Why Does Creation Matter? (2)
Notes
Transcript
Genesis 1:1-5; 26-31
INTRODUCTION
What is creation: That which God created out of nothing in the beginning and continues to hold together today. Creation is everything that is not God.
Believing that God created the world is essential for believers because it is essential in understanding who Jesus is and why he was able to save us from our sins.
It’s a test of your accepting of God’s Word.
Genesis 1:1-5; 26-31
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.
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.
Why did God create the world?
Steven Lawson, “He created everything out of nothing in order to put His glory on display for the delight of His created beings and that they might declare His greatness.”
Science: the study of the natural world. Began as a way to understand the order God created. Today has become a religion all of its own where it begins with the assumption that there is no God. One definition= knowledge. So, science is knowledge. It has become the opposite of faith.
-not all scientists are agnostic/atheists.
-they do dominate the education system in schools.
-your not allowed to question science. But science can continually change its mind as the evidence changes.
-We should not be scared of Data. We however, must interpret the data through a Biblical worldview.
-You can question conclusions- but not the data.
-The Truth will set us free.
Christians see the world differently. God created.
4 Essentials Concerning Creation
1- God Created the World.
1- God Created the World.
Genesis 1:1
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
How Long? - “Yom” - can be 24 hr day or a time of many years.
The problem isn’t in how you interpret this, the problem is in the Why?
Don’t take evolution and use it for the lens to interpret scripture.
Start with the Scripture and let it be the authority.
Remember: we must stand on the authority of Scripture. It is God’s Word to us.
We look at the world through the lens of Scripture.
Don’t look at Scripture through the lens of the world.
I take it literal as it has usually been taken through Jewish and Christian history.
I think The Flood answers a lot of the geological issues with this.
God created each “kind” of living creature. Noah saved each “kind”.
Micro-evolution not macroevolution.
The essential is not the age of creation but person who created.
It is essential for us to understand God created everything.
2- God Continues to Work in Creation.
2- God Continues to Work in Creation.
God is not just the spark that begins the “Big Bang”.
God is active in his creation.
Isaiah 45:7
7 I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.
Present tense. He continues to create.
Not the God who “was” but the God who “is”.
Colossians 1:16-17
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.
17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
3- God Created Man Special
3- God Created Man Special
Genesis 1:24-26
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.”
“in the image of God”
Every person no matter age, gender, race, physical or mental capabilities, bear the likeness of the Creator.
We can reflect God’s glory and have a relationship with God.
We are not equal to all other animals.
Tendency in our world to make animals more valuable than man.
However, we are responsible to take care of the creation.
This is not a political position. This is a Christian position.
4- God’s Creation was Good
4- God’s Creation was Good
Genesis 1:31
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.
The problems with this world are not God’s fault, they are man’s.
4 Conclusions Concerning Our Creator
1- Creator Knows the Purpose
1- Creator Knows the Purpose
Isaiah 43:7
7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
Psalm 19:1
1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Psalm 104:31
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works,
To bring glory to himself.
To Have a Relationship- not because he needed us but because he chose to.
2- Creator Knows the Rules
2- Creator Knows the Rules
What is sin and what is not.
Romans 1:18-25
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
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.
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
Only God can work outside of natural order.
Miracles
3- Creator Knows the Problem
3- Creator Knows the Problem
Genesis 3 - The Fall
Will see this more later.
God created the world good. Man chose to do things their own way.
4- Creator Knows the Solution
4- Creator Knows the Solution
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 5:8
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Someone had to die to remove the sin of man.
One day he will create a new heaven and new earth for those who accepted the forgiveness.
A place of no more sorrow, pain, or death.
CONCLUSION
Have you surrendered your life to your personal Creator?
Have you surrendered your life to your personal Creator?