God's Good Way in Creating All Things

[0:00] We need to call him and say, let my brother come to church. It's good to have you, brother. Well, this morning I am eager and excited about being able to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, believe it or not, from Genesis 1.

[0:17] You believe the gospels in Genesis 1? Amen. It is. It is. Because God deals with the beginning of everything, including the beginning of what he will bring forth as the good news of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

[0:33] The title of my message this morning is God's good way in creating all things. God's good way in creating all things. We are talking about Genesis as the foundation for everything.

[0:47] And I have committed in my first message beginning last Sunday to preach at least through Genesis 1 through 11, chapters 1 through 11.

[0:59] Lord willing, if I have breath for life and the Lord tarries, that's the plan. We'll see. Maybe after chapter 11, we'll just keep on running. But I'll make that decision as we get closer.

[1:10] Let's look at the text for today in Genesis 1, verses 1 through 5. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

[1:25] The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

[1:38] Then God said, let there be light. And there was light. And God saw that the light was good.

[1:49] And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day. And the darkness he called night.

[1:59] And there was evening and there was morning. One day. Now, don't fret. I know last Sunday I started and it was verse 1.

[2:12] This Sunday, it's day 1. You're doing the math and thinking, and there's six more days to go. That takes us into, let's see, December. No, don't do that.

[2:23] We'll try to do more days next week. There's just so much on the front end that I need to cover. And I want to be careful to lay the groundwork for this in a way that helps you better understand the reason that we need and should take these six days as 24-hour literal days.

[2:44] That is a critical, critical component of honoring the Lord and worshiping him in spirit and truth through these texts. Allowing the truth of Genesis to motivate us in our hearts and move us in our hearts to honor God as creator God.

[3:00] So I'm laying the groundwork for all of that. I'm not going to, as I said last week, delve into all of the different material that we could talk about, debunking the different theories that people want to squeeze in to Genesis chapter 1.

[3:16] We'll hit some highlights here and there. But I'll refer you to really solid references if you want to dig into that more on your own. I'll recommend some books and articles for you that you can read.

[3:29] There is a plethora of good stuff out there. You have to be careful because there's just as much bad. But there's some good counter, some good apologetical material out there to debunk all of the nonsense that people want to do.

[3:43] I'm sure some of them well-intentioned squeezing millions of years into Genesis 1. Don't do that. Don't allow yourself to be embarrassed or tempted to do something like that.

[3:56] We'll talk more about that as we move through this together. Friends, what we read here in these opening verses of Holy Scripture cannot be allowed to become stale in our hearts.

[4:07] And I think there's a temptation to do that as we read at the front of the Bible and then realize there's 65 other books to deal with. There's a lot of material. And after all, this is Old Testament.

[4:20] Right? This is Old Testament. We need to get on to the new stuff. Here's the beginning of the new stuff. There wouldn't be any new stuff if we didn't have this. This is the foundation for everything.

[4:32] So we want to be careful to treat this as God's word. Amen? All of it is the truth of the Lord. So don't let this truth get stale in our hearts. We are reading here astounding, heart-grabbing, mind-transforming truth about how our world began.

[4:51] More importantly, even more astonishing to me, we are told who created this beginning. We know who did this. God. God exists.

[5:03] He exists everywhere at once. Try to put your mind around that. He exists everywhere at once. And yet, God is beyond time and space.

[5:16] And is not contained within it or constrained by it. Amen. What a God. Now, we want to glorify that God through this text.

[5:27] Through this passage of Scripture. We don't want that great big God who is outside of time and yet everywhere in time and space. But outside of it.

[5:40] You and I can't. Don't even try to do that because it will make your brain go. Just like that. It will all just snap. This great big God, we don't want to be guilty of shrinking.

[5:52] Because we read an account in Genesis chapter 1 and think, how in the world could he really have done all of that in six days? He could have done it in six nanoseconds.

[6:03] But he chose to give us six days because that's the cycle that you and I live by. That's how we move and have our being in this world because that's what he designed.

[6:14] So let's not try and shrink the Lord about any of this. Let's let him be big. Let's let him stay on the throne in terms of our creator. And do him justice in terms of submitting to what he tells us here.

[6:29] God is beyond time and space. Our creator is eternal. There is no beginning or end to God. He is.

[6:40] He is the I am. He has no beginning and no end. He knows all things at once. And his power is unlimited. Now everything that I've just said is in capsule form from the last three Wednesday nights that my brother Greg has been teaching.

[6:58] If you've been here on Wednesday night, just about everything I just said is something that Greg delved into and kind of took a deep dive. For those of you who are here, right? Talking about some of these attributes of God.

[7:10] Friends, by word, by wisdom and by will. God created the heavens and the earth and all it contains. That's what scripture tells us.

[7:21] It is by divine design that the apostle John was led by the power of the Holy Spirit to begin his gospel account describing Jesus Christ as the divine word active in creation.

[7:39] So here we are in Genesis 1, 1 through 5. And now we're all the way over into the gospel of John. And here's what John said about Jesus Christ as the divine word active in creation.

[7:55] In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

[8:07] All things came into being through him. That is Jesus. And apart from him, nothing came into being that has come into being. In him was life.

[8:18] And the life was the notice as a reference for later in the message. And the life was the light. Of men, you're going to ask me in a little while because God did not yet create the sun and the moon or the stars.

[8:33] Where did the light come from that he's about to create in verse 3? I just told you. Let me read it again. In him was life. And the life was the light of men.

[8:46] The light shines in the darkness. Doesn't need the sun. Doesn't need the moon. Doesn't need the stars. He is light. And the darkness did not comprehend it.

[9:00] Were it not for the Lord Jesus Christ, you and I would maintain living, continue living in the darkness of our own hearts. But God breaks in and shatters the darkness and deception of our hearts and brings light to life.

[9:20] And so we see him for who he is, Savior and Lord, and our only hope for the remission of sin. And so we turn to him in the light as he brings light into our heart, into our life.

[9:33] This is a critical, critical component. As we study through Genesis, talking about how God began everything. Jesus Christ is there in the beginning as creator God.

[9:48] So that nothing is brought into being that was not brought into being by him. The light of life. Friends, John's beginning refers to Genesis 1-1.

