Why You Matter More Than Kings (Genesis Part 6)

(240) Why You Matter More Than Kings (Genesis Part 6) - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKFARKFviG0

Transcript: (00:11) hi welcome everyone we didn't quite realize we were live there I don't know what we were expecting everyone else did I just didn't realize apparently it's just um yeah expecting some big fun fair didn't happen oh well hi everyone welcome to crowd church with that very slick intro that I just did there I'm joined tonight by Jack Jack hi nice to see you hello lovely to be here and welcome to this stream welcome to this episode tell us what have we got going on tonight then Jack do you know so we have a fantastic we're continuing the (00:44) series uh in Genesis looking at foundations and today's topic is looking at the image of God and we have Pastor Dave Connelly in the house today talking about this it's going to be absolutely fantastic so do be taking notes and getting those questions ready yeah that's awesome how's your week been anyway that's one of those questions that some people can remember everything um I'm here it's co getting older I think it's co getting older I'm I'm excited that my knees are doing all right right now I've been on a few runs (01:15) and I'm I'm still in a good place it's I think it's been a good week yeah okay that's you winning this week me winning yeah well I had a terrible cold at the start of this week so I feel like I'm winning now just because I'm like feeling better so yeah yeah no one wants a host with a cold no that wouldn't have been very nice tonight doesn't sound nice at all no it wouldn't have been wouldn't have been pretty in fact I wouldn't have been her so yeah no it's good I it makes you appreciate your health doesn't it when you feel slightly (01:43) under the weather for a couple of days absolutely anyway so we're talking about the image of God tonight um so I think probably we should pass over to Dave and hear what he's got to say and then shortly we'll um have conversation Street afterwards where we'll have questions and discuss some of what he says so if you've got any thoughts as Jack says do make sure you post your questions your thoughts your comments as even as Dave's chatting or afterwards um yeah we'd love to discuss what you think over to you Dave you all and um I need you to be (02:23) gracious with me this evening because um I've had a bit of a busy day and somehow my my notes fell out of my notebook um so we do our best eh and um don't believe him winging it so I believe that God is with us and we all looking at this topic what it means to be made in the image of God so we continue through Genesis and um we J um was talking last week about Genesis and um you might be sat there thinking m I'm not even sure about this Genesis story and I'm like you know it's okay to have your questions but my question to you is what (03:10) happens if it is what it says it is so have an open heart and an open mind you know and um just be prepared for you to be stared by who we would call the Holy Spirit to prompt you and to guide you um into truth and you I want to encourage you to read through scripture and the scripture I'm going to talk about this evening is found in the very first book of the Bible Genesis and chapter one and I'll be referencing um two verses mainly but I would encourage you to read verses 26 through to 31 so made in the image of God where do (03:54) we start with this um I want to take us back to this beginning and um I want us to start reading um and thinking about this account you know each time I've um read through Genesis and I've read it quite a few times over the years um but recently quite a lot um through the book and there's a lot of information in Genesis but I want to suggest to you that the writers of Genesis um and the writer as he gathered all that information together as one wonderful as creation is is actually trying to introduce us to the Creator you know this isn't um a (04:40) scientific book we're not trying to prove something scientifically we're not trying to prove something historically we're trying to introduce you to the concept to the idea of the Creator your creator my Creator so let's have a look here um we see God he reveals himself that's what he wanting to do to each of us he's wanting you to know him to learn of him to understand him a little bit more and I want to encourage you don't get course up on language um just hang on in there don't be afraid to say God what does this mean God you're (05:21) going to have to show me that if that's real you're going to have to show me because I want to tell you um even before we start to look at this the Holy Spirit he is the greatest teacher and he will reveal to you and to me God the Creator so let's start I'm going to look at it here it's about God being a Creator you know um I'm not I'm not very creative but um in in in the church I go to there's a Apostles wheel and um have you ever seen anybody doing some pottery you know you know they get old of the clay and I'm I'm not (06:02) for I was in all last week when Jen was doing her object lesson cuz I'm very poor I'm very poor with these I have to have a story written down and I haven't got me notes but here's one out of the air you know a pot he gets some clay and he sat at his wheel and he's got one foot going maybe two I don't know and the wheels going around and he throws that um clay onto the wheel and he starts to shape it yeah you can talk to me it's okay okay he's shaping it and he's you say what are you doing and he says oh I'm making a vs or I'm (06:40) making a cup what you'll never hear them say is I'm making a what youall it or a thingy my B he knows what he's creating he's creating because he has a purpose he knows what he is creating you are made because God knew what he was