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Our God is Alive! - Lesson 1
by Jon Quinn

[Bible Text - Revised Standard Version]

INSTRUCTIONS
            These lessons are designed to give you an overview of the Biblical message. Please read each scripture reference carefully as you read through the lesson, then answer the questions at the end of the lesson. We hope that you have a rewarding study.

            Knowing God is necessary if one is to do more than stumble through life from one ordeal to another. One needs purpose and direction. God gives us reason to live and reachable goals to attain.

GOD EXISTS

            Everything has a cause. Science calls this the "Law of Cause and Effect." Nothing in our universe can be the cause of its own existence, therefore we must look beyond this physical realm to find the Ultimate Cause -- the Uncaused First Cause -- of all things. The universe is like a huge clock that is winding down. The question is: "WHO wound up the clock in the beginning?"

(Genesis 1:1) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

(Revelation 4:11) "Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created."

            When we buy a watch we recognize that there must have been a watchmaker. If we admire a painting we understand that there must have been an artist. Likewise, the universe tells us of its Maker. We see design all around us. The human eye is much more effective than the finest camera and no one would seriously suggest that a camera came into existence by accident instead of by plan. It makes even less sense to deny the existence of the Designer and Creator of the human eye!

(Psalms 19:1-2) The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.

(Psalms 139:14) I will give thanks to thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: wonderful are thy works; and my soul knows it very well.

            The nature of man tells us much about his origin. Human beings are moral, rational, and spiritual creatures. We ponder our existence, asking "how" and "why." These very questions point us in God's direction! It is foolish to deny His existence.

(Psalms 14:1) The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none that does good.

CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD

            How does one describe God? Words are inadequate and yet they are all we have. The best approach is to see how God has revealed Himself to us.
            Our God is majestic. He is all powerful. His glory surpasses anything else in human experience.

(1 Timothy 6:15-16) And this will be made manifest at the proper time by the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
16 who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

            Our God is wise. He knows His universe down to the smallest detail. He knows our hearts. He knows what is best for us.

(Psalms 33:13-15) The Lord looks down from heaven, he sees all the sons of men;
14 from where he sits enthroned he looks forth on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes all their deeds.

(Romans 11:33-34) O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?"

            Our God is jealous. This is not to be confused with anything like the petty jealousies of man. It simply means that God demands loyalty from those He loves and redeems.

(Exodus 20:5) You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me.

            Our God is love. Our well-being is His concern and He has acted in our behalf.

(John 3:16) For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

(Hebrews 4:16) Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

            Our God is also capable of great wrath. He is the righteous judge of a wicked world. His wrath is perfectly dispensed; none will pay an unjust penalty. Also, it must be noted that Divine wrath is what men choose for themselves when they retreat from the light which God has provided.

(2 Thessalonians 1:6-8) Since indeed God deems it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
7 and to grant rest with us to you who are afflicted, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire,
8 inflicting vengeance upon those who do not know God and upon those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

(John 3:18) He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

NAMES OF GOD

            There are several names that God uses in identifying Himself. They also tell us something of His nature. We will look at two of these names.

           

            Jehovah is the name by which God revealed Himself to Moses from the burning bush. This name continued to be used by God's people throughout history. A shortened form of the name is used in the word "hallelujah" which means "praise to Jehovah." The name Jehovah is from the Hebrew language and means "I AM." It shows God's eternal nature; that He has no beginning or end.

(Exodus 3:14) God said to Moses, "I am that I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"

            Elohim is a name which signifies might and power. It is this Hebrew word that is translated "God" in the very first verse of the Bible.

(Genesis 1:1) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

GODHEAD

            Most are familiar with the concept of three persons in one God. Some refer to this as "the Trinity." But what does the Bible teach?
            There is one God. There are not two, three or more. However, we have already noticed the use of the word "Elohim" as one of the names used by God. The interesting thing is that "Elohim" is plural! This certainly helps to explain Genesis 1:26. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image." The one God of the Bible is revealed to be a unity of three Persons. All three are mentioned together several times in the scriptures.

