Back to the Future

Genesis 1:1

Introduction:

Every story has a beginning. Every song has a first note. Every journey starts with that very first step.

There’s something special — even sacred — about beginnings.

Think about it:

The first cry of a newborn baby in the delivery room — a sound that fills parents’ hearts with both awe and anticipation.

The first day of school — backpacks packed, pencils sharpened, and the smell of new books filling the air.

A couple stands at the altar, eyes bright with love and hope, vowing to begin a new life together.

The first morning you wake up in a new home, surrounded by boxes, yet filled with dreams of what that place will become.

Every one of those moments marks a beginning — a fresh page, a new chapter, an opportunity to move forward.

Beginnings are full of possibilities. They carry a sense of excitement and hope — but also a sense of uncertainty. You don’t know exactly what lies ahead, but you know something new is about to unfold.

And that’s where we find ourselves this morning.

This is a new beginning, a new season of ministry, a new opportunity to see what God will do in and through His people.

When God wants to show His people how to move forward, He takes them back to the beginning.

Now, think about when Genesis was written. God gave these words to Moses while Israel was in the wilderness. They had been delivered from Egypt, redeemed by the blood of the Passover lamb, and they were standing on the edge of the Promised Land — about to move forward into the future God had for them.

But before they could go forward, God took them backward.

He reminded them where they came from, who He was, and why they existed. The book of Genesis wasn’t written for Adam or Noah or Abraham — it was written for Israel, a redeemed people who needed to remember their beginnings before they could step into their destiny.

They needed to know that the same God who created the heavens and the earth was the God who had delivered them from Egypt. The God who spoke light into darkness could guide them through the desert. The God who brought order out of chaos could bring them safely into the land of promise.

So even the very first readers of Genesis were a people on the move — a people learning that to move forward in faith, they had to go back to the beginning with God.

And that’s what I want us to do as a church — to move forward, but to move forward from the beginning — back to the foundations of what God has already said, already shown, and already established.

Because the only way to move forward in the right direction… is to start from the right foundation.

That’s why we’re beginning a new series called “Moving Forward from the Beginning.”

When an architect begins to build, he doesn’t start by hanging curtains or painting walls — he starts with the foundation. If the foundation isn’t right, nothing else will stand straight.

When a coach begins a new season, he doesn’t start with trick plays — he starts with the fundamentals: blocking, tackling, teamwork.

And when God begins something new — whether it’s creation, a calling, a church, or a chapter in your life — He starts the same way every time:

“In the beginning God.”

That’s what we need to remember as we begin together. This church doesn’t belong to a man, or to a group, or even to a moment in time — it belongs to God.

Our calling, our ministry, our future — it all starts with Him.

If we begin with God, we’ll have His blessing. If we drift from God, we’ll lose our direction.

Over the coming months, we’ll walk through Genesis together — not as a book of ancient stories, but as a living revelation of God’s truth for today.

We’ll see that the answers our world is searching for — about identity, purpose, morality, family, and faith — are all found right here in these opening chapters of God’s Word.

WHY WE ARE PREACHING THROUGH GENESIS

You might wonder, “Pastor, why start our journey together in Genesis?” Why not begin with the Gospels, or something more practical or familiar?

Because Genesis is practical. Genesis is foundational. Genesis is where everything starts — and if we want to move forward in a confused and chaotic world, we must go back to the beginning where God established His truth.

Let me share three reasons why this church needs the book of Genesis right now.

1. Genesis answers the biggest questions of life.

Every human being wrestles with four great questions:

Where did I come from?

Why am I here?

What’s gone wrong with the world?

How can it be made right?

Science can describe the how, but only God can explain the why.

Genesis answers every one of those questions:

You came from God’s creative hand.

You were made in His image for His glory.

Sin is what broke creation.

And God’s promise of redemption began right there in Eden.

Our world today is desperate for those answers. People are searching for identity, meaning, and truth — and Genesis gives all three. It tells us that life has dignity, creation has order, and humanity has purpose.

