The fact that God created this world in seven literal days is one of the fundamental truths of Scripture. The entire Bible begins with the words “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). The Bible’s last book, Revelation, calls us to “worship Him who made heaven and earth” (Rev. 14:7, NKJV). God is worthy of our worship because He created us. We did not evolve. We are not merely a genetic accident. We are much more than an advanced member of the animal kingdom. We are human beings with incredible value because God created us. Each one of us is unique in His eyes.
This week’s lesson explores the significance of Creation itself. After all, what can anything else we believe, as Christians, mean, or even become sensible, apart from us as beings created by God? Notice the opening lines of the Bible, the opening chapter, Genesis 1. They don’t talk about justification by faith alone, do they? They say nothing about the life, the death, resurrection and high priestly ministry of Jesus, either. Not a word about the Second Coming. Total silence on the Ten Commandments and the eternal perpetuity of God’s law. Nothing about the state of the dead.
Why? The answer is, really, simple. These docrines, however important, become meaningless dribble, pure and utter nonsense apart from the doctrince of Creation inself, apart from the opening line—“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Part II: Commentary
In November 1998, Charles Colson wrote an article entitled “Astronauts Who Found God: A Spiritual View of Space.” In it, he said, “Astronaut John Glenn’s return to outer space 36 years after his awe-inspiring orbit around the earth is a reminder of the kind of heroism that makes space exploration possible. . . . [Glenn told reporters in 1998, just after returning, at age 77, from his final trip into space that] ‘To look out at this kind of creation and not believe in God is to me impossible. It just strengthens my faith.’ ”—Charles Colson, Breakpoint Commentary, November 5, 1998.
People may be unaware that many of the early astronaut heroes had a deep religious faith. Their view of infinite space only increased their faith. “Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are best known as [two of] the first astronauts to land on the moon and take that ‘giant leap for mankind.’ But you probably don’t know that before they emerged from the spaceship, Aldrin pulled out a Bible, a silver chalice, and sacramental bread and wine. There on the moon, his first act was to celebrate communion.
“Frank Borman was commander of the first space crew to travel beyond the Earth’s orbit. Looking down on the earth from 250,000 miles away, Borman radioed back a message, quoting Genesis 1: ‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.’ As he later explained, ‘I had an enormous feeling that there had to be a power greater than any of us—that there was a God, that there was indeed a beginning.’ ”—Charles Colson, Breakpoint Commentary, November 5, 1998. Each of the astronauts discussed here sensed that this world was not the result of fortuitous chance. Nor was life a cosmic accident. The astronauts realized the truth of Genesis 1:1—that this world was created by an all-knowing, all-powerful God.
The three angels’ messages of Revelation 14 proclaim with a “loud voice” the message of Creation and of an omniscient God. God is never caught by surprise. He sees events yet to unfold before they ever occur. The message of the three angels is specifically designed by God to meet the humanistic, postmodern challenges of this generation. It is no accident that, at the same time that the theory of evolution was developed, God sent a message to the world to worship the Creator.
Think, too, for a moment, if evolution were true, how many lies we have been told in the Bible. Just for starters, Genesis 2:1, 2 tell three. “Thus the heavens and earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done” (NKJV).Genesis 2:1, which says that the original work of creation was “finished,” would be a lie because science claims that the creative process, evolution, is still going on. (Google Is evolution still happening? or the like). If so, then the work of creation has not ended, even though Genesis 2:2 says that God “ended His work which He had done” (NKJV). Genesis 2:2 also says that God rested on the seventh day from all His work. The seventh day of what? Creation (we’re told) took billions of years, and counting, and so this verse about Him resting on the seventh day “from all His work which He had done” would be another lie.
And tragically, these three fabrications would be only the start of the lies we have been told; that is, if evolution were true.
