Sermon Title: The Absolute God
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” (Genesis 1:1-3)
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
In this new sermon series – Living By His Word - we embark on a journey of life-discovery and God’s Guidance through the major accounts, stories, and themes of the entire Bible – the written word of God.
How do you know the Will of God?
How do you recognize God’s guidance in your life; or His work in your circumstances?
How do you know if your life is pleasing before God?
How do you pray for yourself and others? What do you pray about?
To know God is to know His Heart; and to know His Heart, is to know His Word.
To live truly as His Church, we must always be found on the pathway of Spiritual Formation and Discipleship.
Throughout the Bible, God has been present to the world; and in every state, pattern and rhythm of human life.
Through every brokenness, sin and uncertainty, the Lord lovingly redeemed His People - in their contrition and repentance - and saved them from the darkness within, and without.
Through every challenge, trouble, oppression and persecution, the Lord faithfully revealed Himself in His Mighty Power - going victoriously before His faithful People and delivering them from their enemies.
In order to know God’s Will – His Direction and Guidance – in your life, you must be devoted and disciplined in knowing His written word well; and through deep, intimate familiarity with the Bible, open yourself fully for the Lord to set His agenda for your life.
Clarity of His Divine Will and Guidance for your life comes when you are able to locate your story in His.
Knowing how and what to pray comes supernaturally when you know His Word intimately and allow the accounts, stories, themes and prayers in the Bible to provide a divine framework for you to encounter God.
Living By His Word is how every child of the living God must live.
Through this intimate and strategic surveillance of the Bible, the written word of God, it is my prayer that the Holy Spirit would direct your thoughts, hearts and lives in His Power in order that you discover your identity and find your story in His - that every decision that you would make living forward will glorify, honor and serve our God.
Do you find yourself or your circumstance in the Story of Creation?
“In the beginning God created... ...” (Genesis 1:1) speaks to God the Creator having existed even before the concept of a ‘beginning’.
In fact, in the beginning, God was already in the work of creation.
“Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world from everlasting to everlasting You are God” (Psalm 90:2)
There can be no doubt.
God is the Creator.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3)
In the manner of His Creation is found His matchless Authority, and Power.
“God said...He made... and it was so”; and the Holy Spirit was present to everything that God spoke into being – and such, is the divine pattern of His work in Creation.
Every aspect of Creation speaks to His fulfilled word; AND the necessity of His divine life that ensures the existence of all things created.
We may believe that the sun is the source of all life on the earth; but to read that God created vegetation on the day before He created the “lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth” (Genesis 1:14-15) reveals that He alone is the Source of all life.
This account of Creation unveils God’s absolute supremacy and singular deity-hood – there is only one, almighty God; and reveals to us that from the very foundation of the cosmos, to the individual air molecules in our atmosphere, God is concerned with our well-being; He takes care of us; He watches over us, He provides for us, and He loves us.
The Creator is the Absolute God; and to this, His Presence, His Word, and His Love is Absolute.
God’s Presence is Absolute
”Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
Genesis 1:2
The Creator God is always present to us in every circumstance; even before anything was formed, His Spirit hovered over the face of the formless, void, dark and deep waters, which represents chaos - the matters of Creation yet formed.
To us, such chaos manifest our lives with foreboding, despair, uncertainty, brokenness and even darkness.
When you are feeling broken, chaotic, desperate, or even dark and empty, know that the Spirit of God is hovering over you; know that the Holy Spirit is near.
God is present regardless of how dark we become; or no matter how far we seem to be from Him.
God is always present.
From the very beginning, darkness submit under the Spirit of God.
There is nothing that is above God.
When you are feeling down and dejected; or when you are in darkness, know that every force of darkness must submit to the Presence and Power of God.
So pray to the Lord, and rise above the darkness to be where He is!
God is ever-present to You; be ever-present to Him - and you will find yourself rising above the darkness in the Name of Jesus and by the Power of the Holy Spirit!
God’s Presence is absolute; and in His Presence, you have the freedom to overcome every darkness.
God’s Word is Absolute.
”And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3)
God spoke.
Creation submitted, and came into being by the divine power of God's Word.
When God blessed, creation thrived.
His Word is Absolute - first and last, beginning and end.
