Series: Big Questions
Speaker: Daniel Sweet
Big Questions: Looking to God’s Word for Answers
“…always being ready to make a defense…” I Peter 3:15
Why Do I Exist? Genesis 1:26-27, Psalm 139:13-18
Overview of Prior Questions
- God Is
- God Created All Things for His Glory
- God Reveals His Glory by Demonstrating His Attributes through His Creation
- Humanity Receives the Message that God Exists and He Is Glorious
- However, Humanity Rejects the God Who Is and Replaces Him with a God in Our Own Image
Exposition of Genesis 1:26-27 and Psalm 139:13-18
- Humanity is the Unique, Purposeful Creation of God, Genesis 1:26
- Humanity is Unique within the Creative Purposes of God, Genesis 1:27
- Normal Human Value Statements: Gender, Beauty, Athleticism, Fame, Wealth, Popularity, Work Success, Education/Intellect
- God’s Value Statements
o Instrumental Value: We exist to give God glory
o Intrinsic Value: We exist to bear the image of God
- Each Person is God’s Creative Work, Psalm 139:13-18
o You are not a mistake. You are not an accident. You are not the product of chance plus time.
o You have been hand crafted by God Himself to reflect His glory.
Conclusion: We are unique in all of creation in that we possess infinite value and infinite purpose, having each been created by God for this reason.
Next week, “Does My Behavior Matter?” Genesis 3, Romans 5
Genesis 1:26-28
26Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Psalm 139: 13-18
13For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb.
14I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.
17How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand
When I awake, I am still with You.
- Scripture Reading
- Read Psalm 139:13-18 (Slides)
Overview of Prior Questions
- God Is
- God Created All Things for His Glory
- God Reveals His Glory by Demonstrating His Attributes through His Creation
- Humanity Receives the Message that God Exists and He Is Glorious
- However, Humanity Rejects the God Who Is and Replaces Him with a God in Our Own Image
Exposition of Genesis 1:26-27 and Psalm 139:13-18
- Humanity is the Unique, Purposeful Creation of God, Genesis 1:26
- Read Genesis 1:26 (Slide 2)
- Humanity is Unique within the Creative Purposes of God, Genesis 1:27
- Read Genesis 1:27 (Slide 3)
- Normal Human Value Statements: Gender, Beauty, Athleticism, Fame, Wealth, Popularity, Work Success, Education/Intellect, Ethnicity
- God’s Value Statements
o Instrumental Value: We exist to give God glory
o Examples: Hammer, Nails, Screwdriver, etc.
o Humans possess instrumental value with reference to God, we exists to praise Him and to give Him glory
o Intrinsic Value: We exist to bear the image of God
o Value within itself not for what it can do but simply for the inherent value transferred by a creator
o Examples: A painting by Monet – (Slide 4 Painting)
o Little instrumental value (I guess you could cover over a hole in the wall with it), but high intrinsic value because of the artist, the time period of the painting and its historic setting within the history of art
o Humans are the only part of creation that possess both instrumental and intrinsic value
o Read Genesis 1:27 (Slide 5)
o Example from money and a volunteer
o Picture of Emanuel (Slide 6)
- Each Person is God’s Creative Work, Psalm 139:13-18
o Read Psalm 139:13 (Slide 7)
o You are not a mistake. You are not an accident. You are not the product of chance plus time.
o Recapture the wonder reading from Ravi (see attached)
o You have been hand crafted by God Himself to reflect His glory.
o Read Psalm 139:14 (Slide 8)
o Here again is the unique nature of humanity, “wonderful are your works.”
o The uniqueness of each person, the incredible beauty in each person as we bear the image of God produces worship, a reflection on the glory of God
Conclusion: We are unique in all of creation in that we possess infinite value and infinite purpose, having each been created by God for this reason. (Blank Slide – Slide 9)
Next week, “Does My Behavior Matter?” Genesis 3, Romans 5