All right, let's go back to Genesis
1. Genesis chapter 1. You cannot exhaust the Word of
God. You just cannot do it. You could
preach from the same verse of scripture every single message
all of your life and never exhaust that scripture. Isn't that amazing? This word is a living word. There
are stories of men way back who spent their lives in prison and
had one page of the Bible. That's all they had. One page. One page to live on and feed
on. You just cannot exhaust this
scripture. There's so much more in the word
of God than we're ever going to see in this lifetime. I cannot
wait to see what our Lord has purpose to show us. Once we sit
down and listen to him preach, the Lord is going to be our pastor
and we're going to sit in something or stand or float or something.
And the Lord is going to ascend to his pulpit. And he's going
to open up the word and we're going to say, oh man, I had no
idea. The half was not told. Just the
surface never was scratched. Bless that guy's heart. He sat
in a study and sat in a study and he never even scratched the
surface. Isn't that something? So with that being said, I want
us to see a couple of different things in our text. Two totally
different things in our text. But they both are true. And they
both point us to the glory and truth of God. Alright? Genesis
1, our text is verses 14 to 19. Let's read that. And God said,
Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day
from the night. And let them be for signs and
for seasons and for days and years. And let them be for lights
in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
and it was so. And God made two great lights,
the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule
the night. He made the stars also. And God
set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon
the earth and to rule over the day and over the night and to
divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good,
and the evening and the morning were the fourth day. Here's the
first thing I want us to see about our God. He owns, He rules,
and He created everything that exists. And we say that often, and we
know that, but I want to take it to its furthest extent this
morning. Everything that exists. This entire book Genesis 1, Revelation
22. Plainly declares a war. Every page. A war. A war between evil and good. A war between darkness and light. Death and life. the God of this
world, the little g God, Satan, and the God of all things, the
God of Satan, the Lord Jesus Christ. There are two types of
people mentioned in this book, the wicked and the righteous, the outcast and the elect, the
children of wrath and the children of God. A war. Verse 16 says, God made two great
lights, the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light
to rule the night. Day and night. We started this
by God dividing in day 1 verse 4, God dividing the light from
the darkness, right? The greater light to rule the
day and the lesser light to rule the night. Are you telling me that God created
His own enemy? Yes. Isn't that amazing? Everything is a toy to our God. Isn't that amazing? Why? Why did He do that? Well, it could have been that
the purpose of God according to election might stand. It could have been for the praise
of the glory of His grace. But I tell you this for a fact,
He did it because He wanted to. He wanted to. And who am I to reply against
God? Shall not the judge of the earth
do right? Turn with me over to Daniel chapter
4. Daniel chapter 4, there was a
king named Nebuchadnezzar, an arrogant, prideful king. And the Lord brought this proud
king down. Daniel chapter 4 verse 33 says,
The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar, and he was
driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was
wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagle's
feathers, and his nails like bird's claws. And at the end
of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes unto heaven,
and mine understanding returned unto me, And I blessed the Most
High, and I praised and honored Him that liveth forever, whose
dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation
to generation, and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. And He doeth according to His
will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the
earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest
thou? None. None. All right, now turn with me to
Colossians chapter 1. Colossians chapter 1. Verse 16 says, For by Him were all things created
that are in heaven. All of the things that are in
heaven. What is in heaven? Well, there are angels. He created
those. Cherubims, seraphims, All things that are in heaven,
everything that is in heaven, God created those. He spoke them
into existence. Satan and his demons were angels. They were originally angels,
right? And they failed. Verse 16 says,
For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are
in earth visible and invisible. Whether they be thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers, all things were created by him
and for him. And he is before all things and
by him, all things consist. Why is our adversary still around? It's because the Lord is allowing
him to still be around. The only reason he is existing
is because the Lord Jesus Christ is allowing it to be so. He's a created being. He's the
devil, but he's God's devil. All power, all honor, all glory
goes to our God. He's on a chain. That's what
the scripture says. In Job chapter 1, he had to present
himself before the Lord. You know how humiliating that
was for him? He answers to God. Turn with me to Proverbs 16. Proverbs 16 verse 4 says, The
Lord hath made all things for himself, yea, even the wicked
for the day of evil. He made it all. He made it all. Alright, now let's go back to
our text. Genesis chapter 1 verse 14 says, And God said, let there be lights
in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night. And let them be for signs and
for seasons and for days and years. Let them divide the day
from the night. That is what is happening every single time this gospel
goes forth. Our Lord said, His word will
not return void. It is sent for a reason. It is
sent for a purpose, His purpose. And this is my only consolation
in this thing of preaching. I love what I do. Friday afternoon,
I was working on this house we just bought. And it went through
my mind. I wasn't finished studying. I
thought, I'm so glad I get to go to study in the morning. I
want to get that house finished, but I love studying and the Lord
has called me to do this and I love doing this, but this is
the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. This is the most
burdensome, stressful thing I've ever done in my life. Every single
time, as soon as a message is over, if the Lord allows me to
go, it's on me again, as soon as it's over and it never stops. And the Lord has put me here
and I'm thankful. I'm so thankful. I'm so grateful.
