In the Beginning

45:55 I want to begin a journey that will carry us through September in a passage of scripture that is well known and familiar to absolutely everyone in this space. I'm going to ask you to stand as I recite it in your hearing. It's not going to show up on the screen because I guarantee you know it and you know where it comes from. There and it's in the first page of the first book of the first chapter and the first verse of all of Scripture. In case I didn't give it away, it goes like this. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. That's enough. You may be seated. In the beginning. A little more sound, please.

46:53 In the beginning. I called Cooper this week as he's beginning his second year of college and asked him how classes were going. He said, Dad, the second year is going to be a little bit harder than the first. The classes are more intense, and the reading list is enormous. He shared with me, Marcia, that he's got more books to read than he has time to read them. I said, son, the key to surviving college is to know how to skim. If you've not been there, skimming is when you get the essence of what the book says, when you can't read everything the book says. For those that have not been down that road when you skim, the most important thing you've got to do, Hope Kent, you've got to read the introduction.

47:47 Every good scholarly book starts with an introduction. An introduction is critical because it gives you the thesis, the framework, the purpose, the method, and even the summary of everything you're going to read in that book. In a real sense, y'all, the introduction is a succinct snapshot of the summary of everything the author is about to tell you. If you read the introduction, you'll know what the whole book is about. And if I haven't lost you then, then maybe that's why the redactors and editors of Scripture decided that the beginning of biblical faith would begin with these 10 words. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. because those 10 words, Javon, are really a snapshot of what the other 31,101 verses that follow it are going to be all about. Y'all, if you can't read Ruth through Revelation, if you never explore Esther or Ephesians, if you never study Samuel or the Song of Solomon, if you never peruse the Psalms or the prophets, if you never journey with Job or read the Gospel of John, the one thing I want you to remember about the entire Bible is this. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The whole premise and presupposition of God is right there in that one verse. Y'all, whenever people want to explore and experience God in the Bible, they do what we do with any book. They open it up to page one, chapter one, line one. And that opening of the Bible is well known to each and every one of us. Everybody in here has memorized Genesis 1 and 1. It's as easy to memorize as Jesus wept.

49:55 but it's as powerful as all things work together for good for them that love the Lord. This opening line, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, it has universal familiarity. But with that, Deacon Ernestine, comes historical controversy. How you read Genesis 1 and 1 can create a mutual exclusivity between faith and science. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth in seven days is at odds with the scientific dating of the earth. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and made man and woman after his own image. It is in tension with the skeletal remains of Lucy the Australopithecus, who gave foundation to Darwin's theory of evolution.

51:01 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth is at odds with the astrological and the cosmological theory of the Big Bang, which suggested that the universe began in a different way. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. It is at odds with the fossilized remains of dinosaurs who we know roam the earth but don't show up anywhere in the Bible. How you read Genesis 1 can cause tension. And if you walk by faith, you're forced to deny scientific data. But if you believe in scientific data, you have to deny divine design. How does one read Genesis 1? I suggest to you that the controversy comes out of the fact that Genesis 1 and 1 is oftentimes taken out of context. Allow me this morning to give you the context of the account of creation so we can keep the account of creation in proper context.

52:03 A little background before the breakdown. Now, although Genesis 1 is about the beginning of time, it was not written at the beginning of time. Y'all stay with me. Genesis 1 is not the eyewitness account of somebody sitting by watching God create the heavens and the earth.

52:30 Can I disturb you for a moment? in our traditional Christian and Baptist reading, you've been taught that Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy were all written by Moses. and because we know Moses led the children of Israel in the exodus and we can time the exodus you would then believe that Genesis was written between the 13th or the 15th century before Christ but no valid scholar believes that Moses wrote Genesis now before you give up your baptist and run out of church and tear genesis out your bible Let me share with you that just because it's not written by Moses doesn't mean it's not inspired by God. Let me go and say that again.

53:33 Just because it's not written by Moses does not mean it's not inspired by God. At the end of this month, on January 29th, Dr. Judy's going to go into this in a whole lot more deeper way than I can in this Sunday sermon. So I encourage you to go to Bible study on the 29th to hear a little bit more about this. But the best way to understand Genesis is to think of a quilt where there are three different patches from three different sources at three different times that are then sewn together by the editors of the Hebrew Bible who presented the first five books in its final form in the fourth century. before Jesus Christ. Teach that Bible, Howard John. That there are three sources that come together in the book of Genesis. And Genesis 1, scholars believe, is written by a source they identify as P. Somebody say P. P stands for priestly. Genesis 1 is a priestly writing, which means it was dated to the 6th century before Christ.

