Creation Keepers Week 2 Understanding God s Love for His Creation

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1 Creation Keepers Week 2 Understanding God s Love for His Creation

2 Every problem in the world is the result of broken relationship. Paul Eddy

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5 ...God saw that it was good. Gen 1:4,10,12,17-18,20-21,25,31

6 Genesis 8:1...This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you.

7 Isaiah 54: yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed... Hosea 2:18...Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety...

8 ...Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn? 2 Do you count the months till they bear?... Job 39:1-18

9 Look now at Behemoth, which I made as I made you; it eats grass like the ox. Look at its strength in its loins, and its power in the muscles of its belly. It makes its tail stiff like a cedar, the sinews of its thighs are tightly wound. Its bones are tubes of bronze, its limbs like bars of iron. It ranks first among the works of God, the One who made it has furnished it with a sword. For the hills bring it food, where all the wild animals play. Under the lotus trees it lies, in the secrecy of the reeds and the marsh. The lotus trees conceal it in their shadow; the poplars by the stream conceal it. If the river rages, it is not disturbed, it is secure, though the Jordan should surge up to its mouth. Can anyone catch it by its eyes, or pierce its nose with a snare? Job 40:15-24

10 Jonah 4:11: And should not I pity Nineveh...in which there are... also much cattle? Zech. 2:4:...because of the multitude of people and animals there. Joel 2:18: Then the Lord will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people.

11 Hab. 2:17b: You have shed human blood and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them. Numbers 35:34: Therefore do not defile the land that you will inhabit, in which I live, for I the Lord live among the Israelites." Deuteronomy 20:19: "If you besiege a town for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you must not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them. Although you may take food from them, you must not cut them down. Are trees in the field human beings that they should come under siege from you?"

12 Habakkuk 2:17a:...terrifying judgment will come upon you because of the way you destroyed the wild animals living there. Numbers 22:31-33:...I would surely have killed you just now, and let [the donkey] live."

13 Exodus 23.12: Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest

14 Genesis 1:30: And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all the creatures that move on the ground everything that has the breath of life in it - I give every green plant for food." Ps. 104:27: All of your creatures wait for you to provide them with food...

15 "...I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me Matt 25: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father s care. Matthew 10:29

16 This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. Col. 1:23...they are understood through what has been made... Romans 1:20 See God everywhere... in all that is most hidden, most solid, and most ultimate in the world. -Pierre Teilhard de Chardin The Divine Milieu

17 ...He is before all things, and in him all things hold together... Col. 1: For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive... 1 Corinthians 15:22

18 ...the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of God's children. Romans 8:19

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20 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food. (Genesis 1:30)

21 Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see. So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead (Daniel 1:12-16)

22 Heart disease Cancer Lung diseases Accidents Stroke Alzheimer's disease Diabetes Influenza and pneumonia Kidney Disease Suicide

23 Heart disease Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. and worldwide. Transfats (meat, dairy and processed food) Saturated Fat (animal products and processed foods) Dietary Cholesterol (egg yolks) Fiber, green leafy vegetables, beets,

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26 Cancer A substantial proportion of cancers are preventable. Many cancers can even be reversed with a whole-plant-based diet. By contrast, eating a diet rich in animal proteins during middle age makes you 4x more likely to die from cancer a mortality risk factor comparable to smoking cigarettes! Animal proteins (from meat, dairy and eggs) Especially processed meats, and meats cooked at high temperatures (fried or BBQ) Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage) Colorful plant foods, Flax seeds, Beans Turmeric (or Curcumin) Berries

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28 Asthma, COPD and other lung diseases The incidence of atopic disease, including asthma, is increasing rapidly throughout the world. Environmental pollutants, second hand smoke and chemicals in common household products contribute but diet can lower one s risk of developing asthma. Increased intake of seafood, meat, cod liver oil, poultry and dairy have been correlated with an increased risk for asthma Consumption of fresh fruits, green vegetables and soy products has been shown to be protective.

29 Stroke Cerebrovascular diseases are conditions that develop as a result of problems with the blood vessels that supply the brain. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking are major risk factors for stroke. Diet centered around whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lentils, beans, and nuts. Other risk factors: Diabetes, heart disease, alcohol use, obesity, inadequate exercise. Fiber: ~ 1% drop in risk for every 1 gram of fiber per day.

