WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.240 Turn to Genesis chapter 1, just turn to the first page where the scripture is, easy to find. 00:00:07.080 --> 00:00:14.460 Over the next several Sunday mornings, we're going to be looking at a series from Genesis 1 through 11. 00:00:15.140 --> 00:00:21.580 We live in a world that feels like it's the worst time ever for a lot of folks. 00:00:22.100 --> 00:00:24.000 We live in a world full of chaos. 00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:26.960 We live in a world full of conflict. 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:29.800 The devil is on attack. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:41.600 And he is trying his best to, at the most, destroy lives and, at the least, to disrupt lives. 00:00:42.179 --> 00:00:43.659 And it is real. 00:00:44.880 --> 00:00:46.140 It is now. 00:00:47.679 --> 00:00:49.760 Even so, Lord Jesus, quickly come. 00:00:49.759 --> 00:01:00.359 I mean, but what I want you to know and understand through this series is, this is not new. 00:01:00.359 --> 00:01:07.120 What is true today has always been. 00:01:08.879 --> 00:01:15.539 Genesis 1 through 11 is not only a history that is unparalleled. 00:01:15.540 --> 00:01:27.940 The pagan versions do not match up to it that try to explain what happened before people were here, for one, and when the first people were here. 00:01:27.939 --> 00:01:35.319 But it's not only that, it's also a blueprint of sorts. 00:01:36.459 --> 00:01:40.319 It's like a drawing of the construction of the world. 00:01:40.319 --> 00:01:54.379 And if you've ever built a building, you know that the blueprints or the drawings are vitally important, that everybody has the same ones. 00:01:54.459 --> 00:01:56.739 If there's an update, there needs to all be updated. 00:01:56.739 --> 00:02:00.099 Everybody needs the same so they know what the plan is. 00:02:00.500 --> 00:02:04.899 And when you build that building, it is best not to throw those away. 00:02:06.659 --> 00:02:08.319 You need to hold on to them. 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:16.120 Because there'll come a day when a building this old, people who made the decisions on that are gone. 00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:24.219 And you better have some kind of plan to know how this building is made up, what needs to take place. 00:02:25.539 --> 00:02:30.860 Well, in reality, Genesis 1 through 11 is kind of a blueprint. 00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:40.560 It is God's design and a layout for where we really are and how this world is aligned. 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:47.479 There is some of the most fascinating scriptures in all of the Bible in this section. 00:02:47.699 --> 00:02:49.259 And it's also some of the most difficult. 00:02:49.719 --> 00:02:53.680 And the simple facts are sometimes fairly easy. 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:58.879 But the deeper thematic messages are there are worth our effort as well. 00:03:00.060 --> 00:03:03.120 And this is a scripture that is handled a lot. 00:03:05.900 --> 00:03:09.360 Handled so much that it can tend to be confusing. 00:03:10.560 --> 00:03:15.520 And the reality is, it needs to be stated from the beginning, 00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:21.479 that all of our curiosities won't be answered. 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:26.960 All of our curiosities cannot be answered. 00:03:28.099 --> 00:03:33.520 The reality is that our finite minds cannot fathom the ways of an almighty God. 00:03:34.099 --> 00:03:36.400 If we could, he wouldn't be God. 00:03:36.400 --> 00:03:42.400 Therefore, he reveals his work to us in ways that we can understand. 00:03:43.540 --> 00:03:49.500 And just like if you're having a conversation with a small child that asks questions. 00:03:49.500 --> 00:03:55.680 You can't always answer all their questions to their satisfaction. 00:03:56.919 --> 00:04:00.000 And God cannot answer our questions to our satisfaction. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:03.800 And is not concerned with answering our questions to our satisfaction, quite honestly. 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:09.840 Therefore, he reveals his work to us in ways that we can understand. 00:04:09.840 --> 00:04:17.060 And he reveals what he wants us to know and what we ought to understand. 00:04:17.899 --> 00:04:22.180 And so I want us to look at this from the start. 00:04:23.500 --> 00:04:26.519 Genesis chapter 1, beginning in verse 1, says this. 00:04:26.519 --> 00:04:29.939 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 00:04:30.740 --> 00:04:35.779 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. 