God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth | Tyrone P. Jones | We Believe | Full Service

This is what the Good morning church My name is Naya. I'm so glad that you're in the house today. If it's your first time here I just want to welcome you we would love to connect with you and we can do that if you tap the Tap this that's on the back of each seat and we'll bring you to the digital connect card or you can stop at the connect Table on your way out of service But we're gonna open up with the word and today we're talking about psalm 95 verse 6 through 7 and it says It says oh come let us worship and bow down Let us kneel before the Lord our maker for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture And the sheep of his hand so this morning as we go into the rest of service I just want to encourage you to remember that and to worship like that like you are his people Because we are we're one body in Christ and we get to come and we get to be with him as a family under him So let's just go in and pray right now Thank you Jesus for this day. Lauren. Thank you that you're just here. Your presence is so heavy God I just pray that every single person in this room just knows you and feels you today Jesus and I pray that everything that you would want to happen happens here today Lord Let this worship just be honorable let it be pure Jesus and in your name we pray. Amen All right, we're gonna worship. Let's just lift his name on high together church We thank you for freedom We thank you for freedom We thank you for freedom We thank you for freedom Not a shame to praise like this Where are those shades? I'm free. I'm free. I'm free. I'm free My sin is gone I can't heal me I'm free, I'm free, I'm free, I'm free And look at what the Lord has done I'm never going back to the way I was

I'll sing, I'll dance as I believe I'm free, I'm free, thank God I'm free We lift you up Jesus I found a friend that never quits No other love's as good as this And I don't care what anyone says I'll never be ashamed to praise like this Where are those shades that once held me? I'm free, I'm free, I'm free, I'm free My sin is gone I can't heal me I'm free, I'm free, I'm free, I'm free And look at what the Lord has done I'm never going back to the way I was I'll sing, I'll dance as I believe I'm free, I'm free, thank God I'm free You took the cross and you broke your body You shed your blood, now the sinner can't see My debt is paid and my record is clean I couldn't do it but you did it for me You took the cross and you broke your body You shed your blood, now the sinner can't see My debt is paid and my record is clean I couldn't do it but you did it for me You took the cross and you broke your body You shed your blood, now the sinner can't see My debt is paid and my record is clean You couldn't do it but you did it for me Only God could do it Only God could do it

God, where are those chains I won't tell me. I'm free, I'm free, I'm free, I'm free. My sin is gone how can it be? I'm free, I'm free, I'm free, I'm free. Look at what the Lord has done. I'm never going back to the way I was. I'll sing, I'll dance cause I believe. I'm free, I'm free, thank God I'm free. You took the cross and you broke your body. You shed your blood, now the sinners can't sing. My debt is paid and my record is dead. I couldn't do it. You took the cross and you broke your body. You shed your blood, now the sinners can't sing. My debt is paid and my record is dead. I couldn't do it. And I couldn't have only been Jesus. I couldn't have only been Jesus. Only God can do it, only God can do it, only God, yeah. Look at what the Lord has done. I'm never going back to the way I was. Look at what the Lord has done. I'm never going back. Look at what the Lord has done. I'm never going back to the way I was. Look at what the Lord has done. I'm never going back to the way I was. Yes, just praise his name. We thank you, Jesus. Keep worshipping him, church. Just lift your voices. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. You'll turn it around You'll turn it around You'll turn it around Don't know when, don't know how But you'll always choose somehow You'll turn it around You'll turn it around Don't know when, don't know how But you'll always do it somehow You'll turn it around You'll turn it around

Don't know when, don't know how But you'll always do it somehow You'll turn it around You'll turn it around Don't know when, don't know how But you'll always do it somehow When I look back over my life And I think how good you have been And my soul sings, great is Great is your faithfulness When I get your love on my mind I get grateful all over again And my soul sings, great is Great is your faithfulness And my soul sings, great is Come on, sing it! You'll turn it around You'll turn it around Don't know when, don't know how But you'll always do it somehow You'll turn it around You'll turn it around Don't know when, don't know how But you'll always do it somehow Yeah Thank you, Jesus We'll give a shout, fill the room with praise Thank you, Jesus, for your goodness and your faithfulness All honor, all glory to you, Father We love you, Jesus

