Battle For The Truth (Part 4)
Battle For The Truth • Sermon • Submitted
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· 5 viewsThe Authority of God's word on full display.
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2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
As we continue our study of the creation of the universe, which as I stated before is where the battle line is drawn in this Battle for the Truth. I maintain that there is only one true explanation for the origin of the universe and the life contained within it—including mankind. For several decades here in the USA, the biblical account of Creation has not been what is taught in our secular educational system. Rather, it has been the godless doctrine of Naturalism, which excludes any supernatural explanation for Creation.
It is no wonder that many of our children people are struggling with a plethora of issues including gender identity, suicide, and violence—just to name a few. There are many studies (Barna Group) and books written (Already Gone, Ken Ham) that highlight the consequences of this dreaded godless indoctrination of our children. One of the key trends is the decline in church attendance to the point that many no longer identify as Christian—and their lifestyles bear testimony to this attitude. That said, we pickup in vv. 2-3 of Genesis 1.
V.2 - “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
Here we see the focus is on the earth. We observe that the earth is “without form, and void...” This simply means that it was formless and empty. God had not yet formed nor filled it. Next we observe that “darkness was upon the face of the deep.” Next we observe two additional characteristics of the earth—darkness and water. We are not given an explanation for the darkness, nor are we told anything about the creation of water.
One thing we know about darkness is that it conceals things because light is absent. Also, darkness is often used in conjunction with secrecy or mystery (Psalm 49:4; 72:8; Proverbs 1:6). The deep describes the composition of the earth prior to the dry land appearing. Next we are introduced to God the Holy Spirit engaged in the creation events from the very Beginning—actively hovering or brooding over the waters. This supports the use of Elohim, the plural name God being used in the text.
V.3 - “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
One of the phrases we will hear repeated over and over again in Genesis 1 is the phrase “God said.” This is significant for more than one reason. First, it leaves no doubt who is performing this creative work—God. Secondly, it puts the Authority of God’s word on display. For whatever God speaks or commands it is accomplished. If you take the time to plumb the depths of this phrase, I believe it will encourage your heart. it certainly encourages mine. Let me see if I can explain it.
We haven’t gotten there yet, but in Genesis 2:17, God warned Adam not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, because in the day that he does, he would surely die. Well, you know the story, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of the fruit of the forbidden tree. The question is, did what God say come to pass? Yes, it did!
In Genesis 12:2-3, God said to Abram, “I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:(3) And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” The question is, did God do what He said? Yes, He did!
In Exodus 3:10, 12, God said unto Moses, “…I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. (12) ”...I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.” The question is, did God do what He said He would do? Yes, He did!
In Exodus 12:12-13, God said unto Moses, “… I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. (13) And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you,” The question is, did God do what He said? Yes, He did!
Using an east wind, God cut a highway in the midst of the Red Sea that licked up all of the moisture on the bottom of the sea floor so His people could cross on dry ground. And, using a fiery cloudy pillar, kept Pharaoh's army at bay until His people safely crossed. Then allowed Pharaoh’s army to pursue, only to drown the in the Red Sea. The question is, did God do what He said? Yes, He did!
I’m talking about the Authority of God’s Word on Display. Hello somebody.
In Jeremiah 1:19, God said unto Jeremiah, “And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.” The question is, did God do what He said? Yes, He did!
Time will not permit, but I could go on and on with Scriptural examples of God’s faithfulness to His word.
I heard Moses write in Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
Somebody might be wondering why I pitched a tent on this phrase, “God said?” Well, I am so glad you asked. Far too often, we read a phrase like this and immediately pass over it without giving it much thought and as result miss our blessing.
As I meditated on this phrase, I was reminded that the same God that spoke the world into existence by the “...word of His power...” (Hebrews 1:3), is the same God who said “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5 Hello Somebody.
So no matter what you may have been through, going through, or about to go through. Rest assured that the Lord is with you. I’m talking about the Authority of God’s Word on Display. Hello somebody.
Hello somebody.
Now that does not exempt us from suffering nor does it mean we will not experience sorrow or shed some tears. Nevertheless, listen to the hymn writer say, “Be not dismayed whatever betide, God will take care of you. Beneath His wings of love abide God will take care of you.”
You may be climbing up the rough side of the mountain, but that just means that you have something to hold on to. The rough side provides good footing for climbing, so just keep climbing. Don’t worry about falling for the Lord “is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,” Jude 1:24
Let me close here. In Genesis 3:15, God said to the serpent, who deceived Eve, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” The question is, did God do what He said? Yes, He did!
Regarding this promised seed, God told Isaiah to write in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,” which being interpreted is God with us.” Matthew 1:23
Further down the prophetic road Isaiah wrote, In Isaiah 9:6-7, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (7) Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”
I heard the Apostle Paul write in Galatians 4:4-5, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, (5) To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
And bless God, I heard the angel Gabriel say to a virgin girl named Mary, “ And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. (31) And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. (32) He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: (33) And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Luke 1:30-33
The same Jesus, who is the Promised Seed of the Woman, is the same Word that “was in the beginning with God... All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.” John 1:2, 3, 10
John said, the same “Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14,
Jesus said, “ I and my Father are one.” John 10:30. Jesus’ word, like His Father, is put on display. For He said to those who questioned His authority, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” John 2:19
And it came to pass that this same Jesus laid down His life on Calvary’s cross, was buried is a borrowed tomb, and rose from the dead three days later, just like He said. Putting the Authority of His Word on Display. Amen somebody. I feel like shouting!
After His resurrection, the same Jesus led His flock out to the Mount of Olives, said to His disciples, “...that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.” Acts 1:4
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. (10) And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; (11) Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Acts 1:9-11
Saints of the Most High God, I encourage you to meditate on these things. Next week we will get into what else “God said.” May the Lord bless and keep you is my earnest prayer.