Acts - iV

Entering Into God’s Presence

Knowing Who God Is: What He Does

God Acts

To Study and Ponder

It is comforting to have someone listen when we share our difficulties.  It makes a huge difference when we can be confident that person can DO something about our problems.  It makes an even bigger difference to be confident that person WANTS to do something about our difficulties, doesn’t it?  

One of the greatest things about our God is that He sees, He hears, He loves, and in His love, HE ACTS in response to what He sees and hears.  We are not alone, we are not helpless.  Our God acts on our behalf.  It is one of the greatest sources of hope and peace in our lives!

• The word acts means to use power; to move. How God acts is seen in his ‘works’, ‘acts’, and ‘deeds’.

• God acts –

• he is not waiting for someone else to take care of things, nor is he lazy; he is involved in our lives. He is not some far away force that only sits and watches our lives, not caring about our needs and challenges. He is very involved with us. As Moses said, “He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!”  Deuteronomy 32:4

• His acts are powerful

• Praise the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does such wonderful things. Psalm 72:18

• You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations. Psalm 77:14  (Also Psalm 40:5; 65; 107)

• Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done wonderful deeds. His right hand has won a mighty victory; his holy arm has shown his saving power!  Psalm 98:1

• The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!  Psalm 118:15b

• God parted the waters of the Red Sea (Ex 14), parted the Jordan River, caused the walls of Jericho to fall (Josh 6), caused the sun and moon to stand still (Josh 10:12-14), multiplied the widow’s oil (2 Kings 4:2-7), cured Naaman of leprosy (2 Kings 5:10-14), and did many more miracles to show his power and give life to his people.

• Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Ephesians 3:20

• …they were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God, the Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations. Rev15:3

• God acts with both mercy and anger.  

• He destroyed the earth with a flood because of bad things people were doing, but he saved Noah and family because he was a good man and did what God told him to do. Gen 6-9   (Hab 3:2)

• God’s acts are loving.

• The Psalmist prays: But deal well with me, O Sovereign Lord, for the sake of your own reputation! Rescue me because you are so faithful and good.  Psalm 109:21

• I will tell of the Lord’s unfailing love. I will praise the Lord for all he has done. I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel... Isaiah 63:7a

• God demonstrated his love and care for people through his miracles, such as the feeding of the 5,000 (Mark 6:30-44), changing water into wine (John 2:1-11), raising Lazarus (John 11:1-44) and healing people (John 4:43-5:15 among many others).

•  God’s acts are creative.

• You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you.  Nehemiah 9:6

• God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. 1Co 12:6

• His acts bring life.  

• For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants. John 5:21  (Also John 6:33)

• The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Romans 8:11

• God’s acts are to be told to others:

• We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done  Psalm 78:4b (Psalms 71:17, 75:1, 96:3, 145:4-6)

• God’s acts are unique:-

• Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens. You have done such wonderful things. Who can compare with you, O God?  Psalm 71:19

• Jesus was at work on earth doing the acts of God and his followers are to keep doing the same things:

• But I have a greater witness than John—my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me.  John 5:36

• I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.  John 14:12

• Luke wrote the  “Acts of the Apostles” telling of all God did in and through the disciples

• The writer of Hebrews says Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Hebrews 10:24

Memory/Meditation

Lower Grades:

I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works. O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you?  You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations. Psalm 77:12b-14  (NLT)         

I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.  John 14:12  (NLT)   

Middle Grades:

We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.  Psalm 78:4 (NLT)     

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Ephesians 3:20  (NLT)   

Upper Grades:

O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them. Psalm 40:5 (NLT)    

Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.  And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.  Philippians 1:4-6  (NLT)