Sermon Tone Analysis

Genesis 1:1

An Introduction to God

 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.[1]

Allah?

Vishnu?

A god within?

Jesus?

Who is God?

There can be only one true and living God.

One truth which must be confessed at the outset of the message is that all we know concerning God is what He has revealed.

Since God is infinite and transcendent, we can know nothing about Him except that which he chooses to reveal.

In a very real sense, then, the Bible is a revelation of the mind of God.

My personal speculations are destined to pass into oblivion, just as your highest thoughts must one day pass into dim memories held by those few who have known you.

At last, nothing of your suppositions will remain on this earth.

To think in this way is humbling.

Such thinking confronts us with the necessity of making wise choices if we will have any lasting impact as result of having passed through this life.

In short, I must carefully consider what I do and how I live.

I must ensure that I attach myself to that which is eternal and unending if I will make a lasting contribution.

Obviously, I cannot depend upon the latest fashion fad to keep my memory alive.

The name of Mary Quant is not even in contemporary history books, but she did make quite the fashion statement during the 1960s.

At Family Camp this year, a number of us laughed heartily, though we were nevertheless humbled, as one of our teens told us that he considered the compositions of the Beatles to be classical music.

Mr.

Lennon’s assertion notwithstanding, the popularity of the Beatles never did eclipse that of Jesus Christ.

In order to provide an introduction to God, I invite you to begin at the beginning.

Here, in the first verse of the Bible, God introduces Himself.

This is a marvellous opportunity for us to discover something of the character of God as He reveals Himself to mankind.

Turn in your Bibles to the first verse of the Word of God, *Genesis 1:1*.

I Know that God is Omnipotent.

Omnipotent is one of those big words which is poorly understood.

It speaks of that which is “all powerful.”

To say that God is omnipotent is to say that God can do anything.

We meet an omnipotent God in the opening verse of the Bible.

There, we are informed that God created the heavens and the earth.

Omnipotence means the enjoyment of unlimited authority.

Jesus claims unlimited authority.

Before He ascended into glory before the watching eyes of His disciples, the Son of God stated, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me [*Matthew 28:18*].

To the Jews who probed for any weakness He might display, He affirmed, as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.

And he has given him authority to execute judgement, because he is the Son of Man.

Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgement [*John 5:26-29*].

In presenting Himself as the “Good Shepherd,” Jesus spoke of the authority He possesses.

I am the door of the sheep.

All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

I am the door.

If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

I am the good shepherd.

The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.

He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd.

I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

And I have other sheep that are not of this fold.

I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.

So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.

No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.

I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.

This charge I have received from my Father [*John 10:7-18*].

Practically speaking, knowing that our God is omnipotent should lead us to seek great answers to prayer.

We should live in the presence of the miraculous.

I don’t mean that we necessarily seek to astonish and awe outsiders with our greatness, but I do mean that we should think great thoughts worthy of a great God.

We should dream great dreams and seek great things in His power.

How great are your prayers?

What is your vision for this church?

For your life?

For your service before the Lord God?

William Carey, the English shoemaker who shook British Baptist from their lethargy and introduced the Indian subcontinent to the Christian Faith, initiated the great missionary movement which marked the English-speaking world.

His watchword was, “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.”  Convinced of the might of our God, he accomplished great things in the Name of the Son of God.

If I had but one plea for you who hear this message, it would be that you do some great thing.

If you struggle with thinking great thoughts, let me suggest some for you.

Peter says, The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!

But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells [*2 Peter 3:9-13*].

Since this is true, come join in building a great church to the glory of God where men and women will be saved.

Seek to build in this town a church which embraces a thousand souls from this Peace country and where people come to faith daily.

Join me in seeking to initiate a true revival which will burn across these Canadian prairies and transform our nation into a paradise of godliness.

Unite your hearts with others who long to see the dawning of a new day, so that we may all see our children saved and our town changed as youth are saved from dissipation and destruction resulting from lack of righteousness.

Dream a great dream of freedom from evil and freedom to worship without government interference and without government imposition of godlessness.

I recall one of the songs which was current among the black churches of Dallas when I fellowshipped among those brothers.

It was a lively tune which focused attention on God’s omnipotence.

The choir would sing:

 

God can do anything, anything, anything;

God can do anything but fail.

This is the God we serve.

I Know that God is Omniscient.

Since God gave life to man, it must logically follow that God knows the heart of His creature.

To say that God knows all things is to say that wisdom and knowledge belong to Him.

One of the stimulating books in my library is a book by Arthur F. Holmes which is entitled, All Truth is God’s Truth.

There is a world of wisdom in that particular title.

God knows all things, and since He knows all things, we who know God need never fear truth.

That is a glorious Psalm which the Psalmist penned and which we know as the *139th Psalm*.

The Psalmist struggles with the character of God as he contemplates His divine knowledge.

Listen, once again, to the familiar words of that glorious Psalm.

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from afar.

You search out my path and my lying down

and are acquainted with all my ways.