Beginnings - God Creates Life: Genesis 1&2

is only because of your sustaining hand upon us.

And we ask that you, Creator God,

would breathe afresh the power of your Holy Spirit upon each one of us

so that we may hear these words correctly,

that we may apply them to our lives,

and that the same creation power that we see at work here in these words

would be at work in our lives,

forming us into the new creation that you would have us to be.

We pray that you would do this work amongst us today.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Once Upon a Time

is not just the beginning of a book.

It's actually a TV series that takes place

in a seaside town called Storybrooke.

All the residents of that town

are characters from various fairy tales

who've been transported into the real world,

but have been robbed of their real memories

by a powerful curse.

The town's only hope is Emma Swan,

who is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming,

who's come from the fairy tale world

to rescue them.

She's the only one who can break the curse

and restore the characters' lost memories.

Sound familiar?

You see, the story of the Bible

has a similar theme.

It's all about a hero.

A hero who offers hope,

who will rescue people from the curse

that they are under,

restoring what is broken

and renewing what has been lost.

But here's the difference.

The story of the Bible

is not a fairy tale.

It is a true story.

This is God's story

and it begins,

look at verse 1,

in the beginning.

That's what Genesis means.

It means beginnings.

The Bible begins

by telling us the story

of how the world

and how humanity began.

What we are like,

how we came to be,

and why we are here.

But the problem is,

people don't always get very far

in the story

because they start arguing

over how old the world is

and how long it took to make.

Now, I just want to say

a few things about that

because it's very important

to recognise

that faithful,

Bible-believing Christians,

and I'm sure if you were to do

a quick survey here in this room,

would all have various different views

about that.

Some people will say,

it took six days to make,

and they read Genesis chapter 1

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

in a literal sense,

so the end of verse 5,

it says,

and there was evening

and there was morning

the first day.

So on that basis,

and looking at other dates

in the Bible,

they calculate that the world

is not much older

than 6,000 years old.

Other people will say,

well, if you read verses 1 and 2,

there's a gap in between

verses 1 and 2

or in between verses 2 and 3,

and they call that

the gap theory,

and so on that basis,

they calculate that the world

is millions of years old.

Still other people

will read it and say,

well, the days that are mentioned

are just periods of time.

So while the creation story

is historically true,

the days are more symbolic

than literal.

And you can talk to each other

about that afterwards.

Now, while debate is healthy

and it's good,

let me stress,

it's really not worth

falling out over.

So how should we come this morning

and understand the beginning?

Well, here's what I'm suggesting we do.

Rather than treat the Bible

as a science book,

we read the Bible

as God's story.

Primarily, we're reading it

not to find out

how old the earth is,

but to discover

who God is

and who we are.

So we're going to look at

two big things this morning.

Who God is

and who we are.

So first,

in the beginning,

God.

Surprisingly,

the story doesn't actually

start with us,

does it?

Look again at verse 1.

In the beginning,

God.

It does not tell us

how God came to be.

It simply

and unapologetically

tells us

that God

exists.

Before anything else

or anyone else,

God

was there.

In other words,

God has existed

forever.

There was never a time

when God

was not.

God.

Now that blows

my mind a little bit.

It's hard enough

trying to fathom

how you and I

came into being

in a certain place

in a certain point

in history,

but to try and

understand or comprehend

that God

has always been

and always will be,

it causes my brain

to freeze.

You see,

if I could really

get my head

around that

and fathom

God's eternal

existence,

if I could

understand that

completely,

then God

would cease

to be God.

You see,

why should I

have the right

to say

who God is

and for how long

he's existed?

Because God

is God,

he tells me,

he informs me,

and the simple

fact is

at the very

beginning

we're told

that God

existed

from before

time began.

Now this

means that

the story

is not about

me.

I am not

the centre

of the universe.

I am not

the main character

in the story.

Of course,

the world

tells each one

of us

that we are

so important

and that

it is all

about me

and there's

nobody

is more

important

than me.

But it's

a lie,

it's not

true.

