- What would it be
like to suddenly discover
00:00:01.10\00:00:02.53
that your life has an
incredibly meaningful place
00:00:02.53\00:00:05.47
in the story of
the entire universe,
00:00:05.47\00:00:08.27
that you're not just
some kind of cosmic accident,
00:00:08.27\00:00:10.97
but might have a very
specific role to play.
00:00:10.97\00:00:13.74
What would that mean for you?
00:00:13.74\00:00:15.64
[upbeat music]
00:00:15.64\00:00:20.72
The impact that Charles
Darwin had on the Western world
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is really pretty
hard to underestimate.
00:00:39.30\00:00:41.17
I mean, it's still
the prevailing theory
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of human origins taught
in classrooms to this day.
00:00:43.07\00:00:47.18
Even though there was actually
00:00:47.18\00:00:48.68
very little original
material in Darwin's thinking,
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at least when it came
to the idea of evolution,
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he still gets
credit for assembling it
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in such a way that
most people started thinking
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in terms of
survival of the fittest.
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And unless you've
been hiding under a rock,
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you know the basics
of what Darwin taught,
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organisms change
and adapt over time.
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And the very best mutations,
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the ones that
prove to be beneficial,
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give some creatures
distinct advantages.
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So those creatures
take over the gene pool.
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And there's a bit of irony
in using the word creature too,
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because, well,
what's a creature?
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It's something that's
created, but I digress.
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I've always found it curious
that Darwin's first essay
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on this subject
came out in 1844,
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right at the end of
the Second Great Awakening.
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And in the same year
that a Baptist preacher
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named William Miller was
generating an awful lot of
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interest in the
subject of the second coming.
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This was a time of deep
spiritual revival here in
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America. And even
though Darwin was in England,
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I can't help but think
that the widespread adoption
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of his theory at that time
might not be a coincidence.
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Somehow, like everything else,
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his thoughts
were somewhat shaped
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by the times in which he lived.
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Here in the United States,
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the 19th century was
a very unsettled time.
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Not only did we have
the Second Great Awakening,
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which scholars usually date
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from the 1790s
through the 1840s,
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but a few years after
that the dream that was America
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was suddenly torn in
half by a brutal civil war
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that took hundreds
of thousands of lives.
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I've seen estimates
from 600 to 720,000.
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Of course, the
impact of that conflict
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is really hard to overestimate.
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And in many ways,
Americans are still living
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in the wake of the Civil War.
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But as Randall
Fuller points out,
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the Civil War was not the
only major upheaval going on
00:02:36.82\00:02:40.62
in American
culture at that time.
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One single copy of Darwin's
book on the origin of species
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had a very big
influence on the American mind.
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And here's how Mr.
Fuller describes it.
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"One copy of the Origin
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made a disproportionately large
impact on American culture.
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That copy, which today
resides at Harvard University,
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was sent by its
authors to Asa Gray,
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a botanist who soon
championed the new theory
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to general and scientific
audiences throughout America."
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So, in other words,
it took just one academic
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with a single
copy of Darwin's book
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to make his theory take
root all across this nation.
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It almost sounds like
one of those stories you hear
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about missionaries
who smuggle a single copy
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of the Bible
into a forbidden zone,
00:03:27.67\00:03:30.14
and then that Bible
launches a huge revival.
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I would argue that Darwin's work
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also triggered a
spiritual revival of sorts,
00:03:36.41\00:03:38.91
but from where I sit,
it was the wrong kind.
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And actually the word revival
isn't really the right word.
00:03:41.65\00:03:44.39
I should probably call
it a spiritual revolution.
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And I know there
are people listening
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who will not like
the idea that Darwin
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was some kind of
spiritual leader because,
00:03:51.76\00:03:53.83
man, he was obviously a man
of secular thought and science.
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But to suggest
that Darwin's theory
00:03:58.77\00:04:00.44
didn't have a spiritual impact,
00:04:00.44\00:04:02.44
that's either
dishonest or naive.
00:04:02.44\00:04:04.87
For starters, he was challenging
00:04:04.87\00:04:06.37
the traditional
anthropology and cosmology
00:04:06.37\00:04:09.41
of the entire
Judeo-Christian West.
00:04:09.41\00:04:12.38
Our understanding of who
we are as human beings shifted
00:04:12.38\00:04:15.62
under Darwin's tutelage.
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Instead of
thinking about ourselves
00:04:17.42\00:04:18.92
as creatures made
in the image of God,
00:04:18.92\00:04:20.56
we started to believe
that we were the product
00:04:20.56\00:04:22.52
of time plus chance.
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And of course, the
way you choose to live
00:04:25.03\00:04:26.90
can be profoundly
influenced by your understanding
00:04:26.90\00:04:29.73
of who you are and
where you come from.
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What happened when
Darwin's work took root
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is a shift away from
thinking about humanity
00:04:35.50\00:04:38.94
as the apex of biological life.
00:04:38.94\00:04:42.04
Up to his point,
most people believed
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that humanity was
the point of creation,
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frankly, the
reason for this planet.
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In fact, there
were people who believed
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that you and I are the very
center of the whole universe,
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not just metaphorically
speaking, but literally.
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They believed
the earth was located
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at the very
center of the cosmos.
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Of course there's nothing
in the Bible to affirm that,
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but the way we tend to think,
00:05:06.30\00:05:08.24
being placed at the
center of something,
00:05:08.24\00:05:10.41
like the center of the universe,
00:05:10.41\00:05:12.37
is a way of
emphasizing its importance.
00:05:12.37\00:05:15.68
That's why we got a
little pushback when people like
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Galileo or Copernicus started to
ask some really good questions.
