17 - Exploring Faith: Why are we here?

Last post 03-13-2009 11:17 by Jeff Fry. 0 replies.

Page 1 of 1 (1 items)
	Sort Posts: Previous Next

03-13-2009 11:17

Jeff Fry
Joined on 07-31-2006
Lichfield, UK
Posts 237

17 - Exploring Faith: Why are we here?

Reply Contact

Exploring Faith 17: Our Purpose

by Jeff Fry, Darwin Park Community Church, Lichfield, UK

^NIVGenesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Thesis: We must recognized our created purpose.

I. Intro

A. Review

1. Last week we looked at the creation account in Genesis 1:1-31 and said that when we live according to God's created order then we experience God full and meaningful life the way He meant it to be.

a) God made the heavens and the earth (Apostles creed and Genesis 1:1-31)

b) when God created the world Genesis says that He created it with order and structure

c) this is why there are absolutes - like do not covet - not to restrict us but to show us and direct us how to live in harmony with God's created order - this is wisdom.

d) some people say God is repressive, but to the contrary the Bible says that God's laws were a means to freedom and meaning in life.

e) It's appropriate to be looking at the creation account as this year is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of his landmark book "The Origin of Species". This led to the theory of evolution which was highly controversial in its day as it flew in the face of the accepted creationism of its day. And it is still controversial today.

f) A recent UK poll by respected polling firm ComRes showed that "More than half of the public believe that the theory of evolution cannot explain the full complexity of life on Earth, and a "designer" must have lent a hand, the findings suggest." (Telegraph article, 6 Feb 2009)

(1) have any of you had any discussions with people about evolution/ creationism? If so what was it like?

(a) historicity (possible question of the historicity of Adam & Eve and the Jewish concept of truth (history and rationality - e.g. Exodus 4&5) vs. myth, philosophy, symbol

(b) age of the earth - Scripture doesn't insist on this as the word "day" (yom in Hebrew ) can mean "period of time", "age"

2. This week we want to explore the question of why are we here - the purpose for our being here. We will assert that creation also points toward the answer.

II. We must align our life with God's purpose for us

A. State

1. A few years ago there was a story in the news about a woman held at gunpoint by a man and during the episode with police surrounding the house she led him to Christ using the book "The Purpose Driven Life" by pastor Rick Warren.

a) one of my goals today is that by the end here we would have a good enough understanding of our purpose for being here that we could share it with a world that is extremely lost and does not know why they are here.

b) You don't have to read much of the newspapers today to know that our world is crying out "Who am I?" "Am I here by chance or do I have a purpose?" People are confused about this question. We are a society who have lost sight of our purpose and are wondering what it is all about. We've been confused by scientific information which we've been told practically cancels out the existence of God and sets up Evolution as the new god.

c) show video

2. God has an answer to the question: why are you here?

3. Getting our head around the passage

a) Read Genesis 1:4-27 says, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created him".

b) Background:

(1) sort of two creations - general one where God creates out of nothing (creation ex nihilo) which is bare being and a one that comes next where God begins to differentiate the parts of the creation (light from dark, day from night, land from water, etc)

(a) most importantly then there is a differentiation between animals and humans contra evolution which says humans descended from the chimpanzee

(2) the Hebrew word "create" used in Genesis 1:1 is only used a few times in Scripture and refers to a divine type of creating, not human refashioning of something

(a) Three main times it occurs in the creation account in Genesis

(i) Genesis 1:1 - creation out of nothing (Hebrews 11:3; Romans 4:17)(ii) Genesis 1:21 - creation of conscious life (animals)(iii) Genesis 1:27 - creation of man

(b) This means that the creation of these things is unique and their source is in God (contra evolution where the source would be the evolutionary process - ie. nature and its power to change species over many years)

c) What's the context of this passage? (creation of all things by God, God giving things form and order, God giving things their purpose)

d) what part of creation is created in this passage?

e) what is special about the creation of man and woman compared to other created beings?

4. Last week we mentioned that when God had finished all his creation he said that this creation "was very good" (Genesis 1;31).

a) this meant that it was fit for purpose

b) this points to purpose - there is a purpose to God's creation, man is part of God's creation, therefore man has a purpose

5. So, man is differentiated from animals because he is created in the image of God while the animals are not.

a) This agrees with science which has noted that man / woman has many capabilities that other animals do not have:

(1) complex thought

(2) language

(3) art

b) But it also says that man is not just a chance happening of certain post big-bang primordial chemicals coming together at the right time in the right atmosphere to create the first one-celled animal who then evolved into man.

