In The Beginning

How are you doing Summit search welcome at all of our campuses. Especially, I want to say welcome to most of our college students who have come back this weekend. We are grateful that you are back community had an awesome break. This could see everybody back here last weekend at the summit church would begin a new series going through the entire Bible.

The Bible intimidates a lot of people. There is so much in the Bible that seems hard to understand and sometimes even more difficult to apply to true story this week that I think completely encapsulates that Rupert Leary was one of her college pastor told me that a guy serving a campus outreach befriended this past semester, a graduate student from China studying abroad here in the United States. I will call this graduate student Lee. He showed lots of interest in the faith he literally had never heard about Jesus before last semester so we dove right in, begin to learn that this gospel I make a long story real really short it came to faith in Christ. Right before Christmas break last year. Well, just before he left to go home back to China for the Christmas break, the college pastor gives him his first English Mandarin Bible never owned Bible before his life. First time is put one in his hands and just as read this on your own. While you're back home well at New Year's this college pastor gets a text from Miss Johnny student regarding Genesis 17 where God tells Abraham the sign of the covenant between me and you is that you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin leave believe that this was a step of obedience that Christians were supposed to take. He read that morning. He walked into a clinic in China that afternoon and then sit this college pastor attacks that night to tell him that the deed was done. So I have two thoughts here 1 you have to admire this kid's commitment to follow Jesus like that might make for a good rallying call on campus. How far are you willing to follow Jesus you go with him to the gauntlet. Lee did number two.

It is possible to misunderstand or misapply parts of the Bible. Hopefully any misinterpretations that you have made. As you begun. Read the Bible this past week are not that painful but needless to say it can be intimidating to just pick up the Bible and say I'm going to read it and I'm going to obey everything that I see by the way, if you don't know what circumcision is your campus pastor would be absolutely overjoyed to stick around after service and explain to you everything there is to know about that.

Furthermore, while many of you have learned little bits and shards of Bible knowledge. Over the years. You never really brought it together in one unified whole, working to try to change that this year to take a whole year, about 50 or so messages just go through the whole Bible we are calling this series the whole story because that's what were going to see in all the stories all the commands all the genealogies all the characters there's really just one story that's been told and it's a story not about you and your life.

It's a story about Jesus. Once you I told you last week to really take this seriously answer to that in giving you a number of resources that use by the person here's the Jesus story, but Bible if you are in a family. I would encourage you to get this and just once a week. Read one of the stories in here and if you did I just say pretty much right along with me as I work my way to the Bible. If you're not in a family and you're just like you I'm a young professional or something, I will sicken kids booklet until it is hardly anything better. That's how that gives you the picture of the of of what's going on in the Bible understand we were out of them at our campuses last week but they have restocked themselves and so should have them come with also got one or two reading plans for you to choose from the JV plan will call it is in the newsletter.

You can tear it out it's one or two chapters a day that will keep you pretty much right in line with what I'm going to be doing and then there's the varsity plan which is every single verse of the Bible that you can read in a year and then one other thing I want to encourage you to do is to get into a small group, small groups are going to be. Most of them will study and write along with me as I go through to be able to go deeper into this comp stuff. There were learning small groups is the way that we connect and do community.

Many of you know that you need to be a part of one and this provides a perfect opportunity for you to do that and you'll hear more later on the service about how you can can do that if you have your Bibles I want you to take them out right now and I want you to open your Bibles to Genesis 11 Genesis 11. Last week we established that the Bible is not a book about you. This is often people's first and biggest mistake about the Bible. I explained they approach it like a manual on how to fix your life.

Let's like a Christian version of Aesop's fables or something like that practical advice for living, but I explained you. The Bible is not a book about you. It's a book about Jesus. Every character, every genealogy points to him or is the Jesus story, but Bible states. Every story whispers his name and I explained that the irony is when you see that that will fix your life. Or we might say like this, the point of the Bible is not to tell you how to fix your life.

The point of the Bible is to fix your eyes on Jesus. And when that happens, his power will begin to fix your life where you're going to see this simple message introduced in the very first verses of Genesis. Genesis 1 verse one here with me as I go through it in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void and darkness was over the face of the deep and the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, let there be lights and there was light. Tim Keller says that in these three verses you can see three things that were present before creation began, each of which that has profound implications on how we live three things present before creation. Here we go number one before the creation there was God there was God in the beginning God you say well, but you may not realize how unique this is in creation accounts and most other ancient creation accounts.

