God created us to be with Him.
Notes
Transcript
Today we are starting a series that I hope you will find interesting and engaging, but above all my hope and prayer is that this series will be a tool that God will use in your life to reach a lost and dying world. Today we are going to go back to basics and study the Good News.
If you don’t feel comfortable talking about Jesus or salvation, or don’t feel prepared enough, this series will help you equip yourself with truth in scripture. If you already have the tools, the coming weeks will help you hone and refresh them. If you are already very active in sharing God’s Good News, this may be a great springboard to be a mentor to someone else who has yet to develop these practices and abilities.
No matter where you fall on that list, God is sending someone your way. Someone who is at a point in their life where God desires to encounter them with the Gospel. The Good News of Jesus Christ.
This series is called “Life in 6 Words” and it is based on the 6 words in the video we just watched: “God. Our. Sins. Paying. Everyone. Life.” We are going to dive into six statements built on these words to help us go deep with the GOSPEL, and it all starts with God.
“God created us to be with Him.”
“God created us to be with Him.”
What are some of your favorite movies that contain a powerful love story? There are obvious ones like “The Notebook” and “Titanic.” I should probably direct this question to the ladies, because the guys are going to say things like, “Spiderman,” “Indiana Jones,” and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”
In fact, one of my favorite is Braveheart. How many of you knew that was actually a love story pretending to be an action movie? In the movie, Scottish warrior William Wallace develops a deep desire for revenge after his wife, Murron, is murdered by English soldiers. Her death sparks his rebellion against the English.
Wallace manages to rally a group of Scottish warriors and launch several successful attacks against the English, which ended in his capture, trial, and subsequent execution. It was his broken heart for losing his wife that kept him going. Even at the end when he is being brutally tortured, he imagines that he sees Murron in the crowd.
When it’s over and he is finally executed, a scarf falls from his hand. That scarf belonged to Murron. It was a plot element that was seen throughout the movie. The person who killed her used it to wipe his blade, and throughout the movie it gets passed from person to person until Wallace finally has it. This piece of cloth represented the hard-fought love that kept William Wallace fighting against English tyranny.
Braveheart is an unlikely love story and so is the Bible. From the first pages of the bible we see a similar thread that appears throughout scripture. After the Fall of humanity into depravity and sin, that blood-stained thread of Christ’s coming death is seen. God made the first sacrifice when he covered Adam & Eve’s nakedness with animal skins. Jesus was the last sacrifice that covered us in His grace.
The blood stained thread:
> That blood-stained thread appears with a promise to the serpent from God when He declares, “Genesis 3:15 “15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.””
> That blood-stained thread is seen when Abraham goes to offer his son Isaac on the altar and finds a ram caught in the thicket to be offered instead.
> That blood-stained thread is seen when the Israelites are being decimated by poisonous snakes and God commands Moses to make a bronze snake and put it up on a pole so that everyone who looks at it will live.
> That blood-stained thread is seen in the story of Rahab, who ties a scarlet ribbon in her window as the sign of her deliverance in Joshua 2:18 “When we come into the land, you must leave this scarlet rope hanging from the window through which you let us down. And all your family members—your father, mother, brothers, and all your relatives—must be here inside the house.
> That blood-stained thread is seen throughout the Old Testament, from the blood on the doorposts on the night of Passover in Egypt, to David’s specific description of a crucifixion in Psalm 22, to Isaiah’s crystal clear assertion that the coming Messiah would die a gruesome death for the sins of humanity.
Like the movie Braveheart, the Old Testament seems brutal and violent, but underneath the violence and intensity is a love story that is unveiled in graphic detail in the New Testament. Unlike the movie, the GOSPEL is the ultimate love story! The greatest love story ever told!
William Wallace loved Murron and she loved him back. God loved us while we rebelled against Him. You’ve heard it a thousand times, but God loved us so much that He died for us…
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
That would be like the King of England loving William Wallace. Even though Wallace hurt England through his rebellion, what if the King loved Wallace so much that he traded places with him before he was tortured to death. It sounds crazy, but God loves us like this. While we were still in rebellion against God, Christ died for us.
