KIM

ALEXANDER
SPIRIT LAKE BAPTIST CHURCH 32129 N. 3rd Ave Spirit Lake, ID 83869


Introduction: As you can see by the slide behind me that we are
beginning a new series Believers Boot Camp: Basic Training.
This will be a 13 week series (just a little over three months). We
are going to be covering some very important topics over the
next three months. Take a look at the manual that I had printed
up (One per family). Notice what we will be covering:

Week 1: INDUCTION The Bible on God
Week 2: FALL IN The Bible on Salvation
Week 3: DIRECTION The Bible on Doctrine
Week 4: IDENTIFICATION The Bible on Ordinances
Week 5: MARKSMANSHIP The Bible on Scripture
Week 6: COMMUNITY The Bible on Discipleship
Week 7: DISCIPLINE The Bible on Prayer
Week 8: CAMARADERIE The Bible on Church
Week 9: CONFIDENCE The Bible on Witnessing
Week 10: SACRIFICE The Bible on Giving
Week 11: SURVIVAL The Bible on Warring
Week 12: STRATEGY The Bible on Prophecy
Week 13: GRADUATION The Bible on Serving

 Believers Boot Camp will provide you the essential instructions

that every followers of Jesus Christ will need for their entire
lifetime. Over the next thirteen weeks I will be your instructor
you will be the learner, and the Holy Spirit will instill
transformation in your life.

Its All About Growth

In the same way that fruits and vegetables (a garden) grow in
the summer months, so I long for us to grow in the months of
May, June, and July. Will you commit yourself to regular
attendance? And if you are absent on a Sunday, will you watch
online? I also want to encourage you to bring your Bible, a
marking pen, and use the sermon note-sheets provided each
week in the church bulletin (I want you to stretch yourself).

In your Basic Training Manual, I want to draw your attention to
the Spiritual Growth Chart on page 6. Now, I want you to take a
good look at it. You will notice the smaller inner circle, and
around that circle you will find various levels of spiritual
development: Dead, Infant, Children, Young Adult, and Parent.
Which of these words describe your spiritual life right now? Have
you located where you think you might be? Next, I want you to
make a commitment to God that over the next three months you
will intentionally plan to move towards spiritual maturity. That
you will seek to move to the next level of spiritual maturity that
is listed on this chart.

 Spiritual growth must be intentional. Believers Boot Camp will

require you to apply the truth that you are learning to your daily
life.

Spiritual Growth Chart

In this message we want to take a look at what theologians call,
Theology Proper (the doctrine of God). What do you think you
know about God? Well, in this sermon we are going to ask and
answer some basic questions that people have about God. Such
as: Is there a God? What is Gods name? How has God revealed
Himself to mankind? Is there such a thing as the Trinity? And

finally, what does God want from us? This is our INDUCTION
message into this series. We begin with God because that is
where the Bible begins, and because all of us need to be
introduced to Him. We need to come to KNOW God.

A wondering mind will not learn. Do all you can to stay focus.
Show up keep your mind focused become moldable.

I. Is there a God?

I want to begin by stating very clearly that the Bible NEVER tries
to defend the existence of God. It takes God for granted. We
read in the very first verse of the Bible these words,

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
(Gen. 1:1)

Please understand that there is nothing before Genesis 1:1. No
other biblical writings. What we have is the inner sanctum of
God. We have heaven the very abode of God. We have God
before anything as we know today.

Before anything there was God.
After everything there will be God.

Are you aware that anthropologist try to convince us that
people started out as polytheistic (belief in many gods), and
gradually evolved into becoming monotheistic (belief in One
God) in his thinking. This is not true! From the very beginning of

time man started out believing in One God. It wasnt until after
Genesis 3, the Fall, that mankind began to become polytheistic
in his thinking (tower of Babel onward). Man turned away from
the One True God, and developed a belief system of many gods.
Travel the world over and you will find religious people on every
continent, and you will find that they worship everything and
anything. Man has left the One True God, and created gods from
stones, wood, metal, and other materials.

