An Introduction to the Character of God

Where do you get your values in life from? What is your foundation? Where have you gone to build your philosophy regarding life and reality? Most people get their values from their friends, the TV, movies, music or magazines. Usually our friend’s values are just derived from the last 4 sources. I would like to suggest that there is a unique and amazing sources to derive our values and life philosophy from. By digging into the Gospels of the Bible you run into the most intriguing, the most dynamic, the most fully alive human ever to walk the earth… Jesus. If you study his actions and interactions with people you find an electric human being who supersedes even Buddha, Gandhi and Muhammad! Consider the actions of Jesus who was a teacher (Buddha and Gandhi claimed to be teachers), who was a prophet (Muhammad claimed to be a prophet) but who additionally claimed to be the Jewish God who created all of nature that had become a human like His creation! Some of the Jewish people were so outraged by His claims that they tried to kill him on multiple occasions.I am absolutely convinced that when you see the beauty, strength, tenderness and justice of the historical life of Jesus you will find the One worth all your fascination, honor and worship! Fascination is worship.The world is an interesting place presently. China is the new superpower or will be shortly. America will have to re-define it’s position. Islam is on the rise. Much of Europe is seeing a radical decline of ‘active’ faith in Jesus. Some state churches remain and some burned out husks of vibrant faith in Jesus remain, but largely the continent has atrophied in terms of a passionate faith in Jesus. Islam is moving in quickly to fill the void. France is in dire trouble as 20% of the population or more are Muslim and laws, rules and society are being radically redefined. England and other counties are being heavily influenced as well. Additionally technology is finally developed that allows incredible surveillance of individuals. Database archives in Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and a fleet of others aggregate information on the lives of the masses. Emails, chat sessions, blogs, web sites – any form of electronic communication is archived for searching at later dates. Satellite photography is able to present you will a picture of your own home and many other areas. The resolution is such that police can use real time digital satellite imagery to search for objects as small as bullet shells on the ground. GPS satellite positing system can track any object or anyone who bears a transceiver. RFID (Radio Frequency ID) technology are miniature chips that can be implanted in objects, pets, children or adults for instantaneous location. The power available is staggering.In an ever changing world, what is your foundation for living? What will you live for? What will you die for?Into such a forum I would like to put forth The Character of God. My premise will be that you can know the Character of God who is invisible but ever present but knowing one person. That person would be Jesus. Listen to a few verses from the Bible as it informs us regarding the most unique human to walk the earth.Jesus has told His 12 followers that He will shortly be killed and taken away. There is confusion about what exactly Jesus means. The disciples are stressed and depressed! Jesus tells them not to be worried. They will be able to find Him. Thomas speaks up saying, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus responds mysteriously saying, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except thought Me. If you really knew Me, you would know the father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen him.” The disciples love that statement! Philip says, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus replies making an earth shattering statement:


“Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father!” John 14:9

That is the whole focus of our philosophy of life. If you want to know what God is like look at what Jesus is like. Do you want to know about how God feels about you? Look at how Jesus feels about you! Do you want to know how God relates to people? Look at how Jesus relates to people! Do you want to know about God’s emotional makeup? Take a good look at Jesus’ emotional makeup! If you have seen Jesus you have seen God the Father! This is not another teacher like Buddha or Gandhi. This is God who put on the DNA that He created and became a human. Why? To bear the sins of the world? Absolutely. He is the victorious King that is come to deliver us from our selves, sin and Satan. But there is even more. He came to show us what He is like so that we could relate to Him and trust Him! Life consists of knowing Him, not merely going through the traditions of Church or showing up on Sunday.Consider another verse. Jesus declared what people would see when they looked at Him:


“When he [any person] looks at Me, he sees the One who sent Me.” John 12:45

When anyone looks at Jesus and see’s His Character and how He relates to people, he or she see’s the One who sent Jesus into the World.Consider how the writer of Hebrews puts it:


“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.” Hebrews 1:3

Isn’t that fascinating? Jesus is the exact representation of God! How does God forgive and enjoy weak and insecure human beings? Just look at how Jesus related to people. How does God resist the proud and arrogant full of their agendas willing to crush anyone who stands in their way? Just look at Jesus. How does God regard the children? How does God relate to the women, even in old times when they didn’t have women’s rights? Just look at Jesus. He is the exact representation of God’ being!Lastly look at a verse from Paul as he writes to the Colossians:


“He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God...” Colossians 1:15

How much clearer does it get? Jesus is the clear image in a human world of God who is invisible! Given all this, let’s take a look at how He relates to people.I want to consider the full spectrum of Jesus character. I will use 2 terms from scripture to serve as extremes to cover the breath of His wonderful character… the Lamb of God (John 1:29) and the Lion of Judah (Rev 5:5). The Lamb of God will be used to describe Jesus willingness to lay down His incredible life for us, the tenderness of Jesus and the compassion of Jesus. The Lion of Judah will represent the other extreme. It will denote the fierceness of Jesus, the anger of Jesus and His imperial resolution to destroy Satan and all of his works. In between the two we will consider Jesus patience, his approachability, his consistency.

