God's Purposes For Mankind
Text: 1 Peter 2:5,9
1PE 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 1PE 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;
Periodically we all should pause and re-think the whole matter of our existence. Why were our predecessors Adam and Eve created in the first place. Why were we born? What is our purpose in life now?
And as a response to this, are we fulfilling this Divine purpose in the way we are living?
One of the popular beer commercials says: "You only go 'round once in the world and you've got to reach out for all the gusto you can get." Their meaning in the selling of their product isn't what we are interested in but their message is true. We all go 'round once, and we ought to reach for all that we can get, if it is what we ought to be doing.
The Condition Of The World
The people of the world collectively seem to be going downhill, and at a rapid rate. A few years back Billy Graham said that if the world gets much worse God should apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. Surely we are not that bad, yet we are bad enough, to be sure. After the shooting of President Reagan a few years back, there was much talk among the media about the degraded condition of our nation. One article read:
"America the violent? No. Not any more than America the drunk, or America the drug addict, or America the playboy/playgirl; or America the greedy."
It is difficult to see very much concern about a spiritually better world by our world leaders of government and education. It is easier to see business as being the number one interest in life; earning a living the highest priority. I can understand how easily this can happen in our highly materialistic age. Earning a living is very important, to be sure. It's easy for many of us to tell the “down and outs” of our nation, the "have nots," "now you just stick in there. Remember, the Lord said, 'Man shall not live by bread alone'." But try to rationalize it from the other side. Let some of us who have "had" enough begin to want, and all of a sudden "money isn't everything, but it is way ahead of whatever comes second," as the expression goes. Even congregations spend much of their "worship" talking about money, meeting the budget, and so on.
What's good for the economy seems to be the greatest concern of our government - not what will make us a better people. What will give us a better "standard of living;" that’s the thing!
I see the emphasis of sports and entertainment as pre-eminent among an awful lot of people. Some seem almost fanatic at times. In a Peanuts comic strip Snoopy says: "It doesn't matter whether you win or lose - until you lose." (Sounds like our Dallas Cowboy fans!) Vince Lombardy of Green Bay Packers fame is reputed as saying that "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing." But what did he leave the sports world? Very often I covet the same enthusiasm for Christianity that I see some of our own people showing for sports and entertainment. During professional sports championship times more time and attention are given to sports than will ever be given to religion in a comparable period - except at the judgment, of course.
I read of a survey conducted to find out who our young people hold up as present-day heroes, and all but one of the top ten were either sports or entertainment figures. One of them was Magic Johnson? (Can you imagine Magic Johnson being held up as a role model for Christian youth? Or Dollie Partin?)
And so I have to stop and re-think it all. And when I do I always come back to several basic and fundamental facts. Let's study these together.
I. Fact #1
We Are "Created" Beings
Now when we say "created" we mean "made by someone else." The Scriptures tell us that we were created by God. (Gen. 1:26,27). As such we belong to the Creator. We are answerable to this Creator.
David confirmed this creation in Psalms 100:3, "It is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves." God did it. He did it by Himself. No one who was himself a part of the creation had anything to do with it.
But why? One of the hardest lessons that mankind has wrestled with is, "Why were we created." Why did God make us. What aims, or purposes did He have in mind when He did it. Often this question is approached from man's standpoint: "Why am I here?" "What am I living for?" And so forth.
And while we grope for an answer for ourselves, it is easy to lose sight of a higher purpose of the Creator, and dwell on just the self-centered purpose of the creature. We forget that "it is not within man that walketh to direct his own steps" (Jer. 10:23). In the Western world we do not fully comprehend masters and slaves, owners and stewards. We came out of 19th century culture where there had been slavery, but most of us today do not fully understand it. We have moreso a tradition of "we are the master of our fate, the captain of our ship," which was the pervading thought as our developing nation entered into a period of prosperity the likes of which has probably never been equaled. During this time America became the greatest industrial power ever known. Read some of the literature of the early 20th century - Orison Swet Marden, Elbert Hubbard, and others. Study the lives of the Rockefellows, Vanderbilts, Carnegies, Astors, etc. Many of these were “self-made” successes, and the glorification of self became the dominant generating element. (Add the re-emphasis of this way of thinking with the motivating seminars of recent years.)
But we must always remember that we are created beings - we did not evolve - and the Creator had a plan, and no doubt has a plan for His creation. This was not a game that He was playing. It was not an experiment to see what might come out. As James says, "Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world" (Acts 15:18). Paul, in speaking to obstinate mankind, says: "Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" (Rom. 9:20,21).