In the book of Acts we have Paul saying these words to the
people of Athens. He said,

For as I was passing through and considering the objects of
your worship. I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE
UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without
knowing Him I proclaim to you: God who made the world and
everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not
dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshipped with
mens hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives life,
breath, and all things. And He made from one blood every nation
of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and his determined
their appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings
(Acts 17:23-26)

Yes, there is a God!

II. What is Gods Name?

The first name we have for God found in the Bible is:

A. Elohim Gen. 1:1 (2300 times in Scripture)

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Elohim is a plural noun. In our language, plural is two or more.
However, in the Hebrew, plural is three or more. What is very
interesting about the name Elohim is that it is both plural and
singular. It is both one, and three. So what we have in Genesis
1:1 is the Trinity.

Elohim is not the personal name of God, but it is Gods official
title.

Ill talk a bit later about the Trinity, but for now I want us to
understand the name of God. The first two letter found in
Elohim - El is the singular form of Elohim. We discover this
singular form in many other names throughout the Bible. Such
as:

Beth el which means, house of God Gen. 12:8
Samuel which means, asked of God -
Dani el which means, God is my judge Daniel 1:6
El ijah which means, My God is Jehovah I kings 17:1
Immanu el which means, God with us Isaiah 7:14

So then, when you are reading the Bible and you see a name
beginning or ending with el it always means, God.

Elohim is the first name we have for God in the Bible.

B. Jehovah this is the personal name of God.

When you see LORD (all capital letters) you know that you are
reading about Jehovah. Jehovah is the personal name of God. It
is the name above all other names. I have read that Although this
name was written, it was never spoken by the Jews. The Jews
feared that they might somehow disgrace Gods name. So then,
when a scribe would write this name, they would immediately
set his pen down, and go take a bath.

The name Jehovah means Redeemer and is always used in
connection with redemption and/or deliverance by God.

Places where we find this most sacred name:

Burning bush - Jehovah appeared to Moses and said to him,
I Am that I Am Ex. 3:13-14
Exodus 20:2 I am the Lord your God. This means, I am
Jehovah your God.
Deut. 6:4 - Makes it very clear that there is only one
Jehovah God.

In Hebrew there are no vowels, and Jehovah name actually
looks like this: JHVH. Vowels were added later to help us try
pronounce it correctly. The way we might render it is like this:
Jeheveh, Jihivih, or Jahavah.

C. Adonai - Lord

For fear that they would take the name of God in vain, Jews
decided not to speak the name of God, and replaced it with
Adonai, which means Master or Lord. In the Bible when you
see the name LORD in all capital letters, you know that writer
was referencing the most sacred name of God. However, when
you see capital L and small case ord it is Adonai.

Is God your LORD?
Is He your master?

D. Compound Names of God:

What is interesting is that God reveals Himself to mankind by
using compound names, and these compound names reveal
additional insight to God. Here are a few examples:

El Shaddai Almighty God Gen. 17:1
El Olam Everlasting God Gen. 21:33
Jehovah Elohim Lord God Ex. 34:6
Jehovah-jireh the Lord will provide Gen. 22:14
Jehovah-shalom the Lord our peace Judg. 6:24
Jehovah-shammah the Lord is there Ezek. 48:35

The names of God are very important. We can learn so much
about our God just by studying His many names, and what they
actually mean. I would encourage you to do a further study

yourself on the many name of God found throughout the Bible.

Gods many names show us His various characteristics.

III.
Is there One God, or Three?

Now, lets turn our attention to the Trinity. Does the Bible
really teach the concept of the Trinity? The word trinity may not
be found in the Bible, but it doesnt mean that the concept not
there. We have already seen that God is both singular and plural.
How can we better understand this?

Where in the Old Testament do we see the idea of the Trinity?

Creation of man - Genesis 1:26 Then God said, Let Us
make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them
have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the
air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every
creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

Fall of man - Genesis 3:22 Then the Lord God said,
Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good
and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of
the tree of life, and eat, and live forever

Tower of Babel - Genesis 11:7 Come, let Us go down and
there confuse their language, that they may not understand
one anothers speech.