There is great comfort and deep confidence in knowing that God's Word is Absolute; always good, always certain, always fruitful and always true.
On the fifth day of Creation, God created all the living creatures of the seas and all the birds and He “blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” (Genesis 1:22)
With God’s blessings upon the animals of the seas, the sky and by implication, the land, we have observed a noticeable restoration of eco-systems with the return of animals in some unexpected places within the past two years with the whole world on pandemic lockdowns and periods of economic and industrial ‘pause’ that afforded Creation a brief season of rest and respite.
Is Creation in trouble?
Is the environment being irreparably damaged by human greed in enterprise?
Not if the Spirit of God continues to ‘hover’ over, and be present to Creation.
I am not saying that the environment is in a good place.
It is not.
I believe we must engage the environment with a far greater sense of responsibility and a deeper sense of purpose.
I believe that we must, and can be much better stewards of Creation.
But I do not think that we should act out of anxiety or fear of the world getting destroyed; or imbue any form of doomsday phobias.
Barely two years of reduced industrial activities and transportations and we observe a perceptible recovery of eco-systems once thought to be fragile or threatened.
God’s blessing upon all the animals of the world remains absolute and unchanging.
Everything we do to be God’s stewards over Creation must come out of a place of absolute trust in God’s perfect design of Creation and His Holy Spirit that continues to give creative life to Creation.
The animals have been blessed by God!
Nothing Man can do will take away His blessing over Creation.
On the sixth day of Creation, God created man and woman in His own image to commune with Him.
He blessed them and gave them every creature and the whole earth to rule over, steward, nurture, care for, and cultivate. (Ref: Genesis 1:26-28)
In these distinct two forms – “male and female” - God created Mankind; and blessed them.
As we said earlier about the absolute, unchanging and inviolable nature of God’s blessings, nothing can ever take God’s blessing in Genesis 1:28 away from Mankind.
With the rise of belief systems, lifestyles, and movements that contravene God’s divine design of human beings in terms of gender, marriage, family and community, is Mankind in trouble?
Again, not if the Spirit of God continues to ‘hover’ over, and be present to Creation.
I believe that we – the church – must overtly live out God’s perfect and original design of humanity, gender, marriage, family and community – as He has ordained from the beginning.
And even in the escalation of oppositions and prevalent defiance towards God’s ordained design of humanity, we should never react out of anxiety or fear that human society would be indelibly perverted.
Instead, everything we do as God’s Children must come out of a place of absolute trust in God’s perfect design of Creation and His absolute word of blessing upon Mankind as established in Genesis 1:28.
Know that His Holy Spirit continues to give creative life to all of Creation, and that Mankind has been blessed by God!
As long as we live according to His holy design for us, His blessing of fruitfulness and multiplication remains absolute, unchanging and sacred.
What has God's Word for you been?
What promises has He impressed upon your life?
In His Time, it will come to pass!
Just as we understand that every ‘day’ or stage of Creation was not a 24-hour day; that even if it took millions of years for Creation to be where we are today, God's Word will ultimately come to pass.
Our Lord Jesus reveals to us in Luke 21:33, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
God doesn't just try, God does; because God is.
At every strategic stage of Creation, the bible tells us that God saw that it was good; and after God “created mankind in His image, male and female He created them” (Gen 1:27) and “blessed them and said "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28); He “saw everything that He had made and indeed, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31)
If you ever wonder how anything good can possibly come from your current situation, remember that in the Lord and in His perfect time, things will turn out very good.
Remember that God's response to prayer is immediate.
He keeps all His Promises - and even though the effects may not be visible at first, His Promises and Word has already happened – both within, and around you!
All you need to do is to wait upon God.
Trust in His immeasurable goodness.
He is our God who says to us in Jeremiah 29:11-12:
“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
To which the Apostle Paul teaches us in Romans 8:28:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
God’s Word is absolute.
Hang onto His every word and promise.
It will come to pass!
God’s Love is Absolute
“Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.
Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (Genesis 2:1-3)
The heavens and the earth “completed in all their vast array” (Genesis 2:1) was created for humankind – the only creature “created... in His own Image”, “male and female he created them” – to thrive.
Such is God’s great and absolute love for us!
