Alpha and Omega, Part 3
Signs of life begin to appear!
Genesis 1:9-19
Introduction
- We’ve begun the year with “one purpose”: Knowing there is a God!
-- Just as a building requires a builder, a creation must have a Creator
- Continuing our series, “Alpha and Omega”; looking at the beginning to the end
-- Studying two critical questions: How did we get here? How does it end?
- Last week’s big ideas:
1. The heavens and the Earth initially consisted of water
-- God’s Spirit moved across the deep and He engaged the waters
-- This action began the formation of what we see and know
2. God physically separated and cut an expanse (space) between the waters
-- Simply put: Some water went up and some water stayed down
- APP: Don’t overcomplicate this …
-- This gives “fools” a chance to argue every little thing …
-- We don’t have to be God’s defense attorney, merely, ones who know Him!
-- When we know what we know, we are able to speak to it plainly
- It is through FAITH that we understand and believe what God has done
-- This same faith gives us hope in Jesus, a redeemer sent by God to save us
- Let’s look at our passage for today … Read Genesis 1:9-19 / Pray
Point 1 – God said, “Let dry ground appear”
- OK, let’s try to get some of the obvious items out of the way
-- Within one day (again: 24 hours) God has created the land & plants
-- We’ve been around long enough to know that growth like that is impossible
-- Matthew 19:23-26, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God! The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. Jesus looked at them intently (expound: purposefully) and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
- The critical person may want to point out that we’ve used the same book to prove what we want to prove … so everything is very skewed in your favor, right?
- Wrong! RE: Scripture is where our faith is founded
-- And if our faith is founded here, then (IMP) Scripture testifies TO scripture
-- APP: A Christian MUST use scripture to validate scripture; it is our plumbline!
-- BIG: If we don’t trust scripture, can we really have faith in Jesus to redeem?
- This is why we mustn’t be afraid to use God’s word to speak truth on the subject
-- It doesn’t need an expert’s approval, or even an educator’s “thumbs up”
-- Faith requires us to know what we believe, because you have experienced Him!
- Reword: Just because an educated scientist says so, doesn’t make it fact
-- IMP: Remember who gave that scientist the brain in his head!
- (v9) God speaks, and it happens (action verb used is “let”)
-- Hebrew: qavah; to bind together, to collect (very word describes the action)
- God speaks this existence and it becomes permanent in its location
-- How do we know it’s permanent? The words used: “That is what happened”
-- Hebrew: hayah; to come to pass; to become (aka “It was so”)
-- Unimaginable … isn’t it? The very voice of God put land masses in place!
- Two weeks ago we saw a formless Earth (v1), and now dry land forms
-- As the land arose, the water was pushed to its gathering place (seas / oceans)
-- Consider this awe-inspiring movement and the response of creation
-- Ask: What keeps the water in place today? Ever see how a spill reacts …. ?
- TR: We have dry land, and we have seas in their place … so now what?
-- Don’t miss this: When God speaks …
Point 2 – The seeds in the ground obey God’s voice
- Why? They must! He is the Creator, and they respond to His voice
-- So, the discipleship question here is, “Will we respond also?” (later msg)
- Obvious point: Plants, trees, grass, etc. all appears because God said it (v11)
-- APP: This demonstrates God’s absolute sovereignty over all things
-- Once again, growth like this does not happen overnight – we can testify to that
-- But see: Even a small as a seed - that we might dismiss - responds to Him!
- However, this is where evolutionists strike at a believers faith (or lack of)
-- So, I really want to spend some time on v11-12 for our own good here
-- Consider this your Pastor telling you how to take evolutionists to the woodshed
- Evolutionists want talk at length about how everything evolved
-- They want to give you all kinds of theories about how things came into be
-- How we were once apes, before that we were fish, before that we were slime
- Know this: God’s word, and His record of history, completely refutes that
- IMP 1: Bible also uses the same words more than 10 times in this chapter
-- Do you see the words: “… from which they came … and … of its own kind”?
-- Hebrew min; kind, or species (as in, specific to one kind)
-- Hebrew asah; do make (bearing forth as in reproduction)
- God declares (simply): Things on this Earth MUST produce their own kind
-- This is a fact of science, which biologist confirm, & even geneticists stand on!!!
- Naturally, you can have some cross-pollination, but you don’t get a new species
-- APP: If you breed a sunflower and a blade of grass you don’t get an elm tree!
- IMP: There is NOTHING that supports anything evolved to its existence today
-- Grass cannot evolve into flowers
-- Flowers cannot evolve into trees
-- Trees cannot evolve in making animals
-- Most assuredly, animals cannot evolve or reproduce to make humans
-- We’ll look at this deeper when we discuss days 5 & 6 (next two weeks)
- Time check: v13, “And passed and morning came, marking the third day.”
-- Evening in Hebrew is “ereb” and morning in Hebrew is “boqer”
-- IMP 2: These words used over 100 times in the OT, all with same meaning
- So, why is it, that JUST in Genesis 1 these words would mean something else?