[10:03] Because it presents Jesus as before the beginning. And as the creator of the beginning. Jesus is eternal.

[10:16] God is eternal. Therefore, Jesus is God. And we believe that. Well, that truth rests on what we're reading in Genesis 1-1-5.

[10:34] If we monkey with Genesis 1-1-5, we monkey with the gospel. Now, we don't want to do that. We want the gospel to be what the gospel is.

[10:45] The great good news of this wonderful creator God who condescended to the plight of human beings by becoming a human being himself yet without sin.

[10:57] In order to rescue and I from what killed us. He conquered what killed you and I. And he rose from the dead to give us hope and life in his name.

[11:10] The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is all in this. And I want you to see that. I want you to hold on to that because I want you to know how precious this is.

[11:20] What we're calling this treasure of God's truth and why it's worth giving your life for. Why it's worth standing on the truth of God that he made the world in six literal days.

[11:33] And not let the man-centered wisdom, so-called, push its way into these verses and mess it all up. We're not going to stand for that.

[11:43] We're going to preach this for what it is. Jesus is God. He has no beginning. And he has no end. Beloved, what we believe about in the beginning is the foundation of what we believe about Jesus Christ, the creator of in the beginning.

[12:04] Beginnings are beginnings because they have ends. Right? Why do we call it beginning?

[12:15] Why don't we call it something else? We call it a beginning because we recognize that beginnings have ends. The beginning of Genesis 1-1 is the foundation for everything because Jesus began it.

[12:32] And upon that beginning, everything is moving toward God's design in. Did God know as he was forming in the beginning?

[12:47] Genesis 1-1. Did God know that he would make mankind? Did God know that mankind would fall into sin? Did God choose people to save before he ever laid the foundations of the earth according to Ephesians 1?

[13:06] Yes. So none of this is a surprise to the Lord, right? None of this is shocking to God. God didn't make the world and do Genesis 1-1 and then get over into Genesis 3 and go, oh my goodness, I did not see that coming.

[13:23] I did not see that coming. Now I've got to hurry and try to figure out how to deal with this. Oh my goodness. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm just saying to you, we don't need to help him out.

[13:38] He knows what he's doing and he knows how he did it and he told us how he did it and we just need to receive it in faith. This is important. It all stands or falls right here.

[13:50] We lose ground here and we lose the war for the hearts of men. God is moving the beginning to an end and we need to understand what that end is because it puts greater clarity and importance on what this beginning is all about.

[14:09] Now some of you were here in the recent past when I preached through 1st and 2nd Peter. And so I want to share a passage with you from 2nd Peter that speaks about this designed end.

[14:22] Look at this. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The day of the Lord speaks of that final time of ultimate judgment. That's the day of the Lord.

[14:32] We went through all of that when I was preaching through it. The day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be burned up.

[14:50] But according to his promise, we, his people, are looking for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

[15:03] God is going to create again. He will create an eternal heaven and earth. Very different from what we know right now.

[15:17] I want to read a passage with you, for you, in Revelation. You can turn there with me if you'd like. Revelation 21. And I'll just read a few of these verses here just to get the idea.

[15:33] Revelation 21. This is also the apostle John. And he writes, Then I saw a new heaven.

[15:45] Verse 1. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. In his prophetic vision. For the first heaven and the first earth passed away.

[15:58] And there is no longer, get it, any sea. There won't be any salt sea in the new heaven and the new earth. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

[16:17] And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men. And he will dwell among them and they shall be his people.

[16:28] And God himself will be among them. Isn't that marvelous? And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes. And there will no longer be any death.

[16:40] There will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain. The first things have passed away. And he who sits on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new.

[16:57] And he said, Right for these words are faithful and true. Then he said to me, It is done. I am. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

[17:12] I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things. And I will be his God and he will be my son.

[17:26] That is glorious. That is the promise of the future. That's your future and my future laid on the foundation that we're reading about right now.

[17:39] The new heavens and the new earth. No death, no end, no crying, no tears, no pain. An amazing reality that our great creator God will make for us one day.

[17:56] One day. Now here before you, friends, in his own words, is your God. The creator of in the beginning.

[18:07] Who will create for you a new dwelling place without the possibility of sin. How does that sound to you? And where you and I cannot think of this new heaven and new earth as a new beginning for us.

[18:28] What? Why not? That's it. The man said it. The new heavens and earth are not a new beginning because they have no end.

[18:39] Come on, you got to stay with me. Our minds should just be going. Oh. This is something God has never made for us before and will never make again.

[18:56] The Lord Jesus will one day create an eternal heaven and earth. A place for you and I to inhabit as his glorified people where righteousness dwells forever.

[19:08] A place which will have no end. The foundation for the new heavens and earth is what we read in Genesis chapter 1.

[19:20] And it is all because of this marvelous, almighty, majestic creator God. He is doing this. He has done this.

[19:32] He will do this for us. He is God. He is God. You and I, dear, dear friends, we must guard carefully against allowing anything to diminish our view of how scripture presents God as creator.

[19:56] We need to hold on. I know that we make much and we should of God as savior. Jesus as Lord. And we should. Jesus as our substitute and our sacrifice and our redeemer.

[20:09] We should do all of those things. And we do. We don't want to allow in all of that for our hearts to grow stale about God as our creator.

[20:21] There's there's something foundational. There is something that is irreplaceable. So that if we don't hold on to creator.

[20:33] So that if we don't hold on to creator. Something valuable is missing. In all of those other designations that we understand God is for us. Redeemer and savior and Lord.

[20:45] But we have to hold on to creator. There's something so beginning. So foundational about that. That it draws our hearts into great worship of this wonderful.

[20:59] It's like saying before before anything else happened in my life, Lord. Even as I was a rebel living in sin against you and following my own way.

[21:11] There was one reality about me. That I can say was true about me from scripture. Before I became a Christian and before I knew to worship you as savior and Lord.

[21:24] You were my creator. I was made in your image. I was made by you in your image. Even before I was saved you.

[21:35] You were my creator. I didn't acknowledge it. But there it is. There it is. And now that I'm saved and now that you're saved.