00:05:18.81\00:05:22.08
Church leaders, and
by no means all of them,
00:05:22.08\00:05:24.75
but some church
leaders were afraid
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that telling people the
earth was not at the center
00:05:27.36\00:05:30.89
would be a
demotion for the human race.
00:05:30.89\00:05:33.90
But then after we
accepted those ideas,
00:05:33.90\00:05:35.93
Darwin came along and said
that maybe we aren't the apex,
00:05:35.93\00:05:38.90
the point of biology either.
00:05:38.90\00:05:41.34
We'd always believed,
always sense that human beings
00:05:41.34\00:05:44.04
are somehow
different from the animals,
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but Darwin's work now said
we were nothing but animals.
00:05:46.68\00:05:51.05
Successful animals to be
sure, but still just animals.
00:05:51.05\00:05:55.12
And now we were
no longer special,
00:05:55.12\00:05:56.89
no longer made
in the image of God,
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and we were no longer the
point of this world's existence.
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Now, oddly
enough, in recent years,
00:06:02.79\00:06:05.29
there's been some
scientific pushback
00:06:05.29\00:06:07.13
on the idea that you
and I are not special
00:06:07.13\00:06:09.13
because there's now a very
small, but growing movement
00:06:09.13\00:06:12.50
that preaches
something known as biocentrism.
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And it's a return to the
idea that the universe appears
00:06:15.17\00:06:18.14
to exist for our benefit.
00:06:18.14\00:06:20.31
At least one
science author I've read
00:06:20.31\00:06:22.88
makes the case that
parts of this universe appear
00:06:22.88\00:06:26.01
to respond to our observation
00:06:26.01\00:06:29.22
as if they know we're watching.
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You'll find this in the
world of quantum physics
00:06:32.32\00:06:34.39
where we've discovered
that some tiny, tiny particles
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have no reliable
location until we measure them.
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In other words, the
behavior of quantum particles
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actually changes
when we're looking.
00:06:43.33\00:06:45.80
How do they know we're looking?
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It's kind of mind blowing,
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but it's also not really
what we're driving at today.
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Right now, our primary interest
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is to think about the difference
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between this new
Darwinian paradigm
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and the way the Bible
talks about the importance
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and the nature of humanity.
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And what we're going to
look at isn't really anchored
00:07:01.35\00:07:04.39
in the tension
between creation and evolution
00:07:04.39\00:07:06.59
because there have been plenty
of discussions about that.
00:07:06.59\00:07:09.92
What I want to explore
is how our understanding
00:07:09.92\00:07:13.06
of who we are
impacts the way we live.
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Does it make a difference
if you have a noble concept
00:07:16.63\00:07:19.87
of what a human is
versus the radical devaluation
00:07:19.87\00:07:23.27
of humanity that
came through Darwin?
00:07:23.27\00:07:25.64
So, if you've got
a copy of the Bible
00:07:25.64\00:07:28.14
somewhere in your house,
you might want to grab it
00:07:28.14\00:07:30.41
because we're gonna
look at a few key passages
00:07:30.41\00:07:32.75
from the Book of Genesis.
00:07:32.75\00:07:34.42
And while I'm obviously
gonna read them to you,
00:07:34.42\00:07:36.82
you're still gonna get more
out of this if you follow along.
00:07:36.82\00:07:40.39
How does the
Bible position humanity?
00:07:40.39\00:07:42.89
What does it say about
who we are, what we're worth,
00:07:42.89\00:07:45.83
and why we seem to be broken?
00:07:45.83\00:07:48.00
Of course, it's
an enormous subject
00:07:48.00\00:07:49.63
and there's no way we're gonna
cover it in the time we have,
00:07:49.63\00:07:52.33
but I do want to give you
some things to think about.
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And hopefully,
you'll discover a path
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toward a more
authentic human existence.
00:07:57.47\00:08:01.01
The disciples of
Darwin would tell you
00:08:01.01\00:08:02.91
that an authentic human
life is rooted in basic biology.
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As long as you're eating,
sleeping, drinking, reproducing,
00:08:06.68\00:08:10.12
as long as you're functioning
as a basic biological unit,
00:08:10.12\00:08:12.82
then that's the authentic life.
00:08:12.82\00:08:14.52
There's no more to it.
00:08:14.52\00:08:16.19
Of course, some
of them will admit
00:08:16.19\00:08:18.26
that a purely materialistic
view of the universe
00:08:18.26\00:08:20.60
can rob your life
of any transcendence.
00:08:20.60\00:08:23.00
It takes away your meaning.
00:08:23.00\00:08:24.63
And so, you'll find
any number of them trying
00:08:24.63\00:08:26.74
to instill a sense of
wonder into their new cosmology,
00:08:26.74\00:08:30.64
suggesting that the
so-called miracle of evolution
00:08:30.64\00:08:33.54
is the meaning of life.
00:08:33.54\00:08:34.78
Just count
yourself lucky to be here,
00:08:34.78\00:08:36.51
and that's all
the wonder you need.
00:08:36.51\00:08:39.08
But what I've noticed
00:08:39.08\00:08:40.35
is that most people
find that pretty empty.
00:08:40.35\00:08:43.08
I'll be right back after this.
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[upbeat music]
00:08:45.15\00:08:48.42
- [Narrator] Here at
the Voice of Prophecy,
00:08:48.42\00:08:49.86
we're committed to
creating top quality programming
00:08:49.86\00:08:52.43
for the whole family.
00:08:52.43\00:08:53.83
Like our audio adventure
series, Discovery Mountain.
