The sermon by Eric Bechler discusses the attributes and nature of God as outlined in the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, focusing on God's self-sufficiency, sovereignty, and relationship with creation. It emphasizes that God alone possesses all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness in and of Himself, independent of His creation. The sermon contrasts this view with secular scientific explanations of life’s origins, asserting that God is the ultimate source of all life and being. It references various scriptures to underscore God's eternal glory, goodness, and blessedness, and asserts that while humans can reflect God's glory, they cannot add to it. The sermon highlights God's sovereign dominion over all creation, His infallible and independent knowledge, and His holy nature. It concludes by stating that all creatures owe God worship, service, and obedience, and questions whether individuals are fulfilling their obligations to God.

A reading today from the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 comes again from chapter 2 of God and the Holy Trinity. Today is paragraph 2. God Having all life, glory, goodness, blessedness in and of himself is alone in and unto himself all sufficient, not standing in need of any creature which he hath made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting his own glory in, by, unto, and upon them. He is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things. And he hath most sovereign dominion over all creatures, to do by them, for them, and upon them, whatsoever himself pleases.

In his sight all things are open and manifest. His knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature, so as nothing is to him contingent or uncertain. He is most holy in all his counsels, in all his works, and in all his commands. To him is due from angels and men whatsoever worship, service, or obedience as creatures they owe unto the creator and whatever he is further pleased to require of them. Last week we looked at some of God's attributes and I hope you were able to spend some time this past week reading, thinking, or meditating on some of them.

I would encourage you to make that something you might consider doing on a regular basis. Today we continue in the study of God with a focus on the relations of God to his creatures in light of the attributes we saw last week, especially in regards to God's self-sufficiency and sovereignty. Our paragraph begins with God having all life, glory, goodness, blessedness in and of himself. Our confession indicates that life comes from God. But in our culture today there are many, maybe even you could call a consensus of scientists, for whatever that means, that holds to the belief that in the beginning there was a big bang.

And then billions of years later, life began in a puddle of primordial sludge or crystals somehow. But in the Bible, we are told in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, Genesis 1.1. And John opens with in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him.

Nothing was made that was made. In Him was life. John 1, 1 through 4. For as the father has life in himself, so he has granted the son to have life in himself. John five, 26.

God is the source of all life, not a big bang, not crystals, not evolution. We read in Genesis 2.7 that the Lord God formed the man of the dust of the ground and breathe into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being. For in him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17 28. For us to continue to live we must drink, we need to eat, we sleep, we breathe, take any of that away and we die.

But God doesn't need to eat, drink, breathe or sleep. He's not dependent on anything or anyone. Even death has no hold on him. He is eternal. Ultimately, without God, there is no life.

There is no earth. There are no plants. There are no animals. And there are no people. The power over life comes uniquely from God who alone has life, all life, in and of himself.

Paul writes, there are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies but the glory of the celestial is one and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, for one star differs from another star in glory, 1 Corinthians 15, 40 through 41. And yet these do not compare with the eternal glory of God who has all glory in and of himself. For we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3 23.

We can reflect God's glory. We can do things for the glory of God, but we do not have glory in and of ourselves. The psalmist declares, let them praise the name of the Lord For his name alone is exalted. His glory is above the earth and heaven. Psalm 148 13 God also has all goodness in and of himself.

Not only is he the source of all goodness He is the standard for everything that is good. The psalmist tells us that you are good and do good, teach me your statutes. Psalm 1, 1968. When the rich young ruler approached Jesus and called him good teacher, Jesus said to him, why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is God.

Mark 10 18. God also has blessedness, all blessedness in and of himself. Paul tells Timothy that God is the blessed and only potentate, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 1 Timothy 6.15. Although we can say bless you, O Lord, or like Job said in Job 1.21, blessed be the name of the Lord.

God's blessedness does not depend on what we say or do. All our prayers, worship, and songs cannot add to His blessedness. He is as blessed now as He was a thousand years ago, as he was before even he created the universe, because God has always had and will always have all blessedness in and of himself. Continuing on, God is alone in and unto Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creature which He hath made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting His glory in, by, unto, and upon them. Eliphaz the Temanite from the book of Job asks, can a man be profitable to God though he who is wise may be profitable to himself?

Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or is it gain to him that you make your ways blameless. Job 22, 2, and 3. The answer is no. We cannot add anything to God.