[21:46] And now that we're living in the light of the Lord Jesus Christ. God is our creator has been magnified in our hearts. Has it not? We want that to grow.

[21:57] And expand. And so look if you came in here this morning. And God as creator is something back here in the back of your mind. I want to yank it forward.

[22:09] Now I want to do it graciously. But I'm going to reach in there and try to yank that thing forward. And hold it there for a while. So that maybe you'll walk out of here a little bit different.

[22:19] Than you walked in in terms of worshiping God as the majestic creator of all things. Including you. Your life started with God saying. I'm going to make you.

[22:32] Or there'd be no you. No me. So again. You and I need to guard carefully this reality and truth about God being our creator.

[22:43] What we can know about God. And how we understand God as creator from these creation texts. Directly shapes how we worship God. That's why they're so critically important.

[22:57] The text is written to awe us about God. Is it not? This entire text. This entire chapter. Is written in such a way.

[23:08] That it is supposed to wow us. It is supposed to put us in awe of this creator God. Why would this creator God with this much magnificence.

[23:19] This much intelligence. This depth of being. That has no beginning and no end. Why would this creator God condescend to have anything to do with me?

[23:32] It immediately humbles me. And lifts me up. As soon as I'm humbled to the dust. God reaches down and grabs my chin and says. Look up. Look up at me.

[23:44] I am your God. Walk with me. Learn to love me and let me love you. Folks he loved us so much in that way.

[24:03] That he sacrificed his own son to be tortured to death. That we might have life in his name. And know him as our creator God. And worship him as our creator God.

[24:22] We haven't even got into verse 2 yet. I'm just trying to set the table. I want you to worship this God. And I know you want to worship this God.

[24:35] Look. The last thing I just said. In all of this. The text is written to awe us. About God. When we're confronted.

[24:46] When we're confronted. With the holiness of God. As creator. That truth should move us to worship him. As our creator.

[24:57] That is what it's designed to do. Look at these. Verses with me. Worthy. Worthy. Are you. Our Lord. And our God.

[25:08] To receive glory. And honor. And power. Why? For you created. All things. And because of your will. They existed.

[25:19] And were created. That's probably going to be the memory verse. Coming up here pretty soon. Look at this one. For the Lord.

[25:30] Is a great God. And a great king. Above all gods. In whose hand are the depths of the earth. The peaks of the mountains are his also.

[25:42] The sea is his. For it was he who made it. And his hands formed the dry land. Come. Come. As a result of all of that folks.

[25:53] Come. Let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord. Our maker. For he is our God. And we are the people of his pasture.

[26:05] And the sheep of his hand. All of creation. Is designed to awe us. Into worshiping. Not the creature. But the creator.

[26:18] Creation prompts us. To worship. Look as a Christian. Have you ever stood somewhere. And looked upon. God's. Creation.

[26:30] And it immediately drew you. Into worship. Of God. All right. Now think of a time. When when that was. Going on in your life.

[26:41] Before you were a Christian. Can you think of a time. You beheld something similar. In nature. How did it affect you then. Before you were a Christian.

[26:51] Was it a different. Effect on you. It was for me. And it should be for you. People who are unbelieving. Can go to the Grand Canyon.

[27:03] And see the Grand Canyon. They don't believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. As their Savior and Lord. And the Grand Canyon. Can take their breath away. And awe them. And what they walk away with.

[27:14] Typically. Is they're told. That over millions of years. That river. At the bottom of the canyon. Carved all that out. Now you talk about. A leap of faith. Even. I. I was an unbeliever.

[27:24] When I first saw the Grand Canyon. As a little boy. And I remember them. Telling us that. Teaching us that. As we stood there. And I'm standing there. Looking down at that thing. And I remember doing this.

[27:36] As that came out of the. Person's mouth. That was teaching this. I remember looking up at my hero. At the time. To see how he was going to react. I went just like this. I looked up at my dad like.

[27:52] Even as a boy. That little river did that. Over millions of years. Carved that big old place. Now I didn't have an explanation.

[28:03] I did not know the Lord. And I didn't understand the flood. Or anything like. I didn't. I couldn't explain it any better. I just know that it's. Really. Meantime. This is an aside.

[28:13] Meantime. My younger sister. They had these rails. Along there. That's it. You know how they have at playgrounds. The metal tubes. So there's a thing sticking up.

[28:24] And then there's a metal tube. And it's kind of just like. You know. Go up to here. Don't go around the tube. If you want to. You could just easily. My sister locked her leg. Around that tube.

[28:34] And as we stood there listening. She was doing flips. Thank. Thank. Thank. My sister got saved.

[28:45] And she's. She's no longer like that. Man. I'll tell you. What we do with this stuff. What follows.

[28:58] What follows. In all of this. Friends. Is Moses's account. Of beginnings. And this is meant.

[29:08] To lead you and I. To worship. And to trust God. As creator. To trust God. As your maker. Your God. Now.

[29:19] Are you bowing. Your heart. And kneeling. In your will. To God. As your creator. That's what we want. To focus on this morning. Can you praise God.

[29:30] Honor God. And pray to God. As your creator. Moses wrote. These true accounts. By the power. Of the Holy Spirit. So that the details. Are what God.

[29:41] Wanted the Hebrew. People. And us. To know. About. Our origins. Did God. Tell us. Everything. We might be curious. About.

[29:51] No. But he told us. What he wanted us. To know. So this is enough. This is enough. All right. Now let me show you. What we're dealing with here.

[30:04] Moses's account. In all of this. Is meant to showcase. The power of God. In his sovereign will. To create. What. Was good.

[30:14] To him. And in the way. That was also. Good. To him. In God's account. Of creation. Moses.

[30:25] Takes us. Through the details. Of what God. Wants us. To know. About the six. Literal days. Of God's activity. To make a habitable world. For our good.

[30:36] And for his glory. All right. That's what we're dealing with. This is the way. That we'll break it down. God willing. In the coming. Weeks. As we work through. The days.

[30:46] So the first thing. We'll talk about. Is God's good way. Day one. And we're going to talk about. The good of God's. Holy spirit. That's what we'll center on.

[30:56] In these first couple of verses. In the beginning. God created the heavens. And the earth. The earth. Was formless. And void. And darkness.

