The title for today's message may be a strange-sounding one.

However, it summarizes a simple and essential truth that we can easily forget; God is !T human" #hy is this significant$ #ell, continue reading. The focal point of this message will be based on the verse %alachi &'( which says )*or + am the ,ord, + change not; therefore ye sons of -acob are not consumed.).emphasis added/ The reason why + am alive right now typing this message, and why you will be alive reading this message is because there is a God in heaven who sent His 0on -esus 1hrist to die in our place. The 2ible ma3es it clear that the wages of sin is death.0ee 4omans ('5&/. This is news for re6oicing because this means that God is not giving us what we rightfully deserve" otice that word wages in the above paragraph. 7o you 3now what wages are$ +f any of you have a 6ob, you should 3now, and even if you do not have a 6ob you most li3ely still would 3now. #ages are the payments you receive as a result of doing a specific type of wor3. Thus, we can see that the end result of living a life of sin is death. The wor3 of living a life of disobedience is rewarded with the eternal end of your e8istence. ow what does that have to do with God being not a human$ Plenty! 9ou see, as humans, we are prone to do evil. :s human beings, when someone wrongs us, sometimes our natural reaction is to retaliate and dish out a plate of vengeance. 2ut you see, God is not li3e that... God is not li3e that at all... + thin3 it is sometimes hard to comprehend God's love for us because we are normally surrounded by false love. ,ove in this world seems to be something that can be alive one minute, and dead the ne8t. ,ove in this world seems to increase or decrease depending on the actions of another individual. 0ince this is normally what we see in the world, and since it is what we normally do ourselves, thin3ing about the fact that God's love for us is at the fullest capacity that it can possibly be and that it does not change despite what we do is something that we as humans have a tough time getting our minds around. #e often thin3 of retribution once someone violates our word or our rights, but that is not the first thing on God's mind when He is wronged... #hen God is wronged, the first thing He does is to see3 reconciliation with the one that wronged Him. ;ven when God is wronged for a long period of time, His first thoughts are still ways of bringing about harmony. otice how the 2ible e8plains God in <salm =('>? )2ut thou, ! ,ord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.) The above principles are illustrated in a popular 2ible story. Ta3e your mind bac3 to the beginning of the creation of man3ind. !ur first parents, :dam and ;ve, had eternal life, and they were completely happy with their situation. They loved God, and e8perienced 6oy that we do not presently 3now, and this 6oy was a result of their continued obedience to the !ne who created us all; -esus 1hrist. However, as we 3now, this state of happiness did not last forever as it originally should have according to God's plan. !ne day ;ve found herself too close to the tree that God told her and her husband :dam not to eat. :s a result, she was prone to be tempted by the devil. !nce the devil had opportunity, he enticed ;ve to eat of the forbidden fruit. 7o you 3now what happened ne8t$ The 2ible says in Genesis &'( ):nd when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to ma3e one wise, she too3 of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. ).emphasis added/

0o after ;ve ate the fruit, she gave some to her husband :dam who also ate. +n Genesis 5'>@, God told :dam ) 2ut of the tree of the 3nowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it' for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.), so how was it that they were alive$ 0houldn't they have immediately been vaporized by a bolt of lightning from heaven or something$ #ell, :dam and ;ve should have died. 2ut the reason why as to why they did not is found in Genesis chapter & if you continue reading. :fter :dam and ;ve sinned, they hid from God and sewed fig leaves together and made aprons to cover themselves because they realized that they were na3ed. *ollowing this, :dam and ;ve heard the voice of God in the garden, and decided to hide themselves from God. #hy did they hide$ #ell, naturally, once we do something wrong, we normally feel ashamed of what we did. :dam and ;ve were ashamed of what they did, and they felt as if they could not face God. However, God wanted to find them. God wanted to ma3e peace with :dam and ;ve and save them, not destroy them. ;ven though ;ve was deceived to commit sin and :dam chose to sin by putting his love for his wife higher than his love for God, God's immediate reaction was to find a way to reverse the damage that was done as a result of sin. :fter :dam and ;ve ac3nowledged their sins, He focused His attention to 0atan, and said, ):nd + will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.).Genesis &'>?/ +n other words, God promised that 0atan would ultimately be destroyed.bruise thy head/ at the e8pense of a wound dealt in return.bruise his heel./ +f we could modernize what God said, it would probably go something li3e this; )#ell 0atan, it loo3s li3e you have caused my dear children to sin. +t 0;;%0 as if you obtained the victory today. 9ou may have won the 2:TT,; today, but you #+,, !T win the #:4. + <4!%+0; you, eventually you will be utterly destroyed.) +n His mercy and love, God decided to allow His 0on -esus 1hrist to die for our sins. The transgression of God's unchanging law had to be met, and rather than destroy us, God decided to send His 0on -esus 1hrist to die for the human race, and it is that act that destroyed 0atan. 0atan will eventually be literally destroyed, but because of the sacrifice of -esus 1hrist in our behalf, 0atan is as good as dead as long as you surrender yourself to God and choose to accept His 0on -esus as your sacrifice and substitute. > -ohn >'A states a wonderful truth. +t says )+f we confess our sins, he is faithful and 6ust to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.) :dam and ;ve ac3nowledged their transgression. They were sorry for what they did, and as a result, God cleansed them from their sins. The very thing that 0atan caused :dam and ;ve and all of us to commit, which is sin, is the very thing that -esus 1hrist came to save us from. !ur ugly past record of sin is thoroughly blotted out once we get on our 3nees and confess our sins. #hen we get on our 3nees as a sinner and confess our sins, God then activates His power in us to help us turn away from our sins, and begin living as a saint. ow imagine if God was human.. +magine if He immediately destroyed :dam and ;ve as soon as they sinned because He had a short temper li3e many people we 3now have today. #e would not be here right now. Ta3e a loo3 at what God thin3s of you; )0ince thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and + have loved thee' therefore will + give men for thee, and people for thy life.).+saiah B&'B/ 9ou were so valuable to God that He gave His 0on to die for you. 9ou are valuable to God. 9ou are worth a Cing's ransom" ever forget it"

