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Scripture Reading: Psalm 148:1-5

In the Beginning

 

Intro.

1.  Everything, with one exception, had a beginning, Psa. 90:2.

2.  It is important to go back to the beginning, not only to know where we came from and how we got here, but to know who we are, why we are here and what is expected of us.

3.  Genesis is the battleground for faith and for confidence in the credibility of the entire Bible. If it is not literal and trustworthy, all the Bible is suspect. Many young people have lost their faith due to the false teaching that Genesis is mythical motifs and not a record that is scientifically and historically valid.

 

I.  IN THE BEGINNING, GOD WAS ALREADY THERE, Gen. 1:1; Jno. 1:1.

  A.  Eternal God, Exo. 3:14-15; Jno. 8:58.

    -Wisdom was His companion, Prov. 8:22-26.

  B.  Eternal God has an Eternal Plan He Accomplished in His Son, Eph. 1:3-5, 11; 3:8-11.

      -Redemption of sinners in His Son, Jesus.

 

II.  IN THE BEGINNING, GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH.

  A.  The Beginning of the Material Universe, Acts 4:24; 14:15; 17:24.

    1.  God created all things with wisdom and power, Prov. 8:27-31; Jer. 51:15.

      a.  The Word, the Son of God, is the chief cause, Jno. 1:3; Rev. 3:14.

      b.  God spoke, and creation occurred, Psa. 148:1-5; 33:6-9.

    2.  This is our faith, Heb. 11:3. Any denial is faithlessness.

  B.  From Beginning to End, Creation took Six Days, Gen. 1:31-2:1; Exo. 20:11.

    1.  The danger of theistic evolution (denies 6-day creation) and/or progressive creation: Interprets the Bible through the lens of science (Bob Harsh, Letters to Pepperdine). 

    2.  Demands denial of the Bible; not only the length of days, but also the sequence of the creative days.

  C.  Life on Earth was Fully Developed, Gen. 1:31-2:2.

 

III.  IN THE BEGINNING, GOD CREATED MALE AND FEMALE, Gen. 1:26-28.

  A.  Adam and Eve were Real People in the Beginning.

    1.  Created in the image of God. (Modernists/theistic deny Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Enoch and Noah were real people.)

    2.  Made in God's image, Gen. 1:26.

    3.  Made for God's purposes, Gen. 1:26, 28; Eccl. 12:13; Isa. 45:9 (29:16).

    4.  God's living arrangement:  marriage, Gen. 2:18, 24.

  B.  Gender Identity was Clearly Established in the Beginning.

    1.  Man was created male and female, Gen. 1:27.

    2.  Creation and procreation, 1 Cor. 11:11-12 (Gen. 2:18-23).

      a.  Intersex (hermaphrodite) condition: 0.1-1.7% of live births. [1]

      b.  Transgender. *  Self-defined/internal notions.

  C.  Marriage was for Male and Female in the Beginning, Gen. 2:18, 24-25 (1:28); Mark 10:6.

    1.  Supreme Court about to rule on the status of same-sex marriage. Of heterosexual marriage, Justice Anthony Kennedy said, “This definition has been with us for millennia. And it’s very difficult for the court to say, oh, well, we know better." (Justices Appear Divided, Cautious on Gay Marriage, WSJ.com)

    2.  God ruled on SS marriage long ago, Gen. 2:24-25; Heb. 13:4.

 

IV. IN THE BEGINNING, ALL WAS VERY GOOD, Gen. 1:31.

  A.  There was No Sin, Gen. 2:16-17 (Jas. 1:13-14).

  B.  Sin Destroyed their Life with God, Gen. 3:8, 11, 19, 22-24.

      -The man has achieved God’s wisdom unlawfully, but he will not escape penalty by seizing the tree of life.[2]

  C.  Deliverance (from Sin's Death) and Life Would Come through the Seed of Woman, Gen. 3:15 (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Gal. 4:4).

    1.  Jesus, the Son of God, Heb. 2:14-15.

    2.  God, who gave life, would revive it by His love and grace through sacrificing His Son for the sins of the world.

     

Conclusion

1.  In the beginning also implies an end, 1 Cor. 15:23-24.

2.  Without faith in the things of the beginning you will not prepare for His coming and the end of the world.

3.  Are you ready for that day to come?

 

 

Transgender: "describes the condition in which one's gender identity does not match one's assigned sex. Some individuals may be both intersex and transgender, but the two terms are not synonymous." [3]

 

"Transgender is an umbrella term for persons (unlike intersex) whose gender identity, expression and behavior do not match the typically associated sex that they were born with. Gender identity refers to the internal notion of being male or female. Gender expression refers to the nature in which a person communicates their gender." [4]

 


[1]  Fausto-Sterling, Anne (2000). Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality, New York: Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-07713-7

[2] Mathews, K. A. (1996). Genesis 1-11:26 (Vol. 1A, p. 256). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[3]  "What's the difference between being transgender or transsexual and having an intersex condition? | Intersex Society of North America". Isna.org. Retrieved 2013-07-05

[4] "Intersex, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex#Transgender, Retrieved 29Apr15

 

 

 

By: Joe R. Price

Posted: May 1, 2015