Introduction

Genesis 1:1-23 NKJV  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  (2)  The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.  (3)  Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.  (4)  And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.  (5)  God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.  (6)  Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”  (7)  Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.  (8)  And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.  (9)  Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.  (10)  And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.  (11)  Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.  (12)  And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.  (13)  So the evening and the morning were the third day.  (14)  Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;  (15)  and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.  (16)  Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.  (17)  God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth,  (18)  and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.  (19)  So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.  (20)  Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”  (21)  So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.  (22)  And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”  (23)  So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

• Church! Welcome to the book of Genesis! The first book in the Bible.
  • As a church we have preached through the Gospel of Luke, we have preached through two epistles, we have preached through the last book in the Bible, Revelation, and now we are going to preach through the first book in the Bible, Genesis.
    • The name of the book “Genesis” just means “Beginning” and of course it starts with those three famous words “In the beginning”.
    • The book was written by God through the hands of Moses, who was the spiritual leader of Israel as they fled Egypt and headed towards the promised land.
    • It was probably written in about 1500 BC, give or take a few hundred years, but it would have probably been written when Moses was a shepherd with Jethro or possibly it was written as an introduction to the law while Moses was at Sinai.
    • Now the theme of Genesis is not just the beginning, but it covers the creation, fall, and the redemption of humanity through Jesus Christ.
      • I said this in my video last week, but Genesis is one of only a few books in the Bible where you can see ALL of scripture displayed… every major moment in history from creation to Revelation can be found recorded and prophesied about in Genesis.
        • And as such, as we go through Genesis we in truth will be taking a tour of the whole Bible and God’s working with Mankind, past, present, and future.

• Now I want to show you a picture to illustrate how important Genesis is…

• What happened to this building… this is an 11 story building that literally just fell over and crashed down in 2010 in China… and if you look over here you will notice something missing… THERE SHOULD BE A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF STEEL AND CONCRETE HERE… but there is not… there is no foundation…
  • In fact, if you look realy close you will see that there was a very small and weak foundation that was so small it just came up with the building… that foundation would be suited for a one story building, MAYBE a two story building… but definitely not 11… weak foundations are destructive.
    • And church the takeaway from this picture is “No matter how big your faith is, if it has a weak foundation it will fail”.
• Genesis, church, is the foundation of all doctrine, the foundation of all theology, the foundation of our faith.
  • And having a poor or incomplete grasp of Genesis can lead to a destroyed faith…
    • A poor or false understanding of Genesis will corrode your understanding of God’s goodness, His faithfulness, and His justice.
    • Without Genesis you can not fully understand the purpose of Christ or the power of his death and resurrection.
    • Without Genesis you will not have a proper understanding of sin, and death, and decay… nor will you understand how God can redeem the earth and make it perfect again.
      • And church I have seen people in my own life who have abandoned the foundation of Genesis and I have watched as their faith falls apart.
    • On the other hand saints, if we get this right, if we grasp what God has given us through Genesis… we are going to be a very strong and unwavering church!
• Now, let’s get into what we read this morning, shall we?
  • This morning we read the first five days of creation…
    • Day one: God created the heavens, and the earth, and God said “let there be Light”
    • Day two: God created sky and the atmosphere. You might have heard the word firmament as we read about day two, this word in ancient Hebrew is רָקִיעַ (raw-kee-ah) which means dome or expanse… it is literally the atmosphere that surrounds the earth. So that’s day two, God created the sky and the atmosphere.
    • Day three: God created the dry land and vegetation. Before this the earth was a ball of water, but here God calls fourth the land and creates the vegetation to flourish on the land. He specifies that the vegetation bears fruit and seeds. This will be important to remember as we talk about being fruitful and multiplying.
    • Day four: God created the stars, the sun, and the moon… and you will note that God said “let there be light” two days before this… so there was light before the stars… there was light before the sun… this is important to remember and we will talk about why in a minute.
    • Finally, day five, God created the sea creatures and birds and commands them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Again, we will talk about this in the future… but from the beginning of creation there is this command, not just to humans, to be fruitful and multiply.
• Now this morning, as we talk about this passage of scripture, I want to talk to you about the workings of the Trinity in creation, and what it means for us.

