In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
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.
And God said, let there be light.
And there was light.
God saw that the light was good,
and he separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light day,
and the darkness he called night.
And there was evening, and there was morning the first day.
Then go to verse 26,
which comes to the last part of the creation account.
Verse 26, then God said,
let us make man in our image, in our likeness,
and let them rule over the fish of the sea,
and the birds of the air, over the livestock,
over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him,
male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them,
be fruitful and increase in number,
fill the earth and subdue it,
rule over the fish of the sea,
and the birds of the air,
and over every living creature that moves on the ground.
Then God said,
I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth,
and every tree that has fruit with seed in it,
they will be yours for food.
And to all the beasts of the earth,
and all the birds of the air,
and all the creatures that move on the ground,
everything that has breath of life in it,
I give every green plant for food.
And it was so.
And God saw all that he had made,
and it was very good.
And there was evening,
and there was morning,
the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth
were completed in all their vast array.
By the seventh day,
God had finished the work he had been doing,
and so on the seventh day,
he rested from all his work.
And God blessed the seventh day,
and made it holy,
because on it he rested from all the work of creating,
that he had done.
So,
Michael is going to come and speak,
from us,
from this passage.
So,
I'm going to pray for him,
before he comes.
Let's pray.
Father,
we thank you for
your word to us.
We thank you for this
amazing account
of the beginning,
of your creation,
of you speaking your word,
and bringing life into existence.
And so we pray right now,
that by that same word,
and by the power of your Holy Spirit,
you would speak life to us.
that these words would shape us,
and transform us to live life,
according to your good design.
We pray for Michael,
that you would fill him with your spirit,
and us also,
that we may hear your word to us.
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
We read about creation here,
and over six days,
God creating the world.
I've got to condense it into 30 minutes,
so I've got to work hard this morning.
But what are we looking at today?
We're looking at the wonder of God's creation.
Very different to the world in which we live today.
What can we expect in 2014?
That's a good question to ask ourselves
at the beginning.
I've been hearing from the various hundreds,
and the government expects
there could be growth in the economy
up to 2%.
And that, of course,
will benefit employment,
the building trade,
and immigration
may not be quite as necessary.
Hopefully, things will be better
as the economy grows once more.
But we can't be certain
billions are still owed
outside influences,
pressures that we know not of
at the present time.
But what we do know
is that as government meets,
laws will undoubtedly be passed
that are contrary to God's law.
In other words,
we can say that in 2014,
sinners will continue to be sinners.
What can we expect
internationally?
Well, nothing changes, does it?
way back in Matthew 24,
the Lord Jesus speaks of wars
and rumours of wars,
of famines and earthquakes,
of the persecution of believers.
wars.
This will continue
on an international level.
This, I can say,
with certainty.
Because that's the way
that things are.
Of course,
there will be
scientific advancements.
But things will be
much the same
because the world
doesn't seem,
on the surface,
to becoming
a better place.
So we can look nationally,
we can look internationally,
and things are
so much chaos.
How about on the
personal level?
Well, we simply don't know
what lies ahead
for any one of us.
We will all make decisions.
Some of them will be good.
Some of them will be bad.
We will have good
and bad experiences
during the year.
On the health front,
none of us knows
whether we're
the youngest here
this morning
or the oldest.
We don't know.
Young people die,
as well as old people.
So we don't know
what will happen
on the health front.
We look around
and we see
the difficulties
that others have experienced
and maybe we've experienced
during this past year.
And they may,
I'm not saying they will,
but they may get worse
in the year
that lies ahead.
But it wasn't always
like that, was it?
From the beginning,
we see that God
is a God of order.
So we go back to Genesis,
to the very seed plot
of the Bible,
the seed plot
of Scripture.
and we're introduced
immediately to God's
revelation of himself
and we see
a perfect world.
We see God,
the perfect creator.
And as we continue
through Genesis,
we see sin spoiling
that creation
and we're brought face
to face with God's judgment
upon sin.
and yet,
we also see
that there is grace,
a plan to redeem
a people to himself
through the seed
of a woman.
But let's get back
to basics this morning.
Let's go back to
Genesis chapter 1
and God's order.
to see God's order,
to see his blueprint
for our individual lives,
to see his blueprint
for our families,
to see his blueprint
for the nations.
Let's go back
to a world
that is untainted
by sin.
Let's see, then,
the God of order.
And in Genesis chapter 1
and verse 1,
we are introduced
to him.
In the beginning,
God created
the heavens
and the earth.
And we're straight away
told with something
of who this God is
that created.
We're introduced
to the God of order.
The word for God there
is Elohim.