The universe comes from something there usually multiple gods in our universe is the result of some cosmic battle. According to one myth. For example, the human race arises from the blood of the slain God, and another when they're created from the remains of the dead sea monster in these accounts. Humans are typically an accident or an afterthought. The result of larger cosmic forces that have nothing to do with them yet.

In the book of Genesis. Everything starts with one God who creates all by himself out of nothing. Theologians call this creation ex me hello or in Latin creation out of nothing in Isaiah 4424 says that when God created the earth, he stretched out the heavens all alone. He was all by himself. Nobody was with them. He took counsel with no one, not the angels. Nobody it all comes from him and it all exist for him and then Genesis says something else. It says that God made man and woman in his own image. Genesis 126 then God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Verse 27 so God created man in his own image in the image of God he created him male and female he created them. Here's what all that means if all things come from God and God made us in his image are two things that we will only ever be able to find in him. The first is the measure of our lives, and by measure. I mean, what is good what is bad and what life's purpose is atheist. You see, have a problem. Many of them know it because it's been pointed out by many of the best atheist philosophers, guys like Friedrich Nietzsche and Jean Paul Sartre hi Michi and Sartre.

By the way are my favorite atheist of all because they forced their atheism to its bitter logical conclusion, Sartre said that the atheist problem starts with good news.

The good news he says is once you dispense with God you can do whatever you want, guilt free, with no dread of retribution if you get away with it on earth will get away with it for forever. The bad news. He says, however, is that when you get rid of God, you lose all intellectual bases for declaring anything to be inherently right or wrong.

You see, in order to say something that is something is right or wrong. You have to have a standard to which you are comparing it to say something is against the design you have to know what the design is and if the universe is simply randomly colliding material particles then there can't be any designer purpose – there can be no right or wrong, you might argue, practically speaking, that certain things seem more useful for the human race based on your vantage point, of course, but that's different than saying that something is inherently wrong or evil. You may feel that genocide is wrong. For example, why just because you think is more useful of the human race are not to be genocide well. The Nazis had a different opinion and you might argue that they were wrong in that calculation that is different than saying that the strong targeting the week for extinction is evil and what's special about the human race.

Anyway, why should it survive. Why not let survival of the fittest do its work on this. You say, well, whatever the majority of people think is right.

That's what's right and that's what should be the law really where does that leave the slave living in the American South in the 1840s when the majority assumes that their oppression is what's most useful for society where does that leave the Jew in the 1930s in Europe if the Nazis had one and convince everyone of the superiority of the Aryan race that it made Jewish oppression right for the atheist. There is no such thing as true beauty again things from just things that we become programmed to believe are useful for us. Let me now quote for my least favorite atheist Richard Dawkins is the soundbite atheist and he says this in a quote when you look at certain scenery. You think it is beautiful because your ancestors believe that there was food out there in that particular neurological feature that help them survive has now come down to you, and that's the reason that you see certain things is beautiful.

Honestly, just ask yourself do you buy that to you but if you do any really do that.

I have a lot of respect for you because that just doesn't make sense with life that feeling that you have. Looking out of the sunset around a starry night is just about finding food. We would start to remind you a Twinkie or something. I just don't understand that. No, there is something in us that says that's absurd or that love that you feel for your kids or your spouse. Do you honestly believe that it is only what Richard Dawkins says that it is just a conditioned response that our genes have programmed us to make in order to propagate our DNA faster than our neighbors.

Try putting that on a Hallmark card right. My jeans think you are useful for the propagation of my DNA. I would make out doesn't have quite a romantic thing to it as it for the atheist things cannot be beautiful in themselves. They should only be useful. BC Christians believe that things are good and beautiful because they reflect the image of their creator. The sunset is beautiful because it displays for us a beautiful God, and it makes us yearn for him.

So when you see that beauty the sunset. Your heart is supposed to cry out God, you're a lazy nor amazing your amazing how majestic is your name in all the earth, how you set your glory above the heavens, which was in Salomé, but you should read in your Bible reading plan yesterday. The reason we long for justice and the reason we cherish. Love is because we are made in the image of God have a God who is just and whose love is never ending. So because we come from God.

