God is... we could look at that as a completed statement of fact. God is! Evolutionists and atheists try to convince us that God isn't and never has been. But the Bible tells us that God is!
"Unto thee it was showed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him." (Deu 4:35)
God is... Another way to look at the phrase is as a statement to be completed. From the believer we might come up with all sorts of answers. God is good ... God is gracious...God is love ... and on and on. From an unbeliever or someone who might be angry with God could finish it differently. God is unfair ... God is wrong...God is not real ... God is a fairy tale-and on and on.
The Bible is our standard for Truth. As we look to God's Word, we find a passage in the Psalms that completes this phrase for us. The psalmist gives us a number of personal thoughts concerning who God is.
(Psa 36:7-10) "How excellent is thy lovingkindness, 0 God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. {8} They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. {9} For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. {10} 0 continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart."
I. God Is ... Our Safety "...under the shadow of thy wings..."
A. Safety in Numbers.
1. That isn't always true is it?
2. Sometimes an increased number of people decreases safety.
3. We had to calculate the occupancy load of the gymnasium for the sake of the fire marshal's inspection.
4. Occasionally you read about tragic results when too many people crowd into a stadium or building.
5. That is also true in spiritual matters.
6. Jesus said the way was narrow and few would go in. cf. Mt. 7:14
(Mat 7:14) "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. "
7. There is a mindset that if the majority believes a certain thing then, it must be true.
8. But according to the Lord, it is just the opposite.
B. Safe at Home.
1. I am not talking about the term used by umpires in a softball or baseball game.
2. Often we think if I can just get home, I will be safe.
3. That isn't always true though is it?
4. The folks in Oklahoma City, were home, but they weren't safe from the storm.
5. Spiritually, we may be comfortable in what we are familiar with, but that doesn't guarantee our safety!
6. God's Word warns us clearly that to travel a path, simply because we think it is right, could lead to death.
(Prov 14:12) "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
C. True safety is only found in the Lord.
(Psa 4:8) "1 will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety."
1. Oswald Chambers said, "It is not our trust that keeps us, but the God in whom we trust who keeps us."
(Psa 91:1) "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."
2. We have to be close to God to be in His shadow and share in His sheltering presence.
3. God calls each of us today to draw near to Him.
(Heb 4:16) "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."
II. God Is ... Our Satisfaction " ... They shall be abundantly satisfied..."
A. Are you satisfied?
1. Satisfied with your job, home life, church life, finances?
2. What about your relationship with God')
3. The Polling Stones had a big hit with, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction."
4. It speaks of the lives of so many today who cannot find satisfaction.
5. Satisfaction is not found in ourselves or anything tangible thing we might have in our lives.
(Prov 19:23) "The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil."
B. Find your satisfaction in the Lord Himself.
1. The psalmist here found his satisfaction for living in the safety of his God.
2. Satisfaction in our lives comes from developing our relationship with our God through His Son Jesus Christ.
(Phil 4:11-13) "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. (12} I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. {13} I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
III. God Is ... Our Source "...With thee is the fountain of life..."
A. God is the source of Life.
(John 1:4) "In him was life; and the life was the light of men."
(John 3:16) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
(John 10:10) "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
B. God is the Source of Light
(Gen 1:3) "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
(John 8:12) "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
(Mat 5:14) "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid."
C. God is the Source of Lovingkindness
1. God's lovingkindness is full of mercy and compassion as he looks upon us.
(Psa 63:3) "Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee."
(Psa 26:3) "For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth."
2. The affirmation given here is God is ... life, light and lovingkindness and the result is God's righteousness falling upon us through Christ Jesus.
D. What is a source?
1. "The point at which something springs into being ... the one who causes and creates"
2. We might cause I if e to happen and we might cause the light to come on as well as we might cause someone to be compassionate and merciful toward us.
3. But we are not the creator of life, light and lovingkindess ... God is!
4. God is the cause and creator!
(Psa 48:14) "For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death."
God is our safety... God is our satisfaction... God is our source...
All of these things are vital to each one of us. The world cannot supply them for us. Only God can. Do you know Him personally today? Have you gone to Him and found safety for all eternity? Have you found satisfaction with Him? Have you found that He can supply your every need? Come to Him today.