00:04:36.379 --> 00:04:40.639 And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 00:04:41.459 --> 00:04:44.199 And God said, let there be light, and there was light. 00:04:44.859 --> 00:04:49.819 And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 00:04:49.819 --> 00:04:54.240 God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. 00:04:54.339 --> 00:04:56.259 And there was evening, and there was morning the first day. 00:04:56.620 --> 00:04:59.459 And God said, let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:01.819 and let it separate the waters from the waters. 00:05:03.079 --> 00:05:07.939 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters 00:05:07.939 --> 00:05:10.740 that were above the expanse, and it was so. 00:05:11.819 --> 00:05:14.519 And God called the expanse heaven. 00:05:14.519 --> 00:05:18.719 And there was evening, and there was morning the second day. 00:05:19.819 --> 00:05:24.060 And God said, let the waters under the heavens be gathered together in one place, 00:05:24.099 --> 00:05:27.639 and let the dry place appear, the dry land appear. 00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:28.779 And it was so. 00:05:29.719 --> 00:05:34.379 And God called the dry land earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called seas. 00:05:34.480 --> 00:05:35.980 And God saw that it was good. 00:05:37.420 --> 00:05:42.860 And God said, let the earth sprout vegetation, plant yielding seeds and fruit trees, 00:05:42.860 --> 00:05:47.339 bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind on the earth. 00:05:47.439 --> 00:05:49.579 And it was so. 00:05:49.819 --> 00:05:56.099 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to its own kind, 00:05:56.259 --> 00:05:59.819 and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. 00:06:00.199 --> 00:06:05.899 And God saw that it was good, and there was evening, and there was morning the third day. 00:06:05.899 --> 00:06:14.359 I believe every jot and tittle of creation, every minute detail, 00:06:15.359 --> 00:06:19.299 and I believe it is important to grasp as much as we can. 00:06:20.339 --> 00:06:28.659 I want to point out this morning, I want to point to the most important messages that are being taught in this scripture. 00:06:28.660 --> 00:06:32.060 The first is this. 00:06:33.060 --> 00:06:36.280 Creation is about God. 00:06:38.939 --> 00:06:41.940 There's not a debate here about the existence of God. 00:06:41.939 --> 00:06:46.939 There's not a defense here about the proof of God. 00:06:48.219 --> 00:06:51.519 It is a statement that God not only exists, 00:06:52.519 --> 00:06:58.899 but that God is involved in the most intimate way with the events of the earth and those who dwell in it. 00:06:58.899 --> 00:07:02.379 He has been from the beginning. 00:07:03.339 --> 00:07:05.279 And when is the beginning? 00:07:06.899 --> 00:07:09.779 Well, let me tell you something that absolutely fascinates me. 00:07:09.899 --> 00:07:14.120 In the Hebrew, there is no article in those first three words. 00:07:14.179 --> 00:07:15.239 It's actually one word. 00:07:15.240 --> 00:07:19.920 In that statement, the thee does not exist at all. 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:22.740 It just says in beginning is a literal translation. 00:07:24.439 --> 00:07:30.079 Bereshoot is the word in Hebrew, and it means from the start, or he started creating. 00:07:30.780 --> 00:07:35.439 It speaks not of the beginning of God, but the beginning of the earth and the universe. 00:07:36.579 --> 00:07:42.139 And earth has an age that is hotly debated age, but God is ageless. 00:07:42.759 --> 00:07:44.280 And God is timeless. 00:07:45.240 --> 00:07:46.500 And God is eternal. 00:07:47.980 --> 00:07:56.560 So this is a declaration that the earth began by the voice of God, and it only came from God. 00:07:57.740 --> 00:08:00.379 We're not to use these passages to try to prove God. 00:08:00.460 --> 00:08:01.220 That's not the purpose. 00:08:01.800 --> 00:08:07.280 The purpose and the successful attempt of Genesis is to declare God. 00:08:07.280 --> 00:08:13.699 And once you declare God, put your faith in him, and the rest of it will work itself out. 00:08:15.240 --> 00:08:23.960 It declares God as one making order out of, verse 2 says, without form or void. 00:08:24.660 --> 00:08:26.480 In other words, a wasteland. 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:27.939 An empty. 00:08:27.939 --> 00:08:37.019 And the emphasis upon God is also noticed, at least in the Hebrew mind, as a defeat of all man-made gods. 00:08:38.039 --> 00:08:47.279 When the sun was created to the pagan, that means the God of sun was defeated. 