Created for the Glory of God (Genesis 1:1-2:3)

Introduction

Good morning, beloved! It is such a joy to once again have the privilege of opening God’s Word with you. I pray we never take such time for granted. If you have a Bible, I invite you to open with me to Genesis 1. We are starting a new series this morning that will take us through the book of Genesis. This morning, we will be looking at Genesis 1:1-2:3.

I will first read the passage. Then we will pray and ask the Lord to help us understand and apply His Word to our life and ministry together for His glory. Please follow along in your Bible as I read our text this morning.

READ GENESIS 1:1-2:3

[Matthew 4:4 Responsive Reading - “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”]

PRAY

In 1543, after decades of research and study, Nicolaus Copernicus published his book, On the Revolutions. In it, he provided data which he used to demonstrate the heliocentric theory––the theory that the Sun was at the center of the universe and all planets (including Earth) revolved around the Sun.

For the better part of at least a thousand years, the commonly held belief was that it was the Earth that was at the center of the universe while everything (including the Sun) revolved around the Earth. This idea was so commonly held that it was actually part of Catholic doctrine. When Copernicus’ heliocentric theory was published, many mocked him. The Catholic church even included his publication on the Vatican’s Index of Forbidden works for over two hundred years.

Unlike those in Copernicus’ day, we have a clearer understanding of the universe. We know the Earth revolves around the Sun, not the other way around. But we’re not without our own misunderstandings of life in this universe. Copernicus’ contemporaries may have thought everything revolved around the sun, but in our day we are a people who often seem to think that life itself revolves around us.

We live in a very individualistic and me-centered culture. One in which we like to have everything our way. We don’t like to be told what we can and cannot do. We like to do whatever makes us happy. We’re easily offended and forget that we too are sometimes the offender. Even more than the world needed Copernicus heliocentric theory to correct their misunderstanding of the universe, we need the book of Genesis (like the rest of the Bible) to show us that life does not revolve around us.

Genesis offers us a much needed corrective to remember that God is central to all creation. Life does not revolve around our own little lives and world. It all revolves around God. It confronts our me-centered thinking and replaces it with a God-centered view of our existence. We exist for Him and His glory, not our own (or anyone else for that matter). There is none like Him. None who compare to Him. He is matchless in infinite glory. He has no legitimate rival. He created us and all things for Himself.

Before we dive into the text, as we do with the beginning of any sermon series, I think it is wise and helpful to briefly cover some introductory items. Just as you might look over a map to orient yourself before a long road trip, we want to orient ourselves to the journey we’re beginning through Genesis.

This wonderful book that opens the entire canon of Scripture was written by Moses, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In fact, it is the first of five books written by Moses known as the Torah, or the Pentateuch––[can any of our young ones name all five in order without looking?]––Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.

Why did Moses write this book? Or a better question, why did God give us this account through Moses? Why do we have the book of Genesis? Why is it so important? So necessary that we should study it as the people of God? In reading and studying this book, we must realize that it is foundational for our understanding of the rest of the Bible.

It is far more than a mere historical record of the beginnings of human history, though it is that. But more than that, it serves as a basis for understanding who God is and understanding what He is doing in the world––namely in His dealings with mankind for the sake of His own glory. Genesis is essential for giving us a biblical lens and foundation for understanding all of life. It answers all the questions which other religions and secular ideologies seek and fail to understand––where do we come from; what’s wrong with the world; what’s the meaning of life?

In light of this, Genesis helps us rightly understand and measure our lives in light of redemptive history. It tells us the truth about God. It tells us the truth about ourselves in light of who God is and why life is the way it is in this fallen world. But it also gives us hope as it teaches us about our God and what He is doing and will accomplish in His creation. Genesis teaches us that God created everything out of nothing in order to bless His people and glorify Himself.

That is why we need Genesis today as we live in a world that denies much of what is given to us in this book. Now, you likely know that Genesis is 50 chapters and you’re thinking, “oh boy, this will take a while!” While it certainly could if we zoomed in on every detail, that will not be our course over the next couple of weeks.

Rather than squeeze every detail, my aim for us is to simply survey the book from a 30,000 foot view so to speak. More of a macroscope than a microscope, if you will. Rather than focus on all the individual trees and smaller features, I want us to zoom out and survey and delight in the beauty and grandeur of the entire forest.

I want to combat the small view of God and His plans and purposes in the world that too often characterize my own life and thinking and that of others. I want us to zoom our lens’ out to see and savor a big God who is doing amazing things in the world for the sake of His own name and glory and the joy of His people. That we would know Him, love Him, delight in Him, hope in Him, and glorify Him all the more. Just as He intended. That we would increasingly magnify the Lord in our life and ministry together.

