To Know God: Part 1

Introduction

Well, good morning! It’s good to be here with you guys....and hopefully, you’re here because you’re ready to worship…you’re ready to hear from God’s word. You desire to know him more, to the know the message we’re called to deliver more…hopefully that’s why you’re here this morning. And listen, if you’re visiting with us…we wanna be a church without walls…we wanna be a church that makes the kingdom of God the primary focus in our lives…and we believe we can do that by delivering the gospel message clearly, discipling the people God brings to First Baptist Church, and then deploying each other out into the different mission fields God calls us to. And if you’ve been with us…we’re centering that mission and vision around Matthew 28:19 & 20. And so, before we get started this morning…continuing through our sermon series in Genesis…let’s start by reciting this passage together. The verses, they’ll be on the screen.

“19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

[Prayer]

Alright…if you have a copy of God’s word, open it with me to Genesis chapter 1…Genesis chapter 1. This is our third week in this new sermon series. And so far, we’ve looked at the main character of the Bible and how it speaks about one God that’s made in three persons…the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. And this God…he’s existed since before creation…before everything, there was only God....and through him…or more specifically, according to the apostle John…through Jesus, everything that was created, was created. And then last week, we shifted from looking at the main character of the Bible, Jesus…to looking at his grand design. What we saw was that from the very beginning…at the foundations of creation, salvation and redemption was always the intentions of God. Jesus, even before the incarnation…he intended to save us from our sin problem. And the first two verses of Scripture…what they describe physically…it shows us spiritually what needs to happen in order for us to know God…in order to be saved. We have to be made new…we have to be transformed…and then we have to be sustained through the Spirit of God.

But listen, as we continue on in chapter 1 this morning…we get a glimpse into the desire of God. If the Bible was meant to point us to the Triune God…and specifically the person of Jesus Christ…and if it was meant to point us to the gospel of Jesus…God’s gonna show us through the first six days of creation…that he wants you to know him. In order to experience Jesus and his work in salvation…you have to know this God. And listen, to know God (which is the title of today’s message) to know God…its to worship God. You can’t fully worship him…you can’t give him your hearts unless you know this God that you worship and praise.

Listen, I’ll never forget the day I met Brittany…it was the summer of my sophomore year in high school. I was out four wheeling with a mutual friend…and we stopped at her grandpa’s house…and outside of his house, that was the first time I ever met Brittany. And guys listen, she was mean…I don’t remember exactly what she said to me that day…but it wasn’t nice. And I thought to myself…”Wow that’s one independent girl. She speaks her mind.” And then over the course of the next several months, we’d become friends and then we’d start dating…I’d get to hear her story and I’d get to know her more and I thought…”Wow she’s faithful. She’s loyal.” And then finally we’d get married and we’d start a family…I’d watch her through our relationship…and I’d realize, “Wow, she’s godly…and she’s prayerful…She’s nurturing to the kids.” And listen, the more I saw and the more I learned and the more I knew about her…the more I fell in love with her. And that’s exactly the reason I married her…the more I knew her, the more I loved her…and the more I loved her, the more I realized I wanted to make a covenant with her.

Listen, I share that with you this morning because that’s exactly what we see here in Genesis chapter 1. We’re gonna see who God is and we’re gonna see what he’s done…because as we’ll learn, what he’s done, it shows us who he is. And I’m confident when the Spirit of God allows that to resonate on your hearts…it’ll lead you to genuine worship…because to know God, its to worship. And there’s no better way to learn about this God than to learn about him at the starts of his creation…through the first six days. Genesis chapter 1…its all about the heart of God…its all about his character.

Now this morning…our goal’s gonna be to get past days one through three.

And so, if you’re there with me…let’s stand together as we read verses 3 through 10. It says this, “3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 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. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9 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. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

Thank you, you can be seated.

Listen, there’s a lot I wanna cover with you this morning and so because of that, let’s jump right into it.

1.) Day 1: God is Mysterious (vv. 3-5)

Point number one…God is mysterious. We see that immediately on day number one. It says, “God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” Of course, if you remember last week…this is a result of the darkness that covered the face of the deep in verse 2. God had to do something about that darkness. It wasn’t a good thing. Remember…the Bible…there’s this constant battle between light and dark…that’s why God separates it here. He says the light, it was good.

But what I want you to see…scholars, they don’t really know…they don’t agree completely on what this light really is. I mean there’s just no category for it. It’s not the sun…that’s created on day 4....it’s not a physical light source because we’ll see God’s still shaping and molding this newly formed earth. There’s just light. God said, “Let it be…and there just was.”

