Introduction
The first two chapters of Genesis are a detailed account of the creation of all things ranging from the earth, sky, sun and moon to the vegetation, birds, fish, animals, and humanity.  In six days, God created everything, and it was all good.  On the seventh day He rested; not out of exhaustion but because his work was finished, complete… and it was perfect… It was just the way God intended.
 
God placed the man in the Garden of Eden, and he gave him specific instructions; he was to work and tend the Garden.  He says to the man, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”  This was an invitation to enjoy the fruits of the garden and a warning of obedience to God.
 
He also created woman for man (out of the side of man) to be a companion, a helper, and for them to be fruitful and multiply.  On the day God created woman the blessing of marriage was instituted, the two became one flesh and they literally lived in paradise.  Until the unfortunate events of chapter 3.
 
Genesis 3
We are not sure of the length of time between the end of chapter two and the beginning of chapter three, it is undisclosed.  Chapter three is an outrageous chapter as it deals with a talking snake, a forbidden fruit, deception, blame and judgment but it is also an essential chapter for believers to better understand God’s mercy, love, forgiveness and His perfect plan of redemption.
 
Verse 1:  The serpent:  We are introduced to the serpent in the first verse of this chapter.  The serpent is described as “the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made.”   Most of us have heard this story multiple times and I think it is safe to assume the snake is Satan.  How can we know for sure?  It has been said that the Bible is the best commentary of the Bible.  We read in Revelation 20:2, 3, “He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years. 3 The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while.” 
 Some have suggested that Satan disguises himself as a snake, and others have proposed that the snake had a Satanic presence behind him (he took possession of the snake).   Regardless we are given insight that the serpent was up to something and that something was no good.  Here in the beginning, we see two people, a man, and a woman, naked in the garden (this symbolized their innocence and purity) who have no understanding of sin and disobedience until the snake appears.  The serpent is sneaky, crafty and deceptive (he preys on their gullibility and innocence) and things are about to south.
 
The snake approaches the woman and strikes up a conversation with her.  Let me pause.  This is where the story gets a little weird.  I am not a snake person.  Never have been and never will be.  If you want to see a grown man scream like a little girl then put me in closed quarters with a snake… Any snake… I. DO. NOT. LIKE. SNAKES.  So, if this conversation would have never happened with me because I would have turned and ran out of the garden quicker than you can say, “hiss”.  I digress.
 
The snake begins by questioning God.  He says to the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”   He questions God’s authority and causes the woman to doubt.  We can learn from this encounter.  Doubt is one of Satan’s most powerful tools.  He still uses this tactic quite regularly today.  He plants seeds of doubt by suggesting God doesn’t really care for you.  He may say things to cause you to doubt like, “If God loved you then he wouldn’t be letting you go through this difficult time of life”.  Or “If God created this thing, then he obviously wants you to enjoy it.”  Or he may be more extreme by saying, “You’re waaaay beyond saving.  With all the things you have done God could never forgive you.”  If Satan is good at anything he is good at causing doubt.
 
Verse 2, 3:  The woman responds, and this is her first mistake.  Engaging with evil is a slippery slope.  She listens to what He says and then responds, “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’ ”   She feels she needs to defend God and then adds to his command by saying that couldn’t touch the fruit (which God did not say).  Debating with the devil is never a good thing. Jesus himself refused to debate, instead he rebukes Satan by responding with the Word of God.
 
Verses 4, 5:  The first lie is recorded in this verse, “You won’t die!”  The serpent/Devil flat out calls God a liar and thus he has the title the father of lies (John 8:44) and the devil hasn’t stopped lying and deceiving since the beginning of time.  He is trying to negate what God CLEARLY commanded.  Satan continues by saying, “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”  He essentially is calling God an oppressive, egocentric, and insecure God.
 
Verse 6:  The root of sin.  Eve “saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her.”  All of the woman’s sinful desires were appeased as she heeded the words of the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit.  Sin always clouds our judgment and always pushes God out of the picture.  Sin often looks appealing and delightful, and it may even satisfy for a SHORT moment.  But it always comes up empty.  It can be easy to get caught up in the moment of sin and have no regard for the consequences.
 