MAIN POINT––Magnify the Lord above all, for there is none like Him and we were created for His glory.

Magnify the Lord

That’s the main point of application for us this morning––Magnify the Lord. Now, that may seem like an interesting word. It’s not something we often use in our day to day language. I don’t mean magnify in the sense of making something small seem like it is bigger––like with a zoom lens on a camera or a microscope, or those of us who struggle to see fine digital print we use our thumb and forefinger to magnify, enlarge, zoom in on what we’re trying to see.

No, what I mean is we ought to extol God. We ought to glorify Him. We ought to praise Him. We ought to worship Him. We ought to esteem Him as great because He is great. In fact, there is none greater than Him. He is the greatest and highest of all beings. It is impossible for there to be anything or anyone greater than Him. The greatest of men this world has ever known pale in comparison to His beauty, His splendor, His majesty, His greatness. His glory.

So, as David writes in Psalm 34:3–– “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!” He is worthy of our adoration and worship simply because of who He is. Then, you add to that what He has done and is doing for His people in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, quite simply there is no one like our God. In fact, that is the very reason He created us and all things. He did so for His own glory. That all creation would praise and worship Him, because He is worthy.

Let’s spend the rest of our time unpacking those two reasons for why we ought to magnify the Lord together. There is none like Him and we were created for His glory.

‌None Like Him

First, there is none like Him. That much is made abundantly clear throughout this account of creation. We’ll just note four things together from our text about God––His nature and character. He is Creator. He is Self-sufficient. He is Sovereign. He is Omnipotent.

Creator

First, and most obvious, God is Creator. Looking at verse 1 we learn that “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This is a summary statement of all that will follow in the creation account beginning with the very next verse. In other words, “In the beginning, God created all things.” Then, the rest of the passage details the unfolding of God’s creative work over six days.

We’re told very plainly God’s actions––God created. The verb here that we translate created is uniquely used only in relation to God’s activity. It cannot be expressed by anyone or anything else in the Scriptures. Human beings can make things; form things; or build things. But, only God creates things. In fact, He creates ex nihilo, which simply means “out of nothing.” God created all things where there was once nothing, except for Himself.

When you consider the vast complexity of all matter and all life in the universe, it puzzles me how anyone could think that all of this is just one big coincidence. When you consider the exactness of everything that is required for sustaining life on this planet in this universe, it is simply inconceivable to think that it all came to be by chance. But that is the world we live in.

Where we are supposed to look at the intricate details of creation and give glory to God, we instead look at it, shrug our shoulders, and just assume it’s all a big accident. The Psalmist writes, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” God wanted us to look at everything with wide-eyed wonder and amazement and praise Him.

Every sunrise and sunset. Every blade of grass, and leaf, and delicately intricate snowflake. The moon, the stars, the vast oceans, the mountains, and the Grand Canyon all should lead us to worship the Creator, not deny Him. Why do we see someone make a remarkable sideline catch in a football game and lose our minds in amazement, but look at the creation around us like it’s no big deal. We are far too easily pleased and enamored by far lesser things.

Self-sufficient

Second, we learn that God is Self-Sufficient. This speaks to the idea of divine aseity. Which is simply a fancy way of saying that God is eternally self-existent and self-sufficient. Look again at verse 1–– “In the beginning, God…” Before there was anything or anyone else, there was God. Psalm 90:2 says, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

No one and nothing created God. He is eternal. There has never been a time and there will never be a time where He is not. He has always existed and will always exist. He is without beginning and without end. His existence is not dependent upon anything or anyone else. He is self-existent and self-sufficient. He is independent of all. There is nothing that He needs. Contrary to what some have said, God did not create us because He was lonely and needed fellowship. He has eternally existed in perfect love and fellowship in and of Himself.

There is nothing that you and I or anyone can give Him that does not already belong to Him. He does not need anything to sustain Him because He is self-sustaining. In fact, it is He who not only created all things, but also Himself sustains all things. Your life continues, this world continues to spin on its axis and revolve around the sun, the entire cosmos remains because He upholds it all by His powerful Word.

While God is independent, self-sustaining, self-sufficient, we are anything but. We are dependent people. Ultimately, all that we are and all that we have has been given to us by our self-sufficient Creator. In fact, it is our dependence upon Him that should lead us to Him all the more in worship. God is glorified when we express our utter dependence upon Him. This reality is at the very heart of why God is glorified when we come together and lift our voices in prayer to Him.

