Alpha and Omega, Part 4
God places an importance on all life!
Genesis 1:20-25
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 (v9-19):
1. God directed the seas, the land, the sun, the moon, & the stars for one purpose
-- Get this: To show us His glory, the majesty of what He has done
2. Incredible authority spoke to the land and vegetation to grow
-- BIG: When God speaks, even the seeds in the ground obey – Why?
-- They don’t have a choice! As their Creator, they responded to His voice
3. We considered the question: “How great is our God?”
- Imagine the hand of God at work … for example: to mold the sun!!!
-- King Davis records this: 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?”
- Before we can truly know Jesus, we must BELIEVE in the work of His Father
-- We must worship him in everything that we do – He is worthy of our faith
- Let’s look at our passage for today … Read Genesis 1:20-25 / Pray
- Few things to talk about this morning, beginning with the truth that …
Point 1 – God intentionally creates conscious life
- The first conscious beings are created on day 5 (plants/vegetation aren’t living)
-- They are organisms, but they are not considered things that are conscious
- What does this mean? It means they are not thinking, living, cognizant beings
-- Hebrew: chay; alive (this is different from asah; yield, do (what plants do)
- There are two important concepts to grasp WHAT is being created on Day 5
1. Conscious Life = Living creatures created with intelligence
2. Reproductive Life = for life cycle to continue they must reproduce
- The first thing we see God do is that He fills the waters with “life”
-- His creation of the creatures in the sea is done all at once
-- Let’s try to wrap our minds around this concept and see just what God does …
- He does not create one being that evolves into others
-- Hebrew word is bara; means to create from nothing
-- Notice, there is nothing else added to this verse; no historical chart; no timeline
- God does the same thing regarding the birds: He speaks, and they live
-- The first list exists in the seas, where there was just water previously
-- The second exists in the sky, that place we saw created on Day 2 (v6)
-- Hebrew word panim; on the face of heaven (or consider: in front of)
- What I really love is the creation of what is in the sea (v21)
-- KJV: And God created great whales
-- NIV: God created the great creatures of the sea
-- NLT: God created great sea creatures - different trans, same words used:
-- Hebrew: gadol; great
-- Hebrew: tannin; sea creatures
- What is the importance of mentioning these creatures specifically?
-- When God created vegetation, He didn’t describe redwood vs. spruce vs. maple
- The OT is filled with references to large sea creatures … bible specifically uses:
-- Hebrew: livyathan; means serpent, monster, or dragon
-- Could this be first reference to what we know as dinosaurs? (more later)
- But even with its size, God’s word gives clarity to its place in creation
-- Isaiah 27:1, “In that day (the day of God’s redemption, see Isaiah Ch 26) the Lord will take his terrible, swift sword and punish Leviathan, the swiftly moving serpent, the coiling, writhing serpent. He will kill the dragon of the sea.”
- Ancient mythology began to develop its own explanations of these sea creatures
-- They became god-like to the people to avoid worshiping the TRUE God
-- Why? Because admitting there is a God means we aren’t in control; it is SIN
- Incredible how we can take something beautiful and pervert it, isn’t it?
-- APP: This is where we often find ourselves: struggling to add to / take away
-- We must always be conscious of this … see who is really in charge
- TR: So with conscious life created – God decrees these should continue!
Point 2 – God gives a command to multiply
- Notice the critical phrase, “each producing offspring of the same kind”
-- (v21) “So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird - each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.”
- All creatures given the power to reproduce – this means that all animal life must:
• Carry on its own species, by,
• Bringing forth the same kind of animal life
- God gives life, and then gives these lives the ability to continue on … why?
-- Consider the beauty found in each creature created, each shows God’s specificity
- APP: It shows us specifically how intentional He is … there are NO accidents
-- Even our old friend Nehemiah knew the glory of God: Nehemiah 9:6, “You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all (here’s the appropriate response), and the angels of heaven worship you.”
- v22 is a huge note that we must see, and it’s glorious in it’s application
-- It is a blessing that God has given them; FACT: He blesses their reproduction
- A blessing is a privilege of life; an opportunity to continue forward (SANG IT)
-- Why is this important? Because the only way to sustain a species is to reproduce
• Only living creatures have the power and ability to reproduce
• Only living creatures can be intentional about reproduction
• And God, in His wisdom, gives each animal the ability/blessing to do so
- IMP Parallel: If we aren’t reproducing Christians we are dying
-- Inviting people, sharing Jesus, growing, disciple fellow Christians, serving, etc.
