The Story of God: Eternity Past
Psalm 90:2
None of us chose to be born. None of us chose to be here on Planet Earth. But here we are. And it makes sense to ask: where did this all come from?
When you think about it, there’s really only two alternatives. Either everything in the universe is here by chance -- just accidental combinations of base elements combining over time to produce all this. Or it’s here by purpose – there’s some meaning, some reason behind all this.
Think about the purpose option: if there’s some purpose, meaning, and reason behind all this – then that means there’s a personal being behind all this, because only personal beings have purpose, meaning, and reasons. And this personal being must be big enough and wise enough to produce all this – so we are talking about God. So all this either came from chance, or from God. Are you following me?
But there’s a problem with saying this all came from chance. Chance can’t account for things we experience every day: like our sense that some things are right and some things are wrong. If everything is from chance, what makes one chance combination right and another chance combination wrong? Nothing. Or take our sense of meaning and purpose; if everything comes from chance then there is no meaning and purpose.
So there’s things in our experience which can’t be accounted for by chance, which means it’s most reasonable that all this came from God. So who is God? What is He up to? What’s His story? Those are the questions we’re going to be tackling in this new series which I’m calling “The Story of God.”
So where does God’s story start? To answer that, turn to Psalm 90:2 (page 496). This is a psalm written by Moses, and look at what he says in v.2 –
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
From everlasting (eternity past) to everlasting (eternity future), God is God. Which means that God has always been.
Think about that. Before anything had been created, before there was a universe – there was God. Just God. As far back as you can comprehend, there was God, just God, forever. That’s where the story of God starts – with God, who has always been.
So what was God doing before creation? That’s what we are going to focus on today, Scriptures that tell us what God was doing before Creation when all that there was, was God. To answer this let’s turn to John 17 (page 903). In John 17 we listen-in on Jesus as He talks to His Father.
Look first at v.5 –
And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
Before the world existed Jesus and the Father had glory. And in other places Jesus talks about the whole Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so we can say that before the world existed the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each had glory.
What does that mean? This word “glory” is crucial to understand, because it’s used 387 times in the Bible. So what is glory? Glory is the display – the shining-forth -- of something that’s awesome.
How many of you saw that YouTube of the guys in Norway who jumped off massive cliffs and then had these wing-suits – and they sort of flew down into the valley? As I watched that what I felt was – “Whoa!” Glory is what you are seeing when you say “Whoa!” Glory is the display – the shining-forth – of something that’s awesome.
And as glorious as those wing-suit guys were -- God is infinitely more glorious. Each member of the Trinity has infinite glory: awesome power, flawless wisdom, overflowing goodness.
Take God’s power, for example. You can get a feel for God’s power when you think of the size of the universe He created and sustains. I remember John Piper talking about this in terms of the Milky Way. The Milky Way is the galaxy we are in. It has 200 billion stars in it. Our sun is one of those 200 billion stars. And the Milky Way is about 100,000 light years across. To get a feel for how big that is, understand that one light year is 6 trillion miles. To get a feel for that, think about traveling around the earth – 25,000 miles in circumference. That’s a long way to drive your car, to go by boat. Think about one trip around the earth, two trips around the earth, three trips around the earth.
One light year, 6 trillion miles, is 240 million trips around the earth. And the Milky Way is 100,000 light years across – 100,000 6-trillion-mile light-years across. God’s power created, and sustains that. But not only that -- astronomers tell us that our universe has at least 50 million galaxies like the Milky Way. God’s power created and sustains a universe of that size.
Now when you think of that power, and you feel “Whoa!” – you’ve just seen a glimpse of God’s glory. And before the world existed – from eternity past – each member of the Trinity had infinite glory: awesome power, flawless wisdom, overflowing goodness.
So what did this mean for them? Look at what Jesus says in v.24 --
Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Before the foundation of the world, the Father loved Jesus. The Father saw Jesus’ glory – “whoa!” -- and He loved Jesus.
I remember how I felt one afternoon watching my son Brad playing Little League. If I remember right Brad’s team was behind and there were a couple guys on base. And the pitch came in, and he connected, and it was a thing of beauty watching that ball fly up and over the fence. Now I would have loved Brad if he had struck out – but watching him hit that home run added a dimension of my love for him – a “whoa!” dimension.
Multiply that times infinity – and that’s what God the Father is feeling towards Jesus the Son. But it’s not just the Father for the Son. Since each member of the Trinity is fully God, each member of the Trinity loved each other with this intense, passionate, love.
So the Father saw Jesus’ glory – and the Holy Spirit’s glory – and He loved Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jesus saw the Father’s glory – and the Holy Spirit’s glory -- and He loved the Father and the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit saw the Father’s glory and the Son’s glory – and He loved the Father and the Son. So from eternity past, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were a fellowship of intense, passionate, love for each other.
And the result was that from before creation, God was full of joy. You can see that in I Timothy 1:11 (page 991). We’re picking up the sentence in mid-stream – but you’ll see the point –
… in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
Paul’s gospel has to do with the glory of the blessed God. The word “blessed” here means “joyful.” So God is joyful. He’s joyful with the intense joy that comes from beholding – “whoa!” – His glory in the Trinity.
