Sermon on
Creation
By Brian Pepper
Most of us enjoy watching a good nature film. Some years back there were the Walt Disney classics. They were exceptionally well done. The picture and music were skillfully blended to make a very entertaining presentation. However I have noticed in the majority of nature films of recent times that the narration very strongly supports the evolutionary theory. David Attenborough and the Leyland Brothers are classic examples of this.
One night I turned on the TV and started to view a film which turned out to be a search for the missing link. I thought to myself - what a fool that man is. He has spent a lifetime looking for that very elusive thing, the missing link.
The Christian does not have to waste their time in such a useless quest.
Origin of the Earth
I would like you to notice the text in our study today.
Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
The Bible tells us that this Earth did not come into being through some accident. It was created. It was carefully planned. There was a Master Designer in the background.
I want you to notice what it says in
Psalm 102:25.
“Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands."
This Earth was not a cosmic mistake, neither was it a last minute thought. It was created by the One who made the Universe.
Light
Just for a few moments I want to take a look at certain aspects of creation as recorded in the Holy Scriptures.
Genesis 1:3 says, "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
What would we do without light? One thing is very certain. We could not manage without light.
God said "Let there be light..."
It says in the Good News Bible verse 5, “and he named the light "day" and the darkness “night”. Evening passed and morning came – that was the first day."
I guess that is where we got the word "daylight" from. And of course we think of "sunlight" because that is the source of our "daylight."
Just think of the sunshine. Without the life giving rays of the sun nothing would be able to exist.
Trees, flowers, animals, yes and human beings as well; we have to thank God for the sunshine. And we just take it for granted. We hardly give it a moment’s consideration. But without it - we would not be here.
But more than that - what would this world be like without the heavenly sunshine of Jesus. It would be a cheerless place.
The Firmament
Genesis 1:8 says, "And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day."
When you think of heaven your mind pictures blue skies and fluffy white clouds and then you think of glorious sunsets. Then at night there are the twinkling stars.
Stars
The stars tell us about God.
Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."
The stars did not get there by chance. Did you know that so accurate are their movements that we set out time by them.
Psalm 147:4 says, "He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names."
The Bible tells us that only
God knows how many stars there are. He knows the names of each one of them and this is something which should encourage us; for He knows our names as well. Yes He knows us (as individuals) and is interested in each of us personally.
Dry Land
Genesis 1:10 says, "And God called the dry land earth ..."
A wonderful place is earth. Just think of the forest clad hills and mountains, the productive plains.
Even today the earth still reflects the glories of creation. And when God makes this earth new, as is pictured in the Book of Revelation, that glory will be restored.
Seas
Genesis 1:10 last part says, “… and the gathering together of the waters
called he seas: and God saw that it was good."
Most people love the sea, especially when we think of the deep blue water of the tropics, the golden sands, the waving palms, the coral reefs. And when we think of water there are the rivers; the spectacular waterfalls.
Water
Water is a wonderful substance. Nothing in this world could live without water. It is composed of two gasses - Oxygen and Hydrogen.
Oxygen is essential to all combustion. Hydrogen is ignited more easily than any other gas. You would suppose that by combining these two inflammable substances it would result in a highly explosive force, but strangely enough the opposite is true. When they are combined they put the fire out. It would be dangerous to try that with petrol and kerosene.
This mysterious substance we call water can be expanded 1200 times and called steam. We can turn this vapour into stone and call it ice. Now isn’t that amazing?
Grass
Genesis 1:11 says, "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind …”
Green Grass -
God chose the most restful colour when He laid down the carpet which covers the brown earth. If God had coloured the grass red we would all be nervous wrecks. But He didn’t: He gave us the right colour. And while we are on the subject of grass a small boy said that he could not understand how that a black cow eating green grass could produce
white milk. The only answer we can give to that is that
God made it that way.
Herbs and Fruit
God also gave us the herbs and there are so many of them. They contribute to our health and well being. Then there are the fruit trees: the peaches, the plums, the apricots, nectarines, the mangoes, the oranges, and so on. There is such a variety of good things that are available for us.
