Hey, podcast listeners! Thanks for streaming today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org slash podcast and click the donate button, or follow the link in our show notes. Now, here's today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory.
And I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory. How does God connect with us? How does God reveal Himself to us? Well, today we're going to look at, first of all, the how. How God reveals Himself to us. Secondly, the what. What does God reveal to us about Himself?
And then the what now. What difference should that make to us? What is our response to God's revelation? Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. God is the almighty creator of the universe. He is both all-knowing and all-powerful.
And He wants to have a personal relationship with you. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress explains that we can get to know God better by studying what He's revealed to us through creation and in the Bible. Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.
Dr. Jeffress. Thanks, David. And welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Did you know that Pathway to Victory publishes a magazine?
That's right. Pathway Magazine is one of our most highly requested resources. And today I'm prepared to send you a complimentary copy. The magazine features daily inspirational insights from me, plus Pathway Magazine includes helpful articles on Christian living as well. Be my guest today and request your very first copy as a gift from me and Pathway to Victory.
Just follow the simple instructions at ptv.org. Now, before we start the message, I want to tell you about a resource that I've written for you. In today's world, there's a lot of noise about personal priorities.
In fact, we're bombarded every day with bold assertions, such as what our children should learn in public schools or what we're allowed to say or not say on social media. Well, I contend that Christians can boil things down to 10 core beliefs that matter most, things that are non-negotiable. And this is the thrust of my bestselling book, What Every Christian Should Know. The subtitle is 10 Core Beliefs for Standing Strong in a Shifting World. With a rising number of young people denouncing their faith or deconstructing their faith and others giving way to heretical teaching, my book will bolster your confidence in 10 unchanging truths. And a hardbound copy of What Every Christian Should Know is yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Ask for the resource called What Every Christian Should Know.
Now, let's get started with our next study in this series. Today, I want to address What Every Christian Should Know About God. If you were trying to introduce yourself to somebody who didn't know you, how would you inform them about yourself?
Would you send them a resume that listed all of your work experiences and honors? Maybe you'd fill out a dating profile that showed your likes and your dislikes. Well, God has gone to great lengths to reveal important information about himself to us. And I want us to consider four ways God has revealed himself to us. First of all, he reveals himself to us through nature. We call that in theology natural revelation. It's general information that is available to everyone about God without ever reading a Bible or hearing a sermon.
That's natural revelation. Secondly, God reveals himself through Jesus Christ. Jesus is God's final revelation to man. In Hebrews 1, verses 1 and 2, God, after he spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets and in many portions and ways in these last days, he has spoken to us and his son whom he appointed heir of all things.
Jesus said himself in John 14, 9, he who has seen me has seen the father. Thirdly, God reveals himself through his word, the Bible. Jesus is the living word of God. John 1, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. That was Jesus, the living word, the living expression of God. The Bible is the written word of God.
And there is no dichotomy between the living word, Jesus, and the written word, the Bible. The Bible is God's revelation of himself. All scripture, 2 Timothy 3 16 is inspired, theos nustos, God breathed. Fourthly, God reveals himself to us through his Holy Spirit. Now we'll talk about that more in a couple of weeks when we look at what every Christian should know about the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit reveals God personally to us. For example, if we are pleasing God with what we do and we're obeying him, the spirit affirms that in our heart. Romans 8 16, for the spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. If we need guidance, it's the Holy Spirit of God that guides us. Romans 8 14, for all who are being led by the spirit of God, these are the children of God.
If you don't have the Holy Spirit, then you're not a child of God because every true child of God has the spirit who leads him. The Holy Spirit acts as a conscience. He is our conscience. Jesus said, and when he, the Holy Spirit comes, he will convict the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment to God. Now, what does God reveal to us about himself? We saw the how God reveals himself through nature, through Jesus, through the Bible, through the Holy Spirit. What is it that God wants us to know about himself? Well, first of all, God reveals his attributes. I've listed 10 of them for you.
Don't panic. I'm only going to say a sentence about each one of them, but write them down. Number one, God is holy. What does it mean that God is holy?
That word means he's separate. It's a cut above everyone and everything in his creation. Secondly, God is just. His just nature demands punishment for sin. Thirdly, God is loving.
