"The Self-Revealing God"

Sermon Transcript for September 17, 2000

By Rev. Mike Beck

Scripture Reading: Acts 17:16-34

 

Our sermons between now and the end of April next year are related to the doctrines being covered in the new "Christian Believer" study series. We have, I think, close to twenty individuals who already, since Wednesday of this week, been reading scriptures related to the message this morning. If you would like to be a part of one of those Wednesday groups, it’s not too late. Give the office a call so that we can include you in one of those groups.

The question before us today in this message is this, "Are we left to make our "best guess" about the existence and nature of God, or has God revealed Himself to us? Let’s pray together. Oh Lord, one of the ways in which you do reveal yourself to us is through our times of worship. So we’re going to ask now in your name that our hearts will be open and receptive that you  might use even preaching to reveal yourself more fully to each individual gathered here. In the name of Christ who is our Lord and our Redeemer, we pray. Amen.

Within the fabric of how God put you together, there is a hunger after God. In that sense, the term "religion" refers to that search on our part after God. That search can take us in a variety of directions. In to the realm of philosophy or ethics. To a variety of rituals that have been instituted to help connect one with God. Through the practice of personal meditation. Through what has been known down through the ages as animism. In other words that we learn to seek God in everything around us which is flushed out anew in our day. That’s exactly what the New Age Movement is all about. Learn to see God in everything around you.

And there are positive things to be found in all of these approaches to finding God. But, hear me carefully now. Christianity is by nature much more than these things, and distinct from them. Please be aware that there are fundamental differences between religion and Christianity. There are fundamental differences between a general vague belief in God which the Bible says even Satan and his angels believe in God. A difference between a general belief in God and saving faith in Jesus Christ. Christianity stresses that it is not so much our search for God as it is that God in love is seeking me and desires to be in relationship with me and with you.

Those introductory comments lead us to the doctrine of this week’s message. What the church teaches on what we call the "revelation" of God. The word revelation comes from the Latin word "revalatio" which simply means "an uncovering". So divine revelation simply means God’s self-communication or self-disclosure to human kind. And we want this morning to look briefly at five ways in which God has revealed Himself to us. And again, I’ll often in this message use the pronoun "Him" realizing that God is much bigger. We’re not talking about the masculine pronoun. So if that is offensive to you, I’ll own it up front. But I couldn’t find another word to use other than that.

1. God reveals Himself to us through nature. Romans 1:20 says this, "Since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and His divine nature, have been clearly seen." How? "Being understood from what was made". I’ll never forget the first time I saw the ocean, the first time I viewed the Rocky Mountains. Or even as recently as last night, the clearness of the sky. The fullness of the moon and looking up in to the heavens, we see glimpses of God. One of the most fascinating creatures I believe God ever made is the hummingbird. When you see a hummingbird flittering around the feeder, you see something of the handiwork of God. In the unfolding of a rose, we see evidence of God. In fact, we need to often remember that the Psalmists were generally folks who spent a great deal of time out in God’s world. They slept under the stars which is why we find words like this in Psalm 8: "Oh, Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. You accept your glory above the heavens. But I look up at night and consider your heavens the work of your fingers. The moon and the stars that you have set in place. What is man, that you are mindful of him."

Dr. Mary Van Mallory was a very good friend of mine in Corydon. A very beautiful, young woman. Very intelligent. A physician in the Emergency Room at the University of Louisville Hospital. And believe me, in that kind of job you see the very worse that life has to offer. But I’ll never forget her saying to me one day, she said, "Mike, anyone who has studied the complexity of the human body, how all of its systems function so remarkably together, it is beyond me how anyone could ever believe there is not a God behind that design

Nature then reveals to us that there surely must be a God, but nature alone cannot reveal to us the characteristics of God.

2. As Christians, we believe that God also has revealed Himself through historical events that we call Biblical history. Through persons such as Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and Moses and David and the prophets and kings of the Old Testament. Through events such as the Exodus, the giving of the Ten Commandments, the events of the nation of Israel. We believe that through real persons and real events in history that God reveals aspects of his nature to us.

We see in those historical events the power of God, the righteousness and judgment of God. We found out things about holiness and sin and the means of forgiveness and atonement. And because we believe God has revealed Himself through real events in history, we find numerous commemorative holy days to help us remember God’s actions in history. That’s what the Old Testament Passover meal was about. To remember a historical event where God acted in history. As New Testament Christians this is why we celebrate Christmas, and Easter, and Pentecost. To remember God is not just a God wrapped up in philosophy, but God is a God who is active and revealed Himself through history.

