The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us…

      Acts 17:24-27

The goal of life is to know God and to enjoy a relationship with Him. This has always been the desire of God…for His creation to know and love Him. This reciprocal love relationship is made possible through the cross of Jesus Christ. No more do our sins have to define us. No matter who we are, from where we come, or what we have done, God has made a way for us to seek Him and find Him. Today’s passage is a grand example of what it means to see life as it is and to understand the most basic things about God. Here are eight (8) realities involving God and the world in which we live.

1. God Made All Things

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

      John 1:1-3

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). If we lay as a foundation for our life anything apart from this core truth, we are building with faulty material. Our lives will be misguided from that point on unless a course correction is made. Just like a ship that sails off course by even a single degree, when we are not properly oriented, the direction of our lives will, too, be unsound. And being off course isn’t usually noticed in the early stages of drifting astray, but, if left unchecked, will take us to a destination that God did not intend. But when we start with God and acknowledge Him for who He is, the Creator of the universe, we are beginning on good footing.

2. God Doesn’t Dwell In Man-Made Temples

Even a cursory look at world religions will yield some similarities. Outside of a true conversion through faith in Jesus Christ, religions and world philosophies will take us in the direction of idols, temples, and sacred locations as a substitution for God’s desire, for us to be the temple of God through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is tragic to see millions around the world move into man-made ideologies that will never give the participants life. Worshiping a god that does not exist, and consequently no one can ever know, is the epitome of futility. Yet millions of, perhaps, sincere, well-intentioned individuals are caught in dead, misguide ideologies. This is why it is so important for the gospel of Jesus Christ to be preached to all creation (Mark 16:15-16) and for us to participate in discipleship, while making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). God doesn’t dwell in man-made temples rather His desire is to live in our hearts,

3. God Needs Nothing From Mankind

As difficult as it might be for mankind, the truth is that God doesn’t need anything from us. God is entirely self-sufficient. That’s why it is so amazing to realize that God loves us and desires to have a relationship with us. Our sin and depravity is what puts us at enmity with God and we are in this spiritual condition from birth. But when we are born again, we move from spiritual death to spiritual life and God’s Spirit comes to lives on the inside of us, transforming our ives into vessels acceptable and useful to Him. This spiritual transformation also positions us to be the children of God and fellow heirs to His kingdom. By extension, we have all of the resources of heaven at our disposal as we live out our earthly lives for Him. As Paul reminds us:

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

        Romans 5:8

Both are equally true at the same time…God doesn’t need us but loves us so much that He was willing to give us His Son to accomplish everything necessary for us to have a relationship with Him and to inherit His kingdom as His children.

4. God Gives Life And Breath To All 

Our very lives, even our very breath, comes from God. It is ironic that those who would spend their lives shaking their fists at heaven, denying God’s existence, and mocking those who seek Him, do all of that with the very breath and life given to them by God. In other words, without the God they deny, they would not even exist and certainly would not have the ability to rebel as they do. But for those of us who belong to Jesus, we live the abundant, eternal life promised by God to all who are found in Christ. We recognize that God is God and we are not. We acknowledge that God created everything that we see and that He doesn’t exist in dead, empty religion rather He lives in the hearts of born again believers in Christ. And His desire is for us to share this with the rest of the world so that more people will come to know Him and enjoy the same spiritual advantages. 

5. God Made All Nations From One Man

This is an important point, all nations were born out of one man. We are all tied together in two ways: (1) We all came from Adam and consequently are born with a sin nature and at enmity with God (Romans 5:18a) and (2) We are all in need of a Savior and His name is Jesus (Romans 5:18b). No one is exempt from this arrangement irregardless the ideology or philosophy. Consider the following:

All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him (Christ).

            Isaiah 53:6

Even before the birth of Christ, Isaiah reminds us of our ultimate problem and, in the same verse, reveals what God was willing to do about it. But this salvation through Jesus Christ has to be received. Because we all come from Adam, we all have this spiritual problem yet, through Christ, the remedy can also be applied to anyone who seeks the Lord. 

6. God Knows Everything About Us

The knowledge of God is beyond our comprehension. But the Acts passage speaks very clearly to the fact that “He (God) made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God…” There are three (3) specific things that God has determined for us. (1) The amount of time that we will spend on this earth. (2) Where we will live on the earth. (3) That we would seek Him. God never intended for us to live out this life apart from Him but sin interrupted that arrangement but God has reversed the curse brought about by Adam’s transgression and now we can have “justification of life” through Christ (Romans 5:18). And with this justification comes forgiveness, redemption, and a restoration of our lives to their intended design.

7. God Is Reachable

Perhaps this is the most important thing that we can say in this passage. God is reachable. Our passage today contains a rather peculiar but important phrase…”that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him.” “Groping” or “feeling” for God may seem like a strange way to describe seeking after God because this word usually accompanies the idea of tactile learning. But it is an accurate statement to say that God is reachable. This passage tells us that God (determined) “that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him.” It is God’s design that we seek Him and find Him. But there is an “if” in this truth, namely that we find God when we seek Him with all of our heart and all of our soul, as we looked at last time. God is reachable. He’s not hiding from you and our last truth will bring this reality home.

8. God Is Not Far From Anyone

God may seem distant at times but, in those circumstances, it’s not God who has moved. God is “not far from each one of us.” God’s presence is assured in the promises of scripture. The question isn’t, “Is God here?” rather we should be asking, “Is my heart close to Him?” God is reachable and He is not far away. It is up to us to seek Him and to do so with all of our heart. And when we do that, we will surely find Him! This is the goal of life…to have a personal relationship with the God who created everything.