In the beginning: God our eternal creator

I spent most of this week in in-service training with other Free Church ministers, and we spent

! our time in the book of Lamentations, which led to some reflections on worship. And there was one

! common, you know, the value of singing lament songs, recognizing that every week in our churches

there will always be those who sit with a sense of quiet despair, a sense of grief or sadness,

perhaps. Maybe God feels far away and distant from your circumstances. Well, if that's you, then

God in His goodness gives us the Psalms of Lament, giving us words to bring to our God. So we're going

to sing a couple of sections from Psalm 42, verses 1 to 5, and in verses 10 to 11. So as we're able,

Psalms 42:1–5

let's stand together to sing praise.

As the dear for flowing streams, so longs my soul, O God, for you. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I meet with God anew?

My tears have been my constant food, both in the night and in the day. While all day long insistently,

where is this God of yours? Where is this God of yours? They say. As I pour out my soul in grief,

these things I do remember still. How with the multitude I went, up to God's house on Zion Hill. In their procession I would lead,

as we approached with cheerful song. And shouts of joy and thankfulness, rejoicing with the festive throng.

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why are you so disturbed in me? Trust God, for I will praise Him yet. My Savior and my God is He.

My bones in mortal agony are groaning while my enemies say.

Wherever is this God of yours, they scoff at me throughout the day.

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why are you so disturbed in me? Trust God, for I will praise Him yet.

My Savior and my Savior and my God is He.

Please have a seat. And let me invite you to turn back with me to the opening words of the book of Genesis,

the opening words of the Bible. We're going to look at Genesis 1, verse 1 and 2,

Genesis 1:1

and reflect together on God, our eternal creator. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

There have been some famous first lines in story and in literature. Some of my favorites,

it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Charles Dickens, Great Expectations.

Here is Edward Bear coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin.

That's Winnie the Pooh. And one of the nation's favorites, as it turns out,

it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

Jane Austen's great first line from Pride and Prejudice.

But the most famous and the most significant of all opening lines are the ones we just read in the book of Genesis,

in the beginning, God. God created. Because this introduces us to God and His great story of salvation.

And right from the beginning, we are led to understand He is the author, He is the main character,

He is going to be the great hero in this unfolding story of redemption.

And it also begins to help us to answer some of the biggest questions that we will ever have in our lives.

Questions like, who is God? And who am I? And what's wrong with the world? And is there any solution?

Is there any hope?

The beginning of this story in the book of Genesis, which incidentally means beginnings or origins,

is all about the God who creates.

And then as we'll see, the God who makes great promises.

He is a God who attaches His future hope to certain persons and certain people.

And ultimately we see by the end of Genesis, we'll begin to Genesis 49 and 50,

that hope for the world rests in the promise that God will send a king.

And this king will be a source of blessing.

So in the first few months of the year, we're going to be in Genesis 1 to 11.

And these chapters really set the stage for this great story.

And it's going to enable us to hear the greatest, the truest story ever told.

Of God the Father sending His Son, the Lord Jesus, into this world in order to rescue the people He has made.

So let's get into the preface of this great story as we hear verses 1 and 2.

Three very simple things to say this morning, but they are huge.

They are mind-expanding truths.

First of all, God is eternal.

In the beginning, God.

Let's start with a question.

And it's a big question.

What do you think is ultimate reality?

There's an evangelist, a Christian podcaster called Glenn Scrivener, and he says,

to help answer that question, you need to ask yourself,

what do I believe was there in the beginning?

If we were able to scroll back through the ages of time to get to point zero,

what was there?

Now, many people in our culture, perhaps you're here today, and you think, well, nothing was there.

No one was there.

The physical universe is all there is, and random chance brought everything out of nothing.

And perhaps we can sense the appeal of that,

because if there's no creator, no one above us, then there is no ultimate authority,

then that means you and I, well, we could be free to set our own meaning and purpose.

We would be free, ultimately, to sit on the throne and decide how life operated.

But perhaps it's important that we also take a moment to see the difficulty,

because if we look back to origins and we see, oh, there's no meaning, there's no purpose,

and if we fast forward to the end of history and we think again,

well, there is no meaning and purpose, and when we die, that's it,

then we might well find ourselves looking at our lives and thinking,

well, if life is random and it's come from nowhere and it's going nowhere,

then life has no meaning and purpose.