00:08:47.279 --> 00:08:51.620 Because God Almighty developed the sun. 00:08:51.620 --> 00:08:52.740 The moon god. 00:08:53.100 --> 00:08:56.159 The god of the trees, of different types of vegetation. 00:08:56.579 --> 00:08:59.439 All the different gods that all the pagans could come up with. 00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:05.360 To societies that believed in such that there's some kind of god behind every bush and upon every star. 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:12.700 The biblical creation points to only one god who created it simply with his voice. 00:09:13.580 --> 00:09:16.259 In days 5 and 6, the animals are created. 00:09:17.000 --> 00:09:20.340 It points to the fact that they have no divinity in themselves. 00:09:21.399 --> 00:09:23.480 They were created by the divine one. 00:09:23.639 --> 00:09:25.220 Creation is not about us. 00:09:26.820 --> 00:09:28.480 It's all about God. 00:09:29.620 --> 00:09:30.460 I'll tell you what else. 00:09:31.960 --> 00:09:34.240 Creation is also about Jesus. 00:09:34.240 --> 00:09:39.519 Jesus is right there in the midst of the creation. 00:09:41.960 --> 00:09:43.840 I want you to consider something this morning. 00:09:44.980 --> 00:09:49.259 Why do you think the light comes on day one? 00:09:50.620 --> 00:09:53.220 Where do you think that light comes from on day one? 00:09:54.539 --> 00:09:57.840 Well, I will tell you, literally, Jesus is the light. 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:02.899 In John chapter 8, Jesus spoke of that. 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:10.159 John chapter 7 gives us the context in which Jesus said those words. 00:10:11.580 --> 00:10:21.100 In John chapter 7 and John chapter 8, the Feast of the Booths, or the Feast of Tabernacles, as they call it, was going on. 00:10:21.100 --> 00:10:24.279 It was a time of harvest. 00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:32.300 It was a feast that ran for seven days as a great celebration. 00:10:32.440 --> 00:10:39.000 It ran seven days before a great celebration on the eighth day. 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:44.299 And it was a reminder of how God had provided for them in the desert. 00:10:44.919 --> 00:10:47.259 Of how God had led the Hebrews through the desert. 00:10:47.419 --> 00:10:56.080 And so annually, as the harvest came in, which was a celebrative time, and if you grow maters, you know that when the harvest comes in, it's a good time. 00:10:56.720 --> 00:10:57.700 Start having mater sandwiches. 00:10:57.840 --> 00:10:58.820 You don't know what a mater is? 00:10:58.820 --> 00:11:00.280 I'm sorry. 00:11:00.820 --> 00:11:01.660 That's all I can say. 00:11:04.060 --> 00:11:10.780 You do know that when the maters come in, the first fruits are to come, you know, to the Lord or somebody that works for them. 00:11:10.779 --> 00:11:17.799 So it's a great time of celebration. 00:11:18.919 --> 00:11:30.299 They took that time to pitch a tent, to build what they called a booth or a tabernacle, which is a dwelling place, temporary dwelling place. 00:11:32.039 --> 00:11:33.679 They just camped out, I guess. 00:11:33.679 --> 00:11:43.079 They just camped out, I guess, for seven days, reminding themselves of how God had provided for 40 years in the desert. 00:11:45.199 --> 00:11:48.439 How God had led them wandering in the wilderness. 00:11:49.959 --> 00:11:55.299 And during that feast, there were massive torches that were lit in the courts of the temple. 00:11:55.299 --> 00:12:08.740 Historians tell us that these towers of light that were built for this occasion, when they were lit at night, they lit up a quarter of the city. 00:12:10.179 --> 00:12:18.399 And it was a reminder of how God had led the Israelites with a fire by night in the wilderness or the desert. 00:12:18.399 --> 00:12:30.100 More than just God providing light, the ceremony celebrated the Shekinah glory that led Israel for 40 years in the wilderness. 00:12:30.279 --> 00:12:32.379 And Shekinah is a Hebrew word that means dwelling. 00:12:32.840 --> 00:12:37.199 In other words, it celebrated the glory of the dwelling of God being with them. 00:12:37.240 --> 00:12:40.639 And they celebrated his presence through burning light. 00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:48.860 In and around that setting, Jesus stood up, possibly between two of those lights, and said, 00:12:49.379 --> 00:12:53.080 I am the light of the world. 00:12:54.080 --> 00:12:57.199 He was declaring his divinity when he said it. 00:12:57.980 --> 00:12:59.059 I am the light. 