Here is the manuscript:
This week, I wanted to linger a bit in the precious reality that Pastor Danny presented to us last week, which was for many, perhaps, the first time they might have heard that God is God-centered.
Another way to say that is that God ultimately does everything that he does for His own glory, His own fame, His own pleasure, His own delight.
Yet another way to say that is that God loves Himself more than He loves anyone or anything that exists, or is yet to exist, or is real or is not real.
And yet another way to say this is that God loves himself more than He loves us at Haverhill Community Church.
Danny took the time last week to observe God’s God-centeredness in 3 areas and texts:
- Creation from Genesis 1 and Isaiah 43:7,
- Exile from Genesis 3:23-24, and
- Redemption from Ephesians 5:25-32.
I wonder how each of you received that.
I personally think that this concept is the most beautifully illuminating and eye-opening truth that I have ever heard.
It has entirely changed my orientation in the way I understand life and the Bible.
And it is no small matter for us here at Haverhill Community Church.
As our shepherd Danny has been recasting our vision in this new season, this distinctive is forging our new direction.
We need to appreciate that most Christians in America today do not believe such a truth.
We also need to appreciate that most Christians and non-Christians in the Haverhill area do not believe such a truth.
Therefore, I do not want to take for granted the timing of this opportunity to teach you.
Instead, I would like to peer into a very important biblical text that undergirds and further supports Danny’s subject last week on the God-centeredness of God.
