The Uniqueness of God

Genesis 1:1–25 NASB95

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God 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, one day. Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a third day. Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

INTRO: You don’t have to be the most astute observer to notice that the world around us is broken… on some levels, insane. In my conversations with Christians, there is much grief and discontent with the world around us. We complain to one another about the absurd sinfulness that is so prevalent.

We shake our heads over the hatred that is spewed between people. We grieve over the violence- murder, abortion, racism, abuse. We scratch our heads over the sexual revolution taking place- the dysphoria and confusion that people are not only experiencing, but that they are celebrating.

So many of us have lamented how the truth is being ignored or suppressed. I’ve listened to some of you express frustration because this sinfulness is explicitly contradicting the Word of God. I’ve seen some stand on the street corners and, I believe with good intentions, try to warn the people of the consequences of embracing sin.

We know that Jesus came to rescue mankind from the bonds of sin and to endure the penalty for these sins that we deserve. But, the world does not seem to be listening. We point people to John 3:16 and declare it with passion and conviction, yet our words seem to fall of deaf ears.

One major problem that we have is that the world around us does not believe that they are in need of saving. They have embraced their sin and have asserted themselves as the ultimate authority in their lives. In short, many people do not know God nor do they acknowledge Him as Lord.

This is nothing new. We see this throughout history. In Noah’s day, this was so bad that God flooded the earth and wiped out almost all of mankind. In the days of the Judges, people did what was right in their own eyes. So, what we see today is what we should expect from a people who have not come to know our God.

Yet, as Christians approach the culture around us, I believe we need to do more than preach forgiveness or condemnation. We need to introduce them to God.

This morning, we are going back to the beginning in order for us to see how God is introduced in Scripture. The book of Genesis was given to Moses by God for him to record. The point of this narrative is to reveal the nature and character of God. God is the main character, not man. And this is clear especially in this first chapter where we see God as the only acting agent.

My goal is that we are introduced to God in such a way that we can then introduce others to Him. What makes God so unique? Why should people care? What does knowing God have to do with how he/she lives?

So, if you picked up a sermon guide, let’s learn together: The Uniqueness of God.

God is Infinite and Eternal (1)

“In the beginning God...”

We often struggle to wrap our minds around this: There has never been a time when God was not. He has always been. He is uncreated.

I remember talking to a younger child who had prayed to receive Christ. I asked her if she had any questions and she asked, “If God made the earth and everything in it, who made God?” I think we all ask this question at some point...

We look around and cannot find anything that was uncreated. But that’s what makes God so unique. He does not have a beginning nor will He have an end. He simply “is”.

The implications here are many, but we’ll just explore a few.

Because God is Infinite and eternal, there can never be anything greater.

Think about it.

God has no need of anything in order to thrive.

Nothing can threaten His existence.

Nothing can claim authority over Him nor can anything escape His dominion.

We cannot even imagine anyone or anything greater than God. Remember, and we’ll get into this later in our study, but all the other “gods” people worship are made in the image of man or beast, but the God of the Bible is the ultimate, infinite God who has no creator. There is none who can compare, nor will anything ever hold a candle to His greatness.

2. Because God is Infinite and eternal, there can never be anything more glorious.

This is to say that God is worthy to be exalted above all.

It is mind-boggling to consider that there has never been a time, nor will there ever be where God is less than perfect.

He is the standard of ‘good’ and holy.

He is above scrutiny because he has no equal. Sure, men speak against Him, but they have no right or authority to.

When Job was in the midst of his suffering; when he began to question God, the questions were asked of Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the world?” Can you measure the universe?

Discuss: How does reflecting upon God’s infinite and eternal nature effect your belief? When sharing with an unbeliever, how might you frame this aspect of God?

When we consider this God whom we worship, whom we preach about, we must not ever minimize that He alone is worthy. There will never be a movement, an ideology, or religion that can compare. God is unique in that He is infinite and eternal.

As we move into the creation account, we see that

God is Mighty and All-Powerful

Even before looking into the particulars, verse 1 lets us know the spectacular power that is demonstrated in creation.

There was nothing- literally nothing. And it is in the nothingness that God created the heavens and the earth.

I need you to understand this- God did not gather a bunch of materials together and make the heavens and earth. He didn’t go to Lowe’s and get building supplies. He didn’t gather together a DIY kit. There was no primordial soup as evolutionist theorists claim.

It was a bunch of nothingness- no atoms, no cells, no single-cell organisms. God simply, because of His abundant power, spoke it into existence. Look down through this chapter- “God said… and it was so” (3, 9,11,14-15, 24)

Have you considered the kind of power this takes?

