Christ, Our Creator

Thank you, Brother Bruce, for that singing. Thank you all for being here this morning. If you have your Bibles, turn with me to the book of Genesis, chapter 1. And hopefully, you kept your place in John, chapter 1, as well.

We are continuing what we began last week, discussing Christ, our Creator. We will look at Genesis, chapter 1, verses 1 through 3. We will read that text, briefly review what we learned, and then delve into our sermon this morning. Remember, Genesis is the book of beginnings—the book of origins.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, 'Let there be light.' And there was light."

Let us go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we thank you so much for your Word. I thank you that it is alive, powerful, inspired, infallible, and inerrant. We may boldly proclaim it and stand upon its truth. Lord, we need your Holy Spirit to bring it to bear upon our hearts this morning. We are not just reading some story, some ancient literature. We are reading the God-breathed Word. So Lord, may we submit to its authority. May it convict us. May it challenge us. And may it change us this morning. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Last week we talked about the when of creation. It was in the beginning. In Hebrew, it's *Bereshit Elohim*—"In the beginning, God." It all starts with God. He is the cause and creator of all things.

We talked about the four fundamental components of the universe—time, space, matter, and energy. We find all four components present from the beginning. We have time, "in the beginning." We have space—the heavens. We have matter, which is the earth. And we have energy. Where did the energy come from? It comes from God's spoken word. God said, "and there was."

We discussed the "who" of creation. "In the beginning, God." We are immediately introduced to the divine author of Scripture—the creator of the cosmos. God's name here is Elohim, the majestic plural. We see the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit—here at creation. The Father speaks the creative word. The Son carries out these creative decrees. And the Holy Spirit hovers over the waters, bringing order to the chaos. This is indicative of the Trinitarian work of salvation. God the Father elects us before creation. God the Son redeems us through his life, death, and resurrection. And God the Holy Spirit moves upon us, seals and fills the believer, making us new creations in Christ.

We also learned about the nature of God:

First, God is self-existent. Nothing caused God to be. He is the great I AM.

Second, God is self-sufficient. He is the creator, sustainer, and provider of all creation.

Third, God is eternal. There has never been a time when God has not been. He was there in the beginning, and there will never be a time when God is not. He is Alpha and Omega. He is the beginning and the end, the one who was, is, and is to come.

But He's also the God who is there. The God who is not distant from His creation, but the God who entered time and space in the person of His Son.

Our third point in this sermon is the work of creation. We've discussed the when and the who. Now we will discuss the work of creation. "In the beginning, God"—there's the time, there's the when, there's the who. And now, here's the work: God created. God created. "Created" is a significant word, and we need to take some time investigating it.

In Hebrew, the word "bara" is very significant. It's primarily associated with the divine act of creation, and God is the subject. This verb conveys the idea of creation that is unique, purposeful. It denotes the action of creating something out of nothing. You need to write that down. This verb in Hebrew, "bara," means to create something out of nothing in this context. So, "in the beginning," in Hebrew, "bereshit bara elohim," "in the beginning, God created." God brought everything into existence from nothing. Isn't that something? This creation is unlike human craftsmanship or any form of created experience or action we experience as humans, because we can invent, but we can't create, right? We can make things out of clay, wood, fabric, but we can't make something out of nothing. We can make something out of existing materials. But God, in the beginning, created everything we see out of absolutely nothing at all.

What does that teach us? That teaches us that divine creation is ex nihilo. Ex nihilo simply means "out of nothing." In Hebrews 11:3, the Bible says, "By faith, we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made from things that are visible." In other words, God spoke, and everything came into being. This highlights a key theological truth about God's sovereignty. God is sovereign—the Creator. He has the ability to create the cosmos by His will and by His command. Not the result of chance or necessity, but everything that exists came into being by God's intentional will. He is sovereign over all His creation.

This word is used in contrast to another Hebrew word, "asah," sometimes used for "create" or "to make or form." It refers to making or forming something from existing materials, such as when God made Adam out of the dust of the ground—He made him out of something that was previously in existence. But in this instance, this verb in chapter one, verse one, God did not use "asah," but "bara." He created something out of nothing.

