Title Page

Lesson One

Genesis 1:1-4

Genesis 1:1-41 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.3 And 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.

Genesis 1:5, 20-27

Genesis 1:55 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Genesis 1:20-21

Genesis 1:20-2120 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:22-24

Genesis 1:22-2422 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

Genesis 1:25-26

Genesis 1:25-2625 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Genesis 1:27

Genesis 1:2727 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Focus Verse

Genesis 1:1In the beginning God created the heaven

and the earth.

Focus Thought

An omnipotent God made man in His own image and created the heaven and the

earth with the abundant provisions to meet all his needs.

IntroductionIntroductionThe heat was intense and the fire was bright, yet the coals glowed a dull red. The pounding hammer rang in the square as the crowd peered closely at the blacksmith who had found his rhythm between fire, anvil, and water. Almost majestically in a fifteen-minute period, a horseshoe had appeared from a block of iron.

IntroductionAlternately heated to a glowing red, pounded into shape on the anvil, and dipped into a pail of water, this process had transformed the iron. Transformation had occurred, but not creation. The blacksmith had started with raw material and had developed a horseshoe from that existing material.

IntroductionThere is something vastly different between transformation and creation. Transformation has to have some product with which to begin; creation does not. Transformation takes what is tangible and shapes it; creation does not. Transformation starts with the seed; creation does not. Transformation is performed in a controlled environment (whether of man or of God); creation is not.

IntroductionCreation stands alone. Creation starts with absolutely nothing and ends with everything. Ultimately, it is at the point of Creation in Genesis that mankind’s faith has to begin. It has been rightly stated that Genesis is the “seedbed” of the Bible, for everything that God desired to accomplish began at the creation of all things.

I. In the Beginning (A)In the Beginning

“In the beginning” are the first words of the greatest Book ever written. However, it is the fourth word that factors into the equation something that exceeds the intellect, talent, and resources of anything that mankind has ever reached. “In the beginning God . . .” (Genesis 1:1). So begins the story of Creation as told by Moses through the inspiration of God.

I. In the Beginning (A)Among the first five books of the Bible, penned by Moses and commonly referred to as the Pentateuch, one finds a number of beginnings. Adam, after his great sin, found himself having to begin again.

I. In the Beginning (A)After Noah’s drunken stupor following the Flood, he had to begin afresh. Throughout the Bible are numerous examples of people who had to start over. Even today it is necessary that individuals find an opportunity to begin anew through the new birth!

I. In the Beginning (A)A. Absence of Light

In the beginning, “the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep” (Genesis 1:2). When God spoke light into existence, however, the darkness dissipated. God did not entirely complete His work with light at that time, for on the fourth day, He created additional sources.

Genesis 1:14-15“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: and let them be for

lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it

was so” (Genesis 1:14-15).

Genesis 1:16-18“And 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. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 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” (Genesis 1:16-18).

I. In the Beginning (A)With the power of His creative voice, God placed the sun and moon into their respective places in the solar system. Perhaps the following facts about the sun and the moon would enable us to understand better what Moses described in the single span of four verses.

I. In the Beginning (A)• The sun is a huge ball of flame that burns unceasingly.• The sun’s temperature stands at 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit.• The core of the sun is believed to be 27 million degrees Fahrenheit.• The diameter of the sun is 865,000 miles, which is 109 times the diameter of the earth.• If the sun were a hollow ball, it would take more than 1 million earth-sized objects to fill it entirely.

I. In the Beginning (A)• In comparison, if the sun were a basketball, the earth would be the size of a tiny seed.• The sun is 93 million miles from earth.• At 183,000 miles per second, it takes light from the sun an amazing 8.5 minutes to travel to the earth.• The moon orbits the earth every 27.33 days. This would mean that the travel path is more than 1.5 million miles each month.

I. In the Beginning (A)• The orbit varies the moon’s distance from the earth. At its closest point, it is 221,000 miles away; it is 252,000 miles distant at its furthest point. • The temperature of the moon varies greatly— from 215 to -243 degrees Fahrenheit. • Ocean tides are dependent on the gravitational pull of the moon.

In addition to the sheer strength of each individual light that God created, both the sun and the moon remain in their exact orbits in the solar system.