Too many people think God is grumpy, or bothered – but they couldn’t be more wrong. From eternity past God was full of joy in the loving fellowship of the Trinity. Here’s how Jonathan Edwards put it 250 years ago –
“It is evident, by both Scripture and reason, that God is infinitely, eternally, unchangeably, and independently glorious and happy.”
So what was God doing from eternity past? He was rejoicing in beholding and loving His glory in the Trinity.
Now think about that. If God has always been full of joy in His glory, then that means God has no needs. And that’s exactly what we learn from God’s Word -- Acts 17:24-25 (page 926) –
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,
25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
A lot of people have the idea that before Creation God was lonely, God needed some friends, and so he created people to give him companionship. Now God is all about relationship, but it’s not about us meeting His needs – it’s about Him meeting our needs.
So from eternity past God was full of joy in beholding His glory. But now if God has no needs, if he is full of joy in His glory – why did he create? What we see in God’s Word is that God created so he could display, and share with us, the joy of beholding His glory.
To see this, start with Psalm 19:1 (page 456) –
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Why did God create the heavens? To declare His glory. We’ve already had a taste of this as we’ve thought about how the size of the universe. So God created the heavens to display His glory.
And then look at Habakkuk 2:14 (page 786) –
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
The purpose of the earth – its land, oceans, history, civilizations – is to display God’s glory. This is not happening yet, but it will. One day the earth – the new earth, at the end of history – will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God.
So that’s why God created the heavens, and the earth, but why did God create us? To answer that, look at Isaiah 43:6-7 (page 603). Here God is talking about how he is going to bring His people back from exile – and look at what he says --
6 I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth,
7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.
So God created people – you and me -- for His glory. He created us so He could share with us the joy of beholding His glory. That’s why you are here – so you can see the display of God’s glory in the earth – and so you can share His joy in beholding His glory.
One of the most crucial truths for us to understand about ourselves is that we are created to experience our greatest joy in beholding God’s glory. You are like a top-fuel drag-racing car which was made to run on methanol fuel. Your engine was made to run at peak speed when it’s got methanol fuel. Nothing else will bring maximum speed.
The same is true of you. Your heart and emotions and feelings are designed so maximum joy comes from beholding God’s glory. Nothing else will bring you full or lasting joy – nothing else even comes close.
So that’s why God created: to display His glory, and to share with us the joy of beholding His glory.
But now when we look at the world around us – is that happening? With all the evil in the world? With all the sin in the world? Is God’s plan taking place?
To answer this let’s ask one last question: what is God’s plan for bringing this about? Before anything was created, what plan did the Father and the Son and the Spirit come up with for displaying their glory and sharing the joy of their glory with us?
That’s what we are going to cover in the weeks ahead. We’ll see how it involves the Fall of Adam and Eve into sin, a moon-worshiper named Abraham, a nation set in the center of the nations, and God Himself being born as a man.
But there’s one part of His plan that’s the most important. You can see what it is in Acts 2:22-23 –
22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—
23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
Part of God’s definite plan from before the foundation of the world was that Jesus, His Son, be delivered up and crucified on the Cross. And the reason He was crucified on the Cross was because of our sin. Which means that the Fall, evil, and sin were no surprise to God.
In some mysterious way, God purposefully allowed the Fall to take place, and sin to spread through the world – because what would most powerfully display God’s glory is the Cross – because the Cross gives us the most powerful display of God’s love – God’s love for those who deserved only His wrath.
See, God’s power, and wisdom, and goodness all bring a “whoa!” But when we see God’s love for sinners as displayed on the Cross – that brings a “WHOA!”
Think of it. From eternity past Jesus knew that I would be His enemy, rebelling against Him, and ignoring Him. But the Cross shows that Jesus loved me, because He was willing to be beaten, scourged, and crucified – taking upon Himself the punishment I deserved. And the Cross shows that God the Father loved me, because the Father was willing to take the wrath He had against me for my sin, and pour it out on His Son instead, punishing Jesus in my place. And then because of the Cross, in 1972 he brought His saving power upon me and subdued my rebellious will, taking out my heart of stone, so I repented of my sin and trusted my life to Jesus, and received complete forgiveness, and for the first time saw His glory, felt His love, and was saved.
The highest display of God’s glory is His love as demonstrated on the Cross. And the only way we can share God’s joy in His glory is through the salvation that comes from the Cross. So from before the foundation of the world God planned the Cross.
So what does this mean for us?
First, if you have not bowed your heart before Jesus Christ, repenting of your sin, surrendering yourself in trust to Him, do so now. Please. Your sin has dishonored God’s glory, and you face the wrath of God. God’s wrath will be poured out – either on Jesus 2,000 years ago on the Cross – or on you forever. So please, repent of your sin and trust yourself to Jesus today.
Second, if you are trusting your life to Jesus, then set aside time regularly to behold God’s glory. That’s the joy you were made to run on. Open God’s Word, see Jesus, see the Cross, and meditate, and ponder, and worship. And you’ll receive the joy you were made for. And then live your life to share God’s glory with your neighbors and friends and city.