II. Fact #2
AS Created Beings
We Literally BELONG To The Creator.
As a matter of simple fact,, all things literally belong to God. As mankind was created by God, it too, literally, belongs to God. There can be no alternate course.
Abram recognized this in his statement to the king of Sodom: "I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth" (Gen. 14:22). The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai and said: "The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me" (Lev. 25:23). The Lord through Haggai speaks to Zerubbabel and says: "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine" (Haggai 2:8).
The Scriptures record that periodically man forgets that all things belong to God. We recall the story of the rich man whose grounds brought forth abundance. Now note - he thought within himself, saying,
LUK 12:16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: LUK 12:17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? LUK 12:18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. LUK 12:19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
The Lord helped this man understand a basic fact that we today would do well to learn before our departure to the judgment. It was too late for the rich man; it must not be too late for us. God said to him,
LUK 12:20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? LUK 12:21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
Sometimes we speak of "giving" to God. While usually done innocently, it is inherently inaccurate.
God, speaking through Asaph the prophet says,
PSA 50:7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God. PSA 50:8 I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me. PSA 50:9 I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds. PSA 50:10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. PSA 50:11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. PSA 50:12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.
Paul taught the Athenians that God does not need material things from men:
ACT 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; ACT 17:25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
Most important of all, all souls belong to God. Speaking through Ezekiel God says,
"Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine" (Eze. 18:4).
Redeemed children of God today belong to God, for, as Paul stated,
1CO 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
And so, all things belong to God by right of creation. God could say, "I made it; it is mine!"
III. Fact #3
We Were Created For A Good Purpose.
What is this good purpose? Why were we created? This is a major consideration. We were created first for His glory, and then for His pleasure. So says the Scriptures.
In foretelling the destruction of Babylon, Isaiah states,
ISA 43:1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. ISA 43:5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; ISA 43:6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; ISA 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him" (Isa.43:1,5-7).
Here we have a strong affirmation that these belong to God; He has "created" and "formed" and "made" them. They were created for His glory. He literally commands the land to give them up for they belong to Him.
In John's vision we have the declaration of the twenty-four elders who bowed down and worshipped the everlasting Lord:
REV 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
For His glory? For His pleasure? Created by Him, to bring Him glory and pleasure? What does this mean?
This means that the created one should reflect favorably upon the Creator. We must glorify Him by being a complimentary creation. And, to the contrary, we bring reproach upon the Creator by being uncomplimentary children. "Like father; like son" is a proverb. No greater compliment could a son give a good father than to imitate him in good ways. It is said of Jesus that He was the "brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person" (Heb. 1:3). (Perhaps use the illustration from Mark 10, "Good Master."
In describing the character of those who will constitute the kingdom of God, Jesus tells His disciples:
MAT 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. MAT 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. MAT 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Peter tells the redeemed ones to whom he wrote that,
1PE 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Can the "created" thing actually be "profitable" to the Creator? On one occasion Eliphaz poses this question to Job: "Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to Him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?" (Job 22:2,3).
How would you have answered Eliphaz? In the sense of God being dependent upon man, I think not, but in the sense of man fulfilling what God intended for man, and giving God pleasure and glory and honour, yes. Furthermore, since we are His creation, He has a right to expect whatsoever He desires, and He has a right to desire whatsoever He chooses. The Scriptures clearly tell us that He desires righteousness.
Solomon says in 1 Chron. 29:17, "I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness."
David says in Psalms 5:4-6, "For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man."
David also says: "Bless ye the Lord, all ye His hosts; ye ministers of His, that do His pleasure" (Ps. 103:21); "The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy" (147:11); "For the LORD taketh pleasure in His people: He will beautify the meek with salvation" (149:4).
Solomon says of those that please God, "When a man's ways please the LORD, He maketh even His enemies to be at peace with Him" (Pro. 15:7).
Paul says of those that please God, "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8). He prays for the Colossians, "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God' (Col. 1:10). And to the Philippians he says: "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). And to the Thessalonians, 1TH 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. 1TH 4:2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. 1TH 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
And, so, man was created for a good and noble purpose - to glorify God, and to give God pleasure.
IV. Fact #4
God Has Certain Expectations Of His People
And Bestows Blessings Upon The Obedient
First, God desires His creatures to love Him. Near the very beginning He gave commandment through Moses that:
EXO 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. EXO 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. EXO 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
When Jesus was asked as to the greatest commandment He replied:
MAT 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. MAT 22:38 This is the first and great commandment. Mark and Luke add "strength" to the above, making it "heart, soul, mind and strength," the whole of man. (See Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27).
