Why is God so hard to find?

QUESTION: If God is all good and all mighty, why is He so hard to find?

(Why the debate? Atheists and Agnostics and other religions?)

On one hand, no one has ALL the answers, BUT here are SOME answers.

I. God is hidden Naturally. (difficult knowing and find Him because:

A. He is Spirit. John 4: 24 – “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” He is difficult to perceive.. He is NOT flesh and blood. We’re used to knowing someone of something with our 5 senses.

B. He is transcendent. He is beyond our experience, comprehension, imagination.

How do you understand someone who is so big that He has always been? He’s beyond anything we can possibly imagine.

II. God is hidden intentionally. Isa. 45:15 – “Truly You are the God who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior!”

Question: If God is all powerful/loving and creative, could He not reveal Himself?

Answer: Yes, He could. He chooses NOT to.

WHY?

A. To honor free will. Rom.1:18-21 0 “ ………because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. …….because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts,….”

God wants us to come to Him willingly because we desire Him, and long to worship Him, etc.

B. To week out seekers. That’s why Jesus used parables. Matt. 13:13-15 – “Therefore, I speak in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand…….”

C. To reveal Himself to those who would see and know and,especially, follow Him. 2Tthess. 2:9-12 – “…….among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie…..”

God honors our choices. He doesn’t force belief system on people.

Summary Verse: John 3:19 – “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

III. God is hidden consequentially. In response to sin and disobedience. God hides Himself from continuous love of sin and disobedience.

Deut. 31:17 & 18, Isa. 59:1 & 2, Hosea 5:6, Micah 3:4

Note: This does not negate His mercy, patience, etc., BUT it does show us some clear consequences of our sin.

IV. God is hidden providentially. According to His goodness, grace, wisdom, for our good!

For example: the YEARS between the promise to Abraham and the birth of Isaac. The promise was made when Abraham and Sarah were young. Isaac was born when they were both very old and Sarah was barren, thereby demonstrating that this was by the hand of God.

Another example: Job.

Heb. 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Isa. 50:10 – Who among you fears the Lord? ……Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and rely upon his God.”

Contrary to our notion, revelation does not necessarily end in faith. People saw the 10 plagues, experienced the Exodus, saw many miracles in Elijah’s time, saw Jesus perform miraculous works during His ministry, but still DID NOT believe. John 12:37 – “But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him.”

Contrary to our notion, God may sometimes be more fully revealed in darkness than in light. For example: Hell is complete and total darkness, but all will “perceive” God there.

BUT, know this: although He is “Deus Absconditus” – God who hides Himself – Isa. 45:15 – “Truly You are God who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior!”

He is also, “Dew Revelatus” – God who reveals Himself.

So, how can we know, find, discover this God???

#1. Seek Him. Deut. 4;29

#2. Look Beyond the 5 senses. Use your mind, soul, spirit, heart. – Psalm 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God”.

#3. Accept light you receive. Light received increases light. Light rejected increases darkness.

#4. Act on the light you receive. Practical living.

#5. Consider tradition. The accumulated knowledge and wisdom of many ages.

#6. Join with other seekers. – attend a Bible teaching, believing church

#7. Keep walking. Isa. 50:10

Tonight – Ways He Reveals Himself.