Gen 1:1
Admit something - one of things really hate, one of my personal pet peeves, is arriving late to movie. Really hate when miss beginning of movie. If I walk in 5-10 minutes late, almost tempted to just leave, wait until I can see movie right from beginning.
Why? B/c I really like to know how movie started. Sure, pick up stuff later on, but much better be there right in beginning, and then see how everything develops from there.
So, when come to Bible, think it good for us to also go and start from beginning. Sure, you can pick up Bible at any point and read. Power and beauty of Bible is that all connected, each part of Bible connected to other parts, refers to other parts.
Still though, all different connected parts do have starting point. Point from which everything else in Bible develops. Starting point is of course the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis.
During next few weeks, spend some time in Genesis. End of month break for few weeks for Christmas season, Look at some passages lead us into Christmas. Then, pick this back up again during new year.
Now Genesis, as said, first book of Bible. Genesis, along with next four books of Bible – Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers Deuteronomy - mostly written by Moses. Say mostly b/c obviously some parts that Moses didn’t write, added in. Ex. – Moses’ death. But, for most part, Moses was author of first five books of Bible.
Genesis basically book of beginnings. Tells us about beginning of world, beginning of man, beginning of human history. But mostly, Genesis book about God. This establishes tone for rest of Bible, for entire Bible is primarily book about God, his relationship with creation, and especially, his relationship with mankind.
Moses writes Genesis in context where lot of different nations, who believe in lots of gods, have all sorts of stories and myths about these gods. Way Moses writes see that he writing directly against what all those nations were saying.
Look at Genesis compared with other creation stories, some small similarities here and there, but mostly huge differences. Genesis would have really stuck out like sore thumb in midst of ancient world. Ex. Like everybody else running commercials saying how things like and Genesis is the one commercial that stands out b/c it promotes something radical different from what everybody else saying.
Deliberate intention to instruct God’s people, “Look, you see kind of things everybody else writing about how world began. It’s not true at all. Here is how everything got started, and believe, it’s different from what everybody else is saying”
This starts off right with first verse of Genesis. Gen 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
That one verse is packed with so much! Think can draw lot of it out through two points see in your outline.
Point #1. In the beginning there was God
Very dramatic how Bible starts off. “In the beginning God…”
a. Radical statement for back then. Illus – Just that one phrase – like eating a hot pepper after having eaten most bland food. That kind of thing you notice, that kind thing really stick out in your mouth.
This simple phrase, “In the beginning God…” was a phrase that stands 180 degrees opposite from all of the other stories going around back then.
For example, ancient Egyptians – Believed in beginning there was this primordial, divine matter called Monad. Then, all of creation kind of evolved and unfolded from this Monad stuff. So, basically, no one actually caused creation, it just kind of developed. And also, means that all parts of creation were divine – i.e. earth is god, sky is god, water is god.
Ancient Mesopotamia – Similar belief. Believed that in beginning there was preexistent matter from which came all the gods and then the entire universe.
Gen 1:1 see huge difference. No speculation on origin of God. Just says, in the beginning, God. In the beginning of time, God was already there. And he’s always been there. For eternity before we ever existed God existed.
See also that is only one God – no multiple gods. There is no female consort for God. There are no opposing gods or struggle among gods. Just says, in the beginning, God.
God there before beginning of time, be there at end time. Rest of Scripture affirms this over and over - Ps 90:2 – “Before the mountains were brought forth or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” Isa 41:1 – “Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he.”
b. Radical statement then, radical statement today
Why? B/c to say, in the beginning, God, is still radical thing for many. Some who deny existence of God. Others who like to think of God as this kind of nameless energy. Others who say God is everywhere.
Yet, here is Gen 1:1, once again sticking out, standing against those kind of beliefs. “In the beginning, God” tells us that God not just an idea. He not superstition or myth. He not nameless energy. God is real being, he is the one and only Eternal Being, without beginning or end.
Verse doesn’t stop there of course. Goes on tell us that God is not a God who does nothing, who just sits around on his divine couch. No, God is a real being who does things, who acts.
Point #2. In the beginning God created
a. Why was this important statement for back then? Word “create” in this verse is unique word. Comes from Hebrew word “bara.” In Hebrew language, couple different words for concept of creating, making something. One of those words is Hebrew word “bara.” But “bara” as it’s used in Bible is really different for all those other words b/c only used in connection to God. When bara is used in Bible, subject is always God.
See, we humans can create. Can create all sorts of things with materials around us, inspiration comes from world from life in general. But only God can bara, create with captial C. God only One who created w/o any materials, w/o any substances. God is only One who created things never existed before.
Again, this is big contrast with what rest world saying. Lot of other nations believed in eternal primordial material, mentioned earlier. Basically, put in modern terms, call it everlasting goo. Was out of that everlasting goo that gods are created, rest of world created.