2. Genesis restores the foundations that culture has abandoned.

We are living in a generation that has lost its moral compass. Truth is treated as flexible. Gender and marriage are redefined. The sanctity of life is disregarded. And God is removed from the picture.

But all those issues — creation, morality, marriage, family, work, gender, sin, redemption — are established right here in the opening chapters of Genesis.

When we return to Genesis, we are returning to God’s blueprint for life.

Jesus Himself quoted Genesis when teaching about marriage and morality. The apostles built their theology on what God revealed in the beginning.

If the foundation is destroyed, the structure will collapse. That’s why we must go back to the beginning — back to God’s truth, God’s design, and God’s order.

3. Genesis reveals the roots of the gospel.

The gospel doesn’t start in Bethlehem — it starts in Eden. The moment man sinned, God promised a Savior. Genesis 3:15 says, “The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent’s head.”

Every major doctrine of Scripture finds its seed in Genesis:

God’s sovereignty and power.

Humanity’s sin and need for redemption.

The promise of a coming Redeemer.

The call of Abraham and the covenant of faith.

Genesis is not just history — it’s theology in motion. It’s the unfolding of God’s plan of redemption that culminates in Jesus Christ.

So as we preach through Genesis, we’re not just studying ancient stories — we’re tracing the story of salvation from its first promise all the way to the cross.

Transition:

But this morning, before we look at anything else — before we talk about creation, Adam, Eve, or the garden — we need to stop at the very first phrase in the Bible:

“In the beginning God.”

Four words. Simple, but staggering.

Before there was light, there was God. Before there was time, there was God. Before there was man, mountain, or molecule — there was God.

Those words remind us that everything — every story, every success, every step forward — begins with Him.

So before we talk about what we want God to do, let’s talk about who God is. Before we plan the next step, let’s make sure our feet are standing on the right foundation.

And that foundation is the eternal truth of Genesis 1:1 — “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

This morning, I want us to linger over those first four words — “In the beginning God.” They tell us everything we need to know about life, about faith, and about how to move forward from here.

Those words remind us of three unchanging truths that we will consider this morning.

Everything we believe, everything we do, and everything we hope for as a church begins right there — In the beginning, God.

1. GOD IS ETERNAL — THE ONE WHO ALWAYS IS – V.1

Before there was a beginning — before there was light, before there was life, before there was even time — God already was.

When the curtain of creation first opened, God was not stepping onto the stage. He was already there — the eternal Author of the story.

Genesis doesn’t begin by trying to prove the existence of God. It simply proclaims it. No arguments. No explanations. Just a declaration of reality: “In the beginning, God.”

The Bible begins with the assumption that God is — because His existence is not up for debate, it’s the foundation of everything that exists.

Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.”

You don’t have to prove the sun exists; you only have to open your eyes to see its light. You don’t have to prove God exists; you only have to look at creation, conscience, and Christ — and His fingerprints are everywhere.

A. God had no beginning.

That’s hard for us to grasp, because everything in our world has a starting point. Every person has a birth certificate. Every building has a groundbreaking. Every tree has a seed. But not God.

He is uncaused and uncreated. He has always been, and He will always be.

Psalm 90:2 says,“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”

He existed before time began, and when time ends, He will still be God. He is the Alpha and the Omega — the beginning and the end — but He Himself has neither beginning nor end.

When Moses asked God His name at the burning bush, God said: “I AM THAT I AM.”(Exodus 3:14)

That name doesn’t just mean I exist. It means I exist eternally, independently, and unchangeably. He didn’t say I was or I will be. He said I AM.

That’s the God who speaks in Genesis 1:1 — the God who always is.

B. God exists outside of time.

When we say, “In the beginning, God,” we’re talking about the beginning of time and creation. But God Himself had no beginning — He existed before the beginning.

