When God said:
By Michael Hart
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” Genesis 1:26-27
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8
As a pretty extreme extravert, it’s difficult for me to imagine God being all alone before He created time and people, and yet still being so complete, happy and satisfied within himself, needing no thing or person to add to who he is. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit could have remained joyfully content in this forever. Instead, one day before time existed they said, “Let’s go… Let’s go make a people and a place for them to live where they will be filled with the joy of knowing and enjoying us forever!”
If it was me, I would have felt nothing but the excitement of making such amazing things out of nothing and a people in my own image. I also don’t see the future. While I would think he surely felt in creation the pleasure of an artist, I can imagine our omniscient God also feeling some the pain of a Father. The same God who initially spoke things into existence had also already written down the words he would one day give to the Apostle Paul to speak in Phil. 2:5-8. Creating a people full of his own glory would require his Son to be emptied of his, to humble himself and one day say, “Let’s go…”
“Let’s go enter our creation and become like them. Let me go live the perfect life they could never live. Let me then go to a cross, the humiliating form of execution the Romans invented, and become as if I had committed all their sin and selfishness and lust and pride. Let me go suffer all the judgment and death and hell they deserve. But let me also go rise from the dead, and with great power conquer all of that for them so that anyone who simply believes in me would once again be filled with the joy of knowing and enjoying me forever.”
This is what we call the gospel. Most of you reading this have heard it many times. Yet it’s good to remember that the gospel is not the ABC’s of Christianity we need to believe just to get in, it’s the A-Z we need to cling to every day. We talk a lot about God’s grace around SRC because we all need to be constantly reminded that our best days don’t earn us more of God’s love and approval. No one can ever say, “Let’s go to God.”
The good news of the gospel begins with the bad news that our sin is great and deserves God’s judgment. We can never be good enough to go up to God. Yet God so loved us that He said, “Let’s go to them!”
So let’s go! Let’s go, not to try harder to go to God, but to believe more he has already come to us. Let’s go not to earn more from God, but to receive more of what he has already given. Let’s go enjoy the glory of God’s lavish grace and love toward us today. LET’S GO!
Adoration—I adore you for being such a gracious God who would come to us.
Confession—I confess that I so easily act like I have to earn your love and approval.
Thanksgiving—I thank you Jesus for doing all that was necessary for me to enjoy you forever.
Supplication—I ask that you help me simply believe that I am forever loved by you.
4221 W. Gulf to Lake Hwy
Lecanto, FL 34461
Phone: (352) 746-6200
Fax: (352) 746-6299
Email: info@sevenrivers.org
Office Hours:
M-F: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
