Creation

Outline

November 30 (Advent Week 1)

Sermon Title: "Opening The First Present: Purpose"

Sermon Description: God gives us purpose by design.  We are to honor and worship God as a way of magnifying His glory.  We were created in God's image and the angels are said to look upon us in awe.  Displaying God is built into our literal and metaphorical DNA!  When you look at how God uses His chosen people, it is explicitly to contrast His glory with the compromised, inglorious creations of man.  The painting created through God's Chosen People (Israel and Judah) is one of a people sanctified by God, blessed and protected by God, who ultimately couldn't keep themselves aligned to what God called them to do.  It would be easy to look at this and suggest that God's glory had failed, but this was only the set-up for something beautiful: the coming of Christ.  Christ's coming, ministry, sacrifice, and eternal victory over death is the ultimate opportunity for us to enjoy this gift of purpose.  Because now we are purposeful, not because of WHO WE ARE, but because of WHO GOD MAKES US.

December 7 (Advent Week 2)

Sermon Title: "Opening The Second Present: Creation"

Sermon Description: It's funny that when we talk about God's gifts, we often forget the big picture of creation.  Creation is evidence of God's generosity and an ever-present gift handed to us from the beginning.  In the beginning, God created all things and THEN he created Adam and Eve before resting.  This is a pretty clear indicator that we were the culmination of God's creation.  We also know Adam was given dominion over creation.  It is a beautiful thing and, unfortunately, something people are often warned or guilted away from appreciating.  We can all appreciate the wonder of the night's sky or the beauty of living things, but our existence IN creation is also a gift to appreciate.  Solomon tells us as much in Ecclesiastes... to "eat, drink, and enjoy your labors" because these are also gifts from God.  This goes a step further when we realize that one another are also creations to enjoy.  God knew it was not good for us to be alone, so He gave us one another to enjoy as a part of Creation which we experience today as the church... a gift ultimately given to us through the coming of Christ.

December 14 (Advent Week 3)

Sermon Title: "Opening The Third Present: Hope"

Sermon Description: Christ, our living hope!  We associate the concept of "Hope" with Christianity, but hope has been built into mankind's relationship with God since the beginning.  The literal atonement (or covering-over) of Adam and Eve at the end of Genesis 3, God's promises to Noah, the covenant with Abraham, God's commissioning of Moses, the anointing of David, and the words of the prophets all speak to God's desire for us to hold hope.  Hope isn't a vague concept; it's something God very actively gifts us just when we need it.  Sometimes hope is physical.  Other times it is spiritual.  In all forms, it harkens to God's dominion and sovereignty over all Creation despite circumstances or the actions of man.  Praise God for His consistent and stalwart hope!  We have done everything possible to not deserve it, yet even in the midst of our trials and righteous discipline, God communicates the Hope to come which was realized through the coming of Jesus Christ.

December 21 (Advent Week 4)

Sermon Title: "Opening The Fourth Present: Messiah"

Sermon Description: Hints of the Messiah pop up early in the Old Testament.  It's almost as if God already knew what He was going to do the second sin entered into the equation.  God knew we couldn't do it on our own.  He gave us opportunities and provided the framework to do it, but ultimately that only served the purpose of proving that we can't earn it.  The conclusion was clear: salvation must be a gift.  There is no other way we could attain it outside of God's mercy and love.  When we celebrate the coming of Christ, we don't just celebrate a birthday or a singular miraculous event; we celebrate reaching the summit of a mountain built upon all God's divine gifts.  Jesus is the fruition of purpose.  He is the sovereign of Creation.  He is the realization of Hope.  And He is the embodiment of salvation.  He is Messiah in spirit and flesh given not because we deserved it, but because of our God's glorious generosity.

Can’t Stop; Won’t Stop Creation Imagery

Ever found yourself either constantly going to certain parts of the Bible or drawn to certain messages?

I’ve been talking a lot recently about Creation and Genesis.

I think God uses these reminders as a way to highlight to us that there is something significant about something we’ve visited and revisited time and time again.

My Genesis Creation Journey

Thanksgiving week 3 on God’s Desire: Imagery of God pursuing us despite our sin in the garden.

Thanksgiving week 4 on God’s Salvation: Highlighting God’s atonement imagery after the downfall of mankind.

Christmas week 1 on God’s gift of Purpose: Connecting God’s creation of mankind to how we are built.

My interest in Genesis started before the current series; I’ve always had questions regarding how Genesis is interpreted.

Indicator of “True Faith”?

Book: Already Gone: Why your kids will qui church and what you can do to stop it. by Ken Hamm and Britt Beemer

Outlines statistics on youth loosing the faith and the general causes.

Upholds belief in the 7-day creation story as an indicator of whether someone is “Born Again”.

From my book “History’s Testimony”...

“This debate seems to miss the bigger picture presented by the opening chapters of the Bible. Is Genesis nothing more than an interesting origin story or is it an allegory intended to send a message? This is the question we should be debating. At the risk of alienating some readers, I will state that I personally do not believe in a literal 7-day creation story. Before declaring me a heretic, my critics should ask themselves what impact that actually has on my relationship with God. Consider the following: • Does the formation of the natural world impact our belief in the incarnation of God through His son Jesus Christ? No. • Does the formation of the natural world impact our belief in salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as perfected through the cross and demonstrated through His supernatural resurrection? No. • Does the formation of the natural world impact our recognition of God’s divine supremacy over the universe and all things seen and unseen? No. • Does the formation of the natural world impact our belief that Christ will come again to raise the living and the dead in a final completion of His reconciliation with creation as prophesied in Revelation? No. • Does the formation of the natural world impact our obligation to provide love, grace, and compassion to all of God’s children surrounded by a lost world in desperate need of salvation? No. • Looking beyond the formation of the natural world, does recognizing that God’s dominion over creation, literal or allegorical, drive us to the conclusion that God is in total control of what happens here on earth now and forever? Absolutely.”