[31:07] Was over the surface. Of the deep. And the spirit. That would be the holy spirit. Capital s. The holy spirit. Of God. Was moving. Over the surface.

[31:17] Of the waters. Now. One day. Or on day one. Nothing. Becomes. Something. That's also.

[31:29] Very important. There are. Various. Translations. Out there. That want to change. How. This is written. So that it sounds like. God began. With this.

[31:40] Formless. Earth. I don't know. Maybe he was just. Kind of cruising along. In the universe. And he. Put the brakes on. And said. Oh. I think I'll do something. With this. Formless.

[31:50] Blob. Here. That's not the way. The text reads. So we're. We're going to deal with that. Please notice. That the Bible. Does not say. When God.

[32:01] Began. To create. The heavens. And the earth. The earth. Was formless. And void. That's a very different. Way of understanding. How the beginning. Was the beginning.

[32:12] That translation. Suggests. That God. Began. With an already. Formless. Planet. That's not what happened. The text tells us. God. God. Determined. And created.

[32:24] The beginning. That would constitute. His heavens. And earth. So this is the concept of. Creatio. Ex nihilo. Creatio.

[32:35] Ex nihilo. I mentioned that to you last week. It means creation. From nothing. God didn't start. With something. And decide. To roll it up. In a ball.

[32:45] A spherical ball. And make it the earth. He started. With nothing. A blank canvas. There wasn't even a canvas. He had to make that. It's that kind of idea.

[32:55] Just keep going back. God is not. Starting. With an earth. That is formless. And void. And then. Adding. What he wants.

[33:06] To it. The Hebrews. Had no word. For universe. So they spoke. Of the heavens. And the earth. As an all. Inclusive. Way. Of meaning.

[33:17] The universe. Samarism. You take a word. And you take its opposite. And you use them both. In the same context. And they cover everything.

[33:27] In between. That's the idea. The heavens. And the earth. Everything in between. All of it rolled up together. That was the Hebrew concept. So in verse one. God brought the universe.

[33:40] Into existence. In a way. We are not given details for. We're simply told. In verse one. In the beginning. God created the heavens. And the earth. It's like a.

[33:51] Introductory. Summary. Statement. But it's very important. It's not a throwaway verse. None of them are. We know. We know. There were no stars.

[34:02] No sun. No moon. Etc. Right now. All of that's going to come later. Dr. Henry Morris. Suggests that the universe. In verse one.

[34:12] Is God creating space. And the basic matter. Which he would use. To form and fill the earth. You with me. God in verse one.

[34:25] Is creating space. There's no such thing. As space. Until God invented it. Created it. There's no such thing. As matter. God is not matter.

[34:37] He's spirit. Right. So. He had to create all of that. Before he ever formed. And then filled the earth. Earth.

[34:48] In this context. Is Eretz. Eretz. It seems that it's a mass of matter. Which is yet to be shaped by the Lord.

[34:59] Some commentators felt like. Between verse one and verse two. The earth was already spherical. Some thought not necessarily. They thought that it was just a. A blob of matter.

[35:10] That God had made. In now. This new concept of space. That he had created. We're not told exactly. Those details.

[35:21] What we do know. Is it's going to be shaped. By the Lord. And it is devoid of light. Or any other distinguishing feature. Right now. So verses one and two.

[35:33] Are part of the work. Of the Lord. On day one. And verse two. Follows very very closely. On verse one. In verse one.

[35:45] God makes time. God makes time. God makes matter. And God makes space. But they lack the details.

[35:56] That he's about to create. Verse two. Helps us begin to fill in the details. Of what God is going to do.

[36:07] As he. Makes. And then shapes. And then fills. The earth. So here's how it does. Here's how Moses does it. He gives us three clauses.

[36:19] Describing the original condition of earth. In God's process. Of creation. And yes. This is a process. By the choice. Of our wise God.

[36:30] Three clauses. Here are the clauses. That he gives us. To delineate. In this process. Look at this. Formless and void. The earth is formless and void.

[36:41] We can know that. Darkness. Was over the surface. Of the deep. And number three. The third clause. The spirit of God. Was moving over.

[36:51] The surface of the water. So far. We know that. Through verse. Two. All right. Formless. What are we going to do with that? Some of your translations are a little different in these words.

[37:02] This is the New American Standard. Formless. Tohu. Tohu. It means wilderness. Wilderness. Wasteland. The sense here.

[37:14] Is to have no distinct shape. No distinct form. That's the concept. That's being put forward by using this word.

[37:24] The other word. Void. Formless and void. Void. Is the word. Bohu. Bohu. Emptiness. Or again. Wasteland.

[37:36] The sense here. Again. Is very similar. To the first word. And the words. Are meant to rhyme. In Hebrew. Tohu. The world. Was tohu.

[37:48] And bohu. Together. Together. They emphasize. A barren. Lifeless. Desolate. Uninhabitable. Wasteland.

[38:00] That's the concept. That I think we should hold on to. As we move through. Verse two. That's the condition of the earth. There was no life on earth. And there was no way of sustaining life.

[38:12] Yet. It's very important. For us to carefully unpack this together. Because of what's coming next. None of this.

[38:23] Was a problem. For almighty God. For Christ. Or for the Holy Spirit. The Trinity was involved in creation. One commentator pointed out.

[38:34] That there are two other instances. Of these words. Tohu and bohu. Being used together in scripture. One is in Isaiah 34 11. The other Jeremiah 4 23.

[38:46] Now catch this. Where the prophets. Were having visions. Of what the earth would look like. After God's judgment. The only other time in scripture. Those words are brought together.

[38:57] It depicts what the world. Is going to look like. Upon God's judgment. What did Peter tell us? It's all going to burn. With intense heat. God will make it into a wasteland.

[39:08] God. That's what's being pictured here. In Genesis chapter 1. Verse 2. Morris. I think Henry Morris offers a helpful summary at this point.

[39:19] So I wanted to share it with you. Look at this. The essential meaning. Therefore. So far. Is. In the beginning. God created the heaven and the earth. Or space and matter.