(Matthew 3:13-17) Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.
14 John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
15 But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness." Then he consented.
16 And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him;
17 and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

(Matthew 28:18-20) And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."

(2 Corinthians 13:14) The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

            God, the Father, is separate and distinct from the Son and the Spirit, and yet one with them.

(1 Peter 1:2) Chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

            Jesus, the Son, is referred to in the scripture as God. He also accepted being addressed as God. He was also willing to be worshiped after saying that it was only proper to worship God and no other! Look at these verses:

(Matthew 4:10) Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! for it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"

(Matthew 28:9) And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Hail!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.

Also look at theses verses....

(Matthew 1:23) "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanu-el" (which means, God with us).

(John 1:1-3) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God;
3 all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.

(John 1:14) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.

(John 1:17) For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

(John 20:26-29) Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you."
27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing."
28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"
29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

(Titus 2:13) Awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

            The Holy Spirit is revealed in the Bible as being both a living being and Deity. The personal pronoun "He" is used to refer to Him. He is said to love, speak, and grieve. He has a mind. If one lies to the Spirit, he has lied to God!

(John 14:16-18) And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever,
17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.
18 "I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you.

(Acts 5:3, 4) But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land?
4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."

(Romans 8:27) And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

(Ephesians 4:30) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

            We find examples of the Lord God making statements in the Old Testament and then discover that the New Testament quotes those same statements and attributes them specifically to the Holy Spirit. This certainly shows that the Holy Spirit is one of the Godhead. Consider the following:

(Isaiah 6:8-10) And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."
9 And he said, "Go, and say to this people: 'Hear and hear, but do not understand; see and see, but do not perceive.'
10 Make the heart of this people fat, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed."

(Acts 28:25-27) So, as they disagreed among themselves, they departed, after Paul had made one statement: "The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:
26 'Go to this people, and say, You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive.
27 For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.'

CONCLUSION

            It is important to know our God. Not just to know about Him but to know Him as God! In this universe and in eternity, when all has been said and done, man cannot fail more seriously than to live out his life estranged from his Creator. On the other hand, there cannot be a brighter success story than that of a man or woman who walks with God.

            Lesson #2 is entitled "GOD HAS SPOKEN" and shows the Bible to be the true Word of God. How do we know that the Bible is God's word? What does "inspiration" mean? What is the difference between the Old and New Testaments? Can one really understand the Bible? These and other questions will be dealt with in Lesson #2.

QUESTIONS FOR LESSON ONE
(Click on the Bible Verses and they will open up for you to read!)

FORM TITLE

1. GOD EXISTS!

A. Read PSALM 19: 1, 2 and fill in the blanks.

"The heavens declare the and the firmament showeth ."

B. The lesson compared the human eye to a camera in making the point that we find evidence of intelligent design in our universe. From the selections below pick an example FROM NATURE which shows evidence of God's intelligent design. There may be more than one correct answer. (Hold down the CTRL key while you click your mouse button to select more than one answer.)

C. According to PSALM 14:1, who says in His heart "There is no God"?

2. CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD

A. The lesson mentions five of God's characteristics. Please list them here.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

B. What has God done for us that proves His love? (JOHN 3:16)

3. NAMES OF GOD

A. What does the name "Jehovah" tell us about God?

4. GODHEAD

A. Is the name "Elohim" singular or plural?
Singular
Plural

Why does GENESIS 1:26 use the word "Us."

B. Compare MATTHEW 4:10 with MATTHEW 28:9 and answer the following: Is it right to worship anyone other than God?
Yes
No

Did Jesus object when people worshiped Him?
Yes
No

Does this show that Jesus is God (divine)?
Yes
No
Your comments?

C. What does Thomas call Jesus in JOHN 20:28?

Does Jesus accept the names Thomas calls him, or does he tell Thomas it is wrong to call him by such names? (see also JOHN 20:29)
he says Thomas shouldn't call him Lord
he accepts what Thomas called him

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