A Plan for Every Life
When Bruce Olson was 19 years old, he went into the jungle on the border of Colombia and Venezuela to bring the gospel to the Barí tribe. The Barí were a primitive, aboriginal people isolated in the dense jungles of South America. They were known for their fierce fighting ability and their violent, barbaric tactics when they warred against other tribes. Bruce was unfazed by their brutal reputation and, if necessary, was willing to give his life to share the gospel with them. He spent weeks trying to win their confidence. No Westerner had entered their territory before. Slowly, over time, the Barí learned to love this gentle, caring foreigner. As Bruce shared the gospel with these primitive natives, they experienced new life in Christ. The all-powerful Creator changed their lives. This once warlike, violent tribe became a force for peace in the entire region.
Just as Bruce was making real progress for the gospel, the unexpected happened. Colombian guerrillas kidnapped him and held him in a secret hideout deep in the jungle. Subsequently, the Colombian army attempted to recruit the Barí to war against the guerrillas.
The Barí refused, saying, “Violence only engenders violence.”
Bruce was held for months in inhumane conditions; yet, he was able to rise above the horror of his circumstances. He won the confidence of his captors. Eventually they gave him a Bible. Day after day he shared God’s Word with them. More than 100 of these rebel fighters accepted Christ and broke with the guerrilla force, laid down their weapons, and rejoined society as productive Colombian citizens.
Despite the evil forces marshaled against Bruce Olson, the all-powerful Creator had a plan for his life, and all the powers of hell could not destroy it. Our Creator not only had a plan for Bruce Olson’s life—He has a plan for our lives. But it even gets better. Our Creator not only has a plan for our lives, but through the Holy Spirit, He will guide us into His plan. Understanding the richness of the Sabbath gives us deeper understanding of God’s plan for us, as well as deeper purpose to our lives.
As this week’s lesson points out, the Hebrew word bará is something only God can do. Human beings can make something out of the existing materials available, but only God can make something out of nothing. When God speaks His word, tangible matter appears (Ps. 33:6, 9; Heb. 1:1, 2). When God speaks, whatever He says is so, even if it were never so before, because God’s word has the creative power to make it so. When we worship the Creator of heaven and earth on the Sabbath, we acknowledge that He is all-powerful.
If He is powerful enough to create this world and everything in it, He is certainly powerful enough to change our lives. The Sabbath is a symbol of both justification (our rest in Christ alone) and sanctification (our strength in Christ alone). The prophet Ezekiel states this idea clearly:
“ ‘Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them’ ” (Ezek. 20:12, NKJV). As we worship each Sabbath, the Creator re-creates us. The One who made us remakes us. The One who formed us reforms us.
The final conflict over worship, as outlined in the book of Revelation, is precisely because Christ has created us, redeemed us, transformed us, and is coming again for us. The devil hates the Sabbath because He hates everything it represents. The Sabbath is a symbol of Christ’s authority, His dominion, His grace, and His power. If Satan can deceive people into believing that the Sabbath is of no significance, he can then undermine the Creator’s authority and turn the allegiance of millions toward himself. Therefore, God has sent His last-day message in Revelation 14 to prepare our world for the return of our Creator and Redeemer, who will re-create this planet in Edenic splendor.
Part III: Life Application
For Personal Reflection: The God of Creation brought the sun, moon, and stars into existence. His awesome power created this planet and filled it with living things. This same God delivered His people from Egyptian bondage, guided them in their wilderness wanderings, rained manna out of heaven, caused the walls of Jericho to collapse, and defeated Israel’s enemies. This same God is interested in you and me. In our behalf, He unleashes Creation power to defeat the enemy who battles for our soul. Our understanding and acceptance of this Bible truth makes all the difference.
Every single one of us faces battles with temptation every day. Here is the incredibly good news: the same God who unleashed His infinite power to create the world unleashes that same infinite power to defeat the forces of hell that wage the battles for our souls. Jesus has something much more to offer than frustrated defeat. He has something much more to offer than repeated failure. He has something much more to offer than failing over the same impediment again and again. Who is it that we serve? The all-powerful Creator with unlimited, infinite power. This power is ours when we grasp it by faith. We are transformed, changed, and made new by the power of the Creator.
Discussion and Prayer: Ask a volunteer to read 2 Corinthians 5:17: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (NKJV).
Discuss with your class what it means to be made a new creation.
In closing, pray for your students, asking God to help them to understand more deeply and completely how His creative power can change their lives.
