Sermon--"In The Beginning God. . ." (Also attached in WordPerfect 9.0 Format)
Posted by: jnthrower <jnthrower@...>
"IN THE BEGINNING GOD. . ."
GENESIS 1:1
INTRODUCTION
"In the beginning God. . ." is one of the most profound statements ever made.
"In the beginning God. . ." forms the basis for everything else that follows in the pages of Scripture.
1. None of the rest of Scripture makes sense without it.
A. All of Scripture either stands or it falls without this statement. Accordingly,
B. All of Christianity either stands or it falls without this statement.
2. Apart from this statement we have a problem explaining our existence.
(We are here. How did we get here? Where did we come from?)
3. Apart from this statement we have a problem explaining our purpose.
(Why are we here?)
4. Apart from this statement we have a problem with our destiny.
(What is there after this? Where do we go from here?)
5. Apart from this statement, all of life becomes confusing!
(How do you make sense of anything in life apart from the Word of God?)
It would be easy to become fatalistic about life--fatalism says there is no purpose to life.
I. THE BIBLE DOES NOT BEGIN BY TRYING TO PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. "In the beginning God. . ."
The existence of God is a basic fact of the universe!
A. This Statement Refutes Atheism!
1. Atheism says, There is no God!
2. However, The Bible says,
a. "In the beginning God. . ."
b. Psalm 14:1-- "The fool hath said in his heart there is no God."
c. Hebrews 11:6-- "But without faith, it is impossible to please God for he that cometh to God must believe that He is. . ."
B. This Statement Refutes Materialism.
1. Materialism denies the independent existence of spirit, and of the spiritual.
a. Materialism says, there is but one element, namely matter.
b. A materialist is one who finds in material forces a complete explanation of life.
c. To him, there is no guiding principle, or controlling intelligence presiding over the affairs of the universe, no sin and no resurrection.
2. But the Bible says, "In the beginning God. . ."
a. It shows a God who has intelligence and is a guiding principle.
b. It shows a God who presides over the affairs of the universe.
A. This Statement Refutes Atheism!
B. This Statement Refutes Materialism!
C. This Statement Refutes Humanism (and the Evolutionist Theory)!
1. Humanism says that man is god!
a. It says, that everything came from a big bang!
b. It says, that we are the ones who control our destiny!
c. It says, that we are moving up on the evolutionary chain and one day through our intellect we will rid the world of disease and death and we will reign as gods!
2. However, the Bible says, "In the beginning God. . ."
3. Daniel 11:36-39 speaks of a man who thinks he has made it to godhood!
4. Revelation 19:11-16, 19-21 speaks of his defeat!
D. This Statement Refutes Polytheism!
1. Polytheism says, there are many gods! In many parts of the world today people still believe in a plurality of gods.
2. Many are as the men of Athens, Greece who Paul spoke to in Acts 17:22
"Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you."
2. However, The Bible says, "In the beginning God. . ."
3. Deuteronomy 10:17-- "For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords., a great God. . ."
4. Daniel 2:47--King Nebuchadnezzar "answered Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings. . ."
5. 1 Chronicles 16:25-- "He is to be feared above all gods."
6. Jeremiah 2:11-- asked Judah "Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods?"
7. Jeremiah 16:20-- "Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?"
E. This Statement Refutes Dualism!
1. Dualism says that there are two distinct principles of good and evil, or rather two distinct divine beings of these qualities.
2. But the Bible says, "In the beginning God. . ."
F. This Statement Refutes Pantheism.
1. Pantheism says that all is god, and god is All.
(i.e. It says that there is no god apart from nature. God is in everything.)
2. But, the Bible says, "In the beginning God created. . ."
3. It shows God to be separate and distinct from His creation.
I. THE BIBLE DOES NOT BEGIN BY TRYING TO PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. "In the beginning God. . ."
II. BEFORE CREATION THERE WAS ONLY GOD.
A. In Eternity Past, God Dwelt All Alone!
Genesis 1:1-- "In the beginning, God. . ."
