WHAT COMES TO YOUR MIND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT GOD? #2

1) GOD IS ETERNAL - TOTALLY UNAFFECTED BY TIME PAST, PRESENT, OR FUTURE

Revelation 4:8 – “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, >Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’“

What separates God from all other creatures around the throne is that you can pick any of those three tenses - "was" - "is" - "is to come" - and God is totally unchanged by any of them. Push in any direction as far as you want and God simply “is.” He is the constant, unaffected “I am.” What wonderful, time sovereign, supremely independent words!

And this is so much more than some blurry, philosophic precept. Isaiah 46:9b-10 – “....I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, [10] declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,'“

The way we are restricted to the time sequence of life creates confusion and fear for us. We measure our existence by the number of events that have passed. Sometimes we consider these events merely events. Sometimes we call them “milestones.” Sometimes we celebrate the passing of time with birthdays. But for all our attempts at celebration, we can't see what's up the road. Christian and atheist alike all long for some solid footing, some sense of permanence. We know we’re fading.

Psalm 90:1-2 – “A Prayer of Moses, the Man of God. Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. [2] Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

It’s significant that we’re told this was a prayer of Moses. His nomadic life is a vivid picture of the rootlessness we all experience this side of eternity. We long for something on which we can pin our transient days. The eternity of God wasn't just cold doctrine to Moses. It was a foundation and a hope. Consider that prayer from Moses for a minute:

a) Most people feel that this prayer was composed just as Moses was about to die

The children of Israel were about to take possession of the Promised Land and Moses, after all his wilderness wanderings, wasn’t going to enter with them. Moses tastes to the dregs the frustration of unfulfilled dreams and goals.

That’s the way finite creatures - creatures made in the image of an eternal God, but bound to fleeting time and strength - that’s the way we just sip at the edges of eternity. Everything about us is cut short. Fulfillment eludes us all here.

b) God eternal is the only safe haven from the abrasive grind of years and events on our lives

In Psalm 90:12 Moses prays a prayer that will be re-prayed by Paul centuries later in his letter to the Ephesians - "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

"Lord, may the knowledge of Your eternity not be wasted on me!" We live our lives quickly and frantically on the very edge of eternity and before an Eternal God. Yet, despite the fact that this is the most important feature of our existence, we live many of our days without considering it. We know it, but we don’t consider it. This is like a tight rope walker remembering everything about the color of the circus tent, the size of the crowd, but forgetting the narrowness of the rope, the importance of balance, and the fact that there’s no safety net underneath.

The Christian message has its primary point of application to our lives right at this point. The apostle Paul addressed it so clearly in 2 Timothy 1:9-10 – “....who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, [10] and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel....”

Note that last phrase – “....and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel....” Only the gospel illumines the two great mysteries of life and immortality. Paul says the whole issue of how man will deal with eternity is brought into focus in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Each person settles eternity in meeting Jesus Christ. He said He gave eternal life to those who came to Him in trust and obedience.

2) OUR GOD IS INFINITE IN EVERY FACET OF HIS BEING

When we say God is infinite we mean that He knows no bounds. Everything that God is and all that He does is totally without limit. God has separated Himself from us in this facet of His being. He has so created the world, as we’re just discovering freshly in our day, that everything in His creation can be diminished. Only the Creator, not His creation, is without limits.

Again, this it totally above our ability to grasp. Everything that we measure, weigh, count or number speaks of finiteness. Words like big, little, great, most, more, etc., even when used in the Bible to help describe God are only condescensions to our little heads. They're all meaningless when applied to God.

The truth of the infiniteness of God should be fuel for great faith, trust and love on our part. Because God is infinite, all that flows out of Him is infinite as well:

a) His power extended to my little life is infinite - There are no big needs versus little needs when they are brought to an infinite God.

b) His holiness is infinite - He never gets used to small moral blemishes. He never grows accustomed to imperfections.

c) His mercy and grace are infinite - "Where sin did abound, grace did much more abound." The person who has known the debilitating grind and wretchedness of guilt knows that the infiniteness of God's mercy is no academic truth. Abounding sin is the terror of the world. Infinite grace is the hope of mankind.

Nearly a century ago, Joseph Hart meditated on this very attribute of God - his infiniteness - and, pondering how this relates to God’s mercy, wrote these words:

"This, this is the God we adore,

Our faithful, unchangeable Friend,

Whose love is as great as His power,

And neither knows measure nor end."

So give God time. Acquaint yourself with Him all over again.