It's not a superficial emotion. God has a profound love for us that manifests itself in instruction, correction, and discipline. Fourth, God is eternal. He's not bound by time, and that's why we can trust his promise.
And lo, I'm with you always. Fifth, God is omnipotent, omni, all, potent, powerful. He is all powerful.
Six, God is omniscient. He's all knowing what should be a comfort to you. He knows the future. He knows your future. You know how he knows your future?
Because he has planned the future. That's how God knows. He is omniscient. Seventh, God is imminent. That means God is always with his creation.
He's a hands-on manager. Eighth, God is transcendent. That means even though he is in his creation, he is distinct from his creation. Ninth, God is sovereign. Do you know what sovereign means?
It means boss. He's the boss. What God wants done gets done. Job 42.2, I know that you are God and that you can do all things, Job said.
No man can thwart your purpose. And then finally, God is unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, Hebrews 13.8. Those are the things that God reveals about himself, his attributes. Secondly, God reveals his names, certain names that reveal his attributes to us. Elohim, which is the first name for God.
It's a general term. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Yahweh is the most holy name for God. The Israelites wouldn't even speak the word.
It was so holy. It's the name God used to reveal himself to Moses in the burning bush. Exodus 3, I am who I am. Jehovah is an especially interesting name. It's a variation of Yahweh. And there are seven names for God that all begin with Jehovah. Jehovah Jireh, meaning the Lord our provider.
Jehovah Rapha, the Lord our healer. That's an interesting study sometimes to see all of the things God tells us about himself through his names. And thirdly, God reveals his plan to us. Now sometimes we refer to God's plan as God's will. And to understand this, you need to understand that when we talk about God's plan, there are three aspects to God's plan. First of all, there's what we call God's providential plan or will. It's what's referred to in Ephesians 1 11. Also, we have obtained an inheritance having been predestined according to God's purpose, who works all things after the counsel of his will.
And will you notice that word will is singular? God does not have multiple plans. This is one of the greatest heresies in the church.
And you hear it taught all the time. Well, God has his perfect will, that's what he wishes would happen. And then he has his permissive will, that's what actually happens. In other words, there's a plan A and there's a plan B.
And it pictures God looking over the balcony of heaven, studying what we do, and then he sees us mess up and he says, oh, I can't believe Robert did that. Oh gosh, okay, I've got to get a new plan here. And he's always constantly adjusting his plans to fit our actions. Who wants to believe in a God like that? No, everything Ephesians 1 11 says is worked together according to his plan.
He has one plan. Now people have a hard time with that. They say, I just can't accept the idea that everything happens as a part of God's plan.
What about this shooting? What about this disaster? What about this catastrophe in my life and this terrible thing that happened? Remember, God's plan is big enough to have encompassed the rebellion of Lucifer against God in heaven. God's plan included the fall of man in the garden of Eden. God's plan included the torture and murder of his own son, Jesus Christ. God's plan encompasses a lot of things that we have difficulty accepting. But shouldn't it give us comfort to know that God is in control of all of those things? I'm not suggesting that God is the author of evil in any way, no. But what I am saying is God is able to use all things, even the horrible things to accomplish his single will. If God's plan includes the torture and murder of his own son, then it's big enough to include whatever catastrophe and hurt you've gone through as well, knowing that God will have the final word.
Your story isn't over yet. You know, I think about Harold Kushner, the rabbi, Jewish rabbi who lost his son when he was 12, and he wrote that book, Why Bad Things Happen to Good People. And he said in his book, he said, you know, God weeps with us in our problems. He wishes he could have prevented the problems, but he's powerless to do so. Does anybody want to believe in an impotent God like that, a God who wishes he could help you? He hates that you go through evil, but he has no power to stop it. That means we're just victims of random people and random circumstances.
I'd prefer to believe in the God of the Bible, who is so powerful he can do anything, someone I can trust in, that he's going to take the worst things that happen to us and use them for our good and his glory. That's what the verse means, for God causes all things to work together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose. God has one plan. It is the providential plan, and most of it is a mystery to us.