You could read 10 different commentaries, and they’re gonna tell you 10 different things people think this light to be. Listen, let me just give you my two cents…let me tell you what I think…based on the context…based on last week’s verses and us seeing the spiritual meaning for verses 1 and 2. I think there’s also a physical and spiritual meaning to this as well.

If you have your Bibles, turn with me to John chapter 1…We’ve been looking a lot at this chapter over the course of this study so far…and listen, at the end of the year we’re gonna look in depth at John chapter 1 because I think when you understand Genesis chapter 1 you can better understand John chapter 1. John just does a great job bringing clarity to Genesis. But in verse 9, John says, “9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.”

Guys, what John tells us…it’s that Jesus is that source of light…he’s our light. Now let me explain this…this doesn’t mean that Jesus was created…because John says that he’s always existed and that all things that were made were made through him. But here’s what I think it means. John chapter 1, its all about this Savior that came into this world to save us from our sin problem…from this darkness that engulfs our hearts. And what he tells us…its that Jesus is the answer…he’s the light to that darkness. Again, it’s metaphorical. There’s this constant theme of light versus darkness…between righteousness and sin…good and evil…and Jesus is the source of goodness. I believe on day one of creation…before anything else....there’s God’s goodness…his glory that shines into the rests of creation…and because of that…because its before the fall of man…its that goodness that makes everything that follows in the succeeding days, good. God’s glory…God’s goodness is what makes his creation good. It’s God and God alone.

If you remember last week, we talked about that darkness at the beginning of creation and the meaning of that…and yes, it poses a question, “Who created evil?” It’s a question we don’t know…Personally, I believe he did because without it, you don’t truly have man’s freewill…and you don’t truly see God’s goodness…but regardless at the beginning of creation…there was a need for God’s light to shine across his newly formed canvas.

And listen, if you know the grand narrative of Scripture…you know that at the end of the Bible…God defeats that darkness for good. That’s why John writes in the last chapter of the Bible…Revelation 22:5, “5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

God’ll be victorious over this darkness…and it says, he’ll do it through his own light…through his glory…his goodness. And it’s that light that’ll sustain us forever.

That was the original purpose for God’s light on day one…it was meant to sustain us forever. And honestly…it just shows us the mystery of God. Like, while God wants us to know him and understand him…its impossible to fully know him because there’s just nothing else like him in this universe. Paul writes in Romans 11, “33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”

God…he’s unsearchable…he’s unknowable…he’s full of mystery…but yet, this God, he’s brought his light fought so that he may be known by his creation…He’s revealed himself in such a way that his light could be revealed through his word and through his creation. That’s what I believe his light does…it gives us the ability to know him…it gives us the ability to experience his goodness. Yes, there’s still mystery surrounding God…but it’s because of his light on day one, that we’re able to know him. That’s why Paul writes in Romans 1:20, “20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” Here it is…while God is full of mystery…his desire, its to be known and its on day one that he begins to make that possible for us.

His light gives us the ability to know him.

2.) Day Two: God is Purposeful (vv. 6-8)

Point number two, God is purposeful. Looking at the next day in creation…it says God separated the waters from the waters. He separated the heavens from the earth. He’s talking about the space between both…the atmosphere…the oxygen we breath. It’s the sky…it’s everything above the surface of the earth.

I mean can you begin to just get this picture in your mind? How he’s carefully crafting everything? There’s thought there…there’s careful attention.

Listen, years and years ago…I had it in my mind that I was gonna make this TV stand. I drew up the plans…I made this beautiful picture of what it was gonna look like. I carefully thought up the measurements and how much space I had in the apartment Brittany and I were living in…And listen, after I went and I bought all the materials I needed…I began to get impatient…I started cutting corners to my own plans…I didn’t get wood that was straight…which honestly I didn’t even think was a big deal…but that stand, it came out looking awful. We ended up using it in the closet so that no one else could see it. You know why? Because I began to loose that thoughtfulness as I made it…I was no longer creating it purposefully. Listen, I’m certainly not a handyman…trust me, that’s not why Brittany married me. But when you create something…in order for it to be good…there has to be purposefulness. And that’s what we see going on here. Before God could give this new world life…it had to be good. He had to ready it…he had to perfect it. Brittany wasn’t gonna let me put that TV stand in our living room if it looked like junk, right? It’s the same here…God wasn’t gonna people his earth until it was ready.