[39:31] And the matter. So created. Was it first. Unformed. And uninhabited. I think that captures it. The second condition of the earth.

[39:41] Was that darkness. Was over the surface. Of the deep. The earth was. Formless and void. Tohu and bohu. And darkness. Was over the surface.

[39:53] Of the deep. According to Isaiah. 45. Verse 7. God creates. Both light. And darkness. And he's named them for us.

[40:05] Darkness here. Now catch. Catch this please. This is important. And this. At this point in scripture. Darkness here. Does not mean. The presence of evil. Or the absence of good.

[40:17] Because all that God makes. Is good. Right? Do you remember what God's pronouncement was? Throughout this text. In chapter 1. It's all good. Good. Good. Good. And then he gets to the end.

[40:28] It's very good. So darkness here. Is not a representation of evil. Or the absence of good. That's not what we're talking about. In this particular condition. Is it is the absence of light.

[40:41] Or better. Better. It is the absence of energy. The absence of energy. That God will eventually bring. To his creation. In verse 3. So earth at this point.

[40:53] Is a dark. Empty. Lifeless place. And the deep. Is dark. It's a watery. Dark. Mix. Not yet separated.

[41:05] Or filled. With life. So you can. You can kind of get the idea. That. All of the. The picture. That's being laid before us. In verses 1 and 2. Has God creating.

[41:17] Time. Matter. And space. But God. Hasn't brought any of that. Together yet. To form what you and I know. As our. World. Or our. Earth.

[41:28] That still has. To be done. You know. When you try to think about. Analogies. And I did. And I'm not great at this. I depend on my wife. To help me with this. A lot. So I was trying to think about.

[41:39] Analogies. I read several of them. Dr. MacArthur. Had one. To try to describe. God at this point. As. A potter. And he's making. A clay pot.

[41:49] Or whatever. And. How he worked. He used that. To work through the process. And it helped. I thought. That of a painter. But here's the thing. With God. God has decided.

[42:01] He wants to make. A beautiful painting. God is holding. All of that. In his mind. Everything. That you and I know. Is our. Our tangible reality. God was holding. In his mind.

[42:12] It was all real. To him. It existed. In him. How do we know that? How do we know. That it all existed. In him. Because it all came.

[42:22] From him. There would be none of this. If it didn't come from God. Let there be. And it was so. So I tried to think. All right. A painter. He's going to make. A beautiful painting.

[42:34] And at this point. What does he have to do. To bring. All of what is existing. In him. Into space. Time. Matter. Existence. What does he have to do.

[42:44] To do that? Well. What does a have. A painter. Have to do. This. Just think of. I've got a thing up here. You know. On an easel. Well. He has to invent the easel. Go further.

[42:56] Well. He has to invent the paints. Go further. All the ingredients. For the paints. Where'd the paints come from? Paint. I want red. There it is. I need some.

[43:08] Whatever. He had to make the canvas. The paint on. You see where we're going? Yeah. He had to make all this. And this. I think this is the setting.

[43:18] So now God's created the canvas. And he's created the paints. And the paint brush. And he's got it all ready to go. Only. God's not going to take them in his hand.

[43:30] And start dabbing in the paint. And painting a picture. Here's what God's going to do. Sun. Moon.

[43:46] Trees. Trees. Trees. Trees. He just. That's right.

[43:57] Such is the power of your God. One day. If you're sitting here as a believer. God spoke.

[44:09] To you. Into your heart. And God speaking to your heart. In truth. About the gospel. Transformed you. Into a new creature in Christ.

[44:20] How about that? Do you see why? If we can't believe. That God. Spoke into existence. This world. In six literal days. We're going to have a hard time.

[44:30] With the gospel. We are. And we do. Christians. Even Christians. At this point. Want to squeeze. Man's view.

[44:41] Of the origins. Of the earth. Somehow. Into this passage. Of scripture. And I'll say more about that. In just a moment. God. Is. Dealing.

[44:52] With a dark. Empty. Lifeless. Place. And he's getting ready. To do. A wonderful thing. The third condition. Gives us. The spirit of God.

[45:03] Moving over the surface. Of the waters. The spirit of God. Moving over the surface. Of the waters. Now. I want to show you this. The NASB. Translates.

[45:14] All of this. Into the word. Rahaf. I can't say it as well. As the Hebrews. You know. They have that. Kind of thing. I hate that sound.

[45:24] Germans do that. So hard. Guttural. But it's. Rahaf. And that's the moving over. That's the word for the spirit. Moving over. It's a very important word.

[45:35] The ESV. And several other translations. Say. Hovering over. You might have that translation. Here's the point. In this particular. Verb form.

[45:45] PL. It can be understood. As hover. Or brood. As in a hen. Or an eagle. Covering. Or spreading. Over her. Chicks. Now.

[45:56] We need to do more. With that. It pictures. The Holy Spirit. In an. Active. Energy. Of overseeing. Attending.

[46:06] Being. Ever. Present. That is in contrast. With a formless. Void. Dark. Lifeless. Earth. Now. Here's the thing.

[46:17] God's. Life. And light. Are rapidly. Moving. And building. This. Energy. He's yet to release it. But it's building.

[46:27] That's the idea. Of the spirit. Moving. Over. Or hovering. Over. It's like this. It's like this. Big building. That's the idea.

[46:42] In Hebrew. That's what's happening. In fact. Some translations. Would look at the word. Moving. And translate it. As vibrating. Waves.

[46:54] Energy waves. God is building. The tension. For when he will speak. And what he speaks. Will obey.

[47:04] Back. I just. I thought. That is fascinating. To me. That. That we can use. The grammar. And the words. That God is using. In the scriptures.

[47:15] And discern. Something. Of what it must have been like. In those. Original. Moments. As God began. To create. He's winding it all up.

[47:26] As it were. That's how I thought about it. In. My mind. God's. All. Encompassing. Presence. Highlights.

[47:36] That. Everything. Is about. To change. Here. We have this. Formless. Lifeless. Dark. Place. But we have this.

[47:46] Spirit. Of God. Energizing. Getting it all ready. And he. He's about to release it. And that energy. Will change everything.

[47:57] God. Will bring his life. Into this. Lifelessness. And it'll change everything. Doesn't that sound like. Your salvation. Do you see the parallels here.