Creation Speaks of God’s Glory

Creation is completely good… Genesis 2:1-3

Genesis 2:1–3 CSB

1 So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. 2 On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation.

Creation is centered around truth and life… Genesis 2:8-9

Genesis 2:8–9 CSB

8 The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden, as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Ever notice: there are TWO TREES: Life, Knowledge

Life —> For Adam and Eve

Knowledge —> For God’s Fame

Creation is a two-fold work of God’s glory.

It is glorious because of God’s truth… who God is.

It is glorious because of God’s life… what God intends to do.

Dwelling on Creation allows us to see God’s ultimate intention FOR His Glory and the amazing role we play in it.

WHAT A GIFT to not only BE a part of God’s Glory, but to be blessed with the wisdom of what that means.

Read Genesis 2:1-3 and consider the significance of God resting after creation. What does this imply about the work of creation? Do you ever feel “complete” is a feeling you can never attain? What keeps feeling “complete” in life at arm’s length? Read Genesis 2:8-9 and notice that there were not one, but two trees: one for life and one for truth. This can be seen as representing who God is (truth) and how God chooses to show it (life). What does this mean about how God sees you? How would your perception of God be different if you didn’t know that you were a part of God’s complete picture of His glory?

Don’t Forget It!

There is a trope we see with many individuals across the Bible that will always amuse me: people forgetting that God is the Creator and God having to remind them.

Job Demands Answers...

Job never abandoned God, but He did forget that He is not “owed” anything...

Job 31:35–37 CSB

35 If only I had someone to hear my case! Here is my signature; let the Almighty answer me. Let my Opponent compose his indictment. 36 I would surely carry it on my shoulder and wear it like a crown. 37 I would give him an account of all my steps; I would approach him like a prince.

God “politely reminds Job” who is the Creator...

Job 38:1–11 CSB

1 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind. He said: 2 Who is this who obscures my counsel with ignorant words? 3 Get ready to answer me like a man; when I question you, you will inform me. 4 Where were you when I established the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who fixed its dimensions? Certainly you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 What supports its foundations? Or who laid its cornerstone 7 while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 Who enclosed the sea behind doors when it burst from the womb, 9 when I made the clouds its garment and total darkness its blanket, 10 when I determined its boundaries and put its bars and doors in place, 11 when I declared, “You may come this far, but no farther; your proud waves stop here”?

You even see the two-fold pictures of TRUTH and LIFE in God’s response...

Job 38:36–38 CSB

36 Who put wisdom in the heart or gave the mind understanding? 37 Who has the wisdom to number the clouds? Or who can tilt the water jars of heaven 38 when the dust hardens like cast metal and the clods of dirt stick together?

Job 38:39–39:4 CSB

39 Can you hunt prey for a lioness or satisfy the appetite of young lions 40 when they crouch in their dens and lie in wait within their lairs? 41 Who provides the raven’s food when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food? 1 Do you know when mountain goats give birth? Have you watched the deer in labor? 2 Can you count the months they are pregnant so you can know the time they give birth? 3 They crouch down to give birth to their young; they deliver their newborn. 4 Their offspring are healthy and grow up in the open field. They leave and do not return.

From God’s response to Job we can see echoes of Genesis 1 and 2 with God the Creator establishing His glory through the pillars of truth and life.

Moses’ Doubt...

Moses doubted His own abilities

Exodus 4:10 CSB

10 But Moses replied to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent—either in the past or recently or since you have been speaking to your servant—because my mouth and my tongue are sluggish.”

God's strength comes from His role as Creator...

Exodus 4:11 CSB

11 The Lord said to him, “Who placed a mouth on humans? Who makes a person mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

We see God perform miracles, sustain great men and women of God, and restore those who are sick and ailing, but we tend to see these are parlor tricks.

What I am hoping you will realize is that these blessings are random supernatural action; they are extensions of God the Creator of All continuing to show us His Creative Spark through us.

Read Job suggest he is entitled to the blessings of creation in Job 31:35-37, then read God responding by reaffirming His creative dominion in Job 38:1-11,36-41 and Job 39:1-4. Also read about Moses questioning God’s plans and God’s response in Exodus 4:10-11. God’s role as Creator is central to everything He does. How do you see God’s role as Creator in some of the miracles of Christ? How do you see God’s role as Creator in Christ’s gift of grace on the cross?

The Beginning and the Word

John 1:1–9 CSB

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 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

The coming of Christ is veiled in allusion to truth and life.

Verse 4 connects the purposes of both Trees of Eden by saying “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men”.

When we think of Christmas, we must recognize the mark of Creation we were seeing.

Due to our pursuit of the Tree of Knowledge, we were separate from the Tree of Life (Eden).

The coming of Jesus reconnects the two so that we can dwell with God within a New Eden in the divine nature of Christ.

Don’t miss out on the gift of creation.

God first gifted us creation in Eden.

Through Christ we are gifted it again.