INTRO

Who is God?

  • Cosmic vending machine?
  • Kill-Joy Rule Enforcer?
  • My Homeboy?
  • Nanny-In-Chief

TENSION

Why are there so many views of God floating around?

Can I really know what God is like?

Does it really matter what God is like?

God created us to be with him.

TRUTH

Scripture: Genesis 1 & 2

  1. God created us to be like him (1:26-28).

Our image (3x)

  • Reference to Trinity
  • How do we reflect God’s image? (Rationality, morality, social, spiritual)
    • Rationality… monkeys can’t do math.
    • Morality… aardvarks don’t know right from wrong.
    • Social… llamas can’t have complex relationships.
    • Spiritual… you have an eternal soul.

Created us male & female.

  • Sexism and nonbinary gender theory both ignore the image of God on a person.
  • Whether you’re a guy or a girl, you bear the image of God.

“God don’t make junk.”

  1. God created us to be with him (2:5-25).

A relationship with God is the perfect environment for thriving (2:8-17)…

  • No thorns or cultivating food (2:5)
  • Beautiful trees w/tasty food (2:9)
  • No rainy days (2:6)
  • No death (2:9)
  • Beautiful rocks (2:11)
  • No sin (2:16-17)

A relationship with God answers the three most important questions in life…

#1 – Who am I (2:7-8)?

  • The world: Identity is what you wear, who you know, what you do, multiple social accounts.
  • Created in God’s image.
  • A servant of God.
  • Sustained by God/his breath in my lungs.
  • Salvation: Adopted, forgiven, redeemed, sealed by the Holy Spirit, chosen

#2 – Why am I here (2:15, 20)?

  • The world: Life is short so have as much fun as you can before you die and turn into nothing.
  • Adam: Work a garden that doesn’t have to be worked, name animals, hang with God every evening, and live forever.
  • Alternate animal names: 
    • Trash Panda
    • Fart Squirrel
    • Danger Water Cow
    • Duck Puppy
    • Danger Rope
    • Formal Chicken
    • Freedom Glider
  • Us: Make disciples now, and live forever with God in Heaven.

#3 – Who am I going with?

  • The world: Sleep around until you find someone you like; leave when it gets challenging; move back in with your parents.
  • Adam: God created his perfect match, put them naked in a garden together, and told them to make babies.
  • Us: God has a blueprint for romantic relationships, and provides us with a community of brothers and sisters in Christ.

God is the one who initiates our identity, purpose, and relationships!

  • “God formed… breathed…” (2:7)
  • “The LORD took the man and put him in the garden to work it…” (2:15)
  • “The LORD said, ‘It is not good for a man to be alone…’” (2:18)
  1. God created a way for us to be reunited with him (2:9).

The tree of life in Eden (2:9; 3:22)

  • Had to be a supernatural tree.
  • In the middle of the garden- easily accessible.
  • So powerful, Adam & Eve had to be locked out of the garden after they sinned!

The tree of death at Calvary (1 Pet. 2:24)

  • Spoiler alert: We screwed this up!
  • Jesus’ tree of death becomes our tree of life when he died in our place for our sins.
  • 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself…”

The Tree of Life in Heaven (Rev. 22:2)

  • Sustaining/life
  • Healing
  • No curse of sin
  • Access to God
  • Pure worship
  • Face to face w/God
  • No more night
  • Eternal life

God created us to be with him!

APPLICATION

#1 – Admit that you can’t find the answers apart from a relationship w/God.

#2 – Abide in a relationship with Jesus.

John 15:5 – “Abide in me…apart from me, you can do nothing.”

#3 – Advance the gospel while people are asking questions.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 – “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

  • Pantry – Recognize team; scanning and going life Jan. 27.
  • App – Scan QR code and download. Memorize G.O.S.P.E.L.
  • Video filming – Wednesday, January 20
  • One night – Wednesday, Feb. 3
  • D-Now

LANDING

What are your answers to the 3 BIG questions?