We'll give a shout, fill the room with praise Thank you, Jesus God, we thank you for your sacrifice, Lord We thank you for the cross Thank you that we have freedom in You Thank you for the blood shed for us Come on, we thank you, Jesus To the one who wore A crown of thorns To the one who took The lash and scour For the hands and feet That were pierced by nails For the sacrifice That has torn the veil We crown you We fall face down And we worship We all cry out You are worthy, God You are worthy, God We crown you We fall face down And we worship We all cry out You are worthy, God You are worthy, God No one else is worthy Oh, you alone, Jesus You alone, Jesus

To the one who wore A crown of thorns To the one who took The lash and scour Oh, all our guilt and shame hanging on a cross For the hands and feet That were pierced by nails For the sacrifice That has torn the veil For the world He loved with His precious blood We crown you We fall face down Purchased when for God We crown You, we fall face down And we worship, we all cry out You are worthy, God You are worthy, God We crown You, we fall face down And we worship, we all cry out You are worthy, God Yes, You are worthy, God We crown You, we fall face down And we worship, we all cry out You are worthy, God You are worthy, God You are worthy, God He is worthy, God You are worthy, God He is worthy, God You are worthy, God

You are worthy, God When he fell lost, I spoke his name and he gave me peace. When my heart was hurting his presence brought me comfort. Even in my pain, I knew, I knew he never left me. He was right there with me. Through every season I have learned that God is always with me, his name has power. His name brings healing, and his name brings life. I have seen his goodness and I never want to walk without him like it did today I am going to live with my faith. Stacey, Jesus said every disciple should be baptized in the name of the fatal man. Baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And because of your confession of faith, today I baptize you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remissions of your sins and according to scripture you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. To the Lamb who was slain as atonement for us, to the Son who overcame all the power of death, we praise you. For the strife, for the wounds, for the beating of your heart. For the tears, for the blood that was hidden in the dark. For the merciful, wonderful majesty of your love. To the One who endured all the shame of the cross, to the Lamb who was slain as atonement for us. To the Son who overcame all the power of death, we praise you. For the strife, for the wounds, for the beating of your heart. For the tears, for the blood that was hidden in the dark. For the merciful, wonderful majesty of your love. We cry out, we fall face down and we worship, we all cry out. You are worthy God, yes you are. You are worthy God. We cry out, we fall face down and we worship, we all cry out. You are worthy God, yes you are. To the one who endured all the shame of the cross, to the lamb who was slain as atonement for us, to the son who overcame all the power of death, we pray. For the strife, for the woes, for the beauty of war, for the tears, for the blood that was willingly poured, for the mercy, for wonder, for majesty of your love. We crown you. We fall face down and we worship.

We all cry out, you are worthy God. Sing it out church. You are worthy Jesus. We crown you. We fall face down and we worship. We all cry out, you are worthy God. You are worthy God. We praise you Jesus. Praise you Jesus. Amen. Return to your neighbors, say hi, welcome them and get ready for the message. Good morning to you. Good morning. Good morning. How many are happy to be in the house of the Lord? Yes, so good to be here. And welcome to Church for the City where we teach the word of God, where we encounter the presence of the Lord as we did there in our worship time. And we share, spread the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. So thank you for doing so. Our desire, as you know, is to help people that are far from God find life in Christ. So thank you for being part of that. I want to just announce that the women's brunch that's next weekend, it's sold out, which means they've done a great job on that. But there is a wait list, so if you still want to sign up, they'll put you on the wait list and if things work out, they'll make some room for you. Now, when you came into the building, you should have received an invite card. This is for our Good Friday and Easter services. Now, inviting people to church really is not a hard thing, honestly. It's even easier when it comes to Easter. People really do want an invitation. We'll be at the Civic Center, so we're going to have room. And so I'm going to encourage you, don't let this card go to waste. The other side of this card could be somebody's life who will get transformed,

somebody that will come to Jesus, somebody that will be saved, somebody that you're praying for, that just could be the occasion where the Lord works. So please use this card to invite someone to our gathering. Every time you come into the building, there's opportunities to give. As you know, there's offering boxes all over the building where you can put in cash, envelopes, and checks, etc. Today, I'm going to ask you to do something that I don't normally ask for anything extra. I appreciate people tithing and being responsible to what the Lord has taught us to do. And honestly, it's your tithing that really does give us all we need to fulfill the budget. Your faithfulness and obedience is a great gift to us. I have a real heart to want to bless the…we have 18 TSA workers working at the airport that haven't been paid in 37 days. I want to bless those folks. We have made a commitment on our end, on a personal level, my staff, my elders, et cetera. I'm going to ask if you want to be part of that and just give a gift. It can be $10. It can be $20. It can be $100. I already know what I want to give each TSA worker, what we give them. I mean, it's probably not going to replace what they've missed in over 30 days. But here's the thing, we love our community. We love our city. These people, when I contacted the airport and let them know what I wanted to do, they've experienced two shutdowns. And the supervisor said, even through those two shutdowns, those folks have not called in the work.

