God our Good Creator-King

Please can you turn with me in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 1.

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

Just a reminder that if you want to scan the QR codes on the screens,

! You can pick up the sermon in different languages if that is helpful to you.

As we think together about God, our good creator, king.

But before we get to God's creation,

I imagine winter for many is a season where the jigsaw puzzles come out.

My local charity shop makes a promise that every jigsaw that comes in second hand have no pieces missing.

And I'm yet to pull the trigger and trust them enough to actually buy one.

But picture with me just for a moment the frustration.

If you were to go to a charity shop to pick up a new jigsaw this winter season

and you open the box only to discover that some of those crucial edge pieces can't be found.

And now you recognize you've got no border and you've got no structure with which to work in.

Or as you get on in the jigsaw, the pieces are jumbled up.

You thought you were making a beach scene,

but you keep finding pieces of snowy mountains and it's a bit confusing.

Or worse still, you open the box and as you turn over the pieces,

you discover that the picture in no way is going to match what's on the front of the box.

You have no guide to put those pieces together.

Do you know that's how some people feel about life?

Some people struggle to find purpose and structure.

There are so many people who are not clear how to make sense of the various pieces of our lives.

There are many people who are muddling on day to day with no clear guide about the big picture.

No answer to the big questions.

Why am I here?

Who am I?

Who made me?

Where is all this heading?

Genesis 1 helps to put the pieces together.

We thought last week, in the beginning, God.

That reveals the big picture.

That the world that we live in is a world made by an eternal creator.

Now we're going to think some more about the fact that he made it with order and goodness.

And next week especially, we'll recognize that we are made to relate to him in the world that he has made.

So that to understand Genesis 1 to 3 is to find the picture to help give shape and structure and sense to our lives.

So this week what we're going to do is we're going to look at days 1, well not all of day 6, day 1 to 6a of Creation Week.

As I said at the beginning, we're going to leave it on a cliffhanger.

We're going to spend all of next week thinking about what does it mean that we are made in the image of God.

If you know people with questions about image and identity, next week would be a great week to bring someone to church.

But this week what we're going to see is that God's creation displays his order, it displays his goodness, and it displays the fact that he is the king who rules.

And it does that for a very particular purpose.

So that you and I would worship him.

So let's think about the goodness of God's order within creation.

So just a little word about the writing style of Genesis 1 from verse 3 to verse 31.

Scholars call it exalted prose.

Now that's important because two things become clear.

It is making true claims about the world that we live in, but it's using language for a particular purpose.

It's wanting to invite in us as readers and hearers a sense of reflecting and wonder and worship towards this creator God.

And one way that the language does that is through the order that we find within chapter 1.

There is order, first of all, in the structures.

Maybe we are familiar with this, the big picture of days of forming and days of filling.

So days 1 to 3 we find the forming of light and dark.

Then day 2, the sea and the sky.

And then day 3, there's the land and the plants that are formed.

And then on days 4 to 6, there's filling.

That's when we discover the sun, the moon and the stars.

Then day 5, the fish and the birds.

And then on day 6, animals and people.

And we'll get there next time.

So we're presented with here are three locations.

And here is God providing inhabitants for each of those locations.

There is a clear order.

And that's important.

The order is further emphasized, isn't it, in the repeating patterns.

You would have heard them as Sarah read the Bible for us.

Look at day 1 with me.

Just day 1 is a great example because it's got all the patterns.

Verses 3 to 5.

So look at how the verse begins.

And God said, let there be.

In this case, let there be light.

So a command is announced from the king.

And immediately we discover, and there was light.

What God commands happens.

God brings things into existence.

And there is perfect, immediate fulfillment.

There is no struggle when God creates.

The next pattern, verse 4.

God saw that the light, it was good.

And we're going to come back to that.

But here's this idea of, here is God the artist.

Just for a moment, stepping back.

To admire the masterpiece that he is in the process of creating.

Another pattern we find in verse 4.

He separated the light from the darkness.