1. There were no heavens to declare His glory!
Psalm 19:1-- "The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth His handiwork."
2. There was no earth to engage His attention!
Matthew 6:26-- God cares for the fowls of the air.
Matthew 6:28-- God cares for the lilies of the field.
Matthew 10:29--Sparrows don't fall on the ground without his knowledge.
Matthew 10:30--The very hairs of our head are all numbered.
3. There was no universe to be upheld by the word of His power!
Hebrews 1:3-- ". . .upholding all things by the word of his power"
4. There were no angels to sing His praises!
Job 38:7--When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
5. There was nothing and no one, but God! This was the case not for a day, or a month, or a year, but from eternity past which our minds cannot even fathom!
A. In Eternity Past, God Dwelt All Alone!
B. In Eternity Past, God Was In Need Of Nothing!
1. God Was Alone.
There was no need for fellowship.
2. God Was Self-Contained.
There was no need for a universe.
3. God Was Self-Sufficient.
There was no need for anything beyond Himself.
a. He didn't need angels.
b. He didn't need a universe.
c. He didn't need man.
4. God Was Self-Satisfied.
God was in need of nothing.
C. God's Creation Added Nothing To God That Was Essential!
1. God Does Not Change.
Malachi 3:6-- "For I am the LORD, I change not. . ."
2. God's Essential Glory Cannot Be Increased Beyond What It Ever Has Been.
All of the glory He ever had He had before He ever created one thing!
3. God's Essential Glory Cannot Be Decreased Beyond What It Ever
Has Been.
Nothing that you do or I do can ever take away from His glory!
We may fail to manifest his Glory. But we cannot diminish His glory.
4. God's Glory Was Simply Manifested By His Creation, It Did Not Make Him Any More Glorious Than What He Already Was.
God's glory that is manifested by His creation is also manifested to His creation.
When we "glorify God" we add nothing to Him, rather we make the glory
that He already has manifest to others.
Nehemiah 9:5-6
God gains nothing even from our worship!
He is glorious enough in Himself without that!
There was nowhere that His glory needed to be manifested prior to His creative acts.
D. God's Creation Was Purely A Sovereign Act On His Part.
1. God Was Under No Constraint Or Obligation To Create.
It was caused by nothing outside of Himself.
2. God Had No Need To Create Outside Of His Own Good Pleasure.
Ephesians 1:11--says that he ". . .worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.
Colossians 1:16-17-- "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
E. God's Move To Predestinate An Elect To Himself Was According To The Good Pleasure Of His Will.
Ephesians 1:5--Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will"
F. The Work Of Christ Added Nothing To God's Essential Being Or Glory.
1. His Virgin Birth.
2. His Virtuous Life.
3. His Vicarious Suffering.
4. His Victorious Resurrection.
5. His Visible Return.
These all manifest his glory--but they did not and do not make Him any more glorious than He already was in eternity past.
Conclusion
Why have I said all of this?
I want you to see today that:
1. God is unique in His excellency!
Exodus 15:11--Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
He is unique in His excellency, He is alone in His majesty, He is by himself in His perfections.
He sustains everything He created, but is independent of all of His creation.
He gives and continues to give to all good things out of His treasure, however, He is enriched by no one.
2. Our lives are an open book to this magnificent God.
Hebrews 4:13--Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
3. We will stand before Him one day and acknowledge Him for Who He is.
Isaiah 45:22-25
Romans 14:11-12"For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."
4. Satan desires to block the manifestation of the glory of God in the lives of men.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4--But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
5. Our only hope is to be born again of the Spirit of God.
John 3:3--Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
A God such as this cannot be found out by searching. He is not a God that is known by the intellect. He can only be known Spiritually!
He can only be known as He reveals Himself to our heart by the Word of God.
God has revealed Himself to us in His Creation.
God has revealed Himself to us in our Conscience.
God has revealed Himself to us in the Scripture.
God has revealed Himself to us in Christ.
God has revealed Himself to us by His Spirit.