Genesis chapter one and verse one, let us now hear God's word. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your revelation. We thank you that you have made yourself known. And we thank you that you have made yourself known to us personally, that we can say truly that we know the creator, We know the maker of heaven and earth, and we can call you our Father, which art in heaven. And so we ask, Father, that you would help us as we pursue these studies in thinking about you, the creator, and your creation. We ask that you would help us to think with the wisdom of God and not the wisdom of men. We ask that you would help us to trust in the word of God rather than the word of man. We ask that you'd bless these studies. And we pray these things for your glory, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen. In the beginning, there was an explosion. Not an explosion like those familiar on earth, starting out from a definite center and spreading out to engulf more and more of the circumambient air. but an explosion which occurred simultaneously everywhere, filling all space from the beginning, with every particle of matter rushing apart from every other particle." Those are the words of Steven Weinberg and his book, The First Three Minutes, written in 1977. Steven Weinberg, who was a theoretical physicist and a Nobel laureate in physics, He wrote that book and that book was basically the popularization of what is known as the Big Bang. It's the idea of how the universe began, how everything started. How are we to think about the origin of the universe? Who should we trust? Whose word should we believe? You know the answers to those questions already, so I'm just going to be reminding you of things you are already familiar with, things you already know. We believe the Word of God. We believe that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. We are, in the midst of our study of creation versus evolution, we're comparing scientific theories and ideas that are prevalent out there in the world with what the Bible says about creation. And so we're at this point in our study now where we want to compare. We've introduced what we're doing and why we're doing it. And now we want to engage in a systematic comparison. We want to lay them side by side. In other words, we want to lay the scientific theories and opinions of men next to the word of God, compare and contrast them and ultimately come down on the side of the scriptures of the word of God. Now we're going to pursue four basic areas as we do this. So these are the four areas that we're going to go through as we compare evolutionary thought with biblical thought, with biblical truth. And they are these, number one, the origin of the universe. That's what we'll talk about tonight. Number two, the origin of life. Number three, the origin of species. And number four, the origin of man. Those are the four things that we're going to go through as we compare modern naturalistic scientific thought with the Bible. We begin with the origin of the universe. Where did this world come from? What accounts for the existence of the universe? Let's begin by considering how science or evolutionary theory seeks to answer this question. Now, first of all, let's say off the bat here that usually when we speak of evolution, we're typically talking about life, about animal life, about human life, and that sort of thing. But we are pressing this into the area of the origin of the universe, Because that's how it's typically done out there in the world in the world of science it all kind of gets lumped in together and usually those who tend to believe in Evolutionary theory in terms of life are going to go with some non-biblical idea of the origin of the universe it might be more accurate to call this the scientific naturalism answer to the question and Where did the universe come from? Hopefully you remember you say pastor. I don't remember Okay, you don't remember so let me remind you Scientific naturalism. What is that? That is the idea that nature is all there is that this world that you can see and experience with your five senses that's all there is and that's the only legitimate way to explain anything and So the person who has bought into scientific naturalism, they're not going to make recourse to the Bible or anything divine They're gonna seek to explain all things through natural processes Okay, that mindset gets applied not only to life and creatures animals and human beings but it also gets applied to the origin of the universe and trying to answer that question and Number two because of that we're not really dealing with Charles Darwin here Charles Darwin did not Seek to answer the question of where did the universe come from? In his book, The Origin of Species, he was dealing with what accounts for the diversity of animal life that we see out there in the world today. In his book, The Descent of Man, he was concerned with answering the question, among other things, of where did man come from? Who is man's ancestor, if you will? He wasn't concerned with answering the question of the origin of the universe. So here we're gonna deal more with the heirs of Darwin or those who claim the mantle of science today and in the recent past. Number three, the scientific establishment offers no definitive unified answer to the question, where did the universe come from? That's really important to understand right off the bat. There are a number of different theories about the origin of the universe, some of which directly contradict one another. And all of this comes from the supposedly objective, pure facts