Not only did the woman fall into full blown sin but she invited her husband to sin with her.  Both the man and woman blatantly and knowingly disobeyed God and chose to believe a lie.  They did not take into consideration the consequences of their disobedience.  They believed that they would not die otherwise they would not have eaten.
 
Verse 7:  Afterward, their eyes were opened, and they saw they were naked, and they were ashamed; so they tried to cover their nakedness.  The symbolism is thick here.  After they sinned, their eyes were opened to the guilt of their sin.  In desperation and shame, they tried to cover their guilt or sin by sewing loincloths out of figs.  They tried (like so many of us do) in their own power to cover their sin and they did not understand that there is nothing we can humanly do to make things right with God when we sin.
 
Verse 8:  When they heard God walking in the garden in the cool of the day… Take a moment and think about that.  The man and woman had perfect communion with God while in the Garden.  He would come and walk in the Garden He created with the man and woman and they would have perfect fellowship.  God was with them.  He walked among them.  But that fellowship was soon broken as their sin severed the relationship.
They were afraid and tried to hide from God.  What used to cause great excitement and joy (hearing God coming to fellowship with them) now became something they feared and dreaded.  In their fear they tried to hide from God.  Their sinful minds rationalized that maybe he wouldn’t notice.  This sounds like the most ridiculous thing ever but how often do we try and do the same with God?  Men and women in the Bible have tried to hide their sin from God and all have been unsuccessful.  Cain tried to hide his brother’s murder from God.  David tried to hide his sin of adultery from God.  Jonah tries to hide from God by running.  The list goes on.  We cannot successfully run and hide from God.  He always finds us.
 
Verse 9:  God calls out to Adam, “Where are you?”  God is not asking this because he doesn’t know where Adam is; the question could be better translated, “Why are you hiding?”  God knew they were hiding.  In this question we see some of God’s attributes.  We see…

1. God’s mercy.  The promise was if they ate the fruit they would surely die.  This probably meant spiritual death, but it certainly meant physical death.  Instead of destroying the man and woman he calls out to them.  Why?
2. In his mercy he gives man an opportunity to confess his sin.  God knew what happened and he gives man the opportunity to own up to his sin.  In this we see God’s grace and compassion.

 
Verse 10 - 13:  Fear and blame enters… Man replies, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”  Instead of coming clean with God the man and woman do what humans do best… they blame each other for their sinful actions.
Man (what he said):  It was the woman you gave me… It’s her fault.  She gave me the fruit and I ate it.  You gave her to me, and she told me to eat so it is her fault. God it is your fault because if you wouldn’t have given her to me then I wouldn’t have eaten.
 
Man (what he should have said): Yes, I ate of the tree, and I am sorry please forgive me.
 
Woman (What she said):  It’s the snake’s fault!  HE tricked me!  If it wasn’t for this vile creature that you created, then I would have never eaten of the fruit.  So really, it’s your fault God.
 
Woman (What she should have said): Yes, I ate of the tree, and I am sorry, please forgive me.
We would all do ourselves a huge favor if we would just own up for our sinful actions.  This is a hard lesson to learn because blaming is so much easier.  When we believe our sinful actions are someone else’s fault, we don’t have to take responsibility for our actions and humble ourselves and ask for forgiveness.  
 
