? Can't make it any better? Yeah. Yeah. No room for improvement. The Hebrew and Greek words that are used for God in this regard or that are used for the concept of perfect, the Hebrew word means complete or full or whole or without blemish. Those are the basic meanings of the Hebrew word for perfect. The Greek word for perfect means complete or finished. So you've got both the words used in the Old Testament and the New Testament incorporate the idea of completeness. And that idea really incorporates many of the ideas that you share tonight. God is complete. There is nothing that can be improved upon. Nothing can be added. He is perfect. He is complete. Lacking nothing. We might even say that God is all that God ought to be. Now, that's a little bit subjective. It kind of throws our ideas of what God ought to be into the equation. So that may not be the best way to say it. But God is lacking nothing. He is complete. He is full. Whole. Lacking nothing. Let's look at what the Scriptures teach in that regard. And there's some wonderful passages here. I just love them and have often thought maybe about preaching a message putting these together. But let's look at them this evening. First of all, in Deuteronomy 32. Deuteronomy 32 is fascinating passage of Scripture. It's called the Song of Moses. But it was not it was not sung. The Bible tells us very clearly that Moses recited it. The Moses said these things. But it is it is in the form of poetry. And for that reason, it's called a song. It was composed by Moses and spoken to the 12 tribes of Israel just before Moses died. It's not the last thing he gives them. He also in chapter 33 will give them what's called his blessing. But this is a this is a passage where he he recites to them the greatness of God. And what all God has has done for them. Chapter 32 of Deuteronomy verses three and four he says this. I will proclaim the name of the Lord. O praise the greatness of our God. He is the rock. His works are perfect. And all his ways are just a faithful God who does no wrong upright and just is he. Obviously several characteristics of God mentioned there. But they all have to do with his perfection. His works are perfect. They are always just. There's no room for improvement. There's no unrighteousness or wrong in God at all. His works are perfect. So just think about the various things we're going to talk about tonight in the Scriptures that are designated as being perfect. God's works are perfect. Everything he does is perfect from his creation to everything he does in the realm of salvation. Everything he does in his providence in running the universe. Everything he does in your life and mind. All of his works are perfect. Okay. Comment or question there before we move to Psalm 18. All right. Let's look at Psalm 18. Then Psalm 18, verse 30. David writing this Psalm. And his he's writing it as he's been delivered from Saul as Saul was chasing him seeking to take his life. And this is on one of those occasions where he has been delivered from the hand of Saul. He writes in verse 30. As for God, his way is perfect. The Lord's Word is flawless. He shields all who take refuge in him. So because God's way is perfect, in other words, the path along which he directs us, the path along which he leads us. And when you think about what David's just been through, this is an amazing statement of faith. David is being chased by Saul. Saul is out to killing and because David has seen the hand of God very clearly protecting him, he praises God by saying, your way, the way that you've led me, the path in life that you've directed me on is perfect. You know, if I've been in David's shoes, I might be looking for the things that were wrong with it. Lord, why can't it be easier? Why can't we just get rid of Saul or put me in a place where Saul can't touch me or can't go after me? Why am I having to go through this? But David recognizes by faith that God's way is perfect. And because God's way is perfect, he goes on to say in verse 31, for who is God besides the Lord and who is the rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. Because God's way is perfect, then my way is secure. Think about that, put those two together, because God always leads us in ways that are perfect, then my way is always secure. I can trust him. And it doesn't matter what I'm seeing, it doesn't matter what I'm experiencing, I know God's way is perfect. And so my way is, my paths will be secure if I'm trusting him, knowing that his way is perfect. So great assurance there. Okay, ready for Matthew 548? Do you have any comment or question on Psalms? Matthew 548, a passage will refer back to in a moment, a few moments you're familiar with this in the sermon on the Mount Jesus says in Matthew 548 be perfect, therefore as your heavenly Father is perfect. We're just going to look at the last part of the verse for right now. The statement is made by Jesus that our heavenly Father is perfect. Okay, his work is perfect, everything he does is perfect. His way is perfect and he himself is perfect. Obviously his work in his ways are perfect because there's nothing lacking in him. He is complete in his own, his own person. So he's perfect. All right, let's look at the last one. Romans 12, and this is a verse you're familiar with. Romans 12, we think of verses 1 and 2 together. Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters in view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is. His good pleasing and perfect will. God's will is also perfect. Okay, this is why I've always wanted to preach this. Works out beautifully. His work is perfect. His way is perfect. His will is perfect. I make a great message. Wouldn't it? It's a great truth there. His will is perfect. So everything he chooses is perfect. Everything he chooses for you and me. And we can trust him that his will for us cannot be improved on. His plan for you and for me cannot be improved on. It's complete. It's perfect. And that will, that plan is found in his word. Now God has a sovereign purpose and plan that he's carrying out in this universe and in each of our lives. And that will be done and that is perfect. God also has a moral will for us. His desire for how he wants us to live. And that's completely given to us in his word. And that's perfect as well. There's nothing lacking in that. So God's will is perfect. His work, his way, his will. And then God himself is perfect. What an amazing God we have. Okay, any comments or questions about those passages, Steve? There are there's more than one word. I don't remember exactly how many, but there's more than one word in both Hebrew and Greek and those various ideas are the shades of meanings of those words. Yeah. Well, some of those words can be translated in different ways as well. But basically, I'm just talking about the whole concept involves those different shades of meaning. Yeah. There are some difficulties in understanding this truth, at least two of them. And we're going to talk about that for a few moments. Perfection is ascribed to certain people in the Bible. And so we have to ask ourselves what is up with that? What is being talked about there? I'm going to give you a couple of examples. And I'm going to use the King James because that's what we're typically familiar with if you're like me. That's what you memorize. You're so familiar with as from a child. And that's where the word perfect is used of certain people. The more modern translations have used different words appropriately, but this is what has thrown a lot of people, the description for instance of Noah in Genesis chapter 6 and verse 9. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations and Noah walked with God. Okay. Not only Noah is described as perfect, but Job is described as perfect. Job chapter 1, verse 1. There was a man in the land of us whose name was Job. That man was perfect and upright and one that feared God and I love this old King James word. Eschewed evil. That is a very graphic word. Eschewed. It means to chew and spit out. Eschewed to chew and spit out. That's how he felt about evil. And typically more modern translations will use some other word like shund evil or something like that. What do we do with these verses that describe men like Noah and Job as being perfect? What does that mean? Simless. Okay. John's asking a good question. Can we say they were sinless? Right. Right. There's only one who was sinless and that was Christ, one who walked on this earth as a man. So we would not say they were sinless, then what does this mean when it says they were perfect? Did anybody look these verses up in the in IV or another translation? I think the word upright may be used or blameless. Blameless. Okay. Yeah. Having integrity. Okay. All right. The idea is not sinless when it's referred when people are referred to as perfect. It can't be. We know that's not true. In fact, the Bible describes sinful behavior on the part of Noah and the Bible describes some sinful attitudes on the part of Job. So we know that's not perfection in the sense of being sinless, but it certainly does mean that in their character they were upright, they were blameless, they were above reproach in the sense that their lifestyle generally was a godly lifestyle. But there's another way in which the word perfect may be used in the way the reason for the use of the word particularly in the 1600s in King James English. The word basically meant mature. You know, I mentioned earlier that the word perfect literally is the idea of being complete. Okay. A person who is mature, who is at the point where they should be at any particular stage of their development and growth spiritually, could be spoken of as being mature or complete. They're not perfect in the sense of being sinless, but they're on track for where they should be. For instance, we use the same word today, kind of maybe kind of loosely, but we use it when we see a little baby and we look at a baby, was all they're just perfect. Does that mean they have no room for improvement? Of course not. They're going to grow a lot, but for that stage of their development, we look at them and they're so beautiful and they've got 10 toes and 10 fingers and two eyes and two ears and all that. And they think, oh, there's perfect for their age and their maturity level, they've developed the word they should be. And that's the way the word was used in 1600s. The word perfect was the idea of being complete or mature. And so that's