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Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105
(262) 763-3021
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Pastor Scott Carson
Grace Church of Burlington
August 12, 2007
“In the beginning God made the Heavens and the earth” Genesis 1:1
Perhaps you first heard these words in a church service or a Sunday school class. Maybe you’ve heard these words a hundred times. But what do they mean for our lives today? Is Genesis 1 just a primitive story that has no meaning for us anymore? Is it a fable that can no longer stand the scrutiny of modern science? Is it a part of the Bible that makes you feel embarrassed because of what you’ve learned in school about evolution?
Genesis 1 is not just a reliable chapter of the Bible, it’s also a relevant chapter of the Bible. We learn a lot about God in Genesis 1. One thing we learn is that everything that exists is because of Him. We know about the big bang theory, the natural selection theory and other evolutionary theories, but any theory that leaves out Almighty God is a flawed theory! There is so much beauty, variety and precision in this world, that it takes more faith to believe it happened by accident than it does to believe it happened by God.
No one would ever say that the Statue of Liberty happened by accident. There is too much beauty and design and precision in that statue. The same thing is true with the heavens and the earth. No matter how you think it was accomplished, the inescapable conclusion is that this universe has been intelligently designed by God himself. Someone has insightfully suggested there are three questions we can ask ourselves when we see God’s wonderful creation like we’re seeing today at our outdoor service: 1) Does natural law explain it? 2) Does chance explain it? 3) Does intelligent design explain it?
A bullet firing when a gun’s trigger is pulled or getting at least one head when a fair coin is tossed a hundred times are both high probability events due to natural law. Natural law explains it. Rolling snake eyes with a pair of fair dice or even winning a million dollar lottery when considering how many tickets are sold, constitute events of intermediate probability that are justly relegated to chance. Chance explains it. But let’s say the same person wins that lottery three times in a row. Suddenly we suspect that something more than chance is involved. There’s a design, a pattern to what it happening. Somebody knows the numbers and is tipping the person off.
God spoke our creation into existence out of nothing. He was that First Cause that set our world into motion. The creation now speaks to us of the Creator. In fact the creation is one of God’s great missionaries; it sings His praises and so should we.
Whether you’re looking at something beautiful at a distance like the Grand Canyon or a beautiful mountain range or if you’re up close and personal observing the petals of a flower, all of creation speaks of intelligent design. Natural law can’t
explain it. Accidents don’t happen in that kind of beautiful detail. For example, in a really bad car wreck things are scattered everywhere. There’s no unity or harmony. That’s an accident. But when all of these car pieces are put together it speaks of intelligent design.
It’s time to give praise to God. He has created you. He blessed you with the talent and creativity that you have. He has taken care of you, redeemed you, set you apart as His and secured your eternity. Give to Him praise that is rightfully His. All of creation is unified on one point: our obligation to praise. And this obligation is for everyone, not just a select few.
A life of praise, more often than not, takes place outside of a church building. We are to lift up our voices and lives in unrestrained adoration wherever we may find ourselves. In fact, a great worshipful impact can be made without words but by just being Christlike.
One of your greatest acts of praise is to worship and serve your awesome God. When we see and believe the Bible’s account of our origins, we see behind all of that a loving God who spoke us into existence and who is a Person that can be known both through special and natural revelation. If there is a Person of intelligence and of design standing behind this harmonious world, then He must have had a purpose for creating me and for creating you. We need a purpose for life. It’s part of God’s image in us. The number one purpose of God is for you to encounter and believe the message of His Son, the Savior. While creation is one of God’s great missionaries, God’s greatest missionary is Jesus. All of creation proclaims that God created and designed it. But Jesus’ life and sacrificial death proclaims that God loves us and has a plan for each of our lives. Friend, if you do not know, please receive Him today.