Genesis Ch1v1-25 - And God Said

that reminder. Children, you can now go to Sunday school. Have a good time.

And the rest of us, please, can we be turning to Genesis chapter 1?

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

I went looking for the booklets on Genesis that I'd done up. I couldn't find any, so they've

probably all gone. I'll try and print some more for next week if you haven't got them.

But do read that little booklet. It will give you an introduction to the first 11 chapters

that we're going to be looking at over this term.

So let's read Genesis chapter 1. We're going to start at verse 1. We're going to go down

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

to verse 25. And then next week we'll look at that creation of humanity.

Next week. So starting at verse 1.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty.

Darkness was over the surface of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

And God said, let there be light and there was light. God saw that the light was good and

he separated light from the darkness. God called the light day and the darkness he called night.

And there was evening and there was morning the first day. And God said, let there be a vault between

the waters to separate water from water. So God made the vault and separated the water under the

vault from the water above it. And it was so. And God called the vault sky. And there was evening and

there was morning the second day. And God said, let the water under the sky be gathered to one place

and let dry ground appear. And it was so. God called the dry ground land and the gathered waters he called

seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, let the land produce vegetation, seed bearing plants

and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it according to their various kinds. And it was so.

The land produced vegetation, plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit

with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there

was morning the third day. And God said, let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day

from the night and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times and days and years. And let them be

lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth. And it was so. And God made two great lights,

the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.

God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth to govern the day and the night and to

separate light from darkness. And God saw it was good. And there was evening and there was morning the fourth day.

And God said, let the water team with living creatures and let birds fly above the, across the earth and the vault

of the sky. So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing within them. The water teams

and that moves about in it according to their kinds and every winged bird according to its kind.

And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, be fruitful and increase in number and fill

the water in the seas and let the birds increase on the earth. And there was evening and there was

morning the fifth day. And God said, let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds,

the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground and the wild animals, each according to its

kind. And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according

to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds.

and God saw that it was good.

Well, God's word is good.

It's the voice that speaks

and we want to listen to it now.

Let's pray and ask for God's help as we do so.

Father, we thank you for this record,

this account of creation,

so wonderfully and precisely written.

Amen.

We thank you for all that we see and hear here.

And we pray that this wouldn't just be words on a page,

but it would be the very voice of God

speaking into our hearts and lives today,

helping us to see who you are,

the kind of God that you are,

and all that you are seeking to do in this world today.

So help us, we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, Genesis chapter 1 has so much to teach us, doesn't it?

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

There's a lot here.

But here's the problem.

We don't always get very far into the story

because people start arguing over how old the world is

and how long it took to make.

Now, it's important for us to recognise

that there are faithful, Bible-believing Christians

who have very different views on this.

And I'm not going to go into them now.

It will take too much time.

I was going to, but I'm not.

If you want to talk to me about that afterwards,

I'm very happy to talk to you about it.

And while healthy debate is good to have,

getting stuck on this issue of how long it took

is to miss the point entirely.

Genesis hasn't been written to answer all our questions

about the age of the earth.

So, it's primarily been written to tell us about God

and who he is and who we are.

So, three things we're going to look at from our text this morning.

First, God speaks.

Second, God speaks and acts.

And then third, God speaks and acts to redeem.

So, let's get straight into it.

First, God speaks.

So, those are the four views which we've moved on very quickly.

First, God speaks.

God is introduced to us as a speaking God.

And we see this emphasis all the way through the first chapter.

So, verse 3,

And God said,

and it's probably there in the paragraphs,

verse 6,

And God said,

verse 9,

And God said,

verse 14,

And God said,

God speaks.

It's hard to miss the point, isn't it?

He speaks to tell us who he is

and what he is like.

We don't have to speculate.

We don't have to come up with a God of our imagination.

God is a speaking God

and he reveals himself to us through his words.

In fact, God is showing us that he is different

from any other man-made God or being

because he speaks.

