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The Other Book of God
Psalm 19:1-4; Romans 1:18-20
Introduction
Have you ever wondered if there is another book from
God beside the Bible? One of the
advertisements on TV over the last few years suggests there is.
A book which tells us what happened to the ten lost
tribes of Israel? A book which tells us of
Christ's resurrection appearances here in North America? A book which tells us more
than the Bible about the secret things of God?
If
you call a 1-800 number and ordered a copy of "The Book of
Mormon" they will be glad to send it. Unfortunately, while sounding intriguing,
it is but a mere fantasy and fabrication of Jospeh Smith. As we will discuss in greater detail
in the coming weeks the Scriptures teach that the Bible is a closed book,
there is no new revelation beside the Bible.
However,
back to the question posed by the advertisement: Is there another
"book" from God beside the Bible? Yes, there is. Today, we are going to spend some time
looking at "The Other Book of God."
I The First
Book of God
A. What is the other book of God?
It has no pages, yet it is many volumes thick. It has no words, yet it is
read everywhere. It has no tongue, yet it is heard by men of every tribe
and language and people and nation (Ps 19). The Belgic Confession calls
it a "beautiful book." What is this book? It is the universe
— its creation, preservation, and government
in
which all creatures,
great and small,
are as letters
to make us ponder
the invisible things of God ...
First, the creation itself speaks to us of God. For every
Christian believer there seems to be something in creation which
especially reveals the fact that God is the creator.
• A farmer finds mystery, majesty, and
promise in a sun-rise over a field of waving corn.
• A gardener sees God as she drinks in
the colors of a thousand flowers. Artists see God when they look across
deep blue waters off the coast of Maine surrounded by majestic
granite cliffs, towering pines with mountains in the distance.
• Vacationers see God in the vast trees
of Sequoia National Park, the cascade of water at Niagara Falls, and the depths of the Grand Canyon.
• Children see God everywhere: in
salamanders; insects; a grain of sand; a rain-drip; and in the sun, moon,
and stars.
• Mothers and fathers see God in the
miracle of new life: so small, so intricate, so delicate, and yet so
complete.
Creation
is not silent about God. Not at all. The psalmist says,
(Ps
19:1) The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work
of his hands.
The
creation speaks of God so loud and so clear — if only we would be
silent and listen, if only we would open our eyes and see, if only we
would unplug our nose and smell, if only we would reach out our hands and
touch.
Six
years ago scientists at Kitt Peak National Observatory southwest of Tucson reported the discovery of a
supercluster of galaxies believed to be the largest known entity in
space: one billion light years across! When we realize that light travels
almost six trillion miles in one year, the vastness of that galaxy
supercluster staggers the imagination.
But instead of inspiring mere surprise, these reports of the vastness of
space should evoke from us praise and wonder, for the heavens speak of
God's glory. The whole earth has a front row seat for the heavenly
display of God's handiwork. While the stars and moon utter no audible
words, their instruction is easy to understand.
You
know the song that we sing:
This
is my Father's world:
he shines in all that's fair;
in rustling grass I hear him pass--
he speaks to me everywhere.
B. Second, not only
does the creation speaks to us of God, but as believers we see God in the
preservation and government of creation. We know this as the providence
of God.
Without
God's providence, the whole universe would collapse like a lung without
air. What keeps the planets going around the sun? What keeps the moons
going around the planets? What keeps the galaxies from hitting each
other? How come season faithfully follows season? To the Christian
believer all this speaks of God.
The order and consistency that exists in our universe, this too
speaks to us of God.
It
seems that every Christian has his or her own story of God's providential
care. Stories like: the rescue of a lost child, the miraculous recovery
of a loved one, the profession of faith of a wayward son, the unexpected
arrival of badly needed help. So many rich gifts whisper God's name to an
alert soul.
We
also know that sometimes God's providence means grief, or hardship, or
pain, or loss. Someone's child is not rescued, a loved one does not
recover, a marriage comes unglued, a business goes bankrupt. Yet, even then, Christians sense God's
providence. A man loses his job;
yet, he has never been surer that God is with him. Grieving parents visit
their child's grave; never has their faith and their God meant as much to
them as it does now. A person receives the shocking news that he has
cancer; after a time of struggle this person knows that God can conquer
all.
C. We can and should see God
in the universe. Says Guido de Brés,
The
creation, preservation, and government of the universe ... is before our
eyes like a beautiful book ... to make us ponder the invisible things of
God.
Says
the psalmist,
(Ps
19:1) The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of
his hands.
Says
Paul,
(Rom
1:19-20) ... what may be known about God is plain to
them, because God has made it plain to them. (20) For since the creation
of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine
nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made
...
What does the universe — its creation, preservation, and government
— reveal to us about God?
Romans 1, tell us: "his eternal power and divine
nature." By looking at the universe, we know there is a God —
a God Who creates, preserves, and governs. And, we further know that the
God of the universe must be almighty.
Do
you know what this all means? It means we don't have to prove the
existence of God. We don't have to prove God's existence because He has
revealed Himself to us. By looking at the universe all can see that there
is a God and that He is almighty.
