Part 1 of 9 – Bigger Than… Series
What Is A WorldView? Have you ever considered the lens through which you view the world? Have you ever wondered why you interpret the happenings of your life in the way that you do?
A Worldview is very powerful and life-determining. It often decides our conclusions before we even process the information.
In this series, we will use six questions to construct a Biblical Christian Worldview. What can be known? Who is God? Who am I? What is good? What is wrong? And, What is next? These questions will help us determine who is our source and what is our purpose.
In a Biblical Christian Worldview, we embrace the idea that God is the Source, first and foremost.
GOD IS SOURCE
Genesis 1:1-3 (NLT) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
When God created the world He created light a couple of days before He created the things we consider the source of light like the sun. God always works with purpose and this act is meant to teach us that He is the Source of light and life.
Colossians 1:15, 17 (NLT) Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation; 17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.
We also discover that Jesus was with God when He created the World. Jesus once declared that He was the Light of the World. So our anchor of Faith must be firmly planted in the simple truth that everything originated with God.
This is a very challenging idea for us. We really like to be the center of the universe, but God is the center. He is where the Christian must focus.
God Formed Then God Filled
When we meet God at the creation of the world he is staring at a formless, empty and dark place. We cannot even call it a world yet. How are we supposed to even imagine a “formless” space? What does that even mean? There was no order, no sense, and no reason. There were no natural rules in play. The laws of time and space did not yet exist. There was no gravity, no theory of relativity, nor was there any light.
We have God facing off with formlessness, emptiness, and darkness. The tension between the creator and the empty is awesome and sets the stage for Creation!
If you read Genesis 1, you will see that God first formed spaces then He filled those spaces. Days one through three He formed light and dark, the atmosphere, and then the land and vegetation. The in days four through six He filled them with beauty, majesty, and LIFE!
He formed and filled Adam as well. He made his body in God’s own image and He then filled Adam with His own breath. Can you imagine Adam’s first sight being the face of God’s pure love? Amazing!
You Can Be Filled Or Stay Empty
What will you do with Creation? We have been intimidated into giving up creation. We have been tricked into an insecurity about it. If we were honest with ourselves, we would find that we were afraid to dig into the matter because our faith wasn’t very strong. We fear it would fall apart under “scientific” or “philosophical” scrutiny. If your faith is that weak you should get rid of it. Find real faith. Get a real relationship with God. It’s hard to convince someone God doesn’t exist if they have just spoken with Him.
Hebrews 11:3 (NLT) By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
Who created everything? If you honestly believe that this amazing world with its infinite beauty was an accident, you have WAY more faith than me. It’s ridiculous to believe that nothing could somehow become something. It would be cool though if it worked on our bank accounts.
Romans 1:18-22 (NLT) But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
How important is it to accept that? If God is not your source. You are your source. You are all you’ve got. So, You are effectively alone. That sounds like a dark place, doesn’t it?
Why Not Fill ‘er Up! God created you. God loves you, and God wants a relationship with you. He wants to be your overwhelming source for life, joy, and peace. He wants to be a real Father to you. He wants to fill your life. Imagine a life with no more emptiness, no more darkness, and no more chaos. A life filled with peace, creativity, and light is yours for the asking. Are you interested? Or, is the empty thing working for you?
Talk About It…
- What are your first thoughts regarding today’s topic? Please share with the group.
- Discuss the five questions mentioned above. How would you answer them? Where did you get your answers?
- Was the fact that God created light before He created the sun new to you? What do you think about it? Read 1 John 1:5 and John 8:12. Discuss these Scriptures.
- Discuss Genesis 1:1-3. What do you think formless, darkness and empty mean?
- Discuss the creation of Adam. Discuss Adam’s first moment of life. What must it have been like? Do you have a “first moment” that you are looking forward to?
- God wants to walk with you. What do you think about that? Who has God walked within the Bible? How? How might He walk with you?
- Is there anything in today’s topic that you would be excited to share with a friend?