WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.919 Today we are beginning a new series called The Story of the Old Testament, 00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:09.720 and for the next 10 or 12 weeks or so we're going to be looking at several of 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:15.839 the big moments that take place in the Old Testament. As we do that we hope that 00:00:15.839 --> 00:00:21.240 we'll learn more about what happened at these big moments. We want to explain how 00:00:21.240 --> 00:00:26.640 all these fit together across the Old Testament and above all we want to see 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:33.120 how it all points forward to the coming of Jesus Christ in the new. Today we 00:00:33.120 --> 00:00:38.560 start at the start. Our title is Creation, our text is Genesis 1-1. In the 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:45.719 beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now when we come to Genesis 1 00:00:45.719 --> 00:00:51.240 often our attention is drawn to the question of origins. Where did the 00:00:51.240 --> 00:00:56.400 universe come from? How old is the earth? What about evolution? And it's 00:00:56.399 --> 00:00:59.679 possibly the case that the chapter in the Bible that causes the most 00:00:59.679 --> 00:01:05.480 controversy is the very first one and equally I think it's likely that many 00:01:05.480 --> 00:01:11.319 people reject the whole book because they reject what they read on the first 00:01:11.319 --> 00:01:16.840 page. Can we really believe what the Bible says about the origin of the 00:01:16.840 --> 00:01:22.439 universe? Well I don't want to spend the whole sermon on this question but I don't 00:01:22.439 --> 00:01:27.200 want to dodge that question either. As I'm sure you know there are lots of 00:01:27.200 --> 00:01:32.000 different views about where the universe came from both in the church and in the 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:36.560 scientific world but I think we can summarize these views under three 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:44.359 headings. Number one, all Bible no science. So that basically takes Genesis 1 00:01:44.359 --> 00:01:48.519 very literally and if anything in the scientific community contradicts that 00:01:48.519 --> 00:01:55.000 then you say well basically science has got it wrong. Number three is the opposite. 00:01:55.000 --> 00:02:01.319 All science no Bible. So it begins with a belief that God doesn't exist and the 00:02:01.319 --> 00:02:05.199 belief that we can trust our senses and our minds to figure everything out for 00:02:05.199 --> 00:02:09.479 ourselves and it accounts for the origin of the universe in purely 00:02:09.479 --> 00:02:19.000 naturalistic terms. But number two is Bible and science. This approach avoids 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:24.679 the idea that science and the Bible are enemies and instead both are used to 00:02:24.679 --> 00:02:27.719 inform each other. Now within that there's a spectrum so I put the lines 00:02:27.719 --> 00:02:35.599 quite far apart because there is a range of views within number two. Some people 00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:39.919 weigh the Bible more and interpret science accordingly others will weigh 00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:47.159 science more and interpret the Bible in light of that. Two important things I 00:02:47.159 --> 00:02:55.639 want us to note. One, none of these have all the answers. Every approach has 00:02:55.639 --> 00:02:59.519 strengths and weaknesses and there's elements that are hard to explain in 00:02:59.519 --> 00:03:04.000 them all. It's a reminder that the best theologians and the best scientists are 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:09.280 those who are always ready to say there's still a lot we don't yet know. 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:13.560 Interestingly just the other day I was looking at the BBC News website and I 00:03:13.560 --> 00:03:18.560 saw an article talking about how Charles Darwin struggled to explain why the 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:23.759 fossil record presented evidence of a very sudden appearance of plant life 00:03:23.759 --> 00:03:28.479 during the formation of life on earth and he called that an abominable mystery. 