The Ultimate Love Story!
God created us to be with Him. (Genesis 1-2)
Our sin separates us from God. (Genesis 3)
Sins cannot be removed by good deeds. (Genesis 4-Malachi 4)
Paying the price for sin Jesus died and rose again. (Matt.-Luke)
Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life. (John)
Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever. (Acts-Revelation)
This is the Gospel. It encapsulates the whole story of the Bible from Genesis through Revelation. When we look at the word “Gospel” as an acrostic we can use it as a memory tool that represents six different words that speak the Good News. Six different scenes of drama that tell the story of God’s love that has been unfolding since the beginning of time. Six talking points that spark deeper levels of conversation.
God. Our. Sins. Paying. Everyone. Life.
Over the next few weeks we will take a closer look at each word. It is important to realize that these words are more of a message than a method. It isn’t just a neat Christianese way of throwing spaghetti against a wall and hoping something sticks. These words are the message. They tell the story.
GOD created us to be with Him. OUR sin separates us from God. SINS cannot be removed by good deeds. We are incapable of purifying and redeeming ourselves, we need a savior. That’s why Jesus came. PAYING the price for sin Jesus died and rose again. EVERYONE who trusts in Him alone has eternal life. LIFE with Jesus starts now and lasts forever.
These six words that emerge from the word “Gospel” give us a great way to memorize the message word for word. We can help each other memorize it. We can help our kids memorize it. Like chords on a guitar, each word is important and has special meaning, but they work together to tell a beautiful story. A story like any other. The ultimate love story.
Let’s look at this love story. Today we start with the first word of the Gospel acrostic, “God.” God created us to be with Him. If you have your Bible turn to Chapter 2 of Genesis and we will look at what scripture says. How do we know God created us to be with Him? How do we know that we aren’t supposed to have some other purpose?
Have you ever heard someone ask, “What is my purpose? What was I created for? Why am I here?” We are going to look at three biblical truths that answer that question. People have a deep desire to have meaning in their lives. It might show in a desire to be remembered for something. They may want to leave a significant lasting impact on the world. They may simply want to be perceived as different or profound and not conforming to the common, normal, or ordinary.
Why is that? I am no psychologist, but I would argue that it is because we were created to be different than how we come into this world. We have inherited the sin nature of the flesh, but we were created to be something different with a specific purpose to know and be with God. If you are taking notes truth number one is that…
Biblical Reality #1: We are a special creation, handcrafted by God Himself.
Biblical Reality #1: We are a special creation, handcrafted by God Himself.
A couple of months ago I had to dig a big hole under my house so I could move my water line before we had concrete poured. Every night for a few days I would lay down in this hole that was about as big as me, and use my hand tools to dig a little further under the house. The hole had a little slope to it, so I felt like I was laying upside down.
As I dug further and further under the house I would get covered in dirt that fell from above me, especially once I was able to dig upwards into the crawl space. Even though I was nowhere near any plants or trees, there were hundreds of tiny little roots in the dirt. So I also got covered in root sap, which ruined some of my clothes and made my hair feel like ten people used my head as a chewing gum holder.
Take a little liberty with me and imagine the creation story. Imagine God with His hand tools working on His most prized creation. In front of Him is this pile of dirt taking the shape of a man. To His side is a hole in the ground about the size of a man. Maybe He even has a little dirt under His nails and root sap in His hair. Probably not though, because He is definitely better at staying clean than I am.
7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
God is sculpting a mud man, breathing into his nostrils the breath of life. Adam comes alive and the first thing he sees when he opens his eyes is the smiling muddy face of his Creator. At His word, God created everything in, on, and above the earth. When He created Adam He took His time sculpting, then breathed a special breath of life into the man. He wasn’t done…
21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
In an even more unique and special way, God built Eve. Think about it like this. God spoke creation into existence, until He created man. When it was time to make His special creation, God got muddy and sculpted Adam. Then He got bloody and created Eve. When He created the first humans, God got very personal and “hands on” to craft His most precious creation. Us.
