August 23, 2026
The World is Not Random, and Neither is Your Life
Pastor Ricky Smith

Sermon Notes

Genesis 1:3-25
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

I. The World You Live In Is Not Random

The world you live in was formed, filled, and ordered by God, who is in control.

II. The Work You Do Is Not Random

You are not an accident.

III. Your Worth Was Never Tied to That Work

The same God who created the world creates new life in you when you turn to Jesus.

Next Steps

• I confess my sin and turn to Jesus as King for the first time.
• I choose to connect my worth to God’s design and purpose.
• I commit to work this week with purpose and joy.

Deep Dive

1. What is something in your own life you’ve let function like a god, something you fear, obey, or organize your life around the way ancient people organized their lives around the sun or the sea?
2. Read Romans 1:25 together and talk about the difference between worshiping the Creator and worshiping something he created.
3. Read Psalm 74:12-17, where God’s victory is celebrated. How does it change the way you think about your own fears to see that the God who tamed the sea at creation is the same God who acts in history to rescue his people?

Springboards

1. Look at your calendar for the past week. How much of it was set by urgency, and how much was set aside on purpose for God and for the people you love?
2. What would it look like this week to treat rest and celebration as gifts rather than as luxuries you have to earn?
3. Where in your life have you looked to something other than God (horoscopes, superstition, “signs,” luck) to try to explain or predict what’s happening to you?