The Book of Beginnings

Genesis provides a total cosmology of the Christian worldview, defining the order and structure of God's creation.

Scripture:  Genesis 1-11

Sermon Notes:

1. Genesis is the book of genealogies or beginnings, and it forms the foundation of all Biblical theology.
2. Despite attempts to discredit Genesis, it is part of God’s infallible Word, a record of historical accounts edited by Moses and quoted by Jesus.
3. Genesis confronts our idols.  Biblical faith confronts idols everywhere through all the ages.
4. Genesis provides a total cosmology of the Christian worldview; its cosmogony gives us an order and structure to the world.
5. Genesis was not just the story of creation; it provides the foundation of empire, a complete social order.
6. Genesis introduces the triune God of scripture, whose being accounts for everything that is: the universe, the order of creation, rationality, truth, beauty, community.
7. Rejecting this God, many try to claim rationality while holding to an irrational worldview.
8. Genesis is literal history and it is the basis of future allegories.  The creation, fall, redemption, re-creation continuum breaks down if we reject Genesis.
9. We’re to believe the Bible, not our own minds, about what is true.  Though not a scientific account, Genesis provides a historical description of God’s creative acts which are beyond the scrutiny of the scientific method.
10. If God is indeed speaking in Genesis then we need to abandon our arrogant preconceptions and submit to God.
11. Genesis 1:1 separates Christianity from every religion in the world.  God is totally separate and transcendent from the creation.
12. God had His recreation in mind when He called the world into existence.  God governs the end from the beginning.
13. God is our creator before He is our Saviour. Everything is dependent on Him and subject to His total government.
14. In man’s attempt to play God he tries to control the creation, looking for God within, worshiping nature, and attributing everything to time and chance.
15. God spoke the world into existence through the Son and the Spirit is hovering over the face of the waters. 
16. God is triune and therefore He is personal. Christians look upward and outward to the personal God who invites us into covenant relationship with Himself.
17. God’s creation is for His own pleasure (Rev. 4:11).
18. It is by faith that we believe the universe was created by the Word of God (Heb. 11:3).
19. God is the ultimate appeal against the moral tyranny of men often expressed in the state. So if we surrender Genesis, we surrender rationality, truth and freedom itself.

Application Questions:

1. What are the key themes expressed in Psalm 104?
2. Why did God choose to create the heavens and earth?
3. What is the importance of Genesis 1-11 for the Christian faith and worldview?
4. What are the implication of God’s transcendence which set Christianity apart from all other religions?
5. What should be our attitude toward God’s Word in entering the study of the book of Genesis?