Now, that leads us to a question: what did God create? God created the heavens and the earth, the entirety of the universe, all that is visible and invisible. The Bible teaches us that the heavens themselves declare the glory of God and the sky reveals His handiwork. Psalm 19:1. Paul writes about God's power in creation in Romans chapter 1, and he affirms that creation testifies to God's power, His divine nature, and His eternal existence. In other words, look around. You see all of creation—there is a God. There is an intelligent designer. If there is a creation, there has to be a creator. This natural universe speaks of God's invisible attributes, His eternal power, His Godhead, making it evident that He exists. He's the creator of all things.

But what happens when people deny the creator? What about atheists who say there is no God? What about evolutionists who say we're just here by time and chance and random processes over millions of years? Paul says in Romans 1:18 that they "suppress the truth in unrighteousness." Friends, the denial of God is not due to a lack of evidence. Amen. There's evidence all around you. For there to be a creation, there has to be a creator. For there to be intelligent design, there has to be an intelligent designer. So what do people do when they deny that there is a God, and why do they do it? It's not due to a lack of evidence, but due to a deliberate choice to reject the truth that they know. God has placed a conscience within us. We understand right from wrong. By what standard do we gauge right and wrong? There has to be an absolute standard. And there's creation around us, conscience within. Both testify there is a good, righteous, holy, all-powerful, all-wise God. Amen. Therefore, anyone who denies His existence is suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. Why? Because they don't want to think that there is a God to whom they will have to give an account. Therefore, they are covering their eyes and covering their ears and running as far and fast away from God as they can. Because if there is a creator, then we must give an account to Him. If there is a creator, He has absolute authority over us. The Bible says that when they reject God, Romans 1:21, "Although they knew God, they didn't glorify him as God, neither gave thanks. But their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."

So the heavens declare the glory of God. Conscience declares the righteousness of God. Therefore, Romans 1:20 says, "All people are without excuse." We're all without excuse. Now, we understand from science that something cannot come from nothing, right? Everybody agree? Something cannot come from nothing. And that order does not emerge from chaos. Can we all agree on that? You don't get order from chaos or something from nothing. But I want you to think about this for a moment. This intricate and precise order of the universe—from the planetary rotations to the distance between the earth and the sun—points to a purposeful design, doesn't it? The fine-tuning of these factors, which are essential for life, and their precise alignment testifies to the wisdom, power, and existence of a creator who designed everything with intention.

Think about the biological cycles, from the changing of seasons to the processes within our own body. They reveal and reflect a deeply structured universe where each part functions harmoniously, revealing the mind of an intelligent designer, not the result of random unguided processes over millions of years.

I want to introduce you to a concept called irreducible complexity—maybe you've heard of it before. It is seen from the smallest atom to the most complex, largest living creatures on earth, and it affirms that life could not have arisen by random chance. Every aspect of creation, whether it's the delicate balance of ecosystems or the complex interaction of a strand of DNA. Have you ever looked at a strand of DNA under a microscope? It's a whole universe in itself. Have you ever looked at a single cell? It's a whole universe—more complicated than New York City. Each part of the cell has to function. It's irreducibly complex. It could not have evolved. One part could not have evolved, then another part later, because all the parts depend on each other to function and to survive. It had to be created deliberately and all at once. You know what that's called? It's called creation. This alignment, order, and design in nature confirms the presence of a good and all-powerful creator. Amen.

Many people will scoff at the idea of a virgin birth, won't they? They say, "You mean to tell me nearly 2000 years ago, some virgin was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and then in her womb was conceived the Son of God. You've got to be kidding me." But they have no problem believing in the "virgin birth" of the universe—the idea that something came from nothing. That's exactly what they're believing. They believe in the "virgin birth" of a universe. The idea that something came from nothing without cause or purpose. They scoff at the notion of God intervening in a virgin. Yet they accept the "virgin birth" of the universe—something coming from nothing, with no cause or purpose. They see the galaxies, the stars, the planets, the life forms, the very fabric of time itself. And they say, "Well, it came about by a random explosion 13.8 billion years ago—no guiding hand, no purpose, no design, no plan." I want to ask you: which view takes more faith? Does it take more faith to be an evolutionist, atheist, or a creationist who believes the word of God? And I ask you this question: does it take more faith to believe in an all-knowing, all-powerful God who spoke the universe into existence? Or does it take more faith to believe that everything—stars, life, the earth, perfect conditions—came into being by accident from some random explosion or chaotic event? It takes more faith to believe the latter, doesn't it?