Notes
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The fact that God created this world in seven literal days is one of the fundamental truths of Scripture. The entire Bible begins with the words “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). The Bible’s last book, Revelation, calls us to “worship Him who made heaven and earth” (Rev. 14:7, NKJV). God is worthy of our worship because He created us. We did not evolve. We are not merely a genetic accident. We are much more than an advanced member of the animal kingdom. We are human beings with incredible value because God created us. Each one of us is unique in His eyes.
This week’s lesson explores the significance of Creation itself. After all, what can anything else we believe, as Christians, mean, or even become sensible, apart from us as beings created by God? Notice the opening lines of the Bible, the opening chapter, Genesis 1. They don’t talk about justification by faith alone, do they? They say nothing about the life, the death, resurrection and high priestly ministry of Jesus, either. Not a word about the Second Coming. Total silence on the Ten Commandments and the eternal perpetuity of God’s law. Nothing about the state of the dead.
Why? The answer is, really, simple. These docrines, however important, become meaningless dribble, pure and utter nonsense apart from the doctrince of Creation inself, apart from the opening line—“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Part II: Commentary
In November 1998, Charles Colson wrote an article entitled “Astronauts Who Found God: A Spiritual View of Space.” In it, he said, “Astronaut John Glenn’s return to outer space 36 years after his awe-inspiring orbit around the earth is a reminder of the kind of heroism that makes space exploration possible. . . . [Glenn told reporters in 1998, just after returning, at age 77, from his final trip into space that] ‘To look out at this kind of creation and not believe in God is to me impossible. It just strengthens my faith.’ ”—Charles Colson, Breakpoint Commentary, November 5, 1998.
People may be unaware that many of the early astronaut heroes had a deep religious faith. Their view of infinite space only increased their faith. “Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are best known as [two of] the first astronauts to land on the moon and take that ‘giant leap for mankind.’ But you probably don’t know that before they emerged from the spaceship, Aldrin pulled out a Bible, a silver chalice, and sacramental bread and wine. There on the moon, his first act was to celebrate communion.
“Frank Borman was commander of the first space crew to travel beyond the Earth’s orbit. Looking down on the earth from 250,000 miles away, Borman radioed back a message, quoting Genesis 1: ‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.’ As he later explained, ‘I had an enormous feeling that there had to be a power greater than any of us—that there was a God, that there was indeed a beginning.’ ”—Charles Colson, Breakpoint Commentary, November 5, 1998. Each of the astronauts discussed here sensed that this world was not the result of fortuitous chance. Nor was life a cosmic accident. The astronauts realized the truth of Genesis 1:1—that this world was created by an all-knowing, all-powerful God.
The three angels’ messages of Revelation 14 proclaim with a “loud voice” the message of Creation and of an omniscient God. God is never caught by surprise. He sees events yet to unfold before they ever occur. The message of the three angels is specifically designed by God to meet the humanistic, postmodern challenges of this generation. It is no accident that, at the same time that the theory of evolution was developed, God sent a message to the world to worship the Creator.
Think, too, for a moment, if evolution were true, how many lies we have been told in the Bible. Just for starters, Genesis 2:1, 2 tell three. “Thus the heavens and earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done” (NKJV).Genesis 2:1, which says that the original work of creation was “finished,” would be a lie because science claims that the creative process, evolution, is still going on. (Google Is evolution still happening? or the like). If so, then the work of creation has not ended, even though Genesis 2:2 says that God “ended His work which He had done” (NKJV). Genesis 2:2 also says that God rested on the seventh day from all His work. The seventh day of what? Creation (we’re told) took billions of years, and counting, and so this verse about Him resting on the seventh day “from all His work which He had done” would be another lie.
And tragically, these three fabrications would be only the start of the lies we have been told; that is, if evolution were true.
