Sermon: The Divine Architect (Genesis 1:1-2:3)

The Divine Architect Sunday, September 6th, 2026 Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA Genesis 1:1–2:3 Prayer O Father, we thank You for the gift of life, the gift of creation, we thank You for the traces and reflections of Your beauty, wisdom, and goodness, that surrounds us every day. We praise You most of all for the gift of spiritual life, of regeneration by grace, and we ask that You would make us to praise You now more fervently, with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love one another, even as we have been loved by You. We ask for Your Holy Spirit now, in Jesus’ name, Amen. Introduction Last week we began a new series entitled The Builder of All Things is God. And we considered from Hebrews 3:1-6, how Jesus is the Apostle and High Priest of our profession of faith, and He is also the Twofold Creator of the people of God. Jesus is the Creator of all that is, and He is also the special Creator, the Author and Founder of the church, the saints, his mystical body, the holy brethren who are partakers of the heavenly calling. It says in Hebrew 3:6, But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. And so as we prepare ourselves to move from our current location here on Seward Avenue, to a much larger building in Chehalis, RE Bennett, it is not enough for us to just get the building repaired, renovated, and eventually beautified, it is infinitely more important that our souls are improved in the process, that our hearts are enlarged with thanksgiving and charity, and that we are dwelling in unity and peace together. It would be a great shame for us to inherit so large and glorious a space as REB, with its 42,000 square feet of rooms to get lost in, but to be a cranky, complaining, stingy-hearted people as a result. It took the nation of Israel about five minutes in the promised land to forget that God brought them there out of slavery in Egypt. And it would be just as easy for us to forget, that just five years ago, we were a little church plant, meeting in the Ford’s Prairie Grange, with about 60 people. And now we are three time that. Look at what God has done to us and for us in His mercy. It would be both easy and shameful for us to so soon forget the grace of God that brought us here. How He provided $600,000 for us to buy this Seward Avenue property from Calvary Chapel, and how gracious they were to carry the note for us. It would be easy to forget all the labors of our deacons and volunteers, and the many thankless jobs they did and still do to make Sundays happen. Not to mention all the work that went into starting Christ the King Academy. Mary Doelman wrote a book about how the school started, and do you know what the opening lines of that book are? “To God be the Glory! Great things He Has Done! Let us never take credit for what God has done. He is made strong in our weakness and whatever we humbly have to offer, He can use for His purposes.” And so I exhort you people of God, do not forget the grace that brought you here. Do not forget to honor those fathers and mothers whose labors of love we now presently enjoy the fruits of. And consider now your own duty, the duty of piety, to pass on to the next generation something even better than what we have received. Consider it your duty as Paul says in Romans 13:8, to Owe no man any thing, but to love one another. And therefore, from love and a generous heart, to freely give what you have freely received. This is the banner of love, of thanksgiving that must fly over all our works in this season and in every season. And so resolve in yourself to become this living and loving sacrifice unto God. For then we will not squander His lavish blessings. So that is an exhortation for all of us to keep in mind. Now the principle that undergirds this whole sermon series is this: In the Bible, buildings represent people (both individually and corporately), and the church is God’s special building. Buildings represent people, and the people of God are God’s special building. This the principle and theme that we will return to again and again in this series, and it is one of the most important themes to understand Holy Scripture, because it ties Genesis and Revelation together. History begins in a Garden and it ends in a Garden City. History begins with a marriage and a home for Adam and Eve in communion with God, and history ends with a marriage and a home for Christ and His Church. History begins with Mankind being given dominion over the earth, and history ends with Christ exercising dominion over heaven and earth and all that is therein, together with His saints. And so everything in between Genesis and Revelation, is just unfolding this theme of Creation, Fall, and Redemption unto Glory. What is the ultimate message of the Bible? It is about God’s desire to dwell with humanity in the most intimate and spiritual union. This is the logic of the Incarnation of the Son of God, and it is what all creation is ordered towards. As it says in Romans 11:36, For from him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. So what is Creation? For starters, it is the beautiful stage upon which the glory of Jesus is revealed. Creation is the first work of the Divine Artist, the Triune God, and it teaches us many things about our God, ourselves, and our relationship to one another. And so this morning as we begin to survey Genesis 1-2, I want to highlight just three truths about Creation, and all of them relate to the question: How Does God Build Things? If the world is God’s handiwork, His painting, His building, what can we learn about the Divine architect and His artistry? Here are the three truths we will consider this morning (and we’ll have more to cover next week): 1. Creation is a work of the Trinity. 