They've been going to work knowing they're not getting paid. And so I want to be a help. There should be a QR code in the back of me. I don't have eyes in the back of my head, but I can see y'all messing around when you shouldn't be. But you should see a QR code back there. And you can do it on the tab. Again, $10, $20, you can drop cash in the box. Whatever you want to do on Tuesday, we're going to prepare a gift for them and bless those folks. I'm going to ask you just to give something. Make a sacrifice. Give something as if somebody was giving it to you if you were in this situation. Can y'all help me with that? I got 10 people. Can y'all help me with that? I mean, yeah. Thank you. All right, since you're tired of me asking you for money, I guess we just get right to the sermon. Why don't you stand up, grab your Bible. We're going to go to Isaiah chapter 40, which is very close to the center of your Bible. Isaiah is one of the major prophets, past the Psalms, Proverbs, all of that. Verses 21 through 31 is where we will give some attention. Isaiah chapter 40, verse 21 through 31. Here is the word of the Lord. Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

It is he who sits above the circle of the earth and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them like a tent to dwell in. Who brings princes to nothing and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness? Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth when he blows on them and they wither and the tempest carries them off like stubble. To whom then will you compare me that I should be like him, says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see who created these. He who brings out their hosts by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power, not one is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel? My way is hidden from the Lord and my right is disregarded by my God. Have you not heard? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God. The creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might, he increases strength. Even youth shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted. But watch this, they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. Can you say amen to the word? Well, Father, we ask you now to help us as we bring forth what I believe you've given me for our congregation. So thankful for the opportunity to share, but more so, Lord, to be in alignment with you. I pray that everyone that's listening, everyone that's watching,

everyone, Lord God, who will even hear this later, that ears will be open to hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying to them. Lord, as I speak, I pray that my words do not supersede that that is heard. from the Word of God and by the Spirit of the Lord. Lord, your Word transforms, your Word converts, your Word gives guidance, your Word is wisdom, your Word is truth. And Lord, may each one of us hear those things as the message is spoken this morning. I do pray, Lord, for every church in our county, Lord, that the pastor, the leaders will be good, they'll be healthy, church will be a safe place. Lord, I pray for Pastor Michael Odom and Journey Church, that you will give him wisdom and his team and strengthen them in their journey, Lord God, to help people that are far from God find life in Christ. I pray that everyone who graces the pulpit this morning will preach the gospel, and that you will be exalted. Lord, I pray for those who are serving our country near and far, Lord, those that are serving in the military, those that are guarding our borders, those that are working on the seas, those that are serving in the air. I pray that each one of them, Lord, is able to go out, fulfill their mission, and return home safely, that you would be the protector and watch over them. I pray for the leadership of our land, for the president and vice president, and those that are surrounding them to make decisions. Our governor, Lord, for this great state of Arizona, the supervisors and the councilmen that serve, councilmen and women that serve in Yuma. I pray that every one, Lord, that's been put in an office will make decisions, Lord God, that are good and right, not what's best for them, but what's best for the people that they serve. We trust, Lord God, that you will give guidance on all of those things. Lord, we love and we're so thankful. In Christ's name, we pray. May the people of God say amen.

Amen. You may be seated. We're in this series, We Believe. We started this series at the beginning of the year, I believe. Yes, or well, maybe February. Sorry, yeah. First week of February. And it's based on the Apostles' Creed, which will be on the screen there. But I'm going to focus on this first line here today. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. With just a simple reminder that the creed, it just functions as a summary of biblical truth. It's not designed to replace scripture. But what we believe as orthodox Christians is found in here. As a matter of fact, if there's anything in here that you don't accept or believe, then it probably questions whether you are an orthodox Christian, because these tenets are the tenets of our faith. And when we understand what these are, which are taught throughout scripture, then it can protect you from drifting doctrinally, where you won't go into false doctrine. You'll know false doctrine when you hear it if it doesn't line up with what we read in the Apostles' Creed, which we know comes from the word of God. Matt Chandler gave a great quote. He said, in a culture that says, believe whatever you want, the creed says, here is what Christians have always believed. And so we know what is right. We know what is true. Now, the creed begins with that statement, that confession, I believe. We dealt with that last week, that A, it's a personal statement. Personal, but yet comes out public.

