Faithfully Green

June 8, 2008 message by Pastor Fred Goldschmidt

Psalms 148:1-14 (NASB77)

1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! 2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! 3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! 4 Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created. 6 He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away. 7 Praise the LORD from the earth, Sea monsters and all deeps; 8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word; 9 Mountains and all hills; Fruit trees and all cedars; 10 Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and winged fowl; 11 Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth; 12 Both young men and virgins; Old men and children. 13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven. 14 And He has lifted up a horn for His people, Praise for all His godly ones; Even for the sons of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise the LORD! 

A. The earth belongs to God.

Deut 10:14 (NASB77) "Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it.

Creation serves several purposes:

1. The earth responds to God with praise.

Psalms 69:34 (NASB77) Let heaven and earth praise Him, The seas and everything that moves in them.

Psalms 98:7-8 (NASB77) 7 Let the sea roar and all it contains, The world and those who dwell in it. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the mountains sing together for joy

Luke 19:40 (NASB77) And He answered and said, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!"

2. The earth teaches God's ways.

Gen 1:20-30 (NASB77) 20 Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens." 21 And God created the great sea monsters, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. 24 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind"; and it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 And God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29 Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so.

3. The earth testifies of God's existence.

Romans 1:18-20 (NASB77) 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 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.

Psalms 19:1 (NASB77) The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.

B. We are to be stewards of the earth.

Subdue and rule. (Gen 1:26-30)

To whom much is given, much is expected.

Luke 12:48 (NASB77) but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. And from everyone who has been given much shall much be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

Matt 25:14-15 (NASB77) 14 "For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves, and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 "And to one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.

C. God has a plan for the earth.

Gen 9:15 (NASB77) 15 and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.

2 Peter 3:7,10-13 (NASB77) 7 But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men... 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

D. Keys to being good stewards.

1. Use and enjoy what you've been given.

2. Learn new ways of sharing the resources we have.

3. Leave a heritage for future generations.

Prov 13:22 (NASB77) 22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.