Lenox Federated Church - Firm Foundations, Secure in Christ

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Firm Foundations

Secure in Christ

Lesson 3 - God, Our Great Creator

Questions for the LFC Firm Foundations Coordinator may be emailed to firmfoundations@lenoxchurch.org

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REVIEW QUESTIONS FROM LESSON TWO:

1. How is a person made acceptable to God? Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His death, burial and resurrection.

2. Before a person can desire to be saved, what must he first understand about himself and God? A person needs to understand that he is a helpless sinner, separated from God, who is holy and righteous. He needs to know that God demands death as the payment for sin.

3. How does God teach us, His children, what He wants us to do? Through reading and studying His Word, we can learn His will for us as believers.

4. When we are faced with some new teaching or idea, how can we learn if it is true or false? By studying God’s Word, and seeing if what we have heard lines up with what God says is true.

5. Is our faith just a “blind faith” or is it based on solid, historical facts? Our faith is based on solid, historical facts, recorded in God’s Word.

A. Introduction

Have you ever tried to imagine what the earth was like when God first created it?

- Everything was perfect.

- Man was in a right relationship to His Creator.

Do you know what God sees now when He looks at His children in Christ?

He sees us as His new creation in Christ.

- He sees us made perfect!

- Through Jesus, we are rightly related to our Creator. What an amazing God we have!

He has given us a new beginning in Christ!

But now, let’s take a look back before the beginning of all things.

B. Only God was there before the beginning.

Read Genesis 1:1.

“In the beginning God . . .

- God existed before anything.

- Everything we see had a beginning, except God.

God is a trinity of three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

God is eternal.

- Before anything was created, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit existed eternally.

- God had no beginning, and He will have no end.

God is Spirit.

- He lives by His own power

- He needs nothing.

God is supreme and sovereign; He is greater than all.

- Nothing in all creation can compare to our eternal, three-in-one God.

- He is greater than all His creation.

- Nothing created is as great as God: neither angels nor Satan nor people nor any created thing can compare with our Creator.

- Our minds cannot understand the greatness of our God.

- But God’s Word is very clear, and we take these awesome facts as foundations for our faith.

C. God created everything out of nothing.

Read Genesis 1:1.

Everything in the heavens and the earth was made by God. He alone has the power to create from nothing.

Read Hebrews 11:3.

- The Bible tells us very clearly that God made everything out of nothing.

God is all powerful.

- Nothing is too hard for Him to do.

- Jeremiah 32:17 says, “Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.”

How could God create the vastness of the universe?

Only God could do it, for He alone is everywhere, all the time.

- In Jeremiah 23:24, we read, “Can any hide himself in secret places. So I shall not see him? says the LORD; Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD.”

- Consider:

He is still everywhere, all the time. There is nowhere we can go apart from Him! We are never alone.

How could God have the wisdom to create everything?

God alone has all knowledge.

- No one had to teach God anything.

- He knows everything.

- Consider:

God knows and cares about everything that happens to us. Even our family and friends may not really know what we are thinking and feeling. But God knows our every thought, our every problem, our every need. We can completely depend upon Him.

D. God the Son, Jesus Christ, was actively involved in creation.

Read John 1:2,3.

E. God the Holy Spirit, was actively involved in creation.

God the Holy Spirit was ready and waiting with all His mighty power to create.

Read Genesis 1:2.

- Consider:

The Hebrew word used here for “hovering” over the waters suggests fluttering or shaking—perhaps an indication of the tremendous creative energy about to be released.

F. On the first day, God divided the light from the darkness.

Read Genesis 1:3-5.

What was the condition of the earth as described in Genesis 1:2?

- It was without form.

- It was empty, and dark.

That is how our lives were without the light of the knowledge of Jesus Christ. In His great power, the same God who made light in a dark world brought us out of the darkness of sin and into an understanding of the truth. Many people in our world today live in darkness, ignorant of the truth.