And that's very bleak.

And it's not the way any of us choose to live or really can live.

There is an instinct with us, within us, where we think and we act as if we have meaning,

as if others have meaning, as if life has meaning.

That's because it does.

And even people who want to live without God say there is no God,

even they will find themselves trying to smuggle in meaning in lots of different ways.

So that we do believe that there are rights and wrongs.

We do believe there is justice.

And maybe we hear it most commonly at the point of death.

There is the cultural understanding that someone, when they die,

well, they're in a better place and they're smiling down at us.

What does that reveal to us?

It reveals that we want to believe that our lives have meaning now and when we die.

And that takes us to the significance of what the Bible teaches about our God and about ourselves.

And the Bible certainly presents a better answer to the question of what is ultimate reality

when it says to us,

in the beginning,

God.

Before there was time, before there was anything,

God was there.

So just a few kind of brief reflections on what we learn about God and why it matters.

First of all,

as we recognize God is ultimate reality,

we come to understand that we need Him.

So if we were able to scroll all the way back to the moment when everything came to exist,

we would discover God.

We would come to the eternal God who speaks the universe into existence.

And that matters not just for back then,

but for you and me today,

right now.

There's a truth captured by Paul as he was speaking in Romans or writing in the book of Romans,

Romans 11:36

chapter 11,

verse 36.

He says this of God,

For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things.

To Him be the glory forever and ever.

Amen.

That the God who is without beginning and without end is the source of your life and mine,

is the goal of your life and mine.

So that when we discover that we are made for God and we can know God,

well, as C.S. Lewis puts it,

our nature is fulfilled and our happiness attained.

A broken bone in the universe has been set.

The anguish is over.

Here's another thought.

God is eternal and you and I were made for eternity.

I imagine that most of us,

at least some of the times,

have a tricky relationship with time.

Sometimes we have that impression that life is just going too fast.

Maybe it's as parents,

our kids are growing up too fast.

Maybe we've enjoyed a good time of rest

and the holiday is coming to an end too quickly.

On the flip side,

sometimes we find that time is going a little bit too slowly.

Maybe that lecture that never seems to end.

And church service that seems to go on and on.

Sometimes have that experience.

And then we come to God

and God has a perfect relationship with time.

God exists outside of time.

He sees all of time at one time.

And he is the one who was

and who is

and who is to come.

He is eternal.

And in Ecclesiastes chapter 3,

Ecclesiastes 3 · chapter mention

we discover that the eternal God

has set eternity in our hearts.

That we are created for eternity.

And that in large measure

explains why we can be so restless in time.

You know, when we reflect and think,

life is too short and time is flying

or I don't want this moment to end,

that is our heart saying to us,

we were made for more.

We were made to live eternally

and to live eternally

in relationship with the eternal God.

And we're going to see that

as we come to think about

the creation of humanity.

Another thought that becomes clear

as we read the book of Genesis

and the whole of the Bible

is that God is self-existing.

And we owe our existence to Him.

Now when we think about

the origins of the universe,

it is quite likely

that you have heard arguments,

perhaps in a classroom,

perhaps in a textbook,

that the universe, you know,

began with superheated particles

or a singularity of pure energy,

a big bang.

And the challenge

or the question

that I suppose arises

is, well, where did those

protons, particles,

matters of energy,

where did they come from?

And if they are regarded

as eternal,

and it's seen as perfectly rational

that somebody should believe

that a protein or a particle

could exist eternally

and create everything,

how does that differ

from Christian faith

that says there is an eternal God?

And it's rational for us

to believe that this eternal,

personal God

was there

and made everything.

All of us have certain

faith beliefs about origins.

Genesis 1

holds out the best explanation

of our world,

that the God

who has existed eternally,

the God

who is dependent

on no one

to give him life.

He is the source

of life

and ultimate reality.

Going back to Paul again,

this time speaking

to some great thinkers

in the city of Athens.

He said,

in him,

in God,

we live

and move

and have

our being.

