Sermon
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 1:23 am
Hi Guys. Just wanted to share with you a sermon I did last Sunday at my church - to see what you think.
****************************************************
Which view do you think best says who we are?
1) We are one of 2 million species currently inhabiting this planet. On an evolutionary scale we are very advanced having survived through millions of years of natural selection to become master of the planet. However we are just lucky and are in no way special. We are just part of the animal kingdom and because we have developed bigger and more complex brains than most species a sort of egotistic consciousness has emerged granting us a greater awareness than most. All images, writings, music and abstracts created by us serve as an illusion of beauty when they hold no real meaning of significance as they serve no real purpose apart from to give our brief lives pleasure – which again is just illusion concocted by a chemical and electrical reaction in the brain. Any impression of importance that we give ourselves is purely speciesism. Life on this planet is possibly just a cosmic fluke and has no meaning in the vast universe and we as humans are played the biggest cruellest joke of all by being given an awareness of our own mortality and the meaninglessness of it all.
2) We are created in Gods Image.
If you choose door number 1 that gives us no hope, Door number 2 gives us everything. What does being made in Gods Image mean? As humans it means we are:
a) Rational beings that operate logically
We understand that there is a rational order to the way things are. We can look to nature and see that laws govern the way things work. We can process things in our minds, work out problems and make life and world changing decisions. Paul asks us to appeal to our logical and rationality when considering the Gospel. He asks us to test everything and hold onto the good
b) Intelligent
We have such a vast capacity for knowledge. From a very young age our brains absorb information so fast like a sponge. Each of us hosts the most complex organism in the universe, more powerful and faster than any computer conceived. We have the ability to invent, communicate, create and seek answers to the biggest questions of all. Who are we and why are we here. We have the capability to reach out and touch the mind of God.
c) Capable of changing and influencing surroundings
Humans are such an incredible force for change. Everything that has happened in the world has started with the idea from one person and every person is capable of starting an avalanche. A person can deeply affect the life of another individual - that is how much power that person has. He can make that person feel incredibly happy or sad, scared or safe, special or worthless. If you knew something about another person that could affect their life, are you aware of how much power that is? Even the smallest person can affect the course of the world, or maybe one person nailed to a cross. Every charity that as ever been created started with one person saying enough is enough. Every war that has ever happened has started with one person either looking to his/her own greed or seeking justice for others.
d) Have power of control
We have been assigned caretakers of this planet. We govern the animals and have vast power over others. We invent abstract concepts that exert massive control over people such as laws and money. We have the ability to use that power for good to control injustice and poverty or use it for oppression and torture. This idea of money for instance is simply a concept that we have created to replace the ancient bartering system that now holds sway over most of the world problems.
e) Freewill
We have the power of choice, a cosmic influencing factor. An attribute that affects the whole cosmos and our relationship with God. The choices we make can affect the whole course of our lives. One choice made at the beginning changed the whole story of humanity. Everyone with full mental capabilities has the power of choice. And that power is greater than any natural influence. Every person involved in the riots a couple of weeks ago had a choice to say no. It had nothing to do with their background or their social situation. They simply chose to do evil.
f) Morally Aware
We understand the difference between good and evil that far exceeds instinct that the majority of the animal kingdom relies on. We have an inbuilt objective moral code that convicts us – driven by the Holy Spirit and turns us to God for salavation. This objective moral code comes from an ultimate moral code giver. Regardless of what culture we come from we are aware of what is fundamentally evil and what is fundamentally good and that comes from the ultimate moral code giver himself whether we believe in him or not.
g) Have an awareness of God
We have a god shaped hole inside us that nothing can fill except God himself. There is a definite awareness within us of something bigger than what is materially evident. A yearning for that peace and the answers to the really big questions. The sooner we come to realise this the better as in the end all is vanity. This hole will never be filled with material goods, but with God and treasures in Heaven.
Matthew 6:19.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
h) Capable of worship
We have the ability to set our sights and manoeuvre our entire lives around a single object, concept or idea. We are created to worship. Our existence seems so filled with Joy when we are in the throes of adulation of something that sometimes it seems our only reason for living. Only by worshipping the one true God will our joy be in truth and everlasting. All other objects, concepts and ideas will fade.
i) Capable of creation.
As God creates so can we. The miracle of creating life is something we share with the rest of the animal kingdom, but also we can create such wonderful music, art, poetry and stories that can literally change people’s lives and the course of whole cultures. Music itself can transform a person’s emotion in an instance, from despair to hope, from sadness to joy.
Humans with that singular attribute of God’s Image are given the ability to be so incredible in their nature. It means that each of us within us has the potential to do incredible good and also commit incredible evil. This has been evident throughout the history of humanity. The power we have each been granted is phenomenal and is certainly something we all take for granted. Each human being is a massive agent for change and good otherwise Jesus would not have given us the great commission. Jesus asked us to change the world, one soul at a time and usher in his kingdom. He used us, he asked us! Why? Because we are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God.
What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god. (Hamlet, Shakespeare)
Every human we look at, speak to, talk about, think about is made in the image of God. How do we treat that image bearer? Do we treat that person as someone who is just irritating and annoying, someone we hate or despise, someone we can’t stand to be near or to talk to, someone we want to inflict harm to or kill? Or do we treat that person as someone who carries the divine image and someone who God sent his son to die for. How do we treat that person. As if we see God himself living within him or her?
We are fearfully and wonderfully made and God made us so he can have a relationship with us. Jesus has even showed us what humans can and will be. We have so much to be thankful of in the bags of carbon and water that we inhabit. Paul Brand who was president of the Leprosy Mission International and who understood a great deal about how the human body works through his work wrote a Litany of Thanksgiving about various parts of us which I will now finish by reading to you now.
