Creation

Would you pray with me as we begin?

Our Father in heaven, our eyes are so often on ourselves

and it's quite overwhelming when we just focus on ourselves

and we pray that you would speak to us this morning through Isaiah 40

and just lift our eyes above to look at you, to see you clearly.

Lord, we can't do this by our own strength.

We need your help to do this.

So please show us your glory this morning.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Well, do you feel the burden of trying to create paradise on earth?

You know that mirage that is just up ahead of you

where everything in life is finally sorted and in place.

Your health being under control, enough money in the bank

for bills and lifestyle and then a buffer.

Succeeding in your work or study, feeling competent, important,

but not too stressed.

Having that intimate relationship with not major arguments.

Your children respecting you and thriving at school,

feeling like you belong in the church community.

Having that perfect balance between family and church

and leisure and work and sleeping well at night.

And maybe you really want people around you to come to know Jesus

and you want people to be integrated in the church,

growing in their faith and love,

and you want society ordered in a way that pleases God.

It can be overwhelming at times, can't it?

Sounds pretty good.

Sometimes we feel close to getting it, don't we?

We're just on the verge of that mirage.

Like when we get accepted for that job,

we think everything else will just fall into place.

But I think the rest of the time,

our usual experience is we're just striving

to create this paradise.

And it can just feel like a burden.

It can feel very heavy.

Especially when one of two things happens.

First, sometimes we encounter people

who have a different idea of paradise

and their idea of paradise just gets in the way of mine.

Or just things beyond our control.

Just make all our efforts useless.

So do you feel the burden of trying to create paradise?

In the time of Isaiah, speaking chapter 40,

Israel was meant to be Yahweh's unique covenant people,

living in Yahweh's promised land,

with him ruling and protecting them

through their king,

and having Yahweh dwelling among them,

represented by the grand temple that Solomon built.

But at this point in time,

because of the seemingly unstoppable force

of the Babylonian empire,

they lived outside the land.

Their last king to sit on the throne

had his eyes plucked out.

And the temple is burnt down and demolished.

If you were living then,

how confident would you be

that your God alone created the heavens and the earth?

How confident would you be

that God's plan for his world is on track?

How confident are you today?

that God alone created and rules all things,

and therefore his plan is on track?

We need to appreciate who created all things.

This morning we're not going to spend our time

looking into the details of how God created the world,

the debate, the discussion,

whether it's seven literal days or not,

the age of the universe.

These questions are fine to investigate.

But to live well,

we need to know what God's purpose for his creation is.

We need to know the who and the why.

So that's why we're looking at Isaiah 40,

because Isaiah 40 just has these brilliant images

that help us look up and see the who.

So let's do that.

Verse 12.

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand?

And marked off the heavens with a span.

Now, I've used this illustration a couple of years ago.

The average hand span is somewhere between 15 and 25 centimetres.

And if you imagine our sun in the sky,

if its diameter is represented as one millimetre,

then the distance from the sun to Earth is about 10 centimetres.

There are hundreds of millions of stars in our galaxy alone.

And if you were to measure the distance

to our nearest neighbour,

on the scale we're using,

it would be 30 kilometres away.

And God measures the entire universe.

It's about that.

All the earth,

all the heavens are simple

and easily held

with a single hand

by the Lord alone.

Verse 13 and 14.

Who has measured the spirit of the Lord?

Or what man shows him his counsel?

Whom did he consult?

And who made him understand?

Who taught him the path of justice

and taught him knowledge

and showed him the way of understanding?

The Lord did not need a training course.

He didn't need a YouTube video.

He didn't need a second opinion

to check his calculations.

He didn't need a team of labourers

to do the heavy lifting.

He didn't even need a Bunnings.

He did it

all by his own power and wisdom.

Verse 28.

Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the creator of the ends of the earth.

Do you not know?

And it's not like God began all things

and then just sat back

and let it run its course.

No, our creator continually sustains

and governs all things.

Have a look and listen and imagine

verses 21 to 26.

Do you not know?

Do you not hear?

Has it not been told you from the beginning?

Have you not understood

from the foundations of the earth?

It is he who sits above the circle of the earth

and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.

Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain

and spreads them like a tent to dwell in.

Who brings princes to nothing

and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

Scarcely are they planted,

scarcely sown,

scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth

when he blows on them and they wither

and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

To whom then will you compare me

that I should be like him?

Says the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high

and see who created all these.

He who brings out their hosts by number,

calling them all by name,

by the greatness of his might

and because he is strong in power,

not one is missing.

Do you struggle like me to remember names?

