Want to start in Genesis chapter
1 First verse Genesis 1 in the
beginning God created the heaven and the earth 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 and God
said let there be light and there was light and God saw the light
that it was good and God divided the light from the darkness What I want to tell you today
is this Bible is It's full of light. It's full of light. Now, just as a way of introduction,
I want to give you a few attributes of light. Light is pure. It is pure. Light is lovely. Light is free. Oh, I like that. But here's the thing also. Light
is revealing. Revealing. And also, one more,
light is true. True. What do I mean? Here's the first thing about
light. In light, there is absolutely no darkness. No darkness. None, none. The light illuminates
the truth of what is actually there. Understand, the light shows the
truth of the world as it really is. Here it says it's without
form and void. I'm not going into that. But,
the light reveals what's there, because there is no falsehood
in the light. It said the light is true. I'm
gonna get to it later, of course, but I'm gonna say it here in
the introduction, Jesus Christ is the light. He's the light
of scriptures. Matter of fact, he'll say it
himself. I'll get there, but you know, anyway. There's no
question about it, the scriptures are clear, and I'm trying not
to keep you very long, but we'll see how it goes. But my title
is this, God Divided the Light. God Divided the Light. Verse
three says this, let there be light. And God said, God said,
let there be light. And God saw the light and that
it was good. And God divided the light from
the darkness. First thing, this is the first
recording we have of the voice of God saying something. Not saying there wasn't anything
else said before this, but this is the first one we know about.
This is the first one we are to be concerned about. In Genesis, it states that God
created the heavens and the earth, the earth was without form, the
earth was void, and there was darkness on the face of the deep.
What's all that mean? Well, to be honest, I'm not certain.
And here's the thing, nobody knows. There's all kind of theories,
and some of them are true. I've got my own. But that's not
what I'm here to talk about. I wanna talk about the light.
I wanna talk about the light. Because I'm gonna tell you this.
The light is good. The light is good. God said,
let there be light, and there was light. You understand? That's all it takes for something
to happen, is for God to say it. That's all it takes. Walter's on TV this morning saying
God is utterly sovereign. God is completely sovereign.
He speaks and his word will not return unto him void. He says
let there be light. By gollies, there's gonna be
light. Oh my. And that light is good. Now,
let's be clear. This is before the sun and the
moon ever shone. Before there were stars in the
sky shining, there was light. There was light. Oh, see, you
understand. A lot of people think about it.
God said, let there be light and the sun shone. Well, that's
true. That is true. Later. But there was light before
there was the sun, the moon, and the stars. That's what it
says. Oh, I like that. I do. Understand God said this well
God did this God divided the light From the darkness And here's
what I want you to understand that's the purpose of light If all you know is darkness You
don't know you're in darkness. Oh But when you see the light
shine When you see the light shine, you understand darkness.
You understand darkness, oh. But here's the point. God makes
the difference. That word which says God divided
the light from the darkness, it means to separate. He separates
the light and the dark. There's no mixing of the two.
There's no mixing, not with God. There's no mixing of the two.
You understand, men talk a lot now about what
they call gray areas. Have you ever heard that before?
Well, there's good, there's bad, then you got these little gray
areas where, no. With God, there's light and there's
darkness. Now, who do you think's right,
God or man? If you think it's man, I got
nothing for you. But I'm gonna tell you this,
God divided the light from the darkness. Oh my. Because here's the thing, where
there is darkness, it is because there is no light. Darkness is
absence from the light. But this is also true, and even
more glorious, where there is light, there is no darkness. There is no darkness. Oh, and
God divided. Now, very clearly, this is in
Genesis one and verse three, this is the first mention of
the light in the scripture. Every other mention of the Lord
light in the scripture, better refer back to this. Whenever he's talking about the
light, understand, understand, remember, God divided the light
from the darkness. Oh, I like that, I like that.
Well, let's go somewhere else. We're gonna jump from the Old
Testament to the New. Wait a minute here. John chapter
one. Because we're going to go from
in the beginning in Genesis to in the beginning in the book
of John. The gospel of Jesus Christ according
to Saint John is what my book says. Well, John was a saint. It's true. In the beginning was the word,
and the word was with God, and the word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. Listen to this statement. All
things were made by him. And without him was not anything
made that was made. I'm gonna tell you something. When God said let there be light
at the beginning, that's the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That's the word of God. Nothing was made without him.
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness,
and the darkness comprehended it not." In the beginning was the Word.