From the first day to the sixth, everything was created so that Mankind may thrive in living full and fruitful lives.
However, the crowning glory of Creation is not Mankind; for in His absolute love, all of Creation was designed and destined in perfection to exist in His Rest – on the seventh day that was made holy because He blessed it.
As God’s Children, we live in His Rest because we live in His Salvific Love – a love that nothing can ever separate us from.
In fact, the Apostle Paul writes in divine revelation:
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
The fact and reality that we can revel in God’s Love; rest in His Promises, and trust in His Word – is the very ability that speaks to the manifestation of God’s Goodness and Love in our lives.
That in spite of our circumstances, we may trust in the Lord with all our hearts, and lean not on our own understanding; believing that in all our ways we may acknowledge Him, for He will undoubtedly direct our paths. (Ref: Proverbs 3:5-6)
The undeniable reality is that the love of God is absolute.
Which is why we must notice a glaring gap in the Creation account.
God created the heavens and the earth in their infinite, unknowable and vast array.
What is missing in the account of Creation?
There is no mention of hell; nor demons.
In the Creation account especially written for Mankind, there is no mention of hell.
So, why is there no mention of hell?
What is hell?
Why did God create a place of judgment for humanity?
God did not create hell as a judgment for humanity, but for the punishment of the devil and his angels.
Our Lord Jesus alluded in Matthew 25:41, “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels’”
Hell was created as a place of judgment and punishment for Satan, his angels, and those who followed him in their defiance and rebellion against God.
Revelation 20:10 and 20:15 resonates clearly that the devil and his angels will eventually be consigned to hell:
“10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.
They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
“15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
What are the crimes of the deceived?
Revelation 21:8 informs us:
“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Human beings, who are created in God's image, saved by His Son, Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit - are not meant to spend even a minute moment apart from God, much less, spend an eternity away from His presence.
The place God created for His Children – us - is His Eternal and Perfect Kingdom.
In John 14:2-3, our Lord Jesus spoke of this place that God has prepared for those who genuinely trust Him and gave their lives to serving Him:
“In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
Hell was neither created, nor intended for humanity, but it has become the destination for those who reject God's salvation in Jesus Christ.
The Creator God is a God of holiness and justice, as well as the God of love – divine, moral attributes that are complementary, and not contradictory.
Precisely in His love, He cannot allow sin to go unpunished.
This is the reason why our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, came to die on the Cross – “to give His life a ransom for many.” (Ref: Matthew 20:28).
Unbelievers – either in consciousness or unconsciousness of their sin and guilt – would inevitably place an emphasis on hell as a form of justification as to why they cannot believe in the existence of a loving and just God.
But the fact is that God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ to reveal His absolute and infinite love for Mankind – and save us from the fiery lake; which is the eventual destination for those who continue to be unrepentant of their sinful ways.
Which is what the Apostle Paul wrote precisely about in Romans 5:8,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
God revealed His absolute love to us by sending His Son to die in our place for the atonement for our sins. Christ took our punishment so that we may be made righteous by our faith in Him and become children of God. (Ref: John 1:12)
We become citizens of God’s Kingdom because we repent from our wicked ways, accept God’s Love, Salvation and choose once again, to live in obedience to His ways.
The judgment of the fiery lake is for those who rejected God's Salvation through Christ.
2 Peter 3:9 clarifies to us that God is indeed, the God of love – who is “patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
Absolute repentance – the act of turning away from sin and turning towards Christ - is the only response to God’s Absolute Love.
Have you come to repentance before God? Have you truly responded to His Absolute Love?
The God who is Absolute in His Presence, Word and Love
As we step into this New Year, let us step into a new beginning – in the very pattern of the Creation Story – that grants us a fresh recognition of God for who He truly is – absolute in His Presence, His Word and His Love for us.
God’s Presence to you is absolute; but are you absolutely present to Him? Or have you been ‘busy’ and distracted by the world that He created for you; in a body and a life that He created and gave you?
Is your life worthy of God’s Absolute Presence?
God’s Word to you is absolute; but is your word to Him absolute? Do you still doubt His Promises? Do you still doubt Him? Have you given God empty commitments, made promises to Him that you refused to keep, or prayed frivolous prayers because your word has ceased to be your bond? Or worse, have your words before God become hollow noises; made just to satisfy the requirements of a religion or belief-system?
