The Vine Church
Aaron Dowds
General notes on message:
Psalms 104:1, 10-26 TPT
Psalms 104:24, 31 TPT
Psalms 104:31 NLT
Colossians 1:16 NIV
“The point is obvious, isn’t it? In Genesis 1:31 we are told that God looked at what he had made and said, ‘It is very good.’ It’s fantastic! This world is amazing! This world is God’s creation, and he loves it. So therefore don’t we also want to love it and look after it? How does God feel when we wipe our ecological footprints all over it and leave it damaged and wrecked?
‘C is for Creation’ is one of my favourite chapters in this book (you’ll have to guess which my other ones are). Over the years, I have become increasingly convinced just how important God’s creation is to him – not only the human part of his creation, but the whole of it – and that living in a way that takes care of that creation is an absolutely fundamental part of what it means to follow Jesus, as integral to our Christian faith as evangelism and reading the Bible, helping people in poverty and praying.
When I look in the Bible, I see four basic reasons as to why that is.
First, as we have already seen, because God made this world and he loves it.
Second, God has created us to look after the rest of his creation.
Third, the world has gone wrong because of us.
Fourth, God has a future for this world.”
Valero, Ruth. L is for Lifestyle (pp. 19-20). IVP. Kindle Edition.
Genesis 2:15 NIV
“And we live in a world in which there has been a 60% decline in the size of populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians. Each of these creatures has been created by God and is loved by him, so how can we not be active in working to see change?”
Valero, Ruth. L is for Lifestyle (p. 7). IVP. Kindle Edition.
Our highest priority is to love God and love our neighbour.
May I suggest to love God includes loving what He loves and we have learned today how much He loves his creation. To protect and care for His creation is to love and honour God the creator. Loving our neighbours includes loving our global neighbours, the poorest who are hit first and worst by what is now a climate emergency.
Colossians 1:19-20 NIV
Jesus didn’t just come to reconcile human beings but all things in heaven and earth.
This includes to restore the earth to how God intended it to be. Jesus invites us to join his mission and we can help bring restoration and reconciliation to ALL things and participate in mending that which is broken. This includes reconciling people to their Father but also reconciling people to the creation we’ve been given to care for to see it restored. This is not just a side issue but the fullness of the gospel.
“In the words of Jürgen Moltmann, ‘From first to last, and not merely in the epilogue, Christianity is eschatology, is hope, forward looking and forward moving, and therefore also revolutionizing and transforming the present.2”
2. Jürgen Moltmann, Theology of Hope (SCM Press, 2010), p. 2.
Valero, Ruth. L is for Lifestyle (p. 8). IVP. Kindle Edition.
The book of Esther gives an example how to respond with faith and courage in times of crisis. Esther responds with prayer and action. Esther also teaches us we have a responsibility to speak up against injustice and to respond to injustice through faith and courage, through prayer and action.