And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And that Word
is Jesus Christ. He's the word who is the light
who shines out of darkness. Oh, that's good stuff. But here's
the thing. With the light, there's going
to be darkness seen. It's not exactly the best way
to put it, I don't think. But you understand, when the
light shines, the darkness does not comprehend the light. Why? Because it's darkness. Because it's darkness. The darkness
cannot comprehend the light. The light always shines. That's
what light does. The light always shines. And
the darkness still cannot comprehend it. Well, how am I? Because the light
can do nothing else. The light's gonna shine. And
God said, let there be light. There is light. There is light. The problem is not with the light. The problem is with men. That's the thing. In him was
life and the life was the light of men and the light shineth
in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. Why doesn't everyone believe
Jesus Christ? They're in darkness. They're
in darkness. And they do not comprehend the
light of God. And as simple as that, and as
profound as that. The light is the light of men,
and the light shines in darkness. And the darkness doesn't comprehend
it. Understand, the problem is with men. It's always with men. Fallen man is just that. Fallen, fallen. That's what he
is. He's fallen from the light. And without the intercession
of Christ, the light, there is only condemnation. Condemnation. Why? God divided
the light from the darkness. Let's turn over a page or two
to John chapter three, verse 19. And this is the condemnation. This is the condemnation. What
did he say? He that believeth on him is not
condemned. He that believeth not is condemned already. That's John 3.18. Because he
has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And this is that condemnation. That light is coming to the world
and men loved darkness. Oh my. Rather than light. Men love darkness instead of
light. Men love darkness in the place
of light. Oh my. What does it say? Because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil,
oh here we go. hates the light, hateth the light. Neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh
to the light, that his deeds may manifest that they are wrought
in God. Oh, understand, this is the condemnation. He that believes not is condemned.
not that they shall be condemned, is condemned, and he said, already,
already. Because light came, and men loved
darkness. What did he say in John one?
The darkness comprehended it not. Men loved darkness. Men love darkness rather than
light. Oh, I've been there, folks. Been there. Thank God I'm not
there now. I'm not saying I always live
in the light and everything goes perfect all the time, but you
understand, I love the light. I'd love to be in the light all
the time. But I know what my flesh is. my What did I say before
there's nothing wrong with the light the problem is with me
Men love darkness rather than light Light has come light has
come Personally in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ God
manifested the flesh well beloved of the Father walking on this
earth and And men will not hear him. Why? They love darkness rather
than light. They love darkness, oh my. And then he says it, men hate
the light. That's pretty bad. That's pretty
bad. Men hate the light. Are you saying
men hate Jesus Christ? I'm saying yes they do. The Jesus Christ of this book,
the utterly sovereign Lord Jesus Christ, men hate him. Men hate
him. They killed him while he was
here. They tried to kill him two or three times before they
got it done. And the only reason they got
it done is by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God so that he might be the perfect, perfect sacrifice for our sin
and shed his precious blood for our redemption and our forgiveness
and our justification and our righteousness. But they tried
to kill him before that. They were happy when they did
kill him. They thought, well, this ends the whole matter. It just shows you how much darkness
men are in right there. I tell you, men hate the light,
men hate Christ, who is the light, because their deeds are evil. Understand the scripture's very
clear. The plowing of the wicked is sin. Now what is wrong with plowing?
Really nothing. Good men plow too. Grow crops,
feed their families. I'm gonna tell you something,
if you're in darkness, the plowing of the wicked is sin. Oh my. There are, like I said, there
are no gray areas with God. In the light of Jesus Christ,
there is no gray areas. God does not have any gray areas. Because with God, there is only
light. Only light. And men still love
darkness today. Nothing has changed. God divided
the light from the darkness. Next one I'll go to is 2nd Corinthians
4. 2nd Corinthians 4, verse 4. In whom the God of this world
hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest The light
of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should
shine unto them. 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. Oh, I like that. The men's of
mine are blinded. The minds of men are blinded.
Excuse me, put it in the right way. Well John what? The darkness comprehended it
not. The darkness did not. Whom the
God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that which
believe not. Lest the light of the glorious
gospel shine unto them. Oh. Verse three tells us right
before, if our gospel be hid, it's hid to those that are lost.
And their minds are blinded. What's that mean, when you're
blind? You can't see the light. It's incapable. That's what it's
talking about, being blinded. You are incapable of seeing the
light. That's where we all were. I'm
gonna get to that next, but I gotta put it in there. The blind cannot
see. However, the believer can. That's what he tells us. Oh my,
the believer sees because God has shined in our hearts. In our hearts. Oh, I like that. He commanded the light to shine
out of darkness. Going back to Genesis 1, 1. Let
there be light. And he shined in our hearts.
How? By that same word of command.
That's the comparison. He commanded the light to shine
out of darkness, and if he shined in your hearts, it shined in
your heart by the command of God. Oh, I like that. And why? Did he shine in our
hearts? What? To give. It's a gift. It's a gift. You didn't earn it. You didn't
want it at one time. Because you were just as dark
as anybody else. And you didn't comprehend the
light. You didn't want the light. Matter of fact, you probably
hated the light. No, no, probably about it. You hated the light. But he commanded. the light to
shine in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. You understand?
