Part 2 of the 3-part series Reasons We Believe.
- meaning, purpose and value are useless (merely illusions) if God does not exist; why would anything matter if God does not exist?
- In book of Ecclesiastes, “vanity” appears 34 times
- Parallel between Ecclesiastes, Augustus and Dustin Kensrue’s “It’s Not Enough”???
- We are created intentionally
- To know God (v19-20)
- “…plain to them”; natural revelation
- objective and relational levels of knowing God
- *** All things made were called good, but only we were created in His image
- Gen 1-2
- Phil 3
- 1 Cor 13:12
- To love Him (v21)
- speaks to our value for right/wrong and morality
- to honour, obey & give thanks with our lives
- Jn 14:15; “if you love me, keep my commandments”
- To worship Him (v25)
- worship speaks to purpose;
- if you were created and were not invited into His presence that is selfish and prideful
- we were created to SHARE into His presence and existence!
- To know God (v19-20)
- We are corrupted internally
- the heart of the problem is the problem of our heart
- Jer 17:9; we naturally choose to NOT rest in Him
- Suppress the truth of God (v18)
- we actively suppress, it is part of our sinful disposition
- our unrighteousness is the evidence/source of our desire to suppress God
- Reject authority of God (v21)
- man fails to honour God as God
- We worship the creation (v22-25)
- we exchange truth for better sounding lies
- we have a worship disorder, leading to an identity disorder, leading to idolatry
- when you’re stressed, where do you turn? What do you believe will satisfy you?
- Suppress the truth of God (v18)