Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20060122.htm

RELISHING THE ESSENCE AND ATTRIBUTES OF GOD
Part III: The Nature Of God
C. Treasuring The INFINITY Of God's Essence And Attributes
(Psalm 145:3)
  1. Introduction
    1. When God relates to His creation, He exposes His nature which is the combination of His essence and His attributes, and one aspect of God's nature thus revealed is how infinite He is in contrast to His creation!
    2. For us human beings who are finite, this aspect of God's nature supplies us EITHER vast relief OR great dread depending on whether we harbor sin or cleave to God in faith for victory over it (as follows):
  2. Treasuring The Infinity Of God's Essence And Attributes, Psalm 145:3.
    1. Psalm 145:3 KJV claims: "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable."
    2. In the context of this psalm, David offered applications for this claim, and we view those applications in terms of God's essence and attributes to appreciate the INFINITY of God's essence and attributes:
      1. David declared that God's works detailing His infinite sovereignty, power, goodness, love and righteousness would be testified from one generation to the next, Psalm 145:4-7.
      2. Indeed, God's infinite grace, the combination of His infinite love and infinite righteousness, leads Him to be infinitely compassionate, slow to anger, rich in loyal love, and wholesome to all, Psa lm 145:8-9.
      3. David declared that all God had made, including His saints (believers), would praise Him, showing the infinite versatility of God to impress all personalities, races, genders and ethnic classes of men, 145:10!
      4. Due to His infinite sovereignty and power, David claimed all classes of men would praise God's might and reign (Psa. 145:11-12), for His kingdom was eternal and applicable to all generations, Psa . 145:13!
      5. Then, David focused on God's infinite essence and attributes being applied toward helping the NEEDY among men who were helpless in their FINITE capacities to face their needs, Psa lm 145:14-20:
        1. David boldly declared God upholds all who fall and lifts up all finite beings who are bowed down in suffering due to their helpless, finite states and due to His infinite goodness and grace, Psa. 145:14.
        2. In particular, David detailed the various ways God accomplishes these wonderful acts: (1) regarding mankind's general needs, (a) God's finite creatures look to the infinitely able Lord of creation to supply the food they need at the proper time so they each can survive, Psalm 145:15; (b) God accordingly delivers His creatures from hunger in their finite weaknesses by opening His hand of infinite goodness and ability to supply them food, Psalm 145:16. (2) However, going beyond the meeting of everyday needs, David reported God applies His infinite essence and attributes to provide for his creatures in times of great crises (as follows): (a) God is infinitely righteous and infinitely loyal in His infinite love to all he has made (Psa. 145:17) so that He is near to all who call upon Him for help in a true heart, Psalm 145:18; (b) Thus, He fulfills the desires of these honest, needy petitioners of Him who are finite and thus helpless in their crises all because they revere Him, 145:19; (c) this infinite help of God is supplied to all who love the Lord in righteousness, but (d) He even destroys the wicked in contrast to helping the needy who revere Him, Psalm 145:20.
      6. Hence, David repeated his claim that he would speak in praise of his infinite God, Psa. 145:21a, 1-2.
      7. In summation, David called upon all of God's creatures to praise His infinitely holy, or "separate-from-sin" name, and to praise that Name [representing His character] eternally, Psa. 145:21b.
      8. In doing so, and by way of the context, David implied that those creatures are to be SEPARATE from SIN as IS their GOD, this being the primary objective of this INFINITE God FOR MAN !
Lesson: Man faces a God with INFINITE essence and attributes so that man either is IMMENSELY BLESSED if he HEEDS God or he is SEVERELY JUDGED if he stays EVIL opposite God's will for him to gain victory over sin by God's grace through Christ!

Application: God's essence and attributes as applied to man are each INFINITE, so we MUST heed God to trust in Christ for salvation and TRUST and HEED him as BELIEVERS for GREAT blessing OR suffer HUGE judgment! We can NOT AFFORD to STAY NEUTRAL regarding the Lord -- He is INFINITE in EVERY WAY, so WE MUST relate to Him as a GOD we FINITE beings MUST revere!