When we look at this account, we see sin has consequences…

1. Sin always severs fellowship with God.  Sin has separated us from God.  This is why we need Jesus.  Jesus has mended the broken relationship by offering himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin and allows those who believe to have a restored relationship with God.  So often people decide to live in sin and expect God to bless them in their sins.  The truth is when we choose to allow sin to control us then we choose to break fellowship with God.  Most if not all of us know that when we are in the very act of sinning God is usually not in the forefront of our minds.
2. Sin causes us to be irrational.  The man and woman tried to cover their sins by hiding and covering their nakedness.  This is ridiculous.  We often try to cover our sins by taking matters into our own hands.  We try to cover our sins (usually by sinning more) or “fix things” instead of going directly to God and confessing what we have done wrong.  Only the blood of Jesus can cover, and I mean fully cover the awful sins we have committed.
3. Sin causes us to blame others.  Nobody can force you to sin.  The snake did not force the woman to eat.  The woman did not force the man to eat.  They both ate willingly, and they were both to blame.  I can blame someone who said something mean to me as an excuse to treat others poorly.  I can blame the stresses of work as an excuse for being short with my family, friends and loved ones.  I can blame the person who cuts me off on the road as an excuse for having road rage.  I don’t have a problem finding someone to blame for the sins I commit and this my friends is the problem.  We all need to take a step back and know that our sins are a choice we make.  My sin is nobody’s fault but mine.  That’s a hard pill to swallow but it is the truth.

 
Conclusion
In this Genesis account we see God’s mercy.  He does not kill Adam and Eve.  He does not even kill the serpent.  God would have every right to do so.  He told Adam and Eve, “If you eat of this tree then you will die.”  He could have said, “You disobeyed, and I told you if you disobeyed you would die; so ‘off with your heads!”  But He doesn’t.  In God’s mercy he spared humanity.
Not only did he spare humanity from death (physical & spiritual) but He put his plan in place that allowed for humanity AND all creation to be restored once again through the offspring of the woman… Jesus Christ.  This was/is God’s gift of grace to humanity.  We have inherited their sin nature but through Jesus Christ we can find true restoration and redemption to the full glory of what God intended.
 
Through God’s mercy and grace, we see that Satan’s work cannot stand.  Jesus is victorious and Satan is defeated.  The curse of the Serpent/Satan opens the door of hope.  We know by reading the end of the Bible that Satan is not victorious.  He is doomed.  We are told that on the Day of Judgment Satan, death and Hades will be cast into the lake of fire and tormented for all eternity.  This is Satan’s fate. 
 
One could read this account and conclude that God is a cantankerous old man just waiting to dish out punishment to anyone who disobeys him. Some people focus so much on the judgment of God that they miss His true character.  It is important to first establish that there are always consequences for sin.  God cannot and will not overlook disobedience and he cannot or will not turn a blind eye to sinful rebellion.  For him to be just, loving, and holy he must discipline when sin is committed.  Yet, it is important to know that He does not discipline because he is angry and wants us to suffer, it is just the opposite.  He disciplines because he loves us.
 
 

​Introduction
When you look up at the sky at night what are your initial thoughts?  When you see the immense universe, does this cause you to think about how small and microscopic our world is in comparison to it?  The past few nights have been very clear and when you looked up at the sky you could see thousands upon thousands of stars.  What we see with the naked eye pales in comparison to what is in the universe.    It is estimated that there are1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (one septillion) or 10 to the 24th power stars in our observable universe and knows how many more are out there.  Is that too mind numbing?
 
Let’s talk on on a smaller scale; when you travel to the countryside and see the beauty of the landscape or that waters that surrounds you, does it draw your attention to God?  When traveling up north or to the west do you see the creativity of God in the hills and the mountains?  Do you see his humor in creating both land and sea creatures?  Do you see the thoughtfulness of God when you observe complexity of the human body and mind?  I can answer these questions honestly, yes, I do! 
 
Last week I talked about the absolute necessity of knowing and believing in faith that God is the foundation of all creation.  We must establish in our hearts that God is the creator of all.  Genesis does not try to explain whether God exists or not, it just starts with the truth, “In the beginning God…”  Today we are continuing our series, “God’s Story from Beginning to End” as we start at the beginning with the creation account.  So, let’s begin
 
Genesis 1
Vs 1:  Genesis not only establishes that God is the God of beginnings, but he is also the God who creates. Immediately the Bible establishes that God is the creator of everything and proceeds from verses 3 on how the process was done.  
 
“Created” – The Hebrew word for create is bara’, and it is always used in the OT with God as the subject; while it is not always used to describe creation out of nothing, it does stress God’s sovereignty and power.”  It is in this creation account we witness everything (The universe) being created.  
 
