Genesis One

September 18, 2011

Ladies and Gentlemen, here are some thoughts about creation from Genesis chapter one. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now that is the big one. If you can believe that statement you should not have any trouble believing anything else in the Bible. Walking on the water, swallowed by a whale, healing lepers, restoring sight to the blind, raising the dead, any and all of these things are nothing compared to creating the universe out of nothing. This is the big one. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Some folk do not believe in God. The Bible speaks of these folk when it says the fool hath said in his heart there is not God. Some folk today are even bigger fools than that. The fool in the Bible only said it in his heart; there are some today who blab it with their mouth.
God did not explain how He did it or when He did it. He just said He did it and He did it in the beginning. He said He created the heavens plural and the earth singular. Actually there are three heavens in the scripture. One heaven is the heaven of our atmosphere where the birds fly. Jeremiah mentions the fowl of the heaven; the fowl that eat road kills. Did you know that there would be buzzards in heaven? They are in the first heaven. The second heaven is the heaven where the stars sun and Moon are found. Isaiah tells of the stars of heaven and the constellations shall not give their light. The third heaven is the heaven of God and the angels. The psalmist says in one place, He that sitteth in the heaven shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision.
When the first Russian cosmonaut went into space he said that he had gone to heaven and he saw no God up there. The problem was he did not go high enough. He only went through the first heaven and the second heaven. He did not see God because he did not go high enough. The cosmonaut was just about as dumb as the lady I saw in the airport several years ago was. She was presiding over a display that advertised the
need for America to go to Mars by 2020 AD As I approached she asked me if I was interested in the space program. I said, yes ma'am. She said she had all the information I needed in the books she had on display. I said, yes but your sign says you are only going as far as Mars. I want to go all the way to heaven.
And I have all the information you need right here in this book and I opened my pocket New Testament. I said do you want to go. She laughed and said no. She wanted to go to Mars but was not interested in the least about going to heaven.
How long ago was it when God made the earth. James Usher who died in 1656 said that God started the whole process in 4004 BC Some Bibles use Ushers time table in the center column of the Bible. Remember God did not say it was 4004 BC Some say that God created the heavens and the earth as long as 10,000 years ago. None of these dates can be proven. However you need not live in ignorance. I can tell you the exact day when God created the heavens and the earth. I will not use the Gregorian calendar that we use today, nor will I use the Julian calendar that the Romans used. I will use God's calendar. The exact day and year that God created the heavens and the earth
was on New Year’s Day in the year of One. Numero Uno. The day before the actual day of creation was New years Day minus one.
Some like to think that the six days that God used to create the heavens and the earth were six ages or great periods of time. Whatever your view the scripture does not read that way. If you were going to make up a story about creation and wanted to say that God made everything in six literal days what could you say with more clarity than the way the scripture reads. If you were going to make up a story of creation and say that the six days were six great periods of time you would not use the same description of creation in the Bible because it certainly would sound confusing.
Some think to accept the six literal day views makes them sound ignorant. So in self-defense they go along with the various age theory such as the Cenozoic age and the Mesozoic age and the Paleozoic age and the Proterozoic age. Suffice it to say that whatever your view, anyone who rejects the word of God at any place from Genesis to Revelation is living in the Dumbozoic age.
I will have to admit that the pressure to conform is great. I have been sorely tried in my faith. One time back in the fifties of the twentieth century I was walking down the street in downtown Cincinnati. I came around a corner and saw a beautiful powder blue convertible with the top down. As I came up from behind the car, I could see a young couple in the car. They seemed to have a baby car seat hanging between them. Obviously an infant was in it. I saw the young man turn to the infant and said something like itchee kitchee koo Papa's little baby. Then the young woman cooed the same. About  this time I was walking past the car and turned to see this wondrous marvel. It was a monkey. My faith was shaken. I thought maybe there is something to this evolution thing. We have evolved from the ape hood to human hood and now we are starting back in the other direction again.
We might comment on what happened at the moment that God created the heavens
and the earth. The thing that happened according to what God said to Job was that the morning stars sang together and the sons of God shouted for joy. What did they sing and what did they shout? I can only give my opinion on this, but I truly believe that the song the morning stars sang together was how great Thou Art. I truly believe that the thing the innumerable host of the angels shouted together as the voice of many waters and as the voice of mighty thunders was -YAHOO!
I was talking to a Christian one time that said that he tried to prove to an atheist that there was a God. He said that the atheist would not accept his evidence. I asked him what evidence did he have that there is a God who made the heavens and the earth. He said Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.
If I were asked to prove that there is a God I would use an apostolic argument. I would point to the heavens like the Apostle Paul and say, The invisible things of Him since the beginning of the world are clearly seen being perceived by the things that are made, even His everlasting power and divinity, that they might be without excuse: because that knowing God they glorified Him not as God neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasons, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Professing themselves to
be wise they became fools ... Many years ago I saw a short feature in the movies on the life of Mark Twain. Mark Twain said he was born in 1835 the year that Haley's comet appeared. He said that he had a feeling that when Haley's comet came back, he would move on at that time. Haley's comet came back in 1910 and Mark Twain died that year. Haley's comet came back again seventy-five years later in 1985. How could any sane person look at such precision in the heavens and say there is no God. The sun the moon and the stars stand as witnesses against the atheist.
The second verse of Genesis verse tells us that in the beginning the earth was without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep. But then the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters. Ladies and Gentlemen when the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters that changed everything. The condition of the world before the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters is the story of every person outside of Christ. Your life without Christ is void. Your life without Christ is just a barren as Mars and Jupiter. You may be rich, educated, and in high position, but without the Holy Spirit you are running on empty and living in the dark. Not only that; you are without form. In other words, without the Lord Jesus you are all bent out of shape.
