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Knowing God Study -
Lesson 10
Ý Chapter 8: The Majesty of GodToday’s theme: God is great; God is good. Scriptural background: " Jude 1:25 "To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." Romans 1:21a “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him…” Quotes for the week "Henceforth the majesty of God revere; Fear Him, and you have nothing else to fear." James Fordyce (1720-1796) Answer to a gentleman who apologized to the author for swearing. "As I was walking...and looking upon the sky and clouds, there came into my mind so sweet a sense of the glorious majesty and grace of God, as I know not how to express. I seemed to see them both in a sweet conjunction; majesty and meekness joined together; it was sweet, and gentle, and holy majesty; and also a majestic meekness; an awful sweetness; a high, and great, and holy gentleness." Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) quoted in The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes. Concern: Will we be able to come to terms with the utter greatness of God?We live in a time of the exultation of the individual, the existential (personally experienced) moment. Can we, with that as a background and coupled to all that surrounds us, even deal with the greatness of God, much less appreciate and submit to it? 1 As a twenty-first century person, what does the concept of majesty mean to you?
2 At this point, before reading the chapter by Packer, how would you apply the concept of majesty to God? (I want you to see how what Packer says may change your understanding.)
Interacting With The TextGoal: To learn to appreciate the majesty of God and what that means in modern terms. 1 How does this chapter's view of God differ from the common view expounded in charismatic and evangelical circles today? Which do you think is correct and why?
2 Give examples of scriptures that support the personalness of God. How is God personal in your life?
3 What biblical examples point out to you the greatness and majesty of God? What common problem should the contemplation of these scriptures remove from your life?
4 The whole of creation suffers when compared with the majesty of God, so why would we use images from creation to demonstrate God's greatness? What type of sin should this exercise prevent? How?
5 What significance do the three questions of Isaiah have in your everyday Christian life? Take some time to contemplate them and then express what your meditation tells you about yourself and God, and about your relationship with him.
6 Think how the personages in the book of Job related to the majesty of God. Who misused and who properly understood the true nature of God's majesty? Explain.
7 Why is understanding this distinction learned from Job important to our living a successful, yet humble, Christian life?
What To Do NextRead Chapter Nine: God Only Wise. Think about the source of wisdom. Is it something we discover (it already “exists”) or something we create? That answer should give the title of this chapter additional weight. Goal: To understand God using aesthetics (the nature and expression of beauty) in addition to using our reason.The Psalmist reminds us “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1). In our attempt to “study to show ourselves approved” we sometimes forget that the beauty and majesty of God are on display all around us. Remember how you felt about this aspect of God when you were first saved. This week, let us try to recapture our appreciation of this aspect of God’s nature.
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