Pastor Matt Chandler of The Village Church preaches an incredible sermon in a series of sermons on the Cross. This first message of the series explains the character of God, and ends with an explanation of our purpose.

Most of us have been told that God created the universe, created all that…because He desired fellowship with man. Has anybody heard that? It’s a great idea if it weren’t for the Bible, and it’s almost blasphemous. That God, in His infinite perfection, was lonely, and His response to that loneliness was to create a bunch of glory thieving rats? That was the infinite God solution to His loneliness? You are not created for fellowship. That kind of makes you the centerpiece of the puzzle I’m afraid. We’re not that close to center. There are two ways to view the Scripture…One is that it’s a book about life and the other is that it’s a book about God. And this book, from beginning to end, will unpack for you that the desire of God’s heart is not your salvation but rather the glory of His name. That is what drives the universe, that is why everything exists, not so that you and I might be saved or lost, heaven or hell, but that God might be glorified in His infinite perfections.

• Ezekiel 20:5-9 says that God did not destroy Israel in the desert for the sake of His name.
• Psalms 106:6-8 says, “Yet he saved them for his name’s sake.”So, why are men saved? For the name of Christ, for the namesake of God, that He might make known His mighty power.
• Exodus 14:4; Exodus 14:18 says that Pharaoh’s heart was hardened for the glory of God.
• 1 Samuel 12:19-23 says the beginning of the Israeli monarch was about the glory of God.
• Psalms 25:11 says, “For your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.”
• Psalms 23:3 says, “He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
• 1 Kings 8:41-45 says Solomon dedicates the temple for the glory of God.
• 2 Samuel 7:23 says Israel became great and powerful among the nations for the glory of God.
• Isaiah 48:9-11 says God does not destroy Israel when they deserve it because He did not want His name blasphemed among the nations.
• Malachi 2:2, He decides to destroy Israel because they would not lay it in their heart to give glory to His name.
• John 17:4; John 7:18; John 4:34 says that Jesus’ life and ministry was about the glory of God.
• John 12:27-28 says the cross of Jesus is about the glory of God.
• Ephesians 1:3-6 says that you and I are saved to the praise of His glorious grace.
• 1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 Peter 4:11; Matthew 5:16 says that the Christian life is about the reflection of the glory of God off of our lives into the universe
• 2 Thessalonians 1:9-10 says the second coming is about the consummation of the glory of God.
• Revelation 21:23 says the consummation of all things is that God might be praise.

This is the story of the Bible, not you, not me, God, God alone, God’s name alone, God’s glory alone, God who is deep in riches, God who is deep in wisdom and knowledge, not you and me. So you see, outside of an understanding of God like this, everything becomes surface. Everything from dinner to sex to marriage to kids, it’s all shallow, it’s all trivial. But when you understand the driving force behind everything, all of a sudden there’s an immense amount of joy because everything we do is carried into a deeper level.

I ran across an interesting article at The Telegraph today entitled, Why Naked Isn’t Nude. Interestingly, I had an instructor at Lincoln Christian College that taught this balderdash as well.

I agree that at one point in time there was a distinction between naked and nude. It is unfortunately a distinction that can only exist as long as mankind does not know of its existence. Once man fell, everything that was encompassed in “nude” suddenly became quite naked. For a Christian to make a distinction between nude and naked (excluding perhaps the marriage bed made righteous through Christ) is, I believe, a mistake, and a dangerous one at that.

Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. — Genesis 3:7 The NET Bible

by Deitrich Bonhoeffer

Self-discipline

If you set out to seek freedom, you must learn before all things
Mastery over sense and soul, lest your wayward desirings,
Lest your undisciplined members lead you now this way, now that way.
Chaste be your mind and your body, and subject to you and obedient,
Serving solely to seek their appointed goal and objective.
None learns the secret of freedom save only by way of control.

Action

Do and dare what is right, not swayed by the whim of the moment.
Bravely take hold of the real, not dallying now with what might be.
Not in the flight of ideas but only in action is freedom.
Make up your mind and come out into the tempest of living.
God’s command is enough and your faith in him to sustain you.
Then at last freedom will welcome your spirit amid great rejoicing.

Suffering

See what a transformation! These hands so active and powerful
Now are tied, and alone and fainting, you see where your work ends.
Yet you are confident still, and gladly commit what is rightful
Into a stronger hand, and say that you are contented.
You were free from a moment of bliss, then you yielded your freedom
Into the hand of God, that he might perfect it in glory.

Death

Come now, highest of feasts on the way to freedom eternal,
Death, strike off the fetters, break down the walls that oppress us,
Our bedazzled soul and our ephemeral body,
That we may see at last the sight which here was not vouchsafed us.
Freedom, we sought you long in discipline, action, suffering.
Now as we die we see you and know you at last, face to face.