LifePointe Christian Church

ORIGIN STORY: God Starts What Can’t Be Stopped — Where It All Went Wrong - Week 1

August 23rd, 2026

Chris Delfs, Senior Pastor

The pattern: God starts something, we mess it up, but God keeps moving His story forward

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God…

The Bible isn’t the story of people trying to find God
The Bible is the story of God pursuing people

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. NLT

The repeated pattern in Genesis:
God speaks. Creation responds. God calls it good.

Genesis isn’t primarily explaining HOW God created
Genesis is revealing WHO is behind creation

God does not enter our story - we enter God’s story

Genesis 1:26
Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.” NLT

Genesis 1:27
So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. NLT

God gives us value before we accomplish anything
We have value because we bear His image

We don’t get to decide who deserves dignity - God determined that on page one of the Bible

The garden: A picture of life the way God intended it

God’s original vision: God with people

The story starts with God moving toward us, not us trying to get to Him

Real relationship requires choice

Genesis 2:16-17
The LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” NLT

Will I trust God to define what is good, or will I decide for myself?

Genesis 3:1
“Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” NLT

THE FALL: Humanity falls away from God’s design, and sin enters our story

Genesis 3:7
At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. NLT

What have you gotten really good at hiding so no one sees what’s underneath?

Genesis 3:9
Then the LORD God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ NLT

The Bible: The story of God pursuing people

Genesis 4:7
“Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” NLT

What sin is crouching at the door of your heart?
What you tolerate today can control you tomorrow

Genesis 6:5-6
The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. NLT

Sin does not just break God’s commandments - it breaks God’s heart

The flood washed away a violent society but did not wash away the sin in people’s hearts

We don’t just need better circumstances - we need to be rescued

The rainbow: Reminder that God remains committed to His creation even though His creation keeps rebelling against Him

Our sin does not get the final word in God’s story

Genesis 11:4
“Let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.” NLT

Our Babel: Any area of our life we build apart from God

Genesis 3:21
And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife. NLT

Sin brings death. Humanity cannot fix itself. God must provide the covering.

Jesus: The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

The primary question isn’t, “Do you know the creation story?” It’s, “Where are you in the story?”

The Bible: The story of God pursuing people