As we begin this new series, think
about this.
How did you get here?
Were you thought of before you were
conceived?
How was mankind created?
Did everything here just show up?
Universe creation theories, just a
few:
10. Mayan Account
Three water serpents and three heaven
dwellers created the Earth, according to their sacred book, the Popol Vuh.
9. Ancient Creation Stories
During the ancient days of Greece and
Rome many believed in polytheism and some of their gods just “emerged from the void” and
created everything.
8. Protouniverse
Matter is created from a white hole.
Opposite of a black hole, which sucks in everything near it, a white hole “spits out” matter
from nothingness at the speed of light.
7. Bouncing Theory
The Universe is described as having
an infinite number of beginnings and endings, where it continuously expands and
contracts through numerous big bangs and big crunches.
6. Intelligent Design
While not necessarily being “God created the universe”, something of a higher power, or
super-scientist, designed everything and did not necessarily act alone. Some
sort of entity outside our knowledge of existence created everything throughout
the observable universe.
5. Bubble Universe
With this theory, our universe is one
of many multiverses that formed through a vacuum. According to the energy
changes of the “parent universe” multiverse,
if the level changes become too large, our entire universe may just erase from
existence.
4. Biblical Account
A popular Christian belief that God
created the Heavens and the Earth and the rest of the universe in seven days.
3. “Always
Has Been”
Just as God doesn’t have a beginning or an end, the
Universe could be argued for in the same fashion.
2. Big Bang
The Big Bang gives the Universe an
age of 13.7 billion years. However, what caused the Big Bang is still unknown,
and their are even more theories that try to explain it, such as the Theory of
Everything, or “God started the
Big Bang”, etc.
1. Darwinism-theory of evolution.
1. Truth
tell us that God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1-5, 26-27
[1] In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth. [2] The earth was formless and empty, and darkness
covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of
the waters. [3] Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was
light. [4] And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light
from the darkness. [5] God called the light "day" and the darkness
"night." And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
[26] Then God said, "Let us make
human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the
sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth,
and the small animals that scurry along the ground." [27] So God created
human beings in His own image. In the image of God He created them; male and
female He created them."
1. Created-not
formed from any pre-existing materials, but made out of nothing.
1. God
is so creative that He created us from DIRT.
1. Illustrate
here: grab a handful of dirt and ask the next question.
2. How
can anyone create Life out of this?
1. Life?
2. Dirt
brings life, brings nourishment, brings the "organic" to life.
1. Organic
is not a new, novel idea, it was God's.
3. Only
God can bring life out of the dirt that is for sure.
3. God
spoke and the world was framed, constructed to His perfection, the clouds are
the dust of His feet, carving rivers with His fingers, forming mountains out of
the dirt, like a child in a sand box, creating.
1. Always
creating life.
2. Speaking
life, propelling life forward.
3. Speaking,
creating, designing life.
1. I
believe our words can create life, I believe the church should speak life,
model life, create new life, I believe this church should create life, speak
life, impart life.
2. Speaking
into the darkness, the void, the formlessness and out of that coming life,
destiny, purpose, design, eternity, life.
3. That's
some power filled, destiny charged, life changing, life altering, miracle
growing Dirt...
4. Do
you know what happens when man and woman get together?
1. Life!
2. When
we work as a unit, serve His purposes together in unity, life is always
created.
Genesis 2:7 NLT [7] "Then the Lord
God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life
into the man's nostrils, and the man became a living person."
5. We
must know that we were created from DIRT.
Psalm 100:3 NLT "[3] Acknowledge
that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are His. We are his people, the
sheep of his pasture."
2. We
were created with purpose.
1. God’s purpose that is.
2. Every
part of the creation is under God's intuition and influence.
Psalm 139:13-15 NLT "[13] You
made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my
mother's womb. [14] Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your
workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it. [15] You watched me as I was being
formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the
womb."
3. I
believe God made us and formed us from dirt to show us that He can take nothing
and make something.