God

is eternal.

In the beginning,

God.

God.

And that's really important

at the personal level.

Perhaps

you're searching

for meaning.

Perhaps you're asking

some big questions

of life today.

And if so,

you're so welcome.

It's a great place

to be.

And it's important

to recognize

that the answer

the Bible gives

from the beginning

is so different

from the answer

we often hear in culture.

The quest

to find meaning

and purpose

and identity

doesn't come

from looking

inside of ourselves.

It comes

from looking

outside of ourselves,

looking up

to recognize

there is a God,

an eternal God

who made us

and made us

for himself.

But if you're asking

these big questions,

do keep coming.

And if you know

people who are asking

big questions,

why not invite them

into these

sermons

on the book

of Genesis?

But just to recognize

for ourselves

that the Bible

helps us

to answer

that question

of what is the goal

of your life

and mine?

And so often,

don't we find

in the busyness

of life

and the distractions

of life,

we can lose

that sense

of purpose.

Maybe things

get hard,

circumstances change.

What am I here for?

What's my purpose?

And the book

of Genesis,

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1,

is going to remind us

that we are made

to know God

personally.

That the goal

of our life

is to worship

the God

who made us

and made us

for himself,

to live in

relationship

with God,

to seek

his glory,

to enjoy

his glory.

Ultimately,

to be able

to sing

the song

of heaven

we find

in Revelation 4

where we hear

these words,

you are worthy,

our Lord and God,

to receive glory

and honor

and power

for,

here's the reason,

you created

all things

and by your will

they were created

and have

their being.

God is eternal.

we also discovered

in these opening verses,

secondly,

that God is,

now I want you to picture

this scene

for just a moment.

So imagine we move

from Edinburgh,

we move to the

Arabian wilderness

!

And picture

a Mr. Benjamin

and a Mrs. Miriam

and they're standing

outside their tent

and there's thousands

of other tents

and there's thousands

of other people

listening

as Moses,

who wrote the book

of Genesis,

shares for the very

first time

the truths

that we have just read.

Now what that couple

would discover

in the reading

of Genesis

is a story

so very different

from what they had

grown up hearing

in Egypt.

So remember

the people of God,

Israelites,

had been slaves

in Egypt

for over 400 years

and in Egypt

there were multiple

gods,

loads of gods,

local,

regional,

limited gods.

And they had

a creation story

very different

to the story

of the Bible.

The earth,

the universe,

it came out of chaos,

you know,

fighting between gods.

They heard

of a great

dualism.

There was two

great gods,

one who was

really violent,

he was called Seth,

and one who was

good and life-giving

and he was called

Osiris.

And so they believed

that there were

multiple gods

and the gods

were all fighting

together

and that good

and evil

were eternal

and they were equal.

Now when God

sets his people

free

from Egypt,

he's also

setting them free

from those beliefs

and introducing

them to truth

and reality

which Moses

records for us,

clear,

simple truth.

In the beginning,

God created

the heavens

and the earth.

And Genesis 1

does this so helpfully

and we'll see it

in the next few weeks

that God is

the author

of the universe.

God is the subject

of all that happens

in Genesis 1,

1 and 2.

He's the subject

of all that happens

in Genesis 1,

35 times

God is doing.

God is the actor,

God is the author.

Only God is eternal.

God alone

is responsible

for everything

that exists.

So the universe

is not timeless.

The universe

isn't here by chance.

God didn't give order

to pre-existing

proteins

and protons.

He is the creator

and author

of everything.

Second idea,

God crafted

the world

out of nothing.

As we read

Genesis 1 and 2,

the picture language

is the language

of God

as a great

craftsman

who is willing,

think about how

Adam was made,

to get his hands

dirty as it were

in order to create.

He is personally

involved

in this wonderful

creation.

and he does it

from nothing.

Now there is no

parallel

in our human

experience.

Think of the things

that we make.

Maybe we make

a Lego set

or we build

a house

or we create

a great meal.

All of those

things require

raw materials

of different kinds

and all of them

require a set

of instructions.

Only God

creates

creates

out of nothing.

No raw materials

simply

from

his

mind.

It's a window

into the power

of God.

