I thought tonight that we would pick up on where we touched this morning on both the nature of God and on creation, because it's hard just to touch on these things and to not keep going. You know, because these are very, very important topics. This morning, we talked about the fact that the God of the Bible is creator. And I think there's probably nothing more important for us as believers to say to the world around us. than the fact that we are not accidents, but that God has made us, that He has designed us for a purpose, that we have a reason to be here, and that God is working in us, that our lives are in His hand, and He'll take us when He's ready for us, and that for us, it's not right for us to take life. Whether it's the elderly, to pull the plug on them when they're no longer wanted. You know, we're worried about that because society tends to view that way. Secondly, we don't want to throw away our young. The babies, abortion, these little children that are cut up in the womb. It's hard to imagine that a culture that calls itself civilized can destroy its greatest asset, the young. What, 50 million have been eliminated since 1973? I think that's pretty close to the estimate. We think about the fact that when you devalue life in the womb and handicapped people and the elderly, You know, is that any different from what Hitler did when he got rid of the people he didn't like because they were from a different race? So, we have to say to the world around us, we believe that God is the Creator God and that He has made us and that He has designed us for a purpose and that we have a purpose in this life and that that purpose is a purpose that we are to carry out in faith. that we trust Him, that we trust that He will guide us about our lives, that He will use us, and that He will take us home when He's ready. The God who made us is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe that God is the Trinity. Now don't ask me to explain the Trinity. I cannot explain it to you. Because to our minds, there's no way that it makes sense. I used to have a man that was my dear friend and a deacon in our church in Marion in the early years. And he used to say, Calvin, every time I think about the Trinity, I can't, I have to stop. I said, I know. The Trinity is not something we can take in. How can there be one God who exists in three persons, and yet the three persons be one God, and yet that one God is Father, Son, Holy Spirit? All God, all on the same level. One's not greater than the other. You see, there's so many groups that struggle with Zion. Okay. You know, this is the top God, and then His Son is secondary down here, and then the Holy Spirit is kind of an it. You know, kind of an it. So, the Trinity is where so many people mess up. It's where so many groups veer off the wheels. It's a mystery that God is one God who exists in three persons, and that each one is a hundred percent God. Now, this God thinks and chooses. Let's take our Bibles and look at Ephesians 1, verse 4. We're going to look at some different verses tonight as we look at what the Scripture says about God and about creation. Let's look at Ephesians 1, verse 4. Notice what it says. It says, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation. The God that He is, is the God that chooses, that He makes plans. The God that He is, the God of the Bible, is the one who thinks about things and He plans. He purposes. on how He's going to act. He chooses before the foundation, before He even made the world. Now, we can't think about a time when there was no time. You know, it's hard for us to think of what we call eternity past. And yet, God says that before time began, that He was there. He has always been there. And that He is the God who plans, who thinks, and who purposes. Now in Genesis, we see that He decided to create. Remember Genesis 1. In the beginning, God created the world. He thought, He planned, He purposed, and at a set point, He created. He created the world. He began time. He created the world. He decided to create. And He created everything. He created everything. Remember in Colossians 1 it says everything visible and invisible. He created the world that we see. He created the world that we can't see. He created the invisible world. In Ephesians chapter 6, it's at verse 12. You remember it talks about putting on the spiritual armor? And you remember what it said there? In Ephesians 6, 12 it says, For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against powers, against world forces of darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. It says, in the heavenlies. So here are the things that we can't see. God says that there's a battle going on. The battle that takes place in the heavenlies. And remember Job tells us about that. Because he says Satan's been moving around, going across the earth. He comes in when it's time to come before God. He comes before God and God says, Have you seen my servant Job? And then there's the battle in the heavens. There's where he says, if you'll let me touch him, then he'll curse you. And he says, OK, go ahead and try. So here is the God who creates. He creates the visible. He creates the invisible. He's created the seraphs, the cherubim. He's created the angels. He's created these heavenly beings that we can just get a picture of in Revelation and the prophets. He's created what we can see, what we can't see. And this God who creates is loving. Let's turn to John 3, 16, our very, very famous, well-known passage that we all love to quote. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." God is telling us that the loving God that exists is the loving God. He loves us. Now, we know he's just, we know he's merciful. Exodus 34, 6 and 7. The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving-kindness and truth, who keeps loving-kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquities, transgressions, and sins, yet he will by no means clear the guilty. So the God that exists is loving, He plans, He thinks, He orders, He creates. Why do you think we're like we are? Because we're made in the image of God. Why do you think we like to plan? Why do you think we like to create? Why do you think we like to do beautiful works of art? Why do you think we love to see these beautiful photographs of the oceans, of the mountains? Some of the most beautiful photographs I've ever seen are in Dulles Airport of certain things in space, the rings around Saturn and things like that. They've taken these from the Hubble telescope. Unbelievable beauty in God's creation. The God who is, is the God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He thinks, He creates, He plans. And we are like Him. We are made in His image and after His likeness. He created man in His image and He gave us rule or authority over the animal world. Go back to Genesis chapter 1. Let's look at verses 26 and 27. Genesis 1, verses 26 and 27. You remember what was written here. It says, Then God said, Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth. And over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, God created man in His own image. In the image of God, He created him male and female. He created them. So we have this picture of God creating. But again, if you look at this Genesis passage, what did it say? It said, let us make man in our image after our likeness. It gives us the basis for what we'll see later in the Trinity. It allows for it right there, because it says, let us make man in our image after our likeness. Now, a lot of people say, oh, well, that's just what they call the royal we. It's the thing like when a president speaks and he talks about his plans and he says, we plan to do this, we plan to do that, we plan to do this. Well, it's not that, because later on in the scripture, you see the delineation of the Trinity. In the New Testament, you can see the delineation of the truth. Even in the Old Testament, in the Old Testament, in Isaiah, you know, we see again the emphasis. Let's turn to Isaiah 6, verse 8. Isaiah 6, verse 8. Isaiah 6, verse 8 reads like this. Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for us? Again, there's us. Then I said, here am I, send me. There's the allowance again of the Trinity. And you remember when Jesus was talking to the scribes and the Pharisees and he said to them, don't you guys don't you guys read the Psalms? And he says, explain this one to me. In Psalm 110, where he says, the Lord said to my Lord, let us make him a footstool for our feet. He says, the Lord said to my Lord? You see, David had a Lord. The father, let me go back to that one. This is a reminder that the Trinity is there, and we see the allowance for the Trinity, and we see it more fully. Here it is, Psalm 110, verse 1. The Lord says to my Lord. There it is. Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. Psalm 110, verse 1. David's Lord says to my Lord, the Lord God says to his Lord Christ, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. There's two of the persons of the Trinity right there. God the Father, God the Son. The Lord said to my Lord. David says he's my Lord. So over and over again, we see allowance in the Old Testament. For the Trinity, now let's go to the New Testament and we'll see it in a fuller way in Matthew Chapter 3 verses 16 and 17. Matthew Chapter 3. Verses 16 and 17. This is, of course, the baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ and at the baptism. Well, let's just look what it says. After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on him. And behold, a voice out of the heavens said, This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. So you've got all three persons of the Trinity. You've got Jesus in the water, you've got the Spirit of God descending upon Jesus, and you've got the Father speaking from heaven. So you've got the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. You've got all three persons of the Trinity clearly outlined for us in this one passage. Now, this God that thinks, that plans, that creates, is pointed to over and over again as the Creator. And if you want to do a study sometime that would be interesting, is go and look at, get your concordance out and look at the word create and see how many times that's used. Now, again, Evolution and creation, in our world, many people believe that creation is outdated. Many people believe that creation is superstition. They believe that it's been proven that evolution is real and that creation can't possibly exist. And so the only people that believe in creation are very primitive, backward, uneducated people. So now that's what many people in the world think