1. Something
of great and lasting value.
2. Something
out of the formlessness, the empty void, the darkness, the nothingness and
create.
1. He
speaks, and everything is created out of the nothing.
3. He
can take the simplest of things here in this life and make the most complex
thing that has ever been created.
4. God
can take the dirt and create masterpieces, works of art, beauty unimaginable,
He is the ultimate designer original manufacturer.
1. You
could line up the greatest inventors in the world against God and God would
still win because they have to launch, they have to start, they have to dream
using His materials.
4. Humans
are by far still the most complex and greatest of all of God's creative works.
1. We
came from dirt.
2. Did
you notice that in Genesis 2:7 this verse of scripture God formed us with His
hands.
1. He
spoke everything else into existence but He formed us, designed us, fashioned
us with His own hands.
2. This
shows great love, concern, compassion and grace in and through our Creator.
1. Every
time a baby is conceived God begins to work forming, creating, designing,
building humanity.
1. Formed
man from out of the dust of the ground.
2. Science
has proven that the substance of mankind's flesh, sinews, and bones, consists
of the very same elements as the soil which forms the crust of the earth and
the limestone that lies embedded in its bowels.
3. But
from that very important material an admirable structure has been built in the
human body.
Ephesians 1:11 NLT "Furthermore,
because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God,
for He chose us in advance, and He makes everything work out according to His
plan."
3. It’s in Christ that we find out who we
are and what we are living for.
4. Long
before we first heard of Christ…
1. He
had His eye on us, had designs on us for admirable living, part of the overall
purpose He is working out in every thing and in every one.
1. Knowing
your purpose simplifies your life.
2. Knowing
your purpose gives your life meaning.
3. Knowing
your purpose focuses your life.
4. Knowing
your purpose motivates your life.
"Surely God would not have
created such a being as man to exist only for a day! No, man was made for
immortality. Abraham Lincoln
1 John 2:17 NLT "[17] And this
world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who
does what pleases God will live forever."
1. You
were planned for God’s Pleasure:
1. A
heart for worship, designed for relationship.
2. Developing
your friendship, sonship, eternal relationship with God.
3. James
says;draw close to God and He will draw close to you, this is personal.
2. You
were formed for God’s Family:
1. A
place to belong.
2. Experiencing
life together.
3. Cultivating
community.
3. You
were created to become like Christ:
1. Our
heavenly Father’s desire is for
us to mature, develop the characteristics of Jesus Christ, living a life of
love and humble service.
2. Creation
takes time. Life takes time.
3. Spiritual
Growth is not automatic, it is an intentional commitment.
1. We
must want to grow, decide to grow, make an effort to grow and persist in
growing.
2. Discipleship
the process to become like Christ.
Romans 12:2 NLT "[2] Don't copy
the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a
new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to
know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."
3. You
were shaped for serving God:
1. Understand
your gifting.
2. Use
what God gave you.
3. How
real servant’s act: laying
down our lives for the sake of others.
4. You
were made for a Mission:
1. Share
your life’s message: when
telling others of your life change, they will be inspired with your Mission.
5. We
were created for Spiritual Growth.
1. As
we serve God we must consider the process.
2. It
all begins with DIRT.
3. We
were created from DIRT.
1. DIRT
gives:
1. Life
2. Nourishment
3. Stability
4. Foundation
5. Covering
4. The
Dirt of our spirituality:
1. Value
God, Value others, Value the mission. Love God, Love people, Live the Gospel.
2. We
should give, create, and exude life.
“Christians get
very angry toward other Christians who sin differently than they do.” Philip
Yancey
5. I
grew up in an era that made judgment, condemnation, sin measuring, and self
righteousness famous.
1. Many
of the people were conscientiously self-righteous when it came to certain sins.
2. Those
who didn’t commit the sins
they deemed the worse (externally, that is) saw themselves as more “pure” than others who may have
stumbled in those areas.