the reason it was used. It does not have the idea of sinless. That's not what the King James translators meant. They were translating Greek and Hebrew words, which basically had the idea of being complete or mature or people of integrity, people who had godly character. Okay, so I think that pretty well answers that one, solves that dilemma for us. The other dilemma, however, may be a little more naughty. And that is what we saw in Matthew 548, where Jesus says to his hearers, be ye perfect as your father in heaven is perfect. Oh, okay, so it's not, it's not just be mature, be complete. We can understand the challenge to be mature and to be growing at the level we should be growing at. But then he goes on to say as your father in heaven is perfect. So how is that possible for us? What is Jesus saying to us? It's a progression, okay? I think Jim's on to something there. Any other thoughts? It's the goal or the target. Put those two thoughts together. The goal and the target is perfection, god likeness or Christ likeness. We know that that's the goal for us as whole, isn't it? To be like Christ, that's the goal toward which God is working in our lives. And there should be a progression toward that goal. And so what Jesus is saying here is here's the goal. Here's the here's the goal for you to shoot for. And that is being like your father. You know, there are lots of places in the New Testament where the Bible talks about God is making us into the image of Christ. He is transforming us from glory to glory to be more like Jesus. Well, obviously the goal, Christ likeness or god likeness is perfection. We're not going to reach that this side of heaven, but that's the goal that we're shooting for. I think that's one legitimate way to look at that that challenge. But there may be another way to look at it. And that is in its context. In the context, if you go back, Jesus is describing a kind of love that is not natural, is not true or possible for the natural person. It's a kind of love that only God can have and only God can give us. It's a love for our enemies. It's natural to love our friends, to love those who love us, to love those who are like us, whatever. But notice what Jesus says back in verse 43 says, you've heard it was said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be children of your father in heaven. What is he saying with that? Is loving people what makes you God's child? Is that what saves you? No, of course not. It's only one thing that saves us and that is faith in Christ and his atoning work on the cross. When he talks about, then you will be children of your father. This is used several times in the New Testament. It's basically saying, you'll take on the family characteristic. You will look like your father. You will prove yourself to be a child of God. The evidence will be there. You'll look like your father. That's the idea. So Jesus is saying, if you love your enemies, you're doing something that the world can't do. You're doing something that's not natural to you. It is not in your heart, your sinful nature, to love your enemies. Anybody can love their friends. It's not in your heart to love your enemies. So if you love your enemies, then you're looking a lot like your heavenly father. You're acting like his child. You're beginning to resemble him. So you see that thought is already in Jesus' mind in the context of being like your father in the way you love others. Middle of verse 45, he says, he causes his son to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? And then here's the challenge. Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect. In other words, reach to the standard of being like your father. In the context, he's talking about how we love other people. So when he says, be perfect as your father is perfect, he's basically speaking in this one sense, treat others like your father does. Love others like your father does. And in that sense, you're reflecting his character. You're showing yourself to be his child. You're being God-like. You're being Christ-like. And in that sense, you're reaching that level of maturity. I think that's another way to explain this passage. But certainly, the way we've talked about it, that it is the goal that fits also in the passage. So I don't think it's really a problem that the Bible calls some men perfect, at least in the King James, because the idea really is being blameless, being good, godly people, mature spiritually, and certainly the command for us to be perfect when it's understood in the context is clear. All right, any other questions about the fact that God alone is perfect? Okay, then how does this apply to you? What does it mean to you? How does it help you in your Christian life? Gives us something to strive toward, gives us the goal, doesn't it? For us to shoot for, yes. Okay, John was going to say the same thing. Anybody else want to say that? That's a good thought. Pardon me? His perfection means we don't have to be perfect, yeah. And I want to touch on that in just a moment with a verse. It certainly should be our goal, but we're never going to reach it. Okay. Yeah. Okay, okay. Any attempt, movement toward obedience on our part is going to be incomplete at best, but we should still