I'm so grateful. He's put me in the ministry.
There's no place I would rather be. But what have I gotten myself
into? It's never going to end. Never. This is my only consolation
in this thing. My God is in control. It is His
Word. It is His Spirit. It is His power. And every single time the Gospel
goes forth, it will not return void. No matter how terrible
a job I do at delivering His glorious message. I'm just the
servant. It won't return void. And every
single time this Gospel goes forth, it is dividing light from
darkness. That's what's happening. That's
what's happening. It's dividing day from night. Everyone is born into this night. Everyone is born into this darkness. And through the preaching of
the gospel, God begins to open sinners' eyes to see light. That's what's happening. That's
what's happening. God calls His own from darkness
to light, from death Spiritual death to life. Spiritual life. Our Lord said, The Word of God
is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. As I studied
this, I understood what that meant for the first time in my
life. Every man and woman born into
this world is given a soul. Ecclesiastes 12 says man is going
to return to dust and the soul that God gave is going to go
back to God. Every human being is born given a soul. It's who we are. Through the
preaching of the gospel, God's elect are given a spirit. His spirit. And there's a division there.
There's a war that goes on inside between the soul and the spirit. My soul is going to go back to
God. And he's going to have mercy on this soul if he's put Christ's
spirit in me. He told Moses, the Lord doth
put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. He's put
a difference. Now for all those whom He's made
to differ, I want us to see something else in this text. Okay? The
next thing. I want us to see God's work in
us in this text. Genesis 1. Let's go to Genesis
1. Day 1. His work in us. His work in a
sinner. Okay? Day 1. The first day. Verse
3 says, God said, let there be light and there was light. The
first work God does in a sinner is he reveals to that sinner
who God really is. When a sinner comes into a house
of God where the Lord has put his name, put his message, put
his word, when he walks in for the first time and all he's ever
known is religion, Religion, that sugary, sweet, sickeningly
sweet religion. Oh, the gospel so much sweeter
than religion. That sour religion is what it
is really. But when they come in for the
first time and they hear the truth declared, they go, what? What? That's the first thing that happens.
Light just smacks them. They're blinded by it. They can't
deny it. They see it. They reveal. The light reveals
who the sinner really is. Who God really is. Who the sinner
really is. And that sinner goes, What? I
had no idea. Let there be light. They see
holiness, they see sin, they see justice, they see punishment,
and it strikes fear in them. Day two, verse six, and God said,
let there be a firmament. The second work God does in a
center is he reveals Christ to that center. At first they see
God and they see a sinner. That's all they see is God and
a sinner. This thing is God and a sinner.
And then all of a sudden they see Christ. Oh, thank God for
Christ. They see a shelter from this
holy God. They see a cliff in the rock
and they want to run to it. They see a hiding place. They
see a payment for their sin. They see their punishment taken
out on another. That's what they see. God's work
in a center. Day three, verse nine. And God said, let the waters
under the heaven be gathered together unto one place. The
Lord gathers his people. When he calls, they come. They come to the place where
he has chosen to put his name there. And they keep coming. And they keep coming. I have
no tactics to get you back. If you leave or if I leave, there
ain't no hope for either one of us if I'm in charge. I wasn't
taught any tactics. Not going to come to your house.
I'm not going to check your cabinets either. They just keep coming. They just
keep coming. What's bringing them here. God
called them. They keep coming. Like verse
12 says they yield fruit. They keep coming. How do you
know God's calling them? They keep coming. Keep coming. They yield fruit. And the more
they come, when a person first starts coming, man, they don't
get anything. I don't get it. I'm not getting
it. I kind of see what you're saying and so I'm going to keep
coming because I can't actually deny it, but I don't get it.
