The Environment

I told those who gathered last week that God had a plan that prompted Him to interject Himself into the chaos, the emptiness, and the meaninglessness of a godless existence.

This week some of the details of that magnificent plan become apparent.

An omnipotent and omniscient God could have spoken all this into existence in 6 nano seconds. It doesn’t require hundreds of billions of years for God to create out of nothing. But when God speaks 10 times in this chapter of the Bible it hints at the next time He will speak 10 times. When God speaks repeatedly like this, it is with intention and purpose.

I thank you for the time to get away and connect with some pastoral friends from the region earlier this week. You can thank Ann for bringing back the cold from Nebraska on Tuesday. Driving to a conference like this provides lots of windshield time.

It's been a long time since I played the alphabet game-- trying to spy letters in order on signs, or checking off states on license plates. When farmers drive, they watch crops. When ranchers drive, they watch herds. When preachers drive, we ruminate on intricacies and relationships between ideas.

I knew before I left that this week and next would be focused on God’s forming and filling the earth. Windshield time provided lots of opportunity to contemplate why God divided the forming of earth into 2 days as we read in today’s text.

Transition: As I contemplated day 2 of creation, in my mind I summarized these 3 verses a…

God Creates a Place for PLANETS (vv.6-8)

God Separated (v.6)

· The evaporation and rain cycle addresses 2 issues that continue to this day: filtration and distribution.

Rains fall, water evaporates, it condensates then falls again.

The heating and cooling of the cycle along with the change in form removes impurities so that moisture from the heavens is generally a blessing.

The process of the cycle while the earth is rotating also means that the rain that falls generally did not come from the land where it falls. It is a gracious way of taking from the abundance of the haves and giving to the need of the have nots.

A Sense of Wonder

In our empirical, scientific world we have removed much of the wonder from humans. Electric lights and thermostats have erased much of the rhythm and appreciation that previous generations had for heat and light from the sky.

1. Sunrises and Sunsets

A couple of weeks ago one of my friends pointed out that when we look to the East in the morning, we often take notice of the sunrise. The sunrise indicates that our earth is spinning into the effect of the Sun that has already been shining since it was created. The “new” light represents new opportunities. However, the beauty of a sunrise is often defined by clouds and particles that filter the light into various shades. Weather fronts work in such a way that the clouds we observe in the East have already passed over us. These clouds represent God’s faithfulness toward us in those circumstances that have passed. Once a month I get the opportunity to drive south on 177 and I generally encounter Katie Mayes bringing her children to school. But before I see Katie, I’ve already noticed the sun rising over the hills and taken notice of the season of the pastures and the reminder of God’s mercy that is new every morning. No matter what I did yesterday that required God’s mercy, today he starts with a full and fresh supply to meet my need.

2. Lunar Eclipses, shooting stars, planetary alignments all should prompt us to recognize our God’s spendor, creative greatness, and intricate planning.

3. Extra-Terrestrial Life

· Would God endure the anguish of the crucifixion if there were some other universe with inhabitants who did not rebel?

A Modern Babel

1. “We will figure this out”

Man stepped on the moon before I stepped into Kindergarten. I have never been aware of a time that space travel has not been possible. I was in High School when the first vehicle began to leave our atmosphere, orbit, and return. Space travel is as natural to my generation as public aviation was to my grandparents. Now billionaires are flaunting their ability to permit ordinary civilians to experience zero-gravity in space, and a military branch targeting space has been established. I consider the Billions of dollars spent on the NASA budget, and while it is generally less than 1% of the annual national budget, I can’t help but think it is an attempt to master something that God chose to not put under man’s dominion.

2. We will see on day 6 that God puts man in dominion over the plants and animals, but He never gave man dominion over space or weather. When we get to the Tower of Babel in a few chapters we will find mankind asserting his authority in ways never granted and try to prove equality with the gods. I can’t help but think attempts to rule the heavens is too similar.

God Separates

The separating act of God should tell us that since He did it before, we should not be surprised if He does it again.

1. God Separates sheep from goats

Matthew 25:32–34 ESV:2016

32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

· There are a lot of “good ol’ boys who will be surprised when God separates out His herd.

2. For those in Christ, separation is impossible.

Romans 8:35 ESV:2016

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

Romans 8:38–39 ESV:2016

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Transition: The Heavens are not the only place we can observe God’s majesty. After he separates waters into terrestrial and celestial, on day 3…

God Creates a Place for Plankton & Plants (vv.9-13)

The Seas and Dry Land (vv.9-10)

If, as I explained last week, Moses is recording these books while the Israelites are wasting for 40 years in the dessert, then the abundance of dry land would not be viewed as a blessing. They had dry, what they needed was water. As indicated by repeated cases of murmuring.

To the ancients the seas generally spoke of judgment or turmoil.

This week I watched a program about pioneers heading West. They found themselves moving from water to water. A few days of rest, watering the herd and figuring how to cross the river, then pushing ahead to the next river. For these pioneers the waters provided both life (after it was purified) and death as the currents swept away excessive belongings and caused sickness if consumed before boiling. For those who receive the Torah as God reveals it to Moses, a generation is passing away who experience a river as first and obstacle, then it proved to be God’s means of delivering them from Pharoah’s chariots. As the waters parted and the saw the dry land appear, these people had never been so glad to see God separate the waters. As the waters came back together and the river began to flow, they were never so happy to be safely on the dry land on the other side.