Sovereign

Third, as the Self-Sufficient Creator of all things, God is Sovereign. He is King over all the universe––all creation. On day one he created the light, distinguishing night and day. On day two he created the sea and the sky. On day three he created the dry land. Then on days four through six he populated each of these spheres with their respective inhabitants. The sky holding the sun, moon, and stars. The waters and sky containing sea creatures and birds respectively. The dry land inhabited by every land animal, creeping thing, and mankind.

Every bit of it being subject to His good, wise, sovereign, authoritative rule. It is interesting to note that many of these things were worshipped by the nations around Israel. Many pagan deities in that day were associated with the sun, the moon, the stars, and great sea creatures. But Moses makes very clear that all these things the nations worship are themselves created by the Creator and subject to His sovereign rule and authority. God’s people will worship the Creator, not the created.

Beloved, make no mistake, this Sovereign, Self-Sufficient, Creator God has the right to rule over you. He is the Potter and we are the clay. Even those who reject Him to the last day will one day discover that they are and have always been subject to Him. One day, every knee will bow before Him––willingly or unwillingly. He will be glorified and reverenced as the sovereign King over all.

Omnipotent

Fourth, we learn that God is Omnipotent––He is all-powerful. Did you notice the pattern repeated throughout the text as we read it a few moments ago? Day after day, God’s creation activity unfolds according to this pattern–– “God said..,” “...and it was so.” Astounding as it is, it is nevertheless true. God spoke everything into existence by the power of His Word. There is quite simply no one else able to do such a thing.

He didn’t have to brainstorm. He didn’t have to plan it out and think about how He was going to do it. He didn’t need a council or to chair a committee to come up with a design and strategy. He didn’t need to commission the work by anyone. He didn’t make any mistakes that needed to be painted over and redone. He didn’t strain or stress Himself. He was never perplexed or frustrated at how he was ever going to get such a complex project done. He simply uttered His voice and everything came to be in perfect order just as He intended.

Beloved, this attribute of God has massive implications in a host of ways. How could we ever doubt His ability to do anything when we consider that he is so powerful he spoke everything into existence? I know that I’m too often guilty of doubting the power of our God to do all that He pleases. I know that I’m not alone in confessing that. Even the Scriptures gives us numerous examples of God’s people doubting His power.

I was reading through Numbers the other day and read in Numbers 11 where the Israelites were complaining they didn’t have any meat to eat. God said He would provide them so much meat they would become sick of it. But Moses doubted the Lord’s power to do such a thing for a nation of over 600,000 people. And the Lord rebuked him for doubting His power to make provision for His people. And then made the provision!

Beloved, for those of us here who are in Christ, this has implications for our commitment to prayer. When we pray do you realize who we are talking to? As one of my favorite hymns puts it––The One who formed the mountains, named the stars, and guides the galaxies above “bends to hear our every prayer with sovereign power and tender care.” He can and will give us all that we ask according to His perfect eternal plans and purposes for His glory and our joy in Him.

By extension, this has implications for our evangelism. We should never look at any of our unbelieving family and friends with a sense of hopelessness. Knowing that we serve and worship an all-powerful God who delights to save even the most hardened sinner should drive us to our knees in prayer for their salvation. After all, He saved me and you, didn’t He? Why not those whom we love and long to see counted among His people?

Nor should we ever doubt the power of His Word to save His people. God’s Word does not return to Him void. It accomplishes that for which He sent it. Just as He spoke all creation into existence His Word can make dead hearts alive in Christ. We have no need to give into gimmicks and manmade strategies to build the church when God has given us His perfect and all-powerful Word to accomplish His eternal redemptive plans and purposes.

Maybe you’re here this morning and not a Christian. You’ve felt for a long time that you are too far gone for the Lord to save you. You believe He exists. But for some reason, because of something you’ve done you think there is no hope for you. No way He can save you. Your sin is too great in your eyes. I just want to ask you––do you really believe that this all powerful God who spoke the cosmos into existence cannot overcome such an obstacle? Do you really believe God’s arm is shortened so that He cannot reach you and save you and do good to you?

Of course He can save you. In fact, not only can He, but He delights to do so. All you have to do is come to Him. Turn from your sin and the pride that is keeping you from calling on Him and trust in Him. He has made a way for you to come to Him and be reconciled to Him in the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Just come to Him. He is our only hope. Every last one of us. There is nothing and no one else to turn to. There is no one like Him.