Enterprise of science and the scientists who engage in it So we're not going to try to cover all of the theories that are out there I'm gonna try to give you the ones that would be most familiar to you that when I say them you're like Oh, yeah, I've heard of that. I know that or you see it on TV or in popular culture but I just want you to understand right off the bat here that if you go to science and and you go to scientists about the origin of the universe, you're not gonna get one single answer. It depends on who you go to, and it depends on their beliefs about these things. So let me give you some examples here. How many of you have heard of Edwin Hubble? Okay, you know the Hubble Telescope, right? Okay, named after Edwin Hubble. Now Edwin Hubble, He is in the line of Big Bang theory, where it comes from. Okay, Edwin Hubble discovered what is known as redshift. Redshift is the light coming from stars and distant galaxies. And Edwin Hubble theorized that what was going on there was that was an indication that these stars or these galaxies were moving, they were expanding, and they were moving away from us. And the red light that you could see through the powerful telescope was an indication of that. But even Edwin Hubble said, there are limits on how far we can go here. So listen to Mr. Hubble and what he says in his book, The Realm of the Nebula. Quote, the explorations of space end on a note of uncertainty. With increasing distance from the earth, our knowledge fades and fades rapidly. Eventually we reach the dim boundary, the utmost limits of our telescopes. There we measure shadows and we search among ghostly errors of measurement for landmarks that are scarcely more substantial. End quote. Now, You say, what does that mean? That means you're looking at a telescope like this, and you're looking at stuff that's really, really far away, and you're trying to draw conclusions about the origin of the universe, don't get ahead of yourself. Don't get too excited about your own intellect and your own mind. You're looking at stuff that's a long way away. There could be any number of variables out there that determines how you see that and what's actually going on. Or let me give you one more example here. Big Bang theory is named, you say, where did it get its name? It got its name from someone who rejected it. The man's name was Fred Hoyle. We'll come back to Fred Hoyle in a little while. Fred Hoyle said, quote, the hypothesis that all matter in the universe was created in one big bang at a particular time in the remote past is in conflict with the observational requirements. This Big Bang hypothesis is an irrational process that cannot be described in scientific terms, end quote. Now there is someone with great pedigree in the scientific world, Fred Hoyle passed away, but in the past, and Fred Hoyle says about Big Bang theory, bunk, it's not true, it's not science. But yet most people today who are scientifically minded would subscribe to Big Bang Theory. Now, what do you get from that? Well, they can't agree amongst themselves. And we're supposed to go with them. We're supposed to believe them and just bow down to science and the smart people and scientists. No, it shouldn't be that way. Don't be intimidated by science. Don't be intimidated by scientists or the scientific establishment. Okay, so before we continue, we need to stop and recognize something very important. What is the alternative to faith in scripture and the text that we just read that begins the Bible? In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The alternative is the word of man. That's what the alternative is. If we don't believe Genesis 1-1 as well as the rest of the Bible, and you're like, well, I can't do that, I'm a person of science. I believe in science. I want things to be objective. I wanna talk about facts. Okay, well, guess what? You're gonna go out into the world and you're gonna find all sorts of answers from all different kinds of people, some of which don't go together and don't work with one another. Should we trade the word of God for the word of man? You know the answer to that, right? I mean, think about what we're doing. If I am so in awe of Stephen Hawking that I say, he is so smart, he knows so much, how can I believe the Bible when here I've got Stephen Hawking? I should go with him, right? Wrong. No, because what you're doing is you're accepting the Word the speculations, the opinions of a mere man rather than the revelation of God. So what's at stake here in what we believe is whether we believe God's word or we believe man's word. All right, so let's talk about some of these theories. I'm gonna give you two basic ones. The first theory, the first way of thinking about the origin of the universe is that it is eternal. It's always been there. From the ancient Greeks to modern thinkers, this has been a popular take on the universe. Now, strictly speaking, this isn't an origin theory because there was no origin. The universe has always been there. Matter has always been there. It's just eternal. It's just the way it has always been. And so you get that in the ancient Greeks, somebody like Aristotle. to modern day people. Like, for example, Carl Sagan. You guys know Carl Sagan? Anybody watch the television series, I think it was in the 1970s, Cosmos? Carl Sagan's series about where did all this come from? And how should we think about all these things? Well, this is what Carl Sagan says, and I believe this was the initial episode of the television program. Quote, the cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be, end quote. What is