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 Numbers 6:24-26 (Triple expressions) - The Lord bless you

and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And
be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon
you, And give you peace.
Psalm 45:6-7 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A
scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You
love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God,
Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more
than Your companions.

Where in the New Testament do we see the idea of the Trinity?
I believe that we have quite a few examples where we read of
idea of the Trinity. We read about

God the Father John 6:27; I Peter 1:2
God the Son - Jesus Christ John 1:1; Titus 2:13
God the Holy Spirit Acts 5:3-4

I have encouraged people to draw a triangle next to Bible
passages that speak of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Here are some examples. You might want to draw a triangle next
to these passages in your own Bible.

At Jesus Baptism Matthew 3:16-17
At the Great Commission Matthew 28:19-20 (in the Name
of one in three).
Day of Pentecost (Peters sermon) Acts 2:32-33
Pauls letter to the Romans - Romans 8:8-11
Pauls benediction II Cor. 13:14

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 Although the word, Trinity is not found in the Bible, the

concept of the Trinity is found throughout the Bible. However,
God is still ONE GOD!

IV.
How is God Described?

If you were handed a blank piece of paper and were told to
write down everything you know about God, what would you
write?

What does the Bible teach us about God? We learn the
following insights here is how God is defined for us:

A. God is a Spirit John 4:24

God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship in
spirit and truth.

God is invisible. We cannot see Him with our natural eyes.

No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son,
which is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared Him. (John
1:18)

B. God is Light I John 1:5

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and
declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at
all.

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 God is perfect light! This is speaking about Gods moral

character. There is absolutely no darkness in God at all. God is
100% holy, untouched by any evil or sin.

C. God is Love I John 4:8

He that loves not knows not God; for God is love.

Mankind know little about love. We think we do, but in reality
we really dont. However, God is love. He is the entire definition
of love in all of its perfection.

If you really want to experience love for the very first time,
then make sure that you put your faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of
God.

D. God is a consuming fire Heb. 12:29

For our God is a consuming fire.

God is not only love, but God is a consuming fire. God loves,
yes, but God will also judge righteously.

E. God is a person (various Scripture)

It is important for us to understand that God is a person. What
does this mean? It means that God loves, grieves, hates,
provides, and cares. All of this indicates personality. God is not a

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cosmic force (like in Star Wars). No, God is a person who has
personality.

V. How has God revealed Himself?

How has God reveals Himself? He has revealed Himself in two
very distinct and very clear ways. What are those two ways?

General Revelation through nature - Psalm 19:1-6

Specific Revelation through the Scripture - Psalm 19:7-11

Since God has revealed Himself both through Nature and
Scripture, how can we know Him today? I would like to suggest
three ways that you and I can get to know God. They are:

1. Through Creation

Creation ought to get you on the search for God. You shouldnt
be able to look at creation and not think that it wasnt made by
an intelligent designer. Creation should set you on a journey to
finding God.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even
His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without
excuse. (Romans 1:20)

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 You cannot say God has not tried to reveal Himself. Creation
provides you NO excuse.

There is a second way God has revealed Himself to us.

2. Through Scripture Old and New Testament

When I say Scripture I am talking first about the Old Testament
books, which include the, writings of Moses, the Historical
books, the Poetical books, and the Prophetical books. Thirty-nine
Old Testament books. All written so that you and I could come
to know God. The first book of the Bible - Genesis 1:1 starts with
God creating everything, and the last book of the Bible - Malachi
3:6 concludes with God talking about judgment upon the earth.
The Bible is all about God.

As we enter into the New Testament, the Gospels break Gods
400 hundred years of silence between the two Testaments.
Immanuel is born God with us (Matt. 1:23). The book of Acts
shows us how God used the early disciples to build His Church.
The writings of Paul go into great details about Gods
involvement in the life of the believers. Every book of the N.T.
has God has its main subject matter. The last chapter of
Revelation reminds us all Worship God (Rev. 22:9).

