Praise the God of Our Creation!
Genesis 1:26-2:24
Sermon by Rick Crandall
McClendon Baptist Church - May 16, 2010
*In 2005, Newsweek and Beliefnet asked Americans this question: “Do you believe that God created the universe?” -- Eighty percent of those responding said the universe was created by God. That’s good news! And it’s pretty amazing that after all of the money and effort spent on teaching evolution, 80% of people still believe that God created the world. (1)
*Carlson and Decker summed up the false teachings of evolution this way: “In kindergarten we are taught that a frog turning into a prince is a fairy tale. When we get to college, we’re taught that a frog turning into a prince is science.” (2)
*The God who created the whole universe is worthy of our praise! The God who created us is worthy of our praise. In Psalm 139:14, King David said this to the Lord: “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.”
*Just like David, we should praise the Lord, and the creation story shows us why.
1. First: Praise God for making us a wonder.
*Every single one of us is a wonder of God’s creation. King David said, “I am wonderfully made.” And so are you! We are all one-of-a-kind treasures created by God. And there are two unique things about the creation of mankind.
[1] First there was a special connection with God. We can see this back in Genesis 1:26&27, where God said:
26. “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
*No other living thing was ever created in the image of God.
-When it came to man’s creation, there was a special connection.
[2] And there was special care. That’s in Genesis 2:7, where: “The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
*The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground. We are formed clay. The word picture in the original language is a potter at his wheel forming a vessel.
*This was a close, personal touch, and I never paid attention to that until Roger Lee brought it to my attention a couple of years ago. We were walking across the parking lot, and out of the blue Roger said, “I’ve been thinking about something, and you know what? Man is the only part of God’s creation that He touched to create.”
*Everything else came into being only through the spoken word of God, but God came close in a special way to create mankind. God got His Hands dirty, so to speak. But that’s not all. Genesis 2:7 tells us that God got close enough to breathe “into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
*God turned that mud-man into a living soul made in the image of God! This means that you are a wonder, created in the image of God. Your life is worth more that all the riches of the world. Your soul is worth more than every dime, every diamond and every drop of oil. Your soul is priceless.
*Think of the incredible value God has put on your life. Nobody in their right mind would trade a finger for a thousand dollars. Would you trade your arm for $100,000? Would you trade your tongue for a million? -- Of course not.
*But the real you who lives inside your body is worth infinitely more! You are priceless, because you are God’s creation. Zig Ziglar put it in perspective when he talked about the priceless masterpieces painted by DaVinci or Michelangelo.
*Zig said, “I am roughly familiar with the price of the canvass and the paints. In and of themselves, they are not worth much at all. No, -- the value of the painting comes from the touch of the Master’s Hand.” (3)
*And you are priceless, because you were created by the greatest Master of all!
-Praise God for making us a wonder.
2. And praise Him for putting us in His amazing world.
*Genesis 2:8&9 remind us that God has allowed us to live in a wonderful place:
8. The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
9. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
*We may not be living in the Garden of Eden, but God has put us in an amazing place! Our world is a place of great beauty. As He says in vs. 9, the trees were “pleasant to the sight.” But our world is not just a place of great beauty. It is a place of great benefit. In vs. 9, the trees were “good for food.”
*Yes, bad things happen in our fallen world, but this really is an amazing place. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.
-Take a look at these pictures as we listen to the praise from Psalm 148:
1. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights!
2. Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts!
3. Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light!
4. Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens!
5. Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created.
6. He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which shall not pass away.
7. Praise the Lord from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths;
8. Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9. Mountains and all hills; Fruitful trees and all cedars;
10. Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and flying fowl;
11. Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth;
12. Both young men and maidens; Old men and children.
13. Let them praise the name of the Lord, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven.
*Praise God for putting us in His amazing world.
3. And praise Him for giving us special work.
*Adam is our model in Genesis 2:15: “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” The Lord wanted Adam to take care of His garden. And God created you with special work in mind.
*As Rick Warren said: “God has never made anything without a purpose. Every rock has a purpose. Every plant has a purpose. Every animal has a purpose and if you’re alive, you have a purpose. If you want to know if God still has a purpose for your life, check your heart. If it’s still beating, God still has a purpose for you here on earth.” Each of us has been planned for special purposes. (4)
*One of the most inspiring people I ever met at seminary was a young lady from Russia. Her named was “Irene,” and it’s a miracle that she is alive. Irene’s grandfather was a Baptist preacher when that monster Joseph Stalin was in control of Russia.
*The grandfather and his wife had twelve children and one prized possession: It was a Bible. Irene’s grandfather used to hide it under the bed to protect his family, but the KGB found out about it and forced the family to move.
*It was in the dead of winter. They had to travel by horseback and on foot to a place near Siberia. They had no winter clothes. Six of the twelve children died on the way. Irene’s father was only 3 years old, and they thought that he was dead too. But when they laid him on a pile of bodies, he cried out and was rescued.
