There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 28:19 NIV)

“I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30 NIV)

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Ephe. 4:4-6 NIV)

God is the only Supreme Being with no gods created before or after Him in all of existence, in all places, in all time

 “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.” (Isa. 43:10 NIV)

“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.” (Isa. 44:6 NASB)

 ‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.’ ” (Isa. 44:8 NASB)

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Tim. 1:17 NASB)

God has always been God

“Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” (Psalm 90:2 NASB)

God is Holy

“And the four living creatures

, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” (Rev. 4:8 NASV)

God is Eternal

“For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit

In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.” (Isa. 57:15 NASB)

God is Omnipotent

“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jer. 32:17 NIV)

“I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jer. 32:27 NIV)

God is Omnipresent

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 138:7 NIV)

God is Omniscient 

“If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” (1 John 3:20)

God is Love 

“The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:8 NASB)

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (1 John 4:16 NIV)

God is Light

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5 NIV)

God is Spirit 

“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24 NIV)

God is Truth 

“For His lovingkindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD is everlasting. Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 117:2 NASB)

God is Creator

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?” (Isa. 40:12 NASB)

“He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.” (Isa. 40:22 NIV)

“Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” (Isa. 40 26 NIV)

God is to be worshiped

“And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.” (Gen. 24:26 KJV)

“And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.” (Exo. 4:31 KJV)

“While the whole assembly worshiped, the singers also sang and the trumpets sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.” (2 Chron. 29:28 NASB)

“And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.” (1 Cor. 14:25 NKJV)

“And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God.” Rev. 7:11 NLT)

God is to be served

“Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” (Matt. 4:10 NIV)

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Cor. 6:19 NKJV)

“For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God.” (1 Thes. 1:9 NASB)

“how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb. 9:14 NASB)

God is to be proclaimed

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19-20 NIV)

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 ESV)

Therefore…

“The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” – (Zeph. 3:17)

Quotes:

“We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God." - C.S. Lewis

“Immanuel, God with us in our nature, in our sorrow, in our lifework, in our punishment, in our grave, and now with us, or rather we with Him, in resurrection, ascension, triumph, and Second Advent splendor." - Charles Spurgeon

The Bible is the authoritative Word of God 

“For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” (1 Thess. 2:13 NASB)

“For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Pet. 1:24 NIV)

“Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.” (2 Pet. 3:15-16 ESV)

The Bible is God Breathed and useful for training in righteousness 

“…from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:15-17 ESV) 

Therefore…

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12 NIV)

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22 NIV)

“Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching."  (1 Timothy 4:13)

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” (Isa. 40:8 NIV) 

Quotes:

“The Word of God I think of as a straight edge, which shows up our own crookedness. We can’t really tell how crooked our thinking is until we line it up with the straight edge of Scripture.” - Elisabeth Elliot

“Unless we form the habit of going to the Bible in bright moments as well as in trouble, we cannot fully respond to its consolations because we lack equilibrium between light and darkness.” - Helen Keller

“The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian.” - A.W. Tozer

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” (1 Tim. 4:1 NKJV)

 Deceptive spirits & doctrines of demons

 A doctrine is a set of held beliefs that are taught to others. So, a doctrine of demons is a set of beliefs or a teaching which demons try to spread throughout the church for the purpose of deceiving believers. Since demons are not visible they must take a deceptive route to get their false message heard. They are just like their leader Satan, the “father of lies”.

 “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from  the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44 ESV)

 Beware of false prophets 

 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matt. 7:15 ESV)

Beware of demonic doctrines 

There is an all out attack on the basic tenets of Christianity in the form of Progressive Christianity” which is creeping its way into churches across the world. It’s sometimes called “theological liberalism” and is dangerous because its tenets are in conflict with Scripture. It focuses strongly on social justice and environmentalism and includes a revisionist (or non-traditional) view of the Scriptures; the Bible is viewed as a record of what people believed about God in the times and places in which they lived, rather than as the inspired and authoritative Word of God. It's not uncommon for followers of this movement to express disagreement with a biblical writer, or to reject the passages they find unhelpful. Progressive Christianity can be persuasive and enticing, but it is an assault on the foundational framework of Christianity, leaving it disarmed of its saving power. Many are brought into progressive Christianity’s false doctrines because they are not grounded in the basic tenets of correct Biblical theology and don’t recognize the errors. 

Recognizing false doctrines 

How can you identify if a teaching is false? It will not line up with God's Word. Through His Word, God has given us everything we need to recognize the enemy and discern true doctrine from false doctrine (Ephesians 6:10–18). Pay attention to any red flags in teachings you listen to. Search the Word and ask God for wisdom and discernment (see James 1:5; 1 John 4:1–3). When you know what the Bible says, you will also be able to recognize the teachings that are contrary to it.

