This Is Us - Creation Day 6 Part 1 Series

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

Hagerstown, MD, USA

www.mycrossway.org

View this and other messages at: https://mycrossway.churchcenter.com/channels/8118

This is the inaugural worship service for CrossWay Christian Fellowship

I wish to thank all of you for being here this morning as we celebrate the birth of CrossWay Christian Fellowship. Of special thanks this morning: Pastor Lee Reams, Miles Larson with the Brethren Church, and David Hobbs with Heritage Academy who provides this wonderful facility for us to use, thank you. This is a momentous occasion and there are so many stories of how God provided, directed, and blessed this church plant. I also want to take a moment to recognize my partner in ministry, who is often working behind the scenes with me, but no less important, and that is my wife, Andrea. Lastly, and most importantly, may we give honor to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Most of you know, but it is worth mentioning that I believe that there are many ways in which the Church must do better. And you have to admit we have some unique habits, especially from someone who is not a Christian looking in from the outside. Where else in the world can you go to see a sober man in a 3-piece suit dance the jig with everyone clapping? The practice of raising our hands, putting money on a plate, talking about blood, being joyful in times of sorrow, church potlucks...

But one of the more profound practices in the modern church of real concern is the number of believers who go to church every week and do not know their Bible, much less read it on a regular basis. Now, I don’t mean to belittle you, if you are one of those people, that’s not my goal. I believe we do something about it. Because if we truly believe this book to be the infallible and inspired Word of the Almighty God that holds the key to man’s questions and eternity, then why aren’t we doing more?

We are a Christian Church and a Brethren Church because we believe that Jesus is who He says He is, and we have accepted His sacrifice as payment for my sin. Beyond that, the first and foremost assertion of Christianity is implied by the question, What is man? The answer the psalmist gives to his own question demonstrates a starting point for Christianity that is different from any other belief system, secular or religious, except for Judaism:

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:3-5)

These magnificent words were penned nearly three thousand years ago by a man marveling at the beauty and diversity of what he saw around him in nature — and yet recognizing the distinctiveness of a human being in contrast to nature.

This is why we started several weeks ago with the creation narrative. Because we have answered this question, “What is man?” If we are going to provide the answer to our destiny. I teach what the Bible teaches on the issue of creation, that God made the heavens and earth, along with everything in the heavens and the earth in 6 days. They are 6 literal days because that is what the Bible teaches and there is plenty of science to substantiate that, so why do we allow secular humanist scientists to teach us and our children otherwise? Why would it be ok for a Christian to question the Biblical view of this issue, but they are scoffed at for questioning the veracity of science?

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are on a camping trip. After a good meal, they lay down and went to sleep. In the middle of the night, Holmes nudges Watson awake, and says, "Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see."

"I see stars and millions of stars, my dear Holmes."

"And what would you infer from these stars?"

"Well, a number of things," he says. “Astronomically, I observe that there are millions of galaxies and billions of stars and planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Meteorologically, I expect that the weather will be fine and clear tomorrow. Theologically, I see that God is all-powerful, and man, his creation, small and insignificant. Why, Holmes? What does this mean to you?"

To which, Holmes replies, "Watson, you fool. Someone has stolen our tent!"

It is a funny story, but if we look at it against the backdrop of Creation, we see that an enormous robbery has taken place in which someone has stolen from you that which provides shelter for your life and we don’t even know it. It is not accidental that those who stick to a scientific single vision of ultimate reality start by denying a Creator, and from there, all other doctrines soon follow until you have nothing left than tradition and false teaching that is plaguing the church today that is actually leading people astray. It is how we have churches teaching you just need enough faith to be wealthy and happy, or churches that are teaching “grave sucking” as a means of acquiring deeper knowledge.