of us, that we're backward and uneducated and unenlightened. Now, but listen, listen, again you have to say, their world view, what is their world view? Their world view is that they came into being by chance. Evolution teaches that X amount of years ago, that some chemicals accidentally came together, and that those chemicals that accidentally came together had to, were the essence of the beginning of life, and all life formed from that one accident. And that you and I are therefore accidents. We weren't designed, we weren't planned, we weren't thought about, we weren't cared about. We are only an accident of time and chemicals and that one day we'll die and those chemicals will rot in the ground and that's the end. Now you have to live on their worldview. If you start with that, If they believe that, and they're going to carry it out to its consistent end, then there's no hope. And many of the people that started with that starting point have committed suicide, haven't they? Many of the people who have started and said, I'm only an accident. You know, there's no God. There's nobody to report to. What I do doesn't matter. I can be mean to people or I can be good to people. It does not matter. There's no morality. There's no right. There's no wrong. There's no purpose for living. I ought to just do whatever I want to, enjoy myself, because one day I'm going to die. And I say to you, they can't live with that. They can't live with that because they're made in the image and likeness of God. And they know, down deep, they suppress the knowledge, but they know down deep that God made them, that they have a conscience, that they've been made to have fellowship with God, and they don't want that, and they're rebelling against it. Now people don't rebel against the idea of God, but I'll tell you what they do rebel against. They rebel against the idea of the God of the Bible. Because the God of the Bible calls us to account for our lives. The God of the Bible calls us to live in a moral way and in a right way with each other. Calls us to love each other and care for each other and to be a community. The God of the Bible has rules and regulations, and you see, most people don't want rules and regulations. They don't want to be called into account, and they don't like the fact that there is a God to whom they may have to report. So there is very much hatred against the God of the Bible. I saw a bumper sticker on a car the other day. This one bumper sticker was one of those tolerance bumper stickers, and it had every symbol but the Christian symbol. It had Judaism, it had yin and yang, it had the old peace symbol, it had all kinds of things on there, but it did not have any Christian symbol. Who did they leave out on purpose? They left the God of the Bible out on purpose because they can't stand Him. Because He's the one that calls them to account and they're afraid that one day they might have to. They're going to leave Him out. They don't want His rules. They don't want His regulations. It's like the women's movement yesterday. It's like, keep your hands off my body. I don't want anybody telling me what to do. If I want to have an abortion, I'll have an abortion. You know? I'm going to live on my rules. But the God of the Bible says there are regulations and rules. We're made in His image after His likeness. He's made us. But you see, if you accept our starting point, that you've been made for a purpose, that you've been designed That you have a reason to live. That God loves you. That He sent His Son Jesus to die for you. That He cares for you. That He's called you to be part of His family. That He's brought you in and you're going to inherit everything that Christ inherits. That He loves you and one day He's going to come get you. Jesus says, Let those that are yours come to be with me where I am. See, one day we're going to be with Him where He is for all eternity. The two worldviews, the worldview of life as an accident or life as a designed plan by the designing, planning, triune God. I think we have to say, where do you, as those around us, where do you want to live? Which world do you want to live in? Do you want to live in your world where there's no hope and no reason, no morality, no future, no nothing, and you just die? Or do you want to live in the world that He is, where God made us, He's planned for us, He died for us, He lives for us, and we'll be with Him forever. That's what we can take with us. Let's pray. Father, thank you for giving us hope. Thank you for giving us your son, the savior of the world, Jesus. Thank you for a future that is bright and beautiful, because Father, we'll be with you and we'll be with all those who love you and put their faith and trust in you. We thank you that we look forward to that day to experience and to see the joy of being with you for all eternity. We thank you, Father, for the promise that redemption redeems us, that you redeem us from all the rotten things in our life, that you buy us from those terrible sins and you give us instead the wonderful righteousness of Christ, purity and righteousness and holiness. Thank you that we can have that, and that you've freely loved us like that. Forgive our sins, Father, and help us this week as we interact with others. For we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.