Do You Believe?
Gen 1:1

Introduction:

  1. This simple statement tells the story of man's beginning
  2. Do you believe it?
  3. Is the Bible true?
  4. Let's look at creation.

Discussion:

I. Some False Teaching

  1. Atheist; evolutionist, humanist, and popular media
    1. There is no God
    2. We are the product of accident
      1. Nothing exploded into something and here we are
      2. We naturally evolved from a one celled organism
    3. God didn't create us, we created Him
  2. Theistic evolution
    1. There is a God but,
    2. He lied about how He created the world
      1. Find a gap between Gen 1:1 and 1:2
      2. Days in Gen 1 are not literal 24 hour days
  3. Results of this teaching
    1. Man is accountable only to himself
      1. As long as I am happy nothing else matters
      2. I am in control of my destiny. I can do as I please
    2. Or the Bible is a folk tale and therefore not authority
      1. It just gives us general good advice
      2. We can't rely on it for absolute truth
    3. God lied in the first message He gave us
      1. How can we trust the rest of Scripture
      2. Can we be sure we will be rewarded or punished

II. In The Beginning God Created Gen 1:1

  1. This is how history began

    1. Sir Fred Hoyle famous astronomer noted that asking him to believe that the spontaneous generation of life on this earth in only 4.5 billion years, has produced a human being we today know as homo sapiens, is like asking him to believe that a whirlwind went through a junkyard and, from the materials contained therein assembled a Boeing 747. "Piloting the Strait" Dave Miller Pg 38.

    2. Intelligent design DEMANDS intelligent beginning
  2. How long did Genesis 1 take? Gen 1:1-3
    1. Do you see room for a gap in those verses?
    2. There isn't even a paragraph from the early translators
    3. These verses have no room for a gap of billions of years
  3. How long were those days of creation? Gen 1:5,8,13,19,23,31
    1. How long is it from evening thru morning?
    2. God presented it as 6 days of a week Exodus 20:8-11
      1. Israel was to work 6 days and rest on 7th
      2. Because God created in 6 days and rested on 7th
    3. How long is your work day?
      1. They may seem like billions of years sometimes
      2. But only 24 hours in a day
  4. Do you believe God?

III. Why Does Man Have Such Trouble With This?

  1. Belief in God requires accountability to God.
    1. Since God created us, He is above us in authority
      1. Even the atheist understands the chain of command
      2. Basic instinct teaches most powerful is in control
    2. Since God created us we are no longer "top dog"
      1. When find selves under authority of another
      2. Understand we must obey them; Parents, Boss at work
    3. Since God created us we must be obedient
  2. Realizing accountability to God, no longer do as we please
    1. God is in control, must accept we are no longer number one
    2. Yet as humans we don't like idea we can't control our lives
  3. Some so caught up in self, won't accept authority of someone else
    1. Admit belief in God must relinquish control and stop evil practices
    2. Refuse to believe "God created" - belief necessitates obedience

Conclusion:

  1. Do You Believe God Created? Heb 11:6; Rom 10:17
  2. Hearing and believing are but the beginning of salvation. They are though, absolutely necessary to salvation Hebrews 3:16-4:2
  3. If don't believe "God created" we are doomed to eternal destruction.
    1. Once we believe must change in repentance. Acts 17:30; 2:37-38
    2. We must confess Christ as the Son of God. Romans 10:9-10
    3. Must obedient in baptism. Mk 16:16; Acts 2:37-38; 1Pet 3:20-21
    4. We must continue to obey the creator John 1:1-5,14; 8:31-32
  4. Again I ask, do you believe? Have you demonstrated and completed your belief in obedience to the simple Gospel of Christ?

Daniel Lee Henderson 1998