Think of that

for a moment.

There was nothing

God spoke.

There was everything.

Think of the

complexity

and the beauty,

the order

in our own

bodies,

never mind

what's going on

out there.

Nothing

and no one

compares

with our

God.

But then

it's important

to see that

from the beginning

God is

distinct

from his

creation.

God and creation

are not one

and the same.

That's very

careful and clear

in verse 1

and verse 2.

In the beginning

there is God

and then there is

an action

and God creates

the heavens and the earth.

It weren't there

than it was there.

In verse 2

there is the earth

formless and empty,

darkness,

and there's the spirit

of God hovering

over.

Not the same,

hovering over.

And there's that

wonderful sense

of anticipation,

the idea

there's the raw

materials and

there's the spirit

of God

and everything's

going to happen.

God made the heavens

and the earth,

which is an idea

of a way of speaking

to say God made

everything.

And he made it

from nothing

and he is not

part of what

he created.

So in just a few

short sentences

we discover

the Christian view

of creation

and of God himself,

which stands

in opposition

to what the Israelites

were used to

in Egypt

and stands

in opposition

to what we hear

a lot in our own

society as well.

So it reminds us

that God the creator,

that there's not

polytheism,

not many gods,

not regional gods,

not fighting

and creating gods,

only one true

and living God.

And we don't

believe in pantheism.

That's found

in Eastern religions.

Sam Albury,

who's a pastor,

used to be involved

in the Greenpeace

movement and he would

say you can trace

some of this

in the extremes

of the environmental

movement.

The universe

is not divine.

The rocks are not God.

And the Bible also

makes clear that

there is no dualism.

There is no yin and yang

of good and evil.

Only God is eternal.

Creation is not equal

with God.

And when evil comes

into the world,

and it does,

we'll get there

in Genesis 3,

that evil is not equal

with God.

And that evil

is not eternal.

Now,

I don't know

if you've thought

about this.

Just as an aside,

there is something

profoundly good

about that message.

You and I know

we live in a world

that is full of darkness

and pain

and evil.

And sometimes

it comes really close

to us,

but even when we're

watching at a distance,

we have that sense

of grief.

But in knowing

that evil is not eternal

and not equal with God,

we're also promised

that the world

that we live in

will not always

be like this.

The God who created

in the Lord Jesus,

one day,

Jesus will come back again

at the end of history

to establish

what the Bible calls

the new creation,

the new heavens

and the new earth.

And when Christ Jesus

does that,

he will bring

final judgment.

Evil will be destroyed

once and forever.

So when we find

our hearts longing

for a world free

of sin

and pain

and evil,

our heart is saying

to us,

you and I,

we need to place

our trust in Jesus.

He is the only hope

for that world,

that world that will come

one day.

As we come to Genesis 1

Genesis 1:1

verses 1 and 2,

we are being introduced

to a God

who is involved

personally

in creating

this world.

And there's a sense,

a very real sense,

in which this gets

very personal

for all of us.

Because if God

has created you

and if God

has created me,

then that means

he has certain rights.

The creator

has rights.

He has rights

to your loyalty.

He should have

the first place

in our hearts

and in our lives.

He has the right

to set

our limits.

We don't get

to define

what is good

and bad,

what is good

and evil.

God alone

has the right

to do that.

And when we live

within his limits,

actually there's freedom

because we're living

the world

and the life

that God designed

for us.

He has rights

to receive

our love

and our worship.

and so I wonder

as we reflect

on that,

is that how

you and I

are living

today?

Even if we're

professing

to be Christians,

are we living

as if there

is a God,

as if he is

personal

and as if he

has rights

over our lives?

And if you have

a sense

where

that's not

how I'm living

today,

let me invite

and encourage

you to turn,

to repent,

to trust,

or to trust

again

in Jesus'

Lord

as the way

to be right

with,

in right

relationship

with,

the God

who made

you.

So we see

that God

is eternal,

we see

that God

is creator,

we're also

told even

just in these

couple of

verses

that God

comes near.

