Entering A New World Of Existence
Introduction
Two weeks ago, I preached my first sermon in this church, and my subject was "Entering A New World Of Experience." We looked in John chapter 3 and verses 22 thru 30 where there was a transition that was taking place as Jesus' public ministry began to gain popularity and notoriety while the ministry of John the Baptist was moving towards increased obscurity and increased opposition with Herod. There was a new voice that came on the scene. There was a definite transition that was taking place, a changing of worlds.
As I began the message two weeks ago, I laid the foundation for a series of sermons on this idea of transition and this idea of a changing of worlds. Some years ago, I heard a preacher say, "Whenever you come to water in the Bible, there is a changing of worlds." And we find several transitional situations in the Bible based on such criteria. The transitional situation associated with John's ministry and Jesus' ministry took place around the Jordan River.
This morning, in my first official sermon as your pastor, I want to start at the beginning. That's a good place to start isn't it? I want you to look with me at Genesis chapter 1, where in verse number 2 we see nothing but water. There is no land; there is no sky; there is only water. And there is a changing of worlds here, so to speak. As far as we know, nothing existed in the material universe prior to Genesis 1:1. Before that, there was only God in three persons, and perhaps the angelic hosts. And so, when we are told in Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth," we are Entering A New World Of Existence.
You know, there are a lot of people in our world that refuse to accept the Genesis account of creation, but I don't have a bit of problem accepting the Biblical record of creation as truth. So many don't accept it because they don't have faith. You see, the writer of Hebrews said in Hebrews 11:3, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." Apart from faith, people think that the Biblical account of creation is just some tall tale.
I heard about a little boy named Jacob who was known for his tall tales. Jacob told his teacher one morning how he had caught 8,000 fish over the weekend. Determined to teach him a lesson, the teacher topped his tale by saying a 1,200-pound bear had torn the top of her car off that morning and was reaching in to grab her, when a two pound dog attacked the bear and killed it. And Jacob said, "Yea, that was my dog. He's killed four bears so far this week."
As much as the Bible's account of creation might sound like some tall tale, especially to an unbeliever, it is anything but that. In fact, one mathematician estimated that the chances of Moses coming up with this story on his own or by accident was one chance in 31 sextillion (31 followed by 21 zeros). The Biblical account of creation is the reliable revelation of God's Word.
Ray Stedman said, "At this point we must make crystal clear a truth that is of supreme importance in our study ... we must recognize at the outset that it is not the intention of the Bible to be a textbook on science. If it were, the book would be much thicker than it is (and much less understandable).
Rather, the Bible is intended to be a book of redemption. Its purpose is not to tell us how the heavens go, but how to go to heaven. It declares the way out for a troubled, bewildered, and bedeviled race, and it is the only book that speaks with authority in this realm. And it constantly uses the physical and material to illustrate and to reveal truth that is on a higher (spiritual) level."
Brother Stedman quoted a scientist and teacher named Dr. F. A. Filby who said, "The material world
is designed to produce parallels (and) parables of the spiritual." In other words, spiritual truths can be seen as we look into the natural world. That's why Jesus used parables and illustrations from nature to present spiritual principles.
The Genesis account of creation is much more than the record of a scientific process. I believe that it offers us the revelation of a spiritual parallel. As I have studied the account of creation, I see in it a wonderful picture of salvation.
Before we get into this comparison of creation and conversion, let me quickly mention that in verse 1, we have what we might call the condensed version of creation.
- We Notice That The Era Of Chronology (time) Is Started "in the beginning." "Time was God's first creation." (Walter Lang)
- We Notice That The Existence Of The Creator Is Stated (not proven) (God)
- We Notice That The Epic Of Creation Is Summarized "created the heavens and the earth." Now in verse 2...
I. Let's Notice The Environment Of Chaos In Creation Genesis 1:2
(Genesis 1:2) "... the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep..."
I don't understand everything that I want to about the description of the earth in verse 2, but as Matthew Henry states, "A chaos was the first matter."
A Story goes that a doctor, an architect, and a lawyer were arguing over who had the oldest profession. The doctor said, "Well the first operation was performed on Adam, so the medical profession is the oldest." "No," said the architect, "Architectural planning and design was needed to create the earth and the universe out of chaos, so I represent the oldest profession." "Where do you think the chaos came from?" asked the lawyer. (Sermon Central)
Chaos seems to be an accurate description as the Bible says that the earth was "without form and void." And there are two Hebrew terms used here that are twin terms. The phrase "without form" is the Hebrew term tohuw, and the word void is the Hebrew term "bohuw." Matthew Henry said they mean "confusion and emptiness," for "so these words are rendered" in Isaiah 34:11.