It's a plural word.
And some people think
that it speaks
of a plurality
of majesty.
But that's an incorrect view.
We're introduced,
if you like,
in seed form
to the triune God
who's brought before us
in verse 26
where we read of him
saying,
let us make man
in our own image.
it's the first reference
to Trinity,
the Elohim God.
In Genesis,
we have the basic truth.
But further revelation
shows us
that Elohim
is none other
than the Father,
Son,
and Holy Spirit
who were active
in the creation
of the world.
Genesis
doesn't go into
all the details
of who God is.
We need further revelation.
But it lays
a foundation,
an Elohim,
a God of power,
a creator
who is triune,
the one
who created
the world.
Let us put it
like this.
God,
the Father,
is the architect.
God,
the Son,
is the builder.
And God,
the Holy Spirit,
is the animator.
There's no
disharmony
within the Godhead.
And a triune God
worked in unity
to prepare
the world
and was able
to declare
it is
very good.
There's no
chaos
within the
triune God.
no disharmony
in the
created
order.
So we see
God,
the Father,
is the architect.
He is
absolutely
perfect.
And all that
he does
is perfect.
We mustn't
think of
a creation
as a
random
plan.
We mustn't
think as
the evolutionists
do,
of God
working
in time
plus chance
plus time
plus chance.
In the
beginning,
God created
the heavens
and the
earth.
And we
have this
phrase
repeated
again
and again
in Genesis
chapter 1.
God made
the light
and it
was good.
Verse 10,
God saw
that it
was good.
And in
verse 12
17 and
21 and
25 and
31,
God saw
all that
he had
made and
it was
very good.
How different
to the
created
things we
see around
about us
today.
We all
know about
the Celtic
tiger.
We all
know things
went up
and developers
got their
way in
doing things
as they
wanted to.
We all
saw the
architects
and the
engineers
and the
planners
and the
builders.
And we
saw buildings
that were
signed on
as being
good.
Everything
went according
to man's
plans and
then everything
collapsed.
In many
cases it
was far
from good.
Why?
Because sin
had entered
into the
world.
And we
have seen
the disorder
of these
last years.
In the
beginning it
was so
different.
The
totality
of creation
was good.
But as we
look around
the world
and we
see the
beauty of
creation
we can
still see
order.
It still
shines forth
in all
its wonder
because of
the architect
because he
made it
very good.
And Paul
writing to
the Romans
in chapter
1 and
verse 20
says for
since the
creation of
the world
God's
invisible
qualities
his eternal
power and
divine nature
are clearly
seen.
being
understood
from what
has been
made so
that men
are without
excuse.
How many
of us
have looked
up at the
stars at
night and
wondered at
the magnificence
of them?
God.
I remember
talking to a
young lad
who was
going through
a time of
trial and
wondered if
he could go
on believing
in God.
In our
particular
situation at
a camp
we were
out in the
countryside
not distracted
by street
lights.
And I
told him to
look up at
the stars and
they were
beautiful that
night.
you can see
the Milky
Way our
own
constellation in
all his
grandeur.
And there
was God
before us
if you like
in all his
grandeur.
His invisible
qualities,
his eternal
power, his
divine nature
are seen
in what he
has made.
The divine
architect is
seen in
his creation.
creation.
But as we
think of the
God of
order we
also think
of the
sun as
the builder.
And we
have that
recurring
phrase in
Genesis
chapter 1
and verse
3 and
then again
in verse
6, 9,
11,
14,
20,
24,
26,
and God
said.
And God
says and
it is done.
And by
faith we
understand that
the universe
was formed
at God's
command so
that what
is seen was
not made
out of what
was visible.
Hebrews 11
and verse
3.
God it
was who
spoke creation
into existence.
Who was
this one
who spoke?
Well it
was none
other than
the eternal
sound of
God,
the eternal
word.
In the
beginning,
as we
heard at
the beginning
of our
service this
morning,
was the
word.
And the
word was
with God
and the
word was
God.
He was
with God
in the
beginning.
Through
him all
things were
made.
Without
him was
nothing
made that
has been
made.
So John
is making
it very
clear that
the Lord
Jesus is
the one
who built
the world
as it
were,
who spoke
creation.
He is
the eternal
word who
said in
the beginning
let there
be light
and there
was light.
I didn't
know all
the things
that were
going to be
said,
obviously,
during the
service,
but didn't
we hear
from Colossians
1 and
verse 16.
For by
him,
that is by
the Lord
Jesus,
the eternal
word,
all things
were created,
things in
heaven and
on earth,
visible and
invisible.
