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| Order Of Worship (Liturgy)
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Thy Kingdom Comes
Genesis 1:1-2:3
We all have a world order; an idea of the perfect life. And we’re always working to build that kingdom. The hermit wants solitude, surrounded by four walls - no one to disturb him. He seeks to build that that kingdom. The typical person wants a nice home, successful children, and spare income to eat nice food and travel. We pursue that kingdom. The mother wants husband and children to comply with her principles and goals in her queendom. And if they don’t comply, they will feel her queenly wrath. This happens everywhere. Stalin wanted to build his communist kingdom. He wanted a society of equals to give willingly to the state. So he subjugated and killed millions who were unwilling!
The record of Genesis, yea, the whole Bible is of God building his kingdom; creating a universe and sustaining it for a people who’d serve him willingly. But because of sin, they wouldn’t. So he graciously redeems them. That’s Genesis - a record of God’s creative power, his goodness in giving life, his patience toward man’s rebellion, and his promise to restore his kingdom. We also saw that in Ruth - how a good God restored Naomi to the land despite her rebellion. That’s how we’ll study Genesis, especially in the context of when it was written. Moses wrote these words by revelation to instruct the Israelites how to live in God’s kingdom. They’d been redeemed from slavery and were headed for the Promised Land. Beloved, God has set up his kingdom. We’re to live in it. And we want to see what it means to us too. And that theme is already in Genesis 1. We’ll see it in 2 lessons - firstly, God created his good kingdom by his powerful word; and secondly, God created his kingdom for the good of his worshiping people.
Firstly, God created his good kingdom by his powerful word. Verse 1 says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” This is what we confess in the Apostles’ Creed - “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” But while God is the originator of creation, all persons of the Godhead were involved in creation. Verse 2 says, “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” The Father and the Spirit of God. But not just the Father and the Spirit. Verse 26 says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” It says “us” and “our.” God the Son was also involved in creating the world. John 1:1-3 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Now, there are several things we learn from God’s creation. One thing is that it was the will of God. Yes, God didn’t have to create. He’s all-sufficient in himself. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. From eternity past, with great joy and love, there was unity in diversity. But it was the will of God to create - to share that love; to bring his kingdom into existence outside of himself.
Another thing we learn is that it was God who created. And this is significant! Remember the context - Moses wrote the first five books during the Exodus, for Israelites leaving Egypt. The Egyptians worshiped sun and moon gods - God showed his power over them in the plague of darkness. But Israel needed reminders. They were headed for Canaan, whose pagans worshiped Baal, the sun and storm god. But who created the sun? God. But which God? Chapter 2 calls him Jehovah, the LORD God of Israel. And this was vital for them to know. Only God is creator. Another thing learned is that this creator is good. He created man in his own image. Lord’s Day 3 and Ephesians 4:24 instruct, “God created man good and in His image, that is, in true righteousness and holiness, so that he might rightly know God his Creator.” God created for good to have a relationship with him. And all that he created, he declared them to be good. Why? He’s a good God. He created his good kingdom by his powerful word.
And here we see what he created - the objects of his creation. On day 1, he created the heavens and the earth, light and darkness. Meaning he created space. Before this there was nothing, not even darkness, because there was no light. It was void. But God created space. God also created time. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Before that, there was no time. Only when God created, did time start. He created time, space, and light. And the light he created was a light without sun, moon, or stars. It was God’s light. And with light, darkness came into being. So God created time, space, light, and darkness. Why? For life. On day 2, he created the skies and waters. Why? Air to breathe and water to sustain life.
Then on day 3, God created the dry ground, by splitting the waters from the land, and created vegetation. He said in verse 9, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.” And verses 11-12 describe the creation of self-replicating vegetation, and fruit yielding trees. Why? So the earth could nourish life. So it’s not just God’s power, there’s the display of God’s good wisdom. Then on day 4, God created the sun, moon, and stars; and presumably the associated planets and galaxies. But what’s interesting is that in verse 16, he didn’t call them sun or moon - but the greater and lesser light. Why? And also, the moon isn’t technically a lesser light. It only reflects light. So perhaps that’s the meaning. But clearly, the creation account was not written to be scientific, even though we can draw scientific truth from it. But it was written to be polemic, to show that after God created time and space, water and air, land and vegetation, to sustain life; he created seasons by creating the sun and moon. And this was significant to Israel entering Canaan. The pagans explained seasons by the death of Baal, the sun god, after he was swallowed up by Mot, the god of death. So when Baal dies, autumn and winter come. But when Baal’s sister, Anat, attacks Mot, Baal is released, bringing spring rains and life again. But Genesis shows that our life depends on God’s creation and providence. And this was written to assure Israel that as long as she lived in God’s kingdom and acknowledged him, she’d be fine. But if she lived like the pagans and worshiped the sun and moon after the imaginations of their hearts, they’d be rejecting his kingdom.
