Let There Be...Meaning
February 17, 2019
Pastor John Welborn
Work Week: God’s Design for One Day at a Time
Let There Be...Meaning
Genesis 1:1-5
Today: We begin a new series to take us back to the beginning, the very beginning. In Genesis 1-2, we read of a God who was & is at work.
“In the beginning, then, God worked. Work was not a necessary evil that came into the picture later, or something human beings were created to do but that was beneath the great God himself. No, God worked for the sheer joy of it. Work could not have a more exalted inauguration.” Timothy Keller“In the beginning, God created the heavens & the earth. The earth was without form & void, & 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 light,’ & there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, & the darkness he called Night. And there was evening & there was morning, the first day.” Genesis 1:1-5
Main Idea: God’s Creative Work Gives Meaning to My Daily Work
I. God is a Worker
“In the beginning, God created the heavens & the earth.” Genesis 1:1
“God made the world not as a warrior digs a trench but as an artist makes a masterpiece.” Timothy Keller
“Since God is Creator of all that exists, he is antecedent to it, distinct from it,while yet intimately involved with it.” K.A. Mathews
“Thus the heavens & the earth were finished, & all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, & he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day & made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” Genesis 2:1-3
“My Father is working until now, & I am working.” John 5:17b
II. God’s Work is Good
“The earth was without form & void, & 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 light,’ & there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from darkness.” Genesis 1:2-4
“Work is fundamentally about contribution, not compensation.” Tom Nelson
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea & over the birds of the heavens & over the livestock & over all the earth & over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth...And God blessed them and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful & multiply & fill the earth & subdue it, & have dominion over the fish of the sea & over the birds of the heavens & over every living thing that moves on the earth’” Genesis 1:26, 28
III. God’s Work has Meaning
“God called the light Day, & the darkness he called Night. And there was evening & there was morning, the first day.” Genesis 1:5
“Tis no argument of the emptiness or deficiency of a fountain that it is inclined to overflow.” Jonathan Edwards
“When God created the world he did not create out of any need or weakness or any deficiency. He created out of fullness & strength & complete sufficiency.” John Piper
Why did God Create the World?
“I will say to the north, Give up, & to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar & my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed & made.” Isaiah 43:6-7
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah 6:3b
“The heavens declare the glory of God...” Psalm 19:1a
“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power & divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made...” Romans 1:20a
God Created the World to Display His Own Glory! God’s work has meaning; the ultimate meaning of his work is for his glory. Our work has meaning as well; to glorify God!“Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31b
“He is the radiance of the glory of God & the exact imprint of his nature, & he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Hebrews 1:3
“To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 2:14
Let There Be Meaning! God’s work involves you being saved by His Redemptive Work & Joining Him in His Creative Work!Sources and Further Reading Opportunities:
Every Good Endeavor – Timothy Keller (2012)
Wiersbe Bible Commentary – Warren Wiersbe (2007)
Rethinking Life @ Work – Chip Roper (2016)
New Bible Commentary – D.A. Carson (1994)
Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the OT – Warren Wiersbe (1993)
New American Commentary Series Genesis 1-11:26 – K.A. Matthews (1996)
Made to Flourish – Tom Nelson (2019)
Why Did God Create the World? – John Piper (2012)