Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Introduction

Good morning. If you will open with me to Genesis chapter 1. This week I was planning on preaching from Matthew chapter 10. And lest anyone be worried or frightened, I will try to preach that next week, Lord willing, in Matthew chapter 10, for those of you chomping at the bit to study that great chapter. But in Genesis chapter 1, we find an interesting set of verses, particularly of this morning’s focus in verse 26. Look with me in Genesis chapter 1 and verse 26 and 27. Then God said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

So God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created him. Male and female. And thus the Bible has given its account of how we came into existence. In Genesis chapter 1 would be an excellent text to study how did the world come into existence? It would be a great text to study. How is it that man came to be? Is it evolution, or is it as the Bible says that God created us, just as he did every other facet of this world? But this morning I’m struck by, and perhaps you were this week as well, the many news, stories and images of the deaths of two black men and several police officers. I could show images, but perhaps they’ve already been overshone as it is.

Suffice to say, this country is facing death. Death in growing numbers. People are dying. And what we’ve done is rather than wrap around everyone and say that lives matter, we’ve segmented into camps. I want to challenge that thought this morning, not just about what side are you on that cop’s lives matter, blue lives matter, or black lives matter, or all lives matter. What does God say? And what was his intent in creating man? If you look closely, you’ll see that there is a great worth to the soul. The passage was read in Psalm chapter 139. Look back there with me. It was read to begin our worship this morning. In Psalm chapter 139, David makes a strong point. And as we think about life this morning, it’s important to understand the fundamentals that God created us.

God created us in his image. And what David says in Psalm chapter 139 and verse 13 through 16 should be in our minds as well. For you formed my inward parts. You gave me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works. My soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance. And your book were written every one of them. The days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

1. Life Is Sacred Because God Has Given It

And with that understanding, there are implications that are strong. Mr. Bob at the 12 o’clock hour is going to preach, I believe, still, on the fact of what is the purpose of man? Why are we here? But what I want to focus on is the worth of a soul. I would say the worth of a life, but it’s more than that, because God made us to be more than that. We’re more than this life. We are a soul. We are eternal. And we’ll come back to that point. But before we move forward and we look at the life as sacred and given by God, let me be clear. To say that all lives matter is not to say that the life of cops or the life of blacks do not.

They are not mutually exclusive phrases. And so when we cause them to be so, that is on us. That divide and that schism among people of God and the people of even this country is on us for making unnecessary distinctions. May Christians play no part in unnecessary divisions in his people or in even just this country. But as we think about this point, and we see that God created all of us in Psalm 100 and verse 3. Look there with me. I hope you have your Bibles open. We’re going to look at several passages this morning. In Psalm chapter 100 and verse 3, note know that the Lord, He is God. It is He who made us, and we are His. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

What does it mean to be made by God? It means that all of us, not just those of us who are Christians, but that every single person was made by God for God. Absolutely in church in this morning, many of you are Christians. And that is excellent. We’re going to talk about the worth of a soul and why it’s worth it to follow Christ, to be a Christian. But consider at the most basic elemental level, God created everyone, Christian and non Christian alike. And remember this. Before we were a Christian, we were non Christians. But we were still lives. We were still created by God. And we were still His, whether we acted that way or we tried to deny it with every thought, every word, and every deed.

We are God’s people. He made us. And if that’s the case, then you see that all lives matter. Everyone’s life matters. No one is expendable. No one is to be treated unjustly. Will you consider the verse in Leviticus chapter 19? Note what God had to say about lives. We often talk today, well, this man had it coming, or these men didn’t have it coming because of what they’ve done or what they didn’t do. But note what God thought about injustice. Note what God thought about unnecessary treatment of others. In Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 15. You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. Amos talks about this idea, especially in chapter 8.

But how many times do the prophets of God rail against the children of Israel for their injustice? How many proverbs are there about not weighting the scales, not dealing unjustly or falsely with your brother? Why? Because injustice is an abomination to the Lord. It is mistreating his fellow creation. And if that’s the case, then I know that God, who created everyone, who expects everyone to be what he created, has an expectation for me and for others. And frankly, if you turn with me to Exodus chapter 21, I’m afraid that I, and perhaps others with me in this assembly, even this morning, have missed an important point. And that’s all lives matter all the time. Not when some tragedy happens in this country. Not just when some tragedy happens overseas to Christians.

All lives matter all the time. And I want to know, as Christians, where is our fervor? Where is our concern for God’s creation being destroyed? Look with me in Exodus chapter 21. Note what God had to say about a particular section that our country doesn’t seem to have much regard for. In Exodus chapter 21, pick up the reading with me in verse 22. In Exodus chapter 21 and verse 22, when men strive together and hit a pregnant woman so that her children come out, but there is no harm. The one who is shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, strife for strife.