that? That's the idea of matter or the cosmos, the universe being eternal. Also in modern times, you've got Fred Hoyle. I mentioned Fred Hoyle a few moments ago. He was a British astronomer. He died in 2001, and he was a proponent of what is known as steady state theory. What is steady state theory? Well, it's basically that the universe is eternal, it's always been there, and it's constantly producing what it needs to function. Where's that coming from? It's just coming out of nowhere. It's being produced out of nowhere, out of thin air, if you will. That was Fred Hoyle's idea. All right, so that's one viewpoint, the universe is eternal. The other viewpoint, the second theory that we want to consider here, is the so-called Big Bang Theory. How many of you have heard of Big Bang Theory? Okay, yeah, pretty much everybody here. This is the direct opposite of the theory we just considered, that matter, the universe, is eternal. This theory, It's really complicated when you get into the details of it, but on its basic level. It's pretty simple Here's the idea the idea is That at some point in the distant past they would say billions of years ago There was some sort of reaction temperature elements that blew the universe into existence and The universe has kind of been expanding ever since that time. And that is the beginning of all things. That is the origin of the universe, this big bang, this kind of explosion, if you will. You say, where did they get that from? Well, it goes back to Edwin Hubble. So remember Edwin Hubble, he's looking through his telescope and he sees this red light from distant galaxies and He comes to the conclusion that that indicates that these galaxies are moving, that they are moving away from us. And thus the conclusion was made that the universe is expanding. Which if you draw it back in and you put that in reverse, what that means is at some point, if the universe is expanding today, or in a process of expanding, at some point it was like this, right? it was at this point that they call a singularity, which is a way of saying we don't know what it is. You got this singularity in the beginning, this heat, these elements, and bang, then it comes into being and spreads out from there. Now that is the Nick C. Smiley $1.50 explanation of Big Bang Theory. You can get a lot more complicated than that, Hopefully that gives you a basic idea of where they're getting the idea from. Okay, so this is very popular, and this is one of the primary views of where the universe came from. What is its origin? Now, many scientific people talk about the problem of the universe's origin. It's a problem they're trying to solve. It's an issue, it's a knot that they're trying to untie. So, for example, Steven Weinberg that I mentioned a few minutes ago, he says in his book, The First Three Minutes, quote, the urge to trace the history of the universe back to its beginnings is irresistible. From the start of modern science in the 16th and 17th centuries, physicists and astronomers have returned again and again to the problem of the origin of the universe, end quote. Let's stop and ask a question, why is it a problem? Why is the origin of the universe a problem? It's only a problem when you reject this. When you say, no, no, no, no, that's too simple. No, that's who knows where Genesis came from. We don't believe in inspiration. That's just a human book. We reject all of that. But now they've got a problem that has to be solved. Why? Because they've rejected God. They've rejected his word. But for us, we don't have a problem, do we? The origin of the universe is not a problem that Christians are desperately trying to solve. Why? Because we believe Genesis 1-1. We accept that God's word is true and trustworthy. And so we don't have a problem at all. So they may be staying up late at night trying to figure it out. And we say, you're wasting your time. You ought to believe the Bible and go to bed. It's not a problem. All right, so much then for the evolutionary view on the origin of the universe. Now let's turn to the real deal, to the scriptures for the answer to the question, where did the universe come from? All right, we're here in Genesis 1 and verse 1. First of all, let's talk about the what. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The heavens and the earth is a Hebrew way of saying everything. So if you want to talk about the entirety of the universe, you put it all together in this phrase, the heavens and the earth. It's not a way of saying, well, God created the sky and he created the earth, but nothing else. No, it's a way of including everything. It would kind of like us saying, it would be something like we saying head to toe, right? You're including everything in between when you say that. So the heavens and the earth, this is the biblical way to refer to the universe that God created the universe in the very beginning. Of course, who did it? Well, the Big Bang didn't do it. Really intense heat didn't do it Chemicals and elements didn't do it who did it God did it in the beginning God? Now if you caught it that opening In the opening of the message tonight. I read you that portion from the gentleman's book and you caught his His using the language of Genesis 1, in the beginning, there was an explosion. Well, we say in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. That's what accounts for the universe, a person, the divine person. That's where we get the universe from. It comes from God who is its maker. Number three, when did it occur? Well, that's answered in the opening three words. The verse in the beginning you say well