Santucci, Hugo: Getting to Know What God Is Like-2

Good morning. Good morning. Great song. One who understands and one who has healing hands. Because I feel so comfortable with you, I'd like to ask you to pray for us this, uh, next week. Uh, Kathy and I are be- are going to be going to, uh, Washington on Friday, where I begin a, um, a family camp, uh, speaking for a week every day, sometimes twice a day. And, uh, just like for you to pray for us, that God will give us the strength, keep us in health, and, uh, that the word might indeed be effective. So, we'll thank you in advance. Uh, this is the second part, as Dean mentioned, of a two-part series on the general theme, getting to know what God is like. And I'd like for you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to John's Gospel, chapter fourteen. And I'm just going to read two verses. Uh, you might want to put your bulletin there. We'll just go back to those once in a while, and uh, you might want to check it out. John's Gospel, chapter fourteen, verse eight and nine. Reading at verse eight. Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us. Jesus said to him, have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, show us the Father? As I think of our subject this morning, it reminded me a great deal of a story told about Socrates and a young person who wanted to, uh, uh, walk along with him on a path one day. And the day came, and the young man was so overawed by the presence of Socrates that he couldn't say anything. His mouth was closed. And finally, Socrates looked at this young man and said, uh, speak that I might know you. Knowing a person, knowing each other is the basis for the greatest kind of intimacy, and of course, knowing God is the path to eternal life. And Paul himself expressed, I think, with a great deal of emotion, uh, when he cried out in Philippians chapter three and verse ten, that I might know you. That I might know you. How important is it to know God? Is there any other greater pursuit in life? And people throughout history have said that their greatest aim in life was that they might get to know God. In his Confessions, Saint Augustine said this: The thought of you, that is God, the thought of you stirs mankind so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself, and our hearts find no rest until they rest in you. In the passage that we just read together, Jesus rebukes Philip. Philip the apostle, who had been with Jesus for over three years, hears these words of Jesus in verse nine: have I been so long time with you, and yet you have not come to know me, Philip? Don't you know who I really am? And we ask of Philip, what's wrong here? You were with him, Philip. You heard what the other apostles heard, and you saw what the other apostles saw. And how is it that you missed knowing Jesus? What is it that Philip missed during the time that he was with Jesus? And importantly for us today, what is it that people fail to see in the world that they live in, the world that God has made? Paul the Apostle said it so very clearly in Romans chapter one, verses eighteen and nineteen, That which is known about God is evident within us. Because God has made it evident to us. And that is his invisible attributes, his divine power, and his divine nature have been clearly seen. The invisible is clearly seen, being understood by the things which God has made. And when we look at our world and the awesomeness of some of the things in our world, we cannot help but understand the eternal power and mighty work of God. I'd like to ask you all a question. Do you know God? Do you know God? Now, I didn't say, do you know about God? But do you know God as your Father? Jesus said very clearly to Philip in verse nine, He who has seen me has seen the Father. Now, one of the beautiful ways in which Jesus opens the windows to help us know God was in the beautiful stories that he told. And there are four books in the Bible that tell the stories that Jesus told. The effect of which, effect of some of them of which, are to reveal who God is. And Jesus illustrated who God is not through theological jargon, because the theological jargon would require that we know Hebrew, and that we know Greek, and that we understand ancient history, and that we understand cultural anthropology and historical theology, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. He spoke- spoke to people using ordinary language, using familiar situations and familiar surroundings. He wanted us to understand, and he wanted us to know who God is. And what I would like to do this mo- this morning is for us to see how Jesus taught people about knowing God. And I'd like to consider three things. First, he taught people about God through the setting of how a son knows his father. Secondly, he taught people about God through the setting of how a sheep knows its shepherd. And thirdly, he taught people about God through the setting of how a servant knows its master. All of these are ways that Jesus talked about and illustrated so we could know something about God. And you know, my little three-point point part outline could easily be expanded to a six-point point outline and even more. And I'm sure that you're all aware that these three illustrations do not exhaust the ways Jesus taught in order that we might come to know God. I'd like to look briefly at these three ways. First of all, then, we can learn about God through the setting of how a son knows his father. And the story that I have chosen, which Jesus told to illustrate this point, is the powerful story known to us as the story of the prodigal son, found in Luke fifteen, verses eleven through thirty two. And Jesus told this story in response to criticism that he was spending time with people