Sermon Central
-
From The First Word To The Final Invitation: Following Jesus From Genesis To Glory Series
Contributed by Dean Courtier on Mar 13, 2026 (message contributor)
Summary: Every story has a beginning and an ending. Children love the words, “Once upon a time…” Readers love the final line that resolves everything. But the greatest story ever told is not fiction. It is the story of God and His creation.
From the First Word to the Final Invitation: Following Jesus from Genesis to Glory
Introduction — The Story That Holds the World Together
Every story has a beginning and an ending.
Children love the words, “Once upon a time…”
Readers love the final line that resolves everything.
But the greatest story ever told is not fiction.
It is the story of God and His creation.
The Bible begins with a single majestic declaration:
Genesis 1:1 (NLT): “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
And the Bible closes with an invitation echoing through eternity:
Revelation 22:17 (NLT): “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ Let anyone who hears this say, ‘Come.’ Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.”
From the first page of Scripture to the final page, God is telling one unified story — the story of redemption through Jesus Christ.
Genesis tells us where everything began.
Revelation tells us where everything is going.
And discipleship means learning to live our lives inside that story.
Today we are standing between the first word and the final invitation.
1. The Beginning: God Is the Source of Everything
Genesis 1:1 — The Foundation of Reality
Genesis 1:1 (NLT): “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
This verse is one of the most profound sentences ever written.
Before anything existed — before stars, oceans, time, matter, or life — God already was.
Genesis was written by Moses to a people surrounded by pagan cultures that worshipped the sun, moon, rivers, and animals.
But Genesis begins by declaring:
Creation is not divine.
Creation is created.
The Hebrew word for “created” is ?????? (bara). It means to create out of nothing — something only God can do.
This tells us something critical:
God is not part of creation.
God is the Author of creation.
Psalm 33:6 (NLT): “The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.”
The Hebrew idea here emphasises the power of God's spoken word.
God did not struggle to create.
He spoke, and galaxies appeared.
If God created everything, then He has authority over everything.
Following Jesus begins with recognising:
We are not the centre of the universe — God is.
Imagine a novel sitting on a shelf. The characters inside the book cannot see the author, but every word, every scene, every event exists because of the author. In the same way, we live inside the story God is writing.
Discipleship means saying: “Lord, write my life according to Your purpose.”
John Piper once wrote: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
As disciples, we discover that the One who created us is also the One who fulfils us.
2. The Crisis: Humanity’s Rebellion Against the Creator
The story of the Bible does not remain in Genesis 1.
Something went terribly wrong.
Humanity chose independence from God.
Genesis 3:6 (NLT): “The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it too.
Genesis 3 describes what theologians call the Fall — humanity’s rebellion against God.
The Hebrew word often associated with sin is ????? (?a?a?), meaning “to miss the mark.”
Humanity missed the mark of God’s holiness.
Instead of trusting God’s wisdom, Adam and Eve trusted their own.
Instead of following God, they tried to become their own gods.
The result was devastating:
Sin entered the world
Death entered the world
Separation from God began
Romans 5:12 (NLT): “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.”
Paul explains that the brokenness we see everywhere — war, suffering, injustice, death — traces back to that moment of rebellion.
21st-Century Relevance
The modern world often tells us the problem with humanity is lack of education, lack of opportunity, or lack of technology.
But the Bible says the problem is deeper.
The problem is sin in the human heart.
Even in an age of smartphones, artificial intelligence, and medical breakthroughs, the human soul still wrestles with pride, greed, anger, and selfishness.
Technology has advanced.
But the human heart has not changed.
Imagine a compass that has lost its magnetic north.
It might look beautiful.
It might be well designed.
But it cannot guide anyone because it is misaligned.
Sin misaligned the human heart.
We were created to live for God, but instead we live for ourselves.
Tim Keller once said: “The gospel is this: we are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”