At least we have a cause and an effect. Evolutionists have no cause. They simply have their perceived effect. We take one look at the universe. What we see is far from random. Here are the scientific and observable principles of the universe: Life does not come from non-life. Order does not come from disorder. Arrangement is not derived from chaos. And when you consider the intricacy of creation, you are left in awe and wonder at the power, beauty, and wisdom of our Creator.

Now, I'm going to give you a few illustrations of this. If you ever talk to an atheist or an evolutionist, here are some illustrations for you, okay? So, put these in your backpacks.

One is the painter and the painting, and I love this. So, imagine you're looking at a beautiful landscape painting. It features lush green meadows, towering mountains, vibrant skies, and the play of sunlight in the corner. Now, do you believe that this painting painted itself? Do you think the paint mixed the colors and just jumped off an easel and splat! Boom! We've got a masterpiece! Absolutely not. You would know an artist perfectly blended the paint. And with each brushstroke, here was a masterpiece.

Illustration number two, the watchmaker and the watch. Now, imagine a finely crafted watch, the gears and springs and the tiny moving parts all working together in sync. Now, you wouldn't look at that watch and assume it came together by random chance, would you? It's clear that someone, likely a watchmaker, made that watch. Then you think of the universe, the laws of nature, the complexity of living organisms, the precision with which the universe operates. These point to a designer. The springs and cogs just didn't, and then we got a wristwatch. No, someone took time to put those things together, ensuring everything worked in sync.

Third illustration is the airplane and the engineer. If you're thinking about seeing airplanes fly in the sky, you can ask James. You wouldn't just assume that this thing just happened to create itself, and it flies itself, and it lands itself, right? It has to have a pilot, but before it can have a pilot, it has to have a team of engineers to build this thing. You wouldn't think that a random bunch of junk in a garage just assembled itself over the process of time, and here came an airplane—I don't know what happened. It just had a bunch of parts and pieces. I closed the garage door. A few billion years later, I opened it up, and there's an airplane, fully functional. That's absurd. You would have to be a moron to believe that. Amen. That's Ethan version right there. It's not KJV. That's Ethan version. What I'm saying is, do you see all of this intricate design? And it points to an intelligent designer.

The universe is a grand design. But more than that, it is the theater of redemption. Remember, when God created the earth, He was designing a stage upon which He would send His Son, and the story of redemption would be played out from Genesis to Revelation. He would send His Son in the likeness of man, die for sinful man, redeem sinners, and on this earth, the beauty and wonder of His love and wisdom would be on display. The universe is a grand theater, the theater of redemption.

My last point, the word of creation. Look, verse three says, "Then God said." So how did God create? We talked about what God created. Now, how did He create? And God said. God spoke the word. Theologians call this divine imperative. God speaks and things happen. That's the power and authority of the word of God. My friends, when God creates, it's not a mere act of labor. It's a command that brings something into being. Psalm 33:9 says, "For he spoke, and it came to be. He commanded, and it stood firm." Friends, that is power and authority, isn't it? When you can speak and spin galaxies into space, when you can tell the raging sea, "You stop right there," you don't come any further. When you can mold man out of clay, and breathe into him the breath of life, and say, "Come alive," that's power, isn't it? That is ultimate power.

Now, it's interesting. In English, we read, "God said, 'Let there be light.'" In Hebrew, it's much simpler. It simply means "light be." And light was. That's how it reads. God didn't have to dialogue. God didn't have to suggest. God didn't have to have a conversation. God spoke. God said, "Light be"—and boom, light was. That is the almighty power of God's spoken word. It was. Friends, that's the power of God's word still today.