Now people are important to me

but I just, I struggle.

You might have heard me last week

call Jamie's Cosima Cosumi.

Each of the millions of stars

in the billions of galaxies,

God knows them fully.

He knows them individually by name

and they are in the exact place

he wants them.

Isn't that good news?

If he can do it with the stars,

surely he knows us as well.

I'm reminded when I look at the Southern Cross

that one of those stars

is about 88 light years away.

That's probably longer than,

as in 88 years,

that's probably longer than I'm going to live on this earth.

And if God is sustaining that star,

it just reminds me that God is sustaining me.

It's in its place.

He's got me in my place as well.

What about society

and human power and politics?

Did you see the image there

that he used?

That unstoppable Babylonian army

that took you away, Israel?

They're like a single drop

in a bucket to me.

They're like the dust on the scales.

They don't even register.

All the might of human power

is like our herb garden at home.

We've got coriander and parsley.

But all of a sudden,

our basil turned from green to black.

There are forces much bigger than us

that we feel is just beyond our control,

but not to God.

To our Creator,

all flesh is like grass.

He easily controls them,

rules over them.

Do you think you're in control?

We often speak as Christians

as if it's a choice

whether we live dependent on God

or whether we try and strive

by our own strength.

And in terms of our own attitude,

that's a really good question

to reflect on.

But in terms of what just is,

our existence,

there is no choice.

You are utterly dependent

on your Creator.

You and I are dust.

We are grass.

We are extremely limited

and vulnerable

and utterly dependent.

Therefore,

life

and this world

should all be seen

as a gift,

not as something

we can

control.

The Lord

is the only one

who created

and governs

all things.

In year 12

at school,

for my design

and tech project,

I made this coffee table

and it had lights in it

and it's meant to flash

to the beat of the music

and I poured hours

and hours

into that project

and I needed a lot

of help with it as well.

Every millimetre,

I was so careful

and I put this

custom-made glass top

on it

so that it protected

the lights

and so that it could be

used as a coffee table.

Now,

fast forward

to a youth group event

at my house.

You already know

it's not going to end well.

And during a Bible study,

some boys decided

it would be a good idea

if this coffee table

was used as a chair

and the glass cracked

and so did my heart.

Because I made

the coffee table,

I had the right

to say what its purpose was

and what it wasn't for.

If it was one of you

who broke the table,

I really don't care that much.

I've moved on.

So what is God's purpose

in making human beings

and the entire cosmos?

We really need to know

the answer to this question

and amazingly,

God has revealed it to us.

Now,

we could

glean the answers

from Isaiah 40.

It is

very clear

in Isaiah 40

but let's flip back

to Genesis 2.

So could you turn back

to Genesis 2

with me?

To get to the heart

of God's purpose,

how would you answer

this question?

Whose home

did God build?

Is earth

a home for people

or is it a home

for God?

If your first thoughts

are anything like mine,

you might be thinking

God doesn't need a home.

The whole universe

isn't big enough

to contain God.

And you'd be right.

The Bible says that clearly.

And then you consider

the precision

and the complexity

of this world

and it's just amazing.

Life thrives.

The ocean is full

of weird

and wonderful things.

The earth

is just covered

with plants

and animals

and people

and the sky

is full of birds.

We might think

it's clearly

designed

for physical

beings.

And again,

the Bible says

that clearly.

It is a home

for us.

But Genesis 2

gives an even

fuller explanation

for why God

made everything.

The key

is in the first

three verses.

Thus the heavens

and the earth

were finished

and all the host

of them.

And on the seventh day

God finished

his work

that he had done

and he rested

on the seventh day

from all his work

that he had done.

So God blessed

the seventh day

and made it holy

because on it

God rested

from all the work

that he had done

in creation.

Now God does not

grow tired or weary.

He didn't need

to have a sit down

because he was tired.

For God to rest

means something

along the lines

of God enjoying,

God having the purpose

for which he made

the world.

God

so

like a car enthusiast

who after putting

the engine back together

goes for a drive

after all the work

of construction

enjoys

the car

or like sitting

around the family

table after cooking

a home

home cooked meal.

It's enjoying

your creation

or like a builder

and his family

moving in

to his home

after the construction

is complete.

Notice that

unlike

the other six days

of creation

that there's a

definite finishing point

with those.

There was evening

and there was morning

the first day.

There was evening

and there was morning

the second day.

But for the seventh day

there is no finish.

The theme

of God's rest

runs all the way

through the Bible.

For God to rest

is for God

to enjoy

the purpose

for which

he made the earth

and the entire cosmos.

