The Creator
Notes
Transcript
Please turn to Genesis 1 chapter 1.
First Book, first chapter, first verse.
One of the most famous football quotes took place in 1961. It was training camp for the Green Bay Packers. Legendary Football coach Vince Lombardi who had just led his team to the Super Bowl but lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Philadelphia Eagles...he began his football camp...by holding up a pigskin and saying “Gentlemen, this is a football.”
now did they know that! of course—
what was he doing...
going back to the beginning, the basics, the fundamentals, not assuming anything. That training camp is the stuff of legends as the Packers reviewed all the fundamentals—blocking, tackling, not taking anything for granted. And that year, 6 months later, they won the NFL championship.
we are going back to the beginning—a very well known passage—some of would say are the fundamentals—and it’s amazing how these fundamentals make a difference....
It covers topics like who God is, who we are and our identity, gender, a theology of work and rest, marriage and relationships, and even how to respond to current events like Charlie Kirk, Jimmy Kimmel and free speech, and the sense of hopelessness some of you have felt recently.
Genesis 1 reminds us— “This is a football.”
Now if you are here and never heard or read of Genesis 1....I am so glad you are here. You have a chance to start fresh with an incredible foundation, an incredible center that will change your life!
Please stand as I read beginning at verse 1.
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4 God saw that the light was good, and he 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 a vault between the waters to separate water from water.”
7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so.
8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.
10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. (so instead of God now making everything—He makes things that can make things)
12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
now you may be seated as I keep reading.
but let’s summarize so far:
God created: (on screen)
Day 1: Light (separating the light from the darkness) (one might even say time)
Day 2: Sky and Sea (separating the waters — sky from water)
Day 3: Fertile earth (not just land - but land that produces vegetation and seed bearing plants and trees)
are you with me?
Remember THIS IS A FOOTBALL.
Let’s look at days 4-7.
Day 4:
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,
15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.
16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth,
18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
Day 4: Lights for the day and night (btw—already we see Genesis is against other gods—a sun god, or moon god that other cultures worshipped)
Day 5:
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.”
21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” (this is the first time God speaks to a creature)
23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
Day 5: creatures for the water and the sky
Day 6:
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.
25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Day 6: Creatures for the fertile earth (animals and humans)
Day 7: Rest
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.
3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
I am sure we have lots of questions...tangents even.
How old or young is the earth?
is there a gap between verse 1 and 2?
How scientific do we take this—or as theologians have noted—this is also poetic?
how does it all work because if God made light on day 1, yet...yet we don’t see the sun and moon until day 4...how does that all work?
I can tell you confidently...I DON’T KNOW.
but I want to go back to this—this is a football...
If the writer of Genesis is I think doing a couple of things:
teaching us who God is
and showing all the cultures who this God is...
what do we know about God—this is God...
What do we learn about God:
God comes first...It all begins with God
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
the writer doesn’t try to prove God’s existence...
nor explain how God was already there—-we get the sense He is outside of time...because when he creates light, there is morning and evening. He is creating time!
but the writer simply shows there is a God and He is amazing...
other places in Scripture will point to God as Creator and how important that is. The Apostle Paul loves to talk about our Creator God.
20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
creation is preaching that there is a God
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Everything begins with God. He is revealing Himself in and through creation.
and there is enough revelation from God in creation to give us a glimpse of who He is.
this is why we love to be out in nature hiking, camping, going to the beach, mountains...it all begins with God.
God exists as the Trinity
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
The Trinity is one of the most mind-blowing doctrines about God that we will see in all of Scripture. that God is one as to essence but 3 as to persons.
it’s fleshed out more in the NT—especially when Jesus is baptized—the Father says “This is my beloved Son...” and the Spirit comes on like a dove....
but we already see this mind-blowing doctrine—that God is 3 in 1 in Genesis.
not 3 separate gods that tri-theism...
not a god who only exists in one mode—that’s called modalism. that’s why the example of water to the Trinity is not perfect—you know the Trinity is like water—liquid, solid when frozen, a vapor when boiled or evaporating. but that doesn’t quite capture it either.
there is no one like God.
and one implication we can tease out already - already we see this idea that God didn’t have to make us—it wasn’t like He was lonely. He was perfectly content in Himself in the Trinity.
God made everything; He is unmade; He is distinct from His creation. (a lot of statements there)
this means that God is different than many other religions or worldviews we see out there.
this is THEISM
already we see how different this is than any other worldview out there.
atheism is the idea that there is no god—Genesis 1 says there is.
naturalism or materialism says everything has natural or physical causes—can only be explained by that.
we will see next week that it is different than Deism that God created it, and like a watch wound it up (if you remember that) and let it go—no God is involved. some historians say our founding fathers were probably deists.
different than Pantheism (eastern religions) - the idea that all and everything is God. God and the world are one...like the force in Star Wars. the force is in everything
or Panentheism - notice the en. it’s close to pantheism—it’s the idea that everything that is is God, but it’s not to true that God is everything—He is beyond that too.
nor do we so polytheism—the belief in many gods...or a god we have to please in strange ways—no God simply created us because He wanted to
Genesis 1— this is a football...one God. 3 persons. there are no other gods.