God formed the heavens and earth, and He filled them with life and vegetation with the sound of His voice.

Now, I don’t want to brag or anything, but I have actually created something out of nothing by speaking… it’s called putting your foot in your mouth and creating an awkward environment!!

But seriously, this God is who we preach about each week here at LRBC.

Let’s consider a couple implications of this:

Because God is Mighty and All-Powerful, there is nothing too difficult for God.

God isn’t overwhelmed by the magnitude of your problems.

This power was exemplified by Jesus as he healed that which was incurable, as he calmed the waves He created, and as he conquered the death that plagues this sinful world.

Can you imagine if we were around when God decided to create all this? I can see it… we’d be like, God, you can’t do that- that’s impossible. Let me ask you, if you believe that God is mighty enough to speak into existence all of creation, why do we tend to doubt His power in the Gospel? Why doubt his power to meet our needs? Why doubt His power to answer prayers?

Because God is Mighty and All-Powerful, none can stand against Him.

I find it almost silly that men think they can stand up and fight God…

I’ve watched some strong-men competitions and some UFC fights, and other things where the strongest, toughest men and women on the planet compete and show off their might… but, folks, there are rocks too heavy, there are limitations to the strength of every person.... but God has no limit to His strength.

Satan went down this path, thinking that he somehow deserved the praise that God was getting. Here’s the thing, it does not matter how much one thinks he is worthy, only God truly is. And listen, some people picture God and Satan in this constant arm-wrestling thing where it’s a constant strain on both he and God. This is not even close! God has no rival- The book of Revelation describes that by God’s word- just as He created the heavens and earth with his word, God will strike down Satan with His word. If you can slay your enemy with a word, there really isn’t much competition there, am I right?

Discuss: Why is God’s might and power significant? How is God unique from other so-called gods?

When we share about our God, we can share with confidence. There is none like our God. God is unique because He alone is Infinite and Eternal, and He alone is Mighty and All-powerful.

Finally, as we look at this creation account, we see that

God is Ordered and Ever-Wise

When we look at the creation account, we see that God was not just randomly throwing things together, but rather He designed creation.

First, we can see in the first 3 days of creation, God designed the earth, seas, skies, and heavens. He gave boundaries for the land and sea- He separated light and dark and gave us time. Look here, God intended us to be able to be ordered. He made the night and day, and put stars in the skies for (v. 14) signs and seasons, days and years.

It’s no accident that we have summer and winter. It’s no accident that we can rely on the length of a day- that we can rely on the natural laws that God has instituted. God is intentional and ordered.

Can you imagine if we could not count on daylight? Or if we could not count on gravity? Can you imagine what it would be like if the atmosphere was unstable? God designed it so that life could flourish.

The great thing about this is that the more we learn through scientific research, the more amazing it is! God thought of everything!

This demonstrates His wisdom. His creation was made so that the plants would reproduce after their kind… they have seeds, fruits with seeds, etc. Then, God made it so that animals would reproduce after their kind. And it’s amazing that they do just that! Each animal kind playing a different role in maintaining the environment that God created.

God created everything with an intended purpose, which ultimately reflects His craftsmanship and points to His worthiness to be worshiped. “It was good...” Paul makes note of this declaration of God’s goodness in

Romans 1:19–20 NASB95

because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

What this means is that you and I are part of God’s intentional design… this is not a happy accident, but rather a work of God which reflects His uniqueness and worthiness.

ILL- I saw a person talking about the world as an accident- random, big bang, etc… and someone handed them a children’s book. They begin to ask about the words, pictures, binding, etc. and asked, Do you think that this book was just a random accident? No, it had a designer, and author. So too this world testifies of our God, the Great Author of Creation.

Discuss: How does what you’ve observed in creation testify to God’s wisdom and intentional design? How does God’s uniqueness effect your understanding of the Gospel?

So what? What are we to do with this? Well, certainly you can take this account and refute the theory of evolution. There is room and a place for that.

But, the intention here is not that. You see, this text assumes both the existence of God and that He is responsible for creation. Rather, the intention is to let the reader see the goodness of God- that He is infinite, mighty, and wise. There is nothing that can compare to our God and we worship Him because He is worthy.

This sets the stage for all that follows.

IF we believe this about God, then we have no reasonable ground to refuse His commands.

IF we believe this, then our desire to worship will be authentic- not just obligatory

serve willingly

If we believe this, then we must live as His people under His authority in order to reflect His glory.

I wonder how you would answer if asked, as the apostles were by Jesus, “Who do you say that I am?”