So have a listen

to John Walton's

explanation.

I think he helped me

understand this

a bit clearer.

This is what he says.

On the seventh day

we finally discover

that God has been

working to achieve

a rest.

God does not

set up the cosmos

so that only people

will have a place.

He also sets up

the cosmos

to serve

as

his

temple

in which

he will find

rest.

to serve

as

his

temple

in which

he will find

rest.

It is the place

where God

can be known

and related

to

by his

people

who gladly

live under

his rule

and enjoy

the blessings

of his presence.

we're told

that the heavens

exist

to declare

the glory

of God.

If they're just

a place

for us to live

you've got to say

the billions

of galaxies

is a bit

of overkill

but

if the heavens

exist

for God

in all his

glory

to be known

by his people

then a universe

full of stars

that makes us

feel so very

small

and yet

so full

of joy

as we

stand in

awe

underneath

them

then they're

about the

right size.

The earth

you walk

on

is a place

for God

to be known

and worshipped.

How does

that sit

with you?

I hope

you have

mixed feelings

things.

On the one

hand I hope

you feel

a sense

of peace

and joy

knowing that

everything

exists,

your life

exists

for a greater

purpose than

yourself.

There's a joy

in that.

On the other

hand I hope

you feel

threatened

that if

life is

pure

gift

and it's

up to

my creator

to decide

how I should

live my

life

and my

purpose

is to have

God at the

centre

of everything

and for me

to worship

him

and for him

to get

all the

glory

it threatens

us being

at the centre.

this earth

and the

entire

cosmos

is a

temple

a home

for God

to get

all the

glory.

Now perhaps

you're wondering

why I'm using

the word

temple

it seems

a little

religious

but

temple

gets across

the idea

of

the divine

dwelling place

and temple

gets across

the idea

that it's

from this

place

that God

rules

and temple

also

pictures

us people

as priests

whose job

is to

worship

the Lord

and whose

job is to

represent God

to one

another

and as we

rule this

world under

God's

authority.

So although

we are

creatures

mankind

is unique

in all

God's

creation.

We're told

in Genesis

1 that

God made

people male

and female

in his

image.

To be in

God's image

it doesn't

just mean

that we

are persons

who have

the faculties

to think

and to feel

and to

communicate

to make

choices

to have

relationship

all these

things are

true to

be in the

image of

God

but all

these

things

serve a

greater

purpose

to reflect

God's

very character

as we

live in

relationship

with him

as we

worship

him

as we

represent

him

to the

rest of

creation.

God's

rest

God's

purpose

is for

God to

be present

with his

worshipful

people

his image

bearing

people

in

paradise

and all

this

for his

glory

to fill

the earth.

God

God

God

God

God

God

God

God

But this

isn't our

usual everyday

experience of

life is it?

The blessings

that flow like a

river from God's

presence are

often far from

our everyday

experience.

So I watched a

movie recently

based on

the 2004

tsunami

that hit

in Indonesia

and it

just pictures

a family

on holiday

by the

pool

and the

parents

are arguing

about

whether they

should move

house when

they get

back home

when suddenly

the tsunami

hits.

All their

plans come

to nothing.

Sickness

hunts us

down.

our

environment

is more

exploited

than

protected.

And this

week our

attention has

been drawn

to the

abortion

laws in

Australia.

We live

in this

society

that pours

so much

money into

healthcare

and yet

at the

same time

says that

we can

decide to

destroy

life.

And then

there's our

relationships.

Would you

say that

your usual

experience

is that we

treat one

another with

the character

of God?

God's

presence

and the

paradise that

flows from

his presence,

his rule,

is just not

our everyday

experience.

God says

in his

word there's

a very

good reason

for that

and we're

going to

explore this

more next

Sunday.

But let

me say

for now,

ever since

the first

man Adam

reached up

in direct

disobedience

to his

creator

and he

didn't do

it by

accident,

he wanted

to become

like God

even though

as God's

priest and

image bearer

in God's

temple,

he already

enjoyed the

greatest status

and purpose

and relationship

possible.

Adam and

everyone

descended from

him since

has tried to

usurp

God's place

in the

world.

Kick him

off the

throne.

As if

you and

I can

control

our

world,

creating

our own

version of

paradise

and all

this

without a

need to

know God

or worship

God.

And the

consequences

of this

have been

felt

ever since.

When

mankind

was kicked

out of the

Garden of

Eden,

do you

think

paradise

was the

greatest

thing we

lost?

If

paradise

is the

greatest

thing we

lost,

then we're

going to

spend all

our effort

trying to

get it

back.

