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The Creation and Our Perfection
July 9, 2022

All who are live today and all that is alive today is part of God’s creation, along with all of the natural resources we find on our planet. We are the creation living in the creation, and it is those who know that God is the creator who live in the creation. Those who reject the idea of God find themselves living in some biological act of randomness, that stems from an uncertain origin and exists in an uncertain future. For those who know that God is the creator, we live with a certain future. We might not know every detail of what is to come, but we know what will be coming.

Through the pages of the Bible, a book that looks to the future while reflecting on the past, we are given the word of God to help us live today, in the here and now. The life that we live today will be a life that honors the legacy of the past while telling us what we must do to be able to celebrate the future and be part of the Kingdom of God, and today we will begin by looking at the words of prophecy that honors the legacy of creation. In the Book of Revelation we are given a visual image of the throne of God, a throne surrounded by lightning, thunder, and voices, a throne where there are seven lamps of fire representing the seven spirits of God all with the sea of glass. As our eyes focus on the throne we see four beasts different than any beast we have seen before. These beasts have many eyes in more than one place on their head, with one being like a lion, the second being like a calf, the third being like a man, and the fourth being like an eagle. Each of these beasts have six wings and continually without rest, praise and honor God day and night. As these four beasts praise and honor God, the twenty-four elders kneel down to worship God, taking off their crowns, and in their praise and honor of God, acknowledge God is creator of all things, who created all things for His pleasure.

Revelation 4:5-11
And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

From this heavenly vision of the praise given to God as the Creator of all, we circle back to faith, because it is by faith we understand that God is the Creator of all. By faith we understand that the world, past, present, and future, is framed by God. All that we can see, all that we can humanly observe comes from that created by God.

Hebrews 11:1-3
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

God was busy during the creation week of Genesis. Mankind was and continues to be one of God’s final creations. Unlike the rest of God’s creation, mankind was created to be made in the image and likeness of God. Some when considering the words of Genesis reflect on our physical design and somehow never consider the spiritual component that is God Who is perfect in love. Beyond mankind’s creation to be in the image and likeness of God, we are created to have a position of dominance over what happens here on our planet, with control over plant and animal life.

Genesis 1:26-31
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

When God created mankind after the image and likeness of God, man was not placed in a harsh environment, but in a garden located in the eastern part of Eden. To this day, the term “garden of Eden” is typically used to refer to a place that is an ideal, a place of incredible beauty and peace, and a place of bounty. Mankind was placed in this place by God by God’s love, a place with a variety of trees, including ornamental trees, fruit and nut trees, the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. From the garden flowed four rivers and when mankind was placed into the garden the only restriction was not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:7-17
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

It didn’t take Adam and Eve too long to get kicked out of the Garden of Eden. The account in Genesis makes it seem like the serpent tempted them almost immediately, and yet from the pages of the Bible, we simply can’t definitively nail down an exact time. Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden to prevent them from eating of the tree of life and living forever. In an act of incredible mercy and love, God was not going to allow mankind to suffer the fate of demons, who live forever with the knowledge of good and evil preferring the evil over the good.

Since that time, people have taken note of what God has created. Some have worshipped the creation and some have reaped havoc on the creation. Others have worshipped the Creator. David was one of those people who worshipped the Creator. As a shepherd in the field away from any sources of light in the cities, and living during a time when there was very little to pollute the sky, David would have had an incredible view of the night sky, far beyond what most people today can see. David was in awe of what he saw in the sky, seeing day turn to night and night turn to day. He would have observed the patterns of the sun and its pattern of consistently rising on the east and setting in the west. He would have seen the moon rise and moon set, along with the constellations that appear during different times of year. What David would have observed would have been as consistent to him as what we observe when we observe the hands on a clock face, except what David observed would have been much more consistent.

Psalm 19:1-6
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

Like David, Job saw the hand of God in the creation and boldly replied to those in his circle who were castigating him that God is the Creator of all that we see, and all that we know.

Job 12:7-11
But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat?

Isaiah contrasted the eternal nature of God with God’s creation showing that unlike our eternal God, God’s creation withers and dies. The Spirit of God, the Word of God, and God are eternal, and the creation we see around us is limited.

Isaiah 40:6-8
The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

In describing the children of Israel, God uses terms of nature describing the children of Israel as a flower, the lily, as the roots of a magnificent tree, the cedar, the branches of the olive tree, crops of the field, and grapes of the vineyard, and in these descriptions, God is focused not on these different types of plant life, but on the people, the people of Israel.

Hosea 14:4-7
I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.

When it came time for Solomon to complete the temple of God in Jerusalem, specific instructions were given to its completion. Cedar was extensively used in the construction of the temple so that no stone was seen with walls and ceilings covered with cedar. The floors were made of pine. On the cedar were carved images of flowers and gourds. Images of nature are again connected with God.

1 Kings 6:14-18
So Solomon built the house, and finished it. And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of the ceiling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir. And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place. And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long. And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.

During times of abundance and times of severe drought, the images on the walls of the temple would serve as a reminder of the bounty and blessing that is from God. When blessed with a bumper crop, the people of Israel could use these images to reflect on the reasons for God’s blessing, and when faced with scarcity, these images could be used to also reflect on the reasons for scarcity.