(1) what is your purpose then?

(2) why are you here?

(3) life becomes quite bleak

c) But man created by God and in the image of God has these purposes according to Scripture:

(1) To be in relationship and fellowship with God

(a) Adam and Eve were put in the garden of Eden where they had a relationship with God

(i) there was communication between them and God(a) Just after God creates man and woman in Genesis 1:28 he blessed them and spoke to them

(b) Relationship (love and communication) is intrinsic to creation because it is there in the creation account of Genesis

(i) Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God … created the heavens and the earth"(ii) We learn that this creator God is in fact the Trinity. Genesis 1:26 says, "Let us …" which must refer to the trinity (see also Genesis 1:2 indicating the presence of the Holy Spirit at creation and John 1:1 indicating the presence of Christ "in the beginning")(a) so we have three persons relating to each other(b) loving one another(c) communicating with one another(iii) this shows that communication and love are intrinsic - something the world is longing for(iv) because the origins or beginning of something often provide an essential clue about its fundamental nature or purpose we again see our purpose as relationship and esp. relationship with God

(2) To glorify God in our relationship with Him

(a) Ephesians 1:11 says, "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory"

(i) "plan of him [God]" - again shows that God is a God of order and purpose, not a God of randomness and chaos(ii) "purpose of his will" - God's will is purposeful(iii) "in order that" = for the goal that (iv) "we … might be for the praise of his glory" - that goal is that we might glorify God

(b) We are not our own. We are God's and He is working out his plan through us! What an exciting purpose for our life.

(c) 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, "And we , who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with every increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

(i) we reflect the image of God more and more and we grow spiritually and therefore when we grow our lives become more purposeful too as they align more and more with God's purpose for us.

B. Illustrate

1. So, we are not a rudderless boat drifting on the waters of chance or whim to wherever life takes us.

2. This image of God in us is like a northern pointing compass which no matter which direction we go in the journey of life always points us toward God and reminds us that we are his, not our own.

3. if the image of God is the compass, Christ is the tour guide on the journey of life. He is the authority on life. He knows the way to where we need to go.

a) "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me" (John 14:6)

C. Apply

1. do you feel like you have purpose in life right now?

a) do you know why you are here?

b) do you wake up each day with a feeling of purpose for the day?

2. where is the thrust of your life heading right now? Is it in God's direction or your direction (which is not God's direction)?

a) what do you spend most of your time and energy on? Who do you spend that time with? What are the goals of that time?

b) The enemy, Satan, wants to confuse you like many of those persons in the video which we saw. He wants to keep you from discovering God's purpose for you and keep you distracted on purposes that will not bring glory to God - pursuing money, sex, power, the next fix, entertainment, feeling good, whatever it is that Satan can distract you with.

c) He wants to keep us from the Word of God, the truth, and gives us thoughts like:

(1) maybe it was the process of evolution that created me

(2) maybe I am here by chance

(3) maybe there is no meaning to my existence so I'll just do whatever makes me happy at the expense of all others and all else

d) These type of thoughts are not from God

3. Maybe you feel lost and need to invite the tour guide, Jesus, into your life to show you the way.

III. Conclusion

A. The purpose that God created us for is to glorify Him. When we don't do that then the image of God in us starts to send us signals that something is wrong, something is amiss. It starts to cry out. It is telling us that the enemy, Satan, has been successful in creating a false substitute for the purpose of our lives that ultimately will not satisfy us.

B. Blaise Pascal said that there is a God-shaped void in all of us and when we try to fill that void with something else it doesn't work and we feel the emptiness of a false substitute.

C. We need to turn to Christ and fill that void with him and follow him.

Rev Jeff Fry

Darwin Park Community Church
Lichfield, UK

Filed under: genesis 3, purpose

Page 1 of 1 (1 items)

DPCC Faith Talks

17 - Exploring Faith: Why are we here?

03-13-2009 11:17

17 - Exploring Faith: Why are we here?

I. Intro

A. Review

1. Last week we looked at the creation account in Genesis 1:1-31 and said that when we live according to God's created order then we experience God full and meaningful life the way He meant it to be.

a) God made the heavens and the earth (Apostles creed and Genesis 1:1-31)

b) when God created the world Genesis says that He created it with order and structure

c) this is why there are absolutes - like do not covet - not to restrict us but to show us and direct us how to live in harmony with God's created order - this is wisdom.

d) some people say God is repressive, but to the contrary the Bible says that God's laws were a means to freedom and meaning in life.

f) A recent UK poll by respected polling firm ComRes showed that "More than half of the public believe that the theory of evolution cannot explain the full complexity of life on Earth, and a "designer" must have lent a hand, the findings suggest." (Telegraph article, 6 Feb 2009)

(1) have any of you had any discussions with people about evolution/ creationism? If so what was it like?

