Theory of Everything
Theory of Everything
SLIDE #1 Opening
Isaiah 45:12 “It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands And I ordained all their host.
As I was thinking about today’s what I wanted to talk about, I realized that it really comes in four pieces. So after today I’ll be back again the next two weeks. Some of you are counting . . . The answer is that you have already heard one of them. The message I gave about salvation a few weeks ago was piece #3. I just didn’t know it at the time. Now you get the rest of the story.
Like all believers, I have been on a journey in which I have been getting to know God and His word better. Several times along the way I’ve had to change my mind about things. God’s word corrected some things I had been taught, and sometimes told me some things I didn’t want to hear. But as time went on, I trust that in general, the picture of God’s plan has become clearer. I have begun to see at least in a small way how some things fit together.
So today I’m going to be talking about a TOE. I don’t mean the kind that most of us have ten of, or what they do to your car when the meter runs out; it’s an acronym – T. O. E. Are there any of you who read about science, or watch science documentaries on TV, that know what T. O. E. stands for? It’s a Theory of Everything.
SLIDE #2 – Theory
Of
Everything
If you have seen these shows, you know that scientists try to unite the laws of nature under some elemental, basic principle from which everything else can be derived. I’m not going to pretend to understand all that, but in a similar way I’d like to get to the most basic and fundamental things about our faith so we can see how everything else comes out of it. You’re not going to hear anything today that you’ve never heard before. You heard some of it a month ago when Andrew Claussen spoke. In fact, we should hear it in every worship service. But perhaps putting it all together might give you a little bit of a different perspective. Like a Hostess cupcake, there may be a surprise inside.
Let me give you another illustration. My job is a computer programmer. A lot of my work is at a very detailed level. I may have to pour over thousands of lines of code in dozens of programs to find where a particular value is calculated. I can get so engrossed in the detail that I lose track of the big picture. Sometimes I need to step back and remember how the people who use the system see it and how my small piece fits into that. So I make charts that show relationships among different pieces of the system. The charts take a top-down approach. There is some overarching, simple purpose at the very top, and as you move down you show increasing detail and complexity. The point is, you start at the top, with a simple purpose or goal, and that gives you a context for the greater and greater detail that you show underneath.
You approach Bible study in the same way. The first rule of interpretation is context. You always want to establish a context by starting with the highest level overview. This is a simple statement of the author’s purpose for the whole book or letter. The detail you fill in underneath is just an elaboration of that theme. So today’s question is, What did the Author of creation say was the purpose of His work? Then when we read the Bible, it helps to know that the way we understand it must be consistent with that purpose. You could call this “top-down theology.” It might look something like this:
SLIDE #3 – “Org Chart”
Frankly, that sounds like a pretty big objective. Whenever we talk about God, and why He does what He does, we’re treading on lofty ground. I once heard it said that it is like a lump of clay trying to explain the potter to another lump of clay. God’s thoughts are as far above our thoughts as the heavens are higher than the earth. We can’t put God in a box of our own making. We have to let Him speak for Himself. If God Himself hadn’t told us about Himself, we couldn’t say anything at all. So, I’m approaching today’s message with fear and trembling. If I had any sense I’d sit down right now . . .
On the other hand, there is a reason why we can approach this with some confidence. God’s word does give us some information about this. If we can find the purpose statements of Scripture, we can begin to see a glimmer of what God hath wrought, and why.
There is a word that is sometimes used to describe God. It is aseity. It means self-existence, or self-sufficiency. God does not need anything because He is complete in himself. As a trinity there is perfect fellowship in the Godhead. He was free to make the world or not make the world. He didn’t have to make a physical creation and populate it with beings that would rebel and reject their Creator. He didn’t have to plan to send His Son among those wicked people and allow them to kill him. That was painful to Him. What was behind His decision to do that? What could possibly cause God, who is completely self-sufficient, to make the plan that He did? Or as you hear it from both scientists and philosophers, “Why is there something rather than nothing?” If we can answer that question, it will be our “Theory of Everything.”
By the way, it was really difficult to limit the number of Scripture references for today’s message. I cut mercilessly. Even so, I’m going to be snowing you with Scripture, practically an avalanche. Maybe still too much. I know that isn’t recommended, but a big story requires lots of Scripture, and I think you can handle it. And it’s good to see how everything fits together to build a complete story.
