Why It's Important to Seek to Know God--and to Know Him More

Genesis 1:26-30; Genesis 2:7; Psalm 139:13-14

(ASK)

Why is it vital to seek God?

Why is it so important to continue to get to know God, deeper and more personally?

Isn’t it enough to simply believe?

Isn’t is enough to simply say, “Oh yea, I love God,” or “I like/love the idea of Him?

(ASK)

(GENERAL—To Everyone):

What are some of the things you are involved with every day?

What are some of the different sin(s) we get involved with?

What are some the feelings you have when you sin, miss the mark, or make a mistake?

(GENERAL—To Everyone):

What kind of images does the world around you, your peers, or social media want you to have or believe in?

(GENERAL—To Everyone):

What is an identity? Do you think any of the things you’ve answered define you who are?

(HAVE VOLUNTEER WRITE SOME ANSWERS FROM THESE QUESTIONS ON THE WHITE T-SHIRT)

What if I were to tell you—or help remind you—that these things are not designed to define who you are, or to give you an identity; your sin doesn’t have to define you, what others say about you, what social media or the world says, doesn’t have to define you; what if there exists a greater purpose, a greater identity, and a greater worth for you to have to live in?

The purpose for the Pause this weekend, is to allow God’s Word to grab your attention. It is to take a “pause” from the routines of life and to focus on God’s Word (the Bible), so you can see, know, or be reminded of God’s real, true, intended purpose for each of you: That you might be known by Him—that you might be in a relationship with Him—and that you might grow a deep personal relationship with Him.

Tomorrow we are going to talk about 2 spiritual disciplines to help us grow that relationship, but tonight we are going to talk about God’s purpose in creating you (to be in a relationship with Him and to grow your relationship with Him.

To start this understanding—we need to talk about how each of your were created

(READ GENESIS 1:26-30)

(Talk about creation up to this verse)

I. (v.26) You are here (you have life) b/c God created you to be here—but there’s so much more than just this simple statement

Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...”

***You are not here by chance, randomness, some impersonal force/energy, some physical law where life just “POP” and happened***

***You were created intentionally and with a purpose***

God held a very special conference—notice the words “Us,” and “Our”—These words are plural, meaning all 3 parts of the Trinity were involved in creation you: (1) God the Father; (2) God the Son (Jesus Christ); (3) God the Holy Spirit

What does this say then about God and about you?

Each of you was given the privilege of being created by all the Godhead

Each of you were created so special—the very crown and glory of creation

No where else does the Bible say ANYTHING about some other part of creation bearing the likeness and image of the Trinity

Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

TALK ABOUT THIS AND DRAW IT OUT

What does this mean then we you start thinking about you?

God planned a very special plan for you

God cares for you; God has intentionality towards you; God loves you with a very special care and love

God holds a unique and special hope for each of you: REDEMPTION

(ASK)—How many of you struggle with thinking that God created you and then just left you alone?

(ASK)—How many of you struggle thinking, “Well, if God made me in His image, why doesn’t He care about what I struggle with or what I’m going through?

(ASK)—How many of you struggle with thoughts like, “Well, I have these weaknesses, so I guess that’s just how God made me or who He made me to be?

TALK ABOUT REDEMPTION—GOD’S PLAN OF REDEMPTION—AND HOW HE HASN’T STOPPED FIGHTING FOR YOU—AND HOW THE CROSS IS HOW WE CAN KNOW GOD LOVES YOU

God created you as the pinnacle/capstone of everything He created—you are a very special creation, b/c God created you after His very own image and His very own likeness

It’s amazing to think about being created in the likeness and image of God (the Trinity), but what does it mean, “Our image,” or “Our likeness”

FIRST and FOREMOST—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit existed in perfect relationship with One Another, so you were created—RELATIONAL—to be in a relationship with God the Father, through Jesus Christ, proven by the Holy Spirit living inside your hearts

Secondly—You were created for this relationship to be a relationship of worship and fellowship

Thirdly—You were created to bear the spiritual fruits of God’s attributes:

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

Now that we have some understanding about “how” we were created, let’s talk about the purpose you were created for, God’s will in creating you:

(ASK)—What purpose do you think God had in creating you?

(ASK)—Do you think God created you for fame/fortune, to be the best athlete or the smartest student, to be the most popular kid in school?

(ASK)—What identity do you think God created you to have? The world’s or His?

II God’s will (purpose) in creating you is two fold

First—that you would be known by Him, that you might be saved

2 Peter 3:8-9 “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

Second—that you would grow closer to Him—be sanctified (set apart)

(ASK) What’s wrong with looking like the world?What does “sanctification” mean, does anyone know?

(ASK) What does “sanctification” mean, does anyone know?

1 Thessalonians 4:3 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;”

Romans 8:29 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

We cannot figure out what it means or how we are to look more like Jesus on our own; we need help; we need a resource; we must develop spiritual disciplines or habits of

Spend time reading God’s Word (the Bible)—It’s hard to have a relationship with God if you don’t have a relationship with your Bible

Spending time in prayer—Prayer is how we communicate with God

If you want to learn how to pray—pray

If you are distracted when you pray—pray whatever is distracting you

Learn to be a Christian who’s character is to pray (in ALL THINGS)

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

In order to look more like Jesus everyday, we have to be disciplined in some things everyday

Romans 8:13 “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Romans 13:14 “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”

III. God’s desire for you—is to live more like Jesus and less like the world (HOW WE DO THAT WILL BE DISCUSSED TOMORROW MORNING IN TWO SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES)

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

Choosing to love

Choosing to forgive

Choosing right relationships

Choosing kindness/compassion

Choosing to tell the truth/walk in truth

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CLOSING

Each of you (each of us) has a purpose in this life; each of you has a purpose in being here, a purpose in God creating you. The problem is, when we live outside of that purpose, we never feel quite right—when we don’t know our real purpose (which starts with knowing our real identity) we try to find our purpose in other things:

Sports

Friends

Relationships

Making money

Being/becoming popular (social media, etc)

What we look like/how people perceive or look at us

To help us know our purpose---we need to know where our REAL identity comes from

***Need—2 Tables, T-shirts (white with writing, read with “Christ written all over it”, one student***

***Have student put on white t-shirt with words written all over (worldly images/identities we struggle with)

***Describe courtroom atmosphere: Judge/Jesus/Us—ledger of wrong, etc)

***Have student wearing T-shirt close his/her eyes and put on RED t-shirt***

Being a Christian means you are in Christ (see the student as “in the T-shirt”). Our identity is now Christ’s identity and we no longer have to worry about what was written on white t-shirt, b/c we’ve been given a new identity.

ASK/INVITE/ENCOURAGE students who may need to make this decision or re-dedicate themselves to this decision (confess/repent from slipping back into some of these things)

Tomorrow morning:

We will learn more about how we walk in this image—how we grow closer to God—how we know more about God

*prayer and reading our Bibles

***PRAY and go to small groups***