I think

we try to

do this

individually

and as

a

society.

Or do

you agree

with John

Walton

again?

He gives

this answer.

In the

aftermath

of the

fall,

the

greatest

loss was

not

paradise.

It was

God's

presence.

God's

presence.

God's

presence.

God's

presence.

God's

presence.

God's

presence.

God's

presence.

God's

presence.

God's

presence.

God's

presence.

God's

presence.

What was

the greatest

thing we

lost after

the fall?

Paradise or

God's

presence?

We come

to the

question,

will God's

rest,

his purpose

for creation

be achieved?

God's

presence.

Those who

first heard

Isaiah 40

would have

had no

circumstantial

evidence to

give them

confidence that

God's rest

will be

achieved.

And they

knew that

they were in

such desperate

situation because

they had

rejected God.

God's

desire God's

presence,

most of

all,

then these

words of

Isaiah 40

will be the

best news

to you.

From

verse 3,

a voice

cries,

in the

wilderness

prepare the

way of the

Lord.

Make

straight in

the desert

a highway

for our

God.

Every valley

shall be

lifted up

and every

mountain and

hill be

made low.

The uneven

ground shall

become level

and the

rough places

a plain.

And the

glory of

the Lord

shall be

revealed.

And all

flesh shall

see it

together,

for the

mouth of

the Lord

has spoken.

the

one who

said,

let there

be light,

and light

flooded the

darkness,

says,

although you

have chosen

to live in

darkness,

I will

come near

to you.

The

glory of

the Lord

shall be

revealed.

And we

would never

have imagined

what God

meant by that

until we

read in the

New Testament,

in John's

Gospel,

and the

word became

flesh,

and dwelt

among us.

And we

have seen

his glory,

glory as of

the only

son from the

father,

full of

grace and

truth.

earth.

The one

who sits

above the

circle of

the earth

became like

grass with

us.

Seeing God

in the

flesh is

so much

clearer than

the old

temple building,

but he also

came for

another reason.

If you

think and

picture Solomon's

temple in

Jerusalem, it

was surrounded

by basins of

water for

washing.

The smell

of death from

animal sacrifices

for sin would

have surrounded

it day and

night.

And only the

high priest,

one person,

could enter

God's immediate

presence once a

year and

he couldn't

muck around.

That building

loudly proclaimed

that sinful,

God-usurping,

idolatrous

people could

only come so

close to God.

But in our

creator's

death,

on the

cross,

we are now

invited,

come near.

Come near.

Come near.

Know that you

are completely

cleansed.

God is

coming near.

God is

coming near to

us by making

our bodies

his home,

dwelling in

us by his

spirit.

As we have

come to see

his glory in

the Lord Jesus

Christ, we

worship him.

And we no

longer live for

ourselves, we

live for him.

God is

going to be

renewed day

by day in

the image of

our creator.

As we reflect

the character of

the God whom we

worship, we

bring his

presence into

every aspect of

our life.

Every arena that

you walk in, we

can reflect God

in.

And we can fill

the world with

his glory.

glory.

We don't want

paradise without

God's presence.

We still

desperately want

paradise.

But we're

waiting for it.

We're waiting for

God's paradise.

Not our

version.

And we know

it's not yet.

It's coming, but

it's not yet.

we will wait

with certain

hope, knowing

that our

creator, who

does not grow

tired or weary,

will fully and

finally achieve

his rest.

And this is what

he says in

Revelation 21.

Then I saw a

new heaven and

a new earth.

For the first

heaven and the

first earth had

passed away, and

the sea was no

more.

And I saw the

holy city, the

new Jerusalem,

coming down out

of heaven from

God, prepared as

a bride adorned

for her husband.

And I heard a

loud voice from

the throne saying,

behold, the

dwelling place of

God is with

man.

He will dwell

with them, and

they will be his

people, and God

himself will be

with them as

their God.

He will wipe

every tear from

their eyes, and

death shall be no

more.

Neither shall

there be mourning,

nor crying, nor

pain any more, for

the former things

have passed

away.

And he who

was seated on

the throne said,

behold, I am

making everything

new.

Would you pray

with me?

Lord God, Father,

Son, and Holy

Spirit, we worship

you alone as the

creator and ruler

of all things.

Thank you for

coming near to

us.

Father, help us to

live for you

alone.

help us live

patiently, trusting

that you will

achieve your

purposes.

And Lord, use

us individually

and together as

your people for

your glory, we

pray.

In Jesus' name,

amen.

Amen.

Amen.

You

amen.

So, you