And this reminds us that the world that we live in is not chaotic.

That God created and set limits.

That's part of the order he establishes.

You know, the sea can go here, but no further.

Because there is the limit of the land so that people can live on the land.

Verse 5.

There was another pattern.

God called the light day and the darkness he called night.

And again, to name something was a sign of authority over something.

This is a kingship term.

God has rights over it.

And then that closing rhythmic pattern.

And there was evening and there was morning.

The first day, the second day and so on.

The division of time into days.

And again, we're presented with a picture of God.

The workman, the craftsman.

Six days he will work.

On day seven, he will rest.

That pattern then given to us.

And we'll think about that in a couple of weeks when we get to Sabbath.

All these repeating patterns we find within Genesis 1 are saying to us,

our world was made by God with order, not chaos that is careful planning, that is absolute control.

Here's another way in which we see the goodness of God's order.

It's in the species that are mentioned.

Now, of course, Genesis 1 is not a science textbook.

It's not claiming to be a science textbook.

When the first hearers were listening to Moses, the questions that they were asking about the world

were not the same questions that we ask in the 21st century.

You know, maybe we ask questions about the age of the earth or the time periods of each day.

That wasn't the principal concern of the Israelites.

They wanted to know who is the true God?

Where did all this come from?

And Genesis 1 helps with that.

But there's also elements of the beginnings of science within Genesis 1.

And it is significant, if you're ever interested, to read the history of science.

You'll understand that the history of science in large part began with Christians

because they read passages like Genesis 1 and they understand certain principles.

that if God made the world with order, then we can expect order and coherence within the world.

So we can do science.

We can expect to find patterns.

But it's interesting to see in Genesis 1, isn't it, the classification systems that emerge here.

For those of us who are interested in botany,

God said,

God doesn't just make one kind of tree or plant.

There is a multitude.

There's diversity.

And that's part of the beauty, isn't it?

He does the same with marine biology.

In verse 21,

God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems.

He does the same with ornithology.

Every winged bird according to its kind.

And then for those who are studying veterinary,

there's zoology.

God made the wild animals according to their kinds,

the livestock according to their kinds,

and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds.

And for the Israelites, and for us as well,

we understand certain things.

When we plant a particular crop, we plant some wheat.

And we know that if the conditions are right,

it's going to grow and produce more wheat.

If we keep cows,

if there are male and female cows,

baby cows will be produced.

So there is order,

there is predictability,

there is diversity,

there is beauty within God's created universe.

What is it telling us?

It's teaching us things about our world,

but I think fundamentally it's teaching us about our creator.

We are not here as the products of random chance.

We are here because there is a God of power,

and organization,

and wisdom,

and beauty,

and goodness.

The picture of creation in the beginning

was one of peace,

and harmony,

and beauty,

and clear order,

and all of it directed by and dependent on God.

We sang a little bit of Psalm 104.

Psalm 104 has 34 verses

celebrating the world's a wonderful place,

God made it,

and it's beautiful,

and it's good.

But it concludes with verse 35,

which begins to get us to the problem

of why we don't always see order and beauty in our world.

Because it introduces those who are wicked,

those who reject God,

those who turn their back on God's grace,

and that's where disorder comes from.

That's where the scarring in the universe comes from.

And we'll discover as we get through

the opening chapters of Genesis

that human beings,

made in the image of God,

made with free will,

freely chose to rebel,

freely chose to depart from God's created order,

not content to enjoy life under His good rule.

And that's what the Bible calls sin.

And sin is what stains God's masterpiece.

And sin is the reason why we don't always see

order and peace in our world and in our hearts.

But just to say this also,

how does that,

when we think about the whole story of the Bible,

how does the good news of the Bible offer hope

when we see that kind of chaos and disorder

in our world and in our hearts?

It gives us hope as we understand

that God knew from eternity past.

The same God who planned the galaxies

is the same God who planned

for the cross of the Lord Jesus.

