The Heavens Declare the Glor..

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com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. It is a true privilege and a joy to have this opportunity to share God's word with you all today. At the same time, it's also quite a responsibility, and I assure you it's not one that I take lightly.

So may the Lord help me and help us all to receive his word. So the text I'd like us all to contemplate together today is Psalm 19. Specifically the first six verses where David speaks of the glory of God revealed in the heavens. So I want to start by reading the whole psalm, and then I will say a word of prayer for us. So let's read from Psalm 19, and I'll be reading from the English Standard Version as we usually do.

So this is Psalm 19. To the choir master, a psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words whose voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber. And like a strong man runs its course with joy, Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The rules of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold.

Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned. In keeping them, there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.

Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. So let's pray.

Lord God, our Father, you have indeed reveal your glory to us in many ways. We ask today that you would reveal yourself in the reading of your word. Guide us as we seek to understand and apply these wonderful truths that you have revealed to us. Lord, apart from you, all I'm about to say would be empty words soon forgotten. But if you are with us, you can use your word to encourage us and challenge us, bring comfort and conviction, strengthen faith and loose the grip of unbelief.

So help us, Lord, glorify yourself. Lord, I know you've been with me as I've prepared for this moment. Be with me now as I speak. Keep me from error. But Lord, if you have decreed that I would speak any error today, let it be swiftly corrected, swiftly repented of, and may it do no harm to your people.

Lord, I'm comforted to know that whatever my deficiencies, you can speak to your people through the word that is read. So speak to us today, Lord. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight. I pray this in the name of our Lord, Christ Jesus. Amen.

So the heavens declare the glory of God. It is a wonderful text and it's certainly a text that's well known and well loved. I think that's because it expresses a very precious truth that our majestic and almighty God is revealed by his works. And I'm sure we can all think of lots of things that come to our mind when we think of this topic. For instance, consider the orderliness of nature.

We can talk about the laws of physics, don't we? And that's because there's a consistent intelligible structure to the way that the universe operates. The heart of nature is not chaos, but order and harmony. This points us to the one who governs and sustains all things, giving order to the universe. We see the work of a God who by wisdom founded the earth and by understanding established the heavens.

That's Proverbs 3.19. And what about living things? There we find astonishing variety and complexity. There's not just complexity, but specified, purposeful complexity, where natural structures are ordered toward specific ends.

Nature is clearly and inescapably the work of a master designer who has made the world with intention and purpose. And what about the sheer beauty of it all? Consider the colors of the sunset, the majesty of the mountains, or the wonder of a waterfall. Doesn't it give us a glimpse of the one who is supremely beautiful, the source of all that is good and beautiful in this world? We could also consider existence itself.

What explains why anything exists at all? There's nothing necessary in nature. It doesn't have to exist. It's not eternal. It's subject to change.

It could have been different. In other words, nature is contingent. And if anything is to exist at all, it must ultimately depend on that which is not contingent, he who exists in and of himself. who is the very foundation and source of all our reality. So there's a lot more we could say about these things, but let's turn to Psalm 19 and hear what God's word has to say.

So as we're reading, I hope that you notice that Psalm 19 has three distinct sections. In verses one to six, our psalmist, who is King David, writes about the glory of God revealed in the heavens. Then from verse seven, he talks about the law of God, how it is good and true and to be treasured above earthly pleasures. Then from verse 12, he responds to what he has seen in the heavens and read in the law with a plea to God. He feels his sinfulness in light of God's glory.

and asked to be declared innocent and made righteous so he can be offering acceptable worship to God. In the first two sections, we see David drawing on two distinct modes of revelation or ways in which God chooses to reveal himself to us. The first is how God reveals himself in nature. This is known as general revelation or sometimes natural revelation. This is the revelation that God broadcasts generally to everyone in the things that he has made.