doing and we'll we'll relate to that again a little bit later and we read in the beginning of in Genesis God has made a whole host of things he's made like sky and um rivers and animals I mean you know God's got to be really creative I don't know about you but when I get to heaven I've got a (07:23) zillion questions and it's like what was the thinking when you did a R we just fed up were you at the point and you just went another another one it's okay God can cope with that you know why that how that but God created them and he created them uniquely you know and I want you to understand that you know when we start to talk about creation we're not talking about it accidentally or coincidentally it's there because God is wanting you to know something about him you know each day up to this time God said let there (08:16) be and there's amazing power in those words Let There Be and there's you know as Christians we need to realize as God spoke life we have the power to Speak Life scripture says we have the power to Speak Life life and death so I want to encourage you to be careful as Christians what you speak when God said let there be there was yeah it it's not just a short list of the things that actually happened what God Said happened but when it came to you and I when it came to mankind God says let us me and who he's talking about there he's (08:58) talking about God the Father Jesus's present you can read about that in the New Testament and the Holy Spirit the Pres let us me and when God creates us it was expressed in very personal terms you know because we have a personal God he's not you know he's not a stone God he's not a distant God he's a personal God who we you will hear us often talk about having a personal relationship with it when God created us he announces his intent beforehand he didn't do that with anything else he created God created us with (09:47) purpose and God created us with the purpose not just to rule and we over over creation but he created us for relationship with him that's why he's not a distance God that's why we call him a personal savior then there's this really interesting phrase let us make man in our image with everything else as I said um that's not being the case excuse me God talks about um the the other animals reproducing after their kind when it comes to God makes the point that we are made after God's Own Kind we are made in the image of God that doesn't mean that (10:35) God looks like me sorry M you know um and yet you know you can read throughout scripture God will reference um things like hair eyes arms legs and he uses those terms God doesn't have them he he's just for us to be able to understand you know if God wants to hug somebody you send you or I wear his arms God has made us in His image and it's about the essence the very substance of what God is who he is just hold on to that thought for a moment you know as we start to read around these verses we see it's the first time that gender is clearly talked (11:28) about it's not fudged or hidden away gender existed and both genders are Made In His Image both genders are made in His image and have the same Essence as God of who he is and what he is and what's of value to him and we need to understand who we are are we need to understand that in this in these verses God gives us a job description we're given a role we're told to um Master these things and Steward other things more about that soon God also blesses us you know go when God blesses us he doesn't go be blessed be filled be (12:24) gone he puts his hand on us and the blessing of God is knowing the depth of relationship and his presence when scripture generally talks about presence it's talking about his face we are to be and live in the presence of God so it needs more than just knowing about him on day six something happens each other day he proclaimed his creation was good on day six after he created mankind he looked over he looked over everything he had made and he looked at man and he says it's very good or it's excellent see it has to be doesn't it to be made in His (13:20) image it's whole it's complete you may be thinking I'm not well we'll get to that in a minute and I meant you not me um I'm definitely not but God says of you when he made us when he made man it's very good not just good so he's made us he's making a difference between us and the animals and all of creation none of this is written here for by accident God created everything but we are treated differently because we are in relationship if you read through the Book of Genesis there is so much about relationship not to know about this (14:16) Creator but to know him personally to be in relationship with him you know um we a few years ago we went to the Grand Canyon and um it's it's amazing and we were on a ranch you know with Cowboys and things and it was bit weird because I'm a city boy and we're out there and they're all you know singing Cowboy songs and I'm thinking come on come on come on and um we're looking up you know you can hear the rattlesnakes and you know we sat outside and I'm think there's a gun and but what was breath taking as you look up into (14:54) the sky it is just full of stars and very few things take my breath away and I'm like Oh my wow and if I had my other notes with me I could tell you that you know people report that there's X number of billions of stars in this galaxy and this and this and this and this you know I'm just stood there at the Grand Canyon which is impressive in the daylight Don't Go Near The Edge in the dark it's dangerous um but you know as I look at these Stars I'm like in the natural how insignificant are we but in God's plan we are (15:34) significant and you might not feel that you're very significant in the grand scheme of things but God says different and we have to decide who