Introduction to Genesis.

Opening:

Introduction of the Passage:

Reading of the Passage:

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

Prayer:

Introduction:

House Keeping: We will be studying Genesis.

There are many questions about Genesis. Write down questions you have, and if we get enough questions we will do a question and answer time.

Need:

Transition:

Matthew Henry: “We have now before us the holy Bible, or book, for so bible signifies. We call it the book, by way of eminency; for it is incomparably the best book that ever was written, the book of books, shining like the sun in the firmament of learning, other valuable and useful books, like the moon and stars, borrowing their light from it.”

Why Study the Old Testament?

Explanation:

It is the Word of God.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

We are not Marcionites.

Marcion was the arch-heretic of the early church.

Denied the Old Testament.

There is a form of Marion-lite (all the taste, none of the calories) prevalent in the church.

“All we need is the gospels and maybe the letters of Paul”

2 Timothy 3:14–17 “14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Paul calls Timothy to continue in what He has learned. What has he learned? The OT.

Beyond this, ALL Scripture is breathed out by God. All Scripture is profitable to make one wise for salvation, for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.

We need all of Scripture.

Transition:

Why Study Genesis?

Explanation:

Genesis Introduces the Major Themes and Theological Truths of Scripture.

AW Pink quote listing the major themes:

Genesis is the Foundation for the Rest of the Bible.

The entire rest of Scripture assumes the reader knows, believes, and is familiar with this book.

Genesis Has Been Neglected in Preaching.

Largely neglected because it is so large, or because it contains difficult and confusing accounts.

Or, sadly, it can be neglected because it is viewed as unimportant.

Illustration:

Argumentation:

Transition:

What is Genesis?

Explanation:

Genesis means Origin. Comes from the Greek. The Hebrew title for this book is the first word “beginning.”

Genesis is Book One of the Pentateuch.

First five books of the OT. The early history of the World and God’s people.

Who Wrote Genesis?

Skeptical critics deny that we even know who wrote it. They claim it was written down late in Israel’s history from unreliable oral traditions.

This is very convenient because it allows them to deny every supernatural event.

Adam was not actually the first man, it’s actually a poem about how man developed beyond a mere animal by natural processes.

There was no global flood. That is just a myth about some distant human memory from some ancient time in the past. It is not God actually judging the entire world.

There were no fallen angel-demon-gods interacting with humans and making literal giants.

Abraham was a myth, not the man chosen by God.

And above all, there was no real dragon in the garden that tempted humanity to the fall.

But Scripture itself does not give us this option. Every time the Bible (Old or New T) references any of the first five books of the Bible it does assuming and confirming they are actual history. And any time the it speaks of an author it says it is Moses.

Written by Moses.

Possibly drawn from already written sources or verbal tradition God divinely preserved and inspired.

Possible God told Moses all this on the Mountain for Moses to write down. (AW Pink)

What is Genesis About?

Genesis is the History of God’s Creating the World and Mankind, Judging the World, Choosing a People for himself.

Structurally divided into two parts: Primeval History 1-11 (God creating the World and early history). Patriarchal history 12-50

More than this:

Genesis tells us: Who God is. Who we are. What world we live in. And How God Will Redeem us.

In it we learn: God is the Sovereign Creator. We are His greatest creation tasked with ruling the universe for His glory. We see how humanity fell to sin. We meat the dragon of old who hates God and man. We see evil kings, fallen angels, giants (yes real giants), pagan worship, righteous heroes, betrayal, global judgement from heaven, messianic Priests who have no father or mother, and above it all we see God taking the first steps in the grand plan of redemption to save mankind and the universe itself.

Genesis is the story of the Seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent at war. It is the true history of the spiritually embattled cosmos that we live in today. Here in these pages we see the materialists worst nightmare, God speaking and telling us that the world we live in is one of beautiful glories and horrifying monsters that make fairy tales seem dull. And every word of it is true.