I. In the Beginning (B-C)B. Absence of Form

or Structure

In the beginning, only a dark, shapeless mass existed. There was no form or structure initially, until God spoke and brought order to the mass of disorder. From plant life to animal life, a distinct form and order suddenly appeared in response to God’s command.

I. In the Beginning (B-C)Clearly, God initiates form and structure. For example, one could look to the intricate plans that God gave to Noah for the ark. Or he could consider the structure and precise detail that God gave to Moses concerning the law and the plans for the Tabernacle and all of its accessories.

I. In the Beginning (B-C)Further, appearing from the outset, God unveiled a structured strategy that would point directly to His ultimate plan for mankind’s redemption through a Savior—Jesus Christ.

I. In the Beginning (B-C)C. Absence of Order

When God spoke at the time of Creation, He brought order into existence. Everything God does and allows works for the good of those who love Him, those who are His people (Romans 8:28). God uses even the seeming reversals of life to accomplish good for believers. He can turn suffering, temptation, and sin into stepping stones toward righteousness in His children.

I. In the Beginning (B-C)• Suffering can drive believers to God and strengthen them. (See Job 23:10.) God’s love for His children may be revealed through suffering, for whom the Lord loves, He chastens (Hebrews 12:6). Suffering drives us to God. Whatever our afflictions might be, God will make them work for our own good.

I. In the Beginning (B-C)• Temptation can make us entirely dependent on God because the struggle causes us to realize how weak we really are. It also causes us to desire to help others in their struggles, and it makes us desire heaven. (See Philippians 1:21-24.)

I. In the Beginning (B-C)• Sin can cause a sense of righteous indignation to arise within us when we see its effects in others. When we see sin within us, the convicting power of the Spirit causes us to want to examine our hearts. Even the threat of sin causes us to be alert spiritually.

I. In the Beginning (B-C)Puritan pastor Samuel Rutherford wrote to a parishioner in his church who was having an extremely difficult time with sorrow and adversity in her life. After only eight years of marriage, three of her small children had died (all daughters) and her husband lay in the clutches of death at the time Rutherford wrote this particular letter to her. The theme of the letter established the order and sovereignty of God. He wrote these words:

I. In the Beginning (B-C)“Be content to wade through the waters betwixt you and the glory with Him, holding His hand fast, for He knoweth all the fords. . . . When ye are got up thither, and have cast your eyes to view the golden city . . . ye shall say then, ‘Four-and-twenty hours’ abode in this place is worth threescore and ten years of sorrow upon earth. . . .’

I. In the Beginning (B-C)God aimeth in all His dealings with His children to bring them to a high contempt of and deadly feud with the world; to set a high price upon Christ, and to think Him One who cannot be bought for gold, and well worthy the fighting for. And for no other cause . . . doth the Lord withdraw from you the childish toys and earthly delights that He giveth unto others but that He may have you wholly to Himself. . . .

I. In the Beginning (B-C)Subscribe to the Almighty’s will. . . . Let the cross of your Lord Jesus have your submissive and resolute AMEN. . . . I confess it seemed strange to me, that your Lord should have done that which seemed to [knock] out the bottom of your worldly comforts; but we see not the ground of the Almighty’s sovereignty.

I. In the Beginning (B-C)‘He goeth by on our right hand, and on our left hand, and we see Him not.’ We see but pieces of the broken links of the chains of His providence” (S. Maxwell Coder and Wilbur M. Smith, eds., The Letters of Samuel Rutherford, [Chicago: Moody Press, 1951] 63, 66, 390-391).

II. The Creator (A-C)The CreatorBecause God is the Creator, there are certain attributes that are distinctly and exclusively His. While all the attributes of God are important, to understand His ability to create could help to calm a person, boost his confidence in God, and help him to deal better with many of the difficulties and anxieties of life. God’s ability to create demonstrates His supremacy over all things.

II. The Creator (A-C)The Scriptures vividly detail God’s sovereignty over the works of His hands. He has demonstrated that He can cause both inanimate matter and irrational creatures to perform His sovereign and divine will.