54:53 Moses in exile is 13th century. Priest is 6th century, which means, Deacon Overby, this was not written during the Exodus. This was written during the exile. Genesis 1 was written during the time of the Babylonian exile And you are a Bible scholar, you've been to Alpha Street long enough You ought to know something about the Babylonian exile Y'all remember when Nebuchadnezzar and them came into Jerusalem and pillaged and plundered the city? Y'all remember when Nebuchadnezzar and them desecrated and destroyed the temple? Y'all remember when Nebuchadnezzar in them took 20,000 Jews and exported them into exile and forced them to live as Babylonian citizens? That's when this was written for people who were in exile.

55:51 The Babylonian exile was a tough time for the people of God. In the Babylonian exile, they had to assimilate into Babylonian culture and endure attacks on their history which seek to erase their identity and force them to pretend that they were somebody they were not. In Babylonian exile, they had to live under a narcissistic reign of a narcissistic ruler who was more concerned with renaming bodies of water and starting false wars and building ballrooms than he was protecting his own people. In the Babylonian exile, they had to listen to the disrespect of the Laura Loomers who denigrated and disrespected their own women by calling them out of their own name. In the Babylonian exile, they had to watch their own people turn Uncle Tom House Negro and start stepping and fetching and bojangling to win the approval of folk that would never see them as equal.

56:55 In the Babylonian exile, they dealt with an incessant assault on their civil rights and their voter right and their progress towards diversity, equity, and inclusion. Babylon! was a hard place. And in Babylon, they began to wonder, where is God?

57:21 How could God let this happen to us? How long will we have to live like this? Somebody today, you won't shout, but you know Babylon. You know what it's like to wonder why God let you go through what you went through You know what it's like to wake up every day and not want to watch the news Because you just can't take no more You know what it's like to be sick and tired of discovering another dead black body Hanging from a tree like strange fruit You know what it's like to wonder are we going to turn this thing around in the midterm elections You know what Babylon is like And in the midst of Babylon exile, the priestly writers put pen to paper and wrote these words. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

58:23 Y'all, I need you to understand this, that Genesis 1 and 1 was never written to give scientific data. It was written to give a theological declaration. Genesis 1 and 1 is not history, it's poetry.

58:46 Genesis 1 and 1 is not information on how the world came to be formed out of chaos. it's inspiration on how to live in a world filled with chaos filled with confusion filled with violence filled with evil earthly power filled with death and darkness how do you live in a world like that y'all if you go to genesis 1 looking for scientific proof of how the earth was formed That's like going to a cookbook to find driving directions to Chicago. that's not what it was written for. And so when you go to Genesis 1, the question is not, was the world created in 168 hours?

59:41 That's 7 times 24. The question is not, what about the dinosaurs? The question is not, how does this fit with the Big Bang? The question is not, does this line up with Darwin's evolution? The question of Genesis 1 is this. Why would the priestly writers remind folk in exile that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth? What hope do we draw in exile from reminding ourselves God created the heavens and the earth? what inspiration, what instruction, what anchoring in our faith do we hear in these words, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. What is the word to people in exile? Let me share two of them since it's our power and I can't give you three.

1:00:37 to a people in exile this verse in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth is meant to remind them what it says to us no matter what situation you're in no matter what your circumstances are no matter how long you've been there no matter how evil the authority is over your life the God we serve still has creative control over everything, every body, and every place in your life. God is still in control. Did y'all turn my mic off? Let me try that again.

1:01:28 No matter what you're going through and no matter who seems to be over you, there's a God over them, and that God is in control of everything in your life. Somebody holler, God is in control. He wants them to remember that you serve a God who was there in the beginning.

1:01:57 In the beginning, that word reshith in Hebrew, it literally is a time stamp of when something began. So watch the way Genesis 1 inspires us. When it all began, God was already there. Before it went down, God was there. Before they opened their mouth, God was already there. Before the doctor gave you that diagnosis, God was already there. Before the bottom of your life dropped out, God was already there. Before they laid you off your job, God was already there. Before your loved one died, God was already there. Before it all began, God. God was there in the beginning. Can I push this?

1:02:51 What you ought to be asking is, the beginning of what? Here it is, the way this verse reads, God was there before the beginning of time. Before the clocks start ticking. Before the calendar was existing. Before the pages of your life kept going by, God was there before time. There's a vibrate in the house. You ought to make note of Psalm 90 because that's what Moses was trying to say in the 90th Psalm when he said, Before the mountains were formed and before God even spoke the earth and the sea, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God. Don't miss the grammar. From everlasting to everlasting, you are God. not you were God not you shall be God not you're gonna be God but you are God cause God is never past God is never future God always is God is right now God is God is God is Hear me, hear me.

1:04:08 God, God, God exists and operates outside of time. That's what makes God so different than you and me. We are always subject to time. I don't care how much money you got, you can't buy time.

1:04:32 I don't care what title you have on your job, you can't make time. I don't care how much you work out, you can't escape time. I don't care how many people you know, you can't change time. I don't care how much you regret what you did, you can't go back in time. I don't care how much you enjoy the moment, you can't stop time. Time has its way on each and every one of us, and we serve a God who is not controlled by the things that control us. God is not controlled by an election. God is not controlled by a recession. God is not controlled by an administration. God is not controlled by evil. God is not controlled by violence. God is greater than anything that controls us. and the fact that God exists outside of time, here comes your early shout. That means that since there never was a time when God wasn't, there'll never be a time when God ain't.