Part of

our problem

is thinking

that God

exists for

me and

my wants

and my

pleasures.

But that's

not how

the story

begins.

The Bible

starts with

God.

This is

his story,

not my

story.

So who

is this

God?

Well,

as we

read on

in the

story,

we see

that God

is one.

When God

begins to

create,

he says

things like,

let there

be light

or let

there be

an expanse

in the

sky.

But when

God creates

man,

there is a

subtle but

significant

difference.

I wonder

if you

noticed this

in verse

26.

Look at

verse 26.

So this

is at

day five,

he's created

everything and

then God

said,

verse 26,

let us

make man

in our

image,

in our

likeness.

So who's

God talking

about?

God's

God's

God's

God's

word.

Who's

the

hour and

who's

the

us?

Well,

I'm not

going to

spoil it

for you

just yet

because at

this stage

in the

story,

we're not

told.

We're

maybe

given

hints,

like in

verse 2,

we're told

about the

spirit of

God is

hovering over

the waters.

But all

we need to

know at

this stage

is that

there is

a complex

unity to

God.

God is

always referred

to as

one,

but yet

he can

speak of

himself as

being us

and our.

You see,

God has

made us,

but he

does not

need us.

God is

truly

self-sufficient.

God was

not lonely

and bored

wondering who

he could

talk to,

jumping from

star to

star and

planet to

planet,

wondering what

he should

do with

his time.

No,

God exists

in this

perfect

relationship

within

himself,

the us

and the

our,

together.

And as

we'll

discover in

a minute,

we have

been created

and made

to share

in that

relationship

that God

has within

himself.

So God

is one

and this

God

is our

creator.

Back at

verse 1,

in the

beginning,

God

created

the heavens

and the

earth.

Everything

that exists,

nature,

all the

plants,

earth,

all the

trees,

the

planets,

the

stars,

the

universe

in all

its vast

expanse,

all the

creatures in

the sky

and in

the sea,

and people

themselves,

we all

have our

origins or

beginnings

in God.

God is

self-sufficient,

but we are

not.

We are

utterly and

completely

dependent on

God for

life and

for breath.

Look at

chapter 2

verse 7

where it

tells us,

the Lord

God formed

the man

from the

dust of

the ground

and breathed

into his

nostrils the

breath of

life and

the man

became a

living being.

God

creates

life.

God

sustains

life.

God

provides us

in life.

Therefore,

God owns

my life.

He rules

over my

life.

This is

God's

world,

not my

world.

And how

this God

has created

is really

important.

At the

very beginning

of the

story,

we're

introduced

to a

creator

God,

but a

speaking

God.

And when

he speaks,

things happen.

his words

have

power.

Maybe you

think your

words have

power.

As you

try to tell

people what

to do.

I try that

sometimes at

home.

But my

words really

don't have

much power.

I can't

make anything

happen.

Everybody

seems to

do what

they like.

Don't

listen to

that at

all.

But look

at verse

three.

And God

said,

let there

be light.

light.

And there

was light.

God

speaks

life,

the world,

the universe

into existence.

And throughout

the first

chapter,

we continue

to read

like in

verses six

and seven.

And God

said,

and it

was so.

Or look

at verse

nine,

the beginning

of verse

nine.

And God

said,

let the

water under

the sky

be gathered

into one

place and

let dry

ground

appear.

And it

was so.

Through

the spoken

word,

God

brings

about

life.

John

Stott,

who's now

with

God,

helpfully

describes the

power of

God's word

in creation

like this.

He explained

it in this

helpful way.

The word

of God

is proclaimed

in heaven's

pulpit

and all

comes to

pass.

The preaching,

the speaking

of God's

word forms

the universe.

The word

preached by

God is no

empty word.

It accomplishes

and achieves

the purpose

for which

it was

spoken.

God's

word

has

power.

God's

love.

God's

love.

And this

one creator

speaking

God,

who spoke

creation into

existence,

does so with

amazing order

and precision.

Again, look at

verse 1,

chapter 1.

