JUST HOW AMAZED ARE YOU? 12/5/08

JUST HOW AMAZED ARE YOU?
Today's discussion will complete our week on being amused and amazed by our Lord and Savior. We have pictured ourselves finding safety under His wings; We have seen God in His creation; We’ve taken a glimpse into God’s humor and this morning we are going to be amazed how God loves us.
Through my years I have heard many discuss the reasons why God created the heaven’s and the earth and why He created man. I am sure you all have your own opinions because I have mine. The number one opinion, I have heard is that God was lonely and wanted someone to love Him. I personally think because "God is Love", he was neither lonely nor needed someone to love Him but He wanted to give love. But the love He wanted in return was to be freely given by choice and not because you were given to love Him by design.
Using the NIV let’s look at some scriptures that tells us why God created in the beginning. First of all we were created for His glory! Isaiah 43:7 says; "Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." We were created for good works as found in Ephesians 2:10; "For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do". In Ephesians 4:22-23 Paul is reminding us that we were taught to change from our former way of life, putting off our old attitudes of self. Then is verse 24 it says; "And to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness". We were created to become righteous and holy!
Did you know that we were created for God’s pleasure? I think Ephesians 1:4-5 says it well. Although somewhat controversial because of the word predestined, I would like to try and clarify what Paul is saying. From the beginning God made a plan for the ‘church’. The church was destined to be holy and blameless! In love, God made it possible for us to be adopted through Jesus Christ and to become His very own. WOW! All of this was in God’s will and for His pleasure. In verse 6-7 it says; "To the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace". The word grace is bantered about giving us license to continue in sin but I believe God’s grace was the cross. It is through the grace of God that Jesus went to the cross which gave us the one and only way to the Father. Jesus Christ, The One He loves!
Finally, let’s look at John 3:16; "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life"! Our God is so amazing! He thought of everything! I am amazed that the whole world isn’t clamoring to get in line to enter inside the narrow gate, like they do on ‘black Fridays’!. Instead, to satisfy self, they are fighting to get inside the door that leads to the broad way of life where death and destruction awaits. In my simpleness, I am so thankful that God’s pleasure is not only in the little children but in an old woman like me. How about you?
Jane Ann