Is your life worthy of God’s Absolute Word?
God’s Love is absolute; but is your love for Him absolute? Do you love another? Are you truly faithful to God whose love for you is absolute?
Bear this in mind.
To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength means that you not only love God first, you love God alone; and experience that from this utter love for God would flow forth His divine love – through you - for others.
We love because God first loved us; and we love only with the love of God. (Ref: 1 John 4:19)
These are the key themes of the Creation account – God, the Creator, is present to us; His Word and Promises has been fulfilled; and His Love for us is already revealed to us through all of Creation and most ultimately through Christ Jesus, His Son; and our Saviour.
As God’s Children, let us live in His blessed day of Holy Rest - in the unshakable reality of His Absolute Presence, Word and Love; for when we do, the world will see that He is God absolutely!
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
God, I acknowledge that You alone, are God and that You are the Creator “of the Heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
Lord, I trust, and rest, in Your matchless Authority and mighty Power.
Every aspect of Creation speaks to Your fulfilled word; and the necessity of Your divine life that ensures the existence of all things created – including Mankind.
For You alone, are the source of all life!
Praise be to God the Creator, who is the Absolute God; and to this, thank You for Your divine revelation that Your Presence, Your Word, and Your Love is absolute.
I acknowledge that Your Presence – in my life and in the world – is absolute.
Thank You, Lord, for Your Absolute Presence in my life; that in spite of my brokenness, defiance, and sin, Your Spirit is constantly revealing Your Holy and Healing Presence in my life; cleansing me, renewing my mind, guiding me; setting me apart from the world, and making me holy.
Holy Spirit, thank You for always being with me; giving me the strength and resolve to rise above, and overcome the darkness within and with-out – to be always found in Your absolute and holy Presence.
I acknowledge that Your Word, and every biblical promise unto me, is absolute.
That just as Creation submitted to Your every Word and came into being by Your divine power, help me submit to Your every word and be made even more alive by Your divine power in my life.
I wait upon You – and in resolute faith that Your Word will come to pass.
In the meantime, grant me the courage, strength, wisdom and resolve to hang onto Your Promises and Purposes for me; and for Your Church.
For indeed, if You are for us, who can stand against us?(Ref: Romans 8:31)
I trust in Your immeasurable Goodness.
May we – Your Church and People - live in the deepest assurances of Your inviolable, unshakable and sacred Promises for Creation and for Mankind; and may the fruitfulness and fullness of our lives shine forth Your Truth, and bring You glory!
I acknowledge that Your Love – for me and for Your Church - is absolute.
Lord, Your Creation “completed in all their vast array” (Genesis 2:1) was created for humankind – the only creature “created... in Your own Image”, “male and female he created them” – to thrive.
Such is Your great and absolute love for us!
Thank You for the divine revelation of Your original and perfect design for how we must be, and how we must live.
I believe that Creation was designed and destined in perfection to exist in Your Rest.
So, teach me, O Holy Spirit, to live daily in utter faith and trust in You – to live a holy life as a child of the Holy God!
That despite the rising darkness of the world, and the increased prevalence of defiance and rebellion against You and Your sacred, life-giving ways – that our eyes are kept firmly upon You, Lord Jesus!
Lead Your Church, Lord; guide us and empower us that our lives may always bear Your Love, the mark of the Cross, the seal of the Holy Spirit – that we may always be witness of Your Goodness and Holiness; and most importantly, testify to Your Coming Kingdom.
Help us live fully in Your Love and Your perfect design for us as You have revealed in the Creation account.
Holy Spirit, help me be absolutely present to You; and grant me resolve to be worthy of Your Absolute Presence in my life.
May I be true in my words, and prayers to You. Remove doubt from my life that I may be worthy of Your Absolute Word in my life.
May my love for You, O God, be absolute. May I be faithful only to You; and be counted as worthy of Your Absolute Love.
Lord, I long to live forever in Your Blessed Rest – in the divine reality of Your Absolute Presence, Word and Love.
And when I do, I pray that the world around me will see and know that You are the One, True and Absolute God!
