Monday, March 03, 2008

Scriptures supporting green living

I was searching online a while back and saved this sermon that I found. It is the preaching notes so you'll have to look up the verses yourself. Here is the outline:

I. New Testament Lessons

1. Jesus Christ and Creation
 Christ as Creator and Reconciler of all of creation
Colossians 1: 15-20; I Cor. 8: 6.
 Christ as Creator and Sustainer of all of creation
Hebrews 1:1-4.
 Christ as Creator
John 1: 1-3.
 God sending Christ for the whole cosmos
John 3:16.

2. Christians' responsibility to care for creation
 Christians are to preach the good news of Christ's reconciliation to all of creation.
Mark 16:15, Col. 1:15-20.
 We help show God's glory on earth by helping creation sing the Creator's praises.
Revelation 4:11, Revelation 5:13, Revelation 21:5-6
 The Holy Spirit will help us. Romans 8:26-27
 We are to teach others.
Mark 1:16-18
 There are consequences for destroying the earth.
Revelation 11:18.
 Creation is waiting for Christians to fulfill their stewardship obligation.
Romans 8:18-22.

3. Creation-care is people-care, too
 One way we express love for our neighbor is to care for the creation that God has provided for them and that they depend on.
Luke 10:27, Luke 6:31, Matthew 7:12.
 There are consequences to ourselves and to others if we do not care for God's creation.
Revelation 11:18, Matthew 25:44-45.

4. Creation-friendly Lifestyles
 Begin now to heal the rest of creation from the damage caused by pollution and overconsumption in preparation of Christ’s final reconciliation in the future.
Rom. 8, especially verses 18-23 (see also Schaeffer, Pollution and the Death of Man, Chapter 5).
 The story of the rich young man as an invitation by Christ to free us from that which keeps us from fully following Christ.
Mark 10:17-27.
 True contentment comes from the presence of Christ in our lives, not through overconsumption which harms us spiritually and the poor and the rest of creation physically.
Heb. 13:5.

II. Old Testament Lessons

1. All creation praising God
 Psalm 148
 portions of Psalm 104
 Psalm 96:11-13

2. God's care for the creation
 Psalm 119: 89-91
 Psalm 65:9-13

3. The earth is the Lord's
 Psalm 24: 1
 Psalm 95:3-5
 Genesis 1, the creation story
 Nehemiah 9:6 (mentions oceans)
 Job 38:2,4,8-11 (mentions oceans)
 Job 12:7-10 (mentions oceans)

4. Creation affected by humanity's sins
 Hosea 4: 1-3
 Ezekiel 34:17-18
 Genesis 3:17-19, 23
 Isaiah 24: 4-6
 Leviticus 18:24-26,28
 Isaiah 5:8

5. The final goal of creation: a new heaven and new Earth.
 Isaiah 11:6-9
 Isaiah 32:15-17
 Isaiah 65:17, 21-22
 Psalm 72:18-19