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"And
the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when
I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons
of Israel from their midst. Exodus
7:5
"The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious
to you."
Num. 6:24,
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"What does
God look like?"
Everyone
has questions about God. What is He like? Does He really care
about me? How do I get to know Him?
On
one occasion, a class of students were drawing pictures about
people from the Bible. One youngster was especially intent
in her work. “What are you drawing?” an observer
asked. “Oh, I’m drawing a picture of God,”
she replied confidently. “Well, that’s a nice
idea,” he answered, “but really no one knows what
God looks like.” “Oh, they will when I get done!”
she replied, and hurried on with her drawing.
Think
about that for a moment: “They’ll know what God
looks like when I get done.” An overstatement? Yes,
for a four-year-old. But not for Jesus Christ. He came to
show us God.
One
of the names given to Jesus is “Emmanuel,” which
means “God with us.” When Jesus was on earth,
God was on earth. When Jesus healed, God healed. When Jesus
forgave sinners, God forgave sinners. The Bible says that
“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself”
(2 Corinthians 5:19).
When
Jesus came to earth, He revealed God through simple yet beautiful
figures of speech. He said, “I am the good shepherd
. . . I am the door . . . I am the bread of life.”
A
good shepherd is a tenderhearted person, seeking each lost
man, each lost woman in our big, bustling world. He is the
door. Through Him is the knowledge of God. He is the bread
of life. He is to your soul what bread is to your body.
On
the cross of Calvary Jesus fully revealed God’s love.
When He died, He was actually taking our place that we might
live. There He took the punishment that you and I deserved
for our sins. Why? The answer is divinely clear: “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 3:16).
By
Christ’s birth, His life on earth, His death, and His
resurrection from the grave, we can know God. He promises:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father but by Me” (John 14:6).
Do
you know God? Or do you just know about Him? There is a big
difference. You can know all the theological facts but not
know Him. Knowing God requires personal faith in His Son and
what He has accomplished for you. Coming to Him is your admission
that you are turning from your sins to receive Jesus as your
Savior and Lord.
Jesus
Christ invites you: “Behold, I stand at the door, and
knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will
come in” (Revelation 3:20). Here is an example prayer...
Dear
Jesus, I know I have sinned and I am guilty of sinning; please
forgive me. I know You love me so much that You died for me—suffered
in my place. Thank you for dying for me in my place. Thank you
for forgiving my sins. I put my trust in You as my Savior. I
ask You to come into my heart and be the leader of my life everyday
as my Lord. Thank you Jesus. I love you. Amen.
God's
Attributes
God
appears to us or manifests Himself
to us in human form or even attributes to Himself
human characteristics. We see this all over the Bible.
The following are various verses that show and
demonstrate God's human-like attributes
to us in actions, emotions, and physique.
Human actions - changed mind, relented,
remembered, rested
Exodus 32:14, "So the Lord changed His mind about the harm
which He said He would do to His people."
2 Sam. 24:16, "When the angel stretched out his hand toward
Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity,
and said to the angel who destroyed the people, It is enough!
Now relax your hand!
Gen. 9:16, When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look
upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God
and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.
Gen. 2:2, "And by the seventh day God completed His work which
He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His
work which He had done."
Human emotions - sorrow, jealousy, pity,
regret
Gen. 6:6, "And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on
the earth, and He was grieved in His heart."
Exodus 20:5, "You shall not worship them or serve them; for
I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity
of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth
generations of those who hate Me."
Judges 2:18, "...for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning
because of those who oppressed and afflicted them."
1 Sam. 15:35, "And Samuel did not see Saul again until the
day of his death; for Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord
regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel."
Human physique - hands, face,
mouth, eyes, arm.
Exodus 7:5, "And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord,
when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons
of Israel from their midst.
Num. 6:24, "The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious
to you."
Psalm 33:6, "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and by the breath of His mouth all their host."
Psalm 34:15, "The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,
and His ears are open to their cry."
Thou didst scatter Thine enemies with Thy mighty arm."
Other - Wings
Psalm 57:1, "Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me,
for my soul takes refuge in Thee; and in the shadow of Thy
wings I will take refuge, until destruction passes by."
In
the person of Jesus Christ...
We
can know God as a humble servant who came
so
that we might have
LIFE
and
LIFE more abundant
Jesus
wants you to have his Best promises!