2. Creation is a gift. 3. Creation is from nothing. Creation is a work of the Triune God, it is a gift, and it is from nothing. So starting in verses 1-2, let us consider Creation as a work of the Trinity. Verses 1-2 – Truth #1: Creation is a work of the Trinity 1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. We heard earlier in the service from Proverbs 8, and Colossians 1, that Christ is the wisdom of God, through which all things were made. And when we put all the passages of Scripture together that speak of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we are forced to conclude that all three persons are the One God, and because they share the same Divine Nature, therefore they are inseparable in their work. Jesus will say in John 5:17, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” And then John tells us in verse 18, Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. And then in verses 19-21 it says, Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. And so this is just one of many instances where the Father and the Son are said to work in tandem, and we find the same to be said of the Holy Spirit. For example, in Job 33:4 it says, The Spirit of God hath made me, And the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. And in Psalm 104:30 it says, Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: And thou renewest the face of the earth. And so in the Nicene Creed we confess this truth, I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And then we confess that Jesus Christ is the only-begotten Son of God…by whom all things were made…And then we say that the Holy Spirit is, the Lord, and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. So all three persons of the Trinity are involved in creating the world, and therefore all creation bears the traces of the Trinity, even as a man leaves his footprint in the sand. The footprint tells you that a man was there, but it does not tell you who that man is, or what his name is, so also with the God. It is not until Christ, that the mystery of the Trinity is made explicit for all to believe. However, we do find this reality implicitly contained in the words of Genesis 1, verse 26. It says there, And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. So while all creation is a work of the Triune God and bears the traces of the Trinity, mankind is a very unique and special work, in that he is made in the image and likeness of the Trinity. What is this image and likeness of the Triune God within us? It is what separates us from all the plants and the animals, the fish and the birds, namely that mankind alone has a body united to a spiritual soul. You are an immortal being. You are going to live forever, either in communion with the Triune God, or out of fellowship with the One who created you. As beautiful and glorious as the unfallen creation was, the sun, moon, and stars, the mountains, and oceans and rivers and trees (a world without weeds).None of it compares with the beauty of the human person, when they are in fellowship with God. However, at the same time, nothing is more ugly and devilish, than a human person who has rejected God, and is at war with Him.   And so do not neglect what is immortal within you. Your spiritual soul, which is made in the image of the Trinity. In Genesis 3 that image was shattered by sin. But Jesus Christ has come to remake you, as it says in Colossians 3:10, put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. So you can think of Creation as God fashioning each person to be a unique beautiful stained-glass window within His sanctuary (created to reflect His glory in a particular way). The fall shattered us, but Christ comes and picks up the pieces, places us in the fire, and forges us back together. And then one day, on the day of final judgment, the pure light of God shall radiate in our souls and overflow into our resurrected body. This life is the forge, the furnace of affliction, to make us worthy of God after our fall into sin. Beloved you were made in the image of the Triune Creator. You were made for fellowship with God and all the saints in light. Are you living right now like that is true? The second truth we must consider is that Creation is a gift. Truth #2: Creation is a Gift The Apostle Paul says to the idolatrous Athenians in Acts 17:24-25, God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things. This truth of Creation as gift, means that every creature is born with an infinite debt of gratitude to the God who gave them their existence. In order to understand just how gratuitous, gracious, the gift of creation is, we need to do a little theology to remember who God is in His very nature. Do you remember the name that God revealed to Moses at the burning bush? Moses asks God, “what shall I say to Israel when they ask me, who sent you?” We read in Exodus 3:14, And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. Isn’t this is a strange name. I AM. Some other translations go with, HE WHO IS, or I AM WHO I AM. In the book of Revelation this special name of God is expounded upon when Jesus says, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. And