Well, this morning, I'd like for us to begin a new series through chapters 1 through 11 of the book of Genesis. I'm going to call it Covenant Blessings. These chapters cover the period from the beginning of creation to the call of Abram. Of course, these chapters are foundational to a biblical worldview. We cannot Make cohesive sense of our world without understanding the foundational details that are revealed in Genesis 1 through 11.
Children, if I skipped the beginning of a story and just told you the end, it would make no sense, would it? What if I said, once upon a time there was a baby bear who said, Someone's been sleeping in my bed So Goldilocks woke up, saw the three bears, and ran out of the cabin as fast as she could. The end. That would make no sense if you weren't familiar with the beginning of the story, the setup, the back story.
Well, the same is true with the Bible. Even the climax of the Bible, if we don't know the backstory, not even the gospels make sense. We need Genesis 1 through 11. They're foundational to life in God's world.
Well, let's start this journey through these 11 chapters, and we'll begin with just the very first verse today: Genesis 1:1. You all know it. But let's hear it again and let's spend some time this morning thinking about these incredible first words of the story of redemption: Genesis 1:1. In the beginning. God created the heavens and the earth.
Let's pray. O God, Maker of heaven and earth, we believe in you. And in your Son, Jesus Christ. And in the Holy Spirit, whom together with you and the Son rule and reign over all. You have created this universe and everything it contains.
And you have spoken to us both in the matter that you have made and in the words that you inspired Moses to write down for our understanding and edification. May those words now continue their creative work. By conforming us more and more to your perfect image. An image that we have marred. and disregarded O God, who said, Let light shine out of darkness, please shine in our hearts.
To give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God to us all today in the face of Jesus Christ. Open our eyes to see what you have made. And in seeing what you have made, to see who you are, that we, like the heavens above us, might declare the glory. the power, the beauty, the supremacy of our God. I pray in the name of the only one who gives us access to our Creator.
Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. I want to use our time today to introduce the book of Genesis and give the lay of the land before we embark on the mountains and valleys, the rises and falls of this captivating foundational portion of God's Word. I'll talk about the purpose and structure and origin of Genesis. Once I've said a word about these preliminary matters, I'd like to make some specific theological observations of Genesis 1:1.
And finally, we'll close today with some practical implications, some points of application that flow from this opening sentence. Of Scripture. All right, let's begin with some things to know before we start. Perhaps one of the more important questions to answer up front is: what is the purpose of this ancient book? Why was it written?
Why was it included in God's Word? As we search for an answer to that question, there are several clues that we should take into consideration. First, let's consider the shape of the book itself, its structure, its format. If I set out to write an allegory, I would build into the story certain indicators that what I'm saying is allegorical. There would be a lot of personification and metaphor and simile.
The plot and the characters would not be developed at face value, but would involve analogies and double meanings and a lot of symbolism. If I set out to write a research paper on some environmental topic or scientific theory, again, my writing style and content would reflect that purpose. When we read the book of Genesis, we notice that the content and writing style and even grammar intends to convey a narrative account of what actually happened. We'll delve into this in greater detail next week as we look at the account of Creation Week. But there are grammatical indicators throughout this book, including this astounding opening portion that describes the origins of the universe, which make it perfectly clear that the author intended for the book of Genesis to be read as history.
Not myth, not allegory, not poetry, but historical narrative. It is presented grammatically and theologically as fact.
Next, we notice that these facts are structured or outlined in a particular fashion that helps us understand with even better clarity the purpose for which the author is telling us these things. There's a recurring statement that gives us markers by which we can decipher the major divisions of the book, the major turning points in the story. That recurring statement is: these are the generations of. These are the generations of. In Genesis 2:4, we read, These are the generations of the heavens and the earth.
In 5-1, this is the book of the generations of Adam. In 6-9, these are the generations of Noah. In 10.1, these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. In 1110, these are the generations of Shem. In 1127, now these are the generations of Terah.
In 25, 12, these are the generations of Ishmael. In 25, 19, these are the generations of Isaac. In 36, 1, these are the generations of Esau. In 37, 2, these are the generations of Jacob. And so, by noticing where this recurring phrase happens, we very quickly get an outline of the whole book.
We see the structure of the story.
Now, I went through that outline very quickly, but something we notice is that there is a narrowing focus from the beginning of the book to the end of the book. This story begins with a focus on the entire universe, the generations of the heavens and the earth. Then it narrows to the human race, to Adam. From there, it narrows again to focus on one family within the human race, Noah and his family. Then it narrows again to focus on one line from Noah's family, the line of Shem.
