Aug 21, 2016 Sermon: "God is _____."

Stephen Baldwin

OT: Deut. 4.24

NT: John 4.24, 1 John 1 .5, 1 John 4.5

God is _____. 

            Today we’re going to think about God’s character and characteristics. 

If I asked you take out a pew pencil and draw a picture of God on the bulletin, what would you draw?  Would you draw a person?  A spirit?  A nature scene?  The stars? 

            If I asked you to finish the sentence: God is              , what would you say?  God is all powerful, all knowing, all present?  God is large and in charge?  God is gracious and loving and kind? 

            If I asked you what makes God…God…what would you say?  

            Let me tell you a story that speaks to God’s character.  This week I attended the groundbreaking ceremony in Rainelle for the first of 50 new homes being built in the coming months and years.  The main group behind the project is Appalachian Service Project.  They do exactly what our workcamp program does…but on steroids.  They have tens of thousands of volunteers from across the country who will come to help rebuild. 

            The first house will be finished within six weeks.  And the folks who will live there are retired teachers who have been residents of Rainelle more than 30 years.  The husband spoke at the groundbreaking, and I thought he would talk about the flood or the community or the new house…but all he wanted to talk about…was God. 

            He started off by saying that God had been working on him for years.  His wife always wanted to go to church, but he never would.  She would say this or that was a blessing from God, but he didn’t believe in that.  Then came the flood, and their entire first floor was flooded.  People from all over came to help them.  He asked them why, and they said God sent them.  For the first time in his life, he believed it.  For the first time in his life, he said he got to know God, and it changed his life. 

            That got me thinking about God’s character.  What is God like?  What makes God…God?  That’s a tough question.  What makes God…God? 

            My grandpa would say the Bible answers that question.  There are four “God is…” statements in the Bible.  And those “God is” statements tell us what makes God…God. 

            Let’s hear them one more time.  John 4.24 says, “God is spirit.”  That means God is like the wind, God is like a breath of fresh air from heaven.  All around.  We may not always see God, but we always feel God.  After all, do you remember what gave life to the world according to Genesis?  A mighty wind blew over the face of the deep, creating all that we now see. 

Deuteronomy 4.24 says, “God is a devouring fire.”  That sounds sort of dire and depressing, doesn’t it?  Not if you think about it.  Because fire purifies.  We talked in Bible Study about how forestry workers do controlled burns.  Why?  Because hurtful plants get mixed in with the native, helpful plants…and the only way to purify the forest is to start over.  The native helpful plants come back and get a fresh new start at life.  That’s what happened to the man in Rainelle.  His life was turned upside down, but he has a new chance at a new life.  He tried to stay away from God for years, but he was consumed by God’s love.  

            Which brings us to 1 John 4.8, which says, “God is love.”  That’s a nice one, isn’t it?  We can get behind that.  But what does it mean?  When we say we love Ben Ellen donuts is that the same kind of love that God has for us?  Those donuts can’t be beat, but we’re talking about different kinds of love, aren’t we?  Human love is conditional, selective, on again off again.  Divine love is unconditional, all inclusive, and constant. 

            Finally, 1 John 1.5 says, “God is light.”  I am no scientist, but I do remember my junior high school teacher telling our class that the speed of light is constant.  Unlike sound, which travels over time, for example, from the pulpit to the back of the church, light travels constantly.  It is not delayed by anything.  Such is the character of God; God is immediately everywhere.  With those here recovering from devastation, with those in Louisana undergoing the same, and with little children in Syria who live in a warzone every day. 

            What is God’s character?  God is spirit, God is a devouring fire, God is love, and God is light.  Put it all together like your grandma’s favorite recipe, and what do you get?  A God that can never be separated from you.  You may relish in that assurance each morning when you wake up.  You may never give it a second thought.  You may, like the man in Rainelle, run from God as often as possible.  But if we can at least sketch a portrait of God’s character from the Bible’s clearest images, then we know that God always finds us.   Like the wind, God is always there.  Like a devouring fire, nothing can stop God.  Like a parent, God loves us completely.  Like light, God is always there. 

            Whether you’ve been coming to church your whole life or you’ve just started back, take time this week to think about God’s character.  What makes God…God…and savor it.  Savor every bit of it, because the more time you spend together, the deeper your relationship.  The deeper your relationship, the stronger your bond.  The stronger your bond, the more meaningful your life will be.  Amen.