Time is a created thing — it had a start when God spoke the universe into being. God does not live inside the timeline; He stands above it. Past, present, and future are all equally clear to Him.

Isaiah 46:9–10 says, “I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done.”

That means nothing surprises God.

You and I experience life moment by moment — sunrise to sunset, day by day — but God sees the whole story at once.

To Him, yesterday, today, and tomorrow are all present tense.

When you and I worry about what’s next, God already knows how the story ends — because He’s already there.

C. God is unchanging in His nature.

Because God is eternal, He is also unchanging.

What He was, He still is. What He is, He will always be. His character does not evolve. His truth does not shift. His purposes do not expire.

Malachi 3:6 says, “For I am the LORD, I change not.”

Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”

Everything in life changes — seasons, circumstances, feelings, relationships — but not God.

The God who spoke the world into existence is the same God who saved you, who sustains you, and who will finish the work He began in you.

Illustration: The Anchor of the Soul

Years ago when sailors charted their course, they did so by the stars — because while the sea is always moving, the stars never change. No matter how rough the waters, those fixed lights above give them direction.

That’s what God’s eternality does for us. The world shifts like the waves, but God is the fixed point in the sky.

When everything around you feels uncertain, you can lift your eyes and say, “Thou art God — the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

We don’t have to fear the future when we’re following the eternal God.

Transition: So the first words of the Bible remind us that before time began, God already was — eternal, unchanging, and faithful.

But notice not only when God was, but where He is placed in the verse.

II. GOD IS CENTRAL — THE ONE WHO MUST BE FIRST – V.1

The first subject of the first sentence in the first verse of the Bible is God. That’s no accident. That’s divine order.

The Bible doesn’t begin with man, or matter, or meaning — it begins with God. That tells us everything we need to know about what life is supposed to look like: God first.

A. God is the Center of Everything

If you remove God from the beginning, the rest of the Bible doesn’t make sense. If you remove God from life, the rest of life doesn’t make sense either.

All of creation revolves around Him. He is the source, the sustainer, and the goal of everything that exists.

Colossians 1:16–17 says, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth… all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

Paul said all things were made by Him — that’s origin. And all things were made for Him — that’s purpose.

You were created by God and for God. You don’t just exist becauseof Him — you exist for Him.

When we forget that, everything else in life gets out of alignment.

Illustration: The Solar System

In our solar system, everything revolves around the sun. The planets stay in their proper orbits because the sun is at the center, holding them in place by its gravity. But imagine if one planet decided it didn’t need the sun anymore — it would spin out of orbit and be lost in the cold darkness of space.

That’s what happens spiritually when we move God out of the center. Our lives spin out of balance. Our homes lose their warmth. Our hearts grow cold. We drift into confusion because we’ve forgotten who holds everything together.

God must remain in the center. He must be first.

B. God’s rightful place is first place

The first verse of Scripture is a declaration of order. It tells us that God belongs first — not second, not shared, not added on — but first.

And all through Scripture, we see this principle repeated:

The first commandment says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)

When Israel entered the Promised Land, God said, “The first of all the fruit of the ground shalt thou bring into the house of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 26:2)

When Jesus summarized the law, He said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

When He taught His disciples about daily life, He said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33)

From Genesis to Revelation, the message is consistent:

God must be first — in creation, in history, in worship, in your heart, in your home, and in His church.

C. When God is not first, everything else falls apart

The tragedy of the fall in Genesis 3 happened because man moved God out of the center. Adam and Eve replaced God’s authority with their own. They made self the center — and the result was chaos.

That same pattern continues today. When people live without God, they lose meaning. When families push God to the side, they lose unity. When churches forget God’s purpose, they lose power.

Every breakdown in our world is really a result of displacing God from His rightful place.

“When God is not at the center, everything falls apart.”

D. The Centrality of God in Scripture

Throughout Scripture, every time God’s people experienced revival or renewal, it began when they put Him back in the center.