Follow with me on screen.

This is from Psalm 115.

Why do the nations say,

Where is their God?

Our God is in heaven

and he does whatever pleases him.

But their idols

are silver and gold

made by human hands.

They have mouths,

but they cannot speak.

Eyes,

but cannot see.

They have ears,

but cannot hear.

Noses,

but cannot smell.

They have hands,

but cannot feel.

Feet,

but cannot walk.

Nor can they utter a sound

with their throats.

Those who make them

will be like them

and so will all

who trust

in them.

Psalm 115.

As we'll discover,

God speaks

so that we can

know him

and how we should

relate to him,

how we should speak.

He speaks to us

to commune with us,

to be in fellowship with us.

Our creator,

God,

is not some

impersonal force

somewhere away out there

raging from the heavens,

distant and unknown.

God speaks with words,

with language,

that we can understand

to communicate with us

just as we talk

with one another.

Now,

that doesn't mean

we can expect God

to have private,

audible conversations

with us.

No,

God's word

has been spoken

and it has been

written down

for us today.

So as we read

God's word,

we hear his voice.

That's why

Genesis was written.

Moses wrote it

with the help

of God's spirit

and it was written

for the Israelites

as they were

entering into

the promised land.

God was speaking.

He had his words

written down

so that every other

generation to come

could also learn.

God doesn't have

a private audience

with individuals

to say,

here,

I just want to

talk with you

a minute

and tell you

all about creation.

No,

he's written it down

so we can read

and we can know.

So if you want

to hear the voice

of God today,

we open up our Bibles

and we read

and we listen.

That's what we're

doing this morning.

It's what we do

every week.

We want to hear

God speak.

Second,

God speaks

and acts

because as God

speaks,

things happen.

His words

have power.

Look at the repetition

that we see

in Genesis 1.

So look at the

beginning of verse 6

and God said

and the end of verse

7

and it was

so.

Verse 9

and God said

the end of verse 9

and it was

so.

Verse 11

is the same.

Then God said

and it was

so.

All the way

through

verse 14

and God

said

end of verse 15

and it was

so.

God's words

do

what he commands

them to do.

His words

never rebel

against God.

They never

fail God.

His word

acts

as God

speaks.

Now I don't

know if you've

ever noticed

that your

words and my

words are not

like that.

We don't have

power.

If you've got

pets or if

you've got

young children

you'll know

that your

words have

no power

whatsoever.

They don't

have the

power to

control or

order or

bring things

into existence.

Our text

this morning

will show

us three

things about

the action

of God's

word when

he speaks.

Here's the

first one.

God speaks

order.

Look at

verse 2.

Now the

earth was

formless

and empty.

So verse 1

God created

the heavens

and the earth.

What did it

look like when

God began the

process of

creation?

Well verse 2

tells us it

was formless

and empty.

Darkness was

over the

surface of

the deep

and the

spirit of

God was

hovering over

the waters.

So the

picture we

have here is

if you can

imagine in

your minds

a misshapen

lifeless mass

suspended in

darkness.

A watery

sphere

suspended

in the

universe.

It was

formless

formless

and empty.

God speaks

and as he

speaks the

earth is

formed

and the

earth is

filled.

His words

bring order

where there

is disorder.

So I have a

table here that

you can follow

on the screen.

It's not unique.

If you have a

study Bible you'll

probably find it

there.

formless world

on the left

the formless

world, the

empty world

on the right

and then God

begins the

process of

forming

on days

one, two

and three

and the

process of

filling

on days

four, five

and six.

So let me go

through that

with you on

day one

which we see

in verse three

God forms

the light

and separates

light from

darkness.

and then on

day four

in verse

fourteen

God fills

that formation

with the

sun, the

moon and

the stars.

On day two

verse six

we're told

that God

forms the

sea and

separates the

sky from

the waters.

Then on day

five in verse

twenty God

fills the

sea with

all the

sea creatures

and fills

the sky

with birds.

and then on

day three

God forms

the land

and he

forms the

vegetation

on the

land.

