VBS LESSON 1

God made created you. You are special. You didn’t evolve, you are hand made.

Spaghetti Noodles and marshmallow game!

Point: If you were hiking in the woods and you found this random structure 30 ft. high of spaghetti noodles and marshmallows.. .

What would you think?

Would any of you think that it just randomly showed up in the woods?

Why not?

Would you believe someone put it there? That they made it?

Why would you believe that over idea over it just randomly appearing in the woods?

Transition:

Now hear is an interesting thought…

If we found this structure in the woods, we would want to know the truth of its existence. Would we not?

What is truth?

Truth is a fact that aligns with reality no matter what we think or feel.

gravity

temperature…

If you go stand outside for 12 hours without a shirt on in July… guess what… you’re going to get sunburned.

It doesn’t matter what you want to be true, your truth doesn’t align with reality. and reality says “you burned bro”!

Truth is really important because it is a fact that aligns with reality even if it doesn’t align with the popular majority.

So here’s a great truth for us today.

You are not an accident.

You were created by the one God of the universe who loves you like crazy.

It doesn’t matter if you feel like that isn’t true.

Sometimes I don’t feel like that.

I feel like I’ve done too much wrong.

I’ve been a jerk.

I spoke to someone in a harsh way and wasn’t kind enough.

I was too hard on my sons when I should have just remembered they are little kids and need a lot of grace.

I complained rather than praying.

I can buy into all these lies and really beat myself up…

OR…

I can admit when I’m wrong. Absolutely, but then I can quickly remember, God still loves me like crazy.

And that is WILD.

Listen to these verses this evening.

Genesis 1:26 “26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.””

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

Genesis 2:15–23 (CSB)

15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.” 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.” 19 The Lord God formed out of the ground every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man no helper was found corresponding to him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. 22 Then the Lord God made the rib he had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 And the man said: This one, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called “woman,” for she was taken from man.

QUICK GAME:

Get in groups of 3

In vs. 26 God said let “us” make man in our image. Who is us?

God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One God, 3 persons.

In Genesis 2:7, what did God make Adam from?

Dust of the earth

Did the Bible say anything about Adam’s ancestor being an ape?

No

What was the job God gave to Adam?

name the animals, work the garden.

Who did God make first after Adam?

Eve

What did it mean for Ada to have dominion over the animals?

We take care of animals, we don’t abuse them. They are something God gave us for our benefit. They are different than us.

What does it mean to be made in God’s image?

God is love… He gave us the ability to love. 1 John 4:19 “19 We love because he first loved us.”

God cares for us… We have compassion and care for others.

God created… He has given us the ability to create.

He communicated with Adam and Eve… He still communicates to us through his word and gave us unique communication seen no where else in creation.

Animals can’t write poetry or songs. They can’t play instruments.

They can’t read something, comprehend.

They can’t disagree and debate.

They can’t cook or bake.

They can’t speak in sentences.

We are set apart. We are uniquely created.

Much in our world today tries to tell you that, but from the wrong premise.

The world wants to pretend it cares about your individuality, but then it convinces us we all should dress to a certain style, talk a certain way, be on a certain social media…

The point today is that you have infinitely more value than the world could ever acclaim to you.

Or to say that differently.

The more you distance yourself from who the world says you should be…

and the more you lean in to who God says you are…

The more value you will realize you possess.

You are worth more to God than you could possibly imagine.

We are going to be talking more about that this week.

But let me close with this.

Genesis talks about how God hand made us.

He breathed His breath into our lungs.

You are hand made by God.

He also gave us a purpose.

To work the garden, name the animals, fill the earth, and subdue it.

Don’t look to other places in this life for your purpose.

Look to God for your worth and your purpose.

God made you special.

Don’t ever… forget that.

Let’s pray.