Jeremy Utley - What Are People For? Close Friendship With God

Jeremy UtleyJanuary 4, 202221mWatch on YouTube

Speaker: Jeremy Utley Title: What Are People For? Close Friendship With God Date: 01/02/2022 Our Goal as Christians is this: To be an exact reflection of Jesus, the Son of God (Romans 8:29) We do this individually by growing in purity in our personal lives (1 John 3:2-3) We do this corporately by becoming fully functioning members of a local Church (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Summary

The central message is that human beings have a specific, divinely appointed purpose: to maintain a close friendship with God. The speaker uses analogies, such as a TV or a stuffed animal, to illustrate that using something outside its intended purpose ruins it, and similarly, living outside of close fellowship with God renders life meaningless and useless. Knowing this purpose is not enough; one must also turn to God, as the Bible reveals that no one is inherently righteous or naturally close to God.

Outline

The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.

What are we for?For thousands of years, scientists, philosophers, and historians have asked the fundamental question of why human beings exist and what we are made for.

Using things outside of their intended purposeUsing everyday illustrations like a television used as a cutting board or a stuffed animal used to clean a toilet, the message shows that misusing something ruins it.

Our purpose matters and God decides itJust like the maker of a crown gets to decide its purpose, God as our Creator is the only one who gets to define what human beings are made for.

Created for close friendship with GodGod made us in His image so that we might have close fellowship with Him; anything else we do outside of this relationship destroys us.

Does knowing our purpose make us right with God?Reading from Romans chapter 3, the speaker notes that no one is righteous by nature and all people have turned aside from God's purpose.Romans 3:10

Blinded by the enemySatan blinds people to make them think there are many other valid reasons to be alive, hiding the truth that friendship with God is our only true purpose.

How the Bible defines sinSin is not just extreme crimes like murder, but simply doing what we want rather than what God wants.

Sin as conflict and disagreementJust as close human relationships require agreement on everyday things like food or music, we cannot have close friendship with God if we do not want what He wants.

What it means to be a close friend of GodTrue fellowship means our interests and desires are conformed to become the same as God's, so that we want what He wants.

Recognizing the problem and looking forwardAcknowledging sin as a real problem is the necessary step toward wanting to be God's close friend and living out the purpose He created us for.

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