Beginnings
Essential 100 Message Series
Genesis 1:1
January 6, 2008
Morning Service
Introduction
A year ago I had the privilege of going to the Gathering, the first national Wesleyan pastors conference. The experience was incredible and it was without a doubt the best pastor’s conference I have ever been to.
My brother was gracious enough to give us a gift for Christmas; he arranged a night’s stay at a hotel in Daytona Beach. Our last morning in Florida, I sat watching the sun rise over the ocean and listing to the sound of the waves rolling in. I remember the feeling of awe looking out over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It was one of those moments when I was inspired by the incredible nature of God. I felt small in the comparison of it all.
I think that I understood in that moment how the psalmist felt.
3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? Psalm 8:3-4
There are times when we are surrounded by nature that we come to an appreciation of how great and powerful God truly is. There have been many such moments for me.
Watching the awesome power of Niagra Falls
Staring at the stars of the Milky Way in the Canadian sky
Looking out over the Great Smoky Mountains
Feeling a warm spring breeze on my face with the scent of my grandmother’s rose bushes
Seeing lightening strike an old oak tree in my backyard
These are merely a few of the times when creation has revealed the majesty and might of God to me. Surely you have had similar experiences. It is seeing the awesome reality of the world around us and knowing that there must be a great God who made it all.
Merrill C Tenney put it this way: To assert that a world as intricate as ours emerged from chaos by chance is about as sensible as to claim that Shakespeare’s dramas were composed by rioting monkeys in a print shop.
We are at the start of a new year. We are also starting the Essential 100 Campaign. It seems fitting that the beginning of the New Year starts with the beginning of the Bible.
If you have your Bibles with you, we are going to start at the very beginning, Genesis 1:1.
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Those words seem so simple and yet they are utterly profound. This one verse summarizes the rest of chapter one and two of Genesis. It is essentially the heart of what God has done and who God is.
Creation is a divine demonstration of God’s Power
Creation proclaims the wondrous nature of God. It shows us the vast nature of His power. The word that is used here for God is the Hebrew Elohim; which means almighty God. The write is clearly telling us that God is the Supreme Being in the universe. There is none like Him.
Math proof – The probability of one molecule being created by chance is 10 to the 253 power. This would be billions of years for one molecule. To come up with the needed molecules to create our world would be impossible by chance.
Creation demonstrates the power of God to do what seems impossible. The word created is bara. It appears in this passage three times describing the manner in which God created heavens and the earth, sea and winged creature and humanity. Bara is used only for God and only when God makes something for the first time. It means to make something out of nothing. When God started the creative process He started with nothing. God needs nothing to created with because He is the master maker of all things.
The psalmist describes it this way: 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Psalm 19:1-3
Creation is a divine display of God’s person
Genesis clearly communicates the essential nature of who God is. It shows us a glimpse of His person.
Creation reveals the essential nature of God
Genesis starts with a display of who God is and shows us the Trinity in the beginning of all things. God the Father is mentioned in verse 1 and the Holy Spirit in verse 2. Where does Jesus fit into this? Look at John 1:1-3
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
Not only does John say that Jesus is equal with God the Father but also was an active agent in the work of creation. Jesus was not only there, He helped bring everything into existence.
Creation reveals the eternal nature of God
In the beginning there was nothing except God. Before there was anything God was there. He is eternal and timeless. God exists beyond
Creation reveals the existential nature of God
The message of Genesis 1:1 is that there is indeed a God. Not just a god but the God of the entire universe. This disproves a number of philosophical misconceptions about God
Atheism: There is no God
Agnosticism: There is no way to know if there is a God
Pantheism: God is not a person but a thing like a force of energy
Materialism: This world is all that exists and there is nothing else
Humanism: Humanity is the ultimate being in the universe
Secularism: There is no life beyond this one
Creation is a divine declaration of God’s plan
The first line of the Bible declares the first things that God wants us to understand about Him.
All things have their origin with God
Everything that exists started with God. When I say everything, I mean everything. That means every star in the sky, every planet in existence, every plant that covers the earth, every mineral in the earth, every creature that walks the earth and every person. Everything has a common creator. We all come from the common source of God’s creative nature. Everything that we see and all we cannot see is the work of God. There was no accident in the cosmos that brought us into existence. Creation is the intentional act of God.
All things have their organization from God
There organization of nature started with the intentional act of God and His creative ability. Everything in creation is organized because that is the way God designed it to be.
Look at the rest of Genesis 1. The days of creation are detailed for us and exactly what God did.
First Day (3-5): Light Light and warmth stimulate growth
Second Day (6-8): Atmosphere and Water Air and water sustain life
Third Day (9-13): Dry land and vegetation Provides a place to live and food
Fourth Day (14-19): Lights (sun, moon, stars) Gives seasons, days and years
Fifth Day (20-23): Water animals and birds Populate the seas and sky and starts the food chain
Sixth Day (24-31): Land animals and humanity populate the earth and provide fellowship with God
Seventh Day (2:1-3): Sabbath Day of worship and fellowship with God
All things have their order from God
Notice all of the things that god sets into place in these first two chapters of Genesis.
Humanity: God made humanity in His own image. We are made like Him three in one. We are body, soul and spirit. God is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is not an accident but a planned reality.
Food Chain: God sets the food chain in place. Look at how He created everything. Lower rungs are created first so that everything is in place for the needs of life.
Marriage: God ordains marriage with Adam and Eve. Make no mistake that is part of God’s plan.
Conclusion
You are a master piece
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do Ephesians 2:10
God made all things including you. The same God who hung the stars in place and made every plant on earth, made you. God not only made you but He made you in His own image and then declared you His workmanship. In other words, God made you part of His divine masterpiece. You are living, breathing evidence that God exists and a testimony to His creative power.
You have a Master’s place
Not only did God make you in His image, He made you to know Him. God made you for a relationship with Him. God almighty, the one who spoke light into existence, desires a relationship with you. Think about that. God revealed His person in creation so we could know Him. This gives you a master’s place. You belong with Him.
You are part of the Master plan
God made you to be part of His Kingdom. God made you so that you could accomplish great things for His kingdom. He made you so you could leave an impact on eternity while here on earth. You are part of the master plan.
