24-0107a Transcript

Preacher: Mike Mathis

(1:11) Good morning to those that are present physically (1:19) and those who are on the phone.

(1:24) We are pleased that you are here. (1:30) And six days ago a new year began. (1:41) And when we look at our bulletin on the backside (1:48) and on top it says a new beginning.

(1:56) So since we are thinking of the beginning of a new year, (2:02) a new beginning, (2:04) I thought that I would talk about the beginning. (2:13) But now in the concordance, looking up beginning, (2:20) there’s a lot of scriptures that could be used for beginning. (2:25) But I’m going to use three passages of scripture (2:30) that has in or at the beginning.

(2:37) Two of them have in. (2:39) The third one has at the beginning. (2:42) We’re going to talk about that.

(2:47) Now perhaps you may be ahead of me here. (2:52) I’m going to first of all talk about in the beginning. (3:01) You know, we see that things do have a beginning, (3:07) such as time, life, each day, each new year.

(3:18) And there is one who has no beginning or end. (3:24) And we’ll discover this one. (3:29) But Genesis 1-1 says in the beginning.

(3:36) This is when time began. (3:41) This is when we began things. (3:49) But it also says God in the beginning.

(3:56) Now there are people that do not believe in God. (4:04) They believe that this world just came into being (4:11) millions or billions of years ago, (4:15) just happened to come into existence (4:21) without one who has a mind. (4:27) Genesis 1-1 says in the beginning God.

(4:34) Moses, when he was talking to the children of Israel (4:39) before they went over into the land of Canaan, (4:44) he speaks of God as the Eternal God. (4:51) He speaks of Him as the Eternal God in Deuteronomy 32-27. (5:01) In Psalm 41-13, the Psalm will speak of God (5:09) from everlasting to everlasting.

(5:14) Now think of that. (5:16) God existed, has always existed. (5:22) We are controlled by time, but God isn’t (5:28) because He was always in existence (5:36) in the beginning God created.

(5:41) There’s another word made that may appear (5:47) in this account of the beginning. (5:52) Made, created, made. (5:56) They are used interchangeably.

(6:01) He created the heavens and the earth. (6:08) He created the heavens and the earth in six days. (6:15) Now some would like to make these days (6:20) in eons of time, (6:23) but when we really read Genesis, (6:29) each day is spoken of as the evening and the morning (6:36) was the first day.

(6:40) The evening and the morning was the second day. (6:45) The evening and the morning was the third day, (6:49) and on till the sixth day. (6:56) And when the sixth day was passed, it says, (7:04) and God saw everything that He had made, (7:08) and behold, it was very good.

(7:12) And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (7:18) He created the heavens and the earth in six days. (7:27) Now the atheist, the unbeliever, rules out God.

(7:38) But the tragic thing is, (7:42) the some who believe in God want to say (7:50) that God started the creation, (7:57) and then things just fell into place. (8:02) And I was asked on a couple of occasions, (8:09) Well when we read Genesis, this account here in Genesis, (8:15) can we say that that’s the way God started it? (8:22) That God started and things just fell into place? (8:26) Well let’s see if we can. (8:29) Now I’m going to read Genesis 1-31 that I just read, (8:34) and then Genesis 2-1-3.

(8:40) I’m going to read this, and then we’re going to find out something. (8:44) And God saw everything that He had made, (8:50) and behold, it was very good. (8:52) And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

(8:57) Thus, the heavens and the earth were finished, (9:02) and all the hosts of them. (9:06) And on the seventh day God rested, (9:09) or God ended His work which He had made. (9:14) And He rested on the seventh day (9:19) from all His work which He had made.

(9:23) And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, (9:28) because that in it He had rested from all His work, (9:35) which God created and made. (9:42) It says in this that God made, (9:49) and that the heavens and the earth were finished. (9:55) God finished His work from the first day to the sixth day, (10:01) and He rested on the seventh day.

(10:08) Now again, for those who want to make these days into eons of time, (10:18) notice here that it says that God sanctified that day, the seventh day. (10:28) He rested on the seventh day (10:35) when He gave the law to the Israelites (10:41) after they came out of Egypt and they were there at Mount Sinai. (10:48) He gave to Moses the Ten Commandments.

(10:55) One of those Ten Commandments is, (10:58) remember the seventh day. (11:03) And it was for the children of Israel. (11:08) It was for those that came out of Egypt.

(11:14) And He said that they were to work six days, (11:20) and they were to rest on the seventh day, (11:23) which is on the seventh day. (11:26) Now the question is, (11:29) did these Israelites understand Moses to say, (11:35) you are to work six eons of time, (11:40) and you are to rest on the seventh eon of time? (11:46) No. (11:50) They want to take the days that are mentioned here (11:57) into eons of time.

