An omni\u00adpo\u00adtent God could have crea\u00adted the world in the dura\u00adti\u00adon of a blink of an eye. But God takes time, crea\u00adtes time and gives it to crea\u00adti\u00adon. This is the ulti\u00adma\u00adte announce\u00adment against stress and rest\u00adless\u00adness. How long do you think a day las\u00adted in the crea\u00adti\u00adon sto\u00adry? Ins\u00adtead of arguing about this, the Chris\u00adti\u00adan church should focus on important beliefs and stand united against Dar\u00adwi\u00adni\u00adan theses.<\/p>\n
Recent\u00adly someone told me that the Coro\u00adna viru\u00ads\u00ades muta\u00adted into the more or less harm\u00adless Omic\u00adron vari\u00adant out of a sur\u00advi\u00adval stra\u00adtegy. If they atta\u00adcked their host, the human, too hard, it would die out, which would also threa\u00adten their own sur\u00advi\u00adval. Howe\u00adver, we see a simi\u00adlar beha\u00adviour in the deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment of resis\u00adtance of bac\u00adte\u00adria to antibiotics. \tThe\u00adre is an eter\u00adnal and loving God who deli\u00adbera\u00adte\u00adly crea\u00adted the world out of not\u00adhing. \u00abBy faith we under\u00adstand that the world came into being at God\u2019s com\u00admand, and that ever\u00ady\u00adthing we see now came into being from what is not seen\u00bb (Hebrews 11:3 NLB<\/span>). \tGod took his time in crea\u00adting the world? What could this mean for creation? An omni\u00adpo\u00adtent God could have crea\u00adted the world in the dura\u00adti\u00adon of a blink of an eye. But God takes time, crea\u00adtes time and gives it to crea\u00adti\u00adon. This is the ulti\u00adma\u00adte announce\u00adment against stress and rest\u00adless\u00adness. How long do you think a day las\u00adted in the crea\u00adti\u00adon sto\u00adry? Ins\u00adtead of arguing about it, the Chris\u00adti\u00adan church should focus on important\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7027,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[81],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-creatio","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-3825","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"has-post-thumbnail","8":"hentry","11":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\n\u00abThe hea\u00advens decla\u00adre the glo\u00adry of God and the fir\u00adma\u00adment bears wit\u00adness to his mar\u00advell\u00adous works\u00bb (Psalm 19:2 NLB<\/span>). We live in a bril\u00adli\u00adant crea\u00adti\u00adon. Last Octo\u00adber, my nie\u00adce had an acci\u00addent with a meat pro\u00adces\u00adsing machi\u00adne. Ins\u00adtead of a steak, the machi\u00adne caught her hand. Quick-wit\u00adted, the boss gras\u00adped the situa\u00adti\u00adon and took her to the emer\u00adgen\u00adcy inclu\u00adding the machi\u00adne on her hand. My nie\u00adce was able to cope with this very stressful situa\u00adti\u00adon men\u00adtal\u00adly and pain-wise becau\u00adse her body reac\u00adted with shock. When I heard this, I thought: \u00abHow inge\u00adnious God has crea\u00adted this world. Human beings func\u00adtion bril\u00adli\u00adant\u00adly even in emer\u00adgen\u00adcy mode!\u00bb
\nThe geni\u00adus and crea\u00adti\u00advi\u00adty of what has been crea\u00adted testi\u00adfy to a magni\u00adfi\u00adcent and omni\u00adpo\u00adtent God. \u00abSin\u00adce the crea\u00adti\u00adon of the world, peo\u00adp\u00adle have seen the earth and the hea\u00advens and all that God crea\u00adted, and can cle\u00adar\u00adly see him, the invi\u00adsi\u00adble God, in his eter\u00adnal power and divi\u00adne natu\u00adre. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre they have no excu\u00adse for not having known about God\u00bb (Romans 1:20 NLB<\/span>).
