Creative God
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1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Prayer
Introduction
Beginnings matter. You cannot learn to do algebra until you learn how to add, subtract, multiply and divide. In the complete and full revelation of God in Christ, there are foundational truths that are laid out in the opening books of the Bible which help us to better know Christ and understand His work. Because of that, this morning, we will begin a new series that looks to the very beginning, the foundation of God’s revelation to us – the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch.
The Pentateuch, sometimes called the Torah or the Books of Moses, is Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. If you hear that and you’re thinking, “Bro. Geoff, that is a lot of books to make a series out of. Are we going to be in the Pentateuch for the next 50 years?” You’re correct, it is a lot of material to cover, but it will not take us 50 years. As we worked our way through Philippians, we did it verse by verse and took an up-close view of Paul’s letter, and doing that is very important and helpful. But at the same time, we also need a birds-eye view of Scripture to help us see the big picture themes and points – to help us understand the overall narrative.
So that is what we are doing with our Pentateuch series – hoping to get a big picture of the narrative of these foundational books of the Bible. So, why are they called the Pentateuch, Torah, and Books of Moses? I’m glad you asked! Pentateuch simply means 5 – penta- scrolls or books. Makes sense! Torah is a Hebrew word which simply means “law” or “instruction” and refers to those same five books. Finally, often the first five books of the Bible are called the Books of Moses because they were written primarily by Moses or under his leadership.
Now that I have introduced our new series, I want to take just a minute to introduce Genesis briefly. It is not every day that we get two introductions in one sermon, this is exciting! Genesis is a book of beginnings. The beginning of creation, man, sin, Israel – this is why these books are sooo foundational. The book of Genesis breaks down into two large sections. Chapters 1-11 deal with the earliest of human history – the accounts of creation, the flood, Babel are all in those first 11 chapters. Chapters 12 – 50 narrows the focus on Abraham and his family.
With all of that being said, now that our introductions are over, let’s turn to the text of Scripture.
Scripture
Our passage this morning is , but we will only read the first 2 verses together for the sake of brevity and so that you do not have to stand the entire time, but we will refer to other verses in . If you are able, please stand for the reading of God’s Word. We do this to show appreciation to God for His Word and in recognition that these are the most important words we could hope to hear today. says this:
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Thank you, you may be seated.
Thank you, you may be seated.
Sermon
The creation account of is one of the most discussed passages of the Bible. One of the reasons this passage creates so much discussion is not because of the passage itself, but because of the cultural baggage that we bring to the text. What I mean by that is that so often, when we approach this text, because of our culture and the time we live and our background, because of all that, when we come to this text, we tend to ask the wrong questions of the text. Moses is not primarily explain to Israel how everything was created, but instead Who did the creation.
Think for a moment about when Moses would have been writing Genesis – He would have been writing this, probably during the 40 years of wandering, maybe just before that started. Prior to the Exodus, the people of Israel had been enslaved in Egypt and would have been exposed to a very different understanding of the creation of everything. In the prevailing view of the time, each part of creation was a god. The sun was a god, the moon was a god, etc. etc. And the creating gods of Egypt and the surrounding cultures didn’t create out of nothing, matter was co-existent with the god.
So Genesis is written as a rejection of the surrounding ideas about the beginning. Those gods didn’t do it, God did. The sun isn’t a god, there is only one God and He created that sun which those other cultures worship. See, the question isn’t how, but who. Who is this God who has created everything? That’s going to be our focus for this sermon. What does Genesis tell us about our creative God?
The first thing we should notice is that God is powerful. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. That is to say, everything that exists (other than God Himself), God created it. The Latin phrase for this is ex nihilo – out of nothing. The God which we worship with infantile Israel is a God who was not co-existent with matter. Our God created that which was not. This is the testament of many New Testament passages as well. talking about the Eternal Son says,
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”
Now obviously, that is an important passage about Jesus, but it also tells us about creation itself – all things were created by God. All things. So if isn’t clear enough, is explicit. God created all that there is from nothing. The amount of power required to make all that is from nothing is unimaginable. It is difficult to talk about because it is so, very amazing. And to add to that, God does it merely by speaking. As easily as you and I speak, God exercises His awesome power in creation.
God’s power to create all that there is, out of nothing, is connected to another important truth about God. God is transcendent. When I say that God is transcendent, I mean that God is wholly and totally other. God is separate from His creation. Again, we can see how this is different from the surrounding cultures of the Israelites where each of their gods were actually part of the creation. The God of Israel is different. Different than everything because He totally other. There is another word we use regularly to express this idea – holy. Usually we think of holiness as moral purity, and that is a major aspect of holiness, but the reason God is holy is because he is entirely separated from sin – God is holy, separate, other, transcendent.
Another aspect of God’s transcendence is the fact that God is self-existent. All of creation is upheld by God, but is not God. God simply is. He doesn’t rely on anything to exist – he exists in Himself. That means that God doesn’t need anything because He is self-existent and self-sufficient. What on earth could we give God who created the earth!? This also wars against the ideas of the surrounding cultures who believed that the gods created humans to feed and provide for the gods. But the God of Scripture – the God of Genesis isn’t needy. He does the providing. He provides man with a garden, food, a spouse – and everything else mankind needs. We can see this clearly in which says,
29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
“And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.”
