I am sure the worms in the yard have always done their thing, but last year I noticed for the first time, worms coming out of the ground. This wasn’t just one or two, or in puddles, this was the whole yard. It was spring and the grass had not yet begun to grow, so you could clearly see the soil. In the evening I would take the dog out for his nightly ritual, and I always take a flashlight because we have a wondering skunk. As I began to walk and shine my light, the ground appeared to be moving. As I took each step, the worms, by the hundreds it seemed, that had poked out of the ground went back into the ground. I have to say it really was a little weird and no wonder the dog was sniffing the ground so much. Maybe at this point you are wondering, what in the world do worms have to with God keeping His word. We will get there.
Yesterday we talked about when God says He will do something, both blessing and wrath, He will do just as He has said He would do. I am by no means an astronomer, but I do love to look at the stars, the moon, sunsets, sunrises just with the naked eye or binoculars. If there is a supermoon (moon appears larger and brighter) and the night is clear, I will go for a drive to get a better view. There was a Cadillac commercial that said aim for the moon and as they drove towards the moon, the little boy’s eyes got bigger and bigger. As we will see it is good to have that appreciation for God’s creation. Our house is situated so you can see sunrises and sunsets and the moon rising and setting. So back to the worms. The worms really have nothing to do with our subject today other than the next full moon is called the Worm moon. The Farmer’s Almanac said “The “Worm Moon” got its name because in March the soil begins to warm and the very first signs of life begin to return as earthworms, beetle larvae, and grubs emerge from their winter dormancy.” There are also other names given to this month’s moon. That is about it for the worms other than shortly the ground will be moving once again, except now I know what is going on.
Watching the full moon along with its phases is quite enjoyable. When I go to bed, I can see the full moon and when I wake up, usually early, it fills the living room with light. Watching the stars, sunsets, and sunrises is also gratifying. When camping a MacGregor Provincial Park on Lake Huron, the evening ritual was to go the shore and watch the sunset, and when the conditions were right; spectacular. But that is where it ends for the Christian. Some people like the moon, sun and the stars so much that they worship them. I had to make sure I said astronomer and not astrologer as there is a big difference. Astrology is “the study of the movements and positions of the sun, moon, planets, and stars in the belief that they affect the character and lives of people.” If you are a Christian, you want nothing to do with horoscopes, zodiac signs, tarot cards, witchcraft etc. If you are involved or have been involved, turn away and repent. The evil spirits behind these types of things are real. These verses show how serious this can be. 2 Chronicles 33:6 “He (king Manasseh) sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.” Even King Solomon got caught up in this abomination. 1 Kings 11:4 “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites.” Most worship of other gods has to do with the sun and the moon. I took a quick look at the list of those who worship just the sun is massive. Though the kings were warned, Deuteronomy 18:10 “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.” King Manasseh did repent. 2 Chronicles 33:12 “In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.” Galatians 5:19 “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” We are told Exodus 20:4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.” Deuteronomy 4:15 ‘You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, 16 so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, 17 or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, 18 or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below. 19 And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.” It doesn’t have to be an actual idol, the idol could be horoscopes or zodiac signs.
To show just how serious this is, Deuteronomy 17:2 “If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the Lord gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God in violation of his covenant, 3 and contrary to my command has worshiped other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars in the sky, 4 and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, 5 take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death.” Obviously, we don’t put people to death, but if they refuse to repent, they will not see eternal life. Some people may say it is just a fortune being told, just a horoscope or someone just read my palm etc., but it is detestable before God. As we saw with king Manasseh, his grandson king Josiah turned back to God and restored the temple. 2 Kings 23:5 “He did away with the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts.” That is how corrupt even Judah had gotten.
As a Christian, we do not worship the creation, but the creator. When you look at creation, your response should be to worships its creator. Romans 1:25 “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” Genesis 14:22 “God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.” Amos 4:13 “He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord God Almighty is his name.” Psalm 8:1 Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. 2 Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? Psalm 74:16 “The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon. 17 It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.” Psalm 104:19 “He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. 20 You bring darkness, it becomes night.” Psalm 136:7 “who made the great lights— His love endures forever. 8 the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever. 9 the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.” Isaiah 40:25 “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. 27 Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.”
There is no excuse for refusing to worship God, the creator of the ends of the earth. Romans 1:18 “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” Acts 7:40 “They told Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’ 41 That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made. 42 But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars.”
