2024: 1/4 - Genesis (01/07/24)

“Creation”

Answering the Questions every time we meet and open up God’s Word:

1.) What is God teaching us through this text?

The Topic at Hand today is: “Creation”

Text Referenced:

Genesis 1:1, ESV:

“1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Genesis 2:7, ESV:

“7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

What is God Teaching us through this text?

1.) God is creator:

Look at Genesis 1:1 ESV,

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”.

God is not contained or limited by time… he is the author of time and space and he rules it… meaning that God has always been and will always be… Before time there was God, before space there was God, and before there was a even a thought there was God…

In fact that Word “Beginning in Genesis 1:1 means = “the event consisting of the start of something”

In other words God is the start of everything that is and exists… he is the only beginning… the only explanation… the only creator…

God created all things through his Son Jesus…

John 1:1-3 ESV,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2) He was in the beginning with God. 3) All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made”.

A lot of us do not think about all the aspects of Jesus Christ… A lot of know Jesus as savior & Son of God… but many of us have not considered the other aspects of Jesus:

All things were made through Jesus

All things are sustained through Jesus

All authority has been given to Jesus

All harmony, perfection, and fulfillment could be seen if you looked at the relationship between Jesus, the Spirit, and God… in other word, God did not need you or I… he had everything in a community that was made up of the Spirit and Jesus…

God the creator created the heavens… earth… life… and humanity so that we could be in perfect fellowship with Him and so that we could glorify and testify to how good and great God is!

Question: Have you considered or thought about why God created you? Have you realized that God created you so that you could experience the richness of his grace, love, mercy, kindness, and perfect fellowship for eternity… Have you realized that God did not create you because he was lacking in his life and existence… it was a selfless act for God to create us…

We also see that God created with Word…

Psalm 33:6 ESV,

“By the Word of Yahweh the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their hosts”.

I do not know about you… but when I try to create something it takes my time, effort, energy, thought, and physical movement…

I remember for one of my wife and I’s anniversaries I built a fire pit in our backyard. I literally was standing outside after I mowed the grass and was thinking… I have no idea what I am going to do for our anniversary… Then I looked down at the ground and thought… A fire pit would look be cool there… BOOM… fire pit is happening…

for next several days, I began digging away at the ground… after I dug up the whole I bought gravel and bricks to outline the shape of the pit.... then I built the fire pit itself… it took me a couple of weeks to build the fire pit… I was tired physically, mentally, and it took a lot of effort… Oh how I wish I could have just spoken and created that fire pit… There is power in the word of God… when God speaks things happen… with just words God creates…

2.) God Has All Authority & is Sovereign

Since God created it… He has authority over it…

Since God created it… he controls it…

Since God created it he oversees the responsibility of maintaining, protecting, sustaining, providing, and caring for that which he created… and he is really good at it...

Creation does not control the creator… Creator controls the creation…

What do you mean? Why is it that if God creates it… he gets to control or have authority over it?

Think of it in this way… When I was born my mom and dad were completely responsible for my well being… it was up to them to ensure that I was fed, clothed, educated, and well cared for… it was not up to my neighbor, cousin, or friend to care for me… it was my parents job because they created me… In fact, I never once looked at my father at any stage of my life and said… hey… I am the boss now… you listen to me when I am talking to you…

In the same way that my parents had authority of me because I was created by them.... God has authority over all of creation because he created it… God is responsible for sustaining his creation, for holding his creation together, for protecting and caring for his creation…

And he will because God is sovereign… meaning that God is the supreme ruler…

Question: Do you recognize God as the ruler of your life?

Psalm 115:3 ESV

“Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him”

Romans 11:33 ESV,

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgment, and his paths beyond tracing out”.

3.) Creation has a purpose and a design from its creator

If I were to build a chair… my intention of building the chair would be so that I could sit on… so that I would not have to stand or sit on the floor…

The purpose of the chair to provide a place of rest so that one would not have to stand...

God was intentional and has a purpose for your life because he created you… he did not create you without a design or without thought…

You see God purposely placed you in this world so that you could experience fellowship with him forever… and tell others about his Son Jesus Christ… so that they could experience fellowship with God forever…

The creator knows what is best for the creation…

Going back to the chair analogy… If someone were to come up to the chair that I built and not know why I created it they make the mistake of saying… Ah yes, this is a bed… They would be sorely mistaken and foolish because they have not spoken to me the creator of it… and do not understand its purpose…

And yet we see this all the time with mankind and God… we think we know what is best… we know what to do… we know how best to live our lives… we do not need to know why we were created, what are purpose is, we will just define it for ourselves and we are left mistaken, foolish, and without direction because we have not looked to what God says our purpose is…

Only the creator can tell the created what its purpose is…

Side-Note/Bonus: Did you realize that creation glories and reflects the creator…

When Vincent van Gogh painted the Starry Night in 1889 people look at what he created and praise him for his beautiful creation… they are amazed, impressed, and perplexed by how he created such a beautiful painting…

Genesis 2:7, ESV:

“7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

In the same way when we read that God creates man from the dust of the ground and creates everything by his word we should bring him glory and honor because we are left awestruck and amazed by what he has done… and we reflect his power, beauty, and wonder!

I want to leave you with this passage of scripture:

I Chronicles 16:29 ESV,

“Ascribe (Give) to the Lord the glory due to his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;”.

Question: You are Gods creation… his masterpiece… do you bring him the glory that he deserves? Do you honor and reflect your creator?

PRAY...

Questions for Group Time: 1/07/2024

God is creator over all things, how does this impact your life and faith? Does it impact your life or faith at all?

When you think about creation are you left awestruck and truly amazed at what God has done?

How you live your life matters because you are under the authority of your creator God… Do you live your life as if God is your authority? if yes, why? If no, why?

God created you meaning that he has a purpose for your life… are you pursuing his purpose or your own purpose?

Since we are created by God we are to glorify God… What does it look like to glorify God in your life today? In what ways are you glorifying God? In what areas do you need to glorify God?

God is Sovereign, meaning that he is the supreme ruler over all things… how does this truth impact your faith?

Other Scripture Referenced:

John 1:1-3 ESV,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2) He was in the beginning with God. 3) All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made”.

Psalms 33:6 ESV,

“By the Word of Yahweh the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their hosts”.

Psalm 115:3 ESV,

“Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him”.

Romans 11:33 ESV,

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgment, and his paths beyond tracing out”.

1 Chronicles 16:29 ESV,

“Ascribe (Give) to the Lord the glory due to his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness”.