we listen to verse 26 let us make man in our image after our likeness what's meant by this phrase well we can Define it a number of ways and I'm just conscious of time back in in in the old old old days you know when a king conquered a country the first thing you would do he'd make a massive statue of himself because it was believed if you were a king and you conquered you were (16:14) made like a god Ordinary People Like You and Me nah not so and they thought themselves as gods and they thought that those images were a sign of their Authority and that people would be impressed by those images and my friends you know that they were only impressed until another Army stronger and mightier came along and then they put up another statue the Kings actually thought they made in the image of God because they had success God sets up his image on Earth in man in starting off with Adam God puts his image there to be seen (17:10) to be expressed as a symbol of his authority over the Earth he made it man in His image and are you thinking what went wrong what went wrong you know we only have to put the news what went wrong maybe a bit more about that in in in in the questions more than just an Earthly King this is the creator himself we go on a few chapters um to chapter 5: 1 and 3 um it talks about the generation of Adam when God created man he made him in again in his own likeness in the likeness of God male and female when and got females in now he created (18:02) them he blessed them and named them you know lovely thing about God being a personal God so many times in the Bible it says he called them by name and God knows us that personally that he calls you and I by name God created us in his likeness to represent to have the essence his values the things are important to him would be expressed in and through our lives it's a little bit like um those of you who have children we pass certain things on to our kids eh and you say Amen or you say ouch don't we you know to that one um you (18:45) know quite often you'll hear people say oh you're just like your dad but in my experience that's not always a good um statement it's not normally an encouragement but we can see things can't we in the people um who the little ones who live with us but if you if you haven't got kids we can put it another way look at the people you hang out with the people we hang out with we soon find that they have an influence on our lives and we like think we're having an influence on their lives it's worth checking so there's this (19:21) influence a transferance of qualities and values and they are found in the essence of God see we all like him scripture tells us we are like him you know um we could try and put a list together but you know my capacity your capacity for rational thought um for spirituality and both those things are okay there's God has given us a brain there's nothing wrong in using that but God has given us capacities God has made us what we are obviously before sing comes in it's correct to say that we carry the essence of God the question is do we (20:15) demonstrate and show it as people who call themselves followers of Jesus here's an amazing thing when God wants to create something more like himself than the rest of creation what did he make you and I I'm just trying to put the emphasis on that we are made in God's image but another watching will call it you know when I think God has created Mankind in His image and you know I'm you that that includes me that really blows me away that God has a plan it's crazy not to go with the Creator and try and do it on your own your own (21:07) way think about that for a moment you know often we we we hear and we see um people being undervalued When God says you I've created them in my image even if they're not born again yet even if they haven't received Christ they are made in the image of God okay might be stretching your theology here but it's true see sin what sin has done it's distorted the image sin distorts the image of who we are see and when we undervalue people we tend not to treat them right we tend to think they're Expendable we tend to think oh you know (21:59) be find of I'm sure you haven't but you hear people hearing that they're not of any value they were a mistake they're a waster well you know as men men and women who say that they're Christ followers that's not a Christ thing to do that's not a Creator thing to do so we need to be careful that you know when we're pulling down something that God has created we're making a statement against him and that's something that you know I would think most of us are you know are aware of we can pull people down then there's the other thing that we can (22:38) overvalue people we almost make them an idol we can think too much of people sometimes we think more of people than what we do of God some of us were more interested in what they think of us rather than what God thinks of us would much rather be um found in their Graces rather than in God's grace R es that's probably just me I'm sure that doesn't apply to you Genesis gives us a view of what it is to be in relationship with God the Creator God values creation God values mankind because he created it out of love with (23:24) purpose even though you read in and well I'm sure you'll talk about it in a few weeks in Genesis 9 we see how the image is tarnished as a result of sin and it's true it is tarnished but it's still the image we are still made in the image of God even though sin spoils even though sin separates we have not lost that image within every man and woman whether you've know Christ yet or if you don't know him yet he created you there's a PO something within each of us that only he can activate and fulfill in James 3 verse 9 and 10 it (24:08) says this with it we bless our Lord and father and with it we cause