-OLOGY THEOLOGY April 17 th, 2016 VIDEO: -OLOGY INTRO SLIDE 1

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1 VIDEO: -OLOGY INTRO SLIDE 1 -OLOGY THEOLOGY April 17 th, 2016 INTRODUCTION Good Morning! Welcome to Fox Valley Christian Church! We are digging into the ologies of the Christian faith. We are looking at what we believe and why. Last week we looked at the first part of Theology what we believe about God and we specifically looked at God s Nature. This week we are going to look at God s Works. We do not believe that God merely exists, we believe that He is an active part of our lives. An active part of them coming into existence and continual acting part as we go through life. I just want to remind you that the intent of this series, the intent of looking at the ologies, the studies of Christian Faith, what we believe is that we want you to be sure of what exactly it is that you believe. When someone says who is God? I want you to know what you are saying and not just parrot back words that you kind of maybe understand. It is our goal to create students that become teachers, because we are on a mission to make God known.

2 GOD S WORKS God's works can be considered under three main headings; the works of creation, the works of providence, and the works of redemption. This week we are going to look at the first two and when we take a closer look at Christ we will look at God's works of redemption. CREATION Theologian Joseph Pohle said, "Unless we know God as the creator of all things, we do not know the true God." This is where we begin when looking at God's works because this the first work that He did that involved humanity and it is foundational to all that we believe about God. SLIDE 2 C.C. Crawford accurately describes creation as, "that free act of God by which in the beginning He made, without the use of preexisting materials, the whole visible and invisible universe." Let's look at this definition of creation and further define it. SLIDE 3 EX NIHILO God created all that we know without the use of preexisting materials. The terminology best used to define this is "Ex Nihilo" or "Out of nothing" We believe that God existed, because He is self-existent, but nothing else existed. Then God created everything else that

3 exists out of nothing. It is a type of creation that we are unable to do. We, because we are made in the image of God, are creative. But we are unable to create anything out of nothing. We have to use something that has already been created. But the original creation came from nothing, an act that can only be done by an infinite, self-existing, all powerful God. FREE ACT The second element of creation is that it was a free act of God. God did not have to create the universe, it was not an act of necessity, it was an act of free will. He created because He wanted to. God does not do anything because He has to, He does everything because He wants to, because it is His will. SLIDE 4 PSALM 115:3 3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. SLIDE 5 EPHESIANS 1:11 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, SLIDE 6 REVELATION 4:11

4 11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." So why did He do it? What was His purpose? What did He desire or plan to accomplish by this act? We believe that creation has a twofold purpose. SLIDE 7 FIRST - God created for the sake of His goodness, He wanted to bestow blessings of His goodness and love upon rational creatures who could receive, enjoy, and acknowledge them in loving gratitude The physical universe was created and prepared as a home for mankind, as a domain for him to subdue and rule. SLIDE 8 GENESIS 1:28 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Nature is man's intended servant. Speaking of the bounty of this world, Paul says SLIDE 9 1 TIMOTHY 6:17

5 17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. God richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. James speaks of the good things and perfect gifts that God bestows upon us. SLIDE 10 JAMES 1:17 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. God s goodness in nature satisfies our hearts with food and gladness. SLIDE 11 ACTS 14:17 17 Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness." But the greatest gift that God gave us in creation was presence with Him, the creator. God created beings in His own image who can know Him, respond to Him, and be in relationship with Him. We are ultimately intended to enjoy the creator. SLIDE 12

6 SECOND - God created for the sake of His own glory, that He might both manifest His glory in creation and be glorified by it. SLIDE 13 ISAIAH 48:11 11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. SLIDE 14 EZEKIEL 39:21 21 "And I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them. SLIDE 15 REVELATION 4:11 11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." God created because of and for His glory. He created to show His glory and He created so that He would be glorified and because of His goodness God created us so that we could enjoy Him and His presence. SLIDE 16

7 VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE UNIVERSES First, creation was from nothing; second, creation was for the purpose of God's goodness and glory; and third, creation includes both the visible and the invisible universes. SLIDE 17 COLOSSIANS 1:16 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things were created through him and for him. Anything that exists besides God belongs to the category of created. Next week we will look more closely at the invisible world when we study Angels, but God is the creator of all things visible and invisible. SLIDE 18 IMPLICATIONS OF CREATION So what are the implications of creation? What does creation mean for us? Creation and Nature All that has been created is not pre-existent, therefore our world and everything in it is dependent upon the creator, it is dependent upon God.

8 Creation and Man Creation, being a freewill act of God, gives our lives a purpose. We can find answers to questions like "Who am I?" and "Why am I here?" because we were intentionally created. God created for His glory and because of His goodness, therefore we are here to receive God's goodness and to give Him glory. This also means that not just my life, but the history of humanity has a goal a purpose. It is going somewhere. The end goal is to establish God's Kingdom and all of history is moving toward that day. PROVIDENCE That is the work of creation, and then there are the works of providence, this is God's continuous activity of preserving and governing the universe by His knowledge, power, wisdom, and goodness for the fulfillment of His purpose in creation. Whereas creation is the origin of the universe, providence is the ongoing history of the universe and God's activity in it. Now, there are three views of God and History: God has nothing to do with anything - this is the view of all atheists who completely take God out of the equation. God has everything to do with everything - This would be in line with what Calvinists believe. It is a form of eternal predestination. God, before the world was even created predestined all that was going to happen. This view takes away our free will, we are not acting on our own free will, we are

9 acting because God has already decided that this is what we would do. We have no choice in the matter. Any free will that a person believes they have, is not real. It is merely perceived as free will, but the infinite God is even the one that is causing them to feel that way. This view does not sound like a God who created because of His goodness. God has something to do with everything - This is the view that we believe and we believe that the Bible fully supports this view. GOD HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH EVERYTHING In order to see God's role in the history of the world, we need to first ask what kind of world did God create? What are the characteristics of this world? Relative Independence The first characteristic that we see in creation is Relative Independence. God created a world with both natural law and free will. Natural law or the physical laws of nature (gravity, chemical reactions, animal instincts, laws of motion) these were put into motion by the very act of creation. Free will, which is present in human beings and angels, is God allowing us to choose and act in ways that have not been predetermined by God. We truly have the free will, or the power, to choose what we will do and say.