Eventually it narrows down to one man, Abram. from Ur of the Chaldeans. And then the rest of the story of the Old Testament from that point forward is focused on Abram and his descendants until it finally reaches the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The narrowing focus is highlighting the purpose, the point, the focus of the story. Genesis is a story about God's dealings with a very specific group of people.
It's the story of those who were created by God in the beginning. who fell from their privileged state of perfection. And who will one day be redeemed from that fall and restored to perfect holiness and glory? Genesis is a story of the beginning of God's covenant with the seed of woman. Established in Genesis 3.15.
Okay. Joel Beeke pointed out that Genesis begins with the four words, in the beginning, God, but ends with the four words, a coffin in Egypt.
Something terrible has happened in between. And if it's ever going to get fixed, something impossible will need to occur. Friends, the rest of the Bible is the story of God doing that impossible thing. It's the story of God fixing what was created with perfection but was broken in Genesis. And the very structure of the book of Genesis highlights this redemptive purpose of God.
Well, what then is the historical setting in which this story was first written down, first recorded? Who wrote it and to whom was he writing? I'll keep this explanation short, although there has been a lot of debate about what I'm going to assert. Nevertheless, if the Bible asserts something, we dare not come up with another explanation or theory. And the Bible asserts in no uncertain terms that Moses, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote the book of Genesis.
Moses was the human author. God is the divine author. The book was written then as Israel was preparing to take the promised land. In fact, the whole Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, was written to the generation of Israelites that would follow Joshua across the Jordan River into Canaan during the years of conquest. This was a generation that needed to know that God, their God, was supreme above all other gods.
This was a people who needed full assurance that their God was gracious and kind and faithful to his own. As we read the story of Genesis, that is exactly what we find. A God who is very intentional in his blessing of Israel, a God who was limitless in power. He created the heavens and the earth. A God who has promised a savior, a son, a defeater of the serpent and his followers.
This book's purpose is to give sure confidence to God's children that God possesses infinite power and unswerving faithfulness. You may have come across various theories about the origins of the book of Genesis. Perhaps you're familiar with certain ancient documents that bear striking resemblance to a lot of the stories of Genesis. There are those who take note of the similarities between Moses' story and extra-biblical accounts of creation or the fall or Noah's flood or the Tower of Babel, and they conclude that Moses and others must have copied or plagiarized these ancient stories and then put their own twist on the narrative to make the story fit their agenda. In other words, Genesis is not historical fact.
It's simply religious or political Propaganda because it mimics earlier stories and changes the details of those stories to fit the desired paradigm. But here's the thing. Sure, Genesis shares similarities with other extra-biblical documents.
However, the question about whether an ancient story is true or not cannot be answered on the basis of which story predates all others. All that proves is that The earliest written document was the earliest written document. It doesn't prove that it was the truest. Account of the story. Determining whose story you're going to believe touches on much greater criteria than mere archaeology.
We do not need to be naïve. Those who deny Moses as the author. Or deny the historical accuracy of Genesis, do not do so from a standpoint of neutrality or rational honesty. They do so on the basis of an already existing bias against God. And against the supernatural, and against the fact that Scripture is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God.
If Genesis resembles earlier manuscripts, It simply demonstrates that there was a commonly known account of primeval history. If Genesis contains noticeable differences in its telling of this story, then we have a choice to make. We can either believe Genesis as God's word and thus authoritative, Or we can reject it in favor of any number of alternate versions of the story. What we cannot do is prove the accuracy of one version over another on the basis of our ability to analyze literature several thousand years removed from its origin. We also should take note of the fact that our version of the story gives an account for why there would be alternate versions of the story.
The presence of sin in the world. Has manifested itself from the very beginning as a rejection of what? Of God's word. when the serpent said to Eve, hath God really said?
So we should expect alternate versions of the story.
Now, I'm not trying to prove the divine inspiration of Genesis. In fact, I can't prove it any more than liberal and secular scholars can prove their theories. of the origins of the universe. What I am trying to do Is point out that our posture towards God is what will determine our acceptance or rejection of His Word. And if our posture towards God is one of skepticism and self-sufficiency and scoffing, then our minds will gladly aid us in blocking out all recognition of God's authority and be quick to replace that authority with all manner of seemingly viable alternatives.
