God's Authority as Creator

Revelation 4:11 - "Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created."

God is in charge, not only because of who He is, but also because of what He has done. When you open the Word of God the first words you read are "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." God is introduced to us as the Creator. If God is the Creator then that has huge implications.

Psalm 24:1 says - "The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it." God claims ownership on the world. Why does the earth belong to Him? How can He claim ownership? Verse 2 goes on to say "For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers." Simply put, the world and everything in it belong to Him because He is the Creator. And it follows that the one who created the universe has the right to make the rules.

Suppose that I make up a board game, I draw up a board, carve out some pieces, make up some cards, and make some rules for playing and winning, and we sit down together to play my game. Now, as we go along you start to do something that is against my rules, so I say to you, “You can’t do that.” You say, “Why not?” And I say, “Because it’s against my rules.” “Well why do you get to make the rules?” “Because I made the game.” Makes sense, right? If you want to make the rules then you need to make your own game. And it works the same way in the universe. God made the universe so He gets to make the rules. If you want to make the rules then you need to make your own universe and then you can be in charge. But as long as you live in God’s universe you need to play by God’s rules. Oh, you can choose to break the rules if you want, but there are always consequences for breaking the rules. In playing a sport you can be disqualified for breaking the rules. In the universe the consequences for breaking God’s rules are much more serious. God is in charge and He makes the rules.

Back in the book of Deuteronomy the Lord told His people that His expectation for them was that they would obey Him. In fact, it was more than an expectation, it was a requirement. In Deuteronomy 10:12-13 we read - "Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?" How is it that God could require such a thing? Verse 14 tells us - "Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it." He can require us to keep His commandments because we're living on His property. Anyone who has ever rented an apartment understands this logic. The renter will lay down certain rules that you have to follow in order to live on his property. Now, he's not going to be living in the apartment with you, he's not going to be constantly looking over your shoulder to make sure you're keeping your end of the deal, but there is a day of reckoning coming. And if you break his rules he has the right to evict you or fine you, why? Because you're living on his property.

And not only are we living in a world that belongs to Him, but we ourselves are His by dint of creation. Colossians 1:16 - "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him."

God emphasizes His ownership again in Psalm 50:9-12 Where He says - "I shall take no young bull out of your house nor male goats out of your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is Mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and all it contains." God owns everything. Wouldn’t it be kind of silly for Him to ask for anything? God has no need of anything. He is completely self-sufficient in and of Himself. But in order to emphasize a point here He brings up a scenario where God is hungry. Does God get hungry? Of course not. But even if He did He wouldn't tell us about it. He wouldn't ask us for some money to pick up some groceries, or ask us to sacrifice some animal in order that He might eat. Why not? Because He owns everything. If He were hungry He could take His pick of the cattle on a thousand hills without asking for permission from anyone. Can you imagine the owner of a Golden Corral, he’s in his office at his restaurant and suddenly he starts to get really hungry. So he comes out of his office into his restaurant and starts going up to the different tables and asking for a bite. “Oh, could I have a bite of that sandwich, it looks really good!” “Those chicken fingers look good, mind if I take one?” “Could you spoon off some of that macaroni onto my plate please?” No, of course he wouldn’t do that. Why not? He owns the whole restaurant! Everything in it is his! He could go down to the salad bar and fill up his plate with anything he wanted without paying! He could go back into the kitchen where the food is being prepared and take as much as he wanted without asking anybody. It’s all his. And that’s how it works in the universe. God made it all, so God owns it all. We need to recognize that we don't really own anything. As the hymn writer put it -

"If Thou should'st call me to resign

What most I prize, it ne'er was mine;

I only yield Thee what is Thine;

Thy will be done."

What you have has been entrusted to you by God. And He reserves the right to take it away at any time. Job found that out, and he recognized God's ownership. After he lost everything he was able to say, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."

God owns everything because He created everything.

The world considers it to be completely ridiculous and utterly foolish for us to believe that God created everything. There is perhaps no doctrine that we hold to that the world despises more than the teaching of God as Creator. Why is that? I believe it's because it naturally follows that if God created everything then He owns everything. If God created us then He owns us. And if He owns us then He gets to make the rules and we are obligated to follow them, or else. So what is mankind to do about this? Either we can submit to Him as the Creator, or we can reject Him. And the majority of the world has chosen option number two. Romans chapter 1 gives us a commentary on what happens in a person, a society, a culture and mankind in general when we reject our Creator. "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness," God's wrath is revealed. Why? "Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them." So God has made Himself known. How? "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." Through the creation itself God has given ample proof that there is a Creator. We can learn some things about the invisible God through His visible creation. "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened." Rather than responding to the light that they had, they chose to suppress it. "Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures." Now their thinking is completely upside-down. In the highest centers of learning and science you're considered foolish if you believe in God and wise if you reject Him. Rather than worshiping God we've rejected Him and put His creation on a pedestal. We worship our own intellect and set ourselves up as the ultimate authority. We worship the earth and the creatures on it. We give more protection to trees and animals than to a baby in its mother's womb. So what does God do about it? "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." He lets us reap the consequences of our actions. If that's the road we want to go down He'll let us. "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error." When we as a society, as a culture reject the Creator then He gives us over to our sin, and everything gets turned on its head. Homosexuality is embraced and applauded. "And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful." Sound familiar? We wonder at the moral decline in our country. What does it all stem from? This passage says it again and again, "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator." A rejection of God as Creator. This passage ends by saying, "and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." Does that not sound like our tolerance saturated culture? You can believe and do whatever you want and no one will judge you for it. "I would never be in a homosexual relationship, but I'm not gonna say it's wrong for others. Why can't we just let people love who they want? I would never get an abortion, but I'm not going to limit others with my beliefs. After all, it's her body, let her do to it what she wants..." And on it goes. We've come to a place in our nation where heterosexual people will literally applaud and celebrate the homosexual lifestyle of those around them. "They not only practice such things, but also give hearty approve to those who practice them."

As Creator, God has all authority. And when we reject Him and His authority He will deliver us over to our sinful lifestyles and let us reap the consequences. Some might think that they can do whatever they want and get through this life untouched, and they may be right. But ultimately we're all going to stand before our Creator and be judged according to His standard.

Job 41:11 - "Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine."