25-0601p Transcript

Preacher: Scott Reynolds

(2:12) Good evening. It’s a joy again (2:15) to be here with you as we return to Genesis chapter 1, 24 through 31, the sixth day of creation week, (2:25) a day when God filled the earth with creatures from tiny insects to the mighty behemoth and (2:31) dinosaurs, and then crowned his creation with humanity made in his own image. All of this, (2:39) scripture declares, unfolded within one literal 24-hour day.

In part one this morning, we marveled (2:47) at the wonders of the creation of land animals, including great creatures like dinosaurs, (2:53) grazing peacefully on plants in a world without death, and Adam and Eve handcrafted by God to (3:01) reflect his glory. Now, as the sun sets on this day of worship, we turn our attention to a pressing (3:08) question. What does the sixth day mean for us? Here in 2025, amidst the joys and struggles of daily life, (3:20) raising families, working diligently, navigating a world that often forgets its maker, (3:26) the sixth day is not a distant story.

It’s the very foundation of our identity, our purpose, (3:34) and our hope. Young Earth creationists, drawing from the insights of Apologetics Press' (3:41) Answers in Genesis and Creation Ministries International, affirm that the sixth day’s (3:48) truth anchors our faith. If this day is not an actual historical event as some claim, (3:55) then the entire story of scripture begins to wobble.

Without a literal sixth day, the fall, (4:02) sin, and Christ’s redemption lose their foundation. But if Genesis is true as written, (4:11) then it shapes who we are, and why we live, and where we are headed. The world may dismiss it as (4:18) myths, calling us to trust in millions of years or chance evolution.

Yet we stand on the unchanging (4:26) word of God. Consider the power of a plain reading of Genesis chapter 1, 24-31, as actual history. (4:38) God created dinosaurs and humans in one day, mere hours apart, all sustained by the earth’s (4:46) abundant plants.

Romans chapter 1, 19 and 20 declare, for what can be known about God is (4:53) plain to them because God has shown it to them, for his invisible attributes, namely, (4:59) his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of (5:06) the world in the things that have been made. The sixth day’s reality, revealed in creation, (5:15) transforms our understanding of God’s purpose. This is its enduring power.

(5:21) This evening, we will unpack three precious gifts the sixth day offers us. Our dignity (5:28) as God’s image bearers, our duty as stewards of his creation, and our destiny in Christ’s (5:36) restoration of all things. These gifts are not abstract ideas, but living truths that shape (5:44) how we walk with God today, to call us to see ourselves as God sees us, to work as he commands, (5:53) and to hope as he promises.

Before we dive into the word, let’s bow in prayer. (6:01) Father, we thank you for the sixth day and its revelation of your power and love. (6:07) Open our eyes to its gifts, dignity, duty, and destiny, and root us in your truth, (6:14) guide us by your spirit, and draw us closer to you.

In Jesus' name, amen. (6:22) Oh, in Genesis 1, let’s explore the first gift, our dignity, as those made in God’s image. (6:32) Genesis 1, 26 and 27, when God said, let us make man in our image after our likeness, (6:42) and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, (6:47) and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creepy thing that creeps on the (6:53) air.

So God created man in his own image, and the image of God, he created him, male and female, (7:03) he created them. These verses are not just a record of what happened thousands of years ago. (7:10) They define who you are.

You are not a random product of chance. You are not a mere speck (7:19) in a vast impersonal universe, or a cosmic accident. You are crafted by the hands of God, (7:27) stamped with his image, bearing a dignity that no other creature, not the mighty behemoth, (7:35) and not the towering dinosaur, can claim.

But what does it mean to be made in God’s image? (7:44) It’s not about our physical form, for God is spirit, as John 4, 24 tells us. Rather, it is spiritual, (7:53) encompassing our unique capacities to think, to love, to choose, and to seek God. (8:00) Apologetics Press notes that this is why we wrestle with morality in ways animals cannot.

(8:08) A dinosaur, however grand, did not ponder justice or eternity. It lived by instinct. But we, (8:17) created on the sixth day, were made for God, to know him, to reflect his character, (8:24) and to walk in relationship with him.

This sets us apart, giving us a dignity that is unshakable, (8:32) no matter our circumstances. Genesis 1, 29 and 30 reveals the peaceful world (8:41) God designed for his image-bearers. And God said, (8:45) Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of the earth, (8:52) and every tree with seed in its fruit, and you shall have them for food.

And to every beast of (8:59) earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything (9:04) that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food. And it was so. (9:13) In this perfect creation, humans and animals, from the smallest insect to the great sauropods, (9:20) shared a vegetarian diet.

No creature shed blood. There was no predation, no predatory (9:28) animal behavior. This absence of death reflects the very good world of the sixth day, (9:36) where behemoth agrees peacefully beside Adam and Eve, aligning with God’s moral order (9:43) of those created to reflect him.