This is to be distinguished from what we call special revelation, which refers to the specific supernatural revelation of God to a specific audience in a particular time and place. So special revelation would include things like dreams and visions, the appearances of angels, and of course, the inspiration of scripture. Now, the greatest and ultimate example of special revelation was, of course, the incarnation where the internal word of God himself assumed human nature and dwelt bodily on earth as the ultimate revelation of God to man. And of course, at this point in redemptive history, we access special revelation through holy scripture. where the Word of God, supernaturally revealed in different times in history, has been preserved whole and sufficient for His Church.

But today, I want to focus particularly on general revelation, and Psalm 19 is a key text for this doctrine. So, to start off with, I want to walk us through the text, our first six verses of the text, verse by verse. So let's look at verse 1. So David's focus here is not on all creation, but specifically on the heavens or the sky above. Now, it's my understanding that these are two terms for basically the same thing.

Elsewhere in the ESV, the word for the sky above is translated the expanse. which is equivalent to the firmament that you'll find in older translations. In Genesis 1, we read that God sets the expanse in the midst of the waters, and we're told that God called the expanse heaven. That's Genesis 1, verse 8. And so these are closely related terms.

Broadly speaking, the heavens in scripture refer to pretty much whatever happens to be above the earth. So the birds are said to fly across the expanse of heaven. The sun, moon, and stars are placed in the expanse of heaven. In various places, rain and dew are said to come from the heavens. The clouds are in the heavens, and so forth.

So we wouldn't want to be reading modern categories into the biblical notion of the heavens. Of course, the heavens are also the dwelling place of God. This use of the term is sometimes distinguished using certain modifiers. We sometimes speak of the third heaven or the heaven of heavens. And this seems to indicate that God's dwelling place is, in some sense, beyond the visible material heavens.

In the context of Psalm 19, though, I think David plainly means the visible heavens that we can see and learn from above us. So next, we're told that the heavens declare God's glory and proclaim his handiwork. The heavens don't whisper God's glory, such that you might catch them if you happen to be paying attention. They don't gently hint at God's glory. They proclaim and declare loudly and unmistakably.

Now, we never actually hear the heavens speak to us, right? Well, I hope we shouldn't. We understand this figuratively, but the question would be, in what sense? How do we hear what the heavens are saying? So I hope we can shed some light on this today, but before we ask how, let's first ask what the heavens are declaring to us.

So first, there is a declaration of God's glory. To put it simply, God's glory describes his greatness, his splendor, his worthiness of honor and praise. Secondly, this guy proclaims his handiwork, or in other translations, the work of his hands. So the sky tells us that it is created. It's not the product of chance or chaos.

But more than this, I think it proclaims that the heavens are well made, wonderfully made, like the work of a master craftsman. At this point, I'd like to stop to consider the question, why the heavens? Doesn't all creation reveal God's glory? Well, I think it does, but David has chosen to focus on the heavens specifically. He doesn't tell us, but I think we can suggest some reasons why.

First, so many of the observations that teach us about God in the rest of creation are also present in the heavens and in a particularly spectacular fashion. So the part can sort of stand as an exemplar of the whole. For example, we see astonishing beauty, we see order and variety, and in fact the orderliness of the heavens is particularly important. Astronomy was probably the most developed science in the ancient world. The ancient people were very aware of the phases of the moon, the courses of the planets, how different constellations will appear at different times and different seasons.

The orderliness of the heavens with its constant, dependable cycles is a profound display of the sovereignty of God and his kingly government over creation. But the heavens are also untamable. Consider the ferocity of a thunderstorm or the terror of hail and lightning. Man is powerless before the ferocity of the heavens. Most of the time, the best we can do is hide.

And that's quite a picture of God's power and our frailty. The heavens are also a universal human experience. Other parts of creation might be more localized, but almost everyone can behold the wonders of the heavens wherever they happen to be in the world. So in choosing the heavens, David is giving us an illustration of the global extent of general revelation. And we'll see that he highlights this explicitly as we work through the text.