• The Triune God of Creation
  • This morning, in just the first few days of creation, I want you to experience the wonder of Genesis and how it shows all of God’s plan for mankind… we can see it just here in the first few verses of Genesis…
  • Now I have four points this mourning and we are already a third of the way through this message, so buckle up because we are going to fly through this!
• Point one this morning is that the Trinity has been at work since the beginning of time.

Point One –  The Trinity has Been at Work Since the Beginning

Genesis 1:1 NKJV  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

• Y’all the Trinity is ALL over this verse… the very first verse of the Bible is PACKED full of Trinitarian language… if you know where to look.
  • Let’s start with the second word in the Bible…
    • Now the first word in the Bible is Ray-sheeth which means “In the beginning” but the second word in the Bible is “Elohim” which of course means God…

• But this is unique, because the word for God in ancient Hebrew is either El or Eloah…
  • But here the word is Elohim… there is an “im” added at the end of it.
    • Adding im in ancient Hebrew is like adding an S in English, it makes something plural.

• So the word here, Elohim, is technically speaking “Gods” or “the gods” and it is in fact used this way in scripture when talking about multiple false gods at once. Obviously Genesis 1:1 is not talking about false gods… so what is going on here…
  • well there are further grammatical issues that need to be looked into, because if that was the end of the story then you might make the argument that there are multiple gods…
    • But we know that we serve ONE GOD.
      • The Shema, one of the most important Hebrew prayers which Jesus quotes says “hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one”. That is Deuteronomy 6:4…
    • So then why is the word here Elohim which literally means Gods?
    • Well the answer is found in the THIRD word of the Bible… בָּרָא (Ba-Raw) which means “created”.

• Now “bara” is the verb for created… but in Hebrew, if a noun is plural, the verb has to be plural… but this is NOT a plural verb, this is a singular verb. And this doesn’t make any sense…

• So we have the plural noun “God” with the singular form of created… this is a contradiction in Hebrew literature… unless of course, God is both singular and plural…
  • If God was not triune, then “God created” would be written “El Ba-raw” and if there were multiple God’s then “the gods created” would be written “Elohim Benayya”
    • But instead we have “Elohim Bara” which means “The multiple god’s are not actually multiple but one singular God who created”.
      • “Hear, Oh Israel, the Lord our God is one”.
  • Because church, the Bible teaches a Triune God, a Trinity.
    • We believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
    • We believe that the Father is God, and the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God… but we don’t believe in three Gods, we believe in ONE God, the Holy Trinity.
      • Three persons, but One God.
        • And with that belief, and only that belief, does the phrase Elohim Bara really make sense.
• Thus the first verse of the Bible teaches of the trinity… but that is not the only Trinity here… there are four more…
• There is a great Creation Scientist named Dr. Kent Hovind who was once in a debate with a well known evolutionists…
  • The evolutionist asked quit smugly “Simply answer me this, Dr. Hovind, where did God come from”.
    • AH! GOT EM! Thousands of years of Christian doctrine destroyed… it all falls apart with that question… unless of course you understand Genesis…
    • I love Dr. Hovind’s answer… and am going to paraphrase a bit…
    • “Where did God come from you ask… it is clear you and I are not talking about the same God… because that question makes no sense to a Christian with a proper Biblical world view…
      • Because the God of the Bible is not effected by Time, Space, or Matter.
      • If He is effected by Time Space or Matter, He is not God.
      • Time, Space, and Matter are what we call a continuum… all of them have to come into existence at the same instant…
        • Because if there was matter, but no space, where would you put it? If there were mater and space, but no time… WHEN would you put it…
        • You can not have time space or matter independently, they have to come into existence simultaneously…
      • The Bible answers this in it’s very first verse…
        • “In the beginning” there is time.
        • “God created the heavens” there is space.
        • “And the earth” there is matter.
          • This itself is a trinity, Time, space, and matter…
          • And it is not just a trinity, but it is a trinity of trinities!
            • Time is a trinity: Past, present, and future.
            • Space is a trinity: Height, Depth, and Width.
            • Matter is a trinity: Solid, gas, and liquid.
          • So there you have a trinity of trinities created by a trinity.
    • And God does not exist within the bounds of what He created no more than Bill Gates does not live inside of a computer moving the numbers and letters around the screen.
      • So to ask “where did God come from” is to contradict the idea of creation in and of itself.
        • God, the Trinity, created time and space, so to aske when and where did God come from is paradoxical…
• And speaking of trinities church, the WHOLE trinity is found in the account of Creation here in Genesis one.
  • That brings me to point two this morning: The father is the head of creation.

