1.1 About God

Before we talk about church, faith, or how to live, let's just start at the very basic with a very simple but incredibly important question. Who is God? A lot of people ask it, a lot of people wonder, a lot of people are curious. There's many versions out there. And for some, the idea of God is shaped by their past experiences. For some people, it's a very positive experience. For some people, it could actually be a painful experience. For some people, it's just really, really confusing because of this plethora of ideas and philosophies and gods that people seem to subscribe to. But when you go to the scripture, when you go to the Bible, which we believe to be clearly the authority and the truth about who God is, the Bible simply says that he is the sovereign creator and ruler of the universe. In Genesis chapter one, the Bible teaches that God existed before anything else and that everything began with him. It's an important thing to note that God did not emerge from creation. Creation flowed out of God. Psalm 90 teaches that God is eternal and he is, this is important, from everlasting to everlasting. That means that he did not evolve from anything.

As mind-boggling as this is, there was never a time when he was not and there will never be a time where he will not be, from everlasting to everlasting. In Genesis chapter one, then the Bible says, this is a beautiful part, God said, let us make man in our image. But who was he talking to? Who was he talking to when he said, let us make man in our image? Well, the Bible teaches us that God exists eternally in three persons. He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Not three separate gods, but one God expressing himself in three different dimensions. I know that's confusing to people. That's a little bit difficult for people to understand this doctrine known as the Trinity. Let me try to help you understand a little bit. Think about water. Think about water as liquid, as steam, and as ice. It is water expressed in three different dimensions, but it is H2O at its composite. Through and through, its chemical makeup is exactly the same, but it is expressing itself in three completely unique ways. It's interesting, it's what God is. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. For example, in Matthew chapter 28,

Bible records that Jesus commanded his followers to be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Not separate beings competing for attention. They are one God, united in purpose, and united in love and mission. Second Corinthians chapter 13 speaks about the grace of Jesus. It speaks about the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. They're all working together to do what God's will is. From the very beginning, God has existed in relationship. This matters. It's a big deal. It's important to know and to settle in your heart, because it means that relationship is not just something God does. No, no, no, it is the very essence of who God is. He exists within himself in dimensional relationship, and therefore he wants to have a relationship with us. God the Father, the Bible says, is the source of all life and all love. God the Son, Jesus Christ, shows us exactly what God looked like when he took upon himself human flesh, and lived and walked among us for 33 years here on this earth. God the Holy Spirit is God's presence with us now, that is not only with us, but the Bible says that when we come to Christ,

he is in us and working God's good through our lives. First Peter chapter one speaks of the Father, the Spirit, and Christ all working together in the life of the believers. So God is not distant. God is not disconnected from humanity. He is deeply, deeply, deeply involved in the life of his people and of his children. That means that he's not just powerful, and we celebrate his sovereignty, but he's present. He's with us, and he's in us, and we find great comfort and joy in that. Throughout the scripture, the Bible always shows God moving towards his people, not moving away, but always moving towards. He speaks to his people. He listens to his people. He acts on behalf of his people. He defends his people. He loves his people unconditionally. In the Old Testament, God would walk with his people. For example, in a cloud by day, in fire by night, they were in the desert. The cloud gave them shade, so they were not overwhelmed by the heat at night. It would get cold in the desert, and so there would be a pillar of fire. God's presence was always there. always with them and giving them heat. In the Gospels, God became human, born of a virgin,

lived a perfect life in the form of Christ. And even after Jesus' resurrection and ascension to heaven, in Acts chapter two, the Bible says the Spirit of God came from heaven. Jesus one time said, it is important that I go back to the Father because if I do not go to him, the Holy Spirit cannot come. And as soon as he ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit in Acts two comes into the life of the believer. It tells us something important about our faith, that faith is not about us trying to track down, chase down, or reach up to a God who is constantly trying to be distant from his people. It is about a God who loves you so much and loves me so much that he has already responded to us and made a move in our direction and constantly does so. The Scripture gives us an image of God who is not religious. He is highly relational and he loves his people and wants to have a deep, living, loving relationship with us. He's not primarily interested in rule keeping or our performance or whether we do the do's or the don'ts. He is interested in knowing his people intimately and being known by them intimately. That's what he wants. He wants a deep, intimate relationship with us. He's not just holy and powerful and just. Of course he is, but he's also loving and patient and kind and compassionate and loves his children.

Because God is eternal, he is not rushed. Because God is relational, he is highly attentive. Because God is perfect, he is thoroughly consistent and that means that he can be trusted. The beautiful thing is that you don't have to understand everything about God to begin a relationship with him. I've often said, I don't really know the ins and outs about how electricity really works, but I'm not gonna sit around in the dark until I do. I'm gonna flip the switch and enjoy what's being provided. And there's a lot about God and your journey with God, your journey of faith will mean that you will constantly, till the day you leave this earth, be learning about him, growing in your relationship and knowledge of him. But he will never be fully understood and you don't have to fully understand all the nuances of God to know that he loves you and wants to have a living, loving relationship with you and you can indeed have that. You don't need perfect language or a full understanding of every scripture to know God personally. It all begins by simply believing that he is who he says he is. And we'll talk more about that in an upcoming session. But here's the fact, summaries. He is creator, he is eternal, he is relational, he is present, he is all-encompassing true love and he is inviting people in this earth into a relationship with him, not religion.

This is where everything begins.