This harmony was no accident. It was the context in which (9:51) our spiritual imaging was to flourish, a world where our capacity to love and choose mirrored (9:58) God’s own character. The creation of male and female further affirms God’s intentional design.

(10:07) Verse 27 says, Male and female he created them, establishing two genders, equal in worth, (10:15) yet distinct in role, together reflecting God’s image. In a world that twists and confuses identity, (10:24) the sixth day speaks with clarity. God made us as we are, with purpose.

To anyone facing societal (10:33) pressures, embracing, Genesis 1 can help you find peace, in that you can truly say, (10:40) I am God’s son or God’s daughter, made to reflect him. That is the dignity of the sixth day, (10:50) unshakable, rooted in the creator’s design. This dignity extends to every human life.

(10:58) The unborn child in the womb bears God’s image, not merely cells to be discarded. (11:05) The homeless man on the street is not trash, but God’s handiwork, worthy of love. (11:14) When you look in the mirror, when you see your neighbor or your enemy, see the sixth day, (11:22) see God’s image, a dignity purchased by Christ’s blood.

As Psalm 8 5 sings, (11:31) you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. (11:37) That is who you are because of the sixth day. But the sixth day does not stop with dignity.

(11:45) It calls us to action, to a duty that flows from our identity. Let’s turn to our second gift, (11:53) our duty, dominion, and stewardship. Genesis 1 28 continues, (12:01) and God blessed them and God said to them, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and (12:08) subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over (12:14) everything that moves on the earth.

The sixth day does not merely tell us who we are. It tells us (12:22) what we are to do. God did not create us to be idle, but to work, to carry out a sacred calling (12:30) as his stewards.

This is our duty, the second gift of the sixth day. (12:38) What does this duty entail? First, be fruitful and multiply calls us to build godly families, (12:47) to raise children who know and love the Lord. In a world that often devalues family, (12:54) the sixth day reminds us that it is central to God’s plan.

Second, fill the earth, urges us to (13:03) spread his glory, not just through families, but through sharing the gospel to every corner of the (13:09) world. Third, subdue it and have dominion. Entrust us with the care of creation, from the livestock (13:18) in the fields to the behemoth by the river, from the insects underfoot to the dinosaurs that roamed (13:25) hours before Adam’s creation.

Dominion is not about exploitation or greed. In the very good world (13:36) of the sixth day, it was stewardship, caring for God’s creation as his representatives. (13:44) Genesis chapter 2 verses 19 and 20 tells us Adam’s first task was naming the animals, (13:53) a role that included creatures like the behemoth and perhaps dinosaurs, demonstrating his authority (13:59) over all kinds.

Eve, his partner, shared this calling, co-ruling as God’s deputy. Genesis 1, (14:09) 29 and 30 reminds us that all creatures, humans and animals alike, ate plants. I am giving you (14:18) every plant yielding seed, and to every beast of the earth, every green plant for food.

(14:24) There was no bloodshed, no predation, only harmony. This vegetarian world shaped Adam and Eve’s (14:33) stewardship. They tended Eden in peace, not conflict.

Sin, of course, broke this harmony. (14:42) Corn sprang up, sweat marked labor, and strife entered creation. Yet our duty remains.

(14:50) Answers in Genesis notes that created kinds adapted. Cattle bred for farming, horses for labor, (14:58) but humanity’s role as steward endures. Today, this means farming sustainably, (15:05) using resources wisely, and caring for the earth without greed.

It means seeing our work, (15:12) whether in fields, offices or homes, as an extension of the sixth day’s call. (15:19) Think of a farmer who prays over his crop, thanking God for the sixth day’s bounty. (15:26) Every seed he plants is an act of stewardship, a response to God’s command.

This duty extends (15:34) beyond the earth to people. The sixth day pushes us to fill the earth with God’s glory through (15:42) missions also. Imagine a missionary like Paul who shared the gospel to peoples in remote places.

(15:51) The events of the sixth day sent him to even those remote regions because they bear God’s image too. (15:59) Are we living this duty? Are we raising godly homes, stewarding our resources, (16:05) sharing the gospel? Every task from tending a garden to casting a vote can reflect the sixth (16:13) day’s duty. As Colossians 3.23 says, whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men.

(16:24) That is our duty, a gift to embrace. But the sixth day offers one more gift, a gift that lifts our (16:32) eyes beyond today to the future. Let’s explore our destiny.

The sixth day not only grants us (16:42) dignity as God’s image bearers and duty as his stewards, but also a destiny, a hope rooted (16:50) in the perfection of God’s creation and fulfilled through Jesus Christ. (16:55) Verse 31 of chapter 1 of Genesis declares, and God saw everything that he had made and behold, (17:03) it was very good. And there was evening and morning, the sixth day.

This very good world (17:10) where dinosaurs and humans were created hours apart, where all creatures thrived on plants (17:16) without shedding blood, was God’s original design for his image bearers. Yet sin disrupted this (17:24) harmony, bringing death and brokenness, Romans 5.12, and put into play God’s plan for restoration. (17:34) He had this plan before we sinned, and that plan is our destiny, the third gift of the sixth day.