Now I

wonder if

you've had

this experience

of coming

into a TV

show or a

film halfway

through,

or,

and maybe

this is a

clue about

what age

and stage

of life

you're at,

you start

watching a

film or a

movie and

you fall

asleep

halfway

through,

and it

comes to

the end,

the great

climax,

the big

finale,

you can

maybe find

yourself asking

what's going

on here,

what's the

point,

what have

I missed?

In the

beginning of

our story,

God's story,

we're introduced

to who the

main character

is.

He's God,

he's eternal,

he's creator,

but even just

in verse 2,

we're getting

ready for

what this

God will

do.

And we need

both sides

of the story,

we need to

know that

God is the

eternal creator,

and we need

to know that

he comes near,

and we need

to know that

this personal

creator God

will act to

create and

give life.

The same

principle that

applies in

creation,

of God

working to

send his

spirit and

to bring

life,

is the same

principle that

applies when

a person comes

to trust in

Jesus and

find salvation.

So verse 2

is a little

preview of

what God

will do.

God will

bring order

and form

to creation.

Look at

verse 2

with me,

as we're

introduced to

see the

moment of

original creation.

Now the

earth was

formless and

empty,

darkness was

over the

surface of

the deep,

and the

spirit of

God was

hovering.

Formless,

empty,

dark,

God hasn't

yet spoken

and said

let there

be light.

Those words,

formless,

empty,

dark,

they actually

become judgment

words in the

Bible.

The idea of

being separated

from God.

Jeremiah uses

it.

Jesus will use

it in

parables.

Remember those

judgment

parables where

someone is

cast out into

the outer

darkness.

God's

So the

earth is

formless and

empty.

Next week we're

going to see

God will say

let there be

light.

We're going to

see that God

is the one

who gives

form to

the universe.

God is the

one who

fills the

universe.

But here in

verse 2

we're being

introduced to

the reality

that God

is personally

going to be

involved in

creating and

he will do

so as we

see it through

the spirit

that hovers.

God's

creative energy

is poised

and ready.

That God

makes himself

near in an

act of

generous grace.

Just to

recognize in

verse 1 the

focus is on

the universe,

the heavens and

the earth.

Already by

verse 2 the

focus zooms

in on the

earth.

And we're

invited to

see how

generous and

good God

has been to

us as the

people who

dwell on

the earth.

The truth

that we

have here

in Genesis

1 reminds

us that

God at

the end of

the day he

does not

need us but

we need

God.

God did

not need

to make

the universe.

He freely

chose to

and he

freely chose

to focus

on the

earth and

the people

who live

on the

earth to

display his

glory to.

There's a

goodness and

a generosity

at the heart

of God that

we see as

creation

begins.

But there's

an even

greater grace

that God

will show

and he

will show

it the next

time we

hear in the

Bible in

the beginning.

Do we know

what it is?

Beginning of

John's gospel

speaking about

Jesus the

eternal son of

God in

the beginning

was the

word and

the word was

with God and

the word was

God.

In him

was life.

That life

was the

light of

mankind.

And that

word became

flesh and

made his

dwelling among

us and we

have seen

his glory.

And here we

are introduced

to the good

news of

God's story

of salvation.

The announcement

that God the

eternal creator

in his son

Jesus steps

right into

his creation.

Jesus comes

so near

as to become

one of us,

to live for

us,

then to die

for us,

to bring us

God's light

and to give

us life

with God.

God.

And as the

story unfolds,

we see Jesus

is the one

promised in

Genesis,

who is the

source of

God's blessing

for us.

Jesus is the

eternal king

promised,

who sets up a

kingdom of

perfect righteousness.

Jesus is the

promised one

who alone can

undo the

curse of sin

that brings

death.

So as you and

I look around,

as we look

into our

hearts,

we see there

is a lot

that is

beautiful,

but there

is a lot

that is also

broken.

And as

people,

we cannot

make it

right.

As people,

we cannot

restore

ourselves to

good relationship

with God

because of

our sin.

But in the

good news of

the Bible,

the Lord

Jesus,

the eternal

Son of God,

he comes

near to

restore what

we have

ruined,

to give

hope of

that world

we all

want at

his return.

Our God

is eternal.

He is our

creator,

and he is

personal,

and he comes

near.

He still

comes near.

with