The Most Important Words in the Entire Bible
Genesis 1:1
Jan 19, 2025
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church of Ballincollig
I. Introduction (Jeremiah 32:17)
A. We are studying The First Book in your Bible – the Book of Genesis
B. A Best-seller, that has been almost lost to this generation! And that is not the fault of scientists and evolutionists… it is the fault of modern “church-ianity”, that has no time for serious Bible study and doctrine anymore – just psychology and self-help seminars
C. It comes with no pictures, and no graphics, only words on a page
D. But it starts at the very beginning of time
1. Before there was anyone around to see what happened at the beginning, except the Author and His angels
2. And that Author, was Almighty God
E. We learned last week that these words reveal not only our past, but they put our lives INTO PROPER CONTEXT, answering the real questions that have plagued mankind since day one!
1. Who am I?
2. Why am I here?
3. How did I get here?
4. Where did everything come from?
5. Are we alone in this universe?
6. What’s the point of life?
7. Where is everything going?
8. Is there a God?
9. Does He even care?
10. Genesis provides context and answers for why things are the way they are, even today!
11. And it shows us how to get things back right!
F. What you learn from this Book of Genesis WILL help you, your home, your marriage, your sanity, your heart, your worship, your prayer life, your trust in God, and your understanding of the will of God – IF YOU WILL BELIEVE IT AND LIVE IT!
1. Jeremiah 32:17 Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.
2. It is going to be a great Book to study
3. Open your Bible to the first page of Scripture
4. Get a notebook and let’s begin!
I. Message
A. The most important words ever written, Genesis 1:1
1. 10 simple words in English, 7 in Hebrew, and 8 in Irish
a. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
b. בראשׁית ברא אלהים את השׁמים ואת הארץ׃
c. Ar ttús do chruthaidh Día neamh agus talamh.
2. It declares in no uncertain terms, no ambiguities, no confusion…
a. That there was a beginning to every THING
b. There is a single, all powerful being called God
1) Isaiah 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
2) Isaiah 44:8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.
c. That God is separate from His creation
1) He is not part of His creation
2) He is not an idol, a mountain, a tree, a star, the Moon, or lightning
d. That the universe was created
1) It has not always existed, like scientists believed up until the 1960’s
2) It was not an accident, like scientists believe still today
3) It was intentional – created on purpose and with care! Like the Bible says!
e. That, one God created everything in this universe at that beginning
f. That God revealed this to us – we would not know it without Him revealing it
B. “In The Beginning”
1. The beginning of what?
a. The beginning of Our Universe
b. The start of everything that exists and happens in this universe
c. Of every thing except God and His angels
2. When did God create everything?
a. The Bible doesn’t doesn’t give a date
b. It certainly was not billions of years ago – convienent to just keep adding more time
c. But God left us all the information we need to make an educated guess
d. Using all the genealogies, ages and dates of birth and death (“and so and so begat so and so and lived so many years and died”) – all the boring stuff is kind of important!
C. “God”
1. The Bible declares God as already present, already existing
2. Does not tell us His backstory
3. Just that God IS – God exists (always has and always will)
a. Genesis declares (reveals) that God IS – that He exists
b. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
c. So many people want proofs for the existence of God
4. There are Loads of proofs for the existence of God
a. Universal Awareness Argument - The fact that ALL cultures, all nations worship something or someone (Romans 1:19-22)
1) There is a reason for that!
2) The knowledge of God’s existence is wired in us to attract us to something or someone bigger than us, who made everything
3) It is “manifested” revealed to every person ever born!
4) Romans 1:19-22 Because that which may be known of God is manifest [REVEALED] in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
5) THAT is our world today – fully of “smart” people who are really FOOLS, who used to know there is a God, and then decided there wasn’t!
b. Cosmological Argument – the fact that the universe exists requires that someone caused it to exist (Hebrews 3:4)
1) The universe obviously began to exist; therefore, the universe must have some thing or Someone who caused it to appear.
2) For everything to come from nothing requires SOMETHING or SomeONE to have caused it
3) Hebrews 3:4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.
a) No painting ever just appeared – it had to have been painted by a PAINTER
b) No watch just ever came together on a footpath – it had to have a WATCHMAKER
c) No building every just appeared on a street corner – it had to have a BUILDER
d) And so it goes that for all of creation to come into existence in this universe requires a CREATOR
c. Teleological Argument (the Argument from Design)
1) The universe shows intricate order and fine-tuning that make life possible. That implies a Designer was behind the making of everything.
2) Examples include: The precise constants of physics, the complexity of biological systems (e.g., the motions of DNA and every molecule inside a living cell), and the fine-tuning of all the cosmological constants.
