Environment - Living in God’s Creation By Mark Hatfield Introduction 1. Lately, we have heard a lot of reports and information about the environment. From studies on global warming, a depletion of necessary resources, the overpopulation of various nations, to the pollution of land, air and sea, we are being told that we need to take note of how we are living in God’s creation. 2. When we hear about the issues that relate to our environment, we may have questions about what our attitude and active duty should be in light of these developing stories. 3. In this lesson we will not seek to push the agenda of an environmentalist or take some radical view of environmental domination, but we will point out the importance of living in God’s creation in a way that would be acceptable to the Lord. 4. From the time God created the earth to the time that He destroys this world by fire, it is our responsibility to please the Lord in all things. 5. Do we have any obligations to the environment of the earth? We hope to address these things in our lesson today. I. God’s Creation A. In the beginning…God created 1. God created everything that has been made and He proclaimed it to be very good (Gen. 1:31). 2. The creation of this world includes both the heavens and the earth. (Gen. 1:1). 3. God set the world in its place and established operation. (Gen. 1:14). 4. Mankind was the creation of God that was given dominion over all other created beings or things, being made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-30) 5. God crowned man with glory and honor and his word tells us that although the heavens belong to Him, he has given the earth to man (Ps. 8:4-6; 115:16) 5. God is recognized as the Creator throughout the Bible (Neh. 9:6; Ps. 89:11; 148) 6. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit all took an active role in creating this world (Gen. 1:2, 1:26; John 1:1-3) B. In the present…God sustains 1. Along with the understanding that God created, is the comforting truth that God is sustaining the earth (Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:16-17) 2. Our faith needs to be in God when it comes to the media concerning us with increased flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes, season changes etc. The Lord Himself can control these matters and this is nothing new (Eccl. 1:4-10) 3. If we believe the word of God we cannot buy into what the latest news reports are revealing. The Bible says that everything will continue as God has designed it. (Gen. 8:22; Jer. 5:21-24; 31:35; Psalm 74:15-18). 4. The psalmists often captured the reality of God as the creator and sustainer of the universe (Psalm 104; 148:5-6). 5. The Lord did not quit working to sustain the earth and all that is on it (Is. 40:28-31; Psalm 145:16-17). 6. Perhaps we need to ask those who want to demean the sustaining power of God the question that were asked in Job 38:1-13 7. With a generation that is being misled to understand who God is and what He does for His people, let us take an excerpt from the preaching of the apostle Paul in Acts 17:23-28, which says, “For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, "TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all {people} life and breath and all things; and He made from one {man} every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined {their} appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist…” C. In the future…God destroys 1. After spending all of that time talking about how the Lord created all things to be very good and then referencing how he sustains all things, it may seem odd that our third point would be that God is going to destroy it all. The fact is, God cannot stand sin and must be just in destroying it. Right now God is withholding His judgment so that we might turn away from sin and return to Him. 2. The Bible is very clear in pointing out that there is coming a day when this world will be destroyed by fire because of sin (true global warming) and there will be a new heaven and a new earth for the righteous (Rev. 21:1-8; II Pet. 3:3-9) 3. Those of us who realize what will happen in the final judgment must prepare ourselves for being saved from the wrath to come in Christ (II Pet. 3:10-15a). II. Biblical environmental living A. Believe in God because of the creation (Rom. 1:20) 1. We are without excuse for not believing in God. Even if you don’t believe that the Bible is God’s word, nature and the environment proclaim that there is a designer and maker of all things (Psalm 19:1; Acts 14:15-17). 2. Those who deny there is a God, deny their own existence. We are made in the image of the One who created us and it is only in believing in God that we find true purpose and meaning in life 3. One man said, “God the Creator is an exceptionally extravagant God. Biologists, geologists, physicists, neurologists, psychologists, astronomers and chemists, just to name a few, devote all their lives trying to uncover the mysteries of the creation. The immense beauty and diversity of the rainforest, for example, is beyond the mind’s ability to capture. The billions of microbes, the millions of exchanges in the great cycle of life, the immeasurable number of species and the sheer volume of music from the singing voices of a jungle that is fully alive is a mystery and playground that will never be fully documented, never fully understood. If we accept the Scripture’s assertion that nothing exists unless God made it, then we know God personally made every leaf, flower, bird, reptile, fungus, cat, spider, smell, color and sound that inhabits the ecosystems of our world. We serve a truly magnificent Creator” (as I sat in my office after midnight with my window open, it was amazing to feel the cool breeze and hear creation). B. Recognize that you exist for the Lord (I Cor. 8:6; Rom. 14:7-8) 1. There are many people living for themselves because they have no faith that God created them for a greater purpose (II Cor. 5:14-15; Gal. 2:20). 2. They live in survivor mode, where every man or woman fends for themselves. This can lead to the misuse and abuse of environmental resources since everyone lives with the attitude of selfishness. 