The God Of Genesis Part 1 Series

Illustration: [SLIDE 2] Two little boys were excessively mischievous. They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew that if any mischief occurred in their town their sons were probably involved. The boys’ mother heard that a pastor in town was good at disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The clergyman agreed, but asked to see them individually. So the mother sent her 8-year-old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon. The clergyman, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?" The boy’s mouth dropped open, but he made no response. The pastor repeated the question, "Where is God!" Again the boy made no attempt to answer. So the pastor raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy’s face and bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD!" The boy screamed and bolted from the room, ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him. When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, "What happened?" The younger brother replied "We are in BIG trouble this time, dude. God is missing - and they think WE did it!" from Jeffery Anselmi’s message: “A God of Order” www.sermoncentral.com

Illustration: [SLIDE 3] A little girl in Sunday School was busy drawing a picture and it was clear she didn’t want anyone to see it until she was finished. Her teacher asked, “what are you working on?” She said “I’m drawing a picture of God”. Her teacher said “No one knows what God looks like, sweetheart”. The little girl said “They will when I’m finished”.

[SLIDE 4] We start this morning an examination of the book of Genesis, the book of beginnings.

It is a book of the beginnings of many things, but it is, most importantly, an introduction to God and His relationship with humanity.

We see here the beginning of creation, yet that is not really the focus. The focus is God.

As the Psalmist said [SLIDE 5]

In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.

The children of your servants will live in your presence; their descendants will be established before you.” Psalm 102:25-28

[SLIDE 6] Quote: “Many people get the mistaken impression that the Bible is Geo-centric (Geo - “Earth” as in Geography) In other words they believe the Bible is centered on the earth and mankind. And that’s partly true. But (sic) the Bible is actually “Theo-centric” . . . It’s centered on God”. –Jeff Strite www.sermoncentral.com

Today we are going to look at the nature of the God of Genesis-the God of the Bible.

[SLIDE 7] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

These words introduce us to the God with Whom all of the major characters of the Bible interact.

We can see quite a lot about him just from this opening line of the Bible.

[SLIDE 8] Our God is Creator

He Continues with New Creation

His creative power is reason for Praise

His pre-existence is provides Him power to predict

Because He created the cosmos, He is able to keep a covenant

He created [SLIDE 9]

בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ׃ Genesis 1:1 The first question is “Who created?”

Much has been stated about the fact that the book of Genesis begins at the beginning of creation and God is already there . . . and that God created the universe out of nothing (Bara). Please read and listen to commentaries if you are not familiar with these things.

[SLIDE 10] One aspect of these opening lines which is rarely discussed is the presence of the little Hebrew particle “et”. The אֵת (et) is a direct object marker. That’s no mystery. But the particle is made of the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet-The Aleph and Tau. If this were written in Greek it would say “In the beginning God Alpha Omega created the heavens and the earth.

Jesus introduced Himself in the Revelation

[SLIDE 11] Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ, λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός, ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ὁ παντοκράτωρ.

I am the Alpha and Omega [The Aleph and the Tau], says the Lord God, which was and is and is to come, the Almighty. Revelation 1:8

[SLIDE 12] As John stated “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . Through Him all things were made and without him nothing was made that is made” (John 1:1, 3).