3) There is a movement of scientists who believe in Creation because of Intelligent Design behind everything
d. Moral Argument
1) It is obvious that Objective moral values and duties exist. There are things that are absolutely right and absolutely wrong, no matter what culture you are in
a) It is WRONG to steal, to murder, to mock your parents
b) It is RIGHT to honour your parents, stay married, be content
2) These morals require a Source above the universe that built them into our consciousness, which is God.
3) The fact we all have morals proves a Moral giver
4) Because nature is violent, and without morality, life is “dog-eat-dog”
e. So, The problem is not a lack of evidence – it is a lack of interest – people don’t WANT a God who not of their own making
f. But you can only reject Him for so long!
5. Blow your mind fact… He has always existed (Psalm 90:2; Revelation 4:8)
a. He is ETERNAL! No beginning and no end!
b. Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
c. Revelation 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
d. He exists at all times!
1) God is Eternal in both directions of time
2) God is at the beginning of our time, AND at the end, all at the same time!
e. WOW! That is God!
6. He is a HE (Genesis 1:5)
a. God is NOT an ‘it’
b. He is not feminine, a Mother, or Gender-neutral
c. He is a masculine Being the Bible calls “the Father”
d. Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
e. Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father [NOT OUR MOTHER]; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
f. Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
g. As the Father, God is the source, the initiator of all things that exist
h. That is why we call Him God the Father
7. He is Plural, and yet One – the Trinity of Persons in the “Godhead” (Genesis 1:1-3)
a. Genesis 1:1-3 In the beginning [#1] God [FATHER] created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And [#2] THE SPIRIT of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said [#3, the WORD], Let there be light: and there was light.
b. Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
c. More about this in a moment…
8. He is THE only God – the one and only God of all the earth (Psalm 33:8)
a. Psalm 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
b. There is not a river God or a mountain God or a God of gold or silver or a God of heat or light
c. Genesis does not describe a local, tribal, petty, little God over a few poor people in a backwards country
d. The Bible does not describe God as only the God of the Jews, but the God of all the earth – of every person, nation, in every corner of the earth
9. He is Not Far from Anyone (Acts 17:24-27)
a. It describes the God who we all know is there but yet we do not know Him and so we ignorantly worship Him to our loss
b. Acts 17:24-27 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
10. Why don’t people know God?
a. Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
b. Our SINS have blocked us from noticing Him, and driven Him out of view
D. “Created”
1. God is Creative – this is so cool!
a. Creativity is His nature
b. What did God actually create?
1) Colours – He imagined what Blue should look like, what Green should look like, and designed the colours with a frequency in the spectrum called Light
2) Sounds – pitch, frequency, aptitude – all designed by God
3) All the elements (94 natural elements in the PERIODIC TABLE) – Hydrogen, Helium, Carbon, Oxygen, Uranium, Iron, Sodium – all carefully designed
4) All the molecules that make up every thing – from water (H2O) to Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)
5) All the living cells in every living thing
c. All are the product of an infinite Mind – just look at the variety of animals, the colours under the sea, the colours of stars, the different flavours of taste
d. ALL were created from nothing – at first, there was NOTHING, and then heaven and earth appeared!
1) Joke: God was once approached by a scientist who said, “Listen God, we intellectuals have decided we don’t need you anymore. These days we can clone people, transplant organs and do all sorts of things that used to be considered miraculous.”
2) God replied, “Don’t need me huh? How about we put your theory to the test. Why don’t we have a competition to see who can make a human being, say, a male human being.”
3) The scientist agrees, so God declares they should do it like he did in the good old days when he created Adam.
4) “Fine” says the scientist as he bends down to scoop up a handful of dirt.”
5) “Whoa!” says God, shaking his head in disapproval. “Not so fast. You get your own dirt.”
2. Nothing that exists is an accident – it is all God’s handiwork
a. The entire universe is a product of God’s handiwork – precision guided effort
b. Hebrews 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: [LIKE A POTTERY MAKER]
c. This is no longer a perfect universe – it has problems, death, and decay now
d. But it was wisely designed, and perfect in the beginning
3. A Christian believes it all!
4. Christians don’t get to pick and choose what we like and dislike and believe. (Hebrews 11:3) Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
5. We really are stubborn – if Jesus said it; if God said it; if the Bible says it we believe it
E. “The Heaven and the Earth”
1. What was initially created in an instant?
2. Two Containers - The heaven, and the earth
a. They did not exist before that moment
b. Each was a container – an empty environment for God to fill
c. God’s heaven is eternal – that was NOT created in this beginning
d. Fact: Heaven and earth was created INSIDE God – that is how big GOD is! (Acts 17:28) For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
3. God created everything (Genesis 1:1)
a. Nehemiah 9:6 Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
b. Psalm 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
c. Jeremiah 32:17 Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:
d. John 1:3 All things were made by him [JESUS]; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4. That means, God created the most fundamental things inside our universe
a. Time - Time began the instant God started creating
1) At the moment of Creation, eternity was split into Past and Future, and time began to move forward
2) Creation was the moment when time itself began, marking the starting point of the universe, of space itself, and history. Before this "beginning," there was no time or physical reality as we understand it.