3. Once we wrap our mind around the fact that we exist for the Lord, then we begin to see our personal lives and the environment in which we are placed in a different light (See James 4:13-15). 4. It becomes clearer to us day by day that God has made us in His image and that we are privileged to have life and breath. While we are here we make it our aim to please the Lord in all things by being faithful to Him. 5. Once we understand that the earth is the Lord’s and all things in it, then we understand our need for being good stewards of what has been entrusted to us. C. Have a heart that is filled with thanksgiving (Heb. 12:26-29) 1. Most of the problems with our environment can be solved with gratitude for what we have been given on this earth (Rom. 1:21-25). 2. If we are servants of the Lord, we have hope in being saved from the wrath of God when He sets this world on fire. Prior to this time of judgment we must learn to be thankful for all things that we receive from God. 3. While we are here God is our provider and sustainer. We must have a thankful heart and show Him how much we appreciate our blessings by using them as they are precious to us. 4. If you have ever received a gift that you were extremely thankful for, you probably didn’t run off and find the quickest way to ruin or misuse it. 5. Every breath we take is a blessing from God. Don’t take anything for granted. Give the Lord praise for the earth and His daily provisions. D. Use your life to glorify God (I Cor. 6:20) 1. We are told to use our bodies to glorify God by abstaining from sin. 2. To do the will of God we must deny ungodliness and worldly lust while living sensibly, righteously and godly in this world (Titus 2:11-14). 3. Since all have sinned against God, there has to come a time when we make up our minds to dedicate the rest of our lives to our Creator (I Peter 4:2-5) E. Live in hope of the restored creation of God (Rom. 8:19-25) 1. We read earlier about the new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells. Keep in mind that ever since sin entered the world, God has wanted not only to restore His relationship with mankind, but to lead us back into the paradise of His presence forever. 2. If it were not for sin, man would never have been separated from God. It is now our aim to get in and keep ourselves in a relationship with Him. 3. One of the reasons that heaven is so appealing to our soul is because we are tired of facing the trials, temptations and terrors of this life. God promises a place where there is no crying, dying, darkness and night, but only the light and love of His presence forever. 4. As beautiful as this world is, God is willing to destroy it to reveal to His own special people the new heaven and new earth. How beautiful heaven must be! F. Trust that God is in control of the created order of things (Psalm 46) 1. If our trust is in God, man cannot harm us (Psalm 56:11). 2. Even in the midst of difficult climatic and environmental crisis, we can be sure that nothing will separate us from the love of God in Christ (Rom. 8:28-39). 3. If God created the world and promised to sustain it, then I trust that He will do it. And if we know that God said the world would end by a fiery judgment, then who are we to believe that some other (so called) “earth shattering” environmental issue is not able to be handled by God. 4. Just as God knew man would sin and had a plan to save us, I am certain that God knows what would happen to an environment in a world that is marred by sin. His hand is able to sustain the earth until the time when He has determined to destroy it. We need to trust in Him and use what we have been given to His glory. G. Pray about environmental concerns 1. Whenever we have a care, the Lord asks us to cast them on Him because He cares for us (I Pet. 5:7). 2. Prayers are answered and we can find comfort in knowing that God hears and helps us with our petitions 3. In James 5:17-18 we read how a prophet prayed for rain and it rained. Then when he prayed for the rain to stop…guess what happened…it stopped. 4. If God is our sustainer, and He is, then we must call upon Him with every care and cause for concern when it comes to any issue with the environment. Conclusion 1. It is not necessary to discuss and or have concern over the many environmental issues that the world portrays as the doom of the earth, once we realize the truths we have discussed in this lesson. 2. Our God created all things, at this time He sustains them and one day will destroy the heavens and the earth with intense heat (not global warming but global burning). 3. Those who believe and trust in Him through faithful obedience will be saved from the wrath to come and are a part of a kingdom that cannot be shaken. When the world is shaken one last time with the fiery indignation of God, the kingdom will be delivered up to the Creator and we will spend eternity in a restored relationship with God. 4. Unfortunately, there are many who never recognize God as the Creator and they never come to Him with gratitude and service. They live for themselves and take for granted all that God has given them. Those who never give their life to the Lord will suffer eternal separation from God and His fierce wrath (II Thess. 1:6-10). 5. If you want to live with the hope of making heaven your home when this life is over, serve the Lord until the day when He calls the faithful home. 6. Make sure that as a creature made in the image of God, you are reflecting that image in the way that you steward His blessings on the earth. 7. If we can help you to come to the Creator for the very first time or if you need to return to Him after a time of negligence, then we stand ready to assist you. 8. God has been patient with us because He doesn’t want anyone created in His image to perish. But one day, “like a thief in the night” He will send His Son, who died to save us, to destroy all those who chose not to accept His salvation. It is only just and fair, since He gives you this moment to acknowledge Him as your Creator (Acts 17:30-31).