pastor Nick, that's really simple. I could have stayed home tonight. I Knew that in the beginning God created the heavens of the earth. Why is that important? It's important because it indicates that the universe is not eternal matter Stuff is not eternal There was a particular point in time That God created the universe the heavens and the earth He created everything out of nothing, and He did so at a particular time. The universe is not eternal. Who is eternal? The Creator is, right? God is. Psalm 90 verse 2, before the mountains were brought forth, wherever you had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God. It's not the universe that's eternal, it's God. The universe has not always been there, it was created in the beginning. Number four, how did the universe come into being? What means did God use to bring it into existence? Now, we've been through Genesis chapter one, and we noted all along the way the means by which God created all things. How does he do it? Verse 3, then God, what? Said, let there be light. And there was light. Verse 6, then God said, let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters. Verse 9, then God said, Let the waters into the heavens be gathered together into one place. You get the idea. That gets repeated over and over again throughout the first chapter of Genesis. How did God do it? God did it through his word. Should we accept a theory that omits and ignores that? and instead substitutes in its place heat, chemicals, elements, hydrogen, all that sort of thing? No, we should not. Now, did God make hydrogen and carbon and all of those things? Of course He did. He brought those things into existence. But He did so through His mighty, awesome word. That's what the Bible teaches us. I'm gonna read you a few other statements of scripture about that. Psalm 33, by the word of the Lord, the heavens were made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. That's what we are meant to do. Not stand in awe of some scientific theory, but stand in awe of the maker, the creator who brought all things into existence. Why should we stand in awe of him? The psalmist continues, for he spoke, And it was done. He commanded and it stood fast. I mean that when you look, when you read Genesis chapter one and you read of the awesome power of God, I mean, just think about it. God speaks and a universe comes into existence. Sun, moon, stars. Animal life all of these things that we read about in Genesis chapter 1 we are meant to honor God for his powerful word We're meant to worship God Rather than come up with some substitute for that Whatever substitute you pick if you're tempted to get a substitute it will always be inferior to God and his creative word Finally, Hebrews 11.3 says, by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by what? By the word of God. So it wasn't chemicals reacting to one another, nor is it some kind of primordial singularity. You say, Pastor, I don't know what that is. Don't worry about it. Just know God spoke and it happened. He uttered his mighty voice and things came into being. All right, so we've compared the two. We've compared some of the world's theories about the origin of the universe with the Bible. I hope you can see they're different. Right? Now, somebody wants to say at this point, yeah, but couldn't have God done the Big Bang? Well, the problem with the Big Bang, there's more than one problem with the Big Bang. But if you go to the scientists and say, explain to me the Big Bang, is he gonna talk about God? Is he gonna reference Holy Scripture? Now you might find some Christian man who tries to put the two together, but more often than not, you're not gonna get that. So they're different, I believe. And one is superior. One is objectively superior, and that's the Bible. The Bible's account of the origin of the universe is obviously superior. You say, Pastor Nick, you're biased. Yes, I'm afraid I am. But when you have eyes to see it, when your eyes are open, you can't help but say, this is so much better. This is so much greater. This is so much more awesome. Awesome, all-powerful, omnipotent God speaks and things come into existence. Would you rather have that or would you rather have chemicals reacting to one another? Boom. I hope you know the answer. Furthermore, in the Bible's teaching on the origin of the universe, we have divine purpose rather than chance. In Big Bang theory, for example, the universe comes into existence for no particular reason at all. Why did the chemicals react? Why was it so hot? What was it that caused the explosion? You know what their answers are? They don't have any answers to that. They cannot answer the why question. Why is it that a particular point in time this supposed reaction occurred and the universe was flung into existence? Tell me why they can't answer that question, but we can. We have the answer. It's right here in the Bible. Where did all this come from? It came from God and his creative word. God created these things. We can answer the why question. God spoke things, all things into being and for a glorious and wonderful purpose. Big Bang theory we're just living in the Big Bangs world of chemicals and elements and reactions and all that sort of thing in the Bible We're living in God's world who has a purpose Who has a plan for things and he creates the world not? Randomly, it's not a result of chance. It's the result of divine purpose In addition to that Which model the world and whatever scientific model they want to give us can really lay claim to be supported by the evidence. Now, if you got some really smart person, let's