Cause for Environmental Concern #2

Point ONE: 3 INCONVENIENT TRUTHS

Al Gore alarmed us last year by making a movie called ‘An Inconvenient Truth’- inconvenient because selfish humans don’t like hearing about the state of the environment because we may have to do something about it.

But I would like to tell you 3 Biblical ‘Inconvenient Truths’ about Planet Earth. They are inconvenient for the same reason- because selfish humans don’t like hearing these truths.
3 Inconvenient truths to consider:

1. Planet Earth is God’s Earth

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
There is a general rule in life- you create something you own it.

God created planet earth so it is his. All that you see- the valley, the soccer field, the rotary park- its all His. And he makes this world to bring glory to Himself, to sing His praises.

But this isn’t the full story, because secondly,

2. Planet Earth has been given to Humans To Rule (Under God)

Psalm 115:16 16 The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to man.
Earth actually belongs to both God and man.

God because he made it. Man because God has handed it to us.

The earth is God’s and ours. You see this in the creation account in Genesis 1.

Genesis 1:26-28 26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Humans are given 2 commands- fill the earth and subdue it. We have no problems with the first command. The command to go forth and multiply is probably the only command of God’s we ever kept.

But we are also told to rule the earth. Subdue it. But ruling the earth does not mean ruining the earth. Because – and here’s the important part- we are to rule under God. God has given to the earth to run on His behalf. That means we are stewards. The earth is on lease to us. It’s rental property. We are not the landowners- we are the caretakers of God’s property. We have to manage it responsibly.

What do horses and atoms and cells all have in common? God has given them to us to improve life. We can train horses to plow fields. We can use atoms to create energy for good reasons. When I worked in the lab, we were taking strands of DNA out of one cell and putting into another cell to make medicines. We are supposed to use technology and science to improve life.

We are caretakers. But the reason we are caretakers is because God has given us the world to rent. The greenies are right about one thing- We have to care for the earth. We can’t do with the world what we like. But the greenies don’t have the same reason as us. We care for it because it’s God’s world and we are only the caretakers under him.

3. Planet Earth is ‘Sick’ because of Human Sin

There was a cosmic rebellion in the universe- we humans turned our back on our Creator. Instead of choosing to rule under God, we staged a coop and took control of God’s government.
We go on ignoring him. You see it in the way we simply ignore God as our Creator. We prefer to speak of ‘Mother Nature’ as the Creator. There’s even a company called ‘Natures way’. She is the maker of Earth. We worship her and her ways. What blasphemy! to be worshipping a false idol, instead of worshipping the God who made nature!

The result is that God lets us do it. He judges us for doing it.

And the results is catastrophic. Its cosmic.

Romans 8:20-22 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 the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom 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.

Because of our human self-centredness, God has chosen to frustrate His own world. (‘frustration here means vanity’- its useless!) Creation is not what it should be. The world doesn’t do its job. It doesn’t achieve the purpose that the creator set out for it. As a result, the world is in ecological disaster.

Now there are hurricane Katrina’s and cyclone Tracey’s. Now there are floods and fires. Its now hard to grow crops. There are thorns and droughts and diseases. Its hard to rule creation. We are under the judgement of God.

But everything is still good (I Tim 4:3). It’s to be received with thanksgiving because its made by a good God. But it’s in decay.

We keep thinking that the real problem with the world is physical. But the real problem is spiritual. The heart of the problem with the world is the problem of the human heart.
The reason why there is a drought in this country is because of the spiritual drought in our hearts. We have ignored our Creator. If we all die a thirsty death it will be because we don’t thirst after God. It’s God’s judgement upon us.

And the cycle is endless. We bring ecological disaster upon ourselves. Human greed cuts down forests to make money but that damages the environment. Killing whales to make a buck will drive them to extinction.

The world exists to bring glory to God. But we think the material world exists to feed our materialism. See how the Bible makes perfect sense of the world we live in?

There are 3 Inconvenient Truths about Planet Earth. It’s God’s. It’s given to us to rule under God. It’s now sick.

Next: 2 Reasons why Christians should care about the environment.