God’s Gift of Love: Creation
Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 And the earth was [a]formless and void, and darkness was over the [b]surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the [c]surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
That was the first day of creation. Then we jump to verse 7 for the second day.
7 So God made the [e]expanse and separated the waters which were below the [f]expanse from the waters which were above the [g]expanse; and it was so.
Down to 9 for the third.
9 Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout [i]vegetation, [j]plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after [k]their kind [l]with seed in them”; and it was so.
Verse 14 for the 4th.
14 Then God said, “Let there be [r]lights in the [s]expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years;
Jump to 16.
16 So God made the two [v]great lights, the greater [w]light [x]to rule the day, and the lesser [y]light [z]to rule the night, and also the stars.
Verse 20 describes the 5th day.
20 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth [ac]across the face of the [ad]expanse of the heavens.” 21 And God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
Verse 24 the 6th.
24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after [ae]their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after [af]their kind”; and it was so.
Jump to 26.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, so that they will have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [ai]sky and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [aj]sky and over every living thing that creeps on the earth.”
Jump to 31
31 And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Well, I don’t know if you got to celebrate Valentine’s Day this week with someone that you love. Valentines day is a big day in the school system. We had things happening at school all week around the Valentine’s Day theme. There was a dance after school, and as always, during the week, students could prepurchase a “Crush” soda to be delivered to their “Crush” during 9th hour on Wednesday. We had students delivering flowers, cards, and stuffed animals during the day all week. One of my students made Valentine’s cookies for each of her teachers. And they were yummy. So, it was a week filled with expressions of love. Of course, not everyone was a recipient of a gift. Not everyone “felt the love” Some just sat by and watched.
And I think that is why our faith is so important. During our lives, we may have seasons where we have friendships, family, and soulmates, that we love, and they love us. We have times in our lives that are full of expressions of love toward us. But most of us will also go through times when it seems we are alone. It is important during those times to remember an important Biblical truth; Even when no one else notices, God loves you. So, Valentine’s week is really God’s week. Let me share with you some of the Bible’s messages of love to you.
Romans 5:8 - But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
1 John 4:16 - So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
Zephaniah 3:17 - The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
So, we remember, on the weeks and days that we celebrate love, that Love originated with God, and grows in the greenhouse of a relationship with Him, in Jesus Christ.
If you haven’t been with us, over the last few weeks we have begun a study through the whole of Scripture. It is not an in-depth study. It is less like a hike through the mountains, than a flight in a single engine airplane over the mountains. We are looking at the major themes of Scripture in a shorter period of time.
We began in the beginning, at creation. And we began looking at who God is, revealed to us in the 6 days of creation described in Genesis 1. Today, we are not departing from that study, to look at love. We are considering God’s creation as a gift of love to humanity. God chose to make this world for us, because He loves us. That’s where we are going today. Before we begin, let’s have a word of prayer.
Let me give you a preview of God’s love gift of creation; 1. The first day of creation God created light. 2. The second day He created the atmosphere. 3. The third day He separated water from land and created plant life. 4. The fourth day He made the sun, moon, and stars. 5. The fifth day He made marine life, and flying creatures. 6. The sixth day He created land animals and humanity.
And the thing that we discover in each of these creation days is that God designed this world, with us in mind. In considering the creation around us in light of God’s love for us, we need to stop and look at the design of this creation. God is the Great Designer. There is tremendous intricacy, efficiency, love and beauty in God’s design of everything in creation. And what that tells us is that, not only is God great because He was able, He had the power to create all this, but He is great because He chose to make it all beautiful, and remarkably effective for us.
Now, let me tell you from the outset, we have six days of creation, I could spend six or more sermons on the six days of creation. But that would defeat our purpose of flying over the mountains, not hiking through them. So, we are going to cruise through these six days pretty quickly. Because the intent is for you to see God’s great love, and to desire to love Him in return.
I. The first day, God created light.
Genesis 1:3 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
Have you ever been to a surprise birthday party? The birthday person is brought into their own house when it is completely dark, people have decorated and made food, and brought beautifully wrapped presents. When they finally arrive, someone throws on the lights, and everyone yells, “Surprise!”
That’s the picture of God’s revelation of His creation to us.
Now we learn a couple more things about the power of God in these opening verses.
On day one, God created light. And notice how He did it. This verse begins with the words, “Then God said,” Every time that God creates something in chapter one of Genesis, these are the words that describe how He creates whatever it is. He just spoke, and it was. That truth is repeated in other verses of Scripture.
Psalm 33: 6 By the word of Yahweh the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host. 8 Let all the earth fear Yahweh; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. 9 For He spoke, and it was; He commanded, and it [b]stood.
