Chasing Life: For Goodness Sake 2

Happy Father’s Day…To my dad all other dads out there.

I thought about opening up with about 15 minutes of the best dad jokes ever...

but then I thought different...

I’ll only tell a few....

I read that by law you must turn on your headlights when it’s raining in Sweden, but how am I supposed to know when it’s raining in Sweden?

I just found out I’m colorblind. The news came out of the orange!

I hate my job — all I do is crush cans all day. It’s soda pressing.

Two guys walked into a bar. The third guy ducked.

My dog is a genius. I asked him, "What's two minus two?" He said nothing.

At first, I thought my chiropractor wasn’t any good, but now I stand corrected.

Can anyone tell me what oblivious means, because I have no idea.

So there’s lot of titles for today’s time. Chasing Life…that’s the overall topic. For Goodness Sake…we ended last week thinking about how Everything was created in perfect goodness…and then we as humans…were given the purpose and tasks…but then also...

to be good…within that goodness.

To live for the sake of goodness…God’s goodness. God’s definition of goodness. His definition of a full life.

And doing that we would live a full life…the best life possible.

In the last two weeks, we’ve been delving into this idea of life. What is it? Where does it come from? How do we get a full life…joy peace contentment security happiness?

We know that these are things that everyone searches for in life. Everyone.

We see people making all types of choices in life trying to attain these things. Fighting for these things.

So there seems to be this chase.

And then in the middle of this chase…Jesus comes in and says that He came to give a full life and then there’s an enemy who wants to steal it.

Two options. Follow Jesus…the creator… or follow the thief who lies.

So, is it really a chase? That’s my big philosophical question. I’m not sure that it really is. I’m not sure that is reality.

The more I look at scripture the more I find a God who’s chasing me, saying…just come back and I’ll give you life.

Last week we looked at creation. God created in perfect goodness. Genesis 2 details the creation of humanity, Adam and Eve. The creator and His children. A picture of a Father.

Everything is literally perfect...

…and then a choice is made. A choice to follow pride rather than humility before the creator. And it seems from all accounts in the Bible…that humility brings full life.

Genesis 3:1–7 CSB

1 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. 3 But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” 4 “No! You will certainly not die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Interesting thing…Eve has never lived or experienced evil…only Satan and his followers. He has experienced evil.

And right here, the thief sets Eve’s will against God’s will.

The best possible life created by the Heavenly Father, or a different life where the creature believes they can choose better.

We all know what happens. The chase of a best life begins rather than resting in the best life that was already given.

We also see something else…and it is easily missed.

In Genesis 3:15 we see the Father’s heart for His children who have just allowed sin to enter all of creation.

We first, in Genesis 3, see that God is not taking away the blessings of bringing more children (image bearers) into the world…but it will be through pain.

And God hasn’t taken away the blessing of working and tending creation…but God said that mankind will now have to struggle with the earth…through thorns…as he will still need food…but by the sweat of your own brow....you will work for food. Creation won’t simply give you what you need.

Why? A separation has occurred. Humanity and God are separated. Humans are not one like they were. Humanity and all of creation are separated as well.

The things God gave…will now be chased.

Life…will be chased through the context of sin.

But God does not give up on His creation. Punishment and judgement? Yes....and....God spoke to Satan as well.

Genesis 3:15 CSB

15 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.

God quickly tells Satan…the adversary…the father of lies (as Jesus called him), you’ve done this…you’ve attempted to ruin my creation…but you won’t have the last word.

The Father stepping in. Judgement and consequence of sin....yes....Adam and Eve allowed …made the choice…free will choice to disobey…to rebel. To not ask hey God I met this messenger in the Garden and he said....it doesn’t match what you’ve said…help me understand.

It’s simple…personal pride. Not humility before the one who gives the best possible life.

But here’s what we also see. Though sin brings chaos into the creation order that ultimately leads to judgment, we see the Father’s commitment to redeeming His creation.

The heart of the father.

And all through scripture we see this human battle…our battle…to try and find life.

But what we also see is God always making a way, along with warnings, for you and I to come back. Yes, we also, see judgement and consequence (discipline)…but God the Father always brings a remnant…someone who’s following Him…to keep the promise going that someone, who will be born of a woman, will take care of the thief of life.

We’re going to do a scan of scripture at like, airplane perspective…through scripture to look at some historic moments that reveal the Father’s plan, His commitment, to both reveal sin (sin that leads us away from the best life possible) and to reveal a way to erase that sin.

What we see are hints of “new creation” by the Father. God the Father is bringing forgiveness…a way to start again new.

Forgiveness that will wipe away the effects of Satan’s lies so that the Father can be with His children again.

Now the fast scan over history....

So, right away in history we see this idea of God beginning to redeem creation in the passage we just read.

Now we need to remember that humanity’s sin has had cosmic effects. Not just humanity is effected. All of creation has been effected.

I’m sure Adam and Eve were waiting God to renew all things…but as population increased, we read that sin increased. And as a result, God looked at the chaos that sin brought to his creation and condemned it to judgement. And then we see the flood. Judgment on sin of humanity and all of its effects…even the chaos within the creation itself.

But even through judgment, the Father remained committed to His creation. We see the heart of the father…even though all of humanity was against Him…one man, and his family, was saved. God rescued Noah and his family from the judgment of sin.

And here we see a piece of the Father’s heart. Yes…judgment and consequence for sin…but also that piece that wants to rescue and save.