God made the physical world good (even though it’s fallen)
and yes even though our world is fallen (Genesis 3) due to sin...he made the physical world good. Food, drink, sex. pleasure those things can be abused. but when rightly understood and given to God—they point back to Him. Those things are not bad in and of themselves because God made them good.
this is against a couple common false teachings that show up in the NT - Gnosticism, and asceticism.
gnosticism is this idea that only the spiritual is good; the physical is bad
asceticism is this idea of rigorous self-discipline and I abstain from certain things, like food, for a time. some benefit to it for sure—but the NT confronts some legalistic versions of it.
God made the physical world good—It’s because God made it.
so when we enjoy the physical things—they all point back to God.
God is so powerful He creates by speaking. (a theology of the Word)
He simply speaks and it is done.
many scholars have noted that this account of our God creating is different when you compare it to other creation accounts from other cultures. other creation accounts show a cosmic struggle with the gods, or that creation is an afterthought or difficult.
for example, the Babylonians had a creation account called the Enuma Elish—in their creation account, the Tiamit, the ocean goddess is killed by another deity Marduk—who defeats her, kills her, then slits her corpse lengthwise—from these 2 parts of Tiamit forms heaven and earth.
a violent affair, out of conflict, brutal, an afterthought...
but not for our God—He simply speaks and it is done.
He is like a composed, powerful, artist...showing his handiwork.
and the rest of Scripture looks at this incredible theology of the Word
so much so—that John 1:1-3
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
John the Apostle talks about Jesus—the Word by looking back Genesis, creation. God’s Word is his revelation, his expression of who He is—that is found here in Genesis 1, and it’s found supremely in the Word of God—Jesus Christ John 1.
We have a God who loves to reveal.
God is a God of order and structure. (you could add purpose, intent, design)
YOU SEE IN VERSE 2 THERE IS A PROBLEM
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
many theologians have noted...that days 1 - 3 creates the structure or the background to give it form and in days 4-6 he fills it to overcome the emptiness.
so day 1 - he makes light; day 4 - he makes the sun and moon and stars (fills it)
day 2 - we see separation of sky and water - and day 5 he fills those domains with birds and sea creatures
day 3 - land - and day 6 he fills the land with animals and human beings who God gives reproductive, creative powers to.
day 7 - he rests—more on that in a later sermon...
perfect order, perfect structure
things are made according to their kinds
this is why we can study anything, and when we do—it points back to God.
It bothers me sometimes when my kids or others complain about school and learning, and I get it, I did, too. but if we really believe that God created all things with order, structure, and design...
when I am studying science, I am studying...God. because the scientific method is based on a universe filled with order.
when I am studying music, I am studying God and all of His beauty...
when I am studying literature and English and languages—it’s all God-because He created words and language...
when I am studying mathematics (are we studying God—no math is of the devil)—I am not just studying math—I am studying God. the fact that there is a mathematical language.
all of creation points to a God, of order, design, intentionality, structure, power, purpose
I just read an article about the cockroach. Ever seen a cockroach?
I have been to Haiti and Jamaica on mission trips, and it’s always alarming to me at the place where I staying when I see a cockroach scurrying across the floor. maybe you have seen one in your own house.
cockroaches can be pretty disgusting to us. My parents told me a story that as missionaries in the country of Haiti, they once found my brother with something in his mouth—half was in and half was out. and he was just a young kid, and they pulled it out, and it was a half eaten cockroach. Poor Jimmy was never the same again after that. so that explains what’s wrong with your brother Jimmy...
cockroaches are gross to us because they can trigger allergies and carry disease.
and yet did you know—cockroaches are designed with amazing purpose! for instance...
Soil. Cockroaches are natural composters. They play a huge role in the process of decaying organic matter to produce nutrient-rich soil.
I learned in China there are cockroach farms—where cockroaches are grown and sold for such a purpose. (any cockroach farms here in Adams, or Wells or Jay County?)
cockroaches are grown and raised for things like medicine, animal feed, food waste recycling (Recycling. Cockroaches eat just about anything, including garbage, dead plants, and animal waste. ), even human consumption. source of protein.
and did you know...
A cockroach can survive without its head for up to a week, sometimes even longer, though it will eventually die of thirst because it lacks a mouth to drink water. This prolonged survival is possible because cockroaches breathe through spiracles on their bodies, have an open circulatory system that prevents blood loss from the neck wound, and a decentralized nervous system with nerve clusters (ganglia) in their body segments that control movement.
so the next time you see a cockroach instead of freaking out and going “uhhh...” think “awe...” even this points to God.