Point Two –  The Father is the Head of Creation

Genesis 1:3 NKJV  Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

Genesis 1:6 NKJV  Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”

Genesis 1:9 NKJV  Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.

• Then God said… then God said… then God said… in Genesis chapter 1, the phrase “Then God said” is found 8 different times.
  • This is God the Father… and it is important to note, that God the Father is the head of creation. HE SPEAKS and it is done.
  • HE SPEAKS and it is created.
• Creation did not come from random chance over billions of years.
  • No creation came in six days when God spoke things into existence…
    • And yes they are six literal days.
    • “But paaaastooor…. The word day in Hebrew can mean “period of time” and after all God said to Him a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day”…
      • GIVE ME A BREAK.
    • How long was Jonah in the belly of the fish? Three days or three thousand years?
    • How long did the Israelites march around Jericho? Seven days or seven “periods of time?”
      • The word used in Genesis for day is “Yom” it is the same word used in Jonah and in Exodus while the Israelites marched around Jericho… it means day.
      • The only reason people say this could mean period of time is because the worship at the altar of evolution but still want to be Christians too…
    • AND IN CASE THERE WAS ANY CONFUSION AFTER EVERY DAY OF CREATION GOD SAYS “THEN THERE WAS EVENING AND THEN THERE WAS MORNING… A DAY”
      • Not a thousand evenings and mornings… not a million… one evening, one morning… A DAY. 24 hours… A SINGLE DAY… MORNING AND EVENING.
        • And this will be important later as we go through Genesis and you realize that the Gospel does not work with evolution as an origin of species… but I digress.
• Creation did not come from random chance over billions of years.
• Creation did not come from a big cosmic bang billions of years ago.
• Creation did not come from evolution.
• Creation came from THE FATHER.
  • HE IS IN CHARGE.
  • HE SPEAKS AND IT HAPPENS.
    • Now my question for you is… Does God speak to you, and do you obey?
      • Us and angles… the only two parts of creation that would ever dare disobey God.
        • God said “Let there be fish” and boom they existed.
        • God tells you “Love your enemies” and all the sudden there is a problem.
        • God tells the water to make way for land… and boom, there is land…
        • God tells you not to forsake church but all the sudden you are just too tired for the gathering of the brethren.
        • God tells the mountains to be full of gold… bam… they are sparkling…
        • God tells you to tithe… and sure God, let me just do some math first and see if I can afford it.
        • God tells the sun and the moon when to shine…
          • BUT GOD BETTER NOT TELL ME WHAT JOB TO TAKE, OR WHAT FRIENDS TO HAVE, OR WHAT TV SHOWS I CAN OR CAN NOT WATCH.
• Listen church we pray “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”… THIS IS HOW GOD’S WILL IS DONE! Stop rebelling, listen to the voice of the Father and obey!

Point Three – The Holy Spirit Brings Comfort in Creation

Genesis 1:2 NKJV  The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

• What you have to understand is that darkness and “the deeps” where both things that the Hebrews used to describe chaos, and uncertainty…
  • Now I could preach a whole sermon about this verse…
    • And the theology behind it…
    • And why is there chaos and disorder in something God just created…
      • And there are some FASCINATING answers to that question that we could talk hours and hours about…
        • But again, if I preached on EVERYTHING in Genesis we would not get done before we all died of old age or Jesus comes back…
    • So for now, just get this… there is this chaos and disorder language in the second verse of Genesis… but God, even here, sends His Holy Spirit.