Therefore…

“So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32 NIV)

Quote:

“Oh, how we should guard against whatever is extreme and guard against misunderstanding in spiritual doctrine. We need not fear being radical in obeying the Lord, that is for sure; nor do we need to guard against being extreme in denying the works of the flesh. But most vigilant must we be that we do not be led to any extremes through misconception.” - Watchman Nee

“And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.” (Matt. 28:17 ESV)

Why do you doubt?

“Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:31 ESV)

The one who doubts is driven and tossed

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:6 ESV)

If you have faith and do not doubt

“And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.” (Matt. 21:21 ESV)

“Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.” (Mark. 11:23 ESV)

Ask in faith with no doubting 

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5-8 ESV)

Help me with my unbelief!

“Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 ESV)

Do not disbelieve

“Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” (John 20:27 ESV) 

Therefore…

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” (Prov. 3:5-8 ESV)

Quote:

“Doubt discovers difficulties which it never solves; it creates hesitancy, despondency, despair. Its progress is the decay of comfort, the death of peace. "Believe!" is the word which speaks life into a man, but doubt nails down his coffin.” - Charles Spurgeon

“For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.” (Psalm 18:28 ESV)

Light in the darkness

An old joke is, “I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, but it turned out to be a freight train!” To many, in view of the evil they see all around them, that’s not funny. Watching the scary events reported daily in the news does make things look dark and hopeless. But, Jesus offers great hope, especially for perilous times. It’s important to view the world through the light of Jesus. We can walk in His light and have His understanding on things no matter how dark things may appear. I love what someone once said, “I looked at the end of the book, and we won!”

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus enlightens everyone

“The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” (John 1:9 ESV)

“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46 ESV)

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” ((2 Cor. 4:6 ESV)

The wicked hates the light

“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:19-21 ESV)

Therefore…

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7 ESV)

“For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” (Eph. 5:8 ESV)

Quote:

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matt. 6:14-15 NIV)

Forgive every time 

“So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” (Luke 17:3-4 NIV)

Forgive as the Lord forgave you

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Col. 3:13 NIV)

“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25 NIV)

The Lord is merciful and forgiving 

“The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.” (Dan. 9:9 NIV)

Therefore…

“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:18-19 NIV)

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isa. 1:18 NIV)

Quotes: 

“The voice of sin is loud, but the voice of forgiveness is louder.” - Dwight L. Moody

“And you know, when you've experienced grace and you feel like you've been forgiven, you're a lot more forgiving of other people. You're a lot more gracious to others.” - Rick Warren

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17 ESV)

Worldly people are devoid of the Spirit 

“It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.”  (Jude 1:19 ESV) 

Friendship with the world is enmity with God   

 “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4.4 ESV)

God chose you out of the world 

“If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:19 ESV)

Renounce worldly passions 

“Training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.” (Titus 2:12 ESV) 

Therefore…

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2 ESV)

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Col. 3:2 ESV)

Quotes:

“Modern Christians hope to save the world by being like it, but it will never work. The Church's power over the worldsprings out of her unlikeness to it, never from her integration into it." – Tozer

“The Christian says, 'Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or to be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same.” - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people… (2 Chron. 7:13 NIV) 

Often we don’t understand

It’s hard to believe that God would send a catastrophic event among His people, but the above passage clearly says so. And often we don’t understand why. But God is God and we’re not, and He has good reasons that are above our limited understanding. We don’t know what God knows. Even so, He tells His people what they must do when it happens. One of the most quoted passages of Scripture is actually the rest of the above passage, which is often left off. 

“…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:14 NIV)

The answer is clearly given 

Notice that the answer is directed to God’s own people:  “my people, who are called by my name.” And they are clearly told what to do: “humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways.” Then, God says, “if” they do this: “then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 

Therefore…

The above is a very clear message to Gods own people. And, “if” they do as He directs, He will answer in the positive way He said. On the other hand, if they do not do what He said, the answer may be quite the opposite.

“For, ‘Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’ Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?” (1 Peter 3:10:13 NIV)

Quotes:

“Revival is a renewed conviction of sin and repentance, followed by an intense desire to live in obedience to God. It is giving up one's will to God in deep humility.” - Charles Grandison Finney

“The whole duty of man is summed up in obedience to God's will.” - George Washington

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!” (Psalm 85:6 ESV) 

Bowing the knee: Bowing and kneeling have long been associated with worship and reverence. The Hebrew word for “worship” actually means “bow down.” 

No one but God must be worshipped

“You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me.” (Exo. 20:5 ESV)

“You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God.” (Lev. 26:1 ESV)

“For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols.” (Psalm 78:58 ESV)

Every knee will bow before Jesus

“It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.'” (Rom. 14:11 NIV)

“But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.” (Psalm 5:7 ESV)

Therefore…

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:9-11 ESV)

“You alone are the LORD. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You.” (Neh. 9:6 NASB)

Quote: 

“You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.” - Jesus Christ (Luke 4:8 NKJV)