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The Pastor's Class
A God Who Creates
Scripture Reference Genesis 1: 2 - 25
The bible begins with an astounding statement. "In the beginning God created. No one here would dispute the fact of creation. Our five senses have pretty much convinced us that creation is real. We touch, we see, we smell, we hear, we know that creation is real.
Last week we asked the question; Does God exist? The answer, of course, is yes. We know about creation from our five senses. We know about God from revelation and illumination. God reveals himsef because He wants us to know who He is. Through the Spirit he illuminates our hearts and minds to a greater understanding of His plan and purpose. The only way that this world makes sense is to understand that creation has cause and purpose. That cause and purpose originates with God.
Genesis 1: 2 - 25
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he 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.
6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
These passages of scripture covers most of creation. Remember in verse one the bible says that God created the heavens and the earth. The creation account does not focus on the havens. We know today that the earth compared to the rest of the universe is insignificant. Yet the word of God spends little time talking about the creation of the universe and much time talking about the creation of earth.
Next week we will see where the bible spends considerable time talking about the creation of mankind. In other words the God who creates has chosen to focus not on the vastness of His creation but on the uniqueness of his creation. You and I are the crown and glory of God's creation.
Abell 1689
The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has used a natural "zoom lens" in space to boost its view of the distant universe. Besides offering an unprecedented and dramatic new view of the cosmos, the results promise to shed light on galaxy evolution and dark matter in space. Hubble peered straight through the center of one of the most massive galaxy clusters known, called Abell 1689. For this observation, Hubble had to gaze at the distant cluster, located 2.2 billion light-years away, for more than 13 hours. The gravity of the cluster's trillion stars — plus dark matter — acts as a 2-million-light-year-wide "lens" in space. This "gravitational lens" bends and magnifies the light of galaxies located far behind it, distorting their shapes and creating multiple images of individual galaxies.
1. Is the biblical account of creation factual?
Some people read the creation account and say; "well the bible can't be true because we know that it took much longer than 6 days for the universe to be formed.
Many of the arguments against the biblical creation account fade away when we understand the purpose of the bible. The bible is not a science book even though it contains scientific facts. It is not a history book even thought it contains historical facts. It is not a math book even though it contains mathmethical formulas. The bible is a book of revelation. It is the record of the revelation of himself to mankind. God is much more interested in us knowing who He is than knowing how He does things.
If it were God's purpose to give us all the information concerning creation. There would not be enough libraries on this earth to contain it.
As you read these passages of scripture remember that the focus is not on creation but the focus is on the Creator.
2. What does verse 2 reveal to us about creation?
Even though God is able to speak and make things happen. We see that He has chosen to make creation a process rather than an instanteous act. We get a sense that for God, creation is a labor of love. Just as a sculpter would begin with a ball of clay that had no definite shape or form, God begins to form creation from a formless void.
3. What does verse 2 reveal to us about God?
In verse one we are introduced to God. In verse two we are introduced to the Spirit of God. We often speak of the triune nature of God. We speak of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
This passage also states that the Spirit was hovering over this infant creation. This is a good illustration of the caring, nurturing nature of God.
Science agrees
All we actually know from this verse in Genesis 1:2 is that the earth began as a planet covered by an uninterrupted ocean, which was itself wrapped in darkness. With that picture science fully agrees. Revelation says that it was "formless and empty," i.e., without life. There was no land, there were no promontories,(A high ridge of land or rock jutting out into a body of water) nothing to catch the eye, it was simply one great vast deep of water covering the whole world, with no life in it. It was empty. That is exactly what science says. The earth began in that fashion. But revelation adds a key factor which many scientists stubbornly refuse to acknowledge. Revelation says, in addition, "the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters." God was at work in his universe, interacting and interrelating with it. The presence of God at work in that original primeval creation is in line with the great declaration of the entire Bible, that there is purpose and meaning behind the universe. It is not merely a great machine, clanking away in remorseless fashion, catching us up as victims of forces greater than we can control; it is under the control of the wisdom and power of God. God intends an end, and he moves to accomplish it. That basic fact is the explanation for all change that has occurred in past, present, or future history, and for all events in human lives: God is moving in history.