00:12:59.139 --> 00:13:01.559 Therefore, he is the one that light comes from. 00:13:01.620 --> 00:13:03.879 And if you don't believe that, I want you to notice something. 00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:06.299 It's in Genesis chapter 1, 3 through 5. 00:13:06.600 --> 00:13:08.159 And God said, let there be light. 00:13:08.200 --> 00:13:08.819 And there was light. 00:13:08.820 --> 00:13:10.960 And God saw that the light was good. 00:13:11.400 --> 00:13:13.580 And God separated the light from the darkness. 00:13:13.740 --> 00:13:15.100 And God called the light day. 00:13:15.180 --> 00:13:16.480 And the darkness he called night. 00:13:16.580 --> 00:13:17.100 And there was evening. 00:13:17.160 --> 00:13:18.200 And there was morning the first day. 00:13:18.540 --> 00:13:20.340 And then in verse 14, it says this. 00:13:20.980 --> 00:13:26.000 And God said, let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. 00:13:26.060 --> 00:13:29.840 And let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years. 00:13:30.020 --> 00:13:35.040 And let them be light in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth. 00:13:35.100 --> 00:13:36.320 And it was so. 00:13:36.320 --> 00:13:42.060 And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night and the stars. 00:13:42.440 --> 00:13:49.540 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth to rule over the day and over the night to separate the light from the darkness. 00:13:49.920 --> 00:13:51.060 And God saw that it was good. 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:51.680 And there was evening. 00:13:51.760 --> 00:13:52.860 And there was morning the fourth day. 00:13:53.440 --> 00:13:54.080 So get this. 00:13:54.080 --> 00:13:56.700 So light was made. 00:13:57.280 --> 00:13:58.940 And then the stars were made. 00:14:01.820 --> 00:14:02.800 Including the sun. 00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:14.900 Some would say that is scientifically impossible to have light before you had what appears to be the source of light. 00:14:14.899 --> 00:14:21.340 That is, of course, unless there is another source of light. 00:14:23.740 --> 00:14:29.860 By the way, these days of creation, if the sun was created on the fourth day, 00:14:29.860 --> 00:14:37.159 And we determine a day by when the sun comes up and down, then how do you measure the days? 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:42.200 Did God create the earth in 24-hour days? 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:44.680 If he wanted to, he did. 00:14:45.940 --> 00:14:47.659 But don't forget something, folks. 00:14:49.860 --> 00:14:50.860 He spoke. 00:14:50.860 --> 00:14:51.460 Spoke. 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:54.039 And it was. 00:14:56.240 --> 00:14:57.379 And it was good. 00:15:00.680 --> 00:15:03.820 But don't limit God's days to yours either. 00:15:04.759 --> 00:15:07.759 Don't stretch out God's days to be as long as you either. 00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:10.279 God determined the days. 00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:11.840 And by the way, he still does. 00:15:13.080 --> 00:15:14.460 Let me give you some food for thought. 00:15:14.860 --> 00:15:16.860 2 Peter 3, verse 8 says, 00:15:16.860 --> 00:15:19.019 But don't overlook this one fact, beloved, 00:15:19.019 --> 00:15:24.579 That with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 00:15:25.220 --> 00:15:26.879 And then in Psalm 90, verse 4, 00:15:26.980 --> 00:15:31.179 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, 00:15:31.399 --> 00:15:33.000 or as a watch in the night. 00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:35.220 Don't limit God's days to our days. 00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:36.840 Could he do it in 24 hours? 00:15:37.159 --> 00:15:39.019 I believe he could have done it instantaneously. 00:15:39.840 --> 00:15:41.720 As a matter of fact, I believe Scripture says he did. 00:15:42.259 --> 00:15:43.299 Because he spoke it. 00:15:43.559 --> 00:15:44.139 And it was. 00:15:44.179 --> 00:15:44.819 Of course he could. 00:15:44.820 --> 00:15:51.480 Was he relying on the sun to dictate what was done each day? 00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:51.840 No. 00:15:52.100 --> 00:15:55.420 The sun was not developed in day one. 00:15:56.260 --> 00:15:57.200 Not until day four. 00:15:57.480 --> 00:15:59.920 And it was done in God's time by his days. 00:16:00.200 --> 00:16:02.120 The light of day is God himself. 00:16:02.600 --> 00:16:04.520 The creator is the source of light. 