[48:09] God. Took a spiritually. Dead person. You. And me. Spiritually. Dead to God. And the energy. Of the Holy Spirit. Brought new. Life.

[48:19] To you. As he gave you. The gift of faith. And redeemed you. In the split. Nanosecond. Right. Were you saved. Over. Hundreds of years. Or. Is that how that worked.

[48:32] God may have been. Drawing you. God may have been. Doing different things. In your life. But there was. An absolute. Nanosecond. In time. When you became. When you went. From darkness. To light.

[48:43] From spiritually. Dead. To spiritual. Life. This is God. This is our creator. God. Creating in you. New life. Through faith. In Jesus Christ.

[48:54] Did he need any help. To do that? Did he need you. To help him? I was no help. What do I know? I was dead. Right?

[49:05] Nothing. I got nothing. I bring. To this. Encounter. My sin. God brings. To this encounter. His love. And his son.

[49:17] And God makes me. Into a new creature. In his son. That's what's happening. Here. As God works. His all-encompassing. Presence. Over what he's made. All right.

[49:28] Look. The good of God said. The good of God's spirit. The good of God said. These are the first words. Of creation. And it's just.

[49:38] Marvelous. The earth was formless. And void. The darkness was over. The surface of the deep. The spirit of God. Was moving. Over the surface. Of the waters. Then. God.

[49:49] Said. Let there be light. And. There was. Light. Folks. Here's the pattern. Here's the pattern. Establishing. God's sovereign authority.

[50:00] As creator. I simplified it. For me. God said. God saw. God called. And it was so. Bam. Now. I'll take you. To Gordon Winham.

[50:11] A brilliant commentator. Commentator. And I'll give you. His. Professorship. Summation. It's still good. It's still helpful. And everything. That's just simple. Jeff saying. For me. It's God said.

[50:22] God saw. God called. And it was so. And I'm good with that. Here. Here's Gordon Winham. A little bit more. We have this pattern. Throughout. The creation account.

[50:33] There's the announcement. God said. There's the command. Let there be. Number three. There's the fulfillment. It was so. Number four. There's the execution. Of the command. For example.

[50:44] Light. Came into being. Then there's the approval. God saw it. It was good. Subsequent word. God called it something. And then. Finally. The day number. There was.

[50:54] One day. That's the pattern. That he wanted to. Establish. For the creation account. And I thought. Okay. That's helpful. Because that's going to. Move us through.

[51:05] That's the pattern. We're going to follow. As we move through this. And here's the thing. Every detail. Is important. And serves to build. On God's emphasis.

[51:16] That creation itself. Was designed. To worship God. And reflect God's glory. Say Jeff. That's a misprint. Didn't you mean to say. That creation itself. Is designed.

[51:26] To spur us. To worship. Well yes. That's true. I told you that before. No. I'm saying it. Creation itself. Was designed. To worship. God. And reflect.

[51:36] God's glory. You sure about that. Oh my goodness. The scriptures. That speak to this. I'll give you this one. Oh. Wait a minute. Did I already give it to you? Oh shoot.

[51:49] There it is. The heavens are telling. The glory of God. And their expanse. Is declaring. The work of his hands. It's worship. The heavens are telling. The glory of God.

[51:59] And their expanse. Is declaring. The work. Of his hands. Wow. In God's true record. Of beginnings. You and I.

[52:10] Join creation. As onlookers. Witnesses. But most importantly. As worshipers. We join creation. As worshipers.

[52:21] We are transported. Back. To the first. Age. Of our world. To the. Primordial. Moment. When out of the dark.

[52:31] When out of the silent. Unformed wilderness. Of eternity past. Almighty God. Chose to speak. As far as we know. For the first time. And from what God held.

[52:44] In his. Unsearchable depths. His all-knowing mind. He brought into existence. By fiat. F-I-A-T. Fiat.

[52:55] It's Latin. That means. By divine command. By speaking. Let there be. And it was so. That was all that was needed. Folks.

[53:05] That was all that was needed. Here's the definition. That I want to offer you. From John Frame. Creation is an act. Of God alone.

[53:17] By which. For his own glory. He brings into existence. Everything in the universe. Things that had no existence. Prior to his creative word. That's so important. Things that had no existence.

[53:29] Prior to his creative word. By the word. By the word of the Lord. The heavens were made. And by the breath of his mouth.

[53:40] All their host. For he spoke. And it was done. He commanded. And it stood still. In its place. That's what that means. And it took its place. There are those.

[53:54] Who want to insert. Billions of years. Between verses. One and two. It's called. The gap theory. Some of you have heard of it.

[54:04] Some of you have read about it. I imagine that for some of you. Homeschooling families. If you. Spent any time. Teaching your kids. About. Genesis. Or origins. You will have probably.

[54:15] Told your kids. About the gap theory. There are many. Other theories. That shoot. Off of this. Where people. Are making an attempt. To take what they call.

[54:25] Science. I put that in quotes. Science. And squeeze it in. To the Genesis account. As if the Bible. Needs to be shored up. Because as Christians. We're embarrassed.

[54:36] By the idea. That God would do this. In six literal days. When science. Proves to us. That it took millions. If not billions. Of years. For all of this. To happen. By the way.

[54:47] All of those billions. And millions. Of years. Are necessary. Because it was necessary. For time. To take all of those. Random elements.

[54:58] And chance encounters. And have them. Mutate. And mutate. And mutate. And change. Over billions. And billions of years. Until finally. It sprung up. Into what we are today. And into the intricacies.

[55:09] And complexities. That we see today. The only way. That that could ever. Have any chance. Of happening. Is if you give it. Billions of years. And then maybe. That's how all of this happened.

[55:20] And because we're embarrassed. By science. Wanting to. Make us look little. That we would come. And say. You really don't believe. That this all happened. By a creator.

[55:31] In six days. Do you? Can you imagine. You being on the talk show. And you're the Christian. The meat. That's. You know. That's what they do.

[55:42] They always have to have. A person there. Who's going to end up. Being the meat. You're like the chum. That they put out. For sharks. To get them all. That's you.

