The wisdom of God. Father, Son, and Spirit. God
Almighty said it's not good that the man should be alone. The
man Christ Jesus. Brother Scott read a passage
of Scripture that was concerning a marriage that had been prepared. And there were guests that were
invited. And it's showing forth that those that were bidden were
not worthy. The Gospel was first sent to
the Jews. And they treated God's prophets
with disrespect and killed them. And the Lord told the servants
in that parable, you go into the highways, you go and you
bid bad and good. God sent the Gospel to the Gentiles. And they bid them. According to that Scripture,
the Lord is going to find, and that's talking about in this
present day, One that was there without a wedding garment. And the father that had prepared
the wedding asked him, said, How did you get here, friend,
without a wedding garment? Take him and bind him, cast him
out. Many are called, but few are
chosen. Now the God that this world worships,
and I want to preach, Lord willing, for a few minutes in the continuance
of this little series, whatever we want to call it, on the God
that we worship. And I've entitled this message
today, The Purpose of God in Creation. Lord willing, next
week, the purpose of God in providence and the purpose of God in salvation. But today, the purpose of God
in creation. That we're here is no doubt. That God created is
no doubt. But the God that this world worships
is like in their mind a big, like a Santa Claus or something.
He's just there that whenever you need to call on Him, He's
there if you've got a problem or if you need just a kind of
a little token badge of religion, And you need somebody to kind
of talk about as being your patron deity. Let me tell you something. This God that this world by nature
worships is no God. This God that that men say they appeal to. God that's trying to do something. That's not God. That's not the
God of this Bible. That's not the God that we believers
worship. This morning I'd like to talk
about God Almighty. And I'd like to set forth in
the God that we worship. Let me read this scripture for
you. Colossians 1.16. I'll just read
it. Colossians 1.16. For by Him were all things created that
are in heaven, that are in earth, visible, invisible, whether they
be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created
by Him. And right there, most people
stop. They say, well, sure, God created
all things. Sure. Sure He did. Oh, no, no, no. Yeah, yeah. I
know how these people talk about, you know, evolution and all that.
No. No, I believe in creation. I believe that God created. But
there's three more words in that Scripture that most people don't
even quote, don't even read. The last three are this, and
for Him. They were created by Him and
for Him. Now that's what I want to talk
about this morning. Almighty God. Romans 8.28 says,
All things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are called according to His purpose." Purpose. Almighty God does everything
on purpose. The word purpose actually means
a laying down of anything to look upon it. A laying down of
anything to look upon it. God has eternally decreed that
which He shall bring to pass. Now, God has a purpose. I said a moment ago that God
Almighty actually creates. We don't doubt that. In the beginning,
God created the heaven and the earth. Almighty God does not
do anything in a haphazard way. That which he brings forth, he
meant to bring forth, and whatever he brings forth, he has a right
to bring it forth. Now this, this, this is God now. This is the Lord. He said, you
thought that I was one like to yourself. Now to study like this, when
you start considering the purpose of God, We might as well come
to the conclusion that we see through a glass darkly, and Almighty
God reveals as things are. And we bow. We bow to the Scriptures,
the revealed will of God. If what I've heard in the past
does not line up with these Scriptures, then what I've heard in the past
is wrong. Doesn't that make sense? If you've heard all these years
that we're all trying to do, and God's trying to do, and the
Scriptures doesn't bear out that God's trying to do anything,
that God does as He will in the army of heaven and among the
inhabitants of the earth, if God Almighty reveals that this
is the way it is, We best bow to that. All we know is what the Spirit
of God reveals in the Scriptures. Now before we consider the purpose
of God in creation, let's stop and just think for a second on
what's the foundation? What's the foundation upon which
God's purpose is built, whether it's God's purpose in creation,
in providence, or salvation. What is the purpose of God built
on? Here it is, 1 Corinthians 3.11. For other foundation can no man
lay that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now, stop and just realize
that the foundation of God's purpose, that which God's purpose
is built upon, is the Lord Jesus Christ. All that God does, He
does according to the preeminence and the glory and the honor of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything is going to bring
honor to Christ. Everything. Colossians 1.18 says He's the
head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence. That He might be the first. That's
what it means. First. Whether Almighty God brings a
man or a woman to glory in Christ or whether He judges him and
puts him in hell. Christ is going to be honored.
He's going to be first. God's purpose is going to set
forth the Lord Jesus Christ in dignity and honor and in power. All right. God's purpose in creation. As I said a moment ago that God
made the heaven and the earth, the light, the firmament, the
fruit, the grass, the herbs, the stars, the moon, the sun,
all the animals. God said He did that. So therefore,
everything else that has to talk about anything other than creation
is a lie. It's a lie. You don't believe in evolution?