Vs 2:  In the beginning the earth was a created by God as an unorganized chaotic dark mass (deep or waters) and empty.  The Spirit of God mysteriously hovered or moved above the earth.  This implies the Spirit or wind (ruah) of God was actively present and preparing for the acts of creation that were to follow.

Vs. 3 - 24:  There is power in God’s voice.  For the next six segments (or days) we see the active spoken Word of God portrayed in the process of creation.  Verses 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, begin with “Then God said…” with the end result “and it was so.”  God spoke and whatever he said happened.  Not only do we see the act of creation in God’s Word but also his pleasure with the outcome.  Starting on the third day through the sixth we see God’s response to his creation, “And God saw that it was good.”  At the conclusion on creation, I imagine God stepping back and looking at all he created and as verse 31 says, “and he saw, it was very good.”  Everything God creates is good (this is an understatement) and it is important for us to know that we (humanity) are included in pleasure we bring to God.  
 
Six Days
Day 1 – “Let there be light” The first act of God’s creation is light.  On this first act the darkness was consumed by light.  Light establishes the first day.  Note it is not the stars or the sun that are the source of light… they are not created until day four.  For the first three days the light that shone was from another source other than the sun.  Light in the Bible is often symbolic of salvation, joy, and life.  One could read this as God creates light to bring life to the dark chaotic earth.  The light is called day and the dark is called night.  The NET Bible says the verb separate here explains how God used the light to dispel the darkness. It did not do away with the darkness completely, but made a separation. The light came alongside the darkness, but they are mutually exclusive.
 
Day 2: Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.”  This is the visible expanse that separates the water of the earth with the waters above.  This is what we call the sky or atmosphere.  
 
Day 3:  Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened.  Land and vegetation were created on the third day.  R. Kent Hughes describes this vividly, “There was no new creation here, but a final ordering.  The world as we know it had been given a shape.  The chaos had disappeared.”  One can only imagine what was happening as the crystal blue waters of the earth recede as the ground below shakes and comes to the surface to create land that will be suitable for farming and vegetation. It is at this point the earth is now suitable for living organisms.
 
Day 4: “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night.”  On the fourth day God creates the sun, the moon, and the stars.  Once again, we see the power of God’s word as he speaks into existence the sun, moon and stars specifically for the purpose of giving light to the earth.  The sun will rule the day and the moon will rule the night.
 
Day 5: “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind” On the fifth day sea creatures and birds were created.  Did you know there are 700,000 to one million species that live in the oceans with 1/3 to 2/3’s of the species still undiscovered?  There are about 10,000 bird species in the world.  On this fifth day God was busy creating these species and giving them the direct command and blessing to be fruitful and multiply.   
 
Day 6:  Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. On the sixth day God created all creatures great and small… including humanity. God created ALL living things on the earth
 
Vs. 26: Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” The sixth day is the climax of the creation account.  It is here that we find the origins of humanity, our purpose, and our calling.  You and I are created in the image of God.  Again, before we can move forward in Genesis, we must be good with this.  Are you?  Because if you are not then you are going to have a hard time with the words that follow.  We are created in the image of God after his likeness.  This is what sets us apart from all the other creation.   We have intellect.  This means we can think, we can reason, we can solve problems.  We have a spirit or soul.  We are relational.  We can give love and we can receive love.  And unlike any other species we have morals.  We have a conscience.  We can know the difference between right and wrong.  Whether we choose to make the right moral decisions is another issue, yet we can know the difference to choose between right and wrong.  We are created in the image of God; we are not gods; we are only created in his likeness.  This means we bear his image, and we are his representatives. 
 
Genesis 2:7: Let’s pause for a moment and move forward to this passage.  This is a detailed account of the creation of humanity.  The author begins with God forming man from the dust of the earth and breathes life into him.  Through this traditional image Genesis implies that people are by nature more than material (we are more than an empty vessel); we have a spiritual, God-breathed, element.  Man is more than a lump of clay or a pile of dust.  He is a creature that was crafted by the hand of God with great care and has received life and breath from God himself.  Genesis 2:7 says, “and the man became a living person.”  Some Bibles translate the word “person” as “creature”.  However, this word creature has been translated a “being” or even “soul”.  If you note in God’s act of creation he merely speaks and things, come into existence; yet with man we are told that he created or crafted man from the dust or clay and made it into something new.
 