In writing to the Romans, Paul wrote that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to be revealed in us, and in writing this, Paul was affirming that God’s creation in each of us is not yet complete. God is in the process of completing us. God is in the process of perfecting us to be after the image and likeness of God. While we live in the spirit, those who are not yet called live in the bondage of corruption not knowing the freedom we have as the children of God through Jesus Christ.

It is as if, all that is created is crying out for deliverance from the present age of evil, and the evils of today are many. Some see climate change, others famine. The plight of refugees is on the mind of many, and mankind’s efforts to bring these to an end, to restore the Garden of Eden will end in failure because mankind’s focus is on that Garden of Eden, not the Creator.

Romans 8:18-25
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

In teaching faith to His disciples, Jesus used the creation. When teaching the disciples to not be anxious about having their physical needs met, Jesus told them to use examples from creation showing that if the needs of a bird can be met, God will meet the needs of a person. Jesus also explained that we shouldn’t be anxious about the clothes we wear because no matter how fancy our clothes are, these will never compare to the ornate design of the flowers in the field. Jesus reminded His disciples to seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, and all of the needs would be met.

Matthew 6:25-34
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

David directly and simply shared how he replaced anxiety by focusing on God explaining how he was a lamb that was led by God as his shepherd. With God as his shepherd, David knew his needs would be met, that he would live a life of serenity and calmness as David was led down the path of righteousness. What David wrote in the Book of Psalms, is very similar to what Jesus had taught His disciples.

Psalm 23:1-3
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Having looked to the past into the Garden of Eden, the time of David and the earthly ministry of Jesus, we can jump forward to a time prophesied in the Book of Isaiah when the desert will blossom. Living in a desert, I know first-hand that where I live can be bleak when there is no rain, and almost as lush as the tropics with enough rain. Isaiah shows a future time when the desert blossoms, and does so with such great abundance, that it is almost like the creation itself is celebrating life. This future time will be a time of peace, abudance, prosperity, and health.

Isaiah 35:1-10
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Also given to us in Isaiah are visions of a future time where the Holy Spirit is abundant and available to all along with the benefits It brings. During this time wickedness will be no more and peace will be the norm. Even wild animals will be at peace with mankind during this future time.

Isaiah 11:1-9
And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Looking at verses that point to this future time, a time of peace where there is no wickedness, reminds us that this is not the time and place in which we live. We live in the present, a time where ungodliness and unrighteousness abound. We live in a time where some even hold the truth in unrighteousness. These use the truth of God not to promote the Kingdom of God but their own selfish interests. Instead of looking at the creation as a reminder of the power and love of God, these people have forgotten God and embrace randomness as their god with a small “g”. These are the people who instead of worshipping God worship the creation, not realizing what they worship is a creation of God Whom they refuse to worship. Because of this the world in which we live is evil and sensual preferring the lust of the flesh over the love of the spirit.

Romans 1:18-25
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

When people reject God, they also reject that God’s creation in each of us is not yet complete. If we are Christians, if we have the Holy Spirit, if we see Jesus Christ as the firstborn of many, we are a new creation. We who are born human, are being made after the image and likeness of God, spirit beings, in ways that far transcend the common understanding of the first chapter of the Book of Genesis.

Without the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our creation would be impossible. There would be no path forward for us to be perfect like our Father in heaven. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are ambassadors for Jesus, that through Jesus we might have the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

As we focus on the final creation in our life, being born of the spirit with eternal life, we could become anxious, even though we are told not to be anxious. We have been given this incredible mercy, and with that mercy should come an ability to be bold, bold in the day of trouble. Knowing we will have days of trouble serves as a reminder we today are also not living in the Garden of Eden, and like Adam and Eve who had to labor on a difficult planet, so must we. And we, have the blessing of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ which gives us this hope of eternal life.

Those around us who are not called do not have this knowledge or awareness. When they look around and see the world we live in, they do not see a testament to the design and creation of God because they are blinded by Satan and the demons. We are to shine forth as a light so that those who are blinded by Satan might see. We are not to live our lives hidden from the world, but to live our lives as a testament to this world.

Using modern language, it’s sort of like we are being told to be a spiritual accessibility feature for all who have the spiritual disability of spiritual blindness. We are to live our lives so that others can understand that even though we do live in a world that is evil, there is this kind and loving God who is Father of all.

2 Corinthians 4:1-15
Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

Like Paul, we are to live our lives knowing we are not already perfect. We are to live our lives knowing that God’s final act of creation within us is yet future as we press toward the mark and prize for the high calling of God in Jesus Christ.

Philippians 3:12-14
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Each of us needs yet to become perfect, and the path for perfection is found within love. Using the words of Jesus we are to love those who are not only our neighbor, but those who are our enemies, who hate us, who despitefully use us, and those who persecute us.

Matthew 5:43-48
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Many of those who are our enemies, who hate us, who despitefully use us, and who persecute us are those who instead of worshipping the creator, worship the creation. As we take note of their error, we must ensure we are free from error in our own life remembering that we are each a new creation through Jesus Christ and that the final act of God’s creation in each of us is yet future. We must worship the Creator, God the Father of all.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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