Genesis: Stories from the Beginning (2)

Genesis 1:1 (CSB)

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

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Understanding Creation

In spite of its name “Genesis,” which means “beginning,” and in spite of its position as the first book in the Bible, the Book of Genesis isn’t the beginning of everything.

In the beginning God - [The when and the who]

Not “AT” the beginning, but “IN” the beginning.

God was already there when the beginning began.

He was there before the beginning.

The phrase, “In the beginning” doesn’t mean that was the beginning of God.

It just means that was the beginning of what we needed to know about the beginning.

We must remember that God who is eternal, sits in eternity.

He created time as a module for man to dwell in.

He is not bound by time.

He sits outside of time.

God has no beginning and He has no ending.

He always was, He always is, and He will always be.

He is GOD!

He is The Alpha and The Omega.

He is the First and the Last.

He’s the Lilly of the valley and He is the Bright Morning Star.

He is God all by Himself and He doesn’t need anybody else.

Nothing came before Him.

Everything came after Him.

IN THE BEGINNING GOD!!!

That is the when and the who...

Created - [that is the what]

God is a creator.

God is creative.

Design is in His nature.

He is a creative being. He is a creative Spirit.

Let me speak to all my creatives listening to me today:

If you create music, you’re just like your Father.

If you create Art, you’re just like your Father.

If you create delicious food, you’re just like your Father.

If you create poetry, you’re just like your Father.

If you create environments, you’re just like your Daddy.

If you create businesses, you are just like your Father.

Creativity oozes out of Him and creativity oozes out of you.

He sees creativity.

He hears creativity.

He talks creativity.

We can only create things from other things, but God creates things from NO-THINGS.

That’s why I can say: I’m just a NOBODY, trying to tell EVERYBODY, about SOMEBODY, who can change ANYBODY!

Is there anybody in here that can testify that God took me when I was NOTHING and made something beautiful out of it.

Because He’s CREATIVE! and IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED

Heavens and the earth

He created the heavens and the earth out of nothing.

He created His own throne and footstool. Isaiah 66:1

Isaiah 66:1 (CSB)

This is what the Lord says:

Heaven is my throne,

and earth is my footstool.

The first thing He created was HIS place of rest so that He could be creative and create FROM a place of REST.

That is the reason you haven’t been able to create like you know you can.

That is the reason you haven’t been able to produce like you once were able to.

You are all stressed up and stressed out.

You got so many things on your mind, you can’t even think straight.

God only knows when was the last time you had a good night sleep.

Maybe this tells us we can’t do our best work unless we are in a place of complete rest! Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28

Matthew 11:28 (CSB)

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Genesis 1:1 (CSB)

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Now, it is important for us to understand that when He wrote the Bible, God didn’t give us a dull theology book divided into sections labeled God, Creation, Man, Sin, and so forth.

Instead, He gave us a story, a narrative that begins in eternity past and ends in eternity future.

It’s a story about God and His dealings with all kinds of people and how they responded to His Word.

That is the reason for this sermon series that we are calling Genesis: Stories From The Beginning- because as we read these narratives, we are going to learn a great deal about God, ourselves, and our world.

I believe we will discover that our own personal story is found somewhere in the pages of Scripture, and if you read long enough and honestly enough, you will meet yourself in the Bible.

The first book of the Bible is named Genesis, which means origin, source, or beginning. Genesis ends about four hundred years before Moses lived. Most scholars agree Moses wrote the book through divine revelation during the Israelites' wilderness wandering (1446-1406 B.C.). Moses would pitch a tent he called the tent of meeting outside the camp where he often met with God, who gave him direct instructions that he wrote down (Ex 33:7-9). Within this relationship, Moses also received direct revelation about creation.

It is not the purpose of Genesis to give a detailed account of how God created everything but to present a general outline followed by a few basic facts. In other words, the purpose is not to tell us HOW but WHO.

Understanding creation requires at least two actions..

Reflect on the Creator .

The Bible beautifully begins: In the beginning, God created (1:1a).

No theologian or scientist can improve on the introduction to the account of creation, In the beginning God...