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” (Genesis 1:1-3)
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
In this new sermon series – Living By His Word - we embark on a journey of life-discovery and God’s Guidance through the major accounts, stories, and themes of the entire Bible – the written word of God.
How do you know the Will of God?
How do you recognize God’s guidance in your life; or His work in your circumstances?
How do you know if your life is pleasing before God?
How do you pray for yourself and others? What do you pray about?
To know God is to know His Heart; and to know His Heart, is to know His Word.
To live truly as His Church, we must always be found on the pathway of Spiritual Formation and Discipleship.
Throughout the Bible, God has been present to the world; and in every state, pattern and rhythm of human life.
Through every brokenness, sin and uncertainty, the Lord lovingly redeemed His People - in their contrition and repentance - and saved them from the darkness within, and without.
Through every challenge, trouble, oppression and persecution, the Lord faithfully revealed Himself in His Mighty Power - going victoriously before His faithful People and delivering them from their enemies.
In order to know God’s Will – His Direction and Guidance – in your life, you must be devoted and disciplined in knowing His written word well; and through deep, intimate familiarity with the Bible, open yourself fully for the Lord to set His agenda for your life.
Clarity of His Divine Will and Guidance for your life comes when you are able to locate your story in His.
Knowing how and what to pray comes supernaturally when you know His Word intimately and allow the accounts, stories, themes and prayers in the Bible to provide a divine framework for you to encounter God.
Living By His Word is how every child of the living God must live.
Through this intimate and strategic surveillance of the Bible, the written word of God, it is my prayer that the Holy Spirit would direct your thoughts, hearts and lives in His Power in order that you discover your identity and find your story in His - that every decision that you would make living forward will glorify, honor and serve our God.
Do you find yourself or your circumstance in the Story of Creation?
“In the beginning God created... ...” (Genesis 1:1) speaks to God the Creator having existed even before the concept of a ‘beginning’.
In fact, in the beginning, God was already in the work of creation.
“Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world from everlasting to everlasting You are God” (Psalm 90:2)
There can be no doubt.
God is the Creator.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3)
In the manner of His Creation is found His matchless Authority, and Power.
“God said...He made... and it was so”; and the Holy Spirit was present to everything that God spoke into being – and such, is the divine pattern of His work in Creation.
Every aspect of Creation speaks to His fulfilled word; AND the necessity of His divine life that ensures the existence of all things created.
We may believe that the sun is the source of all life on the earth; but to read that God created vegetation on the day before He created the “lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth” (Genesis 1:14-15) reveals that He alone is the Source of all life.
This account of Creation unveils God’s absolute supremacy and singular deity-hood – there is only one, almighty God; and reveals to us that from the very foundation of the cosmos, to the individual air molecules in our atmosphere, God is concerned with our well-being; He takes care of us; He watches over us, He provides for us, and He loves us.
The Creator is the Absolute God; and to this, His Presence, His Word, and His Love is Absolute.
God’s Presence is Absolute
”Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
Genesis 1:2
The Creator God is always present to us in every circumstance; even before anything was formed, His Spirit hovered over the face of the formless, void, dark and deep waters, which represents chaos - the matters of Creation yet formed.
To us, such chaos manifest our lives with foreboding, despair, uncertainty, brokenness and even darkness.
When you are feeling broken, chaotic, desperate, or even dark and empty, know that the Spirit of God is hovering over you; know that the Holy Spirit is near.
God is present regardless of how dark we become; or no matter how far we seem to be from Him.
God is always present.
From the very beginning, darkness submit under the Spirit of God.
There is nothing that is above God.
When you are feeling down and dejected; or when you are in darkness, know that every force of darkness must submit to the Presence and Power of God.
So pray to the Lord, and rise above the darkness to be where He is!
God is ever-present to You; be ever-present to Him - and you will find yourself rising above the darkness in the Name of Jesus and by the Power of the Holy Spirit!
God’s Presence is absolute; and in His Presence, you have the freedom to overcome every darkness.
God’s Word is Absolute.
”And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3)
God spoke.
Creation submitted, and came into being by the divine power of God's Word.
When God blessed, creation thrived.
His Word is Absolute - first and last, beginning and end.
