The bible tells us that God planted a garden and named it Eden and then took man and woman and placed them in the garden to take care of it and in so doing gave them purpose and fulfillment in knowing they were working towards a meaningful outcome and they enjoyed their work. They also enjoyed the relationship they had with God, with each other and with creation. But then at some point there arose a crisis in the garden.When the crisis broke out in the garden, the first blame game began, everyone was pointing fingers. Finally when the dust settled the realization of the consequences began to sit in but also the calm response of grace as an answer to the crisis in the garden. God is a God of grace and mercy and set out to restore the relationship that had been severed by sin. He is the crisis hotline, he is your counselor, your source of strength, hope, and love.
Date: 9/22/19
Scripture: Genesis 3:1-15, Romans 5:8, and Hebrews 9:15
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From Series: "Fingerprints"
One of the issues that has plagued mankind and polarizes us is the issue of the origin of the universe and, for that matter, planet Earth and man. Is the universe some result of a “big bang”? Was Earth the direct result of millions -- even billions -- of years of having the right mixture of ingredients to bring about life from a “bowl of soup,” so to speak? Did mankind evolve from an ape after millions of years of evolution?
If we follow the world’s teaching we are left with questions and uncertainty, but God’s Word does not leave us wondering about how the universe, the Earth, and all of its inhabitants came to be and whether they matter to God. We can know for certain.Genesis chapters 1-2 take us on a journey of masterful artistry and divine revelation as they point to a Creator God. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Just as our fingerprints mark us uniquely, God uses His fingerprint on creation to point to Himself as the Creator of all things. Like a masterful conductor, God orchestrates a landscape of life and beauty.
Most amazing of all is when God declared, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26a) and He thoughtfully,carefully, and creatively put His fingerprint in you and in me when “He made man.” In creating the universe, God designed Earth to be the planet upon which He would place us – those made in His image. We live off the abundance of provision the Earth gives, because even in our fallen state God cares about what He has created and desires to show how much He loves us by providing for our needs. He then entrusted to us the responsibility to tend and take care of the Earth.
Yes, we can know for certain the who, what, when, where and why of our origin story as we discover God’s “Fingerprints” on Creation – a brand new, six-week sermon series starting Sunday, August 18 at 9 AM and 11 AM.
In the words of the hymn writer, “This is my Father’s world; why should my heart be sad? The Lord is King; let the heavens ring! God reigns; let the earth by glad!”
