Christian
Politics –
Part 12: Green
Values
Pastor
Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
Online Audio Files | HOF Church Facebook | Truth Digest
Facebook
This Document is a Sermon Outline, you may hear
the full audio of the actual sermon by following the link Online Audio Files located above for this, and other Full Sermon
Audios. For a complete list of Sermon
Outlines, visit TruthDigest.org or Truth
Digest on facebook; for our Official
Church website, visit PS127.org, or find us on Facebook
at House of Faith Church
SERMON INTRODUCTION
Over the last few weeks,
we have discussed the following issues and shown where the bible stands.
Ø Jesus, if a U.S. Citizen, would vote in
elections to fulfill citizenship duties
Ø What about the matters of life and death?
o
Healthcare – Miracles, modern
medicine & personal control over decisions (not government/insurance/doctor
control)
o
Suicide & Euthanasia
– for reasons other than defense of self, family, property or country, the
intentional killing of one’s self, or another is murder, and wrong according to
God.
o
Abortion & Stem Cells
– Abortion too is the intentional killing of an innocent, and considered murder
since scripture show that life truly begins at the moment of conception when
God begins to knit you in the womb where He also names you.
Ø Crime and punishment and how the Lord would
approve of the death penalty for certain offenses
Ø War, defense, and national security
Ø Guns and matters of defense
Ø Immigration and matters of national security
Ø Marriage
Ø Education
E Economy
Ø Green Values
Today we are talking about what the bible has to say about “green values”
and how Jesus would vote on the matter according to scripture.
Genesis 1:26-28
I.
CREATION AND
DOMINION – OUR CHARGE
a. Dominion “radah”
i.
Means reign, prevail
against, rule, crumble
ii.
Genesis
1:26 states “dominion”
was given to Adam by God
iii.
Adam could “sustain”
the “good creation” through obedience to God
iv.
Adam was given
dominion over the creation (both earth and animals), however dominion can also
mean crumble
v.
i.e. Adam was given
the power to sustain (through obedience) or crumble (through disobedience) to
God and His command
b. Our Charge before the fall in Genesis 3
i.
“God blessed them and
said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue
it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every
living creature that moves on the ground.” – Genesis 1:28
ii.
“The Lord God took the
man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And
the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the
garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” – Genesis 2:15
1.
In the next verse God
created Eve. The responsibility of Spiritual leadership for the family was
placed upon Adams head. This is why scripture says the fall was because of the
sin of the first Adam, redemption came through the second Adam (Christ)
iii.
Humankind was given authority
to rule over creation in the beginning, we failed. Not because of Satan or the
sin (eating the fruit), but because of disobedience to God’s command
c. Because of the “fall” death came
i.
Genesis
3:6 the first appearance of
disobedience to God’s command
ii.
Romans
5:12 “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one
man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people,
because all sinned—”
1.
The charge of the fall
is placed on Adam, not Eve
2.
Adam was given the
command, and the command was not broken with God until Adam broke it.
II.
AFTER THE
FALL
a. The present suffering
i.
Romans 8:18-25 “I consider that our present sufferings are not
worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation
waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the
creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will
of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[h] the creation itself will be
liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of
the children of God.
22 We know that the whole
creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the
present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the
Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the
redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is
seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope
for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
ii.
The earth, everything
in it, is in a state of constant decay and suffering because of the fall
iii.
Christ will redeem us,
and all of creation, and we await patiently for this day
b. What of the earth and environment?
i.
Do we just let
everything fall apart and not care since the ground is cursed?
ii.
Is that what we do
with ourselves? NO!
iii.
In Genesis 1:28; 2:15 Adam was charged with dominion over the creation.
iv.
Genesis
3:6 the fall takes place, and
the ground is cursed
v.
Genesis
3:17-19 “To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife
and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from
it,’
“Cursed is the ground
because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from
it
all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns
and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the
ground,
since from it you were taken;”
vi.
The ground is cursed,
however, God never said we no longer tend to it. God said, “through painful
toil all the days of your life”
1. “It will produce thorns and thistles for you”
2. “By the sweat of your brow you will eat”
3. “until you die”
vii.
We were never
“released” from our responsibility of creation, only domain over it!
c. The results of the fall on creation
i.
So, what are the
thorns, thistles, etc.…
1. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, wildfires,
volcanos, etc.
2. The creation is fighting back! It no longer
surrenders to us because we do not have dominion over it.
3. Even the animals have turned against us.
ii.
James 3:7 “All kinds
of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have
been tamed by mankind…”
1.
All kinds, not all of
every kind
2.
In Genesis 9:2 after the flood God put the fear of man into animals
and made them available to us for food.
3.
Although some of
different kinds have been tamed, they now naturally fear and run from us or
attack us and try to eat us for food. We no longer have dominion over them.
III.
THE
DOMINION BATTLE
a. God makes the dominion debate clear in Job
i.
Job 41:1-9 “Can
you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook
or tie down its tongue with a rope?
2 Can you put a cord through
its nose
or pierce its jaw with a hook?