There is great comfort and deep confidence in knowing that God's Word is Absolute; always good, always certain, always fruitful and always true.
On the fifth day of Creation, God created all the living creatures of the seas and all the birds and He “blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” (Genesis 1:22)
With God’s blessings upon the animals of the seas, the sky and by implication, the land, we have observed a noticeable restoration of eco-systems with the return of animals in some unexpected places within the past two years with the whole world on pandemic lockdowns and periods of economic and industrial ‘pause’ that afforded Creation a brief season of rest and respite.
Is Creation in trouble?
Is the environment being irreparably damaged by human greed in enterprise?
Not if the Spirit of God continues to ‘hover’ over, and be present to Creation.
I am not saying that the environment is in a good place.
It is not.
I believe we must engage the environment with a far greater sense of responsibility and a deeper sense of purpose.
I believe that we must, and can be much better stewards of Creation.
But I do not think that we should act out of anxiety or fear of the world getting destroyed; or imbue any form of doomsday phobias.
Barely two years of reduced industrial activities and transportations and we observe a perceptible recovery of eco-systems once thought to be fragile or threatened.
God’s blessing upon all the animals of the world remains absolute and unchanging.
Everything we do to be God’s stewards over Creation must come out of a place of absolute trust in God’s perfect design of Creation and His Holy Spirit that continues to give creative life to Creation.
The animals have been blessed by God!
Nothing Man can do will take away His blessing over Creation.
On the sixth day of Creation, God created man and woman in His own image to commune with Him.
He blessed them and gave them every creature and the whole earth to rule over, steward, nurture, care for, and cultivate. (Ref: Genesis 1:26-28)
In these distinct two forms – “male and female” - God created Mankind; and blessed them.
As we said earlier about the absolute, unchanging and inviolable nature of God’s blessings, nothing can ever take God’s blessing in Genesis 1:28 away from Mankind.
With the rise of belief systems, lifestyles, and movements that contravene God’s divine design of human beings in terms of gender, marriage, family and community, is Mankind in trouble?
Again, not if the Spirit of God continues to ‘hover’ over, and be present to Creation.
I believe that we – the church – must overtly live out God’s perfect and original design of humanity, gender, marriage, family and community – as He has ordained from the beginning.
And even in the escalation of oppositions and prevalent defiance towards God’s ordained design of humanity, we should never react out of anxiety or fear that human society would be indelibly perverted.
Instead, everything we do as God’s Children must come out of a place of absolute trust in God’s perfect design of Creation and His absolute word of blessing upon Mankind as established in Genesis 1:28.
Know that His Holy Spirit continues to give creative life to all of Creation, and that Mankind has been blessed by God!
As long as we live according to His holy design for us, His blessing of fruitfulness and multiplication remains absolute, unchanging and sacred.
What has God's Word for you been?
What promises has He impressed upon your life?
In His Time, it will come to pass!
Just as we understand that every ‘day’ or stage of Creation was not a 24-hour day; that even if it took millions of years for Creation to be where we are today, God's Word will ultimately come to pass.
Our Lord Jesus reveals to us in Luke 21:33, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
God doesn't just try, God does; because God is.
At every strategic stage of Creation, the bible tells us that God saw that it was good; and after God “created mankind in His image, male and female He created them” (Gen 1:27) and “blessed them and said "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28); He “saw everything that He had made and indeed, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31)
If you ever wonder how anything good can possibly come from your current situation, remember that in the Lord and in His perfect time, things will turn out very good.
Remember that God's response to prayer is immediate.
He keeps all His Promises - and even though the effects may not be visible at first, His Promises and Word has already happened – both within, and around you!
All you need to do is to wait upon God.
Trust in His immeasurable goodness.
He is our God who says to us in Jeremiah 29:11-12:
“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
To which the Apostle Paul teaches us in Romans 8:28:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
God’s Word is absolute.
Hang onto His every word and promise.
It will come to pass!
God’s Love is Absolute
“Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.
Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (Genesis 2:1-3)
The heavens and the earth “completed in all their vast array” (Genesis 2:1) was created for humankind – the only creature “created... in His own Image”, “male and female he created them” – to thrive.
Such is God’s great and absolute love for us!
