Today’s episode of Emmaus Road Chronicles looks at eight ways Jesus Christ certified in Genesis chapter one.

Thank you for joining this episode. Welcome to Emmaus Road Chronicles, the series of videos, concentrating upon the answers that Jesus gave to two men as they traveled from Jerusalem to Emmaus on the day of Christ’s resurrection.

They had many doubts about what had happened over the previous three days, and Jesus met with them, walked with them, and explained to them from the Scriptures what had happened over those last few days.

If I were to ask you a question as to how you would go about certifying the Lord Jesus, would you begin with Moses? Yet that’s where Jesus began. It says, beginning of Moses, He went through all the prophets and the books of the Old Testament explaining to these two men and resolving their questions, things concerning Himself. We find in Genesis chapter one the central theme of our episode today taken from Genesis chapter one that a does in fact certify the Lord Jesus.

Do we know that He began in Genesis chapter one with those two men? No, we don’t. But when He answered those two men, it says He began with Moses. So it certainly is possible that He began in Genesis chapter one, and as we examine how God through Christ resolved the question of these two men, He began with Moses.

Now, there are many today who think that Moses is just a title for a series or a group of authors who wrote the first five books in the Bible. Yet there’s an author in England by the name of Hodgkin, who’s written a very timely book and the presentation in the Old Testament of the Lord Jesus through various symbols and pictures and references. He said in His book that Moses was an actual figure, a character who wrote those books. The first five books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

The first five books of the Bible by Moses, not a mere title, but an actual person, and Christ and His ministry upon the earth made numerous references back to the Old Testament, especially to Moses. And Jesus Himself recognized Moses as a character, as an individual, as a person, authentic.

The author of those first five books Christ gave His approval upon him by making reference to him as a person, as an individual. He referred to Moses’s law and even said, are you? You say that you believe Moses? Well, if you believe Moses, then you would believe Me because Moses spoke of Me and He condemned those of His day.

The Lord Jesus did. He condemned those of His day who would condemn Moses and set him aside for their own rules and regulations. There’s another author more prominent in our day, but the name of Dr. Sidney Greidanus, a former professor at Calvin seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

He’s written numerous books on how to preach and teach the Lord Jesus Christ from the Old Testament and he has a series of questions that you can follow as you examine the Scriptures to see how they speak of Christ. We find that in this very first chapter of the Bible, the first chapter of the book of Genesis, we find that the Lord Jesus is present in that very first chapter.

Now as we examine this chapter, we find that it covers the narrative beginning in Genesis chapter one going through down through chapter two verse number three. There’s one complete narrative though it covers in parts of two chapters. It’s one complete narrative. We find that Moses is the author of it. He wrote it under the inspiration of God by the Holy spirit so that it belongs as part of God’s inspired word is an errant, infallible, sufficient word of God.

The Book of Genesis belongs there as does Genesis chapter one. We find that Moses wrote those during the time period when the children of Israel traveled from Egypt toward the promised land. And as they traversed, they encountered many difficulties and problems, especially in their relationship with God and their attitude toward God.

God inspired Moses to write this book at that very precise time, to give them a backdrop, a backstory, the history. It shows His involvement in humanity, His involvement in creation, and why it was that He could command the children of Israel to obey Him, to trust Him, and to worship Him as they traveled along.

They encountered many obstacles and many temptations from the cultures around them who would entice them to worship their gods and to discount this God who brought them out of Egypt. And the children of Israel even doubted and questioned whether God would even take them to the premise land or whether He could even

provide food for them in the wilderness to enable them to live long enough to get to the promised land.

They even worshiped some of the false gods that they encountered along the way through their contact with other gods. So we find that God provided for them. The scriptures beginning in Genesis chapter one inspired by the Holy Spirit to convict them of their sin, to correct them, to comfort them with promise and assurance that this God who created all things as described in Genesis chapter one would certainly have the ability to take them through the wilderness to the promised land.

