Sermon Notes from God is....Creator


God is…….Creator

Genesis 1 & Selected Verses

Introduction: A.W. Tozer writes, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. And the second is what we think God thinks of us.”

Intro: David Letterman, late night talk show host, popularized what he called a top 10 list.  Letterman, through humor, was able to create these lists as commentary on politics, Hollywood or current news headlines. This morning, I would like you to create a top 10 list about who God is.  List the ten most important things about Him.

God is Creator in the Past (Genesis 1)

·         Vs. 1-God (Elohim) (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) created the heavens and earth.

o   Elohim occurs by far the most often in the Bible (2,750×)[1]

o   The Bible begins with a clear statement that God made everything. He is the subject of all the things created.

o   When—“in the beginning” People disagree on when this is, but for our purposes today, may we agree that did it.

o   Think for a moment about all that God created. 

o   Preschool Hide N Seek Class, what did God make?

§  Stars, Fish, Eagle, oceans, mountains, Grand Canyon, animals, flowers, plants, people

o   There are a number of elements common to the creation day units:

§  (1)“and God said” (Vs. 3,6,9,11, 14,20, 24,26)

§  (2)“let there be”-With His Words alone, God spoke

§  (3)“and it was so”-and it happened

§  (4)“God called”

§  (5)“and God saw that it was good” (Vs. 10, 12, 18, 21, 25) What God creates is good.

§  (6)“and there was evening, and there was morning—the —— day.”[2]

o   On days one through three, God formed the heavens and the earth. And on days four through six, he filled the heavens and the earth with inhabitants. Follow the pattern through:

                              On the first day, God created light and separated it from darkness (1:3–5).

                              On the second day, he formed the sky—the “expanse,” or “firmament” (1:6–8).

                              On the third day, he formed the dry land and all its vegetation (1:9–13).

                              On the fourth day, God filled the sky with sun, moon, and stars (1:14–19).

                              On the fifth day, he filled the waters with fish, sea creatures, sky with birds (1:20–23).

                              On the sixth day, he filled the land with mammals, reptiles, and man (1:24–31).[3]

·         Vs. 27-Only humans are created in the image of God

·         Vs. 31-It was very good!

God is Creator in the Present (Philippians 1:6, 2 Corinthians 5:17)

·         Not only does God create in the past, but He continues to create in the present.

·         2 Corinthians 5:17-We are a new creation

o   Already in this letter Paul has depicted conversion as a creatorial act of God,[4]

o   Quote from Alvin Reid from Sharing Jesus Without Freaking Out “Jesus Christ didn’t come to make bad people good, but to make dead people live!”

o   This is no mere mending or improvement but an actual “creation.” This word means the act of creating and is then applied also to what the act creates. A Creator is implied, and we may take him to be God or the Holy Spirit. “Creation” leads us to think of what God did when he created the world. The two acts are comparable.[5]

o   Adam-head of the old creation, and Christ is the Head of the new creation.

·         Philippians 1:6-What God starts, He will finish

o   personal confidence: God began the good work of salvation in me, and he will complete that good work in me. Of course, the good work of God includes God’s work of salvation in the individual.[6] If this is true about me personally, it is also true about others in the family of God too.

o   It was a good work because God began it, it was His work, and He will finish it. Lenski writes it attributes all of it to God alone,

o   the work God does for us—salvation; the work God does in us—sanctification; the work God does through us—service.[7]

·         2 Corinthians 3:18-We are being transformed

o   Greek word- mĕtamŏrphŏō, where we get our English word, metamorphosis—change, transfigure, transform.[8]

o   As we behold the Lord’s glory, we are transformed

o   More like Jesus. How? Comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

God is Creator in the Future (Revelation 21:1-5)

·         Revelation 21:1-5

o   Vs. 1-New Heaven and New Earth

§  What do you think happens to the earth at the end of time?  Many have believed it to be completely burned up.  However, as I read Scripture, I don’t see a destruction but a restoration.

§  In the light of the qualitative nature of the contrast between “new” creation and “first” creation, it is likely that the meaning is to connote a radically changed cosmos, involving not merely ethical renovation but transformation of the fundamental cosmic structure[9]

§  the new cosmos will be an identifiable counterpart to the old cosmos and a renewal of it, just as the body will be raised without losing its former identity[10]

§  The heaven of God and the new heaven and new earth created for men shall be joined, The final consummation of all God’s plans in the creation of the world has been reached.[11]

o   Vs. 3-Dwelling of God is with men, His People

§  the dwelling (‘tabernacle’) of God is with men. The word ‘tabernacle’ cannot here signify a temporary dwelling (‘tent’), for it refers to God’s very presence[12]

§  the most important thing about the city is that God dwells there with His people. [13]

o   Vs. 4-Recreate what was broken by the Fall

§  No death, No pain, No disease, No sin

o   Vs. 5-I am making everything new!

Because God is, you are

·         A Masterpiece-“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

·         Saved-“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8:9)

·         Sealed-“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)



[1] Mathews, K. A. (1996). Genesis 1-11:26 (Vol. 1A, p. 127). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[2] Hamilton, V. P. (1995). Genesis. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 11). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
[3] Strassner, K. (2009). Opening up Genesis (pp. 20–21). Leominster: Day One Publications.
[4] Harris, M. J. (2005). The Second Epistle to the Corinthians: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 432). Grand Rapids, MI; Milton Keynes, UK: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.; Paternoster Press.
[5] Lenski, R. C. H. (1963). The interpretation of St. Paul’s First and Second epistle to the Corinthians (p. 1039). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House.
[6] Hansen, G. W. (2009). The Letter to the Philippians (p. 50). Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 65). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Strong, J. (2009). A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible (Vol. 1, p. 47). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[9] Beale, G. K. (1999). The book of Revelation: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 1040). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
[10] Beale, G. K. (1999). The book of Revelation: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 1040). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
[11] Lenski, R. C. H. (1935). The interpretation of St. John’s Revelation (p. 619). Columbus, OH: Lutheran Book Concern.
[12] Morris, L. (1987). Revelation: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 233). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[13] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 622). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

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