Series: The Mind of God
Message: What Was He Thinking?
Preacher: Mark Johnson
Refresh: Open with prayer. Read or listen to Psalm 32:1-5.
Read: Hebrews 1:1-3 - As you read in the New International Version, note 1-3 insights that arise.
Reflect:
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” (Hebrews 1:1-3 ESV)
At many times, and in many ways, especially through His Son, God has revealed to us what is in His mind. We have seen that God values nothing higher than the freedom of his creatures. He values freedom so much that He was willing to create free moral beings that could turn on Him, demand that He worship them, spit in His face, torture Him, and seek His death. He was willing to die rather than take away the moral freedom that is the basis of peace and harmony in the universe. This was not clear to humans or angels until He did, in fact, die to answer the questions that had been raised about His character, His motives and His methods of governing.
The moral freedom that means so much to God is foundational to the principles on which He does govern the universe: Love and Trust. The law on which He runs His kingdom demands only two things: love for fellow creatures and love for God. These principles have been put in what we call “commandments,” but clearly love cannot be commanded, it must be established through trust.
This takes us back to the Garden of Eden. The first lie the serpent told Adam and Eve was that God could not be trusted. Unfortunately, they believed the “miracle” of a talking snake instead of relying on all of the evidences that had been given to them that God could indeed be trusted. This is sin, a broken relationship of trust. The root of this distrust is the wish to be “like the Most High,” in power, but not in character; a prideful, self-centered search for God-like autonomy in our lives.
As creatures, this pursuit of self-derived autonomy is a fool’s errand that can lead only to distress, disappointment and destruction. Thank God He has a better way in mind for us!
Recalibrate:
Respond: Pray for love and trust in your relationship with God.
Research: What is the meaning of the Greek word “pistis”?