Sermon Tone Analysis

In the Beginning, God...

Intro - After thanking make sure to present the idea of the fall study - “Jesus.

God’s plan from the beginning.”

[walkthrough style]

---

pray

-----

Gen 1:1-

In the beginning, God…that’s a great start isn’t it?

...

[Ex Nihlio…God makes something out of nothing]

This beginning of scripture, and of life, is always so reassuring to me.

I mean, we want there to be something bigger than us.

We seem to sense there is something larger than what we are at work in this world.

Some call it luck, some call it Karma, some see providence while some others see chance.

But for Christians, we must see God.

In the beginning of everything we do, we must see God.

We must see Him, because He is there before we are.

He was there hovering over the waters as He prepared the heavens and earth.

He was there bringing light to this new creation and separating the light from darkness.

He was there in the light, and called it good.

Gen 1:6-

[Intentionality]

...Sometimes we think about God and wonder if He has a plan, don’t we?...

[pic of cake…thought vs what happened]

…God’s plans aren’t like our plans!

God will see that good work in you to completion.

It might not look like it right now, but in time, it will look just like He intends it.

[pic of what you thought it would be, and what it is..cakes?]

But here, in the beginning of God’s story, we find the plan taking shape in a completely different way.

Just as the Heavens, Earth, and light is good, so too are the sky, land and sea.

God declares it good, because it is good.

You don’t have to look far outside of the story of Jesus to see that.

Jesus didn’t look like the Messiah the Jewish people we longing for!

But He was God’s plan nonetheless!

Gen 1:9-

[purpose]

Then God gave the land and the water and the sun and the night purpose!

What a great reminder to us.

Everything you see, it all have a purpose and meaning.

It all matters!

Not only does it matter, but the way God created it, was good!

[expand]

And that is an unbelievably important thing to remember church.

We sometimes can get calloused and jaded as we get older.

The things that once were amazing and beautiful to us can seem normal as we age.

But we can’t let them!

Their purpose, given by God, was to decorate this earth and to feed us!

That is amazing!

And we can’t lose sight of that.

[pic of grandfather mountain]

This past Monday, the girls and I were able to get away and take some time to be together…[talk about the trip]…at the end of the trip, as the girls were falling asleep in the back of the van, Kate and I were talking about life, and she said that it’s awesome to live so close to the mountains so that we can get out and remember just how wonderful God’s creation is.

I mean, how often do we overlook that?

We get so caught up in our lives that we miss the life that God created - this natural world that God Himself declares good!

That is it’s purpose.

Don’t look past it.

And if those things have a purpose, how much more do you?

Gen 1:14-

[The tools we need…time…]

So God makes a light - well two great lights, and an uncountable amount of other lights!

Stars we now call them.

Lights that one day guide the world to the Messiah, to God in flesh!

The light that shined through the darkness of that night, and of this world.

So God makes a light - well two great lights, and an uncountable amount of other lights!

Stars we now call them.

Lights that one day guide the world to the Messiah, to God in flesh!

The light that shined through the darkness of that night, and of this world.

As His plan comes together, God sees that it is still good.

Gen 1:20-

Gen 1:20-2

Gen 1:24-

[make sure it ends up talking about the stuff below, but then move it to our faith resting on our worship of our creator AND his sacrifice for us]

[God sets the stage…]

So let’s be clear about this picture that is being painted here.

God is getting things setup for something…land, sky, light, water, plants, fish, birds, livestock, wild animals…God is loading creation with all these things that all have a purpose, but that all are leading to something else!

And even so, God looks at all these things, things we look past every single day, and says that they are good!

But church, we need to remember that God has set this stage for something…[handout]…He has created this world:

----

from nothing

with Intentionality

He gave it a purpose

and all the tools it needed

to set the stage---

For You.

You.

pray

Everything.

Every blade of grass.

Every drop of rain.

Every chirp of a grasshopper or call of a bird.

Every ray of sunshine and every cool breeze.

It was all made for you.

How do we know that?

Well, we are made to rule over it all!

We are to have dominion,

Well, apart from God giving us dominion of all that He had created, God makes it clear to us on a more practical level!

[pic of fixer-upper]

Gen 1:

You ever see that show?

[expand]…at the end, the wife, Joanna, takes some time to design the whole house.

Putting everything in just the right spot, and making sure that it looks right and functions right...

That is essentially what has happened for us!

God designed all of creation in such a way as to have us appreciate it, and feel at home in it!

And that fondness, that connection that we have to creation, is the very thing that helps us to care for it the right way!