00:08:53.83\00:08:57.03
Discovery Mountain
is a Bible-based program
00:08:57.03\00:08:59.50
for kids of all
ages and backgrounds.
00:08:59.50\00:09:01.84
Your family will enjoy
the faith building stories
00:09:01.84\00:09:04.61
from this small
mountain summer camp pent down.
00:09:04.61\00:09:07.44
With 24 seasonal
episodes every year
00:09:07.44\00:09:09.94
and fresh content every week,
00:09:09.94\00:09:12.11
there's always a new
adventure just on the horizon.
00:09:12.11\00:09:15.35
- When the western world
entered the 19th century,
00:09:18.09\00:09:20.46
it was still popular
to believe in harmony
00:09:20.46\00:09:22.99
with the first
chapter of the Book of Romans
00:09:22.99\00:09:25.26
that by studying nature
00:09:25.26\00:09:26.83
you could discover
the truth about God.
00:09:26.83\00:09:29.30
Science, as you
and I think about it,
00:09:29.30\00:09:31.10
didn't really exist yet.
00:09:31.10\00:09:32.77
Yeah, the scientific method,
00:09:32.77\00:09:34.20
yeah, that was already there
00:09:34.20\00:09:35.64
and it was starting to
bear some remarkable fruit.
00:09:35.64\00:09:38.31
But the idea of a
professional career scientist
00:09:38.31\00:09:41.14
who takes
measurements all day long,
00:09:41.14\00:09:43.38
that didn't really exist yet.
00:09:43.38\00:09:45.21
Instead, people
who were interested
00:09:45.21\00:09:46.68
in studying the natural world
00:09:46.68\00:09:48.12
did it under two
broad categories,
00:09:48.12\00:09:50.42
either natural
history or natural philosophy.
00:09:50.42\00:09:54.12
Natural history was the
study of essential facts.
00:09:54.12\00:09:57.06
That's the part
where you explore the world
00:09:57.06\00:09:58.79
and take all those measurements.
00:09:58.79\00:10:00.96
Natural philosophy
was the study of the laws
00:10:00.96\00:10:04.03
of the universe
that governed the facts.
00:10:04.03\00:10:06.43
The famous
astronomer, William Herschel,
00:10:06.43\00:10:08.20
summed it up by saying
that he thought there was quote,
00:10:08.20\00:10:10.77
"a power and intelligence
00:10:10.77\00:10:12.67
that held the
natural world together,
00:10:12.67\00:10:14.31
pulling it all
together in all departments
00:10:14.31\00:10:17.45
through which one spirit reigns
00:10:17.45\00:10:19.41
and one method
of inquiry applies."
00:10:19.41\00:10:22.15
There was this
widespread understanding
00:10:22.15\00:10:24.49
that made studying the
natural world something
00:10:24.49\00:10:26.99
of a religious exercise.
00:10:26.99\00:10:29.09
And of course, to study God
is ultimately to study yourself
00:10:29.09\00:10:32.93
because the scriptures teach
00:10:32.93\00:10:34.30
that you and I were
made in God's image,
00:10:34.30\00:10:36.56
not that we are
equivalent to God,
00:10:36.56\00:10:38.77
but we are the
product of His heart and mind.
00:10:38.77\00:10:41.97
To study the natural world
00:10:41.97\00:10:43.24
was like studying
your own ancestry.
00:10:43.24\00:10:45.47
If God made this
place and He made me,
00:10:45.47\00:10:48.64
then what can I
learn about the nature
00:10:48.64\00:10:50.11
of what it means to be human?
00:10:50.11\00:10:52.28
But then the new
survival of the fittest paradigm
00:10:52.28\00:10:54.82
kind of stripped the
meaning away from those studies.
00:10:54.82\00:10:57.52
Now, we started
to study the world
00:10:57.52\00:10:59.15
from a purely
mechanistic perspective.
00:10:59.15\00:11:01.82
The universe still looked
00:11:01.82\00:11:02.96
like a carefully
organized machine,
00:11:02.96\00:11:05.53
but now without an
intelligence behind it.
00:11:05.53\00:11:08.20
So what in the
world did it mean?
00:11:08.20\00:11:10.30
The appearance of design, they
said, was just a coincidence.
00:11:10.30\00:11:12.80
Give the universe enough time
00:11:12.80\00:11:14.30
and eventually the
random activity of particles
00:11:14.30\00:11:16.91
will land on just the right
formula and give us all of this.
00:11:16.91\00:11:20.94
But now let's consider the way
the Book of Genesis describes
00:11:22.41\00:11:24.25
the birth of humanity
00:11:24.25\00:11:25.51
because it's
really kind of remarkable.
00:11:25.51\00:11:27.42
I know that some
of you think Genesis
00:11:27.42\00:11:29.05
is just another ancient myth,
00:11:29.05\00:11:30.85
a feeble attempt
to explain who we are
00:11:30.85\00:11:33.29
that was produced by
superstitious people,
00:11:33.29\00:11:35.59
like the origin myths of
Egypt, Babylon, and Greece.
00:11:35.59\00:11:39.13
But anybody who
actually reads Genesis
00:11:39.13\00:11:41.66
seriously quickly
discovers that it doesn't read
00:11:41.66\00:11:44.33
like those other
myths, not even a little bit.
00:11:44.33\00:11:47.84
For example, there is
no attempt in the Bible
00:11:47.84\00:11:50.54
to explain where God comes from.
00:11:50.54\00:11:52.44
He's just there
in the opening verse.
00:11:52.44\00:11:54.04
"In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth."