3) The beginning was the absolute, beginning moment when all things came into being, with God as the ultimate cause and source of all existence.
4) Before anything existed, God was already there, eternal, uncreated, and outside of time.
5) NOTE: Time is a gift! It is a good thing!
b. Space itself (the heaven) was created like an immense expanding container
1) Empty space – no stars yet, or galaxies; just open, empty space
2) Like a large, bubble, or balloon that is stretching in one direction, with a start, and an end to that bubble
3) Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
4) Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away [END], but my words shall not pass away.
c. Matter - All things – all material things
1) The Bible says God created every thing… right? It says it in Genesis 1:1
2) Everything was created Out of nothing
3) He started with nothing, but His will, and His power
4) But let’s read some more
d. All the Laws of Physics
1) Our universe does NOT just exist…
2) God had to create all the laws (ordinances) that woiuld govern, and control the motions of stars, planets, galaxies, atoms, molecules
3) Some of those laws include:
a) The laws of Motion – Isaac Newton discovered these
b) The law of Gravitation
c) The laws of Thermodynamics – heat energy
d) The Nuclear Strong Force and the Weak Force
e) Einstein’s Laws of Relativity
4) All these laws describe powerful forces that hold this universe together and keeps it together!
5) Without those laws, everything would cease to exist – matter would stop binding and growing. We would all disintegrate into nothing!
F. Created for good reasons… why did God create anything?
1. If He doesn’t need anything – if He doesn’t need to DO anything – if He doesn’t need His creation… why did He create?
2. To be inhabited by US
a. Every bug, creeping thing, bird, molecule, star, planet, mountain, and river!
b. Isaiah 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
3. Because creating is His nature
a. Some of you know what I am talking about
b. You just love to paint, or write, or build, or design, or fashion something that wasn’t there before
c. You got that creativeness from God – He loves to CREATE
4. To show His power. The power of God displayed in creation – not building (using materials already here) but creating out of nothing!
5. For His pleasure (Revelation 4:11) Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
6. And for His own purpose
a. God was not lonely, or depressed, or in need of a purpose
b. God is absolutely self-sufficient – he has need of nothing
c. Yet, our very existence proves that God made a decision to Create this universe and Commit Himself to it until it turns out right
d. Isaiah 14:24 The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand
e. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
f. 2Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began
7. You and I had better find out what that purpose is and fulfil it, or all of our lives will have been for nothing!
II. Three Final Questions
A. What was before “the beginning”?
1. God – He was already there when He began creating
a. We exist in time, in this universe
b. God is timeless
c. God was always BEFORE everything, and will exist way after everything
d. God exists in Eternity past, present and future, all existing as one moment to Him
2. And Angels
a. God gives us only a little glimpse of pre-history
b. They had their own beginning evidently.
c. They were present at Creation, so they existed BEFORE God created the heaven and the earth.
d. Job 38:1-7 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
B. When were angels created? I have no idea!
C. What about the “Theory of Evolution”?
1. Evolution crumbles under the weight of real science and biblical truth. Despite what you’ve been told, this theory is a house of cards.
2. We will explore the two “beliefs” as we work through these first several chapters
3. It is going to be good!
D. Why don’t people know this God?
1. Everyone knows about God – you have to be taught that he does Not exist
2. He put light in every person born
3. But something makes him hide His face from us…
4. Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
5. Our own sins – not those of other people, but our own
6. We drive Him away every day – literally!
7. And when he came into this world as a Man, we murdered Him on a cross
III. Conclusion
A. Genesis 1:1 is very important
1. That GOD is supposed to be the centre of our attention, and not US – start with GOD in your life, and you will remain sane, and stable, and be able to trust His promises!
2. It reminds us that you and I were part of creation – not an accident, but specially created
3. It reminds us that God is awesome, amazing, marvellous, incredible – to be able to by His own will, create everything that there is
4. God created everything for His good pleasure – He enjoyed creating
5. Obviously there is more to the story, because the universe is broken now – we will have to keep reading to find out what happened
6. Because, the rest of the story if the Gospel story, that also needs to be believed
B. Do you know God? Why not? (Isaiah 59:2) But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
C. He wants you to seek Him and find Him, and know Him
D. Jesus is the way to know God!