1:05:41 Boy, if that caught a hold of you, you would have kicked your neighbor right now that whatever you're going through, whatever it is, God is still in control of everything in your life. Everything changes with time, but God. Everything has an end, but God. Every administration runs out of time, but God. Every war comes to an end, but God. Everything has a shelf life, but God. Everything has an expiration date, but God. Everything eventually comes to its final conclusion, but we serve a God who operates outside of time.

1:06:35 And the same God who could create in the beginning controls your right now. The same God who put the moon and the stars in the sky is a God who can make a way out of no way. The same God who made the grass green and the flower bloom can work all things together for your good. We serve a God. Somebody say he's in control.

1:07:13 And watch it. So then Genesis 1 goes on to give you a day-by-day description of what God done did on the day God did it. On day 1, God did this. On day 2, God did that. On day 3, God moved like this. On day 4, God did that thing. On day five, God did another thing. On day six, God did that thing right over there. And if you read that, trying to figure out how God did it in 24 hours, you missed the message. Theron Johnson, the message ain't that God did it in 24 hours. The message is that day by day, God was in control of everything that was going on and everything that was happening. And I came by to preach to someone today that day by day, by day by day, by day by day, God is still in control.

1:08:21 Whatever happens on Monday, he's still in control. Whatever they do on Tuesday, he's still in control. Whatever it looks like on Wednesday, he's still in control. However it goes down on Thursday, he's still in control. on Friday. He's still in control on Saturday. He's still in control. And on Sunday, I will enter his gates with thanksgiving and I will bless his name because he's still. I gotta let y'all go. It's a reminder that God is still in control.

1:09:11 When you're in exile, you need to know God is still in control. When Babylon is still in authority, God's in control. when Nebuchadnezzar is in the White House God is in control and don't you ever lose faith in God's power over your life in the beginning God created somebody say create give me four minutes we out of here create is a Hebrew verb called bara someone say bara Now I'm going to see how astute and scholar you are. Bara is a verb that means to create. But in Bible, watch this, in Bible, whenever you see the verb bara, only God is the subject. You get it.

1:10:13 You acting like you didn't get it. Barah is a verb, and God is always the subject, because only God can barah. Only God can create. And the writers of Scripture were trying to remind us that there are some things only God can do. there's some things only the Lord can fix there's some things only the Lord can handle there's some things only the Lord can make and the writer was trying to tell those in exile that when you are wondering where God is and how God let this happen to you that every now and then you need to stop and look around and remind yourself there are some things I know that only God could have done. When I see the sun, only God did that. When I see the birds, only God did that.

1:11:14 When I see the moon, only God did that. When I wake up in the morning, only God did that. When my children make it home safe, only God did that. When my bills are paid, only God did that. When I got strength in my body, only God did that. When I'm in my right mind, only God did that. When I got joy, only God did that. Is there anybody here that can look around your life and declare there's some things only God has done? And when I think of what he's done, I will bless the Lord at all times. Somebody touch a neighbor and say only God did that.

1:12:15 Only God made a way. Only God got me through. Only God answered the prayer. Only God healed the disease. And I thank God for everything that the Lord Thank you. goodbye alpha street may the lord bless you mighty good this week as you move into monday genesis one is not scientific genesis one is what you got to speak to folk who are trying to get in your way. When they lie on you, in the beginning. When they try to stop you, in the beginning.

1:13:07 When they don't want to see you succeed, in the beginning. Can you stand with me as we leave? In the beginning is not just a declaration, it's an invitation. for you to trust in this God. and when you trust in this God, it is the beginning of a new season in your life.

1:13:46 You want to turn that situation around? Give it to God and watch it start over. You want to come out of where you are? Put your trust in God. And watch it be the beginning of life more abundantly. The beginning of a peace that surpasses all understanding. The beginning of joy unspeakable. The beginning of exceeding and abundantly above all that you could ask or think. the beginning of a God who walks with you and talks with you. So our deacons are coming to the altar because there's someone you're looking for a new beginning. You're tired of the exilic existence. You're tired of the frustration. You're tired of the powers over you that oppress your life on a daily basis.

1:14:44 And today God's word to use this, in the beginning, God. If you put God in the beginning, amazing things will happen in your life. So if you're here today and you desire a new start in your life, you're looking for a church home where you can go and grow. You've been visiting week after week, and you know the Lord is calling you to much more than that. If you're looking to start your life anew with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, this is the invitation of Genesis 1, in the beginning. And I invite you to come from wherever you may be standing, to the altar today to start over and find your new beginning with God. If you're here today, my brother and my sister, we offer Christ to you as the doors of the church are open for those who would come. We offer Christ to you.