What on earth are we here for? / Genesis 1:28-2:3

The book of Genesis is the foundation on which our understanding of existence and faith rest.

If what we’ve learned so far in chapter 1 is true, the implications are monumental.

There is a God.

Everything was originally created good.

Order and design are the foundations of the universe.

Everyone has equal value because we are made in God’s image.

But just because we’re created, does not mean that we understand why we were created.

Have you ever questioned your purpose for existing? Recently, I was talking with my dad who is the biggest optimist that I know. Here is an example, while on the phone, something made him think of Vultures. He said, “You know, I never liked vultures. They are ugly, gross, and literally eat dead things. But the more I thought about them, the more my appreciation for them grew. They are like God’s trash men. They keep the earth clean.

When you think about your life, work, and relationships, do you only think about the negatives? I’m terrible at math and science, how am I going to get a good job? I hate my appearance, how am I going to find a future spouse? I am good at a few things, but apathy pulls me down.

Instead of these thoughts giving you a feeling of purpose, they make you feel pathetic. Tonight we are going to explore what on earth we’re here for, by looking at the positive responsibilities God has entrusted us to do.

First,

We’re here to create and cultivate.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

When you hear the word, “blessing” what images come to mind? I tend to think of gifts. Like God “blessing” someone with a house.

In this passage, God “blessed” them with responsibility. He blessed them by enabling them to create like he created. Fill like he filled. He entrusted them with leadership and love.

When God created the heavens and the earth, let’s remember that it was originally formless and void. Before he cooked the meal, he gathered the ingredients.

Through sexual reproduction by man and woman in the context of a covenant relationship, God entrusted them to create and fill!

But he also entrusted them with the leadership of dominion and subduing. God did not just call them to gather resources, he wanted them to organize and maximize the resources to the maximum potential.

He called them to investigate, plan, organize, and advance. Just like he did.

Work was created before the fall. Work was designed to be delightful. Work was purposeful. Work was good.

Within the few verses we have read so far, look at the blessings God is providing his people and declaring as good before the fall: work, sex, food, and leadership.

Do you view God as a cosmic hall monitor? Instead of him being a kill joy, he was the one who created the flavor of food, the intimacy of guilt-free marital sex, and the happiness of a job well done.

31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

The word, “behold” in this verse is like zooming out on your Iphone to see a picture from a bigger perspective.

Until day six, God repeatedly said that his creation was good. But when he zooms out to view it all, including the creation of people made in his image entrusted with creativity, he concludes by calling it “very good.” His review at the end of the day was a part of his work.

God filled, formed, and beheld. And to reflect his creativity, he blessed humanity by entrusting us to create and cultivate.

This past weekend, we had an event called Bridgefest, Through this event, we were able to reflect the creativity of God. We created an idea to reach the community and connect them to Ironbridge. But that wasn’t sufficient. Having ideas is the easy part. We needed to plan and organize in order for any of it to work. We needed to cultivate. So we built a registration. We asked for people to commit to leading food, fire, inflatable, and a hay ride. But the work wasn’t complete. We needed to review. Yesterday, our team sat and discussed the goodness that came from the event.

When we cultivate the land it produces food for us to enjoy and for us to have energy to cultivate the land.

There were positive results that were beneficial to all involved.

Ask yourself, what do I enjoy creating? How can I cultivate that idea? How can I review to improve? What results is this producing? Consider showing your planner.

If your work is producing results that benefit both you and the world around you then you are doing God honoring work. Because of this doctors, janitors, bus drivers, and teachers all do work that honors God and restores the world.

And just as the world needs restoration, our own hearts need rest.

We’re here to pause and enjoy.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

God rested. God.. rested. God.... rested.

And yet, we feel like if we were to incorporate a rhythm of rest into our lives everything would fall apart.

God did not rest because he was tired. He’s God. No, he rested because he was done.

Do you ever feel like you are done? God, want’s you to enjoy the feeling of completion. We see this woven into the story when we pause to consider that man’s first full day was the day that God choose to rest. God wanted man to understand the priority of enjoying life in relationship with God.

According to Britannica science, Sunday has been viewed as the first day of the week. Many share this view because Sunday was the day that Jesus rose from the dead. Because Jesus finished his work of saving the lost through dying on the cross, we can begin each week by enjoying the new life that is found through faith in him.

But in 1971, the International Organization for Standardization sought to establish Monday as the official start of the week.

The first view begins with a posture of rest and launches into grateful work. The second view begins with work in hopes to achieve rest.

Do you work well because you are rested? Or do you work tirelessly in hopes of achieving a settled feeling?

Many of us are scared to rest because we think it will keep us from the affirmation of knowing that we’ve done good enough.

But because Jesus was good enough in your place, you can be free to work from a place of gratitude, not guilt.

3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

God didn’t just bless physical creation, in this verse, God blessed time. He blessed a day. To be holy means to set-apart for a specific purpose. Like, I set apart my tooth brush for my teeth. Do you set aside time to enjoy creation and enjoy the creator?

*Have production literally flip the light switch on and off.

Imagine that you never turned your lights off in your home at night. Your sleep would suffer.

Imagine that you never turned your lights on in your home at night. Your nigh time chores would suffer.

Imagine that your lights constantly flicker on and off at random at night. Everything would suffer.

We are not designed to be always on. We are not designed to be always off. And we are not designed to be uncertain.

Set aside time each day for micro rest and each week for macro rest.

You were made to create. You were made to enjoy.