Finally, the heavens, while familiar to us, remain remote, mysterious, and inaccessible. The sky is above us, literally, but also above us in the sense of being beyond us and exceeding us in every way, in scale, in grandeur, and beyond our understanding. The sheer enormity of the sky above us inspires wonder and delight, but also something like terror when we realize our smallness. and fragility under the greatness of what God has made. So this gives us a picture of who God is in relation to us.

I think David does feel this very keenly because that's just what we read in Psalm 8, verses three and four. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you care for him? So I think the proper response to beholding the heavens is humility before God. If what we see in the sky above us is so much greater than us, and all its enormity and grandeur beyond our grasp, how much more the One who made and governs it all. So I often think of Solomon's words here.

Heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you. God is great beyond our comprehension, and the heavens help us to see that. We should be moved to praise and thanksgiving that almighty God would care for such small and feeble creatures like us. So the heavens, I think, are a perfect exemplar of the revelation of God in creation. But let's now move on to verse two.

Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. So here we're continuing with the speech metaphor. The words pours out suggests abundance. God's revelation flows forth from nature abundantly. It doesn't come to us as a trickle, but generously.

And this happens continuously with the cycle of day and night. The words reveals knowledge are also important. I think David understands that there's a real substantial information content to be found in journal revelation. It's not just vague feelings or impressions. The consequence of this is that we can be held accountable for what we do with that knowledge.

Do we embrace what God reveals to us and worship him as our creator? Or do we prefer ignorance and reject what God has revealed to us? More on that later. Let's continue with verses 3 and 4. So the revelation of God in the heavens is not only abundant and unceasing, but also global in its reach.

No one misses out on hearing the declaration of God's glory. This is an essential point because it implicates us all when it comes to acknowledging and glorifying God. People will often ask, what about those who have never heard? Can God be just if he judges those who didn't know any better? The thing is, we all know better.

We have heard. God's glory is declared loudly and plainly in the heavens, and we are guilty when we fail to live accordingly. But let's consider the final part of our text, where David gives the sun as an example of what he's been speaking to us about. So let's read from the second half of verse four. There is nothing hidden from its heat.

So David's comparing the rising of the sun to a bridegroom rising joyfully from his chamber, just like how the rising sun leaps above the horizon with bright colors as if in celebration. And then having written, the sun is compared to a strong man running its course through the heavens. God has perfectly fitted it for its task, which it does easily and joyfully. I think perhaps David is expecting us to reason from the lesser to the greater in this case. So the apparently unending strength and vigor of the sun is indicative of the even greater strength of its creator who supplies its strength.

So I hope that you're all with me thus far. At this point, we've learned from Psalm 19 about the power, abundance, and extent of general revelation. The heavens declare God's glory continually, everywhere, and to everyone. But we're left with several questions. We're still not clear exactly how this works.

How do we apprehend general revelation? And how much can we know about God from creation? Can we know God salvifically through creation? And if God is revealed clearly to everyone, Why doesn't everyone believe the true God? Well, there's another passage that will help us consider these questions, and that's, of course, Romans 1.

So please turn with me to the first chapter of the book of Romans, and we'll read from verse 18 to the end of verse 25. So that's Romans 1, verse 18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world.

in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God will give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. So there's a lot to be said about this text, but I do want to just highlight a few important things that should help us clarify what we've learned in Psalm 19.

So let's first note the context. We're talking about fallen men, unbelievers who are under the just wrath of God for their unrighteousness. Then we read in verse 19, for what can be known about God is plain to them. So there's something that can be known about God. Not everything.

Our finite minds cannot comprehend the fullness of God's being, but there is something that can be known. And not just by believers, but by unbelievers as well. Furthermore, what can be known is plain. But how? How is it plain to the unbelievers?

Well, God himself has shown it to them. So God is not passive in general revelation. God is actively and intentionally working in and through creation to reveal himself to us plainly. So in verse 20, we learn more about the content of general revelation. For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived.

