The Creation, Part 2

We're addressing the creation account in Genesis chapter 1. We're trying to establish what the creation means to us today. And we looked at the first two points last week where we saw that the creation illuminates the phenomenal work of God.

It lights up for us God's work. It helps us see his work. We looked at its commencement. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And then we looked at its completion on the end on day 6 in Genesis chapter 2 when God completed all that he had made. It was a phenomenal thing that he was able to do it all in six days. Phenomenal. I mean, here we are trying to remodel the inside of our building. It's already taken us six weeks and all we're doing is the ceilings for crying out loud. It's an amazing thing.

This past week, my wife and I got back from vacation and what we did on the way back was stopped by Legoland down in Carlsbad. I don't know if you've ever been to Legoland or not, but that's quite the place to be. There were over 30 million Legos in Legoland that make up different objects. And one of them is the face of Einstein, the head of Einstein. One million Legos. Can you imagine the painstaking sacrifice it would take to put each little Lego together? One million of them to make Einstein's head.

It's an amazing thing. It didn't happen overnight. Didn't happen over a week. Took a long time. But God created the heavens and the earth in six 24-hour days that illustrates or illuminates to us the phenomenal work of God. The second thing we saw was that it accentuates the sensational ways of God.

We saw that by looking at the source of creation, the sequence of creation, and the six days of creation. It accentuates to us once again that God's ways are sensational. It helps us understand Isaiah 55, that God's ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts. And as far as the heavens are from the earth, so far are his ways from ours and his thoughts from ours. Today, we want to pick up the third thing we learned about the creation account.

And it's this. It reiterates the supernatural word of God. The creation account reiterates once again the supernatural word of God. Genesis chapter one. If you have your Bible, verse number three, the first phrase, then God said, then God said, let there be light.

And there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. And God called the light day in the darkness. He called night. And there was evening. And there was morning one day. Verse number six. Then God said, let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separate the waters from the waters. End of verse seven. And it was so. Verse number nine. Then God said, let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place and let the dry land appear.

And it was so. Verse 11. Then God said, let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them on the earth. And it was so. Verse 14. Then God said, let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years. And let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth. And it was so. Verse 20. Then God said, let the waters team the swarms of living creatures.

Verse number 24. Then God said, let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind. Verse 26. Then God said, let us make man in our image. Verse 28. And God blessed them. And God said to them, be fruitful and multiply. Verse 29. Then God said, behold, I've given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth. And it was so. 10 times God spoke. And it was so. There's no process. There's no evolution. There's no time that elapses. When God speaks it, it happens. The creation account reiterates to us the supernatural word of God.

Today, I want to ask you a question. I wonder if you believe in the supernatural word of God. Remember, we've spoken about this already. That Genesis chapter 1 is the foundation of the Bible. It's the foundation of everything that we believe. So if you believe that God said something and it took place, if you really firmly believe that, that should alter the way you live your life. It should determine how you trust God from day to day. How you live your life today determines whether or not you really believe that God spoke the universe into existence and it happened.

Because Genesis 1 is foundational to our belief. Then God said. Then God said. Then God said and it was so. Turn with me to Psalm 33 for a moment.

Psalm 33, verse number six. By the word of the Lord, the heavens were made and by the breath of his mouth, all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the deeps and storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spoke and it was done. He commanded and it stood fast. The psalmist says he spoke and it was done. It was over. It didn't say he spoke into existence and evolutionary process. He spoke and it was done.

It was made. It was created. It stood fast, totally completed. Turn back with me to Psalm 148. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens. Praise him in the heights. Praise him all his angels. Praise him all his hosts. Praise him sun and moon. Praise him all stars of light. Praise him highest heavens and the waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord. For he commanded and they were created. He commanded and they were created. He spoke and it happened. The creation of God reiterates to us the supernatural word of God.

Last time we were together we looked at Hebrews chapter 11 verse number three. By faith we understand the worlds were framed. The worlds were prepared by the word of God. Everything came into existence because God spoke a word. And even when you understand that you must believe that that is just only the fringes of his ways. And yet we need to understand that there are very few people who believe in the supernatural word of God. That's sorry to say but that's the truth. We take God's word for granted.

We take what God says for granted. And therefore we devalue God and his word. We must be careful about that. Then God said and it was so so important for us to grasp. The natural mind first Corinthians 2 tells us does not understand the things of the spirit.

They don't understand that. They can't comprehend that. That's why they'll spend 20 billion dollars trying to figure out how the earth or how the moon got there. Where did it come from? How did it evolve? And the Bible says it didn't evolve.

God created it on day number four. Very simple. It was Dr. T.W. Settle who in an article entitled scientific infallibility a myth said this. Every scientist knows that the common understanding of science as a source of indisputable truths is mistaken. What is perhaps not so widely appreciated is that scientists foster this popular view by referring to scientific knowledge as factual or based on fact or well established or more or less certain. I take this claim he says to be an absolute myth in quote.