say we got a hold of the top scientist of today who subscribes to Big Bang Theory. He could probably talk you in circles. talking about radio waves and electromagnetic whatnots, heat and expansion of the universe, and all that sort of thing, and it can dazzle you for a minute, but then you just, you gotta put the brakes on. You gotta put the brakes on and say, hang on just a minute. Let me get this straight what you're telling me is for no apparent reason at all The universe exploded into existence and it just so happens that the Sun got to the precise place where it needed to be to facilitate life on earth and It just so happens that the moon is in the precise position that it needs to be in To function in the way that is good for the world How did that happen? If the Big Bang is the answer, then why are these things just not flying wildly and chaotically all over the place? Why are planets going in an orbit, an orderly orbit around the sun? Why are moons orbiting around planets in a regular pattern? How did we get that from the Big Bang? How do you explain that? I don't believe they can. Now, what we have to open our eyes to and be prepared for is lots of fancy sounding stuff that doesn't get to the point. All right, look around you tonight. You've got paintings on the walls over there and over there, curtains hanging, light fixtures. You walk into a room like this, and what do you think? Does any rational human being step into a room like this one and say, wow, all of this exploded into its precise place, exactly where it needed to be? No, nobody does that. Why? Because they recognize somebody arranged this. Somebody did this. Let's take the picture on the wall over there, for example. Now let's say you ask Mr. Smarty Pants to explain, how is it that that painting got over there? Talk to me about that painting. Well, he might say, well, you see, there's a nail behind that wall, and that nail has load-bearing capacity. It has the ability, because of its strength, because of its chemical makeup, to keep that painting up on the wall. And he might talk that way for some time, and at some point, you need to stop and ask him the question, yeah, but how did it get there? How did that painting get in that precise spot? That sure looks like intelligent design. That sure looks like an intelligent agent, a human being, put that together and put it in its proper place. Well, the world is like that, is it not? It bears the marks of the divine designer in so many different ways. And we've seen this before but let's look at it one more time. Let's go from Genesis 1 to Romans chapter 1. Romans chapter 1. And here again we want to look at what the Bible says about the evidence for God in creation. Romans chapter 1 beginning at verse 18, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. Here we go, verse 20. For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. We've talked about it many times, but let's just underscore the point again. When you go out into the world, the world bears the fingerprints of its maker. There is ample and abundant evidence of design. Again, just think about the solar system. What's keeping the sun there? If the universe is expanding, what's keeping the sun in its place? What's keeping the moon where it needs to be? What's causing all these orbits? All of that exhibits the signs of design that we have that support what scripture says about God. How can you see God? Well, he's invisible, but you can see his handiwork. The invisible God is visible in the things he has made and the things that he has created in such a way as the end of verse 20 says, so that they are without excuse. You have to close your eyes to the evidence all around you for a creative designer, a divine designer. Now let's conclude tonight with a couple of thoughts about this, additional thoughts about this. Is the origin of the universe a question for science? We should ask that. Can science Answer the question. Where did the universe come from? remember our introduction to scripture and science We talked about what science is science is the pursuit of knowledge and it is related to the scientific method. What's the scientific method? the scientific method goes back to Francis Bacon and And it's the idea that man is to go out into the world, and he is to use his reason, he's to use his senses, interact with that world, and he's to follow a particular method to arrive at a place of knowledge about how things work in the world. How do you do that? You collect data, you form a hypothesis, you perform experiments to test that hypothesis, and you're supposed to ensure that your results are repeatable, that others can conduct the same experiments and expect to get the same results. Are scientists able to do that with the origin of the universe? No, they can't. No one has the origin of the universe in a laboratory. Nor is it possible for them to put it in a laboratory and examine it under the microscope. So a very subtle shift is made that you have to watch for. What is that subtle shift? Now we're no longer strictly talking about the scientific method. What we're talking about is the scientist is looking at the way things work today, and he's extrapolating backwards. He's saying, I see this, I see this, I think I know how this works, and now I'm gonna do this in reverse. Let's say, this must be the explanation for how things worked at the beginning of the world, but we must hit the pause button and say, how do you know that? And that's the question that doesn't often get asked or answered. And what you'll find underneath that is assumptions. One of those