WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.920 Chapter 2. 2 00:00:01.920 --> 00:00:05.240 Seeing God Beyond Our Misperceptions. 3 00:00:05.240 --> 00:00:09.760 I understand that for some, the idea of being intimate with God or getting to know Him on 4 00:00:09.760 --> 00:00:14.920 a deeper, far more personal level can feel overwhelming, even frightening. 5 00:00:14.920 --> 00:00:19.040 There's a natural human response that arises when we find ourselves in the presence of 6 00:00:19.040 --> 00:00:25.600 the Almighty, an acute awareness of our own shortcomings, our inadequacies, our unworthiness, 7 00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:30.080 our insufficiency, and this realization can be paralyzing. 8 00:00:30.080 --> 00:00:35.220 For many, it perpetuates a distorted view of God that is far from His true nature. 9 00:00:35.220 --> 00:00:39.760 Even among believers who should know better, misleading suppositions persist. 10 00:00:39.760 --> 00:00:44.560 Too often, God is presented as little more than a stern, distant future, an old man on 11 00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:49.920 the throne who is impossible to please, is on the constant watch for our failures, is 12 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:55.340 eager to condemn, is perpetually angry and dissatisfied with our performance, no matter 13 00:00:55.340 --> 00:00:57.500 how hard we try. 14 00:00:57.500 --> 00:01:02.220 But God is not Zeus, He's not waiting to throw lightning bolts at you or dispense corporal 15 00:01:02.220 --> 00:01:05.019 punishment for your indiscretions. 16 00:01:05.019 --> 00:01:08.940 Others just mistakenly think of God as someone who is indifferent to their plight and far 17 00:01:08.940 --> 00:01:14.780 less interested in the details of their lives than in seeing if they measure up. 18 00:01:14.780 --> 00:01:20.000 Misperceptions like these are not only inaccurate, they're outright falsehoods and lies, distortions 19 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:25.760 of God's character built on human fear, limited understanding, and centuries of poor religious 20 00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:27.320 tradition. 21 00:01:27.320 --> 00:01:30.000 God already knows your every failing and shortcoming. 22 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:34.280 He's not waiting for you to get yourself together on your own because, frankly, He knows you 23 00:01:34.280 --> 00:01:38.240 can't and He doesn't expect you to. 24 00:01:38.240 --> 00:01:41.880 Humanity has always struggled to grasp the nature of the divine. 25 00:01:41.880 --> 00:01:46.560 In our imperfect comprehension, we attempt to create God in our own image. 26 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:52.720 Throughout history, mankind has fashioned gods of wood, stone, and imagination, gods 27 00:01:52.720 --> 00:01:59.520 who reflect our flawed understanding of divine power, justice, and control. 28 00:01:59.520 --> 00:02:03.520 Even as Christian believers, we can fall into this trap, projecting our fears, doubts, and 29 00:02:03.520 --> 00:02:06.160 human expectations onto God. 30 00:02:06.160 --> 00:02:12.080 We seek to confine Him to a framework we can comprehend, shaping Him into someone who aligns 31 00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:16.280 with our finite view of how things should be. 32 00:02:16.280 --> 00:02:17.960 But here's the issue. 33 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:22.800 Our natural perception of God is inherently flawed, and because of this, we risk missing 34 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:26.760 the truth of who He is and what He desires for us. 35 00:02:26.760 --> 00:02:31.000 When you align yourself with the Spirit of God and surrender to His divine wisdom, your 36 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:35.400 limited perspective is replaced with heavenly insight. 37 00:02:35.400 --> 00:02:40.880 The Holy Spirit opens your eyes to truth that cannot be perceived in the natural. 38 00:02:40.880 --> 00:02:47.040 You begin to see not only God's immeasurable glory, but also His boundless love and complete 39 00:02:47.040 --> 00:02:49.960 acceptance of you just as you are. 40 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:54.160 And in that love, He gently raises you to greater heights. 41 00:02:54.160 --> 00:02:57.520 You come to understand that God is not looking for perfection. 42 00:02:57.520 --> 00:03:00.800 He's not waiting to condemn you or tally your failures. 43 00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:06.880 Instead, He is actively working within you, transforming you from the inside out. 44 00:03:06.880 --> 00:03:11.480 As you grow in spiritual awareness, you realize that any righteousness you achieve is not 45 00:03:11.480 --> 00:03:15.000 your own doing, but the work of God within you. 46 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:18.880 He makes you perfect in Him. 47 00:03:18.880 --> 00:03:24.440 It is His Spirit, alive and active in you, that elevates you to His higher standard, 48 00:03:24.440 --> 00:03:27.720 enabling you to live a life that reflects His heart. 49 00:03:27.720 --> 00:03:31.920 His love and acceptance are not earned, they're freely given. 50 00:03:31.920 --> 00:03:37.720 And through His Spirit, He accomplishes in you what you never could on your own. 51 00:03:37.720 --> 00:03:43.360 This is the God we serve, not distant, not angry, not unreachable, but a loving Father 52 00:03:43.360 --> 00:03:48.960 who draws you closer to Him, heals your wounds, and shapes you into the person He created 53 00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:51.200 you to be. 54 00:03:51.200 --> 00:03:53.640 The nature of an infinite God. 55 00:03:53.640 --> 00:03:58.080 By His grace, I've come to understand that the fullness of God's mysteries can only be 56 00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:02.960 revealed by the power of the Holy Spirit, and only on His terms. 57 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:07.120 God is not discovered through mere human deduction or intellectual pursuit. 58 00:04:07.120 --> 00:04:10.080 He makes Himself known to those who seek Him. 59 00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:15.920 But true comprehension and acceptance of the divine truths of His nature is only possible 60 00:04:15.920 --> 00:04:20.399 through the faith that He provides and by the abiding presence of His Spirit within 61 00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:21.519 us. 62 00:04:21.519 --> 00:04:25.280 As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2, 63 00:04:25.280 --> 00:04:30.480 No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those 64 00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:32.160 who love Him. 65 00:04:32.160 --> 00:04:35.480 But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. 66 00:04:35.480 --> 00:04:39.600 The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 67 00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:44.880 We have not received the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may 68 00:04:44.880 --> 00:04:48.200 understand what God has freely given us. 69 00:04:48.200 --> 00:04:49.800 This is what we speak. 70 00:04:49.800 --> 00:04:55.000 Not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing 71 00:04:55.000 --> 00:04:58.360 spiritual truths in spiritual words. 72 00:04:58.360 --> 00:05:00.000 The man without the Spirit does not know God. 73 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:04.880 not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and 74 00:05:04.880 --> 00:05:09.840 he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 75 00:05:09.840 --> 00:05:14.240 God's vastness and the fullness of his goodness simply cannot be discerned through casual 76 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:17.680 observation or mere human understanding. 77 00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:22.200 Yet in his great love and mercy he has made himself known in ways that even the simplest 78 00:05:22.200 --> 00:05:24.080 of hearts can comprehend. 79 00:05:24.080 --> 00:05:28.760 He is revealed in the world around us, leaving no one without a witness of his glory and 80 00:05:28.760 --> 00:05:30.120 power. 81 00:05:30.120 --> 00:05:36.240 Romans 1, verses 19 and 20 confirms this, since what may be known about God is plain 82 00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:39.760 to them, because God has made it plain to them. 83 00:05:39.760 --> 00:05:44.960 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities, his external power, and 84 00:05:44.960 --> 00:05:50.120 divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that 85 00:05:50.120 --> 00:05:53.560 people are without excuse. 86 00:05:53.560 --> 00:06:01.500 When Moses asked God who he was, God revealed himself as I AM, Exodus 3, verses 13 and 14. 87 00:06:01.500 --> 00:06:07.180 This declaration transcends time and space, revealing an ever-present, eternal God who 88 00:06:07.180 --> 00:06:10.080 defies human understanding. 89 00:06:10.080 --> 00:06:11.760 God is the creator of all that is. 90 00:06:11.760 --> 00:06:16.320 He is the Alpha and the Omega, the self-existent, self-sustaining One. 91 00:06:16.320 --> 00:06:21.360 He did not come from something else, and there is nothing outside of him that gave him his 92 00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:22.440 being. 93 00:06:22.440 --> 00:06:27.360 By him, through him, and with him, the universe exists and is held together. 94 00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:32.880 Simply stated, apart from God, nothing could exist, not even time itself. 95 00:06:32.880 --> 00:06:39.040 As creatures bound by time, this truth is particularly difficult to comprehend. 96 00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:43.720 Everything we experience is constrained by time, our births, our deaths, and every moment 97 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:45.160 in between. 98 00:06:45.160 --> 00:06:50.240 Time is the framework through which we view our entire existence, yet God is not constrained 99 00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:53.880 by time, for time itself is his creation. 