And then on

day six

which is

verse twenty

four and

into verse

twenty six

as well

God fills

the land

with animals

that crawl

along the

ground and

the creatures

of the ground

and as we'll

see next

week he

fills it

with people.

So it's

very clear to

see this

formless

emptiness

this void

which is

then formed

and then

filled.

The world

we live in

is not

random is it?

It's not an

accident.

The world

we live in

is carefully

ordered and

structured

by God's

word.

So God

speaks

order.

Second

God

speaks

design.

Everything

that God

makes

has a

place

and a

purpose.

There's

a design

to this

world

that we

can't

escape.

So look

at verse

11.

Then God

said let

the land

produce

vegetation

seed

bearing

plants

and trees

on the

land

that bear

fruit

with seed

in it

according

to its

various

kinds.

Verse

twenty

nine.

Sorry

verse

twenty one.

So God

created

sea

creatures

of the

sea

and

every

living

thing

with

which

the

water

teems

and that

moves

about

in it

according

to

their

kinds

and

every

winged

bird

according

to

its

kind.

Down

to verse

twenty

five.

God

made

the wild

animals

according

to

their

kinds

the

livestock

according

to

all

their

kinds

and

all

the

creatures

that

move

along

the

ground

according

to

their

kinds.

Can you

see the

design

that's

taking

place?

Everything

according

to

its

kind.

So

an

oak

tree

is an

oak

tree

and

it

doesn't

grow

rose

petals.

And a

robin

is a

bird

and it

doesn't

have an

ostrich

neck.

It's

according

to its

kind.

And a

mouse

doesn't

have an

elephant's

trunk.

Each

to

its

kind.

Now

it's

important

that we

understand

this

because

when we

come to

human

beings

God

designed

men

and he

designed

women

according

to their

kinds.

We're

not

interchangeable.

What God

designs

has their

purpose.

So look

at verse

12.

The

kinds of

vegetation

have their

purpose.

Verse

12.

The

land

produced

vegetation

plants

bearing

seed

according

to

their

kinds

and

trees

bearing

fruit

with

seed

in

it

according

to

their

kinds.

So the

trees

and the

plants

have all

been

designed

by God

to produce

fruit,

food

for human

beings.

And we

know from

science that

they take

in carbon

dioxide and

they produce

oxygen.

Verse

16.

We read

about the

lights in

the sky.

God

made two

great

lights.

The

greater

light,

that is

the sun,

to govern

the day

and the

lesser

light,

the moon,

to govern

the night,

to rule

the night.

Verse

17.

God

set them

in the

vault of

the sky

to give

light to

the earth,

to govern

the day

and the

night and

to separate

light from

darkness.

So the

sun has

a job

which is to

produce the

lovely

sunshine

upon the

world,

helping

things to

grow.

The moon

has a

job,

it reflects

the sun's

light in

the evening

times.

We also

know the

moon is

there to

keep the

tides going

and all

that happens

with that.

The world

is wonderfully

designed,

isn't it?

It's not

just a

random

jumbled

mess.

Everything,

the different

kinds of

creation,

have their

place and

purpose

within

God's

world.

So God

speaks

design.

And then

third,

God speaks

beauty.

Because

everything

God does,

God makes

and he

says it

is good.

He delights

in everything

that he's

made.

So again,

look at the

repetition,

that's a

theme through

the chapter,

just look at

what's repeated,

that's the

main point.

Verse 10

at the

end,

and God

saw that

it was

good.

Same at

the end

of verse 12,

and God

saw that

it was

good.

All the

way through,

everything

God did,

it was

good.

Nothing

is bad

or ugly

or unwanted

or useless.

It's all

wonderfully

good.

The stunning

colours of

a peacock's

tail,

the roaming

rhino with

his armoured

body,

the magnificent

corals in

the depths

of the

ocean,

the scent

of an

orchid or

those great

tall pines.

