Introduction Continued - The Spirit’s Energizing Of The Existence. Series

Intro:

1. The scientists were all excited about what is called "dark energy" but lately articles have brought the idea into doubt. One such article notes:

"It was only a few years ago that astronomers shook up current models of the Universe with the theory of dark energy; which says that the expansion of the Universe is actually accelerating.

But new evidence gathered by the ESA’s XMM-Newton X-ray observatory has cast some doubt on the theory. By looking at distant galaxy clusters – up to 10 billion light-years away – the ESA astronomers found they contained more concentrated matter than the theory of dark energy would predict. If matter was so concentrated, the Universe can’t be 70% dark energy.

ESA’s X-ray observatory, XMM-Newton, has returned tantalizing new data about the nature of the Universe. In a survey of distant clusters of galaxies, XMM-Newton has found puzzling differences between today’s clusters of galaxies and those present in the Universe around seven thousand million years ago. Some scientists claim that this can be interpreted to mean that the ‘dark energy’ which most astronomers now believe dominates the Universe simply does not exist?"

2. Theories abound but the Word of God remains! We are introduced this morning to the real source of all energy.

3. The Spirit’s Energizing of the existence.

Trans:Still looking at the Introduction!

I. Self-existence of God.

II. Speaking into existence by God.

III. Special Existence of planet earth by God.

IV. Spirit’s Energizing of the existence.

Gen. 1:2

I. FIRST, THE MENTIONING OF THE SPIRIT.

A. Observation.

and the Spirit of God - ruah [roo-ah] Spirit of; Elohim, God...

The basic idea of rûach is air in motion—"breath" or "wind." It is the major word for wind in the OT.

From this meaning, it came to be used of enabling or empowering for action. It is also used to refer to invisible, powerful, supernatural beings—(1)God, (2) angels (3) evil spirits, (4) to the inner person of humans, especially their deepest emotions, motivations and dispositions, the source of willpower, and (5) Wind.

In Gen. 3:8, "They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden." Genesis 3:8 The phrase "in the cool of the day" seems to denote air in motion. It is probably referring to the cool breezes the lands of the Near East enjoy in the evening.

Wind is clearly the meaning in Gen. 8:1, "But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided." Genesis 8:1

In Exo. 15:8, "At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up, The flowing waters stood up like a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea." There God is pictured as blasting air out his nostrils to part the Red Sea.

The invisible power of the wind made it a good term for invisible, powerful spirit beings. To reassure Israel, God said the horses of the Egyptians were flesh, not spirit. This is in parallel with God:

"Now the Egyptians are men and not God, And their horses are flesh and not spirit; So the LORD will stretch out His hand, And he who helps will stumble And he who is helped will fall, And all of them will come to an end together." Isaiah 31:3 (NASB)

Job sensed something frightening pass by his face, which he described by using rûach: "Then a spirit passed by my face; The hair of my flesh bristled up." Job 4:15 (NASB)

Evil spirits were sometimes sent in judgment on people, "Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him." 1 Samuel 16:14, but otherwise they are not mentioned often in the OT.

In these few contexts, they do seem to be some kind of invisible being with limited power under God’s sovereign control. In the OT, these references may be to agents of Satan [demons] used by God indirectly for judgment, Zech. 13:2, there is reference to "the unclean spirit" in the land, or they may be of elect angel, "He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers." Psalm 104:4

Israel is described as having "the spirit of whoredoms," which lead them away from God:

"My people consult their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand informs them; For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray, And they have played the harlot, departing from their God." Hosea 4:12 (NASB)

"Their deeds will not allow them To return to their God. For a spirit of harlotry is within them, And they do not know the LORD." Hosea 5:4