Seeing the Invisible: Creation’s Testimony to God

I want to talk about this morning, the invisible qualities of God,

the invisible qualities of God.

And in saying that, I want to start by talking about seeing the invisible,

because although God has invisible qualities, they are on view for us every time we walk outside.

Josh is going to start playing a video shortly. That'll play during the whole sermon.

And it'll just talk about and show you some of the visible qualities of God, which are invisible.

You'll get there. We'll get there.

Here we go. Have you ever stood on a clear night and looked up into the skies

and looked at the stars, looked at the moon, looked at the stars?

And the longer you look, the more you see.

It's true, isn't it? You look up there and you think, there's stars there that

weren't there before, but they're just becoming clearer and clearer.

Thousands of tiny points, probably millions, billions of tiny points scattered

across the vast canvas of black.

Each one burns with majesty. When you look at them, you think,

that's our God that created that.

Whispering that we are part of something far greater than just ourselves.

Or maybe you've held a newborn child. We're going to be doing that very soon.

We're going to be holding a newborn child.

You've felt the warmth of their tiny fingers as they wrap around your finger,

or you've noticed the perfection in their eyelashes or eyebrows,

so small that they're almost invisible.

Have you ever heard the first fragile breath of a baby after it's born? I've heard three.

And at that moment, words fail us, don't they? All you can feel is wonder, wonder.

Moments like those, moments like looking up into the sky and seeing the stars,

moments like touching and experiencing newborn baby, it reminds us,

doesn't it, so clearly that life is not an accident.

We are not part of evolution. We were created by a creator.

They stir something deep inside our lungs that longs to connect with the one who created it all.

As the psalmist writes, I haven't got these verses for you, Josh,

but as the psalmist writes, it says, the heavens declare the glory of God.

The skies proclaim the work of his hands.

That's Psalm 19, verse 1. And of every new life, it says in Psalms,

Psalms 19:1

you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

That's Psalm 139, in verse 14.

Now, this morning, I want us to linger in that sense of awe,

not rushing past it, but letting it draw us closer to the God who created both

the galaxies above and the breath within us. That's our God. That's our God.

Creation itself is actually God's message to us.

You know, all these things that are showing up here on the TV behind me,

it's God's message to us.

It's like God's sermon to us, isn't it?

The stars above, the life of a child, the very breath in our lungs point us back to him.

I want us to pause in wonder this morning, to open our eyes to a God who has

already revealed and to let creation lead us to worship the creator.

Okay, let's read Romans 1 and verse 20, because that's a mighty declaration.

Romans 1 and verse 20, it'll come up over the video.

And it says, ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and the sky.

Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities,

his eternal power, and his divine nature.

So they have no excuse for not knowing God. You can go outside.

You can look at creation. You have absolutely no excuse for not knowing the heart of our God.

Paul is saying that God has left his very fingerprints on creation.

His invisible qualities are made visible through what he has made.

Every sunrise, every star, every heartbeat is declaring the glory of God.

When we go, and I'm going to send us to go again today, I want us to go into

creation and see the invisible God.

But this revelation does more than just inspire us.

It does more than inspire awe. It leaves us without any excuses at all.

If creation points to a creator, then we must reckon with him.

That's my message this morning. If there is a creator, then we need to reckon with him.

Today, we're going to explore what it means for us, how the witness of creation

reveals our need for a saviour.

And how it calls us to live as visible witnesses of his glory in the world.

Now, as I just touched on there, creation declares the creator.

Okay, if there's creation, then there must be a creator.

Paul writes in the book of Romans to believers in Rome, which was a city filled

with idols and false gods.

Here in the first chapter of Romans, he's establishing that all humanity is

accountable before God because his reality is evident in creation itself.

Are you hearing me this morning? Creation, it declares how great our God is.

Psalm 19 verse 1 echoes this when it says, the heavens proclaim the glory of God.

Psalms 19:1

The skies display his craftsmanship. We live surrounded, don't we,

by technology, and by distractions, don't we?

You know, they're here in front of us. There's technology and there's distractions,

yet creation still whispers and sometimes yells at us that God is glory.

It yells at us that God's glory.

The intricate patterns of snowflakes. Do you remember when Brad shared communion

a few months ago and he showed us some photographs of ice crystals that were

growing on the bonnet of his car.

Do you remember that? I wish I had the photo. I wish Brad was here so I could show you.

But that photo declared the glory of God, the intricacies of a snowflake or

of ice, the intricate patterns of the snowflake, the DNA in a single cell.

Think about that, the DNA in a single microscopic cell.

It's the glory of God. The vastness of the galaxies, those billions of stars, the glory of God.

All of them are sermons to us this morning. All of them.

The universe, it's not about us, okay? You might think the universe revolves around you.

But the universe is not about us. It's about displaying how great our God is.

That challenges us, doesn't it? Do we look at the world and do we see random chance?