Creation

is God's

canvas,

his gallery

of beauty,

his masterpiece

on display

to the

world,

and he

is saying

it is

all good,

just as

I am

good.

God's

speaking,

none of

this would

happen.

Of course

there will

be those

who will

argue and

say,

no,

no,

no,

no,

no,

no,

no,

no,

we don't

need God.

It all

evolved from

a big bang,

there was

matter that

kind of all

came in

together and

it just

went bang.

I don't

know if

you believe

that or

not.

Well,

if you

do,

consider

this.

Because if

everything was

to begin

with a

big bang,

just a

chance where

it just

happened,

the chances

of a world

being created

where you

have order,

design and

beauty,

is like

putting the

parts of a

car,

so your

car that you

came in this

morning,

stripping it

back to every

nut and bolt,

every wire and

fuse,

the doors and

windows,

the bumpers and

every little

gadget,

stripping it

down to its

tiny little

parts,

putting it

all into a

massive big

washing machine

and turning it

on and when

you open the

door,

whoa,

you have a

fully working

driving car

with every

bit in its

place.

That's what

we're expected

to happen if

we believe the

big bang that

somehow it all

just came into

being in this

wonderful order,

design and

beauty.

no,

this world is

not a product

of chance,

it has been

spoken into

being by

God.

Whether you

believe it's a

literal 24

hour day or

whether you

take that day

as an age or

a period of

time,

it's all into

being by

God.

God speaks to

act and

when he

acts,

he brings

order,

design and

beauty.

Listen to

this,

John Stott,

who's now

with the

Lord,

a Christian

writer and

speaker,

so good

with his

words.

This is

what he

says.

God speaks

to act and

when he

acts,

he brings,

oh sorry,

God preaches

and the

world is

made.

God said,

let there be

light and

there was

light.

Six sermons

are preached

in wonderful

sequence.

The word of

God is

proclaimed in

the heavens

pulpit and

it all

comes to

pass.

The preaching

forms the

universe.

The word

preached is

no empty

word.

it accomplish

what it

pleases and

never returns

void to

him who

speaks.

God's

spoken word

is a

powerful

creating

word.

It changes,

it transforms,

it achieves

the purpose

that God

intends.

Or as

Psalm 33

Psalms 33:6

verse 6

tells us,

by the

word of

the Lord

the heavens

were made.

Their

starry

host by

the

breath

of his

mouth.

For he

spoke

and it

came to

be.

He

commanded

and it

stood

firm.

So God

speaks

and God

speaks

and acts.

But third,

there's a

reason for

God speaking

and acting.

And the

reason is

he speaks

and acts

to redeem.

Imagine for

a moment

that God

did not

speak.

So,

verse 1,

in the

beginning God

created the

heavens and

the earth.

He did

that,

he spoke

that into

existence,

but then

after that

he didn't.

What would

we have?

Verse 2,

well without

God speaking

the world

would remain

formless

and empty.

Without

God's

word,

darkness

would pervade

the universe.

There would

be no

life

without

God's

word.

Now,

that's really

important because

the biblical

authors pick up

on that theme

and they use

this picture of

pre-creation

where it's

formless and

empty to

describe

humanity

without

God's

word.

So,

turn with me

please to

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4

and we'll

see how

this is

true.

Isaiah

Isaiah 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4,

or Jeremiah

Jeremiah 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4.

Jeremiah

begins with

explaining to

us that

God's people

have rebelled

and turned

their back

on God

and his

word.

They don't

want to

listen to

God anymore.

They've

had their

fill of

everything

God has

to say.

And we're

told in

chapter 2

that they've

exchanged the

glorious God

for worthless

idols.

Remember we

read about that

earlier.

Worthless idols

who have

mouths but

cannot speak.

Throats that

don't utter a

sound.

They don't

want to

listen.

They've got

their own

gods.

Now listen

to what God

says to

them.

Chapter 4

verse 22.

To those

who don't

listen.

