Sept. 6, 2020 - Creation
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1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so.
8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.
10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so.
12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,
15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.
16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.
17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,
18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.”
21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.
25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.
3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
I don't think it's a secret to say that what's revealed in these passages has been a topic of debate for centuries.
Atheists, Agnostics, Theists...we're all guilty.
Everyone has taken part in this discussion.
Is 1 Day...1 Day?
Is 1 Day...1000 years?
Is all of this even possible?
Now, while I believe that these verses are to be taken literally, many people don't.
Many people find it hard to imagine a 6 day creation.
Here's my response to that:
• It could have taken Him 1 Nanosecond to create the heavens and the earth.
1 nanosecond is 1 billionth of a second.
1 Nanosecond is to 1 second as 1 second is to 31 years.
Time is of no constraint to God....whatsoever.
And so while I believe that to be the case...that's not what i want to look at here.
In the beginning, God created.
And so what was a result of that creation?
SLIDE: Creation: Reveals God
Creation
Creation
1. His revelation of Himself (It reveals God / points to Him)
7 “But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;
8 or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
9 Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?
10 In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.
SLIDE: Creation: Reveals His Eternal Power & Divine Nature
Creation
Creation
1. His eternal power and divine nature
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
17 ‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.
SLIDE: Creation: Reveals His Authority
Creation
Creation
1. His authority
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone,
7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb,
9 when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors,
11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?
12 “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place,
13 that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it?
Creation reveals His authority...
SLIDE: Creation: Reveals His Glory & Majesty
Creation
Creation
1. His glory and majesty
1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
It reveals His glory!
Who has ever WATCHED the SUN - big as can be - shrink down below the horizon line…sunset?
SLIDE: Creation: Reveals His Love & Faithfulness
Creation
Creation
1. His love and faithfulness
5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.
30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Creation puts on display - God’s LOVE and FAITHFULNESS!
Who in here is grateful for:
Coffee (a common grace)
KIDS!!!
Creation reveals His LOVE!!
SLIDE: Creation: Reveals His Power
Creation
Creation
1. His power
25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
Just LOOK around - His POWER is on display!
SLIDE: Creation: Reveals His Wisdom
Creation
Creation
1. His wisdom
5 to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever;
And if you know this next passage, you know that the “I” in this passage - is WISDOM...
27 When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep,
29 when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
Just think of ALL the systems of the earth and how they INTERRELATE!
Energy Cycle
Biogeochemical Cycles
Water Cycle (Hydrologic Cycle)
Evaporation, Transpiration, Sublimation
Condensation & Precipitation
Sea Level Rise
The Nitrogen Cycle Processes
The Carbon Cycle
SLIDE: Creation: Reveals His Unchangeableness & Constancy
Creation
Creation
1. His unchangeableness and eternity (constency)
25 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
27 but you are the same, and your years have no end.
And so in the beginning, God created...and creation points to all that God is.
Let’s look at the list…of ALL that Creation does…ALL that it REVEALS about God...
SLIDE: List
Eternal Power & Divine Nature
Authority
Glory & Majesty
Love & Faithfulness
Power
Wisdom
Unchangeableness & Constancy
God has written "God" across the universe, that it might speak of Him.
Why?
For what purpose?
Did God have to create?
Was the Trinity lonely?
Why did God create in such a way that all of creation would point to Him?
Do you remember?
The ANSWER is found in ANOTHER question...
SLIDE: QUESTION
Why does God do everything that He does?
• Answer?
SLIDE:
God does all that He does, to display His glory for the full and lasting enjoyment of all who embrace Christ as their highest treasure.
And so even creation was made, for the Glory of God.
That God would be gloried in...through creation.
Listen - Creation EXISTS - to glorify God!
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
The 170 ton blue whale, with a heart the size of a small car, and its largest blood vessels wide enough for an adult to swim through -- created for the Glory of God.
The tiny flea, with its ability to jump 200 times its own height...equivalent to a man jumping over the Empire State Building - created for the Glory of God.
All things created that God would be glorified in and through them.
Listen to the psalmist speak of creation:
27 These all look to you, to give them their food in due season.
28 When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works,
The psalmist acknowledges God as Creator
He knows the story of the seven days.
But as the psalmist meditates, his thoughts are not drawn off to speculations about, “How?”*
Instead, the psalmist moves quickly beyond the “scientific” questions that so attract us - AND INSTEAD - focuses on the central message:
All that exists is the work of a Person.
Everything around us has been carefully and thoughtfully designed.
WHICH MEANS -
SLIDE:
Creation is a mirror, placed to reflect our thoughts and our worship back to the Person whose image Creation enables us to see.
The purpose of creation is to lead to the Glorification of God...
