01.01.23 Evening - Baptist Catechism Q12 & Q13

Good evening.  •We are continuing our study of the Baptist Catechism.  •Specifically, we are using the edition found in the white catechism booklets that we give away here at the church.  •And this evening, we come to Question 12 and 13.  •Yes, we are doing two questions this evening.  •The thirst is something of a springboard question that leads into a discussion about creation.  •We will spend the vast majority of our time on Question 13.  •And that question is “What is the work of creation?” As with much of the catechism, our questions and answers this evening are very simple.  •The catechism is a great summary of Christian truth.  •And one of the most basic facts of the Bible and human history is that God created all things. But while this is a basic truth, it’s also a truth that is repeated over and over again in the Scriptures.  •God creating the world is mentioned in prayers and in psalms of praise.  •It’s mentioned with regard to human astonishment at who God is and what He has done.  •It’s mentioned as a reason why men ought to know their place and submit to God’s will for them.  •It’s mentioned as a foundational reason for why man is obligated to love and serve God.  •The fact that God created all things is not only a primary doctrine of the Faith, but is also something that we are called reflect on time and time again because it has practical application to our lives and worship of God.  So, this evening we will review this basic truth: God created all things.  •And, by His grace, we will be led to reflect on God’s majesty, our indebtedness to Him, and our dependence upon Him. And from there, may we be led to worship Him as our Great and Wonderful Creator.  So, with that said, first I’ll pray. •Then we will briefly consider Question 12.  •Then we will land on Question 13.  •I’ll walk through the answer phrase by phrase.  •And then we will consider some application that can be made to our hearts in light of the reality that God has created all things.  With that said, let’s begin with prayer and seek God’s help as we turn to consider the truth of His Word.  (PRAY) Our Heavenly Father,  We thank you for another Lord’s Day where we could devote ourselves to worshipping you.  And now, as the day comes to a close, we have gathered once again to hear from you in your Word.  Please bless us and teach us.  Help us to receive old truths with fresh ears and warm hearts.  Grant us minds to understand, ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to receive your Word.  As always, we ask that you would change us by your Word and Spirit and help us to honor you.  Glorify yourself in us.  We ask these things in Jesus’ Name and for His sake.  Amen.  1.) We now come to our first question for the evening. I ask that you would read the answer with me: Q12. How does God execute His decrees? A. God executes His decrees in the works of creation and providence.  •(Let’s do that again.) Question 12 is kind of a stepping-stone question.  •It gets us to Question 13 and beyond.  •Catechisms are written in such a way that they build from one question to another. And so, from time to time, they have these kind of stepping-stone questions that set up further questions.  •(Our confession actually works the same way. One chapter builds upon another. And subsequent chapters build upon knowledge gained from what went before.) It’s interesting that if you look at the hard copy of our catechism, there are no Scripture proofs for the answer to Question 12.  •And that’s because the answer is self-evident.  •The question is asking, “OK, since God has a decree that He works out (Question 11), since God foreordains all things, how does He get it done? How does God EXECUTE His decrees?” •And the answer is obvious: God executes His decrees in the works of creation and providence.  •He accomplishes His decree by creating and governing the world according to His decree.  You see, God’s decree is an act IN GOD, where He ordains all that will come to pass.  •Decreeing is not an external act of God.  •But the execution of that decree is God ACTING outside of Himself, in His infinite power and wisdom and goodness, to bring His decree to pass.  •And in order to bring His decree to pass, He must create. And that’s because there was nothing in existence except for Him when, to speak humanly, He decreed. •But His decree includes all things that now exist. So then, He must create all things.  •And then, having created, He effortlessly governs His creation to bring to pass all His holy will.  The works of creation and providence both necessarily follow from the reality that God decreed all things: •He infallibly decreed all that comes to pass. So then, He must create and then govern His creation and bring His decree to pass.  NOTE: There is something devotional to be taken away from this already: God does all that He says.  •He decreed that the world would exist and that events would happen in His world.  •And then HE EXECUTES HIS DECREE.  •Know this, brothers and sisters: God always keeps His Word. ALWAYS.  •Take comfort in that fact if you belong to Him. There is not one thing that He has decreed, not one thing that He has said He will do, that He will not do.  •He is the faithful God who always keeps His Word.  2.) We now come to our second question for the evening. And, once again, I ask that you would read the answer with me: Q13. What is the work of creation? A. The work of creation is God’s making all things of nothing, by the word of His power, in the space of six days, and all very good.  •(Let’s do that again.) Genesis 1:1 reads, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”  •The chapter then goes on to record how God created the world and all things in the span of six days and rested on the seventh.  •And that is the beginning of all things.  •There was nothing. And then God spoke all things into existence.  •There was nothing. But then there was a BEGINNING to all things. And the beginning point was God’s action, God’s work of creation.  We reject the idea of an eternal universe, for the Word of God declares that there was indeed a beginning.  •We reject the idea of evolution, because the Word of God declares that God created all things.  •We confess an eternal God who made all things, because the Word of God declares plainly, “In the beginning, GOD…” •We start first with the Scriptures. And then we move and reason from the infallible revelation of God.  •And in the opening chapter of the Bible, we receive the divinely inspired account of the beginning of world and human history.  •And the Word of God declares that God created all things.  Our catechism says the same. It echoes the truth of Scripture.  •So let’s now consider the Answer to Question 13 phrase-by-phrase. 3.) Our catechism declares that, “The work of creation is God’s making ALL THINGS…” •God made all things. That’s simple enough.  •As Jonathan Edwards would say, “’Tis reasonable. ‘Tis biblical.” That God created all things is incredibly reasonable.  •Basic logic and reason leads us to conclude that, since the world exists, there must a Creator.  •There must be a First Cause for anything to exist.  •And we know that because nothing in the world just spontaneously comes into being.  •When you look at a house, you know there was a builder.  •When you look at a shoe, you know there was a shoemaker.  •When you look a book, you know there was an author and a printer.  •You get the idea: If anything exists, we know that there is something or someone behind it.  So in order for anything to exist AT ALL, there must be a First Cause.  •And that Cause, must be UNCAUSED. It must simply BE, or there can be nothing.  •But since there is something rather than nothing (the universe), we can reason that there MUST BE an Uncaused Cause.  •There must be an Uncreated Creator.  •There must be an Unmoved Mover.  •There must be an eternal Being that gives being to all things.  •Again, if there is not, then nothing can exist. But things do exist. Therefore, there is a Creator.  •And that Creator is God. •The light of nature and human reason can come to see this. And, until recent times, basically everyone in the world saw that this is the truth.  But not only is this reasonable, it is biblical.  •As we read in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” •There it is. There is the First Cause: GOD.  •There is the eternal Being. There is the One who exists in and of Himself who gives being to everything else.  Properly speaking, to “exist” means to “come into being.”  •And so, properly speaking, we do not confess that God “exists.” Instead, we confess that God subsists IN AND OF HIMSELF, as Chapter 2 Paragraph 1 of our confession states.  •God is the only Being in the universe that simply IS. That is why He reveals His Name to Moses as, “I AM THAT I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) •God is the One who simply IS. And because He is, we and everything in the universe exists.  So, hear me: The world is NOT eternal.  •That is an illogical impossibility.  •All things exist BECAUSE God created all things.  Furthermore, it’s good for our hearts to consider that GOD ALONE made all things.  •That is, He made all things WITHOUT HELP.  •There was no one giving God tips. There was no one with God in the beginning. There was no one helping Him out or lending Him power or wisdom or anything.  •There was only our Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, at work creating.  Genesis 1:1 mentions GOD ALONE as the Actor.  No other person or being is mentioned. “…GOD created the heavens and the earth.” •In Job 38:4, God powerfully questions Job by asking, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” •There was no one there with God in the beginning. It was GOD ALONE creating all things.  •God alone is the Creator.  •And, therefore, God alone owns all things and is to be revered above all beings.  NOTE: This should amaze us.  •That God alone made all things should help us to see how worthy He is of our praise.  •Who else but God could’ve done it? Who has might and wisdom and goodness like Him? Nobody. God alone.  •He is worthy of our praise and adoration and meditation.  •He is worthy of whatever He desires from us. He literally owns us. He owns the world and all things therein.  •He owns us all things by right of creation. And all men owe Him everything as creatures existing by His good pleasure.  •Never downplay these truths. It’s common knowledge, sure. But it’s not a common truth. It is an amazing truth that should us to worship our God as the Creator.  Brothers and sisters, this should all have a profound impact on the way we look at ourselves and the world around us.  •Since God created all things, all things are dependent upon God.  •And because of this, all attempts of men to live independently of God, or as if they owe Him nothing, are wicked and doomed to destruction and judgment.  •It is foolishness for us to think that we have no obligations to the One who made us.  •The fact that God made all things means that all of creation is accountable to God. Especially reasonable creatures (human beings).  •Don’t ever forget that.  •BECAUSE God made all things, all things are under Him, and are subject to Him, and are obligated to please Him however He desires to command them.  •GOD IS GOD. And He alone made all things.  •And so, God ALONE is to be feared and worshipped and loved by the whole creation.  4.) Our catechism goes on to assert, “The work of creation is God’s making all things OF NOTHING…” •God made all things out of NOTHING.  •There was no preexisting material for God to form.  •The Bible does not call Him the Former of the heavens and the earth. It calls Him the Creator of all things.  And there is a world of difference between making things out of existing material and CREATING things.  •In this sense, we “make” things all the time.  •We make meals by taking things that exist and putting them together in special ways.  •We make homes by using material that already exists.  •We make all kinds of things. If a human being has had a hand in it, it has been “made” in this sense.  •But God CREATED out of NOTHING.  •God didn’t use anything. He made everything.  Consider Romans 4:17.  •There the Apostle Paul says of God “…who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.” •Or consider Hebrews 11:3: “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” •The Scriptures are declaring to us that out of nothing God created all things.  We can’t even really imagine this.  •There was NOTHING. And then God made everything.  •We can’t even imagine nothing.  •When we do, we often think of a white or black blank space.  •But that is still color. That is still the idea of a space.  •But nothing is the absence of everything. That’s a concept we can’t even get our minds around completely because we are so much CREATED BEINGS surrounded by CREATED THINGS.  •But our God, as only He could, when there was NOTHING, brought everything into existence.  •We can’t imagine nothingness. But God was there when there was only Him. And God overcame the nothingness, so to speak, when He desired to create. •We need something to exist in order to make. But our God is so mighty that He needs NOTHING but His own will in order to call things into existence.  NOTE: Christian, stand in awe of your God.  5.) Our catechism then goes on to declare HOW God made all things: “The work of creation is God’s making all things of nothing, BY THE WORD OF HIS POWER…” •There is phrase that runs throughout the first chapter of the Bible. It starts every new section: “And God SAID…” •God spoke. And it was.  •What a beautiful refrain in Genesis 1: “And God said, ‘Let there be…’ and there was…” •That is how every act of creation happened. God said that He desired something to exist. And then that thing came into existence.  •God spoke. And it began to exist.  God literally spoke all of creation into existence.  •And what’s more is that He spoke everything into existence fully formed and functioning.  •All things sprang into being and began to operate exactly as they do now.  •There was no process. There only the word of God’s power.  •There was no effort. He spoke, and it was. He spoke and it came into being working exactly as it should and existing exactly where He desired it to be.  Brothers and sisters this should move us to worship.  •Who else has power like this?  •We all can speak. But not one of us can speak anything into existence.  •But God’s very words have power to bring forth the entire universe and everything in it.  •Truly, our God is GOD ALMIGHTY. All might and power and strength belongs to Him.  You know, we talk. And nothing really happens when we talk.  •Our words have no power or authority. (Unless, of course, God decides to use them as He does with the preaching of His Word.) •But, in and of themselves, our words can do NOTHING.  •We have a common saying: “Actions speak louder than words.” •And that works with us. But that doesn’t work with God.  •With God, it’s more fitting to say, “God’s words are His actions.” •God speaks and by the word of His power, things happen. And in our study this evening, we see that His mere speech gave life and being to the universe.  •Truly, there is no God like our God. There is no God but our God. He is the Lord God Omnipotent.  •If He can do this, there is literally nothing that He cannot do. His arm cannot be shortened. His power cannot run out. He can do all that He purposes to do.  •What a God! This God is worthy to be worshipped! 6.) Next, our catechism says, “The work of creation is God’s making all things of nothing, by the word of His power, IN THE SPACE OF SIX DAYS…” •Through the creation account in Genesis 1, we read of the first week of history.  •We read of the six days of creation.  •And it must be pointed out that these appear to be six literal days.  •The text says, “And there was evening and there was morning, the first day…And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.” And on it goes for each of the six days of creation.  Evening and morning is a twenty-four-hour period.  •The word “day” in the Hebrew is used throughout the Books of Moses to denote a twenty-four-hour period.  •So, as unpopular as it may be to say in our day, I believe that the most natural way to read the text, and all others about creation, is to understand that God made the world in six literal days.  •And this is the way that the Church and the Jews understood creation for literally thousands of years until we began to feel pressure from the world to deny what the Scriptures say at this point.  But, it must be acknowledge that some godly and conservative theologians and preachers have taken a figurative reading of the word “day” in these places.  •And those people are still Christians.  •But they are wrong, as far as I can tell. And they do not    confess the historic doctrine of the Church.  Consider Exodus 20:11. There we read the reason why we are to keep the Sabbath day holy.  “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” •We observe six literal days of work and our own business. And then we observe a literal seventh day and keep it holy to the LORD.  •That fits best and most naturally with an understanding that God made the world in six literal days.  •Without that understanding, the reasoning behind the Fourth Commandment becomes really fuzzy.  •Moses is telling us that we are to imitate what God did. And we do so by working six days and resting a seventh. And that means that God did exactly that.  So, again, to consistently read these texts leads us to confess what the Church has always confessed: •A literal six day creation.  •Let the world mock us if it wants to. I don’t personally care. I’ll take the Book over whatever they want to say.  •I don’t deny that there are many questions this raises. And some of them are difficult. But we must deal with them in light of the divinely inspired record.  •(Answers In Genesis is a great resource for this.) •But, as our catechism and the Scriptures say, the world was made by God in six days.  Now, this brings up a question to most thinking Christians: Why?  •God is omnipotent. So He could’ve created the world in an instant. So why did He create over the course of six days? •Here is your answer: God did so in order to set an example to man and institute an observance for man: •Work six days and rest one day.  •Work six days and then the seventh is holy to the LORD.  •Four our good, God took His time to create the world.  •He established the week and established a day of rest and worship for the physical and spiritual good of mankind.  •He established the Sabbath day and gave it to man as a gift, teaching man the rhythm and pattern for life.  •Truly, our God is GOOD to do this for us and give us this gift of a weekly Sabbath instituted at creation.  7.) But another question now comes up.  •We’ve seen that God created the world. But why did He do so? Why did God create? •Well, I’ll tell you this much: It was NOT because He was bored. God has all life and happiness in Himself. He cannot be bored, for He is not boring.  •And it was NOT because He had to create. He could’ve decreed that nothing would be and that He would simply be happy in Himself alone for eternity.  •And it was NOT because He was lonely. Again, God has all life and happiness in Himself.  Why then? Why did God create? •Well, what does the Apostle Paul say? •“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36) •God create all things for Himself.  •He created all things to glorify Himself.  •Not to add to His glory. No way. For He cannot be added to or subtracted from.  •Rather, He created in order to MAKE MANIFEST His glory and create creatures to see, savor, and share in His glory and worship Him as He deserves.  Creation displays the power, wisdom, and goodness of God. It displays His glory and majesty.  •It shows His power, because He made all things out of nothing and without effort.  •It shows His wisdom, because only an infinitely wise Being could organize and plan and cause all creation to work properly and beautifully.  •It shows His goodness, because He did not have to give life to others, but will to do so out of kindness and generosity.  •Truly, God reveals Himself in the creation. And all the creation cries out, “He is God! He is worthy! Worship Him!” •All things exist for the glory of God. THAT is why He created.  