The Bible says that the word of God is living and it is active and it is sharper than any two-edged sword. It is the divine command of God. It is food for the soul. It is water for cleansing. It is milk. It is meat. It is the sword by which we do battle. It is alive, friends. When you read this Bible, this Bible is also reading you. And it changes you and it transforms you and it strengthens you and it cleanses you. It still has power today. When He speaks, life comes into being. When light invades darkness, order overcomes chaos. And friends, it is still God's word that brings life today. The Bible says in Romans 10:17 that "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." And it is the gospel, the word of God, that is the power of God and the salvation to all who will believe. Friends, this word is still as mighty today as it was the day God spoke it. It is superintended. It is superintended. The Holy Spirit, the men who wrote the Bible, wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is true, it is inerrant, and it is eternally relevant. It still brings salvation, life, light, renewal, revival. It brings salvation. The word of God is powerful. The word of God is alive.

But I want to end this morning by making a Christ connection. As I said before, we see Christ here in Genesis chapter one, verses one through three, and we see Him as the creator. So that leads us to another question. Where do we see Jesus in this passage? Well, I want to point out several things because when we look at the life of Jesus, we see parallels to the creation account.

The first one is this: Just as God the Father spoke the heavens into existence, He would speak once more out of heaven at the baptism of His Son. And He would say, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." It is upon this same Christ that the Spirit who hovered over the face of the water hovered over Mary's womb—the Spirit of the Lord overshadowed her—and the Christ child was conceived in her womb. It is upon this same Christ that, at His baptism, the Spirit hovered and descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove. It is the same Holy Spirit that empowered Him to face Satan in the wilderness in Matthew four, that anointed Him with power for His public ministry, and that led Him every step of the way.

I also want you to think about the word of power that Christ exercised during His ministry. The same word that spoke the universe into existence was displayed when Jesus showed power over His creation. He could speak, and still the storms—He could speak, and sickness would leave. He could speak, and demons would be cast out. Friends, Jesus shows that He is the divine creator in His ministry.

However, none provides so powerful a proof that Jesus is the creator, as John does. And John chapter one. So if you kept your finger there, turn with me, or turn very quickly. The Bible says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. And the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God, and all things were made by him. And without him was not anything made that was made; in him was life. And the light was the light of men."

Now, we're going to do a little exercise. Everybody ready? OK, keep Genesis 1:1-3 and John chapter 1 open. Ready? We're going to do some flipping here. I want you to see the parallel between Genesis 1 and John chapter 1. That is not a mistake—it's intentional. You may have noticed that the first words of John are the first words of Genesis. How about that? Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." John 1:1 reads, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Now, John has taken us all the way back to eternity past. And he's pointing us to Christ who was there in the very beginning. And just as God created all things through a spoken word in Genesis, Jesus comes as the living Word in John. He's the Logos. The Greeks understood the Word as being the underlying order or purpose of the universe—the governing force behind everything. To the Jews, the Word was the divine imperative. Remember, God spoke. God said. This represents His creative power. So John is making it clear that Jesus Christ is the agent of creation, that He is the one who spoke His Word and spoke the universe into existence. And all things were created by His power and for His glory. Hallelujah, that is awesome. That is awesome.

John is telling us that Jesus was co-eternal with the Father. He was there in the very beginning. He was with the Spirit from the beginning. Jesus is not a created being. He is the divine creator. He's also co-existent with the Father, but distinct from the Father. He was with God. Yet at the same time, He dwells in fullness of deity and bodily form. He possesses all the attributes of God, therefore, tying John 1 with all the attributes of God. In Genesis 1, we find out that Jesus also is the eternal, self-existent, self-sufficient creator of the universe.

Now, we're also going to do this little exercise. I want you to see the parallels between the Genesis account of creation and John's account of Christ, our Creator's incarnation. In Genesis 1:1, we have creation by God's word. In John 1, we have creation through the Word. In Genesis 1:1, we have "in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." And in John 1:1, we have "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." In Genesis, the creation begins with God initiating everything from nothing. God speaks the universe into existence. And in John 1:14, John identifies this Word, this logos, as being fully divine and the agent through whom all things were created. And he confirms that this Word is Christ.