- Consider:

In 2 Corinthians 11:14, we are told that, “Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.”

This world’s system has a counterfeit version of light and order. Many people are deceived into thinking that the empty ways of the world are worth pursuing.

But the Bible tells us clearly that the end of that kind of godless life is eternal punishment.

The enemy of our souls wants people to believe that God’s Word is worthless. That is the lie that deceived Eve, and ended up putting her and Adam and the whole world into the darkness of sin.

Though many people still live in darkness, God, in His grace, has given us light in Christ.

Read John 1:4

We no longer have to live in confusion and ignorance and be deceived by Satan’s lies.

We have the Light of the World living inside of us.

In John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

The same One who created light and separated it from darkness has given us light in our souls and delivered us from the darkness of sin.

G. On the second day, God separated the waters above from the waters below.

Read Genesis 1:6-8.

God spoke, and transformed the entire atmosphere around planet earth.

- Compare:

Governments spend millions of dollars trying to remedy the content of the earth’s atmosphere. But God simply spoke, and accomplished His exact purposes.

H. On the third day, God created the dry land, the oceans, and all vegetation, plants, and trees.

Read Genesis 1:9-13.

Again, God spoke, and it was done:

- Land, seas, plants, trees, fruits, seeds—all were so magnificently created that we haven’t yet fully understood their complexity.

And it was all good—perfect, because God is perfect.

I. On the fourth day, God created the stars, the sun, and the moon.

Read Genesis 1:14-19.

He created the universe: the stars and galaxies, the sun and the moon.

Everything was done in perfect order, according to God’s perfect design.

All creation reflects the Creator—the Master Designer of everything.

- Consider:

Several years ago, a certain young man grew up under an atheistic government. He was educated to know only the laws of science and matter. He was never told of the God who created matter and ordained the laws of science.

But one day, after completing his college education, he stepped into a gathering of believers and heard about God. For the first time, he found the real answer for life. He said that he believed immediately, because he knew there simply had to be something before matter. He knew there had to be a reason for the order and existence of life. In God, he finally saw everything fastened together.

The Master Designer captured not only his mind, but his whole life, and he put his faith in Jesus Christ, his Savior and Creator

The laws of science are God’s laws.

God did not have to discover scientific facts; He ordained them.

- Consider:

How can we accurately count the days, the months, the years?

How can we know what the tides will be, years in advance?

We can know because God set the universe into motion with absolute precision.

So it is with our lives.

Just as God has established scientific laws, He has also established spiritual laws.

- God alone established a way for sinful man to be forgiven.

- Man could not make a way for himself; he must come by the way that God has established—through Jesus Christ.

And just as surely as the sun rises and sets, so also our God will continue to transform us so we will be more and more like Jesus Christ.

J. On the fifth day, God created all of the sea life and birds.

Read Genesis 1:20-23.

God’s creation is marvelous.

Even today, the seas are filled with an amazing variety of living creatures.

And who has not marveled at birds in flight!

- Consider:

Think of it: man was unable to be airborne until the 1900’s. But God created birds to fly in the very beginning

- Example:

The huge pelican, with a wing span that may reach six feet, can glide almost effortlessly, only inches above the water, for hundreds of feet, barely moving his wings. The same bird can soar high above the water, spot a fish below, and dive absolutely straight down to catch his prey. Who but God could design such precision?

K. On the sixth day, God created the animals.

Read Genesis 1:24.25.

Imagine these amazing animals, none of which, in the beginning, would hurt or kill.

Look at the order God has put in the animal world!

- Consider:

Each kind of animal gives birth to its own kind. There is room for plenty of variety, but cats still have kittens, and dogs still have puppies. God ordained it to be that way, and He says so in His Word.

- A true story:

One day, a teacher mentioned to her fourth grade class that some people claim that man evolved from monkeys. She asked her students if they could find anything in the first chapter of Genesis that would agree with that theory or prove it untrue.