God provides the measure for our lives.

And then because we come from God. We also find our meaning in him. That's the second thing you see the human heart is designed so that it only works when God is at the center.

The way the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes and the Bible said it is that God is put eternity in our hearts. What that means is that every man and woman boy girl has this yearning in them that says there's something more than just what I see here on earth. A philosopher quote lightning Blaise Pascal said it you probably heard this before, he says, in every human heart. There is a there is that there there is a holders of vacuum avoid these and we spent all of her life and figure out what goes into that vacuum. He says he says it first for your kid, you think it's the love of your parents and you think mom and dad approved me that I'll be happy as you get older you turn to romantic love.

Sexual love get older still. You think now it's going to be in money is going to be in the praise of people. It's got to be a success unit. A lot of people without turning Sue on alcohol, drugs and sensual pleasure.

He says, but no matter what we try and like nothing ever seems to work because that hole was in the shape of God himself is a God sized hole with a God shaped hole in until we get God in the right place.

We always think that happiness just around the corner.

I'm not happy yet, but I know I'll do it when I achieve this, but until you find God, you haven't found the purpose for your life until you find God, life is like a tool. A tool that you just don't quite know what it's for. Veronica and I moved into in our family moved into our house.

The you know that the previous owner should take everything out, but there was one key sitting on the mantle is a very odd shaped key, but we could not for the life of us figure out what went sick so we spent all that the three months just wants to connect he and the things seem what would we would work in nothing working in erotic adventures.

I've also like you to throw it away from like Fort Scott encoded something. It's not just there randomly. It's gotta go to some well known. So we kept well winter comes and gets cold and we want to make a fire and you open the flu to keep the key codes to the foot. Honestly, I was a little disappointed that I was hoping it will be some like treasure chest. I would pull is on board and like launch memo national treasure and I get to be Nicolas Cage or curse of the like that but alas it was not to be, but the key had a purpose it makes sense to get down the purpose is. That's what life is like until You Find Your Pl. in God. You know that is designed for something that you just not quite sure what it is yet CS Lewis says that this is one of the most powerful arguments there is for the existence of God. Now when I quit CS Lewis or some y'all that I like that and others.

We all like oh he makes my head hurt. Just send me this is an easy one. Okay Lewis as a baby feels hunger. Well, there such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim well there is such a thing as water men feel sexual desire. Well, there such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures can satisfy that yearning well earthly pleasures were never never really met the satisfy but only to arouse it only to suggest the real thing. You see what the Bible teaches you is that you that beauty that you yearn for the son said that sense of peace. That sense of eternity.

When you look out into the stars is there because God made it. And God made it as a whisper and an echo of him because you are made in the image of God, you will never find your place in life until you have found yourself in God.

Everything is from him, it finds its measure and its meaning in him.

Everything is for him it all exist for his glory, you were created for God's glory. You exist for it. And one day you will be measured by how much you lived up to that and I can promise you will only be fulfilled to the measure to the extent that you embrace the fact that you were created for God's glory you want created for you.

You were created for sensual pleasures. You want even creative for romance. You were created for God and the arms that you were searching for in romance. Actually, his arms, when you figure that out, life starts to make a lot of sense number two before the creation there was love for the creation there was love. When we say this in verse 26, God says, let us make man in our image religious it will who is us. Ryan's anybody else in creation. Fact number.

Isaiah $44,000 all by himself loose. Who else within their that's a great question about the Genesis 1 what you see is that in the first three verses of Genesis. What Christians call the Trinity that God one God, one essence of God existed in three persons, as they are very first person to Genesis.

But in the beginning God the father created the heavens and the earth and the spirit of God.

There's your Holy Spirit was hovering over the face of the waters literally in Hebrew. It's like a dove was fluttering over the waters.

And God said God spoke.

That's the word. The word is the means by which God created everything you say. Well I can see God the father and I see spirit of God. When you get like God said, and that equals a word. Another great question John chapter 1, when we got when the author John the apostle is going to introduce Jesus Christ to you the starts by going back and recording Genesis and he just substitute to be things of you in the beginning was the word is right, and the Word was with God the Word was God.