Bearing seed and fruit (v.11)

Seeds are for reproduction – before the birds and the bees, God was already thinking about the need for reproduction and multiplication. (as Spring Burning starts in our pastures, I know several ranchers who are wondering why God gave the ability to invasive species to bear seeds)

Fruit is for consumption – before any animals would need leaves or fruit for food, God had the forethought to create the rain cycle and vegetation that animals would require.

It is as if every time a challenge arises, (e.g. “What will we eat?”) God has already considered and provided the remedy. By the time man is created, God will already have created meat so that man is not left to plant-based imitations!

A Flourishing Place

Expecting parents take great care to prepare an appropriate nursery before bringing a child home or delivering at home.

Parents desire a place where their new baby can sleep, be soothed, inquire and be stimulated, a place that is safe and contains provisions that contribute to health.

God did that for us on days 2 &3. On days 4 & 5 He will stock the nursery with supplies.

We will see on day 6 that we are invited to cooperate with God in sustaining this flourishing environment for humans to flourish.

Part of the mandate we will receive is to care appropriately for this environment we have been gifted. Clean water, fresh air, healthy food, and productive crops are our responsibility.

We don’t hug the tree because of the tree. We steward the environment as a good gift from God, entrusted to us so that humans (God’s image bearers) can flourish.

Transition: This history of planets and plants is not just for knowledge. In this creative order, God is revealing that He has a design and a plan that are good. Because He has a plan…

God Creates a Place for You

A lot of pastors and theologians have been debating throughout the current pandemic if online church is really church? I’m guessing a survey of believers throughout History and in political environments where the underground church or the persecuted church are their only options may answer different than we would.

Just this week my Twitter feed lit up when one man said “to say that online church is not church is to say that online shopping is not shopping”. Then someone spouted off “only if church is a retail commodity to be traded”.

Monday of this week I spoke with Janice Fast, from Goddard Kansas about her participation in an online outreach. Last November many of you packed shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Some of you are aware that Samaritan’s Purse provided and online option where people could shop and pay for a box right from their phone or computer. Janice volunteered in the warehouse were those online orders were packed and turned into “real” shoeboxes that will be given to children around the world with a presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

You don’t have to spend much time with me to conclude that I believe technology is a valuable tool for the church. But technology can never replace the local church.

I am thankful that we can provide live and archived video and audio streams of our services. And I am grateful for every single person who logs in to receive teaching and encouragement. But watching our services is only PART of what we do as a church to embody the message of Christ in Chase County.

Families

Many childless couples wonder why God withholds the blessing of children. Many only-child kids wonder what it would be like to have siblings. While many large family children wonder what it would be like to be an only child.

God has designed humanity so that only a man and a woman coming together can form a child.

I realize that modern families must acknowledge that IVF and surrogates and abandonment and relationships outside of God’s good design means that many children do not know both biological parents. But every single one of you exist because a man and a woman made a biological contribution that resulted in your conception.

I’m not about to say that families are easy, Just look at Jacob’s family—12 sons by 4 different women. Can you imagine how long Christmas morning would take in this home? Their animosities appear as the 2nd youngest is even sold into slavery and they mislead dad into thinking a wild animal tore him to pieces.

Yet, when God designed families, He did it with a father, a mother, and children that were entrusted to them.

When Jesus came to earth in flesh, He came to a family. God saw to it that a man was part of the family even if the man was not part of Jesus’ conception. That man was part of his raising.

As one reads through the genealogies of the Old Testament and we wonder, “Why did this get preserved and written down?”, it reminds us that God places individuals in families.

There is NO GOVERNMENT agency that has more God-given authority over children than their parents. (there ARE times when the government has been entrusted by God to recognize adoptions, and there are times when temporary protective services is absolutely the best interest of a child) But these are surely the exception and not the norm.

Church

The current pandemic forced believers and churches to ask, What does it mean to belong to a Church? Is it a source of preaching? Is it a destination for my giving? Is it a place or a people that I serve with? Is there any form in which I am responsible to others and others accept the responsibility to care for me? Is communion with a diverse group more meaningful than bread and wine by myself? Is it possible to baptize myself?

All of the accounts of the calling of the Disciples make it clear that Jesus never intended to do life with just 1 disciple in a personal pairing. Each incident shows that disciples were called into a group and Elders were set apart in pairs, never by themselves.

Yes, you can worship by yourself. Yes, you can study the Bible by yourself. Yes, you can go to Heaven without ever joining a church.

If the Old Testament heroes were all placed in families, and the New Testament saints are all identified with groups or bodies, doesn’t that tell you something about God’s intent?

Illustration: Preacher visiting a loner in a Cabin. The loner claimed, “That church is so full of hypocrites, I do better by myself!.” The preacher got up, removed one log from the fireplace, placed it alone on the hearth, then sat back down and they continued their conversation. By the time the conversation ended the rest of the fire roared, while that log by itelf had become cold. The loner said, “Don’t say another word, preacher. I’ll see y’all on Sunday.”

Body Parts & Gifts

I know a lot of very talented people. I know people who have skills and talents that I do NOT have. But I have never met an individual person who has all the spiritual gifts or is equipped to do everything that a local church is called to do.

We need each other!

Conclusion:

God created space before He created the stars and planets. God created seas before He created fish. He created land and plants before He created animals. Whenever He creates something new, He already has a place for it.

And when you are born into God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ, He already has a place where you can flourish!