Day four. The more they come, God begins
to reveal the mysteries of heaven to them. God begins to open up
heaven. And they see the sun, the moon
and the stars and the work of God, the spiritual works of God
are expounded to them. Amazing. The more it opens up,
they say it's amazing. It's so simple, but it's so complex. It's amazing. 2 Corinthians 4 says, For God,
who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined
in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ. He starts to just reveal the
mysteries of heaven. He teaches us. The more we come,
the more he reveals to us, as Job said, things too wonderful
for me. I love to get on the internet
and a lot of times the Weather Channel will post, weather.com,
will post pictures of galaxies and stars and nebulas and have
you ever looked at them? They're gorgeous. No man could
paint a picture like that. They're gorgeous. And I think
God did that. It's beautiful. Things too wonderful
for me. They're just too wonderful for
me. Go with me to Psalm 19. Psalm 19 verse 1 says, The heavens
declare the glory of God. And the firmament showeth his
handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech,
and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech
nor language where their voice is not heard." What voice? The
heavens, the work of God. Anything anybody knows is because
of what God has revealed. Verse 4, Their line is gone out
through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom
coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to
run a race." Why did God create the sun? S-U-N. Why does the sun shine? It's to show the glory. and the majesty and the power
and the greatness of the son, the son of God. It's the only
thing that gives light. Do you know that it's the only
thing that gives off light? You know that There's only one thing that gives
light, and it's the sun. The only reason we're all alive
right now is because the sun is shining in His strength. Are you talking about the S-U-N
or the S-O-N? Yes. It's the only reason. If it were
not for the sun shedding light, there would be no light. None. There would be no knowledge of
the firmament. There would be no knowledge of
Christ. There would be no knowledge of
His work. Now hold your place right here
in Psalm 19 and go back to the text in Genesis 1. Verse 14 says, God said, let there be
lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from
the night and let them be for signs and for seasons and for
days and years. Let them be for lights in the
firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth. And it
was so. And God made two great lights, the greater light to
rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made
the stars also. And God set them in the firmament
of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the
day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness.
And God saw that it was good, and the evening and the morning
were the fourth day." Christ is the greater light. Christ
is the greater light. And if Christ is in us, and if
we're in Him, we're the lesser light. Verse 16 says, God made two great
lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser
light to rule the night. He made the stars also. Well,
I want to be a star. Who doesn't want to be a star?
I'd like to be a star. Well, listen to this. The stars,
the actual stars up in the sky, give no light. They have no light. None. No light in them. The song says, this little light
of mine, I'm going to let it shine. No, you're not. You're
not. It's not your light. And you're
not going to let it do anything. 1 John 1 says, God is light. Who is God? Jesus Christ. Christ is light. The only light
that the moon and the stars have is reflective light. We look
up there at night and you see the moon and you see the stars
and you see all those things. Why? It's because the sun is
shining on them. It's reflective light. They reflect the light of the
sun. There is no knowledge, no light
without the sun. There is no life without the
sun. There is no warmth without the
sun. None. In all things, He has the
preeminence. That means He comes first. Everything needs the Son. Everything. He starts it. He finishes it. Life, salvation,
conversion, faith. He's the author. He's the finisher. And He shall not fail. How long
has the Son been shining? I don't really know. How long
is it going to shine? until Jesus Christ comes back. I can tell you this, that son
is not going to fail. It's not going to fail. Whatever he does is perfect,
and whatever is done, he's the doer of it. Look at Genesis 1
verse 1, it says, In the beginning God. Verse 3 says, And God said,
Verse 4 says, And God saw. Verse 5 says, And God called.
Verse 6, And God said. And God made. And God called. And God said. And God called. And God said. God did it. God did it. Now go with me back
over to Psalm 19. Psalm 19 verse 4 says, Their
line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to
the end of the world. In them hath He set a tabernacle
for the Son, which is as a bridegroom coming out of His chamber, and
rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is
from the end of the heaven, and His circuit unto the ends of
it, and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. The law
of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the
Lord is sure, making wise the simple." The law, the commandment,
the word is perfect. Converting, and that means restoring
the soul. Scientists and astronomers, they're
smart people, very smart people. They've been spending thousands
of years looking up into the heavens, the stars and the planets,
trying to figure out what it all means. What does it all mean? Where did it come from? How did
it get there? Our Lord said, I thank Thee,
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid
these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them
unto babes. Even so, Father, for it seemed
good in Thy sight. I believe Jesus Christ put all
the stars and the moon and the sun in the firmament of heaven. No doubt in my mind. No doubt
in my mind. And that's the grace of God and
the gift of God causes me to believe that. No doubt in my
mind. That same portion in Matthew
11 where he said, hid these things from the wise and prudent and
revealed them unto babes, that's where he said, take my yoke upon
you and learn of me. As we go through the scriptures,
whatever the text is, learn of me. Learn of me. Everything that
has been made, has been made for the glory of the Son, the
greater light. You and I were made for the glory
of the Son. That's our purpose in life, to
glorify the Son. Our Lord said in Matthew 5, you
are the light of the world. He said in Philippians 2 verse
14, do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may be
blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke in the
midst of a crooked and perverse nation among whom ye shine as
lights in the world." Lights, little lights in this dark world. James 1, 17 says, 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." Where do His people get this light?
It's a reflection of Him. That's all it is. Any light that
I have is only because He's caused His face to shine upon me. That's it. Well, back over to
our text in Genesis 1, verse 14 says, God said, let there be lights
in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night.
Let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years. Let them be for lights in the
firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth. And it
was so. That's our only hope in this
ministry. That's our only desire for the
radio broadcast. is to reflect light. Reflect light. To spread the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
We only want to preach Christ. Everything we do, everything
we look at, we want to preach Christ. Christ. May God give
us the ability to only preach Christ. Alright, let's stand
together.