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:34.239 And I read through that and at the end of the article the reporter concluded 00:03:34.239 --> 00:03:42.159 by saying has this mystery been solved in a word no and it remains a puzzle. 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:47.280 Now I know that BBC News is not a peer-reviewed journal but neither is it 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:53.479 inclined to do Christianity many favors and it's a reminder that all of 00:03:53.479 --> 00:04:00.399 these approaches still have questions none of them has all the answers. So that's 00:04:00.399 --> 00:04:02.799 the first thing I want you to remember. The second thing I want you to remember 00:04:02.799 --> 00:04:09.280 about all of them is that they all require faith. So one, two and three all 00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:15.560 depend on trust either of the Bible or of our senses or of our methodology or of 00:04:15.560 --> 00:04:19.920 the work of others. The starting point for all of these is faith which of course 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:27.560 is true for every area of knowledge. I want to ask two questions in relation to 00:04:27.560 --> 00:04:34.319 these before we move on. The first one is this, intellectually which of these 00:04:34.319 --> 00:04:44.120 three is the least acceptable? For me without hesitation I would say number 00:04:44.120 --> 00:04:51.399 three and that is because number three cannot escape being grounded on the 00:04:51.399 --> 00:04:57.920 assumption that nothing can produce something and I think that intellectually 00:04:57.920 --> 00:05:02.560 it is much easier to conclude that that doesn't happen than it is to try and 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:06.759 claim that it does and interestingly if you look at the great thinkers of 00:05:06.759 --> 00:05:12.720 history from Aristotle to Aquinas to Newton to Kant not many of these people 00:05:12.720 --> 00:05:19.160 have tried to dogmatically endorse that kind of position. Second question is 00:05:19.160 --> 00:05:26.440 theologically which is the most acceptable and for me again without 00:05:26.440 --> 00:05:34.000 hesitation I would say number two. Our theology does not place the Bible in one 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:42.680 camp and science in another as enemies. It's the opposite. Our theology tells us 00:05:42.680 --> 00:05:47.120 that God is not in a corner that needs to be defended. Our theology is telling 00:05:47.120 --> 00:05:52.959 us that God reigns over every square inch of the universe. That means that every 00:05:52.959 --> 00:05:56.960 discovery of science, every advancement of technology, everything we learn about 00:05:56.960 --> 00:06:03.960 the universe around us is all under his lordship and it's all pointing us to the 00:06:03.960 --> 00:06:10.319 God who's created us. Indeed this very chapter in Genesis we see that God 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:15.560 gives humanity the opportunity to intelligently and responsibly explore 00:06:15.560 --> 00:06:20.680 the world that he's made. That means that what we discover in science informs the 00:06:20.680 --> 00:06:27.360 Bible but it also means that what we read in the Bible sets boundaries around 00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:33.120 within which the advancement of science can progress. The key point is that in 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:38.159 terms of explaining the origins of the universe the Bible and science work 00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:45.000 hand in hand. Now the precise details of that, of how that balances it out is an 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:48.680 area where we all have different views and there's still a lot to be learned but 00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:53.760 the differences in detail don't undermine the principle that the most satisfying 00:06:53.760 --> 00:06:59.480 answers to the question of our origins will only come when the theologian and 00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:07.040 the scientist listen to each other and work hand in hand. But as I said while I 00:07:07.040 --> 00:07:11.360 don't want to dodge that question I don't want to spend too long on it either 00:07:11.360 --> 00:07:14.439 and the reason that I don't want to dwell along on that question is because it's 00:07:14.439 --> 00:07:23.840 not the question that matters most. If we come to Genesis 1 and immediately ask 00:07:23.840 --> 00:07:29.680 the question where did the universe come from then we're missing the most 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:35.920 important question. So what question should we be asking? Well let me give you an 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:39.840 example. I'm going to show you something so wait there. 