So God is showing us his attributes, his eternal power and divine nature. His power, of course, is evident in his ability to create and sustain the world. And his power is obviously eternal because that which created time and space must transcend time and space and come before time and space. His divine nature is also revealed, or his divinity, or Godhead. There is to be no confusion between the creature and the creator.

The true God is not just one being among many, like the pagan gods. He is the ultimate reality and the ultimate source of all that is and all that can ever be. As a source of creation, he is utterly beyond anything in creation. But how is this clearly perceived? By what means?

So Paul tells us, these things have been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So creation is the medium through which these things about God are perceived. When we talk about general revelation, one distinction that's often made is between immediate revelation and immediate revelation. So I think these are useful categories, so I want to explain them briefly today. So, immediate revelation is that which is communicated through a particular medium that stands between us and God.

For example, the medium of special revelation is Holy Scripture. When we speak of immediate revelation, we simply mean not immediate. We don't mean quickly. So we mean that it is not mediated by something that is outside of ourselves. So I want to show you a quick example of immediate revelation from Scripture.

So please turn over to Romans chapter 2, and we'll have a look at verse 14 to 16. So that's Romans chapter 2, verse 14. For when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. So those who have never heard the supernaturally revealed law in scripture still know how they ought to live, because the work of the law is written on their hearts.

This is general revelation because given to all, and it's also in nature that is the heart of man that is a created thing. But it's also an example of immediate revelation, in that it is not mediated to us through anything outside of us. God directly writes the work of the law on our hearts. Now, this needs to be clearly distinguished from the law that is written on the hearts of believers by grace, which includes a desire and ability to obey the law. So that's not the case here.

This is simply a natural sense for what God's moral law requires. So one implication of this is that there's also a natural and immediate knowledge of God himself. So I'd like you to try to follow my reasoning here for a minute. The law concerns our duties to God and to our fellow man. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

So that's the heart of the law. That's the substance of the law. So if the work of the law is written on the hearts of unbelievers, that must include the duty to love God. And implicit in the duty to love God is that he exists and is worthy of our love. So we can deduce that there is a natural and immediate knowledge of God given to man.

So that's immediate revelation. Let's turn back to Romans 1, verse 20, which says that God's eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So this is an example of immediate revelation. External creation is the medium by which God reveals himself. So it's my understanding that something like deduction has to be involved.

Our senses perceive something in creation, then our minds perceive what is logically implicated by that truth. So I want to be clear at this point that you do not have to be a philosopher to make these inferences. I think even small children are naturally equipped by God to make these inferences, even if it's only on an intuitive level to begin with. Then as you develop, those should get clearer and more easily articulated. So given both immediate and immediate revelation of God in nature, each and every one of us are left without excuse.

No one on the day of judgment will be able to plead with God and say, there was not enough evidence for your existence, because the truth is God has shown it to us. At this point, I'd like to briefly address an objection, because many unbelievers think they do have a very good excuse for their unbelief in the so-called problem of evil, specifically the problem of natural evil. We've spoken of the beauty and wonder of creation. There's also, we have to admit, true horrors in this world. Violence, bloodshed, ghastly disease.

Think about childhood leukemia, any number of the horrific parasites that you can find out there. So what does this reveal about God? Doesn't this show that either God doesn't exist or is unworthy of our worship if he created these things? So I don't have time for a thorough answer, but I want to say this. Firstly, none of the horrors that we see in nature negate anything that we've previously discussed.

The heavens declare God's glory. That is true. And we are not justified in using one thing we learn from nature to reject something else we learn from the same source. We have to reconcile the two truths that we learn. But secondly, nature itself reveals that we are a race of wretched sinners.

In rebellion against God, we fail to live up to even our own very low standards, let alone the holy perfection that we know that God requires of us. God does not owe his enemies anything but judgment. In every moment, our very existence as sinners in his world is an undeserved gift of astonishing mercy and grace. So yes, there are horrors in this world, but not compared to the horrors that we deserve. It's only when we turn to Scripture that we get a full picture of what's going on.

