Good morning. We took some students down state to youth camp last week. The topography down state is lot different than here, it has lots of trees, creeks and small waterfalls. In looking at all the beauty around us it was easy to see God's handy work. When you look at a beautiful sunrise or sunset, do you think, "Wow! This beauty is pure happenstance?" Or do you say, "only Creator God could make something so beautiful."
How ever you answer that question today's post will give you something to think about.
Psalm 19:1-6
The
heavens declare the glory of God;
the
skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night
after night they display knowledge.
3
There is no speech or language
where
their voice is not heard.
4
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their
words to the ends of the world.
In
the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
5
which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like
a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6
It rises at one end of the heavens
and
makes its circuit to the other;
nothing
is hidden from its heat.
God
has spoken through creation not only to make His existence known, but
to say something about the kind of God He is – awesome and
glorious. And, He has spoken in a way that shows the scope of His
authority, reign and power – over all the earth.
20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his
eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being
understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Romans 1:20
Francis
Bacon was a 15th-century scientist and Lord Chancellor of England.
Observing the world around him, Bacon said: "There
are two books laid before us to study, to prevent us from falling
into error: first the volume of the Scriptures, which reveal the will
of God; then the volume of the creation, which expresses His power."
Today we will consider how God
speaks through creation.
In the
creation account in Genesis 1-2, God made everything in the physical
world and pronounced it "good," even "very good."
This Hebrew word for "good" [ – towb] means
pleasant or agreeable. That is, God's creation was not only
beautiful, but it also accomplished the purpose for which He created
it. Creation's beauty and splendor – reflecting the beauty and
splendor of God – served as a resounding choir singing praises to
the glory of the One who made it. Let's look together as how God
speaks through His world.
I
– The Content of Creation's Message – "God is Glorious"
(v.1)
God
speaks. In the words of Francis Schaeffer, "He is there and He
is not silent." One of the mouthpieces through which God speaks
is His creation, and, as David tells us, the message that creation
declares is clear: "God is glorious."
What
does it mean for God to have "glory?"
The Hebrew word "glory" [ – kabowd] often
carries the idea of "weightiness" to indicate the magnitude
of something. The idea of splendor or majesty also comes to mind. In
other words, the being (God) behind this incredible creation is no
lightweight. He is weighty, full of splendor, majestic. The creation
we observe is great, but its greatness is not a testimony to itself.
It is a testimony to the all-surpassing greatness, beauty, splendor,
majesty, and glory of the One who created it. In the words of Isaac
Watts, "Nature with open volume stands to spread her Maker's
praise abroad."
Each
day, consider the ways the majesty and beauty of creation sounds
forth the message, "God is glorious." Take time to stop and
praise God, who is glorious, even if it is a prayer from your heart
as you drive along. Look for opportunities to use the glory of God in
creation as a bridge for sharing the good news about reconciliation
with this glorious God through repentance and faith in His Son,
Christ Jesus.
II
– The Extent of Creation's Message – At all Times, Everywhere
(v.2-6)
God's
speech through His creation is not uncertain. It is not limited.
There is no chance for a person to miss it. God continuously speaks
through creation – "day after day" and "night after
night."
Though
the "speech" is not verbal and audible, using words, it is
no less clear and discernible. This message is proclaimed "through
all the earth" and "to the end of the world,"
indicating that this God who speaks is not some regional, false
deity, like those worshipped by pagan nations in Old Testament times.
Rather, He is the God of all creation. From one end of the earth to
the other, and everywhere in between and beyond, He is God!
Though
man in his sinful state is often inclined to worship the creation
rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:25), even the most obvious and
powerful creation in the natural world, the sun, only and always does
the will of the One who created it. Though awesome in power and heat,
it simply follows the path laid by its Creator, doing that for which
it was created, providing light and heat to the glory of God. 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. (Genesis
1:14-19).
The
sun is not to be worshipped as a "god," as if it has some
power or authority of its own. It simply gives daily testimony over
all of God's creation that the God who made it is there and has made
Himself known.
Creation
is proclaiming to all people everywhere that God is glorious. Though
this message is sufficient to make all men guilty before this
glorious and holy God, the testimony of creation is not sufficient to
bring salvation, which only comes through hearing and responding in
repentance and faith to the Gospel of Christ Jesus. As you look at
the glory of God in creation, pray for those who are verbally sharing
the Gospel to the ends of the earth, telling people how they can know
this glorious God in a personal way. At the same time, ask God how He
would have you be part of taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth
– through praying, giving, and even going.
Conclusion:
In the
Garden of Eden, man and woman had direct fellowship with God, the One
about whom the creation sings. After the fall, however, mankind's
direct fellowship with God was broken because of sin. Though likewise
affected by the fall (Rom. 8:19-22), creation continues to sing forth
the glory of the God who made it, making known to all men His
existence and man's accountability to Him. Knowledge of God's
existence through creation cannot give salvation. However, the God
who speaks through His creation has made it possible for man to be
reconciled with Him through the person of His Son, the Lord Christ
Jesus, by whom, through whom, and for whom all things were made (John
1:3; Col. 1:16).
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