Creation and the Creator Mountain Life Church Message #1 in the series, Beginnings February 27, 2011
Creation and the Creator There have always been two paradigms Mind first o William Paley watchmaker argument o Fit the Bible, came from the Bible Matter first o Charles Darwin survival of the fittest o Seemed to be incongruous with the Bible How will Christianity respond to a cultural Darwinian paradigm? Accept current scientific ideas as truth, and since all truth is God s truth, Biblical truth must fit with scientific truth. o God used evolution o God s truth in the Bible is spiritual, but not scientific or historical o Biblical writers could be in error about history or science o Adam and Eve were not real people, there was no fall as described in Genesis 3, no worldwide flood, no tower of Babel. Many biblical events are error or mythological. o Christianity is best defended by acknowledging the errors that exist o Example organization: Biologos (Francis Collins) Deny biological evolution but accept scientific evidence for old ages. Since all truth is God s truth, the Bible must be compatible with a very old earth and universe. o The Bible can be viewed as inerrant and still include the idea of an old universe. o Nature is viewed as a the 67 th book of scripture. o God s creative acts happened over vast stretches of time. o The death that came from Adam s sin was only spiritual death. o Noah s flood was only local or perhaps very tranquil. 2
o Adam and eve were real people, but not the first homo sapiens. o Christianity is best defended by acknowledging the truth of old ages. o Example organization: Reasons to Believe (Hough Ross) Accept the Bible as an infallible communication from the creator. Since all truth is God s truth, the history of the Bible is an accurate communication of history and the physical world. o Any conflicts with contemporary scientific ideas will eventually resolve to agree with the Bible. o Since nature is fallen it cannot be looked upon as a source of truth in the way that Scripture can. o Since man s mind and heart is fallen, man s learning cannot be looked upon as a source of truth in the way that Scripture can. o Genesis 1-11 is an accurate history of the origin and early history of the world. o Adam and Eve were real people, supernaturally created as described in Genesis. o Death in the creation began with Adam s sin. o The flood of Noah was a real event that formed most of the fossils in the earth. o Christianity is best defended by presenting the Bible as it presents itself the infallible communication from God. o Example organization: Answers in Genesis (Ken Ham) The three positions above are mutually incompatible. Believers committed to following Christ hold each view. How do we determine what to believe? 3
Life Group Questions for Week #2- Follow Me Ice Breaker: Tell about the best creation you ve ever made in the kitchen or in the workshop. Read Genesis 1 - Split it up between a few readers 1. Make any observations you see about the passage. 2. Does Genesis 1 point to a climax in Creation? What do you think it says is the main event in Creation? 3. When you think about God speaking the universe into being instead of molding it with His hands, what does it say about God s authority? 4. Have someone read Psalm 12: 6-7. Not only are God s words powerful, but they are pure. Do you accept the Bible as God s words? If so, how does that impact your life? If not, what are your concerns? 5. God created light in Genesis 1: 3-4. Then he later created the sun and the moon (verses 16-19). What do you think the first creation of light is referring to in verses 3-4? 6. When you look at the three basic theories of Creation, Big Bang, Old Earth Creation and Young Earth Creation which one do you support at this time, and why? (The Big Bang theory presupposes no god at work in creation. Old earth mixes Big Bang and Genesis 1, and Young Earth believes the days and nights in Genesis are literal, and that God did the creating). 7. What are your biggest questions and or quandaries about Creation? 8. Pray for one another. 4
Personal Devotion Pages The following pages are designed to help you to enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom. LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God. BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol: INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol: ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their walk with God. These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a daily basis. There are no rules here. Please don t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming. Enjoy! 5
1. Take some time to quiet yourself before God, and then to praise Him and thank Him for whatever comes to your mind. 2. As a way to help you worship, slowly read and meditate on Psalm 11. 3. Read through Genesis 1. Write down any observations you have about the passage, and if you have questions, write them down and ask them at Life Group. Meditate on, and memorize Genesis 1: 1 this week Meditate on and memorize Genesis 1: 1, and Genesis 1: 27-28 this week. Meditate on and memorize Genesis 1: 1, Genesis 1: 27-28, and Proverbs 8: 30-31 (this is a passage about how God used wisdom in creating the earth). 6