00:11:54.04\00:11:57.78
By contrast, in the
ancient pagan myths,
00:11:57.78\00:11:59.91
you get a much
different picture.
00:11:59.91\00:12:01.55
There's almost
always an explanation
00:12:01.55\00:12:03.45
of where the Gods came from.
00:12:03.45\00:12:05.59
Part of the reason the
Book of Genesis was written
00:12:05.59\00:12:08.69
was to counter those pagan myths
00:12:08.69\00:12:10.53
because that's
the world that Moses
00:12:10.53\00:12:12.53
and the nation of Israel
were living in at the time.
00:12:12.53\00:12:16.26
Then in Genesis 1:26,
we find the Bible's account
00:12:16.26\00:12:19.67
of where we as humans come from.
00:12:19.67\00:12:22.07
Listen to what it says, and
I'm gonna read several verses.
00:12:22.07\00:12:24.84
This is important.
00:12:24.84\00:12:25.97
"Then God said, 'Let
us make man in our image
00:12:27.14\00:12:29.71
after our likeness.
00:12:29.71\00:12:31.18
And let them have dominion
over the fish of the sea
00:12:31.18\00:12:33.52
and over the birds of the
heavens and over the livestock
00:12:33.52\00:12:36.02
and over all the earth
and over every creeping thing
00:12:36.02\00:12:38.62
that creeps on the earth.'
00:12:38.62\00:12:40.39
So God created
man in His own image,
00:12:40.39\00:12:42.56
in the image of
God, He created him,
00:12:42.56\00:12:44.59
male and
female, He created them.
00:12:44.59\00:12:46.86
And God blessed them.
00:12:46.86\00:12:48.33
And God said to them,
"Be fruitful and multiply
00:12:48.33\00:12:50.30
and fill the
earth and subdue it,
00:12:50.30\00:12:52.30
and have dominion
over the fish of the sea
00:12:52.30\00:12:54.60
and over the
birds of the heavens
00:12:54.60\00:12:56.14
and over every living
thing that moves on the earth.'"
00:12:56.14\00:12:59.87
Now, here's what I want
you to notice, the big idea.
00:12:59.87\00:13:02.28
There are six days of
creation activity packed
00:13:02.28\00:13:04.88
into the 25 verses
that come before this,
00:13:04.88\00:13:07.55
and now the
narrative slows way down
00:13:07.55\00:13:10.72
as if it's
anticipating something big,
00:13:10.72\00:13:12.85
the pinnacle of creation.
00:13:12.85\00:13:15.26
It's almost like God is
about to put that little bride
00:13:15.26\00:13:17.36
and groom on top
of a wedding cake,
00:13:17.36\00:13:19.36
as if we are the
point of everything
00:13:19.36\00:13:21.66
that comes before this moment.
00:13:21.66\00:13:23.67
God's already cracked
the eggs, mix the batter,
00:13:23.67\00:13:26.03
baked it in the oven,
covered it with icing,
00:13:26.03\00:13:28.54
and now he's suddenly ready
to place us in our new home.
00:13:28.54\00:13:32.04
The Genesis account is
clearly anthropocentric,
00:13:33.21\00:13:35.61
making humanity after God
himself, the star of creation.
00:13:35.61\00:13:39.98
And what's really
remarkable is the fact
00:13:39.98\00:13:42.15
that God appears to be
taking a huge, huge risk.
00:13:42.15\00:13:45.59
I mean, just think about this.
00:13:45.59\00:13:47.22
If you were in
charge of the universe,
00:13:47.22\00:13:49.59
would you put us
in charge of anything?
00:13:49.59\00:13:52.46
Knowing what you know about
our essential human character,
00:13:52.46\00:13:55.26
would you actually put
us in charge of a planet?
00:13:55.26\00:13:59.37
But that's exactly what God did.
00:13:59.37\00:14:01.04
"Let them have
dominion," He said.
00:14:01.04\00:14:03.51
Dominion of course would imply
00:14:03.51\00:14:05.17
that you and I have the ability
00:14:05.17\00:14:06.51
to make meaningful decisions.
00:14:06.51\00:14:08.21
After all, that's what
it means to be in charge.
00:14:08.21\00:14:11.05
If you have a
factory run by robots,
00:14:11.05\00:14:12.95
it's fair to say that
the robots are functioning
00:14:12.95\00:14:14.92
and getting the job done,
but there's really no sense
00:14:14.92\00:14:18.25
in which you could say the
robots are running the place
00:14:18.25\00:14:20.52
or that they
would have dominion.
00:14:20.52\00:14:23.19
Although there are
people now wondering
00:14:23.19\00:14:25.49
if AI isn't
gonna give us machines
00:14:25.49\00:14:27.36
that have the
gift of consciousness.
00:14:27.36\00:14:29.00
Personally, I don't
think that's ever gonna happen.
00:14:29.00\00:14:32.33
You and I though were
given the gift of consciousness.
00:14:32.33\00:14:35.87
We have the ability to live
above our basic animal instinct
00:14:35.87\00:14:39.34
because we have the capacity
00:14:39.34\00:14:40.81
to consider moral
and ethical questions,
00:14:40.81\00:14:43.41
something that appears
to differentiate us from the
00:14:43.41\00:14:47.85
animals. We communicate
with logical propositions.
00:14:47.85\00:14:51.02
We can anticipate
the long range future
00:14:51.02\00:14:53.36
and make plans about it,
even though our thought process
00:14:53.36\00:14:56.52
is really very
tragically flawed,
00:14:56.52\00:14:58.96
and we often botch it leading
to unintended consequences.
