Creation: Our Story, His Story

Good morning! It’s good to be able to spend this time with you continuing our series Foundations: What Do We Believe? We’ve talked about some heavy and important topics over the past few weeks - from the Triune God to the Bible and how it is God’s word - without error in its original form, and fully trustworthy. Before we get going, would you bow your heads with me as we open in prayer.

Lord God, thank you that we can be gathered together here today to fellowship and to worship you and to learn from your Word. Speak to our hearts what you would have us learn and use it to inspire transformation within us. We don’t want to leave here the same way we came - meet with us this morning. Amen.

This week we’re going to dive into the next topic that is discussed in the Statement of Essential Truths (or SOET) which was released by our fellowship - the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. Creation. It brings up all sorts of questions. Who made the heavens and the earth - if they were made at all? What is the purpose of creation? Who is humanity? What brought evil and death into the world? Who are angels and what role do they play? There are lots of questions - and each one could be a sermon on its own - but thankfully the SOET and the scholars and theologians who worked to put it together - condensed these questions into short answers. Let’s read the statement, and then from there let’s explore what the Bible says that led to this statement being written the way it is.

“God created and sustains the heavens and the earth which displays God’s glory.

Formed in the image of God, both male and female, humankind is entrusted with the care of God’s creation as faithful stewards.

As a result of human rebellion, sin and death entered the world, distorting the image of God and all God’s good creation.

Angels were created as supernatural beings to worship and serve God.

Along with Satan, some angels chose to rebel and oppose the purposes of God.

Christ gives believers victory over Satan and these demons.”

I have a few pictures for us to look at before we move on from that statement and dive into the Bible.

vecteezy.com

vecteezy.com

vecteezy.com

Man, what amazing variety we see around us, and yet each picture also has a remarkable amount of detail. Creation is astounding, and so often is can take our breaths away. As you might have guessed from the use of the wrd “creation” both by me and by the SOET, we approach this from the creation perspective - everything was created by someone. Since we talked last week about how the Bible is the revelation of who God is, this is likely not a surprise. Well that leads us right into the first part of the story of creation:

Creation Begins

We’re going to start off by looking at Genesis 1, the very beginning of the Bible. I’ll be summarizing or paraphrasing some of it to make sure we have time, but you can feel free to go back and read it in depth on your own. Starting from verse 1, I’ll be reading from the NASB translation and you can follow along in your Bible or on the screen.

Genesis 1:1–5 NASB95

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 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, one day.

On the second day, God created the heaven, which separates the waters, and saw that it was good. The third day gathered the waters under the heavens into the sea and made dry land - earth. He saw that it was good. Then He made plants and vegetation that would produce after their own kinds. Day 4, He made the sun, moon, and stars to give light on earth and to separate the light from darkness. On Day 5 animals in the sea and birds in the air were created and given the directive to be fruitful and multiply. All of this was good. Then comes Day 6, and it starts out much the same as the previous day - with God making animals on the land, they are to mulitply after their own kind… it was good.

But then the standard procedure changes a bit… And God says “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” And so He makes mankind - we see a more detailed account of the creation of people in Genesis 2 - He forms man from the dust of the earth and breathes the breath of life into him… and then later takes a rib from the man and makes the woman as his equal partner, his ezer in Hebrew. Mankind was given all the plants that produce seeds and trees with fruit that had seeds for their food (except one in the middle of the garden) and told to be fruitful and multiply and rule over the earth and the creatures on it. The specific instruction was:

Genesis 1:28 NASB95

28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

In chapter 1 verse 31 we see that after God had created everything, He saw that it was very good. And then on the 7th day, we see God resting from His work, it is complete, and thus the account of creation comes to a close. So some of our questions have been answered fairly clearly already.

Who created everything? God, more specifically the Triune God, for we can see the Trinity even in the first 3 verses of Genesis - the Spirit hovered over the waters, God spoke, and through the Word (which we know from John 1:1 is referring to Jesus) all things come to be. Later, in Genesis 1:26, God says:

Genesis 1:26 NASB95

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Even in the very beginning of the Bible we see evidence of the Trinity, and from the beginning we see the Triune God creating. Beyond this, we see Him creating with purpose. We see the universe in chaos, it was formless and void… there was nothing there. And then God begins to create and suddenly… there is order, there is something. And that something is good! And it stays good, and then it is very good when it is complete. He gave everything a reason for existing - the heaven was to separate the waters, the vegetation was to multiply and provide food for the animals and humans, the animals were to multiply, and the people… we’ll get back to that.

We can see in this Creation account a big, 2-part idea, and it’s one that I want us to keep in mind throughout this whole sermon.

God makes. With purpose.

God made everything. Beyond even that, He made everything from nothing - there was nothing there! Incredible! And I think, impossible for us to truly imagine. God makes. And He makes with purpose… we talked about the purpose for everything else, but what is our purpose? Well, the SOET puts it this way:

Formed in the image of God, both male and female, humankind is entrusted with the care of God’s creation as faithful stewards.

