Who Is God? (THIS IS SO POWERFUL)

Many preachers today claim that the Bible does not instruct us to fear God in the same way we might fear a dangerous predator, like a lion in São or a massive anaconda in the Amazon. Imagine yourself in the wilderness, face to face with one of these creatures. You would feel an overwhelming fear, a primal instinct that demands caution and respect for the power before you.

Yet when preachers discuss the fear of God, they often reduce it to mere reverential awe, a respectful admiration. However, this interpretation doesn't fit all biblical passages. Through study, I have come to believe that some verses call for an actual, tangible fear of God, not just respect.

In Matthew 10:28, Jesus says, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. " Similarly, in Luke 12:5, he warns, "But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. " In both of these passages, the word "fear" is translated from the Greek word "Phobos.

" This term has a complex meaning encompassing reverence, awe, and terror. In this context, Phobos can imply a deep, profound respect or reverence toward God, acknowledging His ultimate power and authority over not just earthly life, but also the eternal soul. This type of fear aligns with an awareness of God's holiness and justice, inspiring believers to live in a way that honors Him.

However, Phobos also carries the connotation of dread or terror, especially in relation to divine judgment or punishment. It is a word that includes meanings like fear, dread, terror, timidity, wonder, reverence, and awe. Unfortunately, many preachers emphasize only reverence and awe, ignoring the weightier meanings of fear, dread, and terror.

The choice to downplay these meanings changes the depth and urgency of these passages. In Matthew 10:28, if we were to replace "fear" with "reverential awe," the verse would read: "Do not be in reverential awe of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather be in reverential awe of Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. " This substitution softens the warning and dilutes the serious nature of God's judgment, obscuring the reality that Jesus is instructing us to have a true and sobering fear of God's ability to judge.

The type of fear described here encourages sobriety and self-awareness—a self-awareness of the power and authority of the one we are dealing with. Matthew 10:28 and Luke 12:5 are not about mere reverential awe or respect; they speak of a genuine fear of God. When you know God, you recognize that He is not someone to be trifled with.

Yes, God is loving and merciful, but He is also the all-powerful Creator and judge. God is not some gentle elderly figure resembling Santa Claus; no, God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 10:31 further emphasizes this point: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

" Allow me to read to you other translations of this one verse: - New International Version: "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. " - Amplified Bible Version: "It is a fearful and terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God, incurring His judgment and wrath. " - Webster's Bible Translation: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

" This verse captures the essence of Phobos as dread and terror. The Bible repeatedly warns us about God's power and holiness, yet modern Christianity often skirts around this reality, preferring a God made in our own image—one who is always gentle and never fearsome. But by doing so, we overlook the very connotation of dread and terror that Phobos implies.

If you have spent your life hearing only about reverence and awe, you have only touched the surface. The biblical concept of fearing God goes far deeper. God is infinitely powerful and holy, so much so that no man can see Him and live.

This is the God we preach—the God who is beyond human comprehension, far, far above us. As you grow in your knowledge of Him, you will naturally grow in a true, awe-inspiring fear of Him. This is not a fear that contradicts His love, but one that exists alongside it, urging us to live in humility and obedience.

Modern Christianity often claims to fear God, but many have lost sight of what this really means. To truly know God is to understand that He is far above anything we can imagine, inspiring a deep, reverent, and yes, fearful respect. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

" Isaiah 55:8-9 states, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. " To begin this sermon, it is important—indeed, it is imperative—that we understand these two verses.

God's understanding and plans are beyond human comprehension. God is not a glorified man; He is not slightly above humans; He is far beyond our wildest thoughts, far beyond our human comprehension. Our minds, in their quest for understanding, are like children playing on the shore of an infinite sea, unable to fathom its depths.

Our human minds struggle to comprehend eternity. How, on earth, are we to fully comprehend a being who has existed in eternity past? This is one question I want to ask the Lord in heaven: God, what did You do?

In eternity past, before there was a single angel, God was there. Before there was creation, before the heavens and the Earth, before the stars, the moon, and all the other planets, God was there. God is far, far, far above us.

God does not need a place; He does not need a planet; He does not need oxygen to breathe; He does not need creation. Yet, He has existed from everlasting to everlasting, from age to age. You need a place; you need a planet to live on; you need oxygen to breathe; you need creation to live; for "My ways are not your ways," saith the Lord.

But by the grace of God, if you have received the free gift of salvation and your sins have been forgiven, a day will come—a day will come—where you breathe your last breath on this Earth, and God will give you a new body. This body is not a normal new body; it is something much more. It is a glorious one, and you will be raised to the glorious height where He is, into the very presence of God, where you will be able to see Him in all of His glory, in all of His majesty.