[55:53] Sitting there. Believing. In six days. When they want to have a show. That show. That depicts. The validity. Of millions. And billions. Of years. Folks.

[56:04] Again. I just tell you. I'm not going to take a lot of time. Because we could. We could have so many. Classes. And lessons. Where we're sitting up here. Putting all this stuff up. That we're. Very.

[56:15] Very. Diligent. Scholarly. Why. Scripturally. Based. People. Who believe in the Lord. And take the word. Here. As literal. Have debunked.

[56:26] What science. Wants to foist on us. As billions. And millions. Of years. They've done a fantastic job. There's so many more resources. Out there. Than 20 years ago. When we were homeschooling.

[56:37] And I. I will recommend those to you. It doesn't take. A lot. To look it up. And have those people. Help you with it. I'm looking into the faces. Of people here. I know you wouldn't be sitting here.

[56:49] And coming to this church. If you didn't believe. This was literal. Because you know. We're going to preach. This is literal. And yes. This is a hill to die on. This is a hill to die on folks.

[57:01] Can you join our church. And believe in millions. And billions of years. Absolutely. But I'll look you in the face. And tell you that. I hope that it's just a matter of time. Before I help you see in scripture. That that's not necessary.

[57:12] And that actually works. Against your faith in Christ. To believe that. It's not science. It's religion. It's faith. It's not even theory.

[57:23] Because it can't be tested. There's only one eyewitness. To the creation. And that was the one who created it. Anything else.

[57:34] Beyond what we read here. Is speculation. One of the reasons. That people have so much difficulty. With what they call science. Wanting to use it.

[57:44] To prove. That it couldn't have been. Six literal days. Is because they don't take into account. The flood. When we get there. I'll show you. The flood.

[57:56] Catastrophically changed. Everything. So uniformitarianism. The idea. And religion. That everything. Has stayed the same. Since ancient times.

[58:06] That over the billions of years. As things have morphed. As things have grown. The same basic elements. And principles. Have always been the same. And have never changed. That's not true.

[58:18] The flood changed everything. God's judgment. On the human race. People don't live 900 years anymore. There's a reason for that. This atmosphere.

[58:28] Is very very different. From that time. From the pre-flood time. And we're suffering. The consequences. Of the catastrophe. That happened in the flood. And you and I will live.

[58:40] 80 years maybe. Or whatever. Creation. Is an act of God alone. By the word of the Lord. He commanded. And this happened.

[58:53] Much of the point. Of God said. And you would have. Expected me to say this. Much of the point. Of God said. Is that creation. Responded. In instantaneous.

[59:04] Obedience. No millions of years. No billions of years. Not needed. Creation responded. In instantaneous. Obedience. To the creator's command. Then God said.

[59:15] Let there be light. And there. Was light. You see. There's no in between there. God said. And it happened. Science. Does not prove.

[59:26] That millions. Or billions. Of years. Have passed. For the earth. To be what it is today. That's not been proven. By science. That is demonic. Speculation.

[59:36] For the purpose. Of denying. God glory. As creator. I'm on tape. Now. Be. Be. Feel free. To pass it out. I don't mind.

[59:47] Looking foolish. For the Lord. All right. The good. Of God saw. As we move. Toward a close. Here. The good. Of God saw. In verse four. God saw.

[59:58] That the light. Was good. And God. Separated the light. From the darkness. God. Separated the light. From the darkness. All right. What about this light? What about this light?

[60:09] This is not. The light. Of the sun. The moon. The stars. So what is it? Well. What it is. Is good. We'll start there. Because God created it.

[60:19] And saw. It was. Good. So light. Is a form. Of energy. And God. Used the light. To separate. The darkness.

[60:30] So we. We have to start. Off. With what he's telling us. Was the purpose. Of all of this. Whatever this light is. God used it. To make separation. And this is a good separation.

[60:43] Something that we're. Grateful for. That was the original. Function. Of light. Dr. MacArthur. Commented on the different. Suggestions.

[60:53] About. What this light. Might have been. I just want to share this with you. Because it. We could be here all day. Talking about this. He had a great treatise. In his book. The battle for the beginning.

[61:05] Dealing with light. It was a fascinating read. I loved it. It was several pages. Let me just share this. This part with you. Could it have been. A mass. Of glowing matter.

[61:16] That was later shaped. Into the sun. Or. Or. As seems more likely. Could it have been. A disembodied light. An ethereal. Temporary.

[61:27] Brilliance. Decreed. By God. To illuminate. His creation. Until permanent lights. Were set in place. The nature of this light. Is not described. We are simply told.

[61:39] That light existed. Because God told it. To exist. Now later folks. God will create. The sun. The moon. The stars. To embody. This light.

[61:50] But not now. That's as far. As I know. We can go. And I know. That's a very. Encapsulated form. Of explaining. Some of this. But. I think that it'll.

[62:01] Suffice for now. We're taking on faith. That the nature. Of this light. Is not described. We're simply told. That the light. Existed. Because God told it. To exist. And its function.

[62:11] Was to separate. The darkness. Light. Penetrated. The darkness. And made. Separation. And that was critical. To God's next. Stages.

[62:21] It's the good. Of what God. Called. God. Called. God. And. Very simply. And straightforwardly. God. Named. What he created.

[62:33] Day. And night. Mark the boundaries. God set. For what he then called. Evening. Morning. And one day. All of this.

[62:44] Is being set. And constituted. In this very. First. Creative act. Of almighty God. Throughout this account. Day. Night.

[62:54] Evening. Morning. One day. A second day. A third day. Etc. Are repeated. As the work. Of each day. Is ended. So folks. What I'm saying is.

[63:05] Seven. 24 hour days. Make up. We. What we know. Is our. Week. God designed. That for us. He didn't need that. We did. And he designed.

[63:17] Us. To function. Within that time. And space. Reality. That's how you and I. Go about our lives. Don't we? That's how God designed it.

[63:28] All human beings. On the earth. Live by that. God given. Design. Now listen folks. Please. The grammatical. Gymnastics. That critics. And old earth.

[63:40] Creationists. Use to make. Day and night. Into long. Ages. Are. Are unjustified. And unnecessary. Will you hold on. To that word. It's unnecessary. We don't need.

