Sermon Central
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Christ Our Creator Series
Contributed by Rick Crandall on Dec 2, 2011 (message contributor)
Summary: Christ was there: 1. To create (vs. 7 & 18). 2. To be close (vs. 7 & 21-22). 3. To care (vs. 8-9 & 15). 4. To command (vs. 17-18). 5. Ready to go to the cross (1 Peter 1:19-21).
Series: Old Testament Encounters with Christ
Part 2: Christ Our Creator
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - November 30, 2011
*A couple of weeks ago we started exploring Christ in the Old Testament. Vs. 7 here tells us that “the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
*But how do we know this was the pre-incarnate Christ?
-How do we know that it wasn’t God the Father?
-How do we know it was Jesus?
*We know because of the evidence we find in the New Testament. And last time we took a good look at that evidence. For example, in John 1:18 the Apostle John said something that people often miss: “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”
*In other words: “No one has seen GOD THE FATHER at any time.”
-Until the crucifixion, resurrection and return of Jesus Christ back to Heaven, no one had seen God the Father at any time.
*So, whenever the Old Testament talks about someone seeing God, they are meeting with the pre-incarnate Christ.
-Jesus affirmed this truth in John 6:44-46, where He said:
44. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
45. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.
46. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.”
*Here in Genesis 2, it is the pre-incarnate Christ we see. And we start here tonight, looking for same blessings the early disciples received when Christ opened their understanding about His presence in the Old Testament.
1. Christ was right there in Genesis 2. He was there to create.
*As we see in vs. 7: “The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
*There Christ is, giving us life, giving us our very existence!
*Jesus Christ is our Creator God! He certainly had a key role in creation.
-The Apostle John confirmed this for us in the opening words of his Gospel.
-Calling Jesus “The Word,” John 1:1-4 says:
1. 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.
*Paul echoed this great truth in Col 1:15-16, where he said that Jesus:
15. “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”
*Christ is our creator! That great truth should bless your soul, because it means that you are a priceless creation of God!
*Zig Ziglar once compared us to the priceless masterpieces painted by DaVinci or Michelangelo. And Zig said, “I am roughly familiar with the price of the canvass and the paints. In and of themselves, they are not worth much at all. No -- The value of the painting comes from the touch of the Master’s Hand.” (1)
*And you are priceless, because you were created by the greatest Master of all.
-The Lord was there to create us! Aren’t you glad?
*And I am so glad that He did not create us to be alone.
-In vs. 18, the Lord God said: “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
*This is the very first time in God’s Word where the Lord says something is not good. So, the Lord made someone just right for Adam. And God puts people in our lives too. Of course, this includes our mates, if we are married. And we ought to thank God for them. But it also includes other family members and friends, not to mention our brothers and sisters in Christ.
*Aren’t you glad that God created Adam AND Eve?
-I would hate to be the only person in the world. Wouldn’t you?
-But Christ was there to create us! Every single one of us can be traced back to these first people here in Genesis 2.
*Christ was there to create.
2. And He was there to be close.