In the

beginning,

God created

the heavens

and the

earth.

Now the

earth was

formless

and empty

and darkness

was over the

surface of the

deep and the

spirit of God

was hovering

over the

waters.

Do you see

those two words

there in verse

2?

Formless

and empty.

That's the

scene.

If we can

kind of picture

that in our

own minds,

formless and

empty,

that's what was

at the beginning.

If we could

imagine in

some ways

an out of

shape,

watery ball

that is suspended

in utter

darkness.

No life.

Uninhabitable.

And then

God speaks

to this

formless,

empty

sphere

that is

just

suspending

in

darkness.

On the

first three

days as we

follow through

chapter 1,

God forms

the formless

world.

And on the

second three

days,

he fills

the empty

world.

So let's

look at this

pattern and

design of

creation.

We'll go

through it

quickly.

On day

one,

starting at

verse 3,

we're told

there that

God forms

the light

and separates

light from

darkness.

Then on

day four,

which is in

verse 14,

God fills

the light

and the

darkness with

the sun

and the

moon and

the stars

and he

scatters them

all into

their various

places to

the ones

that actually

give the

light.

Then on

day two,

starting at

verse 6,

God forms

the sea

and the

sky.

So the

sea and

the sky

are separated.

Then on

day five,

verse 20,

God fills

the sea

with all

kinds of

living creatures

and fish

and eels

and all

the little

shellfish.

And then

God fills

the sky

with the

birds of

the air.

He forms

it and

then he

fills it

with life.

And then

on day

three,

starting at

verse 9,

God forms

the land

and the

vegetation,

the mountains,

the hills,

the trees,

the plants.

Then on

day six,

starting at

verse 24,

God fills

the land

with animals

that roam

the earth

in all the

tiny little

bugs and

insects to

the great

big dinosaurs

that at

one stage

roamed

the earth.

And

alongside

the animals,

God fills

the land

with people.

Do you

see the

world that

we live

in?

It's not

random.

This is no

accident,

the world

that we

are in.

We are

not here

by chance.

We're not

some kind

of primeval

slime that's

come from

nowhere and

nothing and

kind of

formed into

a blob and

eventually grew

into some

kind of

species and

developed and

so on.

We're not

here by

chance or

some big

unexplained

big bang.

We're here

because God

formed us

and made

us and

filled the

earth with

all its

beautiful

creation.

That means

that my

life today

has meaning

and purpose.

I'm no

accident or

no mistake.

God has

created us

and God

has designed

and ordered

such a

beautiful world

for us

to live

in.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

And God

is not

only ordered

but God

is good.

Do you

see what

he says

as God

finished each

stage of

forming and

filling the

world in which

he made?

Do you see

what it says

in verse 4?

Beginning of

verse 4

after he

made the

light God

saw that

the light

was

good.

