Finding Christ in Creation

Alright church! Let’s dive in today! Kids, y’all with me? If I was going to read you a story, where should I start? Somewhere in the middle? How about right at the very end? Of course not! I would start “In the beginning” right?

Over the next five weeks, we are going to be looking at the whole Old Testament! That can seem kind of crazy, but we can do this together! We are going to see how these 5 major moments in the Old Testament should shape the way we think about the rest of the Bible because even though they happen before Jesus was born as a baby in Bethlehem, each of these moments are actually about HIM!

This will be fun, I promise you!

So, if we are going to start on this journey, we should start IN THE BEGINNING!

Open or click in your Bibles to Genesis 1.

The first two chapters of Genesis give us a really cool look at the creation of the universe. There is no doubt after reading them that God is the creator of all things. And not just that, but that everything he created was GOOD.

That’s point number 1...

1. God created everything good

Look with me at the first verse...

Genesis 1:1 CSB

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

This is the long way off view of creation. Moses, who probably wrote Genesis, is telling us simply that God created EVERYTHING! (Heavens and the earth) That was everything.

From verse 2 on, however, Moses retells that creation story with more detail. He gives us some binoculars to look a little closer at what’s going on.

The rest of Genesis one describes creation as occuring over 6 days with an extra to make it 7. As Moses recounts each day, we see God bringing more and more things into existence. And at the end of each day, the Bible tells us that “God saw all that he had made and said, “It is good.”

So, not only did God create EVERYTHING! He also created everything GOOD! Everything God made was GOOD.

God has made a lot of stuff right kids? Anybody know what day God created birds? What about the moon? It can be really hard to remember what God created each day, right? THAT’S A LOT OF STUFF!

So I want to help you with that before we go any further. I want to show you a way to memorize God’s creation each day. Kids, I’m gonna need your help with this one. (but adults, y’all better be participating too!)

Day 1 - God said “Let there be LIGHT.”

Day 2 - God separated the WATERS ABOVE FROM THE WATERS BELOW.

Day 3 - God brought up LAND, TREES, AND FLOWERS.

REVIEW (wait to show the slides until I review…)

Day 4 - God created the SUN, MOON, and STARS

Day 5 - God created the BIRDS OF THE SKY AND FISH OF THE SEA.

Day 6 - God created the ANIMALS ON THE LAND AND MAN.

Day 7 - God RESTED.

REVIEW all (wait to show the slides until I review…)

See, now you can know for the rest of your life, what God created on each day of creation!

But the big thing we need to remember here is that GOD CREATED EVERYTHING GOOD. Every part of creation was just as God wanted. It was perfect.

As Genesis 2 begins, the camera zooms in even more and we see a different look at creation. This cosmic God who was speaking things into existence is now playing in the dirt to create. In chapter 2, God is portrayed there as a very intimate and personal being. We even see a name shift...

In Genesis 1, the name used for God is the word Elohim. It is a more common word for spiritual being. It gets used to speak of other spiritual beings and to even speak of false gods at times. It is almost always translated in English as God. But in Genesis 2, we see a new English word introduced: Lord in all caps. which corresponds to a new Hebrew word: Yahweh. The way Genesis 2 speaks of God creating is much more personal. We see that God is not just an all powerful being who can speak things into existence. We see that he is also very intimately involved in his creation. He is actually forming creatures from dust.

One creature that he has a most intimate relationship with is a species called “ADAM” in hebrew. We call them MAN.

God creates two of them: a male and a female. We refer to these folks as Adam and Eve, right?

When God created them, he placed them in a garden to provide for them and spend time with them. He gave them a lot of freedom. God told them they could eat food from any tree in the garden except for one. It was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:16–17 CSB

And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”

This tree represented a big idea! God had created Adam and Eve to be with him and listen to him. God was supposed to tell them what was right and what was wrong. God should have defined their morality. Eating from this tree would put that pressure on them! And God told them that the weight of that responsibility would kill them!

Surely they won’t eat from it, right?

In the beginning of chapter 3, a new character appears… A slithering serpent...

He slithers right over to Eve and begins to put doubt in her mind about God’s provision.

“Maybe God is really holding out on something. Maybe he doesn’t want what’s best for us! Maybe this will be better for us than what God has given us!”

And the serpent convinces Eve to take the fruit from the tree and eat. Then she gives to Adam as well and he eats too. The consequences of this action are huge!

I love how the Jesus Storybook Bible retells this part...

It may not seem like a big deal to take a bite of a piece of fruit, but this was a big deal! God had told them not to do something, and they had done it anyways. This is what we come to find known in the Bible as SIN.

What we see happen next is that this sin affects the way Adam and Eve view themselves. They are now insecure. Sin affects their relationship with each other! In just a short period of time, they will start throwing accusations and guilt at each other.

But the Bible says that the biggest consequence of their sin was that it affected their relationship with God.

2. Man is separated from God’s presence by sin.

Adam and eve have chosen their way, the serpent’s way over God’s way and it has affected them deeply. They listened to a created being over the creator!

The rest of Genesis 3 is God talking with Adam and Eve and the serpent about sin. He speaks pretty harshly to all three of them. But the hardest part for Adam and Eve to hear comes at the very end in verses 23 and 24 when God kicks them out of this beautiful, fruit filled garden. Now they will have to work harder to find food provide for themselves. AND the worst part… they won’t experience the same intimate relationship with God that they had before they sinned.

You see, sin breaks everything. God had created this perfect world. He said it was good over and over again. And after day 6 of creation he said it was VERY GOOD! But when Adam and Eve sinned, it affected all of creation. Death, destruction, disease… Creation now experiences these things because of the fall of man into sin.

After this story in Genesis 3, the following 8 chapters tell of how corrupt and evil the world becomes. It’s not a pretty picture! And that extends to us today!

You and I are recipients of the consequences of this problem and yet we contribute to it as well! We are born with a heart that is bent towards sinning instead of obeying God. And we all follow that heart and sin. Over and over.

Just like sin separated Adam and Eve from God’s presence so we are separated from God through sin.

That’s a pretty sad story isn’t it?

And what a terrible way for a story to end in Genesis 3!

But God didn’t just scold them and kick them out of the garden. He says something very strange in chapter 3 to the serpent.

Let’s read it...

Genesis 3:15 CSB

I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.

What we see here is point number 3

3. Hope is given as God speaks of a snake crusher.

God talks about a descendant of Eve that will be a snake crusher. Someone to silence the snake once and for all! He will get bitten and taste death, but he will injure the snake as well!

As the biblical story goes on through the Old Testament, you read about some pretty awesome people who seem to have what it takes to be snake crushers, but they always do something that proves they are influenced by Satan too.

The Old Testament closes and still… NO snake crusher.

But then, in a town called Bethlehem, the one was finally born. Jesus! He is the one who lived a perfect life (totally unaffected by the temptations of the serpent.) Because of that, he didn’t deserve death and destruction, but the Bible says he gave up his life FOR US! He took our sin on himself. And he died. He was buried, taking our sin with him into the tomb. And he was raised to new life not even three full days later!

He defeated sin and he defeated death! He is the snake crusher!

That’s why the author of Hebrews can say

Hebrews 2:14 CSB

Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the devil—

And John can say

1 John 3:8 CSB

The one who commits sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s works.

You see, Christ defeated sin and death and the serpent!

And not just for himself. He defeated those things for us too! The Bible says that if you will turn from your sin, recognizing that sin is the best you can do on your own, and turn to God believing Jesus died for your sins and was raised to life for you, asking him to save you, he will!

If you have never believed on Jesus’ name for salvation, you can today! Call on the Lord just as I explained to you there! You can do that right now before we begin singing...

Today, if you would like to begin that journey as a believer today, let us know. You don’t need us to help you call on the Lord, but you do need us as a church to help you grow and take Next Steps!

We are going to sing one last song. During this song, I’m going to be down front here. If you would like to come talk with me about a decision to follow Jesus today or a decision to join the church, be baptized, or join a small group, come let me know. If you don’t feel comfortable coming forward, we are also going to have two counselors at the back door of our sanctuary. If you would rather go talk to them, you can find them there. But don’t leave here without following up on what God is doing in your heart.