No. But here's the question. Why? Why did Almighty God make what He did? That He made
it is a fact. But here's where you'll lose
a man. Why did He do it? This universe was created. I read Colossians 1, 16 a while
ago, for all things were made by Him and for Him, and for Him,
and for Him. Everything was made for the glory
of Christ. Not for your glory, not for my
glory, for His glory. This world was created by Almighty
God. This universe and all these stars
and everything that everybody is all concerned about trying
to get to Mars and stuff like that. This world and everything in
it was created as the theater upon which Almighty God would
accomplish His purpose in the display of the glory of the Lord
Jesus Christ. This world was created to honor
the Lord Jesus. The wonders of God's redeeming
love, the wonder of God's mercy, the
wonder of God's grace, Almighty God and His infinite wisdom Power. Glory. Almighty God knew in prudence. Prudence. You remember what prudence
means? That means knowing the best way
to do it. Prudence. This was God's glorious
prudence displayed. Why did He make all this? Why
has all of this been here? Why all these years? Why? Why? It was made for Him, for Christ. Almighty God, go back in Genesis
and read all those things that God made. And the last thing
that God made was man. Everything was here. Let us make man after our image,
after our likeness. Now you go back and read it and
everything else was already here. I mean the animals were here,
the stars were here, herbs were here, fish were here. Everything
was here. It's just no men here. Mankind. Now there's two questions
that comes to my mind when it comes to God Creating of the
Colossians 116 says that he did it and why he did it. All things
were made by him. All things were made for him. Now, when God created in the
purpose of God, according to creation, God's purpose, God,
he does everything by purpose. He lays everything out. Almighty
God has set forth in these scriptures. It's laid out. God has a purpose.
That Almighty God created all things by Him, by Christ, and
for Him. This question comes to my mind.
What was God's attitude when He created? In what attitude? Let us make
man after our image, after our likeness. In what attitude did
God make? That is, accomplish, fashion,
or deal with man. That God made man is no doubt
about that. He took dirt and He made a man. He breathed
in him. That man became a living soul.
God made him. God made mankind, and all mankind
was made in Adam. It all came out of him. I mean,
where do you think we came from? What was God's attitude? All
mankind, you know, was made, created in Adam. What was God's
attitude? The answer to that question,
what was God's attitude? That He's the potter, we have
no doubt. I'm the potter, you're the clay.
What was God's attitude? I'm still talking about God's
purpose in creation, in the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. What
was God's attitude? Now listen, you know how you
answer that? You answer that by Scripture. No opinions, no hearsays, no
brother so and so said. It doesn't matter. The only thing
that matters is what God says. And that ends it. That every
mouth, every man's a liar. God's true
and every man's a liar. Scripture. Scripture. What sayeth
the Scriptures? What was God's attitude? when He made man, when He created
mankind. He made them all in Adam because
they all came out of Him. What was God's attitude? Now,
here's what the Scripture has to say. Romans 9.21, Hath not
the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one
vessel under honor and another vessel under dishonor. Almighty God sets forth in that
scripture right there that He exhibited a selective attitude
in the creation of man. When God made man, He made all
men And what was God's attitude? He made them according to His
purpose. God the potter, out of the same lump, made one
vessel under honor worth the cost and another under dishonor. Almighty God who made man God's purpose to show mercy and
compassion to whomsoever He would. Now, the question is this. Are we going to bow to what God
has to say? Are we going to listen to what
our little foolish, fickle, biased, lying, cheating, two-timing heart
that is deceitful above all things." Now, my heart, my deceitful heart
is going to say one thing, and God is going to say something
else. And this is what Scripture says. I'm a liar and God's not. Now, to show His wrath, to show that God Almighty is
a just God, This is all in Romans 9. If you want to just read the
whole chapter, I'm just, for sake of time, I'm reading a scripture.
I'm going to read you Romans 9.22. God does everything that he does
according to purpose. Now, God Almighty made man. He made man. When he made man,
he did it according to his purpose. to his attitude and he made all
men with this attitude. He made one
vessel under honor, he made another vessel under dishonor. Why did he do what he did? He did it because that was his purpose. Romans 9.22 said concerning those
that were made to dishonor, Romans 9.22, He fitted some, He made
up some to destruction. To others, Romans 9.23, Romans
9 is in your Bible. Read it. To others He made some that were
aforeprepared." Afore, now that's a word that means before. Afore. Prepared unto glory. To make ready in advance. That's
what the word means. It means that God did what He
did eternally. And what is being brought forth
in time is all according to God's purpose, creation. Now, this question might arise. Somebody might say, well, I hear
what you're saying. I understand what you're saying. You're saying I'm saying according to Scriptures.
