His Uniqueness, Part 1

Isaiah 40 says this Isaiah 40 verse number 18 to whom then will you liken God Or what likeness will you compare with him? As for the id, a craftsman casts it, a goldsmith plaits it with gold, and a silvers fashions chains of silver. He who is too impoverished for such an offering selects a tree that does not rot. He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman to prepare an idol that will not totter. Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

It is he who sits above the vault of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in? He it is who reduces rulers to nothing. Wh makes the judges of the earth meaningless? To whom then will you liken to me that I should be his equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high. And see who has created the stars, the one who leads forth their hosts by number. He calls them all by name because of the greatness of his might and the strength of his power.

Not one of them is missing. The Lord God through the prophet Isaiah in the 40th chapter helps us to understand the uniqueness of God. And so tonight, I want to talk about some things that maybe you've never talked about before, and I want to bring them home to life. You know, interpretation for me is not the most difficult thing about preaching. Application is the most difficult thing about preaching. And so I have spent time this week trying to. Make sure that tonight you leave with an understanding of the implications of number one, the personality of God.

Number two. The spirituality of God, number three, the singularity of God, and number four, the triunity of God.

And that all spells out to us his uniqueness. And I think that as we go through this, you're going to understand more about who God is and understand the greatness of what that means for your life. And so tonight we're going to talk about, first of all, his personality.

That's important to understand. If God is nothing more than a force, If God is nothing more than an idea, if God is nothing more than a principle, then there will have little impact on your life and my life. In terms of a personal relationship or personal involvement with the God of the universe, the God we worship is a personal God. Who knows how we feel, who knows how we think, therefore knows every one of our need. So, tonight I want you to understand. His person by looking at four areas. Number one, the personal pronouns in the scriptures.

That's how you know that God is more than just an idea. A force, but he's actually a person. God is not an it. God is a he. That's important to understand. To discover the personality of God cannot be emphasized or overemphasized enough. to a generation that claims that God is somehow distant from them. And maybe you're here tonight and throughout your life you have seen God as somewhere else other than personally involved in your life. I promise that when you leave here tonight, you're going to see God as a personal being, intricately involved in every detail of your life.

But we must understand that he's a personal being based on, number one, that there are personal pronouns in the scripture that describe him.

So we understand the personality of God virtually by number one, that there are personal pronouns that describe Him in the scripture.

Number two, Personal feelings of God. This gets really good. Turn with me to Isaiah 53, verse number 3.

Messiah is called what? The man of sorrows, ac with grief. Now, Isaiah the prophet could have used anything he wanted to describe the coming Messiah. But he used a particular phrase to help you and me understand that God in the flesh is a personal being. Why? Because of grief. He's the man of sorrows. He's acquainted with grief. Exodus:. For the Lord, whose name is jealous, is a jealous God. Now think about that for a moment. God says, my name is jealous.

Now when we think of jealousy, we think of being green with envy and wanting what somebody else wants and pursuing it and becoming bitter and angry because they have something we don't have and we become jealous of their position. Or jealous of their power or whatever it is they possess that we want. God never gets jealous of you. God never wants what you have. God has everything. All right? God doesn't need what you have. God doesn't sit up in heaven and say, oh man, I wish I had that car. Oh, I wish I lived in that house.

That house is so much better than any house I can make. God's not that way. God is never jealous of you, God is jealous for you. See that? He wants you. And he has a right to be jealous. Why? Because you see, he created all creatures for who? Himself. He created everything for his glory. And when his creatures don't give him glory, he's jealous. Because you see, he has a monopoly on his throne. There's not a duplex up in heaven when it comes to the throne of God. He wants you. He wants all of you.

Romans 5:8, God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. You see, our God is a God of love. God never stops loving. Why? Because he's a God of love. It's part of his character. But because of the personal feelings of God, we know that he's more than just an it, something out there, some cosmic force. He's a personal being. Remember, we're created in whose image? His image. Are you a personal being? Absolutely. If you doubt that, well, you've got problems.

But you are a personal being, all right? Because you're creating the image of God, who Himself is a personal being. God's a God of compassion. Psalm 103, verse number 13: As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear him. Isn't it good that we know that God's a God of compassion? He feels compassion for his people? Lamentations tells us that if he wasn't compassionate, we'd all be consumed, wouldn't we? We'd be born, and because we're born into sin, we'd come out of the womb, and that we'd be gone because we're born in sin.

But because of his mercies, because of his compassion, we're not consumed. God has feelings. Let's go on. Personal involvement. This is the third aspect of his personality.

You know he's a person because he's personally involved. Turn me over to Colossians chapter 1. Colossians chapter 1, listen to what Paul says in verse number 13. For he delivered us from the domain of darkness and trans us to the kingdom of his bel Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness. Of sins. Now, understand that God is personally involved in your salvation. It's Him. Who delivers you? It's him who transfers you. He's involved in the whole process. Now, read on. And he is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for by him all things were created.

both in the heavens and on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things have been creat been created by him and For him, and he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Did you get that? In Him, all things hold together. That means, in the present tense, God is continually holding all things together. cont to what philosophers will tell you and scientists will tell you that that God created everything and just kind of let it run its course.

And this is kind of doing its own thing now, and God has erased his hands from what's happening in the world. That's not true, that's false. God holds everything together, so much so that if He was not involved in holding the world together, it would disintegrate immediately. Hebrews 1:3 says what? He upholds all things with the word of his power. His word holds everything together. All he does is speak it together. Isn't that good? That's the way God functions. Can you imagine if the President of the United States was personally involved in your life?

That's probably not a good analogy at this point. Forget I said that. Let me take a former president was personally involved in your life.

Excuse me. Can you imagine how significant you would feel the president calls you up and says, Hey, you know, what are you doing today? Well, you know, I to go to work. you know what why don you take the day off work come up here and we'll have lunch at the white house and and we'll sit and we'll talk about you know the future of our economy and our country and We'll talk about what we can do to beef up our school system. We'll talk about, you know, just society and crime. And I want your input. Wow, all right, man, I'm there.

You know, get me on the next plane first class to Washington, D. C sit in the Oval Office and talk to the president. You 'd feel pretty important, wouldn't you? He calls you up the next day. What are you doing? Hey, you want to go golf with it? Oh, man, this is great, man. The president's involved in my life. We're golfing together. We're talking together. M, we're vacation together. The president's concerned about me. I 'm concerned about him, man. This is great. But, folks, let me tell you something.

God's involved. God's so involved in your life, you can't get away from Him. No matter where you go, He's there. He's the hound of heaven. I mean, I don't want to be crude or anything, but folks, let me tell you: when you eat, he's there.

When you sleep, he's there. When you go to the bathroom, he's there. Okay? He's never not there. That's how involved he is in your life. You got to understand that. So, when you get in your car, you know, and you driving down the road, it's all dark, and you're scared to death for what's going to happen to you. God's there. What are you scared of? When you go to bed at night and there's a great earthquake that rumbles across Southern California, what are you scared of? God's involved. God's there.

What are you worried about? See, that's the way God is. See, we don't understand God. That's why the Bible calls him so unique. He's different than anything you could ever imagine. We must understand the fact that God is more involved with us than we will ever be involved with Him. He holds us together. He's concerned. He's involved. What's he just the fourth aspect of his personalities that his personal titles help us understand God's personality? Personal titles such as shepherd. Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want. Listen very carefully. Do you know how to tell whether or not you know God? You don't want for anything. That's how you tell. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. If you're here this evening and you're wanting something, you don't understand God is shepherd because that's who God is. It says over in Psalm 34, these words: Oh, fear the Lord, you as saints, for to those who fear him, there is no want. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.

Boy, that's so good. Do you know God as your shepherd? Doesn't say the Lord is a shepherd. It says the Lord is my shepherd. Do you know him as your shepherd tonight? Do you know him in a personal kind of way? Another title is Father. Matthew 6, verse number 9, Our Father who art in heaven. It says in 2 Corinthians 6:18, I will be a father to you, and you shall be my son and daughter. Do you know God as your father? You claim him as your father. Third, he's my friend.

Do you know God as your friend? Talked about it a little bit on study. James 2:2, Abraham was called a friend of God. John 15, 4, You are my friends. If you do whatsoever I command you, are you a friend of God? Do you know Him as your friend? Or is he your enemy? I trust he's your friend this evening. How about this? Is he your counselor? Isaiah:. His name should be called Wonderful. His name should be called Counsel. His name should be called Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. That should give you great comfort.

Not only the fact that he's a personal God who cares and is involved, but there are certain things about his name that describe what he does. For us. Because he's our counsel, he facilitates every one of our decisions. Because he is wonderful, he fulfills every one. Our desires. Because He's might God, He fortifies our defenses. Because He's Everlasting Father, He fashions our destiny. Because He's Prince of Peace, He frees you. From distress. That's our God. Do you know him as such? The next thing I want you to notice outside of his personality is number two, his spirituality.

And if you thought point one was good, you're going to think point two is great. Because you talk about his spirituality, you've got to understand that God is a spirit. It says over in Numbers 23:1, God is not a man. Clear statement. God is not a man. Say well, wait a minute. I thought you said he was personal. To be personal, don't you have to be a man? But the Bible says God is not a man.

