Does My Life Matter (Part One) - Desperate Men Ministries

Absolutely Yes! Before I spend the rest of our time explaining why your life matters and showing you how you can know that with certainty, let us consider a few circumstances that lead people to ask this fundamental question. 2020 has been one of the hardest on people in our nation’s brief history. The world is still dealing with fallout, not from a nuclear explosion, but a viral one. This virus is not one that affects our computers or phones. We know firsthand it affects, even devastates, people and our health—physical, mental, and spiritual.

One of the worst things to hit our world in the late 20^th century that becomes more pervasive each year is negative social and broadcast media. They are full of haters and liars whose only defense is to call everyone else haters and liars. They scream louder and talk over everyone. Anyone can hold themselves out to be an expert when they are not. And some not very bright people will follow or like them. Everyone has opinions, but these people are too willing to share theirs, promoting more self-aggrandizing and tearing others down. Whether or not they have any basis in fact or truth does not matter.

Too many people today, especially those struggling with self-issues of all kinds, can be highly susceptible to these onslaughts. The fact that we read, heard, or watched some of that “stuff” affects our minds and thought processes to some extent. Sadly for some, this cascade of “information” has dramatic effects that can lead to unhealthy issues. Physical illnesses. Mental Illnesses, like anxiety and depression. And most tragic of all…suicide. All of these issues have increased during the 2020 Covid crisis—especially among young people.

Before proceeding, I want you to understand where I stand and come from theologically. I live and breathe from a biblical Christian creationist world view. That means I believe the Bible including the Genesis account of creation and Flood. I believe Jesus is Who He says He in His Word. You also need to know; most people today think I am an idiot for believing all of this. And, of course, it makes me some kind of racist because, in the secular world view, all of mankind are racists. That is called “critical race theory”. As ridiculous as it is, it is taught in major secular universities and will be in your child or grandchild’s school curriculum if the liberal secular humanists have their way or get elected. Google critical race theory.

For those reading this and do not believe as I do or think I am a lunatic, please hang in here for the duration of this message. What do you have to lose? Some of you tuned in because you are desperate for the truth and to find someone who can help you answer important questions like why you are here and if your life matters at all. Truth is all I am going to give you—biblical truth straight from the mouth of God. If I give opinion, I will tell you. Where else in any media today are you going to get that? Nowhere! Now let us get to the answers.

Answer #1: Yes, because God did not need us—He wanted us!

It matters to God, so it matters! No matter what someone else tells you, your life matters, first and foremost, to the One Who created you. How do I know? Glad you asked. Let’s begin at the beginning. On Day Six, you and I were on the mind of God. Here is part of that account.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply…” Genesis 1: 26 – 28

God did not need us to keep Him company. Yet we read on the first page of the Bible, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit had a conversation about us. We were created in the image of God. Then He gave us absolute authority over all of creation. He set us up to be successful. Moses told us He blessed us from the beginning. It was a perfect world. What happened?

How did this world (including my life) get so screwed up?

What we refer to in Bible-speak as the “Genesis 3” world happened. What does that mean? Once again, for skeptics and unbelievers, I warn you are going to have problems with this explanation. But as I said before, you do not have one—otherwise you would not still be looking for answers to life’s questions (we) all ask at some point. So you might as well sit tight and listen to what God said about how all this came about and what ultimately led us to this place.

I taught on this in more detail in my Understanding God of the Bible Series, so I am just going to review the high points or should I say low points. The Genesis 3 world:

God gave Adam and Eve everything with only one rule—not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. That brought the death penalty. (Genesis 2: 15-17)
Satan (embodied as a serpent, a beautiful creature that did not slither around) seduced and deceived Eve with a fruit from that tree.
Eve ate, enticed Adam to do the same = disobeyed God brought sin & death into world.
God uncovered Adam and Eve’s sin (blame game begins), Satan’s deception and lies, and curses fall on all of them and the earth.
Protoevangelium (Genesis 3: 15) In the curse on Satan, God promised a Savior.

Beyond that from Genesis 4-6, we read the rest of that story…

The world became progressively more evil, to the extent God was deeply troubled and regretted having created man. (Genesis 6: 6)
The Global Flood. Purged the earth but soon thereafter, man returned to disobeying God.
God chose to make unto Himself one nation of people and chose Abram to be the father.
Throughout the rest of biblical and world history, the people whom God loved and adored continued to disobey Him, make bad decisions, and blame them on someone else. The death penalty for sin remained—satisfied only during Israel’s history by blood sacrifices.

So throughout history, the world has been full of evil and “good” people run by evil and good monarchs, dictators, and other forms of leaders, elected and otherwise. That is what we have inherited today. You and I have a tendency, if not predisposition, to make bad decisions, sin, and often blame someone else. I hope that brief history helps you better understand how this world got to where it is. On to the next answer.

Answer #2: Yes. You are uniquely created. God only made one of you. Your fingerprints are unique to you for a reason. They are God’s coding not some ridiculous happenstance from evolution. That is nonsense. You are special! Too often, the worst thing happens as you listen to what other people say about you and try to frame who you are or who you think you are in their eyes. Stop listening to the lies!

I want you to hear the truth about what God thought about you when He created you. He had so much to say about you in His Word. Here are some direct quotes.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16

“Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you;” Jeremiah 1: 4-5b

“You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD,You know it all.” Psalm 139: 1-4

Finally I want to close by reading to you some very comforting words from Jesus Himself on worry, anxiety, and your value to God.

“Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” Luke 12: 6-7;

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6: 25-33

I know we have covered a lot today and could tell as I was writing this message, it would need two weeks to complete. I want to extend an invitation for all to return next week because it will add two more answers to this question. I really think you will gain more next week than you have today.

So before I close, as I always do, I want to invite any watching, listening, or reading this message to receive Christ as your Savior. He alone is the answer to the Genesis 3 problem – sin. We will discuss that more next week, but why wait. Confess your sins to Him, ask forgiveness, and receive Him as your Savior. He made it the easiest decision you will ever make.

For Christ’s sake,