00:16:05.400 --> 00:16:06.340 Is that odd to you? 00:16:06.379 --> 00:16:06.980 It shouldn't be. 00:16:08.100 --> 00:16:09.260 It is throughout Scripture. 00:16:09.259 --> 00:16:13.980 In Exodus chapter 13, God led them with a cloud by day. 00:16:14.220 --> 00:16:17.919 And God led them with a pillar of fire at night. 00:16:18.419 --> 00:16:19.500 As we've mentioned. 00:16:20.659 --> 00:16:27.919 In Exodus chapter 33, the radiant glory of the Lord radiated like a light from Moses' face. 00:16:29.059 --> 00:16:34.679 Isaiah chapter 60, verse 19 and 20 talks about the glory of heaven. 00:16:34.779 --> 00:16:35.299 And it says this, 00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:37.039 The sun shall be no more. 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:39.679 Your light by day. 00:16:40.679 --> 00:16:42.620 Nor for brightness shall the moon give you light. 00:16:42.699 --> 00:16:44.959 But the Lord will be your everlasting light. 00:16:45.299 --> 00:16:47.480 And your God will be your glory. 00:16:47.879 --> 00:16:49.980 Your sun shall no more go down. 00:16:50.159 --> 00:16:51.740 Nor your moon withdraw itself. 00:16:51.899 --> 00:16:54.839 For the Lord will be your everlasting light. 00:16:54.959 --> 00:16:58.519 And your days of mourning shall be ended. 00:16:59.219 --> 00:17:01.919 In Matthew chapter 17, verse 2, 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:05.579 it talks about the transfiguration of Jesus. 00:17:05.579 --> 00:17:08.980 And it says as he transfigured before the Lord, 00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:12.099 he shone, his body shone like a light. 00:17:12.879 --> 00:17:16.679 In 2 Corinthians 4, 6 applies to this passage when it says, 00:17:17.059 --> 00:17:19.960 For God said, let light shine out of the darkness. 00:17:20.220 --> 00:17:25.779 Has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 00:17:25.779 --> 00:17:30.200 The light of the world is the one that lit the work of creation. 00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:32.460 Creation is about Jesus. 00:17:33.399 --> 00:17:36.619 He is the one that gave it in the beginning. 00:17:37.299 --> 00:17:39.759 John chapter 1, verse 1 through 4 says this, 00:17:40.039 --> 00:17:43.720 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:46.220 He was in the beginning with God. 00:17:46.220 --> 00:17:51.100 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 00:17:51.339 --> 00:17:56.880 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 00:17:59.220 --> 00:18:01.319 Not only is he the one that gave it then, 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:04.860 he's the one that gives it now. 00:18:06.579 --> 00:18:07.940 John 18, verse 12, 00:18:07.940 --> 00:18:09.380 I just told you he said, 00:18:09.860 --> 00:18:10.960 I am the light of the world. 00:18:11.059 --> 00:18:13.100 Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, 00:18:13.620 --> 00:18:16.180 but will have the light of life. 00:18:17.600 --> 00:18:18.980 Not only does he give it now, 00:18:19.059 --> 00:18:20.539 he's the one that will give it in the end. 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:23.180 Revelation 21, verse 23, 00:18:23.860 --> 00:18:27.200 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, 00:18:27.660 --> 00:18:29.600 for the glory of God gives us light, 00:18:30.279 --> 00:18:32.779 and its lamp is the Lamb. 00:18:33.460 --> 00:18:34.140 He lit it, 00:18:35.100 --> 00:18:36.340 he created it, 00:18:36.660 --> 00:18:37.640 and let me reiterate, 00:18:37.940 --> 00:18:39.680 John 1, verse 3, 00:18:39.820 --> 00:18:41.620 All things were made through him, 00:18:42.019 --> 00:18:46.160 and without him was not anything made that was made. 00:18:47.059 --> 00:18:49.420 He gets the credit. 00:18:50.539 --> 00:18:52.480 1 Corinthians 8, verse 6, 00:18:53.080 --> 00:18:54.380 For there's one God, the Father, 00:18:55.140 --> 00:18:57.420 from whom are all things, 00:18:57.500 --> 00:18:58.759 and from whom we exist, 00:18:58.980 --> 00:19:00.820 and one Lord, Jesus Christ, 00:19:01.180 --> 00:19:04.759 through whom are all things, 00:19:04.840 --> 00:19:06.980 and through whom we exist. 00:19:06.980 --> 00:19:08.980 There is no doubt. 00:19:08.980 --> 00:19:09.860 There is no doubt. 00:19:10.360 --> 00:19:12.180 Colossians chapter 1, verse 16, 00:19:12.539 --> 00:19:17.519 For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, 00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:19.440 visible and invisible, 00:19:19.720 --> 00:19:23.200 whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:25.200 All things were created through him. 