The Begining: Creation

As Christians, we believe that God created the World. Just the simple statement that God created the heavens and the earth is one of the most controversial and challenging concepts that confronts the modern mind.

Think about it. The galaxy we live in is spinning at the speed of 490,000 mph but even at that speed it takes 200 million years to make one rotation. And there are over a billion galaxies just like our in the universe. some scientist say the number of stars in creation is equal to all the grains of sand on all the beaches of the world. Yet this complex ocean of spinning stars functions with remarkable order and timing that makes any dance team envious.

To say that the universe just happened or evolved requires more faith to believe than to believe that God really did create this wonderful universe that we live in.

Why did God create the universe?

Have you ever thought about that? Why would he go to all this trouble… and then put up with us. He chose to create the universe, including us, because God is love and love is best expressed toward something or someone. IOW God created the universe as an expression of his love. With all the science, do not forget that we exist because God is love.

The Bible talks about creation but does not discuss evolution.

It’s worldview assumes that God created the world. The biblical view of creation is not in conflict just with evolution, it is in conflict with any worldview that starts without a creator.

The idea that just happened is about as dumb as the thought that a Mercedes just happened. Maybe it started with a piece of metal which evolved into steel and then to an engine… or maybe there was a giant bang and suddenly there was a Mercedes. It takes way more faith to believer any of that than creation.

In the Beginning God created…

There are Christians who come to differing conclusions about creation, but the MOST important thing to remember is not the process of creation (which is important) but the origin of creation. The world is not a byproduct of blind chance or big bang…

God created the World

The Bible not only tells us the world was created by God, but it tells us who this God is which is what the Gospel Storey is about. It reveals God’s deep desire to connect and relate to the people he created. God to the ultimate step in that when He visited the created world as one of the creations … as Jesus.

Through Jesus we can know personally this God who created the world

Let’s get into the story.

Genesis 1:1–2 NLT

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

The creation story teaches a lot about God and ourselves.

We learn about God that He is creative

We learn about God that as the creator that he is distinct from the creation.

We learn about God that he is eternal and in control of the world.

We learn about ourselves that since God chose to create us, we are valuable.

We learn about ourselves that we are more important than animals. (Gen 1:28)

So, how did God create the earth? There is a lot of debate about this… some say big bang… some say evolved over billions of years. Almost every ancient religion has some form of creation story. And almost every scientist has an opinion on the origin of the universe. but only the Bible shows one supreme God creating the earth out of his great love and giving all people a special place in it. We will never know exactly how he did it until we are in heaven, but the fact that He created it and us gives us value.

V2 - I have had people ask, who created God? that assumes there was something before God. At some point you have to quite asking that question and come to the realization that God is and always has been and always will be. We cannot comprehend that no more than we can comprehend the highest number… there is always one higher.

Genesis 1:2 NLT

2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

V2 - The earth was formless and empty… provides the setting for the creation narrative that follows. During the 2nd and 3rd days God gave form to the universe. The next three days God filled the earth with living beings. Darkness was done away with on the first day when God created light.

The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters is similar to a mother bird protecting and caring for her chicks. God’s Spirit was active in the creation and is still active today.

How Long did it take God to create the World?

6 days and he rested on the 7th. There are two views on this. One is that each day is a 24 hour period and the other is that each day represents an indefinite period of time. I believe that each day was a 24 hour period of time because the word for day is used elsewhere in the Bible in reference to a 24 hour day.

Day 1 - Light

Genesis 1:3–5 NLT

3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.

Day 2 - The sky

The space between the waters was the separation of the sea and the mists of the sly or the atmosphere.

Genesis 1:6–8 NLT

6 Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” 7 And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. 8 God called the space “sky.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.

Day 3 - Land, Sea and vegetation

Genesis 1:9–13 NLT

9 Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. 10 God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. 12 The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day.

Day 4 - Sun, moon, and stars

to govern the day and mark the seasons, days ands years.

Genesis 1:14–19 NLT

14 Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. 15 Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. 16 God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, 18 to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.