Bible says, “Uh, no. There was no goo. In fact, in beginning, there was nothing. There was just God. And then, God created”
That phrase “God created” gives us sense of God’s freedom and power. Here is first statement of God’s sovereignty – fact that God in control of everything, nothing constraining him, nothing keeping him back. Creation was effortless act for God, God free to create and do all that he desired, make it all as he wished it to be.
And what did he create? 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Another way put this, God created everything. All things have origin in God.
Everything – this means all of the heavens, seen and unseen. Means everything on earth. Also means he created time and history. Only reason there is a “in the beginning” is b/c of rest of verse, “God created the heavens and earth.” There is beginning to everything, a beginning date in time for everything, b/c of God.
Before, there was nothing. And then, whoosh, God creates something out of that nothing. And that something is everything we see and experience and use today.
Contrast to ancient world. Saw nature as divine. All believed gods bound to natural world. Gen 1:1 tells us right off that bat that this is foolish thinking. Nature not divine. God not bound to natural world. No, God is Lord and King over natural world. All creation, everything in universe, everything dealing with life in this world, was created by God, and so it is all subject to God.
b. This fact remains important for us to appreciate today
We only have meaning in relation to God, for all meaning and life come from God. Funny, many people say believe in God. Say they believe that there is God out there. Yet their lives shows them to be people who don’t really believe what they say. Lead life that seems to say that they are ultimate lord and king, that they are ultimate creator.
Look at 1:1, In the beginning God created everything. That one verse tells us that all of creation, all of life, intimately connected to God. Creation only exists b/c God brought it into existence. To live life as if God not connected to it is to deny fundamental principle upon which all creation exists – that creation exists b/c of God and for God.
As one scholar puts, creation “derives from God and no other source, it exists thorough God and not otherwise.” God is main character, not us. He is main focus. Creation comes from him, it points to him.
So, what does that mean for us? Well, let me bring this all down to one main point, and it’s this:
If we want to live a true life in this world, must turn to the One who created life.
Must turn to God if going to do anything inspiring, anything creative, anything vibrant, anything alive. Why? B/c God is source of all that! If you are thirsty, you go and find a water source. If you hungry, you go find a place where there is food. If you want to really understand the world and your life, go to source who created the world and your life. Must go to God the Creator and Source of all life.
How go to God? Hard question throughout ages. B/c God way up there, and we down here. He is Creator, we just creations. How can creation know Creator?
Answer: We can’t…unless Creator decides to make himself known to his creation. God did this through Jesus. Why Jesus? Well, here’s one big reason, creation was accomplished through Christ. Creation in fact is sustained in Christ. In other words, creation continues to be cared for and sustained through Christ. 1 Cor 8:6, “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things and through whom we exist.” Col 1:15-16 – “He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him.
Infinite Creator can be known. He can known through the Incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ, who “is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col 1:17)
In Christ, then we have before us all of life, all of creation. There is nothing that we cannot understand more deeply, more richly. There is no reason we cannot live life as we should, understand life deeper than we currently. To be connected to God through Jesus Christ is to be connected to ultimate source of creativity, of power, of life. Christians, then, should be the most alive people on earth. Should be most creative and imaginative people on earth. Should be most inspired people on earth.
Unfortunately, we often settle for less. We drawn to way world looks at life. Just like Israelites long ago. Here they had the truth, what ultimate Source of life is, but they kept rejecting it and settling for way other nations looked at world. Followed after idols, doing their practices. It’s like they just wanted to blend in with what everybody else is doing, rather than follow the truth and connect to the one true Source.
We who are God’s people today certainly can be guilty of same thing. Way live our lives makes us look like we don’t really believe that “in the beginning God created the heavens and earth.” We settle for following ways and practices of world. We take most of our cues on how to really live life from Oprah and Dr. Phil, from celebrities, from the movies, from scholars and academics who believe that life did not begin with God.
Now, am I saying there is nothing we can’t learn about the world and life from other sources. No, definitely not. What I am saying, though, is that anything good that we learn about life and the world from any source ultimately comes from One Source, the Source that created all of life, God.
And so, why do we spend majority of time trying to find diamonds in midst of mud of the world? Let’s spend majority of time going right to the treasure chest.
Start by digging deep into treasure chest of God’s Word and find out what means to have a rich, creative, vibrant life from the Creator of life. Let’s then turn to God through Jesus Christ, and let’s really seek to develop lives that are rich, creative, vibrant – lives that are different from all other lives you see in this world, b/c they are lives that have been transformed by divine Author and Sustainer of life. Lives grabbed hold of Christ and now in communion with the God of all creation.
Don’t you want that kind of life? Rich, meaningful, truly alive! Imagine how affect other people’s lives. Imagine how affect family life, church life, work life. It’s all there, for those who have given their lives over the Lord and Author of all life.
