My pastor Chris has been teaching a sermon series entitled,
"Backstory." Chris points out when we miss the beginning of a movie,
it’s hard to understand the full context. Imagine jumping into "Finding
Nemo" 30 minutes into the story. You’d have no idea who Nemo was and why
Marlin so desperately needed to find him. Any interpretations and conclusions
you’d make about the characters and their motives would most likely be
incorrect. The same thing is true regarding God's creation of the world and
humankind.
In Genesis 1, God declared his handiwork, including people, to be "good."
It's vitally important that our view of ourselves and the world is based on the
understanding that God emphatically states we are created good.
The belief that humans are fundamentally good has been challenged
by those who’ve come into the movie theater hundreds or thousands of years
later. These folks point at the horrible things people do to hurt each other, concluding
humankind has always been "bad." Deep down, most Christians believe
God has to love them (him being God and all), but at best, he tolerates their
imperfect existence. Most folks get stuck in the middle of the story where our
heart is deceitful and we cannot do the good we desire.
But that’s not where God’s story ends.
Today Chris finished the sermon series by pointing out that everything
broken in the Garden of Eden was made right by Jesus Christ on the cross. God,
through his son Jesus, broke into human history at the point it went bad. It’s now
all being made right again through each one of us who understands this truth.
The final chapter of this story is about us going back to living out the good
God created in us.
Jesus’ sacrifice made it possible for us to live a redeemed life.
The only way we can be successful is to understand God created us good and He
is always for us. Grab onto that truth, write it on your doorpost, rearview
mirror, tattoo it in permanent ink! If we’re always worried that God’s
disappointed in us, it’s hard to do anything but live in fear and
discouragement. A foundation based on Genesis 1 allows you to confidently
tackle your weaknesses and learn how to love yourself and others well. That’s
how the last chapter of the story unfolds.
If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his
own Son, but gave him up or us all—how will he not also, along with him,
graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God
has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who
died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is
also interceding for us…For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither
angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither
height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, with be able to separate
us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39
Do you believe God is for you?
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