Who was God concerned about, the life of the unborn child? Because God knows that it wasn’t just some sort of mass of self, it was a child created by God. In this country, over 3,000 kids are killed daily. If all lives matter, where’s the Christians fervor? Where is our concern for God’s creation? Since 1973, there have been millions of babies whose lives have been taken. Why is it that we get all up in arms and we attack social media and we cover the news and we talk to each other when seven lives are taken over the course of a week? But when 3,000 die every day, we’re numb to it. How can that happen? If they are fearfully and wonderfully made, just as I am fearfully and wonderfully made, who is their voice?

And what I want to focus on this morning is that the solution to this problem of all lives matter is not legislation. This may be an unpopular message, brothers and sisters, but it’s time to stop trying to legislate Christianity. It’s time to start preaching Christ. That’s what it’s time to do. We are the voice of God in this world. If we’re to call others, if others are to be called by the gospel in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 14, if Romans 10, 17 says, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, who’s teaching the gospel? Who is speaking so that it may be heard? How is faith going to come if I’m speaking of legislation and I’m saying what this country should do rather than saying this is what Christ has said?

I have let that go too long. I’ve been focused on winning political discussions and thinking how, yes, I can incorporate God’s will into our country. Yes, I can prevent the lives of unborn children. But I’m doing so while leaving the most important thing out there, and that’s realizing that all lives matter of the born and the unborn, but realizing that most importantly, I am like God because He made me in His image and gave me a soul. The soul is what matters. That is why life is so sacred because God gave it to us for such a brief time. And we are to give ourselves as sacrifices to him. In Ecclesiastes chapter 12 and verse 7, the dust of the body will return to the earth.

But the spirit returns to God. Who gave it? Who gave us the spirit? God did. Who gave us this body that will return to dust? God did. So what are we doing with our body? What are we doing with our soul? If all lives matter, who is going to cry out for the unborn? Think about this chilling statistic. Operation Rescue.org, I couldn’t find a date on this, although it had information raging until 2011. Ranging. Of the abortions in this country, 69% are by what people registered as some sort of Christian. 27% of that is Catholic, and 42% of that is Protestant. Nearly seven out of ten abortions in this country are by people who consider themselves believers in God. Now I’m not a dummy. I know that everyone who registers that way is not a believer in God, does not truly change their life.

But doesn’t that say that sometimes, maybe even if I wouldn’t go that far, that my thinking might be a little bit deluded from the pure and holy word of God? And that I might be a little bit more focused on this life than on what’s what to do with my soul that God created me with. In 2 Samuel chapter 12 and verse 23, turn there with me. You know, in 2 Samuel chapter 12, the prophet Nathan came before David, and he had some chilling words when he gives this illustration of David’s wrongdoing. And when David is furious and enraged at the man, Nathan points to him and he says, You are the man, or at least that’s the way I see it in my mind. And in 2 Samuel chapter 12, as part of the fallout of that, David’s child from this discretion is taken.

The life is taken. Look at verse 23, though. Note the conclusion that David reaches. But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me. I know that this was not an unborn child. It was a child of about seven days, I believe the text to say. But that child is with God. Where is our concern for all lives? If truly all lives matter.

2. Most Importantly, the Soul Is What Matters

But we will change lives. We will change eternal destinies by teaching the gospel truth, to follow Jesus. And those who are devoted to Jesus, who are devoted to God will change. And those numbers should drop dramatically. If you look secondly this morning, not only is life sacred, because God has given it, but most importantly, the soul is what matters. Go back to Genesis chapter 1. You understand what the word said. You’ve heard it many times, no doubt. We are made in the image of God. But if you note in verse 27, it says, God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created them, male and female, he created them. In the image of God, he created him. What does it mean to be made in the image of God?

Well, I think it’s seen by verse 26. What was different about man? He was given dominion over all of God’s creation. So what’s different from me than all of the creatures that God made from all the land that God had made? Well, I think the answer is undoubtedly already revealed from the passage we we referenced in Ecclesiastes chapter 12. We have a spirit. We have a soul, and with that soul comes the ability to discern right from wrong, to choose. And we know that Adam and Eve chose unwisely. I know that I in my life have chosen unwisely, and yet God has the expectation that we not only have the ability to reason in a sense as he does, but to choose righteousness, to choose holiness, and that’s a heavy path.