A. We See The Disorder Here (Or Desolation)
8414. "tohuw," to'-hoo; from an unused root mean. to lie waste; a desolation (of surface), i.e. desert; fig. a worthless thing; adv. in vain:--confusion, empty place, without form, nothing, (thing of) nought, vain, vanity, waste, wilderness. (Based on the meaning of this word, we could say that...)
1.The Earth Had No Virtue - It Was Like A Sea Of Wasteland
2. The Earth Had No Value - It Was Like A Surge Of Worthlessness
A. We See The Deadness Here (Or Destitution)
(Perhaps it is not so much a deadness; as a lack of life. There is nothing here.)
922. bohuw, bo-hoo; from an unused root (mean. to be empty); a vacuity, i.e. (superficially) an undistinguishable ruin:--emptiness, void.
1. There Seems To Be An Abyss Of Meaning Here (an emptiness)
2. There Seems To Be An Absence Of Movement Here
(The movement of the Spirit at the end of the verse seems to be so pronounced because there is no indication of movement at all before that. There is a lifeless stillness.)
Again, Matthew Henry said, "When we consider the earth without form and void, methinks it is like the valley full of dead and dry bones. Can these live? Can this confused mass of matter be formed into a beautiful world? Yes, if a spirit of life from God enter into it, Ezekiel 37:9."
C. We See The Darkness Here
2822. "choshek," "kho-shek;" from H2821; the dark; hence (lit.) darkness; fig. misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness:--dark (-ness), night, obscurity.
1. This Darkness Is A Picture Of Sorrow
(This is one of the meanings of the word "darkness" in the verse.
2. This Darkness Is A Picture Of Sin
(This was the context in which Jeremiah used these words "they had no light." These descriptive terms were used in relation to creation and then in relation to corruption.)
(Jeremiah 4:23) "I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light."
II. Let's Notice The Exhibition Of Commotion In Creation Genesis 1:2
(Genesis 1:2) "...And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."
All we actually know from this verse in Genesis 1:2 is that the earth began as a planet covered by an uninterrupted ocean, which was itself wrapped in darkness. With that picture science fully agrees. Revelation says that it was "formless and empty," i.e., without life. There was no land, there were no promontories, nothing to catch the eye, it was simply one great vast deep of water covering the whole world, with no life in it. It was empty. That is exactly what science says. The earth began in that fashion. But revelation adds a key factor, which many scientists stubbornly refuse to acknowledge.
Revelation says, in addition, "the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters." God was at work in his universe, interacting and interrelating with it.
(Ray Stedman)
A. We Should Consider The Sequence Of This Movement
(The moving "Spirit") is not a breath of wind caused by God ... but the creative Spirit of God, the principle of all life, which worked upon the formless, lifeless mass, separating, quickening, and preparing the living forms, which were called into being by the creative words that followed.
(From Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament)
1. The Moving Of The Spirit Seems To Be A Simultaneous Movement - It Was Immediate
The three statements in our verse are parallel ... All three describe the condition of the earth immediately after the creation of the universe. (From Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament)
In other words, the Spirit's moving takes place at the same time that the earth was without form and void. There was no hesitation on God's part.
2. The Moving Of The Spirit Seems To Be A Sent Movement - It Was Initiated By God
Cf. (Psalms 104:30) "Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth."
B. We Should Consider The Significance Of This Movement
1. We See This Movement In Terms Of Comparison
7363. "rachaph," raw-khaf'; a prim. root; to brood, by impl. to be relaxed:--flutter, move, shake.
Notice... (Deuteronomy 32:11) "As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings..."
The word "fluttereth" in Deuteronomy 32:11 is the same word as "moved" in Genesis 1:2.
(This word "moved") is applied to the hovering and brooding of a bird over its young, to warm them, and develop their vital powers (as in Deuteronomy 32:11). In such a way as this the Spirit of God moved upon the deep, which had received at its creation the germs of all life, to fill them with vital energy by His breath of life.
(From Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament)
2. We See This Movement In Terms Of Compassion
For so the meaning of the word suggests...
OT: 7363. "rachaph," this word means to hover; to move gently, also cherish, and brood. (From Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon)
Movement can be erratic, and chaotic, and harsh, but the Spirit's movement here was gentle and compassionate.