(12:00) But again, just like I say, (12:01) each day is said that evening and morning were the first day and so on. (12:13) And we find that God completed His work, (12:20) and God rested on the seventh day. (12:26) Now, we find the creation of man in Genesis 1, 26 through 30.

(12:45) And God said, (12:47) Let us make man in our image after our likeness, (12:51) and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, (12:58) and over the fowl of the air, (13:01) and over the cattle, (13:02) and over all the earth, (13:04) and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (13:09) So God created man in His own image. (13:16) In the image of God created He male and female, (13:22) created He them.

(13:25) And God blessed them, (13:27) and God said unto them, (13:29) Be fruitful and multiply, (13:32) and replenish the earth, (13:33) and subdue it, (13:35) and have dominion over the fish of the sea, (13:38) and over the fowl of the air, (13:40) and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (13:46) And God said, (13:47) Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, (13:53) which is upon the face of all the earth, (13:56) and every tree, (13:59) in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed. (14:05) To you it shall be for meat, or food.

(14:12) To every beast of the earth, (14:16) and to every fowl of the air, (14:19) and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, (14:23) wherein there is life, (14:26) I have given every green herb for meat. (14:30) And it was so. (14:32) And God saw everything that He made was very good.

(14:39) And the evening and the morning were the six days. (14:44) So now, God said that He would create man. (14:50) The evolutionists say man came from animals, (14:57) came from a one-celled animal.

(15:01) There are different things stated. (15:05) They’re not for sure how to say that they came from. (15:11) But for the evolutionists, we came from a one-celled and developed.

(15:21) And then we came from an ape. (15:30) You know, God made all the animals. (15:37) He took the fifth and the first part of the six days to create the animals.

(15:46) Those that are in the sea, (15:48) those that are flying in the air, (15:52) those that creep upon the earth, (15:55) all the animals He created. (15:58) But then God, on the second half of the six days, said, (16:08) Let us make man in our image. (16:13) Now, God is spirit.

(16:17) That’s what Jesus told this American woman in the fourth chapter of John. (16:27) He said, God is spirit. (16:33) And we are in His image.

(16:35) We have a spirit. (16:40) He gives us spirit. (16:43) And He made us created man (16:47) and gave to Him rule over the animals, (16:54) the plants, all the creation that He had made.

(17:02) Now, let’s look at Genesis 2-7, (17:08) the scripture reading that was read in your hearing by Tom Fried. (17:16) It says, And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, (17:24) and he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, (17:29) and man became a living soul. (17:32) So, it is a description of how man was formed (17:42) and he had the breath of life breathed into his nostrils (17:52) and man became a living soul.

(17:56) Now, when we read down in this second chapter, (18:07) we find that the animals were brought to Adam (18:14) and Adam gave names to these animals. (18:20) But for Adam there was not found an help need for him. (18:29) Now, if these unbelievers would pay attention to this, (18:36) they would see that man did not come from an animal, a lowly animal.

(18:46) They have purely set this aside. (18:53) And the Lord God then caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, (19:02) and he slept, and he took one of his ribs (19:06) and closed up the flesh instead thereof. (19:12) And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man (19:17) made he a woman and brought her unto the man.

(19:23) And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. (19:31) She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. (19:41) If anything that we could say was taken out of anything, (19:45) it was woman taken out of man.

(19:49) Not mankind out of the animals (19:53) because God made the animals separate from man. (20:02) You see, these evolutionists have a problem that they can’t answer. (20:08) Well now, if man descended from the lowly animal, (20:14) how in the world did he become so smart? (20:19) Why is it that he has so much rule over the animals? (20:28) They might give some kind of an answer, but it won’t be satisfactory.

(20:33) Why can’t they believe that God created man (20:39) and gave him dominion over the animals? (20:51) The next passage that I want to look at is John 1.1. (21:04) It starts out, In the beginning was the Word, (21:10) and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (21:22) Now, we see that the Word, there was the Word. (21:29) It says, God said, Let there be light, and there was light.

(21:37) Let us make a firmament. (21:42) The firmament was made, the firmament, the expanse, (21:47) in what we call the sky. (21:50) That is, the Word says that there was the Word in the beginning, (22:04) and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

(22:12) Now, we’re going to find something about this. (22:17) Continuing on, it says, The same was in the beginning with God. (22:23) All things were made by him, and without him was not anything that was made.

(22:32) Dropping down to verse 14, it says, The Word was made flesh. (22:43) Now, if we’re at all familiar with this, with the Bible, (22:52) we know that this Word that became flesh, that is Jesus. (23:02) He’s the one that we’re talking about.

(23:06) And notice here that Jesus existed before he was born. (23:17) If he was in the beginning, and all things were made by him, (23:25) he was in the beginning. (23:27) He was with God, he was God.