John 14:26 KJV  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

• The Holy Spirit is our comforter, our helper in time of trouble… the Greek word here is Paraclete… it means helper, comforter, intercessor, counselor, advocate in time of need.
• And here in Genesis we see the paracleat… the helper, the comforter… the aid in time of need…
  • Hovering over the water… bringing peace in chaos.

Genesis 1:2 NKJV  The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

• So again, my question to you… is the spirit of God hovering over your life? Is He working in you, and through you, and over you, and around you?
  • Does the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life bring peace to chaos…
    • Or do you let DRAMA be your king and master?
      • Is your drama bigger than the Spirit of God whom hovered over the waters?
      • Is your chaos more chaotic than that?
      • Is your problems bigger than the God who created all things.
    • If not, STOP ACTING LIKE IT.
      • Start living like you believe that there is a comforter living inside of you, the same comforter who hovered over the face of the waters.
      • IF YOU ARE BORN AGAIN THE GOD OF CREATION LIVES IN YOU AND SHOULD BE GIVING YOU COMFORT AND PEACE… AMEN?!
• Now that brings me to the final point… the Son is the Light of Creation…

Point Four – The Son Is the Light of Creation

Genesis 1:3-4 NKJV  Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.  (4)  And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.

• You will notice that light came fourth before the creation of the Sun, Moon, and Stars…
  • How is this possible? Is this a blunder in God’s retelling of the Creation event’s?
  • Is the Bible flawed?
    • OF COURSE NOT.
• Because God is the source of light… not stars…
  • “Well PASSSTOOORRRR… the earth must be billions of years old because there are stars billions of lightyears away that we can see… it would have taken billions of years for that light to reach earth after that start was created…”
    • “Yeah sure man… UNLESS THE LIGHT WAS CREATED FIRST… read your Bible brah…”
  • And here is the beauty of it church… of course there was light before there was the sun or stars… because God radiates light… in fact we learned through the book of Revelation that there will be no need for light in New Jerusalem because God is all the light we need.

Revelation 22:5 NKJV  There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

• Now consider this… we know that Jesus was there in creation, of course He was because He is not a created being… and John 1 tells us about Jesus and creation…

John 1:1-5 NKJV  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  (2)  He was in the beginning with God.  (3)  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  (4)  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  (5)  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

John 1:9-14 NKJV  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  (10)  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  (11)  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  (12)  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  (13)  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  (14)  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

• Guy’s are you putting this together? Jesus was at creation… what was created was created through Him… and HE IS THE LIGHT.
  • When God said “Let there be light” I think He was saying “JESUS! Come over here and shine over creation”.
    • Now the challenge to you is this… Jesus obeyed… because He does what the Father tells Him…
      • Will you obey?

Matthew 5:16 NKJV  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

• The creation light is in you! Are you letting it shine? Are you sharing it with others? Are you casting out the darkness?
  • God says let there be light… how do you respond?
    • “Not today, Father… we are not supposed to talk about religion at work”.
  • God says let there be light….
    • “Well ok, father… but maybe after we are really good friends, then maybe I will be light for them…”
  • God says let there be light and we say…
    • “Well… they are REALLY pretty and I like the way they make me feel… I am going to marry them and then maybe they will come into the light after we get married in the darkness”.
• COME ON CHURCH. LET THERE BE LIGHT. LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE BEFORE MEN.
  • Alright I got to rap this thing up, because I could be here all day…

Conclusion

• Church, in Genesis Chapter one we see the Trinity creating a trinity of trinities…
  • We see that God is the King of creation… and that creation happened in real literally days exactly how God commanded it.
  • We see the Holy Spirit hovering over the deep, bringing peace to Chaos.
  • And we see the Son, through Him all things were created, bringing light.
    • So again I ask…
      • Is God King of your life… does He speak and you obey?
      • Is the Spirit the comforter and the helper of your life? Doe you bring peace to chaos everywhere you go, or does drama define you?
      • Is the light of Jesus shining through you to the world, or are you hiding it under a bushel?

2 Corinthians 4:5-6 NKJV  For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.  (6)  For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

• God called light out of darkness, and that light is Jesus Christ… If you are not born again… today He calls the light of Jesus Christ out of the darkness in your life… would you allow that light to shine?
• Gospel Call – Quick

Aaronic Blessing