Listen, just to give you a glimpse at God’s purposefulness…do you realize that creation wasn’t his first act? Ephesians 1:4, “4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” Guys, before he brought all these raw materials together and was like, “I’m gonna make something really amazing.” Before any of that, he choose us. He was like, “I choose you, I choose you, I choose you. You’re mine in Christ Jesus, and now I’m gonna make you something special…and you’re gonna love it…a place for you to live.”

You see…God…at creation, he began with the end in mind…and that end…it was you and it was me. It was that he’d rescue us and ransom us....And listen, I get it… you’re looking at all this evil and sin and darkness in the world and you’re thinking, “But how’s God purposeful with that?”…Guys, God through creation, he’s telling you, “It’s not over yet! I’m not finished. I’m gonna do something truly amazing.” And he promises us that in Ephesians 1:11, “11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” Romans 8:28, “28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

God is purposeful. Everything he does…he does it carefully…he does it with thought…he does it in order that his goodness might be experienced by his people.

Day 2, it was meant to show us that he has purpose…it was meant to show us that we can trust him in all things because he works things together with purpose.

3.) Day 3: God is a God of Structure (vv. 9-10)

Point number three…God is a God of structure.

Hopefully by this point you’re kind of seeing this repetition…It says over and over again, “God said…and then there was…God said…and then there was…There was evening and then there was morning…there was evening and then there was morning.” There’s repetition in these verses. There’s structure to how God works. And listen, I don’t wanna get too bogged down on this idea because I don’t really think there’s an argument here. But again, I believe the only way to view Genesis 1 and the creation accounts is in six literal days. I believe God created everything in six literal days. And listen…there’s a couple clues Moses gives us in these accounts. One of those repeated Hebrew words is the word yom…yom it always refers to a literal 24 hour period of time…and listen, if anyone wanted to argue with that, Moses adds in other details…He says, “and then there was evening and then there was morning…the first day or the second day or whatever.” Moses was writing about six literal days in these accounts because he’s showing us a God of structure.

And listen, one of the main reasons people wanna argue that or refute that…its because either, one they wanna make the Bible fit into our modern-day science…and they need a lot time in order to make some of those crazy scientific theories work, like evolution or whatever it is. Those things, they can’t happen in less than 10,000 years…which is what I believe the Bible says about the age of our earth. But the second reason people argue this is because they want this God of the Bible to make sense to them. Its easier to believe that God created everything over the course of millions and billions of years versus six days because well that’s just what our society’s deemed acceptable and believable.

Verse 9, “9 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. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

Guys, you remember the chaos verse 2 was describing last week? The picture Moses was giving us at the beginning of creation? God now takes that…and he begins to make it good…he gives it structure…he gives it shape. This verse…its showing us that he’s gathering up the waters and he’s placing it perfectly where it belongs. What looks chaotic…he brings order to it. And then he takes the land and he puts it exactly where it needs to go…he brings order to the chaos. That’s what he does here. He’s a God of structure.

It’s almost like that story of Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament where they’re all out at sea and the waters, they begin to get rough and chaotic. Of course, Jesus, he’s sleeping on the boat…the disciples, they’re afraid and so they wake him up, right? You remember what Jesus did? He calmed the chaos. He brought it into order…he put it back in its proper place…because not only is he a sovereign God but he’s a God of structure and order.

We really get a picture of this when he comes to Job in a whirlwind. I encourage you to go and read these accounts…but just a snippet. Job 38, “4  “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5  Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6  On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7  when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8  “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, 9  when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, 10  and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, 11  and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?

Guys, God is a God of structure…and listen, what that means for us today. Its that…because he’s a God of structure and a God of order…it means he will work out every circumstance in your life just the way he intended.

1 Peter 4:19, it says, "Therefore let those who suffer…" Listen, you will suffer. All who desire to live a godly life, they will suffer. He goes on, "…according to God's will…" It's according to God's will that you’ll suffer. It’s not escaped him. He knows what you're going through. He’s either allowed it to happen or he’s ordained it to happen. Peter goes on, "…will entrust their souls…" Maybe not your body. Maybe not your finances. Maybe not your family, but entrust your soul. "…to a faithful Creator while doing good."

I was reading that the other day, and I was like, "Creator?" Like, if I'm writing that passage, I might write "Entrust your soul to a faithful Redeemer" or "to a faithful Rescuer" or "to a faithful Savior" or "to a faithful Lord" or even "to a faithful Counselor or Advocate." I don't know, but I wouldn't have chosen Creator. That's kind of weird. When I'm suffering, I want a close Savior, a suffering Savior who understands me…who understands what I’m going through.