Day 5 - Fish & Birds

to fill the waters, the sky and the earth

Genesis 1:20–23 NLT

20 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.

Day 6 - Animals, mans and woman

to fill the earth … people to care for the earth and to commune with God.

Genesis 1:24–25 NLT

24 Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. 25 God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.

God felt pretty good about his work … kept saying it was good. There is no reason you should not feel good about your work… unless it’s something that God would not be pleased with. Think about what you do throughout a week, are you pleasing God.

Genesis 1:26 NLT

26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

US - reference to the Trinity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit … all of whom are God. From Job 33:4 and Psalm 104:30, we know the Holy Spirit was active in creation. Col 1:16 shows us that Jesus was also active in creation.

God made humans in His Image , what does that mean?

It’s not talking about we are physically in his image. Some feel it’s the ability to reason or think. Most likely it is our entire self, body, spirit, soul that reflects the image of God. We will never be just like God because He is God, the supreme creator, but we have the ability to reflect his image and character with our love, patience, forgiveness, kindness and faithfulness.

Knowing we are made in the image of God is a solid basis for self-worth. Our worth is not based on our possessions, achievements, physical attractiveness, or popularity. It is based on the fact that we are made in God’s image. That’s why we can feel positive about ourselves. When you put yourself down, you are putting God down and criticizing his creation.

Knowing that you are a person of worth helps you love God, know him personally, and make a valuable contribution to those around you.

God created men and women equal

Genesis 1:27 NLT

27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Another thing… god created both man and woman in His image. Neither man nor woman is more in the image of God than the other. From the beginning God has placed both man and woman at the pinnacle of his creation and neither is placed above or below the other.

God put mankind in charge of the earth

Genesis 1:28–30 NLT

28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” 29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.

To reign over something is to have complete authority and control over it. God is the ultimate ruler over the earth but he delegated some of that authority to us. When he did that, he expects us to take care of everything… the environment, and all the living creatures and plant life that live here with us. I used to be in the Scouts (before some of the problems arised) and we were taught to leave a campsite so clean you could never tell we were there. God wants us to take care of His creation.

God said His creation was very good after He made mankind

Genesis 1:31 NLT

31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.

If you ever feel like you are worthless, remember, God said it was very good after he created YOU.

In the next few verses, God introduces the principle of rest or the Sabbath.

Genesis 2:1–4 NLT

1 So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation. 4 This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth. When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

We tend to live in an action oriented world where we never make time to rest. But God showed us that rest is important and appropriate. If God took a break to rest, we should take a break to rest. Jesus would do the same when he would get into a boat to get away from the crowds. Rest refreshes us for the work ahead.

God even set apart the 7th day as a day of rest. Rest is actually ordered in the 10 commandments.

In the next several verses, we will look at a more detailed account of the creation of mankind. so let’s look real quickly at Gen 2:4-14

God breathed life into humans

Genesis 2:4–7 NLT

4 This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth. When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, 5 neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the Lord God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil. 6 Instead, springs came up from the ground and watered all the land. 7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.

Dust of the ground says that there is nothing special about the chemical make up of our bodies. It’s a lifeless shell until God breathes life into it with the “breath of life.” When God removes His life-giving breath, our bodies once again return to dust. Our life and our worth come from God’s Spirit.

Some people brag about their achievements and abilities like they are the ones responsible for all of that. Others feel worthless because their abilities don’t stand out. Our worth does not come from out achievements or talents… it comes from God. We need to value life like God does.

With the good always comes a test

Genesis 2:8–14 NLT

8 Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. 9 The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. 11 The first branch, called the Pishon, flowed around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found. 12 The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. 13 The second branch, called the Gihon, flowed around the entire land of Cush. 14 The third branch, called the Tigris, flowed east of the land of Asshur. The fourth branch is called the Euphrates.

God placed Adam and Eve in the middle of the garden with everything they needed. But he also placed a test. He put the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden and as we will find out next time, gave them instructions not to eat off of it. They could have everything else, but that.

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