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Unity: One God and Father

Ephesians 4:1-6. Unity: One God and Father. Ephesians 4:1-6.

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Unity: One God and Father

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  1. Ephesians 4:1-6 Unity: One God and Father

  2. Ephesians 4:1-6 • “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

  3. God Exists… • Evidence in nature of a creative designer is insurmountable to the honest observer. • “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’.” (Psalms 14:1) • “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world.” (Psalms 19:1-4)

  4. One God and Father… • God exists. • “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:18-20) • One quick example…

  5. One God and Father… • God exists. • Atheistic scientists fail miserably to explain obvious design in the universe. DNA is code. • “Man’s library consists of a set of construction and service manuals that run to the equivalent of about a million book-pages together.” A.G. Cairns-Smith • Every cell in the body contains the complete set of code. Every time a cell divides (about 20 minutes) the entire library of instructions is faithfully copied.

  6. One God and Father… • God exists. • Atheistic scientists fail miserably to explain the existence of matter and energy. • Atheistic scientists fail miserably to explain obvious design in the universe. DNA is code. • “It is not possible for a code, of any kind, to arise by chance or accident. The laws of chance or probability have been worked out by mathematics…A code is the work of an intelligent mind. Even the cleverest dog or chimpanzee could not work out a code of any kind. It is obvious then that chance cannot do it… This could no more have been the work of chance or accident than could the “Moonlight Sonata” be played by mice running up and down the keyboard of my piano! Codes do not arise from chaos.” E.H. Andrews, “From Nothing to Nature”, 1978

  7. One God and Father… • God exists. • God has always had purpose for our lives. • “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son.” (Hebrews 1:1-2)

  8. One God and Father… • God exists. • God has always had purpose for our lives. • God has revealed Himself to us. • Natural world reveals His eternal power and divine nature. • Who He is and what He expects is revealed in the inspired scriptures. • “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, but the righteous man shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)

  9. What do we know about God the Father? • He is spirit. • “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24) • In contrast to the concept of most man-made “gods”

  10. What do we know about God the Father? • He is spirit. • He is eternal. • “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” (Psalm 90:2)

  11. What do we know about God the Father? • He is spirit. • He is eternal. • “Then Moses said to God, ‘Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM’; and He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:13-14) • I EXIST. • I OWE EXPLANATION TO NO ONE. • AT ANY POINT IN ETERNITY, I AM.

  12. What do we know about God the Father? • He is spirit. • He is eternal. • He is omnipotent. (All powerful) • Observable Universe: 91 billion light years in diameter? • Next point.

  13. What do we know about God the Father? • He is spirit. • He is eternal. • He is omnipotent. (All powerful) • He is omniscient. (All knowing) • “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done.” (Isaiah 46:9-10) • “The very hairs of your head are all numbered.” (Matthew 10:30) • All that genetic code didn’t write itself.

  14. What do we know about God the Father? • He is spirit. • He is eternal. • He is omnipotent. (All powerful) • He is omniscient. (All knowing) • He is omnipresent. (Not limited by physical location.) • “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remostest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.” (Psalm 139:7-10)

  15. What is He like? • He is Righteous, Holy. • “The LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; the upright will behold His face.” (Psalm 11:7) • God defines righteousness. • He is the creator; Who else would do it? • “Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His holy hill, for holy is the LORD our God.” (Psalm 99:9) • Holy: Set apart; sacred. Separate from sin and exalted.

  16. What is He like? • He is Righteous, Holy. • He is Just. • “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29) • “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the LORD of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.” (Deuteronomy 10:17)

  17. What is He like? • He is Righteous, Holy. • He is Just. • He is Love. • “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16) • “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) • “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.” (1 John 3:1)

  18. What is He like? • He is Righteous, Holy. • He is Just. • He is Love. • He is Light. • “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5) • No tolerance for the darkness of sin. • Illumination that comes from His revealed will. • “For you light my lamp; the LORD my God illumines my darkness.” (Psalm 18:28)

  19. What is He like? • He is Righteous, Holy. • He is Just. • He is Love. • He is Light. • “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” • No tolerance for the darkness of sin. • Illumination that comes from His revealed will. • “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

  20. What is He like? • He is Righteous, Holy. • He is Just. • He is Love. • He is Light. • He is our Salvation. • “He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” (Psalm 62:6-8)

  21. What is He like? • He is Righteous, Holy. • He is Just. • He is Love. • He is Light. • He is our Salvation. • “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us…” (Titus 2:11-14)

  22. Which brings us to the Godhead: • Best illustrated at the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:13-17) • Jesus coming up out of the water • Holy Spirit coming down out of the heavens and lighting on Him • Voice from heaven, “This is My beloved Son.” • “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19) • Godhead clearly made up of three distinct personalities.

  23. Which brings us to the Godhead: • The Father has preeminence in the Godhead. • “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:3) • “God” meant either the Father or the entire Godhead. The key is in the context. • O.T. made little distinction. • N.T. – Context • “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

  24. Pagan concept of deity: • Our people have our god. • Your people have your god. • We think our god is more powerful than your god. • “Now the servants of the king of Aram said to him, ‘Their gods are gods of the mountains, therefore they were stronger than we; but rather let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they.” (1 Kings 20:23) • Jehovah wasn’t competing with other gods – He is the only true God! • Naaman: “Your servant will no longer offer burnt offering nor will he sacrifice to other gods, but to Jehovah.” (2 Kings 5:17)

  25. Some “gods” of Canaan:

  26. N.T. times: a god for everything • Both Greek and Roman culture, gods specialized in various areas of daily life. • Greeks had broad array of gods and goddesses with various specialties. • Romans heavily influenced by Greek culture – in many cases, same god, different name.

  27. Gods of Greece and Rome

  28. Paul’s sermon outline… • The Unknown God (Acts 17:22-31) • Created everything, including us. • He is Lord of heaven and earth. • Doesn’t need a temple • Not gold, silver or stone • Doesn’t need us to take care of Him • He takes care of us! Life, breath, all things! • Expects us to seek and find Him; He’s right here! • Expects each of us to repent of our failings before Him. • Fixed a day of judgment through the One He raised from the dead. • The Father always brings the message back to the Son!

  29. What have we learned? • There is One God and Father who is over all and through all and in all. • He has purpose for our lives. • He has revealed Himself to us. • He is righteous, just, loving, enlightening and saving. • He is preeminent within the Godhead. • He is Lord of heaven and earth. • We depend on Him for everything. • We are accountable to Him.

  30. Are you ready? • Are you ready to stand before His Son in judgment? • Have you acknowledged Him as Lord of heaven and earth? Lord of your life? • There is One God and He wants to be your Father.

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