God's Crowning Moment

"GOD’S CROWNING MOMENT!"/COLOSSIANS 1:13-23/SHASTA WAY/04-22-01/A.M.

For each of us there are those pivotal, mountain top experiences. There are those times, those events, those happenings which we will remember all our lives as our "Crowning Moment" so to speak. For the athlete it might be winning the championship ring; for the actor it might be winning the Oscar. For the researcher it might be finding just the discovery that will change the course of medical treatment. For the author it might be publishing a best seller. For the musician it might be turning out a platinum record. For Babe Ruth, one would think that the Crowning Moment was when he hit his 714th home run, but it wasn’t, in my estimation. His Crowning Moment came on a day, close to the end of his career. Babe was playing for the Boston Braves against the Cincinnati Reds. But he was no longer as nimble as he had once been. He fumbled the ball and threw badly, and in one inning alone, his errors created five Cincinnati runs. As the Babe walked off the field after the third out, booing and catcalls cascaded from the stands. But, believe it or not, he was about to experience what I consider to be his Crowning Moment. God has had a number of Crowning Moments in His eternal existence. But what was the chief one? What was the ultimate, the apex, the zenith, the primo Crowning Moment? You may come up with a list greatly different than mine; you may rank them differently; you may disagree with my evaluation, but I want to suggest to you some possible Crowning Moments and then suggest one that I consider to be the most significant. I need to say that I may be indebted to Fred Craddock for the major outline today. I say I "may be" because I am not absolutely sure that he is the source, but am sure enough to put his name to it. So, what was God’s supreme Crowning Moment?

I. Some Would Say God’s Crowning Moment Was Creation! 16

A. And who, believing that all that exists is His handiwork, could think otherwise? Listen to this:

1. Psalms 19:1 "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands."

2. Isaiah 45:12 "It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands, And I ordained all their host."

3. Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse."

B. When one thinks of the plan how could one doubt the Planner? When one considers the intricacies of the universe, and how precisely everything has to be in balance for life even to exist, let alone continue, how can we doubt a Life giver? It may take a step of faith to believe that all that exists came from the creative power of a Living God. But that step is smaller than the leap of blind faith that it takes to believe that all that exists just happened without intelligence, plan, purpose and power.

C. Sir Isaac Newton had an exact replica of our solar system made in miniature. At its center was a large golden ball representing the sun, and revolving around it were smaller spheres attached at the ends of rods of varying lengths.. These were all geared together to make them move around the "sun" in perfect harmony. One day a friend who did not believe in the Biblical account of creation stopped by for a visit. Marveling at the device and watching as the scientist made the heavenly bodies move in their orbits, the man exclaimed, "My, Newton, what an exquisite thing! Who made it for you?" Without looking up, Newton replied, "Nobody." "Nobody?" his friend asked. "That’s right! I said nobody! All of these balls and cogs and belts and gears just happened to come together, and wonder of wonders, by chance they began revolving in their set orbits and with perfect timing." The unbeliever got the message! It was foolish to suppose that the model merely happened. But it is even more senseless to accept the theory that the earth and the vast universe came into being by chance.

When we consider that we are here by design, that we are God’s handwork, we would have to agree that creation was a Crowning Moment for God. For some, Babe’s home run stats might be considered his Crowning Moment. In his last game, Babe hit home runs 712, 713 and 714. Some people still point to Babe Ruth’s home run record which stood until 1974 as his Crowning Moment. But it wasn’t that in my estimation which was most significant. Nor was creation, as amazing and miraculous as it is, God’s ultimate Crowning Moment. But if it is not that, then what is it?