The Rest Of The Story Series

"I had always felt life first as a story,” said G.K. Chesterton. “And if there is a story, there is a story teller.”

From his childhood Chesterton knew in his heart that somehow he had stumbled into a great Tale. His life was a journey to understand that Tale, and his quest took him - quite naturally - to the Author of the Story. It is the search we all must take if we would ever understand our lives, find the reason for our existence.

Life is a story, after all. That’s how it comes to us. But like a movie we’ve arrived at forty minutes late, life doesn’t make sense until we understand the rest of the Story. That’s just as true for people with faith as it is for people who have no faith - yet. We all need to understand the Story of this life we’re living, and find our place in it.

As Neo said in The Matrix Reloaded, “I just wish I knew what I am supposed to do.” -- that will always be the struggle and question until we know our origins; what we were built for.

When it comes to figuring things out in this life you’re living, you’d do well to know the rest of the story.

You are part of a much larger story than your life and present situation. If you want to know what the story is about you have to go back to the beginning.

Our story begins with creation (not at birth -- it is much bigger than that; much grander and glorious and adventurous).

-- Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"

The stages of creation are the settings for the story -- light, sky, earth, sun and moon and stars, plants, animals; similar to how the props on the stage and the stage itself, as well as the lights, sound system, music are necessary for the play.

Q: Where else did everything come from if not from God?

-how do you get everything out of nothing? -- science itself denies this! Our minds cannot conceive of "nothing". If there was a time when there literally was nothing -- no air, gas, liquid, heat, light -- then there could not have been anything to explode.

By the way, Genesis 1 doesn’t necessarily deny a Big Bang. We are simply told that God created the heavens and the earth. HOW he did that is not described.

-there is a design to the universe -- the perfect distance from the sun; rain and water; light and heat; everything to sustain life -- air, plants, water; constants of physics -- speed of light, gravitational constant, the strength of the weak and strong nuclear forces -- the probablity that these happened and fell into place by mere accident -- what are the odds?

SEEKER: Are you willing to bet your life on those odds? Can there be anything more irrational?

-the sense of right and wrong, good and evil. If we have moral standards there must be a standard maker behind it.

But to prove the existence of God, we don’t go first to Genesis 1 or look at nature and ID. Instead, we begin with Jesus and with Easter. For if Jesus really was who he said he was and really did what the Bible records that he did -- dying and rising from the dead, then, although we might not be able to reconcile or at least explain or understand how the Bible and science fit together, we have a compelling case for the existence of God, as well as basis for hope, purpose, peace and happiness.

But WHY did God create? (a much more fundamental question than "how?")

"Let us make man in our own image"

Not because he was lonely and needed someone to love. -- Trinity

-the reason why the very essence of being human is to be in relationship and to love, is because we are made in the image of God and that is what he is by nature.

God made everything for

1. His glory

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. (Ps.19:1-2)

Creation is really an overflow of and expression of his glory.

-we get a sense or taste of what God is like when we look at creation -- His wisdom, power, goodness (seen in beauty, provision of air, water, food, etc.), life

-cp to the work of an artist or musician -- you learn much about them through their art

-cp. to my house -- pretty soon you will figure out that I am married, have three girls, am a pastor, evangelical (theological persuasion), a counsellor, hockey fan; what kind of music I like, movies I like, books I read