3. And obviously related to that last point, is the revelation of God in Scripture. For it’s in the pages of the Old and New Testaments where we read of God’s actions in history. Now within the Christian community, there are many differences of interpretation as to just what we mean by the simple phrase, "The Bible is the Word of God." I’ll say much more about that in next week’s message. However, today let me simply say, all Christians, rather liberal or conservative in their interpretation of scripture, believe there is something very unique about this Book and that through it God reveals Himself to men and women and to boys and girls.

4. The fullest revelation, though, of God to us comes not in nature, not in God’s acts in history, not even in scripture, but in the person of Jesus Christ. Galatians, Chapter 4, Verse 4, are these profound words which set all of the scripture in context, "In the fullness of time, God sent His Son." In the prologue of John’s gospel are these profound words--what was God doing there? "The Word", speaking of God, "became flesh and made His dwelling among us. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." In the Upper Room there at the Last Supper, we had that account between Jesus and Philip. And Philip turns to Jesus and says, "Jesus, show us the Father." And Jesus had patience but also certainly with a measure of frustration says to Philip, "How long do I have to be with you Philip? When you see me, you see the Father." The fullest revelation of God comes to us in the historical person of Jesus Christ. God himself dwelling among us in the mystery of what we call the incarnation. The words and events of the Old Testament are all pointed to that event in history - the fullest revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ.

5. That fullest revelation of God is still present with us. Now, I’m not expecting Jesus as a historical person in history to walk through the back door this morning. But, friends, Jesus is with us right here in this place through what Christian believers know as the person of the Holy Spirit. The one year I had the privilege of serving under Reverend Bob Campbell. Bob really brought that home to me because so often Bob would begin his prayers this way, "Eternal God, known to us in Jesus Christ, but present with us right now here in this room through the person of the Holy Spirit." This is the way in which Christ is still present with us revealing Himself to us even now right where you are seated.

In the Upper Room discourse, if you’ll read carefully John, Chapter 14 and 16, the disciples were really upset because Jesus tells them he has to go away. He’s going back to heaven. And they say, "How in the world can we get along without you?" And Jesus says something of a surprising nature to them. He says, "Guys, it’s really better that I go away." Because when Jesus was here in the person, he could only be in one place at one time. But as he returns to be with God in heaven and the Holy Spirit is poured out, Christ’s presence can be all places at all times. And again, we’ll speak more about this in a separate message. But today I would simply say this, because there is a lot of stuff floating around there in the church today saying the Holy Spirit is revealing this new thing to us. Let me remind you, if the Holy spirit is God himself and the person of Jesus Christ, whatever the Holy Spirit reveals to us today will be consistent with the person of Jesus Christ and the revelation of God in scripture. The Holy Spirit doesn’t give us permission to think up new thoughts about God inconsistent with what God has already revealed.

For a greater understanding of the basic doctrines of faith is critically important to strengthening the foundation of the church. And as we close today I want to be careful that we don’t turn these messages into just an intellectual exercise. It would be easy to do that. So in my closing remarks each week, I want to try to take the doctrine we have looked at, today the revelation of God to us, and make it very practical in nature.

The fact that God has revealed Himself to us in nature, in history, in Scripture, in the person of Christ and the Holy Spirit, at the bottom line tells us this, and hear me carefully. God is not an unknown God. God is not totally shrouded in the realm of mystery. But God reveals himself to you and to me. And in that revelation we discover God loves you. God wants to be in relationship with you. That God cares about what is going on in your life right now. But God has a plan for your days here on this earth. That we don’t journey through life alone, but that God is with us. And the revelation of God promises to us some marvelous things--forgiveness, grace, strength, and the hope of eternal life.

6. The last point I make with you is this, the revelation of God is discovered through faith and obedience. To know that God who has revealed Himself to us, he asks two things of you and me. He asks for our faith. Going back last week to Hebrews 11:1, "Without faith it is impossible to please God because we must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him." He asks for our faith. He also asks for our obedience.

Let me illustrate it in this way. The 2000 Olympic games began in Sydney a couple of days ago. Rod and Becky Davis from our own church here at Grace are there now. If you watch the men’s and women’s gymnastics, Rod’s one of the people organizing and putting that together behind the scenes. News of the Olympics are in the newspaper, in the magazines, and on TV every day. But to appropriate what’s going on, you have to either read the paper or turn on your TV set. If we don’t do those things, it does not mean that the Olympic games are not going on. It simply means that I have failed to appropriate myself to the news of them.

God has revealed Himself to us. We appropriate that revelation through obedience and faith. And I simply ask, "Are you doing that?"

Let us pray. Oh, Lord, I would thank you that you are not silent. That you love us and that you are revealing with each day your presence with us. Help us, Oh God, to appropriate those things through faith and through obedience. In the name of Christ we pray and ask these things. Amen.