D. If the universe is a most
beautiful book, how come not everyone acknowledges and worships God. If
what may be known about God is plain because God has made it plain, how
come we do missions and evangelism?
There
are two answers, and they both have to do with man's fall into sin.
1. First of all, we have to say
that the Fall has obscured the handwriting of God in creation. Yes, we
can see God in the majesty of a snow-covered mountain, in the blowing of
the wind, in the beauty of the sea. However, snow-covered mountains
becomes places of death in an avalanche or a skiing accident. Wind in the
form or a tornado or hurricane is frightening. And, a stormy sea or a
tidal wave can do untold damage. It is hard, at times, to read God's
beautiful Creation book when its pages are smeared with blood, sweat,
grief, and tears.
2. Second, we have to say that the
Fall has also affected man's ability to read God's beautiful Creation
book. The Fall has blinded us to God's revelation of Himself in the
universe. Paul tells us that men "suppress the truth by their
wickedness." Every person, no one excepted, can see that there is a
God. But many deliberately suppress this knowledge. They purposely bottle
it up and thrust it aside. They choose to ignore God's creation
revelation.
Many
years ago, while on a visit to America, a wealthy Chinese
businessman was fascinated by a powerful microscope. Looking through its
lens to study crystals and the petals of flowers, he was amazed at their
beauty and detail. So he decided to purchase one of these devices and
take it back to China. He thoroughly enjoyed
using it until one day he examined some rice he was planning to eat for dinner.
Much to his dismay, he discovered that tiny living creatures were
crawling in it. Since he was especially fond of this staple food in his
daily diet, he wondered what to do. Finally he concluded that there was
only one way out of his dilemma -- he would destroy the instrument that
caused him to discover the distasteful fact! So he smashed the microscope
to pieces.
"How
foolish!" you say. But many people do the same thing with the
Revelation of God. They hate it and try to ignore it.
Sin
or no sin, God has still revealed Himself to us in and through and by His
universe. Says de Brés, again quoting from Paul,
All
these things are enough to convict men
and to leave them without excuse.
Not
a single person can stand before the Judgment Throne and say, "No
one told me. I didn't know You were there, God. So You can't hold me
responsible." For God will answer, "But I told you. I revealed
Myself to you in creation."
Hundreds
of years ago Tertullian, the early church theologian, stated: "It
was not the pen of Moses that initiated the knowledge of the Creator. The
vast majority of mankind, though they had never heard the name of Moses,
to say nothing of his books, knew the God of Moses nonetheless. Nature is
the teacher; the soul is the pupil. One flower of the hedgerow, one shell
from any sea you like, one feather of a moor fowl--speak to you of a
Creator."
Back to the question posed by the advertisement: Is there another book
from God beside the Bible? Yes,
there is. It is a "beautiful book." It is the universe —
its creation, preservation, and government —
in
which all creatures,
great and small,
are as letters
to make us ponder
the invisible things of God:
his eternal power
and his divinity ...
II The
Second Book of God
A. Creation
Revelation is the first book of God. We can call it Book I. Because of sin, as I
said, we have trouble seeing God in this book. The Fall has obscured the handwriting
of God and has led us to suppress the truth about Him. For this reason we need God's other
book, Book II, what we know as the Bible, God's Special Revelation.
I
love what John Calvin says. He speaks here of the spectacles of
Scripture. The Bible is like a pair of eyeglasses. Some of us are almost
lost without our glasses. Without our glasses cars on the road, even the
yellow line, becomes a blur.
Without my glasses I cannot see my sermon notes. Without my glasses I cannot see read or
enjoy a novel, I can't make out the yardage marker on my golf score
card. But with them, everything
becomes clear and distinct…although in golf, it doesn't help me
much.
The
Bible is like a pair of eyeglasses. By looking through the eyeglasses of
Scripture everything becomes clear and distinct. By looking through the
eyeglasses of Scripture we are able once again to clearly see God in the
creation, preservation, and government of the universe.
All
things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, should speak
to us of God. The fact is, though, that they do speak to us of God only
when we look at them through the eyeglasses of Scripture. That is why it is important to read,
study and meditate on Book II, the Bible. And, then, you will be able to
see what God says to you in Book I.
B. Of course, Book II was not given to us just
so we can see God in Book I. Guido de Brés tells us God speaks to us in
Book II of salvation, redemption, and Christ. We don't hear or see a word
of this in Book I. So we need Book II for our salvation. Apart from it we
would remain ignorant of God's eternal plan of salvation by way of the
cross and the grave.
Conclusion
In the first sermons on the Belgic
Confession we looked at God, his existence and something of His being,
His attributes. Today we have
looked at how we know this God. We know Him by two means: Book I and Book
II; Creation Revelation and Special Revelation.
Now,
there is only one question to ask: "Are you listening to God?"
And, there is only one answer to give: "Speak, LORD, for your
servant is listening" (1 Sam 3:9).
Return to First
Baptist Sermon page.
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