This verse contains two amazing revelations about God.

First is His self-existence. In the beginning, God already existed. Before time, space, or matter, God existed.

The name for God in Genesis 1 is Elohim, which means “infinite strength and absolute faithfulness.”

Often in the Bible the Holy Spirit uses the name Elohim [God] to refer to God when He is dealing with the physical universe.

However, when God is dealing with His people, the word Jehovah is used.

God’s relationship with His people is different from His relationship with all other creation. [keep that in mind for later when we talk about MAN.]

When God appeared to Moses at the burning bush, Moses asked God His name so he could tell the Israelites who had sent him. Look at what God tells him in Exodus 3:14b

Exodus 3:14b (CSB)

God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”

The Hebrew name translated I AM (HAYÀ, haw-yaw') is a verb that means "to be."

It is very difficult to translate because it is neither past, present, nor future tense.

It is actually all three tenses at once and carries the idea of eternal existence.

God is, has always been, and will always be. Look at how the psalmist expresses it in Psalm 90:2

Psalm 90:2 (CSB)

Before the mountains were born,

before you gave birth to the earth and the world,

from eternity to eternity, you are God.

The second awesome revelation in this verse is God created the heavens and the earth (1:1b). The Hebrew word translated created (BARA, baw-raw') is used only to describe divine activity. It means "to create out of nothing." To create something from nothing, you must speak it into being.

Look at Hebrews 11:3

Hebrews 11:3 (CSB)

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

GOD WAS USING VOICE COMMAND BEFORE VOICE COMMAND WAS EVEN A THING.

He didn’t have to say “Alexa”

He didn’t have to say “Hey Google”

He didn’t have to call on “Siri”

This verse is one of the greatest statements ever made about the atomic and molecular structure of everything. God created atoms and molecules that cannot be seen with the naked eye, but out of them He created things we can see.

Since the Bible assumes certain truths are self-evident, it never argues God's existence. The Bible assumes anyone with eyes to see and a mind to reason knows there is a God.

A universe with a beginning requires a Beginner, which some scientists call "ID," or "intelligent design."

We are just beginning to appreciate the complexities of atoms and molecules, and the vastness of the universe. The harmony and orderliness of the universe from an atom to the expanse of space are evidence of intelligent design beyond human understanding. That is why Isaiah says in Isaiah 41:20a-c

Isaiah 41:20a–c (CSB)

so that all may see and know,

consider and understand,

that the hand of the Lord has done this,

the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Let’s just take a moment and reflect on the greatness of our God!

To understand creation, reflect on the Creator and

Realize creation is a divine process.

When first created, the earth was without form and void (1:2a), which means "chaotic and uninhabitable."

We all know from experience anything that begins chaotic has a tendency to become more and more chaotic.

In other words, chaos cannot correct itself.

For example, if your car's engine begins running poorly, it will become increasingly worse if it is not corrected by someone with intelligence.

Everything is like that. If something falls into disorder, it will continue in that tendency until there is intelligent intervention.

There is an Intelligent Force that keeps everything in the universe on course and in order. Colossians 1:17 says:

Colossians 1:17 (CSB)

He is before all things,

and by him all things hold together.

Also, in the beginning, darkness covers the surface of the watery depths (1:2b). The earth is covered with water and darkness. The Spirit of God hovers over the face of the waters (1:2c). This seems to imply the basic elements were sustained in a watery environment.

However, everything needs to be energized, which requires an Energizer-the Holy Spirit. Into this context come the first recorded words of God. Genesis 1:3 -

Genesis 1:3 (CSB)

Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

When our all-powerful God speaks, what He commands happens. Therefore, at His command, light comes into existence. God sees the light is good and separates the light from the darkness. He calls the light Day and the darkness Night, resulting in evening and morning, which is the first day (1:4-5). This means the earth is now rotating on its axis and there is a source of light on the side of the earth corresponding to what we will come to know as the sun.

This brings us to an important point: How long was the first day? Since light did not exist until verse 3, how much time transpired in verses 1-2?

I’m trying to inspire and motivate you so that when you read the bible, you will begin to ask questions of the text that will lead you deeper into understanding God.