people who are made in the likeness of God from the same mouth comes blessing and cursing my brothers these things ought not to be as people who are made in the image of God we need to take on the same Essence the same values of him God is a God who speaks life and we need to be men and women who Speak Life scripture says I said before scripture tells us the power of life and death is in the tongue there's something we could learn we could learn a real lesson (24:54) there don't allow something dependence in other things rob you from being dependent on who God has called you to be it may be today that you know um you personally need to know that there's a purpose for your life you're not an accident you're not an afterthought whatever people have spoken over you you need to know you we in a mistake scripture says you were made in the image of God Scripture tells in Jeremiah that and God says I know the plans that I have for you before you were even in your mom's belly you need to know that God has (25:36) purpose you know God is doing something today he is pulling people to himself he is revealing himself to people he is restoring in them His Image following Jesus means that we walk that path surrender rendering ourselves daily to God and that will enhance us being restored to be the people that God created us to be don't let sin tarnish the image sin will always separate you from the relationship that God has designed for you let me um try to land this with this story in um where are we in Mark's gospel 12: 15-1 17 there's some folks on (26:29) they're trying to trap Jesus and um one day Jesus has asked this question by some people they said this to him should we pay our taxes to a foreign government talking about Rome if Jesus answers yes Jesus would be seen to be pro- Roman an anti-jewish if Jesus answers no he would be he would come across as being anti-jewish then he would be accused of being disloyal to Caesar it was a no- win situation for him so what do we read that Jesus says he says this why you trying to trap me that's what he says he says bring me the coin let me (27:20) look at it they brought him the coin he says to them whose portrait is on this coin whose inscription is on this coin they said Caesar's and Jesus said to them give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God Jesus is explaining to them that this coin bear sees his image it belongs to him my friends if if we take that analogy on we find that Jesus is saying you are made in the image of God therefore give yourself to God we are is created by Him for relationship personal relationship don't settle for anything (28:13) less to describe the word essence which I've mentioned a few times it's simply this God's personal characteristics facets of his personality the core nature of God that's what we are when we are made in His image and we need to be drawing closer to him in order to be more like him thanks guys well brilliant that was just an awesome talk thank you Dave there was so much in that and um yeah the questions and comments have been coming through thick and fast tonight so we got plenty to discuss here as well um what did you (29:02) think Jack I mean it was absolutely fantastic wasn't it I I loved I mean I always love when Dave speaks he he shares stories and pictures where you can just sort of get a get a glimpse of something in a new way but it's that age-old um picture of the Potter and the clay and I love that idea that we are the clay and there's that real intimate you know picture of the father creating and molding us each and every one of us that I just got that fresh bit of perspective on again and just thought God thank you that you spent that time (29:40) creating me and then valuing me in your image but even more so just because you love me because you're the father I'm your son and just that that onetoone level just yeah I thought that was that was something that stuck with me what about you anything particular yeah I mean I just think the whole idea of being made in God's image and what that means and it being about that it's about having the essence of God and each human being um that it's not that we have you know look exactly the same as each other or or you know we're all (30:16) unique um but we're all we all have that God Essence inside every human being and actually that's people who look like you who come from the other side of the world and look nothing like you and have a different skin tone and it's people who even worship a different God they still have that God Essence in them and it just yeah I just find it quite mindblowing really the whole idea I mean Dave did you have anything to chip in on this as well because we were talking about this before be just before we went on air (30:48) actually this whole idea of being um yeah having that God Essence and what that means to be in the image of something and um like we were talk about the idea of a photograph weren't we and like you sent me a photograph earlier that's right yeah again it's Jenny's fault I was so impressed and I'm so poor at doing illustrations and it's like you know when you I sent Anna a um a picture and I would say to Anna was she wasn't suppos to tell you it was me um but I would say there was a time I you haven't always known me have you not always no (31:26) no know you for quite a while but yeah not not my whole life so it's quite a few years but when you first met me can you remember some of the things it's okay that you you know you can remember uhhuh can you remember someone with those things some observations about me then yeah do you want me to say them yeah tell us what they were so the first time I probably met you was when I first came to our church and you were one of the pastors at the time so I probably would have initially encountered you on a stage and (31:56) that kind of Pastor preaching kind of role leading the service and it probably was quite like oh that's Dave he's very knowledgeable he preaches he's very passionate be passionate about the word of God um so I knew about you and a lot of what you thought because you were teaching from the front but I didn't know you personally straight away so it was distant really wasn't it yeah so as we move on as we I think we've being on Mission like when you're omga team and things so if we bring that on as we have relationship intentional relationship we (32:34) have time we get to say how somebody lives and acts and believes and what their values are what you know about me now I know much more about you now I know you as a friend I would think and I know you as a grandpa and a father I know your kids and your grandkids some of them go to the same school as my little boy so I see you in more of your everyday life and different contexts and see more of what you're about and your whole life and your whole family so it image is about um you know things that we see this is beyond it's about it's (33:12) it's the whole thing that you know you you can um you you know we could put a movie picture of a movie star up or something we say oh I recognize them we don't know them we only know them when we start to um spend time with them and as hadam first met me it it was from a distance um I didn't know it I probably knew your dad knew of your dad and um I was going to mention of the dad in and um but it wasn't until we went on things like on Mission like when you go on Mission you know you really get to know where people are at and you get to know (33:44) things and I would say like through that Time Anna's got to know me but I've also got to know her so image is about um it's beyond what somebody you know visibly looks like it's what their Essence what do they use what are their values yeah yeah it's a really good it's a really good illustration um I think there's been some really good questions posted tonight as well there was one or two that I wanted to pick up let me just grab them up there's been a number all saying ask about go on they it says how might viewing yourself as ma (34:24) in God's image which is what we've just been talking about change how you approach work studies relationships or how you think just how you think about other people even um that's a lot of things put into one question there but like anyone got any thoughts on that I mean the first thing I think when you see other people is made in God's image like you were saying it doesn't even matter what their beliefs are if they are made as image bearers of God you're going to treat them with more dignity you're going to treat them like someone (34:57) once said everyone is royalty if they're made by God and so the first thing if you disagree with them you have a bit more understanding you have a bit more love and grace and appreciation and so I think it affects how you see other people yeah um it affects how you see yourself as well if you're made in the image of God there's that wonderful story um probably I'm like Dave I need to prepare a story well you don't need to but I need to write it down um but but when you see yourself as a prince or a princess of the king you're going to (35:34) behave very differently then if you see yourself as a homeless person or someone who has uh you know is the son of someone who's not very good and so it treats you you know you treat yourself differently you have more grace for yourself yeah what about you Dave any thoughts on that how it impacts how you see yourself well I'm a bit older now um I think I was very fortunate and when I first became a Christian I really learned um to read the word of God and believe that the word of God is greater than any opinion I have of myself so you (36:10) know when I my feelings lie to me all the time you know um so I go back to what the word of God says so um I just this whole thing that you know I'm a new creation the former things are passed away behold all things are made new and that's you know God illuminated that in my life and I think when you have an understanding of what who God says you are it changes how you see other people you can't get a revelation from God about yourself and you not display it you know like grace and mercy to other people you haven't really got a (36:51) revelation if you don't pass it on I once heard someone say that we are to be images of God it's like this this 40 if we're a mirror and reflecting God to the world around us reflecting God to our friends to our work colleagues um you know this is that same question of how does this impact Us in every sphere of life then we're to be a mirror that reflects at a 45 Dee angle so we're reflecting God kind of coming in at one angle to the world around us at another angle but some where something went a little bit (37:29) wrong and we instead of liking the image of God and reflecting that we like the image of oursel a lot better and we forget to image God and we're more obsessed with our world and our security and our Comforts um so I guess a question that's I think alluded to how do we grow in should we strive to be perfect should we strive to be that perfect image of God how do we grow as Fallen human in this world um when ultimately we are going to mess up but really we want to be the perfect image of God so that our friends will see him so that our friends (38:08) will know this wonderful father yeah I mean I feel like I don't like that word striving strive to be perfect like does God call us to be more like him to be Christlike and in that we look like you know we we share his values in this world it's not that we look exactly the same as Jesus like I'm not a man obviously living in the Middle East 2,000 years ago I'm me today in my shoes but it's how