1. I
regret to say that in my early years as a Christian, I adopted this same
attitude.
2. Oh
let's talk about dirt.
3. Ironically,
these same people winked at the sins of gossip, slander, outbursts of rage,
condemnation, judging the motives of others, pride, and lying.
4. Excuses
routinely made in an attempt to justify these “lesser” sins.
5. In
addition, most of us were monumentally disinterested and unmoved by things like
poverty, racism, sexism, genocide, imprisonment, and homelessness.
6. Now
in our culture and day many view the worst kinds of sins as being societal.
1. These
people regarded failure to try and alleviate poverty, stop genocide, and curb
homelessness to be the worst kinds of sins, while unfortunately sexual sins,
standard less ness, and modeling their lives after culture is winked at.
2. Their
view on sin is the exact opposite of the first group I mentioned.
7. In
this regard, James makes an eye-opening statement:
James 2:10 NLT "[10] For the
person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has
broken all of God's laws."
8. In
the same vein, Jesus turns the conversation on its head when He says, Matthew
5:21-22 NLT [21] "You have heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must
not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.' [22] But I say,
if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call
someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if
you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell."
9. And
again: Matthew 5:27-28 NLT "[27] "You have heard the commandment that
says, 'You must not commit adultery.' [28] But I say, anyone who even looks at
a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
1. Illustrate
here: I refuse to turn over others peoples dirt or dig around in their
past, present or future because I am busy worrying about my own
"dirt."
10.Then
there’s Paul:
Galatians 5:19-21 NLT "[19] When
you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear:
sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, [20] idolatry, sorcery, hostility,
quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension,
division, [21] envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let
me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will
not inherit the Kingdom of God."
1. In
these texts, James, Jesus, and Paul level the playing field on sin, showing
that every believer is guilty of so-called “dirt.”
1 John 1:8-10 NLT "[8] If we claim we have
no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
[9] But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
[10] If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a
liar and showing that His word has no place in our hearts."
George MacDonald famously said,
“I understand God’s patience with the wicked, but I do
wonder how He can be so patient with the pious.”
1. Let
me close by saying that if we’re
going play the “your sins are
worst than mine”
game, we shouldn’t
be negligent in looking at what made Jesus’ blood boil when He walked
this earth.
2. Who
was He the angriest at?
1. The
answer is a cinch for any student of Scripture.
2. It
was the self-righteous, pious, condemning, judgmental Pharisees.
3. The
self-appointed monitors of other people’s
righteousness.
3. Who
was Jesus the most patient with?
1. The
very ones looked down upon as being the worst “sinners.”
2. The
dirt of society.
4. The
person who is adept at calling “dirt” in
others, but fails to see the dirt in himself/herself, is in a very dangerous
place.
1. Such
is the nature of a Pharisee.
2. Those
sins which blind a person from seeing the weight of their own transgressions
against that of others are treated as more serious by God.
1. In
short, every sin comes off the same tree.
2. All
sin is serious.
3. All
sin put Jesus on the cross.
4. Therefore,
we are deluded whenever we lessen the sins we’ve
committed and magnify the sin of others …whatever
they might be.
5. Deal
with your dirt.
3. Thank
God that Jesus has paid the price for all our sins, every spec of our dirt, and
given us the power to walk free from sins rule over us.
4. Let
us, therefore, be harsh with ourselves in the matter of sin and compassionate
to everyone else.
1. When
it comes to the issue of sin, the New Testament puts the emphasis on a person’s present walk.
2. This
is where the issue of repentance comes in.
1. To
repent means to stop doing it.
2. It
means to “Go and sin
no more,” as Jesus
put it.
3. So
if we know a brother or sister who has been “overtaken
in a fault”
let us seek to restore them in Christ, not destroy them.
2. But
it is paramount that as we do, we treat them the same way we would want to be
treated if we were standing in their shoes, knowing that we are just as sinful
as they are, “taking heed,
therefore, lest we fall into the same thing or worse.”
