In the Beginning... A New Beginning

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

Genesis 1:1

I wish I can transcribe Pastor Ricky Recodo's message for today's worship service.  Today's verses was about the beginning, from the passage of Genesis 1:1-2 and John 1:1-4.  (I'm typing down some of the notes I wrote down from the message and part of it are my thoughts).

Most Christians know these verses by heart.  What more, it's one of the most popular verses in the whole world.  I for one love John's way of describing the beginning.  It was the proof of Christ being God.  But knowing these verses, I would have never thought of using it as a form of encouragement.  Not until I heard Pastor Ricky preached today.

 In the bible, the first phrase that was written was "In the beginning God", it wasn't written as "In the beginning, (coma)" but rather "In the beginning God" simply stating God was the beginning.  And for us who is in search for any new beginnings, God is the God of our new beginning.  He IS the beginning.  How often we misunderstood the significance of that.

Then there's us, humans, we all strive to have a new beginning. It is in our nature to search for a new beginning.  The concept of a new life is often our way of life.  A new year, a graduation, a new life with your partner, and so on. And more often than not, our beginnings start out formless, empty, dark and void....  Sounds familiar?

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep" Genesis 1:1-2a

Hearing this, I know most of my beginnings are formless, empty, dark.  It's a "Been there, done that" kind of thing.  God created everything beautiful, it is because of sin we experience the darkness.  But one thing we often forget, God is still there in the beginning.  God is still the beginning.

"and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." Genesis 1:2b

Pastor Ricky said, "In the beginning of nature, the invisible presence of God is very real; In the beginning of your life (that might be dark and void) the invisible presence of God is very real."

When God inspired Moses to write those verses, He is simply saying to us, "I AM THERE!"  The Spirit of God hovering over the waters, stating He was there even when the earth was dark and formless.  He is there before the creation, he is there during the creation, and He is here until now.  There is hope in a beginning that looks dark, formless and empty.  There is always hope.

Human as we are, we would doubt and often ask, "Then why is He silent?".  Our weakness of not believing makes us question the reality of God.  To see is to believe, ours is in a physical being where in God works in both physical and spiritual realm.  Thus the gap between us and God widens.  And to bridge that gap, we all have to have faith.  And through faith, God will show His wonders.

"Let there be light!"

"Let there be lights in the sky"

"Let there be living creatures in the water, the birds flying over the earth"

"Let us create a man in Our own image"

God SPOKE.  And His word is power.  He spoke and things were created.  The earth was formed and the sky shines brightly with the stars.  He spoke and the creatures appear and man came into being.  He created this wonderful earth just by speaking.  He is a God who likes to speak, He is a God who is spoke the creation, He is the God who is speaking to us now.

And hard headed as we are, we still doubt and ask, "If God speaks, how come I don't hear Him?  How do I really know this God?"

Perhaps we don't hear Him because we are not listening.  Perhaps we are still concerned with our life that we miss out what He is telling us.  

Another stubborn human question is, "How do we know this God?"

This amazing God of all creation, the all might powerful God gave us a gift beyond we all so undeservingly received.  That is is Word.

"In the beginning was the Word, 

the Word was with God in the beginning, 

the Word was God. 

He was with God in the beginning."  John 1:1-2

God's Word is so powerful, and it He revealed it to us in the New Testament through John.  Jesus Christ is the Word.  The Word is God.  Christ is the creator, He is the Architect of all things.  If you want to start a new beginning, start with His word.  

"Through Him all things were made; 

without Him nothing was made that has been made.

In Him was light and that life was the light of all mankind." John 1:3-4

Our God, our Jesus is the beginning and the end.  He is the Alpha and the Omega.  Even if we started our beginning in darkness, God can make things beautiful and lead us to a beautiful ending.  There is life in Christ and there is the light in that life.  He is the God of all creation, and He is also the God who became flesh and lived among us, as Emmanuel (God with us) and the God who died for us to redeem us.  He is the Word that will lead us from the beginning to the end. 

"Take my yoke."  He says. "Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."  Our God is the God who hovered around us when we were in the darkness, Our God is the God who created light and brought us the Light.  He is the God who will carry us from the beginning until the end.  He is the one who will carry our burdens and take the yoke with us.  Our life was never meant to be lived apart from our Creator.  And though life will be full of hardships, trials, burdens, He will carry it with us until the end.  And when it is time to rest, we all can look back and see all God has done for us.  And we will remember Genesis.  God saw all He had made and said, "It is good."

It is good.  It is truly good.  

"Whatever You're Doing (Something Heavenly) by Sanctus Real"