Vs. 2:18, 19: If we move forward even further to verses 18 and 19, we see for the first time God does not find pleasure in his creation.  It is not because he is not satisfied with creation; he notices that man was not finding the companionship that he obvious craved.  He notes that man is alone.  He has no companion.  There is no suitable or compatible helper to assist him. God did not want Adam to be alone.  God in his tender care, grace and love creates woman for the man from the man.

God causes a deep sleep to fall over Adam and he takes a rib from his side and forms and fashions the woman.  I love what Martin Luther’s wrote about the creation of  woman, “God might have taken a bone from a toe and thus signified that Adam was to rule over her; or He might have taken a bone from his head to indicate her rule over him. But by taking a bone from his side, God implied equality and mutual respect.”  The result, woman, was pleasing to Adam.  He declares, “Finally!  I have someone like me, and someone who is compatible with me and can be my companion!”
So here we see a more detailed overview of the creation of humanity.  This is a significant account because it not only details our origins it also shows our worth as God’s creation.  God has taken great care in creating humanity as he formed him and breathed life into him.  We are not an accident, an afterthought, or an abomination.  My friends we are truly God’s beloved creation, and we have a purpose.
 
Humanities Purpose
Once humanity was made in the image and likeness of God man and woman were given purpose…

1. They were given dominion over God’s earthly creation.  This simply means we have the responsibility to take care of God’s creation.  We are given dominion over the birds, the fish, the beasts, and everything that has breath.  We are given the charge to rule God’s creation on behalf of the King.  He has entrusted us with his creation to care for and use it.  This does not mean that we have the freedom to treat his creation however we please, abuse it, or use it for greedy profit.  God took great care in creating the world and we are given the charge to tend it, work in, and care for it because it does not belong to us, it is on loan from God.  
2. Man was given the blessing in naming God’s creation.  This was part of his responsibility to having dominion over all creatures.  How much fun would that be?  Adam saw an animal or sea creature and whatever he wanted to call it he did.  
3. Humanity is told to be fruitful and multiply.  If we go back to verse 28 the author tells us, “God blessed them and said…”  Reproduction and the act of sex itself is a blessing from God.  It is not taboo as some conservative circles have made the subject out to be.  Sex is intended to bring forth life.  The ESV Bible even goes so far as to say, “God’s creation plan is that the whole earth should be populated by those who know him and who serve wisely as his vice-regents or representatives.”  God has given to us the responsibility and blessing of making children and raising them for his glory.

 
Genesis 1:29:  Now God gives permission for humanity to eat of the plants of the earth that he has provided for them. He placed man in the Garden of Eden to tend it, enjoy it, and rule over it lovingly as God’s representative.  The man and woman had the joy of caring for God’s creation and walking with Him in the cool of the day.  It was glorious.  It was created for humanities enjoyment and God’s glory.  It was paradise.  However, God did have rules.  They were not permitted to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  One simple request… Enjoy everything in the garden but stay away from that tree.  We will return to this tree next week.  
Everything is great.  The sixth day is complete.  God steps back and looks at his creation… The world, the atmosphere, the universe, the land, the sea, the birds, the sea creatures, the beasts of the land and humanity… everything is VERY GOOD.  


Day 7:  God rested. On the seventh day God’s work was finished.  It was complete.  Everything He set out to do was finished and then He rested.  There is no implication that God dropped everything and went into cruise mode.  The word rested is translated as “ceased” in some versions and the Hebrew word is “shabbat” which is where we get the word Sabbath.  It is interesting that the rest God took was not out exhaustion because he was tired, but it was because he ceased, finished, or completed his work of creation.  On the seventh day God had Sabbath.  This means not simply ceasing work to pick it up again but being satisfied with what He had done and considered these things complete.
 
Conclusion
In Romans 1:20 the Apostle Paul acknowledges, “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”  The glory and the splendor of the invisible God can be seen throughout creation.  God has revealed himself to us through creation.  When we look around, we don’t see creation as God, but we see God the Creator. 
 
