January 1

Genesis 1-3 Happy New Year to each of you!!

As we begin the new journey today we jump right into several of the most important issues in life and theology. A list of just seven of them....

1. God claims to be the sole creator of the universe.
2. He creates everything after its own “kind” which implies the world is hard-wired.
3. All that he creates is “good.” It is a perfect world with the promise of eternal life. The “Tree of Life” would sustain mankind for all eternity. This tree will not be mentioned again until the last book of the New Testament. This shows us the continuity of the Bible.
4. God rested and established a rhythm in the universe of working six days and taking a vacation day on the seventh. What is your day to rest and give to God?
5. The institution of marriage is established. Marriage is one man and one woman for life. This has been the definition of marriage since the dawn of time. A few judges in the USA cannot undo what God has established.
6. Sin is introduced into the world and thus we start the cosmic battle between the lies of Satan and the truth of God. We will see this battle on every page of the Bible. We will also face this battle every day of our lives.
7. A Savior is promised to the world in Genesis 3:15. The only hope for the world is for God to rescue us. And he will; he will send his son to free us from the penalty of the curse.

Let me pick the existence of God as my theme to expand upon today. We no longer live in a day where the existence of God is taken for granted. Since the 18th century era of the Enlightenment and the advent of the age of science, there has been a growing sentiment that those who cling to a belief in God are irrational, scientifically ignorant, narrow-minded fundamentalists.
Many people think because we can't scientifically prove the existence of God, since we can't see him, it would be most logical to be an atheist or agnostic.
The response to the question of God's existence has never been more critical than at this time in history. Atheism and agnostism are widespread in this country particularly on the university campus. Humanism has become remarkably aggressive, with an almost evangelical fervor.
As Christ followers we simply cannot afford to stand by and exhort people to believe in God, without dealing with the problem on a rational level.

Here are some reasons why I believe God did create the heavens and the earth:
1. The Bible tells me so. From the outset, Genesis confronts us with the living, unmistakably personal God. He is simply there. The Bible never attempts to prove the existence of God. The Bible never even considers that the reader would question his existence. The Bible simply assumes God to be self-evident. We start the story with an eternal first cause, an unmoved mover.
2. The design of the universe shouts that he is there. If we see order in the universe we can deduct that there must be an artist behind the picture. If we find a watch in the woods there must be a watchmaker who put it together. The basic building block of all of life, the cell, is more complicated than a Boeing 747 jet airliner. The belief that this 747 came into existence through mere chance requires more faith than what I have.
3. The expanding universe confirms a beginning. In 1913 Vesto Slipher first discovered the galaxies were moving. In 1929 Edwin Hubble added to this discovery with the truth that the universe is expanding in the same direction all at the same time. These truths point to a beginning which is called the “Big Bang” or "The Singularity." My question is this, “who put the bang in the Big Bang?” The conclusion that the universe has a beginning should stagger us and fill us with awe. That means the universe was brought into existence by something that is greater than it and beyond it.

The flickering stars cry out that someone is there.
The spinning of the earth to create day and night says, “designer.”
The tilt of the earth to create the seasons points to a scientist behind the universe.
The existence of the oceans speaks to the world of a creative genius.
The beauty and design found in the smallest flower says there is an artist at work.
The magnetic poles that allow us to navigate indicate a pilot behind it all.
The sugar thermostat in the pancreas that maintains a level of sugar for our energy
points to the fact that there is an eternal doctor in the house.

Our job over this next year is to listen to him and obey his instructions.