8.27.2006
The Character of God equals The Character of Jesus

Let’s first consider the tenderness of Jesus. In Mark 10 we see Jesus relating to the children. Remember that this is somewhere in the middle of Jesus ministry. He has called the 12 disciples, they have been sent out on missionary journeys to villages to prepare for Jesus arrival, he has ascended the Mount of Transfiguration and he has had increasing conflict with the Pharisees. Amid all this activity Jesus receives parents who are bringing their little children to Jesus to touch them and pray for them. The text says:

“And he took the children into His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them.” Mark 10:16

I find the tenderness of Jesus wonderful! He stops His busy schedule, perhaps interrupts whatever leaders He was talking to, interrupts the disciples agenda for Him and takes time to hold these little boys and girls. He takes them in His arms, not merely patting them on their heads but hold them! And he takes the time to pray for them and bless them. He is making eye contact with them and enjoying them! It is incredible! In an instant you get a picture of how God is enjoying us! How tender He is with us!

Now contrast this with the attitude of the disciples. They are trying to keep the parents and children away from Jesus. They are actually rebuking the people as they bring their kids to Jesus! It may have been that the disciples saw Jesus as the important leader who was engaging the leaders of Israel on many important and eternal issues. In their eyes Jesus may not have had time for kids. The state of the nation of Israel was at stake! Messianic prophesies were coming to pass! But Jesus is so different! He IS the rightful King of the earth who will one day rule supremely. But he has time for the smallest and youngest of our race. Even the little boy or girl has a place in His sight that will not be over looked. He will rule the nations but He will also take care of every lamb.

Let’s contrast Jesus tenderness with His fierceness. The more you understand His anger and His intensity the more you will love Him. Often God’s clean anger means protection for the weak. Right after Jesus' Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem and before the Chief Priests orchestrate His death, Jesus enters the Temple. He launches into an attack on all the business people who have reduced the temple from a place to seek God to a money making opportunity where they are selling their products. He enters the temple and turns over the tables of those changing money from foreign currencies to the money used in the temple. He overturns the benches of those selling doves. He makes a whip out of cords and drives everyone out of the temple. He scatters the coins of the money changers on the ground! He attacks the whole group of business men and throws them out of the temple. To those who sell doves He says, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a market!” (John 2:16) In Mark 11:16 it says that Jesus “would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.” He stops all commerce and refocuses everyone’s attention on the fact that the temple is the single place in all Israel that is “God’s House.” And this house is for the people to come and pray and connect with God! This is not just for the Israelites but for anyone from any nation. “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations…” (Mk 11:17) And Jesus continues, “But you have made it a ‘den of robbers’ “ The accusation is complete. Jesus has assessed the entire situation and they have been found to be robbers merely making money and hindering the sole purpose of the temple. This purpose was to welcome people of any nation to come and seek God and get help for their lives. He is furious about it! And He does something about it!
After Jesus clears the temple He sits down and teaches the people. Matt 21:14 says, “The blind and the lame came to Him at the temple, and He healed them.” That is what the temple is for and Jesus establishes that purpose. The children are running around shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” Isn’t it fascinating that the anger of Jesus results in health? The fierceness of Jesus results in the blind and the lame being healed! The weak are able to find the care and attention they need from God in His house! The greedy business man who perverts anything for money is intensely driven out! (The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. 1 Timothy 6:10) Isn't Jesus all together wonderful?

God's fierceness and anger in the earth results in cleansing and justice. His anger is not like human anger that merely results in people being destroyed or killed. His anger results in wrongs being make right and people coming closer to God and being made whole.
Lastly let’s look at Jesus’ Character somewhere in between His tenderness and His fierceness.
Let’s consider the woman in John chapter 8. Apparently the Pharisees have caught this married woman in bed with another man. They have drug her before Jesus quoting the Old Testament saying that she should be hit with rocks until she dies! One must beg the question, “where is the man?” But the Pharisees have arranged for the guy to get off but not the woman. They have plotted her death. Jesus has another idea. Jesus is well acquainted with the scripture they are referring to. Jesus was aware that the vicious Pharisees were trying to trap Him to destroy Him. Jesus confronts the whole group and convicts them saying, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Jesus is writing on the ground with his finger before and after he says this. Then one by one the group walks away starting with the older ones until even the younger ones leave. Jesus finally stands up and asks the woman where her accusers are. “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replies, “No one, sir.” And Jesus continues, “Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” Now notice one very crucial fact. There is only 1 person in this group who had no sin… Jesus. She had committed the sin of cheating on her husband. Jesus could have cast the first stone and started the whole thing. What does that tell you about Jesus? He doesn’t want to destroy our lives, He longs to save us. Therefore so does God. “If you have seen Me you have seen the Father.” (John 14:9) Consider Jesus' overall actions. He basically acts to protect the woman caught in sin and challenges her to stop sinning and start following God. Isn’t that amazing? It is one thing to see Jesus’ protection of someone innocent, but it is beautiful to see His protection on someone guilty. But it is not only protection He also confronts her to leave the thing killing her. He sexual activity is cancer on her soul and it is killing her. He acts to see her protected here. He doesn’t want her to live and die with that infestation in her being, in her spirit. He knows what it will do to her now and in eternity. The beauty of Jesus here is wonderful! Can’t we commit to follow one like this? Can’t we commit to swear our loyalty to one like this?