00:14:58.96\00:15:02.93
Kind of like
that brilliant idea,
00:15:03.90\00:15:05.80
somebody had to bring
cane toads to Australia.
00:15:05.80\00:15:08.84
The idea was that cane
toads could control the beetles
00:15:08.84\00:15:11.57
who were destroying
the sugar cane crop,
00:15:11.57\00:15:13.98
but instead of
controlling the pests,
00:15:13.98\00:15:16.04
the toads themselves to this
day are an uncontrollable pest.
00:15:16.04\00:15:21.12
We don't always think
clearly, but all that aside,
00:15:22.42\00:15:24.62
the fact that we
can consider such things
00:15:24.62\00:15:27.02
really makes us
different from the animals.
00:15:27.02\00:15:29.76
We've discovered that
animals can be very intelligent.
00:15:29.76\00:15:32.13
Some of them can
even use language,
00:15:32.13\00:15:34.83
but what we never
seem to find them doing
00:15:34.83\00:15:36.80
is grappling with
logical propositions.
00:15:36.80\00:15:39.50
And the Genesis story
seems to agree with that.
00:15:39.50\00:15:42.14
You and I are
fundamentally different,
00:15:42.14\00:15:43.97
made in the image of God.
00:15:43.97\00:15:46.84
and from this point
in the story forward,
00:15:46.84\00:15:49.48
the Bible really
becomes the story
00:15:49.48\00:15:51.35
of the creator
interacting with the human race.
00:15:51.35\00:15:54.38
It's not really the story
of God intervening in nature,
00:15:54.38\00:15:57.55
even though we'll
find a few accounts
00:15:57.55\00:15:59.89
where He does change the
weather, or floods the earth,
00:15:59.89\00:16:02.62
or even makes
time appear to stop.
00:16:02.62\00:16:05.59
But all of those
things are still the story
00:16:05.59\00:16:07.50
of God interacting with us,
00:16:07.50\00:16:09.63
and He's
redirecting the natural world
00:16:09.63\00:16:11.97
at a particular
moment because of our needs,
00:16:11.97\00:16:14.77
or because of our behavior.
00:16:14.77\00:16:17.14
It might be useful to think
about this passage in Genesis
00:16:17.14\00:16:20.01
as the opening
credits to a very big movie,
00:16:20.01\00:16:22.91
one of those big
three hour epics.
00:16:22.91\00:16:26.05
Back in the old days,
00:16:26.05\00:16:27.42
you might remember when
people had more patience.
00:16:27.42\00:16:29.38
The opening credits
were just about as long
00:16:29.38\00:16:31.69
and detailed as
the closing credits.
00:16:31.69\00:16:34.26
Before the story ever started,
00:16:34.26\00:16:35.76
you knew who directed the movie,
00:16:35.76\00:16:37.43
you knew who the actors
were, you even some of the plot.
00:16:37.43\00:16:40.76
And then when the story begins,
00:16:40.76\00:16:42.50
you expect that story
to follow a logical course.
00:16:42.50\00:16:46.13
It's not gonna be a series
of unrelated random incidents
00:16:46.13\00:16:49.07
that have nothing
to do with each other.
00:16:49.07\00:16:50.81
It's going to
follow a plot line.
00:16:50.81\00:16:53.17
It's gonna take you somewhere.
00:16:53.17\00:16:55.11
And that's kind of
how the human race appears
00:16:55.11\00:16:57.25
in the Book of Genesis.
00:16:57.25\00:16:58.75
It's setting the table for
a long and meaningful story
00:16:58.75\00:17:01.65
about the nature of
humanity, our redemption,
00:17:01.65\00:17:04.49
and our
relationship to the creator.
00:17:04.49\00:17:07.12
This is where you
come from, the Bible says,
00:17:07.12\00:17:10.09
and it creates a
level of expectation
00:17:10.09\00:17:12.13
and teases you with
some really good questions.
00:17:12.13\00:17:15.46
What does it mean to be
created in the image of God?
00:17:15.46\00:17:19.17
Why exactly did God put us here?
00:17:19.17\00:17:21.60
What is the
purpose of human life?
00:17:21.60\00:17:24.11
There's a lot of
philosophy buried
00:17:24.11\00:17:25.91
in these opening
chapters of Genesis
00:17:25.91\00:17:27.68
because they deal with
just about every big question
00:17:27.68\00:17:31.28
the human race has ever asked.
00:17:31.28\00:17:34.12
And now, it's time for a break.
00:17:34.12\00:17:35.95
So I'll be
right back after this.
00:17:35.95\00:17:38.42
[upbeat music]
00:17:38.42\00:17:41.06
- [Narrator 1] Dragons,
beasts, cryptic statues,
00:17:42.22\00:17:46.43
Bible prophecy can be
incredibly vivid and confusing.
00:17:46.43\00:17:50.93
If you've ever read
Daniel or Revelation
00:17:50.93\00:17:53.13
and come away scratching
your head, you are not alone.
00:17:53.13\00:17:56.20
Our free focus
on prophecy guides
00:17:56.20\00:17:58.57
are designed to help you unlock
the mysteries of the Bible
00:17:58.57\00:18:01.38
and deepen your
understanding of God's plan
00:18:01.38\00:18:03.81
for you and our world.
00:18:03.81\00:18:05.45
Study online or
request them by mail
00:18:05.45\00:18:07.88
and start bringing
prophecy into focus today.
00:18:07.88\00:18:11.35
- Just a few moments
ago, I mentioned this idea
00:18:11.35\00:18:13.39
that God took an incredible risk
00:18:13.39\00:18:14.99
when He put us in
charge of this place
00:18:14.99\00:18:16.76
because He created us
with the ability to choose.