8.) Lastly, our catechism declares, “The work of creation is God’s making all things of nothing, by the word of His power, in the space of six days, AND ALL VERY GOOD.” •At the end of the creation week we read in Genesis 1:31, “And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good…” Originally, this world was VERY GOOD.  •It was perfect. It was unblemished. It was good.  •There was perfect peace. There was no sin or sickness or death or strife or any such thing.  •There was only God’s good creation. And God dwelling with man in the Garden. And man living in perfect harmony with God.  •It was all VERY GOOD.  •Everything was in it’s right place, under God, and doing exactly as God had created it to be.  •Everything was going perfectly by His perfect design.  •It was all VERY GOOD.  But we know the story. It did not stay very good for long.  •It did not stay idyllic and free from harm.  •Adam sinned, the man sinned. Adam broke the Covenant of Works with God and brought ruin and destruction to the entire created world.  •By the sin of one man, death and sin came into God’s good creation.  •And God’s curses came upon both man and the world.  •Man came under the wrath and damnation of God for our sins. And became in great need of a Savior from his sins.  •And the world came under curse of thorns and thistles and all kinds of horrible natural things.  •And now there are many hardships, many trials, many difficulties. There is now sin everywhere. And death and devastation because of sin.  •And, again, damnation now looms over man. And all this because of sin. All of this because man rebelled against God.  •What was very good was, in a sense, ruined by man.  I don’t know about you, but if one of my creatures did such a wicked thing to my good creation, I would’ve wiped the whole thing out, sent him to Hell, and started over again.  •But not our God. He is not like us. He is not a man.  •Man’s sin ruined everything; especially man.  •But God, in His kindness, in the fullness of time, sent the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ to fix what man did.  •Christ came into the world to live, die, and be raised for sinners in order to save us from our sins.  •Christ took our sins upon Himself and made atonement to God for them, by suffering the full weight of the wrath of God on behalf of all who would ever believe on Him.  •Christ came to redeem man from our sin. And He did so. Because not only was the creation very good, but because our God is INFINITELY GOOD.  •And we are saved in Christ, if we look to Him for mercy.  But Christ did not only come to redeem man from our sin.  •He ALSO came to redeem the world in a broader sense.  •As the Christmas hymn, “He comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found.” •Christ came to save the world.  •Christ came to save His People, yes. And He has done that.  •But He also came to institute the New Creation. And one day, when He comes again, He will complete it by restoring and recreating the world.  •God, in Christ, will one day set all things back to “very good” when He returns.  •And we, the New Creation, the New Human Race in Christ, will dwell with our God in splendor and glory and perfection forever, as He always intended.  God made all things very good.  •Man ruined all things.  •Christ redeemed all things.  •And God will make all things very good again.  •Praise God! Our Creator is our Redeemer! And all things will be set right on that great Day! 9.) So, brothers and sisters, as I come to the end of this sermon, let me set two things before you: 1. When you look out at the created world, you should be moved to reverence and worship of our God.  •The creation is intended to make you think of and worship Him.  •We see His power, His self-existence, His eternity, His providence, His goodness, His wisdom, and something of His beauty as we behold the world around us.  When you look out and see the sunrise on your way to work, remember God.  •When you see the wind gently blowing the trees, remember God.  •When you see the lightning flash in the sky, remember God.  •When you see a deer in the field, remember God.  •When your pet jumps into your lap, remember God.  •When you look in the mirror, look at your friend, or your spouse, or your child, remember God.  •As you behold the work of God in creation, remember the Creator who made and owns it all.  •And be moved to worship our Great God! It’s all for His glory.  •So use the creation rightly and be led glorify Him! 2. Lastly, when you consider the creation, let it point you to your redemption.  •Things are not as they should be. We see that in natural disasters, sickness, death, and all manner of sin in the world.  •But Christ has come. He has saved your soul by His work at the Cross. And He will one day make all things new.  •The Son of God has come and given His life for us in order to redeem us and all that we have marred by our sin.  •And now we await the consummation of all things at His return, where will dwell forever with our God in a perfect world.  PRAISE HIM! •You who love the Lord, praise the Lord! •He has done great things for us!  •And the best is yet to come for those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. God owns us by right of creation and redemption.  •May God teach every heart to worship Him.  •Amen.