He is
before all
things,
and in
him all
things hold
together.
And it
seems in the
Bible it's
a place to
show us
the absolute
perfection of
the Lord
Jesus Christ.
And in
his absolute
perfection,
he could
not demonstrate
anything that
was shoddy.
There is no
shoddy
workmanship in
the creation
of the world,
no dodgy
materials.
In his
life here
upon earth,
his perfection
remained.
He did
no sin,
neither was
guile found
in his
mouth.
And it's
the absolute
perfect one
who called
creation into
existence,
a perfect
creation.
He is
the second
person of
the Elohim,
the God
of creation.
So we have
the Father
as the
architect,
the Son
as the
builder,
but we have
the Holy Spirit
as the
animator,
the one
who gives
life.
And if we
go to
Genesis
chapter 1
and verse 2,
the latter part
of it,
we find the
Spirit of God
hovering over
the waters.
The Spirit
was active
in creation.
The third
person of the
Trinity
active there,
hovering over
the deep.
deep.
As John
Carvin puts
it,
hovering over
the indigested
mass,
the disorderly
deep,
the chaos.
How could
there be
order?
Only through
the work of
the Father,
the Son,
and the Holy
Spirit.
perfect.
But when
God sends
his Spirit,
things are
created,
and he
renews the
face of
the earth.
So says
Psalm 104
and verse
30.
And we
see the
activity of
the Spirit
in the
creation of
man himself,
made perfect.
The Lord
God, we
read in
chapter 2
and verse
7,
formed man
from the
dust of
the ground
and breathed
into his
nostrils the
breath of
life.
And man
became a
living spirit.
What was
his breath?
There was
none other
than the
Spirit of
the living
God.
For he
is made
in the
image,
man is
made in
the image
of God.
So as we
look around
at creation,
there at
the beginning,
we have a
perfect creation
because it
comes from
a God
who worked
in triune
unity to
bring about
a perfect
creation.
But if we
move on
in our
story,
we see
something of
the order
of his
creation.
In
chapter 1
and verse
2 of
Genesis,
we read
these words,
Now the
earth was
formless and
empty.
Darkness
was over
the surface
of the
deep.
There are
two words
for formless
and empty
in the
original,
abohu
and tohu.
And it
has the
idea of a
confused
nothingness.
Again,
to quote
John
Carman,
a rude
and
unpunished
or shapeless
chaos.
Speaking of
those waters
at the
beginning,
nothing solid
or stable,
nothing distinct,
a surging,
a raging.
It needed
a stability
that only
the triune
God could
bring about.
And Moses
is showing
us the
opposite
of what
was going
to be
an ordered
creation.
So we
have day
one,
and we
have light
and darkness,
and there's
an order,
a separation
between the
one and
the other.
And day
two,
the separations
of the water,
the creation
of the sky.
Those waters
overwaves
the Spirit
at hover.
Again,
there was
separation,
there was
order.
Day three,
verses nine
to thirteen,
we have
the sea,
the dry
land,
and vegetation,
and trees,
and plants.
The sea
and the land
become separate,
and there
was order.
God set
boundaries
upon them.
And when
we see
God making
the stars
in all
their constellations,
in verses
fourteen
to nineteen
on day
four,
there's
nothing
haphazard
about it.
It's not
God flinging
the stars
into space.
But is
God placing
them in
order?
Each in
their orbit,
each working,
constellations
not colliding,
because there
is order
in the universe
that he
made,
and there's
a beauty
in it.
and the
variety
of the
birds
and the
fish
on day
five,
and all
their
beauty
and
magnificence.
And then on
day six,
the animals
and the
reptiles
from verses
twenty-four
to thirty-one.
And after
all this
was done,
God created
men and
women,
made in
the image
of God.
And the
psalmist
refers to this,
of man being
fearfully
and wonderfully
made.
Absolutely
perfect.
And all
of creation
was given
God's
approval.
It was not
just good,
but in its
totality,
it was
very good.
Thus,
the heavens
and the
earth
were completed
in all
their vast
array.
So says
Genesis
chapter two
and verse
one.
So I
repeat
again,
nothing
haphazard
in God's
creation,
all
absolutely
perfect.
God
created
a total
transformation
of that
which was
warmness
and empty.
and as
C.S.
Lewis
puts it,
the universe
naturally
bears the
mark of
God's
personality
and it
does.
Louis
Armstrong
used to
sing a
song,
and I
know I'm
dating myself
now,
I think
to myself,
what a
wonderful
world.
