Why Does It Matter: YOU

Introduction: Let me ask a question this morning that I read in a book a few months back: “Are You Fully Alive” Let me rephrase that: “What would your life look like if you were fully alive?”

Let that resonate for a moment…because at first thought…you’d think “I am fully alive…” But let’s pause and check our gut…are You. PAUSE FOR A FULL MINUTE TO THINK…

That question gripped my heart when I read it!

Gen 2:18-25

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good (In the Hebrew Original Text this verse begins this way: NOT GOOD…as if it is an emphatic shout.) that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 So out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called Woman,

because she was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

ESV

Introduction: This is not going to be your typical Easter Resurrection service. I’m not going to tell you the story of the Crucifixion…instead, I would like to share with you a principle that may lend an answer to Why the Crucifixion, Why Easter, and Why God sent His Son, Jesus, to die such a horrible death, taking our Place.

The answer is summed up in a Phrase that I Hope you never forget. My Title is Why Do “You” Matter…if you’ll unlock that question, you’ll find the answer to “What would your life look like if you were fully alive?”

GOD NEEDS YOU

Transition: Now I know that sounds crazy to think about…and here is the rub…my message has three points and the first point is this:

God Doesn’t Need Anything
1. Hold up Pastor you just said, God needs me and now you are saying God doesn’t need anything, so what gives.
  1. I know crazy huh? You never begin a speech or talk that way much less a sermon. You are trying to prove or support your title or thesis but in this case, I am going to discredit the title to which I am preaching before I support it.
2. Many years ago, I was snow skiing at Breckenridge and I was out on Peak 8…Peak 8 is one of the highest peaks there at Breckenridge and on the backside of this massive peak are bowls to be skied by the daring…I had been skiing very hard for days and I decided to sit down and simply take in the Peak and the landscape that can be seen from this vantage point.

In that moment I began to think about how HUGE God truly is, how magnificent He is and had that overwhelming feeling the Psalmist had when He wrote: “What is man that you are mindful of Him…Psalm 8” In other words, “Why would you give mankind a second thought when you are a big, awesome, huge, massive God…

1. And I had this impression that the Lord said, Yes…But I Need You.
  1. Now that is intimidating and I also thought this cannot be true…
  2. I mean God is self-sufficient, self-existing, and self-sustaining…
  3. Acts 17:24-26

24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.

NKJV

Transition: So Now I have scripture to Prove God Doesn’t Need Anything, especially me…so this leads me to my second point.

God Decided to Need You
1. God doesn’t need us for Him to exist, but He does need us to Co-exist together…
2. In Genesis 2:19 we find Adam created in the Image and Likeness of God…and He is naming all the animals. God is bringing the animals to Adam and Adam is Naming them according to what He desired…
3. But in the Process…Adam does not see an animal that is suitable or the same kind in the same class as Adam…
  1. Adam wasn’t created in the Animal Class…wasn’t even created like the animals were…
  2. I understand what scientists tell us…but I contend we will never find our identity studying animals…we were not created in the Animal Class…to find the True identity you have to Study Jesus…
    1. That is why the study of scripture is honestly a study of Anthropology
    2. Anthropology is the study of what makes us human…I contend it cannot be and will never be discovered outside of Studying God…
  3. Around 400 B.C., the Greek philosopher Plato set forth the premise that there are three valid ways to obtain knowledge:
    1. by the five senses,
    2. through the reasoning of the mind
    3. and from the spirit realm.
  4. Some fifty years later Aristotle revised this idea. He believed that the five senses and reasoning of the mind were the only valid means for obtaining true knowledge; he gave no credence to spiritual revelation.
  5. Here is the point…Adam couldn’t find a HelpMate, a Companion because He wasn’t created in the Animal Class…He was created in the God Class. In the image and likeness of God and without spiritual revelation, He would not know Identity or would Adam have ever found a Bride…
  6. Now this tells me something even more important about the Character and Nature of God…God desired for Adam to have relationships and companionship…God formed Eve in the same class as Adam thus the reason why God used a Rib from Adam…
4. Now All through Scripture there is this overriding theme…God does very little in the earth if He doesn’t have a partner…
  1. Ezek 22:30

30 So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.

NKJV

1. 1. Mark 6:5-6

5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief.

NKJV

1. God has all the power to do it, He is simply waiting on our willingness to partner with Him.

Transition:

One of the most famous stories in the Bible…David vs. Goliath

1 Sam 17:8-11

8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” 10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

ESV

Historians tell us Goliath was 9’ 4” tall…a tower of intimidation.
God could have sent a Lightning Bolt to the earth to take out this giant, but could it be that God was limiting His Own Power and ability to the Power of Partnership…
So instead of God sending a Lightning bolt, He sends a boy…
- This speaks to the greatness of partnership when God is your partner…
- David had killed the lion and the bear which were preparation….
- If you look back over your life…you have fought your own lions and bears…and now you arrive to this Easter facing a seemingly insurmountable obstacle…
So this brings me to my next point…

Have You Decided To Need God

If God has decided to Need you; Have you decided to Need Him.

