#2 creation

The Road to Emmaus#2 CreationGenesis 1-2:7

1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9 And 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 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created,


in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. 5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

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The point of Genesis 1 is not anything to do with evolution and creation and big bangs and old earth and young earth and science. The point is Jesus.

“And if we grasp that, we should find these chapters generating a bit more light instead of the usual heat.” (David Murray)

‘Wait!’ we say. ‘Jesus, it isn't your cue here. You don't show up until Act 2, Scene 1… you know, the New Testament, Matthew 1:1? So get backstage.’

But, Jesus is actually in the spotlight, always.

Where is Jesus?

Before Jesus ‘shows up’ in a little town of Bethlehem, around 5 BC, He’s already there, in the beginning, showing us who He is as Creator and what He’s going to do as Saviour.

1. We see Jesus because we see Creation and Jesus is Creator. 2. We see Jesus because we see the Gospel in creation and Jesus is Saviour.

1. Jesus as Creator

Jesus’ fingerprints are over every sub-atomic particle and every mountain, every drop in the ocean and every blade of grass, every sunrise and every galaxy, every roar of the lion and squeak of the mouse.

John 1:1-5. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Colossians 1:15-16. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Jesus was there in the beginning; He has always existed, with God and as God, the Son of God and God the Son. Jesus is God spoken and God seen; He is the Word of God and the image of God. With God, and as God, Jesus created all things, displaying God’s glory in His power and creativity.


Without Jesus, there isn't a creation, because without Him, nothing was made that was made. Creation exists through Him; not only did creation begin by Him, but it is sustained and continues to exist by Him upholding it. Creation exists for Him, for His glory. Without Jesus, there isn't a creation, therefore, creation is all about Him.

From the creation account in Genesis 1-2, this is what we learn about Jesus, who was creating with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit: • He creates (1:1) • He brings light, and separates the light from the darkness (Genesis 1:3-4) • He is good and He creates perfect goodness (1:31) • He creates humans as His image-bearers (1:27) • He breathes life (2:7) • He blesses, telling them to multiply and fill the earth (1:28) • He finished his work and rested (2:1-2)

2. Jesus as Saviour

The context of Genesis is important; it was originally written by Moses for the redeemed people of God, the Israelites, so that they would understand their Redeemer God who rescued them from slavery in Egypt; and so that they would look forward to a greater redemption, and understand their promised Redeemer Jesus, who would rescue them from slavery to sin and restore them, with His creation to perfection.

Even before the fall, we see someone to lift us up; before death, we see the life-giver; before chaos, we see the prince of peace. Jared C Wilson says that Genesis 1 is “a picture of the gospel before there is need for the gospel.”

From the creation account in Genesis 1-2, this is what we learn about Jesus, who was saving along with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit in the Gospel: • Jesus brought Himself, the Light, to the lost in the darkness. He separated us from it, saying, “let

there be light in your hearts,” (2 Corinthians 4:6) and bringing us into His Kingdom of light (Colossians 1:12-13). He said in John 12:46, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”

• Jesus is good and He makes us good. He took our bad on the cross and gives us his good. By being made to be sin, (2 Corinthians 5:21) He makes us righteous - blameless and perfect in his eyes. He now declares over your life, “good.”

• He recreates us as His image-bearers (Romans 8:29). We are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). • He breathed life into us when we were dead (Ephesians 2:5). • He blesses us with the great commission, telling us to multiply and fill the earth with worshippers of

him (Matthew 28:19). • He finished the work and rested (John 19:30) (Hebrews 10:12), and beckons us into that rest.

(Matthew 11:28).

Gospel results

The Gospel that God foreshadowed in creation has its effect on the Christian and on the Creation.

1. Gospel results on the Christian

The Gospel results in sanctification, which is an ongoing process of becoming more like Jesus and less like sinners. This is not a duty to earn or keep God’s salvation, but a glad response to what He has already done for us, and carried out by the power of His Spirit in us.


We have already been made new in Christ, recreated in His image and declared good. Now, God would have live out the new identity that He has given to us, and ‘put on the new self.’ Sanctification says ‘act as you are. God sees you as very good, so be good. You are made new, so live that new life. You remain in Jesus’ image, so display his image.’

2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Ephesians 2:10. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 4:22-24. To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Colossians 3:8-10. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

2. Gospel results on the Creation

Matt Chandler writes, “In Romans 8 Paul tells us that creation is eagerly longing, that it’s wanting something, that its desirous of something. He tells us that creation has been subjected to futility, which means that creation has been knocked down from where it was to where is is.”

According to Romans 8:22, creation is in the pains of childbirth, and we see these pains in earthquakes and tsunamis and disease and death. But as in childbirth, the agony gives way to new life, and the arrival of the baby causes the pain to be forgotten; the sin causing a broken world and broken people will give way to a new kingdom that Jesus brings. His return and His eternity will cause all our suffering and pain to be forgotten. He will restore creation and us, his creatures, to perfection. He says, in Revelation 21:5, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

Genesis 1 is a sneak-preview to our happily ever after with Jesus. He revealed his good design in Genesis, that he will restore and remake, only better.

This was His plan. He wrote the story this way, for His glory.

“The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit had arranged to redeem the world before they created the world. They created the world with a view to redeeming it.” -David Murray

Jonathan Edwards said that the world “was doubtless created to be a stage upon which this great and wonderful work of redemption should be transacted.”

So in the Creation account, He’s written his story, He’s preparing the stage. Let’s gaze at Jesus.


Questions

1. What do you think the creation account is about?

2. What are the benefits of understanding the point of creation — that it’s about Jesus?

3. What ways do you think Jesus is in the spotlight in creation?

4. What do you learn about Jesus from John 1:1-5, Colossians 1:15-16 and Hebrews 1:3?What does it mean that Jesus is the Word of God and the image of God?

5. Have you seen Jesus as Creator before, creating along with the Father and the Spirit?

6. Does creation inspire you to worship God? In particular, what aspects remind you of him?From creation, what do you learn about God?

7. Do you see God as a good and generous Father who has created the world for your enjoyment, in which he is glorified?

8. How is creation a picture of the gospel before there was need for the gospel?

9. What does it mean for you that God calls you good?

10. What does spiritual rest look like?

11. Have you seen Jesus as Saviour from Genesis 1-2 before? Is it difficult to see or obvious?

12. What is sanctification?

13. Specifically, what does living out your new identity in Christ look like for you? What parts of the old, sinful self, should you take off? What parts of the new, Christ-like self would you like to put on?

14. Do you look at the broken world and realise that sin caused it?

15. Can you imagine a perfect world?

16. What hope do we have whilst suffering?

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