He just speaks, and light, or plants, or animals, are made. And notice a second thing about God’s power. Each time that God makes something new, He simply speaks it into existence. And He uses no building material. The official theological words for that are “ex nihilo.” He created “out of nothing.” He didn’t have a pile of material to build from. Now as remarkable as God’s power is, what He created is even more remarkable.
Now, there is a lot that we could comment on here, but I want to draw your attention to something.
The first thing He created was light. Did you ever ask this question? Why did He God create light first? I think there are at least couple of reasons. The first reason comes out of a question. So, here’s a better question; Did God need light? No, He doesn’t need light. In fact, we are told later in Scripture that He actually manifests Himself to us, as light. He didn’t need some external source of light to get started on creation.
When we set out on any new task, one of the first things we do is what? Turn on the lights. If I’m going to cook something, I turn on the lights, if I’m going to build something, I turn on the lights. But God did not need light to begin His creation of the world. He doesn’t need light, we do. So why did He start creation by creating light?
I think it has more to do with us than it has to do with God. He begins with light, for us.
What is the nature of light? Light consists of waves that are only seen when the strike some object, and then reflect back to someone to “see” the object. He created light first to prepare the world to be viewed.
“light” Bible verses
What is the nature of light? It is not limited by space. It comes from a source of power. Light consists of waves that are only seen when the strike some object, and then reflect back to someone to “see” the object. He created light He created light first to prepare the world to be viewed.
Now, I think this is only a partial answer to the question. But it ties into the truth that I am trying to convey this morning. I believe God created light first, because this account of creation, these six days of creation are described here for us. We weren’t there to see it happen, so God tells the story of what He made, to us, initially Adam, and then on down through the ages. And what do you do if you have built something, or made something, and someone you love comes to your house? You say, “Oh, let me show you what I just made.” And you turn on the light, so they can see it clearly. God turns on the light so we can see. It’s a relational reason.
And there is something else here that we need to understand; a second relational reason that God creates light, without the sun, first. The light He creates here is different than the light we know. Notice that He had to separate it from the darkness. (verse 4) He separated the light from the darkness, He called the light day, and the darkness He called night.
He had to separate the light from the darkness. The light here had no source. There was no sun, moon, or stars. There were no luminescent creatures. There was no fire. This is a light that originally has no darkness. There are no shadows cast by this light. There is no day or night at this moment. This is a light that illuminates both sides of the world at the same time. So, there is no external source of this light. It comes from God. And where is God? On this side of the earth, or the other side? Today, as we think about God, where is He present? He is here in this world. He is everywhere. He is present out into the reaches of outer space. God is present both on the dark, and lighted side of the moon. So, the light He creates, illuminates everywhere at once. Do you know that we will see this kind of light again?
Revelation 7:15-17 King James Version
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Where is this? Eternity. Heaven. There’s no sun. Here is another passage about that eternal kingdom.Revelation 21:22-25 King James Version
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
He is revealing Himself in His first act of creation. The second reason He created light first is again relational. He creates light first as a theological statement. You see, what do we know as the source of light in our world? Light, for us, must come from some power source. It must come from the sun, which is a giant burning ball of gas, or from the stars, which are the same. Even the moon simply reflects the sun’s light. When we think about other sources of light on the earth, they come from a power source. A fire that is consuming fuel, or electricity which is also burning fuel. But when God started creation, He created light, not from any fuel source.
How do you have light without a fuel source? It comes from God Himself.
God is the light at the beginning of the creation, and at its end. He is the eternal light. And He turns on His light, yells “surprise” so we can see and know Him, and the gift He made for us.
Genesis 1:4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
The light God created was perfect. “It was good.” We didn’t have to purchase an extended warranty.
Genesis 1:5 God made the day and night. And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
On a side note, this means that God’s first day of creation here was a 24 hour day. The same word is used for day here as is used for after He creates the sun, moon and stars. He created them for “signs, seasons, days and years.” They are our timekeepers. So, if we are faithful to the meaning of words, these 6 days of creation can only be interpreted as 24-hour days.
Now, we get to open presents.
II. The second day, God created the atmosphere.
Genesis 1:6-8 6 Then God said, “Let there be [d]an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 So God made the [e]expanse and separated the waters which were below the [f]expanse from the waters which were above the [g]expanse; and it was so. 8 And God called the [h]expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
God created the expanse, or firmament. The expanse in these verses refers to the atmospheric space surrounding the earth. It is a layer of gases, about 62 miles deep, known collectively as air, that are held around our earth by gravity. What we can see as we look up into the sky is only a fraction of the vast atmosphere that surrounds us. And God made it.
Jeremiah 10:12 It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.
Now, as a child and young adult growing up, and reading the creation story, I often thought that days one and two were kind of boring. Like, God didn’t do much on those days. You know, the first day, He makes light. Okay, compared to the variety of animals and plants, that seems so simple and plain. I thought the same about day two; He made the atmosphere. But the more study I’ve done about these days of creation, the more I’ve been amazed at His great care for us on these days.