1. Sub- Point 1 – God is never going to do your part…
  1. Maybe you’ve prayed these prayers…Lord Heal my marriage…but Ephesians 5 instructs us, “You’ve Got to do your part….”
    1. Ephesians 5 says, “Husbands love your wives as Christ loves the church…”
    2. And it says, “Ladies Honor your husbands as Christ honors the Church…”
    3. And men you’re not loving and honey you aren’t honoring….and we are praying…but we aren’t doing our part.
  2. See many people are angry at God because they say, “God you have the power to do this or that” …and God says, “Yes, but you have to do your part.”
  3. God is NEVER going to do your part…
2. Sub-point 2 – Now here is some great news: Our part is never Supernatural
  1. David threw the rock, then God did the Supernatural and directed the stone…
    1. Can I show you something pretty cool…this is Free…?
    2. In the scripture, I read in 1 Sam. It said that Goliath came and shouted to the Ranks of Israel and I realize this, in the natural, is speaking of Armies but we are now talking about God’s part…which is supernatural. So Goliath is challenging the Rank of Israel in the Land, He is challenging the Rank of the People of God…It could be that the challenge you are facing realizes what you don’t…and your challenge isn’t personal…it’s against your Rank.
    3. Can I prove it…in verse 49 it says that when the stone hit the giant in the forehead…the giant fell on his face…he fell face forward…a bowing, submissive posture…let me go deeper.
    4. When the Philistines took the Ark of the Covenant…which represents the Authority of God, the Order of God, the Rank of God and the Presence of God…they placed the Ark in the Temple of Dagon their false Idol…and the next day their Idol was lying face down before the Ark…1Sam.5
    5. Scripture says, “Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess…”
    6. If you and I will do our Part there is no telling what the Supernatural Power of God will look like when God does His part.
  2. Moses held up the stick, but God parted the Red Sea.
  3. The People shouted…then the walls fell.
  4. So don’t anticipate your part to be that difficult or big…it’s just obedience.

Transition: You do your part, then God will do His part

1. Sub-point 3 – Our Part comes 1^st
  1. Now I know we love God because he first loved us…according to 1 John 4:19
    1. So, God already did His part…He sent His Son to the Cross
    2. So, it is our move, our response, our part is now up…
  2. Confess our sin and He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins…our Confession comes first.
  3. All those who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved…we have to call out to Him first.
  4. Humble yourself under the hand of God and in due season He will exalt you and lift you up.
  5. Scripture says, “lay hands on the sick and they’ll recover…” our part is first…
  6. Give and it will be given to you, pressed down shaken together, running over…

Transition: I could do this all day…but I started with a question: a. ”What would your life look like if you were fully alive?” But How…?

Closing
1. Romans 5 informs us “Adam sinned and all were condemned…”
  1. Can we be honest today…has anyone here ever thought that was unfair…
  2. I’m a sinner because Adam sinned…
  3. This seems a bit unfair to me…I mean I wasn’t even around…so you are saying I’m guilty of sin and I haven’t done anything yet.
  4. Rom 5:19

19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners,

ESV

1. It wasn’t Unfair; It was Brilliant…only God could come up with such a brilliant idea…
  1. Since it only took one man to lose it all; it only took one man to get it all back…the man Christ Jesus.
  2. Rom 5:19-20

19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

ESV

1. Jesus came and died once and for all…
  1. Could it have played out this way…just as we read in 1 Samuel…
    1. Goliath came and said, Okay send out a man and if I win, everyone serves us, but if your man wins…we will serve you.
  2. Could it have been that Satan told God…send out a man and if I win…all of Humanity serves me but if your man wins they can serve you and God said, Okay…I choose Him…I can see Satan saying, Whoa He’s not a man…and God’s response…Okay, he’ll become one, so that through this One and His victory…all of humanity can enter into victory. Jesus died once for all and defeated, Satan, death, and hell…
  3. Does that mean we’re all going to heaven…no!
  4. It means God has done his part…whether you go to heaven or not depends on if you are going to do your part?
2. Pastor What is My Part…BELIEVE…Give Your Life To Christ and Accept that Jesus Died in Your Place…we call it getting saved or being born again…
3. Some of you are here today…Because Someone Did Their Part and Invited You…It’s Now Your Turn to Do Your Part.
Fully Alive
1. Jesus said: “I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly”

Why Does It Matter: YOU

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