This narrative which begins in Genesis chapter one and ends in chapter two verse number three follows the format of a Hebrew narrative, and we find as we examine these verses and read down through them and look at it, it fits that pattern. Hebrew narrative has a beginning, has a start to it. Just like our stories today. Sometimes, “Once upon a time” we would use as a phrase to start a story.

Well, this one begins with the phrase in the beginning, in the beginning. That’s the start of this narrative. And then at verse number two we see the second stage of a Hebrew narrative, which is conflict, and there was conflict in that very initial part of God’s creation. We read in verse number two, it says in the earth didn’t have any form. He created, it created the heavens and earth, but it was without form and it was empty.

It was void and darkness was upon the face of the deep. We find a conflict there, and then we find as we read through the rest of verse number two in chapter one it says, the Spirit of God began to move upon the face of the deep.

So there comes the third stage of a Hebrew narrative, which is the resolution to the conflict. And we find throughout the rest of chapter one that resolution taking place over six days. God created all things. He spoke it into existence day by day by day. And I’m one of those who happens to believe those days are 24-hour days.

Certainly, an almighty God could do that, couldn’t He? Would He need millions of years? No, He wouldn’t. He spoke it into existence over six days, and we find Him creating all things: creatures in the water, creatures on land, trees, grasses, the lights, and the heavens.

Finally, man, where He said, “let us make man in our own image.” We find then those three stages and the fourth state leading up to the fourth stage, and the fourth stage is the resolution, the kind of the summary if you will. And that’s in Genesis chapter two verses one to, and it says that God looked back upon His creation and although He had said many times recorded in chapter one, it was good, it was good, it was good. It was very good; creation was very good, sufficient, and proper. And He arrested the seventh day.

So we find this narrative here in Genesis one down through verse three of chapter two that it fits the pattern of a Hebrew narrative, and it’s a narrative of how God created all things and spoke it into existence. We find as we examine this narrative, we find a name of God mentioned in there 34 different times: “…and God said, and God said, and God saw, and He spoke.”

So 34 different times God is mentioned in that chapter, this was necessary not only for our information and our knowledge but for the Children of Israel as they traveled through. And this book was written for them, that they might have some knowledge of this God Who was commanding them and Who brought them out of Egypt with a strong arm.

The Scriptures tell us Who said, “I’m going to take you to a promised land.” Who is this God? Why should we trust Him? Can we trust Him? And in this first chapter, we find 34 different references to God in this whole narrative and it tells us some things about God and tells us a little bit about His nature.

He’s sovereign, He’s transcendent to creation. He’s above it. He’s omnipotent. He can do as He says, and it comes into existence. So we find His preexistence before creation. We find His power and His sovereignty and His transcendence over the creation that He spoke into existence by His omnipotent power. God has handled it, the author of creation.

Christ is the One who actually did the creating, the activity of God, and creation is shown throughout this chapter. So as the children of Israel traveled along the road to the promised land from Egypt, we find that God was sufficient for them just as He said he would and as proven in His creation.

So how could God then use this narrative and the rest of the books, but it’s especially in our concentration and this episode upon Genesis chapter one, how could God use this in the lives of the children of Israel as they traveled along in the wilderness?

While there are the obvious mentions of God numerous times making reference to His existence, to His omnipotence, His power, His creativity, He was the one who created all of the things that they saw, the food that they ate, the land that they traverse, the animals that they had with them and their progression, the humanity

that they observed, all of those things God created. And originally when God created it, He said, it’s good, very good.

As I they traveled, the children of Israel had to admit it was not as good as maybe spoken originally and as we would read later on through the books of Genesis reveals how that came to pass, but God wanted them to know. Originally when He created and spoke things into existence, it was good and very good, that He was the sovereign God, the omnipotent God, the preexistent, God Supreme and transcendent over all things certainly more than capable to take them into the promised land.

Also, certainly, He had the right and the authority to demand their worship, to demand their obedience, to

demand their trust. This was God, the God of all things, and He had the right to command them, to obey Him, to trust Him, to worship Him.