God is transcendent, and therefore does not need anything, but instead provides for his creation.
In the creation account of , we also learn that God is creative. Ultimately, we learn that by looking at creation itself and seeing all of the amazing diversity in the universe. Think for just a moment how creative and awesome of a mind it takes to create everything from galaxies to atoms, sunsets to snowflakes. Looking at creation, we cannot help but to recognize that the creator is creative. And tells us that it is God who created. is a hymn about how the created order tell us about God. It says,
1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.”
Creation declares the glory and creativity of God. also points to this. It is not simply that God created it all, we see God’s creative work in the creation account itself, as He orders His creation. Making light, then separating light from darkness; creating all the creatures on earth and designing them according to their own kind with their own uniqueness. God is creative.
God is also wise. Again, creation itself shows us that God is wise and a good designer. We can look at the complexity of the simplest creatures on earth – like single celled organisms and see that great amounts of wisdom went into designing something so complex.
Genesis tells us that God was wise in creation as well. Over and over again, as God spoke this into existence and that into existence He would step back and look at his handiwork – as it were – and see that it was good. Genesis declares that God is a wise creator who makes good things. God not only creates out of nothing, but also takes that formlessness and voidness and wisely shapes it by His words into something that is good and pleasing.
God is also personal. God is not some type of supernatural force that exists “out there” somewhere and cannot be known. Nor does Genesis present God as a god who wishes to be left alone because the people he created annoy him. Instead, we are presented with a God who is personal and knowable. Or we might say that God is relational. Look with me to
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Lots can be said about man being made in the image of God, and we know that it doesn’t mean that man physically looks like God, but one of the primary aspects of the image of God is that man is created with rational capacities such that we can properly exercise dominion over creation and so that we can rightly relate to God. Or to put that a little more clearly, God created us in His image so that we could know God and have a relationship with God. God is personal.
This should really amaze us, because earlier we saw that God is transcendent and totally other, and now we also see that God is personal and immanent. I’m not sure if I can do that concept justice. God is entirely other and separate and holy, yet at the same time, He is knowable and personal and relational. The God of Genesis isn’t far off and unreachable. The God of Genesis speaks and interacts with His creation and more specifically with His people.
The pinnacle of God’s personalness is, of course, Jesus Christ. Our Scripture reading this morning was want to look at those verses again along with .
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”)
16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)
25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know,
27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’
31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.
33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples,
36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”
39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).
42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”
48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.
3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”
4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it.
9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom
10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”
11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.
15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.
16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”
17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”
21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.
24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people
25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”)
16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)
25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know,
27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’
31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.
33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples,
36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”
39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).
42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”
48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.
3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”
4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it.
9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom
10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”
11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.
15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.
16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”
17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”
21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.
24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people
25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
I know we didn’t talk about the Fall in , but because sin entered the world, our ability to relate to God was broken. God was and is still personal, but because He is holy and separate from sin, there was by necessity a break in the relationship. Our ability to commune with God was shattered when we sinned and were cast from God’s presence. God was still personal, but we no longer had access. God certainly didn’t need our relationship. He’s transcendent, He doesn’t need anything. That is why is so amazing – shocking even! The transcendent Creator, the eternal Word, God Himself who created all that is took on flesh and dwelt among us. We could no longer approach God – not fully or correctly, but God in Christ Jesus came to restore the broken relationship.
God is now re-creating all things. A New Heaven and a New Earth populated by a new people. A people who were deserving of wrath because we rebelled against our Creator, but a people who have been redeemed and made new because we have trusted in the Word made flesh. Christ properly exercised dominion and obeyed and served God. And he suffered and was punished and crushed and killed in the place of his people to restore the broken relationship.
So yeah, when we talk about God being personal, that means something. It means that if you are in Christ, you are a new creation. It means that the Holy Spirit indwells you. It means that you have unrestricted access to God through the completed work of Christ.
Conclusion
In a moment, we are going to transition into a time of worship through response. We believe that any time a person hears the Word of God, they always respond to it. We either respond in worship or rebellion. I hope that you will respond to God in worship. During that time of worship through response, I will be on the front row worshipping with you, so if you would like to talk to someone or pray with someone, I would be delighted to do that, just com up and talk to me. The front is also always opened for prayer as well. There are just a few closing thoughts I want you to hear.
If you are here this morning, and you realize that you have no personal relationship with God, or maybe you feel like your relationship with God consists of nothing but God’s displeasure, I want you to know that it doesn’t have to be that way. Because of what Christ has done, you can be reconciled to God. If you will repent, turn away from your sin and trust in Christ alone for salvation, you will be saved. You will be made new. The creating God will re-create you more into His image. Do not hesitate any longer.
If you are already a new creation in Christ Jesus, I hope and pray that you leave this morning with a renewed sense of awe and wonder. I hope that you have a fresh view of how amazing and powerful and truly awesome God is. If you can read the creation account and not be struck by the glory of God in creation, then there is something deeply wrong with you. IF you can consider the mighty power of God, the complete transcendence and otherness of God and not be moved to worship, there is something deeply wrong. If you aren’t amazed at the goodness of God to restore our broken relationship through Christ, there is something deeply wrong. calls us to worship our creative God.
Let’s pray and respond in worship.