(17:41) The Apostle Paul calls Jesus the second Adam in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 45-49. (17:52) The one who restores what the first Adam lost. The six days harmony where the behemoth grazed (18:00) peacefully, where no creature preyed on another, points to a future restoration.

(18:07) Isaiah 11.6-9 paints this picture. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie (18:14) down with the young goat. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain.

This echoes (18:22) the vegetarian world of Genesis 1.29-30, a world without death. A type, if you will, of the restored (18:31) world. Revelation 21.1-4 completes the vision.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and I (18:41) heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will (18:49) wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. This is our destiny, to reign (18:56) with Christ and a renewed spiritual creation, fully reflecting God’s image, free from sin’s curse.

(19:07) This hope is not wishful thinking, but a promise anchored in the historical reality of the sixth (19:13) day. The same God who created dinosaurs and humans in one day, as Genesis 1.24-31 records, (19:22) is faithful to restore his creation. Romans 8.19-21 tells us, For the creation waits with (19:32) eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God, in hope that the creation itself will be set (19:39) free from its bondage to corruption.

The fossils we find, often seen as relics of a brutal past, (19:48) are better understood through the young earth creationist lens as remnants of a world impacted (19:55) by the fall and the flood. They remind us of the sixth day’s perfection, and the destiny (20:03) awaiting us, a world where death introduced after the sixth day is no more. What does this destiny (20:11) mean for us today? First, live with hope.

When you see a dinosaur fossil or a deer in the forest, (20:20) let it steward your faith in God’s promise to restore creation. Trust the plain reading of (20:27) Genesis, for it anchors our hope in a historical creation and a future redemption. Second, (20:35) share this hope.

The world, lost in despair or false stories of origins, needs the truth of the (20:44) sixth day. Tell others that the God who created in one day is coming to make all things new. (20:52) Third, prepare for this destiny.

As 2 Peter 3.13 urges, according to his promise, we are waiting (21:01) for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Live righteously, (21:08) reflecting God’s image as though destined for eternity with him. This destiny gives purpose (21:16) to our dignity and duty.

We bear God’s image, not just for today, but for eternity. We steward (21:25) creation, not just for now, but as a foretaste of the renewed spiritual order. (21:33) The sixth day’s gifts, dignity, duty, and destiny, are woven together, calling us to live fully (21:41) for God.

Genesis 1.31 proclaims, and God saw everything that he had made, and behold, (21:50) it was very good. And it was evening and morning, the sixth day. The sixth day is God’s masterpiece, (21:58) creatures great and small, from ants to behemoths and dinosaurs to humanity, bearing his image, (22:06) all created in one day, all thriving on plants in a world without death.

As we stand at the (22:13) pinnacle of creation week, let’s pause to reflect on the six days that brought us here, (22:20) for they reveal the power, wisdom, and love of our creator. On the first day, God spoke, (22:29) let there be light, and light bursts forth, separating day from night in one divine act. (22:36) The Hebrew word yam, with evening and morning, confirms a literal 24-hour day, as apologetics (22:44) press affirms.

On the second day, God formed the sky, a canopy to divide the waters. The third day (22:53) saw dry land emerge, adorned with plants yielding seed, a foundation for the vegetarian world. (23:00) On the fourth day, God placed the sun, moon, and stars, as Psalm 19.1 sings.

The heavens declare (23:09) the glory of God. The fifth day filled the seas with fish, and the skies with birds, each teeming (23:16) with life according to their kinds. Then came the sixth day, as Genesis 1, 24-31 records.

(23:26) God created livestock, creeping things and beasts like the behemoth and dinosaurs, followed hours (23:32) later by Adam and Eve, all sustained by plants. Romans 1, 19 and 20 declares that this creation (23:42) reveals God’s eternal power and divine nature. Each day, 24 hours long, builds a world of purpose, (23:52) not chance.

The six days gifts are yours. Live your dignity as image bearers, reflecting God’s (24:02) character in a world that needs his truth. Fulfill your duty as stewards, caring for creation and (24:10) spreading his glory from your backyard to the ends of the earth.

Hold fast to your destiny, trusting (24:17) that God who created in one day will restore all things through Christ. And as we prepare for day (24:23) seven, when God rested, carry this truth. You are the six days people, crafted with purpose, (24:33) called with responsibility, and destined for glory.

So, let’s close in a prayer. (24:42) Lord, we thank you again for the sixth day and the wonders of your six days of creation. Thank you (24:50) for the gifts of dignity, duty, and our destiny.

Help us live worthy of your image, faithful in (24:56) our calling and hopeful in your promise of restoration. Guide us as we look to your day of (25:03) rest. And may all we do glorify you.

In Jesus' name, amen. And the invitation is being extended.