Bp524 - Believe

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD' -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin Psalm 32:5

God loves us and does not want sin in our lives. We need to come to the place where we are sorry for our sins, ask to be forgiven, and decide to turn from them. We need to uncover the sin and deal with it.

Let us look into our own hearts and ask ourselves if there are things in our lives that need forgiveness. It may be hard to do, but God will lovingly show us the areas where work is needed. We should grow in God every day, and this is a good way to start.

Let's not ignore sin. Let us deal with it. Bring it to Jesus. Allow His forgiveness to remove the sin in our lives. It may be hard to face, but we can't argue with God. When God calls it sin, it's sin.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Ten Truths About God’s Absolute Being

1. God had no beginning.

God is who he is means he never had a beginning. And that just staggers the mind. Every child asks his parents, “Where did God come from? Who made God?” And every wise parent says, “Nobody made God. He just was always there. Always. No beginning.”

2. God is without end.

God is who he is means God will never end. If he didn’t come into being, he can’t go out of being, because he is being — absolute being. There’s no place to go outside being. There’s only he. Before he creates, he’s all there is. Absolutely.

3. God is absolute reality.

God is who he is means God is absolute reality. There’s no reality before him. There’s no reality outside of him unless he wills it and creates it. He’s not one of many realities before he creates. He is simply absolute reality. He’s all that was — eternally. No space. Space didn’t exist. The universe didn’t exist. Emptiness did not exist. Only God existed forever, absolutely and absolutely all.

4. God is utterly independent.

God is who he is means that God is utterly independent. He depends on nothing to bring him into being. He depends on nothing to support him. He depends on nothing to counsel him. He depends on nothing to make him what he is. He is absolutely independent.

5. Everything depends on him.

God is who he is means everything that is not God depends totally on God. All that is not God is secondary, dependent. The entire universe is secondary reality. Let that sink in, because nobody in this city believes that. And if the church doesn’t, you’re just like them. All the universe is secondary. Humanity is secondary. God is primary, absolute first, last, glorious. Everything else is secondary.

6. Nothing compares to God.

God is who he is means all the universe is, by comparison to God, as nothing. Galaxies compared to God are nothing. All the universe by comparison to God is as nothing. Contingent, dependent reality is to absolute, independent reality as a shadow to substance, as echo to thunderclap, as bubble to ocean. All that we see, all that you are amazed by in your land or around the world — all the world, all the galaxies — compared to God, is as nothing. If you put God on one side of the scales and the universe on the other side of the scales, the universe goes up like air or dust on the scale. Isaiah 40:17: “All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.”

7. God cannot be improved.

God is who he is means God is constant. He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. He cannot be improved. He cannot be diminished. He’s not becoming anything. He is who he is. There’s no development in God. There’s no progress in God. Absolute perfection cannot be improved.

8. God sets the ultimate standard.

God is who he is means he is the absolute standard of truth and goodness and beauty. There’s no law book that he consults in deciding what is right. There’s no almanac to establish facts for God. There’s no guild, no musical guild, for example, to determine what is excellent and beautiful. He’s the standard. He himself is the standard of the right, the true, the beautiful.

9. God always does right.

God is who he is means God does whatever he pleases, and it is always right, always beautiful, always in accord with truth. There are no constraints on God from outside that he doesn’t will to exist, and thus govern. All reality that is outside of him is subordinate to him. So, he’s utterly free. He’s the only free being in the universe, in fact. He is utterly free from any constraints that don’t originate from his own will.

10. Nothing is worth more.

God is who he is means he’s the greatest, the most beautiful, the most valuable, and the most important person in existence. He’s more worthy of interest and attention and admiration and enjoyment than all persons and all realities put together, including the entire universe.

— John Piper <Desiring God>

THE WORD FOR 26/12

Paul says: "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." (Galatians 5:6) How does the Bible define faith? According to Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Thus faith means putting your trust in Jesus and having confidence that He will fulfill His promises. When the world seems to be falling apart, our faith stands secure on the rock-solid, trustworthy promises of God and His Word.

My prayer for you today is that you may always have this kind of faith, and that you may receive all that God has in store for you!

 God is wholly trustworthy, so much so that we can base our lives on Him and His Word, no matter what our physical eyes tell us. 

We’ve fallen so far into a secular world of carnal pleasure, self righteous filth, and a contempt for all things tradition and holy. Pray for humanity, that they see the light of Christ before it’s too late.