And there’s one little interesting way in which He showed Himself superior to all of the gods about the children of Israel as they traveled. Many of the cultures around the children of Israel at that time worshiped the sun and the moon and the stars and called them gods. You’ll notice as you read through chapter one, Jesus doesn’t call Him the sun or the moon or the stars. He calls them the greater light and the lesser light, not giving an inch, giving any kind of respect to the foreign gods and the idols and the idolatry and the worship of the sun and the moon and the stars. It says He created the lights.

Well, God was sovereign, and He wanted them to know that as they traveled along through the passage of wilderness into the promised land. How did He use it with them? By giving them a backdrop, by giving them back story about Himself and about the creation that they observed, that He was an unseen reality and He wanted them to worship Him, trust Him, and obey Him. He had that right as the God of creation.

Well, how does this connect to Jesus? I mentioned earlier that it connects to Jesus. How does that take place and how do we see that? Believe it or not, and I was surprised when I read this and my studies, the book of one of the books written by Greidanus talks about Genesis chapter one in the New Testament, there are 23 direct quotations and illusions to Genesis chapter one, and many of them having reference to Jesus Christ Himself.

I want us to look at a couple of those references to see how we can bridge the gap between creation as recorded in Genesis chapter one and the Lord Jesus, and how Genesis chapter one certifies the Lord Jesus as God and as part of the creator.

The first one I want you to see is in John chapter one. I’ve got my little cards here to help me find the verses quickly. In John chapter one we read this, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”

We don’t know who this Word was at the beginning here of this first verse in John chapter one; we find that out later, but whoever this Word is, it says He was in the beginning with God and He was God. Furthermore, it says all things were made through Him, whoever those is, all things were made through Him and without Him was not anything made the was made.

So we find this person called the Word connecting back “in the beginning” as we read in verse one as quoting Genesis one “in the beginning, the word was in the beginning with God and was God.”

Now as we read further through John chapter one, we come to verse number 14 which says, “and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten son of God.” Who’s the Word? Who was with God in the beginning? Who created through whom God created all things, none other than Jesus Christ, the son of God.

Now we see this confirmed and a couple of other passages and if you have a Bible, and you are following in your Scriptures to Colossians chapter one we find another reference connecting the Lord Jesus back to Genesis chapter one. We read in Colossians, chapter one starting in verse number 15 it says, “He Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” Speaking of the preeminence of Christ, we saw in Genesis chapter one the preeminence of God, the transcendence, and the Word was with God and was God.

So here’s Jesus referring back there again to His relationship with God, and it says by Him all things were created and having on earth things visible and invisible, whether Thrones or dominions, rulers of the earth, all things were created through Him and for Him.

So we find creation was ultimately for Christ. And then it goes on to say further in this passage down in verse number 17 it says “He is before all things.” He was in the beginning with the preexistent God as we saw in verse one of Genesis one and that by Him all things consist.

If you ever wondered why things don’t fly apart, why is it that atoms hold together? Why is it the trees stay

together? Why is it the ground doesn’t shift and fly all over the place? Because Christ holds it together by the word of His power. All things consist. That goes back to Genesis chapter one.

One other reference I want us to look at, and that’s in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter one makes reference to the Lord Jesus and God’s use of Him in creation and His elevated exalted rank. We read in Hebrews chapter one starting in verse one it says “Long ago, at many times, in many ways God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son Whom He appointed the heir of all things through whom also He created the world.”

Here we see another confirmation that Christ was the One through Whom God, the Father created all things as described in Genesis chapter one. So through Him all things were created. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His image. He upholds the universe by the word of His power.

So we see these references harking back to this very first biblical narrative that we read in Genesis chapter one which Moses wrote for the children of Israel to assure them, to correct them, to point out their sin of unbelief and failure to obey God and to worship Him, and why they should worship Him, obey Him, and trust Him because He created all things. He held all things together by the word of His power.

So we see that this narrative in Genesis chapter one does have connection to the Lord Jesus and does confirm things about the Lord Jesus that we read about Him as given to us in the New Testament as described from the passage I just read.

