Grace Fellowship Church Pastor/Teacher Jim Rickard Sunday, Nov. 27,

John 17 The Great High Priestly Prayer of our Lord!

John 17:6-19 Christ Prays for His Disciples.

John 17:11 - “Holy Father” Doctrine of The Holiness of God Part 5

Father SonHoly Spirit Co-Equal Co-Infinite Co-Eternal

Sovereignty Righteous Justice Love Eternal Life Omniscience Omnipotent Omnipresence Immutable Veracity Major Attributes of the Essence of God

Sensibility is another attribute that makes up God’s personality. It is His, “ability to experience deep emotions.”

God’s divine, moral sensibility includes the attributes of: 1. Holiness 2. Love 3. Justice/Righteousness 4. Goodness 5. Truth

1. Holiness: Separation from all sin and evil and the presence of positive right. It is a purity of being and nature as well as of will and act.

2. Love: That which motivates God to do the most He can for His creatures.

3a. Justice: Justice combined with Holiness is perfection of judgment on the part of God toward the unbeliever, spiritually mature believer and reversionistic believer.

3b. Righteousness: God is transparently holy and right in all His acts. When combined with love, His righteousness results in grace.

Righteousness is the principle of Divine integrity, while justice is the function of Divine integrity. What the righteousness of God demands His justice satisfies.

4. Goodness: God’s benevolent concern for His creatures. Mat 5:45; Acts 14:17

Contemplated as that which is within God, it is akin to His holiness; contemplated as that which proceeds from God, it is akin to love.

The infinite goodness of God characterizes His nature and is itself the source of all in the universe that is good.

Ex 18:9, “Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness (TOBAH) which the LORD had done to Israel, in delivering them from the hand of the Egyptians.”

Ex 33:19, “And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion”.”

The Goodness of God includes:

a) Benevolence (kind intention, good pleasure, kindness), which is goodness in its generic sense as embracing all His creatures and securing their welfare. Eph 1:5, 9; Phil 2:13; Titus 3:4

b) Mercy, God’s goodness exercised on behalf of the need of His creatures. Everything that God has done for the sinner, Rom 11:30.

Rom 11:30, “For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience.”

c) Grace, God’s free action on behalf of those who are meritless, through the death of Christ. It is all that God does for the believer. Eph 2:8-9

Isa 30:18, “Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; how blessed are all those who long for Him.”

d) Love, that in God which existed before He would care to exercise mercy or grace.

Eph 2:4-5, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).”

Sinners are not actually saved by mercy but by grace. Mercy only provides a Savior and draws the sinner to God, whereas love is God’s motivation to save the sinner by providing a Savior.

All combined it represents God’s goodness towards man which is also called His lovingkindness. 2 Sam 2:6; Psa 118:1-29; 136:1-26

2 Sam 2:6, “Now may the LORD show lovingkindness and truth to you; and I also will show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing.

To live the spiritual life we too must be full of the goodness of God and exercise it daily. Rom 15:14; Gal 5:22; Eph 5:9; 6:7; Phil 2:13; 2 Thes 1:11; Philemon 1:14

2 Thes 1:11-12, “To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Grace Offering

Current Needs: Web Hosting 5 years $ Out Reach to Africa: $ Pastor’s Taxes: $2, Annual Ins. Premium: $1,900.00

Grace Fellowship Church Sunday, November 27, 2011 Tape # Jesus Prays for His Disciples The Holiness of God Great High Priestly Prayer, Part 40 John 17:11; Ex 33:19; Psa 118:1-29; 136:1-26 James H. Rickard Bible Ministries 2011