Deuteronomy 29, 29 says, the secret things belong to the Lord. Occasionally, he reveals a part of the plan to us. Ephesians 1, 1 Peter 1, the mystery of redemption that he ordained Christ to die for our sins, that was a part of his plan. Or the mystery of the church, Ephesians 3, but his providential plan is secret. The second aspect to his plan is his perceptive plan. He reveals to us his precepts, his desires for our life. For example, 1 Thessalonians 4, for this is the will of God, Paul said. You want to know what God's will is for your life? Here it is, your sanctification that you abstain from sexual immorality.
That's something everybody can know. I've listed some other precepts in scripture that tell us what God's plan for our life. Have no other gods before me. Honor your father and your mother.
You should love your neighbors, yourself, love your enemies. These are all of God's perceptive plans. And then thirdly, God's personal plan. That's his blueprint for your life. Does God have a blueprint for your life?
Absolutely. Psalm 139 says, in your book, they were all written the days of my life, which were ordained for me before there was one of them. Every day of your life, everything on your calendar has been ordained by God. He has a plan for your life. And a true Christian will seek to know that plan.
Ephesians 5, verses 15 to 17. Now we've talked about how God reveals himself and what God reveals to us about himself. Thirdly, what should our response to God's revelation be?
Let me mention three responses. First of all, we should respond to his invitation. We should RSVP to his invitation.
Think about it. Think to the links which God has gone to tell you about himself through nature, through his word, through sending his son, through giving us his Holy Spirit. We need to respond to that invitation. James 4, 8 says, draw near to God and he will draw near to you. But as we do approach God, we say, God, I'll accept that invitation to know you. The closer we come to God, the more we are aware of the fact that there's a problem. There's a barrier between God and us called sin.
Remember when Peter realized who Jesus was, he fell down and said, Lord, depart from me, for I'm a sinful man. Before we can establish this relationship with God, we've got to take care of the sin problem. Isaiah said, your sin has become a barrier between you and God. Fortunately, God has provided a way to take care of that sin problem.
That's why he sent Christ, to make that payment, that full payment for our sins so that our sins can be washed away forever and we can have that eternal relationship with God. We respond to God's invitation, first of all, by trusting in Christ and then searching the scriptures. That's how we get to know God. Praying, Hebrews 4.16, approaching God's throne with confidence. These are all ways we respond to God's initial invitation to know us. Secondly, we should tap into God's resources. We're going to talk about this more in a couple of weeks, but 2 Peter 1.3 says that God has given us his divine power and everything we need pertaining to life and godliness.
The Holy Spirit is our resource, but even in the attributes of God, we find tremendous resources we should tap into as a result of God's revelation. For example, do you ever feel lonely? Do you feel abandoned? Remember God's eminence. He is with you.
I will never leave you or forsake you. Do you need guidance for the future? You don't know what to do? Remember God's omniscience. He knows all because he's planned all. Ask for his wisdom.
Are you struggling with a mistake that you've made in the past that you keep beating yourself up over? Not only trust in God's love and forgiveness, trust in his sovereignty. Did you know God is in control? He's sovereign, even over your mistakes. One person said it this way, God ordains our steps, our missteps, and even our stumbles. God can take our mistakes and use them for good. Moses' signal mistake in his life was killing that Egyptian soldier in a moment of fury.
He spent the next 40 years running from Pharaoh in the wilderness, forsaken and forgotten by everyone, but God used that mistake and that banishment to the wilderness for 40 years to prepare Moses for his second act in life when he would be at age 80, the great leader of the Exodus. God can use your mistakes as well for good. Tap into the resources of God, and then finally we should submit to God's authority over our lives. The fact that God is all powerful and is sovereign should motivate us to say yes, Lord. You know, one of the things that just bugs me no end is when I hear people say, well, you need to make Jesus Lord of your life. No, we don't make Jesus Lord of anything. He is Lord of everything. God is sovereign already. God is in control already. The question is, are we going to submit to his rule or resist his rule? Psalm 100 and verse 3 says, know that the Lord himself is God.