The second Biblical truth is that…
Biblical Reality #2: We were made in the image of God.
Biblical Reality #2: We were made in the image of God.
Have you ever pondered this thought? Often times we struggle with knowing WHO we are. It’s an identity crisis because we have the world telling us who we SHOULD be, we are telling ourselves who we COULD NEVER be, and the enemy is whispering lies to us about who we NEVER WILL be. Who does the one that created us say we are?
Genesis 1:26 (ESV)
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”
Who do you think you are? Maybe you made mistakes or bad choices and then you let those things define who you are. The world gave you a nickname and so you let that label be in control. The enemy regularly attacks your identity by deceiving you into believing lies about yourself to the point that you “become” them.
But God is the one who created us. He is our Creator. He gives us true purpose. We have made mistakes and fallen short, but He is our Savior. Our identity is found in Him. He is the ONLY ONE who can truly determine WHO you are.
He decided at the beginning of eternity who we are. That He would make us into a special creation. That He would hand craft us in His image. That He would create us to connect with Him on the deepest and most intimate level. Our third truth for today…
Biblical Reality #3: We were created to connect with God on the deepest, most intimate level.
Biblical Reality #3: We were created to connect with God on the deepest, most intimate level.
We were created to know God and live in His presence. Can you imagine just relaxing with God in a beautiful garden that He created. Just walking around, naming butterflies, and maybe reading a book. Every so often you see God casually walk by, “Oh, there goes God. Hey God!” When you wake up in the morning, you sit down to enjoy some coffee with God.
Listen to the tone of the atmosphere in Genesis…
Genesis 3:8 (NIV)
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day…
You are just sitting there minding your own business when you hear leaves rustle behind you, “What was that!” “Oh, it’s God. He’s taking His daily walk. Should we join Him?” How cool would that be? That’s how it was meant to be.
I want to close with powerful scripture from Ephesians that answers the question we asked today. What is our purpose? Why did God create us? This is such an important thought that Paul leads with it straight away in his letter to the Church in Ephesus. Let’s pick this thought up in verse 7…
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ
He begins by declaring that God paid our debt through Jesus. Why? Why were we worth such a sacrifice? Why is God willing to pay such a high price for us? He paid the ultimate price for us out of the wealth of His grace to answer that question for all of humanity. Why were we created? So that through Christ and His authority we would be united in Him.
“He set forth in Christ… “
10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
Bookmark this verse. The next time you struggle with WHO you are read who God says you are. Look at verse 11 again with me and let’s break it down…
“In Him we have obtained an inheritance…”
As if we were his heirs, we have obtained an inheritance from God. Does anyone know how you inherit something? It’s probably the easiest way to gain something of value. You don’t have to buy it, you don’t have to earn it, it is simply given to you when someone dies. So how did we become heirs? “In Him.” Through Christ.
So we received something from God that belonged to God. Let’s keep reading…
“… having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works in all things according to the counsel of His will…”
In other words, as we discussed earlier, from the beginning of eternity God decided our value. Before He created humans, God decided that He would make us special and He decided what He was going to do to connect with us on a deep and intimate level.
When that voice in the back of your mind tells you that you who you COULD NEVER be, you STOP IT RIGHT THERE IN IT’S TRACKS. I am never in charge of determining who I am. God is! The world is never in charge of determining who I am. God is! The enemy is never in charge of determining who I am. GOD IS!
The Creator, who made us a special creation, determines who we are and what our purpose is. If you just don’t know who you are or what your purpose is, the best way to find out is by opening up God’s word. He made His plan at the beginning of eternity and in His plan He made a way for you and me to connect with Him deeply and intimately.
What was His plan? The Gospel. The Good News of Jesus Christ…
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
God created us to be with Him.
Next week we will continue this series and talk about our sins that separate us from God. God’s plan from the beginning was for us to have an intimate relationship with Him, but sin got in the way. Praise God that even though our sins separate us from Him, He also had a plan for us to be reunited through Jesus.