II. The Creator (A-C)• He caused the Red Sea to divide and its waters to stand as walls (Exodus 14).• He caused the earth to open up and swallow the guilty rebels (Numbers 16).• He caused the sun to stand still upon His order (Joshua 10).• He caused the sun to go backward ten degrees on the dial of Ahaz (Isaiah 38).• He made the ravens carry food to Elijah (I Kings 17).

II. The Creator (A-C)• He made the iron swim on the water (II Kings 6).• He tamed the lions when the authorities threw Daniel into their den (Daniel 6).• He restrained the fire from the three Hebrews when they were flung into the flames (Daniel 3).

Although we esteem God as Creator, we also should consider other elements concerning His acts of Creation.

II. The Creator (A-C)A. His Strength

One cannot properly perceive God until he sees God as omnipotent, which means all-powerful. God has a will and His will is perfect. If He is to accomplish His will, however, He also must possess the ability to execute His will.

II. The Creator (A-C)Throughout the Scriptures, He has demonstrated that His strength is matchless; He has all power, and He can perform His perfect will at His pleasure. Moreover, God manifested His power through Jesus Christ, who professed to have all power in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18).

II. The Creator (A-C)Consider some of the biblical demonstrations of God’s strength and power.

• God’s ability in creation (Psalm 89:11-13).• God’s power in preservation (Psalm 36:6; Psalm 66:9; Hebrews 1:3).• God’s incomparable power (Job 9:8). • God’s immensity (Job 22:14).

II. The Creator (A-C)In Psalm 104:3, it is remarkable that the psalmist did not mention flying or running, but walking: “who walketh upon the wings of the wind,” which is the most uncontrollable of the elements.

II. The Creator (A-C)Mankind is thrown about by the whims of the stormy winds, and he is swept along at an almost inconceivable speed. Yet all the power of these elements are under the Lord’s feet and subject to Him!

II. The Creator (A-C)B. His Eternality

God is without beginning or end; He is everlasting. (See Genesis 21:33; Deuteronomy 33:27; Isaiah 57:15.) As Jesus stated in the Book of Revelation, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).

II. The Creator (A-C)The writer of the Book of Hebrews revealed that God will outlast the existence of time (Hebrews 1:10-12). Clocks, watches, PDAs, and daily planners restrain mankind, but God is not limited by time or space. Mankind requires rest to recover from his work, but in His eternal existence, the Spirit of God has never become weary. (See Isaiah 40:28.) Our God never sleeps!

II. The Creator (A-C)Time has no effect upon God. One might say that time began with the act of Creation. However, before there was a universe, God always had existed. To God, all of His existence has been an eternal, unending “present tense.”

II. The Creator (A-C)One also might describe God’s eternality as the duration of time infinitely reaching into the past but having no beginning—the duration of time reaching into the future and having no conclusion. What a mighty God!

II. The Creator (A-C)C. His Loving Provision

Because of His great love for mankind, God has provided for him in many ways through the Creation. Genesis 1:31 sums up the abundant provision of God:

Genesis 1:31

“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very

good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day”

(Genesis 1:31).

II. The Creator (A-C)Clearly, God provided abundantly for mankind by placing him in a verdant garden, a utopia, where he had at his disposal everything he possibly could want. Out of the plethora of food sources that were available to mankind throughout Eden, God made only one prohibition:

II. The Creator (A-C)“And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. . . . And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:9, 16-17).

II. The Creator (A-C)God was not stingy or unkind to Adam and Eve. He gave them more than they possibly could need or want. He tenderly cared for their fundamental needs; He even walked with them, and they shared sweet communion.

II. The Creator (A-C)But still they allowed temptation to overcome them, and they selfishly reached out in disobedient sin to partake of the forbidden fruit. We do not know what kind of fruit it was, but it cost mankind dearly—during the lifetime of Adam and Eve and throughout the lifetime of all humanity.

III. Three Creative Acts (A-C)

Three Creative ActsA. The Heaven and the Earth

In the beginning there was no order. Seasons, ocean tides, and defined paths for the planets did not exist. Mankind was not present, and the stars did not light the night sky. Almost as if it were an afterthought, Moses stated, “He made the stars also” (Genesis 1:16). Astronomers continually are discovering new galaxies of stars. The earth beautifully orbits in tandem with the other planets that fill the Milky Way galaxy.

