In The Beginning God Series

In The Beginning GOD!!!

The Story – Chapter One

Video: from CCVonline

Maple Grove…welcome to chapter one of The Story!

AND – let me tell you, you could not have picked a better time to be in this room, to be @ His church that meets at 3210 Proffit Rd.

BECAUSE - today is chapter one of a 31 week journey into God’s Word.

YEAH – for 31 weeks… from now until the beginning of September we will be reading this book that tells the greatest, most compelling story of all

Time.

AND LISTEN - Tim, Laurie - if we really lean into This Story during the next 31 weeks we will have a comprehensive (big picture) understanding of the Bible like never before. AND UNDERSTANDING – that will serve us well in life and in this journey to become who we were created to be.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

– 2 Timothy 3:16,17

LIKE I SAID - we are only at the beginning of this journey… (chapter 1)

BUT – I don’t think I need to tell you that something pretty awesome has already begun in this place…

WOW!

Was last Sunday awesome and off the charts or what?

YEAH – God’s presence and power was all over this place last week…as we introduced The Story and talked about we are going these next 31 weeks… You could feel it.

HEY – if you missed this message you really need to check it out online... UNDERSTAND - you do not want to miss any of this incredible journey into God's Word…

How to get the most out of The Story?

1) Get a copy and read the chapter each week

2) Talk about The Story with your family

3) Join a life group

4) Share The Story with someone who needs Jesus

NOW – we are going to be covering a ton of ground every week in this journey… This week we are covering 9 chapters.

BTW – raise your hands, if you read chapter one this week…

AWESOME – this week you will need to read chapter two.

MG – are you ready? OKAY, let’s do this. Turn in your Bible to page one. I’ve always wanted to say that.

NOW - you know, the greatest literary works always captivate and grab you right from the get-go; and the Bible is no exception… I MEAN – right out of the gates This Story jumps out and takes a hold of us…

UNDERSTAND – The Story (God’s Story, The Bible) begins with the most: controversial, life-giving, pride attacking, helpful, haunting line that has ever been written in, literature…

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

– Genesis 1:1

AND LISTEN - if we can believe the first line of the Bible we should not have any problem believing anything else that’s found in God’s Word.

I MEAN - why balk at the concept of God preparing a fish to swallow a man named Jonah and for him to live inside of it for a couple of days? Or why question whether or not Daniel could be thrown in a lion’s den with ferocious lions and walk out of there unscathed without a scratch on him? Why question if God is big enough to fed 5000 with some fish and bread and braise someone from the dead?

I MEAN - if GOD can speak the universe into existence, all these other things are merely child’s play for Him.

In the beginning GOD…

I love it.

The curtain rises…

The spotlight turns on – and shines upon, God.

YEAH - right out of the gates we know exactly who the main character in this story is, we know who it all is about… It’s all about God.

THE ONE – who is before all things over all things and he holds all things together.

This week in my copy of the story I highlighted every use of the word ‘God’

In this opening Act… (I even highlighted the pronouns that we obviously about Him).

In the beginning God created

NOW UNDERSTAND - as we read the creation account in Genesis 1, it is not primarily an exhaustive, scientific text. YEAH - it does deal with matters of science – creation and matter and life and such. But that’s not its primary function.

Galileo said it well. He said, “The Bible is not preeminently concerned with telling us how the heavens go. The Bible is, instead, most concerned with telling us how to go to Heaven.”