A Plan for Every Life
When Bruce Olson was 19 years old, he went into the jungle on the border of Colombia and Venezuela to bring the gospel to the Barí tribe. The Barí were a primitive, aboriginal people isolated in the dense jungles of South America. They were known for their fierce fighting ability and their violent, barbaric tactics when they warred against other tribes. Bruce was unfazed by their brutal reputation and, if necessary, was willing to give his life to share the gospel with them. He spent weeks trying to win their confidence. No Westerner had entered their territory before. Slowly, over time, the Barí learned to love this gentle, caring foreigner. As Bruce shared the gospel with these primitive natives, they experienced new life in Christ. The all-powerful Creator changed their lives. This once warlike, violent tribe became a force for peace in the entire region.
Just as Bruce was making real progress for the gospel, the unexpected happened. Colombian guerrillas kidnapped him and held him in a secret hideout deep in the jungle. Subsequently, the Colombian army attempted to recruit the Barí to war against the guerrillas.
The Barí refused, saying, “Violence only engenders violence.”
Bruce was held for months in inhumane conditions; yet, he was able to rise above the horror of his circumstances. He won the confidence of his captors. Eventually they gave him a Bible. Day after day he shared God’s Word with them. More than 100 of these rebel fighters accepted Christ and broke with the guerrilla force, laid down their weapons, and rejoined society as productive Colombian citizens.
Despite the evil forces marshaled against Bruce Olson, the all-powerful Creator had a plan for his life, and all the powers of hell could not destroy it. Our Creator not only had a plan for Bruce Olson’s life—He has a plan for our lives. But it even gets better. Our Creator not only has a plan for our lives, but through the Holy Spirit, He will guide us into His plan. Understanding the richness of the Sabbath gives us deeper understanding of God’s plan for us, as well as deeper purpose to our lives.
As this week’s lesson points out, the Hebrew word bará is something only God can do. Human beings can make something out of the existing materials available, but only God can make something out of nothing. When God speaks His word, tangible matter appears (Ps. 33:6, 9; Heb. 1:1, 2). When God speaks, whatever He says is so, even if it were never so before, because God’s word has the creative power to make it so. When we worship the Creator of heaven and earth on the Sabbath, we acknowledge that He is all-powerful.
If He is powerful enough to create this world and everything in it, He is certainly powerful enough to change our lives. The Sabbath is a symbol of both justification (our rest in Christ alone) and sanctification (our strength in Christ alone). The prophet Ezekiel states this idea clearly:
“ ‘Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them’ ” (Ezek. 20:12, NKJV). As we worship each Sabbath, the Creator re-creates us. The One who made us remakes us. The One who formed us reforms us.
The final conflict over worship, as outlined in the book of Revelation, is precisely because Christ has created us, redeemed us, transformed us, and is coming again for us. The devil hates the Sabbath because He hates everything it represents. The Sabbath is a symbol of Christ’s authority, His dominion, His grace, and His power. If Satan can deceive people into believing that the Sabbath is of no significance, he can then undermine the Creator’s authority and turn the allegiance of millions toward himself. Therefore, God has sent His last-day message in Revelation 14 to prepare our world for the return of our Creator and Redeemer, who will re-create this planet in Edenic splendor.
Part III: Life Application
For Personal Reflection: The God of Creation brought the sun, moon, and stars into existence. His awesome power created this planet and filled it with living things. This same God delivered His people from Egyptian bondage, guided them in their wilderness wanderings, rained manna out of heaven, caused the walls of Jericho to collapse, and defeated Israel’s enemies. This same God is interested in you and me. In our behalf, He unleashes Creation power to defeat the enemy who battles for our soul. Our understanding and acceptance of this Bible truth makes all the difference.
Every single one of us faces battles with temptation every day. Here is the incredibly good news: the same God who unleashed His infinite power to create the world unleashes that same infinite power to defeat the forces of hell that wage the battles for our souls. Jesus has something much more to offer than frustrated defeat. He has something much more to offer than repeated failure. He has something much more to offer than failing over the same impediment again and again. Who is it that we serve? The all-powerful Creator with unlimited, infinite power. This power is ours when we grasp it by faith. We are transformed, changed, and made new by the power of the Creator.
Discussion and Prayer: Ask a volunteer to read 2 Corinthians 5:17: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (NKJV).
Discuss with your class what it means to be made a new creation.
In closing, pray for your students, asking God to help them to understand more deeply and completely how His creative power can change their lives.
Notes