Have you ever had someone explain to you how the chief attribute of God is His love, or His holiness, or His (fill in the blank)? When we come to God we must be careful not to think of in a way that divides Him into parts, but sees in every attribute and action the One true God who is. The doctrine of God's simplicity, or unity helps to better think about and worship our glorious God who has displayed Himself gloriously in Christ and at the cross.

Jesus has demonstrated unveiled delight in the sovereignty of God, even His own sovereign revealing of the Father to those given to Him by the Father. Now, in the same breath, He turns to the crowds and all men and invites those weary of their sin to come to Him and find rest. His rest is a rest of forgiveness and joyful obedience, It is a satisfying rest of walking with God, in response to grace, in the power of the Holy Spirit. A gracious call from a sovereign God.

Jesus delights and worships the Father as the Son, equal as God, yet in submitted obedience as Son. He receives from the Father the very things He spoke into existence and came to redeem. Sovereign grace is the sovereign sharing of the eternal relationship of the Godhead with a sinful people granted as a gift from the Father to the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is about entering into a relationship of love, joy, trust, and worship with God all glorious and full of grace!

God's attributes are truths about God that He has Himself revealed through special revelation. No way of classifying God's attributes are inspired, but reflect our best attempts to speak of Him as He is revealed in a way that is organized, clear, and consistent. We will use a structure that divides our discussion between the moral and non-moral attributes and we will begin with the non-moral. The reason for beginning there is because they most directly deal with the being of God Himself, which puts at the right starting point, God as He is in Himself and not first God as He relates to us. This is necessary to stay God-centered in our thoughts and discussion. The first attribute considered here is His aseity, or independence, which speaks of His Self-existence.

Jesus delights in God's sovereign hand that conceals the truth about Him from the proud and reveals it to the humble. Salvation begins with recognizing one's desperate condition before God. Rejection of Christ is the fruit of self-satisfying pride. The reality of God's sovereign preparation of the humble heart and judgement of the proud is meant to humble the sinner and move them to cry out to God for grace and give Him alone the glory when received.

What is God? How are we to think rightly about God? How can we be sure we are thinking rightly about God? These questions are crucial and foundational to our understanding of God. The essence of God, part one, briefly examines how God communicates and notes the significance of anthropomorphic language and gives special, though brief, attention to the God's Self-Revelation through His Names.

God delights in God supremely and particularly in His sovereignty. Jesus praises the Father in response to the display of His sovereignty in His ministry and so should we. It is too easy, and too common, to delight in a God we want, rather than the God who is, but we must always bow in joyful reverence to God who has revealed Himself in Christ and in Scripture: A God who is sovereign from beginning to end over His creation; A God who delights in the display of His glory; and His people delight in His glory supremely.

Greater opportunity for faith in Christ, the knowledge of God's Word and works brings the one who receives into a place of both privilege and danger. Privilege because the promises and grace gained through faith are gloriously and unfathomably rich. Dangerous because rejection of that offer brings greater accountability and judgment. Jesus addresses this issue in our passage.

God is our Refuge | Isaiah 41 | 1/22/2012 by Dr. Michael A. Grisanti

That He Might Have the Preeminence | Isaiah 44-45 | 1/21/2012 by Dr. Michael A. Grisanti