1. Please pray with me. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts, be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. The message from God’s Word, as we continue our sermon series on Hebrews 11: "What Can Faith Do?" is focusing specifically on Hebrews 11:3, which says, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”
2. The ancient world had a saying in Latin that says, ex nihilo nihil fit translates to: “Nothing comes from nothing.” This ancient saying expresses the idea that something cannot arise out of absolute nothingness. It has its roots in Greek philosophy, particularly in the teachings of Parmenides and later Lucretius, and was later used in theological and philosophical discussions. From a Christian perspective, this phrase beautifully highlights the miracle of creation—because only God has the power to create something out of nothing (Latin: creatio ex nihilo). Where man sees impossibility, God brings forth life, light, and order by the power of His Word.
3. Here’s where the Hebrews 11 story of faith begins—in the beginning. And from the very beginning, there is faith. So today we ask, “What Does Faith Have to Do with Creation? Let’s remember the definition of faith. “Faith is . . . [the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen]” (Hebrews 11:1). We looked last week at how this isn’t a wishy-washy or blind faith but a faith that is assured by God’s faithfulness and is convicted by the evidence that we’ve seen. When Hebrews says that we understand creation by faith, we believe that “what is seen was not made out of things that are visible” because the one who tells us about what happened is reliable and the evidence we still see today is convincing.
4. Now, there are many studies that say all there is came about by chance and random evolution rather than divine creation. There are critics who say that anyone who believes in creation is a nut who hates children and society. Have you been confronted with these kinds of attacks? Our kids, grandkids, and our friends are being bombarded by this idea that the only convincing reality is random chance and not the creation of God. It’s come so far that people are personally attacked and ridiculed just for questioning evolution, much less for presenting the evidence that’s out there for creation. Have you seen the attacks that come against scholars and teachers who simply want to include the scientific evidence for intelligent design alongside evolution in the classrooms? Which is why we need to be prepared in our own hearts with certainty in the creation testimony of the Bible, and why we also need to be proactive in teaching all of our kids the reasons for our certainty and convictions. For your faith will be attacked. Are you prepared to give a defense?
5. So, let’s work with this simple reason for our assurance: we have the assurance that the One who promised is faithful and is able to fulfill his promises. The book of Genesis with its account of creation was written by Moses. Of course, Moses wasn’t there when creation happened. How did Moses know what to write? God told Moses that he was there. Do you have more reason to believe this God or doubt him? He says that when there was nothing—in emptiness and chaos—he spoke order and light and being, time and space. No one else was there to know how it happened. Only God. And the Lord told Moses to write that down, so that every generation to come would know. That’s how we got Genesis in the Bible.
6. But the critic will say Moses made it all up. Why should we put our assurance in someone’s fiction? There’s a simple answer: Because everyone who was there when Moses wrote agreed that when Moses talked to God something supernatural happened. God made Moses’ face radiate the reflection of the glory of God himself. (Exodus 34.) When Moses told the people, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” with face glowing brilliantly as God’s proof, they believed. They were convicted, because the testimony was validated by the glory of God—the God who struck down the Egyptians, who thundered from Sinai in lightning and smoke, and whose voice once spoke directly to them from the mountain before they requested not to hear God’s voice but to have Moses be the mouth of the Lord. The divine sign was God’s confirmation of Moses’ words. And let’s be honest—wouldn’t you believe him based on that evidence? So why would you doubt him now?
7. Of course, we’re tempted to doubt the convincing voice of God because a scientist says something different. Is the scientist, his textbook, or his latest find more reliable and certain than God? Can textbooks be wrong? Can diagrams and displays in museums be false? Consider: God’s Word has proven faithful over thousands of years, bringing prophecies to fulfillment and doing wonders and working miracles for his people. Compare that to modern science. In the last two hundred years, so many scientific theories have changed, so many timelines or diagrams have had to be revised. The modern way of doing science is less than 500 years old. Even if everything were brilliant, according to such scientists’ own numbers, that’s only 500 years compared to the beginning of God’s creation. That’s like a two-year-old saying he knows everything compared to what God knows and all the world should listen to him and do what he says. So, really, whose testimony is more reliable?
8. Even the champion of the scientists, Darwin, said that if you could prove just one object in the world was so complex that it couldn’t be reduced to any evolvable parts, it would topple his entire theory. It’s called irreducible complexity. And thanks to more powerful microscopes—invented after Darwin’s time—we’ve found numerous irreducibly complex structures in life. Random chance didn’t do that. A Creator, an intelligent designer, God the Lord did that.
9. There are reasons not only to doubt the attacks of an unbelieving world but also to cling all the tighter in faith to the sure and convincing Word of God in the Bible. Which makes you wonder: Why are Christians mocked for believing the evidence? It’s because the truth and evidence, the real substance of the Christian faith, isn’t what our world wants to hear. Even the so-called scientists, the naturalistic and atheistic scientists, don’t want to hear the evidence. They just want to proselytize their religion of godless evolution—a religion that atheist Richard Dawkins says “Christians don’t have enough imagination to believe.”
10. So, I ask you, what would you rather have: a religion of imagination and speculation, or a religion of fact and evidence? “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. . . . By [this kind of] faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God [from nothing]” (Hebrews 11:1, 3). Now, look anew at the world around you. See how remarkable and astounding the universe is, how complex and carefully crafted and designed for life. The creation reveals the handiwork of God for all who will look with a truly open mind. Take the time this week really to look at God’s created world. Ask yourself and your kids and grandkids, “What does that tell you about God?” Look up from your computer screens, get out of your car, walk around outside, look up at the stars at night, and see the evidence all around you of the fingerprints of God. See, be assured and convinced, and so believe.
11. Then realize that God made all this for you, for us human beings as the crown of his creation—because he loved us and wanted us to have this beautiful, amazingly complex universe as our very own place in which to enjoy a relationship with him. And then you’ll be staggered that the God who made all of that loved you so much more that when we sinned against him and destroyed our relationship with him, he gave his only Son Jesus to come down from the heights of the universe to this place, earth, in order to die for you, that all who would have faith in him would have eternal life. That the God who made everything, who could do anything, chose to become flesh and blood to die for you, because he who created you loves you.
12. Remember St. Paul’s words from 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” This verse reminds us that through faith in Jesus, and by the power of Baptism and the Holy Spirit, we are no longer defined by our past sins or failures. In Christ, we are reborn, forgiven, and made spiritually new—just as clean and fresh as a newly blossomed flower. It’s the Gospel at work: Jesus doesn’t just improve us—He recreates us. “Christ takes you as you are, but never leaves you that way.” A good reminder for our daily walk with Him! He who made everything died to save you from your sins and make you his new creation. Believe it, because it is true. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus until life everlasting. Amen.
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