00:07:43.840 --> 00:07:50.280 Okay so here is an object that I want you to look at. Some of you might 00:07:50.280 --> 00:07:55.639 recognize it. I hope that most of you won't. Looking at this you could ask 00:07:55.639 --> 00:08:02.759 yourself where did that come from? And so you could say well there's wood so 00:08:02.759 --> 00:08:08.240 that wood has obviously come from some kind of workshop. Somebody has bought 00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:12.120 that wood and cut it into shape. They might have bought it from maybe a 00:08:12.120 --> 00:08:15.439 supplier, a sawmill. The sawmill must have got it from a forest because this 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:19.199 must have been part of a tree somewhere if it's made of wood. The forest where did 00:08:19.199 --> 00:08:22.560 that come from and so on and so on. So there's wood. There's also metal down 00:08:22.560 --> 00:08:26.360 here probably some kind of steel where did that come from? Well again it must have 00:08:26.360 --> 00:08:30.920 been like a blacksmith or something but he must have got it from a refinery or 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:35.960 something because originally it would have been dug out of the ground as iron 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:42.080 ore and where did that come from? And so we could ask loads of questions about 00:08:42.080 --> 00:08:49.480 where this thing has come from. But none of that is the most important question. 00:08:49.480 --> 00:08:57.320 The obvious question is not where did it come from? The far more important question 00:08:57.320 --> 00:09:05.400 is what is it? And in this case this is what you call a tarashkar. It's a tool 00:09:05.400 --> 00:09:10.200 for cutting peats and so it functions a little bit like a spade but you use it 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:14.960 for cutting peats and laying them beside the bank to dry. Tarashkar, a 00:09:14.960 --> 00:09:24.600 garlic word that you should all know. So that's that. Let me put it away. What I'm 00:09:24.600 --> 00:09:30.960 trying to highlight is that exactly the same principle applies when we come to 00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:35.399 Genesis 1. The most important question is not where did the universe come from? 00:09:35.399 --> 00:09:40.920 The most important question is that when it comes to the universe what is it? And 00:09:40.920 --> 00:09:48.840 when it comes to humanity what are you? And these two questions are two 00:09:48.840 --> 00:09:53.519 headings for the rest of the sermon. So the universe what is it? Well there's 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:58.279 loads we could say. I just want to highlight four key things for which I've 00:09:58.279 --> 00:10:07.600 picked out four key words. First word, created. God created the heavens and the 00:10:07.600 --> 00:10:12.000 earth. That seems so simple. Why is it important? Well it is one of the most 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:18.199 important statements ever written because it's telling us that the 00:10:18.200 --> 00:10:26.320 universe is created therefore it is a creation therefore it has a creator. The 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:32.360 universe is God's handiwork. That establishes two very important things. 00:10:32.360 --> 00:10:39.560 One, it immediately states a distinction between the creator and the creation. So 00:10:39.560 --> 00:10:43.120 we don't look at the universe and see it as some kind of God with a sort of 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:49.720 pantheistic view. We look at the universe and recognize that its 00:10:49.720 --> 00:10:57.320 creator is distinct from it. That means that God is above everything else, above 00:10:57.320 --> 00:11:03.919 space, above time, above history. He is the uncreated absolute of all reality. 