Remember in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. If God made it, He can destroy it. The Apostle Peter tells us, The day of the Lord will come as a thief: in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the things that are therein shall be burned up. It is easy to understand from a human standpoint how this could happen when
the air is eighty- percent hydrogen and twenty per cent oxygen. We have heard of something called hydrogen bombs and we have seen patients in the hospital under an oxygen tent where a sign says no smoking. The air itself is a very flammable substance. The Lord made it and He can end it. Throughout this chapter is a demonstration of the power word of God. Eight times it is mentioned that God said something in regards to creation. The first time was regarding the darkness of the earth. And God said, Let there
be light. And there was light. There is a great spiritual lesson there. Let there be light. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet. Let there be light. Let us have a little light on the matter of mans response to the gospel. What happens when a person hears the gospel, the story of how we crucified the Lord of glory? When people first heard the story they cried out, What shall we do? They were not told that Peter said Bow your head and pray the sinners prayer and say Lord save me. So let’s have a little more light on the
subject. What really did happen? Peter said, Repent ye, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. You don't have to live in the dark any longer. Let there be light and there was light.
Six times we are told in this chapter that when God said let there be something, it says and it was so. Whenever God says, and it was so, there are many who insist that it is not so. I have just told you what God said to do to be saved. Many will say, it is not so. Tell people what God said about hell and they will say it is not so. You can be sure if God says, and it was so, it is so. One time He said, if He could not find ten righteous people in Sodom the Homo capital of the world at that time, that He would destroy the
city with a shower of fire and brimstone. That is exactly what He did. God said it would happen, and it was so. God said His Son would be born of the virgin. And it was so. Many will tell you it is not so. In the ninth verse we are told, And God said, let the waters under the heaven be gathered unto one place and let the dry land appear and it was so.
This happened on the third day of creation. Whenever you read and on the third day you may be standing on resurrection ground. The first resurrection took place on the third day. The ground emerged from the watery deep and the dry land appeared. We remember that the Lord arose from the dead early on the third day. How long has the Lord been gone from this world? We know that it is about two thousand years. Think again. Peter said a day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. Now how long has the Lord been gone? From His standpoint, He only left about two days ago. If the resurrection of the dead takes place early on the third day it looks like for us in this generation it could happen any time. Perhaps some would ask,
are you saying that the Lord might come this very year? No I am not making any predictions. I am only saying that in view of how God regards time we at this time may be standing on resurrection ground. In verse four God saw the light that it was good and God divided the light from the darkness. Darkness cannot exist where there is light. Spiritually people cannot tell the difference. They call light darkness. Isaiah says it
for us when he states, Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. Homosexuality used to be a sin now it is a virtue. Being shacked up used to be a sin now it is a virtue because everybody is doing it. Killing used to be murder, now in some cases it is pro choice. Light is no longer light. Darkness is no longer dark. Everything is dusk, twilight or sort of gray. Paul gives the warning for us all. Let us cast off the works of darkness; Let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk becomingly as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in
jealousy and strife. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. In verse twenty-one is where we are instructed that God made the animals. He made rabbits, cats, and dogs all kinds of animals including dinosaurs. Some wonder what happened to all those dinosaurs? I know exactly what happened to the dinosaurs. I will explain it like this. Not long ago I was eating breakfast in a restaurant. While I was waiting for my bacon and eggs I was reading the paper and I saw a report where they had found a perfectly preserved Tyrannosaurs in one of the western states. It told how many tons he weighed and the report said that his teeth were like surrogated steak knives. The article said that the beast was found in a fetal position all curled up lying in a bog. The writer said it looked like he had died in some kind of a flood. I thought to myself, I do not know who wrote that story but thou art not far from the Kingdom of God. The dinosaurs according to that report must have died in Noah's flood. And that dear friends is what happened to the dinosaurs. In view of the logic of this explanation do you not admit that the other explanation you have heard sounds a little stupid? In verses twenty-six and twenty seven is the account of the creation of man. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. . . So God
created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. Some seem to think that God has a body just like ours because we were made in His image. The making of man in the image of God has nothing to do with the physical. Paul tells us in Philippians that, Jesus was in the form of God and took upon Himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. Since Jesus gave up being in the form of God to be made in the likeness of men evidently men do not have the same body as God. Then too remember that Jesus said God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Whatever being made in
the image of God might mean it has nothing to do with the physical. One thing it does refer to is the mind of man. We can reason and make decisions. Our mind is different than the animals. I heard of a dog one time that was highly intelligent and seemed to have mind like a human. He had been taught to play checkers. One man doubted the dog's ability to play checkers and went into the house where the dog lived and played him. When the man came out someone asked him, now don't you think that is one smart dog? The man said Oh I don't know about that. I played him three games and beat him two out of three.
Verse twenty-eight tells us, and God blessed them, and God said unto them, is fruitful and multiply. Aside from the obvious meaning of this statement there is a great sp1iritual meaning here. The Church needs to be fruitful and multiply. The only way the Church can multiply is when members are added via the birth route. Jesus said, Verily I say unto you except one be born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. This is an obvious reference to Acts 2:38. Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost they then that gladly received his word were baptized and there were added unto them in that day three thousand souls. Then they kept on adding and adding and adding until it says in the fifth chapter of Acts that they were multiplied. That is what the Lord told them to do-multiply. Remember the Lord also said be fruitful. When you are born again of water and the Spirit it just naturally follows that you will be fruitful. What kind of fruit is it? Paul tells us the fruit of the Spirit is love, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self control: against such there is no law. By their fruits ye shall know them. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and it was so.