then

down at

verse 10

at the

very end

of verse

10

and God

saw that

it was

good

at the

end of

verse 12

and God

saw that

it was

good

and after

each piece

of creation

God

looks and

marvels at

what he

has done

and goes

this is

all

good

at the

beginning

it was

all good

because

there was

no

death

there

was no

funerals

going on

there

was no

decay

there

was no

disease

there

were no

hospitals

nobody

was getting

sick

there

was no

destruction

there

was no

tsunamis

or hurricanes

there

was no

breaking

up

there

was just

unity

and

beauty

and

harmony

with man

and creation

in existence

together

and God

looks at it

all

and it

was good

and then

into this

good world

that God

makes

he creates

mankind

and look

what he says

when he

makes man

verse 31

God

saw all

that he

had made

and it

was

very

good

with the

creation of

male and

female

it's not

just

good

this is

very good

the pinnacle

of God's

creation

mankind

God

is a good

God

and all

that he

does

for us

is good

and every

work in

our life

is always

right and

best for

us

because

God

is

good

and

God

is

rest

look at

chapter 2

verse 2

by the

seventh

day

God

had

finished

the work

he had

been

doing

so on

the

seventh

day

he

rested

or he

ceased

from all

his

work

the work

of creation

had been

done

it

is

finished

nothing

else to

do

yes of

course

he's still

sustaining

the world

and maintaining

it

and making

sure the

seasons go

the way

they go

and holding

everything

in its

exact

and precise

place

but creation

is done

all that

is left

is for

God's

created

people

to enjoy

and delight

in all

that God

has done

for them

to rest

in a

God

who has

made

and done

everything

perfectly

for us

this is

the God

that we

have

who invites

us

to rest

in him

and so

as we

look

at the

beginning

of the

story

we are

introduced

to God

in all

his glory

and in

all his

greatness

isn't

God

awesome

stand

back

and look

at how

God

introduces

himself

this

vast

unexplored

universe

that we

live in

our world

this planet

that we

are on

right now

is like

like a

tiny pinhead

that's

suspended

in this

hall here

you imagine

the universe

for what we

know of it

our world

is just like

a pinhead

in this

great big

room

except for

there are

no walls

it just

goes on

forever

and forever

but yet

this God

who has

created it

all

who existed

from before

beginning

spoke it

all into

existence

by his

word

amazing

perfectly

designed

perfectly

ordered

every planet

spinning the

way it

should be

the sun

where it

should be

the moon

where it

should be

everything

existing

together

so that

we

have

life

on planet

earth

and God

did it all

so that we

could know

him

so that we

could enjoy

him

the beauty

the power

the greatness

the glory

is all on

display as we

were singing

earlier and

reading from the

psalms

it's all there

to glory and

say look at

God

look at what

he has made

it demands

and it

deserves

all of our

worship

and all of

our lives

in the

beginning

God

second

God

created

man

made

in God's

image

look at

verse 26

verse 27

so God

created man

in his own

image

in the image

of God

he created

him

you see

we're part

of God's

creation

but yet

but yet

we're unique

we're the

same as

the animals

we've got

blood

and flesh

and bone

we live

we die

we eat

we sleep

but we're

different

to the

animals

because why

we're made

in God's

image

unlike the

rest of

creation

something

of who

this God

is that

we've been

looking at

something

of this

awesome

amazing

God

is who

we are

we reflect

or mirror

God's

nature

his character

we reflect

something

of who

God is

so just

as God

has a

relationship

within

himself

so we

now get

to share

in that

eternal

relationship

relationship

we can

relate to

God in

ways that

the rest

of creation

can't

nothing else

in all

creation

has that

privilege

the God

who spoke

us into

existence

and breathed

life into

our being

now speaks

to us

and we

can speak

to him

the God

who created

us

now enables

us to be

creative

to design

things

to make

things

not least

as it

goes on

to say

in creating

or rather

making

more people

the God

who rules

over all

of us

the God

who rules

over everything

that he has

made

calls us

as people

to rule

over his

creation

to take

care of

it and to

follow his

good design

the God

who delights

in everything

that is good

and right

has given

us a capacity

to know

what is good

and right

we have

an inbuilt

conscience

that knows

that this

is good

and that

this

is wrong

we have

been made

in God's

image

and to

share

and to

reflect

God's

image

to the

world

around us

we're his

image bearers

knowing him

reflecting him

enjoying him

now while

we're made

in God's

likeness

we are made

different to

each other

look at the

end of verse

27

he created

him

male and

female

he created

them

you see

before God

male and

female

are equal

in value

and worth