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:08.440 He's the explanation for all other reality. So instead of arguing that 00:11:08.440 --> 00:11:12.799 something came from nothing the Bible is saying that the source of the universe 00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:20.759 is the God who is there. And the second thing it tells us is that there's a 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:26.479 relationship between God and the creation. So the universe is the 00:11:26.479 --> 00:11:32.719 workmanship of God. It's His design, His construction, His handiwork, His fingerprints 00:11:32.719 --> 00:11:38.959 are everywhere. And that instantly gives the universe a meaning and a purpose 00:11:38.960 --> 00:11:48.960 that is utterly profound. Second keyword is order. So verse 2 tells us that the 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:55.240 earth was formless and void covered in darkness. But from that point Genesis 1 00:11:55.240 --> 00:12:00.160 gives this beautiful description of order being established. Again two things I 00:12:00.160 --> 00:12:06.720 want to highlight. One, separation. God creates an orderly universe by separating 00:12:06.720 --> 00:12:12.440 things. Light from darkness, day from night, land from sea. Later plants and 00:12:12.440 --> 00:12:17.160 living creatures are brought forth each according to their kinds. So the 00:12:17.160 --> 00:12:23.000 universe is not a kind of chaotic swamp of stuff just splodged together. And this 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:28.240 separation that we see is of course why we can categorize scientific subjects 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:34.440 like physics, chemistry and biology. Second thing alongside separation is 00:12:34.440 --> 00:12:41.240 progression. Genesis 1 gives a beautiful description of progression from 00:12:41.240 --> 00:12:47.720 simplicity to complexity. So first the habitats of land, sea and sky are 00:12:47.720 --> 00:12:54.200 created and then these are filled with life. That life doesn't just ping into 00:12:54.200 --> 00:13:00.560 existence from nowhere. It's formed from the existing materials that are in the 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:06.599 earth. And that's why it is no surprise to the theologian when great similarities 00:13:06.599 --> 00:13:13.039 can be observed in the genetic makeup of humans, animals and plants. Nor is it a 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:18.839 surprise to the theologian when science observes evidence of progression in the 00:13:18.839 --> 00:13:26.719 formation of life on earth. The universe is a beautifully ordered creation. 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:33.639 Number three is potential. Verse 20 God says, let the sea swarm, let the birds 00:13:33.639 --> 00:13:39.560 fly in the sky. Verse 22 He calls for them to be fruitful and to multiply and in 00:13:39.560 --> 00:13:43.960 28 the same command is given to humanity. That's telling us that the universe is 00:13:43.960 --> 00:13:49.639 full of extraordinary potential. God has not created a fixed monument, he's not 00:13:49.639 --> 00:13:55.600 created a static machine, he's created a universe bursting with life and abounding 00:13:55.600 --> 00:14:02.120 in potential, potential for growth, for discovery, for advancement. He's created a 00:14:02.120 --> 00:14:12.600 place where amazing things can happen. And then our fourth word is good. As each 00:14:12.600 --> 00:14:16.560 creative act is done or in the language of Genesis one at the end of each day, 00:14:16.560 --> 00:14:25.000 God sees that the universe he's made is good. That means that this universe has 00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:35.000 value, beauty and meaning. That's why a sunrise can take your breath away. That's 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:39.399 why it's amazing if you see dolphins jumping in the sea and that's why when 00:14:39.399 --> 00:14:46.279 you reach the top of a Monroe on a clear day and look at the view you say wow. The 00:14:46.279 --> 00:14:52.320 universe is not random, it's not chaotic, it's not worthless and it's not 00:14:52.320 --> 00:15:00.960 pointless. It's good. So if in terms of the universe we're asking the question 00:15:00.960 --> 00:15:06.200 what is it, then Genesis one is telling us that it's God's creation, it's 00:15:06.200 --> 00:15:14.160 beautifully ordered, it's abounding in potential and the finished work is good. 00:15:14.160 --> 00:15:22.080 But if we're asking that question what is it, can we answer that in one word? 00:15:22.080 --> 00:15:28.759 Is there a one word answer to the question what is the universe? Well I 00:15:28.759 --> 00:15:34.120 think there is but I'm