Title: In the beginning God.
Text: Genesis chapers 1-11
Introduction
This week we are starting a new sermon series based on the E100 Bible reading challenge. We are encouraging everyone in the church to read 5 passages of scripture a week for 20 weeks.
So that at the end of the 20 weeks Bible reading challenge we will all have a good overview of the Bible.
The 5 scripture readings we read this week covered the first 11 chapters of Genesis
1.Creation
2.The Fall
3.The Flood:
4.God’s Covenant with Noah
5.Tower of Babel
This morning I’d like to share a message based upon the readings for last week.
Title of my message:” In the beginning God.”
You probably recognize my title as the very first phrase found in the Bible. Genesis 1:1 begins with the phrase “In the beginning God."
“In the beginning God” has got to be the most powerful phrase in the entire universe. It’s got to be more powerful than any other phrase out there. Because before the phrase “in the beginning God” appeared…there was nothing!
But when the phrase “in the beginning God” shows up; every day afterwards (at least in Genesis chapter 1) is a good day
Day 1 – You get your lights turned back on
Day 2 – You get to finally look up at the sky
Day 3 – Your apple tree produces fruit
Day 4 – You get to sit out in the sun
Day 5 – You get to go on a safari
Day 6 – You get to meet God
Day 7 – You get to sleep in and rest all day
All because of “In the beginning God…”
What happens to our day when the phrase “in the beginning God” is not there? We don’t have to speculate because Genesis 3-11 tells us what happens to our day when you don’t have the phrase “in the beginning God”.
Genesis 3 – The fall of Man
Genesis 4 - Cain kills Abel
Genesis 5 - Adam and lots of other people die (obituaries page)
Genesis 6 – God was grieved that he even made man
Genesis 7-9 – God destroys everyone except Noah and his family
Genesis 11 – Everyone is scattered over the face of the earth (not by choice)
Conclusion: Do the math
Where you have the phrase “In the beginning God” you have good days every day
Where you don’t have the phrase “In the beginning God” you don’t have even one good day
Application:
We have to put God in the beginning of everything!
I doubt anyone who read the readings for this week would question- Why all of us should put God in the beginning of everything.
Noah would tell us it’s the only way to stay afloat…it’s the only way to keep our heads above water…
Unless I deliberately choose that my plans, personality, friendships, family and time has God at the beginning – Life is purposeless and wasted for all eternity.
The bigger question is “How do we put God in the beginning of everything”?
Could we learn how to put God in the beginning of everything from what we read for this week?
Many of you who posted on our facebook page shared some good insights on this very subject.
I’m going to share some of those insights this morning.
Putting God in the beginning of everything involves us having to do 3 things
1.Prioritizing
2.Planning
3.Purity
1.Prioritizing
…in the beginning…God!
Not - in the middle…God …not at the end… God! Not #10 on the list…God!
In the beginning God…
God is to be first in my life. That takes prioritizing…
A word a lot of people used this week on facebook that’s similar to prioritizing is the word …trust
What is trust?
Trust is believing God know what’s best for me
-He knew Adam needed Eve even before Adam did
God always knows what is best for us even though we question Him at times
-How it was best for Adam and Eve to be thrown out of the garden of Eden
-How it was best for Noah to stay in the ark and wait until God told him it was time to come out
Then there was another word a lot of people used this week on facebook that’s key to this whole idea of prioritizing; it was the word… humility…
What does humility mean?
It means - letting God pick your priorities!
That’s what humility means
Noah didn’t question God when he told him to build an ark. He let God pick his priorities
It was said this week that we don’t hear of Noah ever doing anything else but only what God told him to do.
What do you think might happen if all of us trusted God and let him pick out our priorities?
No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9
#2 It takes Planning
Putting God in the beginning of everything takes planning. We need a plan! If there is no plan it only remains a nice idea.
Every chapter we read this week began with a plan.
Chapter 1 – God planned what he would create each day
Chapter 2 – God had a plan for Adam and Eve
Chapter 3 – The Devil had a plan on how he was going to trick Adam and Eve
Chapter 6 – God had a plan how he was going to save Noah, his family and the birds and animals
Chapter 11 –The people had a plan how they were going to make a name for themselves…
We need a plan on how we are going to keep God in the beginning of everything
Where do we get that plan? We get the plan from God!
It’s pretty clear from this week’s readings that God shares his plans with others.
Lots of you mentioned…the number of times the Trinity was seen…
Working together …talking to each other…planning together…
God shared his plan with Adam…
God shared his plan with Noah.
God even shared his plan with the Devil!
God even checks out how the plan is going!
At the end of every day in Genesis 1 we read "And God saw that it was Good!"
Every day God would come to the Garden of Eden and check out the work Adam and Eve were doing.
When Noah was in the Ark …”He remembered Noah…
When you change the plan He doesn’t like it.
In Genesis 11 He even comes down to check out the tower of Babel…That’s not my plan. He stops it!
Everything God gives us is given to remind us of his plan
•Eve- a helpmate
•The rainbow
The great thing about God is that he is able to fix the plan when we mess it up.
Adam messed up the plan but God fixed it. Thank God for his Grace and Mercy
Do you have a plan to keep God in the beginning of everything?
Your time/Your treasure /Your talent
Or is your plan to make a name for yourself?
#3 Lastly putting God in the beginning of everything takes purity
The word that was used a lot this week that describes purity is the word - obedience!
Standing firm even when you are the only one!
Obeying God and staying where he put you even when you think He is taking too long!
The verse that really stands out to me about Noah is Genesis 6:9
“This is the account of Noah.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9)
Why does it say “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time before it says “and he walked with God.”
Why does it not mention “and he walked with God” first?
Isn’t that more important?
Doesn’t walking with God come first?
Isn’t that our priority?
Isn’t that our plan?
This verse is the summary of everything we need to know about putting God in the beginning of everything.
Here is what purity means!
“This is the account of Noah.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9)
Doing everything that is necessary in order to walk with God!
None of us are good enough to walk with God without Jesus
Jesus has made us righteous and blameless so that we can walk with God.
We have to remain in that righteous condition
We can’t be living a life of deliberate sinning and - walk with God.
Would you rather walk in sin or walk with God?
We have a choice! Do you want to put God first in your life today?
We can make God the Priority or we can make something else the priority
We can live by a plan that makes a name for God or we can live by a plan that makes a name for ourselves
We can live in purity and walk with God – or we can live in sin and walk without God