do I take those Christlike values and live them out in my life in 2025 in my world um where God's put me and so yeah I feel like we're called to (38:48) be Christlike right where we are but is that about being perfect or striving to be perfect I don't I don't think so I don't think God calls us to be perfect as Christians cuz obviously we're only made perfect through him we can't attain Perfection ourselves so it's kind of trying to be perfect is impossible isn't it like I want to be the best version of me that I can be I want to be a good mom a good employee a good friend a good person but I I know I'm not perfect I I never will be um without God's grace and without (39:24) his help and um you know none of us are perfect to accept God but is that reason not to try yeah but I don't think we should get into striving over it I think we should have Grace for imperfection but also with that we should have Grace and extend you know that to others who are imperfect around us because when you know you're imperfect yourself it's a lot easier to kind of extend that same Grace to others and for me it's not it's not like oh that essence of God is about us being perfect like God it's about we have some (39:58) of the same values and DNA and likeness you know and yeah having God's love in us that expressed but imperfectly because we're human if you know what I mean does that make sense what do you guys think yeah it makes me think of it's the gospel isn't it it's you know if I was perfect people would probably worship me and and yet Paul does say imitate me like I imitate Christ and so there's that kind of goal of being yeah like God Like Jesus imitating him but there's abundant grace that God offers us time and time again (40:38) when we mess up and so therefore we are to give that to ourselves give that to each other um but I guess one thought as you're talking is how do we become more like Christ how do we bear the image of God It ultimately it's by reflecting and gazing on him the more we do that the more we are going to fall in love with him the more we're going to reflect him um like Dave said in his talk you know the the that that phrase the five people you hang out with most you become what most like that's what it made me think of and if (41:12) God's not one of those you're not going to reflect him you're going to reflect yourself your own Ambitions your friends views the World Views um so Dave I don't know if you got anything more to add to any of that I think as that you know Anastasia the question about strive I think it's always a tricky question you know um be it's what do we mean by that because we'll strive for Fitness we strive to do all these different things um I like to use the word pursue you know I intentionally pursue um God I pursue knowing more about him by spending time (41:51) in his word I spend um yeah you know but I I yeah I like the word pursue and um the other ones are just a bit tricky but I think we have to be intentional um and I think again it's about God's Grace isn't it we can't we don't have the strength to do it on our own we don't have the ability we can make some lifestyle improvements but not not in Eternal or lasting that comes as God strengthens us yeah that's really good I think I think that that's really help um someone's added here um Dave mentioned that sin distorts (42:35) God's image in us but it doesn't erase it how does this kind of view of God in us God's Essence His Image in us um change how we View and treat people who aren't Christians I I think that's really a really good actually I think that's that's the question whether is relevant whether people are Christians or not actually um I think absolutely yeah for me being a Christian gives me a much higher view of all Humanity of all people because how can it not I believe every person has created in the image of God so it (43:10) doesn't matter if you vote the same as me if you look the same as me if you have a different skin tone to me you know if you worship differently to me if you believe different things you know you're still created in the image of God you may not know this The God Who I know but you're still created with his Essence and have an ultimate value just simply because of that so I think it does make you value people more it should do if if you you know if you believe that about people and if it doesn't distort it or if it distorts it (43:42) but doesn't erase it then there's still something of God's image that you can learn so you can look at anyone and say what can I I learn about God through you what what has God put in you um that is of him of himself even if they don't know it yet so I think it comes with that you know there's a there's a curiosity for anyone you meet because you know I I just love I'm one of those sort of people Watchers in a bus in a cafe I always like to sit in the edge on the side because I just love people I love learning I love seeing the (44:16) interactions and whoever they are don't even half the time most of the time you don't know what their faith is but it can teach you something about humanity and therefore it can teach you something about the Creator as well there is one one random question that's coming that I'm just going to throw in because it's a fun question says what if finish with he is this the finishing question it might be what if more intelligent life is discovered in other planets what would that mean I mean we want to encourage people to be writing (44:47) in questions yeah I think that I think that's a good question I mean I I threw one in about the Dinosaurs the other the other week it's like where does the yeah where do the dinosaurs fit in to this you know six seven days of creation like what day were they on used to get really obsessed with that as a kid see I I when I did a theology degree I remember