It was our purpose to oversee all the earth and the plants and the animals and the fish and the birds… everything that God created on this globe that we dwell upon, this was our domain. We were to “subdue” it, or to tame it, to rule over it. Now, we see from the example of God that a good ruler is one that cares deeply for those under their authority, and this is to apply to us as well. Our stewardship of the earth and everything in it is to be that of nurturing and caring for, of disciplining when necessary… not unlike being a parent. The SOET companion commentary puts it this way:

“We do not rule over the earth on our own authority or for our own ends. Instead, we care for it as representatives of our sovereign Creator, whose name is majestic in all the earth (Psa 8).”

As those made in God’s image, in His likeness, we are working under His authority which He has given to us to care for the earth and what is in it. That was the purpose God intended for us… And even beyond that, we are to do it in partnership with Him. Colossians 1:15–17 says:

“15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

As we work to steward the earth, God sustains the earth. Nothing could have life without Him giving it, the earth not only exists because He first created it, but it’s not some hands off job for Him. He is actively working to sustain the earth even now. And we were made to work with Him to do this well.

God makes. With purpose.

Great, so if that was the purpose intended for us… what happened? Clearly we’re not doing so great a job at it, all you have to do is drive through the industrial area of a city. Well, that brings us to part 2 of the story:

Creation Chooses

Now that doesn’t sound too bad does it? But, before you decide that, let me read the part of the SOET that relates to this… you might change your mind.

As a result of human rebellion, sin and death entered the world, distorting the image of God and all God’s good creation.

Angels were created as supernatural beings to worship and serve God.

Along with Satan, some angels chose to rebel and oppose the purposes of God.

Okaaay… maybe this doesn’t sound as good as that catchy little heading made it seem. Genesis 3 takes us to what is often called - the Fall of Man. Ominous. I mentioned briefly earlier that there was one tree the man and woman - Adam and Eve - were not allowed to eat from. It was called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and it was placed in the middle of the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve were. And this oh so conveniently tempting spot is where we first meet Satan, or as he is called in this chapter - the serpent. Satan means “the accuser”, and it’s how he is often referred to throughout Scripture… this or the Devil, The Enemy, the Evil One… you get the idea. The serpent is described here as crafty and the very first thing he does is question what God has said. He says to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”. Or, some translations start this sentence with “did God really say…?” This is where we pause and remember that the earth and humans are not actually the center of the universe. We’re not the only parties at play here. Who is this Satan serpent guy and why is He questioning God, whose very nature is truth?

Well, cue a very brief introduction to angels. As the SOET mentioned, they are supernatural beings. We often see them throughout Scripture in the form of a man, but the times when they do not take the form of a man can be… alarming to say the least. Here’s one example from Ezekiel 10:8-20

Ezekiel 10:8–20 NASB95

8 The cherubim appeared to have the form of a man’s hand under their wings. 9 Then I looked, and behold, four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like the gleam of a Tarshish stone. 10 As for their appearance, all four of them had the same likeness, as if one wheel were within another wheel. 11 When they moved, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went; but they followed in the direction which they faced, without turning as they went. 12 Their whole body, their backs, their hands, their wings and the wheels were full of eyes all around, the wheels belonging to all four of them. 13 The wheels were called in my hearing, the whirling wheels. 14 And each one had four faces. The first face was the face of a cherub, the second face was the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. 15 Then the cherubim rose up. They are the living beings that I saw by the river Chebar. 16 Now when the cherubim moved, the wheels would go beside them; also when the cherubim lifted up their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels would not turn from beside them. 17 When the cherubim stood still, the wheels would stand still; and when they rose up, the wheels would rise with them, for the spirit of the living beings was in them. 18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. 19 When the cherubim departed, they lifted their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight with the wheels beside them; and they stood still at the entrance of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them. 20 These are the living beings that I saw beneath the God of Israel by the river Chebar; so I knew that they were cherubim.

Wacky… They’re definitely not people! Hebrews 1:14 tells us they are

Hebrews 1:14 NASB95

14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

Ok, so they are spiritual, but can take a physical form. Also foreign to us, but perhaps a bit less terrifying than what Ezekiel described. We know also from Psalm 103:20 that angels are God’s servants and are obedient to Him…

Psalm 103:20 NASB95

20 Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word!

Satan is one such angel created to worship and serve God. But in Revelation 12:7-9 we see that Satan chose a different path.

Revelation 12:7–9 NASB95

7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Satan and some other angels that followed him in his rebellion, rose up against God and attempted to wage war against the Creator. He was defeated and cast down to the earth along with his followers by the archangel Michael. Now, here is where things are a bit fuzzy… when were angels created? Was it before the earth, or after the earth? The Bible doesn’t say, but we know that this is where Satan ended up, and where he has been wreaking havoc since then. And he starts with Eve.

