What If Creation Was God’s First Commission?
From Creation To Covenant • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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NEW OIKOS: Starts NEXT WEEK
Rick & Michelle Duley and Josh & Carie Francis
On Highway 43 — north of Airport Drive // west of Oronogo
Meets on 1st & 3rd Sunday nights at 6 pm
Cards at Welcome Center
Intro For Series: Creation and Covenant
We’re starting a new series called “From Creation To Covenant” today…
Creation reveals God’s design
Shows us God’s plan
Shows us how God intended things to function
Shows us WHY God created
Covenant reveals God’s determination
God says, “I’m not just MAKING everything…I’m COMMITTING myself to seeing it through.”
As part of our New Year, we have a couple of new resources for you…
Sermon Outline & Discussion Questions WITH Prayer Ideas
Outline has page numbers for the blue Bibles
Discussion Questions have been in the app for a long time but are now even more accessible
Prayer Team is hoping to help lead you in praying more throughout this year
12 Week Bible Reading Plan
Plan coincides with the “From Creation To Covenant” series we’re in
Plan is also available in our app — if you need help getting the app, just stop by the Welcome Center or Next Steps table
Plan will culminate with a special Night of Worship on Sunday, Marcy 29
My prayer for today is that you and I would begin to better comprehend God’s DESIGN for our lives and that we would find greater confidence in God’s DETERMINATION for our lives…
PRAY
Genesis 1 unfolds in THREE SPECIFIC STAGES…
(and those stages have been repeating ever since then)
1 - God speaks.
When God speaks…there is always progress.
Look through the entire Bible and you’ll find…
NOBODY and NOTHING ignores God when He speaks.
2 - God forms.
When God forms...there is always purpose.
Look through the entire Bible and you’ll find…
EVERY TIME God formed ANYTHING, there was a purpose in it.
God has NEVER…
Acted on a whim…
Acted in a reckless way…
Acted in a way that contradicted His Character or Kingdom…
3 - God fills.
When God fills…there is always power.
Look through the entire Bible and you’ll find…
God puts His Spirit ON people…
God puts His Spirit IN people…
God works His Spirit THROUGH people…
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.
God begins to SPEAK — and remember…when God speaks…things happen.
As He speaks, He first begins to FORM…
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.
Day ONE — God FORMS LIGHT
He calls the light “day”
He calls the dark “night”
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.
Day TWO — God FORMS the SKY
He separates the water on the ground from the water in the air
He creates the atmosphere
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.
Day THREE — God FORMS the SEAS and the DRY GROUND
As He gathered the waters all together, it was almost as though He was clearing the canvas for the masterpiece He was about to begin
So far…in THREE DAYS…God has FORMED:
Light
The Sky
The Seas and Dry Ground
Quite literally, it was an empty vessel that He was about to begin FILLING…
Still on the THIRD DAY…
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. 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.
STILL Day THREE — God FILLED the LAND with PLANTS
He created a perpetuating system…
Plants that would produce seeds that would produce MORE plants
And God declared it GOOD
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 FOUR — God FILLED the SKY with STARS and the SUN and the MOON
He filled the empty night sky with the beauty and mystery of stars and constellations
He filled the sky with the sun and the moon…
Dictating night and day
Regulating the tides
Providing warmth and comfort
And as God looked upon it, He saw that it was GOOD again…
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.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
Day FIVE — God FILLED the SEA with FISH and the SKY with BIRDS
He had FORMED environments in the sea and in the air that were ready to be populated and here, on Day Five, God populates them
And then He steps back, looks at His work and states that it, too, was GOOD
And THEN…God SPEAKS again…
He blessed the fish and the birds
He instructed them to multiply and fill up the environments they had been given
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.
Day SIX — God FILLED the LAND with LIVING CREATURES
Just like He had done with the SEA and the SKY
He saw that it, too, was GOOD
And then, STILL ON DAY SIX…
God began to FILL His creation with the MASTERPIECE of His work....
26 Then God said, — He SPOKE — “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.”
WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF MANKIND???
The word “rule” — in Hebrew… radah — literally means to “have dominion over” or to “have authority over”
People were given power over the animals, and were expected to exercise their power under God’s supreme authority
Consider this “ruling” to be the first indication of our call to be “stewards” — to understand, manage, and master the earth … using it in a manner that honors our Creator
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
God SPOKE as He began to create PEOPLE…
God FORMED PEOPLE into His own image…
And God would FILL PEOPLE with the breath of life…
7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Do you get how incredibly personal this is????
The man — Adam — receives his life directly from the breath of His Creator, who is hovering directly over him.
There is nothing distant about this…
There is nothing detached about this…
God is right in the middle, face-to-face with His creation, active in the moment of FILLING him with life
Story: Chris — stopped breathing
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.
God SPOKE.
God FORMED.
GOD FILLED.
And God called Adam and Eve to choose His Way...
Increase in number
Scatter and fill the earth
Be stewards of everything in creation
We often read Matthew 28:18-20 and call it “The Great Commission” — where Jesus sends His followers out to make disciples of all the people in the world.
But there are actually FIVE GREAT COMMISSION passages in the Bible…
Mark 16:15-16
John 20:21
Luke 24:45-47
Matthew 28:18-20
Acts 1:8
One of those happens to be in John 20…
And in John 20, we see all THREE STAGES of Creation...
First, Jesus had spent three years FORMING His disciples into men who would carry out the Mission of the Kingdom of Heaven…
Next, in a moment after the resurrection … Jesus SPOKE to His disciples…
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
And finally… Jesus FILLED His disciples with His HOLY SPIRIT
22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whether it’s Genesis 1 or John 20 or this moment right now…
God speaks.
God forms.
God fills.
And…. God sends.
INVITATION:
Hear Jesus SPEAK to you…
Let Jesus FORM you into His image…
(be baptized — forgiveness & Holy Spirit)
Submit your life and let Jesus FILL you with His Spirit…
CHALLENGE:
Submit to the challenge God gave Adam and Eve…
Increase in number (SPEAK to people)
Be stewards of everything in creation (show how to be FORMED into God’s image)
Scatter and fill the earth (FILL the earth with God’s people)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
How have you experienced God speaking in your life?
When you sense God speaking, what usually changes first—your thinking, your priorities, or your actions?
Are there areas of your life where you know God has spoken, but you’ve been slow to respond? Why?
What practices help you recognize God’s voice more clearly (Scripture, prayer, community, obedience)?
In what ways is God currently forming you?
What circumstances, relationships, or challenges might God be using to shape your character right now?
How do you typically respond when God’s forming process feels uncomfortable or slow?
What would it look like to trust God’s purpose even when you don’t yet see the outcome?
Where do you need God to fill you with His power and presence?
Are you trying to live out your faith in your own strength instead of relying on the Spirit?
What signs show up in your life when you’re running empty rather than filled?
What intentional steps could you take this week to create space for God to fill you again?
How does seeing creation as God’s “first commission” change the way you view your life?
How does this perspective shift the way you view your work, family, neighborhood, or daily routines?
Where has God already placed you that might be part of His mission, not an accident?
What excuses or fears keep you from seeing yourself as “sent” by God?
What is one Next Step God may be calling you to take?
Is God prompting you to speak to someone, serve someone, or step into a new responsibility?
What would obedience look like even if you don’t feel fully ready or qualified?
Who could help encourage, pray for, or walk with you as you take this step?