There's a Trinity, God is God, but is also with God. He was in the beginning with God all things were made through him without him was not anything made that was made to the word that God use of the father used to create everything was Jesus from the very first chapter you see evidence that God is a Trinity three persons existing 1B and I know that's hard to understand and know when you feel thing about you mantle exited and exploded employee to figure out which one of the best we can do is come up with analogies and problem analogies avail break down when you press them very far.

But here's what it means for us in God's very essence from the very beginning. These existed in relationship God didn't create us because we he was lonely he created us as an overflow with his love.

The apostle Paul in fact will say that the best analogy that we have for the Trinity's marriage for the appliances marriage and God created marriage is a depiction of the Trinity and there's got to persons that come together in one new essence and by the way out of the new essence comes a child in a good marriage. You don't have kids because you're lonely you have kids schedule only marriage you a scrub kid, you're supposed to bring the kid into a loving union that the love between the man and the wife spills out into on that relationship what that's what we see in Genesis God's love in the Trinity spills out on the campus of the universe and then he invites his creation and that love. That's all. One of the phrases you see repeated throughout Genesis 1 is the phrase, and God saw and God saw what I phrases all through their because God is like a good parent.

What a good parents do they watch their kids all the time.

That's awesome of you ladies in your nanny cam right now and you will recheck in three times. I just want to know everything was going on now is not a home but you want to meet us.

You want to see you and all the gurgling know their look at this a smile. God loved his creation like a daddy to just watching everything that was going on but away the most comfort in just depth of meditation to think about that phrase this week, so God cease.

Are you going to financial difficulty.not distant God sees it but you gone to a heartbreaker. Somebody betrayed you.

Are you worried your body and paint God sees it is not a distant father.

He is a God that is close, you have not been forgotten. Genesis 1 screams at you. Genesis 1 is an overflow, the love of God you can see that even in the literary structure of the chapter she Genesis 1 is not just a straightforward recounting of the facts. Genesis 1 is a very artistically written piece is all this repetition and patter each of the days of creation is told with this pattern where and God said, and then God saw it and it was good in the evening in the morning were the first day for something like a poem or a song. Maybe the best equivalent we have in English as a spoken word repeating and it was good.

At the end of each phrases like say it, when it come, when it in Hebrew. That's how you say here that the Chronicles of Narnia. CS Lewis presents creation happening is acyl in the line representing Jesus singing the song of joy and intimacy in the Trinity in creation just spills out of that song. Here's what that means for you practically wasn't because we are created in the image of a God who exists in love just like our lives will never be complete until God is at the center our lives will also never be complete until we are living in loving community with others.

The path of godliness always leads toward community always the path of godlessness always leads toward isolation the path of godliness leads toward relationships and commitment and things like small groups minimally talk to you for a minute on specifically because as we get older. His men. Men tend to get more more isolated. I do start with an absence of friends. Think about your dad for a minute. Can you name his friends. If you're average. You can't renew your mom's friends were but you don't know your dad's friends were. You probably didn't have any.

Eventually we pulled inward from our wives. That always leads to destruction, and on helping us. Proverbs 1824 and isolated man seeks his own desire and rages against all sound judgment where I was to be the quote from David Palace and things that grow in a secret garden. Always grow mutants whenever you're isolated whenever it secret it will grow mutant. Not because you're a bad person because that's how God designed you to be with him relationship when that's not bear UD form God created our hearts and lives to work only when we are in deep committed community with others you know that by the way, you know, that instinctively just ask yourself how much different would your life have been if you had grown up in community.

What difference would have made in your home growing up.

If you're your parents and your family had been surrounded by godly community would have prevented your parents divorce. Would your dad's life have been like if he had close friends who were speaking into his life supporting him in difficult times.

Speaking wise and godly counsel how much different would your life be if you had been in community as you got older. What stupid mistakes which you have avoided if there were just people around you that were saying don't do that.

That is Don Bill do that. I know the tribe don't go that path.

How much better would your life be in the days to come. If you had community that was walking with you through every situation you go through speaking words of comfort and strength and power don't you inherently know that community leads to life, but you know that the reason that you know that is because it's an inherent part of God's life to and you're made in God's image and that's why your life and never be complete until you're in a deep committed community. I realize that things like small groups can be messy are also sometimes is easier. People know the jump is going on in your life, but I'm just telling you that your life will always be deformed and will always be unhealthy when you're not in the kind of relationships God created you to be in before I go on a number three. Let me stop here to answer the two biggest questions that I get on Genesis 1 and two, because I have to answer them and because they seem of all the places of the message they seem to fit.

