Rev. Rick Stoops, Superintendent Maine District UPCI
We read in the Bible the many things that God is and the things God does. In Revelation 1:8 He is the Almighty. In Revelation 22:13 Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, and the Beginning and the End. I John 2:1 says Jesus is our Advocate. In Hebrews 12:2 He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith. In John 6:35 He is the Bread of Life. In Psalm 118:22 He is the Chief Cornerstone and in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 Jesus is the Deliverer who delivers us from the wrath to come.
John, the beloved disciple of Christ, undertook to put to pen all that Jesus did. He wrote under divine inspiration of the multiplied miracles and signs and teachings and good deeds and then finally realizing the futility of capturing it all, wrote in John 21:25, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.”
Today I come not with a message attempting to list all that God is. It is an impossible task. But today I come with a message from the Word of God noting five things that God is not. Yes, we can truthfully sing, “He is my everything, my all in all, He is my everything both great and small. He gave His life for me...made everything new. He is my everything, now how about you.” Today, though I claim Jesus as my everything, there are some things that the Bible says God is not.
The first thing in our Bible list of what God is not: God is not a man, that He should lie.
Numbers 23:19 declares, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Man will sometimes stretch the truth by saying things like, “The check is in the mail.” Some people stretch the truth; others mutilate it. Those who cook up stories, sooner or later, will find themselves in hot water, literally.
Revelation 21:8 tells us, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” God is not a man that He should lie. God is not a mere mortal. He never makes a promise He cannot keep. God never says something He doesn’t mean. He is not a man that needs to repent. He doesn’t change His mind like humans do. God is not a man who makes promises but is incapable of fulfilling them. What He has said, He will do. He keeps His promises. Whatever He has promised is what He will do because God is not a man that He should lie.
Here are a few promises of God to consider right now:
“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with the; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Deuteronomy 31:6
And God is not a man that He should lie.
“When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.” Isaiah 41:17-18
And God is not a man that He should lie.
The second thing is, “God is not the God of the dead.”
The second thing on our Bible list of what God is not comes from Mark 12:26-27. The scripture says, “And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.”
“God is not the God of the dead.” This does not mean that God is not the God of those who have died in the faith. To the contrary, when God appeared to Moses at the burning bush and announced that He was the God of Abraham, Abraham had died over 300 years prior. Yet God said, “I AM the God of Abraham” 331 years after Abraham had died. Abraham had died, but death is not the end for God’s people. Death is a “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” into a much better life without end. For the saved, death is the last shadow before heaven’s dawn. Though Abraham died, we know he is not presently dead because over 1,800 years later Jesus told the story of a certain beggar named Lazarus who died and was carried by angels into Abraham’s bosom. A rich man who was unsaved also died and landed in hell...and being in torments, he looked up and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus relaxing and reclining at Abraham’s side.
In Luke 16:23-25, we read, “And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.”
Jesus told this true-life story in Luke 16 over 1800 years after Abraham had died. 1800 years after Abraham died he is seen in Luke 16 enjoying himself with friends in the presence of God and conversing across the chasm called hell with a formerly rich, but now forever poor, man.
In John 11:25, we read, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” God is not the God of the dead.
The third truth is, God is not the author of confusion.
In I Corinthians 14:33, we read, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” God is not confused. God is not the author of confusion. Satan delights to raise questions about everything God has said in His Word. In the Garden of Eden Satan injected questions into Eve’s thinking when he whispered, “Pssst...Eve! Yea hath God said ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1) Satan is the author of confusion. He will always put a question mark where God puts a period.
God is immutable, unchangeable, unstoppable, consistent, straight forward, and deliberate. God is not subject to mood swings. In Malachi 3:6, we read, “For I am the LORD , I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”
In Hebrews 13:8, the Bible says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” In Psalm 119:89, we read, “Forever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” And in James 1:17, we read, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
God does not change like shifting shadows. (NIV) There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. (THE MESSAGE) Philippians 1:6 says it this way, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
The fourth truth is, God is not mocked.
