Genesis 1:1
In the Beginning

Intro: Job 38,39 - We enter upon deep mysteries here

  1. God is the Creator of All
    1. "In the beginning"
      1. This "beginning" is not bound by time but is the timeless eternity in which God dwelt before he created anything.
      2. And even the word "before" is a concession to us who exist within time and cannot conceive existence apart from it.
      3. But to God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, time is useless, created along with space for his creatures
      4. Wisdom boasts in Proverbs 8:22ff. "The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth."
        1. This is prior to any act of creation
        2. This is the beginning before anything but God existed
      5. John 1:1-3 tells us Christ was "in the beginning" with God, that he is Creator, not creature; i.e. God himself, co-eternal with the Father.
      6. So right away, we learn that God does not relate to time in the way that we do; and we will need to remember this throughout this creation account.
    2. God created "the heavens and the earth"
      1. This is not a title for 1:2-2:3 but a description of God's first creative act
      2. Consider how inappropriate it is as a title
        1. If verse 1 is a title then verse 2 is the beginning of the story
        2. I.e. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now let me tell you what I mean by that: I mean that God looked around and saw this pre-existent material, the earth, that was formless and void. It was definitely a fixer-upper, but with a little work....
      3. But don't the following verses describe the activity of making heaven and earth?
        1. After all vv. 6ff. speak of the creation of the firmament which God then calls heaven (v. 8)
        2. And vv. 9ff. speak of the creation of the dry land, Earth
        3. But what are both these things created from? A: The "Earth" of vv. 1 and 2.
          1. I.e. God creates the heavens and the earth
          2. The earth is formless and void
          3. So God takes the earth and forms it into sky which he calls "heaven" and ground which he calls "Earth"
      4. Let's add one more piece of information before we put it all together.
      5. "The heavens" in Scripture can refer to the visible or the invisible heavens
        1. Visible
          1. e.g. verse 8
          2. vv. 26ff. speak of the birds of the air.
          3. Genesis 15:5 speaks of the stars of the heavens
        2. Invisible
          1. Genesis 28:12 - Jacob sees ladder reaching heaven with angels ascending and descending and he says "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!"
          2. 2 Chronicles 2:21 speaks of heaven as God's dwelling place (clearly not intending us to believe that a spaceship could go out and find him.
        3. It is clear that the visible heavens display a picture of the invisible
          1. God is constantly picture in Scripture as "high" "exalted" "up"
          2. Psalm 148 connects the two: "Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light!"
      6. So here is our hypothesis:
        1. In the beginning, God created the invisible (the heavens) and the visible (the earth)
        2. And this is all we are told about the creation of the invisible heavens
          1. It is not really our concern (Scripture does not exist to satisfy our curiosity)
          2. If even the earthly creation is glorious beyond comprehension, how could we understand the heavenly
          3. And this whole chapter is man-centered, as we shall see more clearly in the coming weeks.
        3. Out of the visible (the earth) he created the visible heavens (to reflect the glory of the invisible) and the visible earth (and this is described in 1:2 - 31)
      7. Now, let's test our hypothesis
        1. Job 38:6,7 speaks of the foundations of the earth being laid, "When the morning stars sang together,/ And all the sons of God shouted for joy." I.e. Job interprets the creation account as including the creation of invisible angelic beings
        2. Nehemiah 9:6 as well refers back to God creating the heavens and the earth and says "the host of heaven" worships you, strongly suggesting that "heaven" is the invisible heaven where the angels dwell before the face of God.
      8. The New Testament explains the doctrine this way
        1. Col 1:16 clearly refers to the creation event, ascribing the glory to Christ (more on this later) and insisting that it refers to creation of visible and invisible.
        2. This is decisive. We must see in this initial statement, a grand and over-arching doctrine of God creating everything out of nothing. The following verses will not repeat that statement, but build on it, explaining how God brought that creation into its completed form.
    3. God's Attributes contained in this doctrine
      1. God alone is self-existent
        1. You see how important it is that Genesis 1:2 not speak of pre-existent matter
        2. Everything else depends upon God for its existence "In him we live and move..."
        3. But God depends on no one and nothing
        4. And therefore, as Paul says, he is not worshiped by men's hands as though he needed anything
        5. But rather we who are his creatures need him
      2. God is wise and powerful
        1. These two attributes go together
          1. With men we may have power but no wisdom or vice versa
          2. But God's wisdom is powerful. He declares that a thing ought to be so and it is so
        2. Marvel at the effortlessness with which he brings it to pass
          1. He does not labor or break a sweat
          2. When he rests on the 7th day, it will not be because he is tired; the Sabbath is made for man
      3. God has absolute rights over his creation
        1. The potter has the right over the clay
        2. God made everything that is and therefore has a right over everything and everyone to do with as he pleases.
  2. The Statement Seen through the lens of Israel
    1. God the law-giver
      1. Note how Psalm 24 goes from God the Creator to God the Law-giver
      2. Psalm 19 as well
      3. This is part of that absolute right - God may make laws, governing as he sees fit.
      4. So Israel may not question the wisdom of his laws (nor may we)
      5. When he comes on Sinai, he comes with authority and they dare not question but must hear and obey
      6. And if they cannot obey, they must face the consequences
    2. God the promise maker
      1. God promised their father Abraham the land; he will give it to them
      2. God promised Abraham that in his offspring all the families of the earth would be blessed
        1. Does he lack the power to carry out such a promise?
        2. Clearly not, he is the Creator of all
      3. God, their God
        1. The most precious promise of all - to be a God to them and they his people
        2. This one the God who created all things, has said, I will be your personal God
  3. The Statement Seen through the lens of Christ
    1. Christ the Creator
      1. Remember the disciples waking Jesus in the midst of the storm
        1. Who is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?
        2. Be still my soul, the Lord is on your side
      2. Christ is sovereign as Creator
        1. If you do not have some created thing that you "need" is it because Christ cannot give it?
        2. Car, house, money, husband, wife, job, respect
        3. He could create these things out of nothing if he chose or command these created things to come to you and they must come
      3. What can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus?
        1. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
        2. Therefore, we may bear our trials patiently, knowing that they are not a sign that God is weak or impotent to save
    2. Christ the Redeemer
      1. It is precisely Christ's power over Creation that argues for his power for salvation
        1. To the lame man: Your sins are forgiven you
        2. That you may know the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins: Arise, take up your pallet and walk
        3. To Peter: Cast you nets one more time lots of fish
        4. Peter: "Depart from me Lord!" (He understood point II; this is Christ the law-giver)
        5. Jesus: "I will make you fishers of men" I put fish in your nets and I can convert the souls of men (and so that wonderful doctrine called irresistible grace is inherent in the first verse of Scripture.)
      2. Christ brings in a new creation
        1. If he did it before he can do it again (and he has!)
        2. We are already new creatures in Christ
        3. Rev 21:1ff: Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." 5Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new."
        4. Already, at the beginning, the Holy Spirit has the end in view.

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