try, strive for perfect obedience. That's the goal. I want to touch on what I think Kishti was talking about, and that's something that Colossians chapter 2 says, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He has just said that in Christ all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily, in other words, Christ is completely, perfectly God. And in Him we have been brought to fullness. The King James says, in Christ you are complete. You are complete in Him. The idea of completion or perfection in Christ. He is the head over every power and authority. Here's the point. The goal for our lives is Christ's likeness, absolute perfection. We will never reach that until we get to heaven and we are made perfectly like Christ. But in Christ our position is already perfect. Now there was God looks at us and sees us, and that's what justification is. God sees us as perfectly righteous in Christ as far as our standing before God is concerned, as far as what's on the record book in heaven there is no sin on your account in heaven. If there was one sin on your account in heaven on the record books you'd go to hell. You'd spend eternity in hell. But there's no condemnation, there's no sin on your record book in Christ you are considered in a perfect standing before God. So in that sense because Christ is perfect we don't have to be perfect in order to get into heaven. We don't have to reach a level of perfection to get into heaven. We are perfect in Him. We are complete in Him. Okay, now that doesn't mean that we should just say, well I know I'm not going to be perfect, so why strive, why care? I don't care how I live. So the goal is to be more like Christ and to keep moving toward that goal of perfection even though we know we won't reach it till we get to heaven. Only God is perfect in Himself and thank God in Christ we are complete. We are perfect in God's sight. Difference between our standing and our state, our position and our practice. Our practice is always trying to catch up to our position in Christ. Okay, any other questions on the perfection of God before we move on? No. Right, right. Right, right That's a good and deep question. I'm not sure I can answer in a simple simple answer Loving our enemy has to do with how we treat them It does not mean we allow them to treat us any way they want to or we we allow anything to happen to us That they may want to do doesn't mean we just open ourselves up to anything But it means that we do not we do not strike back at them. We do not retaliate against them Okay Personally, there's no personal vengeance allowed in the Bible Legally judicially yes, but not personally Okay, that's not coming across very well is it okay? Okay, sorry, that's what the Bible teaches I'm That's that's what I'm talking about. I think that's what the scriptures are talking about It's how I respond to people who may mistreat me or maybe an enemy Do I respond in kind? Do I mistreat them or do I demonstrate God's love to them? And I think that's what the scriptures require That I demonstrate God's love doesn't mean that doesn't mean that that Somewhere along the line at some point judicially legally They should not be punished. Yes, they should be and Judicially God will take care of that too, but how do I respond to people who mistreat me? Am I supposed to mistreat them back or am I supposed to demonstrate the love of God? And I think the scriptures require me to demonstrate the love of God Toward them No, no, no, no, no No, you're talking to get about a legal situation and I'm talking about a personal situation Okay Okay, I should not take personal vengeance against anyone But if a person is a terrorist then there are government structures that need to take care of that and I support that Okay, but I'm not going to take personal vengeance against someone Now what does that have to do with defending myself and so forth? That's a whole different topic, okay? How do I love it does God love terrorists? He sent you some Jesus to die for them Do I love them if I love them like God does I should hope that they come to know Christ and I should do everything I can to give them the gospel and trust that they will trust Jesus as their savior. That's how I would love a terrorist Doesn't mean I have to let him kill my family Two different things Okay Trust the leading of the Holy Spirit to know how to demonstrate love to people yeah Obviously there is a balance here You know The Bible is talking here about God Sending rain on the just and the unjust God gives the blessings of his common grace To to unjust people and he loves them in that way He does hold them accountable for their sin and I think any unsaved person or any Terrorist or anyone who mistreats anyone else needs to be held accountable for their sin and so that it to love someone Doesn't mean that I just let them by with anything no there's a balance there Okay Okay Be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect that's the goal All right, let's go ahead and move to the next one God is infinite God is infinite. What do we mean by infinite? No beginning no end okay all right that certainly is a part of it What else? Let me define it this way the meaning of infinite what infinite means is that