Genesis | Week 1 | Full Service · Rewind

Genesis | Week 1 | Full Service · Rewind

73 min

Pastor Bill Bush · Jan 9, 2023 · 7 min read · 73 min listen

Quoting the message: The who defines you, end quote. — knowing who God is and who He made you to be matters more than chasing how-to answers for a better life.

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Scripture in this message

Big Idea

We spend New Year's looking for the key to a better life in diets, fitness, or resolutions, but those things are temporary and can't satisfy the eternal longing God placed in us. The real key is found in knowing the God who created us — Genesis 1 and 2 reveal who He is and who we are, so we can stop chasing temporary fixes and come home to the relationship and purpose He built us for.</thesis> <parameter name="key_points">[{"point":"We keep searching for the 'how' of a better life while skipping the 'who' who created us.","explanation":"Pastor Bill opens the Genesis series by noting that New Year's resolutions are always about how to change, but real change starts with knowing who made us. He tells a story about his friend Rod Kaya, a strategic planner who says 'get the how out of here' until you know the who and what first.","supporting_scripture":null,"timestamp_seconds":631},{"point":"Temporary things can't satisfy the eternal longing God placed in us.","explanation":"He points to Ecclesiastes' teaching that God planted eternity in the hearts of men, arguing that fitness, finances, and relationships are good but temporary, so they will always disappoint if we ask them to fill an eternal longing.","supporting_scripture":"Ecclesiastes 3:11","timestamp_seconds":560},{"point":"Genesis 1 and 2 are brief on purpose — they reveal the who, not every how of creation.","explanation":"Pastor Bill reads through Genesis 1 and 2 nearly in full, pointing out the repeated pattern of God said, it happened, and it was good. He warns that getting stuck on questions like evolution or literal days distracts from the point and can become an excuse not to trust God, while resources like Answers in Genesis and the Bible Project can help those genuinely curious.","supporting_scripture":"Genesis 1:1","timestamp_seconds":694},{"point":"God is a good, loving, and creative God who brings life, beauty, and order out of chaos.","explanation":"He notes how many times Genesis 1 says it was good, and highlights the creativity in the stars and the world beyond mere survival. He connects this to A.W. Tozer's statement that how you see God determines how you see everything else, and calls God the only artist whose art can make art.","supporting_scripture":null,"timestamp_seconds":1721},{"point":"Woman was created as a helper — meaning an equal teammate, not an assistant.","explanation":"Working through the naming of the animals and the creation of Eve from Adam's rib, Pastor Bill explains that the Hebrew word for helper is the same word used of the Holy Spirit, so it means a partner of equal standing brought alongside, not a servant.","supporting_scripture":"Genesis 2:18-23","timestamp_seconds":1451},{"point":"God created us in His image to have purpose, connection with others, and a relationship with Him.","explanation":"He connects Adam's calling to tend the garden with the New Testament calling to be part of the body of Christ, saying our purposes are always temporary until we live out the purpose God built us for through connection with His church family.","supporting_scripture":null,"timestamp_seconds":1981},{"point":"The whole Bible, from Genesis 3 onward, is God's process of bringing us back home.","explanation":"Pastor Bill explains that only two of the Bible's 1,189 chapters describe creation as good, and the remaining 1,186 chapters describe God's redemptive process of bringing us back to what Genesis 1 and 2 describe — a home, not a prison, with locks meant to keep us safely in, not keep us out.","supporting_scripture":null,"timestamp_seconds":2762}]

Key points

1
1Temporary things can't satisfy the eternal longing God placed in us.
He points to Ecclesiastes' teaching that God planted eternity in the hearts of men, arguing that fitness, finances, and relationships are good but temporary, so they will always disappoint if we ask them to fill an eternal longing.
2
2We keep searching for the 'how' of a better life while skipping the 'who' who created us.
Pastor Bill opens the Genesis series by noting that New Year's resolutions are always about how to change, but real change starts with knowing who made us. He tells a story about his friend Rod Kaya, a strategic planner who says 'get the how out of here' until you know the who and what first.
3
3Genesis 1 and 2 are brief on purpose — they reveal the who, not every how of creation.
Pastor Bill reads through Genesis 1 and 2 nearly in full, pointing out the repeated pattern of God said, it happened, and it was good. He warns that getting stuck on questions like evolution or literal days distracts from the point and can become an excuse not to trust God, while resources like Answers in Genesis and the Bible Project can help those genuinely curious.
4
4Woman was created as a helper — meaning an equal teammate, not an assistant.
Working through the naming of the animals and the creation of Eve from Adam's rib, Pastor Bill explains that the Hebrew word for helper is the same word used of the Holy Spirit, so it means a partner of equal standing brought alongside, not a servant.
5
5God is a good, loving, and creative God who brings life, beauty, and order out of chaos.
He notes how many times Genesis 1 says it was good, and highlights the creativity in the stars and the world beyond mere survival. He connects this to A.W. Tozer's statement that how you see God determines how you see everything else, and calls God the only artist whose art can make art.
6
6God created us in His image to have purpose, connection with others, and a relationship with Him.
He connects Adam's calling to tend the garden with the New Testament calling to be part of the body of Christ, saying our purposes are always temporary until we live out the purpose God built us for through connection with His church family.
7
7The whole Bible, from Genesis 3 onward, is God's process of bringing us back home.
Pastor Bill explains that only two of the Bible's 1,189 chapters describe creation as good, and the remaining 1,186 chapters describe God's redemptive process of bringing us back to what Genesis 1 and 2 describe — a home, not a prison, with locks meant to keep us safely in, not keep us out.