Transition:

So let’s begin and study the God we worship and the world He made.

In the Beginning, God Created the Heavens and the Earth.

Explanation:

This is one of the most familiar Bible verses.

We may wonder what we could learn in such a simple verse.

AW Pink: “In the beginning God.” This is the foundation truth of all real theology. God is the great Originator and Initiator. It is the ignoring of this which is the basic error in all human schemes. False systems of theology and philosophy begin with man, and seek to work up to God. But this is a turning of things upside down. We must, in all our thinking, begin with God, and work down to man.

AW Pink: “And yet, sufficient is expressed in this one brief sentence to expose every fallacy which man has invented concerning the Deity. This opening sentence of the Bible repudiates atheism, for it postulates the existence of God. It refutes materialism, for it distinguishes between God and His material creation. It abolishes pantheism, for it predicates that which necessitates a personal God. “In the beginning God created,” tells us that He was Himself before the beginning, and hence, Eternal. “In the beginning God created,” and that informs us He is a personal being, for an abstraction, an impersonal “first cause,” could not create. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,” and that argues He is infinite and omnipotent, for no finite being possesses the power to “create,” and none but an Omnipotent Being could create “the heaven and the earth.””

Transition:

In the Beginning...

Explanation:

This is the creation of time. Time is not eternal.

God created time and the clock of reality began to tick. He is the Inventor of time itself.

The events that follow are the first events to ever happen.

Transition:

God...

Explanation:

There is no explanation given for God. There is no argument for His existence.

God always was and always will be. He has no beginning or end.

God has existed eternally in three Divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As we study the rest of chapter one, we will see this more clearly.

We also learn what God did.

Transition:

Created...

Explanation:

God, at the begging of time took action. He who is eternal without beginning took action and created.

He is the maker of all things. Everything that was made was made by God. He is the Origin of all things.

God created “Ex-Nihilo” out of nothing.

God did not start with what some have called “pre-existent matter.” God called all things into existence out of nothing.

Transition:

What did God create?

The Heavens and the Earth.

Explanation:

In one sense this is a summary of His work of creation. Heavens and Earth.

But here we see God creating the stuff of the heavens and earth.

God created the heavens and what we so crudely call space came into being at His will.

I do not like the term space. It pictures cold and empty barrenness. Scripture calls this the heavens and that it is teaming with beauty and is actively displaying God’s glory and majesty.

Time has begun but there was no reality yet. Reality is made of time and space. And now, we have both. The space/time continuum came into being at the mere will of God.

God created the earth and the foundations of this planet we live on was laid. It was covered in water, or possibly was just water.

But God here created matter. And the first matter that God created was earth.

And our little planet is the center piece of God’s Work.

It is here that God will place His image bearers.

It is here that God will walk with Adam and Eve in the garden.

It is here that God will take on human flesh.

It is here that the God-man Jesus will bleed and die.

It is here that the God-man will be placed into the earth.

It is here that the God-man will raise from the dead.

It is here that Christ established His church.

It is here that Christ’s Kingdom is established.

It is here that the Kingdom will have no end.

It is here that Christ will physically return.

It is here that Christ will reign for all eternity.

And here we see this important little world come into being.

Transition:

But what is the lesson here?

Argumentation:

God is the Uncreated Creator of All.

Exodus 3:14 “14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ””

God is self existent. No beginning or end.

This means He is the Sovereign. He rules all.

He owns all.

He governs all.

He is worthy of all glory and honor and power.

This is why this is emphasized in all of Scripture.

Nehemiah 9:6 “6 You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.”

Acts 17:24–25 “24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.”

Isaiah 66:1–2 “1 Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? 2 For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the Lord. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.”

Hebrews 11:3 “3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

Isaiah 40:28 “28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.”

Application:

Be in Worshipful Awe of God Who Created All.

This should cause us to fall on our face before God.

Closing Prayer:

Offering:

Offertory Prayer:

Benediction: