Foundations #1: The God of Creation

Foundations #1

Genesis is the book of beginnings. The Hebrew title is bĕrēʾšît meaning “In the Beginning”

Moses is traditionally thought to be the author and older English translations inscribed at the beginning of the Pentateuch, 'he Five Books of Moses’

The book is affirmed by Jesus Himself as being historically accurate in all that it affirms. (Matthew 19:4; Mark 10:6)

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Creation/Creator

John Haldone, a scientist, once suggested to Monsignor Knox that in a universe containing millions of planets it was inevitable that life would appear by chance on one of them. “Sir,” said Knox, “if Scotland Yard found a body in your Saratoga trunk, would you tell them, ‘There are millions of trunks in the world—surely one of them must contain a body’? I think they still would want to know who put it there.”

I. God created the Heavens and the Earth. (v. 1)

A. God is identified

The Hebrew word is “Elohim”

appears 35x and over 2600x in the Hebrew Bible

rulers judges, angels heavenly beings, Yahweh

B. He Created “bara”

shape, fashion, make something new

always used with God as the subject

used 7x in our passage

C. Heavens and the Earth

Hebraic way of saying “universe”

Heaven encompasses several things in the following verses (see v. 6-8 and 14-18)

Earth is the planet and then the dry land separated from the seas (v. 10)

II. Day 1 (vs. 2-5)

A. The condition of the earth

B. The Spirit of God hovering

C. The Creation of Light

D. Separation of Light from Darkness is Day and Night

III. Day 2 (vs. 6-8)

A. Creation of the Expanse

B. Expanse is called Heaven

IV. Day 3 (vs. 9-13)

A. Gathering of the waters into Seas

B. Dry land appears

C. Everything is good (v. 10)

D. God spoke, creating vegetation, plants, and fruit. (v. 11)

E. Everything was good (v. 12)

V. Day 4 (vs. 14-19)

A. God spoke, creating more permanent lights in the expanse

B. God created two great lights

C. God created the stars

(The Hubble Ultra-Deep Field image shows some of the most remote galaxies visible with present technology, each consisting of billions of stars.)

D. God appoints the lights to rule the day and night and to separate light from darkness

E. Everything is good. (v. 18)

VI. Day 5 (vs. 20-23)

A. God spoke, creating swarms of living creatures in the waters and birds flying across the expanse of the heavens

God created great sea creatures.

God created all sea dwelling animals and birds.

B. God blessed the creatures He created to multiply.

C. Everything is good.

VII. Day 6 (vs. 24-31, 2:1)

A. God spoke, creating all the land animals according to their kind.

God made livestock

God made creeping things

God created wild beasts

B. God created mankind

Man was created differently–in the image of God

Man was made to have dominion over the fish, birds, livestock, the whole earth, and every creeping thing on the earth

Mankind was created as both Male and Female (v. 27)

God blessed the mankind He created to:

be fruitful and multiply

fill the earth

subdue the earth

have dominion over the earth

eat the plants and food God provided

God provided green plants for food for the animals as well

C. Everything was good

VIII. Day 7 (2:2-3)

A. The heavens and the earth were finished

B. The entire host of them were finished

including all angelic creatures (Job 38:4–7; Psalm 148:2-5)

C. God finished his work and rested

D. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy

IX. The first ‘Toledot'(2:4a)

A. The phrase “these are the generations” or “this is the account of”

B. These phrases are headings for narrative segments in the book and links from the previous section to the next section of new information.

C. There are seven of these through Genesis 1–11

X. Foundational Importance

To show that God is the Creator of everything!

He is the owner of the universe and everything in it

Creation showcases His mighty power and infinite intelligence.

All worship is owed to God and God alone!

To show God’s pattern for work from His own work.

God put together the whole universe and his work is a pattern for the goodness of work and of being in God’s service (Genesis 2:15)

God’s cessation of the work of Creation is a lesson to us that we must work until it is time to rest from our labors. (Exodus 20:8-11)

To connect all the families of the earth to the first two people created by God.

The uniqueness of mankind vs other created kinds is taught here.

An important doctrine, the created order of the sexes, is here (Genesis 1:26-27)

To a people, the Nation of Israel, entering the promised land, Genesis 1 is foundational to monotheism and guards against polytheism.

This passage reveals the true history of the cosmos, revealing events that are by definition outside the scope of operational science as they are by definition pre-historic.

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Creation/Creator

“Is it hard to paint a picture?” a woman asked Salvador Dali.

“No,” replied the artist. “It’s either easy or impossible.”

The same answer holds for the creation of the universe. For God, it was “easy.” For any other person, it is “impossible.”