But also, it means that Christianity is not some vague spirituality and that our faith is not just culture. We're not cultural Christians. We have a personal trust and allegiance to God. And so when we say, I believe, our belief for us is more than just an intellectual agreement. We believe, when we believe the Bible, it includes us having a knowledge, knowing the truth about God. Knowledge is part of it. Ascent is part of it, that we affirm that the word of God is true. And that leads us to a trust, a trust in which we surrender our life to it. And so when we say, we believe, we have the knowledge, we affirm it to be true, and we surrender our life to it. And so the big idea of this message, honestly, is that I want to, the Bible will declare to us who... who God is, and how we are in relation to him. He's a sovereign creator, he's a loving father, and our lives are under his authority, and our lives are also cared for because of who this God is. And so here's the first statement, I believe in God. Tim Keller, if you ever read Reason for God, another good book on God is... There's several good ones, but another one that I like is Richard K. Simmons III, his book on the existence of God. Both of those will tell you that there is no single airtight proof of God like a mathematical equation. No airtight proof that God exists like we would do a math problem. But what the Bible does throughout it is give us a real reasonable understanding of God. And as more of this is revealed to you, the cumulative truth comes to a point where the explanation of God is pretty clear in the Scripture. Now, I can tell you for me, there's several arguments that I use when people say that they don't believe in God, and why would I? There's several arguments I use. One is the moral argument, that if you cannot...and you have this thing going

on every day, you cannot say something is right or wrong if you don't believe that there's a God. There has to be a morality for you to say, that's right and that's wrong. What are you basing that on? There has to be a moral lawgiver for you to be able to declare what's right and what's wrong. Otherwise, it just becomes subjective. And then anybody personally can determine what is right or wrong for them and what that right or wrong may mean to you. So things that are done to you that you say is wrong, they may say, well, that's wrong to you, but it's right for me. The only way for that to be defined is if there's a moral lawgiver where moral truths are real and binding, and the only way to have that is to have a moral lawgiver that we can all point to. There's also the argument from reason, that my thoughts aren't just the result of some chemical processes that's taken place. There's a belief in God for me that allows me to know that my thoughts can be rational, my thoughts can be logic. And there's ability because of those rational and logical thoughts that I can know what truth is. The ability to reason means that there is a God. Then there's an argument for meaning and desire. Every one of us that are human beings, there's a deep longing that we have for significance, for love, and for eternity. We're searching for those things. We're searching for meaning. We're searching for love. We're searching for eternity. As a matter of fact, the scripture says that eternity is in the hearts of all men. And when we desire these things and they're satisfied, then you know those desires are satisfied because there's a transcendent fulfillment outside of yourself, a God from other, from outside of you, that has brought satisfaction to meaning, love, and eternity. The other one for me is evil, the problem of evil. Many times people will, when they say that they don't believe in God and I say, why not, they usually point to things that are evil, things that are unjust. I love when they go there because to me, that's the very reason that I do believe there is a God. Because you cannot call anything evil if there is no God. How is it evil if there's not someone that is saying, this is right or this is wrong?

And so the problem of evil is not an issue that doesn't define that there is a God. As a matter of fact, anytime people have an outrage of injustice, then you know that there's a standard of good and evil. So evil, to me, actually points to God and not away from him. But the strongest argument for me always is the resurrection of Jesus. That is the strongest argument. Christianity stands and falls on this historical claim that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. If it's true, which... we know is true, then it validates that God exists. Here is what I know. God is glorious and God is holy. And with all of our understanding, God is still beyond us fully understanding Him. We can't fully comprehend Him because He's incomparable, and yet He reveals Himself in such a manner that even fools can see that there is a God. Isaiah 40.25 says this, to whom will you compare me, who is my equal as the Holy One? So not only do I believe God exists, I also believe the scripture teaches that God is His Father. The Bible describes Him as Father. None of this language, when it talks about God, is accidental. It really does tell us something profound about God's nature, that God is not an impersonal force, that God is not an abstract idea, that God is not just merely a cosmic power, that God is personal, and God is relational. One of the reasons that God created us is so that we would relate to Him. He created us for that reason. God knows us by name. God delights in us. God cares for us. It's the very thing, honestly, that separates Christianity from all other religions. There is no other faith that can teach there's a personal God who wants to have a personal relationship with you. Allah ain't having no personal relationship with no Muslim. Buddha ain't having no personal relationship with no Hindus. We can go right on down the line. The only one that has declared that I want to have a personal relationship with you is the God of heaven who says, you can call me Father. He's the only one. Psalm 103.13 says this, the Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him. And so you can anchor your life on this truth, that God is a father indeed.

And because He is, because He is a father, you can rest in His love, and you can trust Him. You can trust Him even when there's things that you don't understand about Him or manner of how He do things that you wouldn't expect. You can trust that this God is a God who loves you, who calls you by name. Now, I know even from my own story, which you've heard, many people, when they hear the word father, it brings pain to them. Maybe because they've experienced some harshness or neglect or abuse. And oftentimes, what your thought is of a earthly father is projected onto the heavenly father. But here's the difference with throughout the Scripture. The Bible teaches us something quite remarkable, that this God is a perfect father. Perfect father because He's holy. There's not any sin in Him. There's no unperfection or imperfection in Him. Everything He does is right. When earthly fathers will fail us, this God is faithful. When earthly fathers abandon us, this God always remains. Can you say amen? And then we learn from the Scripture that God is almighty. Almighty means that God rules over everything. Nothing in the universe is outside His authority. God can do whatever He intends to do. Whatever He intends to do, God can do. I've heard people say that God can do anything. And, you know, I kind of think I know what they mean, but God can't do anything. God can't contradict Himself. God can't lie. God can't do something contrary to His nature. God can't do something illogical. But what God can do is accomplish everything that He wants to do. The Scripture says in Isaiah 46, 9, for I am God and there is no other. I am God and there is no one like me. And so what we know is that God always brings about what He intends to do in our life. That ought to be good news to you because this God that promises you that you indeed will experience His goodness and His grace and His mercy. I don't care if hell is unleashed against you. God says, I'm going to do what I intend to do in your life. I'm going to do it. Everything He intends to do. There's not a single molecule in the universe that can thwart God from His purposes. Psalm 115, 3 says,

Our God is in heaven and does whatever... he pleases. Now, I'm not going to break down this whole section that we've read in Isaiah 40. And actually, the poll stop on this actually begins in verse number 9 and goes down through 31. But in this, Isaiah makes some bold statements about God. He says that God is wise. He says that God is a watchful creator. He says that he's a lord over nations and he's the lord over world leaders. He says there is no kings, there is no queens, there is no prime minister, there's no presidents that can even be compared to him. That he's God and he's God alone and there is no rival and he is over everything. And that brings a real truth to us that's worth celebrating. Because God is almighty, there is no crisis in your life that God doesn't have control over. Not a crisis. There's no evil in your life that will ultimately win. There's no suffering in your life that's meaningless. And there is no history that's not random. Just think about that. That the God who created the galaxies, who's sovereign over history and governs it, and who is holding all the universe together, this God calls you into relationship with him. He wants you to have a relationship with him. And that leads to the fourth thing, and that's what's taught here, is that God is creator. To me, creation really establishes all of God's authority. The reason that he is the sovereign ruler is because he created everything. So everything that he's created is under his authority and under his control. I've said this many times, and I'll say it again. I could take the first 12 books, 12 chapters of the book of Genesis and walk you through every doctrine in the Bible. Because from the beginning, God established what is true and what is right about him. And he begins with that very first verse in Genesis 1.1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Starts out right from jump saying, hey, I am the creator of all this. Everything that's made was made by me. And that means that God owns everything. Everything that exists, God owns it and it belongs to him. Now, that's a relief, should be a relief to a lot of us. Because that means the things that you have,

you don't have to worry about controlling it, you just get to steward it. You don't have to control it because it's not yours. He's trusting you with everything that you have. None of it is yours. He's trusting you to be a husband and a wife. He's trusting you with children. He's trusting you with a career. He's trusting you with money. He's trusting you with everything. But it's all his under his control. He's just saying, man, why don't you just take care of what I'm giving you to take care of? It's all owned by him. Psalm 24.1 says, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. And so God owns everything he creates, everything that exists. Every star, every mountain, every ocean, every human life exists because God created it. In that creation is also the revelation of God's glory. We see the glory of God in creation. Psalm 19.1 says it this way, the heavens proclaim the glory of God, the skies display his craftsmanship. This is what it's saying. When you look up in the sky, you see God's power. You see God's wisdom. You see God's beauty. Every star you look upon, every time you see the moon, every time you see the sun, every time we go through seasons, these are all displaying God's glory. You don't worry about the order of things. You know that there's a night and a day. You know that there's a sun and a moon. You don't have to worry about those things because God has already established the order of those things. There's no Wizard of Oz behind a curtain making all that work. It's all God. It's all his glory. It's all his power. It's all his wisdom. And with that, he's saying, no one should be ignorant of the fact that there is a God. Here it is in Romans 1.20, for ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Anybody who breathes, anybody who walks out these doors and looks up, out, looks over, you can see the hand of God and know that all things was made and

created by Him. Can you say amen? Creation also gives human dignity. Creation gives dignity to people. Hear this in Genesis 1, 26 through 27. Then God said, let us make human beings in our image to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all of the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground. So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God, He created them. Male and female, He created them. You see here, the Lord has given us all crowning glory because we have His image in us. But you also see the language there that you can't miss. He clearly does say male and female. That is the image of God. Through the image of God, people are created male and they're created female. Now, don't get too slow on me here because I'll go off on a tangent and you know that I will. But you know where I'm headed with this. God didn't make people in between. He made them male and He made them female. Why? Because that's His image. God ain't sitting in heaven trying to figure out, what am I going to be today? Male and female. They're not trans. God didn't create them trans because God ain't trans in His image. I know that ain't proper English, but you get the point. He ain't trans in His image. His image is male and female. That is made in the image of God. We don't need to be confused by that. And people don't need to be confused by that because God's not confused by that. There's no confusion about that. And so, Genesis tells us humanity was created in the image of God. That means every human life has value. Not because of intelligence, not because of success, not because of wealth, but because we bear the image of our creator. Modern culture will tell you that life is about a bunch of random processes, but that's not what the Bible says. The Bible talks about us being intentionally created by our God with a purpose. Psalm 139, I think it's verse 13 or 14, won't be on the screen. It says, you form my inward parts. I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. God was so precise about everything that He made about you. You might have wanted blue eyes, but God said, no,

you need black. You might have wanted blonde hair, and God said, no, I'm going to make it red. Everybody was fearfully made and wonderfully made. Nobody's no accident. And God did that for His purpose and for His glory. He didn't create us for us, He created us for Him. He did it for Him. Everything He'd done, none of it was random, it was all intentional. But isn't that the foundation of human dignity? That's why we know murdering somebody is wrong, because you took the life of someone that was created in the image of God. That's why we know injustices to people is wrong, because you abused someone who was created in the image of God. That's why we know oppressive evil is wrong, because you're oppressing someone who was made in the image of God. Everything about us reflects His glory. And so, to me, creation really gives the world purpose, but it gives all of us purpose. If you don't know the Creator and have a relationship with Him, your life will have no purpose at all. You will be wandering, flopping around in life, because you've got no direction. You've got no guidance. You've got no one that you're looking up to who created you, which is a beautiful thing, because the God in heaven who created you, He's got every right to direct your life and the Scripture promises it's always good and for His glory. Am I talking to the right church? And so, we're here for God's glory. Our life has design and our life has direction because God gives it. Here it is in Nehemiah 9, verse 6. It says, you are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their hosts and the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them, you preserve all of them, and the host of heaven worships you. There it is right there. We're created for the glory of God, created to worship Him, created to live out the purposes that God has given us. And honestly, that is the stunning claim of Christianity, is that the God of heaven, the Creator, actually invites us to be His sons and daughters. He invites us to have Him as a father, the God who created the galaxies,