not going to tell it to you just yet because first of all 00:15:34.120 --> 00:15:43.080 we need to ask our second question. As humans what are you? What am I? Again 00:15:43.080 --> 00:15:46.840 there's a lot we could say. I just want to do exactly what I just did for the 00:15:46.840 --> 00:15:51.240 universe. I want to say four things and I've picked out four key words. So word 00:15:51.240 --> 00:15:57.399 number one is unique. As you go through Genesis one there's a great sense of 00:15:57.399 --> 00:16:01.919 momentum being built up. So you have light and dark, land and sea, plants, sea 00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:05.799 creatures, birds, animals, evening morning, evening morning, the momentum is 00:16:05.799 --> 00:16:12.600 building but in verse 26 that you have on the screen there you have a pause and 00:16:12.600 --> 00:16:18.560 you have a remarkable moment of divine thinking out loud where God says let us 00:16:18.559 --> 00:16:28.919 make man in our image after our likeness. And that moment of trinitarian pause to 00:16:28.919 --> 00:16:34.759 deliberate is hinting to us that something unique is about to happen. The 00:16:34.759 --> 00:16:39.559 triune God, Father, Son and Spirit is about to make the crowning part of his 00:16:39.559 --> 00:16:46.359 creation, humanity. And that humanity is utterly unique because it's the only part 00:16:46.360 --> 00:16:52.480 of creation, the only part of the universe made in the image and likeness of 00:16:52.480 --> 00:16:57.960 God. So if you ask the question what am I, the fundamental answer to that 00:16:57.960 --> 00:17:08.759 question is that you are the image of God. Now we need to stop for a moment and 00:17:08.759 --> 00:17:17.359 recognize what an utterly astounding truth that is. If you think of God as the 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:23.720 all-powerful creator, the almighty ruler of all, the ground and source of all that 00:17:23.720 --> 00:17:31.559 is good, the fact that humanity is made in his image means that the aspect of the 00:17:31.559 --> 00:17:44.919 universe that is most like God is you. And we see that in lots of ways. So God is 00:17:44.919 --> 00:17:50.559 creative, so are you. That's why humanity alone has advanced so spectacularly and 00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:54.879 it's why humanity alone has this vast department of our experience called the 00:17:54.880 --> 00:18:01.720 arts. God is self-determining, so are you. So you're able to make decisions and 00:18:01.720 --> 00:18:06.680 these are not just animal instincts that you can't control. God makes moral 00:18:06.680 --> 00:18:14.280 judgments, so do you. That's why you care about right and wrong. God has a standard 00:18:14.280 --> 00:18:20.040 of justice, so do you. God is communicative, so are you. God appreciates 00:18:20.039 --> 00:18:26.879 beauty, so do you. And instead of basing our existence on survival of the fittest, 00:18:26.879 --> 00:18:35.799 God knows that it is far more important to be ready to defend the weakest. And so 00:18:35.799 --> 00:18:44.480 do you. And this unique status is shared by every human, no matter what our race 00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:50.160 and no matter what our status is in society, no matter what our beliefs or 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:56.440 opinions are. So if you care about equality, then I hope that you can see 00:18:56.440 --> 00:19:00.799 that the very first thing the Bible says about humanity serves to give the most 00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:09.440 profound confirmation that absolutely every human is equal. Because we are all 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:18.400 made in the image of God. Second word about humanity is relational. Humanity is 00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:24.279 made for relationships. With God first and foremost, He's our Creator. We owe our 00:19:24.279 --> 00:19:30.920 existence to Him, but as chapter 2 reveals, God has created us to walk with 00:19:30.920 --> 00:19:37.320 Him, to live in ongoing fellowship with Him. And that's why humanity is made to 00:19:37.319 --> 00:19:45.799 enjoy a relationship of intelligent and intimate worship towards God. But we also 00:19:45.799 --> 00:19:50.639 have relationships with each other. And so within our equality, there's diversity. 