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:26.500 All things were created through him and for him. 00:19:26.620 --> 00:19:28.059 And again, he gets the credit. 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:30.380 He'll get the credit in the end as well. 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:32.160 Revelation 4, 11 says, 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:35.000 Worthy are you, O Lord and God, 00:19:35.360 --> 00:19:38.420 to receive glory and honor and power, 00:19:38.580 --> 00:19:40.019 for you created all things. 00:19:40.140 --> 00:19:41.740 And by your will, 00:19:41.840 --> 00:19:43.200 they existed and were created. 00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:49.120 I want you to understand that we're not the focus. 00:19:51.120 --> 00:19:54.880 The earth is not the focus of creation. 00:19:57.200 --> 00:20:00.140 Creation is about God. 00:20:02.200 --> 00:20:05.559 Creation is about Jesus. 00:20:05.559 --> 00:20:11.379 And creation is also about God's order. 00:20:14.379 --> 00:20:19.359 The cosmos was simply without form and void. 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:22.519 Literally, it was a, 00:20:22.639 --> 00:20:23.740 literally the word says, 00:20:23.899 --> 00:20:26.339 a wasteful void. 00:20:26.899 --> 00:20:27.779 There was no order. 00:20:29.019 --> 00:20:30.220 There was only chaos. 00:20:30.220 --> 00:20:33.059 And God brought order. 00:20:34.600 --> 00:20:37.660 It speaks in verse six of the expanse 00:20:37.660 --> 00:20:39.500 that separated the waters. 00:20:41.120 --> 00:20:43.319 That he built the expanse 00:20:43.319 --> 00:20:46.860 to cut through the chaos 00:20:46.860 --> 00:20:51.539 and dividing the chaos of the waters of space, 00:20:51.579 --> 00:20:52.380 as it says, 00:20:52.900 --> 00:20:55.940 and the chaos of the waters of earth. 00:20:57.640 --> 00:20:59.600 The sky, as we see, 00:21:00.220 --> 00:21:02.960 or the expanse, as it is called, 00:21:04.140 --> 00:21:05.880 was the way that God brought order 00:21:05.880 --> 00:21:08.799 to the chaos and separated earth from sky. 00:21:09.960 --> 00:21:12.380 Now, if that does not make sense to you, 00:21:12.500 --> 00:21:15.980 I want you to understand the Hebrew mindset. 00:21:16.680 --> 00:21:18.620 The Old Testament is written in Hebrew. 00:21:19.120 --> 00:21:21.120 First audience was a Hebrew mindset. 00:21:21.519 --> 00:21:22.799 And I want you to understand it 00:21:22.799 --> 00:21:23.940 from a Hebrew mindset. 00:21:25.620 --> 00:21:27.220 Without the capabilities 00:21:27.220 --> 00:21:29.400 of exploration, 00:21:30.220 --> 00:21:31.900 that we have today, 00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:33.960 the Hebrews feared 00:21:35.100 --> 00:21:37.440 the unknown of the deep sea. 00:21:38.759 --> 00:21:39.600 They feared it. 00:21:41.620 --> 00:21:43.180 They didn't know all the details. 00:21:44.220 --> 00:21:45.880 They didn't have sonar technology 00:21:45.880 --> 00:21:47.360 to see how deep waters were. 00:21:48.140 --> 00:21:49.920 They didn't know all that was under the water 00:21:49.920 --> 00:21:51.220 and all those things. 00:21:52.100 --> 00:21:53.420 They didn't have meteorologists 00:21:53.420 --> 00:21:54.279 that had radars 00:21:54.279 --> 00:21:54.900 that could figure out 00:21:54.900 --> 00:21:55.759 what the weather was going to be 00:21:55.759 --> 00:21:56.360 before you got there 00:21:56.360 --> 00:21:57.100 and all those things. 00:21:57.099 --> 00:21:59.619 They just knew that people 00:21:59.619 --> 00:22:00.899 went out to sea 00:22:00.899 --> 00:22:03.359 and sometimes they never came back. 00:22:05.980 --> 00:22:08.199 They knew that they couldn't reach the bottom. 00:22:09.740 --> 00:22:11.719 They knew that they couldn't go to the bottom. 00:22:13.179 --> 00:22:15.439 They knew that storms were unpredictable. 00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:18.860 They knew that storms were life-threatening. 00:22:20.120 --> 00:22:22.080 They didn't understand the sea. 00:22:23.279 --> 00:22:25.000 They didn't know enough about it. 00:22:26.279 --> 00:22:27.700 It was chaos. 00:22:29.400 --> 00:22:30.900 Also with space. 00:22:31.900 --> 00:22:33.620 They didn't understand it. 00:22:33.619 --> 00:22:35.039 By the way, 00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:36.239 I don't understand it. 00:22:37.899 --> 00:22:38.479 Do you? 00:22:41.119 --> 00:22:42.259 Consider some things. 00:22:43.939 --> 00:22:45.819 The speed of light 00:22:45.819 --> 00:22:51.679 is 186,000 miles a second. 00:22:54.079 --> 00:22:55.899 A beam of light 00:22:55.899 --> 00:22:58.859 could circle the earth 00:22:58.859 --> 00:23:02.539 seven times in a second. 