But it’s worth it. Because the soul is all that matters. You may lose your life. I may die today. But my soul will not ever leave me. We will look at that passage that references that point in just a moment in my Matthew chapter 10 passage I had studied. But look with me, 1 John chapter 2. You want to know how valuable our souls are? You think the life matters to God? Do you think that it makes a difference who is alive and who is dead? Let’s see what 1 John chapter 2 has to say. In 1 John chapter 2, what did Jesus do? You don’t need to read it to know, and yet it’s there for us. In 1 John chapter 2, beginning in verse 1, my little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.

But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Christ died for all of us. Because our souls were worth it to God. You think your life is unimportant? You think the lives of some others are unimportant because perhaps they transgressed the law one, 15, 20, 30, 40 times? God has a sense of justice. I’m not saying that anyone deserves just to live no matter what you do. God’s system itself, we even already saw. In God’s law, there could be life for life. But brothers and sisters, our view towards others needs to be that all life matters, but the soul most of all, because you know how precious the soul is?

So precious that Jesus, the Son of God, came into this form, lowered himself, Philippians chapter 2, humbled himself in submission to God’s plan, and was crucified, had nails through his hands, bled, and died, so that our souls could be redeemed, so that we could be with God. How dare we ever think, say, or do anything that makes any life trivial or not matter? Well, take it a step further. How dare I? How dare we do anything that goes back and makes the blood of Christ in vain? That we choose to mar our soul that Jesus cleansed with his blood, with his great sacrifice. And by the way, when was it that Jesus died for us? When was it that Jesus died for our souls? Was this just part of the creation package?

I would say it was in the mind of God before the foundation of the world, but Jesus died when we were sinners. That makes us enemies. That makes us hostile to the very God who sent Jesus to save us. You want to talk about hostile, you want to talk about sin? Imagine just those who were there, spitting upon the Savior, beating him, and putting him to death. The worth of our soul is that Jesus went through with it, even though he could have called legions of angels. We should fear losing our bodies to some extent because God has work for us to do. But most importantly, as Matthew chapter 10 and verse 28 says, we need to fear losing our soul most of all. In the limited commission, as you might call it, in Matthew chapter 10.

Note in verse 28. As Jesus is talking to his disciples, they call it a limited commission because this message was for them to go out and speak to the Jews, as opposed to passages like Matthew 28 and Mark 16, where it was to go into the whole world and preach the gospel. But in this focus in verse 28, as he’s telling them to prepare for persecution, to prepare to be fought against for teaching Christ. Note this point. Matthew chapter 10 and verse 28. And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body and hell. We need to fear God. First, second, third, and all the way down. God is who is to be feared.

3. Our Citizenship Is in Heaven

We need to not be caught up in this life. This fear to the disciples was to not worry about preaching Christ. But I have to think sometimes, have we even left that post entirely of preaching Christ at all? Are we afraid of persecution? Perhaps. More so we’re afraid of being disagreed with, of being viewed as a problematic. But if the soul is what matters, and we should fear God, because he is in control of the destiny of our soul, and we will give an account to him. That’s going to dramatically change our life. And we already know that. We already talk about that. We say our citizenship is in heaven, Philippians chapter 3. But note what Jesus says in John chapter 18. Who do we serve?

Why do we serve them? Well, we already talked about the why would we serve Jesus in part. But look in John chapter 18. Note what Jesus speaks of. When we’re concerned about this life, when we’re caught up in the worries and cares, and that’s not to say they’re unimportant or that we shouldn’t have any concern for the thought of our well being. Like I said, God has a plan. He has an expectation that we be his instruments, that we teach the gospel, that we care for one another. But note where Jesus’ focus was. While Jesus is before Pilate, think about where the mind of Christ was. In John 18 and verse 33, so Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, Are you the king of the Jews?

Jesus answered, Did you say this of your own accord? Or did others say it to you about me? Pilate answers, Am I a Jew? You have your own nation, and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from this world. Then Pilate said to him, So you are a king. And Jesus answered, You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born, and for this purpose I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.

Are we listening to the voice of Jesus? Are we serving Jesus our king? Which kingdom are we in? I think sometimes, if we’re honest, we might not think it because we know we’re going to judgment. We think we’re going to heaven, we think we might be going to hell depending on where you’re standing on that line. But what we like to do is we like to keep one foot in heaven and one foot firmly in this world. That’s not what Jesus called to. Jesus did not call us to have citizenship. That’s not what he expects. That’s not what God desires. God made us. God knew us. And if we are so important that he would give us a soul, that he would send Jesus to die on the cross so that our souls could be redeemed, we are spitting in the face of our God when we ignore that great plan.