God is holy without limits Except those which are self-imposed Okay And I want to get to that Exception as we move into this and we see some of the scriptures But let's just say in general terms God is holy without limits. There are no limits at all God may choose to limit himself in some cases But God is not limited in the sense that there's anything he can't do Okay Let's look at a few passages and maybe that will help us begin to Sort this out and we're going to look at a little bit of difficulty in understanding this by the way the Infinity of God or the the the fact that God is infinite without limits Really is an attribute that qualifies all the others and it's really built into all the others when we say that God is omnipotent That means he is without limit in his power He's infinite in his power as all power when we say he's omniscient we mean that he's without limit in his knowledge Okay, so really He's being limitless describes all of his other other Attributes but let's just look at a few passages that that describe things that are limitless of God first of all in Psalm 40 And verse 5 Many Lord my God are the wonders you have done the things you planned for us None can compare with you. We're out to speak and tell of your deeds They would be too many to declare in other words There is no possibility that I would be able to list all of the wonders of God and all of his good deeds all of the things He does so his his wonders That he is done the things he's planned for us are limitless Okay, not only are his wonders Limitless his his works his saving works his delivering works all the things he's done for us But also look at Psalm 89 and verse 2 I will declare that your love stands firm Forever That you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself God's love God's faithfulness his covenant love faithfulness to his people to his covenant to his people Those are without limit their established their firm in heaven In other words, there's no limit at all to his his loving kindness his faithfulness to us One other Psalm 147.5 and there are many Evidences of this in the scriptures. We're just picking a few out of the Psalms Psalm 147.5 Says great is our Lord and mighty in power his understanding has no limit So his power but particularly here his understanding has no limit so Enough there. I think to show in different ways God's wonders God's works God's understanding God's power God's faithfulness God's love All of those things are without limit. They're more than we could even begin to list or speak So those are just representative examples of the fact that God's God is infinite. He is without limits in all of his characteristics But There's a difficulty in understanding this truth and let's introduce it at least and see if we can get a little ways toward toward Understanding this Psalm 78 look at Psalm 78 verse 41 Talking about God's dealings with Israel and the many ways in which they rebelled against him Psalm Psalm 78 41 again and again they put God to the test the NIV says they vexed the Holy one of Israel the King James anybody have the King James version with them. Okay, would you read verse 41? They limited the Holy one of Israel. That's pretty much the same thing That the old King James says uses the word limited. Okay Now there's a reason why there's a reason for that and this is a a little bit of of Explanation of how translations are done sometimes When people are translating from the Hebrew and the Greek A lot of the way that we know what Hebrew words mean is because they're used numerous times In the Bible and we can check their context and the context of different uses or the the way it's used in other places Can help us understand what the word means and that's that's one way among others that Scholars determine what does this word literally mean? The difficulty comes when there may be only one or two uses of a word in the Old Testament It's used very few times then it becomes more difficult To have a basis of comparison and so then scholars will go to what they call cognate languages Other languages in the region at the time that used similar words like a cadien or eugenic or other Ancient Near Eastern languages and similar words Found in other literature can help us understand then what that Hebrew word might mean There are two different ideas as to what this Hebrew word means and there's a difference In opinion among scholars some believe that this Hebrew word literally has the idea of a mark or a boundary and thus Limit and that's the the way the King James translator saw it You know It's not that the King James translators because they did it so long ago did a poor job those those men were great scholars They knew what they were doing And they took this particular word to come from that idea of mark or boundary or a limit And so that's the reason they translated they limited the Holy One but most Modern Hebrew scholars because of further study on the word and more ability to understand what the word means Have discovered that the word probably better is related to the Hebrew word for hurt or grieve They hurt they grieved and that's why the in obvious says they vexed the Holy One of Israel The whole point is this because they resisted God and and