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,
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,
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,
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,
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.
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,
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
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
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