Foundation: In the Beginning

Have you ever tried to build something without instructions?

You thought, I don’t need the instructions; I’ve got this. And then... well, maybe it didn’t go so well.

Life is kind of like that. If we don’t know the purpose or the “instructions” for something, it’s easy to feel lost, frustrated, or even like we’ve failed.

Maybe it feels like that thing you built that just seems to be unsteady or like it’s missing something.

In those moments, your insecurities creep in, and you begin to feel off.

That’s why we’re going back to Genesis. Not only is Genesis the first thing we read about in the Bible, but it also helps build the foundation of the story of God and mankind. As we read Genesis today, it helps provide us with that foundation we’re all looking for. Today, we’re starting with creation.

In Genesis 1, the Bible says that we’re created in the image of God. Here’s the question to think about as we dive in:

What does it mean that we’re created in God’s image, and how does that change how we see ourselves and others?

Let’s be honest; the world around us can feel chaotic, confusing, and even kind of random at times.

Throughout the world we see crazy stuff, like wars and natural disasters. In our daily lives, we experience hardship like loss, grief, or hurt or some of the more mundane things like school drama, new acne, or spilling your drink.

All of these things can create difficulty for us and invite deeper questions about why life plays out the way that it does.They cause us to ask the why and how questions about life.

Some people try to answer that and say life is meaningless, that we’re just accidents of evolution with no real purpose, others say surely life has meaning, but you have to create your own meaning.

The idea of life being meaningless is relatively easy to brush aside, right? If life has no meaning, no purpose, or value, then what’s the point? If that is true, then why even bother to get out of bed in the morning?

When really pressed, I don’t think the majority of people believe that life is truly meaningless.

What about the other option? Life has meaning, but it’s mine to create. Sounds awesome, right? We set the trajectory of our lives, determine our identity, and build it all for ourselves; I mean, what’s not to like?

There is a massive dark side to this. Even though its cloaked in a fun way of looking at life, it’s a pretty massive burden. Have you ever create something out of nothing? The idea of creating something brand new is hard. It’s not easy, and the pressure is all on YOU.

But our lives are constantly changing, so imagine you painted that picture and experienced the difficulty of creating this new image and then all of sudden someone started pouring water on it and you had to continually add paint, fix shading, and adjust colors just to keep the image from being totally ruined. That would be totally exhausting, right?

What happens when we can’t keep up and live up to those standards? We feel lost. We start to believe we don’t matter. We compare ourselves to others, and the lies start piling up. We start saying things like: “I’m not good enough.” or “I don’t belong.” or “I’ll never measure up.”

Here’s the dilemma: If the world feels chaotic and we don’t know who we are or why we’re here, how can we find meaning, purpose, and stability?

The good news is that we don’t have to figure it out on our own. God didn’t leave us without instructions.

Genesis shows us that everything— our world, our lives, our purpose— starts with God.

Key takeaway for tonight is this: God’s intentional design in creation gives your life value, purpose, and meaning.

Genesis 1:1–3 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.”

Before there was anything— no stars, no oceans, no life— there was God. And with just His words, He created everything.

“Alexa, turn on the lights.” is probably the closest we could get but that only transforms the one room and it more Alexa than the power of our voice.

That’s what creation was like, but on a much different scale. Its not a room; it was the origin of light itself.

Reading this, I think God has done something pretty remarkable.

I also think this tells us something important: Creation isn’t random or accidental. It’s intentional. God spoke light into existence. He formed the land and sea. He created every plant, every animal, and every part of the universe with care and purpose.

Let’s zoom in on a different part of creation.

Genesis 1:26–27 “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.”

Did you catch that? You and I are made in the image of God.

Do you remember the question I asked you to think about at the beginning?

Let’s say I had $100....If I crumple it? Spill something on it? tear it in half?....Is it still worth $100? Why?.… Because its value comes from what it is— not what’s been done to it.

In the same way, your value doesn’t come from how you look, what you’ve achieved, or what others think about you. Your value comes from being made in the image of God. It’s a truth about you that’s unchanging!

Genesis 2:1–3 “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”

Why did God rest? Was He tired? No. He rested because the work was complete. Creation wasn’t just functional— it was beautiful and perfect.

This teaches us that we can rest, too— not because of what we’ve accomplished, but because of what God has done.

This means we can live and work out of rest because it’s not our job to “hold it all together”; it’s God who does that. Yes, we have a part to play in working within creation, but when we rest, it is not the same as being lazy.

But how many of us are exhausted under the strain of feeling like we have to keep all the stuff of our lives from falling apart? By inviting us to rest,God is reaffirming that our identity and value are given to us by Him,not earned,so we don’t need to wear ourselves out,keeping it all together.

Where we often look to gain that approval or identity socially, doesn’t have identity-giving authority. That only comes from our Creator, God.

 I want to encourage you to remember a few things and consider how living with these things in mind may transform your life.

You have value.

You are made in God’s image. Stop comparing yourself to others and start seeing yourself the way God does. Stop scratching and clawing to build an identity for yourself,and rest in the one that God has given you.

There’s nothing you can do to change that despite what you might think, what others might say, or even how you feel. You have value! You are not an accident. Your worth isn’t on how well you perform.

Remind yourself everyday: I am made in God’s image. My value comes from Him.

Others have value, too.

This means it is true that those around you have value, too. Treat people with the same dignity you want for yourself—even when it’s hard.

We get to affirm the image of God in someone else. There's power in that ability, and God invites us to use that power for good. Despite the differences you might have with others, it doesn’t make them any less of a person. They have value,and we’re called to love and serve.

That means you might have to focus on intentional kindness. Find someone around you who is often overlooked or mistreated and do something to affirm their worth and value

For others of you, this might mean you need to have a perspective shift. The next time you feel annoyed about someone and you want to attack them, you can remember that this person has value, even if they’re different than you

Live with Purpose.

God not only created you with value; He created you for a reason. Your gifts, personality, and even your struggles are part of His plan. Invest in discovering what those gifts and passions are that He’s placed in you. Develop those things and use them to bring Him glory and to bless others-that’s how life to full is experienced.

As you discover your gifts, use your gifts for God’s glory. Whether it’s sports, music, leadership, or serving others, ask yourself: How can I use this to glorify God and bless others?

Here’s the thing that’s true for all of us: Sin has broken the image of God in us. It’s like a mirror that’s been cracked—it still reflects, but not perfectly

We’ll talk more about this next week.

Although we are broken, Jesus changes everything. Through His death and resurrection, He made a way for us to be restored. When we put our faith in Jesus, He transforms us, helping us reflect God’s image more clearly— the way we were intended. This is why Jesus matters. He doesn’t just give us hope for the future—He gives us purpose for today,and through Him, we are able to live into the identity God provided for us when we formed us.

I’ll leave you with this: What would it look like to live as someone made in God’s image?

**Pray**