the God who rules history, the God who sustains the universe. He has placed us in life with one purpose, ultimately, and that's to connect with Him as our father. It's a beautiful text here in Acts chapter 17, verse 24 through 28. Listen to this, it says, He is a God who made the world and everything in it. Since He is Lord of heaven and earth, He doesn't live in man-made temples, and human hands can't serve His needs, for He has no needs. He Himself gives life and breath to everything. Did you hear that? Why are you breathing right now? Because of a doctor? Because you're smart? How about because God gives you breath? You're breathing right now because God gives you breath. He gives life and breath to everyone, which is even more stunning. I never worry about when I'm going to die, because I already got the answer. He's already told me when I'm going to die, when He keeps me from breathing. It's really that simple. It ain't in my control. It ain't in the hands of another. When God says you ain't no longer breathing, I ain't breathing no more. Now, listen, hear me, and maybe some of y'all have experiences where you've died on the operating table and the doctor pushed your chest enough where you started breathing again, but don't think the doctor saved you, God gave you breath. He's the one that gives you breath. He's the one that gives us life. But even more so, here's this, He satisfies every need. Now, here's our problem culturally, we define wants and needs as the same. I may think I need a Range Rover. We have a problem defining what needs are, but I just told you what your real need is. It's significance. It's love. It's purpose. It's community. And God is the one that gives us those things. He gives us everything that we need. He satisfies them. From one man, He created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and He determined their boundaries. I love this. Listen, His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him, though He's not far from any of us. Listen to what the Scriptures is teaching, that everybody was born exactly when God wanted you to be born. And you were placed exactly in the place that God wanted you to be placed in. And you lived through the things, exactly the things that God

wanted you to live through. Because He used the time, He used the place, and He used those things to help you get closer to Him. It's nothing to say, well, man, if I lived back in that era, I would be better. Or if I was born in this family, I would be different. Or if I lived in this city, instead of being born in Newm, Arizona, my life would go greater. No, God said, no, no, no, no. You were born in 1963 because I wanted you born in 1963 in Newm, Arizona, going through all the stuff you went through because that's exactly what I'm using to get you closer to knowing who I am. All of this stuff is designed by Him. He says, His purpose is that us, nations, ethnos, peoples, would seek after God and find Him. And God is not far from any of us. So what does this mean if God is your father? It definitely means that you're not defined by your failures or you're not defined by your past. You're not even defined by what others say about you. You're defined by the love of the Father. Your worth is not based on your success or your achievement or your approval, but the very fact that you were created by a God who loves you, who absolutely adopted you into His family, that He may be your father and you may be His child. It's a beautiful truth. Not this, the God of creation, the God of creation entered this creation so that he could save mankind. The God that created everything entered into creation that he may save mankind. Do you understand what that means? The God of heaven who is other than us, who we're not comparable to, who we can't even comprehend him fully, that God who's so far above us came all the way down to where we are. You're still not getting it because let me just tell you something. Let me just tell you something.

None of us would become a rat to save rats. None of us would. And I'm telling you right now, we are worse than rats because rats don't even have a moral code, we do. And this God of heaven came all the way down to save us who are worse than rats. The God that's other came down to save mankind who rejected him, who rebelled against him, who didn't accept him for who he was. The creator entered creation. Colossians 1, 16 to 17 makes it real clear. It's Jesus that's the creator. And that creator came into the world to rescue us, to rescue every one of us. He did it through a cross, a cross that wasn't his, a cross that he didn't need to take on. A God that was sinless came down to heaven and experienced the death and the burial and the scourging and the humiliation and the shame of a cross for people like you and I who rejected him, who didn't love him, who didn't accept him. The creator came down to creation and took up on all of our sins through a cross so he could become our savior. And it's because of faith in Jesus that this creator becomes our father. John 1, 12 says, but to all who believed him, accepted him, he gave the right

to become the children of God. It's just, oh man, so clear. When I say I believe in God, the father, creator of heaven and earth, I'm declaring that it's this God who made me, it's this God who rules me, it's this God who loves me, and it's this God who's Jesus Christ, through Jesus Christ, that has saved me. He's a creator, he's a father, he's the almighty, he's all that, and he loves you. Came down to earth to prove all that I am does not keep me from having relationship with you. Nothing in hell and no one in hell could stop me from coming down to this earth, taking up on your sin so that I could have a relationship with you. God spent all that he was, he gave up all that he was to come down here to earth to save us. There's no God like this God who wants to have a relationship with you. Everybody stand if you would. Prayer team, you can come. I'm going to pray for you, but before I do, though, I hope, you know, honestly, for me, what makes a message good, which I hope the message was good, but what makes the message good to me is that if you can embrace it and let it affect some part of your life, in this case, if you know that,

