God’s Timeline –
Part 1:
Introduction
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House
of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
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SERMON INTRODUCTION
Over the last 18 years I
have penned over 700 sermons. This does not include the weekly bible-studies,
nor the 8 years teaching ministering classes, theological papers, or books I
have also written.
During this time, I have
taken on some large projects, including the Book of Acts Sermon series, Paul’s
Epistles, and the Revelation series, each taking between 1 & 1 ½ years.
This however is going to
be the biggest project I have ever taken on, and I believe it will also be one
of the most rewarding.
A friend of mine nearly
20 years ago was obsessed with wanting to teach the entire bible in a single
timeline, in a single evening. I thought to myself there was no way this could
happen, there is just too much in the scriptures.
On a few occasions when
the church held special events, giving lay persons the opportunity to share
scripture and person experience, he attempted to carry out his obsession.
Once he did, and I had
the opportunity to hear it, I appreciated and understood the why, although the
delivery fell flat with listeners.
Partly because he wanted to do this from memory rather than use notes or
outlines, and partly because he tended to go too deep on some points and not
deep enough on others which caused confusion at times.
My newfound appreciation
for his desire and my thoughts about the matter have filled my head for nearly
10 years now.
This sermon series,
“God’s Timeline”, is going to serve multiple purposes.
First, as a sermon series
for our church family, attempting to draw out a timeline from the beginning to
the final judgment for our understanding.
Secondly, as an outline
for future projects I have been planning for years, such as an interactive
timeline for computers or internet to help with understanding scripture and
where exactly it belongs in the big picture of things.
Lastly, a searchable
series that will be available on our church website for anyone to seek major
events for themselves and find where they are in scripture easily to study them
and gain a deeper understanding.
This timeline project
will have to follow this guideline if it is to be of any use and avoid the
pitfalls of too much information which overwhelms.
The guidelines are as
follows;
This series will
·
Tackle major events in
Chronological order
·
Touch major points with
scripture reference
·
Sub-points as topics with
reference but no deeper explanation
·
Each event in a single
sermon (larger events that need more time will be broke into smaller events.
i.e. Creation/Fall/Punishment will be three sermons as opposed to one)
Looking at the major points, I am guessing
this series will take approximately 2 years.
At the end of this series I believe those who
have followed it will have a greater understanding of time from God’s view,
Creation through Judgment.
I also believe that understanding this view
helps put all of scripture into context, which will give the reader of
scripture better understanding.
All of God’s word is the guide to time itself.
From the Creation of time in Genesis 1 to the end of time in Revelation.
SCRIPTURE READING
John 1:1-5
“In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been
made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The
light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
I.
BEFORE
THE BEGINNING
a. God in His abode
i.
Before creation God
existed in His home which is outside of Creation
1.
“The Lord is high
above all nations; His glory is ‘above the heavens’” – Psalm 134:4
2. “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold,
heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house
which I have built!” – 1 Kings
8:27
3. “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,” – Psalm 108:5
ii.
There are three
heavens spoke of in scripture
1. The first is all we see with our eyes. The sky,
space with stars, etc.
2. The second is another dimension which we cannot see
where angels dwell.
3. Then third is where God has His throne (beyond outer
space and outside of creation)
iii.
Each of these are
spoke of in scripture as being separate, and different words are used to
describe them.
iv.
Our English of course
uses one, Heaven.
b. Time does not exist before creation
i.
Time is a “created”
thing
1.
Science has now
discovered time is the fourth dimension of space in 1908
2.
Dimensions are created
things
ii.
Time was part of the
creation in Genesis
1. “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the
darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And
there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” Genesis 1:3
2.
This is confirmed as
“real” days, not imaginary “millions of years” as some try to conclude to make
the Bible fit with accepted scientific theory.
3.
Exodus
20:11 states the creation and day
of rest were seven days, and one week.
This is repeated in Exodus
31:17-18
iii.
How much “time” took
place before Genesis
1:3?
1. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the
earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of
the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” – Genesis 1:1-2
2. Literally “no passage of time” took place, because
“time” did not exist yet.
iv.
If it takes light
millions of years at the “speed of light” to travel from stars to earth, but
the earth is only 6,000 years old, how are we seeing light?
1. Before “time” exists, there would be no restrictions
on the speed of light. Therefore, light would “instantly” reach any destination
because there would be no “speed limit” put on it without the restriction of
“time” which was not created as of yet.
2. Without the 4th dimension of time,
everything was “now”
c. The Holy Trinity is all there is
i.
Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. One God, nothing else.
1.
John
1:1-3 tells us, “In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He
was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made…”
2.
Genesis
1:1-2 tells us that God (the Word)
created the heavens and earth, and the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) was hovering
over the waters.
ii.
So the Trinity existed
before creation
II.
EVERYTHING
OTHER THAN GOD IS CREATED
a. The Holy Trinity
i.
Outside of creation
b. Through the Word all things were made
i.
Everything that
exists, everything created has been created
ii.
“What has been will be
again,
what has been done will be
done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.” – Ecclesiastes 1:9
c. Everything that will be created has been
(nothing newly “created” but regenerated)
i.
Jeremiah
1:5 “Before I formed you in the
womb I knew you…”
ii.
Galatians
1:15 “…he who had set me apart
before I was born…”
iii.
The Lord knew us
before we were in the womb because we (all that was created) were created
during creation when everything was created.
iv.
The Lord then “set us
down” in the timeline as He saw fit, choosing the when, where and to whom we
would be born according to His will.
v.
What about the “new
heaven and New Earth” in Revelation?
1.
They already exist and
will be “destroyed and rebuilt”
2.
During creation, every
piece of “matter” that exists was created
3.
Everything born, made,
repaired, etc…is done so with this matter.
4.
The First Law of
thermodynamics states, “Matter cannot be created, or destroyed”
vi.
Everything God created
was created in the beginning, the matter, the laws (scientific, mathematical,
natural, etc.) both discovered and yet to be discovered.
vii.
Hebrews
11:3 speaks of “invisible
things”, “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word
of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”
This verse inspired by God’s Holy Spirit speaks of molecules, matter, atoms,
the things which were not to be known of by man for another thousand years!
III.
GOD’S
TIMELINE BEGINS
a. Time Created
i.
Genesis
1:3 God places Time within the
Creation
ii.
Everything that was
created was set in place during the week of creation in Genesis
b. God is the Alpha and Omega
i.
In revelation God
identifies Himself as the Alpha and Omega
ii.
This is the first and
last letter of the Greek alphabet
iii.
In other
words, God is the Beginning and the End
1.
He is “outside of
time”
2.
He “is” the timeline
3.
Time is His creation,
and therefore He rules over it
c. God exists outside of creation
i.
Why are prophets 100%
correct 100% of the time?
1.
Because when they
“see” the future, God has allowed the 4th dimension of time to
“bend” so the prophet wasn’t seeing what “may” happen, but what “did”.
ii.
John in Revelation
describes “time skips” or travel with angels to see various events as they
unfolded, even though these events took place at different times on the
timeline.
ILLUSTRATION
God created all people’s souls before they were born
during Genesis 1 Creation week.
This is how He knows us “before” we were in our
mother’s womb.
Where do we wait until we are born? Heaven? No.
We wait nowhere!
God is outside the timeline and after creating all peoples He spread
them throughout the timeline to be born when, where and to whom He willed. All at ONCE!
We, being stuck inside time, have to “wait” for
events in the timeline to unfold, including birth, death, etc…however, God,
being outside the timeline, places things and events at His will.
CONCLUSION –
Next week we will begin our series with the Creation week
Want to learn more
about Salvation and Getting Saved?
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