called called sinners sinners, and and whore horror of of whores, horrors. he was eating with them. He was going out to lunch with them. He was having dinner with them, breakfast with them. He was eating with them. And this very criticism illustrates and illuminates for us the way our Heavenly Father is with people who have lived wasted lives, wasteful lives. And all of you know that the word prodigal means wasteful. The story of the prodigal son is the story of a young man, as you know, who left home and who wasted his inheritance, who wasted part of his life, who wasted his relationship with his father. And the young man eventually comes to the place where his miserable condition dawns upon him, and he decides to return to his father's house. Now the question is, what did this son learn about his father that translates into what we can learn about God? Well, first of all, we learn that the father gave his son the dignity of choice, as we have it in verse twelve. The son wanted to leave home, and history is full of stories of children who could not be persuaded to stay home, regardless of the argumentation that the parents might give that child. They leave, they want to go. The father, I suppose, in our story could have withheld giving his son the inheritance, but he didn't. There are over two million children who disappear from homes every year in the United States. And I wonder what their story is and what their relationship to their parents is. Now, as this father, in the story Jesus told, gave his son the freedom of choice, so we, being made in the image of God, are given the ability to make choices, choices that sometimes are horribly, horribly wrong and hurtful. We remember how Adam and Eve were given freedom of choice, and how terrible have been the consequences of their wrong choosing. Now, our God has given us the freedom to choose his will, which is for our greatest good, and has given us the freedom to turn him down. And this is one of God's awesome gifts. Our God is a God who gives us freedom. That's what God is like. Every person in this room is confronted with the choice. For your greatest good, to believe God, to trust God, to turn our life over to him, or to say, forget it, look, God, I don't want any part of you. We have that choice. Every person can choose freely. No coercion. Nothing being forced upon us. That's what God is like. And that's what the prodigal son learned. Secondly, we learn from the story that this father is a patient and waiting father, in verse twenty. And in this story, we have the picture of a father, and I can imagine a, a flat top roof with a little, uh, uh, parapet around it, and this father out there every day, looking out into the horizon, looking at the path that eventually disappears. And there he is, waiting and watching. I don't know for how long the father waited. How long he watched, I don't know. But one day, while he was waiting and watching, the scripture says he saw his son way out there. This, this tiny little figure way out there. The image of the son was imprinted on the mind and on the heart of that father, so that he recognized him even though he was a far off. That's what God's like. Patient, waiting, looking. And God is like a father who waits for his sons and daughters to turn their hearts toward him and home. And friends, even if you far, far away from home, there is someone who sees you, even though you may be way out there, even though you may be a far off, there is someone who sees you. That's what God is like. Thirdly, we read that the father felt compassion on that figure that eventually appeared on the horizon. And I have asked myself over and over again, why compassion? Why not anger? Why not anger at the son who wanted his father to die so that he could have his money now? But that's not what God is like. The text says compassion, and that describes the emotion of the father. When the father says that he saw the son afar off, what did he see? Did he see a wasted man coming towards him? Did he see a man whose face showed the signs of a wasteful lifestyle? Did he see a man whose every step seemed pained and labored? Did, did that son who had walked from the pig pens where he had been working. I don't suppose he had, uh, had a shower. I don't suppose he had a change of clothes. And the father saw this figure coming toward him, perhaps dirty, perhaps ragged, perhaps with head down, wasted. Wasted. And he continues walking towards his father. Did the father see a man as he looked as that figure coming on the path? Did he see a man who still retained enough of his own image to be recognized by him? That's what the father is like. Full of compassion, even to the most wasted of his creatures, who returns to the Father's house. I'm so glad our Heavenly Father is like that. That he's full of compassion toward each of us. I'm so glad. Fourthly, the Father comes down from the roof, gets on the path, and begins to run toward his son. And we're told that culturally this is unheard of, that an older man would lift his garments up, expose his limbs, and run. It was shameful for a man like that to do that kind of a thing. But he runs toward his son, shameful act, embraces him, dirt and all, kisses him, and here you have the emotion of the personal joy of a father at the return of his son who had been dead to him for a number of years. This is the joy of a restored relationship. But that's what God is like. He rejoices when people come to him. Not only do the angels rejoice. Not only do the friends and neighbors rejoice, as they did with the woman who had found her coin, but God the Father rejoices. And the book of Hebrews tells us, for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, for the joy of it all. That's what our Father's