Sermon Title: Beginnings
Text: Genesis 1:1-3
Date: July 6, 2003 - AM
Context of Scripture:
As I prayed about where to begin my messages in this new charge that the Lord has called me to, I was drawn to the book of beginnings. What a better spot to begin looking at the Word together as a body of Christ then the Book of Genesis, written by God’s Prophet Moses.
There is something that we can learn from beginnings. When we speak of new beginnings, then we ought to set aside anything negative that deals with the past, not in a sense of ignoring or failing to learn from, but to keep it from prejudicing and tainting the new beginning. We deal with the hurts of the past, we pray about the things that have happened, we lay what we cannot correct on the altar of prayer and say Lord, work in me a new beginning.
As we set out as this body of Christ, in a new beginning of sorts, what is it that the Lord has laid upon our hearts. The advantage of beginning again over that of beginning anew, is that we have a wealth of experience to draw from that tells us what was wrong, what didn’t work, and it also tells us where we were successful and where there was progress being made. Beginning anew is not the starting over but the continuation at the point of past success.
Why do I begin with this? For each and everyone of us, whether we view it that way or not, we are at a new beginning. We are not starting from the beginning but continuing at some point of where we left off, even though it be different locations. As a congregation, you have the wealth of experience of things past, and I as pastor bring with me the experience of my past congregations. There are lost souls all around us, and we don’t need to be taught that we are to reach out and minister to them. This is where we combine all of the good experience of the past and set out to set the world ablaze for God, tempered by the things of the past that we have found to be ineffective and perhaps even wrong.
With this in mind let us turn our attention to the Holy Scripture beginning with Genesis 1 verses 1 through 3:
Scripture Reading:
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
Sermon Introduction:
I don’t know about the rest of you, but science fascinates me. Here we have a discipline, that at its roots are based in common sense and its basis of proof is are established facts. When we look at Scripture, we find that the Word of God is the best of common sense because everything that is contained in His Word is ultimately for our own good, though that may not be determined until we enter into eternity. God’s Word is fact. Look at all of the prophecies regarding Jesus from His birth, through His ministry, through His death and resurrection and ascension and on to His coming again. We find things that are told to do, that are included in His Word, that are factual or become factual when we follow what we are told. In many cases, when we look at this comparison, we might wonder why science is so blatantly contrary to what we see as Biblical truth. Or is there something in the Biblical truths that cause the sciences to question the morality and appropriateness of some of their pursuits?
The archaeologists have all of these wonderful tools at their disposal, and it seems like much of the drive behind their use is the attempted discrediting of the Word of God. Methods that are used to prove the age of certain things are based upon an arbitrary date of beginning, which they do not know. If they base their findings on a figure that they are guessing at, then why should we believe what they say? Since God created out of nothing, why would He be limited to creating age appropriate materials? If God wanted to create a rock that seemed to be thousand of years old at its inception, why couldn’t He? We got to remember that some of these scientists are of the same school of thought as the anthropologists whose claim of finding a missing link in the evolution of man had actually discovered the tooth of an extinct pig. How in the world do they get a complete drawing of a whatever, if they only have a tooth to start out with? Time was created by God and as such He governs what it entails.
Matter is God’s creation, so that gives Him the authorship of how it is composed and how it is comprised. He has the authority to create matter and at the same time He has the authority to allow it to cease to exist.
God is the source of all Energy. He created the sun, He created the process through which we have oil and coal. He governs the process of radioactive materials that give us the nuclear generators. God causes the rivers to flow, the wind to blow – all that which can be harnessed for energy – but God is always at the source.
The bottom line is that God created everything Out of nothing. He is the source of the first moment of time, the initiator of everything that exists and is the source of all power, whether direct or harnessed. Where there was nothing, God spoke and then it was, and with that same authority, He may speak and all will cease to exist.
Prayer for Spiritual Enlightenment:
I. God created time
Look at the first four words in the Holy Bible, “In the beginning, God”. This is the answer to most questions that have puzzled scientists and philosophers alike. We can drive ourselves crazy, trying to understand all of the ins and outs of the beginning. If we look at the big bang theory, who started the bang? Who arranged the materials that would be a part of the big bang? Where did the energy come from that powered it?
These questions are all based on the fact that time has always been in existence. From a common sense standpoint, it almost seems impossible. If we accept the fact that God created time, and before that point there was only God and His angels living in an eternal realm, outside the bounds of time, then perhaps even though it might be confusing, it may border on making sense in our small and insignificant minds. All things, as we know them, were created by God. If God lived in the bounds of time, then He had to have had a beginning.
We live in the bounds of time, because we are a creature of limits. We have a beginning. We have a lifespan that encompasses our experiences, whether they be good or bad, and we have a conclusion to this earthly life. Obviously, the sin at the Garden complicated this matter, because we no longer have access to the tree of life, our human vessels age and become less than cooperative in what used to be normal function, and they become ill. Our timely boundary is a blessing, because it opens the door for an eternal existence, outside the bounds of time. Now there is also the matter of our quality of that eternity, and that is based on our relationship with God the Creator, through His Son.
II. God created matter
Which is easier to believe, that a random bunch of events took place that brought into a certain area just the right amount of just the right combination of elements, and at precisely the correct moment of time, the right type and magnitude of energy, just happened to be in the area, and that combination exploded and created everything that you see around us. Even if we were to factor in a certain amount of developmental time, what are the odds that it would turn out to be this particular group of people, in this room at this very moment. Not even the craziest gambler would take them odds. Or would it be easier to believe, “In the beginning, God”?