We cannot add to His glory. He has no needs. He is all sufficient. In Acts 17, 24 through 25 we read, God who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is He worshiped with men's hands as though he needed anything, since he gives to all life, breath, and all things. We can reflect or bear witness to God's glory, but we cannot add or subtract from His eternal glory.

Even the heavens declare the glory of God. Psalm 19.1. God alone is the fountain of all being of whom through whom and to whom all are all things. Paul comments, for who has known the mind of the Lord, who has become his counselor, For of him and through him and to him are all things. To whom be glory forever.

Amen. Romans 11, 34 and 36. For you created all things, and by your will they exist and were created. Revelation 411. God is the Creator.

He is the source, the fountain of all being. It is from Him all things exist and have their being. We must be clear on this point. Everything exists for God, for His glory and His majesty. Next, our paragraph states that God has most sovereign dominion over all creatures to do by them, for them, and upon them whatsoever he pleases.

Dr. Sproul explains, many people step aside from classical theology when trying to grasp the phrase most sovereign dominion. God is not just sovereign, but sovereign to a superlative degree. He is most sovereign, and that sovereignty means dominion. He created the external world and upholds it moment to moment by his sovereign power.

Not a single molecule runs loose in the universe outside the scope of God's counsel, of God's control. If God is sovereign over all, then he is the source of all authority. Paul writes, for in him, all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through him and for him. Colossians 1 16. His redeeming grace, His mercy is part of his sovereignty.

Remember God told Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. Exodus 33 19. God has every right to do with us as he sees fit whatever pleases him. The psalmist declares our God is in heaven he does whatever he pleases. Psalm 115 3 Nebuchadnezzar spent seven years with the beasts in the field until he had learned that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives, gives it to whomever he chooses.

Daniel 425. In God's sight all things are open and manifest. His knowledge is infinite and fallible and independent upon the creature so as nothing is to him contingent or uncertain. God knows everything. All things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4.13. He knows all that has happened in the past. He knows all that will happen in the future. Known to God from eternity are all his works, Acts 15 18. And yet his knowledge is not dependent or contingent upon what man chooses in the future.

His knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent from the creature. His understanding is infinite, Psalm 147.5. Paul comments, oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out. For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has become his counselor Romans 11 33 and 34. He has He has and has always had infinite and infallible knowledge.

God does not learn anything from us. He knows what we are going to say or do before we even do it. He knows all things from before time even began. God is most holy in all his councils, in all his works, and in all his commands. One of the parts of God's holiness is found in his holy councils in whose purposes are only good.

He is holy not just in his counsel or plans, but also in the execution of his plan in all his works. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, gracious in all his works. Psalm 145 17. Because he is holy, his commands are also holy. They are holy and just and good.

Romans 7 verse 12. God doesn't command us to sin, but to be holy just as He is holy." Leviticus 11 45. To God is due from angels and men whatsoever worship, service, or obedience as creatures they owe unto the Creator and whatever he is further pleased to require of them. What is being said here? God is due, he is owed something.

For the believer we absolutely feel a never ending obligation to God for his saving us, for his giving us grace. But for the unbelievers, do they also owe God? What about the angels? Our confession here is stating that all creatures, angels and men, owe their Creator whatever He is pleased to require of them. Dr.

Sproul comments, God does not have to enter into a voluntary covenant with us in which we agree to certain terms before we are obligated to give him his due. By the nature of his perfection and holiness, we already owe him everything. We have an inherent obligation to obey, to worship, honor, and glorify God. Because exultation from the lips of the creature is his due. Paul arraigns the whole world before the tribunal of God for their foundational sin.

Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, Romans 1 21. The most fundamental sin of the human race is withholding from God the honor that is his due. By his very nature, God has the right to impose absolute obligations on us, to bind our consciences so that justice demands that we give him whatever he requires and commands. We have no escape from total obedience to him. John writes, worthy is the lamb who is slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing.

And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them. I heard saying blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever. Then the four living creatures said, amen. And the 24 elders fell down and worshiped him who lives forever. Revelation 5, 12 through 14.

God is worthy and we owe him our devotion. We owe him our worship. We owe him our obedience. We basically owe him everything. Are we holding anything back?

Is there something He's requiring of us that we're not giving to God, to Him? Are you giving Him some of your time each day to pray, to read His Word, to have family worship, to bathe your wife in the word, to disciple your children. Has God given you gifts that you are to share with your church, with your family, with your neighbors? Let us not forget that everything we have comes from God down even to each breath that we take. Let us at least at the very minimum not neglect to thank Him for His great mercies and blessings.

Amen.