In Exodus 40, when Moses finished the tabernacle, the glory of the Lord filled it — not because it was new, but because God was at the center. Everything in the tabernacle pointed to Him — the ark, the altar, the lampstand, the table — all aligned around His presence.

In 2 Chronicles 7, when Solomon dedicated the temple, fire fell from heaven when the sacrifices were offered to God and His glory filled the house. When God was central, His power was evident.

In Acts 2, when the early church was born, the Holy Spirit came upon them not because they had clever programs, but because they were united around God’s presence and purpose. “They were all with one accord in one place… and suddenly there came a sound from heaven.”

Where God is central, His glory dwells. Where He is sidelined, His power departs.

E. Illustration: The Missing Hub

Imagine a wheel without a hub. You can have the rim, the spokes, and the tire — but if the hub is missing, the wheel can’t turn.

That’s what happens when we remove God from the center of life. You can have activity, busyness, even religion — but you won’t have direction or power.

A wheel without a hub just spins aimlessly. A life or church without God at the center does the same.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION – PUTTING GOD FIRST IN EVERY AREA OF LIFE

Truth becomes transformation when we live it. If “In the beginning God” is true, then God must be first everywhere.

1. In Your Personal Life

Make time with God the first priority, not the leftover. Begin each day with His Word and prayer. Let His truth set the tone for your thinking, speech, and decisions.

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:6)

When God gets the first of your time, He blesses the rest of your day.

2. In Your Relationships and Marriage

A God-centered marriage puts Christ at the heart of the home. Pray together. Forgive quickly. Speak kindly. Ephesians 5:25 — “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church.” When both husband and wife walk toward God, they naturally draw closer to each other.

Parents, model faith before your children. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 — “These words… thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children.” The most lasting legacy you can leave is faith that begins at home.

3. In Your Family and Home

Let your home be a place where God’s presence is welcome. Before meals, give thanks. Before bedtime, read Scripture or pray with your children. Hang verses on the wall, but more importantly, live them in your attitude.

A home centered on God will be a refuge in a restless world.

4. In Your Work

Colossians 3:23 — “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” Work is worship when done for the glory of God.

Be honest when others cut corners. Be diligent when others slack off. Be gracious when others complain.

Let your integrity point co-workers to the One who is truly at the center of your life.

5. In Your School

Students, remember that your classroom is your mission field. Daniel stood for God in Babylon and gained respect because he purposed in his heart not to defile himself. Don’t hide your faith; live it with humility and courage.

Start each day asking, “Lord, help me to honor You in my attitude, my words, and my choices.”

6. In Our Church Life

If this church is to move forward, it must start and stay centered on God.

In worship: magnify Him, not man.

In service: depend on His strength, not our own.

In unity: love one another because He first loved us.

In mission: seek His glory above numbers or praise.

We don’t want to ask God to bless our plans; we want to join His.

When God is the focus, His presence fills the house; when man becomes the focus, His power departs.

INVITATION – MOVING FORWARD WITH GOD

We’ve seen that:

God is Eternal — so we can trust Him.

God is Central — so we must put Him first.

Now it’s time to respond.

Before we ask God to work through us, we must let Him work in us. Let’s commit together: “Lord, let everything we do begin with You.”

“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it.” (Psalm 127:1)

A Call to the Believer - Maybe God has slipped from first place in your life. He calls you back—back to the beginning, back to Himself.

Would you come today and say, “Lord, be first again in my heart, my home, my priorities”?

A Call to the Lost - Perhaps you’ve never truly begun with God. The One who made you also longs to redeem you.

“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

He can give you a brand-new beginning this morning if you’ll trust Christ as Savior.

Closing Appeal

 “Lord, help me start again—with You at the center.”

If you’re a believer, come and rededicate your life. If you’re lost, come and be saved. If you’re burdened, come and rest in the eternal, unchanging God.

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

Take Home Statement “To move forward in faith, we must begin again with God.”