100 00:06:53.880 --> 00:06:58.920 He existed before the beginning of all things and will continue long after this world has 101 00:06:58.920 --> 00:07:00.520 passed away. 102 00:07:00.520 --> 00:07:05.840 He is not before or after as we understand it, he simply is. 103 00:07:05.840 --> 00:07:11.080 God the Almighty is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. 104 00:07:11.080 --> 00:07:16.320 That is, he is all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present, existing everywhere and 105 00:07:16.320 --> 00:07:19.280 in all things at all times. 106 00:07:19.320 --> 00:07:24.040 Obtaining a glimpse of this reality is critical for understanding the nature of sin and its 107 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:26.200 profound consequences. 108 00:07:26.200 --> 00:07:30.640 But first let me try to expand just a bit on these three aspects of God. 109 00:07:30.640 --> 00:07:32.520 God is omnipotent. 110 00:07:32.520 --> 00:07:34.240 He is all-powerful. 111 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:39.160 By his will and word, all things came into being and continue to exist. 112 00:07:39.160 --> 00:07:44.600 From the complexity of human life, down to the smallest pebble by a nameless stream, 113 00:07:44.600 --> 00:07:46.840 everything is sustained by him. 114 00:07:46.840 --> 00:07:52.200 He is the source of all life and the creator of everything seen and unseen. 115 00:07:52.200 --> 00:07:57.360 From the vast cosmos to the smallest atom, every part of creation testifies to his power 116 00:07:57.360 --> 00:07:59.040 and creative design. 117 00:07:59.040 --> 00:08:01.800 And yet, he is not limited to his creation. 118 00:08:01.800 --> 00:08:05.760 God exists outside and beyond all that we can perceive. 119 00:08:05.760 --> 00:08:10.280 As Isaiah 40, verses 25 and 26 so beautifully say, 120 00:08:10.280 --> 00:08:12.840 To whom will you compare me? 121 00:08:12.840 --> 00:08:15.640 Or who is my equal? says the Holy One. 122 00:08:15.640 --> 00:08:17.480 Look at your eyes and look to the heavens. 123 00:08:17.480 --> 00:08:19.240 Who created all these? 124 00:08:19.240 --> 00:08:24.000 Who brings out the starry host one by one and calls them each by name? 125 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:29.560 Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. 126 00:08:29.560 --> 00:08:31.080 God is omniscient. 127 00:08:31.080 --> 00:08:32.760 He knows all things. 128 00:08:32.760 --> 00:08:37.559 From the beginning of time to the end of eternity, nothing escapes his sight and his plans are 129 00:08:37.559 --> 00:08:38.880 perfect and complete. 130 00:08:38.880 --> 00:08:44.000 He is intimately aware of every detail of his creation from the grandest galaxies to 131 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:46.680 the smallest thoughts of your heart. 132 00:08:46.680 --> 00:08:49.640 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. 133 00:08:49.640 --> 00:08:54.960 Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 134 00:08:54.960 --> 00:08:57.760 Hebrews 4.13 135 00:08:57.760 --> 00:09:02.040 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth. 136 00:09:02.040 --> 00:09:06.640 And he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 137 00:09:06.640 --> 00:09:09.520 Acts 17.26 138 00:09:09.520 --> 00:09:11.080 And God is omnipresent. 139 00:09:11.080 --> 00:09:13.160 He is everywhere at all times. 140 00:09:13.160 --> 00:09:17.840 There is no place where he is not, and there is nothing that exists apart from him. 141 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:20.980 There is no corner of creation that he is not present. 142 00:09:20.980 --> 00:09:26.920 His glory and presence fill all of creation, sustaining it by his will and power. 143 00:09:26.920 --> 00:09:33.400 There is no place where you can escape his reach, no depth too deep, no height too high. 144 00:09:33.400 --> 00:09:35.680 Psalms 139.7-10 145 00:09:35.680 --> 00:09:40.580 Tell us, where can I go from your spirit, where can I flee from your presence? 146 00:09:40.580 --> 00:09:43.180 If I go up to the heavens, you are there. 147 00:09:43.180 --> 00:09:46.340 If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 148 00:09:46.340 --> 00:09:51.700 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your 149 00:09:51.700 --> 00:09:53.580 hand will guide me. 150 00:09:53.580 --> 00:09:57.420 Your right hand will hold me fast. 151 00:09:57.420 --> 00:10:00.060 God is not confined to a specific location in the sky. 152 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:06.240 stars, or in the galaxies. His dwelling place is not limited to heaven or some far-off incomprehensible 153 00:10:06.240 --> 00:10:11.280 realm. God's presence is infinite and ubiquitous. 154 00:10:11.280 --> 00:10:16.400 He is here, there, and everywhere, all at the same time. And it's by His sustaining 155 00:10:16.400 --> 00:10:21.160 presence that the heavens, the stars, and the earth are held together, and apart from 156 00:10:21.160 --> 00:10:27.200 His presence, all things would cease to exist. As the Apostle Paul writes, He is before all 157 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:32.960 things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1.17. 