Then on days 5 and 6, he created the sea and air creatures, and then the land creatures. They’d self-replicate and fill God’s kingdom with life. And finally, he created man in his own image - different from the other animals - to live and rule over them in his kingdom. God by his power had created time and space, light and darkness, water and air, land and vegetation, sun and moon, and animals and mankind.
But just how did he do this? What was the vehicle of his creation? He just spoke. In Genesis 1, the phrase “God said” is repeated 10 times; 10 being symbolic of fullness in Hebrew literature. In Exodus, he gave 10 commandments. Here in Genesis, he commanded creation 10 times. Psalm 33:6,9 say, “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth…For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” God created the world in 6 days by his command. That’s his power. And this reminds us of John 1 - where Christ, the creator is called the Word of God. And Hebrews 1:2 says God made the worlds through Christ, through whom he also speaks. Creation was done by speaking. And what did speaking accomplish? Comets have tails up to 10,000 miles long. But all that vapor can be condensed into less than 1 cubic inch of space. The sun can fit 1.5 millions earths and 4 million moons. The closest star, about 20 billion miles away, Alpha Centurii is 5 times larger than our sun. The star called Betelgeuse is 900 quadrillion miles away - that’s 15 zeroes - 900 million trillion miles. And it’s so big, that if it took the place of our sun, Jupiter would be inside of it. And that’s only in our own galaxy. And there are over half a trillion galaxies in the universe - with larger stars. But how did they come about? God spoke, and the light stretched out and went forth like a curtain. He just uttered a word and space came into being, and all the stars. He didn’t have to work at an anvil, hammering away to create something. He didn’t have to sit hours at a desk to design a blueprint. He just commanded and the universe came into being. In 6 days. And the response to God speaking? “It was so.” God said…it was so. It was that easy for him. No sweat, no effort, no nothing.
But what was the purpose of him commanding creation into being? We see secondly, God created his kingdom for the good of his worshiping people. God set up his kingdom. He has a throne and footstool. Isaiah 66 - “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” And he has a people to command! But before he created the light and all that, we see these words in verse 2 - “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” When he first created, the earth was still without form and void. Those words describe how desolate it was - like a desert where nothing could live. And not just that - darkness covered it. It was a formless, empty, dark, and deep ocean. Chaotic - without life! But there’s a glimmer of hope. Verse 2 says that God’s Spirit hovered over the waters. He was not part of the chaos, but above and separate from it. He’d be the one to bring order out of chaos. The creation account is a record of chaos to order. God created a kingdom of order. We learn in verse 3, immediately after this chaotic beginning - “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” God forced back this deadly darkness with his light - a light made life possible on earth. And what did he think of that light? Verse 3 - it was good. From formless and void to good. And darkness was relegated to the night. And this reminded the Israelites how God brought the plague of darkness over Egypt as judgment - how for 3 days he blocked out their sun god Ra where people couldn’t even see in front of them and couldn’t move around. There was chaos. But God brought light again - not Ra. And the light was also hope - God stopped the sun to prolong daylight long enough for Israel to drive back their enemies. That’s why when the chaos and darkness was pushed back by light, God called it good.
After he handled the darkness, he dealt with the churning and chaotic waters. Verse 6 says he separated the waters and created air. But light and air are not enough for life. That’s why in verse 9, God shifted the waters and dry land appeared. Where once the earth was formless, it now had form. God pushed back the waters. And this reminded Israel of how God also pushed back the waters of the Red Sea for them to escape the Egyptians. Remember the scene in Exodus 14? The Israelites had come to the Red Sea. It was in front of them - churning and dangerous; and the Egyptians behind them - charging and deadly. What did God do? Verse 19 and 20 say that the Angel of the Lord and the pillar of cloud moved between them. And there was cloud and darkness on the Egyptian side, and light by night on Israel’s side. And then God split the sea, letting them walk on dry land. And what happened to the Egyptians? Chaos. Darkness and chaotic waters crashed around them, killing even Pharaoh. So such an imagery of God pushing back the waters to reveal land reminded them and also should helped them as they entered Canaan - with the pushing back of the Jordan. When there was dry land, God called it good. And then with vegetation and seasons - it was good, because now the earth could sustain life. And also with animal life - it was good. And then with the creation of man - it was very good, verse 31. God had prepared his kingdom so that man could live in it. From chaos to order. And this was also what he did for Israel. He delivered them from slavery, darkness, and water, and gave them a land that was filled with vegetation, filled with animals, so that they could live in God’s kingdom.
