11
Sep '19
PASTOR BOB’S SERMON SERIES — “IN THE BEGINNING” WEEK 1: GOD SPEAKS
11
Sep '19
The 7 Necessary Lessons from Week 1: God Speaks
- PRE-HISTORY: Before God speaks creation into existence in Genesis 1:1, God exists as the sole undivided and unchangeable truth. Then God speaks, and there is light, and the “other” (darkness) becomes part of existence.
- IN THE BEGINNING, GOD: Before all else, God existed. And then God moved, and creation was set into motion. God is the first mover by which all other things in existence came into being.
- 6 DAYS: The 6 “days” of creation are not about 6 24-hour periods of time, but rather are our best human attempt to describe how creation happens. There are no mistakes or accidents in God’s design, and “in the beginning” all things were perfectly made according to God’s perfect purpose.
- PROMISE: God, who created all that ever was and will be, made a promise to all of creation that God will never abandon the created world and its creatures. Therefore, all our hope should rest with God alone, and all our comfort comes from God alone.
- COVENANT: The other side of God’s promised relationship with creation is defined as “covenant.” Just as God will never abandon creation, so too God will never coerce or impose our response to God’s promise. Human beings are given free will to be self-determined in God’s creation, and the tension that all peoples possess in their relationship with God is between their obedience to their creator (God) or the assertion of their self-will for their own purposes. The nature of God’s promise to us is set and firm. The nature of our promise to God is not. But even when we break our “promise,” God’s side of this covenant relationship never changes.
- GENESIS 1:27: Humans alone among God’s creation carry the “thumbprint” of God on their soul. We are uniquely made “in the image of God” and thus among all of creation can choose to reflect what God is like in the world that God created. God has shown us, through Jesus Christ, that it is God’s will for humans to choose to live in a community that reflects God’s will, and for each of us to become selfless and sacrificial servants of God and others, which is our true God-given nature.
- REST: The stories of creation teach us that God is the performer who carries out the work of creation. Not humans. In the beginning, the world is secure in God’s hands, and the life we are given is a gift from God intended as a blessing for life. God created the Sabbath not as a one-day respite from hard work, but rather as a way of life for humans. God desires that we be obedient to God’s will and rest in peace and harmony with God’s design.
LOOKING AHEAD: This coming Sunday we will learn, from the 2nd story of creation, why we as humans are not living in peace and harmony, but rather find ourselves working hard and “laboring” through life. For Sunday, September 15th, READ GENESIS 2:4 – 3:24. Pay close attention to the 4 different “scenes” that are portrayed in this 2nd creation story: 1) Man is placed in the “garden”; 2) A new creation happens – woman – intended as man’s helper; 3) The “serpent” appears … and speaks!; and, 4) The humans choose.