I think
the psalmist
put it
much better
than
Louis
Armstrong
when he
writes in
Psalm
19,
the heavens
declare the
glory of
God,
the skies
proclaim the
work of
his hands,
day after
day they
pour forth
speech,
night after
night they
display
knowledge,
there is
no speech
or language
where their
voice is not
heard,
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,
which is
like a
bridegroom
coming forth
from his
pavilion,
like a
champion
rejoicing
to run
its course,
a great
creation,
created
by an
almighty
God,
who created
a perfect
order,
as the
astronauts
and those
that are
in the
science
world,
make their
journeys
into space,
they can
make
calculations,
because they
know that
there is
an orderly
ness in
the universe,
they put
it down
in figures,
we can
look at
the scriptures
and say,
God created
this world,
we shouldn't
be surprised
at the
orderliness
of the
creation
order,
for we
see it in
the hand
of a
not-triune
God,
who not only
made the
world,
but continues
to uphold
it,
the God
of order,
who orders
creation,
an old
hymn
put it
like this,
heaven
above
is
softer
blue,
and earth
beneath
is
sweeter
green,
that
something
lives
in
every
hue,
that
Christless
eyes
have
never
seen.
We move
on to
our third
point,
and that
is this,
that there's
not only
God who
created,
who was
perfect,
there's not
only an
order to
creation,
but there
is a
creation
order,
and we
have it
brought before
us,
don't we,
in these
verses.
We have
a God
who rules,
we have a
God who
speaks,
a God
who commands,
a God
who commanded
man to take
care of the
garden,
to refrain
from eating
of the tree
of the knowledge
of good
and evil,
a God
who commanded
man to be
fruitful and
to multiply.
That was a
world as it
was, with
God in
control, with
God stating
what had to
happen.
It is his
order that he
has set in
place, that
God rules,
the triune
God, Lord
over all.
And man
and woman
were to be
in subjection
to God.
They were
to obey
the commands
of God.
And they
were to
enjoy God.
They were
to eat of
the fruit
that God
had provided.
They were
to care
for God's
creation
in the
beginning.
That was
how it
was.
Man
in submission
to God
in an
ordered
world
that God
had made.
And man
was to live
in harmony
with God.
Harmony
existed
between God
and man
and the rest
of creation.
salvation.
In
Genesis
chapter 3
and verse
8 we
read,
The man
and his
wife heard
the sound
of the
Lord God
as he
was walking
in the
garden in
the cool
of the
day.
Idyllic.
A garden
with no
weeds or
thorns.
A garden
man being
surrounded in
that garden
by the
abundance of
God's
provision.
But I
ask the
question,
how did
the man
and the
woman know
that it
was God
who was
walking
with them?
I would
suggest to
you that
they recognized
his footfall.
They recognized
his footsteps.
Why?
Because there
was fellowship.
There was
harmony between
God and
the man
and the
woman.
It's a
beautiful picture
of what it
was at the
beginning of
time.
A God
who ordered
the world.
Where the
authority of
God was
recognized and
there was
this harmony
between the
one and
the other
in a
perfect
world.
What are
the applications
of what we've
been looking
at this
morning
briefly?
Well let
me make a
number of
applications.
And the
first is
this.
That when we
look at the
world in
which we
live, it's
a call
surely to
worship.
That's often
what happens
if you look
through scripture.
You find the
various writers
speaking the
word of the
Lord as
they look at
creation,
they draw
us out to
look at the
God of
creation.
For
example,
in Isaiah
40 and
verses 12
to 18,
there the
writer says,
who has
measured the
waters in
the hollow
of his
hand?
who has
weighed out
the earth
in a
balance and
weighed the
mountains on
scales?
Who is it
that regards
the nations,
not an
individual,
but the
very nations,
as a drop
in the
bucket?
And then
he asks,
to whom
can you
compare
God?
creation
should call
us out
in worship
and praise
to our
great and
glorious God
who made
the world
in all
its
perfection.
What
will the
song of
eternity
be?
In
Revelation
4 and
verse 11,
we have
these words,
you are
worthy,
O Lord
our God,
to receive
glory and
honour and
power,
for you
created all
things,
and by
your will
they were
created and
had their
being.
You see
the worship
of eternity?
A great
creator
God
should cause
us all
to worship,
to bow
the knee.
The second
word of
application
is this,
we should
ask
ourselves,
what
has gone
wrong?
Why is
the world
in such
chaos?
Why are
there tsunamis?
Why
typhoons and
winds and
mudslides?
Why are
there wars
and famines?
Why are
there the
breakup of
marriages?
Why are
there interracial
tensions?
Why disease
these
and
death?
What has
happened to
this perfect
world that
God created?
did?
