CREATED FOR GOD'S PURPOSE CREATION

1. Creation Declares God’s Glory (Psalm 19:1-14) 

2. Created to Love God (Micah 6:8; Mark 12:28-31) 

3. Created to Acknowledge and Worship God (Romans 1:18-25) 

Central Truth: God has a good purpose for every aspect of Creation. 

Focus: Explore God’s purpose for Creation and live according to His purpose for us. 

Evangelism Emphasis: Every person was created to have a personal relationship with God. 

Text: “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). 

INTRODUCTION 

God does nothing by chance. The creation of the universe was a deliberate act on His part. God spoke and the universe was called into existence, one part after another. Not only did God call the universe into existence, but He upholds and sustains it. He is responsible for its uniformity and accuracy at every level. Can you imagine how quickly everything would fall apart if He was not at the helm? What God has created brings glory to Him. His handiwork is seen everywhere. 

Having created the universe, the Lord maintains an active interest in what is going on in the world. He is interested even in the smallest things: the sparrows, the lilies, the hairs on our head, the tears of the saints. These facts illustrate how interested God is in human beings, the crowning act of Creation. Even after the awful tragedy that happened in the Garden of Eden when sin entered the human race, God did not give up on humankind. Instead, He made a provision, conceived in Heaven before the creation of the world, whereby we could be reconciled to God. The only begotten Son of God came to earth to die on a cross to pay the price for our sins and make salvation possible for all who will believe in Him. 

1. CREATION DECLARES GOD’S GLORY 

A. Creation’s Voice (Psalm 19:1-6) 

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun. 

This psalm shows God to be the Creator of the heavens. It was by His wisdom and power that the great and glorious works of Creation were formed. What we see is “the work of his hands” (v. 1 NIV). 

During the French Revolution, someone said to a peasant, “I will have all your steeples pulled down, that you may no longer have any object by which you may be reminded of your superstitions.” “But,” replied the peasant, “you cannot help leaving us the stars” (The Pulpit Commentary). The heavens have always made God known to those who will open their eyes and see. 

The ongoing orderly flow from day to night and night to day shows forth the glory of God. Each day and night has its own message concerning the wisdom, power, and goodness of God (v. 2). One day after another witnesses in perpetuity to the handiwork of the Creator. Without speaking a word, the heavens declare the glory of God to people of all languages if they will be discerning (vv. 3-4). Throughout the world, more than six thousand languages are spoken, but the heavens speak a universal language that can be understood by all people. 

The psalmist speaks of God pitching a tent in the sky for the sun (vv. 4-6). Tending the sheep under the open sky, he often saw the sun enter its tent in the evening for its nighttime rest and leave its tent in the morning to chase away the darkness and cold, filling the earth with light and warmth. Using figurative language, David says the sun is “like a champion rejoicing to run its course” (v. 5 NIV). 

• What can you learn about God by observing nature? 

B. God’s Law Speaks (Psalm 19:7-11) 

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 

9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 

Having observed the splendor of God’s handiwork in the heavens and how it brings glory to God, the psalmist now turns his attention to the enlightening impact of the Word of God as it appears in the Old Testament. What a catalog of terms he uses to describe the Word and its impact upon us! 

The guidance given in the Word is “perfect,” giving new life to the soul (v. 7). It is God’s system of instruction whereby we come to a knowledge of God and how to live in a way to please Him. It is reliable and will not mislead anyone trusting its teachings. The Word is right and pure, and gives us insight for a joyful life (v. 8). It offers us comfort that the world can neither give nor take away. 

To “fear” the Lord (v. 9) is to respect Him, revere Him, and serve Him with an undivided devotion. This type of fear sets us on the road to everlasting happiness. God’s Word is constant and unchangeable, the same in all ages. It is designed for us to govern ourselves by it; and out of His Word, God will judge us righteously. 

Consider the value the psalmist put on the Word. He said it is more desirable than gold, even the finest gold—the most valuable commodity in that part of the world (v. 10). The Word brings more delight than honey dripping from a honeycomb—the sweetest substance known in the ancient Near East. By keeping and living by the principles of the Word, believers reap rich rewards in this life and in the life to come (v. 11). 

Seeing God 

To me the greatest thing that has happened on this earth of ours is the rise of the human race to the vision of God. That story of the human rise to what I call the vision of God is the story which is told in the Bible.—Jan Christian Smuts 

C. Acceptable Speech (Psalm 19:12-14) 

14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. 

Once I was encouraging a man to invite Christ into his life. I led him to ask forgiveness for his sins. He then said, “I have asked God to forgive me of every sin I can remember committing.” Then he added, “I even asked Him to bring to my attention any sins I had forgotten, and I will ask forgiveness of those sins too.” I told him he just needed to invite Christ into his heart, which he did. 

