I. Introduction (Jeremiah 32:17)
A. We are studying The First Book in your Bible - the Book of Genesis
B. A Best-seller, that has been almost lost to this generation!
And that is not the fault of scientists and evolutionists… it is the fault of modern “church-ianity”, that has no time for serious Bible study and doctrine anymore.
C. It comes with no pictures, and no graphics, only words on a page
D. But it starts at the very beginning of time
- Before there was anyone around to see what happened at the beginning, except the Author and His angels
- And that Author, was Almighty God
E. We learned last week that these words reveal not only our past, but they put our lives INTO PROPER CONTEXT
Answering the real questions that have plagued mankind since day one!
- Who am I?
- Why am I here?
- How did I get here?
- Where did everything come from?
- Are we alone in this universe?
- What’s the point of life?
- Where is everything going?
- Is there a God?
- Does He even care?
- Genesis provides context and answers for why things are the way they are, even today!
- And it shows us how to get things back right!
F. What you learn from this Book of Genesis WILL help you
It will help your home, your marriage, your sanity, your heart, your worship, your prayer life, your trust in God, and your understanding of the will of God - IF YOU WILL BELIEVE IT AND LIVE IT!
“Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.” - Jeremiah 32:17
II. Message
A. The most important words ever written, Genesis 1:1
1. 10 simple words in English, 7 in Hebrew, and 8 in Irish
- In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2. It declares in no uncertain terms, no ambiguities, no confusion…
- That there was a beginning to every THING
- There is a single, all powerful being called God
“For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.” - Isaiah 45:18
“Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.” - Isaiah 44:8
- That God is separate from His creation
- He is not part of His creation
- He is not an idol, a mountain, a tree, a star, the Moon, or lightning
- That the universe was created
- It has not always existed, like scientists believed up until the 1960’s
- It was not an accident, like scientists believe still today
- It was intentional - created on purpose and with care!
- That one God created everything in this universe at that beginning
- That God revealed this to us - we would not know it without Him revealing it
B. “In The Beginning”
1. The beginning of what?
- The beginning of Our Universe
- The start of everything that exists and happens in this universe
- Of every thing except God and His angels
2. When did God create everything?
- The Bible doesn’t give a date
- It certainly was not billions of years ago
- But God left us all the information we need to make an educated guess
- Using all the genealogies, ages and dates of birth and death - all the boring stuff is kind of important!
C. “God”
1. The Bible declares God as already present, already existing
2. Does not tell us His backstory
3. Just that God IS - God exists (always has and always will)
- Genesis declares that God IS - that He exists
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” - Hebrews 11:6
4. There are Loads of proofs for the existence of God:
a. Universal Awareness Argument - The fact that ALL cultures, all nations worship something or someone (Romans 1:19-22)
- The knowledge of God’s existence is wired in us
- It is “manifested” revealed to every person ever born!
“Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” - Romans 1:19-22
b. Cosmological Argument - the fact that the universe exists requires that someone caused it to exist
- The universe obviously began to exist; therefore, the universe must have something or Someone who caused it to appear
- For everything to come from nothing requires SOMETHING or SomeONE to have caused it
“For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.” - Hebrews 3:4
- No painting ever just appeared - it had to have been painted by a PAINTER
- No watch just ever came together on a footpath - it had to have a WATCHMAKER
- No building ever just appeared on a street corner - it had to have a BUILDER
- And so it goes that for all of creation to come into existence requires a CREATOR
c. Teleological Argument (the Argument from Design)
- The universe shows intricate order and fine-tuning that make life possible. That implies a Designer was behind the making of everything.
- Examples include: The precise constants of physics, the complexity of biological systems, and the fine-tuning of all the cosmological constants.
- There is a movement of scientists who believe in Creation because of Intelligent Design behind everything
d. Moral Argument
- Objective moral values and duties exist. There are things that are absolutely right and absolutely wrong, no matter what culture you are in
- It is WRONG to steal, to murder, to mock your parents
- It is RIGHT to honour your parents, stay married, be content
- These morals require a Source above the universe that built them into our consciousness, which is God
- The fact we all have morals proves a Moral giver
5. He has always existed
- He is ETERNAL! No beginning and no end!
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” - Psalm 90:2
D. “Created”
The Hebrew word is “bara” - to create out of nothing. Only God can do this.
“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” - Psalm 33:6
E. “The heaven and the earth”
- God created both the spiritual realm (heaven) and the physical realm (earth)
- This encompasses all of creation
- Everything visible and invisible
III. Conclusion
The most important verse in the Bible establishes:
- There is a God
- He is eternal and existed before creation
- He created everything that exists
- He is separate from His creation
- He revealed these truths to us
If you believe Genesis 1:1, you can believe everything else in the Bible.
For more information, contact Bible Baptist Church of Ballincollig at www.biblebc.com