Podcast

Over the past few weeks we have been looking at our spiritual DNA. We have been discussing what God has made us to be as we look to become the person that God has intended us to become. With that in focus I would like for us to ask a why question today. Why did God create us? Why did God then pay such a costly price to redeem us? When we answer these questions we can see what our purpose is today.
Why would a perfect and self sufficient God create man and woman? God did not and does not need man and woman. In fact when you consider what a mess mankind can be you really wonder why would God create men and women? Colossians tells us
Colossians 1:15–16 (NLT) 15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we canʼt see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.
We were created by Him and for Him. We were created to bring Him pleasure. All of creation is designed to bring glory to itʼs Creator.
Psalm 19:1–6 (NLT) 1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. 2 Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. 3 They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. 4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. 5 It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race. 6 The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.
Think about everything that has been invented, it brings honor to the one who thought of the invention and actually made it work. A masterful painting brings honor to the artist that brought the canvas to life with the stroke of a brush. So all of creation calls forth the glory of God. So God created everything and everyone to display His glory. Your purpose in life is to reveal the glory of God. It is there that you will find purpose and pleasure.
The problem arises when we pursue our own way. We will try to control our own destiny, make our own way, live by our own set of rules. All of these sound like the noble pursuit of a self made man, but in actuality it is called sin.
Look how Paul describes it in Romans 1
Romans 1:18–32 (NLT) 18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it

obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. 21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldnʼt worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each otherʼs bodies.
25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. 28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know Godʼs justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.
Letʼs be careful not to get sidetracked on any peripheral hot button issues here when it comes to one sin or another. The truth is that this list is pretty inclusive. Everyone of us can find one place or another that we have been involved in ʻsin.ʼ The heart of every sin is a denial of God and a reliance on self. Paul would later write.
Romans 3:23 (NIV 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
And the result of this sin is a loss of purpose and a loss of life.
Romans 6:23 (NIV84) 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God created you for His pleasure, for His purpose and for His glory. And as strange as it may seem only by submitting to Him can a person find their purpose and their own pleasure.

I want you to look at Psalm 37 with me. I chose the NLT today. I chose this because I want to jar us free from just quoting this passage quickly. I want us to meditate on it and let it work through our spirit.
Psalm 37* A psalm of David. 1 Donʼt worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. 2 For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. 3 Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heartʼs desires.
5 Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. 6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. 7 Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Donʼt worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. 8 Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm.
9 For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. 10 Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone. 11 The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity. 12 The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance. 13 But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming. 14 The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right.
* 37 This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; each stanza begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.


15 But their swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. 16 It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich. 17 For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly. 18 Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. 19 They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough.
20 But the wicked will die. The Lordʼs enemies are like flowers in a field— they will disappear like smoke. 21 The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers. 22 Those the Lord blesses will possess the land, but those he curses will die. 23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. 24 Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.
25 Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. 26 The godly always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing. 27 Turn from evil and do good, and you will live in the land forever. 28 For the Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die. 29 The godly will possess the land and will live there forever. 30 The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong. 31 They have made Godʼs law their own, so they will never slip from his path. 32 The wicked wait in ambush for the godly, looking for an excuse to kill them. 33 But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.
34 Put your hope in the Lord.
Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed. 35 I have seen wicked and ruthless people flourishing like a tree in its native soil. col36 But when I looked again, they were gone! Though I searched for them, I could not find them! 37 Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace. 38 But the rebellious will be destroyed; they have no future. 39 The Lord rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble. 40 The Lord helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him. 2
You were created to bring pleasure to God. When you delight in Him your desires become his agenda. The key is delighting in the Lord first. The key is giving Him control of your life and keeping Him in control.
God is not interested in making your life boring and miserable. It is the exact opposite. God created you for an adventure. God redeemed you to display His glory.
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) 10 For we are Godʼs masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
If it is Godʼs idea to display His goodness in you, then why would He not watch over you. Our selfish ambition our self gratifying nature leads us down a path of destruction, but when we deny ourself we have the joy of gaining the desires of our heart.