My people

are fools.

They do

not know

me.

They are

senseless

children.

They have

no

understanding.

They are

skilled in

doing evil.

They know

not how

to do

good.

That's what

happens when

there is an

absence of

God's word.

But look now

at how he

describes

humanity.

Verse 23.

I looked at

the earth

and it was

formless

darkness and

empty.

And that

the heavens

and their

light was

gone.

You see

when God's

word is not

heard there

is chaos

and darkness.

Now isn't

that a

remarkable

description of

humanity today?

It's lifting it

straight out of

Genesis 1 and

showing to us

that God's

word when it

is rejected

and ignored

becomes chaotic.

humanity, the

world in which

we live is

formless and

empty.

There's division

in our

relationships,

disorder in

our own

lives.

There's no

purpose, no

meaning.

We're just

here trying

to figure it

all out.

The light

has gone

out and

darkness

prevails.

We were

reminded of

that yesterday

weren't we

with the

20th anniversary

of 9-11.

It's still

going on in

Afghanistan and

Syria and

in many

nations in

our world.

There's

something very

dark that

pervades this

world of

ours.

We see it in

our own

communities,

the tragic

murder-suicide

in North

Kerry this

week.

How awful

that is.

The

continued

items in

the news

of rise

in domestic

abuse.

And if

we should

dare peer

into our

own hearts

and lives,

if we

would dare

to look

inside

ourselves,

we see

things there

that we

would not

want anybody

to ever

know or

see.

I see it

in my

own life.

There have

been seasons

of struggle

and God's

word is not

opened or

read and

well I know

what happens,

my life

becomes

dysfunctional.

Work and

home become

imbalanced,

marriage

becomes

joyless,

relationships

break.

When God's

word is

not heard,

verse 23,

life becomes

formless and

empty,

the light

goes out.

In fact

when the

word is

rejected,

a

decreation

takes place.

Follow on

with Jeremiah

in verse 24.

I looked

at the

mountains

and they

were quaking

and the

hills were

swaying.

I looked

and there

were no

people.

Every bird

in the sky

had flown

away.

I looked

and the

fruitful

land was

a desert

and all

its towns

lay in

ruins before

the Lord

before his

fierce

anger.

Isn't

that true

of the

world today?

There is

a

decreation,

an

undoing

taking place

of all

that God

made that

was good.

Not only

do we

take the

place of

God,

but we

order our

lives as

we please.

Gender

is redesigned,

life is

ended in

the womb,

our

environment

is polluted,

our world

is breaking

and our

personal lives

spiral out

of control.

Instead of

flourishing,

we have

become a

fruitless,

parched

desert.

the world

is starved

of the

very thing

that gives

nourishment

and life,

God's

word.

But notice

that this

isn't all

the consequences

of rejecting

God's word.

Again,

look at

verse 26.

I looked

and the

fruitful

land was

a desert,

all its

town lay

in ruin

before the

Lord,

before his

fierce

anger.

Not

hearing

God's

word

is

judgment.

Removing

God's

word from

a people

and a

community

is a

sign of

God's

displeasure.

It's

God's

response to

a world

who says,

I don't

want you,

I don't

want to

listen to

you,

and God

listens to

that and

says,

well I'll

be silent

and I'll

remove my

word from

you and

you will

see what

becomes.

In other

words,

it's a

mercy of

God.

It's a

gracious

act of

God when

we hear

his word

in our

lives and

in our

communities.

So that

is humanity

without

God's

word.

Second,

humanity

with

God's

word.

You see,

we can

see how

desperately

we need

the word

of God,

that

creative,

powerful

act of

God that

we read

about in

Genesis.

We need

that same

voice,

that same

word to

renew and

restore.

We need

a new

creation in

our own

lives.

So let's

have a look

at 2

2 Corinthians 4 · chapter mention

Corinthians

chapter 4.

2

2 Corinthians 4 · chapter mention

Corinthians

chapter 4.

chapter 4.