One of the wonderful skills I learned in high school science was observation. Scientists utilize this skill in order to make sense of a complex creation. The idea is this, take time to observe as much as you can about the object of study. Feel free to ask questions, and seek out truth about the object. Take all the time you need to learn about the truth found in this object. It is said that a great scientist and observer, Sir Isaac Newton, discovered gravity when an apple fell on his head. He figured out (from observation, mind you) that all objects have gravity. Newton simply took time to ask questions. Why did that apple fall down after it s stem got weak? Why didn t it just float up into the sky? What is it that makes it FALL DOWN? Greater technology has enabled scientists to better observe the universe. We ve learned that the universe is even more complex and more unbelievably gigantic than what we ever thought. Take just a moment to watch Francis Chan s video on the Awe Factor of Creation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpchzxpfa-c After watching that video, I feel so incredibly small. In fact, I feel microscopic! Yet, technology has enabled scientists to better observe what we deem microscopic. They have learned in the last decades that the living cell, even the cell of a relatively simple plant has a veritable galaxy of information within it Based on such observation, more and more scientists are saying, Wow, this is so complex, it couldn t have just fallen together over millions of years this has all the evidence of being dare we say it engineered! Take some time to look around you. Ask questions. Listen, touch and examine. The loving, holy and awesome Engineer made this for you! 7
1. Take some time to quiet yourself before God, and then to praise Him and thank Him for whatever comes to your mind. 2. As a way to help you worship, read and meditate on Psalm 12. 3. Reread Genesis 1. Go very slowly over the chapter, asking questions along the way. Let the meaning of the passage sink in to you. Write down any observations you have. What stands out to you as you go over the passage slowly? 4. Take some time to pray for friends and loved ones who need to be reconciled with the Creator. Use the space provided to write down their names. 5. Continue memorizing the verse or verses for the week. 8
Learning to observe the natural world is the greatest skill a scientist can learn. For a disciple, the equivalent of observing is meditating. In the East, you meditate by emptying your mind of all thoughts, and allowing enlightenment to come to you. In the Scriptures, you meditate by filling your mind through slowly marinating your thoughts in the Word of God. Like tasty barbeque, the scriptures must be slow cooked. If you hurry the process you may grow tough, proud and bitter rather than soft and teachable. David declared, Taste and see that the Lord is good! Many of us have heard this statement, not realizing there is a second part to the sentence: How blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him! (Psalm 34:8). A refuge, or a fortress is built a little at a time, and must be done thoughtfully and strategically. Tasting of God is a slow process. Today, you may honestly be unsure if these two things are true. 1.) The Bible is truly God s Word. 2.) God created the universe in six days. Coming to a place of refuge in these two statements doesn t come overnight. Such faith could be rash, and not very deep or real. You may have had a micro-taste of God s goodness, but you still have some legitimate questions. Move forward. Move slowly, with Scripture swirling around in your head. Let its truths flow in and around you for some time. Get your brain marinated in the salty brine of truth found in the Bible. The answers will come some slow like an oak tree, and some like a bolt of lightening. But they will come through some effort on your part. (Remember, it s all about effort, not earning). You will seek me and find me when you search for me with your whole heart. (That s God speaking in Jeremiah 29: 13) 9
1. Take some time to quiet yourself before God, and then to praise Him and thank Him for whatever comes to your mind. 2. As a way to help you worship, read and meditate on Psalm 13. 3. Write down in this space some of the doubts you have about God. Ask Him to give clarity and confirmation to you about the things you doubt. 4. Ask the Creator what he is doing around you today and you can get in on what He is doing. Write down what you think God is doing. 5. Continue memorizing the verse or verses for this week. 10
The Two Witnesses Have you ever wondered what God will do at Judgment Day with people who have never heard of Jesus? This is not an easy discussion, nor are the answers simple and trite. Paul speaks of this issue in Romans 1. Look at verses 18-20: But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves. For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. Paul says there are two witnesses speaking to every person, leaving them NO EXCUSE when it comes to knowing God. One witness is the Holy Spirit speaking the truth about God to every heart (verse 19). The other is Creation itself (verse 20). Paul says that Creation clearly reveals God s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature. As a young high school student, I remember snowshoeing up Mount Belford (a 14er in the Collegiate Range) in the middle of winter with several friends and two men who mentored me. As we sat on our snowshoes at lunchtime, we scanned the amazing vistas from our 12,000 foot perch. The snow covered Collegiate Range rollercoastered out of the sublime Arkansas River Valley; and the cool, gentle wind brought the fresh scent of mountain evergreens, reminding us of what it felt to be born again. My mentor, Mark, looked at me with a dead pan face and said, You know Randy, When you look at all this you realize there really is NO GOD. All of us burst into laughing. God s awesome creation shouts on His behalf, I am here! Worship Me! 11
1. Take some time to quiet yourself before God, and then to praise Him and thank Him for whatever comes to your mind. 2. Instead of continuing with the next Psalm in sequence, read slowly and meditate on Psalm 139 to help you enter into worship. 3. Verses 13-17 of Psalm 139 speak of the Creator s intimate involvement in YOUR beginnings, as well as in your destiny. Take a moment to agree with God that YOU are fearfully and wonderfully made, and to thank Him that He knows your destiny and future. 4. Take a moment to look at Psalm 139: 19-22. David s enemies were people; our enemies are spiritual, and the battlefield is in our minds. Write down some of the enemies of your soul that you are dealing with today (i.e. bitterness, rebellion, fear, etc). 5. Continue memorizing the verse or verses for this week. 12