like. Did you know that? That's what God is like. Fifthly, and I'll stop with this one, he's an accepting father, even to a person who has said, I am not worthy to be called your son. He accepts that kind of a person. The son is not disowned. He is not disenfranchised. He has not been told, if you go, don't ever come back. Never told him that. He was not told, you made your own bed, now sleep in it. He never told that son, okay, you're back, it's about time, but don't you ever dare do that again. Never told him that. Instead, the son is given a royal welcome and all the dignity and trappings that belong to a son. He is welcomed home and f- and restored fully and genuinely accepted, and not only that, he throws a party for his. That's what our God is like. Did you know that? That's what God is like. Now, the second picture I want to see is Jesus teaching us about God as a sheep knows its shepherd. And the passage I want to consider is the passage we know as the story of the Good Shepherd, found in John's Gospel, chapter ten. You know, this idea of shepherd and sheep, that is, God being the shepherd and his people being the sheep, can be found in many passages in the Old Testament. And one of the principal passages is Ezekiel chapter thirty four. It is full of shepherds who were not fulfilling their obligation and their duty and their responsibility. Uh, and then it is full of God the shepherd, caring for his sheep. Then we're all familiar with the psalm which pictures a sheep saying, the Lord is my shepherd. Did you notice that says my, not our? Because that sheep, that single sheep, feels as if God is all his. Hm. You ever felt that way? Gee, that's wonderful. That's just great. Then there's also Psalm um ninety five seven, which tells us, for he is our God, and we are the people of his sha- of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. What do sheep learn about their shepherd that translates into what we can learn about God? And I just like to think about three things that teach us about God. First of all, the sheep learn that they are safe with their shepherd. And if you notice the passage, you will discover that. The shepherd is vitally in the sheep in his care. He is not like the hired hand, which that passage speaks of. He is not like the thief. The shepherd comes through the gate, the front door. The sheep can fully trust the shepherd because he's interested in their welfare. I care about you, he says, and I'm interested that you get along well. I'm really interested in you. As I was thinking of this, I thought, is there really a safe place in our world? And I said, no, not really. Well, God wills the very best for his people, and we learn that with him we can be secure and have all the confidence we need. There are a lot of hurtful things in our world, lots of them, lots of them, but thank the Lord we can be safe with him, because that's what God is like. We read of God as being the rock of safety, the rock that is higher than I. We read in Psalm thirty two that he is our hiding place. Neat place. Neat place to hide in God. That's what God's like. That's what God is like. I hope you don't have a stereotype notion of God, but that you have a biblical view of who God is and what God is like. Secondly, the sheep knows the voice of its shepherd, and this reminded me of an incident when I was in Israel a number of years ago. We had just walked through the tunnel of, uh, Hezekiah, uh, which is a, uh, pathway for water to flow from outside the city into the city. And, uh, it starts out at a place called the, uh, Springs of Gihon and comes into the city and exits at a place called the Pool of Siloam. You may have heard of that. Well, we had just walked through, and I was walking up the steps from the Pool of Si- Siloam, and there I saw a man with, I don't know how many sheep, maybe thirty, forty sheep, I don't know how many. They had pretty good number of sheep there. And I saw two or three sheep that were had wandered away, uh, not real far, but uh, uh, maybe fifty feet away from the shepherd and the other sheep that were around him. And then I heard the shepherd say a few words. I couldn't mimic what he said. But those sheep immediately, immediately stopped with they wherever they were doing and gathered around the shepherd. Hm. The sheep know the voice of their shepherd, and when the shepherd calls, they come. Now, the word know here, knowing the voice of the shepherd, that word know means more than mere knowledge of facts that you can get out of a book. Instead, the word know implies intimacy. God is not a God that is distant or that is removed far away, but he is one that desires closeness. God is a God of closeness, and the sheep respond to this closeness by following him. The sheep know him as their leader and their guide, and they recognize the voice of the shepherd that calls each sheep by its name. That's what God's like. He knows us. Thirdly, the she- sheep see in their shepherd one who loves them to the extent that he would lay down his life for the sake of the sheep. This is the ultimate expression of love. Giving your life so that another person may be blessed. Isn't that what happened when Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gave his life for the sheep and died on a cross? And it's there that we learn what love is all about. I remember one of my daughters saying to me, Dad, I love you this much. That's in the shape of a cross. And that's what God tells us, I love you this much. Isn't- isn't this what happened when Jesus gave his life for us? We learn what love is all about. It's sacrificial. It gives, and it keeps on giving, and it describes our God. It tells us what he's like. That's what God is like. But lastly, and I need to hurry. The third picture