What is He like?

Once we have answered one of life's most fundamental questions, "Does God exist?" - it seems that there is no more important question that we could ask than "What is He like?"

Everything, it seems to me, hangs on the answer to that question.  If He is a monster, then life is as meaningless and hopeless as if He didn't exist at all (and maybe worse).  If He is powerless, then regardless of His character He may not be able to help us.  If He is uninterested, then we are all basically on our own; we may hope for the best, but we should plan for the worst.  Our concept of what God is like will change the way we live and view life.

What is He like?

Our answers to that question must, at times, sound pretty silly to God.  Have you ever listened to someone try to explain something for which you are a bit of an expert...and they clearly are not?  I have heard some pretty humorous explanations about how various medications work from customers.  I imagine God must, if I can say so respectfully, be infinitely more amused with our attempts to explain Him.

What is He like?

Actually it probably isn't our puny "mind" that stands most against the knowledge of God.  It seems to me, as I look at myself and talk with others, that the biggest obstacle we have to knowing God is our hearts.  Because we have sick (sinful) hearts, we tend to imagine a God who is more...shall we say...like us.  Let's be honest.  The reason that we frankly know so little about God is that we don't want to.  We are not much different than Adam & Eve, hiding in the garden after they had sinned.

What is He like?

I think our fundamental obstacle to knowing God is our fear of the consequences.  The irony of this fear is that the "consequences" to really knowing God are all good.  Yes, we might find that in our study of who God is that He demands that we change.  It is impossible to know God and keep living the way we have in the past.  But the good news is that God is in the business of changing us.  When we know Him, really know Him, we find out that "changing us" is what the gospel of Jesus Christ is all about.

What is He like?

So I guess this post is an invitation to find out what God is like.  To that end I would like to suggest a series of sermons just preached by our Pastor, Mark Marquis, at Immanuel Chapel in Upton, MA.  The series is on the character of God.

It is all available to listen to for FREE on SERMON AUDIO.

I invite you to listen to this series.  Each message is about 30 minutes.  Start with the first message, and work your way through them.  A few hours spent thinking about what God is like might just change the way you live the rest of your life.

"“You know, it’s awfully hard to get a Christian scared. It’s hard to get him panicked if he really believes in God. If he’s just a church member, you can get him panicked. But if he really believes in God it’s very difficult to do it.” - AW Tozer (1897 - 1963)