in Revelation 4:8, the four beasts with six wings are found praising God day and night saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. This is the inspired praise of the One who calls Himself, I AM THAT I AM. Now this special name of God,I AM is a reference to God’s timeless eternity, and His fullness of being. In theology we consider this name, HE WHO IS, or I AM THAT I AM, the most proper and unique name of God that is ever given in Scripture. And what is contained within this name is the fact that God is very fullness of being. Meaning God does not need you. God is altogether perfect, unchangeable, happy in Himself. God is all sufficient, independent, without lack, without body, parts, or passions, God is a perfect unity of pure actuality. So however great and perfect your conception of God may be, God infinitely surpasses it. This is who God is, the great I AM. Just as a worm cannot comprehend the love and joy of human marriage, so also mankind cannot comprehend the perfect being that God is in Himself. And so when you consider who God is, and that He has zero need for anyone or anything, we are forced to conclude that the reason God created the world, was not because He was bored or lonely, but simply because He is so Good, He wanted to express and share that Goodness with His creation. Creation is pure gift. And that means that very fact of your existence, is a result of God’s love, wisdom, and abundant goodness. Moreover, God tells us in His Word, why He created us. It says in Proverbs 16:4, The Lord hath made all things for himself. And in Isaiahs 43:7 He says, Bring my sons from far, And my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by my name: For I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. So your existence is a gift of God, for which you ought always to give Him thanks? You could have not been, but I AM chose to make you for His glory and good pleasure, and to share that good pleasure with you. This brings us to our third and final truth that we will consider this morning, and that is… Truth #3: Creation is from nothing. It says in Hebrews 11:3, By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. So unlike all the other creation myths, where the world is formed from cosmic violence, or chaos, or from some battle between rival gods, the biblical account of Creation is unique, in that One God created from nothing all that is, and everything that He created He called good. Whereas you and I cannot make anything unless we have some materials to work with. God gives existence to matter and form, to what is physical and tangible, and to what is spiritual and intellectual. God created what is visible and invisible, all of it came from the voice of I AM. This is what creation is: the eternal God speaking into existence that which did not exist. And this includes creating time itself. Our time is not God’s time. God is above time. God’s eternity is without beginning, without end, and without succession or change in between. The classic definition of God’s eternity is, the simultaneously-whole and perfect possession of interminable life And so from God’s eternity, it pleased Him to create time, motion, change, sun and moon, night and day, and all as gifts for our journey towards communion with Him. This is the wonder and mystery of creation. The unchangeable and eternal God created the world from nothing, without any change to Himself. As He says in Malachi 3:6, I am the Lord, I change not. Creation is therefore nothing less, than a relation of absolute dependence upon God. The Apostle Paul reflects on this truth in various places. He says in Colossians 1:17, of Christ, according to His divine nature,  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And likewise in Hebrews 1:3, it says God is, upholding all things by the word of his power. So everything that you can see, think, imagine, visible and invisible, from insects to the angelic hosts, if it has existence, it has existence from the God who is existence. Whose name He declares is I AM THAT I AM. This is how Paul could say to the Athenians in Acts 17:28, For in him we live, and move, and have our being. And so regardless of whether you are an unbeliever or a believer today, you cannot escape your dependence upon God. You are living in God’s world, as God’s creature, and it is God who is personally giving you your existence right now. And no one can cut the cord of that relationship however hard you may try. So what should you do instead? You should worship and thank your Creator, and more than that You should askGod to be Your Redeemer and Savior as well. Conclusion These three truths about Creation, that it is a work of the Trinity, that it is gratuitous, and that it is from nothing, are also true about how God saves you. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:6-7, For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. This is to say that Creation is the pattern for your New Creation in Christ. Where sin has darkened your mind, God speaks the light of truth. Where evil has corrupted your heart, the blood of Jesus washes you clean. Where you are deserving of eternal punishment for your sins, Christ came down from heaven, suffered for your sins, to forgive you and give you eternal life with Him. For as great and marvelous as Creation is, Salvation far exceeds it. And so may you come to know Jesus today as your Creator and Redeemer, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.