assumptions is what I see today and how I see things working today, that's how it worked back then. And so that's why I'm gonna come to this particular conclusion. But it's one thing to observe how things are currently working and form a hypothesis. It's another thing to apply that to the beginning of the universe. Science cannot answer the question of the origin of the universe. It thinks it can, but it can't. Stephen Hawking put it this way, quote, questions about our origins were once regarded as the territory of philosophers and theologians. He's right about that. But gradually the answers have been provided by science. Speculations have been replaced by hard facts. Hmm, wonder who was doing the speculating there. Especially in the last few decades. We have made remarkable progress in understanding the genesis and evolution of the universe end quote Sounds pretty confident, doesn't he? Yep Well to state the obvious there was only one person there in the beginning and it was God and Therefore he's the only one competent to tell us how it all went down how it took place and You say, well, that will require revelation. Yeah, exactly. God has to tell us how he did it, when he did it, and how it all worked. You say, is that what the Bible is? Yes, that's what the Bible is. It's divine revelation. It's God disclosing, revealing how he created the universe, how he brought all things into existence. God was the only one there, and he has told us about it in his word. Finally, one more thing, and for this let's go to Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 11. This is the passage that we heard in the scripture reading tonight. Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 3. It's vital that we understand that the question of the origin of the universe is, in the final analysis, a matter of faith. This is true for creationists, for those who believe the Bible, as well as evolutionists. None of us was there. It cannot be recreated in the laboratory. We must believe something. because we trust the word of someone. Who will it be? Hebrews 11, three. By faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. How do we understand it? We understand it by faith. What does that mean? That means we trust God and we trust his word. And that's how we come to the conclusion that the worlds were framed by his word. So the choice is, will you put your trust in men or will you put your trust in God? It is really that stark. Will we trust the supposed wisdom and learning of scientific people or will we trust the written revelation of God in the Bible? What a sad thing it would be for someone to put their faith in Stephen Hawking or Fred Hoyle or anybody, any man for that matter, and then realize at some point in eternity, oh, what have I done? I put my trust in men. We must not do that. For us, the choice is clear. We must believe God and his word. And it's by faith that we understand that. You gotta believe somebody. You gotta trust the word of somebody. You're gonna have faith in somebody. Will it be them? Will it be the scientists? Will it be the scientific establishment? Or will it be God and his word? Let's close with this quote from Robert Jastrow. Robert Jastrow was an American astronomer He died in 2008. And I think this is just funny. This is just a humorous place to end our study tonight, okay? So I'll send you out with a smile on your face. This is from his book entitled, God and the Astronomers. Quote, now this man wasn't a Christian, okay? Quote, now we would like to pursue that inquiry further back in time, But the barrier to further progress seems insurmountable. It is not a matter of another year, another decade of work, another measurement, or another theory. At this moment, it seems as though science will never be able to raise the curtain on the mystery of creation. For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance. He is about to conquer the highest peak. As he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word tonight. Oh, Father, it really does come down to whether we trust you or not. it really does come down to who we're gonna believe, where our faith will be placed. Sometimes we get confused by intellectual, fancy-sounding language, and we forget to sort through all of that, get underneath the surface, and look at what's really going on. This matter of where the universe came from is really, in the end, it's a matter of the word of man versus the word of God. And so we ask, Father, that you would help us to trust you. Help us to trust your word. Help us not to be embarrassed, to trust the Bible and what it teaches and what it says. Help us not to seek to modify it, to fit with what men say it must say, but help us to accept it as it is, to interpret it rightly, and most of all, Father, to stand in awe of you, as our creator, as the one who brought all of this into existence, how we ought to worship you, how we ought to bow down before you and tremble in your presence, tremble at the power of your word. Lord, help us to do that. Help the pursuit of answering the question, where did the universe come from, lead us to the place of worship. Worship of you, our creator. We thank you for this day that you've given us, Lord. Thank you for the blessings of being with your people and worshiping you and hearing your word. We pray that you would bless what we have heard today, make it fruitful in our hearts and lives in this coming week. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you so much for being here tonight. Please receive the Lord's blessing as you leave. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.