00:19:50.639 --> 00:19:57.159 Different people are all unique. Verse 27 also highlights the distinction between 00:19:57.159 --> 00:20:01.319 male and female within humanity. And these differences are part of what makes 00:20:01.319 --> 00:20:06.439 humanity wonderful. It means that we can relate to one another as those who are 00:20:06.440 --> 00:20:10.400 equal and who are part of a common group. And yet at the same time, each member of 00:20:10.400 --> 00:20:15.320 that group is a unique individual. And we can enjoy wonderful relationships with 00:20:15.320 --> 00:20:21.559 one another. And of course, in particular, as these verses hint, a man and a woman 00:20:21.559 --> 00:20:26.279 can enter into the most intimate relationship of all as husband and 00:20:26.279 --> 00:20:33.080 wife. It's all telling us that humanity is not made to be solitary or 00:20:33.079 --> 00:20:39.839 individualistic. We're made for relationships. And that, of course, is why 00:20:39.839 --> 00:20:48.679 friendship is so precious and why separation is so hard. The third word is 00:20:48.679 --> 00:20:56.839 responsible. So verse 26 is also telling us that humanity has a unique role. We are 00:20:56.839 --> 00:21:01.879 given dominion over the rest of creation. Now that does not mean that we have this 00:21:01.880 --> 00:21:08.520 kind of tyrannical domination whereby we can exploit everything. It means that 00:21:08.520 --> 00:21:13.600 alongside the privilege of being the only part of creation that bears God's 00:21:13.600 --> 00:21:20.720 image, we also have the responsibility to look after that creation and live out 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:28.240 our lives as image bearers. So that means that the same care, attention, and 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:36.400 wisdom shown by God in creation should be visible in us as well. We have a 00:21:36.400 --> 00:21:41.400 delegated responsibility from God and we rule and care for the earth on His 00:21:41.400 --> 00:21:47.160 behalf. And we must never forget that that responsibility is a fundamental 00:21:47.160 --> 00:21:55.640 aspect of our humanity. That's why the way we treat each other matters. That's 00:21:55.640 --> 00:22:00.520 why we must not exploit our environment for short-term gain. That's why a 00:22:00.520 --> 00:22:05.120 criminal will never be acquitted if he stands before a judge and says, you can't 00:22:05.120 --> 00:22:09.680 jail me for committing this crime because I was just an animal when I did it. And 00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:17.520 above all, it's why for every single one of us there's never a moment when we are 00:22:17.519 --> 00:22:28.680 not accountable and answerable to God. The last word about humanity is the word 00:22:28.680 --> 00:22:33.559 very. Now that might sound a bit strange but this word is so important because it 00:22:33.559 --> 00:22:38.319 confirms the uniqueness of humanity. The whole of creation is good but once 00:22:38.319 --> 00:22:46.200 humanity is made, it's very good. That tells us that a fundamental truth about 00:22:46.200 --> 00:22:59.120 humanity is that you are precious. To God you are unique, valuable, beautiful, 00:22:59.120 --> 00:23:11.200 capable, responsible and so, so precious. And so is every other human being that 00:23:11.200 --> 00:23:21.440 has ever lived. That's a truth you must remember when you feel flat and worthless 00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:28.920 when you look at yourself. It's also a truth that we need to remember when our 00:23:28.920 --> 00:23:37.120 colleagues or neighbors are infuriating. And this of course is why the Bible and 00:23:37.119 --> 00:23:42.799 science go hand in hand. Science will teach us a lot about how God has brought 00:23:42.799 --> 00:23:52.879 forth life on earth but it'll never tell you how precious you really are. So what 00:23:52.879 --> 00:23:59.079 is the universe? It is God's ordered, beautifully ordered creation bursting with 00:23:59.079 --> 00:24:06.519 potential. What are you? You are a human. The unique relationship, responsible, 00:24:06.519 --> 00:24:15.519 bearer of the image of God. Creation is good but with humanity in it, it's very 00:24:15.519 --> 00:24:22.400 good. So these then are our two questions but I want us to come back to what I 00:24:22.400 --> 00:24:26.920 said a moment ago. When it comes to the universe, when we ask the question, what 00:24:26.920 --> 00:24:35.720 is it, can you answer that question in one word? Is there a one-word answer to the 00:24:35.720 --> 00:24:43.200 question, what is the universe? Well I think that