-- Re, first week, scientists want to add millions of years between v1 and v2
-- Logic of trying to disprove bible leads to too many theories falling apart
-- The simplest thing, measure of time and reproduction, debunks evolution
- TR: We need to remember that when God says it … THAT settles it. Next:
Point 3 – God sets the heavenly bodies, and seasons are born
- (v14) God said (command to the universe) … Let there be lights (key: plural)
-- This is different from v3, let there be light (singular) – this is a key to note
-- Hebrew: maor; a luminary
- God commands these bodies would be given to serve (be signs) in the heavens
-- These were to demonstrate the seasons, days, and years; also dividing time
-- Hebrew: bayin; an interval or space between (their service is to do this)
- Interesting, it was the Romans in 1st century who realized & recorded this
-- Their calendar was based on a 10-month cycle in 700s BC by the ruler, Romulus
-- 24 hours makes up a day, and the sun and moon rising/setting set the day
- That’s it, nothing magical and mystical in this … it records the length of a day!
-- Again, Hebrew word ereb is evening; boqer is morning
- Now, here is a great revelation right from scripture, ready?
-- The calendar is set by the sun and moon; it gives us a foundation for seasons
-- We see the sun and moon which gives days … but where do we get a week?
-- Spoiler: Gen 1 tells us God created the universe in one _____?
- This is not a mystery, and we don’t have to be scientists … it is right here!
-- We are studying Day 3 and 4, and we know those follow Day 1 & 2
-- And what happens at the end? Day 7? God rests, and we begin again!
-- Get this: It is perfect in its design & application; “7” indicates perfection
- TR: So, I want to ask you a question to ponder today … consider:
Point 4 – How great is our God?
- APP: We are given clear direction from God on how to understand this!
-- When God spoke these lights to be in existence, He was specific! (v14-15)
- God gives a very clear purpose for the why there are lights in the sky
- He created the lights in the firmament (expanse) to separate the day from night
- But MANY take this to the extreme and begin to create their own ideals
-- EX: stars were not put in place so that we could use them as a prophetic guide
- The stars were also not intended to be used as a foundation for pagan worship
-- They are not in the heavens to help guide our lives or give clarity to the day
-- In its best case this is a silly … in its worst case it’s demonic in application
-- Why? It focuses our life on these things created by God – instead of God!
- Rev John Macarthur gave great insight to this: “20 billion dollars has been spent to explore the origin and the evolution of the moon; and they are no closer to having any explanation of how or why. Scientists tell us that the solar system was created because a star passed close to our sun and was torn apart. (But there’s) no explanation for where the sun came from, nor where the star came from, or how this planet magically developed a perfect orbit.”
- Experts say solar system was formed from cloud of swirling gas & dust particles
-- But there is no explanation of where the gas, dust, or particles came from
- Let’s explore this … let’s imagine this were true for a moment
-- If everything came from the same source, wouldn’t they all have the same parts?
- Well, we know that the sun is 98% of a mixture of hydrogen & helium
-- Yet, when you examine the Earth, less than 1% of it is those … where’s the rest?
-- If they are all part of the same thing, wouldn’t they have the same makeup?
-- EX: Couldn’t we use animal blood for humans? I assure you, we cannot!
-- Each of these things created are independent and yet, all have the same Maker!
Big Idea
- So, let’s get to our big ideas for today so we can draw this to a close:
1. God directed the seas, the land, the sun, the moon, and the stars for a purpose
-- The purpose was to show us His glory, as He prepares a place for us
-- Even though we will make mistakes, His love and intention for us is the same
-- APP: There is no accident here, and we are not after-thoughts or accidents
- Author C.S. Lewis gives us this great insight: “If the solar system was brought about by an accidental collision, then the appearance of organic life on this planet was also an accident, and the whole evolution of Man was an accident too. If so, then all our present thoughts are mere accidents - the accidental by-product of the movement of atoms. And this holds for the thoughts of the materialists and astronomers as well as for anyone else's.
(Watch this) But if their thoughts - of Materialism and Astronomy - are merely accidental “by-products”, why should we believe them to be true? (Get this) I see no reason for believing that one accident should be able to give me a correct account of all the other accidents. It's like expecting that the accidental shape taken by the splash when you (spill) a milk-jug should give you a correct account of how the jug was made and why it was (spilled).”
- RE: God directed the seas, the land, the sun, the moon, & the stars for a purpose
2. God’s authority spoke to the land and vegetation to form/grow
-- BIG: When God speaks, even the seeds in the ground obey – Why?
-- They don’t have a choice! He is their Creator, and they respond to His voice
3. Consider the question: “How great is our God?”
- Can you imagine the hand of God at work here? (To mold the sun?)
-- Psalm 8:3-4, “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers the moon and the stars you set in place, what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?
-- APP: Plainly, the stars were put there by God who said, “Let it be”
-- This same God, who delicately created all this – also cares about you!
-- He sacrificed His Son for you to be His (John 3:16) … ultimate love/care
- Truly, how much more do we need to know to worship God?
-- With every head bowed … Ask yourself, “How great is God?”
-- Do you believe that you have a Creator, and He is the only God of this universe?
-- Or are we still trying to convince ourselves how majestic and awesome we are?
- Before you can truly see Jesus, we MUST believe the work of His Father
-- We must worship him in everything that we do – He is our Creator
- Pray for:
• Wisdom to know who God is
• Willingness to accept that He loves us
• Understanding that His creation testifies to who He is!
