“Planet Earth: Our Home Sweet Home in the Universe”
Genesis 1:1-5
Gary Larson the “The Far Side” creator, drew a cartoon picturing two ants sitting on a mushroom, staring up into a star-filled sky, one saying to the other, “kind of makes you feel insignificant doesn’t it?”
A look at the stars, a consideration of the vastness of the universe can make us feel small, unimportant – Psalm 8:3-4
Yet, God’s word says that all things are created for a purpose (Revelation 4:11) and that He notices the fall of a single sparrow and knows the number of hairs on our heads (Luke 12:6-7). In Genesis 1, God shows us our significance as human beings as He created us in His Image (Genesis 1:26-28) and ultimately He sent His Son to die for us (John 3:16).
I. Genesis 1 tells us God first created living environments and after that creatures to fill them (he prepared a place for us) note:
1. On the FIRST day (Genesis 1:1-5) God created the heavens and earth and light and on the FOURTH day He filled these heavens with the sun, moon and stars (Genesis 1:14-19)
2. On the SECOND day (Genesis 1:6-8) God created a firmament to divide the waters (the sky and seas) and on the FIFTH day He created birds and fish (sea creatures) to fill the skies and seas (Genesis 1:20-23)
3. On the THIRD day (Genesis 1:7-13) God put the waters together in one place, calling these seas, and at the same time making dry spots called land, that on the SIXTH day He would fill with cattle, creeping things and human beings. Genesis 2, expands on this idea in regard to human beings as God makes the Garden of Eden for Adam and Eve.
4. On a smaller scale we see animals fit for the environments: Penguins, Polar Bears, Deep Sea Fish
II. Genesis 1 seems to give the earth a very special attention in our universe:
1. In Genesis 1:1 earth seems to get equal billing with heaven (s)
2. At least half of the discussion in Genesis 1 is about earthly things, earthly creatures
3. God makes the sun, moon and stars as clocks and calendars, (Genesis 1:14) and as lamps (Genesis 1:15 & 17) for our benefit
III. Science backs the idea that earth is a wonderfully designed place to live; the earth has all the right ingredients for life –
1. Some do doubt –
“We succeeded in taking that picture [from Voyager I 1990], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives … The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena … Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us …” Atheist Astronomer Carl Sagan
The rock group Kansas – “All we are is dust in the wind”
2. Yet, scientific evidence is still with the Bible, consider how elements of creation mentioned in Genesis 1 are important to our life and welfare on earth :
A. Water – Genesis 1:2, 6-7, & 9; essential for life, water brings life to soil, plants and circulatory systems, water in oceans regulates the temperature of the earth
B. Light – Genesis 1:3-5 a whole electromagnetic spectrum of which only one trillionth of a trillionth is the visible light that enables us to see (color) and plants to live, most of the rest – radio / microwave / infrared / ultraviolet / X-ray & Gamma light is blocked by our atmosphere
C. The firmament – Genesis 1:6-8 Our atmosphere is perfectly mixed to sustain life, protect us from harmful light rays and meteorites
D. Dry Land – Genesis 1:9-10 Earth is not just a lump of dirt, tectonic plates (our Continents) move around a molten magnetic core that helps hold everything on
E. The Sun, Moon & Stars – Genesis 1:14-19 - the sun is the right size (exactly) and the earth is the exact distance from it to maintain a revolving orbit around it. The moon, ¼ the size of earth keeps the earth’s axis on a steady tilt maintaining seasonably temperate weather, we are in the perfect spot in the galaxy, not only for our safety but for observation
IV. Applications:
1. See the craftsmanship behind our world
2. See the purpose built into the universe
3. See a God Who cares
4. See a God we should serve / worship
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