I finished by reading some extracts from Paul Brands and Phillip Yancey's book - In our Image
****************************************************
Which view do you think best says who we are?
1) We are one of 2 million species currently inhabiting this planet. On an evolutionary scale we are very advanced having survived through millions of years of natural selection to become master of the planet. However we are just lucky and are in no way special. We are just part of the animal kingdom and because we have developed bigger and more complex brains than most species a sort of egotistic consciousness has emerged granting us a greater awareness than most. All images, writings, music and abstracts created by us serve as an illusion of beauty when they hold no real meaning of significance as they serve no real purpose apart from to give our brief lives pleasure – which again is just illusion concocted by a chemical and electrical reaction in the brain. Any impression of importance that we give ourselves is purely speciesism. Life on this planet is possibly just a cosmic fluke and has no meaning in the vast universe and we as humans are played the biggest cruellest joke of all by being given an awareness of our own mortality and the meaninglessness of it all.
2) We are created in Gods Image.
If you choose door number 1 that gives us no hope, Door number 2 gives us everything. What does being made in Gods Image mean? As humans it means we are:
a) Rational beings that operate logically
We understand that there is a rational order to the way things are. We can look to nature and see that laws govern the way things work. We can process things in our minds, work out problems and make life and world changing decisions. Paul asks us to appeal to our logical and rationality when considering the Gospel. He asks us to test everything and hold onto the good
b) Intelligent
We have such a vast capacity for knowledge. From a very young age our brains absorb information so fast like a sponge. Each of us hosts the most complex organism in the universe, more powerful and faster than any computer conceived. We have the ability to invent, communicate, create and seek answers to the biggest questions of all. Who are we and why are we here. We have the capability to reach out and touch the mind of God.
c) Capable of changing and influencing surroundings
Humans are such an incredible force for change. Everything that has happened in the world has started with the idea from one person and every person is capable of starting an avalanche. A person can deeply affect the life of another individual - that is how much power that person has. He can make that person feel incredibly happy or sad, scared or safe, special or worthless. If you knew something about another person that could affect their life, are you aware of how much power that is? Even the smallest person can affect the course of the world, or maybe one person nailed to a cross. Every charity that as ever been created started with one person saying enough is enough. Every war that has ever happened has started with one person either looking to his/her own greed or seeking justice for others.
d) Have power of control
We have been assigned caretakers of this planet. We govern the animals and have vast power over others. We invent abstract concepts that exert massive control over people such as laws and money. We have the ability to use that power for good to control injustice and poverty or use it for oppression and torture. This idea of money for instance is simply a concept that we have created to replace the ancient bartering system that now holds sway over most of the world problems.
e) Freewill
We have the power of choice, a cosmic influencing factor. An attribute that affects the whole cosmos and our relationship with God. The choices we make can affect the whole course of our lives. One choice made at the beginning changed the whole story of humanity. Everyone with full mental capabilities has the power of choice. And that power is greater than any natural influence. Every person involved in the riots a couple of weeks ago had a choice to say no. It had nothing to do with their background or their social situation. They simply chose to do evil.
f) Morally Aware
We understand the difference between good and evil that far exceeds instinct that the majority of the animal kingdom relies on. We have an inbuilt objective moral code that convicts us – driven by the Holy Spirit and turns us to God for salavation. This objective moral code comes from an ultimate moral code giver. Regardless of what culture we come from we are aware of what is fundamentally evil and what is fundamentally good and that comes from the ultimate moral code giver himself whether we believe in him or not.
g) Have an awareness of God
We have a god shaped hole inside us that nothing can fill except God himself. There is a definite awareness within us of something bigger than what is materially evident. A yearning for that peace and the answers to the really big questions. The sooner we come to realise this the better as in the end all is vanity. This hole will never be filled with material goods, but with God and treasures in Heaven.
Matthew 6:19.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
h) Capable of worship
We have the ability to set our sights and manoeuvre our entire lives around a single object, concept or idea. We are created to worship. Our existence seems so filled with Joy when we are in the throes of adulation of something that sometimes it seems our only reason for living. Only by worshipping the one true God will our joy be in truth and everlasting. All other objects, concepts and ideas will fade.
i) Capable of creation.
As God creates so can we. The miracle of creating life is something we share with the rest of the animal kingdom, but also we can create such wonderful music, art, poetry and stories that can literally change people’s lives and the course of whole cultures. Music itself can transform a person’s emotion in an instance, from despair to hope, from sadness to joy.
Humans with that singular attribute of God’s Image are given the ability to be so incredible in their nature. It means that each of us within us has the potential to do incredible good and also commit incredible evil. This has been evident throughout the history of humanity. The power we have each been granted is phenomenal and is certainly something we all take for granted. Each human being is a massive agent for change and good otherwise Jesus would not have given us the great commission. Jesus asked us to change the world, one soul at a time and usher in his kingdom. He used us, he asked us! Why? Because we are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God.
What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god. (Hamlet, Shakespeare)
Every human we look at, speak to, talk about, think about is made in the image of God. How do we treat that image bearer? Do we treat that person as someone who is just irritating and annoying, someone we hate or despise, someone we can’t stand to be near or to talk to, someone we want to inflict harm to or kill? Or do we treat that person as someone who carries the divine image and someone who God sent his son to die for. How do we treat that person. As if we see God himself living within him or her?
We are fearfully and wonderfully made and God made us so he can have a relationship with us. Jesus has even showed us what humans can and will be. We have so much to be thankful of in the bags of carbon and water that we inhabit. Paul Brand who was president of the Leprosy Mission International and who understood a great deal about how the human body works through his work wrote a Litany of Thanksgiving about various parts of us which I will now finish by reading to you now.
I finished by reading some extracts from Paul Brands and Phillip Yancey's book - In our Image
