Genesis 1:1
What do you think is the verse that is read more than any other verse in the entire Bible? Some will say it is John 3:16, and others will quote many other verses, but that's not the most read verse in the Bible. The most read verse in the Bible is Genesis 1:1.
So many people have thought that they would like to read the Bible and they always open it and read that familiar verse, Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." In fact, the golden key to the entire Bible is hanging right on the front door. When we try to truly comprehend how great the God of this one verse is, we are bringing a teacup mind to an ocean of truth!
As we look around, we see He is a God of might and miracle and power. And in Genesis 1:1, we see He created it all. Why did God create the heavens and the earth? Well, based on Scripture, there are three reasons why God made it all.
For His Pleasure...
Revelation 4:11, "Thou art worthy, oh Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created." God did it for His pleasure. He rejoiced in His creation because it was made for His pleasure. That we don't have to guess about it.
No only that, but He made it cause He wanted to. He didn't need anyone's opinion or permission. As He said to Job, "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?" He did it because He wanted to. He is a sovereign God and everything was created for His pleasure.
For His Praise...
When you look at the handiwork of God, then you want to praise God — just like you would praise someone for their handiwork. Romans 11:36 says, "For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things to whom be glory forever." All things have come from Him. All things operate through Him, all things are returning back to Him...then give Him glory. Psalm one hundred and fifty verse six says, "Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord."
Everything that's created is created to bring glory to Him for His praise. Therefore, the trees lift their leafy arms and say, "Praise God." And the beautiful flowers unfold their petals and say, "Praise God." And the bird on the wing says, "Praise God." And you, my dear friend, were made to praise Him.
It is in Him that we were created to live and move and have our being, and until you learn to praise God you'll never learn the meaning of life. You were created to praise Him. God made these things for His pleasure. God made these things for His praise.
For His People...
After God created all these things, He stepped back and said, "That's good." Then He'd make something else and He'd say, "That's good." Then something else. "That's very good." And then He saw that man didn't have a wife, and He said, "It's not good that man should be alone. I'll make a helpmeet for him."
You see, God, when He created everything, was creating a home for man to live in because He had in His mind His supreme creation, which is man. And so He made it, not only for His pleasure, and not only for His praise, but He made it for His people. And you see God made all of this for us. In a very real sense of the word, He gave it to us, and He told us to have dominion and He told us to enjoy it.
Now, I want to tell you what the devil wants to do. The devil wants to get you thinking negatively about God. The devil wants you to get to thinking that God is not a good God. And I want to say with all of the unction, function, and emotion of my soul, and I pray God that He will etch this into your consciousness this morning, God is a good God. God made it for His glory and for your good; for His praise, but for His people.
If you don't learn anything else about our mighty God, learn that God is good and you ought to be glad that he is. God is a good God and he's good all the time.