From the first day to the sixth, everything was created so that Mankind may thrive in living full and fruitful lives.
However, the crowning glory of Creation is not Mankind; for in His absolute love, all of Creation was designed and destined in perfection to exist in His Rest – on the seventh day that was made holy because He blessed it.
As God’s Children, we live in His Rest because we live in His Salvific Love – a love that nothing can ever separate us from.
In fact, the Apostle Paul writes in divine revelation:
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
The fact and reality that we can revel in God’s Love; rest in His Promises, and trust in His Word – is the very ability that speaks to the manifestation of God’s Goodness and Love in our lives.
That in spite of our circumstances, we may trust in the Lord with all our hearts, and lean not on our own understanding; believing that in all our ways we may acknowledge Him, for He will undoubtedly direct our paths. (Ref: Proverbs 3:5-6)
The undeniable reality is that the love of God is absolute.
Which is why we must notice a glaring gap in the Creation account.
God created the heavens and the earth in their infinite, unknowable and vast array.
What is missing in the account of Creation?
There is no mention of hell; nor demons.
In the Creation account especially written for Mankind, there is no mention of hell.
So, why is there no mention of hell?
What is hell?
Why did God create a place of judgment for humanity?
God did not create hell as a judgment for humanity, but for the punishment of the devil and his angels.
Our Lord Jesus alluded in Matthew 25:41, “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels’”
Hell was created as a place of judgment and punishment for Satan, his angels, and those who followed him in their defiance and rebellion against God.
Revelation 20:10 and 20:15 resonates clearly that the devil and his angels will eventually be consigned to hell:
“10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.
They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
“15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
What are the crimes of the deceived?
Revelation 21:8 informs us:
“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Human beings, who are created in God's image, saved by His Son, Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit - are not meant to spend even a minute moment apart from God, much less, spend an eternity away from His presence.
The place God created for His Children – us - is His Eternal and Perfect Kingdom.
In John 14:2-3, our Lord Jesus spoke of this place that God has prepared for those who genuinely trust Him and gave their lives to serving Him:
“In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
Hell was neither created, nor intended for humanity, but it has become the destination for those who reject God's salvation in Jesus Christ.
The Creator God is a God of holiness and justice, as well as the God of love – divine, moral attributes that are complementary, and not contradictory.
Precisely in His love, He cannot allow sin to go unpunished.
This is the reason why our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, came to die on the Cross – “to give His life a ransom for many.” (Ref: Matthew 20:28).
Unbelievers – either in consciousness or unconsciousness of their sin and guilt – would inevitably place an emphasis on hell as a form of justification as to why they cannot believe in the existence of a loving and just God.
But the fact is that God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ to reveal His absolute and infinite love for Mankind – and save us from the fiery lake; which is the eventual destination for those who continue to be unrepentant of their sinful ways.
Which is what the Apostle Paul wrote precisely about in Romans 5:8,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
God revealed His absolute love to us by sending His Son to die in our place for the atonement for our sins. Christ took our punishment so that we may be made righteous by our faith in Him and become children of God. (Ref: John 1:12)
We become citizens of God’s Kingdom because we repent from our wicked ways, accept God’s Love, Salvation and choose once again, to live in obedience to His ways.
The judgment of the fiery lake is for those who rejected God's Salvation through Christ.
2 Peter 3:9 clarifies to us that God is indeed, the God of love – who is “patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
Absolute repentance – the act of turning away from sin and turning towards Christ - is the only response to God’s Absolute Love.
Have you come to repentance before God? Have you truly responded to His Absolute Love?
The God who is Absolute in His Presence, Word and Love
As we step into this New Year, let us step into a new beginning – in the very pattern of the Creation Story – that grants us a fresh recognition of God for who He truly is – absolute in His Presence, His Word and His Love for us.
God’s Presence to you is absolute; but are you absolutely present to Him? Or have you been ‘busy’ and distracted by the world that He created for you; in a body and a life that He created and gave you?
Is your life worthy of God’s Absolute Presence?
God’s Word to you is absolute; but is your word to Him absolute? Do you still doubt His Promises? Do you still doubt Him? Have you given God empty commitments, made promises to Him that you refused to keep, or prayed frivolous prayers because your word has ceased to be your bond? Or worse, have your words before God become hollow noises; made just to satisfy the requirements of a religion or belief-system?
