So, here is the question:
- Why were you created?
- Are we random accidents of the universe?
- I think not….. But if not….. why did God create man and woman in the first place?
- Was God lonely or needy?
- Maybe God had a “leaky love cup”?
God is…… God and so He is complete in every way in Himself. I have no category for the Almighty God of the universe to have any such need or loneliness!
So – Let’s drill down on this question Why were you created?
God created man for the purpose of having a people who will bring Him glory. We can find that theme threaded all throughout the Bible. From Adam and Eve, to Abraham, to Moses, to David, to the Prophets, to the disciples, to the cross, to Paul, to the church then and to the church today…. from start to finish, it is all FOR the glory of His name!
Let’s pull on 2 of those threads for a moment. One from the OT and one from the NT.
OT – Abraham
Genesis 12 is where we find this guy Abraham. He was not some big shot that God must have. He was just a guy…. a guy that God, in His mercy, chose to pour His grace upon. This is what God spoke to Abraham:
“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” “All peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.”
Did you hear that? God is the “I” in this passage. And it is God who determines to do the blessing and He decides to do this through a…… man – Abraham!
Now get this: God was pouring out his grace on Abraham so that, God can then pour out His grace to others THROUGH Abraham! And, He does all that so that His name will be great among the nations. You could say the OT — from Genesis 12 on – is the outworking of how God’s grace will advance in the world. For the glory of His name.
NT – Disciples
The Disciples….let’s just lump all these guys together. Why did Jesus call this ragged group of men to be his disciples? Was it because they were “all put together” or because they were a godly group of guys? No, these guys were anything but that! They were…. a mess! They doubted, they questioned Jesus, they fought for position, argued over which of them was the greatest, and much more…. And yet, Jesus poured out his grace on them! God did this so that when Jesus ascended, they were then tasked to take the gospel to the ends of the earth! Matthew 28 / Acts 2.
Seriously?!? – Did God get it wrong with these guys? They are a mess! And yet, God chose these men! He chose them not because they are all that, they are NOT all that. And because they are NOT all that – God – NOT MAN – gets the glory.
God’s Purpose Today:
Just like God called Abraham and just like he called His disciples he calls us. Not because we are all put together or because we have it all figured out. No, He calls us in spite of us. We are not what is amazing, He is! Just like Abraham, God pours out His grace in us that He might then pour out His grace – to others – through us. All for the advancement of the gospel and the glory of His name!
I Peter 2:9-10
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.God’s
Purpose In the End:
The thread of His glory culminates in the book of Revelation. It is here that we see our God rightly glorified! No inhibitions, no distractions, no sin….. It is, pure and simple worship of the God who created and saved us!
That God is creator and magnifies Himself in His creation is so out of touch with my thinking, especially with a rebellious creation that He so completely reveled His His glory in His Christ to the rebellion. Shout it in every way His Name Yahweh the Almighty.