Thursday, December 4, 2008

GDC Video Blog - Because God Wants to be Known

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
-- Habakkuk 2:14


GDC Video Blog - Because God Wants to be Known from Jared Wilson on Vimeo.

This is essentially the last part of my message from last Sunday. I was asked if I could put it in video form. So it's longer than a "video blog" should be, but it's hard to tell the story and point of the Bible in 5 minutes. :-)

7 comments:

Bob said...

Sounds like God has a real hard time trying to get his point across. Trying and trying and trying and never quite being able to "make himself known"...unless, of course, we do him the favor of acknowledging his existence.

Kind of wondering how you got from the Habakkuk verse to this.

Jared said...

Bob, it sounds like people are very hard hearted and rebellious yet God is tenacious and persistent.

The Habakkuk verse is a promise that one day knowledge of God's glory will cover the earth. I find it odd you wouldn't see the connection between that and the message of the video: that God's plan is to be known.

Peace

Bob said...

Maybe it just the "tenacious and persistent" part that I don't see. Unavoidable? Yes. But there's no need on His part to be tenacious or persistent. He will be as the waters cover the sea--and there's no hard-heartedness that will ever stand against it.

Am I saying the same thing or would you say there is a difference?

Jared said...

Am I saying the same thing or would you say there is a difference?

I don't know. It's possible that I don't know what you're saying.

I am saying that we are persistently sinful and rebellious, but because God's plan is to cover the earth with his glory, he attacks our persistent sin and rebellion with relentless patience and pursuing.

His will will be done, is what I'm saying, and I agree with you that hard-heartedness will not stand against God if he wants the hardened heart.

Bob said...

Maybe it's the same thing. I tend to have a slightly more "passive" view of God's making Himself known.

He is Truth. The Truth, by definition, will be known. It is inescapable and undeniable when it is finally encountered. Like the rays of dawn which cannot be stopped by the darkness of night. This is inevitable.

So I see God as more generously offering the Truth which we in our hard-heartedness and self-centeredness refuse to acknowledge--though we know in our deepest selves that it is True. When we yeild at last to it, though, His Light shines upon us and we finally able to see His glory fill the earth as the waters cover the sea.

So I'm saying it is less God trying to be know but rather God is already clearly known--just us who lack the eyes to see. And what he says is "Look!" "Come!" "Ask and you shall receive" "All this I have done not for your sake but for the sake of my Name"

"For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

I don't think you'd disagree with this but, looking back at the video, is this what you were communicating?

Jared said...

In a way, yes.

There's also God introducing himself to Abraham and Moses and pursuing Jonah, there's Jesus going after the one sheep, Paul getting knocked flat and blinded on the Damascus road, etc.

I think God's ways of corralling us are probably varied.

I don't believe he is passive, though. And he certainly wasn't with me.

My view of man's hard-heartedness (total depravity) precludes the view of God just waiting around for us to "get it."

Bob said...

Agrees. His ways are varied and He does not wait for us "to get it" especially since we, being dead in sin, cannot make ourselves come to life.