158 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:39.960 It is this truth that helps us understand why sin invariably leads to death. The death 159 00:10:39.960 --> 00:10:44.720 brought about by sin is not merely physical death, what Jesus referred to as sleep. The 160 00:10:44.720 --> 00:10:50.200 ultimate consequence of sin is the second death, the permanent, irrevocable separation 161 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:56.080 from God, which results in death of the soul and the end of existence. This is the eternal 162 00:10:56.080 --> 00:11:02.600 separation, a fate far more devastating than any earthly death. This isn't a moral issue. 163 00:11:02.600 --> 00:11:09.600 It's a law of existence. Apart from God, there is no life, no being, no subsistence. Sin 164 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:16.760 separates us from God, and separation from God truly is death. Yet, above all of His 165 00:11:16.760 --> 00:11:23.120 divine characteristics, God is love. Though His power and majesty may be incomprehensible, 166 00:11:23.120 --> 00:11:28.840 God is not distant or detached. He seeks to be deeply personal and profoundly engaged 167 00:11:28.840 --> 00:11:34.720 with each one of us. And it is this love that many find the hardest to comprehend. His love 168 00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:39.520 is not like the conditional, fleeting love we typically experience in this world. It 169 00:11:39.520 --> 00:11:46.520 is the essence of His being and the foundation of all His actions. God's love is constant, 170 00:11:46.520 --> 00:11:53.120 unchanging, unshakable, infinite, and unconditional. He loved humanity before the Fall, and His 171 00:11:53.120 --> 00:11:58.960 love remained steadfast even after sin injured the picture. It was out of this unrelenting 172 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:04.560 love that He gave His only Son to redeem you, to pay the price for your transgressions, 173 00:12:04.560 --> 00:12:11.560 and to restore you to Himself. God's love remains constant despite humanity's rebellion. 174 00:12:11.760 --> 00:12:17.040 It was in love that the Father sent His Son to redeem us. It was in love that Jesus willingly 175 00:12:17.040 --> 00:12:23.160 endured the cross to reconcile us to the Father. And it is in love that the Holy Spirit dwells 176 00:12:23.160 --> 00:12:29.480 within us, guiding, comforting, and transforming us. Romans 5.8 tells us, 177 00:12:29.480 --> 00:12:36.320 But God demonstrates His love for us in this, While we were still sinners, Christ died for 178 00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:43.280 us. God knows you, loves you, and desires a relationship with you beyond anything you 179 00:12:43.280 --> 00:12:47.720 can imagine. But the one thing that blocks your perception of this incredible love and 180 00:12:47.720 --> 00:12:54.720 connection is sin. Sin separates us from God, not because He withdraws His love, but because 181 00:12:54.820 --> 00:13:00.040 it blinds us to the truth of who He is. It distorts our understanding, making us doubt 182 00:13:00.040 --> 00:13:05.480 His goodness, His presence, and His intentions. Yet even in this, God provides a way back 183 00:13:05.480 --> 00:13:11.440 to Him through Jesus Christ. He made a way for us to overcome sin, to be restored to 184 00:13:11.440 --> 00:13:17.640 intimacy with Him, and to step into the fullness of His love and purpose for our lives. 185 00:13:17.640 --> 00:13:24.640 The most basic truth of the universe is this—God is. And this truth changes everything. It's 186 00:13:24.640 --> 00:13:30.920 not a distant, abstract concept, but a life-altering revelation that invites you into alignment 187 00:13:30.920 --> 00:13:37.000 with your Creator. As you embrace this truth, you will begin to see not only who God is, 188 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:43.800 but also who you are in Him and through Him. You will find your purpose, your identity, 189 00:13:43.800 --> 00:13:50.680 and your destiny, because God is, and because He loves you, always. 190 00:13:50.680 --> 00:13:57.600 This is our God, immeasurable, infinite, and uncontainable. Still, He invites us into relationship 191 00:13:57.680 --> 00:14:04.160 with Him. He offers Himself to us not as a distant deity, but as a loving Father, a Savior, 192 00:14:04.160 --> 00:14:08.960 and a constant companion. His love is the foundation of all that we are and all that 193 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:14.480 we are called to be. And it is through the Spirit that we are empowered to know Him, 194 00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:18.680 to walk with Him, and reflect His love to the world. 195 00:14:18.680 --> 00:14:24.880 Fortunately, God is not confined to our limited understanding. He makes Himself known to those 196 00:14:24.880 --> 00:14:30.920 who seek Him. And when we align our hearts with His, we begin to see beyond the natural 197 00:14:30.920 --> 00:14:36.880 and step into the fullness of who He is and who He created us to be. That is the beauty 198 00:14:36.880 --> 00:14:43.720 and wonder of knowing God, a journey that will never end but only grow deeper and richer 199 00:14:43.720 --> 00:14:44.880 as we walk with Him.