At this point in his life, the psalmist David was struggling in much the same manner as the man to whom I witnessed. He had come face-to-face with the majesty of God and the power of His Word. He pleaded with God not to punish him for sins of which he was not aware (v. 12). Beyond that, he called on God to give him the strength to avoid deliberate, “presumptuous sins” (v. 13). David knew he needed the Lord’s help if he was to live a life in harmony with Scripture. This is the only way he could walk uprightly and be free of habitual sinning. Have you found this victory in Jesus? 

Having sought the Lord’s help in refraining from sinful acts, the psalmist now seeks His aid in controlling his thoughts and words (v. 14). He wants to entertain thoughts and speak words that are good, holy, and pleasing to God. He understands the strength to accomplish this comes from the Lord. 

God’s Eraser 

A little girl, coming home from her first day at school, asked her mother where the marks on the markerboard went when they were rubbed out. The mother answered that they disappear. “But where do they disappear to?” the child asked. The mother used all the words she knew but could not make it clear to the child. This story illustrates what God has done with our sins. He says He will remember our sins against us no more.—Let Me Illustrate 

2. CREATED TO LOVE GOD 

A.  What God Requires (Micah 6:8) 

8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? 

In this chapter, the Lord brought an accusation against the people of Israel, declaring that they had been wrong in their attitudes and actions toward Him (vv. 1-2). He reminded the people that they had no reason to complain against Him (v. 3). He had brought them out of Egypt and led them into the Promised Land (v. 4). 

Micah went before the Lord to ask what the people could do to find themselves in God’s good graces again. The Lord said He wanted more than rituals from them (vv. 6-7). He wanted them to obey Him out of the desire of their heart, and then He named three things He expected of them: They were to do what is right, to love being kind to others, and to live humbly before Him, obeying God (v. 8). 

First, God expects His people to do the right thing. We are to treat everyone fair, regardless of their status, including our employer, our colleagues, and the less fortunate. We are to belittle no one. We have a duty to treat others justly, regardless of their station in life. Jesus set the bar high when He said, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matt. 7:12). 

Second, God’s children must show kindness to others. We are “to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion)” (Mic. 6:8 Amp.). Kindness and compassion, or mercy, toward others should be as natural as water flowing from a fountain or light coming from the sun. The love of Christ constrains us to manifest these characteristics. 

The first two requirements God makes of His people in this verse have to do with other people. The third requirement speaks of our relationship with God: to walk in humble obedience before Him. To walk in this fashion is to live out this verse from Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (3:5-6). Think highly of the providence of God in your life, make His Word your roadmap, and you will fulfill this requirement. 

• Do you have to walk humbly with God in order to “do justly” and “love mercy”? Why or why not? 

B. The Greatest Commandments (Mark 12:28-31) 

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 

Mark’s twelfth chapter shows the religious leaders trying to discredit Jesus by using His own words against Him. In the parable of the vineyard, Jesus confronted their hostility toward Him and clearly showed the consequences of their actions (vv. 1-12). The Pharisees and Herodians, combining religion and politics, proposed a problem concerning allegiance toward God or the state. Jesus answered their question with great ease, saying the things that are Caesar’s go to Caesar, and the things that belong to God go to Him (vv. 13-17). Next, the Sadducees confronted Him with a question about the Resurrection. They rejected the reality of the Resurrection, and Jesus attacked their ignorance by telling them they neither knew “the Scriptures nor the power of God” (v. 24 ESV). 

Another expert in the Law approached Jesus with a better attitude than those who had previously spoken (v. 28). He was impressed with the manner in which Jesus had answered the questions put to Him. Most of the religious leaders believed there were 613 individual commandments in the Law: 365 were negative and 248 were positive. They considered some of them more important than others. So this teacher wanted to know which commandment Jesus considered to be the most important. 

Jesus answered that the greatest commandment (the one that summarizes the whole Law) is to “love the Lord thy God” (v. 30). His reply is taken directly from Deuteronomy 6:5. The requirement to love God is based on His uniqueness and His covenant love extended to us. Love for God reveals itself in a total commitment to Him that compels us to seek after Him and find pleasure in Him. 

To love God with all our heart is, in Hebrew idiom, to love Him from the control center of our being. To love Him with our soul is to love Him with our will and feelings. To love Him with our strength is to love Him with all the physical power of our being. Loving God with our mind is to bring our thoughts into harmony with His thoughts. Nothing less than this is loving God. 

The second commandment in importance is to love our neighbor in the same way we love ourselves—a statement taken from Leviticus 19:18. Jesus combined these two commandments from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 into a summary of the Law. 