\nGod takes time
\nTime and again the\u00adre is a dis\u00adcus\u00adsion about whe\u00adther God is real\u00adly able to crea\u00adte the world in six days. The lon\u00adger the more I mar\u00advel at the fact that He took so much time. If God is all-powerful, He could have crea\u00adted the world with a snap of His fin\u00adgers. The sur\u00adpri\u00adsing mes\u00adsa\u00adge of the seven days is: God takes His time! The crea\u00adti\u00adon of the world and time go hand in hand. From now on the\u00adre is a befo\u00adre and an after. The eter\u00adnal God opens up to the expe\u00adri\u00adence of chro\u00adno\u00adlo\u00adgi\u00adcal time.
\nGod takes time, crea\u00adtes time and gives it to crea\u00adti\u00adon. This beco\u00admes very visi\u00adble on the third day of crea\u00adti\u00adon. \u00abOn the earth grass grew and plants and trees bore seed. And God saw that it was good\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 1:12 NLB<\/span>). God gave crea\u00adti\u00adon time to grow and reproduce.
\nAlt\u00adhough God crea\u00adted an incre\u00addi\u00adble amount, he was not stres\u00adsed. From the crea\u00adti\u00adon account we get a lot of rest and lei\u00adsu\u00adre. At the moment we are rebuil\u00adding our litt\u00adle house. Com\u00adpared to the con\u00ads\u00adtruc\u00adtion of an enti\u00adre cos\u00admos, this is quite mode\u00adst work. And yet we tend to feel stressed.
\nWe tend to live like we are in a hams\u00adter wheel. The\u00adre are various engi\u00adnes that lead to high self-acce\u00adle\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon. One of them is the tech\u00adni\u00adcal acce\u00adle\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon, which can be seen in com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon, among other things. Ano\u00adther motor that dri\u00adves this hams\u00adter wheel is the loss of eter\u00adni\u00adty, so that peo\u00adp\u00adle today are doo\u00admed to expe\u00adri\u00adence an eter\u00adnal life befo\u00adre death. In the fear of being left behind or miss\u00ading out, we increase the epi\u00adso\u00addes of expe\u00adri\u00adence per time and over\u00adlap dif\u00adfe\u00adrent expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces. A third dri\u00adver is com\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adti\u00adon. Life func\u00adtions accor\u00adding to the logic of the mar\u00adket. The allo\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon of resour\u00adces, goods, wealth, pri\u00advi\u00adle\u00adges, posi\u00adti\u00adons, sta\u00adtus, reco\u00adgni\u00adti\u00adon takes place in com\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adti\u00adon. Per\u00adfor\u00admance is defi\u00adned as work per unit of time, which results in a strong acceleration.
\nGod has given time to crea\u00adti\u00adon. And he invi\u00adtes us to share in his peace.
\nTime of a day of creation
\nAs I said, God could have crea\u00adted the world in the dura\u00adti\u00adon of a blink of an eye. He took one day. How much time is that? If the days men\u00adtio\u00adned in Gene\u00adsis 1 are calen\u00addar days, the earth would be some\u00adwhe\u00adre bet\u00adween 6000 to 10000 years young. Per\u00adhaps this is so, but the\u00adre are quite a lot of argu\u00adments and facts from natu\u00adral sci\u00adence for a much older earth. The ques\u00adti\u00adon of dating the dino\u00adsaurs or the ice ages are the most popu\u00adlar. Ano\u00adther fact is the fos\u00adsils and their dis\u00adtri\u00adbu\u00adti\u00adon and disper\u00adsi\u00adon in lay\u00aders and sedi\u00adments. From the lower to the upper lay\u00aders, a world\u00adwi\u00adde pat\u00adtern of ani\u00admals wit\u00adhout spi\u00adnes, fish, amphi\u00adbi\u00adans, rep\u00adti\u00adles, mammals and humans is found.
\nThe key ques\u00adti\u00adon regar\u00adding the age of the earth and the cos\u00admos has to do with the inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon of the Hebrew word yom in Gene\u00adsis 1 \u2013 trans\u00adla\u00adted as day in most Bible ver\u00adsi\u00adons. Howe\u00adver, this Hebrew word does not mean exclu\u00adsi\u00adve\u00adly a 24-hour peri\u00adod. It encom\u00adpas\u00adses various peri\u00adods of time, inclu\u00adding a long peri\u00adod of time. When 300 pro\u00adfes\u00adsors of Hebrew and Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment were asked about this ques\u00adti\u00adon of time, none of them sta\u00adted that Gene\u00adsis 1 refers to six con\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adti\u00adve 24-hour days.
