Roots of the Faith – The Incommunicable Attributes of God: Omnipresence

My notes for Wednesday night, Feb 1st. Remember, these are my personal study notes and not a manuscript of the sermon. They are provided as an outline each week for our Tabernacle Church family. Our study over the next few months will be “The Roots of the Faith.” This study will focus on key biblical truths that will transform our thinking and allow us to faithfully live out the Christian life. You can find Sermon Notes, Family Devotional Guides, Prayer List, and other resources at our Church Website.

Resources for this Study

50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith – Gregg R. Allision

Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine – Wayne Grudem

Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth – John MacArthur & Richard Mayhue

Omnipresence

INTRO

  • The incommunicable attributes are God’s characteristics or perfections, as revealed by Scripture, that God does not communicate, or share, with human beings.” (Gregg R. Allison, page 73)
  • “The foundation of all true knowledge of God must be a clear mental apprehension of His perfections as revealed in Holy Scripture. An unknown God can neither be trusted, served, nor worshipped.”  A.W. Pink

God does not have size or spatial dimensions and is present at every point of space with his whole being, yet God acts differently in different places.

Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Second Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 206

Omnipresence is the divine characteristic of being all-present. God is present everywhere with his entire being at the same time. He is not limited by space and should not be considered as being enormously big or located in one place rather than another.

Gregg R. Allison, 50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith: A Guide to Understanding and Teaching Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2018), 75

God is everywhere

  • Psalm 139:1-34

God reigns everywhere

  • Isaiah 66:1

God is near

  • Jeremiah 23:23-34

God is transcendent – Distinct from creation.  He is above all.

God is immanent – He is knowable, present and involved with His creation.

God indwells within His people/church

  • John 14:23
  • 1 Corinthians 3:16
  • Ephesians 2:19-22

You Shall Call His Name Jesus – Matthew 1:18-25

Throughout this week I am going to share some daily encouragement (gems I have found in my studies) on the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Hopefully, as we consider the biblical truths surrounding His birth, we can all slow down and celebrate the real meaning of Christmas. As you are encouraged… please share with others the hope of Christ this Christmas season! (The running commentary is from The Incarnation in the Gospels)

Matthew 1:18–25 (ESV): 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 

      23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, 
      and they shall call his name Immanuel” 
(which means, God with us).

24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Isaiah 9:1–7

[1] But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

	[2] The people who walked in darkness
		have seen a great light;
	those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
		on them has light shone.
	[3] You have multiplied the nation;
		you have increased its joy;
	they rejoice before you
		as with joy at the harvest,
		as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
	[4] For the yoke of his burden,
		and the staff for his shoulder,
		the rod of his oppressor,
		you have broken as on the day of Midian.
	[5] For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
		and every garment rolled in blood
		will be burned as fuel for the fire.
	[6] For to us a child is born,
		to us a son is given;
	and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
		and his name shall be called
	Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
		Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
	[7] Of the increase of his government and of peace
		there will be no end,
	on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
		to establish it and to uphold it
	with justice and with righteousness
		from this time forth and forevermore.
	The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. (ESV)

Since the Lord often uses names to reveal his purposes, he gives baby Jesus more than one name; no single name could describe all that he is. The baby is called both Jesus and Immanuel. Jesus means God saves; the name is given “because he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Immanuel means God with us.

Conceived by the Holy Spirit

Mary and Joseph are betrothed, not married, when the account of Jesus’ birth begins. “Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit” (1:18). Mary and Joseph did not live in the same home. They were, Matthew says, sexually chaste; they had not yet “come together.” They were betrothed and pure, yet she was pregnant.

God wanted Joseph to proceed with the marriage, and sent an angel to tell him why. Here we must purge our popular images of angels. In the Bible, angels are not cute and do not specialize in romance. They are as likely to say something frightening as to say something comforting. Their appearance in our realm is a rare, weighty, and awesome event.

Angels are God’s mighty messengers. There is a cluster of angel appearances near the birth of Jesus because it is such a great event. Here God’s angel intervenes for the sake of Joseph (and for our sake) so he will know what this virgin conception means: “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit’ ” (1:20). Every phrase counts.

The address “Joseph son of David” links the virgin conception to the Davidic genealogy. The Holy Spirit is the author of this life, yet Joseph has a role to play.

“Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife” addresses his sad resolution to divorce the woman he loves. The angel assures Joseph that things are not as they seem. Because the child is conceived not by a man but by the Holy Spirit, Joseph can marry his beloved. She is as pure and godly as he had hoped. Into his new marriage, Joseph must take this child as his son. Jesus is conceived by the Spirit of God, but Joseph must adopt him into the line of David. From that line, the deliverer of Israel must come. Therefore Jesus is both the Son of God and the son of David. Because of the adoption, Jesus will grow up in a normal home, with both father and mother to love and nurture him.

“What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” The church traditionally speaks of the virgin birth, but the Gospels stress the miraculous conception, the virgin conception, of Christ. The miracle lay in the manner of Jesus’ conception. So far as we know, the process of birth itself was normal.

The Child’s Name and Mission

God tells Joseph the child is a boy and that his name must be Jesus: “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (1:21). As we have seen, Jesus means “the Lord saves.” The Lord saves and delivers his people in many ways: he gives food to the hungry, he heals the sick, he comforts the brokenhearted. Many hoped the Messiah would save Israel from its Roman oppressors.

But the angel declares God’s agenda. Jesus will not save his people from physical enemies; he “will save his people from their sins.” Sin is the root of all other calamities. Yes, calamity comes from many sources—accidents, forgetfulness, and disease, for example. But the root, the cause, of disorder is sin, and the greatest disorder is to be at odds with God. Jesus will save his people from that.