You see, why did God set up his kingdom? For whom? In verses 27-31, we learn that God created man, male and female in his own spiritual image, to be fruitful, to multiply, and fill the earth. They were to subdue it and rule over all animals in the sea, sky, and land. And God created the vegetation as food for them. Why? For man. You see, only after he created mankind, he said in verse 31 that it was very good. God created for man’s habitation and growth. The kingdom God set up was for man. And he commanded man to live in that kingdom as co-rulers. He pushed back chaos for man. Compare the 6 days of creation; we see a parallel. On day 1 he pushed back darkness and created light; on day 4, he created lights in the sky for seasons. On day 2 he created the skies for air by separating the waters; on day 5, he created animals in the sky and seas. On day 3, he created land by pushing back the waters and creating vegetation for food; on day 6, he created land animals for man to rule over. Light and seasons; sky and sea for animals; land animals and vegetation. Why? For man - so he could live and grow. Mankind was not to live for himself and to set up his own kingdom.
That’s the mistake of Adam and Eve, wanting to be gods of their own destinies. It led them to further chaos. That’s the mistake of Babel by building a tower to proclaim independence. It led to further chaos. That’s the mistake of Israel in the Promised Land too - instead of living in God’s kingdom, as those who had been created and redeemed for his glory, they lived for themselves, setting up their own kingdoms. They forgot the words of creation. What they did was not good. Instead of living in the order that God created for them, they brought back chaos and darkness. It led to exile. And that’s the mistake of Elimelech. He and his family missed out on the opportunity to repent when famine and chaos came; but determined to build their own kingdom, they left the Promised Land for the darkness in Moab. Similarly, we’re brought into God’s kingdom, to cultivate it, living for him as witnesses, to subdue - by self-denial - the world in us and around us. But we often live for our kingdom, listening to the chaotic voice of our own divided hearts. Those who do this have no rest. That’s why Adam and Eve were kicked out. Babel’s inhabitants were scattered. Israel was removed from the Promised Land. Naomi and Ruth had no rest.
But where would rest have been found? It’s found in worship. In chapter 2, the first three verses, we learn that after God created, he rested on the seventh day and hallowed it. He blessed it. All other days were good and very good. But the Sabbath was holy. Adam and Eve were to live in God’s kingdom. They were to work. But they were also to acknowledge God alone - to rest in him and to worship him. The lesson to Israel was simple. If they worshiped him alone as the powerful, good, and wise creator, who created them to live in his kingdom - they’d have rest. They’d have land and satisfaction. But they would not.
That’s why God’s always at work. While he rested from creation, he’s never at rest. The Lord Jesus said in John 5:17 - “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.” His kingdom came. But Adam and Eve didn’t want to live in God’s kingdom. Yet God was still at work. That’s why he provided the Lord Jesus Christ to this sinful world. He was there in the beginning. He created the world - “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” And despite how sin brought chaos, our Lord was the light that shineth in darkness, bringing order to chaos. He was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Yes, men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God, recreated into his image. He brings them out of darkness into his marvelous light. And fits them to live and rest in his eternal kingdom.
Beloved, we can’t build our own kingdom. It’ll come to chaos. That’s why many of us are unhappy. We want control right? But despite chasing after control, there’s more chaos. Why? Because we don’t rest, worship, and live in God’s kingdom. We don’t actually believe in creation. We don’t actually acknowledge God’s power. We want to live life on our own terms - rather than resting content in God. Just how restful are you? God’s kingdom has come. He’s commanded us to live in it, through Christ; to be ruled by Word and Spirit, more and more to submit to him, until the fullness of his kingdom come.
1
1. God Created His Kingdom by His Powerful Word
A. The Godhead in creation
B. The objects of creation
C. The vehicle of creation
2. God Created His Kingdom for the Good of His Worshiping People
A. Chaos to order
B. Habitation and growth
C. Worship and rest
Conversation for Change:
- Knowing your destiny to worship and rest in God, how has your redemption from sin spurred you to live for God and his coming kingdom?
- How does the power of God in creation assure you of his power to satisfy you in life?
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Mark Chen, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2025, Rev. Mark Chen
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