Fashioned by His Own Hands: Why You Are Good on the Inside

Sermon outline

God spoke everything else into being but fashioned man with His own hands, communicating His goodness to us, so every believer is essentially good on the inside and carries a yoke designed only for them.

1. Protect the unity of the church

   His primary duty is to feed the flock, as the apostles gave themselves to the Word and prayer while seven men full of the Holy Ghost ran the daily work. The church is full of gifted people, which makes it beautiful, so its unity must be protected in marriages and in the church. The devil brings division, despair, despondency, depression and discouragement, but one puts a thousand to flight and two put ten thousand to flight.

   Illustration: The devil's name starts with a D, and all the Ds come with him. We may like different colours, pink or blue, but we can agree on the vision, the Word and the work.

   “In the realm of the spirit the devil doesn't know what to do with unity.”

   • Acts 6:2-4
   • Matthew 18:19-20
   • John 16:24
   • Deuteronomy 32:30
   • 2 Corinthians 4:7

2. A different glimpse of God

   A mountain looks new from every angle, and the shoreline looks different every time you look back from a boat. In the same way, every time we look at a familiar scripture we can learn something new. He wants to give them a glimpse of God from another angle over the coming weeks.

   “Every time we glimpse at the word of God it seems like we learn something new.”

   • Genesis 1:26
   • Matthew 11:28-30

3. God fashioned man with His own hands

   Man was created for fellowship with God and to be compatible with Him. Everything else in creation was spoken into existence by God's word, except man: God fashioned us in His image and likeness with His own hands.

   “When it came to us, God fashioned us with his own hands.”

   • Genesis 1:26
   • Genesis 2:7

4. The communicable and incommunicable attributes of God

   Some of God's attributes belong to Him alone, such as His omnipresence, being everywhere at the same time, and His omnipotence. Others He has communicated to man. Many struggle because they don't know their real identity, but the more you know how God fashioned you, the more you will know your limits and function in a God-like way.

   “The more you know how God fashioned you, the more you'll function in a God-like manner.”

5. The first communicable attribute: His goodness

   Human goodness is subjective, but true goodness is understood in the light of God's Word, and the more we understand how good God is, the more we understand how good we are. Born-again people have real good in them even if they don't yet display it. Like God, who so loved the world that He gave His Son as a seed, the church gives without needing a reason, because His love has been shed abroad in our hearts.

   Illustration: You may think you are driving a 1000cc car when there is a V8 under the bonnet; you never know how far you can push it until you know what it has.

   “The more we understand how good God is, the more we understand how good we are.”

   • Romans 5:5
   • John 3:16
   • John 10:10
   • Romans 11:22
   • Hebrews 6:5

6. The goodness of God leads to repentance

   He admits that when he started in church he was 'raw', struggling with old habits, his language and his temper. Each time he sat and worshipped, the goodness of God made him ashamed of what he was doing and drew him into God's arms. We are being saved and renewed day by day, so give people space to grow, and parents should affirm their children rather than criticise them.

   Illustration: Parents are in the mining business: keep mining your children until the goodness God put in them comes out like gold.

   “It was the goodness of God that led me to repent.”

   • Romans 2:4

7. A yoke designer-made for you

   God has fitted man for relationship and spiritual harmony, and the yoke Jesus offers is fitted personally to each one. There is only one of you, and God takes your experiences, character and knowledge and fits you out for service. Stop comparing and trying to change your spouse, parents or pastor; they won't change for you, but the goodness in them can grow.

   Illustration: His wife's yoke is designed for her character: if she wore his it might break her shoulders, and if he wore hers it would squeeze the life out of him. A man who is cheerful with people and quiet at home is not an actor; he may just be tired, or meeting criticism.

   “Every yoke that has been created by your creator, your master, has been uniquely designer made just for you.”

   • Matthew 11:28-30

8. You are good on the inside

   You are not good because you were trained to be, but essentially, morally and ethically good from the inside, which is why your conscience screeches when you do wrong. God gave us that conscience, heart and spirit.

   Illustration: Driving slowly one day, a monkey ran into the road and he felt it under his car. The bad feeling inside told him he was not created to kill but to love.

   “I was created essentially to be good on the inside.”