Once again,

the authors

of scripture

pick up on

this theme

of creation

to explain

the world

in which we

live and

what needs

to happen.

Look at

verse 4.

2

2 Corinthians 4:4

Corinthians

4,

verse 4.

The God

of this

age,

that is

Satan,

we'll meet

him when

we get

to

Genesis

3.

The God

of this

age has

blinded

the minds

of

unbelievers

just as

he blinded

the minds

of Adam

and Eve.

He's still

doing it,

that's his

job,

so that

they cannot

see the

light of

the gospel

that displays

the glory

of Christ

who is

the image

of God.

So the

gospel,

the gospel

word,

which is

all about

Christ,

is not

seen and

it's not

understood.

People are

blind to

its truth

and reality.

They're in

darkness.

They can't

see how

destructive

their lives

are becoming.

People think

that, well,

if I don't

have God's

word,

that's actually

freedom.

No,

it's

judgment.

They are

blind to

the truth

of God's

word.

So how

are we,

how are

people ever

going to

see the

light of

Christ and

understand who

he is?

Well,

look at

verse 6.

For God

who said,

let light

shine out of

darkness,

Genesis 1

Genesis 1:3

verse 3,

made his

light shine

in our

hearts to

give us the

light of the

knowledge of

God's glory

displayed in

the face of

Christ.

We're taken

right back

again to the

beginning of

creation,

aren't we?

To the

God who

spoke.

And he's

saying,

look, I

want you to

remember,

imagine,

go back to

creation.

The God who

speaks and

acts is the

God who

speaks and

acts to

redeem.

The power of

God's word

that formed

this formless

world and

his word that

filled this

empty void.

The power

that brought

light into

the darkness

is this

same God

who by

his spirit

speaks his

creative word

and his

life-giving

word into

our hearts

today.

How does

he do that?

Well, go back

to the verse

before, verse 5.

For what we

preach is not

ourselves, but

Jesus Christ

as Lord.

as the

word about

Christ, the

living word is

preached, his

word takes

effect in our

hearts.

It's like the

lights go on,

it's like being

in a room full

of darkness and

someone comes

in, maybe

you're asleep,

windows, blinds,

curtains are

closed, it's a

dark, dark

room and

somebody comes

in, switches

on the light,

bright lights.

God's word

begins to

act.

And we

can begin to

see that the

decreation in

our lives, all

that disorder and

disruption, we

begin to see it

and we turn to

our creator God

in faith.

As Paul will

put it in the

following chapter,

if anyone is in

Christ, the new

creation has come,

the old has gone,

and the new is

here.

You see, when we

turn to God in

repentance, when we

turn in trust to

his word about his

son, it's like a

new creation takes

place in us

personally.

As we begin to

live under his

word and submit to

his word, our

disordered lives

are reordered.

spirit, what is

chaotic in our

life, is now

wonderfully

redesigned.

Where there is

brokenness, there is

now a magnificent

beauty.

He takes empty

vessels such as

us, who are

formless and

shapeless, and he

fills us with his

life-giving spirit.

God is not

distant from us

today, raging

from the heavens

in chaos and

disorder.

God has come

close to us

through his

word to redeem

us.

His word is

powerful, renewing

and restoring.

So think about

your life today,

where you're at.

Maybe there are

things that are

in chaos.

Maybe there's

disruption and

disorder.

Maybe there's

relationships that

are broken.

Maybe marriage

isn't as it

should be.

Things aren't

right.

Nothing seems

to be in sync.

Come under

God's word.

Submit yourself

to God's word.

Let him speak

his word into

your life and

bring about

an order and

a design and

a beauty to

the chaos that

is there.

Let him bring

about a new

creation, new

relationships, new

beginnings.

He can do that

for you as we

turn to his

word.

Think about

where you live,

your neighbours.

Think about the

people you work

with, maybe your

family.

And you look at

their lives and

you see how

painful it is,

how disordered

things have