Let's make it real clear. What I'm saying is that the Scripture
says that God Almighty made man, that He as the potter made some
vessels unto honor and He made some unto dishonor and there
were some that were aforeprepared unto glory and there were some
that were made up to destruction. Now you can, you can, or all
of us, we can argue and we can complain. or God Almighty is
going to give us a new heart and we're going to bow. And you'll
cast yourself upon the mercy of God, or Almighty God will
justly put us in hell. I'm just telling you that this
little fickle, two-bit, nobody God that everybody's, you know,
just trying to put on a pedestal and make Him to be somebody,
He's not God. He's not God. He's nobody. This is God. So the question might come up,
okay, I hear what you're saying. Why? Why? Well, let's do this too. Let's
go to the Scriptures again. Turn with me to Ephesians 1,
and let's just read. Why? God, read Ephesians 1, verses
9 to 11. Ephesians 1, verses 9 to 11. Now, let's do this. Let's just hear what God has
to say. And let's just put all of our other little preconceived
ideas, because you know what? This word, Mitch, is going to
endure forever. Heaven and earth is going to
pass away, but God's Word is never going to pass away. Ephesians
1, verses 9. Having made known unto us the
mystery of His will. Now that ought to stop us for
just a second, Neil. Having made known unto us. Isn't
it merciful that God would make known unto us, Jeff, the mystery
of His will? having made known unto us the
mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he
hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness
of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven, or which are in earth, even in him,
in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated
Now listen, according to the purpose of him who worketh all
things after the counsel of his own will. Turn to Romans 9. I've quoted
a couple. Turn to Romans 9 and just let's
read some. Why did God do what He did? Romans 9, verse 14. Let me tell you what the carnal
mind thinks immediately. Let me tell you what the carnal
mind thinks right now. You're thinking, I hear what
you're saying, and I read it, I read the scripture, but that's
just not right. That's just not right. Well,
Romans 9, verse 14 to 18, what shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness
with God? God forbid. For He saith to Moses,
I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the Scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, even for this same purpose, this is what the Scripture says
to Pharaoh. This is what God said to Pharaoh. Even for this
same purpose, Have I raised thee up? You remember how rebellious
Pharaoh was? And let me tell you what God
did concerning Pharaoh. Almighty God did not have to
do it, doesn't have to do anything to anybody, but just leave them
alone. Leave you alone. Leave you alone. For this same reason, The same
purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in
thee, that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore
hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will
he hardeneth." The purpose of God in creation. The purpose of God in the creation
of this world. This was the theater. This is
the theater upon which Almighty God is going to manifest The
glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in redemptive glory. The purpose
of God in the creation of man. God Almighty created all men
to the glory of Christ to display His mercy, His judgment, His
righteousness. He's a just God. Almighty God. has the right to
choose to either show mercy or withhold that mercy. Now, let
me tell you this, and I'm going to wrap this up. If Almighty God shows mercy to
anybody, He's eternally chosen to show mercy to that person.
Now, you know that. That's what He told Moses. That's
the way it is. God never changes. If God shows mercy to somebody
in time, he's eternally purposed to show mercy. But if Almighty God has chosen
to leave a man to himself and allow that man to do exactly
what that man wants to do, it is not God's fault that man
is a rebel against God. God's not the author of sin. If Almighty God sets forth that
He's going to show mercy to anybody and give them a new heart and write His law upon their
heart and a love for that law and a bowing to Almighty God,
it's because God chose to show mercy and to not allow that person
to perish. God has the right to do that. But if you rebel against Almighty
God, you rebelled against Him. That
He withholds mercy from you, that is His right to do so. If you or I find ourselves under
the judgment of God, it is not God's fault. You did it and I
did it. Depart from me. ye workers of
iniquity." Now, the question is this, does God have a right
to withhold mercy from whomsoever He does? Yes, He does. He's the potter. We're the clay. That's second. I said there were
two questions. First question is, what was the attitude God
had? Here is the last question in closing. What does it mean
to be made in the likeness or the image of God? Let us make
man in our image after our likeness. What does that mean? Well, reverently,
we set forth this scripture concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, Colossians
115, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn
of every creature. In time, the Word was made flesh,
you know that, and dwelt among us. God, the Word in reality, actually
took upon Himself flesh and blood. Now, you know that. He was made
in the likeness of His brethren. God Almighty The eternal God,
the Lord Jesus Christ, who eternally spoke for His church and to His
Father, was not always made flesh. He came in the fullness of time. And in time, He actually took
upon Himself flesh, but the Father always saw Him. In that everlasting
covenant of grace, the Lord Jesus Christ, in God's mind and will
and purpose, He was always there. In the beginning, Proverbs 8,
22, 23, the Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way,
before His works of old, the Lord said concerning Him who
is our Mediator, our Messiah, He possessed me. Remember when
the Lord Jesus Christ prayed in the garden, Father, glorify
Thou me. Now, here's the Lord Jesus Christ.