\nCon\u00adside\u00adring the pro\u00adcess that took place on one day of crea\u00adti\u00adon, this also indi\u00adca\u00adtes a lon\u00adger peri\u00adod. As alre\u00ada\u00addy men\u00adtio\u00adned, on the third day it is indi\u00adca\u00adted that \u00abgrass grew on the earth, as well as plants and trees that bore seed\u00bb. And while Gene\u00adsis 1:26\u201327 sta\u00adtes that Adam and Eve were both crea\u00adted on the 6th day, Gene\u00adsis 2:7\u201323 makes it clear that a long time had pas\u00adsed bet\u00adween the crea\u00adti\u00adon of Adam and Eve \u2013 not a span of 24 hours.
\nHowe\u00adver, accor\u00adding to the Bible, the announce\u00adment of each new day is pre\u00adce\u00added by the state\u00adment \u00abIt was evening and mor\u00adning\u00bb, which can be inter\u00adpre\u00adted as a refe\u00adrence to a 24-hour day. On the other hand, the rever\u00adse order \u2013 first evening, then mor\u00adning \u2013 is remar\u00adkab\u00adle. Per\u00adhaps this mere\u00adly indi\u00adca\u00adtes the end of one age and the begin\u00adning of the new one.
\nNatu\u00adral sci\u00adence need not con\u00adtra\u00addict faith. Rather, it can sup\u00adport the truth of the Bible \u2013 inclu\u00adding faith in a per\u00adso\u00adnal God reve\u00ada\u00adled in Scrip\u00adtu\u00adre as well as in natu\u00adre. The cla\u00adim that the earth is young con\u00adtra\u00addicts sci\u00aden\u00adti\u00adfic evi\u00addence. By no means should we place sci\u00aden\u00adti\u00adfic claims abo\u00adve the Bible; rather, I am con\u00advin\u00adced that the Bible, cor\u00adrect\u00adly inter\u00adpre\u00adted, agrees with the facts of natu\u00adre. The two crea\u00adti\u00adon accounts in Gene\u00adsis say not\u00adhing about the age of the earth. They were writ\u00adten by the wri\u00adters as a mes\u00adsa\u00adge from God to his peo\u00adp\u00adle, not as a report for his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans who want to estab\u00adlish a pre\u00adcise timetable.
\nNor is it the case that belief in an old earth auto\u00adma\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly sup\u00adports Dar\u00adwi\u00adnism. The mes\u00adsa\u00adge of the Bible and sci\u00adence tog\u00ade\u00adther speak against it. For exam\u00adp\u00adle, the evi\u00addence of macro-evo\u00adlu\u00adti\u00adon from a sin\u00adgle-cel\u00adled orga\u00adnism to com\u00adplex orga\u00adnisms to humans is lack\u00ading. Sci\u00adence also has no expl\u00adana\u00adti\u00adon of how life was crea\u00adted from inor\u00adga\u00adnic sub\u00ads\u00adtances. The ori\u00adgin of life remains the gre\u00adat pro\u00adblem of Dar\u00adwi\u00adni\u00adan sci\u00adence. We Chris\u00adti\u00adans do well to focus on the important beliefs and stand united against Dar\u00adwi\u00adni\u00adan theses.
\nTim\u00ade\u00adl\u00adess convictions
\nIt does not harm my faith if I stop fight\u00ading for a young earth. The Bible reta\u00adins its divi\u00adne aut\u00adho\u00adri\u00adty even if I con\u00adsider the days in Gene\u00adsis 1 as eons. Let us hold fast to the mes\u00adsa\u00adge of the crea\u00adti\u00adon story:<\/p>\n
\n\tA supre\u00adme\u00adly crea\u00adti\u00adve God crea\u00adted every kind of plant and ani\u00admal, crea\u00adting \u2013 per\u00adhaps mischie\u00advous\u00adly smi\u00adling \u2013 incon\u00adceiv\u00ada\u00adb\u00adly many and graceful varia\u00adti\u00adons. Micro-evo\u00adlu\u00adti\u00adon (rela\u00adtively small varia\u00adti\u00adons within a spe\u00adci\u00ades) has been pro\u00adven, it is visi\u00adble and not con\u00adtro\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adal. An exam\u00adp\u00adle of this is the afo\u00adre\u00admen\u00adtio\u00adned deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment of resis\u00adtance in bac\u00adte\u00adria to antibiotics.
\n\tOn the 6th day, God crea\u00adted man in His image. Peo\u00adp\u00adle do not inhe\u00adrit their intrin\u00adsic worth and digni\u00adty based on ancestry, finan\u00adcial sta\u00adtus or roy\u00adal posi\u00adti\u00adon. Value and digni\u00adty are besto\u00adwed upon a human being by the Crea\u00adtor, the exal\u00adted God. That is why Solo\u00admon says: \u00abWhoe\u00adver mocks the poor insults his Crea\u00adtor\u00bb (Pro\u00adverbs 17:5 NLB<\/span>).
\n\tMan is given the mis\u00adsi\u00adon to ser\u00adve crea\u00adti\u00adon, to care for it and to cul\u00adti\u00adva\u00adte it. He has a ste\u00adward\u00adship man\u00adda\u00adte along the lines of a she\u00adp\u00adherd loo\u00adking after the wel\u00adfa\u00adre of his sheep. Man is to use the resour\u00adces of the earth, but not to harm it. He bears the respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty for the well-being of the who\u00adle earth.
\n\tCrea\u00adti\u00adon is \u00abvery good\u00bb becau\u00adse each indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adal crea\u00adtu\u00adre is uni\u00adque in func\u00adtion and aes\u00adthe\u00adtics and becau\u00adse the rela\u00adti\u00adonships within the indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adal gene\u00adra and bey\u00adond are per\u00adfect\u00adly coor\u00addi\u00adna\u00adted. The secret of this inter\u00adcon\u00adnec\u00adted\u00adness has a name: Jesus Christ. About him it says: \u00abHe was the\u00adre befo\u00adre ever\u00ady\u00adthing else began, and he holds the who\u00adle crea\u00adti\u00adon tog\u00ade\u00adther\u00bb (Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 1:17 NLB<\/span>).<\/p>\n
\n\u00abNow we see things imper\u00adfect\u00adly, as in a clou\u00addy mir\u00adror, but then we will see ever\u00ady\u00adthing with com\u00adple\u00adte cla\u00adri\u00adty. Ever\u00ady\u00adthing I know now is incom\u00adple\u00adte, but then I will know ever\u00ady\u00adthing, just as God alre\u00ada\u00addy knows me now\u00bb (1 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 13:12 NLB<\/span>). Peo\u00adp\u00adle who are united with Jesus Christ will have full insight into the details of crea\u00adti\u00adon in eter\u00adni\u00adty. In the mean\u00adti\u00adme, it is wise to focus on more important doc\u00adtri\u00adnes, the Chris\u00adti\u00adan faith stands or falls on the death and resur\u00adrec\u00adtion of Christ and His return. Expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adcing this gos\u00adpel is more important than arguing about the age of crea\u00adti\u00adon. The resur\u00adrec\u00adtion of Jesus is the begin\u00adning of the new crea\u00adti\u00adon. Our atti\u00adtu\u00adde towards Him deter\u00admi\u00adnes whe\u00adther we are part of it!
\n
\nQues\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead the Bible text: Gene\u00adsis 1:1\u20132:4<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat does it mean that He has given time to crea\u00adti\u00adon? How can we radia\u00adte peace despi\u00adte many tasks?
\n\tWhat do you think about the age of the earth? What speaks for a young and what for an old world? Which con\u00advin\u00adces you more?
\n\tWhich truths from the crea\u00adti\u00adon sto\u00adry are non-negotiable?
\n\tWhat are the more important tea\u00adchings in the Bible? How do I per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly, exis\u00adten\u00adti\u00adal\u00adly rela\u00adte to them?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"