RAY STEDMAN; OUT OF DARKNESS
4. What new aspect of God is introduced in verse 3?
In verse 3 God speaks for the first time. "And God said,". This would be a good place to pause and make a few comments. In order for God to speak He must have a mouth, tongue, vocal chords, etc. In other words God would have to have a body. Does God have a Physical Body? Some religions would say yes. However, we learn later that God is a spirit not a physical being.
When we say things like "the voice of God" or "the hand of God' we are using what is called anthropomorphism.. (Attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena.) In other words, in an attempt to understand God we speak of him in human terms.
When God speaks we are introduced to the word (or law) of God. Everyone would agree that there are laws governing the universe. i.e. if it were not for the law of gravity we would be flung off the earth into outer space. The Hebrew writer tells us that all things are sustained by his powerful word.
5. What examples can you give of natural laws at work in creation?
Natural laws govern everything from the ocean tides to the changing of seasons to the freezing of water. Natural laws govern the delicate ecological system of this planet. Natural laws give evidence of intelligent design. Natural laws are simply the laws of God.
Throughout history if something was not understood it was considered to be "supernatural." However, once it was understood it was considered to be natural. The fact that we are able to understand God's laws and use them for our benefit does not make them any less awesome.
The First Day
Verse 3 introduces us to the concept of time. It is important to understand that the God who created everything also created time. However, God is not bound by that time. God exists in a state of timelessness (eternity). This concept is hard for us to understand because we are bound by the time that God created. The old saying is true, "time and tide waits for no man." The best way to understand eternity is to understand it as "the eternal now". There is no past, no future, everything exists in the persent. This concept is not as alien to us as one might think. If you have ever observed a two year old child you realize that they exist in the moment. They have no thoughts of the future and whatever is past is forgotten. They simply live for the moment.
6. Why did God make the creation of light the first order of business?
All life is dependent upon light. Plants, animals and humans must have light for survival.
Purpose
In the first few verses of the creation account we see that things are not happening in a hap-hazard non-sequencial order. Creation is moving toward order out of disorder. It is moving toward form away from formlessness. Something is coming from nothing. shape from shapelessness. Early on we see creation moving in a definite direction which would lead us to believe that it has a definite purpose.
7. Verses 20 - 24 records the creation of the first living creatures. Notice that the command is that they reproduce after their own kind. How does this counter the theory of evolution?
Evolution says that a life source evolved from a non life source and then that life source evolved into many different life sources. Evolution also states that these life forms evolved over billions of years in response to changing environments.
Changes within the species is evident. (micro-evolution) It is easy to understand how many different dogs evolved from one type of dog. However, evolution between species (macro-evolution) is not evident because it has never happened. There is no scientific evidence that it has happened. There is no evidence that a fish ever became a bird or that a bird ever became a mammal. Yet this theory is being taught as fact in public schools across America.
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution: The Premise
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution states that organic life sprung from non-organic matter exclusively through a natural mechanistic process on a pre-biotic earth. That original life form then evolved into more complex life forms through a natural process of random mutations and natural selection. In a nutshell, the basic premise is that matter acting on matter for a sufficient period of time can create anything, whether organic or non-organic.
However, beyond “micro-evolutionary” changes within a species, Darwin’s theory of evolution absolutely breaks down. With our recent findings in biochemistry, genetics and paleontology, not even staunch neo-Darwinists are adhering to a traditional Darwinian model that shows all living organisms on earth today coming from a single life form which itself came from inanimate matter. The “irreducibly complex” world of biochemistry, the digital code inherent in the organic genome, and the fossil record itself have knocked Darwin’s basic theory on its heels.
http://www.darwins-theory-of-evolution.com/
8. Today's scripture has shown us that God has taken a personal interest in creation. How does it make you feel to know that God is intimately involved with His creation?
Summary
Today we learned that creation was not an accident. It was an act of love from a Creator who is eternal. We also learned that creation is governed by law and it is moving toward a purpose. As we continue to study that purpose will become very clear. Creation will eventually lead to the Cross, the Christian and the Church.
If you missed anything you can get a copy of this study guide, including the Pastor's notes, by going online to;
http://www.greenhillbaptist.org/pastor's_class.htm
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