...and remember what Colossians 1 :16 said:
...all things were created through him and for Him.
Well, "all things" would include...us
We were created for the Glory of God?
Yes:
6 I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth,
7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
He works all things...to the praise of His glory!
AND WE - are a part of CREATION...
Remember our list from before?
Eternal Power & Divine Nature
Authority
Glory & Majesty
Love & Faithfulness
Power
Wisdom
Unchangeableness & Constancy
QUESTION is - do WE reveal these things about God in our lives?
Does the world look at us AND SEE:
God’s power
God’s authority
God’s LOVE - HIS faithfulness
His WISDOM
His constancy
And so this is what's being set up here in Genesis 1... ..."All things were created to the praise of His glory"
ALL things were created by God the Son for God the Son.
God created an environment that would ultimately magnify Himself... ...and mankind was at the head of the class.
• No other creature was made in the image and likeness of God.
No other creature became a living soul like Adam did.
No other creature was told to have dominion, yet Adam was given dominion over all of God's creation.
No other creature was given the ability to commune with God in prayer and worship.
And so man found himself in perfect communion with God, praising and worshipping Him...
But is this really loving on God's part?
Is it really loving of God to create, in order that the creation He created would exalt Him?
Is that loving?
And so we need to understand what it truly means to love...
...what it truly means to love someone and be loved.
**Does anyone know anybody who is really into himself/herself?
Does that annoy us?
(arrogance - pride)
But here's the thing...God does the same thing.
God calls for us to praise God.
Do we get annoyed at that?
If not why?
Why is it ok for God to call for us to praise Him?
What can satisfy us for the longest period of time?
God can.
God can satisfy us for the longest period of time. (eternity)
And so because we know that, then in order for God to BE loving,
He MUST offer us the only thing that CAN satisfy us for the longest period of time (eternity) -- --> Himself
God must offer us Himself as our all-satisfying treasure, if He is to be loving.
WHICH MEANS - If He was to withhold Himself from us, and NOT draw us to Himself, then He
would NOT be loving.
AND THIS - Now this leads to another important question...
SLIDE: Question 2
When do you feel most loved by God?
Do you feel most loved by God when He makes much of you...
...Or when He gives you opportunity to make much of Him?
See you may be asking, "where are you going with this?"
"Weren't we talking about creation?"
Yes we were, but WE HAVE TO get ourselves - into the Genesis chapter 1 mindset.
It's hard for us to, in the "post-fall of mankind" to really understand what's happening here in Genesis chapter 1.
This is more than just God creating things.
We can't forget that this is before sin entered the world.
Genesis chapter 1 is a different world than we live in today.
The world of Genesis chapter 1 is, a world where EVERYTHING's desire, and ONLY desire is God and the worship of Him.
We can’t even COMPREHEND that!!
That's why in Genesis chapter 2 we find that Adam and Eve, BEING naked, didn't know that they were naked.
It wasn't about - "ohh, she's hot, let me lust after her"
No, that wasn't even possible...
...Because it was all about God and the worship of Him.
None of creation sought it's own, but instead MADE MUCH of God.
This is a completely different world than what we live in today.
See. today, most people feel loved by God when He makes much of them.
When He heals US.
When He supplies OUR need.
When He helps US.
When He lifts US up.
This is when we feel loved by God.
For Adam and Eve, they felt loved by God, merely because He gave them opportunity to make much of Him...daily, in all things.
This was the world of Genesis chapter 1.
This is how God designed ALL of this to be.
See chapter 1 is about more than land and water, plants and animals...
...even man itself coming into existence.
It's about all of those things coming into existence, in an environment that was void of that which separates us from God.
There was nothing that hindered their pursuit of God.
Nothing that blocked their view...
And in that, God declared that it was good...it was good...it was good.
It was for our good, and for His glory!
SUMMARY:
So HOW do we walk away today - and be CHANGED by - CREATION?
We understand that...
SLIDE:
The purpose of creation is to reveal God to the world
And WE ARE a part of CREATION...
And SO - we actually have Jesus as our example in this...
So as we close today - can these verses be spoken of us...
18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
Does my life MAKE GOD KNOWN?
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Does the world say the same about me?
That i - IMAGE Jesus Christ to the world?
NOT only that - but do I look at Creation - and in SEEING it - Praise God for it...
Is creation just a MIRROR that reflects my WORSHIP up to the MAKER of it all?
May it be so...
NOW - we just talked about CREATION - Genesis 1...
Everything was PERFECT...
But, it wouldn't take long for mankind to mess things up.
And I hope you see it now...in all of creation, God did not create any idols.
Mankind however - took what was created, and began idolizing it, over God.
Bad news is coming...as we'll see next week… in our TREK thru the Old Testament!
Let’s pray!!