man is not

superior to

woman

and woman

is not

inferior to

man

but we

are different

physically

we're

different

but we've

also got

different roles

that complement

each other

so have a look

at chapter 2

verse 18

the Lord

God said

it is not

good for the

man to be

alone

I will make

a suitable

helper

for him

now the

Lord God

had formed

out of the

ground

all the

beasts of

the field

and all

the birds

of the air

and he

brought them

to the man

to see what

he would

name them

and whatever

the man

called each

living creature

that was

its name

so the man

gave names

to all the

livestock

the birds

of the air

and all the

beasts of

the field

but for

Adam

no suitable

helper

was found

so the

Lord

caused the

man to

fall into

a deep

sleep

and while

he was

sleeping

he took

one of

the man's

ribs

closed up

the place

with flesh

then the

Lord God

made a

woman from

the rib

he had

taken out

of the

man

and he

brought

her to

the man

the man

said

in his

best love

poetry

possible

this is

now bone

of my

bones

flesh of

my flesh

she shall

be called

woman

for she

was taken

out of

man

and for

this reason

a man

will leave

his father

and mother

and be

united to

his wife

and they

will become

one flesh

you see

in God's

perfect

and good

design

he makes

male and

female

and together

they come

together and

form a

sexual union

they are

one flesh

it's what

we call

marriage

they become

one

but yet

in their

oneness

they have

different

roles

the woman

we're told

throughout

what we've

just read

is to

draw

alongside

and help

the man

they are

to complement

each other

and as we

go through

the story

we'll begin

to see

God's

good design

for man

and woman

together

and because

we are

created by

God as

male and

female

we must

obey

God

as God

orders

and designs

the world

he gives

the orders

and we

must obey

so back in

chapter 1

verse 28

God blessed

them

and said

to them

to man

and woman

be fruitful

there's a command

be fruitful

and increase

in number

fill the earth

and subdue it

rule over

the fish

of the sea

and the birds

of the air

and over

living creature

that moves

on the ground

you see

this is not

our world

we're not

in charge

of it

it's not up

to us

to decide

what we

should do

we are to

follow the

laws

of God

it's not

for us

to distort

and reject

God's good

and beautiful

design for life

we're to

obey him

because God

is our

loving ruler

and we

obey what

he says

because what

he says

is always

right

and always

good for us

we might not

always appreciate

it but he

always says

what is right

and we

obey

and of course

at the beginning

of the story

it's hard for us

to think of

disobeying

or rejecting

God

because as we

look at the

beginning of this

story

everything is so

good and

perfect and

beautiful and

all in

harmony

in fact

mankind

was created

innocent

look at

chapter 2

verse 8

now the

Lord God

had planted

a garden

in the

east

in Eden

and there

he put

the man

he had

formed

Eden

is a

beautiful

pleasing

and plentiful

garden

and it

means

delight

nothing

going wrong

there's no

sadness or

hurt

no pain

or struggles

and it's in

this garden

that man

and woman

joined together

in their

first marriage

so look at

chapter 2

verse 25

here's the

picture we

have in

Eden

the man

and his

wife

were both

naked

and they

felt

no shame

not only

is this a

picture of

something that's

delightful

here is a

picture of

pure

innocence

the

physical

nakedness of

the man

and the

wife

reflects a

deeper

inner

nakedness

here are

two people

where there

is a

complete

openness

a vulnerability

towards each

other

nothing to

hide

nothing to

fear

completely

transparent

there is

no

shame

but we

know it's

not like

that today

is it

today we

are a

people

who are

filled

with shame

and burdened

by guilt

we don't

like to

be open

we don't

want people

to know

what's going

on inside

here

we hide

our deep

inner thoughts

we cover

up our

nakedness

we hide

our true

self from

one another

and even

from ourselves

there's not

one of us

in this

room here

that would

want anybody

to see

or to

know

what we

are really

like

I would

dread

if you

would know

the thoughts

that go on

in here

or the

feelings

that are

in here

why

because there

is too

much

to be

ashamed

of

but here

in the

beginning

is a

man and

woman

not just

naked before

each other

but in a

sense naked

before God

where everything

is known

there is no

hiding

there is no

shame

there is no

guilt

man and

woman

with their

creator

God

in perfect

relationship

in Eden

pure

delight

and so

the story

begins

but what about

the hero

you said

there was a

hero

one who gives

hope and makes

this story

that we're looking

a reality

for us

well we know

the hero

his name

is Jesus

and he's

right there

at the very

beginning

turn with me

please to

Colossians

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

Colossians

Colossians 1:15

chapter 1

verse 15