That's how sin works. The fact is, Genesis is the word of God. And its distinctions from man's alternate stories make the point that. The God of the Bible stands in a category all his own. What makes Genesis unique from all other accounts?
Let's think about this. God does not share. Divine status with the pantheon of godlike beings. He doesn't exist as some impersonal force that wreaks havoc or delights in chaos. He is personal.
He is powerful. He is singular in his greatness. He is supreme. The mythologies of the ancient Near East tell of a pantheon of gods who created the universe or of a divinity as an impersonal force that exists in everything. Modern mythologies would have us believe that there simply is no God at all or that humanity is God.
But Genesis denies all of these myths, the myth of atheism and polytheism and pantheism and humanism, and instead asserts that there is but one God, a personal God who enters into covenant with his creatures, an all-powerful God who has made heaven and earth, an eternal God who was already present and self-sufficient even in the beginning. The purpose of Genesis then is is to proclaim this God. If the purpose of this glorious book is to highlight the exclusive superiority of Elohim above all other gods and even above the creation itself. then we can confidently assert. that the subject of Genesis is God.
God is the subject of Genesis. God is the subject of all history. The story of the human race is not ultimately a story about man. It's a story about God. Not only is God the subject of this story, he's also its object.
The universe is not only from him, it is also to him and for him. Romans 11:36 says, For from God and through him and to him are all things, to him be the glory forever. Amen. Friends, this book is not primarily about geology. or anthropology.
Its focal point is not sociology or psychology.
Now make no mistake, if and when it says anything about these sciences, it speaks accurately and authoritatively. But this book is first and foremost preoccupied with God. the great subject and object of the universe. It reveals who God is and what God is doing.
Well, with that focus in mind. Let's consider some of the theological implications of Genesis 1.1. And I'm sure there are many, but I want to draw our attention to four implications of this opening sentence of Scripture. If this book is about God, what do we learn about God from Genesis 1:1? Perhaps the first aspect of God that confronts us is the fact that He is already present when the beginning begins.
In other words, he predates the beginning. God is pre-existent. This means that God is eternal. This means that God is uncreated. He does not rely upon or need anything outside of himself to exist, to be.
God is eternally self-sufficient. And already our puny little minds are blowing. The very first contact we have with our Creator is incomprehensible to us. We can sort of apprehend the idea of eternality, but we don't get very far down this line of thought before we simply have to say, God, your thoughts, your ways, your power is so far above mine. And all we can do is bow in reverence and honor and wonder and awe before him.
But notice another implication of Genesis 1:1. Not only does God pre-exist all things and is thus separate from creation, But when we encounter this eternal being, he is speaking. He's revealing something of himself to us. First, he speaks creation into existence. Let there be light.
And there was light. But also, he tells his creatures that he was the one who spoke creation into existence.
So immediately there's a twofold revelation from God: He reveals himself in creation, and he reveals himself in his written word. It's as if he wants to be known by us. You see, friends, God did not merely create for creation's sake. He created in order for his creation to be known and appreciated and to result in his creatures giving praise to the creator for the creation. and for the greatness of the Creator.
God created light. But then he also gave us eyes so that we could see that light. God created sound. The sound of singing birds and bellowing animals, and then he gave us ears to hear it. He created flowers and wind to disperse the aroma of those flowers, and then he gave us noses to smell that aroma, a sense of touch so that we can feel the texture of the petals and the leaves and to feel the wind as it's bringing the wonderful aroma of flowers to us.
He is a God who speaks because he is a God who wants to be made, he wants to be known. There's another implication in this verse. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. You cannot create and sustain everything in the universe. Unless you possess unlimited power.
And so we realize that God Is a powerful God. Listen to this sentence I came across last week after a Google search. Recent estimates suggest there are approximately two trillion galaxies in the observable universe. This number is based on analyses of deep sky images, which indicate that earlier estimates of one hundred to two hundred billion were too low. Friends, if God can speak not just one galaxy but trillions.
Trillions of galaxies into existence, what sort of power must he possess? It's unfathomable. It's immeasurable. It's unparalleled. It's indescribable.
God is a God of infinite power. All. Power. Let me mention one more implication and Perhaps one that we might inadvertently overlook. God did not have to create.
Remember, he is perfectly self-sufficient. He's perfectly satisfied within himself. He lacks for nothing. He was already there before creation. He needs nothing.
That he chose to create. is an act of grace. Because what he created was good. And because when he created, he gave his creatures the capacity to experience and enjoy that good. That's grace.