Application

Pastor Bill frames this year's challenge as trading the search for a key to escape life for the key that brings you home to relationship with God.

Look for the who before the how
Instead of chasing New Year's resolutions about diet, fitness, or finances, start this year by seeking to know the God who created you, since who He is defines who you are.
Get into the word of God together
Join the church's read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan at rockpoint.io, using resources like the Bible Project if helpful, even if you're starting a few days behind.
Stop resisting God's purpose and get connected
Serve where you're gifted, especially in children's ministry, and give financially toward the building campaign rather than letting temporary excuses crowd out the purpose God built you for.
Choose to come home
Stop treating your relationship with God like a jailbreak or safecracking scheme to get what you want, and instead spend more time with your Father this year, living as an active part of His family.

Take it into your week

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7-day devotional

A personal reading plan from this message — scripture, reflection, and prayer for each day.

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Day 1

There is a restlessness most of us know well. It shows up in January when we write out our goals with fresh determination, and it shows up in March when the momentum has faded and we are quietly wondering why nothing feels like enough. Pastor Bill named it plainly: God planted eternity in your heart. That ache is not a malfunction. It is not anxiety or ingratitude. It is a design feature — a built-in longing that points you toward something no fitness goal, financial milestone, or relationship can fully satisfy. The Teacher in Ecclesiastes had tried it all. He built, planted, accumulated, and achieved — and still found the same hollow echo at the end of every 'how.' Not because those things are evil, but because they were never designed to carry the weight of an eternal longing. What is remarkable about this verse is what it does not say. It does not say God planted eternity in our hearts to frustrate us. He planted it because He intends to meet us there. The longing is not a problem to solve — it is an invitation to follow. Before you build any plan for this year, it is worth sitting with that ache for a moment and asking: what am I actually reaching for?

For reflection

When you notice that restless sense that something is still missing, what do you usually reach for first — and has it ever fully quieted the longing?

Pray

Pray for honest awareness of the places you have been chasing temporary 'hows' to fill an eternal longing.

Small-group discussion guide

For leading a group conversation about this message.

Open

Think about the last time you started something new — a plan, a goal, a fresh start — and what you were really hoping it would give you. This message suggests that longing points to something much deeper than any resolution can reach.

Discussion questions

1
Ecclesiastes 3:11 says God 'planted eternity in the hearts of men.' What do you think that means, and why might it matter for understanding what we're actually searching for when we chase new goals or fresh starts?
2
In Genesis 1:1, the very first thing the Bible tells us is who God is — not how creation works, but who is behind it. What do you think changes about how we read the rest of Genesis when we start there?
3
Genesis 2:7 describes God forming humanity differently from everything else — personally, slowly, getting into the dirt rather than simply speaking us into existence. What does that distinction suggest about how God sees people?
Related passage
4
Genesis 1:27–28 says we were made in God's image and designed to tend, create, and multiply — not just to exist. How might understanding that original purpose shape the way a community of people thinks about work, creativity, or service together?
5
Pastor Bill described the Bible's story after Genesis 3 as one unified account of God working to bring us back home — not a collection of loosely connected lessons. How does thinking of Scripture as a single 'coming home' story change the way we might approach reading it?
6
Pastor Bill challenged us to make 'coming home' the resolution this year — opening the Bible as the story of a Father who wants us back, and showing up as an active part of the church family rather than just attending. What would it look like, practically, for a group like ours to pursue that together?

Pray together

Gratitude for a Father who formed us personally and is always drawing us home — and openness to finding our purpose, connection, and identity in Him this year

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