We Believe - Kingdom of God
I Peter 2:1-12

We Believe the Kingdom of God awaits final fulfillment of God’s complete rule and reign.
Revelation 12:10 “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.”

Revelation 21:3-4 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 20:11-15 “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

We Believe the Kingdom of God subjects must declare their loyalty.
Matthew 4:17 “From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

John 3:3-5 “In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
4“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”
5Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.

We Believe the Kingdom of God citizens follow the way of Christ.
Matthew 5:38-48 ““You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
43“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Romans 12:14-21 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20On the contrary:
      “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
      if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
      In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I Timothy 6:11-12 “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.


Matthew 16:23-28  “Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 28I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

We Believe - The Church
Romans 12:1-21

We Believe the Church is the body of Christ.

I Corinthians 12:27  “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

Ephesians 1:22-23 “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

Ephesians 5:23 “For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.”

Colossians 1:18 “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”


We Believe the Church is the gathering of the growing redeemed.

I Corinthians 1:2 “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:”

Romans 12:3-5 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”


We Believe the Church equips God’s people to be the Spirit-led, visible witness of worship, prayer, fellowship, instruction in the Word and holiness.

Acts 2:42-47 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”


We Believe the Church reaches out to the world.

Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

II Corinthians 5:18-20 “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”


We Believe the Church will stand triumphantly!

Matthew 16:18 “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

Acts 8:3 “But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.”




We Believe - Salvation
Copyright 2010  David K. Kochsmeier, Pastor
Ephesians 2:1-10

We Believe that all of humanity is sinful by nature.

Psalm 14:3 “ All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Psalm 51:5 “ Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—”

I John 1:8, 10 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

We Believe that sin brings consequences to our life.

Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

Ephesians 2:1 “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We Believe that the solution to the sin problem is a Savior.

John 3:16-18 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
Romans 5:6-8 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

We Believe that Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation.

John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Romans 5:17-19 “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”

We Believe that salvation through Jesus Christ is a personal choice.

John 1:12 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—”

Romans 10:9-10; 13 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved….13for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

We Believe that salvation is a free gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”



We Believe - Creation
Copyright 2010  David K. Kochsmeier, Pastor
Genesis 2

We Believe all creation was the supernatural work of God.

Genesis 1 and 2 - The Story of Creation

Hebrews 11:3 “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”

We Believe all humanity was created in the image of God.

Genesis 1:26-27 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Genesis 9:6 “ “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.

James 3:9 “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.

We Believe all humanity was created for God’s own glory.

Isaiah 43:6-7 “Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—7everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Ephesians 1:11-12 “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory”

We Believe humanity is to exercise dominion (power, authority and control) over all other creatures.

Genesis 1:28 “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Genesis 2:19-20 “Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.”

We Believe God created male and female, equal before God as persons and importance, distinct in role and authority with male responsibility of headship in the home and church.

Genesis 5:1-2 “When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them “man.”

Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

I Corinthians 11:3 “Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.”

Ephesians 5:22-25 “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”

Genesis 2:18 “The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

I Timothy 2:11-14 “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. 13For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.”


We Believe - The Bible
Copyright 2010  David K. Kochsmeier, Pastor
Psalm 119:97-105

We Believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God
II Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”

II Peter 1:20-21 “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 21For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

We Believe the Bible is the inerrant Truth of God
Titus 1:2 “a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,”

Hebrews 6:18 “God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.”

II Samuel 7:28 “O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.”

Proverbs 30:5-6 “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.  6Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.”

We Believe the Bible is the fountain head of life and blessing
Deut. 32:47 “They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.”

Joshua 1:8 “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Psalm 1:1-2 “  Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
2But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

We Believe the Bible is the complete and final authority
Deut. 4:2 “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.”

II Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”

Hebrews 1:1-2 “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.”

II Peter 3:16 “He [Paul] writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.”

Revelation 22:18-19 “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”

A Concluding Story - II Kings 22-23
Without the word of God, people will add to the One True and Living God by establishing other gods.
Without the word of God, people will yield to sexualized behavior (shrine prostitutes).
Without the word of God, people will devalue human life (sacrifice sons and daughters to Molech)
Without the word of God, people did whatever they thought was right in their eyes.

With the word of God, there is a repulsion of evil.


We Believe - Holy Spirit 
Copyright 2010  David K. Kochsmeier, Pastor
John 16:7-11

The Holy Spirit is the constant companion to the believer.  He is the representation of God and Jesus Christ is the world today.  As our constant companion, He is our helper, enabler and comforter. 
 
We Believe the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin
John 16:8 “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment”

We Believe the Holy Spirit empowers the follower of Christ
To Witness
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

With Strength
Ephesians 3:16 “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”

With Discernment and Knowledge of the things of God
I  Corinthians 2:10 “but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.”

I  Corinthians 2:14 “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

In prayer
Jude 20 “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.”