*Irene knows that she is only alive by the grace of God. And when the Soviet Union fell, she and her sister decided that they would do everything they could to serve our gracious God. They came here to learn how to become church planters back home in Russia.
*Now, we can look at Irene’s life and say: “Her life is precious. God’s got a purpose for her!” But I want you to know that your life is just as precious and special to the Lord! God has a purpose for you too!
*Get in touch with God’s purposes for your life.
-Do everything you can to live them to the fullest.
-Then praise God for giving us special work.
4. And praise Him for telling us His perfect will.
*What is God’s will for me?
[1] Let me tell you first that God’s will is for you to have LOVE! In Gen 2:18-20, Adam went on a search for love:
18. And the Lord God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.''
19. Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
20. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
*God knew Adam would never find the loving relationships he needed from the animals. Now I love my dog, Freckles! As far as I’m concerned, she is the best dog in the world, and I tell her that all the time. But that’s not the kind of loving family God had in mind.
*Of course God knew this, but He wanted Adam to know, so He let him search. Then starting in vs. 21:
21. The Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
22. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
23. And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.''
24. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
*God’s perfect will was for all of us to be part of a loving family.
*“Reminisce” magazine told the story of a little girl who was visiting her grandmother. Granny Victoria started telling her granddaughter about all the things she did as a child. Victoria talked about ice skating on their frozen pond, swinging from a tire in their tree, riding horses, and picking berries in the woods behind their house.
*The little girl got so excited she blurted out, “Granny, I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!” (5)
*That’s the kind of spark God wants us to have in our families: Relationships filled with growing love, wonder and the pleasure of being with each other. And yes, we live in a fallen world. We are stubborn, selfish and sinful at times. Sometimes we have to put up with a lot from each other. We might have to struggle through the hardest of times. But even in those times, and especially through those times, God wants to surround us with people who love and care for us.
*And if you can’t find that kind of love in your own family, you can surely find it in the family of God. God’s perfect will is for you to have LOVE!
[2] And God’s will is for you to have LIFE!
*This was the Lord’s point back in Genesis 2:16&17, where:
16. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
17. but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.''
*Why did God tell them that? Was the Lord being mean or selfish? -- Not for a second! As Founding Father Benjamin Franklin once said: “Sin is not hurtful because it is forbidden. It is forbidden because it is hurtful.” (6)
*God wants us to have life! So He always leads us in the right direction. He always tells us the right way to live.
*Here God made it simple enough for a child to understand, because disobedience meant death, -- not just physical death, but spiritual death, and not just for Adam and Eve, but for all mankind. God gave them this command, because He wanted the very best for them and for us.
*God wants us to have life! That’s also why back in vs. 9 He put the tree of life in the center of the garden. And even this tree was not forbidden to us, until Adam and Eve disobeyed.
*Unfortunately, they did disobey God in the very next chapter. The one tree that Adam and Eve couldn’t eat from was the one they chose to eat from, when they were deceived by Satan. But when the Lord gave that command in vs. 17, He knew that Adam and Eve were going to disobey Him.
*Their disobedience brought death upon them both, and upon all mankind.
-Their disobedience severed their relationship with God.
*There was nothing they could do by themselves to restore that relationship. And there was nothing we could do. But God wants us to have life! -- So from the beginning God planned to become a man and die on the cross for our sins.
*1 Peter 1:19 talks about believers being redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
*But 1 Peter 1:20-21 goes on to say that Jesus:
20. indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
21. who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
*God had it all planned from the beginning. And as He stood there giving the command to Adam, the Lord knew that He would take the death that Adam deserved.
*Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins.
-Three days later He rose from the dead, and now through His love, He offers eternal life to everyone who will receive Him as Savior and Lord.
*Turn your life over to the Lord. Trust in the Risen Savior.
-He will save you and give you ever more reasons to praise Him forever!
*You can get started right now as we go to God in prayer.
1. The Creation Debate - Genesis 1:1-5, 31; 2:1-4 - Sermon by: Rodney J. Buchanan - Mulberry St. UMC - Mount Vernon, OH - July 9, 2006
2. Fast Facts on False Teaching, Carlson & Decker, 1994, p.57 (Found in “In Other Words” - June 2002 - Issue 2)
3. Original source for Zig Ziglar quote unknown
4. Adapted from Rick Warren’s Week 1 Sermon for “Forty Days of Purpose”
5. “Reminisce,” June/July 2008, p.60 - (Source: “In Other Words” - February 2009 #1 - produced by Dr. Raymond McHenry - 6130 Barrington ~ Beaumont, Texas 77706 (800) 553-4697 - www.iows.net)
6. Franklin quote from “Saturday Evening Post,” Nov/Dec 2004, p.30 - (Source: “In Other Words” - May 2010 #2 - produced by Dr. Raymond McHenry - 6130 Barrington ~ Beaumont, Texas 77706 (800) 553-4697 - www.iows.net)
