2023.01.14.SERMON. IN THE BEGINNING PART 1
WILLIAM AKEHURST, HSWC
BIG IDEA: Genesis means beginning. In the Beginning we learn who GOD IS, and even more through creation. GOD spoke the universe into existence, from nothing to something. HIS WORD can take your nothingness and make it something good.
KEY VERSE: GENESIS 1:1-5
SCRIPTURES: Genesis 1:1-19, Revelation 1:8, John 1:1-5, John 5:46-47, Psalms 14:1, Romans 1:20, Colossians 1:16-18, Isaiah 45:18, Revelation 21:23, Revelation 22:5, Psalms 119:105, Psalms 119:130, Isaiah 60:1-2, John 8:12, John 3:19-20, 1 John 1:5-7
Genesis is a Greek word meaning “origin,” “source,” “generation,” or “beginning.”
The original Hebrew title Bereshith means “In the Beginning.”
GOD instructed Moses to write the book of Genesis. This is a critical book of the Torah in Jewish scriptural studies regarding the beginnings of creation and all of mankind.
Read Genesis 1:1-19 Day 1 through Day 4
Genesis 1:1-19
1 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.
***** ILLUSTRATION*****
WHERE DOES GOD COME FROM?
FROM A DEBATE WITH PASTOR KENT HOVIND
https://www.wordproject.org/bibles/resources/where_does_God_comes_from/index.htm
A Student asked the question, Where does God come from?
The following is the answer given by Pastor Kent Hovind
[Transcription]
Your question, where does God come from assumes that you are thinking, obviously displays, that you are thinking of the wrong god.
Because the God of the Bible is not affected by time, space or matter.
If He is affected by time, space or matter, He is not God.
Time, space and matter, what we call a continuum, would have to come into existence at the same instance.
Because if you had matter and no space, where would you put it?
If there was matter and space but no time, when would you put it?
You cannot have time, space or matter independently, they have to come into existence simultaneously.
The Bible answers that in 10 words: In the beginning, (there's time), God created the heavens (there's space), and the earth (there's matter).
So you have time, space, matter, the trinity of trinities: Time - has past, present, future. Space - has breadth, length , height. Matter has solid, liquid, gas.
We have a trinity of trinities created instantaneously, and the God who created them has to be outside of them.
If He is limited by time, He is not God.
The “god” who created this computer is not in the computer. He is not running around changing the numbers on the screen.
The God who created this universe is outside the universe. He is above it, beyond it, in it, He is not affected by it.
So [if you have] the concept that a spiritual force cannot have an effect on a material body, then you have to explain to me why there are emotions, and love, and hatred, and envy, and jealousy and rationality - I mean, if your brain is a collection of chemicals formed by chance over billions of years, how on earth can you trust your own reasoning process and the thoughts that you think?
Your question, where does God come from, is assuming a limited God. And that is your problem.
The God that I worship is not limited by time, space or matter.
If I could fit the infinite God into my 3-pound brain, He would not be worthy worshiping, that is for certain.
So, that is my explanation of the God I worship. And that is the God of the Bible.
*****
FROM OUR ILLUSTRATION, WE UNDERSTAND THIS “TIME, SPACE, MATTER” THOUGHT.
BUT GOD WANTS US TO UNDERSTAND WHO "HE" IS.
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha (? a) and the Omega (O), the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
? ?????? ???????? ??????????? ?????? ????????? ?????????? ?????????? ???????????? ??? ?????????????? ?????????? ?????? ???????? ??????????? ???????????????? ?????????? ??????????:
Alpha is Hebrew letter A “alef” ?
"and the” is Hebrew letter W “vav”?
Omega is Hebrew letter T “tav” ?
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek Alpha-Bet
Alef is the first letter of the Hebrew Alef-Bet
Omega is the last letter of the Greek Alpha Bet
Tav is the last letter of the Hebrew Alef-Bet
ANOTHER REFERENCE TO THE BEGINNING...JESUS
John 1:1-5
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Jesus said HE was “in the beginning” BEFORE the beginnings of Creation.
John 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
ELOHIM “ET”
???????????? ??????? ????????? ???? ???????????? ?????? ?????????
Examine Genesis 1:1 in the Hebrew, and you will find Elohim ????????? followed by this Alef-Tav ????. Elohim is the plural of GOD, meaning more than 2, yet 1, which is a mystery to the Jews and Rabbis have a hard time explaining it. But to see this Elohim followed by Alef-Tav is confirmation to what JESUS said in Revelation 1:8. HE is not only with GOD, Elohim Et, but IS GOD. The plural yet one.
And yet the Hebrew scholars of HIS time here on earth, who studied and believed Moses, couldn’t believe that JESUS was GOD in flesh.
Jesus explains in John 5:46-47.
MOSES WROTE ABOUT ME.
John 5:46-47
46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
ONLY A FOOL WOULD SAY THERE IS NO GOD.
Psalms 14:1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
WE SEE GOD IN HIS CREATION
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
Genesis 1:1-19 (NKJV)
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
WE WERE CREATED FOR JESUS, AND HE "IS" BEFORE ALL THINGS WERE CREATED
Colossians 1:16-18
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.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Isaiah 45:18 For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.
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.
SPIRIT OF GOD. ELOHIM IS MORE THAN 2 (WHICH WOULD BE 3) AND YET AS 1.
WE SEE GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON, AND NOW THE SPIRIT OF GOD, 3 IN 1.
GOD CREATED ALL FROM NOTHING.