C. We Should Consider The Subject Of This Movement
1. There Is A Suggestive Indication In
In some of the ways that this Hebrew word for "waters" is used in the Old Testament, it has the idea of waste water that one might put out upon the ground.
(4325. "mayim," mah'-yim; dual of a prim. noun (but used in a sing. sense); water; fig. juice; by euphem. urine, semen:-- + piss, wasting, water (-ing, [-course, -flood, -spring]).)
2. There Is A Supernatural Influence Upon
Again, the Bible does not say that there was movement in the waters. For as the Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary states, "It was not the self-development of powers inherent in matter." The water did not move itself as the evolutionist might maintain, but there was the outside influence of the Divine Spirit of God.
What is He doing as He moves? Well there is a unique description used in Psalm 104... (Psalms 104:1-3) "Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed
with honour and majesty. {2} Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: {3} Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:"
He is laying the foundation of life. The word "moved" has the idea of the brooding hen, but it also has the idea of fertilizing. As the Spirit of God moves, He is planting the seeds of life in this watery mass.
III. Let's Notice The Essence Of Conversion In Creation Genesis 1:3-13
A. God Brought Light Into This Situation Genesis 1:3-5, 14- 19
(Thus Dealing With The Darkness)
(Genesis 1:3) "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
God didn't just stir, but He spoke! Some want God to stir, but they don't want Him to speak. Others want Him to speak, but they don't want Him to stir. If we are going to have light and life, God must stir and speak.
Out of the cosmic silence comes a voice like thunder that calls for lightning.
There's a verse in Psalm 42 that ignites my imagination as I read the first record that "God said."
(Psalms 42:7) "Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me."
The depth of God's ability and authority called out to the depth of this globe's darkness, and said, "Let there be light!"
1. There Was A Great Declaration Of Instruction
216."owr," ore; from H215; illumination or (concr.) luminary (in every sense, including lightning, happiness, etc.):--bright, clear, + day, light (-ning), morning, sun.
The phrase "let there be light" is a single Hebrew term. It's as if the great director of this grand production said, "Lights!" And without the assistance of any stage hands, "there was light!"
2. There Was A Great Dawn Of Illumination
The light of the sun and moon and stars does not appear until the fourth day in verse 14. For three full days there was daylight without sunshine. Where did the light come from? From the big daddy light...
(James 1:17) "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
(John 8:12) "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
(Isaiah 9:2) "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."
The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus' entrance into the world and His presence in Capernaum specifically is the fulfilling of Isaiah's prophecy.
(Matthew 4:13-16) "And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: {14} That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, {15} The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; {16} The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up."
This is exactly the sequence of events that happened to me. God's Word was declared and the light came on in my soul.
B. God Brought Logic Into This Situation Genesis 1:6-10
(Thus Dealing With The Disorder)
1. God Brought A Sealing In This Situation
(Genesis 1:6) "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."
He enclosed the earth in this protective atmosphere that is called here "a firmament."
In a similar way, he enclosed us in a layer of protection so that we are "sealed unto the day of redemption" (Ephesians 4:30).
(Ephesians 1:13) "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise..."
2. God Brought A Separation In This Situation
(Genesis 1:6) "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."
In a similar way, God has instructed His people...
(2 Corinthians 6:17) "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you..."
Furthermore, I would point out the gathering of seas...
(Genesis 1:9-10) "And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. {10} And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good."
Similarly there is to be a gathering of saints, for the Bible tells us...
(Hebrews 10:25) "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
C. God Brought Life Into This Situation Genesis 1:11- 13,20-27
(Thus Dealing With The Deadness)
1. This Was A Productive Operation
(Genesis 1:11) "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so."
(John 10:10) "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
2. This Was A Positive Operation
(Genesis 1:12) "And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good."
(Luke 15:10) "Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."
It's good when somebody gets saved!
Conclusion
Thirty years ago, my dad started pastoring his first church as a bi-vocational pastor. At the Macedonia Baptist Church thirty minutes from our house on top of a mountain in Lake Toxaway, NC, we would gather each week. Several folks would get up beside the piano and start singing songs (many of them out of these same hymnals that we have here). And one of the songs that they would sing went like this...
"The Lord has been so good to me. He set my captive spirit free. All things have passed away. All things are new today.
He opened up my blinded eyes and then I had a great surprise. I'm in a new world since the Lord saved me."
I want to tell you this morning that I am in a new world since the Lord saved me!
(2 Corinthians 5:17) "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."