I am continually in awe when I consider God and his handiwork.  When I think of these things, I can’t help but respond as David does at the beginning and the end of Psalm 8, “O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth.”
 
Take some time this week and go out in the evening and look up to the heavens or take in the view of God’s handiwork in his creation and consider how great our God is!  Thank and praise Him because He has entrusted us with his wonderful creation, and He has crowned us with glory and honor.
 

Introduction 
Beginnings…. The central theme of Genesis is beginnings.  In fact, the word Genesis means “beginning”.  Everything about this first book of the Bible points to the beginning of all things. The beginning of creation, of humanity, of family, of sin/evil, faith, of religion (both true and false), of culture, of agriculture, of industry, of civilizations, and of a nation.  
 
Read Genesis 1:1
The only beginning the Bible does not discus is the beginning of God himself.  Why?  Because God has no beginning, and he has no end.  The only thing we are told about God is, “In the beginning God…”  That’s it!  There was nothing before him.  There is nothing after him.  He is eternal.  He has always been.  Some people have a problem with this and many more have difficulty grasping this truth.  I admit freely, the idea that God is eternal… That he has no beginning, and he has no end is beyond my grasp, comprehension, and intellect.  Since I can’t fully grasp and comprehend the eternal nature and essence of God does this mean that God is not eternal or that he does not exist?  Absolutely not!  Just because my small finite mind can’t grasp this idea does not change the reality that God is God, and he is eternal.  Unfortunately, this “logic” of “If I can’t grasp it then it must not be” is a “logic” that many people hold today.  This “logic” says, “If it can’t be explained by science, reason or intellect then it must not be true.”  The idea of the eternal existence of God is so far from their understanding, intellect, and belief that the only conclusion they can come to is God is a myth, a made-up character, or a concept that humanity created.
 
The eternal truth of God is where the origin of faith comes in.  Question, “were you present at the beginning of all things?”  I was not.  Was anyone?  Are there any documents that show someone other than God (or the Trinity for that matter) was present at the beginning of creation?  No.  We simply cannot go to YouTube, social media, or museums to see original, genuine, and authentic footage of the creation account. So, the only reasonable conclusion Christians can come to is  “In the beginning God…”  We can either believe God was or was not present in the beginning and he did or did not create it all.  
This is what is attractive to me about Genesis.  It doesn’t need to go into the process of explaining or proving the existence of God; it just declares from the get-go that God was, is, and always has been.  I believe, in faith, the Bible is God’s inspired Word.  I believe, in faith, that the words contained in this book are true and given for the glory of God and for the benefit of all humanity.  This does not mean that I blindly believe what I believe.  I have done the research and reading about the topics of science, origins and faith and I will continue to read about them, but the only conclusion I can come to is God is eternal and He is who He is.  
 
The Genesis
It is important to establish first, Genesis is not a science book, but this does not imply that science and faith cannot intermix, because they can, and they do.  Second, Genesis is not intended to prove or disprove scientific theories, no more than science is intended to prove, or disprove the Bible.  Genesis is intended to teach or inform us about the origin or beginning of all things and it point us to the originator and creator of all things, God.  This is important for us because Genesis documents the origins of humanity as created individuals in the image of God. 

The central theme of Genesis is origins, so the central figure of Genesis is God.  He is the God of origins.  In Genesis we see God’s involvement in creation, in humanity and in the nation of Israel.  When we read Genesis, we should see the fingerprint of God on every page.  According to the New Bible Commentary: 21st Edition, “Genesis is primarily theological, i.e. it is concerned with describing who God is, how and why he acts and how he deals with mankind. Often the activity of God in human affairs is not obvious, either in our everyday life or even in some parts of the Bible (e.g. the book of Esther). But in Genesis, especially in the early chapters, God is the central actor.”[1]
 
In Genesis we also see the attributes or characteristics about God.  We see the heart of God revealed in his care for creation and involvement with humanity from the beginning to end.  My heart and purpose for this year long series of the Bible is for you and me to see the glory (magnificence) of God revealed throughout the book of Genesis and the rest of God’s Word; to see his fingerprint on every page.  My hope, and prayer is for us is to draw closer to the originator of all things; the One True God of all.
 