GOD IS OUTSIDE AND BEYOND THE BOUNDS OF CREATION.
THIS SHOULD BE A GREAT HOPE FOR US.
GOD CAN TAKE NOTHING AND MAKE SOMETHING FROM IT.
HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT, I AM NOTHING?
GOD CAN TAKE YOUR NOTHINGNESS AND MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF IT!
WITHOUT FORM, AND VOID AND DARKNESS.
CHAOS, EMPTINESS AND DARKNESS.
THE SPIRIT OF GOD HOVERING
1ST STEP – NOT THE FINISH
WE KNOW GOD CREATED CREATION IN 6 DAYS. HE COULD HAVE DONE IT ALL AT ONCE, BUT HE DID IT IN 6 LITERAL DAYS, FOR OUR UNDERSTANDING. SOME SAY A DAYS ISN’T THE SAME, BUT WHEN WE SEE THESE FIRST 6 VERSES, WE SEE THE EVENING AND THE MORNING MAKE A DAY.
WE MAY EXPERIENCE CHAOS, EMPTINESS AND DARKNESS, BUT THEY ARE NOT THE END GOAL, RATHER A BEGINNING FOR GOD TO DO SOMETHING WONDERFUL. IT’S A NECESSARY STEP OF YOUR JOURNEY
TIMES OF LIFE MAY FEEL DARKNESS, CHAOS OR EMPTINESS…
AND THEN, THE SPIRIT OF GOD BEGINS TO HOVER OVER YOU, AND WORK AND MOVE IN YOUR LIFE.
THE SPIRIT IS WORKING, TO CONVICT, CONVINCE AND TO CALL, TO MOVE US FROM THIS PLACE TO WHAT HE WANTS TO DO IN YOUR LIFE.
TO LEAD, HEAL AND MOVE US FROM DARKNESS INTO THE NEXT STEP. LIGHT.
TO BE IN THE DARK: CONFUSION, DOUBT, FEAR, DANGER
GOD BY HIS WORD BRINGS LIGHT TO HELP US SEE, WHERE WE ARE, HOW WE ARE DOING, AND WHERE WE ARE TO GO.
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.
NOTICE, GOD MADE LIGHT BEFORE THE SUN, MOON AND STARS ON DAY 4.
THERE IS SOMETHING WONDERFUL ABOUT THIS LIGHT. IT IS THE LIGHT OF GOD’S GLORY SHINING OUT IN DARKNESS
GOD GAVE US ORDER. ORDER FOR CREATION, ORDER FOR LIFE.
Evening and morning were the first day.
GOD shows us that a day starts with darkness and ends with light. The Jews follow GOD’s principle for a day starting in the evening in darkness, and ending in the daylight.
We’ve got it wrong, we say the day starts with light and ends in darkness.
This is a Spiritual concept. What starts in Darkness will be divided and ends with the LIGHT.
Mankind’s end is either with the LIGHT of the SON as followers of CHRIST, or the subdued light of the eternal flames in darkness, chaos, and emptiness.
John 1:1-5
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
LIGHT FOR ALL MANKIND. LIGHT SHINES IN DARKNESS, AND DARKNESS CAN’T UNDERSTAND WHAT’S HAPPENING, IT DISAPPEARS, IS CONTROLLED AND GOES AWAY.
THE SOURCE OF LIGHT
Revelation 21:23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
Revelation 22:5 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.
THE LAMB AND THE LORD GOD GIVES LIGHT
THE GUIDING LIGHT
Psalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Psalms 119:130 The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.
GOD’S WORD GIVES DIRECTION, LIGHTING THE WAY TO GO, AND GIVING US UNDERSTANDING.
WHEN I EXPERIENCE DARKNESS IN MY LIFE OVER SOMETHING, GOD’S WORD GIVES LIGHT AND UNDERSTANDING.
Isaiah 60:1-2
1 Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people;
But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.
ITS YOUR TIME TO SHINE. WHEN YOU ARE FACING DARKNESS, CHAOS, OR EMPTINESS. CALL UPON HIM, AND HIS SPIRIT WILL HOVER OVER THE NOTHINGNESS AND MAKE SOMETHING GOOD.
FOLLOW AFTER THE LIGHT, FOLLOW JESUS.
John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
THIS IS THE CONDEMNATION
John 3:19-20
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
THIS IS THE MESSAGE.
1 John 1:5-7
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
GOD exists, FATHER, SON and HOLY SPIRIT all revealed in the first 2 verses of the Bible.
Then by HIS WORD, HE brought Light into Darkness, and Something out of nothing.
HE makes us to be Something out of Nothing.
And we are called to walk in THE LIGHT.
THIS IS HIS PLAN FOR YOU!
Trust the LORD, and HE will SHINE HIS LIGHT upon you, and make all things right.
FATHER GOD, I will put my trust in YOU Alone. I once was lost in darkness, confused, empty and alone. It is YOU WHO have taken me from darkness to light, by the moving of YOUR SPIRIT over and in me, through JESUS CHRIST my LORD, and for HIS Purpose, from the very beginning. Keep me through the evening, to each morning, to Praise YOU another day. Order my steps by the Light of YOUR WORD, that I would do YOUR Will. Let each day be a new beginning in my life as I follow after YOU. Bless me now, my Blessed Savior, that I might be a blessing to others, to show forth the Light of YOUR Salvation, for YOUR Glory and Praise. All in the matchless name of JESUS CHRIST, YESHUA, our Soon coming King. Amen.
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
Bill