is, now this is just just my 00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:48.279 suggestion so I'm not saying that this is like absolute you know universal 00:24:48.279 --> 00:24:54.200 theological opinion, this is just my suggestion but I hope it's helpful. What 00:24:54.200 --> 00:25:03.600 is the universe in one word? It's a homeland. Now I've chosen that word 00:25:03.599 --> 00:25:11.959 carefully. I don't just mean a home like a house, I mean a homeland. A homeland is 00:25:11.959 --> 00:25:16.799 of course a home so we dwell there and the universe is a place for us to dwell 00:25:16.799 --> 00:25:22.480 but a homeland is also a place where we work and the universe that God has 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:28.519 created is a place for us to work and serve and achieve things. A homeland is 00:25:28.519 --> 00:25:34.359 also a place of community and the universe God has made is a place for 00:25:34.359 --> 00:25:41.559 human friendship and relationships to thrive. A homeland is also a place of 00:25:41.559 --> 00:25:46.920 adventure. Think of all the amazing things you can do in Scotland alone. The 00:25:46.920 --> 00:25:55.400 world around us is a place for us to explore, to discover and to enjoy. A 00:25:55.400 --> 00:26:03.720 homeland is also a place where we worship. Now today many people worship idols in 00:26:03.720 --> 00:26:08.320 their homeland or they might even make their homeland an idol. Either way they're 00:26:08.320 --> 00:26:15.560 still worshiping and the Garden of Eden created by God was made to be a great 00:26:15.559 --> 00:26:25.799 temple where God was worshiped, glorified and enjoyed and a homeland is a place 00:26:25.799 --> 00:26:35.079 where we belong and God's creation was made to be just that. A place where we 00:26:35.079 --> 00:26:44.159 can be with him and be with each other. A place where we all belong. The 00:26:44.160 --> 00:26:54.920 universe, the world around us is a homeland created, sustained and given by 00:26:54.920 --> 00:27:05.519 God to you. And this is where we see that the question what is it is far, far more 00:27:05.519 --> 00:27:10.120 important than the question where did it come from. In fact the answer to the 00:27:10.119 --> 00:27:15.439 question what is it informs the question of origins because if the universe is 00:27:15.439 --> 00:27:20.679 created to be our homeland then it's a no-brainer that it has a creator and in 00:27:20.679 --> 00:27:25.639 terms of humanity the question when did the first humans live can only be 00:27:25.639 --> 00:27:32.839 answered if we first considered the question what is a human. But maybe you 00:27:32.839 --> 00:27:40.079 doubt all of that. Maybe you think no I'm not buying any of this. Well if you do 00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:46.039 I want you to think about the question what is it in relation to the universe 00:27:46.039 --> 00:27:53.319 because really there's only three possible answers. In the 19th century free 00:27:53.319 --> 00:27:57.159 church theologians like William Cunningham and Rabbi Duncan presented a 00:27:57.159 --> 00:28:02.480 three-fold choice about Jesus. They said he's either deluded or he's an 00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:08.480 imposter or he is the son of God. A hundred years later C.S. Lewis made the 00:28:08.480 --> 00:28:15.720 same argument he said Jesus is either a lunatic a liar or he is Lord. That kind 00:28:15.720 --> 00:28:23.559 of trilemma that people have applied to Jesus also applies to the universe. It is 00:28:23.559 --> 00:28:30.039 one of three things. It's either a wasteland where everything is random 00:28:30.039 --> 00:28:39.399 pointless and nothing has any real meaning or it's a fake land where the 00:28:39.399 --> 00:28:43.200 things that we value like love and kindness and joy and hope family 00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:48.440 friendship togetherness these are ultimately just empty fleeting. They're 00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:55.559 social illusions that just mask the fact that it's just a big machine that 00:28:55.559 --> 00:29:04.000 you're just a cog in. The universe is either a wasteland a fake land or a 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:15.759 homeland created sustained and gifted by God to you. He's given it to be a 00:29:15.759 --> 00:29:25.319 wonderful place to live a place where we all belong. There's only these three 00:29:25.319 --> 00:29:37.599 options. Every one of