3 Will it keep begging you
for mercy?
Will it speak to you with gentle words?
4 Will it make an agreement
with you
for you to take it as your slave for life?
5 Can you make a pet of it
like a bird
or put it on a leash for the young women in
your house?
6 Will traders barter for
it?
Will they divide it up among the merchants?
7 Can you fill its hide with
harpoons
or its head with fishing spears?
8 If you lay a hand on it,
you will remember the struggle and never do
it again!
9 Any hope of subduing it is
false;
the mere sight of it is overpowering.”
ii.
No longer does man
have domain over the creation or its residents
iii.
God says the same to
Job about Behemoth in Job 40
iv.
Clearly, we no longer
have dominion over creation or animals.
b. To whom does domain belong?
i.
God has supreme domain
over His creation
1.
Over animals
exemplified in Daniel 6 with Daniel in the lion’s den
2.
Over nature shown to
us when Jesus calms the sea in Mark 4
ii.
However, since
creation (Genesis) Satan has tried to take dominion of the earth and everything
in it.
iii.
Matthew 4:1-11 “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty
nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son
of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is
written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from
the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to
the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you
are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels
concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot
against a stone.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is
also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil
took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world
and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow
down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away
from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him
only.’”
11 Then the devil left him,
and angels came and attended him.”
1.
Satan first tried to gain
dominion over creation through Jesus because the Lord has supreme
dominion over everything created.
2.
Satan then tried to gain
dominion over creation by “getting rid” of Jesus, “cast yourself off the
cliff”
3.
Satan’s third attempt
at obtaining dominion over creation was by trying to get the one who has
dominion over everything to submit to him.
iv.
None of Satan’s
attempts worked, and he does not have “supreme dominion”, however he does have a
“limited” dominion over creation, which can be “over-ridden” by the supreme
dominion of the Lord.
c. We see examples of Satan’s dominion and
limitations in scripture.
i.
Dominion
1. Colossians 1:13-14 “For he has rescued us from the dominion of
darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we
have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
2. Eph 2:1-2 “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions
and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world
and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in
those who are disobedient.”
ii.
Limitations
1. Job 1:12 “The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then,
everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a
finger.”
2. Jude 9 “But even the archangel
Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not
himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
3. Colossians 1:15-17 “The Son is the image of
the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things
were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether
thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created
through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold
together.”
iii.
Because of the fall we
lost dominion over animals and the earth
1. Satan continues to try and gain dominion over it
2. The Lord maintains “supreme dominion” over all
creation
3. Through Jesus we can reclaim certain aspects of
creation for His purpose (i.e. “in the name of Jesus” rebuking Satan and his
dominion, stopping rain as the prophets, calming storms, but only for His
purpose and by His will)
iv.
So, you may ask, what
does dominion over earth and animals have to do with “green environment”,
recycling, responsibility, and how we should vote?
d.
Our
responsibility according to scripture
i.
After the fall we lost
dominion, NOT responsibility!
ii.
Numbers
35 tells us not to pollute
or defile the land in which we live (including murdering,
such as in the case of abortion)
iii.
Jerimiah
2:7 “I brought you into a
fertile land
to eat its fruit and rich produce.
But you came and defiled my land
and made my inheritance detestable.”
iv.
Ezekiel
34:18-19 “Is it not enough for you
to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture
with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also
muddy the rest with your feet? 19 Must my flock feed on what you have trampled
and drink what you have muddied with your feet?”
v.
Proverbs
12:10-11a “The righteous care for the
needs of their animals,
but the kindest acts of the wicked are
cruel. 11 Those who work their land will have abundant food,”
vi.
Deuteronomy
22:6-7 “If you come across a
bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother
is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young.
7 You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go
well with you and you may have a long life.”
vii.
Exodus
23:10-11 “For six years you are to
sow your fields and harvest the crops, 11 but during the seventh year let the
land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from
it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard
and your olive grove.”
viii.
1
Corinthians 4:2 WE are stewards of His creation
CONCLUSION – How would Jesus vote on the environment?
So, how would Jesus vote?
We were given dominion in the beginning, and the responsibility to tend
to the ground and animals.
Because of the fall, that responsibility became “difficult” because we
lost dominion.
Though there are many plans and proposals out there for “green deals” and
environmental protections, they are not all what they seem.
I believe the mandate given to us by God is personal, and we each have a
personal responsibility to it.
Without a doubt, the earth is in decay because of the fall, and will
continue to decay until the end and judgment, our personal responsibility
cannot be legislated or fulfilled by government and laws of men.
I believe any attempt by government to control, take over, possess, fine
or manipulate others through laws and restrictions hidden within bills and
proposals under the guise of environmental protection would be voted against by
Christ Jesus.
This is no way removes the burden of responsibility to the earth, the
land we possess, or the creatures dwelling within it, but prevents the
governmental overstepping and our personal responsibility being taken away from
us.
NEXT WEEK: the series wrap up
Want to learn more
about Salvation and Getting Saved?
Want to hear the audio to this sermon?
No comments:
Post a Comment