The Beginning of Life as We Know It
The Story, Chapter 1
April 7, 2013
Today we begin a journey through the Bible. Many of you watched “The Bible” series on the History Channel over the past few weeks and saw a high-speed blur of the story of God and humanity. Our series won’t be as fast and will include many more pieces of that story than that. There are thirty-one sermons in this series—the longest one I’ve ever preached—with just a few deviations between today and the end of November. The series comes from a book written by Max Lucado and Randy Frazee, published by Zondervan, which includes entire portions of biblical text, sewn together with transitions and summaries written by Max and Randy. It is the text of the Bible, arranged in such a way that we can follow the thread of God’s narrative from beginning to end. I have been excited about this project for months, and I’m anxious to see how God will bless us for our commitment to hearing His story.
The beginning of our journey through the story of the Bible is like the beginning of an action-packed movie. If you miss the opening minutes of a movie with its fast-paced scenes, you will not understand the rest of the story. It is the same with the Bible’s grand Story. The Story opens with a “big bang.” Not the “big bang” of evolutionary theory, but the “big bang” of the revelation of God Who is the main character of the Grand Story.
1) The Bible Story opens with the “big bang” of creation.
a) The opening verse, Genesis 1:1, introduces us to the Story’s main character: God. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The “big bang” is not an impersonal accident, but the creative purpose of a personal God.
b) The “big bang” of creation is presented poetically and artistically.
i) Days 1, 2, and 3 are places created by God.
(1) Day 1—Light and Dark
(2) Day 2—Sky and Water
(3) Day 3—Land
ii) Days 4, 5, and 6 those places are filled with the things the places were created for.
(1) Day 4—Sun and Moon/stars
(2) Day 5—Birds and Sea creatures
(3) Day 6—Animals and human beings
c) The “big bang” of creation concludes with God’s core passion: human beings.
i) God’s core passion is people made in God’s image, Genesis 1:26-27, as depicted in Adam and Eve. “Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in our image, in Our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. ‘So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.’” God’s grand vision was to live together with us in the world.
ii) All the beauties of creation are secondary to you. This truth is a self-esteem builder. God’s supreme passion is to be with us at all costs.
2) The Bible Story continues with the “big bang” of the Fall (Adam and Eve’s rebellion).
a) Adam and Eve were created with the freedom and power to choose. God does not force love. Nor does He force obedience.
b) The story introduces the tale of two trees.
i) God presents a choice: Genesis 2:9,17. “The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” “But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
ii) Adam and Eve rebelled against God and ate from the forbidden “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” and God’s vision to be with people was ruined. We usually refer to this decision as “The Fall,” but is that accurate? A fall is an accident. This is clear rebellion. It is appropriate to call it, “The Jump.”
c) Transition: All of the rest of the Bible is about God’s pursuit to get us back.
3) The Bible Story reports the “big bang” of sin’s damage to the human race.
a) Because Adam and Eve chose a different vision than God’s vision, sin became part of their spiritual DNA and they produced more sinners. Sin became a permanent part of our world, and it is what separated Adam and Eve from a holy God.
i) God banished them from the garden and prevented them from the other tree, the Tree of Life, which would sustain life forever. Think about an eternal existence ruled by temptation, desire, and sin. It is God’s grace, not punishment, that drove God to keep us from living eternally, forever-separated from Him.
b) Genesis 4–9 present sin and a sin nature permeating the human race.
i) God’s chooses Noah to build the ark and God does a “do over” of the human race after the judgment of flood waters. The flood erased the wicked human race, but did not erase the sin nature from Noah and his family:
ii) Genesis 9:20-23. “Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.”
4) The Bible Story offers a salvation clue even in the midst of the opening “big bang.”
a) After Adam and Eve sinned and became aware of their nakedness, they made fig leaf clothing to cover their nakedness. God took away the fig leaves and covered Adam and Eve with the skins of animals.
b) The Clue: For God to restore the vision that human beings are His supreme passion will require the shedding of blood. This development shows us how far God is willing to go to fulfill His supreme desire to restore a relationship with us.
Application: God is the main character of The Story. But you are the focus. From the creation story we discover the value of all human beings. God wants to be with you more than anything else on earth. Think about that. YOU. God personally wants to be with you. At great cost to Himself, God has done everything possible to get you back. You have value. You are valuable. True, lasting self-esteem begins by believing what God says about you.
Chapter 1, Page 1 of 2