III. Three Creative Acts (A-C)

The earth moves in excess of sixty thousand miles per hour on a permitted path around the sun that God designated. It turns on its axis at a speed of one thousand miles per hour. This permitted path of order is responsible for our seasons, days and nights, and the high and low tides of the oceans.

III. Three Creative Acts (A-C)

B. Animal Life

God further demonstrated His power and purpose when He created the teeming animal life that exists in this world. There are numerous examples to which one could look to see the great detail in God’s creation of life in the waters, the air, and the earth. The Bible describes fish filling the seas and fowl filling the air (Genesis 1:20-25).

III. Three Creative Acts (A-C)

God also placed abundant animal life on the earth. These animals were the living creatures, cattle, creeping things, and beasts of the earth that are mentioned in the Creation account (Genesis 1:24). God gave mankind domination and control over all these animals—on the earth, in the sea, and in the air—until humanity’s fall into sin.

III. Three Creative Acts (A-C)

C. Human Life

The human body is one of the most amazing pieces of “machinery” that God created. In fact, it exceeds all other parts of God’s creation. Even though there are times of sickness and duress, the human body mostly runs maintenance free. The heart beats an average of seventy times per minute and pumps an average of six liters of blood every sixty seconds.

III. Three Creative Acts (A-C)This life-sustaining substance courses from the

chest to the big toe and up through a tiny network of vessels in the brain called the “circle of Willis.” Interestingly enough, the fact that the blood flows to the toe of the body is just as important to one’s health as the fact that the blood flows to the brain. As it flows throughout the body, it oxygenates the entire collection of body systems.

III. Three Creative Acts (A-C)If a person were to take a small droplet of blood

and fill in the space of the number zero, there would be five thousand to ten thousand white blood cells present in that space. In addition, there would be red blood cells, platelets, and other important blood components.

III. Three Creative Acts (A-C)A constant recycling of the blood is occurring right

now, and the bone marrow is generating a chemical that causes the body to regenerate its blood supply. Amazingly, a person can donate a unit of this precious substance every fifty-six days, and he generally will not notice a great change in his physical condition as long as he consumes an extra two liters of fluid on the day that he donates.

Psalm 139:14

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:

marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well”

(Psalm 139:14).

IV. God’s Purpose for Mankind

God’s Purpose for Mankind

1. A plan to redeem mankind. Before Creation, God had a plan. His plan was to redeem and fully restore the sin-drenched souls of mankind. He knew that mankind would fall to temptation in the garden, and He wanted to prepare the way to restore the innocence and power that mankind would lose. Moreover, He wanted to save the souls of mankind from sin and rescue them from eternal condemnation.

IV. God’s Purpose for Mankind

God’s plan from the foundation of the world included the Lamb of God, who would be crucified for the sins of all mankind. (See Ephesians 1:4; Titus 1:2; Revelation 13:8.) By this supreme sacrificial act, the Lord would make a way for His people to experience a spiritual new birth and become new creatures in Christ, free from the bondage of sin by the grace of Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 5:17).

IV. God’s Purpose for Mankind

2. A plan for mankind to minister to the whole world. It is not God’s plan for mankind to experience and enjoy the redemptive work of the Holy Spirit only in his own life. God desires that believers become a great army who will spread the good news of His kingdom throughout the world!

IV. God’s Purpose for Mankind

Those who have been redeemed from this world of sin have the ultimate responsibility to send the gospel to the whole world. The Holy Spirit is full of compassion for all mankind, so when a believer receives the Holy Ghost, he also should receive a fresh sense of compassion for the lost of this world.

IV. God’s Purpose for Mankind

Every person should have the opportunity to hear and embrace the gospel. It is our responsibility to take the message of salvation to them. Only through the redemption of the lost is the ultimate objective of Creation achieved!

ReflectionsGod’s action in Creation continues to affect us even now. The order that God established out of the chaos has brought form and structure to both individuals and the collective body of Christ, the church.

ReflectionsOur greatest desire should be to fulfill our calling and complete God’s plan for His creation—that every person may have the opportunity to hear and embrace the gospel and that every believer may receive his eternal reward and place in heaven.