Created for His Glory

The last thing we must note in all of this is that we were created for His glory. What does it mean that we were created for God’s glory? Or put another way, what does it mean to glorify God? When we speak of God’s glory there are two categories we should have in our mind––His intrinsic glory and His ascribed glory.

God’s intrinsic glory is that which He has in Himself. No created thing or created being can give this kind of glory to Him. It is intrinsic to who He is and His very nature as God. Thomas Watson put it this way, when speaking of God’s intrinsic glory––“Glory is the sparkling of Deity.” Just as the sun manifests light and a fire emanates warmth, so too God manifests and emanates glory.

That means that it is the latter category, God’s ascribed glory, which we are referring to when we speak of being created for the glory of God. We must ascribe glory to Him. Which is simply to say that we are to regard Him as worthy of praise. We are to marvel at Him. Be in awe of Him. Worship Him. Or as we have put it in our main point––magnify Him. He is supremely and infinitely worthy to receive such glory and praise from all creation.

This idea is certainly clear throughout the Scriptures, but we’re specifically looking at the creation account in Genesis 1 and 2. Where in this text am I getting the idea that all things, especially mankind, was created for the glory of God? We’ve already considered it implicitly in understanding who God is and the reality that there is none like Him. But I want us to see it even more explicitly in the text. To see that we need to take a close look at the sixth day of creation, and give particular attention to God’s creation of mankind.

Look beginning in verse 26–– “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

What does it mean for us to be made in the image of God? Many different answers have been given. It is common for many to first think of attributes that we share with Him unlike the rest of creation. Our capacity for rational thought and creativity and language, among other things. There is very much a distinction between mankind and the rest of creation all wrapped up in this idea of being made in God’s image. While all of that is certainly true I think there is something far more meaningful and significant about our role as God’s image bearers.

An image is a representation. In fact, the word translated image here was used of kings in ancient times who would have a statue or image of themselves set up all over the vast expanse of their kingdom. It was their emblem which served to communicate to people the extent of their sovereign rule and authority. When God says that we are made in His image, that is what He is communicating. We are His representatives in the creation. We are His vice-regents ruling over creation on His behalf as His stewards. We are emblems of the King of heaven.

Many of us will watch the NFL playoffs with interest. Some perhaps will wear a shirt or jersey representing their favorite team and favorite athlete. In my family’s case, we show that there are Packers everywhere! Even more, we were all created so that we might represent our God in the world. That we would display His good character. His good and wise rule and authority as we rule over and care for His creation on His behalf. That we would bring Him glory in all that we say, think, and do––both publicly and privately––demonstrating that He is worthy to be praised.

As we know, and we’ll cover this more next week, something went terribly wrong. The first man and woman rebelled against God’s intended purpose for them. And as a consequence they and all who followed are living under God’s judgment for our sin and rebellion against Him. We are still God’s image bearers. But that image has been marred in us by the effects of sin. But God sent His Son, His perfect image, into the world to do all of this on our behalf. He lived the life we were supposed to live. Then died the death we all deserve.

By faith in Him and His finished work in His life, death, and resurrection, we can be reconciled to God. More than that, by the power of His indwelling Spirit, He is progressively remaking us into His likeness and image. He will see to it that His glory is seen in all the earth as He saves a people from every tribe, language, and nation. He will fill the earth and subdue it with those who bear His image all to the praise of His glory.

There’s one last thing in our text. On the seventh day, God rested. This has been a confusing thing for some. How could this all-powerful God need rest? Well, it doesn’t mean that He rested in that sense. God was not tired or exhausted from His creative activity. He didn’t need to take a load off or take a nap. The word simply means that he “ceased” His creative activity. He was done. It was finished. And it was, in His own words, not just good. It was “very good!”

Just as you might look over your freshly mown lawn. Just as you might look over the finely prepared meal that your guests will delight in. God looked over His finished creation, seeing that it was very good, and he delighted in what He had done. And He delighted to see His representatives glorifying Him as they ruled on His behalf and delighted in what He had made. The work was done. There was joyful fellowship of God and man with God as King, man His subjects and representatives, expanding His Kingdom throughout all creation for His glory.

Conclusion

This is what we were made for, beloved. This is why we are here, why we exist. We exist for Him. We are to live our lives surrendered to and centered on Him. We are to make much of Him in all that we do––the way that we parent; run our businesses; the way we work; the way we cultivate our land; in all that we do. We are to represent Him and bring Him glory and honor and praise because He is worthy. Oh that we would be a people who speak more of this glorious King. That we would make much of Him with every aspect of our lives. He is worthy.

Magnify the Lord above all, for there is none like Him and we were created for His glory.