The good news today is that not only did God create the universe, but He is still intimately involved in the management of it! A couple hundred years ago, many great leaders joined in on a line of thinking called, Deism. One well known Deist was Thomas Jefferson. Deists believed that there certainly was a God who created the universe, but once he got the whole thing going, he stepped back and let it run itself. Now, though God exists - He has no involvement in the creation or in everyday life. David wrote of a very different God. Psalm 139 speaks of a Creator who not only spoke everything that exists into being, He ever lives to lovingly encounter the relatively tiny life forms we call humans. The immense Creator, who literally outshines the universe takes deep and even nurturing interest in sinful man. As David contemplates this concept, he is overwhelmed. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it. Psalm 139:6 The entire Psalm is David s musing about the love of a transcendent, holy and awesome God. For many of us, such thoughts are relegated only to philosophers, professors, and pastors. However, if we re honest about David, he started out as a simple shepherd. He worshiped God in this way while living in obscurity. Perhaps David s worship life is what elevated him to being king over all Israel. Perhaps that is the kind of person God looks for to influence others. "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose 13
1. Take some time to quiet yourself before God, and then to praise Him and thank Him for whatever comes to your mind. 2. To help you worship the Lord, slowly read and meditate on Proverbs 8. 3. Solomon writes about Wisdom in Psalm 8 as a woman who pursues people so that they will pursue her. Wisdom tells us that she is more desirable than any riches! She also was with God when He created the earth, and God used her in all is creative ways. Write down some ways you need lady Wisdom in your life today. 4. Finish memorizing your verse or verses today. See if you can quote your memory verses or passage to a friend or spouse. 14
Though Solomon had lots of wives and concubines, his favorite lady was Wisdom. He wrote of her much in his book called Proverbs. The sad truth is that Solomon left Lady Wisdom because he was seduced by the other ladies in his life. As a result, his life ended in shambles. Solomon had some incredible insight into how God created the universe. He realized that the ageless Lady Wisdom worked with God in his creation. Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind. Proverbs 8: 30-31. Verse 31 shows us God s motivation in making the universe. The pinnacle of creation was mankind. It s as if God created it all out of His love for mankind. Wisdom always places a SUPER HIGH value on people. Wisdom looks beyond the sin, the flaws and the corruption, and finds something priceless. Who are you having a hard time loving today? Did you know that they are the Apple of God s eye? Did you know He loves them every bit as much as He loves YOU? Take a few minutes to pray blessings on those who are hard for you to love. Ask God to show you YOUR OWN HEART. As you pray for others, ask God to change you. Take time to do it every day until love emerges out of your heart for that person. Lady Wisdom sees things and people the way God sees them. 15
This section of our curriculum is aimed at helping parents disciple their own children. We hope you will take a few evenings a week to open the scriptures and talk to your kids about kingdom things. You can mix and match these ideas to meet the needs of your family s children. Babies through preschool: Table Talk: Read Genesis 1:1-24 (or a section) from a children s Bible three evenings this week to your infant or toddler. Ask and/or discuss with your children: Who made night and day? Who made all the animals? Who made us? Bible Verse: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 Daily Prayer: God, you are great. You made the world and it's good. Thank you for making it so beautiful. Amen Or I see the moon, and the moon sees me. God bless the moon, and God bless me. Activity: Take a walk with your children and look at all the things God created. Ask them to point out things that God created. 16
Elementary: Meal 1: Read Genesis 1 together Meal 2: Go to Youtube and search "Genesis Creation of the world Chapter 1"...watch the video that is 5:24 in length. Talk about the creativity of God's creation with your family! Meal 3: Ask the question, "What is your favorite thing that God created?" Go for a family walk or ride and take a moment to marvel in God's creation...notice the trees, the mountains, the sky, water, grass, sun...everything!! Cap off your walk or ride with a trip to DQ and thank Him for ice cream! 17
Teens Meal One: As a family, read Genesis 1. you can break up the passage by having different people read a few verses at a time. Then ask these questions: 1. What is the first thought that comes to mind after reading Genesis 1? 2. As an exercise, have everyone at the table paraphrase Genesis 1:26. 3. Write down how many times in Genesis 1 the word "Created" is used. Meal Two: Get something that is in pieces, such as a puzzle, broken crackers or cookies, ect. and put in a zip-lock bag. Ask someone at the table to shake the zip-lock bag 10 times. Ask someone else to shake the bag 15 times and then one more person to shake it 20 times to see if all of the pieces come back together on their own. Let's say we spend the next 10 years shaking the pieces in the bag, will they ever come together on their own? How about 100 years, 1 million years, etc.? How does this compare to what is written in Genesis about God creating verses something coming together on it's own (like the Big Bang Theory). Meal Three: 1. Share what is being taught at school on the existence of man. 2. How do you feel about what they are teaching? 3. If God created us, what purpose did he create us for? Memory Verse In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1: 1 18
Write any notes from the week here 19
20