Thursday, January 10, 2013

Man -forever December 9, 2012


Read Psalm 8:3-9. 

What is man that you are mindful of him?  Interesting and searching question.  There is within us the innate sense that humanity that people, are of value.  We rush to the aid of those who need help.  We cry with and for those who struggle and suffer and are preyed upon.  We become outraged at the travesties placed upon the civilians of Syria, the slavery of Sudan, the losses suffered in tsunami’s and earthquakes, and saddened by a young girl taking her own life because of bullying.  What is man that we are mindful of him?  We see and place value on us.  And yet on the other hand there are the horrors of war, the taking of life, the abuse of others and bullying and the beating and the enslavement where it seems there is little or no value placed on others. 

Above our value, or distain, for others, we see God and His extra-ordinary value on us.  The Psalmist, David, looks out at the stars, the heavens, the vastness and wonder of creation and on this little tiny planet in this small galaxy in the scope of the universe. God looks and sees us and says, “you, yes you, I find very good.”  That is what God said after He made man.  On the sixth day He formed man out of the dust, breathed into him life and said, “it is very good.” 

And that brings us to the specialness and uniqueness of man in all of creation.  God, the maker of heaven and earth, the One Who in His sovereign will and plan, made everything.  The eternal God, not because He had too, but because He chose to, created life on this little piece of rock.  And then He made man.  Made man!  Not evolved man but made man.  I think it devalues us to place us on some form of evolutionary scale where we came from something that emerged out of a slimy swamp and eventually stood on two legs and became us.  It devalues us to think we are just another animal that went off on some other developmental path than the monkey or penguin or rat. 

God made man.  And even more, we read in scripture that God made us in His image.  What all that means and involves is incredible, but it says for me I am more than just some accident of molecular and genetic chance.  I was planned and shaped and made with intention.  And even more, we read that God breathed life into man, and blessed man and gave man rule over creation and said it was very good.     

In a journal from the Nazarene Church many years ago, there is this quote;
Man is the greatest marvel in the universe. Not because his heart beats forty million times a year, driving the bloodstream a distance of over 60,000 miles in that time; not because of the wonderful mechanism of eye or ear; not because of his conquest over disease and the lengthening of human life; not because of the unique quality of his mind, but because he may walk and talk with God.

Of all the creatures, of all creation, God breathed into us, formed us in His image, and we read in Genesis that He talked and even came and walked with man.  And when God took on a substantive form, a shape to enter and be a part of His creation, He came as one of us. 

Our life here on earth is short.  The Bible describes it as withering grass or a fading flower.  All too short.  And yet the Bible also says that we are created for more than this life.  In Ecclesiastes 3 we find a wonderful verse right after the portion on “a time for everything.”  Verse 11, He (God) has also set eternity in the hearts of men and yet they cannot fathom what God has done from the beginning.” 

God is eternal –from everlasting to everlasting.  He has no beginning and no end. He is beyond time and space.  The Father the Spirit and the Son all, as God are eternal.  Man is created.  We have a starting point.  But God has also placed eternity in our hearts.  And I see this as meaning two things. 

First that we look for and even long for something beyond this life, we sense that there is more to all this than just some cosmic accident.   There is purpose and there is meaning.  His eternity on our hearts often, however, is darkened, or clouded or distorted because of sin, selfishness and Satan. 

Man, this god-breathed formed in the image of God apex of creation lost this view of eternity with because of sin.  The Bible says that as a result of sin we now have death, not life.  (Romans 5:12)

And this view to eternity is darkened by selfishness.  We place ourselves as high or higher than God and see things not as he does or even accept things as he says.  (Romans 1:21-25)

And Satan has come along and severely distorted our views of self, God and eternity.   (Genesis 3:1-5)

Yes, indeed we are dead through sin, separated through selfishness and deceived by Satan. But God, in His infinite, sovereign and merciful love still wants to have a relationship with us.  Absolutely amazing to me.  Who am I that He would be thinking of me, hear me when I call?  That He who knows no need, who is complete in and of Himself, who is in perfect relationship and harmony as Father Son and Spirit; who am I that He is mindful of me?  That, as Romans 5:5 says, that He would pour out His love for us; that His grace is lavished on us (Ephesians 1:7) that His mercy is so great and give us birth into a living hope (I Peter 1:3).