Background
We do not have a specific date for the origins of the writings of Genesis.  Traditionally, it is commonly believed that Moses is the author.  There are differing views of authorship, but we are better off if we do not focus so much on the human author and instead focus on the content of what the divine author reveals.
 
Genesis is split into two parts…

1. Chapters 1 – 11 (Document the origins of humanity)
2. Chapters 12 – 50 (The Patriarchs – The origins of Israel)

 
As a way of introduction, I want to spend the remainder of our time looking at the overall scope of Genesis as we see God throughout this account.
In Genesis we see…

1. God’s love, concern, and care for humanity – (Let us make man in our image).  God created humanity with love and affection, and he remains involved and present in our lives today.  This same God who created humanity, who spoke to the prophets, the patriarchs, the priests and people of God is the same God we worship today, and he is present and involved in our lives today.  
2. God’s promises – Integrity (God does what he says he will do).  In Genesis God makes many promises (Redemption, A Savior, a covenant, a flood, etc.) and he remains true to his promises.  God is still in the promise making and keeping business today.
3. God’s power/sovereignty – (He is the creator of all things… God spoke, and everything came into existence).  Genesis reveals the power of God’s Word in creation.  We see the power of God evidenced in the flood, in battle and in the life of the Patriarch’s Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.
4. God’s eternal existence – In the Beginning God…  There is nothing before Him and there will be nothing after Him.
5. God’s divine judgment – (The curse and fall of humanity, the flood, the dispersion).  Throughout Genesis and the rest of the Bible for that matter we see God will not let sin go unpunished.  He banishes Adam and Eve from the garden for their disobedience.  He destroyed the known earth at the time with the flood because they had become rebellious.  He dispersed the nations when they tried to build a tower to heaven.
6. God’s uniqueness - (there are no other gods beside me) – Over and over again God makes this clear.  He is the one and only true God. Ancient cultures believed in many gods with limited power, knowledge & morality.  The God of Israel is one who is all powerful, all knowing, and all holy. 
7. God’s justification by faith (grace) – (Abraham believed in faith and it was credited to him).  Grace is not a new topic.  We see the grace of God throughout Genesis.
8. God’s mercy – (He spares, Noah and his family and Lot and his family).  Even when the world rebelled, God had mercy as he spared the lives of the righteous.
9. God’s plan of redemption – (I will put enmity between the woman and the serpent… He will crush the serpents head and you will strike his heel).  Early in the Genesis account God promises a savior will come to save humanity from their sinful ways.  He makes the promise of one who will come to save humanity and He will to it through Abraham and his offspring to bless the nations and redeem humanity.

            
Throughout Genesis we see so many events where God is present. It is not interested in events for their own sake but for what they disclose about the nature of God and his purposes.[2]  These stories are not told willy nilly, they serve a purpose, and that purpose is to show us God, his nature, and his glory.   Most of these stories (chapters 1 – 11) deal with periods long before writing was invented, so they cannot be ‘history’ in the strict sense of the term or be verified by evidence from outside the Bible. However, Genesis does try to arrange the stories chronologically and explain things in terms of cause and effect. [3] 
 
Conclusion
As we conclude there is a lot to think on and let sink in for the next week or so.  I would encourage you to read over the first two chapters of Genesis this week and reflect on what they mean to you.  We will be spending a little bit of time in this first chapter in the weeks to come.  I challenge you to allow this to be a time of allowing God to search your heart and make himself known to you.  Reflect on God, his word, his acts of creation, and his glory.

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[1]  New Bible commentary: 21st century edition. 1994 (D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer & G. J. Wenham, Ed.) (4th ed.). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.
 
[2]  New Bible commentary: 21st century edition. 1994 (D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer & G. J. Wenham, Ed.) (4th ed.). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.
 
[3]  New Bible commentary: 21st century edition. 1994 (D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer & G. J. Wenham, Ed.) (4th ed.). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.