Our reading today from the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 comes from chapter 4 of creation paragraph 1. In the beginning it pleased God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for the manifestation of the glory of His eternal power, wisdom, and goodness to create or make the world and all things therein, whether visible or invisible in the space of six days and all very good. Scripture begins in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, Genesis 1.1. Biblically this tells us that there is a beginning, there is a God, and he created the heavens and the earth. Our chapter this morning focuses on the work of creation.

One would think that this would be a pretty straightforward discussion. Unfortunately there are many controversies and viewpoints related to the creation that have no biblical foundation or come from other worldviews. Why would that be? What at the core would lead people to pursue these ideas? For starters, there are many people who reject God, who rebel against Him and even hate Him.

If they somehow can create the uncertainty that we live in a created universe, they can undermine the argument for the existence of God. Do away with creation and you do away with the need for a creator. That's where it leads. So today we are going to look at the who, what, when, and why related to creation. We start with some fundamental questions that people across the ages ask themselves.

Where did we come from? Where did the animals and the plants come from? Where did the land and the seas come from? Where did our planet and other planets come from? And what about the universe?

Have you ever pondered these things? The Bible has all the answers to these and many, many more questions. And as the Holy Scriptures begin, so our confession also begins in the beginning. When did the creation take place? In the beginning.

This is the starting point of time and space, the universe, the world, and everything in it. Scientists today argue that this world is maybe 13.8 billion years old. Some argue it's hundreds of millions of years old. James Usher, an archbishop from the 1600s using the chronologies in the Bible, calculated the beginning to be around 4004 BC, so about 6, 000 years ago. Today printed on the Jerusalem Post is 20 Tishra 5786.

Their Jewish calendar begins with the creation. Well who's correct? Personally I'm a young earth creationist and hold that the earth is around 6, 000 years old. The Bible supports this as does much science. Regardless what we find today is that most people agree that there was a point in time in the past that the world and the universe came into being.

A point in time before which all that we see and touch didn't exist. Here arises our first controversy. There are many that believe against the beginning, that the world and the universe have always existed. This was the position of many ancient philosophers. Some believe that the form was the same as we behold today.

Some that the form was more elementary and that there was a time in which the earth and heavens were formed from preexisting matter that has always been there. Biblically, we believe that there was a beginning because that's what the first words of the Bible state. If there was a beginning, what existed before this beginning? The Bible tells us God was. It tells us God is eternal, that he was, is, and always will be.

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth, the world, and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God." Psalm 90 verse 2. Only God existed before creation, And it was God who created all things. Our confession states, in the beginning, it pleased God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to create or make the world. Genesis begins with, in the beginning, God. God, as used here in Hebrew, is Elohim, which grammatically is the plural form of God, Im.

Scripture makes clear that our God is one God. In Deuteronomy 6.4, here, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. But why the plural form here? Perhaps it is used to remind us that the work of creation came from the Father through the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. When we look at the work of creation, we see that it was done at God's pleasure.

It pleased God to create the world. But our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Psalm 115.3. And John reminds us that thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.'" Revelation 411.

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Genesis 1, 31. So when God finished all of his creation, he saw that it was very good. Not just good, but very good. Well, why did God create all things?

The confession answers this for us, for his glory. We can turn to scripture to Psalm 19 verse 1. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork. We can also turn to the catechism. What is the chief aim of man?

Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Paul tells us also that whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 1031, from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.

Romans 1136. The confession more specifically tells us that God did this for the manifestation of the glory of His eternal power, wisdom, and goodness. Jeremiah explains, he hath made the earth by his power, he has established the world by his wisdom, and has stretched out the heavens by his discretion." Jeremiah 10-12. The psalmist proclaims that the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Psalm 33-5.

God wanted to reveal His glory through His creation. And our confession continues, In the beginning it pleased God to create the world and all things therein, whether visible or invisible. What do we read here? Both create and make in the confession. We can look in scripture we see both seemingly interchangeable Genesis 1 1 we find that created is used in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth but in John 1 2 and 3 the word made is used The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by Him and without Him not anything made that was made. Is there a distinction we must make here? I don't think so. The main point to grasp here is that God created all things out of nothing. You've probably heard the Latin phrase ex nihilo, out of nothing.

None of us can do such a thing. The world's greatest artists, builders, or inventors still require pre-existing matter or substance. Only God is able to create out of nothing. He created the visible universe and all its diversity. He created what is to us invisible, which includes angels, heaven, and hell.

Paul tells us, For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers. All things were created by him and for him. Colossians 1.16. And how long did it take for God to make all things? In the space of six days.

Moses tells us this when he delivered the Ten Commandments, for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day, wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." Exodus 20 11. In our times there's disagreement with respect to the days of creation. Some put a long gap between the days, some speculate that a day is not actually 24 hours but longer. I would counter with how Scripture describes each day's work of creation. The end of each day and the evening and the morning were the first day, Genesis 1 5, and that pattern is repeated for every day.

This pattern emphasizes that each day had an evening and a morning. It doesn't make sense if each day is considered an age or span of years. Furthermore, in Hebrew the word for days is tov. Throughout all scripture the word tov represents a 24-hour period, only 24 hours. There is a philosophical law, out of nothing comes nothing.

This is a problem with the Big Bang theory describing how things came to be. Out of a supposed singularity, there was an explosion or Big Bang from which the universe came forth. The problem with this theory is the explanation of where did the singularity come from? Where did the stuff that blew up come from? And who caused this explosion?

There are no answers to these questions. In fact, there are a number of other issues with this theory. But what about God creating the heavens and the earth out of nothing? He spoke and then it was. Let there be light and there was light.

Does this contradict this philosophical law I mentioned? Because God created all things out of nothing. Actually no. In the biblical account before the beginning there was something. There wasn't nothing.

There was God. From God all things were created. The heavens and the earth visible and invisible. The fundamental problem here comes from either people rejecting God and coming up with their own ideas independent of the Bible or people trying to force the biblical record to fit their own ideas. I believe the Bible is true, every word.

Scripture itself tells us the entirety of your word is truth in Psalm 119, 160. Do you believe this? Do you believe everything in the Bible is true? Our paragraph today brings up a point that many people have disagreements over. Even many Christians cannot agree on what is stated here.

What is the real creation account? Do you really believe that God created all things out of nothing in six days? Do you really believe God has that power? In our culture great efforts are made to convince us of evolution or the Big Bang or any number of other ideas out there. But God's Word is clear on this point.

His Word is true. It is certain. And in contrast, our world is full of lies. Which side do you stand on? I would remind you too that if you have trouble believing any one point in the Bible, if you think there is one thing in scripture that is not true, how can you believe anything in it?

Even more to the point, if you believe that there's something not true in the Bible, you're really saying that God got something wrong or he's lying to us. Some might argue that it's only a difference of interpretation, But are you using scripture to interpret scripture or are you using man's ideas to interpret scripture? Are you forcing scripture to fit man's ideas? The Bible tells us that in the beginning, God really and truly created the heavens and the earth. He really created all things visible and invisible and He really created all this in six 24-hour days and then He rested.

Amen.