00:23:02.539 --> 00:23:07.299 The galaxy that we live in 00:23:07.299 --> 00:23:09.339 in this universe 00:23:09.339 --> 00:23:11.779 is like a neighborhood 00:23:11.779 --> 00:23:13.420 in a large city. 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:15.759 Actually, it's smaller than that. 00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:19.039 But the Milky Way, 00:23:19.700 --> 00:23:20.819 our galaxy, 00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:22.519 the Milky Way 00:23:22.519 --> 00:23:23.819 is so large 00:23:23.819 --> 00:23:28.420 that it would take us 00:23:28.420 --> 00:23:29.779 light years 00:23:29.779 --> 00:23:31.519 to get around it. 00:23:32.539 --> 00:23:33.119 Now, 00:23:33.339 --> 00:23:34.200 understand something. 00:23:35.539 --> 00:23:36.659 A light year 00:23:36.659 --> 00:23:39.519 means how far light travels 00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:40.039 in a year. 00:23:40.500 --> 00:23:41.779 Light goes 00:23:41.779 --> 00:23:48.039 5.88 trillion 00:23:48.039 --> 00:23:49.279 miles 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:50.420 in a year. 00:23:51.180 --> 00:23:54.700 5,880,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. 00:23:54.700 --> 00:24:06.960 or take a year. That's a light year. It takes a hundred thousand light years to get across the 00:24:06.960 --> 00:24:22.539 Milky Way. The Milky Way has billions of stars. As a matter of fact, I've been told that there are, 00:24:22.539 --> 00:24:39.940 hold on, let me hold that back. If you counted one star per second, it would take you 2,500 years 00:24:39.940 --> 00:24:51.159 to count all the stars in our galaxy. And if the Milky Way was the size of North America, 00:24:52.539 --> 00:25:07.240 our solar system would be the size of a quarter. There are more galaxies, Milky Way being one of them, 00:25:07.960 --> 00:25:15.399 there's more galaxies in the universe than there are grains of sand on the earth. 00:25:15.400 --> 00:25:31.440 Yet Psalm 33 verse 6 says, by the word of the Lord, the heavens were made. And by the breath of his 00:25:31.440 --> 00:25:43.400 mouth, all their host. So the Hebrews don't understand it, but neither do I. Therefore, 00:25:43.559 --> 00:25:51.980 God gives us an explanation that we can understand. And he says, I built an expanse to separate the 00:25:51.980 --> 00:26:03.299 chaos of the waters above from below. That word there, expanse or firmament in Hebrew literally means 00:26:03.299 --> 00:26:05.440 a beaten out piece of metal. 00:26:05.440 --> 00:26:15.460 I love the Hebrew mind because it's simple and it has to be explained. And sometimes they repeat a lot. 00:26:15.680 --> 00:26:22.519 And I like that. I need that. I need all that. Okay. So literally they felt like that there was a beaten 00:26:22.519 --> 00:26:29.420 out expanse that when we walk outside today, we'll see a beaten out expanse holding the heavens in place. 00:26:29.420 --> 00:26:36.920 They felt that expanse came from God. In other words, he had brought security to their insecurities. 00:26:37.440 --> 00:26:44.200 And the creation story continues on the next day by God breaking up the chaos of the earth with the land. 00:26:46.600 --> 00:26:52.420 A sure foundation when the land arose, a sure foundation was established in the midst of all this 00:26:52.420 --> 00:27:04.019 this mystery. It was absolute perfection. Flawless, systematic orderliness. He brought order out of chaos. 00:27:04.380 --> 00:27:14.720 He righted what was wrong. And I told you that these verses are a blueprint for the world in which we live 00:27:14.720 --> 00:27:21.259 today because I want you to understand something. He righted what was wrong then. He brought order out of 00:27:21.259 --> 00:27:30.500 chaos. He still does, friend. There is much of the message of Genesis 1 is that God is the one that holds 00:27:30.500 --> 00:27:43.500 order. Simply put, in the beginning, God. When all is said and done, God. In the midst of the chaos of our 00:27:43.500 --> 00:27:50.039 world, who brings order? God. In the midst of the questions of our life, who brings the answer? 00:27:50.039 --> 00:27:59.779 Not always the answers, but he'll always bring the answer. God. Where there was nothing who spoke and 00:27:59.779 --> 00:28:09.539 brought life. God. And nothing has changed. It's still about Jesus. He still brings light to the darkness. 00:28:10.539 --> 00:28:19.720 He still brings order to the chaos. He still brings peace to the storm. These passages do what the rest of 00:28:19.720 --> 00:28:31.500 scripture does. It points us to the Savior. Because it's still about God's order. He still brings order. And he 00:28:31.500 --> 00:28:47.600 still does it on his timetable. Can you figure all that out? I can't. But I can trust him with all of it. 00:28:47.599 --> 00:29:01.799 He literally has the whole world in his hand, on his heart, and in his control. 