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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…”
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