Mr. Wright who they are, first, for some people. They point out that there appear to be two different creation accounts is one Genesis 1 and there's a second one in Genesis 2, and some of the order the details is different between Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, Mr. was this a contradiction like I pointed out just a moment ago.

Genesis 1 is an artistic rendering Genesis 2 is like an essay. Genesis 1 is not meant primarily to be a historical documentation of the facts. Genesis 1 is meant to be a poetic celebration.

That doesn't mean that it is un-factual, just that its purpose is celebration, not documentation.

This is actually a really common pattern in Scripture.

For example, in Exodus 14 we have a narrative describing Israel's escape from Egypt of the Red Sea, but in Exodus 15, you have the celebration of that event was song that Miriam wrote in Judges chapter 4, you have the documentation of a battlement. Deborah and Connie Barack had over the Canaanites in Judges chapter 5 you have a song. The song of Deborah celebrating that victory.

It doesn't mean that Judges for his history in Judges 5 is a myth. There is a history of judges for the documentation and then the celebration of Judges 5 that fit together. The same is true. Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, Genesis 1 is the poem that celebrates the who and the why of creation. You're not supposed alignment too often try to compare details as if the author who put Genesis 1 and two back to back was so dumb that he didn't know what a contradiction was see you have to interpret Scripture the way that it's written which leads to an even bigger question and that is does Genesis 1 teach that God created the world in seven literal 24 hour days or does each day.

Maybe represent millions of years and maybe God use things like evolution is a part of the creation process. Or maybe it's a mixture of the two. And what about the dinosaurs where they fit into this whole thing right now. A lot of Christians get really passionate and print out a safe on this question. I put this question is in the Jesus Democrat or Republican category of questions and I do not want to disappoint you, but I'm not going to answer those questions in detail here not because I'm a wimp, not just because I am aware the listen because speaking solely from the realm of Bible interpretation solely from around the Bible interpretation. I don't think you can use the text of Genesis 1 to come to a rock solid conclusion on that question.

You see again whenever you interpret something in the Bible, you have to ask why it was written before you press it for answers.

Genesis 1 is an artistic expression celebrating creation.

It's pretty obvious that the author of Genesis 1 did not have in mind the scientific nuances of creation and evolution in debate when he wrote Genesis 1. The focus of Genesis 1 is not how he created that he created the age of the earth is a question for scientists and theologians to explore together, but I don't think you can use Genesis 1 to slam the door shut on either option, listen. I knew godly God-fearing scientist to think that God use the processes of evolution to accomplish just about everything and I know some others that are RRR very well educated what some of the finest institutions in the land to say that God specially created the big things and then let the processes of natural selection available to help a lot of it from there into notepad away, but there's positions have been held throughout church history.

You go back to the early church fathers. By that I mean the guys who live in the first 500 years of the church got like our Naess, Athanasius, Augustine. They believe that the days of Genesis 1 were not literal days. But represent long periods of time is not a literal week. I would encourage you is to get into the questions study it out with an open Bible and an open mind and not look at others is a key part with disdain who are struggling with the question like you are. You see people in our church who believe in literal 24 hour days, sometimes look about you don't and safe compromiser you're an enemy of the faith. You only believe the Bible and that's not always true and on the other side. People who believe that it's not literal 24 hour days will say back to them with disdain, you primitive knuckle dragging Neanderthal you prove the existence of cavemen because you're as dumb as one.

But that's not true. All the talking. Many of them are very well read and are just wrestling with the implications of science and theology. The point is to have this discussion charitably and not turn into dogma. A question that Scripture did not intend to settle in for the 12 of you out there who are thinking will find an answer the question now I'll just email him and ask him later and I'll get the real answer then I have two things to say to you everyone I know who you are and I've already got filters on my email sent for you okay number two.

This is my real answer and number three.

My email address is Hank Murphy at seminar. Do you know what we know. Genesis 1 takes off the table is this idea that everything in the world was created to some blind random forces were nothing times. Nobody equals everything.

By the way science takes that off the table. Also but for sure. Genesis 1 does right so it was God's love for those you like. I hate these intellectual sermons .3 is really touchy-feely. Come right on that yet.

