I Must Overstate the Obvious...

There is a growing need in our day, in the evangelical world, to overstate the obvious concerning the religion in which we have become inocculated, to the point of deadening numbness! Here are some thoughts I put together as an introduction to a survey of Genesis, chapter 1-3, hoping to overstate the obvious:

As we begin our journey together – hopefully spanning many, many years – we want to deliberately, thoughtfully, contemplatively begin where the Bible begins. Not only geographically speaking, that is, begin where the Bible begins: Genesis, but also begin with the great, profound and ever-relevant realities that the Bible itself actually begins with. We want to start where God starts, where life itself starts, reality starts, truth starts…and everything else starts! And these realities are really so huge, so powerful, so big that they command our attention. A great injustice is done - to the utter harm of our lives, families, churches, and communities – if we treat what is, in reality, profound as trivial, insignificant and pigmy. On the other hand, what incredible blessing comes to those who see the Biblical record according to Spirit and Truth. What true health, what incalculable blessing, what joyous, holy freedom awaits those who see God’s “main thing as the main thing”!
So on we go…continue, that is…
The Bible begins, Genesis begins, God in His Word begins with…GOD!
God, in His Holy, Self-disclosing Word, begins with the absolute greatest, most profound, most exquisite, most wonderful, most interesting, most compelling, most frightening, most stunning, most splendid, most captivating reality, not only that is, but that can ever be imagined! -God! (This list of superlatives goes on, and on, and on, and on…for all eternity – we will forever be discovering the sheer grandeur, the endless, infinite, all powerful God of glory!)
This is Bible truth: God not only begins with God (In the beginning God… – Genesis 1.1) but also infers the eternal existence of God before “the beginning” (Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. Psalm 90.2) Further, God continues with God and never ever departs from God…as He forever makes known to all that is, “the glorious splendor of His Majesty”! God, in His Word begins with God, continues with God and never, ever ends with God as the ultimate main subject in all of existence! Simply because God is Great. So, so, so great. And His greatness is combined with infinitude! He is Infinitely Great! From everlasting (vanishing point past) to everlasting (vanishing point future) He is God! God cannot depart from God. He can’t, He doesn’t!
So, you should now be asking yourself, “Danny, surely “God” is not spoken of in “every” word of the Bible, is He?” Should we not begin with God and then move on to things like creation, man as His unique image-bearer, the fall of man, Adam & Eve & the Serpent’s rebellion, Cain & Abel, the tower of Babel, Noah & his ark, the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph & co, the Exodus under Moses, the conquest of Canaan, the history of the Kings of Israel / Judah, the Prophets, Jesus in His life, death & resurrection, the triumphs of those in Acts, Paul & his voluminous letters to countless Christians down through the centuries – about justification, sin-ceasing sanctification, glorification, holy living, how to get my marriage in shape, the kids off drugs, be a better citizen in my community and find my purpose in life? Danny, it’s good to begin with God, but let’s be reasonable. Do we just talk about God?
To this I answer a resounding yes! We speak about God and His relation to everything under the Sun, including the Sun! God in everything! God over everything!
“For in Him we live and move and have our being”. “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” He is our life, our all.
I guess what I’m really trying to say is that God is on the front burner – white hot – in everything. Anything less than that will tinker with idolatry.
We believe we are being taught by the Spirit what it really is to be more and more God-centered. We want to see God as the most important Person to God…and we want to treasure that which God most treasures, namely Himself. Nothing is diminished when it is loved less than God, rather all things are strengthened and upheld in their proper place when they are loved less than God. What strange paradox. But it is really, really true. May we see and savor the glorious God in all His manifold beauty in all things He has made and done! Most especially in His Son, Jesus Christ!

May we be given to clearly see God in all of life!