Let me explain a little bit by answering a question. “What does the atmosphere do?” I read an article from NASA.gov. Do you know what they called the atmosphere? Earth’s security blanket. Here’s a summary of what they meant.
“Not only does it contain the oxygen we need to live, but it also protects us from harmful ultraviolet solar radiation. It creates the pressure without which liquid water couldn't exist on our planet's surface. And it warms our planet and keeps temperatures habitable for our living Earth.”
Woe, that’s a mouthful. Let me spell it out for you. If our atmosphere was not there, comprised of the things that it is made of, life could not exist on earth. And it’s not just a random thing. This is from “answers in Genesis” entitled “Proportionally Perfect for Life: O2, CO2, N2”
“In this article we shall look at the gaseous components of our atmosphere: oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. Nitrogen constitutes the major component (approximately 78%) with oxygen following at about 21%, and carbon dioxide at 0.04%. Though carbon dioxide constitutes a minor part of the atmosphere, life, as we know it, could not exist without it. Life depends on all three of these elements being in the gaseous form.”
The article spells out, in very minute detail, that our atmosphere has to have these three gases in it, at these proportions, or, we all die.
The atmosphere mean pick your poison. Without it we would be bombarded by solar radiation and die, without the exact pressure that it exerts on the planet, the H2O on our planet would not be liquid, but gas, and “we would die.” Without it in it’s present density, our planet would be chilled to the temperature of outer space, and “we would die.” Without the appropriate balance of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, our body’s metabolic system could not even function, and guess what, “we would die.”
So, on the second day, God made the atmosphere. Why did God do this? We go back to the original theme we are emphasizing today: God loves us and gave us this earth as a gift of love. The earth has layers of protection. The earth’s magnetic field prevents much dangerous debris from space, from entering the atmosphere.
Now, Genesis one says something interesting, and a little mysterious about that second day of creation.
6 Then God said, “Let there be [d]an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 So God made the [e]expanse and separated the waters which were below the [f]expanse from the waters which were above the [g]expanse; and it was so.
It says that God placed water above the atmosphere and below the atmosphere. Now, we understand the water below the atmosphere. We have noticed already that, in the beginning, the earth was covered with water. But this says that God separated the water into water below the atmosphere and above the earth’s atmosphere. Now this sounds confusing when we couple it with what we have learned about our planet. There is no great layer of water above the sky. How do we explain this?
Well, first we must remember that the earth today has gone through some changes since creation. Second, we have to remember that there are some things we will not be able to explain, because we weren’t there. But, just to give you a little something to hang your hat on, we also are not told in Scripture in what form the water was that God placed above the atmosphere. We know that water can exist as vapor or clouds, suspended in the sky. Some creation scientists propose that the water placed there, above the atmosphere, was a canopy of water vapor. And that it provided an extra layer of protection to the earth. Just like we know we have an Ozone around the earth consisting of oxygen gas, this would instead be an H2O zone. Other creation scientists have alternate ideas. Later, when we read about God bringing a flood on all the earth, Scripture says that God reversed this process of suspending water above the atmosphere to fall as rain on the earth. So, whatever it was, it no longer exists in the form it was in when it was originally created.
But, the sum of it is this; we don’t know for sure what it was. But again, it would probably be an aspect of God’s care for us.
III. The third day, God caused some of the water covering the earth to recede and form dry land. And He created plant life.
Genesis 1:9-10 Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good.
So, what is happening here? God had already created the water on the earth. But it would seem that the earth did not have the higher and lower elevations that we have today. It had no mountains and deep valleys. It was probably all one level, meaning that the waters of the oceans were spread evenly over the surface of the whole earth. Well, what would that mean? There would be no where for God’s living land creatures to live. And no place for humanity to live.
Think about it. God could have left it that way. It could have been a massive sea world. But God had something else in mind.
So, He caused the water to recede. Raising the continents and deepening the water basins. On the third day, God caused some of the water that still covered the earth to recede, and dry land was exposed for the first time. This was when the original oceans were formed. So, does that means that the continents, as we know them, were formed at this time? It isn’t entirely clear.
9 Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land earth (singular) , and the gathering of the waters He called seas (plural); and God saw that it was good.
We don’t know for sure. Science makes much of the fact that our continents could fit together like a puzzle. They say that the original single continent, they named it “Pangea,” was a single land mass that slowly, drifted apart over millions of years. The Bible doesn’t say if there was a single continent, but I lean toward believing that God did make a single continent in the beginning, and that the cataclysm of universal flood and the processes God used to bring the flood, our continents came to their present form. If this is the case, then God’s original design was not for people to be separated by oceans, but together on a single continent. Again, that tells me of God’s love for us.