Okay so were were done with that number three before the creation God is love. Number three. There was darkness for the creation there was darkness.

Genesis 11 again in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, empty, darkness was over the face of the deep. And then God says, let there be light and everything began like this second phase of creation now is kind of odd because it seems like God has intentionally intentionally first created a dark, empty mass and only then after creating this dark and the mass.

Only then does the word go to work so significant because God is trying to show us two things are so important for us as we show in his reason, God did that on purpose. A.

Because the word brings order out of chaos for God is trying to show us the word of God. God brings order to the chaos of creation why God do it that way to show us in the same way our lives are a formless dark void until God's word comes in during life and peace and beauty in order and when his word departs from our lives, our lives to send back in the chaos shows you this just a couple months ago them. The writer of Genesis, Moses second book Exodus shows you this process in reverse in Genesis 1, you got God's word bringing order out of chaos.

In Exodus, you got Pharaoh rejecting God's word is of God sends to each of the 10 plagues. I told you at first maybe come to think of him pledges like him really bad. Matt tricks that God did to punish Pharaoh but if you look deeper. That's there's more to it than that, there's a very logical natural progression to the blanks in the first letter now turns to blood. So out of the Nile turned blood from the frog from an altar from the Nats from the Nats from the disease from the disease comes a boiled in the sun darkens its itself. Listen creation is unraveling, and is appointed to be made is not just that God has power. It got a just wanted to prove to Pharaoh that he had power in emotions to the commands that I've word from God and levitated writer can put the Darth Vader chokehold on Pharaoh or some that would approve and but the point is not simply that God has power.

The point is that sin creates in Genesis 1, God brings order out of chaos and the plagues of Exodus sin causes order to descend back into chaos. The word of God creates sin D creates and the same is true in your life right.

Sin has destroyed some of your lives. That's why you're bound up in an addiction and that's why your family is all messed up. That's why your self-image is is all torn apart is because sin has come in and brought chaos and disorder and it's messed you up emotionally.

Plaintiff messed you up relationally, pennies just torn your life apart, which is why there's a B that you're supposed to learn from it. The author is showing us that the word will one day redeem what sin has destroyed now should do this already to where the story gets really good as John chapter 1, the apostle John starts with creation and then puts a twist on it. Don 11 in the beginning was the word Lord is good to be Jesus. That's the word of the gospel of John.

The word was with God the Word was God all things are made to him that it was not anything made that was made in him was life and the life was the light of men and not life in light stepped into a world of darkness where sin had caused chaos and distraction and what you see is that Jesus's ministry is a series of him putting creation back together again so he begins to heal diseases because they heal diseases and opens blind eyes, literal dark, and he makes the lame walk and then you can walk on top of water showing that he is got power over a chaotic dark world is going to forgive adulterers and thieves and remove their shame and transform them into new people so greedy thieves like Zaki has become excessively generous people and people that are bound up in impurity and adultery. They become people who live with generosity and character to raise the dead, and what you see is that wherever sin had left a dark void. Jesus stepped in and said, let there be light and life again.

But then at the end of his life. At the end of the gospel of John. The strangest thing happens.

The one who is the life of the light goes back to the darkness and chaos. When Jesus dies the earth literally shakes his like it's coming unraveled again in a midnight like darkness falls upon the earth in the middle of the day, the Spirit of God quits hovering above him in that Jesus will look up and say my God my God why you forsaken me because God turned his face away and it's the greatest mystery. Jesus, the architect of the most beautiful creation is put into the darkness and void of sin so that we who had rejected the word could have light in life again to his death and his blood. Jesus allowed himself to be created on the cross so we could be re-created in the resurrection model is like the best part of the gospel.

Johnny points out a few things that just withdraws like details of the really important in light of Genesis 1 John point out that Jesus died on the six day a week Friday, but what else happened on the sixth day. That's when man was created like Jesus is bringing them into the curse of that creation within Jesus's resurrection from the dead on the first day on Sunday of the new week.

So when he is beginning a new creation and then when Jesus in the Gospel of John perceives his disciples to do something that's really odd you probably just dismiss it when you read it was like it's just that you weird Hebrew custom, Jesus finds his disciples, he walked up in her face any breeze on your like, well, that's about will do that anymore even into it, then either he is breathing into their nostrils the breath of life, so that man can again become a living soul existed receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus is beginning the new creation. What that means is that if your life has been destroyed by sin.

If you're bound in addiction. If you walk in darkness if your family is unraveling. If you turn to God by faith in Christ will make all things new and that just happens by the process of him putting his word back inside of you. It's a gradual process it didn't happen all at once as the word comes into your life and light, ensure you again. I'm not saying that immediately.

When that happens that all your families going to get put back together. I'm just trying to help you see that your real problem in life is not your family, your problem is not your job. Your problem is not annoying people. Your problem is not even your addiction. Your problem is you have a dark heart that is dead and separated from God and that has colored everything in your life.

Jesus can calm and make it new. When you receive his power through his blood, to resurrect you and forgive you and save you the first three verses of the book of Genesis shows you what God is up to in the world. It shows us that were made for him were created for relationship and that his word brings life in order out of darkness and chaos.

Let me conclude all this by showing you what that means for you in your role in life. You see you and are made in his image. If you were only answer the question of what is it mean to be in God's image in Genesis 1.

Would you answer what is God doing in Genesis 1. He's creating 12 times in Genesis 1 creates so if you are saying I'm in his image, and he's a creator, it means that we are co-creators, what you find in Genesis 1 to this is really important is that God puts us into a world that is incomplete. It is imperfect single garden garden needs to be developed.

Plans may be planted and cultivated. That's why the word the phrase a God used over and over again in Genesis 1 is God solid and it was good as or not good is good, good, not perfect. Perfect means cannot be improved upon. Good means raw materials that are so smart. It can be done where the Trinity before this. We got to my wife she comes back to campus 10 o'clock when you see her woman brought her hair or makeup close literally perfect and you cannot improve upon that woman. When I wake up next to her in the morning. She's good okay raw materials are all there, but there's development God puts man into an imperfect world. It's good to us in this is your cocreator, I want to make you my image so that some of you to be skilled contractors and you can take the raw materials of sand and cement buildings that people can live in summer you going to take the raw materials of music in color and you can put together beautiful art and some even take the raw materials and justice and you put together codified laws are to be lawyers, and make you my image and you go throughout the world creating away the blessings of the people know and and as Christians we are also bearers of his word, which means that we go into the darkness and the chaos in the void of sin, and wherever there is darkness and chaos. We speak light and life. Wherever there is brokenness on the church. There ought to be members of the summit church there.

Speaking that means in impoverished neighborhoods.

That means in racial tension discussions in open places of oppression wherever there is poverty or disease. The devastation of war and every refugee community in the Triangle and every refugee community around the world and unreached people group. We we are bearers of the word that winglike and life and re-create what sin has destroyed that's how you understand what you're supposed to do in life that is two-part: every Christian is how we save some whatever you're good at doing well. The glory of God Mike Germain God's image made you good at something. Whatever you're good at doing well to the glory of God and do it somewhere strategic for the mission of God that is means be a place where there is darkness and chaos so that you can speak light and life.

Are you living out that calling.

She Genesis 1 ask you these questions. Do you know God disease why you were created to why your life that makes sense. You and community you need to get into a small group. This is word present in your life transforming you was at the center of your life's offer of salvation. That's how he makes you new are you extending that word to others.

Are you going into the places of darkness and preaching is like who are you supposed to be telling about Jesus, whose empty dark life are you supposed to be speaking like once you bow your heads are with me at all of our campuses. If you would let me encourage you before God for you – there's questions you know God to the gospel of God.

Most of the gospel hear the gospel is that your sin, your decisions have separated you from God. That's why you're in darkness Jesus God son loves you so much and want you to perish in darkness. He came to earth to die in your darkness and in your punishment for you mean offers a free gift of salvation to all who will receive and you can earn it. You just have to receive it as a gift ever. If not, you can just use this prayer to God and I surrender myself to you, and I received your offer of some human community. That's a decision you make this year to be different for me and my family really not attend church and we can become a part of this community. Maybe your kids need to be more join a small group living out your calling, preaching the gospel to others who should you be telling about. We pray that you have your way. As we see who you are. Genesis 1 we learn, we thank you God. We are in your image.

Thank you for your word pray in Jesus name you gave your head about all of our campuses are worsening, and the leaders