Is your life worthy of God’s Absolute Word?
God’s Love is absolute; but is your love for Him absolute? Do you love another? Are you truly faithful to God whose love for you is absolute?
Bear this in mind.
To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength means that you not only love God first, you love God alone; and experience that from this utter love for God would flow forth His divine love – through you - for others.
We love because God first loved us; and we love only with the love of God. (Ref: 1 John 4:19)
These are the key themes of the Creation account – God, the Creator, is present to us; His Word and Promises has been fulfilled; and His Love for us is already revealed to us through all of Creation and most ultimately through Christ Jesus, His Son; and our Saviour.
As God’s Children, let us live in His blessed day of Holy Rest - in the unshakable reality of His Absolute Presence, Word and Love; for when we do, the world will see that He is God absolutely!
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
God, I acknowledge that You alone, are God and that You are the Creator “of the Heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
Lord, I trust, and rest, in Your matchless Authority and mighty Power.
Every aspect of Creation speaks to Your fulfilled word; and the necessity of Your divine life that ensures the existence of all things created – including Mankind.
For You alone, are the source of all life!
Praise be to God the Creator, who is the Absolute God; and to this, thank You for Your divine revelation that Your Presence, Your Word, and Your Love is absolute.
I acknowledge that Your Presence – in my life and in the world – is absolute.
Thank You, Lord, for Your Absolute Presence in my life; that in spite of my brokenness, defiance, and sin, Your Spirit is constantly revealing Your Holy and Healing Presence in my life; cleansing me, renewing my mind, guiding me; setting me apart from the world, and making me holy.
Holy Spirit, thank You for always being with me; giving me the strength and resolve to rise above, and overcome the darkness within and with-out – to be always found in Your absolute and holy Presence.
I acknowledge that Your Word, and every biblical promise unto me, is absolute.
That just as Creation submitted to Your every Word and came into being by Your divine power, help me submit to Your every word and be made even more alive by Your divine power in my life.
I wait upon You – and in resolute faith that Your Word will come to pass.
In the meantime, grant me the courage, strength, wisdom and resolve to hang onto Your Promises and Purposes for me; and for Your Church.
For indeed, if You are for us, who can stand against us?(Ref: Romans 8:31)
I trust in Your immeasurable Goodness.
May we – Your Church and People - live in the deepest assurances of Your inviolable, unshakable and sacred Promises for Creation and for Mankind; and may the fruitfulness and fullness of our lives shine forth Your Truth, and bring You glory!
I acknowledge that Your Love – for me and for Your Church - is absolute.
Lord, Your Creation “completed in all their vast array” (Genesis 2:1) was created for humankind – the only creature “created... in Your own Image”, “male and female he created them” – to thrive.
Such is Your great and absolute love for us!
Thank You for the divine revelation of Your original and perfect design for how we must be, and how we must live.
I believe that Creation was designed and destined in perfection to exist in Your Rest.
So, teach me, O Holy Spirit, to live daily in utter faith and trust in You – to live a holy life as a child of the Holy God!
That despite the rising darkness of the world, and the increased prevalence of defiance and rebellion against You and Your sacred, life-giving ways – that our eyes are kept firmly upon You, Lord Jesus!
Lead Your Church, Lord; guide us and empower us that our lives may always bear Your Love, the mark of the Cross, the seal of the Holy Spirit – that we may always be witness of Your Goodness and Holiness; and most importantly, testify to Your Coming Kingdom.
Help us live fully in Your Love and Your perfect design for us as You have revealed in the Creation account.
Holy Spirit, help me be absolutely present to You; and grant me resolve to be worthy of Your Absolute Presence in my life.
May I be true in my words, and prayers to You. Remove doubt from my life that I may be worthy of Your Absolute Word in my life.
May my love for You, O God, be absolute. May I be faithful only to You; and be counted as worthy of Your Absolute Love.
Lord, I long to live forever in Your Blessed Rest – in the divine reality of Your Absolute Presence, Word and Love.
And when I do, I pray that the world around me will see and know that You are the One, True and Absolute God!
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.