God's Place as Creator
We must learn to admire God in all things, great and small, to expand our spiritual world and glorify God's creating and sustaining power.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the importance of recognizing God's presence as both Creator and Redeemer in all aspects of life, urging us to admire Him in nature as well as in grace. He suggests that acknowledging God's creative power enhances our understanding of His redeeming grace, allowing us to expand our spiritual awareness to encompass all of creation. Tozer illustrates this with the example of William Blake, who, while observing a sunrise, perceives not just beauty but the glory of God, reminding us that the earth is filled with His majesty. By believing and obeying, we can broaden our spiritual horizons and appreciate the divine in every facet of existence.
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We make a mistake if we do not learn to admire God in all things, great and small; for a new rich mine would be opened in our consciousness if we could learn to recognize God in nature as well as in grace! We do acknowledge that the God of nature is also the God of grace; and it is true that we glorify God's redeeming grace no less when we glorify His creating and sustaining power. When Christ came to redeem us, He stepped into the framework of an afready existent nature. If we will obey and believe, we can go on pushing back the narrow borders of our spiritual world until it takes in the whole creation of God!
At one time, the English merchant and renowned poet, William Blake, stood watching the sun come up out of the sea.
The bright yellow disk of the sun emerged, gliding the water and painting the sky with a thousand colors. "Ah! I see gold!" the merchant said. Blake answered, "I see the glory of God! And I hear a multitude of the heavenly host crying, 'The whole earth is full of His glory.'"
Sermon Outline
- I. The Importance of Admiring God in All Things
- A. Recognizing God in nature as well as in grace
- B. Glorifying God's creating and sustaining power
- II. The Framework of an Existing Nature
- A. Christ stepped into the framework of nature to redeem us
- III. Expanding Our Spiritual World
- A. Obedience and faith can push back the borders of our spiritual world
- B. Taking in the whole creation of God
Key Quotes
“A new rich mine would be opened in our consciousness if we could learn to recognize God in nature as well as in grace!” — A.W. Tozer
“The whole earth is full of His glory.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We can glorify God's creating and sustaining power by recognizing Him in nature as well as in grace.
- By obeying and believing, we can push back the borders of our spiritual world and take in the whole creation of God.
- We must learn to see the glory of God in all things, not just in spiritual experiences.