Right now, in the body you have, which is made from dirt, if you were to see God in all of His glory, your spirit would leave your body faster than you can blink. The Bible tells us no man has seen God and lived. Not one single man has seen God and lived, for this human body cannot stand such glory.

This human body, with all of its sin and corruption, cannot stand the sight of such holiness, purity, and glory. But one day, by the grace of God, you will breathe your last breath on this Earth, and God will lift you into His presence where you will be able to see Him, and you will no longer need this world to live. You will no longer need air to breathe; you will be able to see Almighty God.

Now, one of the greatest mistakes which Christians and human beings make is to believe that God is a man. He is not. It is true that the Bible speaks of the mind of God, but that is just to illustrate to our human minds that God is intelligence itself.

It is true, of course, that the Bible speaks about the hands of God, but that is just a way to get it in our minds that He is powerful. It is true that the Bible does speak about His ears, but that is just the Bible’s way to convey to our simple minds that God hears. It is true that the Bible speaks about the eyes of the Lord, but that is just for the Bible to illustrate to us that God sees everything, everywhere, all at once.

It is indeed true that the Bible speaks of the mouth of the Lord, but that is just to illustrate to our simple minds that God speaks. And because the Bible uses these words to convey the fact that God sees all, hears all, and is powerful, people make the mistake of viewing God as a man. No, the Bible reveals to us clearly that God is a spirit; He is a real Spirit—a spirit that you can come to know, a spirit you can come to love and call Him “Abba, Father.

” Wicked sinners can come to know Him and have their sins forgiven. Oh, what a wonderful thing it is to have your sins forgiven and to be filled with the Holy Spirit! It is an amazing thing for God to enter your life, for His Spirit to reside in you.

You are a new creature; you are no longer seeking the things of the flesh; you are no longer seeking the things of this world; you are consumed with Him; you are consumed with knowing Him. The Apostle Paul said, “That I might know Him,” and that is the true desire of all the saints in God—to know Him. We can know God.

We see this in the Bible; we see instances in the Bible where people became His friends and He became their friend. Indeed, the essence of our understanding of God hinges on the realization that He transcends our human limitations. The Bible, in its poetic and profound wisdom, uses human attributes to describe the Divine, but this is merely a linguistic bridge to help us cross over into the realm of the spiritual.

This anthropomorphic language is not a literal depiction of God’s nature but a tool to aid our finite minds in grasping the infinite. Consider the vastness of the universe, the complexity of creation, the intricacies of life—all these are but mere reflections of His grandeur. God’s ways, as mentioned in Isaiah 55:8-9, are not just different from ours; they are on a completely different scale.

They are as high above our ways as the heavens are above the Earth. This is not a mere difference in degree but in kind. When we talk about God’s intelligence, His power, His vision, and His hearing, we are speaking in terms that are familiar to us, but in reality, God’s intelligence is not like human intelligence; it’s not bound by the limits of time, space, or matter.

His power is not merely physical strength but the very force that sustains existence. His vision and hearing are not sensory functions but symbolize His omniscience—an all-encompassing awareness that penetrates the deepest secrets and the most. Hidden truths: the portrayal of God as a man is a limitation imposed by human language and imagination.

God is spirit, as clearly stated in the scriptures. This spirit is not an impersonal force; he is personal, relational, and intimate. He is a spirit who desires a relationship with his creation, a spirit who loves and cares, a spirit who reaches out to humanity in various ways throughout history.

God's interaction with Moses, as recorded in Psalm 103:7, is a prime example of this personal relationship. Moses knew God in a way that was unprecedented; through Moses, God revealed not just laws and commandments, but his character, his mercy, his justice, his patience, and his love. The laws given were not mere rules, but a reflection of the moral fabric of God's character.

In the New Testament, this understanding of God is further deepened. Jesus Christ, God incarnate, came to reveal the Father in a way that was never known before. Through Christ, we see the fullest expression of God's love—a love so profound that it led to the ultimate sacrifice.

In Jesus, the invisible God becomes visible; the incomprehensible becomes comprehensible. The Apostle Paul's yearning to know Christ is the yearning to know God more deeply. It is a journey from knowing about God to knowing God personally and intimately.

This journey is not just for the spiritually elite, but for every believer. It’s a journey into the heart of God, where we discover his nature, his desires, and his purpose for our lives. Our relationship with God transforms us; it changes how we view ourselves, how we view others, and how we view the world.

In him, we find a new identity. We are no longer defined by our past, our failures, or our limitations; we are defined by his love, his grace, and his power working in and through us.