that Jesus helps to, helps us to understand what God is like is how a servant knows his master. And the passage I'm thinking about is the passage known as the parable of the talents in Matthew chapter twenty four verses fourteen and following. And you may recall that in this story that Jesus told, the master gives five talents of silver to one, to another two talents of silver, and to still another one talent of silver. Each, it says, according to his ability. Now, a talent is about seventy five pounds, worth in today's money, silver, oh, somewhere between four thousand five hundred and five thousand dollars in today's coinage. So we ask, well, what did these servants learn about their master that would help them to learn about God? Well, first of all, these servants recognize that the master trusts them with running his business while he's away. Got that? They also recognize their master has sufficient knowledge about them to know their capabilities. He knows their gifts. And because of this personal knowledge he has of his servants, he gives them greater responsibilities, and to others he gives less. And this tells me that God is very considerate. That's what God's like, he's considerate. And he trusts us with carrying on his business, the church and the kingdom of God while he's away. He's been trusting you and me for nearly two thousand years now. He's been trusting us with his business for a long time. And it's not just the few that he trusts with his business. He trusts the person with five talents, and he trusts the person with one talent. Trusts us all. How many here realize that God trusts you to do a job for him with the gifts that he has given you? Do you know that he trusts you with a job, with a privilege? How are we handling that trust? Are you grateful that God trusts you? Well, that's what God is like. He's considerate, he trusts us, he gives us the coinage to work in his business. Secondly, the master recognizes a job well done. He freely congratulates his servants, and then he rewards them by giving and putting them in charge of many things. And the master also invites his servants to share in his master's happiness. That's what God's like. He congratulates his servants on doing the job that they should be doing. That's what God's like. Hm. So he trusts us with the job, then when we do it, he congratulates us, and then he gives us more responsibility, and then he invites us to share with him at his table. That's what God's like. And the third thing we notice in this is the case of the one servant who did nothing. I wish I didn't have to talk about this. He did nothing with his life. And this one is severely rebuked by his master, and his one talent is taken away, and that servant who was called wicked is cast out into the darkness. And folks, this too is like God. He does not reward laziness or wickedness. He doesn't. He is offended when people misrepresent him, as this person did. And excuses do not avail before the master. He's given each of us here opportunity. What do we do with that opportunity? Are you using the talents and gifts that God has given you? How important is it to know God? Well, it's important to clear out the misconceptions, the distortions, the unreality about God. He's a good father. He's a good shepherd, and he's a good master. And Jesus uses these very human illustrations to explain to us something of the nature of God. And as each story is developed by Jesus, we see particular characteristics, particular facets about our God. As I said before, we certainly have not exhausted the stories that Jesus told to help us understand the nature of God. This is just a, uh, an introduction, actually. Now, in each of the three celebration- 3 passages, I, I want you to notice that there was a celebration in each case. Did you notice that? When the prodigal son returned, there was a celebration. There was feasting and music, and there was dancing, there was a banquet, the fattened calf had been killed, and there was rejoicing in the father's house. Wow. In the case of the Good Shepherd, Jesus said, I came that they might have life and have it abundantly. You know what abundant life is all about? It means life to the full, not a limited kind of, uh, approach to life, but life to the full, to the very full. And I can imagine that that fullness of life includes celebration. It includes joy. It includes happy relationship. And when the master returned and his servants gave account of their stewardship, note that the two who had been faithful were invited. And the words, I think, are just great. Come and share your master's happiness. Ha! Isn't that great? Come and share your master's happiness. This is my call to anyone here who doesn't know God. Come and share my master's happiness. Come and receive abundant life. Come and celebrate. Celebrate in the Father's house. Sometimes I think, don't think we celebrate enough. Celebrate. Celebrate the God who loves us and who welcomes us and says to every person, come home, come home. And that's the invitation to any here who don't know God. Come home this morning. Come home. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you for... such a God. There is none like you. None. There's none that can compare with you. Thank you for being forgiving. Thank you for being redemptive. Thank you for being reconciling. Thank you for bringing us into your family. Thank you for s- telling us to come and share the Father's happiness. Lord, bless each person here. And, uh, Father, I pray that if there is one here today that, that doesn't really know this God intimately, personally, that today might be the beginning. And so, Father, we, uh, just come to you and say again, thank you, Heavenly Father. Thank you for Jesus Christ. Amen.