(a) historicity (possible question of the historicity of Adam & Eve and the Jewish concept of truth (history and rationality - e.g. Exodus 4&5) vs. myth, philosophy, symbol

(b) age of the earth - Scripture doesn't insist on this as the word "day" (yom in Hebrew ) can mean "period of time", "age"

2. This week we want to explore the question of why are we here - the purpose for our being here. We will assert that creation also points toward the answer.

II. We must align our life with God's purpose for us

A. State

1. A few years ago there was a story in the news about a woman held at gunpoint by a man and during the episode with police surrounding the house she led him to Christ using the book "The Purpose Driven Life" by pastor Rick Warren.

a) one of my goals today is that by the end here we would have a good enough understanding of our purpose for being here that we could share it with a world that is extremely lost and does not know why they are here.

c) show video

2. God has an answer to the question: why are you here?

3. Getting our head around the passage

a) Read Genesis 1:4-27 says, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created him".

b) Background:

(1) sort of two creations - general one where God creates out of nothing (creation ex nihilo) which is bare being and a one that comes next where God begins to differentiate the parts of the creation (light from dark, day from night, land from water, etc)

(a) most importantly then there is a differentiation between animals and humans contra evolution which says humans descended from the chimpanzee

(2) the Hebrew word "create" used in Genesis 1:1 is only used a few times in Scripture and refers to a divine type of creating, not human refashioning of something

(a) Three main times it occurs in the creation account in Genesis

(b) This means that the creation of these things is unique and their source is in God (contra evolution where the source would be the evolutionary process - ie. nature and its power to change species over many years)

c) What's the context of this passage? (creation of all things by God, God giving things form and order, God giving things their purpose)

d) what part of creation is created in this passage?

e) what is special about the creation of man and woman compared to other created beings?

4. Last week we mentioned that when God had finished all his creation he said that this creation "was very good" (Genesis 1;31).

a) this meant that it was fit for purpose

b) this points to purpose - there is a purpose to God's creation, man is part of God's creation, therefore man has a purpose

5. So, man is differentiated from animals because he is created in the image of God while the animals are not.

a) This agrees with science which has noted that man / woman has many capabilities that other animals do not have:

(1) complex thought

(2) language

(3) art

b) But it also says that man is not just a chance happening of certain post big-bang primordial chemicals coming together at the right time in the right atmosphere to create the first one-celled animal who then evolved into man.

(1) what is your purpose then?

(2) why are you here?

(3) life becomes quite bleak

c) But man created by God and in the image of God has these purposes according to Scripture:

(1) To be in relationship and fellowship with God

(a) Adam and Eve were put in the garden of Eden where they had a relationship with God

(b) Relationship (love and communication) is intrinsic to creation because it is there in the creation account of Genesis

(2) To glorify God in our relationship with Him

(a) Ephesians 1:11 says, "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory"

(b) We are not our own. We are God's and He is working out his plan through us! What an exciting purpose for our life.

(c) 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, "And we , who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with every increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

B. Illustrate

1. So, we are not a rudderless boat drifting on the waters of chance or whim to wherever life takes us.

2. This image of God in us is like a northern pointing compass which no matter which direction we go in the journey of life always points us toward God and reminds us that we are his, not our own.

3. if the image of God is the compass, Christ is the tour guide on the journey of life. He is the authority on life. He knows the way to where we need to go.

a) "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me" (John 14:6)

C. Apply

1. do you feel like you have purpose in life right now?

a) do you know why you are here?

b) do you wake up each day with a feeling of purpose for the day?

2. where is the thrust of your life heading right now? Is it in God's direction or your direction (which is not God's direction)?

a) what do you spend most of your time and energy on? Who do you spend that time with? What are the goals of that time?

c) He wants to keep us from the Word of God, the truth, and gives us thoughts like:

(1) maybe it was the process of evolution that created me

(2) maybe I am here by chance

(3) maybe there is no meaning to my existence so I'll just do whatever makes me happy at the expense of all others and all else

d) These type of thoughts are not from God

3. Maybe you feel lost and need to invite the tour guide, Jesus, into your life to show you the way.

III. Conclusion

B. Blaise Pascal said that there is a God-shaped void in all of us and when we try to fill that void with something else it doesn't work and we feel the emptiness of a false substitute.

C. We need to turn to Christ and fill that void with him and follow him.