Guys, what God’s telling us through these six literal days of creation...”I want you to remember everything I did in these six days…the enormity of it…in how I brought order to all that seemed chaotic. Don’t forget, when you’re in the middle of suffering…don’t forget, that I’m a faithful Creator that does everything with purpose and structure and don’t forget that I’m capable of anything.” He’s saying, “I’m a God of order and because of that, you can trust me.”

Closing

Guys, do you realize the one constant throughout these verses? Nothing happens outside of the spoken word of God. You understand what I’m saying? Everything that happened…it happened because God said, “Let it be.” All of creation…it bends its knee to its Creator…God is sovereign. God has authority....and through it all, God has shown that while He’s mysterious in his ways, he wants to be known by you and by me…he’s shown us that he wants you to know that everything he creates, he creates with purpose and with structure. God’s not a God of chaos…He’s not a God of confusion…and if you’d just bend your knee to the Creator you might see that…when you begin to see God for who he really is, it’ll change your life....because to know God, its to worship God.

Listen, would you stand with me this morning…head bowed…eyes closed…no one’s looking around. I just wanna make sure everyone’s paying attention.

If you’re a believer here this morning, God’s chosen you…he has changed you…all with the purposes of you knowing him. Do you know him? If someone were to say, “Tell me about your God…could you describe him?” Have you experienced this light that he brought forth on day one? Has it began purging the darkness from your heart? Do you realize your purpose and see the structure God’s planned for your life?

If you don’t…its found in him…you have to dig into his word…let him reveal it to you. He wants to be known by you. That’s the purpose of his word…that’s the purpose for these accounts that we’ve been reading. He wants you to love him more and more. And just like with those closest to us…that’s only possible by spending time with him and his people. And if you’re too busy for either of those two things, something in your life, it has to change.

But listen, if you’re here today and you’ve never turned to Jesus. The Bible tells us that we’re all sinful…we’re all separated from his goodness…and every one of our actions will always choose selfishness. And because of that…we’ll all experience death…we’ll all experience eternal separation from him and live in darkness forever if something doesn’t happen to save us. Jesus is the answer to our problem. Salvation, its found in the person and work of Jesus. He came…he lived a perfect life…he died on a cross so that we wouldn’t have to experience the punishment and wrath of God. He did that because he desires you…he did that because your life, it has purpose and meaning in him.

Guys, I know some of you, you’ve been through some really difficult things…hard things…but there’s purpose there…and it’ll only be found in Jesus. You have to turn to him. You have to repent and believe in him. And when you do that…it says, just like Jesus raised from the dead…so will we both physically and spiritually. You’re given a new life when you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.

Listen, is that you this morning? You’re here…you’ve experienced real brokenness? You’ve turned in every direction to find answers? And yet…nothing seems to fix your problems…nothing seems to fill that void in your heart…nothing takes the pain away. Guys, if that’s you…I promise…if you’d just give in…if you’d just turn to Jesus…take a step of faith....I promise that’s something the Spirit of God can mend and bring into order…He can take what’s chaotic and he give it meaning.

Listen, if that’s you this morning…you feel the Spirit of God doing something in your heart you’ve never felt before…would you just step out now…I want you to step out of your pew…and I want you to come and I want you tell me you’re gonna follow Jesus this morning…you wanna be different…you wanna be changed. Would you do that? I’m gonna be down front…would you take a step of faith? Guys, this isn’t an embarrassing thing. You’re playing with eternity. And this isn’t just something that adults should do. Listen, we’re not guaranteed tomorrow. Some of you know that in a very real way. Now’s the time to turn to him…now’s the time to let him change you. And so, whoever you are this morning…how ever old you are… would you let the God of creation bring goodness to your life? Would you let him bring you purpose and meaning?

And listen, if you’re here this morning and you just have things to work out or you have things you need to lay at the feet of Jesus…you need to reorient your life back to him…or there’s just people you need to pray for or whatever…would you just come…Our deacons, they’re gonna come and prepare the elements and so this is your time…you come and I’ll close us in just a few moments.

[Prayer]

1 Corinthians 11:23-24 says, “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” [Pray for the bread – eat the bread]

Continuing in 1 Corinthians 11, verses 25 through 26 say, “In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” [Pray for the juice – drink juice]