God creates: It begins

Lots of beginning are always going on in the movie world

You have a successful movie so now lets go back and discover what happened before. Batman- Batman begins. Lord of the Rings – the Hobbit. Countless TV shows. The list is endless.

There are countless remakes – An opportunity to tell the story again since it was good the first time.

Usually there is little in the way of creativity as they go back. Mostly its an attempt to cash in on success.

Or rewrite something that was good to make it more relevant to the current people (usually just make a poor rendition of a good story)

All of these are attempts to return to the beginnings with little impact.

In our case it is much different. The richness of the current story of Christ and His work in us becomes even richer as we see our beginnings. Truly we are seeing a plan unfold that God has been orchestrating from the first.

For a few weeks this summer I would like for us to return to beginnings as well.

What a better place to do this than by studying our beginnings from the first chapters of Genesis.

Here we find out why/how things were made. What is our purpose. What happened. What was the result. Do we have any hope?

I trust we will find these reflections relevant and critical for our current world.

Read

(NKJV) Genesis 1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

Genesis 1:1-5 God Creates: It Begins

Reflections on our beginnings

I. God creates: It’s all about Him

A. He Created all that is Genesis 1:1

(ESV) Genesis 1 1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

1. Grammatically verse one is a title to the chapter and all that follows

2. In the beginning God is there already

3. God is the subject of the first sentence of the Bible.

a. No accident.

b. He is mentioned an a total of thirty-five times in chapter 1

c. This chapter / indeed the whole Bible is about Him.

d. Any other focus will be to misread it.

4. God is the supreme designer/maker/center point

a. Bara – the word

b. The emphasis of the word is not necessarily creating something out of nothing – does not always mean this

c. There is no question that God did create out of nothing / something

1) The point here is that God is making something new – creation as we know it

d. But the word in the Old Testament always describes the divine activity

1) of fashioning something new, fresh, and perfect. 2) it often stresses forming anew, reforming, renewing

B. The entire Godhead engaged Gen 1:1-2; Ps 104:30; Jn 1:1-3, 14; Col 1:15-17

God in all His fullness involved in creation. Not three faces of a single being. Not three separate beings. Three persons/one substance/One being. And all involved in our creation.

1. Father

(ESV) Genesis 1 1 In the beginning, God createdthe heavens and the earth.

a. Term itself is plural Elohim

1) Plural of Majesty 2) Allows for the fact that God is more / a trinity / three persons / yet one

b. But the emphasis here and elsewhere is the Father - The initiator

c. The Father the director designer planner of the events

2. Spirit

(ESV) Genesis 1 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.

a. The energizer / the source of life

b. Hovering like an eagle around its nest / protecting / concerned / involved

c. Not a distant God who creates matter and laws and then lets it develop itself

d. A God who cares and nurtures / who is intimately involved in every outcome / offering transformation and life to the formless and dead

e. Having initiated physical material, the work of energizing / transforming / creating life and habitat is now about to being

f. It is as if the Spirit is anticipating the next directive

3. Son

(ESV) John 1 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. … 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.

a. With the Father / one with the Father / the means by which creation occurred / Actually does the creating / The sculptor / The workman

(ESV) Colossians 1 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 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. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

b. Created everything and still holds them together

c. All created for His glory

d. The lines blur / the unity of the Trinity on display here / Jesus the face here of the Trinity / Absolutely one with the others

e. Maker and sustainer and absolute in power / worthy of worship / the one on whom we depend

C. His plans prior to the beginning Ps 90:2; Rev 13:8; Eph 1:4; Matt 25:34

Creation and the beginning of time is not a limitation for God. He was already at work by the time we reach Genesis 1.

1. He was God prior to creation

(ESV) Psalms 90 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

2. Redemption was established

(ESV) Revelation 13 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.

No surprise in the upcoming events. Already had understood and created a plan for man’s redemption. A display of the grace and glory of God. Creator planning to redeem the creation who had run amok

3. His people were chosen for holiness

(ESV) Ephesians 1 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

A plan for our true holiness

4. The kingdom for His people was prepared

(ESV) Matthew 25 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

A future guaranteed even before we arrived

II. God Creates: It’s about who He is

A. A master craftsman at work Genesis 1:1-3

(ESV) Genesis 1 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. … 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. …

1. A process of creation

a. Not a Gap theory – a destroyed ancient creation being remade

b. Read it as it is written – God is systematically forming creation from nothing, a wad of matter, bringing form, and finally crafting a masterpiece with ultimate fullness == a house builder who gathers the supplies and starts to work

2. God works from disorder to order / formless to fullness

a. Begins with material that has no form / like clay or a mass of paint / begins to shape it --- the first three days will give it form and then the last three days will give it fullness.

b. Day 1 light and darkness divided – Day 4 Sun/moon/stars

c. Day 2 waters separated /atmosphere – Day 5 fish fill the waters/birds the sky

d. Day 3 dry land /vegetation – Day 6 animals and man to fill the land

B. Displaying His character and person Gen 1:1-3, 4, 26; Rom 1:19-20

1. His sovereignty

(ESV) Genesis 1 1 In the beginning, God createdthe heavens and the earth. … 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

a. Speaks and it happens - authority

b. Total control

c. Absolute power

d. The supremacy of God over all

1) Words that are used of rival gods & their environments (deep / darkness / other) 2) Sea monsters battling and bringing forth the world – Near Eastern creation myths 3) Sun / moon / stars / animals – not deities but creations of God to serve men 4) All things God creates – no deities / no other powers to rival His / He is creator / His master / He is Lord 5) From formlessness God brings order / light / beauty 6) All things for God’s glory

2. Revealing His goodness

(ESV) Genesis 1 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.

1) Beautiful 2) Crafted 3) Intricate, complex, touches of the infinite (small and large)

3. His attributes

(ESV) Romans 1 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal powerand 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.

a. His power

b. His goodness

c. His majesty

d. His beauty

e. His complexity (universe / atom)

f. His holiness

g. Destructive power

h. Note: the problem in Romans 1 is that people are so amazed at God’s creation that they substitute it for God Himself. It is possible to move from amazement to worship. Be amazed at the God who is dimly reflected in His creation

i. Only one God – all other things worshiped are seen to be mere created things

1) God said – it happened / His authority

4. His image of God as reflected in man

(ESV) Genesis 1 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over …

a. Special insight about God by looking at limited man

C. Exhibiting His personal involvement Genesis 1:3-5

(ESV) Genesis 1 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he calledNight. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

1. The Spirit hovered / God made/formed/created (don’t hang up on the verbs or the how)

2. ‘And God said’, ‘And it was so’, ‘God saw that it was good’ or ‘God blessed’ ’God saw’ ‘God divided’ ‘God made/formed’

3. His relationship with his creation – personal and close rather than distant

4. Not a distant / principle driven process – a purposeful / involved process

III. God Creates: So how should I respond?

The creative work of God in us has ongoing ramifications for today. The same God lives. The same God is still involved. The same God is still at work.

Here are some examples for the prayers of the Godly that show how they responded as they applied God’ creative activity to their current situations.

A. Worship Revelation 4:11

1. In heaven the angels/elders

(ESV) Revelation 4 11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

B. Trust Him for deliverance 2 Kings 19:15-19

1. Hezekiah facing Assyria

(ESV) 2 Kings 19 15 And Hezekiah prayedbefore the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. … 19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.”

C. Serve/witnessboldly Acts 4:24-29

1. Disciples after being imprisoned/warned by the Jews

(ESV) Acts 4 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earthand the sea and everything in them, … 29 And now, Lord, lookupon their threats and grantto your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,