He is.  That is all that I can say.  He is.  Whether we talk about The Bible, mankind, grace, heaven, hell, love, salvation, sin, His Spirit, even Jesus, it always comes back to this one essential, one basic one absolute truth –He is. 

He is the everlasting God, the immortal invisible, God only wise.  He is the from eternity to eternity.  He is Sovereign over all.  He is the creator and giver of live.  He is.

And we need to keep that in mind when we look at the doctrine of man.  God is high and exalted.  We are a vapor, a created part of his doing.  And just because we are the apex of His creation, given the ability to think and reason and so much more, we are not the be all and end all –He is. 
Paul says in Romans 12:3 that we must not think of ourselves more highly than we ought, but with sober judgment.  But a part of this sober judgment is also seeing the reality of our being loved by God, called by God, that He gave his son for us –for a reason –because He loves us and calls us to be with Him.

Second, we not only long for, but we are made for eternity.  God has created us and breathed into us life.  Some commentators say that this is when He breathed the ability to live forever into us.  All else in creation will pass away.  As you read Revelation and other prophetic descriptions of the future you see that heaven and earth will pass away.  (eg. Rev. 16:20 says every island fled and no mountain could be found –they are no longer there!) But people, humans, will stand in judgment before the throne of God, with nothing to hide us for who we are, and we will be judged in eternity. (Rev. 20:11-13)

Later, in 2013, we are going to be looking at the forever things of heaven and hell, but for today for each of us to see that we are created beings with the capacity for eternity.  This life is not all there is, there is more.  This life is but a vapor, a breath, a flicker of a candle.  God created us to spend eternity with Him.  Sin has broken that ability.  But God in His infinite wisdom, love and plan, provides a path for restoration –for we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, the perfect One who gave Himself for us.

Jesus said, there is no greater love than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. And we are his friends if we do what he commands. 

We are created with eternity in our hearts, but we must, MUST, be aware that this does not automatically mean we are going to heaven.  As mentioned, because of sin this was lost.  But God in His Sovereignty and Grace has given a way for us to re-enter that relationship –through faith in Jesus Christ, John 1:12, “Yet to all who receive him and believe in him, to those he gave the right to become the children of God.”  And, this is even more exciting and powerful than what was lost –think of it.  We were a created being and now through Christ we are even more –we become the children of God!  

Just like the beginning, we are given a simple choice.  A powerful, impacting and eternally significant choice, but simple.  Believe or not.  Receive or not.  Become or not.
In the garden man was given life and had a choice where he could lose it (Genesis 2:17). One choice –eternal consequence.  And now God offers another choice –to us all.  We who ARE dead are given the choice to life.  Romans 6:23 –for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.  John 3:16. 

For some of us this may be new news.  For most it may be old news, but for all it is good news.  I cannot take it for granted that everyone here is saved.  Chances are very good that there may be, there is someone –perhaps many, who have not made that choice for life.  Won’t you now?  We are each created with eternity in our hearts.  God, the Great “I am,” has made the way to life and eternity clear –believe in Jesus and accept the gift of forgiveness and life offered though faith in him.  Even if you have been coming to church for years and have never made that choice, will you not do so now?  What is keeping you from assuring that your eternal soul is eternally secure in Christ?

Christians, pray now for those who are here who do not know.  Pray for those who have strayed away, pray for yourselves that you may grow in that joy and peace that you are a friend of God.

Who am I that God is mindful of me?  A beloved creation that He wants to have as His child and His friend.  Who am I that He is mindful of me? A friend that He would give His life for.  Who am I that He is mindful of me?  A child in which His Spirit takes hold and lifts our prayers and seals our future.  

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