That's undeserved, unmerited favor that he has given to his creatures simply because it pleased him to do so.
So, God is all of these things. He's eternal. He's self-sufficient. He's one who enjoys revealing His excellencies to others. He's omnipotent.
He's full of grace. This is the God of Genesis 1:1, and it only gets more amazing as the story unfolds. But let's close today by considering some of the practical applications of Genesis 1.1. Again, there are no doubt more than we have time for. But let me draw your attention to four points of application that parallel the four theological implications we've already observed.
First, To say that God is preexistent is to say that God is first. He is primary. He is supreme. There is no one and no thing that is ahead of him. If God is first, then we, His creatures, ought to acknowledge His supremacy in all of life.
Now, the idea of putting God first in all of life is. One of those things I fear that everyone thinks they're doing, but very few of us actually do. What does it mean to put God first? What does it look like to acknowledge the supremacy of God in every arena of my life?
Well, friends, it means that he is the one. I want to please above everyone else. His opinion of me matters more than my spouse's expectations. my children's admiration, my co-workers' approval. It means that my zeal for God's honor is greater than my zeal for ease or pleasure or me time.
It means that God is the great subject of my life. That I recognize joyfully, not begrudgingly. His unqualified control over the circumstances of my life, that he is the great invisible hand behind everything that happens or doesn't happen to me. It also means that God is the great object of my life. I exist to reflect his image, not the other way around.
Do we approach our prayer life this way? Do we go to God with our Plans ready-made and said, Say, Lord, here's what I want you to do for me. Or do we go to God already surrendered to whatever it is He desires to do in us or for us or to us? Do we understand that even the plan of redemption, the height of God's grace to Adam's sinful race, is about God first and foremost? Yes, we are privileged to get to be the beneficiaries of God's grace, but redemption of sinners is not primarily about the sinners.
It's about a God so great, so powerful, so good, so able that He would deem to save worms like us. I heard a pastor once say with regard to God's primacy and redemption. Redemption as it's presented in the Bible begins with God not man. Arminian evangelism begins with John 3.16. Reformed evangelism begins with Genesis 1.1.
In the beginning, God. God is first. God is supreme. Do our lives reflect that supremacy? Secondly, if God is a God who speaks.
He is a God who expects to be heard and listened to. If God is a God who reveals Himself, then we had better be paying attention and learning who He is. We don't have the capacity to find truth on our own. We need a revealer. God is the revealer.
We need a truth teller. God is the truth. Listen to him. How do we listen to God? Not by trying to figure him out with our own brains.
Not through supernatural dreams and visions. Certainly not through reading memes on social media and passing them along to 10 people to receive an extra blessing. We encounter the voice of God most directly and effectively as we read and obey the scriptures. They are the word of God. This is how God speaks.
Are we listening? Thirdly, we know from Genesis 1:1 that God is powerful. He is a strong God. If he can make the universe There is nothing too difficult for him. Not even the task of dealing with the rebellious sons and daughters of Adam.
so fear him. As you find it difficult to stir yourself up to fear the Lord, Genesis 1:1 is a great place to start. Contemplate what kind of person it would take to be able to speak into existence everything you know. Think about how much knowledge that person must have. Recognize that if someone is able to create from nothing, then it would be impossible to hide from him.
Or lie to him, or avoid him, or deceive him. God sees everything we do, everything we think, every motive we entertain. Nothing is hidden from his knowledge, nothing is hidden from his sight.
So fear and revere and tremble before him. Submit to him and obey him. He is the almighty one. Lastly, God is gracious. is gracious to have created it all.
He is gracious to have revealed himself to us. He is gracious to have given us the capacity to experience the goodness of his creation, the capacity to know him. If this is the God who has created our world and created us, We should trust him. We should throw ourselves upon his grace and trust him. Beloved, God is the God who walks with his children in the cool of the day.
And when his children, through their sin, render that relationship impossible, he mends the relationship. going so far as to send his son to die in order to mend that relationship. He is a God of untiring grace.
So trust him. He is a God of unlimited power.
So fear him. He is a God who speaks.
So listen to him. He is a God. who is already there from the beginning.
So worship him. Let's pray. O great and awesome God, our Creator. and Redeemer There is no one like you. And yet you call us your own.
So we bless your name. We lay our lives before you. as the one from whom and through whom and to whom. or all things. To you be the glory forever.
Amen. I think.