It was the physics professor T.L. Moore of the University of Cincinnati who said to talk of the evolution of thought from sea slime to amoeba from amoeba to self-conscious thinking man means nothing. It is the easy solution of a thoughtless brain in quote. But not God's people said amen. I mean the Bible is very clear about what took place. God said it and it happened. Now as I was preparing this week for today I thought to myself how many of us really believe in the supernatural word of God? How many of us can honestly say that we live our lives with an understanding of God's holy word?

I'm concerned about that. We at Christ Community Church make it our ambition to make sure that God's word is given continuously to whatever group you're in, to whatever meeting you attend, to whatever church service you're a part of. We are about giving out the supernatural word of God. It's the living active word of God. Hebrews 4.12 says it has energy behind it. Why does it have energy? Because it's living. Peter tells us 1 Peter 1.23. It's active. It's imperishable. It lives forever. It never fades away.

It lasts and so we make sure we give the word of the Lord out. But I am saddened by the fact that there are many churches today who no longer do that. Many groups no longer do that. Many magazines, Christian magazines, who no longer emphasize the word of God. David Wells has written a book entitled No Place for Truth. A very interesting book. In there he catalogs the history of one of the leading Christian magazines of our country. And listen to what he says. He says, When this magazine began advertising took up a mere three to seven percent of space.

Three decades later, advertising filled anywhere from 30 to 48 percent of the space, including fundraising businesses, Sunday school peanut butter, a gold embossed ring that had been made to, quote, unite the body of Christ, etc. In 1959, 36 percent of this magazine involved biblical doctrine. Three decades later, doctrinal content was eight percent. In 1959, a regular section explored biblical revelation, the person and work of Christ, the gospel and Christian salvation. By 1989, this column had been replaced by success stories, pains of a midlife crisis, marriage, struggling with homosexuality, with less money than we would like, with a diet.

In these three decades, this magazine moved to a therapeutically constructed faith, the central concern of which was psychological survival. Thus was biblical truth eclipsed by the self and holiness by wholeness. By 1989, this Christian magazine looked like a poor cousin to Time magazine, though a little more pious. That is so sad. I asked you again, do you believe in the supernatural word of God? God spoke it and it happened. Do you believe that God's word is living, active, powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword?

That God's word is that which really makes the difference, not my opinion, not my ideas, not my psychological background, and not my business expertise. It's God's holy word. Turn with me to Matthew 8 for a moment.

In Matthew chapter 8, we have an account, a very familiar account. Of a Roman centurion who came to Christ. It says in verse number five, these words, and when he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him and treated him and saying, Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering great pain. Let's stop right there for a moment. What problems are you facing today? What difficulties are you encountering? What insurmountable obstacles are in your way? That when you look at, you say, man, I don't know how I'm going to handle this.

This centurion had a problem. He says, my servant is paralyzed. I can't get the work done at home because my servant can't move. And I need some, I need some help here. And I don't know where else to go. When you have nowhere else to go, where do you go? When you have no one else to call, who do you call? When you have a problem, that's so big. What do you do? Listen to what the centurion did. And Christ said to him, I will come and heal him. Isn't that good? I'm going to come heal your servant for you.

What would you do? Let me show you the way. Follow me, man. We're there. Just follow me, Lord. We're going to, we're going to take you to the house. This man needs to be healed. What did the centurion say? He answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy of you to come and heal me. I am not worthy of you to come to my roof, but just say the word and my servant will be healed. You see, our problem is that we think we're worthy for God to come to our house. That's our biggest problem. Hey, I'm a child of God.

And because I'm a child of God, I'm worthy. And God, you better get yourself down here and deal with my problem right now.

Because I am your child and you are my father. And I expect you to do what I need to have happen in my life. That's how we treat God. Now, we would never come out and say it that way, but that's what we demand God to do. And this centurion had enough faith to say, Lord, I'm not worthy for you to come my way. You don't want to come to my house. You don't want to even be associated with me, but you just speak the word. All you got to do is say the word and my servant will be healed. Listen to what he says.

For I too am a man under authority with soldiers under me. And I say to this one, go. And he goes. And to another, come. And he comes. And to my slave, do this. And he does it. Now, when Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who were following, truly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. You see, this man understood the creation account. Then God said, and it happened. God, you don't have to show up to my house. All you got to do is speak the word. If you speak the word, it's done.

I'm a man of authority. I know what it means to have authority. I just speak the word to my servant. He does it. I say this to my slave. He does it. I say, go here to my soldiers and they go because I'm a man of authority. But you are the one with ultimate authority. And all you have to do is speak the word. And my servant will be healed. And God was astonished. I've not seen any faith like this among anyone in Israel. That's why we give you the word of God and teach it to you. God's word is that which also builds the body of Christ.