Scripture tells us that the world was created good, but when man first sinned, God cursed creation as the just consequence of man's rebellion. When we interpret General Revelation correctly, The corruption that we see everywhere should be a testimony to us that things are not right here. The heartache that we feel when we see the horrors that stain this beautiful creation, that's a testimony to us that we are under judgment and need help. And that help can only come from outside of this broken world. And that's what scripture says.

In Romans 8, verse 20, we read this, So if you're ever tempted to doubt in the face of the evils of this world, I'd like you to consider your options. Either you find yourself in a good world that's marred by sin, that we are right to recoil at death and suffering, that God has a good purpose in all that happens, and that all our suffering has profound, eternal significance, that the Lord will one day come to set things right. Or do you find yourself in an indifferent world? Your sense of right and wrong is just an illusion, death and suffering? That's just the way things are.

There's no hope to offer the suffering child, no particular reason to object to it. Your very thoughts and feelings are nothing more than chemical reactions in your brain. We live for no reason, suffer for no reason, and die for no reason. All our hopes, everything we love will soon vanish into eternal darkness. So the thing is, we know which of these options is true.

God has shown it to us. We are without excuse. So if we are so completely without excuse for our unbelief, why don't we all believe? Paul tells us in Romans chapter 1 verse 21. And later in verse 25, we read, they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator.

So each and every one of us clearly perceive God. We know that as his creatures, we owe everything to him and should honor him and give thanks. But in our sinful state, we don't want to. That's the reason in the end, we don't want to. In our fallen nature, we hate God and refuse to acknowledge him.

We exchange the truth so clearly revealed to us in nature. and embrace lies that suit us better. So that's our state apart from grace. So much do we love our sin and rebellion that we refuse to acknowledge what God is showing to us in every waking moment of our lives, not only in the world around us, but also in our own hearts. We suppress the truth in unrighteousness, and that's why brilliant people can look at God's world and come to entirely the wrong conclusion.

Claiming to be wise, they became fools. So is general revelation sufficient for salvation? The Bible's answer is no. Fallen man will always reject the truth of God revealed in nature. Let's imagine, hypothetically, that someone does accept everything that's revealed in nature.

What then? What would happen if a person were to truly believe that a good and holy God exists, who made the heavens and the earth, who ought to be honored and worshiped, and requires of us perfect righteousness? Well, the only response would be utter despair. As far as he knows, he would have no hope. He would be a sinner before a holy God, knowing that he's worthy of death without any way out.

Because the one thing that's not revealed in nature is the gospel. You will never know of the incarnation of the Son of God through nature. You will know nothing of his death or resurrection, his glorious ascension into heaven. Redemption from the penalty of our sins is found in Jesus Christ alone. This means that special revelation, the message of the gospel revealed by Christ himself and preserved for us in the scriptures, is absolutely essential for the salvation of souls.

General revelation brings knowledge of God and our sin, but only special revelation do we find the good news of the saving grace of God. Jesus Christ is your only hope. The Apostle Peter says this in Acts 4, verse 12, Our situation is dire. We are sinners by nature at enmity with God and alienated from him. He is a perfection of purity and justice and perfect justice must punish sin.

But the good news is this, God is just, but he's also merciful and gracious. And he has decreed to redeem a people from this wretched state for his own glory. And he's done this by sending his son who was with God and was God from all eternity. He became flesh and dwelt among us. He, without ceasing to be God, became a man, Christ Jesus, to redeem man from sin.

Jesus did what we cannot do, lived a sinless life, paid the price so that we cannot pay for ourselves, bearing in himself the fullness of the wrath of God as he died on that cross. And after three days, he rose again in glory. He did these things for our sake. because all those who believe in him with a true and living faith are spiritually united to him and identified with him in his life, death, and resurrection. And thus in the death of Jesus, our debt is paid and our sins forgiven.

