God’s Creative Word – Genesis 1: 1 - 5
Intro: What is it about the dark that makes us uneasy? All sort of negative things are associated with the dark. All the “bad guys” in the Star Wars movies are on the “dark side.” The bad cowboys always wear the dark hats and ride the dark horses. And everyone who has ever read horror stories or murder mysteries knows that everything bad that happens usually takes place in the dark. Genesis 1:1-2 says,” In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, . . .” Even the Bible begins “in the darkness.”
I. Many individuals are uncomfortable in the dark. It isn’t just physical or environmental darkness that makes us uneasy. There is spiritual, emotional and relational darkness that leave us confused and even scared.
A. Perhaps you are like me and have had dreams you thought God would certainly fulfill. Sometimes those dreams turn to ashes and you are left “in the dark” wondering what happened or where you went wrong. – When I became VP for a hospital, I thought I was on my way to a bright financial future. In less than 3 years, I was unemployed and wondering what had happened.
B. Anyone who has suffered the agony of divorce is well acquainted with relational darkness. Not only do you wonder where you went wrong, you question whether you will ever experience happiness or trust again.
C. Of all the darkness in our lives, perhaps the deepest darkness is the darkness of grief over the loss of a loved one or a friendship. At times like these we question – “Where is God? – Why doesn’t God do something? – Why is my life such a mess? – What should I do next because I’m totally in the dark?”
II. Genesis 1:3 says, “Then god said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” --- GOD SAID --- AND THERE IT WAS!!!!!
A. God spoke and the light appeared. The late Dr. Arnold B. Rhodes of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary says in his book, “The Mighty Acts of God” that the method God used to “create” all that is, was the “word/deed” --- God creates with his word.
B. The Hebrew word used here for “create” is “bara” and it is only used of God --- It is never used in the sense that God used an object of some kind out of which God created or fashioned everything. God created everything from nothing – “ex nihilo”
C. One of the great laws of physics is “matter can neither be created or destroyed. It can only be changed.” --- We humans can not create something out of nothing --- only God can do that!
III. Verse 4 says, “And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.” – By creating light and calling it good, God shows us that he is the conqueror of the darkness.
A. If you continue reading the creation stories in Genesis, you will find that God continues to make something out of nothing. God takes non-existent material and makes something from it. First he makes and then he fills. --- He made the earth and filled it with plants and animals --- He made the heavens and filled it with stars and planets.
B. God takes the formless and empty and makes something quite distinctive, beautiful and good. If God could take nothing and make something good from it, can He do it again? Can God take the nothingness of my life and yours and make something good from it? Can God bring light out of our darkness?
C. The opening words of Genesis 1 describe the condition in which we contemporary Christians live. Our lives may seem empty and formless, with no shape or meaning, unfulfilled and going nowhere, stumbling in the darkness of our world.
Conclu: Bill Gaither has written a song whose chorus brings to light God’s intention for all of his children. The song is entitled, “Something Beautiful.” These are the words of the chorus, “Something beautiful, something good, All my confusion Christ understood. All I had to offer him was brokenness and strife, But he made something beautiful of my life. --- We can stand in the light and peace of God’s presence for he can turn the darkness of our lives into the brightest daybreak through the creative power of his word.