00:18:16.76\00:18:20.96
Remember, to have dominion
is to have meaningful choice.
00:18:20.96\00:18:24.80
And God was
willing to risk the fact
00:18:24.80\00:18:26.77
that we might
actually make the wrong choice,
00:18:26.77\00:18:28.97
or even turn against Him.
00:18:28.97\00:18:30.87
Why would He do that?
00:18:30.87\00:18:32.57
Well, because if
you don't have a choice,
00:18:32.57\00:18:34.64
it's impossible to
have an actual relationship.
00:18:34.64\00:18:38.01
And so, in the Bible's
account of human origins,
00:18:38.01\00:18:40.52
it almost feels like God
pauses to take this deep breath.
00:18:40.52\00:18:44.02
And then He says
with great expectation,
00:18:44.02\00:18:46.65
"Let us make man in our image."
00:18:46.65\00:18:49.56
It's the moment He
took a chance on us.
00:18:49.56\00:18:51.49
It's the moment He
took a chance on you.
00:18:51.49\00:18:54.56
So let's imagine again that
this is the opening sequence
00:18:54.56\00:18:57.70
to a major dramatic movie,
like "The 10 Commandments",
00:18:57.70\00:19:00.57
or "Gone with the Wind".
00:19:00.57\00:19:02.34
And instead of thinking
about the Garden of Eden,
00:19:02.34\00:19:04.21
let's think about you
because if this book is right
00:19:04.21\00:19:08.71
and I'm convinced it is,
00:19:08.71\00:19:10.38
then you've got to
expect that the whole narrative
00:19:10.38\00:19:12.51
is unfolding the way it
does for a very specific reason.
00:19:12.51\00:19:16.22
This is not the
story of random chance.
00:19:16.22\00:19:19.45
Some modern Darwinist
might explain your existence
00:19:19.45\00:19:22.12
as a coincidence or
even a cosmic mistake,
00:19:22.12\00:19:25.06
but the author of this
story was writing an account
00:19:25.06\00:19:28.26
with a definite direction
and a definite purpose.
00:19:28.26\00:19:31.30
This is not going
to be a collection
00:19:31.30\00:19:33.20
of random meaningless thoughts.
00:19:33.20\00:19:35.20
And of course, you
and I make our appearance
00:19:35.20\00:19:37.84
toward the very
end of this story.
00:19:37.84\00:19:40.11
And what I want you to
consider is the possibility
00:19:40.11\00:19:42.94
that you are not just an
extra some random person pulled
00:19:42.94\00:19:46.18
into the story to help
fill out some crowd scene.
00:19:46.18\00:19:49.75
Instead,
consider the possibility
00:19:49.75\00:19:52.45
that the writer of this
story actually planned for you.
00:19:52.45\00:19:56.02
Maybe your name's even
in the opening credits.
00:19:56.02\00:19:59.39
It's an idea I've
been thinking about
00:19:59.39\00:20:00.83
based on something you
find in the Book of Jeremiah
00:20:00.83\00:20:03.90
where God tells
the weeping prophet
00:20:03.90\00:20:06.10
that He planned
for his existence.
00:20:06.10\00:20:08.34
Here's what it says.
00:20:08.34\00:20:09.57
"Now, the word of the
Lord came to me, saying,
00:20:10.74\00:20:13.07
'Before I formed you
in the womb, I knew you,
00:20:13.07\00:20:15.11
and before you were
born, I consecrated you,
00:20:15.11\00:20:17.35
I appointed you a
prophet to the nations.'"
00:20:17.35\00:20:20.75
Now, of course,
Jeremiah played a major role
00:20:20.75\00:20:23.12
in the story of God's
interaction with humanity.
00:20:23.12\00:20:25.75
You might even say
he's one of the leading men,
00:20:25.75\00:20:28.79
but why shouldn't you be?
00:20:28.79\00:20:30.49
Who's to say that your existence
is an unimportant sidebar
00:20:30.49\00:20:33.80
to this incredible drama?
00:20:33.80\00:20:35.56
I actually got the idea
for comparing human existence
00:20:37.03\00:20:38.97
to a screenplay from
the Lutheran preacher,
00:20:38.97\00:20:41.27
Helmut Thielicke, who had
a remarkable and poetic gift
00:20:41.27\00:20:44.87
for helping people contemplate
00:20:44.87\00:20:46.21
the major themes of the Bible.
00:20:46.21\00:20:48.01
And at one point,
this is what he wrote,
00:20:48.01\00:20:50.75
"Can I tread
the stage of my life
00:20:50.75\00:20:52.51
without facing the question,
what am I really going to play?
00:20:52.51\00:20:56.02
Or do I propose to
go blindly on stage
00:20:56.02\00:20:58.12
and begin to babble away,
00:20:58.12\00:20:59.29
depending on the
prompting of the moment
00:20:59.29\00:21:00.89
to tell me what to say?
00:21:00.89\00:21:02.86
If that is so, then
when the curtain of our life
00:21:02.86\00:21:05.53
finally falls at our last hour,
00:21:05.53\00:21:07.10
we can only make our
exit with the vapid feeling
00:21:07.10\00:21:09.26
that it was all a mistake.
00:21:09.26\00:21:10.90
We have indulged in
a lot of foolish talk,
00:21:10.90\00:21:12.97
we have turned somersaults,
00:21:12.97\00:21:14.47
lounged on sofas,
rummaged in filing cabinets,
00:21:14.47\00:21:17.34
we have engaged in
quarrelsome dialogues,
00:21:17.34\00:21:19.57
and even played a
variety of love scenes,
00:21:19.57\00:21:22.38
but it was all a
disconnected tutti-frutti
00:21:22.38\00:21:24.41
and had no
direction and no style."