us has to make our choice. So what is the universe? It's God's 00:29:37.599 --> 00:29:43.759 amazing creation made to be your homeland. What is humanity? Humanity is the 00:29:43.759 --> 00:29:52.440 crown of that creation. The creation was made to be our home where we can dwell 00:29:52.440 --> 00:29:59.160 together where we can serve worship and enjoy our amazing God. And so the Old 00:29:59.160 --> 00:30:06.200 Testament begins by telling us what the universe is and by telling us what we 00:30:06.200 --> 00:30:18.600 really are. But from that point what's the story of the Old Testament? It's the 00:30:18.600 --> 00:30:25.120 story of rebellion against our Creator. Instead of walking hand in hand with God 00:30:25.120 --> 00:30:32.960 humanity shook its fist at him. It's the story of a cursed creation where sin 00:30:32.960 --> 00:30:40.880 destroyed the order, beauty and harmony of the homeland that God gave us. It's 00:30:40.880 --> 00:30:45.799 the story of disintegration where humanity becomes hostile and bitterly 00:30:45.799 --> 00:30:51.720 divided and where the great potential for good in us becomes a tragic potential 00:30:51.720 --> 00:31:00.640 for evil that is all too often realized. It's the story of broken people. People 00:31:00.640 --> 00:31:05.040 who make terrible mistakes and people who are on the receiving end of awful 00:31:05.040 --> 00:31:11.880 actions from others. Where humanity, the best part of creation, becomes capable of 00:31:11.880 --> 00:31:20.480 doing the most awful things. It's the story of lostness where humanity becomes 00:31:20.480 --> 00:31:26.280 alienated from God from one another and where intelligent worship of God is 00:31:26.279 --> 00:31:35.000 exchanged for irrational worship of idols and humanity is left disorientated in 00:31:35.000 --> 00:31:43.160 a homeland that now feels like no man's land. In many ways the story of the Old 00:31:43.160 --> 00:31:53.279 Testament is a tragic one. But through it all the story of the Old Testament is 00:31:53.279 --> 00:32:04.799 the story of a God who will not give up. We must never forget the miracle of 00:32:04.799 --> 00:32:11.039 Genesis chapter 4. Now I don't mean a miracle recorded in the chapter that 00:32:11.039 --> 00:32:16.000 isn't one. What I mean is the fact that it is a miracle that the Old Testament 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:23.240 doesn't stop at Genesis chapter 3. In Genesis 3 humanity rebels against 00:32:23.240 --> 00:32:30.839 God. God could so easily have walked away. But the whole reason we have an Old 00:32:30.839 --> 00:32:39.400 Testament is because God does not give up. And everything that God does across the 00:32:39.400 --> 00:32:44.079 pages of Scripture from Noah to Abraham to Jacob right through the Old Testament 00:32:44.079 --> 00:32:49.759 and into the new with the coming of Jesus Christ is all because despite the 00:32:49.759 --> 00:32:56.119 brokenness in humanity and in the world around us God has never forgotten what 00:32:56.119 --> 00:33:05.440 he created you to be. He has never forgotten how precious you are and he 00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:17.599 will never give up on you. So if you are weary of a broken world around you if 00:33:17.599 --> 00:33:23.439 you feel lost and alone if you're confused and frustrated like many of us 00:33:23.439 --> 00:33:29.199 are if you feel like you've made so many mistakes and that God and everybody 00:33:29.199 --> 00:33:36.919 else has every reason to abandon you if you feel like that then you need to 00:33:36.919 --> 00:33:44.039 learn about the God who never gives up. You need to learn the story of the Old 00:33:44.039 --> 00:33:51.359 Testament. Amen. Let us pray. 00:33:54.519 --> 00:34:02.960 Father thank you for your amazing creation. Thank you for what you have made us 00:34:02.960 --> 00:34:12.199 and for the amazing privileges that you've given us. We remember also our 00:34:12.199 --> 00:34:21.239 responsibilities and pray for your help to fulfill these. We acknowledge our 00:34:21.239 --> 00:34:27.279 sins before you but we thank you so much that you are the God who does not give 00:34:27.279 --> 00:34:37.239 up and how we pray that all the precious humans across the face of this earth 00:34:37.239 --> 00:34:44.039 how we pray that they would hear that that they would know you and that they 00:34:44.039 --> 00:34:52.559 would be saved. Please have mercy on us oh God you are our creator you are also 00:34:52.559 --> 00:35:08.119 our Savior and we love you. Amen.