Or do we look and see the majesty of our creator?

There's no chance about it, is there? There's no random chance about creation.

Here's a little bit of a parallel for you.

Consider a masterpiece. Consider a painting that was perhaps painted by Rembrandt himself.

No one looks at it and says, what a coincidence that all those colors arrange

themselves in such a way.

Do they? We don't say that. We know that there's an artist behind that picture

that painted the intricacies of it, put it all together so we could gaze at it and go, wow, wow.

How much more then, how much more then when we see the artistry of mountains,

of oceans, and life itself?

God is our creator. God is the creator. There's nothing random about it.

We go outside, we look at creation and we go, wow, I want to know the creator. I want to know my God.

So the witness of creation needs to leave us without excuses.

That's my point this morning. If we see creation, we should have no excuses

as to who created and that it was our God.

Paul in Romans 1 verse 20 says, they have no excuse for not knowing God because of his creation.

Romans 1:20

Creation is God's testimony. and to deny it is to actually suppress the truth, okay?

Acts 14 and verse 17 says, but he never left them without evidence of himself and his goodness.

For instance, he sends you rain and good crops and gives you food and joyful

hearts, all evidence of God, all evidence of God.

Many of our cultures and our culture reject God, claiming there's not enough evidence.

Open your eyes.

Open your eyes. The truth, however, is that the problem is not the lack of evidence.

The problem is the lack of willingness to acknowledge it and to acknowledge that there is a creator.

As Paul explains, the human heart, hardened by sin, prefers independence to submission.

We don't want a God who rules over us. We want to rule ourselves. That's the problem.

If there is a God who created you, then you owe him everything.

But our hearts are bent on making ourselves our own masters.

This is why the gospel is so vital because the witness of creation alone cannot save us.

We cannot go outside and go, wow, look at this creation. It's beautiful. I'm saved.

No, no. We need more than that.

The gospel is so vital. It shows us when we go outside and we see creation,

it shows us that we are guilty and we are in need of salvation.

Creation is the evidence of God's existence and our accountability to God. Okay.

Creation actually points us to the cross.

Think of that when you go this week. Think of that when you go outside later on today.

I wish we could open those windows, but it's just way too bright in here.

But think of that when you go outside. Think of God's existence and think of

our accountability to God.

Creation shows that there is a creator. Creation points to the cross.

The heavens declare his glory. The intricate designs of life points to his wisdom.

He's a wise God. The vastness of space testifies to his power.

Who knows that Tim loves power?

I could show you another video now, but I won't. You know the videos I'm talking about.

Talking about rocket ships taking on. We're talking about explosions, power.

That talk of God's power to us.

But creation alone cannot tell us how to be made right with God.

Okay? It can awaken awe in us.

It can stir conviction. It can leave us without excuses, but it cannot reveal

the way of salvation. That's the cross.

That's the cross. For that, we need a special revelation.

The word of God, the gospel of Jesus, where creation declares, scripture explains.

Where the stars point, the cross provides. It's got to draw it all together.

Paul will go on in Romans to show us that throughout.

That though all humanity stands guilty before God, the good news is that God

himself has made a way through Jesus Christ, who bore our sin and opened the way of reconciliation.

So today, as we reflect on God's fingerprints in all creation,

his fingerprints, look at that. Look at that.

Yeah, no, look, and he's going to praise God. Praise God. Yeah.

We're going to reflect on God's fingerprints in creation. We must also let the

wonder lead us to greater revelation. Okay?

The cross of Christ is that greater revelation. Only there do we find not just

evidence of God, but the invitation into life with God.

Colossians 1 verses 15 and 16 tells us, Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.

Colossians 1:15

He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation.

For through him, God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.

Let me read that first bit again to you.

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.

The cross declares the invisible God to us.

Creation shows us that there is a creator, but it does not reveal how to be reconciled to him.

For that, we need the cross. For that, we need the gospel.

And here is the wonder.

Jesus is the one through whom all things were made.

John tells us in John 1 verse 3, God created everything through him and nothing

John 1:3

was created except through him.

So everything was created through Jesus.

Think about that. The same Jesus who hung the stars in the sky also hung on

a cross for your sins and mine.

That's Jesus. The one who spoke galaxies into being gave his life to bring you back to God.

Creation declares his power, but the cross declares Jesus' love for you and I.

That's why the message of Romans doesn't stop with the evidence of God's glory in creation.

It moves us to the good news of Christ, who reconciles us to the Creator and

calls us to live as witnesses of His glory.

The gospel. The gospel.

Here's a bit of a gospel presentation for you right now to listen into. Humanity.

Perfect timing.

Humanity, though surrounded by the...

Get behind me. Get behind me, Satan. I'm trying to declare the gospel here. It's all right. I know.

Humanity. Humanity, though surrounded by evidence of God's power, still turned to sin.

Okay? We chose rebellion.