someone come in and they were this was their passion and I remember seeing the title of the talk and thinking oh this is it was 3 hours I remember thinking this (45:20) like we're just going to rip him to shreds he had 20 people who are now all Vicor and whatnot in the church um all of us thinking there could be aliens out there and he convinced Us in all sorts of one by one all the different arguments that we would might put up and basically um I don't know what I believe about that now personally if if they if more intelligent people haven't found us yet in millions of years and they're probably not out there but that's just my personal view but but I'm open to it and why I'm o why I'm okay with it is (45:55) they're avoiding us right they're avoiding us they should be they know we're here they just we don't think we're worth it but but um and one of the points he made was even if there is more intelligence life out there it doesn't undermine or contradict any of the key doctrines of the Christian faith that's kind of where I land with us well actually Jack I think to be honest my my good Instinct honor and I'm not a particularly scientific person um but I I kind of feel like the same as you like if there was very intelligent (46:31) life form out there they probably would have found us or we would have found them by now um there might be like lower levels of life form out there somewhere like you know they found tiny cells or bacterias or something on some of you know um planets I think now but for there to be the exact right conditions for Life as we know it like human life I feel like the Bible tells the story about our uniqueness as humans I wouldn't say that excludes there being any aliens or any other life forms out there and we don't know don't we there's (47:06) so much about God's world and creation we don't know and I'm really okay with that like like you say if if there is something else out there I don't think it changes the core truth which is we're made in God's image God created humans for relationship with him and God is the creator of all things like for me it doesn't really it's like finding another the country in our globe it doesn't really change all the other countries it's just like oh that's a surprise but God's B okay yeah I mean I think it's a really (47:39) interesting question um I mean I would rest in on this Genesis 1:1 in the beginning God created and I know it says about the heavens and the Earth you know and um regardless of what all the particular are there's only one Creator and he was the beginning of it and um I know people who have very interesting um things over um aliens and how they were on the earth during the time of Noah and before you know and I'm like that's interesting it doesn't take away anything from what the scripture says and it doesn't necessarily add anything (48:22) I think knowing that God is God um and and he's he's the Creator you know so if it is there he created it and he will have a plan for it you know and if it's got a soul it would need the Savior yeah yeah Amen to that amen how we doing the time we've got about what time are we on yeah we're pretty much finishing up here aren't we any final comments from you guys like any final thoughts anything we haven't touched on from you Dave I would just say you know Genesis it you have to take your time as you go through it um (49:08) but it really isn't trying to um present itself as a scientific documents or even as a historical document um it it really is um just if if if you read it and and and see the right um as the gather those writings it's to introduce you to the Creator it really changes how you look as you start to look through all those stories and when you get to Covenant again it brings you back to that personal um Covenant God you know so um read it slowly and ask the Holy Spirit to just reveal himself to you you will not be (49:51) disappointed yeah Amen to that so I um think we yeah we're we could talk about this all night long could we guys I feel like we could just keep going but we are running out of time so it's probably worth us just quickly letting you know what's happening next week and um yeah so next week we've got um Matt and Sharon are going to be hosting and they're they're here in the house tonight so they're weep weeping [Laughter] themselves someone's got a weep PE h [Laughter] weeping whooping whooping that that's that's just like a (50:32) scous translation thing um and we've got Jen speaking carrying on this series on Genesis as well so Lely Jen is here next week your wife part two yeah yeah and um it's going to be about growing growing up is learning what to want it's based on Genesis 7 so it'll be the next in this series um in terms of tonight if you've got more questions question s um we've got if you're on YouTube we've got a um live chat straight after this stream so stick around you can use the link that's in the chat box and join us um we'll be (51:08) hanging around just to talk to people if you want to carry on this conversation afterwards and also just to say through the week we're um about where um yeah you can email us you can drop us your prayer requests you can connect with us on social media we'll be around 3 the week and yes if you've got any prayer points if you want to keep discussing stuff then um do contact us there should be some details coming up on the bottom of the screen so do get in touch with us anything else to add Jack no it's been great thanks for checking us out thanks (51:42) for joining uh thank you Dave for fantastic message and do be mulling on it this week if you if you come into contact with this content at any point um do just reach out and and ask any questions but yeah it's been been a privilege been great yeah great to see you all take care goodbye [Music] [Music] bye oh [Music]