disobeyed him over and over and over again they grieved his heart It's not that they limited what God could do It's that they grieved his heart they vexed his heart by their response and I think the context uh describing What they've done to him over and over and over again Lens support to that view so I don't think this passage is teaching that God can limit or man can limit what God can do It it basically is talking about the fact that God is vexed and grieved by the repeated rebellion of Of his people in the Old Testament But there are a couple of New Testament passages that are a little more difficult than Than this one Matthew 13 13 158 for instance and A corresponding passage it will look at in mark Matthew 13 58 this is where Jesus has been Excuse me rejected in his hometown of Nazareth and They've questioned him because you know they know him We know he's his mother they say in verse 55 isn't this the carpenter's son isn't his mother's name Mary or his brothers James Joseph Simon Judas aren't all his sisters with us Where then did this man get all these things and they took offense of him Jesus said to them in verse 57 a prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home and then verse 50 He says and he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith Now the parallel passage in mark is the one that's very interesting look at mark chapter 6 and verse 5 Mark 6 and verse 5 says Right after Jesus and verse 4 is said a prophet is not without honor except in his own townics among his own relatives and in his own home Verse 5 he could not do many miracles there except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith He could not Do many miracles there because of their lack of faith? Would not Says could not Is is the passage saying that man's lack of faith limits what God can do? Is that what it's saying Steve Okay Yeah, there's an element of that involved So Okay Oh Okay Now I think Sherry's on the right path there um and and the way that It reads in mark is what trips up some people where it says he could not do many miracles and it was it's not It's not that God Is unable to do things It is that God has chosen Not to work in the face of unbelief And so when we do not allow God doesn't force himself on people So when when we do not allow him to work when we do not trust him God chooses At times, okay Generally speaking God chooses not to work in the face of unbelief So it's not that man limits God in the sense that God can't do it and God's frustrated and he throws up his hands and says well I'm powerless. I can't do this Because they won't let me No, no God can do anything he we've already established the fact he has all power But he has chosen not to run over us He has chosen not to work in the face of unbelief and so when these people would not believe him it is very much like casting pearls before swine um He's not going to waste his power Where there is no acceptance of it I think that's the the real idea here now We have to be careful you can go too far with that too You can go all the way to where the Charismatics go to where the Charismatics say well it is our faith then that controls God Okay, the Charismatics say if you have enough faith you can get God to do anything you can get him to heal you If you're not healed because you don't have enough faith Well, we have to balance that here because we know that there are times in the Bible where God does miracles when people had no faith There's several instances of that the widow of Maine and her son being raised from the dead Jesus just walked up to the casket and touched it and the the young man came to life There's no evidence that there was any faith on his part or the widow's part Jesus just out of the graciousness graciousness and mercy of his own heart performed that miracle And there are other miracles like that where there is you know John 5 The man who's raised at the pool of Bethesda there's no evidence You don't even know who Jesus is He doesn't even understand who he is Jesus just heals him and so We have to balance this out but generally speaking and I think what this text is indicating is that God does not work He has chosen to limit what he will do in the face of unbelief It's not that we limit God It's not that we make God frustrated and so we oh, I can't do anything because we're more powerful than he is We stop him no, no, it's not that it's that God has chosen not to work in the face of unbelief So our definition I think stands up God is holy without limits Except those which are self-imposed God may at times impose limits on himself out of his own will In a case like this where Jesus says I'm not going to do any miracles here Or very few because of their unbelief that was his choice Okay Our time's up. It's five after and I can't can't go any longer. Okay. We'll we'll wrap this up next time. That's pray Father many of the things we've talked about tonight are admittedly difficult for us to grasp and I always feel inadequate to explain Uh, truths that are in many ways beyond our ability to grasp At least to fully wrap our minds around Help us Lord by your spirit understand what we can and to live what we can understand To live what we know as best we can We ask in Jesus name a