So, how do we learn why God created? We look for purpose statements in the Bible. Of course, the Bible is filled with purpose statements, some big and some small. We’re looking for the big ones, the most general ones. They should also be simple ones. Maybe the Bible just flat out tells us why God created everything. Let’s look at some candidates.
By His will / for His pleasure
SLIDE #4
Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
ASK:What is the purpose statement in this verse? [“because of your will”]
So here is a pretty obvious answer. God created because it was his will to do so. At this point we could acknowledge that God’s ways are past finding out, and despair of ever understanding such deep things as God’s will, and leave it at that. But this would be a pretty short message, about two pages.
The King James renders that same verse a little differently.
Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
The same word can mean either “will” or “pleasure.” That’s an interesting thought, isn’t it? It gave God pleasure to create all things.
SLIDE #5
Genesis 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Psalm 104:31 Let the glory of the Lord endure forever; Let the Lord be glad in His works;
I think there is a hint in that Genesis verse that God was pleased because it was good. Perhaps it is because it is God’s nature to be creative. Like a skilled craftsman he enjoyed being able to create something good.
But that is not a complete answer. A craftsman can enjoy creating some object of beauty, but then set it aside and go on to something else. But we know that God has not set his universe aside. He is involved with His creation. God created the universe for a particular purpose.
SLIDE #6
Isaiah 45:18 For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), “I am the Lord, and there is none else.
There is a purpose statement in this verse. God created the world to be inhabited. For some reason he wanted to create a people.
SLIDE #7
Psalm 149:4 For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.
1 Samuel 12:22 For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.
God takes particular pleasure in the people he created. That is a comforting thought. It gave God pleasure to make us. I think what we have here is a small part of the answer. It’s not the most fundamental answer to the question, but when we’re done, we’ll be able to see how this fits in.
How can we bring pleasure to God? One way we can do that is to bring him praise and glory. And that brings us to the next purpose statement.
For His praise and glory
SLIDE #8
Isaiah 43:6-7 “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring My sons from afar And My daughters from the ends of the earth, Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”
Isaiah 43:21 “The people whom I formed for Myself will declare My praise.
ASK:What is the purpose statement in these passages? [for my glory, declare my praise]
The passage is about Israel, and the message is that he created them for His glory. This people that he takes pleasure in, that He made for Himself, were created for his glory and praise. That is an important theme in Scripture, isn’t it? the glory of God.
SLIDE #9
Psalm 19:1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Psalm 97:6 The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.
God is glorified by the whole of the physical universe. And He desires to be glorified by the people He has made for Himself. In fact, He says He created His sons and daughters for His glory. That’s a pretty good purpose statement.
The fact that all creation shows the glory of God is found everywhere in Scripture. It pervades the Scriptures like water pervades a sponge. He is glorified by everything he made and in everything he does with what he has made. He is glorified by his works and miracles. We could stop here and have the answer. And in fact the sources I have checked do stop here. Perhaps you have heard the first question of the Westminster Catechism.
What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy him forever.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! It is good enough.
I have no doubt it is true – God’s ultimate reason for creating something rather than nothing is to bring glory to his name. If you have any doubts, look up the word “glory” in a concordance. See what the Bible says about the glory of God.
But rather than stop here, I think there is still more to say.
God Has a Plan
Let’s take a little more deliberate approach. God created because it was his will to do so. It wasn’t capricious. God has a plan and purpose for his creation. It gave Him pleasure to make it, and it brings Him glory. This is a fundamental, comprehensive statement from which we can understand other things in Scripture. And it is simple. That could qualify as our Theory Of Everything. But the Bible has clues that this is not the end of the story. There may be something behind this theory of everything, and if there is, then that something is our Theory Of Everything. If we examine God’s plan, that might help us understand why creating gave God pleasure, and why He created everything to give Himself glory.
So, what is God’s plan? If there is one grand, unifying theme in the Bible is the theme of redemption. God is at work to rescue people from a world of sin and make them a people of his own, fit for his kingdom. We see this as types in the Old Testament over and over. God brought Abraham out of Ur and made a covenant with him to bless him. He brought Israel out of Egypt and made a covenant with them that they would be His people and He would be their God. They all point to the true fulfillment in Christ, who calls people out of the world to be His bride. By the way. if you are still awake, that is a BIG clue.
Before the foundation of the world, God planned to send His Son to be our Savior.
SLIDE #10
1 Peter 1:20-21 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
There are also parts of the plan that are yet future. There is a final goal of the plan, the eternal state, in which God’s people live in His presence to worship Him and enjoy Him forever. And there is the flip side to this – those who reject the salvation that God makes available through Jesus Christ are also in an eternal state, but one a great deal less comfortable. That is truly painful to think about, but it’s also part of God’s plan.
Ephesians has a lot to say about God’s plan and purpose. In one passage Paul merges two themes we have talked about, God’s glory, and the plan of redemption. God is glorified by redeeming the righteous.
SLIDE #11
Ephesians 1:5-6 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:12-14 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
These verses are packed. Those who were the first to hope in Christ would be the Jews who believed, and it brought praise that glorified God. The Gentiles, to whom Paul is now writing, have also believed, and it also resulted in the praise of God’s glory. But all that is just the beginning. There is still the final goal, the total redemption of a people for God’s own possession.
Summary up to this point
Okay, what we have seen thus far:
SLIDE #12
•God created by his will and for his pleasure.
•He takes pleasure in his people.
•His plan is to redeem his people
•All this, and everything else, is for his glory
We are almost there. We know what God does in his creation, and what he expects from it – that it will glorify him in everything. God intends for the entire earth to be full of his glory. Habakkuk wrote, “For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea.
The Cream Filling
Now we get to the cream filling. I don’t know if they’re still doing these commercials, so some of you might not know what I’m talking about. The Hostess cupcakes, you know, the ones with the little squiggle of frosting on top, supposedly had a surprise inside. That was the cream filling. Of course, once you have eaten one, it’s no longer a surprise. But you know, the next time you eat one and your tongue hits the filling, it can be a little burst of surprise. In the same way, you have all read Colossians chapter one many times, and you know what’s in it. Still, you may experience a little burst of surprise when you think about it in the context of our question.
Remember, we are asking a “why” question. We are looking for statements of purpose.
SLIDE #13
Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
ASK:What statement of purpose do you see there? [for him]
For whom? [Jesus Christ]
God made creation through Christ. God made creation for Christ. I think that right there we have finally found the answer we were seeking. God the Father loved God the Son and wanted to exalt and glorify him. So he planned a kingdom for him, a universe over which he would reign forever. Listen to these passages.
SLIDE #14
John 3:35 “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.
John 17:24 “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
Luke 10:22a All things have been handed over to Me by My Father
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
God gave to Christ all things, and God gave to Him the creating of all things. When we give the Sunday School answer to the question, “What’s it all about?” and we say, “It’s all about Jesus,” we aren’t just whistling Dixie. EVERYTHING is the gift of the Father to the Son. It isn’t as the Mormons say – when God wanted someone to redeem the earth he asked for volunteers and Jesus said, “I’ll go, Dad.” It wasn’t about the earth, it was about Christ. The kingdom of God is the kingdom of Christ.
SLIDE #15
Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.”
The Inheritance
But a kingdom isn’t much of a kingdom without citizens. Here is another purpose statement.
SLIDE #16
Titus 2:14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
The purpose here? Christ’s purpose in giving himself for the sins of his people is to purify a people for his own possession. This is the grand, uniting theme of both the old and new testaments, not just redemption, but redemption for a purpose. Listen to what God says about His people.
SLIDE #17
Exodus 19:5 ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;
Deuteronomy 4:20 “But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people for His own possession, as today.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
From the beginning God has been at work calling out a holy people to be the citizens of Christ’s kingdom. Peter tells us that the reason is to proclaim the excellence of God, to glorify his name.
ASK:What do you call something that a father passes on to his son? [an inheritance]
We are used to hearing about inheritances in the Bible. We think of phrases such as, “Israel inherited the land.” And in the new Testament we are familiar with phrases like, “inheriting the kingdom of God.” But the Scriptures tell us that we, the people of God, are not the only ones who have an inheritance. God himself has an inheritance, too.
SLIDE #18
Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.
Psalm 78:71 From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance.
Psalm 94:14 For the Lord will not abandon His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
God’s inheritance is his people.