A little fellow who seldom showed much interest began reading in earnest. When his eyes found this passage, his hand shot up and he bounced on his chair, begging to be called on.

“It can’t be true!” he said. Jabbing his finger repeatedly at Genesis 1:24-25, he announced, “It says right here that God created all of the animals to reproduce ‘after their own kind.’ There’s no way a man could come from a monkey!”

The issue was settled for him, and from that day on, he was attentive in class. He had discovered the power of God’s truth to answer the tough questions of life.

L. God made everything good and perfect in preparation for man.

God is holy and perfect; therefore, everything He created was good and perfect.

- Even though sin brought a curse upon all creation, we can still see a glimmer of the original beauty of God’s handiwork.

- Look at the colors, the variety, the smells, the sounds that abound in His creation!

- The same God who created the galaxies also created every snowflake to be distinct from every other snowflake—no two are alike!

This tiny blue and green planet we live on is but a speck in the vastness God created.

Yet He singled it out to be the centerpiece of His creation, and made it in a most amazing way.

He was preparing a place for man.

- Consider:

Man has already probed some of the nearby planets and found them devoid of life. God has made the earth a very special place, with just the right amount of everything needed for life. Scientists are discovering how very precise our environment must be in order to sustain life. The earth is indeed a unique place — the planet that God prepared for man.

In His love, God had prepared a perfect place, a beautiful place, full of the most amazing and beautiful creations imaginable.

And He gave it all to man.

- We know what man did.

- God knew, even then, what was going to happen.

But God is loving and kind.

- In His love, He gave all of this perfect creation to man.

- And in that same love, He has given us His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our perfect Savior.

God has given us new life in Christ.

The salvation He has accomplished in Christ is perfect.

M. Conclusion

In the Bible, God gives us the true account of creation.

- No other explanation fits the facts of what we see in this world.

- You will find many interesting books about scientific discoveries that agree with the biblical record of creation.

- If you are interested, I can give you a list of resources.

- More than any other source, God’s Word itself is our most complete and reliable record of what happened in creation.

- God alone was there, and He has recorded it all for us.

Take time to look at His creation.

- He has made it for us to enjoy.

- Everything He has made can remind us of His character and His great love for us.

Let’s thank our Lord for His creation, and for Who He Is. And let’s thank Him for our salvation in Jesus Christ.

REVIEW QUESTIONS:

1. Who existed before the beginning?

2. Who took part in creation?

3. What materials did God use to make everything?

4. How could God make everything out of nothing?

5. Is there anything in your life, any need, any problem, that God doesn’t know about?

6. Who originated the laws of energy and matter, and all scientific laws?

7. What is the best source of truth about creation?

8. In the beginning, everything was created perfect. What does this reflect about the Creator?

Optional discussion questions:

9. Even though we live in a world that suffers from the effects of sin, what are some of the things that can remind us of the beauty of God’s creation and His love for us?

10. If we would daily look for reminders of the Lord and His love for us, and daily read His Word, how do you think that might affect our lives?

Notes for Disciples:

1) Memorize John 8:12.

2) Look for things around you that reflect our Creator, God. Regardless of where you live and work, you will find things to enjoy. Perhaps you will see wind-swept clouds, or new-fallen snow, or a child’s smile, or a flowering weed, or a colorful sunset. God gave them for us to enjoy.

Or, perhaps you enjoy mechanical or technical things. Think about this: if something works, it works because God made the laws of science that allow it to work! Watch a jet airplane take off. Turn on a computer. Take a drive in your car. All of these things operate on laws ordained by God.

Make a habit of looking for the handiwork of the Master Designer, and make a habit of praising Him for all the good things He has given us in creation.
If you enjoy writing, you may want to write down some of these aspects of God’s handiwork.

3) Continue to read the Gospel of John.

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Questions for the LFC Firm Foundations Coordinator may be emailed to firmfoundations@lenoxchurch.org

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Lesson content compliments of New Tribes Missions. Adaptations done by permission.