Genesis 1: Cultivating Gratitude Toward the Creator

Introduction

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." In Hobart, Tasmania, Kelvin delivers the second message in a series at Hobart Baptist Church on gratitude. After a first sermon on the value of thankfulness in each person's life, he opens the Bible to its very first page, Genesis 1.

His conviction: how we live in God's creation depends largely on us. "Life doesn't just happen to us." We have choices, and those choices determine whether we live in a negative way or in a joyful, encouraging way.

He names the opposites of gratitude we need to put off, marvels at the brain God has placed on our shoulders, then offers a very simple strategy for the week: whenever you are struggling, go back to "In the beginning, God".

Message Outline

1. A Church on Mission That Needs to Do Better

The preacher recalls the last few months: the unstoppable mission of the book of Acts. Starting from Jerusalem, it continues through disciples who baptize, teach, plant churches and train leaders, all the way to the ends of the earth, "even to Australia where we are".
In his letters to the young church in Thessalonica, Paul names what distracts from the mission: idleness, which puts an unnecessary burden on others, sexual immorality, and a lack of hope in the face of persecution.
The series asks the same question: what can we put off, and what can we put on, to live the mission better together?
The stakes are serious. In ten years, around a hundred Anglican churches have closed their doors. Over the next five years, about five of Tasmania's thirty Baptist churches will probably close. "We have to do better."

2. Gratitude Strengthens the Person, the Family and the Church

The first sermon in the series showed that gratitude is not only about what makes us happy: even difficulties can bring blessings to light.
Gratitude strengthens each person. It strengthens families. It strengthens churches.
A community that overflows with thankfulness to the Lord, and whose conversations show it, becomes attractive to those looking in from the outside.
This message looks at creation: not only what God has made and given, but how we live in that creation and how we look at it.

3. In the Beginning, God Created Everything

God flung the stars into space by his word. "He didn't even need to do the gestures I'm doing." He spoke, and they came to be.
The beaches, the magnificent sunsets, the rainbows, all the diversity of humanity and all human ingenuity: God created it all. He put breath in our lungs and gave us this body, even when it doesn't work the way we would like.
There should be no hesitation: we should be thankful.
Yet this reality, which underpins all our theology and all our life, slips to the side if we don't remind ourselves of it. Fears, anxiety, the news, pain and hardship take its place, and this world full of gifts disappears from our sight.

4. The Opposites of Gratitude to Put Off

Ingratitude: not recognizing God's work, not saying thank you, not appreciating.
A sense of entitlement: "I deserve good health, I deserve a good life, I deserve the breath in my lungs."
Resentment: "God, how could you let this happen?" We hold on to our wounds and carry them all our lives.
Discontent: complaining, letting everyone know this isn't the world or the situation we wanted.
Lack of appreciation: expecting God to keep on giving, without acknowledging what he constantly gives, down to the oxygen of the next breath.
Self-pity: "Life isn't fair, other people have it better than I do."
These attitudes are always close at hand, and the news feeds them by repeating that everything is owed to us. The preacher announces that the next message will show that once we get the new car or the new house, happiness quickly drops back to its usual level.
Jesus says it: "There is nothing from outside of the man, that going into him can defile him; but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man." These attitudes are the filth that comes out of our hearts and that others run into. They make us "a bit ugly, a bit off-putting".

5. A Supercomputer on Your Shoulders

God gave us a brain. It is commonly estimated to process a billion billion floating-point operations per second, every second you are awake.
Only five computers in the world reach that speed. The smallest uses 20 megawatts and takes up twice the floor space of the worship hall. Your brain runs on 20 watts.
Teams of scientists study it all over the world, and we still don't know how a single thought arises, or what consciousness is.
"Look around you: there are supercomputers on every pair of shoulders in this room." This is only a small part of God's majestic creation.
With this brain, we can ask why and how God created the world as he did. By taking an interest in these questions, we begin to perceive the one who stands behind creation: "The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork."
Even a chat about the weather with a neighbor can reveal, instead of the filth that comes out of a heart, the joy, gratitude and trust of someone who knows that Another stands in the background of their life.

6. A Simple Strategy: "In the Beginning, God"

The news tells you that you deserve a certain standard of living. Forecasts of global disasters feed discontent. The rapid progress of AI seems impossible to stop and fuels fear, stress and anxiety.
The strategy takes no physical effort, only mental effort. When you are told that everything is owed to you, when you are about to complain, you say: "In the beginning, God".
When a superpower makes an absurd decision and everything seems out of control: "In the beginning, God". Those who seem to be something are nothing. Can they speak and fling stars into space? Can they put a supercomputer on our shoulders and give us consciousness?
When you don't have the money to pay your bills: "In the beginning, God". He knows who you are, he knows what you need, and he is the one who will take care of you.
By practicing this way, you begin to see again the beaches, the sunsets and the rest of the creation God has given you. The preacher invites the whole church to try it for a week.

7. Why God Gave You This Brain

Why did God give each of us this processing power? For the preacher, the reason is very clear.
If we work hard and concentrate to understand, we receive the tiniest glimpses of God's majesty, of his greatness, and of the blessing he is.
"That's all." We have only a very small glimpse of what he has done and of who he is, the one who made it.

Key Takeaways

Gratitude toward the Creator strengthens faith, families, the church and its witness in the city.
How you live in God's creation depends largely on you: life doesn't just happen to you.
Ingratitude, entitlement, resentment, complaining and self-pity come out of the heart and need to be put off.
The brain God gave you is made to marvel at him and glimpse his majesty.
Going back to "In the beginning, God" puts every fear and every complaint in its proper place.

Personal Application

Which of the opposites of gratitude is closest to you right now: ingratitude, resentment, complaining, self-pity?
Which news stories or voices keep telling you that everything is owed to you, and how do you react when you hear them?
What do your ordinary conversations, even about the weather, reveal about your heart?
In what specific situation this week will you practice saying "In the beginning, God"?
Which gift of creation will you take time to look at and thank God for today?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the opposites of gratitude according to this message?

The preacher names six: ingratitude that does not recognize God's work, a sense that everything is owed to us, resentment, discontent that complains, expecting everything without appreciating anything, and self-pity. With Mark 7:15, he reminds us that it is what comes out of the heart that defiles a person.

What does the "In the beginning, God" strategy mean?

Whenever you are told that everything is owed to you, whenever you are about to complain, whenever the news worries you or you don't know how to pay your bills, you go back to the first words of the Bible: "In the beginning, God". This great story underneath all of life reminds you that God knows who you are and what you need.

Why does gratitude matter for the church?

For the preacher, gratitude strengthens each person, families and the church. A community that overflows with thankfulness to the Lord becomes attractive to those looking in from the outside, and that strengthens its witness in its city.