30 Diabetes Type 2 diabetes can be prevented, arrested, and even reversed with a plant-based diet. insulin requirements were cut about 60%. And, half the diabetics were able to get off their insulin altogether despite no change in weight. How many years did that take? No, 16 days 16 days later. High-fat foods, especially high in saturated fats (animal products, processed food) Simple carbohydrates (processed carbs and sugars) Fiber from whole-plant foods like beans and lentils, whole-grain carbohydrates, green leafy vegetables Amla powder (aka Indian Gooseberry)

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32 High Blood Pressure High blood pressure is the #1 risk factor for death in the world, affecting nearly 78 million Americans that s 1 in 3 adults. Salt, processed foods, animal products. (also smoking!) Whole grains, Beans & lentils, vegetables, fruit, dark green leafy veggies, Flax seeds

33 Kidney Disease Conditions in which the kidneys are damaged and cannot filter blood as well as they should. Because of this, waste products remain in the blood and can cause other health problems. Kidney failure may be both prevented and treated with a plant-based diet (and no wonder; kidneys are highly vascular organs) Animal protein, Fish animal fat cholesterol (meats, eggs, cheese) Fruits and green leafy veggies. Especially: Raisins, Apples, Peaches, Spinach, cauliflower

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35 Most deaths in the United States are preventable and related to nutrition. AVOID: Meat Milk & Dairy Cheese Eggs Processed foods (i.e: anything that came from an animal or a box) EAT: Fruits, berries Veggies, greens cruciferous veggies beans whole grains nuts and seeds, flax seeds mushrooms herbs and spices, turmeric (i.e: anything that grew from the ground)

36 Resources to learn more: Books: Movies: How Not to Die - Michael Gregor The Healthiest Diet on the Planet - John McDougall What the Health Forks Over Knives Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead Website: NutritionFacts.org

37 4 points about animal sacrifices in the Old Testament...

38 1) Sacrifices were not invented by/for or unique to the ancient Israelites. Acts 14:11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, ``The gods have become like men and have come down to us." 12 And they {began} calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose {temple} was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.

39 2) The Purpose Was Not the Sacrifice Itself, But the Intended Lesson SIN = DEATH

40 3) Although God tried to use the sacrificial system to help the Israelites atone for their sins, the way it ended up working out was that people just sacrificed animals but then continued to sin. This was NOT what God wanted and we see repeated calls from God to be righteous instead of making sacrifices.

41 Isaiah 1:13 Do not bring any more meaningless offerings; I consider your incense detestable! You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations, but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations! I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies; they are a burden that I am tired of carrying. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I look the other way; when you offer your many prayers, I do not listen, because your hands are covered with blood. Wash! Cleanse yourselves! Remove your sinful deeds from my sight. Stop sinning! Learn to do what is right! Promote justice! Give the oppressed reason to celebrate! Take up the cause of the orphan! Defend the rights of the widow! Come, let's consider your options," says the Lord. "Though your sins have stained you like the color red, you can become white like snow; though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet, you can become white like wool.

42 Hosea 6:6 For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Amos 5:21 I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies. Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.

43 4) Because this system of animal sacrifices was so ineffective at actually stopping sin, we see Jesus being the final and ultimate sacrifice for our sins, thus ending the practice altogether.

44 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. For the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins. So when he came into the world, he said, "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me. "Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in. "Then I said, 'Here I am: I have come - it is written of me in the scroll of the book - to do your will, O God.'" When he says above, "Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them" (which are offered according to the law), then he says, "Here I am: I have come to do your will." He does away with the first to establish the second. Hebrews 10:3-9

45 5) The Jewish laws of ritual slaughter actually served to limit the killing of animals to a restricted and covenantal context. It brought in strict rules about animal treatment which were actually quite conservative for the period (when some neighboring cultures believed that meat tasted better when the animal was tortured before killing). In fact, the killing of a domestic animal NOT for sacrifice was considered to be equal to murder.

46 Lev 17:3 "Blood guilt will be accounted to any man from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox or a lamb or a goat inside the camp or outside the camp, but has not brought it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to present it as an offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord. He has shed blood, so that man will be cut off from the midst of his people. The system of biblical sacrifices balanced two potentially opposed viewpoints: It allowed for the use of animals even as it insisted they are worthy of justice and mercy.

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