Overcoming The Chaos
Genesis 1:1-2:4
Introduction
Today we begin a new series of messages under the theme “This Is How We Overcome”. Theme verse: 1 John 5:4 “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our
faith.”
We will work our way through the OT and see God at work in the lives of people of faith who overcome the troubles in their lives. Each one teaches us a principle in overcoming that we will consider and put into practice.
We can relate to these because we are all working on being overcomers in our own lives!
We begin in the beginning … Genesis 1:1 because the theme of overcoming is one that we see from the start of all things. There is an interesting prelude to the days of creation here as a scene of chaos is present.
Genesis 1:1-2 AMP In the beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned,) and created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void or a waste and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep [primeval ocean that covered the unformed earth]. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.
The Bible clearly presents an epic story of God over the chaos, creating, communicating, and proclaiming as ‘good’ all that is created. But it all springs from chaos …. how can we overcome the chaos of life to bring about a life that is characterized by beauty, love, and the presence of the Lord?
1. CONFRONT THE CHAOS
In the creation account we are told that the Spirit of God was moving, hovering, brooding over the chaos. A mysterious reference that we cannot know much about. Genesis doesn’t explain everything about God or try to answer any question we can conjure up. Augustine: “We are talking about God. What wonder is it that you do not understand? If you do understand, then it is not God.” But what we DO know is more important. God was present,
aware, and moving.
It’s not hard to notice the chaos in our world today. Earthquakes, Wildfires, Terrorism, Pandemic, Crime,
Heartache, Struggles. Both on a global scale and in our individual lives, there is some chaos to deal with. When we’re broken hearted and we’ve prayed and cried our eyes out we just can’t see through our own chaos what God is doing. Or Why. I’m going to guess that there’s some chaos that has been taking up space in your prayers - and that’s a great place for it!
We are unable to undo all the chaos around us on our own, we depend on God to help with the troubles that are out of our reach. Pictured is the Spirit of God hovering over the waters. Can you picture God hovering over your problems, bringing relief and strength to confront the chaos? When we bring it to God, we confront the chaos.
2. CREATE ORDER
As we read through the chapter we see the world begin to take shape in an orderly fashion. Day By Day God creates the world with which we are so familiar … each step is occurring under the sound of His words.
He could have done it in a snap, but took his time according to His plan. In our own personal chaos we assume God with his power can make things right - and that he ought to do it … now. God moves in his own time … we see prodigals who need to come home, addictions that need to be overcome, injustices that need to be made right - but God has his own order and time table for what he does. He is at work. Patiently. Creating. Beauty.
Whatever chaos you are facing in your life is addressed by order. Setting Godly Priorities - Loving God, Loving Others. Finding Godly Approaches to life -church, discipleship. Approaching life day by day - focused on ‘today’!
Overcoming Chaos means confronting chaos, creating order…
3. LOOK FOR THE GOOD
Every day God Created, He took note that it was “good”. Ultimately God makes humans - male and female - created in his own image …observes that they are ‘good’. Of all the beautiful things God made, he only made one
thing in his image. And that was us.
Max Lucado: “You weren’t an accident. You weren’t mass produced. You aren’t an assembly-line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on the Earth by the Master Craftsman.”
Humans were given three jobs:
Multiply “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth”
Subdue “Have dominion over the fish, birds, every thing that moves on the earth” (Gen. 1:28)
Survive “Every plant yielding seed, every tree with…its fruit. You shall have them for food.” (29)
It is easy to focus on all the things that are wrong, but the Creation account keeps pointing us to God’s great
masterpiece and pointing out how good it all is.
The Psalms agree!
Psalm 24:1-2 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.
Psalm 89:11 The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.
Psalm 95:3-5 For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
Psalm 100:3-5 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Looking for the good in creation moves us to glorify our Creator.
Conclusion
To overcome the chaos we look to the God who is the master of overcoming chaos!
Confront the chaos in your own life.
Create order by setting priorities.
Look for the Good all around.
Lift your heart by praising God
The key to this life of overcoming is focusing on God - and giving your life to Jesus.
1 John 5:4 “For everyone born of God overcomes the world.This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”
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Video of this message can be found by searching the YouTube channel for Forsythe Church of Christ.
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LifeGroup Class Discussion Questions
1. Does the Creation account leave you with questions? What are some unanswered questions from today’s text that occur to you?
2. What is one thing about God that catches your attention in Genesis 1?
3. What do think it means to be made in the image of God?
4. Why is it important that God calls His creation “good”? How does that affect the way we ought to treat it? In what way is it possible to strip away the political from the spiritual when it comes to caring for the earth?
5. What is distinctive about the seventh day of the creation week? Why did God make this a day of rest? What
precedent does it set for His people? What message does it give us about God’s own character?
6. Read Psalm 8 and explore our place in God’s creation and purposes. What do you observe in that text?
7. Read John 1:1-5. Where do you see Jesus as present in the Creation account? In what way does this text speak to our theme about being overcomes?
8. What else did you want to talk about in this text?