But that sounds a little odd. How can God inherit something He Himself has created? The very idea of an inheritance is the transfer of something from someone to someone else, usually a parent to a child. And that is our answer. The people of God are His inheritance because they are something that God the Father passes on to God the Son. The second Psalm is a Messianic psalm. It is about the Messiah. In fact, it is a very unusual psalm, because in it, God the Father and God the Son are communicating.
SLIDE #19
Psalm 2:7-8 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.’”
Here it is very clear, isn’t it? The Father gives the nations of the earth to the Messiah as his inheritance. It is, if possible, even more clear in the New Testament. Listen to the prayer of Jesus, and then what the apostle Paul says.
SLIDE #20
John 17:6-7 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You;”
Ephesians 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
Whose inheritance is Paul writing about to the Ephesians? Not about ours. This isn’t about something we inherit. This is speaking Christ’s inheritance. Christ’s inheritance from the Father is the saints, it is us, His church! There are many other ways this is expressed in the New Testament. We are Christ’s bride. We are Christ’s building. We are Christ’s temple. But they all have this in common – we are FOR HIM.
Taking out a people of his own – that is salvation. Do you see how it fits? In both the Old Testament and the New the people are God’s inheritance. Because of their eternal relationship, Father and Son, what the Father gives the Son is his inheritance, including the glory of creating it and being glorified by it. It is about Jesus Christ. That is our Theory Of Everything.
What about sin?
There is one other piece that I think it is important to fit in. Let’s take a look at a little larger section of Colossians chapter one.
SLIDE #21
Colossians 1:16-20 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Paul writes that all things in heaven and earth will be reconciled to Christ. Notice that it does not say all things under the earth. Philippians 2:10 says that all things in heaven and on earth and under the earth will praise him. But Colossians does not include the things under the earth among those that are reconciled to him. Those under the earth, those who reject Christ, are not reconciled to him.
I have mentioned redemption, but we haven’t talked about why redemption is necessary. If God’s plan was to give a kingdom to his Son, why didn’t he just create a whole bunch of pure souls in heaven and be done with it? Why go through all this redemption business, especially since it would cause so much suffering for his Son?
Actually, as we know, God did create a perfect man and woman in a perfect environment, Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. Why did God allow them to sin and start the whole messy business that it has led to? Well, by this time you may not know the reason, but you should know the answer.
ASK:What is the answer? [for the glory of God]
The Westminster Confession puts it this way,
Our first parents, being seduced by the subtilty and temptations of Satan, sinned, in eating the forbidden fruit. This their sin, God was pleased, according to His wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to His own glory
I believe that through the process of man’s fall and Christ’s work of redemption, it brings more glory to God than He would have had without it. So how does the process of redeeming a sinful people bring glory to God? That’s enough material for a message of its own. But just briefly,
SLIDE #22
•It shows God’s character, that God is love
The magnitude of God’s love could never have been known if He didn’t have to show the full extent of it by sending His own Son to save from sin the people He loved
•It demonstrates God’s righteousness
God’s righteousness shines forth most clearly when contrasted with unrighteousness.
•It shows God’s sovereignty
If there were no opposition, how would God’s sovereignty be displayed? The fact that God can work out His plan in spite of all opposition from sinful men and even Satan proves that God is totally in control
•It shows God’s power
In many ways, in raising the dead, in vanquishing His enemies
•It demonstrates God’s wisdom
In spite of the difficulty of making sinful men into loving children, God made a way. This is what he showed to the principalities and powers in heavenly places in Ephesians chapter 3.
•It allows God to demonstrate his mercy
Mercy is a characteristic of God that could only be revealed if sin was in the world. One can only be merciful if there is something that needs forgiveness
•Judgment shows God’s glory
There is another reason. something that we don’t hear very often. Frankly, it is a reason that is not pleasant to hear, but hear it we must. That is the fact that not only is God glorified when he saves men, God is also glorified when He judges the unrighteous.
SLIDE #23
Isaiah 5:16 But the Lord of hosts will be exalted in judgment, And the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.
God shows his righteousness, as well as his power and glory, by the damnation of the wicked.