And then we see Noah and his family turning from God…even after being blessed by God after the flood…and after being given the same purpose and identity that was given to Adam and Eve in the beginning.

So right here we see that this rescue mission was followed by the chaos of sin .....

The next account we see is the tower in the city of Babel.

Again, humanity was rebellion against the wishes of the Father…trying to establish their own authority and power. As scripture says…they wanted to “make a name for themselves” Genesis 11:4

Genesis 11:4 CSB

4 And they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let’s make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered throughout the earth.”

God said fill the planet with my images of glory…live the best life possible, tend the earth, i give you now all plants and animals for food. They said, let’s stay in one place…and make a name for ourselves…Let’s live life like we want to.

God could have, even in legal terms, brought judgment in a big way again.

However, he separated them into nations all over the planet. And then out of one nation, he began again…with one who followed Him…a husband and wife named Abram and Sarai.

And He said…out of you will be come a family, my family....that will be more numerous than the stars…and one from your family will be the one who will bless the whole world…all of creation. You are blessed to be a blessing. This is the one from Genesis 3 who will take care of the “serpant.”

Again the Father’s Heart. He’s on a rescue mission for His family.

Right away…after Abraham and Sarah, name change, have Isaac....and even this is after they tried to have a family a different way than God’s way....

We see Abraham and Sarah stay in that sin pattern. We see in subsequent generations (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) sinful storylines…God’s growing family continuing to sin…but God continues to grow His family.

We see lies, deceit, jealousy and theft all within the first 3 generation of the promised nation. But God doesn’t give up on them. Even within the 4th generation, brothers sell another brother into slavery in Egypt...

But through that one brother…the promise of redemption and new creation will be carried.

Creation and New Creation to chaos. Each time. But the Father never gives up. Yes…there is the consequence of sin and judgment. But God never pulls fully away. His intent is to live as a Father with His people…as it was in the beginning.

His family are now slaves…and through what we know as the Exodus, we see judgement on the chaos that sin has brought. The Israelites are freed through miracles that show God’s command over His creation. And we see judgment on those the Egyptians, who chose to live in ways other than the Father’s.

And in the wilderness, He has his family…the Israelites…and they are now known as the Children of God by other nations. And God brings them an outline for how to best live…like a father making house rules…we call these the 10 commandments.

Within hours of these being written by the hand of the father himself, we see the Israelites worshiping a false god…a created golden calf.

Does the father stay committed? Yes, judgment and consequence of sin follow naturally, but God stays with the remnant.

Are you noticing that God isn’t giving up. He promised to be near…to stick with a plan to redeem people.

And here we see this in a big way. God, right after the house rules, we see Him give the instructions for the tabernacle…a picture of the lost Eden in a way. The place where God would be…among His people. The Father living close…but not like it was…but still…not abandoned.

And then right after, as God gives the promise of a new land for this people who are called by His name....this people chooses to fall away even more. God had given them the idea that if they did…they would be exiled from this land…from a place promised by Him…A place close to Him....

And exiled they were. Taken from their promised land promised city Jerusalem and away from God’s place of dwelling…the Temple…and we even read that God’s spirit left the temple.

Still even with all of this, God promises, now through prophets, that God is still going to redeem. The Father is not going to give up on His children. He will save them.

And so we begin to hear that not only will the family of God return to Jerusalem …but that one from this family will finally redeem the Father’s creation once and for all. He will save people from their sin…and will begin a new-creation.

We know this person as Jesus.

Jesus looking into the eyes of Nicodemus, one who knew this whole story inside and out asks big life questions about the Father....and Jesus, the son says,

John 3:16 NIV

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The Father…all the way through, has been wanting to save us.

Please take a second to think about that.

He came to save us. The Father just doesn’t stand there and yell and tell us how bad we are and that we’re doing everything wrong. That’s NOT the heart of the Father. Does He explain sin? Yes…but then He sends someone to take care of it because we can’t.

Remember that. When we look around at culture around us…through the heart of the Father…they are people who need saved just like we do.

We’re not special because we’re good. We’re sinners just like all those that we sometimes point to and call out as sinners. The forgiveness we have, being followers of the Father’s son…is through a gift. We didn’t earn it.

We’re special because we’re a part of this awesome thing called creation…remember God called it all very good.

The Father’s Heart is to save all

In the book of Ezekiel God asks the question…Do I delight in the death of the wicked? Assuming a No answer…he doesn’t delight in the death of the wicked …he loves it when someone returns to Him.

Why? Because that’s the heart of the Father.

He wants you to be with Him. He hasn’t taken away your free till to sin and bring chaos to this world. But He has offered His son for you. His death…for the death sin brings to you.

From the beginning God made a plan to get us all back. The Father never gave up on His commitment.

In this chasing of life…The Father wants all of us to consider His gift. His gift that will in turn bring the gift of abundant life.

That’s your Heavenly Father’s Heart. He wants you to be with Him for eternity.

As a church family, as the people of His Son Jesus. We are to share the Father’s heart. For God so loved the world....that includes everyone around us. People we disagree with. People we might have arguments with, people we sometimes want to call out…guess what…The Father loves them too. He’s on a rescue mission for them.

The church has been invited to be on that mission. First…are you willing to be saved…something you can’t do for yourself…then are you willing to share your salvation story with others?

That’s His heart…the Father’s heart is to save…and it has been from the beginning.