The Hebrew word for day in Genesis 1 is Yom and does not necessarily mean a period of 24 hours, but is also translated time, age, perpetually, etc. in the Bible.

God could have created the universe through a process that took millions of years, or He could have simply spoken all creation into being instantly.

Some people have difficulty accepting instantaneous creation.

However, when you ask most people how old Adam was when God created him, they will probably answer, "30" or "35".

If God created Adam with age already in him, couldn't He have done the same with the earth, moon, stars, and all the universe?

It is without question an omniscient, omnipotent God could create anything or everything at this very moment, and then under scientific examination, that creation could appear to be millions or billions of years old. God can create not only matter and time, but age as well.

On the second day, God commands there be an expanse, or space, to "separate the waters from the waters." This means He separates the atmospheric waters from the terrestrial, or earthly, waters. God calls the expanse Heaven, meaning the atmosphere or sky (1:6-8a. This is the evening and morning of the second day (1:8b-c). So far, God has created light, atmosphere, and oceans, which are the elements necessary for life.

On the third day, God says, Genesis 1:9

Genesis 1:9 (CSB)

Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.

This also happens as God commands. He calls the dry land Earth and the gathered waters Seas, and He sees it is all good (1:10).

Geologists tell us this was the result of volcanic eruptions and the buckling of the earth's crust.

But look at how the process is described in Psalm 104:8

Psalm 104:8 (CSB)

mountains rose and valleys sank—

to the place you established for them.

Next, God commands the earth to produce "vegetation," including seed-bearing "plants" and seed-bearing "fruit trees" that can produce in kind.

All this happens exactly as God commands (1:11-12). This is the evening and morning of the third day, suggesting it is an actual solar day (1:13).

God has implanted in each created organism a seed programmed to enable the continuing reproduction of that particular organism.

Today, we call that seed DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which contains the genetic code of all cellular organisms and causes reproduction in kind. There may be tremendous variety and mutations, but the varieties will always still be in kind.

For example, there are hundreds of kinds of grasses and flowers.

However, grass will never evolve into a goat, nor will a flower become a fly.

What does God command in Genesis 1:14

Genesis 1:14 (CSB)

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs for seasons and for days and years.

In obedience to God's voice, luminaries are created so the sun, moon, and stars begin to give light on the earth and to govern the day and the night.

God sees it is all good. This all happens on the fourth day (1:15-19).

NOW, if you have been tracking along with me, right about now you should have a BIG QUESTION.

The question should be: How could there be light on the first day when God did not make the sun until the fourth day?

There are two possible answers.

First, the source of light on the first three days of creation may have been intrinsic (originating from within), singular, or cosmic light.

Second, it is important to note the purpose of the visible sources of light is for signs and seasons, so there can be days and years (1:14b).

So, the emphasis is on the fact they became visible from the earth's surface.

The sun apparently existed from the first day but only appeared, or became visible, on the fourth day.

This is supported by the fact that, after verse one, the Hebrew word for create (BARA) is not used again until verse 21.

Therefore, everything in the first four days is a rearranging or developing of what God already spoke into existence in verse one.

Let me bring some revelation and clarity to the house this morning:

Everything that you need to THRIVE is already in you and has been in you from the day you were created.

God is just using the situations of your life to rearrange and develop them for the right time to bring them forth.

Just like the Sun was there on day 1. The moon was there on day 1. The stars were there on day 1. the land was there on day 1. The fruit and veggies were there on day 1. Guess what-

Your peace was there on day 1. You joy was there on day 1. You wisdom was there on day 1. Your love was there on day 1. Your health was there on day 1. Your prosperity was there on day 1.

God through His divine process, will bring things out when the fullness of time is come.

I NEED SOMEBODY TO GIVE GOD SOME PRAISE RIGHT THERE!

Creation is a divine process.

God used a process to give us our Bible.

He uses a process to bring us salvation.

God also uses a process in guiding our lives.

Philippians 1:6

Philippians 1:6 (CSB)

I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

To understand creation, reflect on the Creator and realize creation is a divine process.