To invent is to design and create something that has never existed before. Some say that Necessity is the mother of invention. That being true, we are the beneficiaries of somebody’s necessity and, as a result we have refrigerators, air conditioners, automobiles, cruise control, automatic transmissions, airplanes, microwaves, cell phones and Snickers Bars.
Sometimes, however, inventions come, not from necessity, but from idiocy. They benefit few or none; they meet no real need, and they make the user waste time and money and to look stupid using them.
There are some really dumb, inane, useless and idiotic inventions. For example: a mummy style sleeping bag with pantlegs or a DVD rewinder!
There are, in spite of these, thankfully, life-saving, labor-saving, time-saving, money-saving inventions which we enjoy and some of which were purely accidental.
Many of the most beneficial inventions were the result of a fluke, or unexpected circumstances or were not at first recognized as useful. They might be better called “Misintentions” rather than “Inventions” For example:
• Researcher Spence Sliver was experimenting with various combinations of adhesives and made an adhesive that would "tack" one piece of paper to another without leaving residue on the second piece of paper. The company had no use for the new adhesive until 3M chemist Arthur Fry needed something better than slips of paper to mark pages in his choir book. Then he remembered Silver's adhesive. Fry's better bookmark became Post-its.
• In the 1930's rubber appeared to be a “miracle material.” It was waterproof and easy to stretch. But it melted in the summer and cracked in the winter. Charles Goodyear worked hard to solve the problem. In 1839, he accidentally dropped a gob of rubber mixed with sulfur onto a hot stove which caused the rubber to vulcanize. Hence we have tires and many other useful rubber items.
• Sir Alexander Fleming, a Scottish researcher, is credited with the discovery of penicillin in 1928. Often described as a careless lab technician, Fleming returned from a two-week vacation to find that a mold had developed on an accidentally contaminated culture plate. Upon examination of the mold, he noticed that the culture prevented the growth of staphylococci. Fleming is quoted as saying: “One sometimes finds what one is not looking for. When I woke up just after dawn on Sept. 28, 1928, I certainly didn’t plan to revolutionize all medicine by discovering the world’s first antibiotic, or bacteria killer. But I guess that was exactly what I did.”
The Original Inventor is God and His work is glorious – and as one Tee Shirt had printed on it, “God Don’t Make No Junk.” Consider just a few of truths about His inventions.
I. GOD’S INVENTIONS ARE INTENTIONAL:
A. Unlike Silver, Fleming and Goodyear, God did not have to experiment and none of His works were accidents. He never says, “Wow! How did that happen? I didn’t see that coming.” He is, however, able to take our mistakes and generate something good. Don’t let failure make you fail, let God have it and tanned aide.
B. God never does anything by accident, or unaware of what He is doing. Paul makes it clear that God intentionally planned our salvation even before creation. He wrote, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be Holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace He has poured out on us who belong to His dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins. He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God has now revealed to us His mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill His own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in Heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us in advance, and He makes everything work out according to His plan.” Ephesians 1:3-11 (NLT2).
C. Think of it:
1. He invented the entirety of creation and brought it into being by His command; He made everything as He intended.
2. He invented every atom, every part of our bodies. David knew it and praised God saying, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalm 139:13-16 (NLT2).
3. He invented the plan of Salvation, which includes:
a. All kinds of blessings: kindness, wisdom, understanding, grace.
b. Adoption into His family.
c. Freedom from sin’s power and penalty.
d. An inheritance from God.
e. Bringing everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in Heaven and on earth.
(1) Paul said, “God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11 (NLT2).
(2) And, “Now He is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made Him head over all things for the benefit of the church.” Ephesians 1:21-22 (NLT2).
