Sermon Notes: Affirm God's Good Plans (02 Dec 2007)

Hello.

I didn't take notes yesterday. I think it was hard to do so while preaching.

I'll just give you the gist of yesterday's sermon.

God created everything. It was good. (Then how do we explain war, sickness, deaths, cockroaches, mosquitoes, etc? Stay tuned. You'll get your answers next week.) The creation is designed carefully by God.

Man is unique. God saved the best for last. Man is the only creation based on God's own image. God is kind, good, love, wise, etc. Man has those attributes.

God gave man understanding so he can have the spiritual attributes of God. After the fall, he became darkened (Eph 4:18). Jesus the prophet came to bring light and establish the kingdom of truth.

God gave man will so he could decide to live a holy life and love. (You need will to love.) After the fall, he became evil. (John 3:19). Jesus the priest came to offer himself as the ultimate sacrifice to establish the kingdom of love and righteousness.

God gave man emotions so we can be channel of his blessings and joy. After the fall, he became wretched (Rom 7:24). Jesus the king came to rule over us and establish the kingdom of peace and joy.

God also gave man his helpmate. The process of making this helpmate is different from the one that made man. The helpmate is equal to the man, not inferior, not superior. They complement each other. Marriage is instituted by God for one man and one woman for life.

Applications:

Since we know God loves us so much by preparing and providing our every need, we should have a thankful heart. To quote Peter Parket in the Spiderman movie, with great power comes great responsibilities. God put us in charge of the world (the birds in the sky, the fish in the water, the beasts in the field!) We should be responsible. Use our resources wisely. Waste not.

Man is unique. We can relate to God. Respect life for life is given by God. Respect one another whether we like them or not. They are created in God's image. Abortion is killing since life is formed at the conception.

Marriage is for one man and one woman for life. No other options are available. We need keep it that way. We need to show a good example of a good marriage (according to God's design) in our community. Marriage is one subject to attacks by the enemy. We should also care and try to help those who are facing problems in marriage.

God's plans for us is good. Don't spoil it. Man is not invited to take part in the creation. Man should not ruin the product too. Follow His plans.