Genesis #1: The Beginning - God

Genesis #1: The Beginning - God There was only one place for me to record this weeks' message. Out here where I love... in the woods. We are starting a new study series today. If you don't know, there is a reason I tend to teach through a book of the bible from beginning to end. Mainly I do this is to protect you all from me. I've known me for quite a while now and one thing I know about me is that once I get on something, I struggle letting it go. So preaching through a book like this keeps me from preaching the same subjects, the same topics, against the same sins, the same mistakes, again and again. It keeps me off my soapbox. It forces me to deal with what God has revealed in Scripture. Paul wrote in 2 Tim 3:16-17 that All Scripture is God-breathed ... that it's all useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness... that all of it is given so that the servant of God... that's you and me as Jesus followers... that we may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. So all Scripture is useful, let's look at the whole thing. And I've heard again and again from people that they wish they understood the connection between the OT and the NT. We read in the NT that Jesus fulfilled the Law, the OT; but if we don't understand the OT, we miss out on really understanding what Jesus was doing in the NT. I heard a long time ago, that the OT is the new testament concealed and the NT is the old testament reveled. Meaning the NT clearly displays what the OT hinted at or pointed towards. We are going to spend some time pealing back the curtain starting today as we look to discover Christ and the gospel in the OT. So, as I'm preaching through the text on Sunday, I'm going to encourage you to study the same text during the week. I'll provide you some resources to study on your own or in your small group. This study of God's word is important because investing ourselves in God's word is the best way to develop the character of God in our life. In fact one thing we are going to do starting this week is open up a digital bible study for you on Monday Night at the charge office. Ed Lynerd and I are going to open our bibles and discuss this week's message as well as questions we have from the text that we don't talk about on Sunday. The log in or call in directions are in the announcements in today's announcements, they'll also be one our website and our Facebook page. You can join us in person or virtually online. I want you all to take part either in join us on Monday or studying on your own not because our study will be exceptional... but because whenever we approach God's Word with a "Lord Teach Me" attitude, he does. He changes us. I am in one of my favorite places today. In the woods. I always feel a sense of God's presence when I am out here. I can't really explain it, but normally it is quiet and in the stillness, I am drawn to notice things that normally I would never see. The work of spiders between trees, designing webs as intricate as any blueprint I've seen yet so temporary. The work of the squirrel gathering food, making me think he knows something I don't. The way the stream carves away at the sandy soil, leaving behind rocks and arrow heads. The the chatter of the birds in the trees, unable to keep a secret. It's all pretty amazing... if we would just pay attention. Today we start a series of messages titled, "THE BEGINNING". Where it all began... well almost all of it began anyway. -- Genesis 1:1 NIV In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. I'd like you to write that verse down, memorize it. In the beginning, God... God created. A basic question is who created God, but God wasn't created, God existed eternally. The uncaused cause of all that followed. Everything came into existence at his hand, by his word, because he willed it. This is crucial because it frames everything for the rest of the bible. This is the account of God and his people. Let's get back to the text. I ask you to just listen, maybe close your eyes and hear it as if it were the first time. -- Genesis 1:1-2:3 NIV In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning-the first day. And God said, "Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning-the second day. And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning-the third day. And God said, "Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights-the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning-the fourth day. And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." And there was evening, and there was morning-the fifth day. And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground-everything that has the breath of life in it-I give every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning-the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. -- That's a lot I know... Let's go back and consider what I think are some of the important points for us to consider. But first, let's pray. Lord, teach us. Teach us that we might know you and love you, that our lives would honor and glorify you in all we do in response to your most generous gift of life. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And in this work we see some things about God. First, we see his power. GOD'S POWER Clearly this is the most obvious quality we see when we look at creation. In the beginning, God created... he spoke it into existence. He didn't construct it, there was nothing to build with... there was nothing and God spoke everything into existence. The sun, the stars, animals, hair, skin, leaves, everything that is... Out of Nothing... God's word is powerful, unmatched. Psalm 33:6 NIV By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. Psalm 33:9 NIV For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. Not only does creation reveal God's power in that it came to be. But his power is revealed in holding it in place, allowing it to continue. Scripture refers to God holding creation in the palm of his hand, God's ability to provide all the systems and forces to keep things going... even though we see them as breaking down, but think about it, rivers keep running. The sun continues to rise, the tides, the seasons... all these things don't happen on their own, like a perpetual cycle... instead they are continuously being equipped by God's power. As Jesus explained God's provision for creation in Matthew 6, saying that not one sparrow falls outside of the Father's knowledge. His power is evident in creation... but we also see: GOD'S WISDOM How things fit and help one another. the roots of these trees hold one another up. Other than the mosquito maybe... everything has a purpose... There was a man