But, it there’s been a downside to all of this talk about the environment, it's that it’s a constant stream of horror stories about what will happen if we don’t make drastic changes! There are some people who claim that IT’S ALREADY TOO LATE! That our kids or grandkids are doomed! How’s that for an encouraging word? A recent study by Barna Research and World Vision polled 15,369 18- to 35-year-olds across 25 countries and found that only 34% of them were optimistic about the future. 2/3 of young people are terrified of the future. They say that it looks bleak and hopeless. They don’t feel that there’s anything to look forward to. They are without hope! Is there a reason to hope? Are there any reasons not to fear? Tonight we looked at what the Bible has to say.
1. GOD MADE THIS WORLD FOR US
Right on page one of the Bible we’re reminded that WE aren’t here because of some weird cosmic accident that somehow created a world that perfectly sustains life and created plants, animals and people from NOTHING! Believing that it's all a result of an accident takes A LOT of faith.
Genesis 1:1, 31 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…God saw all that He had made, and it was very good”.
John 1:3 says, "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
These verses remind us that our world has been CUSTOM-DESIGNED by a CREATOR. That God enabled this world to sustain life and to be an enjoyable place for us to live! The Bible says that observing our world and how it works naturally points us to a Creator.
Job 12:7-11 says, “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind”.
This isn’t saying that animals will LITERALLY take us to school and teach us stuff or that the earth has a mouth--- but it’s saying that by scientifically examining animals, the earth, plant life and all of the things we find in nature, the intricacy of those things lets us know that they couldn't have all appeared out of nothing by complete accident, but rather, “the hand of the LORD has done this.” All of science points us to God! We can understand and see his signature in EVERYTHING that he’s made!
2. GOD WANTS US TO CARE FOR CREATION
Genesis 1:26-28 says that God made human beings and told us to be fruitful and multiply- to fill the earth and GOVERN it. To REIGN over the fish, birds, and animals.
The words "GOVERN" or “REIGN” carry with them some negative connotations. They carry the meaning to "DOMINATE", to "TREAD DOWN", to "BE FORCEFUL" or they can simply mean "TO RULE OVER". This is why there are some Christians who believe that it's ok to just plunder the earth and do whatever we want- they feel that the Bible gives us the license to do it! The problem with this, however, is that those same words are used to describe God's LORDSHIP over us...and it's a REALLY positive thing. For example, in Psalm 72 it says that God will REIGN over the earth…that he will RULE over humanity and creation…and it describes what it'll be like-- that the world under God's rule will flourish, be at peace, where anyone in need will be taken care of, and where everything wrong with the world will be made right again. "Ruling" over the earth doesn't mean abusing it, it means being GOOD rulers! Loving caretakers of it!
Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him”.
Have you ever lent something out to a friend, and when they returned it, it was broken or ruined? This verse says that the earth and EVERYTHING in it (including people) belongs to God-- so we need to make sure that we take care of it and treat this world (and everyTHING and everyONE in it) with love and respect! Sadly, over history, we’ve shown that we DON’T CARE—people have made a mess of the environment, people have mistreated animals, and human beings constantly do TERRIBLE things to other human beings! Which leads us to my next point…
3. SIN RUINS EVERYTHING
“Sin” is a fancy Bible world that refers to our choices to go our own way instead of God’s way. The Bible says we all have a SIN PROBLEM—we’ve all made choices to walk away from God and reject what He wants for us…in small ways and big ways….and it usually ends up hurting ourselves, our relationship with God, and hurts others too! But here’s the good news—God offers us love and forgiveness--- he offers to do what we can’t do—to clean us up and wipe away our sin--to make us brand new!
The Bible tells us that God created a perfect world for us…but that it’s because of our choices (our sin) that not only are WE messed up, but our WORLD is messed up! We’ve corrupted it! We’ve PHYSICALLY and SPIRITUALLY polluted it!
Romans 8:20-21 says, “Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time”.
This is saying that just like we long for God to one day make everything wrong with this world right again- that we want justice and peace, the Bible is saying that CREATION ITSELF IS GROANING IN PAIN and looking forward to that too!
What's even more interesting is that there are passages in the Bible that directly suggest that part of the problems with our world and environment are a result of our rejecting God. For example, in Solomon's day, there were plagues, famines and natural disasters happening...and God said that it was because the people had turned away from Him! Thankfully, he makes a pretty amazing promise:
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 1 Chronicles 7:14
God promises to actually HEAL OUR LAND if we turn towards him and walk away from our sin—that THE LAND will actually experience God’s blessing if we are spiritually healthy!
4. GOD HAS FUTURE/ETERNAL PLANS FOR THE EARTH
Revelation 21:1-4 says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
A lot of times we think of “heaven” as living on clouds and playing harps for all of eternity…but in reality, God promises that he will RENEW the earth and we’ll live on it FOREVER with no sin, so sadness, no death! The Bible tells us that everything that’s wrong with US and our WORLD will one day be made right BY GOD. That doesn’t mean that it’s ok for us to make a mess of this world because God will clean it up in the end-- that's a kind of irresponsible way of looking at things. How we treat creation matters, because it belongs to Him and he has entrusted it to us, but we can also trust that God is in control!
5. DON’T FEAR
When we are driven to fear about the future, when we hear horror stories about what life will be like if we don’t change, we don’t have to let fear and hopelessness overwhelm us. For people who don’t know or follow God, fear is the default. They don’t believe that there’s a God who cares about them or is looking out for them! But the Bible reminds us that GOD IS IN CONTROL, THAT HE’S IN CHARGE, and that we can TRUST HIM with our future.
-Job 12:10 says, “In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind."
-Colossians 1:17 says, "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."
-Psalm 46:1-2 says, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea”.
-Psalm 56:3 says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you”.
In Mark 4:39-41 it tells us about a time when Jesus was on a boat with his disciples in the middle of a huge storm that had them terrified! “Jesus rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
God has power over the wind and the waves! God has power over our climate! God is the LORD of all creation! We don’t need to be filled with fear and hopelessness for our future…but we can trust that God is (and will be) with us. We can have hope!
Fear shouldn’t be the thing that motivates us to care for creation…what should motivate us is that we LOVE GOD and want to care for the world he’s entrusted to us! One of the ways we can WORSHIP GOD (showing that we love him and think he’s important to us) is by CARING for His creation! (That includes our planet, animals, AND people!)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR HOME:
1. What are some changes (perhaps even simple changes) that your family can make to show care for God's creation?
2. Ask your teen: Can you explain some reasons why caring for creation is important for Christians? How does your faith in God affect/change how you see environmental issues?
3. Take the time to thank God for everything that he's created and ask him to help your family care for what he's entrusted to us.
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