Jesus said, Luke 12:54 “to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. 55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?” It really is amazing how precise they can be with the timing of events in astronomy. There is a full moon schedule, phases of the moon schedule, moon rise and set times, and sunrise and sunset times for each day. “April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The total solar eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean. Weather permitting, the first location in continental North America that will experience totality is Mexico’s Pacific coast at around 11:07 a.m. PDT.” They can also tell you precisely when and where they will be over the next years. That really is amazing, so much so you would have to come to the conclusion that all of this just exploded at a point in time and this orderly and very complex universe appeared. But the question still remains, where did everything that was needed for this explosion come from? Yes, some believe there was God particle that always was. Therefore, they worship dust. The big boom, boom theory is so ridiculous it really shows how far this world is from its creator. To believe the big bang theory means all common sense is set aside, all scientific knowledge is set aside because nothing happens that way. I took a quick peek at watches, of which I do not wear, and I really know nothing about them but wow was I shocked to see the price tag on some of these watches. I saw ten watches from 5-55 million dollars, or you could get a nice Rolex for 5,500 – 75,000 dollars. As we know these watches just appeared out of nowhere after an explosion. Yes, I am being facetious, but when it comes to God creating the world, people refuse to believe and believe the most bizarre made-up theories, but even then they cannot find a theory to explain everything. Instead of believing, they continue to search for the Theory of Everything, that all-encompassing theory that would explain everything. We already have that, and it is not a theory. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God…”
The refusal to believe in God is so strong that someone would believe that all of this world that we see and the universe that is now being seen by the James Webb Space Telescope, the universe that they cannot find the end of, just exploded into existence one day. But even in the church there are those who do not believe God created the world just by speaking and in six days. The reality is God did not need six days. Can I explain it? No, I cannot not but I believe. Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Does the big boom, boom offer you eternal life? Does the big boom heal infirmities and diseases. Psalm 147:3 “He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds. 4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. 5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” Yes, in the church that is not happening, but it should be and will once again. People turn to the stars for guidance, but they are just fixtures in the universe. Imagine, everything around is just for us to show us God’s glory. As God said to Job, Job 38:4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone? 31 “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion’s belt? 32 Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? 33 Do you know the laws of the heavens?” The answer is no. Job said Job 42:3 “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
Jesus even showed us God is in charge of the weather. Matthew 8:23 “Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” Matthew 14:25 “Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.” So not only could Jesus walk on water, his disciple did the same, that is until he looked down and away from Jesus. In the Old Testament 2 Kings 6:4 “They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. 5 As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. “Oh no, my lord!” he cried out. “It was borrowed!” 6 The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float.” Joshua 3:14 “So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away.” During a battle Joshua 10:10 “The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.” Can the big bang do that? Not only did that happen, Joshua also prayed and Joshua 10:13 “The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!” If you do not believe “in the beginning God” you will not believe any of what you just read and like most will be looking for an explanation, instead of worship the Lord God Almighty, creator of the universe.
The creator of the universe also has control over His creation. The premise of faith is belief. Jesus had just said to the disciples “you have so little faith.” He then said, Matthew 17:20 “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” It doesn’t matter if you have seen God move a real mountain or if it has happened, you must believe that God can move a real mountain and not just something that is like a mountain in your life. So why all this talk about God’s creation? The moon, stars, sun planets are all amazing, but there is something more to hold on to than just their celestial display that we see every day. It is much more than a heavenly light show as someone described it. Yesterday we started to look at God saying I will. When God says I will, He means it. When you look to the skies, you are looking at God’s promise. The other day I was riding and saw a huge rainbow. Genesis 9:12 “And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth. 17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.” When you see the rainbow, that is God’s promise to His creation and for Himself. So, no the world is not going to be destroyed as Hollywood leads you to believe, that is until that day God has designated for its destruction. Peter tells what will happen and how we should be living. 2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” We talked the other day about cults like the Jehovah’s Witness who are not witnesses for Jesus. They believe the earth will not be destroyed. Don’t fall for their deception.
Like the rainbow, God also gave a promise to David that there would always be a remnant of His people, and never would they completely be destroyed but that doesn’t mean the remnant will not be punished as Ezekiel and Jeremiah showed us. 2 Chronicles 36:20 “He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power.” We also saw the remnant saved in Esther. Esther 9:1 “On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them.” Jeremiah had prophesied to the people. Jeremiah 25:3 “The word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened. 4 And though the Lord has sent all his servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention. 8 Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. 10 I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.” There would be some survivors but very few as seen in Ezra. Jeremiah would prophesy again by sending a letter to the exiles. He said Jeremiah 29:4 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.” He told them what they were to do to survive. Then he said 10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
When you look at the moon or the stars or watch a sunset, remember that God has given His people a promise that there will be a remnant of survivors. Jesus said Matthew 24:22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Right now the church lies desolate with only a remnant left. satan has been allowed to decimate the church and the famine is severe, and it looks like there is no hope but there will some survivors because God promised David. Jeremiah 33:19 “The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20 “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, 21 then my covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. 22 I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’ 23 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 24 “Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms he chose’? So they despise my people and no longer regard them as a nation. 25 This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth, 26 then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.’” Jeremiah 31:35 “This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name: 36 “Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the Lord, “will Israel (and now the church) ever cease being a nation before me. 37 This is what the Lord says: “Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,” declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 31:16 “This is what the Lord says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord. “They will return from the land of the enemy. 17
So there is hope for your descendants,” declares the Lord. Your children will return to their own land.”
Today as in every day since creation, God’s covenant with day and night remains intact. So, instead of just looking and carrying on with your day, makes sure you have repented, and you are following the right Jesus and not other gospels. Zechariah 1:3 “Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.” Then give praise and worship the Lord God Almighty for His promise of salvation. Psalm 96:1 “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. 4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. 9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. 10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity. 11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. 12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. 13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.”