If we continue in our Scripture reading we read these words, “God created the Heavens and the Earth” So we can interpret this to mean that everything that we look around and see, plus when we set up our telescope and gaze in all directions, this and everything else that we are not even developed enough to gaze upon was created by God. Add that to the statistical calculations and see how the odds of a cataclysmic coincidence unfold.
Now rather than accepting God as Creator of all, scientist in an effort to disprove divine initiation of all that exists, seeks to see what makes it tick, and find that they end up with more questions then they do answers. They break down substances into the elements. The elements are broken down into atomic particles, and then what – they don’t know what they are made of or what really holds them together. Perhaps they are looking for sub-atomic superglue, when the answer that satisfies all the questions is, “In the beginning God”.
III. God created energy
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not out to make fools of the scientific community or to try to discredit them, because many advances have been made that have aided the quest for improving human life. I don’t believe that God meant for His creation to suffer. I do believe that He meant for His creation to repent. I believe that there are many scientists and many scientific processes which bring glory and honor to God as they follow His leading and His guiding. I think the church might be even guilty of taking an ostrich approach to some of the advances, writing them off before even analyzing the implications. Although many advances are so blatantly contrary to Biblical principles, there can be no acceptance by the Christian community.
Let’s look at another portion of this morning’s text - Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. I find this fascinating, because there was light on the first day but our present sources of light were not created until later in the creation week. God created light without first creating a source. The first light of creation was radiated by the Creator himself.
If we think of the light that God placed in the heavens for us, what do we see. We see that it provides the illumination by which we can see where we are going. It gives off heat so that we can maintain our body temperatures so that we can continue to survive. It contains the energy that is needed for the plants of this creation to produce the food that they need to survive. It is converted into a vitamin that is needed in order for the human body to remain fit. What do you suppose these facts would do to our calculations of the odds of cataclysmic catastrophic coincidence?
The fact of the matter is that the odds of anything happening and turning out as they have are so remote that they would be considered impossible.
IV. God created where nothing previously existed
Reading on, “The earth was formless and void”. There was simply nothing, and God placed it all into existence. Our only difficulty in readily believing and accepting this, has been placed there by some in the scientific community that would rather fight on for their futile theories than accept God as the answer that they have been looking for all of the time. Time is created by God. All of the scientific tests in the world, used to discredit God, when looked at for what they are, discredit themselves. Carbon dating has been used to prove the age of certain rocks and rock formations, however they are only accurate to the point of the accuracy of the day that the scientists say that everything began. Carbon dating is based on an arbitrary date of beginning that scientists have established. Enough said. God created time when there was no time, but some in their search to find a loophole in their given mortality have placed God to the side and placed their searching in the place of God. Ever since the early alchemists, there were attempts made at turning common elements into the rare. Since all was initiated by God, and all is sustained by God, it stands to reason that anything that could be converted would have to be converted by God, for example turning water into wine. The alchemist, in their search for creating something out of what it was not created to be, placed their search ahead of God and put that search in the place of God. We are a power crazed society. We have electric everything. If it can’t be plugged in it has at its source a battery, which are often not included. I am not going to dwell on the appropriateness of the electric can opener, but energy at its source is created by God. In a search to make this energy more accessible, there are those in their research of energy production, that have put the energy source, namely God to the side and have their search for new methods of producing power in the place of God.
Conclusion:
When God created time, He also established a time where all things as we know it would end. A boundary has been established. A line has been drawn. A deadline for humanity is in place. From the moment that His creation deviated from His direction, the creation has been on a collision course for that boundary, the end of time. As a time marker for all to know, He sent His Son into His creation, as part of His Creation, and allowed Jesus to pay the price, that redeemed the souls of those, who within the bounds of time, would decide for Jesus.
All of the things that we see around us are subject to the hand of God keeping them functioning as they do. Scientist search for the thing that holds all of the subatomic particles together. They can look all they want, but I say it is the hand of God that knits this world into the place that we see. Just as He spoke all into existence, He can just as easily speak it all out. If that power that He wields to hold all together is removed, everything would simply cease to exist.
The phenomenon of the sun as well as other stars like it, produce heat, and light, and other associated energies, in a manner in which man could never begin to duplicate. That shear energy, without the wondrous atmosphere would burn us to a crisp or radiate us like a microwave oven.
The biggest problem that many have in this world is that God created everything out of nothing. Man’s ego takes a beating when the best we can do is make a mess out of everything if we attempt it without a proper relationship with God.
Call to Commitment:
As we prepare to close this time of worshipping God as a body of Christ, how do we look at out new beginning? The time for us to be here, as this particular assembly, at this particular instant in time has been ordained of God. Through my families time in prayer, through the prayers of all that I count as my prayer partners, as each and every one of you have prayed, as individuals, as families, as boards, and as a congregation, we have come to this point. A new beginning. The altar is open, not because it is the only place to commune with God, but it gives us a place to meet Him in a mighty way, through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is alive and well in this place, only our ability to perceive and receive what He has for us can be dampened.
What is it in our lives that needs to be laid at the foot of the cross? Make this a new beginning in each and every one of our endeavors to walk closer with the King.
If there are any strained relationships that hinder the going forth ability of this body, let those difficulties be mended through the great healing power of prayer. Let it begin now!
I am going to lead the charge for the wonderful things that we can do through Christ for the kingdom of God as a new beginnings congregation by praying for what the Lord has for each and everyone. I encourage those, who feel the spirits leading to follow as well, as we enter a new season of prayer together.
As we go to the altar, I ask that whosoever feels led to open in prayer and after we feel that all has been prayed through, I will lead us in a prayer of conclusion and of dismissal and benediction.