Was He in the body when He was praying in John 17? Father, glorify
Thou me with the glory that I had with Thee before the world was. In time, He was made flesh, but
Almighty God eternally possessed Him. What does it mean to be made
in the likeness? Let us make man in our likeness. That is, let us consider man. Let us consider man. Everybody
is considered in their relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ. You're
either in Him or you're not. That's the way it is. Either Almighty God looks upon you in mercy and grace
and compassion, or God has left you to yourself to do that which
you're pleased to do. Somebody will say, well, I say that's kind of cut and
dry, don't it? Yes, it does. Yes, it does. Here's the way it is. If God
shows mercy to anybody, It's owing all to the glory and honor
and grace of God. If you perish, you wanted to
perish. God Almighty is not going to
be blamed for your destruction. Found in destruction? Yes. But
is it God's fault that God put you in hell? No, it's your fault. This is the truth. You might say, well, I've never
heard it. Well, if you've been here long,
you have. This is the way it is. God's people, they're told the
truth. The Lord Jesus Christ was the
first one that God Almighty ever trusted in, and whom God first
trusted was Christ. God was pleased in His infinite
wisdom to reveal Himself, the invisible, unapproachable God. Brother Scott quoted a scripture
the other day. If he only knew how that scripture, after I left
here, I began to think on what he quoted. He said, come see
a man. And I got to thinking about that later. And I thought,
my, that's it. Here it is. Almighty God, the invisible,
unapproachable God, Spirit. God is Spirit, not bound by anything,
not bound by time. We're bound by time. I'm bound
by this. I can't be in two places at one
time. God is not bound in time. You say, well, that was back
in the 1800s. That ain't the past of God. He said, I am. All of this to God is now. I
don't even enter into that. I can't even understand that. Almighty God was pleased to create this world
for this purpose, to display the glory of Almighty God in
the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. How am I going to know
God. How? God Almighty was made flesh. That's what he quoted. Come see
a man. I can see you. I can look at
you. Almighty God condescended. And
this is what God Almighty revealed. I have a purpose. I had a purpose
in making this world. He made all this and sustains
this every day for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. He
made every man, every woman in their relationship to Christ.
Some the potter made as vessels of honor. Some vessels of dishonor. Now let me tell you what will
happen. Either Almighty God in His infinite
power and mercy and grace will give a man or woman a new heart,
Gene, and they'll believe it. They'll believe it, Linda. They
will. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of your power. And you'll say, Lord, You mean to tell me that You
chose this pitiful, Pitiful creature of
the dust. This failing creature that doesn't
have enough sense to get out of the rain. That you would choose
to show mercy to me and you taught me that it was your purpose to show mercy
to me because you love the world. You love the arrangement of this
world. You love the order of man. and you weren't going to
let men perish because it was not good that your son should
be alone. It was not good that the man
should be alone. Lord, You made all of this and
created mankind to display Your mercy and grace in the establishment,
in the redemption of a people as a bride for Your Son. And
You taught me that truth And you gave me an understanding
and you've made me willing to bow to that and to trust you
and believe you and say, Lord, if you don't save me, I'm going
to perish. Is that what you're saying? Yeah,
that's what I'm saying. And all that Almighty God leaves
to themselves, they'll perish in unbelief justly. And I'm telling
you all that God calls out of darkness. Let me tell you what
they're going to do. They will. First thing they're going to
do is they're going to believe they're going to believe God.
That's what they do. They believe God and they'll
go through this world struggling. And hating themselves because
they don't believe him as they ought. They'll have this mind. These things that I'm hearing
are so wonderful and so marvelous and so magnificent. And here
I am. I treat Him with such disrespect. And all of this He's prepared
for the glory of His Son and made His Son the heir of all
things. And I'm a joint heir with Him.
And I'm going to sit with Him, and I will sit on the throne
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the honor, and as His bride associated
with Him, that God show mercy to me, and I'll sit there. And I treat this with such disrespect. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation
is all of grace. Almighty God purposed to save
His people. And in time, He'll tell them
about it. And they'll go through this world hating the very stain
of sin that they still see, the presence of it. And they will
look forward with a heart that's truly... They'll struggle with
this too. They'll read of that glory that shall be revealed
and they'll struggle. Saying, you know, why would I
ever want to stay here? And then they'll find themselves
wanting to hang on. And they'll just battle with it and battle
with it. And you'll think, Lord, but for Your grace, where would
I have been? But for Your mercy, what would I have done? And the
rest of this world will leave this world hating this gospel. Because that ain't fair. That
ain't fair. Let me tell you something. God
Almighty had a purpose in creation. He created all things by Him
and for Him. May the Lord bless these words
to our heart. Let's just take about a ten minute break and
we'll come back.