0ince God never changes, we 3now that He will continue to love us no matter what happens. ;ven if we sin, God still loves us, because it was after :dam and ;ve sinned, that God manifested His love to us by giving us His 0on -esus 1hrist. The purpose of entering into a loving relationship with -esus is to obtain a better life, to obtain an atonement for our sins, and to be saved from our sins. ;ven if you mess up today and fall into sin, there is still hope for you" 7espite the fact that God loves us, He is still a 6ust and fair God. 7o not thin3 for a moment that you can continue to live a life of sin, and be saved at the end. +f God 3ic3ed ,ucifer.who is now called 0atan/ out of heaven for sinning, do you really thin3 that He will allow it bac3 into heaven$ !f course not" !therwise, God would have to apologize to 0atan for 3ic3ing Him out, and apologize to His 0on for sending Him to die, and of course, we 3now that neither of those things will ta3e place. 7on't forget that God is longsuffering, or in other words, patient. ;ven if you do mess up from time to time, do not allow your past mista3es to hinder your progress; Dse your mista3es as steppingstones to learn what not to do again. The difference between those who are saved and those who are lost is not because the saved never sinned... ope... That's not the reason... 0o what's the reason that some people will be lost$ The reason why anyone will be lost is because the individual refused to turn away from his or her sinful practices into the loving arms of -esus.Those individuals did not decide to get bac3 up after they made mista3es and fell. <roverbs 5B'>( says )*or a 6ust man falleth seven times, and riseth up again' but the wic3ed shall fall into mischief.) ;ven if you fall, get bac3 up. -esus is still there ready to hear your confession, and give you power to be saved from your sins. :lmost all of us have lived a life of sin for the greater portion of our life, and as a result, we need to ,;:4 how to live a holy life according to God's standards. *ortunately, we have -esus to help us every step of the way. 7epend on -esus to turn your life around, because He is able )to 3eep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with e8ceeding 6oy,).-ude >'5B/ God is not li3e humans. He does not immediately thin3 wrath and vengeance when we mess up. 7espite the poor e8amples of love in our fellow humans, we have the most wonderful representation of love through the sacrifice of -esus 1hrist. ow is the time to ma3e the decision for 1hrist. He will be there with you every step of the way and will help you change your life around, as long as you are willing. !nce you come to Him, be confident that )he which hath begun a good wor3 in you will perform it .not might perform it/ until the day of -esus 1hrist').<hilippians >'(/ E Emphasis and comment added F God is not li3e us. He does not start something, and then deserts the tas3. +nstead, He faithfully gets the 6ob done, and He will accomplish His 6ob in us as long as we continue to choose to serve Him, and choose to turn away from our sins. +sn't that wonderful friends$ ),et the wic3ed forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts' and let him return unto the ,ord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.) -+saiah ??'@. Emphasis Added. / o if's and's or but's about it; God will do H+0 part. #ill you do yours$ <raise God that He is not human, and do not forget it"