-- SEE: When God’s word is opened, is begins to examine every facet of our life
- FACT: God is the only God of hope and life eternal – gives specific instruction
-- And yes, there is a day coming when death will be no more, however,
-- Today, we must continue forward – doing what we are intended to do (worship)
- He wills life to continue forward, through His divine wisdom and instruction
-- So, He tells His creation to multiply – to continue on – to live with purpose
- TR: With the seas full of life, Moses tells us how God placed land-based life
Point 3 – God creates every animal for His purpose
- The purpose of God’s next move is also very specific
- (v24) “Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened.”
- Don’t miss the order (once again)
-- First God says it: He commands these things to be in place and to reproduce
-- Then God does it: He creates these things deliberately by His specific design
- (v25) “God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.”
- The Bible gives three categories: wild animals, small animals, livestock.
1. Livestock (“behemah” – beast, animal, cattle, quadrupeds):
-- Hebrew scholars agree, is a word that speaks of animals which can be tamed
-- Or, domesticated for man's use (for example: dogs, horses, cats, donkeys, etc.)
2. Small animals (“remes”): Insects, rodents, and snakes & amphibians, etc.
-- Things that are low to the ground, small, etc. (may be non-domesticated)
3. Wild animals (“beir” literally a brute beast): elephants, lions, bears, etc.
-- Things that are untamed yet still were created for a specific purpose
- These creatures were formed from the ground … now watch this
-- So, when their life is over, they will decompose into dust
-- Spoiler: Genesis 3:19, “By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.” (pattern of all created beings)
- “God made” (Hebrew: “yatsa” – to go or come out)
-- a.k.a.: “It was so”; means those items are permanent and non-changing
-- Hebrew: hayah; to come to pass
- Animals were created as living souls (Hebrew: nephesh; a soul, living thing)
-- They had the power to interact, and to reproduce their own kind
-- And were created by God’s Word, by the power of His Word alone
- Why is this important to annotate: So we won’t pervert God’s truth
-- It’s not by chance, not random, & it has nothing to do with evolving over time
-- These were all created intentionally, and then He declared: “It was good”
-- NOTE: This phrase alone is so declarative it could be its own sermon!
- Free: If God judges His work, how can we not think He won’t judge us?
-- We are, after all, a product of His work, of His creation, of His divine plan
Big Ideas
- Very important to draw in and remember where we are today:
-- We’ve seen: Earth, the atmosphere, the land and seas, the plants and vegetation
-- And now we have seen the creatures in the sea and the animals on the land
- So, let’s get to our big ideas for today so we can draw this to a close:
1. God desired to create living, conscious life
-- EX “conscious” life: An animal runs when it’s in danger … compared to a tree?
-- We have a God that has planned everything we see in advance; but consider this:
-- God, did not, for any reason, create everything we see for us; but for Himself
2. Reproduction is God directed and it is blessed by Him
-- God ordained things to reproduce “according to its own kind”: scientific FACT!
-- All animals and trees and fish and organisms only reproduce their own kind
-- There is no great mystery here: Type A, plus Type A, equals Type A!
3. The animals and the fish were purposely created to demonstrate God’s glory
-- This is why it’s critical for us to see that our worship begins at Genesis Ch 1
-- The worship we must have for God is because He has done these things
- So, where are you on applying this to your life?
-- This is really where we have to come to grips with who we are in His creation
-- Do you start believing at Genesis 1 or just when we see the “good stuff” of God?
-- Folks, this IS the good stuff! If we don’t agree, we must examine our “faith”
- EX: If you cannot believe God’s word from the beginning, how can you trust:
-- Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
- Next week we get to the crown of God’s creation … the prize of His heart
-- I want to HIGHLY encourage you to come back NEXT week
-- CHALL: I want us to see Creation through the eyes of God’s Redeemer, Jesus
- Pray for:
• Wisdom to know what God has done
• Willingness to worship Him in everything
• Ability to proclaim to others how good God really is