Paul actually states that the "law" is "fulfilled" by love. (Rom. 13:8,10; Gal. 5:14; etc.) This helps us to understand the thought behind the statement, "Love God and then do whatsoever you choose." The person who loves God will choose to do what would please the Lord. A story that has come down through the times concerns the Jewish teacher who was told by a mocker, "I will listen to your teaching about your God if you will teach me while standing on one leg." The idea, apparently, was that one could only stand for a short time while on one leg. But the teacher raised one leg and said, "Thou shalt love the Lord God with all thy heart, soul, mind and strength. All the rest is but commentary on this one law."
Secondly, God desires His creatures to worship Him. Worship naturally follows love. We worship that which we love, and God desires His creature to worship Him. Jesus told the Samaritan woman that the time would come when true worshippers would worship the Father in spirit and in truth - "for the Father seeketh such to worship Him" (John 4:23). God loves - and has a right to expect - the worship of the sincere heart.
Thirdly, God desires His creatures to serve Him. Love, worship, and service go together. They are inseparately joined, and, necessarily in that order - love, worship, service.
As Jesus began His preaching ministry that was to save the world, He was baptized of John. John did not want to do it. (John 3:15.) He was intimidated by the greatness of Jesus, and did not want to do it, but Jesus insisted, by saying: "Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matt. 3:15). Now millions of words have been written and spoken in explanation of this phrase "fulfill all righteousness." Perhaps we still do not understand all that was intended. But Jesus did say "us" - speaking of Himself and of John. They were to do something that would "fulfill all righteousness." John was soon to literally give His life preparing a people for the Lord. Jesus was soon to literally give His life upon the cross for the sins of mankind. Now upon this baptism - not for remission of sins, of course - but upon the beginning of the great ministry of Jesus, the heavens were opened and the Father acknowledged Him. What did He say? "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Why was the Father pleased? It was - it must have been - because of the spirit of service that characterized our Lord all the days of His life here. When hostility arose from the Jews Jesus tells them:
"When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And He that sent me is with me: The father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please Him" (John 8:28,29).
Why was the Father always with Him? "For I do always those things that please Him." How could the Father not love a Son who lived always under the desire not to do His own will but the Father's will. "I did not come to do mine own will," said Jesus, "but the will of the Father who sent me" (John 6:38).
After the recognition of the Father at His baptism, Jesus was tempted of the devil. Taken to an exceeding high mountain, shown all the kingdoms of the world, and the "glory of them," Jesus was told: "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." Jesus refused, saying, "Get thee hence, satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve" (Matt. 4:8-10).
We must conclude that, once one loves God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength, worship and service will naturally follow. Jesus is our example.
Fact #5
God Desires Our Well-Being
Being a good God, He cannot but desire the well-being of His children. He hates that which causes us to be destroyed.
God has always loved us. The true meaning of love demands not just talk, not just a claim, but positive, unbounded, benevolence. He loved mankind in the beginning. The garden scene shows that all things were provided. He loved man even as he was separated; as he was meandering in sin all down through the ages.
Consider the times that He experienced rejection, contempt, disobedience. But He continued to love. And then in the course of time He did not just love, but He so loved, that, as John says, "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" (John 3:16). John has much to say about love, not the least of which is that love began with God. John says:
"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:16). "We love Him, because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).
He cares for us. The Old Testament abounds in references to God's concern for His people. He "hath been mindful of us; He will bless us" (Ps. 115:12). He "delights in the welfare of His servants" (Ps. 35:27), and "the Lord taketh pleasure in His people" (Ps. 149:4).
He hates those things that would harm us. David speaks to God and says of Him, "For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man" (Ps. 5:4-6).
The Lord speaks through Ezekiel and says much the same thing:
"EZE 18:23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? EZE 18:24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. EZE 18:26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. EZE 18:27 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. EZE 18:28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. EZE 18:29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? EZE 18:30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. EZE 18:31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? EZE 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.
And again,
"EZE 33:10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live? EZE 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Summary And Conclusion
It is apparent that God has created mankind, and for a good purpose. He desires for us all that is good, both for His sake and for ours. He rejoices in our well-being, and is sorrowful in our troubles. Furthermore, His purposes for us can only be fulfilled when we learn of His will through the Scriptures and give ourselves to the doing of it. "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:17).