He planned that His Son,

the Lord Jesus, would come,

the perfect image bearer,

the only one who would ever live

a perfectly ordered life,

surrounded by the chaos of sin.

Jesus always loved,

always obeyed,

always sought the glory of God.

That's what we were made to do,

but we don't.

And in His death,

there is forgiveness,

that the stain of sin is removed

with the promise

that as Jesus rose and returned to heaven,

He will return one day.

And at His return,

this world will be restored

to perfect, eternal peace,

order, and harmony.

No more of the fighting that we see,

no more of the brutality

that troubles us,

no more anxious hearts,

no more guilty consciences.

So as we search for order

and peace and harmony

in our life or in our heart,

the Bible will say to us,

God says to us,

you need to know me.

You need to come to me

through my Son, Jesus.

You need to place your faith in Jesus

to find your longings made,

to find Him as Lord and Savior.

Well, that's the order.

But let's think about another theme

that clearly emerges from Genesis 1,

and it's the idea of the goodness of God

that we find in His world.

I was out on Brunsfield links early this week,

and I got talking with a neighbor,

and he, like me,

was standing admiring the view.

There was Arthur's seat,

the sun was shining,

the trees were kind of dappled

in different colors of light,

there was a beautiful clear blue sky,

and it was one of those moments of awe.

Psalm 19,

the heavens declare the glory of God,

and the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

If you saw pictures of the Rora Borealis,

or if you got to see them with your own eyes,

we know this is true.

What are we supposed to do

when we see goodness in the world?

Now, we know something of this

as a natural instinct.

When we hear great music,

we are drawn to praise

the composer and the performer.

When we eat a great meal,

we are drawn to praise

the cook or the chef.

Genesis 1 is designed

to help those first Israelites

and us today to understand

who is it that we should praise

for the beauty that we see all around us,

whether that's in the world

on a grand scale,

or whether it's just as we see

something beautiful

in the people around us.

I came across this

from Thomas Aquinas

as he was reflecting on creation.

I appreciate this.

He said,

God brought things into being

in order that His goodness

might be communicated to creatures

and be represented by them.

And because His goodness

could not be adequately represented

by one creature alone,

He produces many

and diverse creatures.

God wants us to look around

with eyes to see His goodness

in the world that He has made.

So we're going to consider,

just for a few moments,

the implications of the repeating phrase,

it was good.

We hear it again and again.

God creates

and God declares it is good.

The first thing it says to us

is that God created the world

with beauty

and with care.

Maybe we know something

of this

making satisfaction.

Do you ever step back

from a piece of work

and you say,

that's good.

If like me,

you really know

very little about DIY,

you might even get

that kind of satisfaction

when you put in a light bulb

and you switch the light on

and it comes on,

you think,

that's good.

Maybe you agonize

over a piece of work,

you finish an assignment

and you're happy with it.

You turn in,

you think,

that's a good piece of work.

You're playing some music,

you're playing on the sports field

and everything just seems

to go well.

You can reflect

and say in a moment

or afterwards,

hey,

that was good.

That's what God does

in the essential,

ultimate way.

God did not throw

the world together

in a haphazard way.

Where I come from,

we have a saying,

it's good enough for sky.

Which basically means,

it's not wonderful,

but it's alright.

And that's kind of

the attitude

from where I came from.

But that's not

how God creates.

That's never

how God creates.

Think about the attention

that God gives

to the details

of each individual snowflake.

the diversity

of plant or animal life.

Or those great visions

of his beauty

if you saw the aurora

or you look at Arthur's seat.

God looks at all of that

and he says,

that's good.

Because he created

with beauty and care.

And unlike our works,

there is never a moment

where God is frustrated,

where God has to rip it up

and try again.

There are no failures

or plan B's.

When God creates,

he creates good

and only good.

Something else

that's important

is that God was pleased

with his creation.

I don't know

if that's something

that we reflect on.

That when God looks

at his world,

it's not like,

perhaps,

your childhood report cards

or your report

from your teacher.