“Did God really say…?” And Eve in all her pure innocence, strikes up the conversation which ended with Satan’s truth mixed in with lie - that they would not die if they ate the forbidden fruit, but rather would, like God, know good and evil. True, they would know good and evil, for by their choice to disobey they would allow sin to stain the newly created world. But false, they would die. For spiritual death is separation from God, and sin - disobedience to God - separates us from God. She took the fruit and ate, and gave some to Adam as well, and the choice was made. Rebellion against what God commanded, rejection of the love so freely given in exchange for the one thing withheld from them - death. How tragic a moment! And yet… I doubt any of us would have made a different choice.

And when God comes and talks with them, the consequences become all too real - curses are handed out as a result of their rebellion… the relationship between man and woman will never be the same again, and all hope is lost! And yet… in actuality, a tiny spark of hope stubbornly remains. Genesis 3:15, while God speaks to the serpent and curses him, contains the first promise of the coming Messiah.

Genesis 3:15 NASB95

15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

The seed of the woman, one of her children, would defeat the serpent that bested them. We know this is Jesus - who conquered Satan and death through His sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection, rising from the dead after the third day. He was promised as far back as the very first humans! This was God’s plan. Now, here’s a tricky part for our brains to follow… God knows everything, right? He knows how everything will turn out, and so even before He created the earth and people, He knew we would rebel against Him. So, why did He give us the choice? Why make the tree? Well, although there are people who disagree with the idea that we have any free will at all, I do believe we were given the gift of free will, and that it was because God desired a true relationship with us, His creation. Not a relationship where we had no choice but to serve and obey and profess love, but one where we chose Him just like He chose us. So if He knew that we would choose death instead of Him, then even before we ever even existed, He had a plan to make it possible to change our hearts and choose to love Him after all. That plan was Jesus. Why this discussion? So that we all remember that God makes. With purpose. This plan, to send Jesus? That was made before the foundations of the earth. Knowing the sacrifice that would be required of Him, He still chose to create us because He loves us.

God makes. With purpose.

We have a purpose. The plan of redemption is part of that purpose, and it will come to completion at the end of the story. Until then… part 3 of our story is that

Creation Battles

This is where we are at today. Yes, Jesus has won the victory over death and Satan… over 2000 years ago now actually. And yet, we still do not see the completion of that victory. We are living in what is called an “already, not yet” reality. Jesus is already victorious, and we already see some of that now with our spiritual transformation, the Holy Spirit living in us, and spiritual authority in the spiritual battles that we face. And yet, there is still pain and suffering and evil and sin and death. So, what’s with that? We are waiting for the day when Jesus returns to lay claim to His people and His creation. Why the wait? 2 Peter 3:9 says:

2 Peter 3:9 NASB95

9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

That sounds kind of like John 3:16, doesn’t it?

John 3:16 NASB95

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Jesus waits to return for our sake. Until the day when as many that will come to Him have, we wait. That day could be any day! And yes, we’ve been saying that for over 2000 years, and that doesn’t make it any less true. It could be tomorrow, goodness, it could be today. Maybe my sentence will be interrupted and the rest of this sermon will be a moot point, because it will no longer be already not yet, it will be already right now! But even if He doesn’t return for the next 2000 years, though I deeply believe this will not be the case, we must live in the spiritual battle we are in right now, as if Jesus were coming back in half an hour.

In his last letter to Timothy, written shortly before his death, Paul writes this:

2 Timothy 4:7 NASB95

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;

I pray that we will all be able to say this, whether we come to the end of our lives before Jesus returns or not. As we wait, we need to remember:

God makes. With purpose.

What is our purpose now? We are still called to be good stewards of the earth that is given to us! But we are given another purpose in Matthew 28:18-20.

Matthew 28:18–20 NASB95

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

We are to steward the earth and we are to steward the hope and truth given to us in Jesus by sharing it with others. We are to battle the spiritual battles that wage around us - against temptation, against bitterness, against strife, against apathy, against spiritual forces… and we are to battle on behalf of those who do not know Jesus. Pray - it is how we fight!

God makes. With purpose.

And now that we know our purpose, how can we live with purpose? How does knowing that all creation has a purpose change how you approach the people around you? Going into this week, I have a challenge for you. Think of one person who has hurt you, by action, inaction, or word, and pray for them. If they are believers, pray blessing upon them, that they would know God more deeply, that He would bless what they set their hands to. If they do not believe, pray that they would find a saving faith in Jesus. Your hurt is real, and Jesus knows your pain in a way that no one else can. But God made them with a purpose too. Pray for them. Let’s pray together now.

Lord, this is no easy thing to ask. Yet you command us to pray for those who persecute us and to love our enemies, so I ask that you would strengthen us to do just that. Knowing that prayer is a powerful weapon in the spiritual world, equip us and show us how to pray effectively. Guide us in our purpose of stewardship - both of the earth and of the Gospel. Give us Your words on our tongues and Your heart beating in our chests. Thank you for making us with a purpose, and for making us from love. We love you, help us to love you more! Amen.