In fact, John 4:2, Christ encounters a Samaritan woman and says, God is spirit. And those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth. Now, there's no article there. God isn't the Spirit. God is Spirit. That simply means this. That God cannot be contained to a building, to a temple, to a mountain. God cannot be con to a place. Therefore, you can't reduce him to any kind of image that you can make with your hands because he's spirit. He's ever-living. He's ever-present. He is the eternal spirit.

He's always there to do whatever he wants. Now, this is really hard for us to fathom. But the Bible says that God is spirit.

So to describe God, you've got to describe him in the realm of the immaterial. You can't put him in a box and package him up and hold on to him. That's a good thing. Because you see, if you could do that, I'd be upset because you'd take him home to your house and I wouldn't have him in my house. And so I'm going to come steal that box that you packaged up God in and steal it from you so I can have God in my house. But God's not that way, God's invisible. And yet he manifests himself in different ways.

It says over in the Old Testament that God represented him by what is called the Shekin. The divine light, the divine fire, the divine cloud. In the New Testament, he manifested him in the form of Jesus Christ, and the word became Fles and dwelt among us. And as you recall, on the Mount of Transfiguration, when Christ went up into the mountain, he unveiled some of the glory that was there as he unzipped his flesh, and the light would shine forth. From his inner being, because God had clothed him in human form so that we could somehow get a grasp of who he is and understand his personality.

And understand His spiritual allity and understand that He wants to be involved with us. God may choose to manifest him in some way by limiting him to something visible, but that is not the totality of his person. You see the reality of God in what he does, not in what he looks like. Remember back in Exodus chapter 33, but he said, You cannot see my face, for no man can see me and live. But God will always let you see the effects of his being. See that? You can always see God by looking at what He's done.

And that's what God wanted Moses to understand. The passage illustrates very vividly that men may see only where God has passed by. And so know him by his past doing. And that's the glory of God that was revealed to Moses. And God says, I'm a personal being, and I'm involved in your life.

And I hold all things together. Without me holding them together, they would all disintegrate. I'm your shepherd, I'm your counsel, I'm the prince of peace, I'm the mighty God, I'm your father. And yet I'm spirit, I'm immaterial, and I'm invisible. But I'm going to let you see me because the effects of my life Are going to brand your life. Let me ask you this question.

Are the effects of God seen in your life? The effects of his working in your life. You see, because God is immaterial. If you try to find fulfillment in the material, you'll always be unful and empty. See that? That's why it's so important that you understand the spirituality of God. He's invisible. He's immaterial. And you can't get your needs met in material things. It has to be done through him, excuse me, who is immaterial and who is invisible. That's why we're called to walk by faith and not by sight.

That's the way God is. To find meaning in life, your spirit must be in touch with His Spirit. Can you see God? Yes, you can. Four ways, and I'll close with this. You can see God, first of all.

By submission. Did you know that? Mark this verse down. I'm going to read it to you. John:. He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. And I, ready for this, will man my. To him. The word manifest in the Greek is a word that describes the clarity of his being. Something that is made lucid, made extremely clear. God says.

He who has my commandments and keeps them is one who loves me, and that's the person that I'm going to manifest myself to. If you don't see God, It's because you had not submitted yourself to the ordinances of God and following in his footsteps. Because the Bible very clearly states that God will manifest him to you if you keep his commandments. Number two is affliction.

Affliction Job 42, 5, Job said, I have heard thee with the hearing of my ear, but now what? My eyes. Have seen you. Job was the most righteous man on the face of the earth. There was no man holier than Job. Yet Job had never seen God until his affliction. You want to see God? Afflictions, the avenue. Submissions the avenue. Number three, separation.

Verse Matthew 5, verse number 8. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they sh see God. You see God? A pure heart sees God. We name it separation because the word pure means free from filth. It means unmixed, un. When you have a life that's unmixed with the world. Free from the effects of the world. It means you're living a separated life. And God says, Blessed are the pure in heart.

Because they are the ones who see God. If we don't see God, it's because we're involved in too many things of the world. If we don't see God, it's because we're not willing to keep his commandments. And submit to his authority. If we don't see God, it's because we're so afraid of affliction and persecution, and that we pray it never happens to us, but God says.

If you allow me to afflict you, if you allow me to scourge you, if you allow me to take you through the process of tribulation, you will come out with a clear vision of who I am. And lastly, dedication. Dedication. Jeremiah 29, 13, you will seek me and you will find me when you search for me with all your he. You can't find God without your heart being in it. And that heart has got to be dedicated to seeking after Him. You can go to all the right places and never see God. You can do all the right things and never see God.

Because your heart is not in your worship. God, who is spirit, demands that his people worship him in spirit and in truth. Have you seen God? Do you understand His uniqueness wrapped up in His personality? Wrapped up in his spirituality, we serve an incredible, incomparable God. And my prayer for you and for me is that the search would never end because a heart is fixed on seeking God.