Ephesians 6:18 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”

For ministry
I Corinthians 12:11 “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.”

We Believe the Holy Spirit unifies the body of Christ
II Corinthians 13:14 “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

Ephesians 4:3 “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Philippians 2:1-2 “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being likeminded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”

We Believe the Holy Spirit intercedes for us
Romans 8:26 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

We Believe the Holy Spirit teaches the truth of Christ Jesus
John 14:26 “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

John 16:13 “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

We Believe the Holy Spirit regenerates
Titus 3:5 “he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,”

John 3:3-5 “In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
4“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”
5Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”

We Believe the Holy Spirit brings about Christ-like character
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”


We Believe - Jesus Christ
Copyright 2010  David K. Kochsmeier, Pastor

We believe Jesus Christ was with God before the creation of the world.
John 1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
 
Colossians 1:15-17 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

We believe Jesus Christ was born of a virgin.
Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

Luke 1:34-35 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”

We believe Jesus Christ was fully human and fully divine.
Philippians 2:5-8 “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.”

We believe Jesus Christ died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins.
Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

I Corinthians 15:3-4 “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”

I Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”

We believe Jesus Christ is the only way to eternity with God.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

We believe Jesus Christ rose again.
Matthew 28:7 “Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’”

We believe Jesus Christ ascended into heaven.
Luke 24:50-51 “Then he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.

Acts 1:9 “After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.”

We believe Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.
Romans 8:34 “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”

Hebrews 1:3 “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

We believe Jesus Christ will return again to judge the world.
Acts 1:11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Matthew 25:31-32 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats”



We Believe - God
Copyright 2010  David K. Kochsmeier, Pastor

Over the next number of weeks, I will be teaching a series of programs titled, “We Believe”.  During this time we will gain a better understanding of what we believe or should believe concerning such fundamental topics like God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, Creation, Salvation and the Church to mention just a few.

It is extremely important for the follower of Jesus Christ to know what they believe and why they believe it.  Our beliefs serve as the foundation of our character, values and behaviors.  

Today, our focus is on God.  For the human mind to conceptualize and describe “God” is like trying to explain every characteristic of a watchmaker by only examining the watch he crafted.  

When we think of God, we can readily identify some of God’s attributes.  God is creator of the universe; He is holy and just; God is eternal; God is love, mercy and compassion; God is jealous; full of wisdom; perfect is all He does.

I want to highlight several of God’s attributes which form the basis of how we encounter God.

God is the one and only true Living God - As God reveals Himself He uses phrases like “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3); “You shall have no other gods before me, for I am a jealous God.” (Exodus 20); “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.” (Deut. 6:4)

God is all-powerful
Job 42:1-2 “Then Job replied to the LORD:
“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.”

Gen. 18:14 “Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.”

Matthew 19:26 “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

God is all-knowing
I John 3:20 “For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything”

Ps. 147:5 “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.”

Ps. 139:1-3 “O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.”

God is all-present
Ps. 139:7-10 “Where can I go from your Spirit?
      Where can I flee from your presence?
 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
      if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
      if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
      your right hand will hold me fast.

Jeremiah 23:23-24  “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD,
      “and not a God far away?
Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?”
      declares the LORD.
“Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD.

Acts 17:24-28 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

To illustrate these attributes of God, I call your attention to a story found in II Kings 6-7, the siege of Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel.  

Due to the fact that Israel had not kept the commands, statutes and decrees of God, he punished their sin.

The Israelites had been attacked by the army of Aram.  They had surrounded the city of Samaria, nothing went in and nothing went out.  Their situation was so bad that some resorted to cannibalism.  They eat donkey head’s and dove’s dung.

Elisha, the prophet of God, had told the king of Israel to just wait on God to act on behalf of His people.  The king’s patience grew thin with Elisha and the fact he needed to just wait on God.  The king went to kill Elisha because of his great distress.

Elisha prophesied that within 24 hours the siege would be over and that food would be abundant.  The king’s assistant mocked those words by saying, “If God were to throw open the floodgates of heaven that couldn’t happen.” To which Elisha responded that he would see this happen, but he would not benefit from it.

There were four lepers living in huts outside the city wall of Samaria who decided that they had nothing to lose by going to the enemies camp.  As they approached the Arameans camp, the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of a mighty army and they fled for their lives.

The lepers went and yelled their good news to the gatekeepers to in turn shouted the good news and it was reported in the palace.

After the scouting report came back confirming what the lepers said, the people were allowed to go out to the enemies camp and plunder it.
In the process, the king’s assistant was trampled to death.

The words of the prophet were fulfilled.

Why is it important to believe these four attributes (one and true God; all powerful; all knowing and all present) of God?

Because there will be times the enemy may lay siege against an aspect of your life
and you need to believe that God already knows more about that than you do
and you need to believe that God is present with you; He has not abandoned you
and you need to believe that God’s power is mighty to demolish that stranglehold
and that there is only one true living God who is able to accomplish this.