Love Is the Goal 

You that are yourselves imperfect, know love is your end. All things else are but means. Choose such means as leads you to love.—John Wesley 

3. CREATED TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND WORSHIP GOD 

A. Suppressing Truth (Romans 1:18-23) 

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 

Paul concludes his introductory remarks in this first chapter of Romans with one of Scripture’s strongest and most powerful affirmations: “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (v. 16). In this verse, the apostle declares the gospel of Christ as the source of God’s power to free people from the bondage of sin. He then shows how the human race is under “the wrath of God” and helpless to do anything about it (v. 18), apart from the grace of God. 

We often think of the wrath of God as something that is going to be displayed at some future date or after death. And there is truth to that. But it is also a divine exercise that may be manifested in the present time. Throughout history, God has revealed His wrath against evil in this world. His judgment is directed toward those who live unrepentant, wicked lives. While God loves sinners and longs for their salvation, He hates sin and holds individuals accountable for it. Perhaps we give too little thought to the consequences of living in sin. 

Those who are under the wrath of God because of their wickedness “know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them” (v. 19 NLT). There is so much knowledge about God that may be seen in the works of Creation (v. 20). Nature cannot teach us everything there is to know about God, but it does show us many things. To the open mind, the works of Creation reveal the existence of God, His power, and His wisdom. As much as God has revealed about Himself in nature leaves people without excuse if they choose to worship idols (v. 23). The apostle is addressing those who knew the truth about God, but who willfully turned away from that knowledge and refused to glorify Him or to show any adoration or gratitude toward Him (v. 21). God calls them “fools” (v. 22). What a sad picture! 

How easy it is to believe there is a God. It takes hard work to convince yourself otherwise. The facts of Creation and words of Scripture should erase any doubts about the existence of God. 

Definition of an Atheist 

An atheist is a man who looks through a telescope and tries to explain all that he cannot see.—Anonymous 

B. Experiencing the Consequences (Romans 1:24-25) 

24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 

There is a saying, “Beware of what you wish for, you may receive it.” No truer statement could be said of the rebellious Romans. So vile were their thoughts and desires that God abandoned them to their own ways (v. 24). Proverbs 14:12 reads, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” This describes the attitude of the wayward Romans. God gave them up to the lifestyle they chose that led them down a path of the lowest possible lusts and moral degradation. Even pagan writers of Paul’s day described how low and polluted the society of that day had become. 

In his commentary on Romans, Ray Stedman wrote: “The first sign of wickedness in a civilization is that sexual immorality, which is always present in human life, becomes widely accepted. . . . God removes His restraints from society so that what was done in secret is allowed to break out into openness and acceptability.” What a description of the immoral day in which we are living! In his commentary on Romans, James Montgomery Boice said: “There is nothing more contemporary in terms of today’s culture than Paul’s description of a declining society in this great first chapter of Romans.” 

In addition to widespread immorality, the people of Rome were guilty of worshiping “the creature rather than the Creator” (v. 25 ESV). By abandoning the worship of the great God of the universe to worship an idol, “they exchanged the truth about God for a lie” (v. 25 NIV). The second of the Ten Commandments prohibits the worship of any creature or any object made by the hand of man (see Ex. 20:4-6). The breaking of this commandment arouses the jealousy of God and brings far-reaching consequences. 

On the other hand, even in the environment of first-century Rome, Paul saw hope for those “beloved of God, called to be saints” (v. 7). Someone despised a certain man and asked John Newton what he thought about the man. Newton replied, “I have never despaired for any man since God saved me.” May we never underestimate the wonder of the grace of God. 

• List evidences from contemporary society that show most people are worshiping created things instead of the Creator. 

PURPOSEFUL LIVING 

We need to look no further than the Creation to see God glorified. Creation alone proves the existence of God. Not only do we find God in His handiwork, we also find Him in His Word, where His expectations of His followers are made known. He reveals the importance of loving Him first and then loving other people. We are to do what is right, love kindness, and walk humbly before Him. These instructions call for self-examination on our part. To fail to follow His directions leads to dire consequences. We are to worship God and Him alone. 

Daily Devotions  

M.  Love God With Your All (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) 

T.  All Earth Called to Worship (1 Chronicles 16:23-31) 

W.  All the Nations Worship (Psalm 86:8-10) 

T.  Called According to His Purpose (Romans 8:28-30) 

F.  Purposed for God’s Glory (Ephesians 1:11-14) 

S.  Called to Be Fruitful (2 Peter 1:3-8) 

Adopted from the Evangelical Sunday School Lesson Commentary 2021-2022.