The birth of Jesus shows that God is with us. In important ways, God is always with us. We can never flee from his presence. He is in the heavens and the depths, on land and at sea (Ps. 139:7–10). We can ignore God, we can deny God, we can curse God. But he never disappears. His reign extends over all creation, even, in a way, over hell itself. God is omnipresent. Nevertheless, Matthew says that with Jesus’ birth, God entered human history in a new way. He is with us with power and for blessing.

Three times in the gospel of Matthew we hear that Jesus is God with us: in the beginning, at its midpoint, and at the end. It is a crucial moment each time. In the beginning, we hear that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, to save his people from their sins (1:21–23).

In the middle, we hear that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, to purify his church. Jesus promises, “Where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (18:20). We often use this verse to find assurance that God hears when we gather for prayer, and rightly so. But in its original context, Jesus had a specific prayer in mind. In the agony of church discipline, when a Christian persists in sin and will not repent, when the leaders deal with such rebellion, Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, to preserve the purity of the church.

At the end of Matthew, Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, to expand the church. Just before he ascended into heaven, Jesus directed his disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations. It is a vast task, therefore Jesus declares, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (28:19–20). Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, to empower the church to make disciples.

But in Christ, God is always with us. What a comfort when we are lonely, sick, guilt-ridden, or afraid. Jesus is Immanuel—God with us.

May the Spirit work in us to receive what God began to accomplish in the birth of Jesus. May we also submit our plans and our emotions to him, as Joseph did. May we give our hearts and minds to him as Mary and Joseph did. May we know that God is with us, to bless us, in every season of life. In every distress, let us turn to God for comfort. In joy and in blessing, let us not ascribe it to good fortune or hard work, but to Immanuel, who is present to bless. God is with us in the person of Jesus. May we have the faith, trust, love, and obedience to receive the blessings of Immanuel.[1]


[1] Daniel M. Doriani, Philip Graham Ryken, and Richard D. Phillips, The Incarnation in the Gospels, ed. Daniel M. Doriani, Philip Graham Ryken, and Richard D. Phillips, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 21–28.

Luke 2:1-21 – “The Birth of Christ” part 1

My sermon notes for Sunday morning, Dec. 19th.  Remember, these are my personal study notes and not a manuscript of the sermon. They are provided to help you follow the sermon as you listen each week. The church provides a live stream of the service each Sunday at 10:30 on Facebook at Tabernacle Facebook Page. We also provide the services through YouTube by Sunday afternoon at TAB YouTube.  You can also find our Worship Guides, Family Devotional Guides, Prayer List and other resources at our Church Website.

Luke 2:1-21

Intro:

  • Do we really consider the meaning of Christmas?
  • Have we stopped to consider how life changing the meaning of Christmas is?
  • We celebrate the birth of Christ, but do we really understand the life changing impact of what this birth means?
  • It is so much more that a fun and family filled holiday… the coming of Christ literally changed the world!
  • Has Jesus Christ changed your life?

The Timing – vv. 1-5

Isaiah 7:14 – Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Matthew 1:23 – “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

In those days

Consider all the circumstances

  • Mary and Joseph
  • The Govt
  • Lineage – Bethlehem, King David
  • Inn Keeper

It is a glorious picture of:

  • God’s use of people and events to accomplish His will.
    • Chance and luck do not exist.
  • God’s faithfulness
  • God’s eternal plan and purpose
  • God’s redemption story

From the beginning, God has had a plan.  For all eternity, God has had a plan.  From the beginning, Jesus was at the center of that plan.

  • The Messiah would be the seed/offspring of a woman and would crush the head of Satan (Genesis 3:15).
  • He would come from the seed/offspring of Abraham and would bless all the nations on earth (Genesis 12:3).
  • He would be a “prophet like Moses” to whom God said we must listen (Deuteronomy 18:15).
  • He would be born in Bethlehem of Judah (Micah 5:2).
  • He would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14).
  • He would have a throne, a kingdom and a dynasty, or house, starting with King David, that will last forever (2 Samuel 7:16).
  • He would be called “Wonderful Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Everlasting Father,” “Prince of Peace,” and would possess an everlasting kingdom (Isaiah 9:6-7).
  • He would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey, righteous and having salvation, coming with gentleness (Zechariah 9:9-10).
  • He would be pierced for our transgression and crushed for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5).
  • He would die among the wicked ones but be buried with the rich (Isaiah 53:9).
  • He would be resurrected from the grave, for God would not allow His Holy One to suffer decay (Psalm 16:10).
  • He would come again from the clouds of heaven as the Son of Man (Daniel 7:13-14).
  • He would be the “Sun of Righteousness” for all who revere Him and look for His coming again (Malachi 4:2).
  • He is the One whom Israel will one day recognize as the One they pierced, causing bitter grief (Zechariah 12:10).

The Birth – vv. 6-7

She gave birth to her firstborn son

Luke 1:26-38

  • Favored one – full of grace
  • Lord is with you
  • Call His name Jesus – Lord Salvation
  • Great…Son of the Most High – His deity.
  • Throne of David
  • Reign over the House of Jacob forever
  • Kingdom will be no end.

THINK ABOUT IT:

  • He is faithful
  • We can trust Him and His Word
  • We may not understand (think about Mary and Joseph) how the events of the day will impact all eternity, but we can be sure that God is a God that is working in and through all things for His Glory.
  • HIS WORK = JESUS the Gospel
  • He was born, and lived, died, and rose from the dead.
  • He is GOD WITH US.  HE IS JESUS

He came to seek and to save that which was lost – (Luke 19:10)

He came to give life and give life more abundantly – (John 10:10)