In Galatians 6:7, we read, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Don’t be deceived, don’t fool yourself. God is not mocked. You cannot pretend to serve God. You cannot fake walking with God. Remember this: GOD IS NOT MOCKED.
There is an old legend about a rich merchant in Baghdad who sent his servant to the market. While he was at the marketplace, he was jostled by someone in the crowd. When he turned around, he saw a woman in a long black cloak and knew it was Death. The servant ran home to his master and in a trembling voice told him about the encounter and how Death had looked at him and made a threatening gesture. The servant begged his master to loan him a horse so he could ride to Samarra and hide so Death would not find him. The master agreed and the servant galloped away. Later, the merchant went down to the marketplace and saw Death standing nearby. The merchant asked, “Why did you make a threatening gesture to my servant and frighten him?” “That was not a frightening gesture,” Death replied. “It was just that I was startled to see him in Baghdad because I have an appointment with him tonight in Samarra!” (Stories for the Heart, p. 264)
The fifth truth is, God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love.
In Hebrews 6:10, we read, “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” God is not unrighteous to forget or overlook your labor and the love which you have shown for His name’s sake in ministering to the needs of the saints (His own consecrated people), as you still do. (AMP) God is not unrighteous; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. (NIV)
In Mark 9:41, the Bible says, “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.” We read in Mark 10:29-30, “And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”
The Call of God elevates your life. Pete, Andy, and Jim were fishermen. They fished on a pretty large lake about the size of Moosehead Lake. In that part of the country it was hot and the fish were best caught at night. Every night they fished and every day they cleaned and mended their nets. They were caught in the tide of monotony and mediocrity...same ole same ole. That’s when Jesus came walking with purposeful steps into their lives.
"Follow me” Jesus said. Without argument and without reservation they just dropped their nets an followed Him. That call would take them places they could never have gone by themselves. They would participate in the miraculous. All because they answered the call. Now even thousands of years later millions have heard of the Apostle Peter, the Apostle Andrew, and the Apostle James.
Remember the promise of Christ: Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love.
We read in the Bible the many things that God is and the things God does. In Revelation 1:8 He is the Almighty. In Revelation 22:13 Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, and the Beginning and the End. I John 2:1 says Jesus is our Advocate. In Hebrews 12:2 He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith. In John 6:35 He is the Bread of Life. In Psalm 118:22 He is the Chief Cornerstone and in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 Jesus is the Deliverer who delivers us from the wrath to come.
John, the beloved disciple of Christ, undertook to put to pen all that Jesus did. He wrote under divine inspiration of the multiplied miracles and signs and teachings and good deeds and then finally realizing the futility of capturing it all, wrote in John 21:25, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.”
Today I come not with a message attempting to list all that God is. It is an impossible task. But today I come with a message from the Word of God noting five things that God is not. Yes, we can truthfully sing, “He is my everything, my all in all, He is my everything both great and small. He gave His life for me...made everything new. He is my everything, now how about you.” Today, though I claim Jesus as my everything, there are some things that the Bible says God is not.
The first thing in our Bible list of what God is not: God is not a man, that He should lie.
Numbers 23:19 declares, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Man will sometimes stretch the truth by saying things like, “The check is in the mail.” Some people stretch the truth; others mutilate it. Those who cook up stories, sooner or later, will find themselves in hot water, literally.
Revelation 21:8 tells us, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” God is not a man that He should lie. God is not a mere mortal. He never makes a promise He cannot keep. God never says something He doesn’t mean. He is not a man that needs to repent. He doesn’t change His mind like humans do. God is not a man who makes promises but is incapable of fulfilling them. What He has said, He will do. He keeps His promises. Whatever He has promised is what He will do because God is not a man that He should lie.
Here are a few promises of God to consider right now:
“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with the; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Deuteronomy 31:6
And God is not a man that He should lie.
“When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.” Isaiah 41:17-18
And God is not a man that He should lie.
The second thing is, “God is not the God of the dead.”