4. Of First Importance: Christ and Him Crucified

And we think that we can do both when God has expected us to do the one. All lives matter. But as citizens of the kingdom of heaven, we need to be focused on eternal destiny. And that applies not just to myself, but it’ll shape my view of everyone else as well. If you look at 1 Corinthians chapter 2, I want to look at a couple passages in 1 Corinthians, but especially in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 at this moment. Notice what Paul’s focus is on. Now, of all the things that you could say to the Corinthians, and that Paul did say to the Corinthian church, he makes an interesting statement in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, beginning in verse 1. And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. What was Paul’s focus with them? It wasn’t about self. It wasn’t about how wise you would be. It was about the message of Christ. What mattered to Paul? Christ and Christ crucified. How do we know that? Well, he said it. But we know from Paul’s life, what did he face? Paul who was shipwrecked, beaten, had to sneak out of cities to survive, left for dead.

And how many times of how many instances of things that the scriptures don’t even record? How often do you think Paul might have faced persecution that our New Testament text doesn’t even contain? But if you know in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, note what he considers of first importance. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 3. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received. That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and they appeared to Cephas, then to the twelfth. Then he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

Last of all is to one untimely born, he also appeared to me. What did Paul view as of first importance? That Christ died for our sins, that the Christ was buried, and that Jesus the Christ was raised. I know it’s bad reasoning to say that if this matters most, that something over here can’t matter. And please let me be clear. I’m not saying that what’s happened this week or that political affairs in this country do not matter. I am simply suggesting what should be fundamental to any Christian. And that’s that if our citizenship is in heaven, if we know that our soul is what truly matters, and we know that physical life matters because it’s given by God, we are known by God. Then if that’s the case, our lives will clearly bear out what is of first importance, and that is Jesus the Christ.

That changes our life. If Jesus the Christ is who is there, if he is who I serve, if he is my king, I’m focused on serving God. Can I ask a question? Wonder what you think this world would be like. What would social media be like if only true Christians posted as often about spiritual things as they do political issues, with or without a spiritual tent. Again, I understand that it’s good, and I would support legislation that makes abortion and the daily killing of innocent life illegal. But I do wonder what the world would be like if Christians talked to others as much about Jesus and Jesus buried and Jesus raised as we do Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. I do wonder what this world would be like if we taught people that Jesus died for our souls, rather than talking about why people died for what cause and whether or not they deserved it.

Conclusion

I don’t mean to cast aspersions at any person, and I’m as guilty of this as the next. But brothers and sisters, we need to see that if our citizenship is in heaven, it will be clear where we’re from. It will be obvious where we are going. Because our lives will be different. Our lives will be changed. Think about the tourists. We live in Orlando, we have tourists all the time. Think about the tourists at Disney World who come in, and they’re pretty easy to spot, frankly. A lot of times, some of them will have in large groups neon green t-shirts. And there’s about 50 of them, so odds are pretty high that they’re on some sort of trip. They’re very obvious. They’re very easy because they’re excited about where they are.

They look a certain way, and in those cases as the one I gave, they look identical to one another, at least in outfit. How do we look in this world that we’re just passing through? Are we clearly going to Jesus our king? Or are we trying to stick with one foot in and one foot out and hope that before the day of Jesus comes that we quickly move that line across? Put your feet, put your trust, put your all in Jesus today. Will you go to God in prayer with me? Our dear God and most gracious and loving Heavenly Father, we praise you for the great God that you are. We thank you and are humbled by the fact that you would send Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.

That when we were sinners, when we were enemies, when we were hostile to you, that Jesus was willing not only to die, but to first be humbled into our form, to live a life that was not a luxurious one, and to be tortured and horribly put to death in an awful way that man tries to set behind us in many ways today. Forgive us, O Lord, of when we have sinned against you. We know that you’re faithful and just to forgive us if we will confess our sins. And I pray, dear Lord, that you help us focus on your will, that we will be your mouth, that we will be the mouthpiece of the gospel message, that we will preach Christ and Christ crucified. O Lord, please be with the leaders of today.

Help our political leaders, help our leaders at every level in this country and across the world to govern in a way that is glorifying you, in a way that is a light to the whole world, so that others may see our good works and glorify you. Help us, O Lord, to be good citizens of this country, but most importantly, to be citizens of the kingdom of heaven, loving you first, showing love for others, and pushing down selfish impulses. Thank you, O Lord, for being such a mighty God, for sending Jesus to be an example of perfection and of standing against temptation. Help us likewise to stand, when in many cases in the past we have fallen. Thank you, O Lord, for your grace, mercy, and love, and it’s in your Son’s name we do pray.

Amen. We’re now dismissed to our Bible classes.