We wanted independence rather than submission.

And yet God in his love did not abandon us.

He sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross, bearing our sin and shame.

He was buried. And on the third day, he rose again, conquering sin, death and hell.

That's our God. Romans 5 and verse 8 says, but God showed his great love for

us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

If creation declares power, then the cross declares Jesus' love for us.

God's creation is magnificent, but his redemption is miraculous.

That's the heart of the gospel. The creator became our redeemer.

The one who spoke light into existence stepped into our darkness.

The one who hung the stars in the heavens hung on the cross for you and I.

So we need to respond to what we see. How can you not? How can you not go outside?

How can you not see things like that? Hello.

And not respond. Creation shows us his power.

Doesn't it? The cross reveals his love to us. So what do we do with this truth?

Paul says in Romans 1 verse 21 that many, though they knew God,

Romans 1:21

refused to honor him or to give thanks.

You look outside, you know God.

You know God, but we need to honor him and give him thanks for it.

We must do the opposite to people who refuse to honor and to give thanks. We need to repent.

We need to turn from living as if you are your own God.

Okay? You need to believe. Turn to Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

And we need to worship him.

We need to worship. We need to let your life reflect gratitude to the Creator and to the Redeemer.

2 Corinthians 5 and verse 17 says,

this means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.

The old is gone. The old life is gone and a new life has begun.

There was once a man who bought a field thinking it was worthless.

Okay. Day after day, he walked across it, seeing only dirt and weeds.

But one day, he dug beneath the surface and discovered a treasure hidden there,

one that made him rich beyond measure.

Many people live their lives the same way, surrounded by the evidence of God,

of God's glory, yet never seeing it.

They overlook the treasures of his grace that need to be dug up.

And walking past it as if it were nothing.

But when a person turns to Christ, when we repent and we turn to Christ,

when they see him for who he truly is, they discover everything their soul has been longing for.

Jesus said in Matthew 13 and verse 14, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure

that a man discovered hidden in a field.

In his excitement, he hid it

again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

Christ is that treasure. Jesus is that treasure.

Creation may show us his power, but the cross reveals it.

It reveals his love for us. But only when we receive him do we enter into the

joy of that treasure, life eternal with him.

Have we been ignoring the signs of God all around us?

Have we suppressed the truth, living as though we are the center of the universe?

Today, the same creator who spoke the world into existence calls us to come

to him, to come to the creator. I hear you asking, Tim, how do we do that?

Well, you acknowledge your sin to start with.

You believe that Jesus died and rose again for you, and you confess him as your Lord and Savior.

Romans 10 and verse 9 says it all. If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord

and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

So here's a call to action for you. You ready for a call to action? You ready?

Go now and keep your eyes open to the glory of God all around you. It's all around you.

When you see the beauty of creation, let it stir your hearts to worship.

When you remember the cross, let it draw you to surrender.

And as you listen to the Spirit, let him move you to action in your daily life.

I bless you all this morning. I bless you all.

I bless you all with eyes that notice his creation and his majesty.

I bless you with a heart that fully trusts his Son and a life that naturally

points others to his saving grace.

May you leave here this morning when you go. May you leave here not only encouraged

but also sent to live as a witness of God who created you, redeemed you,

and walks with you still.

He walks with us still. And if you want a reminder of that, look out there.

Let's pray this morning.

Let's pray and thank you for his kingdom. Thank you for his love for us.

Thank you for his creation.

Lord, I thank you this morning. I thank you for the people around me right now, Lord,

who will leave this place today and walk into

your creation and see that there was a creator and see that there was a Jesus

who created it all and see that there was a Jesus who died on the cross for

us and restored the kingdom to us and restored everything to us.

When we look at creation, God, When we look at your glory, when we look at the

stars in the heaven, when we look at the babies around us, Lord God,

when we look at all creation, we see a creator,

but we see a saviour.

And Lord, I pray this morning that all of us, Lord, would renew our love and

our trust and our faith in you, Lord God, that we would renew our trust in Jesus

Christ, the creator of it all.

Everything was made by Jesus. Nothing was created that wasn't created by Jesus.

Lord, we acknowledge that and we return to you afresh right now in Jesus' name.

We commit our lives to the Creator.

We commit our lives to the Saviour. We commit our lives this morning to the Redeemer.

And we walk in trust. We walk in faith. and we walk into the world to declare

the goodness of God to all creation and all people.

We lift up that mantle, Lord, of believing in you, of trusting in you and loving you.

And we go this morning and we go into your creation with minds and mouths wide

open, speaking of your glory. And we thank you for that, Lord.

We thank you, Lord. We thank you, Jesus.

We thank you for your sacrifice for us so that we can be here this morning,

so that we can see your creation and we can declare it to all humanity.

So we thank you, Father. Give us the words, give us the wisdom,

give us the opportunity to speak of your glory to all.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.