OUTLINE:

1Th 5:16-18
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

God’s Choice
Man doesn’t decide how God is to reveal Himself to His creatures (such that man is somehow convinced of Him). That is the pinnacle of creature arrogance. God has chosen both general and special revelation - things He has deemed MORE than sufficient to reveal Himself. (e.g. Lk 16:19-31)

Jn 1:13 – “not of blood”
One cannot become saved by being born into a Christian family. Unfortunately, a lot of so called Christians think they are saved just because they were raised in a certain category called Christian.

Jn 1:13 – “not of the will of the flesh”
No matter how much you try to will yourself into God's family, maybe by your own goodness or striving to please God, this will not make you born again. Only God Himself can do that by His "gracious choice". Ro 11:5-6

Jn 1:13 – “not of the will of man”
No person can decide for another person. No person can "will" another person to be saved. Each man's heart is accountable to the Lord.

Jn 6:44
"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

God’s Choice
Man doesn’t decide how God is to reveal Himself to His creatures (such that man is somehow convinced of Him). That is the pinnacle of creature arrogance. God has chosen both general and special revelation - things He has deemed MORE than sufficient to reveal Himself. (e.g. Lk 16:19-31)

ONE Forever and Always
The Word (God) became flesh and dwelt among us, Jn 1:14, but He was never separate from the other members of the Godhead.

Jesus and the Father
Heb 1:3 He is ... the exact representation of His nature,
Php 2:6 He existed in the form of God,
2Co 4:4 who is the image of God
Jn 10:30  I and the Father are one.
Jn 14:9 He who has seen Me has seen the Father

God Never Fails
If His intention is to reveal Himself to His creatures (that is what the Bible says), then do you know what? God reveals Himself to His creatures…PERIOD! No man has ever not known of His existence (Ro 1:20).

Inerrancy Means Integrity
Inconsistency and lies ruin trust. A person who speaks consistently and reliably holds up a certain integrity to their essence. God is our perfect example.

Perfection
The beauty of perfection is that you can trust it.

The “Good” Litmus Test
It is very sobering to analyze our own definitions for “good”. We might quickly realize that what we think and even act upon as “good” really isn’t. A good litmus test is to observe what we esteem/celebrate in ourselves/others.

General vs. Special Revelation
General: God’s witness of Himself through creation (Ps 19:1-6)
Special: God reveals Himself directly (e.g., Holy Scripture, Christ’s incarnation, dreams/visions, acts) (Ps 19:7-14)

God is good.
God knows good.

The Oldest Trick…
The oldest trick in the book (literally) is the one that the first two humans fell for in the Garden - question God’s perfect goodness, His veracity (inability to lie), His lovingkindness, His truth.

The “oldest trick” is to put God on trial.

General vs. Special Revelation
General: God’s witness of Himself through creation (Ps 19:1-6)
Special: God reveals Himself directly (e.g., Holy Scripture, Christ’s incarnation, dreams/visions, acts) (Ps 19:7-14)

The simple fact is…
EVERY person who’s EVER lived has KNOWN that God exists at some point in their lives.

General Revelation
1) God witnesses to Himself through creation (Ro 1:20)
2) God creates man with a conscience (ability to know right/wrong) (Ro 2:14-16)
3) God “sets eternity in [man’s] heart” (Ecc 3:11)

General revelation is NOT the Gospel.
People are not saved by it.(Ro 10:5-17; 1Co 1:18-2:5)

The Purpose of General Revelation
It reveals the nature of mankind’s Creator: His holiness, righteousness, sovereignty, majesty, and glory. Arrogant man’s failure to recognize this serves as an indictment against him. However, to the humble, it is on the pathway to salvation (but never the source).

General vs. Special Revelation
General: God’s witness of Himself through creation (Ps 19:1-6)
Special: God reveals Himself directly (e.g., Holy Scripture, Christ’s incarnation, dreams/visions, acts) (Ps 19:7-14)

The Word Is Special Revelation
In the OT, the “law”, “testimony”, “precepts”, “commandment”, and the “judgments of the LORD” (Ps 19) are all speaking about what the NT writers (e.g. John) described as “the Word” (e.g., Jn 1).

God’s Word On His Word
God says that His Word means EVERYTHING to Him. And as such, it ought to mean EVERYTHING to us!