In his righteousness, we are declared righteous. In his sonship, we become children of God. In his eternal resurrected life, we have eternal life and peace with God forever. And this is why we cherish those famous words in John 3.16.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And now God, through his church, commands all men everywhere to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus. This is our message to a world that knows God, but hates him. And the difference now is this. Unlike with the proclamation of general revelation, The gospel is accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit, who changes lives and grants faith to all those whom God has appointed to eternal life.

So I want to finish today by addressing one final question that we might have. And that's this, what is the point of general revelation if it doesn't save? Does it only condemn? My answer is no. Firstly, I think general revelation is useful in apologetics, that is the defense of the faith.

We should never substitute arguments for the gospel, but I think God can use what he reveals in nature to prepare his elect to receive the gospel. As we seek to give a reason for the hope that's within us, we can confront the unbelievers with the truths that he is suppressing. and show him the irrationality of his unbelief, because it's only the Christian faith that makes proper sense of the world around us. And that should be an encouragement to believers as well, to help us grow in the confidence of our faith. Indeed, I do want to particularly focus on ways that believers can benefit from general revelation, because that's the context of Psalm 19.

David is observing the heavens as a believer, and that's our position too. So when we've been delivered from the bondage of sin, that's when we are truly capable of looking at creation with clear eyes to receive what God reveals of himself. But we have to do this carefully. God's revelation is infallible, whether special or general, but we are not. Even Christians can misinterpret nature.

And that's why we have to make every use of scripture to help us properly interpret what we see in general revelation and ensure that we're not led astray by our own imaginations. So that being said, another use of general revelation is that it reminds us of God's active presence in our lives. So in day-to-day life, I think we can sometimes feel like God is distant, but we ought to be aware of God's activity around us in every moment. Recall what Paul says to the pagans in Acts 17. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being.

We can't do anything apart from his sustaining power. we have no independent existence apart from his will. He gives to us life and breath and everything. Recall Hebrews 1 verse 3, where we hear Jesus himself upholds all things by the word of his power. It's profound to think that Jesus, even as he hung dying on that cross, was giving breath to those who mocked him.

That even those ghastly nails that pierced his hands and feet were sustained in all their deadly hardness by him. Jesus is a source of your next breath. Jesus gives growth to every plant and animal that you've ever seen. Jesus holds every atom together. So brethren, let's open our eyes and see the presence of God in creation and give thanks to him.

General Revelation also reminds us of God's greatness. Look up and see the glory of God in the heavens. God is great and glorious, worthy of all our praise. And in the light of nature, our hearts should be moved to forget ourselves to come before God with reverent fear. Creation can also help us apply the moral law.

So in scripture, we have the law revealed to us in all its clarity and specificity. This has to be our ultimate standard and authority. But God also expects us to be attentive to the natural order. So consider this from 1 Corinthians 11, verse 13. So all I want you to notice here is how Paul argues, does not nature itself teach you?

So some behaviors are fundamentally against nature, perverting God's good design. Paul uses this language in Romans 1 as well, if you want to have another example. Scripture is sufficient, but Scripture doesn't directly comment on every moral concern we might be faced with. So as we seek to apply the principles of Scripture to a new situation, the created order can help us to discern what's right and acceptable to God. Finally, general revelation reminds us of God's gracious love and care.

So consider what our Lord says in Matthew chapter five. You have heard it said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be sons of your father who is in heaven. For he makes his son rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Consider also Paul in Acts 14, speaking to pagans.

In past generations, he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways, yet he did not leave himself without a witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness. So as we see the gracious providence of God in creation, as he lovingly sustains all that we need in this life, we can take comfort, set aside our anxieties and trust in him. So brethren, I want us to have a thoroughly God-centered and God-saturated worldview. Let's not think like materialists. Nature is not just some meaningless assembly of matter.

Nature is suffused with meaning and purpose. It is a revelation of the mind of God, the object of his perfect care and attention. In every moment, we have the privilege of observing his secret decree unfolding before our very eyes. So when we look at creation, let's do so as Christians, redeemed by grace. Give glory to the only true God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Let's pray.