In John 1:3, we read that "through him, all things were made. And without him, nothing was made." In Genesis 1:3, God says, "Let there be light," and there was light. In Genesis 1, God's spoken word brings light into the universe and separates light from darkness. In John 1:9, Christ as the Word is the one who gives life and light to all creation. Christ is described as the true light that brings light to everyone. In Genesis 1:4, God sees that the light is good. And He separates the light from the darkness. In John 1:5, "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it." God establishes the created order in Genesis 1, and in John 1, Christ the light overcomes the darkness of sin and death and brings order to chaos. He brings spiritual renewal and hope. In Genesis 1:24, God says, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds." In other words, He creates life and the ability of the earth to sustain life. In John 1:4, Jesus is life. Amen. "In him was life, and the light was the light of all mankind." Amen.

In Genesis 1:27, God creates mankind in His own image. "In the image of God, he created them male and female." In John 1:14, "the eternal word becomes a man. The word is made flesh and dwells among us." In Genesis 1, humanity is created in the image of God to reflect His nature and to rule over creation. In John 1, Christ, the eternal Word, is made flesh. He fully embodies God's nature and shows us what it means to truly reflect God's image. It's through Jesus, the creator, that our creation, His creation, can know Him personally.

So in John 1, John is linking his gospel to Genesis 1. He identifies Christ as the logos, the one present at creation, the active agent through whom all things were made. But also, I want to introduce you to this thought: that Christ is not only the creator, but the sustainer of His creation.

The Bible says in the book of Hebrews that God has spoken to us in these last days by His Son, through whom He made the universe. That He is the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person. And He upholds, that means He sustains all things, through the word of His power. So the same word that created all things also sustains all things. Isn't that good to know? That God will never leave us or forsake us. That the work He began, He'll bring it to completion. He's constantly, sovereignly orchestrating all events. He's in control of His creation. He is sustaining us. And He will bring us to our expected end.

But Christ is also the purpose of all creation. I'll read you Colossians, chapter 1, verses 15 and 16. Paul says that "Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers." Listen, "all things were created through him and all things were created for him." Praise God. Christ is the image of God, the invisible God. That means He is God's own self-disclosure, His self-revelation. And it's through Jesus that we can see and know the Father. And Paul goes on to say that He existed before all things. And it's through Him, through Jesus, that God made all things in the heavenly realms and on earth, things visible and invisible. So I want you to think about this. Every throne, every kingdom, every dominion, every angel, every demon, every man, every woman, every created thing exists through Jesus and for Jesus. Praise God. All things depend upon Him for life and we exist for Him and for His glory.

People ask, what is the purpose in life? If you're an existentialist, it's like, well, all things came from nothing and there's no reason and there's no, there's no hope. No. Jesus says, no, we came from Christ and we exist for Christ. Therefore, I find my purpose and my identity and my satisfaction in Christ, my Creator.

So as they come and give us a hymn of invitation, I want to leave you with this thought. The Bible teaches us in Revelation that for all eternity, the host of heaven will sing the praises of Christ, our Creator. They're going to be telling the story of redemption from Genesis to Revelation. They're going to be telling about how He created the universe and then how He came to this earth He created, how He became one of us, how He shed His blood on the cross for our redemption and how He has gone to take us to His new creation in heaven. And their song reflects the work of redemption. Revelation 5:13 says, "Every creature that is created thing in heaven and on earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying, 'Blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb forever and ever.'" And then again, Revelation 4:11 says, "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things and by your will they exist and were created." Even in heaven, we're going to be telling the story of creation, fall, redemption and restoration. We're going to be telling the story of Jesus, our Creator. By His will we exist and we were created. You were made by Him and you exist for Him.

So give us a hymn of invitation. Perhaps this morning you don't know Christ as your Savior. You've been living all your life for yourself. And you feel without hope. You don't see the purpose in life. I'm going to tell you, you do have a purpose. You were created by God for God. But you will never live until you experience the life that's in Jesus. He is the light. He can shine in your darkness. He can bring order to your chaos. He can bring life to your spiritually dead soul. He can bring His eternal life. Everything. Everything that you needed to do was done for you at the cross. Jesus shed His blood. He can wash away your sins. You can be born again just as God specializes in creating. He specializes in recreating. You can be made a new creature in Christ. So this altar is open. You can pray where you're seated or you can come and I will pray with you. But the Bible says that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Maybe you're a believer and you just want to come and worship your Creator. Like we're going to be doing in heaven. This altar is open.