[63:51] To try. And take. Man-centered. Theory. And shove it. Into the bible. It's not even. Science. I was reading. Somewhere.

[64:02] In the months. Prior to this. As I. As I geared up. For all of this. Many different. Articles. Chapters. And books. That we're talking. About. There has never. Been.

[64:12] One. True. Scientific. Discovery. That has disproved. Anything. In scripture. Never. Not one. Never.

[64:24] Every single. You name. The area. Of life. You name. The discipline. And any. Science. That has been. Taken. And tried.

[64:35] To put. Over. Or into. The scripture. The scripture. Has never been disproven. In any of those areas. That science speaks to. Not a single one. But if we accept.

[64:47] Millions and billions. Of years. Then we have a problem. We have a big problem. And it's going to start. Undermining people's faith. And we're just. Not having that here.

[64:59] Christians. Don't need to bow. To millions of years. They don't need to do that. Day. Day. Is. Used. Figuratively. In scripture.

[65:11] But I hasten to add. But. Anytime. Scripture. Uses. The word. Day. Modified. By. A number. It means. A normal.

[65:21] 24 hour. Period. Nowhere. Else. In the bible's. Use. Of day. Is there. Any dispute. About. What. The term. Day. Means.

[65:32] People. Understand. The day. Of the lord. Is an age. A future. Reality. They understand. That. Day. Used. Here. Is a.

[65:43] 24 hour. Period. Day. Used. In other places. Might be used. Figurally. For this. Or for that. Or the other. But anytime. The scripture. Attaches. A number. Today. It means. A 24 hour.

[65:53] Day. Or period. That's what's. Happening. Here. Let me. Give you. An example. We don't. Ever. Hear. Anyone. Saying. That jesus. Was in the tomb. For three. Epics.

[66:04] Three. Eras. Or three. Million. Years. No one. No one. Has any problem. With that part. They may say. I don't believe. In jesus. Okay. We get that.

[66:14] But nobody. You don't ever. Hear anybody. Saying. Yeah. Right. Three days. I mean. If I'm going to believe it. He needed to be in there. At least three months. Then he. Then he comes out. Then I believe.

[66:24] But just three days. Nobody ever does that. We don't argue. About days. In any other place. In the bible. But here we do. Here we do.

[66:37] Well-meaning. Christians. Who. Listen. Did you hear what I said? Well-meaning Christians. I'm not attacking my brothers and sisters. Who believe this. I'm appealing to them. I'm asking them to come.

[66:48] And by faith. Allow yourself. To see. That what is being written here. Is written in the way it is. For a purpose. It's to exalt. The great power. Of almighty God.

[66:59] And all us. Into worship. That he could do this. That he did do this. And he did it for us. He did it for his people. That we would bring glory to him. As our creator.

[67:11] Well-meaning Christians. Who want to hold on. To an older theory. Making six days. Into millions of years. Unwittingly. I don't think they do it on purpose. Unwittingly.

[67:22] Undermine the authority of scripture. So I want to close with this quote. From Dr. MacArthur. And then we'll pray. Indeed. Nothing in scripture itself.

[67:33] Would ever lead anyone. To think. That the world. Is billions of years old. Or that the days of creation. Were long eras. Instead. By defining the days of creation. According to the light cycle.

[67:45] That separates day from night. Scripture states. As explicitly as possible. That the days of creation. Were equal in length. To normal solar days.

[67:57] And. Notice this. And. Part of the wonder of creation. Is the ease and speed. With which God formed something. So imagine. Unimaginably.

[68:08] Vast. Complex. Intricate. And beautiful. What the biblical account aims to stress. Is the infinite majesty. And power. Of the almighty one. Who accomplished so much. So perfectly.

[68:19] And so short a time. With nothing more than his word. God called the light day. And the darkness. He called night. And there was evening. And there was morning.

[68:30] One day. And throughout this account. There was evening. And there was morning. Two days. Evening and morning. Three days. There's a reason.

[68:42] That he's doing that. Did your God know. Did your God know. Did your God know. That this would come under attack. By an unbelieving world. And an enemy called Satan. And that he would try to use it. To undermine your faith.

[68:55] And there was evening. Morning. Evening and morning. One day. And we believe that. Don't we. Let's pray together. Beloved. Thank you for your kind attention.

[69:06] Father. We honor you. As God. And creator. And we do pray. We pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Who might have been seduced. Into.

[69:17] Wanting to. Force. Man's views. Into scripture. Rather than taking on faith. What scripture says. And then saying. Well. Wait a minute. I can't accept that.

[69:28] That's contrary. To what the Bible clearly states. Repeatedly. We pray for our brothers and sisters. To come to terms with that. That they might glorify you. As creator God.

[69:39] Who made the world in six days. Because that's what you said you did. We also pray father. That for ourselves. We would take to heart. This wonderful treatise.

[69:51] This truthful account. Of who you are. And what you did. So that we will be. Along with creation. Worshippers. Of our creator God.

[70:02] I pray for my brothers and sisters. As they leave this place this morning. That they will take this creator God. Into their week. With them. As the spirit lives in them.

[70:14] And that they'll. Meditate on creator God. God. Who made me. He made me for a purpose. And he made only one of me. And I pray that we will.

[70:26] Just glory in the gospel in that. And thank you. That you are the God of creation. And the God who redeems us. In a new creation. So that we can worship you.

[70:36] As your people. Thank you for these truths. Thank you for the. Goodness of your heart. Father we are. Compelled and love. To pray for people. Who are.

[70:47] Dying in this conflict. In Israel. We pray father. That you will be merciful. To your people. We pray that you will. Stop this.

[70:58] Murderous rampage. And that you will use. These events. To bring glory. To yourself. In what people call. The holy land. It sure doesn't look very holy.

[71:10] Right now. So we pray God. That you will move. To save souls. On both sides of the conflict. You will. Uphold the justice.

[71:21] Of what you know is right. And what is good. God. We thank you. That you are giving us. Wisdom and discernment. That we might pray. According to your will. As it's written in the scriptures.

[71:32] May you be. God. In all of this. And may we see you. As our creator. In all of this. In Jesus precious name. We pray. Amen.