if you know that who this creator is, you know God, you know Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, hopefully there was something in this message that encouraged that and inspired that and affirmed that. And if so, can I just encourage you to live this faith that we believe, to live it out loud? I mean, we got a world that's got all kinds of voices that we are letting be louder than ours. Now, I'm not talking about going out and being obnoxious. I'm not talking about going out and getting in people's face. I'm not talking about that. I'm just talking about living your faith out loud. That living your faith out loud will drown out all that other noise that is causing people confusion. Living your faith out loud in such a manner that people know that you belong to the Lord, that you're not ashamed to tell them that you belong to the Lord, that your life has been changed by Him. And when people need wisdom and guidance, that you have spoken to them. something you can tell them because you are connected to the creator. You got a father that that people know something has changed. Listen, everybody knows how you were before you came to Christ. They know what kind of rascal you were. So when when they ask you, man, what's different about you? Don't say, well, I read some books. You know, went to a few meetings.

No, no, no, no. Why don't you tell them I didn't I didn't read books. I read the book, the B.I.B. That I didn't just go to some meetings. I went to a meeting, a meeting of community of people who know God. And I learned I was in Bible studies and I connected with people who wanted to help me be better. And I was willing to allow my life to be changed and transformed. And then something miraculous happened. The God of heaven in the form of a spirit got in me and start changing me and start transforming me. Live this thing out loud so that people, when they ask you, you're more than willing to say, man, I can tell you what the answer is. It's all about Jesus, who's absolutely changed. So that's for those of you who know the Lord, I'm going to encourage you to live your faith out loud. For those of you who don't know, gee, who've never made committed to Jesus and and have a relationship with him, I hate to be bold and brassy, but this is the last service I'm going to get my wife. We're going to go eat and go home and watch some NASCAR. So I got to just say this. I don't know what's taking you so long. If you don't know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and hooked up with this God of heaven, what is the problem? What is it? Don't tell me the way you've been doing it is working. Tell the people around you, well, I'm just going to keep doing it my way and see how they feel about it's not working because you're still living with anxiety. You're still living with fear. You're still living with doubt.

You're still living with confusion. You're still living with concern. You ain't tying things together in your life. Why? Because you have not connected with the creator who has a design and a purpose for your life. It starts right there. It's connecting with him, connecting with him. So let the day be the day that you absolutely say, I may not understand all this, but I can't deny it anymore. There's a creator that's coming after me. And I'll tell you, he will. When God is on your trail, it'll be like a hound from heaven coming after you. You're going to surrender. You might as well do it today. You might as well do it today. Sooner or later, you're going to come out with your hands up. We've all gotten there. Every one of us have fought and fought. OK, OK, OK. You might as well do your OK today. Come to Jesus today. He loves you. He wants to save you. He's got eternity for you. And I'm telling you, it's a wonderful life. It's a wonderful life. Serving our God and Savior prayer team is here. They're here to pray for you for whatever you need.

And we're going to believe God going to finish what he started. Father, I thank you. I thank you for this time. Thank you for the word. Thank you, Lord God, for the draw that you have on the life of people. May today be the day that those who need you surrender to you. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. God bless you. Have a great day. For the stripes, for the wounds, for the bleeding you bore. For the tears, for the blood that was willing you tore. For the mercy, for wonderful majesty you bore. To the one who endured all the shame of the cross. To the lamb who was slain as atonement for us. To the son who overcame all the power of death we pray. For the stripes, for the wounds, for the bleeding you bore. For the tears, for the blood that was willing you tore. For the mercy, for wonderful majesty of your love. We crown you. We fall face down and we worship. We all cry out, You are worthy, God Yes, You are worthy, God We crown You, we fall face down We worship, we all cry out You are worthy, God Yes, You are worthy, God For the tomb, for the tomb All the shame of the cross To the Lamb who was slain As atonement for us

To the Son who overcame All the power of death We pray For the stripes, for the wounds For the beating You poured For the tears, for the blood That was willingly poured For the merciful, wonderful majesty Of Your love We crown You, we fall face down We worship, we all cry out You are worthy, God Yes, You are worthy, God We crown You, we fall face down We worship, we all cry out You are worthy, God Yes, You are worthy, God Thank You, Jesus We love You, Church We'll see You next week