And the
answer
surely is
this,
that man
has rebelled
against
God.
The man
has said,
no, I
will not
have you
to run
over me.
The order
has been
reversed.
And because
the order
has been
reversed,
there is
chaos.
There is
chaos in the
nations.
There is
chaos
internationally.
Chaos
nationally.
And chaos
so often
personally.
Sin has
entered
into this
world.
And as a
result,
we have
problems
ourselves
and creation
groans.
And weeds
and thorns
became part
of our
first parents'
life and
they are
part of
our lives.
and we
find Cain
killing his
brother.
And this
wonderful world
that God
made is a
wicked world
because it
rejected
God.
In this
so-called
Christian
country,
we could
ask the
simple
question,
why do
we bother
to lock
up our
cars?
God's
love?
It's as
simple as
that,
isn't it?
The third
word of
application
is this,
that only
the Elohim,
the Triune
God,
can put
the situation
right.
Only the
Lord God
Almighty
can bring
order out
of the
chaos as
he did
at the
beginning.
And thank
God that we
read in the
scriptures again
and again
of a God
of grace.
God,
the Father,
loved the
world,
that he
sent his
only
son.
How do we
know about
these things?
Through the
power of
God,
the Holy
Spirit.
God,
the God,
it is the
God of
order that
can bring
order out
of the
chaos of
individual
lives.
And there
is evidence
that he's
already putting
things right
in individual
lives.
The very
fact that we
are here
this morning
is evidence
of that.
although we're
not perfect,
we're not
what we
once were.
And God
is recreating
us into
the likeness
of his
son,
into a
perfectness
that was
lost as a
result of
the fall.
And if that
work has
begun in us,
it is because
of the
Father who
is the
architect.
it is because
of the
son who
built that
relationship
with the
Father through
his death
upon the
cross of
the Calvary.
And it
is by the
Holy Spirit
that gives
us new
life so
that we can
say if
anyone is
in Christ,
he is a
new creation.
All things
are passed
away.
Behold,
all things
are become
new.
And my
final word
of application
is found
in Revelation
chapter 21.
And here
I find
great hope.
Why?
Because I
read that
this new
creation
will be
accomplished.
There's no
doubt about
it.
it will
happen.
Turn with
me to
Revelation
21.
And
verse 1
reads it
thus.
Then I
saw a
new heaven
and a
new earth.
For the
first heaven
and the
first earth
had passed
away,
and there
was no
longer any
sea.
I saw
the holy
city.
The new
Jerusalem
coming down
out of
heaven from
God,
prepared a
bride,
beautifully
dressed for
her husband.
And I
heard a loud
voice from
the throne
saying,
Now the
dwelling of
God is
with men,
and he
will live
with them.
They will
be his
people,
and God
himself will
be with
them,
and be
their God.
He will
wipe away
every tear
from their
eyes.
There will
be no
more death,
or mourning,
or crying,
or pain,
for the
old order
of things
have passed
away.
He
who was
seated on
the throne
said,
I am
making
everything
new.
Then he
said,
Write
this down,
for these
words are
trustworthy
and true.
Order
from a
triune
God,
and it
will
happen.
These
words
are
trustworthy.
These
words
are
true.
Let's
pray
together.
Father,
we thank
you for
your goodness
and your
grace.
We thank
you that
as we
look around
we see
your majesty,
your power,
and the
things that
you have
made.
But we
also see
the chaos
that comes
as a result
of sin
entering
into that
perfect
world.
But thank
you,
gracious and
eternal
God,
you have
not left
us in
our muddle,
you have
not left
us in
our
chaos,
you have
not left
us,
O Lord,
to destroy
ourselves,
but you
have sent
your Son,
the Lord
Jesus Christ,
into this
world to
redeem this
world, to
redeem us
as individuals,
to redeem us
as a people
of God,
as your
church.
And we
thank you
that you
are making
everything new.
We thank
you that we
can look
forward to
a new
heaven and
a new
earth wherein
dwells
righteousness.
We can
look forward
to the
dispatching
of death
and disease
and famine
because,
O Lord,
of your
mighty work.
And we
want to
give you
all the
glory and
praise of
our hearts
this morning.
We pray,
O Lord,
that as we
enter this
world,
as we
enter this
new year,
that you
will enable
us to
live
with you,
that you
will remind
us, O
Lord,
of the
creative
order,
that we
are here,
O Lord,
to give
honour and
praise unto
your
holy name,
and to
enjoy
fellowship
with you,
the eternal
all-wise
God.
Help us
to this end,
we pray,
in Jesus'
name.
Amen.
Thank you,
Michael.