The second thing on our Bible list of what God is not comes from Mark 12:26-27. The scripture says, “And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.”
“God is not the God of the dead.” This does not mean that God is not the God of those who have died in the faith. To the contrary, when God appeared to Moses at the burning bush and announced that He was the God of Abraham, Abraham had died over 300 years prior. Yet God said, “I AM the God of Abraham” 331 years after Abraham had died. Abraham had died, but death is not the end for God’s people. Death is a “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” into a much better life without end. For the saved, death is the last shadow before heaven’s dawn. Though Abraham died, we know he is not presently dead because over 1,800 years later Jesus told the story of a certain beggar named Lazarus who died and was carried by angels into Abraham’s bosom. A rich man who was unsaved also died and landed in hell...and being in torments, he looked up and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus relaxing and reclining at Abraham’s side.
In Luke 16:23-25, we read, “And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.”
Jesus told this true-life story in Luke 16 over 1800 years after Abraham had died. 1800 years after Abraham died he is seen in Luke 16 enjoying himself with friends in the presence of God and conversing across the chasm called hell with a formerly rich, but now forever poor, man.
In John 11:25, we read, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” God is not the God of the dead.
The third truth is, God is not the author of confusion.
In I Corinthians 14:33, we read, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” God is not confused. God is not the author of confusion. Satan delights to raise questions about everything God has said in His Word. In the Garden of Eden Satan injected questions into Eve’s thinking when he whispered, “Pssst...Eve! Yea hath God said ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1) Satan is the author of confusion. He will always put a question mark where God puts a period.
God is immutable, unchangeable, unstoppable, consistent, straight forward, and deliberate. God is not subject to mood swings. In Malachi 3:6, we read, “For I am the LORD , I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”
In Hebrews 13:8, the Bible says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” In Psalm 119:89, we read, “Forever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” And in James 1:17, we read, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
God does not change like shifting shadows. (NIV) There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. (THE MESSAGE) Philippians 1:6 says it this way, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
The fourth truth is, God is not mocked.
In Galatians 6:7, we read, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Don’t be deceived, don’t fool yourself. God is not mocked. You cannot pretend to serve God. You cannot fake walking with God. Remember this: GOD IS NOT MOCKED.
There is an old legend about a rich merchant in Baghdad who sent his servant to the market. While he was at the marketplace, he was jostled by someone in the crowd. When he turned around, he saw a woman in a long black cloak and knew it was Death. The servant ran home to his master and in a trembling voice told him about the encounter and how Death had looked at him and made a threatening gesture. The servant begged his master to loan him a horse so he could ride to Samarra and hide so Death would not find him. The master agreed and the servant galloped away. Later, the merchant went down to the marketplace and saw Death standing nearby. The merchant asked, “Why did you make a threatening gesture to my servant and frighten him?” “That was not a frightening gesture,” Death replied. “It was just that I was startled to see him in Baghdad because I have an appointment with him tonight in Samarra!” (Stories for the Heart, p. 264)
The fifth truth is, God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love.
In Hebrews 6:10, we read, “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” God is not unrighteous to forget or overlook your labor and the love which you have shown for His name’s sake in ministering to the needs of the saints (His own consecrated people), as you still do. (AMP) God is not unrighteous; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. (NIV)
In Mark 9:41, the Bible says, “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.” We read in Mark 10:29-30, “And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”
The Call of God elevates your life. Pete, Andy, and Jim were fishermen. They fished on a pretty large lake about the size of Moosehead Lake. In that part of the country it was hot and the fish were best caught at night. Every night they fished and every day they cleaned and mended their nets. They were caught in the tide of monotony and mediocrity...same ole same ole. That’s when Jesus came walking with purposeful steps into their lives.
"Follow me” Jesus said. Without argument and without reservation they just dropped their nets an followed Him. That call would take them places they could never have gone by themselves. They would participate in the miraculous. All because they answered the call. Now even thousands of years later millions have heard of the Apostle Peter, the Apostle Andrew, and the Apostle James.
Remember the promise of Christ: Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love.