in the bible named Job who was going through extremely hard times. He had lost his family, his possessions, and now he was sick with a painful skin disease... Naturally he raised his voice to God... Why God! Why! Look what God said in reply: Job 38:3-7 NIV Ok, you've questioned me... now it's my turn. God said: Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone- while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? We have no understanding of how God has done all he has done. All we see is that it is incredibly intricate, requiring immense - dare I say supernatural - wisdom. God's power, God's wisdom, third we see: GOD'S MAJESTY Majesty isn't an idea we think of very often. But thinking about creation, there really isn't a better word to describe it other than majestic. I remember several years ago now I came across a video from a sermon by Francis Chan. He had photos from space. I was going to update it, so the pictures were clearer, but it's still powerful. Watch this: VIDEO That is majestic! Hear how David the Psalmist described this quality seen in creation. Psalm 111:2-3 NIV Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. But not only is his majesty seen in the grandeur of creation, but in his generosity. Generosity to extend His blessing to everyone and everything. Just as Jesus pointed out God's grace extends to all as the rain falls on the just and the unjust. This love of God is simply amazing. In the beginning God displayed his power, his wisdom, his majesty... for all the world to see. There was a time ... not that long ago, when people didn't' question God behind creation. People looked at all that is around us and accepted that a designer had been at work. That's exactly why Paul wrote in Romans chapter 1 Romans 1:19-20 ESV For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. But today everyone questions, we even question the things we see right in front of us. It's true that things aren't as they appear, but if we are suspicious of everything, what does that do to you heart? It makes us pretty skeptical. I can understand the skeptics I suppose when we stop to think about where we are. Think about it we are standing on a ball with a surface of 200 mil sq miles - most of it water - spinning at about 1000 mph. While we spin, we travel through space heated by a giant ball of fire - that doesn't burn out - 94 mil miles away as we zoom through space at over 60,000 mph. That alone is simply too much to believe it could be created, it's easier to believe it all came about by accident. Since we can't imagine how it was done, it's easier to believe it happened by a random big bang... that chance is more believable than a sovereign, powerful God... a God who creates; a God who promises to love me and never leave me nor forsake me... even in my most difficult days. We all know the story of creation... at least we are familiar with it. The question isn't about our awareness. The question is about our believing it... and to what degree does our believing shape our behavior? Is all this, are you an accident, or is there a purpose? Does your life have a purpose or is it all just a flip of a coin. How you answer that question has huge ramifications for your life. The Bible is clear that God had a purpose in creating... to reveal himself. Psalm 19 says it this way: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. Creation was given to reveal, to glorify God. The squirrel, the spider, the birds, the stream... all of it declare the glory of God. All of creation was created to declare the reality, the majesty, the wisdom, the power of God. Now do you remember what God created on the 6th day? Yes all the animals, but also man and woman... in the image of God with authority over creation but also as a part of creation. We aren't God's, we are part of his creation. Sure God created us to rule over all this, but the purpose of every part of creation is to reveal God... Just like the heavens proclaim his glory; so do we. While the skies proclaim the work of his hands; so do we. You and I are part of God's declaration. I'm a created being - you are a part of God's creation - not an accident - and our purpose is to reveal God as well. The problem is, we often get so wrapped up in life. We start thinking this life is about us. We forget that we are a part of HIS creation. That our life is for HIM. It's part of being human. We are going to talk more about humanity next week when we look at chapter 2, but let me close today by telling you that your tendency to get wrapped up in life and forget... or ignore... your life is part of God's design; that your purpose is found in God not in YOU... this tendency is completely human. It's called sin. And sin separates us from God's purpose, and it separates us from the life we were created to live. But God had a plan for this. Jesus, his son, who was there in the beginning came to earth. Fully God, he lived as a man, facing all the same temptations, all the same distractions, yet never sinned. Yet he was killed by the people of God, he died so that we could be forgiven, our lives be set aright; we would be restored into God's purpose and then God's us His Spirit to enable us to live this life as his created child with him and for HIM. If your desire is to live the life you were created to live, if living for yourself has proven to be pointless and you wish to live for your creator, then step one is to turn toward God. The word is repentance. The best step you can take is a step toward God, and the first step is glorious. So as we pray today, and you step toward God and his design for your life, I ask you to share in the chat just type in there GLORY... because that's what you are stepping into, Your life will reveal God's glory. Pray with me. Father God, forgive me for living for myself as though I were the point of my life. Thank you for creating me and giving my life true and everlasting purpose as part of your creation. Thank you for forgiving me of my sin as I trust in your son Jesus who lived and died as your sacrifice for me. But rose again to conquer death. Fill me with your spirit that I might live out your will for my life. Thank you Lord. Amen! That's amazing! God is sooo Good! All of creation declares his presence! Remember... in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth Amen Now if you would, join me in our benediction today. Life is much more than an accident. Where ever you go, believe God needs you there. Where ever you are, trust God has put you there. He has a purpose for you being there; Christ, alive in you, wants to do something through you, no matter where you are Believe this and go in His grace and His love and His power. Amen.