00:21:24.41\00:21:26.98
So, let ask you this,
00:21:27.82\00:21:29.85
what difference would
it make if you discovered
00:21:29.85\00:21:32.29
that you're a leading role,
your life is not an accident?
00:21:32.29\00:21:35.39
What if you knew
there was a divine drama
00:21:36.52\00:21:38.53
being played out on this planet
00:21:38.53\00:21:39.89
and that God has a role for you?
00:21:39.89\00:21:42.13
How would that affect
your decision-making process?
00:21:42.13\00:21:45.00
How would that
impact the decisions
00:21:45.00\00:21:46.50
you're making right now today?
00:21:46.50\00:21:48.87
Consider this statement
found in Hebrews chapter 12,
00:21:48.87\00:21:51.37
where the author creates
this incredible metaphor,
00:21:51.37\00:21:53.98
suggesting that
you and I are standing
00:21:53.98\00:21:56.11
at the end of a long
line of faithful people
00:21:56.11\00:21:58.28
who have already
played their parts.
00:21:58.28\00:22:00.32
He says, "Therefore,
since we are surrounded
00:22:00.32\00:22:02.75
by so great a
cloud of witnesses,
00:22:02.75\00:22:04.85
let us also lay
aside every weight,
00:22:04.85\00:22:06.99
and sin which clings so closely,
00:22:06.99\00:22:08.79
and let us run
with endurance the race
00:22:08.79\00:22:10.83
that is set before us."
00:22:10.83\00:22:12.56
Now, of course, the
Bible also tells us that
00:22:12.56\00:22:14.73
that aren't
actually watching us.
00:22:14.73\00:22:16.23
Ecclesiastes 9 says,
00:22:16.23\00:22:18.07
"They have no more share in
all that is done under the sun."
00:22:18.07\00:22:21.30
So, Hebrews is
really just a metaphor,
00:22:21.30\00:22:23.64
and it's telling
us to think of life
00:22:23.64\00:22:25.34
as if you and I have just
entered an arena to compete,
00:22:25.34\00:22:28.24
and the entire
human race from the past
00:22:28.24\00:22:31.21
is watching to see how we run.
00:22:31.21\00:22:33.62
William Shakespeare once
said something really similar,
00:22:33.62\00:22:35.85
using the theater
instead of a stadium.
00:22:35.85\00:22:38.32
You probably remember
this from high school.
00:22:38.32\00:22:40.26
"All the world's a stage,
00:22:40.26\00:22:42.29
and all the men and
women merely players.
00:22:42.29\00:22:44.53
They have their
exits and their entrances.
00:22:44.53\00:22:46.46
And one man in his
time plays many parts.
00:22:46.46\00:22:49.13
His acts being seven ages.
00:22:49.13\00:22:51.83
Now, I really
don't know if Shakespeare
00:22:51.83\00:22:53.64
was the inspiration
for Pastor Thielicke,
00:22:53.64\00:22:55.80
but that is a useful metaphor.
00:22:55.80\00:22:57.91
You are gonna get one
moment on the stage of life,
00:22:57.91\00:23:01.11
and you should
be asking yourself
00:23:01.11\00:23:02.68
if you're playing your
part the way it was written.
00:23:02.68\00:23:05.41
If the Bible is accurate,
00:23:06.21\00:23:07.75
and you and I are
actually here by design,
00:23:07.75\00:23:10.12
then you've got to
expect that your moment on stage
00:23:10.12\00:23:12.25
is just as
important as anybody else's.
00:23:12.25\00:23:14.96
You've got a choice.
00:23:14.96\00:23:16.52
Will your life be part of
the creator's narrative or not?
00:23:16.52\00:23:20.66
I'll be right
back, right after this.
00:23:20.66\00:23:23.40
[upbeat music]
00:23:23.40\00:23:26.03
- [Narrator 2] Life
can throw a lot at us.
00:23:27.20\00:23:29.57
Sometimes we don't
have all the answers,
00:23:29.57\00:23:32.91
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00:23:32.91\00:23:35.34
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00:23:35.34\00:23:38.45
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00:23:38.45\00:23:39.98
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00:23:42.18\00:23:43.75
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00:23:43.75\00:23:46.22
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00:23:46.22\00:23:49.26
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- All right, I'm
looking at the clock on the wall
00:23:56.53\00:23:58.60
and I'm seriously
running out of time yet again,
00:23:58.60\00:24:01.40
but let me just read
you the rest of that passage
00:24:01.40\00:24:04.04
from Hebrews chapter 12,
00:24:04.04\00:24:06.34
right after the author says
that you and I are competing
00:24:06.34\00:24:09.44
in the arena of humanity,
00:24:09.44\00:24:11.31
taking our turn in
front of our ancestors,
00:24:11.31\00:24:14.25
he tells us how you might be
able to do this successfully.
00:24:14.25\00:24:17.19
Listen to this.
00:24:17.19\00:24:18.75
"Let us run with endurance
the race that is set before us,
00:24:18.75\00:24:22.39
looking to Jesus, the founder
and perfecter of our faith,
00:24:22.39\00:24:26.36
who for the joy
that was set before Him,
00:24:26.36\00:24:28.66
endured the cross,
despising the shame,
00:24:28.66\00:24:32.00
and is seated at the right
hand of the throne of God."
00:24:32.00\00:24:35.77
You know, in another
spot in the New Testament,
00:24:35.77\00:24:37.74
Peter actually
suggests that even the angels
00:24:37.74\00:24:41.01
are watching us.