Romans 9:22-23 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,
Revelation 19:1-3 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”
All heaven praises God for his judgment against the prostitute who has corrupted the earth. His judgments are occasions for great glory. God has allowed sin in the world, and all the things that go with it, in order to bring the most possible glory to His Son and to Himself, both by redeeming the righteous and judging the wicked.
There is one more piece that I think makes the picture complete. We know that the church is called the bride of Christ, and Jesus is referred to as the bride groom.
In Bible times, how did marriages come about? Did the boy take the girl to dinner and a movie, and eventually they fell in love and decided to get married? No, in those days the marriage was arranged by the fathers. You can see it coming, can’t you? We have already seen enough to know that it was God the Father who made the arrangements to provide a bride for His Son. Now part of the marriage arrangement was the bride price, the dowry. The groom’s father would agree to pay something to the bride’s father, perhaps a dozen camels or something.
Now you can see that the analogy isn’t exact, because the father on both sides is the same party. I hope I can make this clear, though.
ASK:What dowry was paid for the bride? [Christ Himself]
Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
Now this takes us back to the talk about salvation several weeks ago. Why did a price need to be paid for the church? Because every one of us is a sinner, and we were confined under God’s wrath. We were captives of God awaiting justice, or until a proper price could be paid for our sins. Christ gave Himself as the price and purchased a bride for Himself. Jesus Christ Himself was the dowry, the bride price.
Our Inheritance
We’ve arrived where I wanted to go. We have our theory of everything. I could stop right here. Everything else flows from this. But I would like to end this message on a more positive note than judgment. There is one thing in particular that follows from this that is truly amazing, though perhaps we are so used to it that it doesn’t strike us that way any more. God gives creation, including a people, to his Son. That is the Son’s inheritance from His father. Beyond that, however, we who are Christ’s inheritance, are being conformed to the image of Christ so that he might be the first born among many brothers. We are [adopted] sons as well. And being sons, we inherit with him.
SLIDE #24
Matthew 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Romans 8:17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
If that doesn’t blow you away, nothing will. We share the inheritance that God the Father gives to God the Son for His pleasure and glory. Here is a verse we saw earlier, that puts it all together.
SLIDE #25
Ephesians 1:13-14 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
This is overwhelming. God created the universe for his Son, and his Son desires to share it with us. That is our destiny in Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!
In the end, it’s pretty simple. You already knew it. Everything is about Jesus Christ. You see it every time you read the Bible. Everything is to the praise of His glory. The creation itself. The plan of redemption. The salvation of the saints. The judgment of sinners.
All things were done through and for Jesus Christ by his Father, and for His glory. And in the end, at the very last, the Father himself receives the ultimate glory for having been the author of it all.
SLIDE #26
John 17:1 Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You,
1 Corinthians 15:28 When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.
Philippians 2:10-11 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Summary
Let me sum up. I said earlier that you would be able to see how things fit in. God the Father wanted to give something to God the Son. He gave him the world to be his kingdom. That explains the other reasons we have seen for creation.
•It explains that it was God’s will to do it. He wanted to give a gift to his son
•It explains why it was God’s pleasure to do it, it pleased him to honor his son
•It explains why it was his plan to call out a people; he wanted his son to have a kingdom of priests over whom he could rule, as well as a bride whom he could cherish
•It explains why he desires glory from men; he wants to glorify his son, and that will ultimately redound to glory for the Father as well
Conclusion
So, what does all that mean to us? Is it a matter too high for us, not meant for us to know, like the secret meetings in smoke-filled rooms where politicians decide our fate? No, it has an application. Francis Schaeffer asked the question, “How should we then live?” If God’s purpose in creating the world was to please and glorify his Son, then that is our purpose; it is why we exist. That’s nothing new, either, is it? But maybe it will remind us that in everything we do, our purpose for existing is to please and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, waking or sleeping, at home or at work or in the world.
There you have it – our Theory of Everything. Ultimately it explains every detail of every life and every event in history. Let’s take another look at our org chart.
SLIDE #27 – org chart completed
Next week we move down to the next level of detail. God has a plan, but He can only carry it out if everything that happens is in accord with this Theory of Everything, and that means that everything that happens is under God’s control. Lord willing, that’s what I’ll be speaking about the next week.
SLIDE #28
Romans 11:36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
Introduction
Sermon text with italics and bold and John 3:16 and v. 20.
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