Genesis 1:11-13 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout [i]vegetation, [j]plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after [k]their kind [l]with seed in them”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth [m]vegetation, [n]plants yielding seed after [o]their kind, and trees bearing fruit [p]with seed in them, after [q]their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
God created all plants and trees. God created a great variety of plants, trees and fruit with an incredible diversity of color, shape and size. What a truly wonderful God He is to have called plant life into existence. And to demonstrate what a great gift our present plant life is, I just want to mention three things about the plants on our planet. Reliability, Taste and Beauty.
First Reliability
The plant life on our planet is reliable. In other words, we know that if certain conditions are met, soil, fertilization, sunlight, and moisture, plants will grow, and their fruit be available, in harvest season, year in and year out. And they are reliable in other ways. They have done experiments. Even if a seed is planted upside down, with a pot facing the floor, and heated from the bottom, to mimic the heat of the earth, it still sends its roots down toward the floor, and its stem up. The design of a simple plant is so complex that, to date, science cannot explain its ability to sense gravity.
And it is reliable in another way. When God created plant life in Genesis one, He said, “11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout [i]vegetation, [j]plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after [k]their kind [l]with seed in them”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth [m]vegetation, [n]plants yielding seed after [o]their kind, and trees bearing fruit [p]with seed in them, after [q]their kind; and God saw that it was good.
Plants produce seeds, which in turn produce plants that are the same kind as the original plant. God made the plants to produce seeds which, in turn, produce more plants like the original. Each plant can only produce according to its own kind. You will never see a fir tree producing roses or a palm tree producing apples.
“After its kind” are the three words that God used to regulate the production of plant life. Now that may sound like a “well duh” statement. We are so accustomed to it. But the story of creation has been ridiculed as myth, especially from the days in the mid 1800’s when Darwin proposed his theory of evolution. And evolutionary theory proposes that random mutations over millions of years have resulted in higher and higher life forms. So, according to Darwin’s theory, we should see plants that have upwardly evolved over time, not consistently remained the same.
What do we find in nature? We find that the existing fruit trees, plants, other plants, have not changed from their fossil ancestors. We can find fossils of oak tree leaves that are ancient, that match leaves from oak trees today. And we rely on the fact that if we plant corn in a field this year, the crop will come up corn, exactly what we planted, exactly with the nutritional value and structure of what we know to be corn. Our survival is built on the consistency and predictability of plants producing the same kinds of plants that were planted.
And God made it that way from the beginning. He made it good. Think about this. God has never had to go back and fix or upgrade the plant life He created. The trees and plants we have today come from those that God created on the third day.
Second Taste
God created plant life with a variety of tastes and textures. I think about the shake powders that are on the market today. I have some at home that are supposed to have all the vegetables, fruit and protein you need to be healthy. Could God have made a food, a substance, that is perfectly nutritious but all in one flavor? One substance, that could be the sole thing given to humanity to eat, but that will keep him perfectly healthy. Yes, He could have. But He chose to make all kinds of edible plants, vegetables, fruits, and roots for mankind to enjoy.
Think about cows. All they eat is grass, or hay. God could have done that for us. He could have made a perfectly nutritious oatmeal. No flavor, but all the body needs. We would go to dinner every night and say—yum, more oatmeal. Oatmeal would be all that grew everywhere. But instead He gave us, wheat, oranges, kiwi, soy, avocado, lettuce, chocolate, maple syrup, coffee, and the list goes on and on.
Third Beauty
We just came through another Valentines Day; one of the most flowery days that exists in the year. People give more flowers on Valentines Day than on any other day of the year. And why do they give them? They are not good to eat. They are not highly nutritious or tasty. The almost entire reason why flowers are grown are for their beauty. So many colors, and patterns. Even down to the microscopic level they are beautiful. And they are symmetrical. The shape and number of the petals are wondrous to consider. And even according to evolutionists flowers sprung up almost all at once in their evolutionary timetable. It’s as though dinosaurs went to sleep one night in a flowerless world and woke up the next day to be able to smell the roses. Well, that close to how it happened, except God made he flowers first, and animals and humans woke up on their first day of life to the beauty of flowers.
There is nothing random about flowers, plants, and trees. They bear witness to the Creator who loves order, symmetry, and beauty and wants us to enjoy it.
We’re going to stop here for this week. But when I think about God’s creation, it does make me wonder at how much God loves us, to give us all that we have. From beauty to building materials, from music to medicine.
And it tells us that even after God created the first man and woman, it wasn’t enough that He gave them this world, it says He placed them in a garden. He put together a special place where all their food needs, and needs for beauty and work would be accessible.
Psalm 19:1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And the expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Romans 1: 19 because that which is known about God is evident [j]within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, both His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not knowthat the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creatureand the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:7-10)