00:29:01.799 --> 00:29:14.940 And because of that, we ought to surrender our lives to him. And live for him with every breath 00:29:14.940 --> 00:29:22.680 that he gives us. It's not about us. It's about him. 00:29:22.680 --> 00:29:30.660 With every head bowed and every eye closed, I want to ask you something this morning. 00:29:33.320 --> 00:29:38.960 Has there ever been a time in your life when you've surrendered your life to the Lord Jesus Christ? 00:29:40.060 --> 00:29:45.100 The reality is, and we're going to look at this in a couple of weeks, that when sin enters into the world, 00:29:45.099 --> 00:29:56.439 it's separated us from God. And the only hope that we have to see God again is to surrender our lives and follow him. 00:29:58.139 --> 00:30:01.039 And if you're here this morning and there's never been a time in your life 00:30:01.039 --> 00:30:06.339 when you've asked the Lord Jesus to forgive you of your sins, 00:30:06.599 --> 00:30:10.699 to cleanse them and remove them and allow you to be renewed with the Father, 00:30:10.700 --> 00:30:15.240 I want to encourage you to do that today. I'll be happy to guide you in that. 00:30:15.340 --> 00:30:16.980 We're going to stand and sing in just a moment. 00:30:17.400 --> 00:30:20.600 And that is primarily for you to be able to respond to that. 00:30:20.680 --> 00:30:22.360 You come and we'll talk. 00:30:24.740 --> 00:30:26.559 Maybe you're here this morning and you have done that. 00:30:26.620 --> 00:30:29.279 You've done that privately, but you've never made that public. 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:32.220 You need to make that public. 00:30:32.220 --> 00:30:33.640 You need to let others know that. 00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:40.360 Jesus told us by his example and by his commission that we do that through baptism. 00:30:41.299 --> 00:30:43.640 If you've never been baptized as a believer, 00:30:44.400 --> 00:30:48.259 I want you to know that's the first step of obedience when you give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus. 00:30:49.059 --> 00:30:51.460 And without that in your life, there'll be a hindrance, I promise you. 00:30:52.259 --> 00:30:54.299 From being everything that God would have you to be, 00:30:54.900 --> 00:30:56.740 I encourage you to respond to him in obedience. 00:30:57.759 --> 00:30:59.759 Maybe God's leading you to be a part of this church. 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:06.660 You want to begin the year with a church family that you feel like God's drawing you to. 00:31:06.660 --> 00:31:10.720 I encourage you, if God's doing that in your life, 00:31:10.860 --> 00:31:13.880 to respond to him in obedience and trust him with the rest. 00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:16.880 We'll be happy to guide you in that process. 00:31:16.940 --> 00:31:20.420 Or maybe you're here this morning and you're feeling chaotic. 00:31:20.420 --> 00:31:25.000 You're feeling a little without form. 00:31:25.060 --> 00:31:26.519 At least parts of your life are. 00:31:27.539 --> 00:31:29.519 Or at least loved ones in your life are. 00:31:30.720 --> 00:31:33.279 And you need to lay something down before the Lord today. 00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:37.240 You need to start new today. 00:31:39.119 --> 00:31:44.759 Allowing God to cleanse you, to change you, to help you to walk in the way that you need to. 00:31:45.480 --> 00:31:48.379 Let's begin this year the right way together. 00:31:49.139 --> 00:31:54.039 By putting God first and foremost in all of our lives. 00:31:54.599 --> 00:31:55.960 Lord Jesus, I love you. 00:31:57.200 --> 00:31:58.519 I thank you for your word. 00:31:59.160 --> 00:32:01.359 I thank you, dear God, for the clarity of it. 00:32:01.359 --> 00:32:08.619 I pray that you'll help us to follow it, to read it, to obediently do it. 00:32:09.459 --> 00:32:15.199 And that, God, you'll lead us today to do only and everything that you'd have us to do, Father. 00:32:16.459 --> 00:32:19.019 We thank you for your word. 00:32:19.979 --> 00:32:21.479 Thank you for the opportunity of worship. 00:32:22.339 --> 00:32:26.299 Help us to do it wholeheartedly by simply being obedient right now, oh God, I pray. 00:32:27.079 --> 00:32:29.799 In Jesus' precious name, amen. 00:32:29.799 --> 00:32:30.119 Thank you. 00:32:30.119 --> 00:32:30.139 Thank you. 00:32:30.139 --> 00:32:30.159 Thank you.