3. Through His Son, Jesus Christ Hebrews 1:1-2

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time
past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken

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to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things,

through whom also He made the worlds.

We have the life and times of Jesus Christ written for us in the
four Gospels. Matthew presents Jesus as the king. Mark presents
Jesus as a servant. Luke shows us Jesus as a man. John shows us
that Jesus is the Son of God. Read the Gospels and you will see
Jesus in all of His glory, and in His glory you will see God.

The rest of the Bible Acts through Revelation show us the
affect that Jesus made on the entire world. We see the birth and
the awesome growth of the Church. And in the book of
Revelation we see that one day no one knows that day God
will create a new heaven and a new earth. God will make all
things new!

We come to God through Jesus Christ (Quote John 14:6).

VI.
What are the Attributes of God?

A. God is all-powerful

This is the theological term Omnipotent.

He is Almighty God Rev. 19:6
He has power of men and nations I Kings 11:11; Daniel
4:17;23-32, II Tim. 2:13
He has power over nature Job 28:5-6; 25-26, Psalm 33:69

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God has power over angels Psalm 103:20, 104:4

God has power over Satan and death Job 1:12; 2:6, Rom.
16:20, Rev. 20:2,10. The day is coming when death shall
be destroyed by the power of God (Rev. 20:14).
B. God is all-knowing

The theological term - omniscient.

God is all knowing. There is nothing that God doesnt know.
God cant learn! He knows it all!

God knows everything there is to know Job 37:16
God knows everything about science (natural laws) Isa.
40:28
God knows everything about mankind Matt. 10:30
God know everything from eternity past to eternity future
Acts 15:18, I Peter 1:20

C. God is everywhere present

This is the theological term - omnipresent.

God is present everywhere. There is not a place where God is
not present. Note: We are not teaching pantheism, that God is
in everything. No, all we are saying is that there is not a place
where God is not present.

God is everywhere present Jer. 23:24

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God dwells in heaven Eph. 1:20, Rev. 21:2

God is in all believers John 14:16-17; 15:26-27; 16:12-14
D. God is Immutable (God never Changes)

The word Immutability means unchanging.

God is always God. God will never cease from being God. God
will never change!

The Bible teaches:

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. James
1:17

Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the
heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed
it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is
impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set
before us. (Hebrews 6:17-18)

Please hear this God never changes, but the way He worked
with people throughout the ages did change. God worked with
people differently at different periods of time.

VII.
What does God want from us?

God wants us to be in RELATIONSHIP with Him.

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 According to the Westminster Catechism, the chief-end of

mankind is to: love God and enjoy Him forever.

Question: Do you KNOW the God that I have been speaking
about today? Do you have a RELATIONSHIP with Him? The Bible
says,

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1).

We come to faith in Christ first, and then we have peace with
God the Father because of the death, burial, and resurrection of
Jesus Christ. Jesus died so that we could be restored into a
proper relationship with the Father.

Admit that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness.
Believe that Jesus Christ died for your sin, and offers
forgiveness.
Call upon Jesus Christ to save you, and receive your
forgiveness.

The Bible says,

behold, now is the day of salvation. (II Cor. 6:2)

Conclusion: In this INDUCTION message are you now more
familiar with God than when we began? I hope you are. I also
hope that this message has caused you to want to grow in your
understanding of God. Knowledge about God is not sufficient,

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we must KNOW God. Please make sure that you have a

RELATIONSHIP with God. Dont leave earth without KNOWING
Him.

What did we learn today?

There is a God
His Name is Jehovah
God exists in Trinitarian form: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
these three are One.
God is clearly defined for us in Scripture Spirit, Light,
Love, Consuming Fire, and a Person.
God has revealed Himself through Creation, Scripture, and
His Son, Jesus Christ.
God is all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere present, and
immutable (God never changes).
God wants a RELATIONSHIP with each one of us.

What you need to do:

Admit that you are a sinner
Believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins
Call upon Jesus Christ to save you

For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be
saved. (Rom. 10:13)

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