Blogging the Bible (this will take a lifetime)

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

Genesis 1:1

The book of Genesis means "origins" and this opening statement sums it all up. It all started when God decided to make it all!
"In the beginning”…the heavens and earth are not eternal. They had a beginning. There was a “time” when they did not exist and a clock started ticking the moment they were made. This moment in time is referenced again in John 1:1-2 and Hebrews 1:10. Everything that is created has a beginning. The heavens and earth are temporal and chronological.
“God created”…the heavens and the earth are an act of creation. They reflect the design of such an act. It was all made with a purpose in mind. The existence of the heavens and the earth is not accidental or independently spontaneous or chance. It does not exist as the result of random string of evolutionary transformations, adaptations, and/or mutations. In addition to this, Scripture testifies that God is the One who did the creating. The heavens and the earth are the work of His mind, heart, and hands. This determines the right of ownership and it also impacts the nature of what exists and why it exists. The role of God as Creator is one of the major doctrines of Scripture. It is the most fundamental truth. It is the first truth that makes sense out of everything we are and everything we see and experience. Ecclesiastes 12:1; Isaiah 27:11; 40:28; 43:1, 15; Romans 1:25; and 1 Peter 4:19 all use the term “Creator” in reference to God. Other notable passages attesting to God creating the heavens and the earth are Acts 17:24-28; John 1:1-3; Job 38:4ff; Psalm 8; Psalm 139:13-16; Isaiah 40:21-16; 45:8-13.
“the heavens and the earth”…this phrase describes the entire universe; the cosmos as we know it. Notice the special place earth is given. It alone is singled out from all the rest of the solar systems and galaxies of the universe; all that vastness is summed up as “the heavens.” The earth is special and unique. It has a distinct purpose in God’s creation. I had never really thought much about this before. Imagine that I was telling you about my trip to the zoo and how I saw all the animals and the giraffes. How would you take that? You would understand that among all the animals I saw that day the giraffes had a special interest. It might have been because they were a new exhibit. It might be because they had just given birth to a baby. It might just reflect that they are my favorite animal among all the others, but that I considered them special would surely stand out. What accounts for God singling out the earth? Genesis 1 will give us the answer and don't be surprised if it has something to do with us!

Responding to Sermons

During the past 25+ years I have preached at least 2,000 sermons. I can tell you that a lot goes into choosing, planning, and presenting one. Over that same time I have come to learn that a lot goes into how people hear and respond to them. The same sermon can move two people in very different ways. I am reminded how in Acts 2 one sermon pierced to the heart of that crowd and caused 3,000 souls to want to know what they needed to do to be saved? In Acts 7 another sermon also cut to the quick and the crowd stormed upon the preacher and stoned him.
I'm mindful of this dynamic today because I preached a particularly intense sermon about seeking first the Kingdom of Heaven yesterday (11/10/08) and in it made a plea for people to attend church more, actually every time the doors are open, as one of my points (I knew when preaching the sermon that this one point would run the risk of being the only one people remembered). I grew up in the Seabrook church of Christ. We had to go to another state to attend services (okay, it was only a 12 mile trip one way), but we attended every service and every function. Let me tell you a funny story. I played high school basketball. During my senior year we had a youth rally in which the speaker, addressing this very topic, told a story of how during his high school days the school changed the time of the championship game because it interferred with the midweek service he and his family attended. I was inspired by that story (along with some other points he made). At that time we had basketball practices on Thursday nights and this conflicted with our midweek study at church. Armed with this inspiring message of faith and obedience I marched right into my coach's office after our next practice and told him I wouldn't be at Thursday practices any more because it conflicted with church. He told me he was sorry to hear about my early "retirement" from the team. What I neglected to tell you was that he was the star center of his team while I only saw court time if we were ahead by 30 points and there was less than a minute left in the game. At first I was hurt and a little wounded, but I was never going to play in the NBA (despite my childhood dreams) and the things I heard and learned and saw in those midweek services helped mold me into the man I am today and the child of God I hope to be for eternity.
I doubt that I have felt the full response to yesterday's sermon. The attendance at last night's worship service was slightly higher than normal. It was obvious that some had given their commitment some thought. I've gotten a couple of emails. One was very appreciative and have renewed a deeper commitment to their local church. The other one offered reasoning for not changing in any way. I'm sure I have not yet seen or heard the full reaction and effect of my sermon. But this I know, some will be inspired by it and others will not. Some may even oppose it. I just hope no one forgets it.
I am tired of the church getting thrust to the back of the room in the business of our 21st century lives. Our calendars are very quickly consumed with work, commutes, school, extracurricular activities, homework, sports, television, games, the Internet, neighbors, friends, and the church along with her worship, preaching, teaching, fellowshipping, praying, and singing gets the leftovers; the leftover time slots in the agenda, the leftover minutes of the day, the leftover in our lives. And all this when Jesus says His Kingdom should be the first priority of our lives (Matthew 6:33). It should have first place. It should be primary. It should be foremost. It should be above all. The church shouldn't have to clamor for attention among all the other stuff, but if it must then I will champion her cause and I won't be ashamed or embarassed for doing so!
How do you respond to sermons? What factors go into that response? Share you answers with me in the comments section. I would really like to read them.