(23:33) And we read that Jesus is our creator. (23:46) But we have the prophecy that there would be a Messiah coming, (23:53) and that he would establish a kingdom and such. (24:01) And then we find in Matthew 1, beginning with verse 21 through 25, (24:12) it says, And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus.

(24:22) For he shall save his people from their sins. (24:26) Now, all this was done that it might be fulfilled, (24:31) which was spoken of the Lord by the prophets, saying, (24:39) Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, (24:46) that shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. (24:59) Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, (25:08) and took unto him his wife, and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son.

(25:19) And he called his name Jesus. (25:23) Even within this first chapter, we have him spoken of in the 14th verse. (25:36) And the word was made flesh, and dropped among us.

(25:42) And we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father, (25:47) full of grace and truth. (25:51) Jesus is referred to as the only begotten Son of God in the Bible. (26:04) And so thus we find him being our creator.

(26:11) And Jesus is our creator. (26:14) And as Colossians 1, 16 and 17, we find that through him was the world made. (26:30) And it was for him, a speaking of Jesus.

(26:35) It was speaking of Jesus in this first chapter of Colossians 16. (26:43) The wrong chapter here. (26:45) I wrote the wrong chapter.

(26:48) Now this is all talking about Jesus, referring to him. (26:54) For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, (27:02) visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. (27:10) All things were created by him and for him.

(27:16) And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (27:25) So we find not only that Jesus is our creator, but there’s something else. (27:33) In this first chapter of John, we want to notice about the Godhead.

(27:45) Now there are some people that have a hard time dealing with the Godhead (27:57) and how many persons God is. (28:05) Now let’s just watch this. (28:07) We found out that when he talks about Jesus and he speaks of Jesus Christ, (28:17) he speaks to him as the only begotten son.

(28:22) In verse 14, he speaks of the only begotten of the Father. (28:29) So we have the Father and we have the Son. (28:33) And then in John 1, 32 and 33, it is recorded, this is speaking of John the Baptist (28:46) when he was baptizing.

(28:49) He says in verse 31, (28:51) And I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest to Israel. (28:59) Therefore I am come baptizing with water. (29:03) Actually, 32 and 33.

(29:07) It says, (29:08) And John both records saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, (29:17) and it abode upon him. (29:19) And I knew him not, but he that sent me to baptize with water. (29:26) The same said unto me, (29:29) Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, (29:36) the same as he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost.

(29:42) Now, here is something that I thought about when I was, (29:51) when we were studying this book of John. (29:55) Now when I am reading in Genesis, (30:00) I read in Genesis 1 verse 2, (30:05) And the Spirit of God moved upon the waters, upon the face of the waters. (30:15) And then where it says, (30:18) Let us now.

(30:25) God said, (30:27) And the Holy Spirit moved upon the waters. (30:31) And it said, (30:32) Let us make man in our image. (30:34) There has to be at least two there.

(30:39) But when I read what John says in John 1, (30:47) I find out there are three in the Godhead. (30:54) We eventually will find out that that’s true. (30:57) Jesus, when he was giving the Great Commission, (31:02) In Matthew the 28th chapter, (31:06) Told his disciples to go into all the world and teach all nations, (31:14) Baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

(31:23) There we have the three. (31:27) And you know, it is terrible to find out that some people are amazed to hear Godhead. (31:36) Because they want God to be one person.

(31:43) There are three personalities in the Godhead. (31:46) The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (31:54) But now, I am going to offer the invitation, (31:59) And we’re going to begin the second part of this, (32:09) Looking at the beginning.

(32:12) We’re going to talk more on this. (32:16) But right now, I’m going to give the invitation (32:19) For those that desire to, (32:23) If they need to put Jesus on, (32:28) Through faith, to be baptized, (32:36) And put on Jesus. (32:39) As it says in Galatians 3, 27, (32:43) It says, (32:45) We are all baptized, for as many of us as were baptized into Christ, (32:51) Have put on Christ.

(32:54) It’s like putting, (32:56) If I had this coat off, (33:00) I would put it on. (33:03) But I’m in this coat, (33:06) And I have it on. (33:08) That’s the picture of Jesus.

(33:11) So if you need to do that, (33:14) We give you the invitation to do that. (33:18) And if there’s anything else that you would like to make known, (33:24) If you’ve obeyed the gospel and led us straight, (33:29) We urge you to respond to the invitation, (33:34) To come and be restored, (33:37) And let the church pray for you. (33:39) That God forgives you.

(33:42) If there’s anything other than that, (33:46) That you would like to make known, (33:49) We urge you to do so. (33:51) So if you’re subject to the gospel invitation in any way, (33:55) Why not do so while we stand and while we sing? (33:58)