D. Many years ago, there was found in an African mine one of the most magnificent diamonds ever found. It was presented to the king of England who sent it to Amsterdam to be cut. It was put into the hands of an expert lapidary. He took the gem and cut a notch in it. Then he struck a hard blow and the jewel was cut in two. He did not do this out of recklessness. For weeks that blow had been studied and planned. Was that blow a mistake? No! That blow which seemed to ruin the precious stone was, in fact, an intentional act. (James S. Hewlett). Some think the Death and Burial of Jesus were a death blow to God’s invention and could not have been intended or foreseen. But, like the lapidary, God planned ahead. So, every lash of the whip, every nail, the spear that pierced His side, and every drop of sweat and every drop of blood shed were carefully factored into God’s Intentional Invention.
So, next
II. GOD’S INVENTIONS ARE INTENTIONALLY GOOD:
A. Some inventions were intended for harm, pain, torture and death. Devices and methods were invented to deal with traitors, enemies and criminals:
1. The rack, the thumb screws, water torture, the stocks, brain washing.
2. The Guillotine, the gallows, the cross to mention a few inventions designed for harm.
B. There are many cruel inventions, but God invented a way that is good, kind, benevolent, gracious and merciful to the worst of us.
1. “God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might Have eternal life through Him.” 1 John 4:9 (NLT2).
2. Jeremiah recorded God’s benevolent promise and plan, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen.” Jeremiah 29:11-12 (NLT2).
3. “The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NLT2).
C. God’s heart is kindly toward you; He is not your enemy; He is not a scowling, snarling troll who hopes to catch us in sin. “The LORD is like a father to His children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him. For He knows How weak we are; He remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone— as though we Had never been Here. But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear Him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to His covenant, of those who obey His commandments! Psalm 103:13-18 (NLT2)
To illustrate designing and creating for someone’s good, I refer to a man who designed and built a go-cart for his son. He carefully designed the frame, the suspension, the steering mechanism, the roll bar and the brakes. He carefully chose the right engine. He designed the seat and seat belts. He got a good helmet and safety garments. And to be extra careful, he governed the speed to max 10 mpg. That would be enough for the open field behind the house and to the creek about 1/4 mile from the house. Now the boy would have liked a higher speed and less protective stuff, but Dad had designed and created it with his son’s good in mind. Just so, God’s invention is for our good.
But there is more
III. GOD’S INVENTIONS ARE INTENTIONALLY GOOD FOR ALL:
A. He intentionally invented a plan, and that plan is good, and is good for all: the plan is:
1. To save all who are united to, and belong to Jesus Christ and to make us members of His family.
2. To forgive us all for, and to free us all from, all sin.
3. In His time to make everything submit to Christ’s authority.
B. Note the gracious inclusiveness of His plan:
1. Paul wrote. “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, Who has given me strength to do His work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve Him, even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted His people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in Him and receive eternal life.” 1 Timothy 1:12-16 (NLT2).
2. The Samaritan Woman at the well, Zaccheus the tax collector and fleecer of the people, the woman caught in the act of adultery, Mary Magdalene with 7 demons, Peter, who denied Him, all those were included!
3. “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ Let anyone who hears this say, ‘Come.’ Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.” Revelation 22:17 (NLT2).
C. You can be assured you are included:
1. You are not too sinful to be forgiven.
2. You are not too great a failure to be used.
3. You are not too defiled to be cleansed.
4. You are not too worthless to be loved.
5. That is all true because “When we were utterly Helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we Have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” Romans 5:6-11 (NLT2).
a. We were helpless.
b. We were sinners.
c. We were God’s enemies.
d. We are empowered, forgiven and reconciled.
e. We are included.
D. When our children, Keri and John, were about 6 and 3, Marlene was setting the table for dinner. As she started putting out the baked potatoes Keri said, “I want a baked potato, too!” Marlene smiled at her and said, “You don’t think I would give everybody else a baked potato and not give you one, too, do you?”
You may say, “I want to be saved and forgiven, too; I want to be a new creation in Christ, too; I want a place in heaven too!” And do you really think God would give those things to others and not to you? If you do without, you excluded yourself by refusing to believe!
PRAY
Where are you in God’s plan? Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Have you confessed that? Have you determined to turn from sin? Have you been baptized by immersion for forgiveness of sin? This is your moment. You may never have another in which to begin to walk with Him through life and to Heaven.