Now, I want to switch gears just a little bit...and apply all this information...
Think of how this applies to hopelessness...in the past few weeks, I have heard from several of you after the Charlie Kirk shooting, after all the school shootings have happened (even though a lot us have become desensitized to it), shootings at the ICE facility in Dallas, talks of free speech, violence and war around the world—how do we just have hope.
a few ways to have hope:
Remember our Genesis 1 God. He is still in charge. He is still king. remember - this is a football.
though we live in a fallen world and we will see that in Genesis 3—Genesis 1 shows God as a sovereign kingly God; Genesis 2 will show him as a personal God. but we need to be reminded that if we have a God who can simply create by speaking, who made all things from the vast universe to the intricacies of a cell and molecules, certainly He is still king; He is in charge; He is in control, even if we don’t always understand why.
I heard this illustration from another preacher: At a Christian camp in Colorado, a woman Bible teacher gave an illustration that changed my life. She said, “If the distance between the Earth and the Sun, 92 million miles, was reduced to the thickness of a sheet of paper, then the distance between the Earth and the nearest star would be a stack of paper 70 feet high. And the diameter of the galaxy would be a stack of paper 310 miles high. That’s how big the galaxy is. And yet, the galaxy is nothing but a speck of dust, virtually, in the whole universe. And the Bible says Jesus Christ holds this universe together with the word of his power. His pinky, as it were.” And then she asked the question: “Is this the kind of person you ask into your life to be your assistant?”
I remember several years ago, Caleb and I went to a planetarium at COSI in Columbus when we lived in Ohio. It’s like Science Central but 10 times bigger. and the show we watched was on how big our solar system is, and it felt like a worship service.
that is the kind of God we have.
We should regularly fill our minds with who God is.
not social media
news outlets
one of my fears in the recent days as we have been processing so much as a society is that we look to our favorite news channel or talk podcast to disciple us, rather than looking to the Bible first.
we look to social media for opinions rather than the Bible
those outlets are designed with algorithms to get our attention, to make us angry, to cause a rush of adrenaline or endorphins—rage. to be an echo chamber—as I am scrolling I am getting this rush, addictive, chemical rush. and i keep seeing things that I agree with rather than being challenged by other viewpoints...
and I think that produces division....
and anxiety.
I don’t think we were meant to see someone get shot in the neck and die in front of our eyes, and then be able to watch it again and again. That’s traumatic.
same with the Ukrainian refugee who was stabbed in Charlotte on public transportation back in August
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 say not to be anxious about anything...
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
what are we thinking about? what are we filling our minds with
by the way—thinking about what we watch and consume, it makes me have even more respect for our first responders and those who work on the front lines of responding to traumatic events, and I hope if that’s you, that you have healthy ways of processing that and connecting with God and others.
I think we need to think about God more and more...
Scripture regularly gives creation as a reason to worship:
Revelation 4 and 5 are amazing glimpses of worship in heaven—
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever,
10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
What are you thinking about?
everyday we go back to God...
gentlemen...this is a football.
Examine where your ultimate hope is....
one of my fears in the last several days is that we will look to politics.
this doesn’t mean you can’t get involved in politics—you should; and we need Christian leaders in politics. but I fear that 1 Samuel 8 will happen.
1 Samuel 8...Israel wanted to be like the other nations around them.
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.
5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”
6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord.
7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.
Israel was rejecting God as their king, placing their hope in a human king, and God gave them King Saul—how did that work out for them?
there is only one king according to Genesis 1
and he is so powerful—he can bring light out of darkness. order out of chaos. he fills the formlessness with structure and the emptiness he fills. there is nothing He can’t do.
We can spread that hope by talking about creation.
so not only do we have this hope for ourselves, but creation gives us hope to talk to others about God and spread that hope.
recently, the Bolivia team shared a few Sundays ago. and Logan mentioned the framework of Scripture—Gospel fluency...as 4 parts
Creation
Fall
Redemption
Restoration
creation is here...fall will be chapters 3 and following
redemption is Jesus coming the 1st time to live, die on the cross for our sins and rise from the grave, so we could know Him personally and be a part of his Kingdom
restoration is when Jesus returns a 2nd time and all of the created order and universe is made new.
as part of the Gospel story—Creation is often a big part. We sometimes wonder—how can we spread hope...start with creation. that’s what Paul does in the New Testament when he is sharing who God is...He starts with creation.
15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.
16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way.
17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”
Genesis 1 is so necessary today. while it may seem simple—this is a football...
it is rich, multi-faceted, and incredibly relevant.
We have a God who is so big who fills us with hope so we can be agents of His hope in a world that desperately needs it.
necessary endings - Henry Cloud