Do you know that as you let God's word dwell in your hearts, it's at home in your family, in your life? Do you know that great things begin to happen as you begin to build up other people, as you admonish them and teach them and equip them and grow them? The only thing of value I have to say to you is what God says to you.

My opinion will not help you one iota. But God's word will help you tremendously. And so I know that God's word is that which will alter my attitude. I know that God's word is that which will build the body of Christ. I know that it's God's word that will crystallize my convictions. You got any convictions? I'm not asking you if you got any beliefs. You got lots of beliefs. I'm asking you, do you have any convictions? Do you have anything you'll die for? John 17, 17 Christ says, sanctify them in truth.

Thy word is truth. Because God's word is true, it helps us build a solid foundation for what we will die for and what we will live for, what we will give our life away for. What convictions do you have? Does your family have convictions? Does your children know your convictions? Do your children learn about your convictions and learn to abide by them because they are based on the authority of the word of God? God's word is the only thing that will crystallize your convictions. Oh, there are other things that are out there that might give you some semblance of belief or might govern some things that you do.

But it's only God's word that says, thus saith the Lord, therefore I will die for this. I will never back away from this because God said it, and therefore I believe it and I will live it. Do you have any convictions? Sorry to say there are very few people in the world today with strong convictions because their life is more precious to them than anything else. They're afraid they'll lose their life. They're afraid they'll lose their job. They're afraid they'll lose their wife, their family. They're afraid they're going to lose something.

And God says, if you want to be my disciple, you've got to be willing to deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow me, even if it costs you your life. We believe in the authority of God's word because we know that God's word alters our attitude. We know that God's word is that which builds the body. Nothing else builds you. Nothing else does. That's why we give you God's word. We know that God's word is that which crystallizes our convictions. We know that God's word is that which deepens our devotion to God.

Psalm 119 verse number 38 says this, establish thy word to thy servant as that which produces reverence for thee. You got reverence for God? Do you have a supreme reverence for God? Do you stand in awe of him? Do you bow before him in humble submission? Are you able to say, Lord, you're not even worthy to come. I'm not worthy for you to come to my house. You are of such perfection. You are of such holiness. Are you like Isaiah where you fall down before him and say, I am a man of unclean lips and he was a righteous prophet, but he knew that he was unworthy before almighty God.

It's God's word that deepens our devotion to him. It's God's word that makes us have reverence for him. It's God's word that makes us bow before him in humble submission. That's why we believe in the authority of God's word. That's why we understand the creation account. Then God said and it was done. We believe in the supernatural work of God. We believe that God can alter my entire attitude, change my bad attitude to one that glorifies him, to change my complaining, bitter, unforgiving spirit to one that honors and glorifies God and forgives those, even though they have committed unforgivable sins in the world's eyes against me.

I know that God's word is true. Therefore, I believe that it builds the body of Christ to such a degree that I will never negate it. I will never walk away from it. I will always put it forth before children, before adults, before men, before women, before youth, because we want them to know the word of God. We know it's God's word that will crystallize my convictions, make me stand strong in what is true, give me the boldness I need in my school, in my workplace, in the streets I live, in the places I shop, because God's word does that.

And I believe because God said it, it will deepen my devotion to him because it's that which produces reverence for God. Do you believe in the supernatural word of God? Then God said, God's word is that which energizes my evangelism. It energizes it. It gives me a sense of security. It gives me a sense of strength. It gives me a sense of stability. I'm able to go door to door on Saturdays. I'm able to go to Argentina. I'm able to go to Uganda. I'm able to go to Mexico. Why am I able to go? Because Paul says, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.

For I know that it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes the Jew verse and also to the Greeks. He knew that the gospel had power in it. Therefore, you had nothing to fear. Just give the word of the Lord out because God's word is that which energizes your evangelism. You know, God's word is that which fortifies your faith. God's word is that which fortifies my faith. It makes it strong. How do I know that? It says this over in Proverbs chapter 22 verse number 17, incline your ear and hear the words of the wise and apply your mind to my knowledge for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you that they may be ready on your lips so that your trust may be in the Lord.

Is your trust in the Lord? Is your faith fortified? Do you believe the creation account? Thus God said and it was done. My prayer for you, for me, is that we as a church would understand that the creation account reiterates to us once again, the supernatural word of God. You can't leave Genesis chapter one verse number three and following and say, I don't believe in what God says anymore.

You can't leave Genesis chapter one without coming to grips with the supernatural word of God and live life as you've lived it before. Then God said and it happened. When God speaks, things happen in accordance with his will. Do you believe that? I trust that you do. That's the lesson you take with you today. And may God give you the grace to be obedient to his word. Let's pray together.