10 FAIR TO NOTE: Both Natural Law and Free Will still fall under the control of our sovereign creator. So although Natural Law says this will happen and Free Will says I can choose what I want, God, the creator, still has control and can counteract these forces if He so chooses. Divine Self-Limitation The second characteristic that we see in creation is Divine Self- Limitation. I told you last week that nothing outside of God can limit Him, but God sometimes self-limits. Creation was a form of Divine Self-Limitation. It is kind of like choosing to have children. Without kids, I can do whatever I please (for the most part), but the moment I decide to have kids I have now limited myself. I can't just run to the store and expect it to take 5 minutes. I can't go see a movie anytime I want. I can't quit working and sit on my couch all day. I have responsibilities and baggage that comes along with being a Father. God, in choosing (free-will) to create the universe, He limited Himself by now having this responsibility. When God gave natural law and free will, He limited Himself even more. He committed Himself to honoring that decision. God must allow His creation to operate according to the relative independence that He bestowed upon them, even if this means that at times man will use His freedom to choose evil. Sovereign Control

11 This leads us to the third characteristic of God's providence, Sovereign Control. Sovereign Control is not the same as Sovereign Causation. Sovereign Causation says that God is the cause of everything that happens. Sovereign Control says that God is in control of everything that happens. We believe in Sovereign Control. We believe that God either causes things to happen or He permits them. We see throughout scripture evidence of both. We see God causing things to happen that lead to our redemption through Jesus on the cross. We also see God permitting things to happen. We see Him stepping back and allowing Israel to suffer. We see Him allowing Israel to become great as well. God does not directly manipulate and cause everything to happen. But He is in control and He either causes it or He allows it. So, Why do things happen the way they do? Well, there are three casual factors; God, free will, and natural law. Therefore: - it is wrong to blame God for every unpleasant or tragic thing that occurs. He might cause some, but most are due to sinful human choices, both ours and others. - It is wrong to think that everything happens for a purpose, especially a divine purpose. Many things happen because of human sin, carelessness, ignorance, and just plain old stupidity. We can learn lessons from them all, but this does not mean that God caused them just to teach us certain lessons. God can bring good results even out of

12 bad things, that does not mean that He caused the bad thing in the first place. CHALLENGE So what does this mean for us? This means that we have a God that choose to create us because of His goodness and for His deserving Glory. He is the Sovereign Creator. God didn't just stop with creation, He didn't create and then punch out. He continues to be in control of His creation. Sometimes by directly causing things to happen, and I am so thankful for that. Sometimes by simply allowing things to happen. I am thankful for that too, because that is the result of a world that has free will. Knowing these truths about God and how He works in our lives, we should naturally respond to Him in a certain way. - We should give Him the praise and the glory that He deserves. - We should recognize His goodness and strive to live in His goodness. God wants what is best for us, eternally best for us. We should recognize this and seek to know His will for our lives even more. (His Word, Prayer) - We should seek His will when we make decisions, all kinds of decisions. o You could decide that you are no longer going to tithe. Now, we know that this is something that God

13 desires that we do. It is our recognition, our way of giving Him glory, for what He has given us. You can decide that you are no longer going to do this anymore. Is God going to step into your life and force you too? Maybe, but probably not. He will most likely permit you to make that choice. He will allow you to hold back from Him. He might allow you to hold back from Him and allow you to continue to have financial freedom. He might allow you hold back from Him and as a result He might begin holding back from you. It is not mine to say what He will exactly choose in your specific situation. What I know is that it is God's will that you recognize what He has done for your life, but giving a portion of it back to Him, by giving a tithe. Knowing His will helps me to make a decision that in the end will allow me live in His goodness, to live the life that He wills and desires for me to live. o You could decide that you want to begin working somewhere knew or living somewhere knew. You go to the Bible and you don't see any guidance that lets you know God's will on this decision. But God has allowed us to come to Him and prayer and to seek His will that way. And when we are seeking God's will, He will make it known to us. Sometimes it is simply by opening or closing a door. Sometimes it is by allowing someone to speak His will into our lives. Regardless of the how, knowing that God desires us to live in His

14 goodness, we should be actively seeking our Sovereign Creators will in all things. - We should not allow tragedy and heartache to tear us away from our Lord. He is allowing us to live in a free will / natural law world and heartache is going to happen, tragedy is going to strike. It is not God's will that we hurt or are in misery, that is why God has forced His will on this world so that we could be redeemed and saved from the sin that terrorizes this world. PRAY If you do not know our Creator God or if you are finally ready to give your life to Him and to be baptized, I just want to encourage you to come up during our last worship song to talk with me or pray with me. COMMUNION MEDITATION Something here PRAY AND TAKE THE COMMUNION