(10–15 minutes, easy set-up)
Students will study Genesis 1:1–2, 1:26–31, and Hebrews 11:3 to understand God’s role as Creator.
(15–20 minutes, easy set-up)
Use this outline to share the Biblical Truth with students. The underlined words correspond to the blanks on the Master Teacher Student Worksheet. Use any of these activities as you teach the outline to your students. The activities correspond to the points in the outline.
Introduction: God created all of humanity to live in relationship with Him, the Creator.
Description:From out of nothing, God created everything. All of creation was made for humanity to rule over. Humanity was created in God’s image to reveal His very nature.
Illustration: What is the greatest invention that man has ever made? The wheel? The printing press? The personal computer? Cell phones? Indoor plumbing? We have invented numerous things to improve our living conditions. We have God’s creative nature, but we have created nothing so wonderful as all of His creation.
1. The world was created by God’s power (Gen. 1:1–3, Heb. 11:3).
Description: God existed before the world began. He is the eternal, all-powerful, sovereign God. He is the source of all things who exercises His authority over all creation.
Illustration: Have you ever watched lightning streak across the sky or a shooting star storm through the heavens? Have you ever had an encounter with a massive animal, such as a whale, elephant, or giraffe? Have you ever stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon or on a mountaintop and been moved by the power and majesty of God through His creation?
Application: Nothing compares to the creative nature of our God. We can, however, use the creative character that He has given us for good.
2. The world was created for God’s pleasure (Gen. 1:26–31).
Description: God took great pleasure in His creation process and the end result. He created everything for humanity to enjoy. He created humanity “in his own image,” meaning that they had special privileges and responsibilities in the created order.
Illustration: Some of the most popular authors and moviemakers of all time were powerful creators. C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and George Lucas each created vast worlds full of creatures and landscapes entirely of their own making. Walt Disney was also a great dreamer and creator. It all shows that God has given us the ability to dream and create since the beginning of His creation.
Interaction: Ask students to get into groups of three and discuss things that they have dreamed of and created at one time in the past.
Application: There isn’t one person who has not been created with the ability to create. This is a part of God’s character that He has passed on to us. How do you use your creative character to show others who God is?
Conclusion: Creation is the very expression of God’s character and His goodness.
Description: God has used many ways to show us that He is a loving God. We can look at His creation and know that His desire has always been to relate to us in a very deep and intimate way.
Illustration: Many doctors and scientists have come to believe in God through studies of such things as the human body and the solar system. When they realize how intricately God created the universe and all that is in it, they cannot deny that there is a creator and that He alone is God. No one else could have dreamed up how the complex human body is supposed to work so efficiently by way of its nervous system, circulatory system, pulmonary system, and dermatological system. Likewise, no one else could have imagined that the earth should be set at the perfect distance from the sun in order to support and sustain life.