Knowing God: Experience & Love Him

God’s Self-Revelation (Exodus 34:6-7)

Paul J. Bucknell

Way to Know God | God's Facebook | Purpose of Life | Distortion of Good Works | Spiritual Development | Desire to Know God | Call Upon | Exodus 34:6-7 | God's Character | God and Religions

Chapter #2 The Revelatory God: Handout pdf | Video
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Knowing God Series Index

Series Introduction| Knowing God | The Revelatory God | Goodness of God | Holiness of God | Power of God | Omnipresent God | Exalted God | Faithfuness of God | Wisdom of God | Mercy of God | Wrath of God | Love of God | Sovereignty of God | Providence of God

God and Other gods from Exodus 34:6-7

Purpose: The study of Exodus 34:6-7 reveals the superficial worship of various religions as well as activities of Christians today. We tend to respond to other gods than the Living God that has revealed Himself.

God is awesome. He is hardly concerned whether some other god would look more presentable or worshipful than Him. Due to our little faith and grasp of the truth of God, our churches are making many poor choices.

• Man-focused

Many changes in today’s worship services are focused on convenience for the people attending rather than for God. Our expectations and standards are lowered so people can fit the ‘worship’ of some god into their schedules.

• Apologetic

Churches are shy about presenting who God is. In many cases they stop speaking about God’s wrath and judgment. Hell (H---) has become a four letter word to some.

• Unbelieving

God is not shy about who He is. If we are embarrassed about anything, it should not be about God’s true identify, but our poor ability to believe in Him or to describe Him in His glory.

• Other religions

Are other religions the same? Are they all simply a different way of reaching God? If you understand the self-description of the Lord above from Exodus, than you will quickly realize that religions are very different from God as He presents Himself.

(1) God is real while other religions worship what is not real or a far reflection of how God presents Himself. Why does man repeatedly assert God is the same when each religion clearly denies this? God is the true God and resents the statement that these other gods coexist with Him.

(2) Others assert that it does not make much difference which God one worships. This is clearly man’s perspective. God does care. In fact, when we do rightly worship our Creator God, we are guilty and will be judged. To miss this fact is serious. It is foolish to state that all religions are equally ‘cool.’

The world has many false religions. We can see that the God they worship is quite different than God who reveals Himself. Islam speaks about God’s judgment while traditional concepts of Buddhism focus on mercy. God presents Himself, at the same time, as One who is merciful and just. One does not exclude the other.

When Jesus came to earth, it is said of Him that He was fully of grace and truth. While man is willing to bypass various offenses, God is not. His

“Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness” (Romans 11:22).

Instead of joining others in their unbelief, whether professing believer or unbeliever, we should like Moses seek the Living God. God does not take shape after our thoughts of Him, but each of us will be held accountable to our amazing God.

=> Understanding God’s Wrath

=> Combining authority with mercy (in parenting)

Concluding challenge

Getting to Know God > Friendship

Our Desire to Know God > Quest

God’s Self-Revelation > Come

Questions

• In what ways would you further want to know Him and His ways?

• Why?

• How important is this to you?

 

This concludes this lesson here. Go to the main page for audio and video.

Biblical Foundations for Freedom ( BFF )

Rev. Paul J. Bucknell