Two Great Lights
Genesis 1:16 says, "And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also."
The Sun
The sun is a flaming ball 865,000 miles in diameter. Its tongues of fire shoot out into space for thousands of miles. At least one giant flame leaped out one million miles. What a huge fire! The sun keeps on burning day after day, year after year, millennium after millennium. Yet it never burns out - how does this come about? The scientists have many theories but I assure you that none of them can explain this mystery.
Fish
Genesis 1:21 says, "And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind, and God saw that it was good."
The great whales, the monsters of the ocean; the dolphin and the sea lions; and the infinite variety of marine creatures that inhabit the waters.
When I lived in Fiji I used to go out on the coral reefs at low tide. And there were all kinds of brightly coloured fish in the crystal clear pools.
Animals and Birds
Genesis 1:25 says, "And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind and God saw that it was good."
The monkeys, elephants, giraffe, lion, tigers, cows, sheep and goats; everything brings forth after his kind.
After his kind
There are some animals that do cross such as a donkey with a horse but they become a hybrid. They cannot bring forth a species.
We do see something called mutation. This is variation within a species. All the different dogs is a good example from the huge Afghan to the tiny Pomeranian, but they are all dogs. I want to assure you that mutation has its limits.
"After its kind" Right here is a scientific fact that stands unchallenged.
Animals - a lower order of Life
There is no question that some animals are very intelligent, but I have yet to see
a monkey doctor or a monkey dentist. Actually I would not have a great deal of confidence in a monkey doctor or lawyer or dentist. No, monkeys act like monkeys - they do not act like men because that is the way God made them. They are a lower order of creation.
Man Created in God's Image
Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female he them."
We were made in God’s image with two eyes and two ears, one nose, and one mouth, two arms and two legs.
Eyes
Did you know that our eyes are placed in such a way that they enable us to see things in their right perspective? We call this stereoscopic or three dimensional.
Mouth
The mouth and the nose are in the exact position to function properly. I have always thought that the main function of the mouth was to swallow food; that was until I saw a film on TV where they drew our attention to the amazing ability of the vocal chords to produce musical tones, equal to the finest instruments.
Great artists such as Caruso, Pavarotti, Marjory Lawrence, Placido Domingo and many, many more have proved that to be so.
Nose
Even the nose plays a very important part. Besides giving character to the appearance it supplies air to the lungs and body and stimulates the senses as well. If you walk past a bakery when they are baking fresh bread or a restaurant when a meal is being cooked, you will realize this.
Our Bodies give Evidence of Careful Planning
Our bodies give very clear evidence of careful planning. It is no wonder the Psalmist said in
Psalm 139:14.
"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."
We are certainly fearfully and wonderfully made. We did not come about by chance. Our bodies give very clear evidence of careful planning.
Did you know that every cell of our body is remarkable in design? Did you know that in one half of an inch of our skin there are more than 4 million tiny cells; that the bone structure of the body allows the maximum amount of movement?
Eyes
The eye is a masterpiece of design. If you know anything about cameras then you would know that most of the latest cameras have auto-focus. And this is wonderful when it works but very costly when it does not as I found out when I paid the bill. However right from the time God made us we have been equipped with auto-focus plus auto-exposure which regulates the opening and closing of the retina. As long as our eyes are not closed in sleep they are constantly changing focus or allowing more or less light to pass through.
Brain
Like the eye the brain is so complex in its working that there had to be a designer. If you think that video machines are cleverly constructed -
then you are right. But even the most advanced of them are nothing compared with the one in your brain. For everything you see and hear is stored away in that little memory box and can be recalled at a moment’s notice. And beside this, your brain makes all the decisions. It controls all the actions of the body and above all else your spiritual perception is in the mind. God speaks to you through your mind.
Image of God
Now I ask you - if you were to improve on the physical structure of man, where would you start? How could it be done? However being in the likeness or the image of God
means more than being physically like God. It means in character as well and this is far more important for it is God’s ideal that man should be spiritual; that his nature be in harmony with the will of God.
Why God Rested
Genesis 2:3 says, "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."
Have you ever wondered why God rested? The Bible tells us that God does not get tired. Perhaps you might ask "Why didn’t God go back to heaven for the weekend, or move on to some distant Galaxy to make another world?”
I wonder if you know why God stayed on. The answer is quite simple.
It was to give Adam and Eve twenty four hours of happy fellowship.
God had a lot to tell them. Yes God stayed on so He could tell them how He had made them. Then He explained to them how He had made the world, the sun and the moon and the stars. He showed them the beauties of nature, the flowers, which gaily decorated the Garden of Eden, the shrubs and trees; the fruit which was in abundance. Have you ever tried
to imagine what a beautiful place it must have been?
Well if you have then I am sure that you will realize how wonderful it must have been.
Adam and Eve did not live in a hut or in a cave or a hole in a rock; they lived in a garden. They did not eat plain food - they ate the very best. They had it all. They did not need supplementary diet and there was no need of vitamin tablets.
Behold it was Very Good
Genesis 1:31 says, "And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."
As God surveyed the things He had created it gave Him a great deal of satisfaction. So much so that He acknowledged it as "very good."
Usually if you make something you can see where improvements can be made but where would you start with God’s creation? For instance take a human being or a horse or even a tiger. How could you improve on a tiger?
Why Man should Rest
Genesis 2:2 says, “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made."
We have already noticed that God was not tired; neither were Adam and Eve
for they would be at the peak of their physical fitness. Because we are told to rest on the Sabbath that does not mean to say we are to spend the day in bed or sleeping. There are some people who believe this for they usually sleep through the Church service. The Sabbath is more than a day to rest tired minds and bodies; it is a day for fellowship with God and Jesus.
Sanctified the Seventh Day
Genesis 2:3 says,
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all His work which God created and made."
Santified it
- Now what does that mean? It means that He made it holy. And how did He do that? By putting His own presence in it and that is why stayed on with Adam and Eve.
I would like you to notice what God says in
Ezekiel 20:12.
"Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them."
The Sabbath is a sign or a pledge that just as God made the Sabbath holy so He will make His people holy.
Be Ye Holy
1 Peter 1:16 says, "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
God can give us characters as lovely as a sunset or as perfect as a rose. There are some people who question this. They ask "can He really do it?" Why He is doing it all the time.
The apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new."
A new creature or a new creation: it requires a creator to produce a new creation.
The Bible tells us that Adam was created in the image of God. But it is rather sad that man of our day and age falls short of this exalted status.
As you look around this world of ours and see what man has done with God’s creation, how they have created those high rise prisons in the cities where people live in fear and terror, the slums which breed crime and vice: this is what man has done. It is people who are the problem. It is people who destroy the trees and the forests, who pollute the air and the atmosphere, the sea and the rivers and drinking water. It is people who fight each other and kill each other.
That is why God has to do more than just repair this planet. God has to clean up the mess that man has made.
God will Cleanse the Earth
2 Peter 3:12 says, "Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”
God is going to cleanse this earth with fire. You may think that this is rather severe but just look at the polluted earth that we are living on and you will realize that drastic action has to be taken to prepare for God’s new creation.
2 Peter 3:13 says, "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
Recently I was at Mt Lofty. You can still see evidence of the terrible fires that swept through that area on Ash Wednesday. However I was surprised to notice that new growth had sprung up and in a few years time it will be difficult to see where the burnt out area was. And right here in this Book of St Peter there is pictured an earth burnt with fire, all charred and blackened, then a new earth, a beautiful place even better than the original.
If our earth was "very good" as it came from the hands of the Creator then the only way it could be described in its remade state would be "perfect". Yes a perfect earth peopled by a perfect people was God’s original plan, and this is His plan for the New Earth. That is why it says "wherein dwelleth righteousness..." Now is that not wonderful! Each one of us should be praying that this will be soon.
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