So as we do, just a little bit of a review, what purpose did this narrative have? In the beginning, it was to help the children of Israel to understand that God created all things to establish His kingdom on earth and to reveal Himself to humanity and to His creation and reveals God.

And in that chapter by name and by His power, His ability to create through the Lord Jesus as we see-saw through other references, His transcendence. All of these aspects of His nature and His character gave background to the children of Israel, of the God who had called Him out of Egypt and was now bringing them to the promised land to assure them that yes, I am God and yes I am capable to bring you into the promised land. Trust me, believe me. Obey me, worship me.

So as a consequence, therefore the children of Israel as a result of this passage and the rest of the books that Moses wrote, well since it convicts them of sin for their disobedience, their unbelief, their failure to trust the Lord and to worship Him, they would find correction, understanding as to why they needed to confess and turn from their sin and trust this God and to worship Him and also find encouragement and comfort that yes, they would reach the promised land because that God who created all things and spoken into existence that same God is the one who will deliver us into the promised land.

Well, you might say that sounds very interesting. What does that have to do with me? How does that correlate to me in my day? Well, our day presents many similarities to the children of Israel in that day.

We have many temptations in our day from the culture about us to try and squeeze us into its mold, to worship its gods, to reject the God of creation, and to instead worship idols and other false gods. We face those same temptations that the children of Israel faced in that time when God inspired the book of Genesis, specifically chapter one.

So the same things that applied to the children of Israel can apply to us as well. We can understand Who God is, and how this creation came into existence. God spoke it into existence, and He did it as described in Genesis chapter one.

And because we see Him there and His almighty omnipotent hand, we can understand His demand for obedience. We can understand His demand for worship and trust, and He calls all of creation to do just that. Obey Him, trust Him, worship Him.

As we examine ourselves, some of us say as we have watched this video together, and we’ve had this

communication though maybe separated by miles and somehow by time, some of you are believers, some of you have followed God, trust Him, and have trusted in His provision for you and Jesus Christ. You trust Him. You have claimed Him as your Lord and as your Savior.

How does that relate to you? Well, you face those temptations, don’t you? I do. We all do. How would you judge yourself? How would you examine yourself? Can these Scriptures also do in your life what they would have done in the lives of the children of Israel? Convict you of sin, correct you comfort you, encourage you that the God who created all things, who provided the Lord Jesus as your Lord and savior, that same one is able to deliver you to the promised land called heaven and eternity with Him?

These passages can encourage you, correct you, comfort you, and encourage your faith and trust in the Lord and God of all creation.

Some of you might not be believers in the Lord Jesus today. You don’t have any knowledge of Him. You haven’t ever trusted Him; you’ve never called upon Him as Lord and Savior. You are separated from God by your sin. You are under the condemnation of God.

We read in Genesis chapter three, not part of this episode, but part of an upcoming one of how Adam and Eve sinned. Because of their sin, a separation occurred between God and mankind. Something had to bridge that gap because no human has the ability nor the desire to bridge that gap back to God and to reconcile with Him again.

God in His grace and in His mercy has provided His son. We read in John three 16 which many people know, perhaps you’ve even heard it: “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son” to come and provide redemption for sinners like you and like me.

That by simple faith and trust in the Lord Jesus, we can find forgiveness of sin. We can find the power to turn from sin unto Christ, the provision that God made to bridge that gap between sinners and Himself and to reconcile centers back to Himself.

I pray that the Holy Spirit of God, and I ask Him to come to you in a special way to regenerate you in a mysterious fashion. That’s hard to explain in human terms, but that He would renew your heart and your mind.

Open your eyes to see the truth about yourself, your need of a Savior, and God’s provision of a Savior in the Lord Jesus, and that He would give to you the faith to believe and to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your own Lord and savior, and you would find forgiveness of sin.

You will find comfort and encouragement when God gives you the ability to bring you from your present condition into having joy eternally with God, God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

I pray that the Spirit of God will do that for you and in your life today.