00:24:41.01\00:24:42.44
They're studying how
God interacts with us.
00:24:42.44\00:24:44.65
They're trying to understand
the character of God better.
00:24:44.65\00:24:47.75
The plan of salvation,
00:24:47.75\00:24:49.35
they've been
audience to that as well.
00:24:49.35\00:24:52.52
But now let's
head back to Genesis
00:24:52.52\00:24:54.19
where we find that
awful historical moment
00:24:54.19\00:24:57.83
when the human race
rejected its original commission
00:24:57.83\00:25:01.50
and compromised
its moral fidelity.
00:25:01.50\00:25:04.47
It's the fall of humanity.
00:25:04.47\00:25:06.87
And at that
moment, what does God do?
00:25:06.87\00:25:10.14
He promises Messiah, a
man who would be the only,
00:25:11.41\00:25:15.21
the only example of a
truly authentic uncompromised,
00:25:15.21\00:25:20.08
unsinful life.
00:25:20.08\00:25:21.85
If you wanna learn your
lines for your part, God says,
00:25:21.85\00:25:24.99
if you wanna play your
part the way that I wrote it,
00:25:24.99\00:25:28.06
then have a look at my son.
00:25:28.06\00:25:29.99
Look at Jesus,
pattern yourself after that.
00:25:29.99\00:25:33.23
So now you and I
are faced with a choice.
00:25:34.36\00:25:37.20
We can live a meaningless life.
00:25:37.20\00:25:40.20
The way it's been proposed to us
00:25:40.20\00:25:41.74
since we were in high school,
00:25:41.74\00:25:43.14
it doesn't mean
anything, you're just an animal.
00:25:43.14\00:25:45.34
You can live a meaningless life.
00:25:45.34\00:25:47.88
You can allow the arbitrary
winds of fortune to drive you
00:25:47.88\00:25:50.95
from one pointless
moment of living to the next,
00:25:50.95\00:25:53.85
and it just
never means anything.
00:25:53.85\00:25:56.22
Or we can refuse
to learn the plot,
00:25:57.39\00:26:01.86
refuse to study what our
role should be in this world.
00:26:01.86\00:26:05.43
We can wander out
onto the stage of life
00:26:05.43\00:26:07.60
and leave the
audience wondering,
00:26:07.60\00:26:09.03
why in the world the
casting director included us?
00:26:09.03\00:26:12.60
Why would God
put that person here?
00:26:12.60\00:26:14.67
Or we can find our
place in the grand narrative
00:26:15.84\00:26:20.18
by studying this
book, reading it for real,
00:26:20.18\00:26:23.58
not just reading
what people say about it,
00:26:23.58\00:26:25.81
but reading it for
yourself to discover
00:26:25.81\00:26:28.05
that our lives
really do have purpose.
00:26:28.05\00:26:31.29
You have a role to play.
00:26:31.29\00:26:33.29
And it's not
inconsequential, it's important.
00:26:33.29\00:26:36.59
God took a chance
when He created us.
00:26:36.59\00:26:39.89
And at this very
moment right now,
00:26:39.89\00:26:42.13
as you're listening to voice,
00:26:42.13\00:26:44.00
you need to know He's
also taking a chance on you.
00:26:44.00\00:26:48.10
You can choose to play
your life in such a way
00:26:48.10\00:26:49.84
that nobody will ever believe
00:26:49.84\00:26:51.41
that you know the
author of this book,
00:26:51.41\00:26:53.94
or you can choose to
play the part so well
00:26:53.94\00:26:56.68
that everybody looks
at your life and says,
00:26:56.68\00:26:58.38
you know what, that makes sense.
00:26:58.38\00:27:01.42
That's how you would expect
a real God to write this story.
00:27:01.42\00:27:06.05
And just in case you
think it doesn't matter,
00:27:06.05\00:27:08.39
maybe consider just how often
you've heard somebody point
00:27:08.39\00:27:10.99
to irrational or
evil behavior and say,
00:27:10.99\00:27:13.50
how in the world could
God ever allow that to happen?
00:27:13.50\00:27:17.30
Tell me you've never done that.
00:27:17.30\00:27:19.57
So, what would it
look like if you knew,
00:27:19.57\00:27:21.84
you believed that
you were here on purpose?
00:27:21.84\00:27:24.37
No matter what
your past might suggest,
00:27:24.37\00:27:26.64
no matter what other
people have told you,
00:27:26.64\00:27:29.04
what if your
existence could become
00:27:29.04\00:27:31.18
one of those human lives
that everybody marvels at?
00:27:31.18\00:27:34.98
The kind of life that
actually dares people to believe
00:27:34.98\00:27:38.09
that none of us is
really here by accident?
00:27:38.09\00:27:41.56
What if you spend every
day anticipating the moment
00:27:41.56\00:27:43.76
when God himself will put
that laurel wreath on your head
00:27:43.76\00:27:46.33
and speak those
incredible words,
00:27:46.33\00:27:48.50
well done, thou good
and faithful servant?
00:27:48.50\00:27:52.00
Imagine what that would be like.
00:27:52.00\00:27:54.07
So maybe go get
yourself a copy of this book
00:27:54.07\00:27:56.27
and see if it isn't gonna
help you memorize your lines.
00:27:56.27\00:28:00.18
Thanks for joining me.
00:28:00.18\00:28:01.21
I'm Shawn Boonstra.
00:28:01.21\00:28:02.54
This has been
another episode of Authentic.
00:28:02.54\00:28:06.05
[upbeat music]
00:28:06.05\00:28:11.12