It is he who made us and not we ourselves, for we are his people and we are the sheep of his pasture. You know, when I think about God's revelation, I'm not quite finished yet. When we think about God's revelation, I think about that I think about that dramatic encounter God had with Elijah in 1 Kings 19. Remember, after his experience of offering the sacrifice to God and the dramatic miracle that took place, Jezebel was trying to kill him, and Elijah got depressed. He lost his connection with God. And so, God said, I'm going to help you out, Elijah.
I'm going to put you over here on Mount Horeb, and I'm going to put on a show for you like you've never seen before. Remember what Elijah saw? First of all, the mighty wind came and it cracked the rocks. It was so powerful, but God wasn't in the wind. And then God sent an earthquake. An earthquake was so powerful that it shook Mount Horeb, and yet God wasn't in the earthquake. And then God sent a fire that consumed everything, but God wasn't in the fire. Instead, God was in the gentle blowing of the wind, a whisper. 1 Kings 19, 13 says, when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle.
Why? Because he had heard the whisper of God. In her book, The Whisper Test, Marianne Byrd tells of an experience that happened to her as a little girl that marked her life forever. She said, I grew up knowing that I was different, and I hated it. I was born with a cleft palate. And when I started school, my classmates made it clear to me how I looked to others. A little girl with a misshapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth, and garbled speech. When schoolmates asked, what happened to your lip?
I'd tell them that I had fallen or cut it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have suffered an accident than to have been born different. I was convinced that no one outside my family could love me. There was, however, a teacher in the second grade whom we adored. Mrs. Leonard was her name. She was short, round, happy, a sparkling lady. Annually, we had our hearing test.
Remember those? Mrs. Leonard gave the test to everyone in the class, and finally it was my turn. I knew from past years that as we stood against the door and covered one ear, the teacher sitting at her desk would whisper something, and we would have to repeat it back. Things like, the sky is blue, or do you have new shoes? I waited there for those words that God must have put into Mrs. Leonard's mouth. Those seven words that changed my life. Mrs. Leonard said in her whisper, I wish you were my little girl. The Bible says God whispers to every one of us who has been deformed by sin, I wish you were my son. I wish you were my daughter. And to those of us who come into the family of God through faith in Christ, when we approach God in prayer, when we talk to our daddy, our abba, our papa, he says to us, I'm glad you're my son.
I'm glad you're my daughter. God's presence can be as big and bold and dramatic as the most powerful force in the world, but it can also be as personal as a whisper. The interesting thing is the closer you and I draw to God, the louder his whisper becomes. Aren't you glad we serve a God who makes himself known to us? He's not hiding behind his deity. Not only that, he longs to be in a relationship with you.
He wants to know you and be known by you. Well, this 10-part teaching series will reinforce this truth about God, and I'm looking forward to every study in February. I'm also looking forward to sending you a hardbound copy of my book, What Every Christian Should Know. In this book, which is nearly 300 pages in length, I want to show you 10 core beliefs of the Christian faith. These are the essential doctrines that will draw you closer to God, and these are the 10 core beliefs that will help you stand strong. A copy of What Every Christian Should Know is yours when you give a generous gift to support the growing ministry of Pathway to Victory. Maybe you have a high school or college student in your home, perhaps a grandchild who's second guessing their Christian faith. My book will help your loved one understand the credible truth God has provided about his loving nature.
It will help them stand strong when they're challenged by peers and professors about the reliability of the Bible. Again, the title of my book is What Every Christian Should Know, 10 Core Beliefs for Standing Strong in a Shifting World. By the way, it might surprise you to learn that many people listen to Pathway to Victory, but never get in touch with us. Well, if that's you, why not take down our contact information and take advantage of this exclusive offer today? When you give, I'd be happy to provide my book, What Every Christian Should Know.
David? Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. A copy of the best-selling book by Dr. Jeffress, What Every Christian Should Know is yours today when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Call 866-999-2965 or make your request online at ptv.org. And when you give $75 or more, you'll also receive the complete collection of audio and video discs for this month's teaching series, What Every Christian Should Know.
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Again, that's PO Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins, inviting you to join us next time for a message called, What Every Christian Should Know About Jesus Christ. That's Friday, here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. Imagine waking up to the sight of Alaska's majestic coastline or spotting wildlife from the deck of a luxurious cruise ship. Experience these unforgettable moments on the Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska with Dr. Robert Jeffress.
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