Do you know

what you could do better?

Or if you have

that sense of frustration

between,

in my head,

I know exactly

what I want to create

or produce,

but when I come to do it,

it never quite looks

as good as the image

that I have.

You know that frustration

of the gap?

God has no frustration.

His perfect mind

creates a perfect world.

And God is perfectly

pleased with his creation

because it reflects

his wisdom

and his goodness.

And that's the third thing

that's so important

for us to see

and to grasp practically

is that something of God

is reflected in his creation.

Not all of God,

but something of God.

Manly Hopkins,

the poet,

had that great line,

the earth is charged

with the grandeur of God.

The earth pulses

and vibrates

with the grandeur

and glory of God.

And we can see something

of his creativity,

of his order,

of his beauty

all around us in the world.

God is the source

of all goodness.

We can trace

his fingerprints

in every good gift,

in every good

of this creation.

Now, why is it important

that God highlights

his goodness

in Genesis 1?

First of all,

it helps to cultivate

a sense of thankfulness

that leads to worship.

Now, that can happen

in many ways

depending how we look

at the world.

We can think big scale.

You know,

the Goldilocks effect

of the universe,

the fine-tuning

of the universe

where everything

is just right

for human life

and flourishing.

Now, that might be

what leads us

to thankfulness

and worship.

Or it might just be

the goodness

of a good cup of coffee

or a really nice breakfast

or the gift of family,

everyday life.

Every good gift

comes from our good God.

And even though

we recognize

that our world

is now fallen,

that there is a measure

of brokenness,

it still retains

aspects,

wonderful aspects

of the glory

and the goodness

of God.

More than enough

to draw our hearts

towards Him.

More than enough

to see His eternal power

and His divine nature.

And so the world

is designed

to help us

to worship,

to live in God's world

without thanking Him

for His gifts,

without recognizing Him

as Creator.

it is to play

the spoiled child

who never says

thank you

for any gift.

But I think

it's also important

that the goodness

of creation

is highlighted

because it helps us

to get our attitude

towards creation

right.

Because it says to us

this world

is good.

This world

matters.

But it also says to us

this world

is not God.

And that's important

again for worship.

Because the Bible

is really clear

to worship

created things

rather than

the Creator.

Well that's idolatry.

And that's what goes

against the grain

of the universe

and that goes

against the grain

of why we were created.

So we should

go bodily

creation.

But we shouldn't

worship it

and think

well this is it.

we recognize

that God

looked at the world

that he made

and he saw it

as good

and very good

and at our best.

So should we.

And so we should

expect

and be looking

for

beauty

that takes

our breath away

and other people

who inspire us

profoundly.

But in those

moments

we want to be

so careful

to keep turning

to give thanks

and worship

to the God

who made it all.

the God

who enables us

to get even

faint outlines

of his goodness

and glory

within his creation

and to recognize

as we heard

from 2 Corinthians 4

that God's goodness

was made visible

in a profound way

when Jesus came

revealing the light

of God's truth

and love

and salvation

drawing our hearts

to him.

Well one last thing

to say

briefly

and that's about

the kingship

and the rule

of God

that we find

here in Genesis 1.

Let me take you back

we were here last week

to the first people

that ever heard

this message.

They are in

the wilderness

they're in the desert

they're at

the door

of their tents

here they are

little family groups

and they're listening

as Moses begins

to teach

Genesis 1.

Recently

their family story

for 400 years

has been

of being slaves

in a foreign country

in Egypt

and when they hear

the creation stories

of Egypt

they hear about

lots and lots

of local tribal gods

and they hear about

lots of fighting

between gods

and actually

they hear about

lazy gods

who decided

they didn't want

to work anymore

and that's why

people were made.

So that was

the creation stories

that they were hearing

and if you hear

that for long enough

we wouldn't be surprised

to find that

the jigsaw pieces

became all a jumble

and then Genesis 1

is heard

a gift from God

to bring order

to present

a beautiful

and good picture

of the world

that God has made

and a picture

of God

as the one

and only God

and the one

true king

so that

the one

that had called

them out of slavery

is the one

that they would

gladly follow

obey

love

and worship.

And you know

those desires

are the same

from God

for each one

of us today.

And so

in the language

of Genesis 1

we are reminded

of the king

who creates.

And so we mentioned

this in the pattern

let there be

verse 3

let there be light

or verse 9

let the water

under the sky

be gathered

into one place.

This is the king

who speaks

and his word of power

is effective.

There is no authority

that stands

against him.

His commands

are always followed.

There is no disorder,

there is no struggle,

there is no fighting

against his will.

It's absolute

because he is the king

and he is the king

who creates.

And we said it as well

in the order

he is the king

who names.

God called

the light day

and he called

the dark night.

Verse 8

God called

the vault sky.

For those of us

who are interested

in football

a recent phenomenon

I guess

to generate more money

creative naming rights

over a stadium.

you know

a wealthy

organization

can pay enough money

and then they get to

change the name

of the stadium

as a way to

advertise their brand

naming rights.

The wonderful truth

about the universe

is that the whole universe

is advertising to us

a single reality

that God

is good

that he is eternal

that he is the creator

and he is the king.

He is the one

who names

because he is the one

who has rights

over it all.

And then finally

the king also

is proclaiming

a really important truth.

Let me take you back

to day 4

verses 14 to 19.

So remember

this is a group

who have just been

saved from slavery

and multiple idols.

They are going to hear

in the commandments

you know

I am God

there is no other

worship the Lord

your God

serve him only

don't create idols.

Let me take you back

to day 4.

Lots of detail

in day 4.

I don't know

if you've ever wondered

about the details.

Why does it get

so much attention?

Well back in Egypt

who were people

worshipping?

They were worshipping

the sun god

called Ra

and Pharaoh

who claimed

to be the son

of the sun god.

And in Egypt

they were fascinated

by the stars.

this is what controls

our fate

this is what controls

our destiny.

And so Genesis 1

is a response

and an answer

to that.

It puts them

in their proper place.

Look at verse 16.

How are they described

the sun and the moon?

They're just the greater light

and the lesser light.

Worship doesn't belong

to them.

It is their creator

who deserves praise.

Notice their purpose.

Verse 14.

These lights

are to serve

as signs

to mark sacred times

and days and years.

They serve the purpose

of people

and so that people

would know

when it's right

to worship God.

Not worship

the sun and the moon.

And then there's

the greatest throwaway line

perhaps in the whole Bible.

End of verse 16.

He also made the stars.

Those billions of galaxies

and constellations

that evoke so much wonder.

God made them.

So don't worship them.

Our fate

isn't written in the stars.

Our times are in God's hands.

And that's profoundly

good news.

Why do we need

to remember

the kingship of God

over creation?

Sometimes it's because

the world seems so chaotic

and we need to return

to that great truth.

I was drawn to

Acts 14

when Paul's on

his missionary journey.

He speaks about

the God of goodness

giving creation

to stand as a witness

to him

in the seasons

that we have,

in the food

we get to eat,

in the life

that we enjoy.

And that should make us

want to know

and enjoy

the one who rules

over it all.

And again,

it takes us into

the wonder

of the Bible story

of salvation.

Because who is Jesus?

He is God.

He is the Son.

He was the agent

of creation.

And he's also the King

who enters into

his creation.

Jesus who came

on a mission

to reveal the glory

of God,

to seek and to save

those who are lost

in the darkness

of sin.

The King who rules

in heaven

and calls us today

to trust him,

to enjoy him,

to love him,

to worship him,

to find peace

and order

when our life

is in right relationship

with our God.

And Genesis 1

reminds us

if we want to fit

the puzzle pieces

of our life

into place

to know who we are,

why we're here,

where this life

is heading,

we need first

to know our God.

And we come

to know our God

through Jesus,

his Son,

to know God,

our good Creator King.