To see Jesus Christ is to see the Father. There's no knowing
of the Father above without the knowledge of Christ. And he gives that knowledge. Or you won't have it. You don't
have it. Oh my, what does it say? Our natural minds, our natural
senses cannot understand or perceive the light of Jesus Christ. Again, there's nothing wrong
with the light. The problem was with us. And
the problem is with men now. The problem is the natural man
cannot discern the things of the spirit of God. And the light
is of the spirit of God. Oh my. But when God commands,
when God commands, and by that word, he says it, the dead The dead shall hear
the voice of the Son of God. A command. And they that hear
shall listen. No, shall live. Then you listen. Understand, people have the big
problem about putting the cart before the horse. Well you believe,
come on up here, God'll give you life. No, he's gotta give
you life. before you'll ever get an inkling of the light. Oh, much less like it. Oh, and when God commands the
light to shine in our hearts, he gives us the light of his
son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, because I'm gonna tell you
something, when he shines in your heart, you got what? The day star in your heart. You have light You have light
when he commands the light to shine upon our hearts. Oh, I
like that Let's see this God divided the light from the darkness
Now just a couple of more scriptures, I'm just gonna read these telling
the people of God But they are now in his light Ephesians 5
and 8 says this for ye were And that's a great word, were. Sometimes
darkness. Darkness. But now are ye light
in the Lord. Walk. Walk, but not just walk. Walk as children of the light. Oh, that's good stuff. Excuse
me. You were darkness. Let me get this perfectly clear. Unbelievers are not more depraved
than believers. We were darkness. We were darkness. Oh, but now. But now. Right now. Right now, what's
it say? Are ye light in the darkness? I'll tell you this, in his sight.
In his sight. Oh, you are light. You are light. Why? Well, he's shined in your
heart. Oh, that day star in your heart
has arisen. And you understand, the light
is not going anywhere. If he gives you light, you've
got light. and he gives you light yesterday, you gonna have light
today, and tomorrow, and the next day. Oh my, believers were
darkness just like unbelievers now, but now are ye light in
the Lord, in the Lord, whoa. And then act like it, that's
what, act like it, walk as children of the light. walk as children
of the light. Because what is it here? First
Peter two and nine says this, but ye are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should
show forth the praises of him. What? Who hath called you out. Of what? Darkness. Into. His marvelous light, blight. Oh, I like that. Believers have
been called out. Those who were darkness, sometimes
were darkness, they've been called out. They've been called out.
How? Command. His voice, called out. Oh, that also means separated. I'm gonna tell you something.
That is God's glorious grace. Oh, I like that. Right there. Just the fact that we were called
out of darkness is grace. Oh. But it wasn't all. We were called into his marvelous
light. His glorious light. His wonderful, wondrous light. Oh. Now doesn't that make it
pretty good where it says God divided the light from the darkness? All right. Last one. Revelations, chapter
21, and verse 23. I've always liked this. Well, verse 22. And I saw no
temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are
the temple of it. Now isn't that an amazing statement,
but I'm not going into that. and the city had no need of the
sun, neither of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God did
lighten it. And, here it is folks, the lamb
is the light thereof. Oh, I like that, I do. What was
Abraham looking for? A city whose builder and maker
was God. Well, the Lamb's the light of
that city. The Lamb is the light, what?
You didn't even stop there, but here. And the nations, this is
verse 24, and the nations of them which are saved, what? Shall, shall, shall walk in the
light of it. And the kings of the earth do
bring their glory and honor into it. the lamb slain from before the
foundation of the world, let there be light. And there was
light. The lamb is the light thereof.
Oh, I like that. The lamb is the light of the
world. Oh my, the lamb. Jesus Christ
is the light. Jesus Christ. was the light,
Jesus Christ is the light, and Jesus Christ shall be the light
for eternity. Ah, I like that. And we, believers,
shall walk in his light. For eternity, for eternity. Oh my. Jesus himself said it. I told you I'd get to this. Think
upon these words in the context of the Lamb as the light thereof,
right? John 9 verse 5, Jesus Christ said this, as long as
I am in the world, I am the light of the world. I am the light
of the world. How long's he gonna be in the
world? He's the light of it. He's the light of it, forever.
Oh my, that's good stuff. I'd like to see this city. By
his grace, I'm going to see this city. God divided the light from the
darkness. Now we've said many times that
this book, the Bible, is a book of Christ Jesus. It is, it is. From beginning to end, this is
a book of Christ. But also, I'm gonna tell you,
this is a book full of light. Because it's the book of Christ.
He's the light. In the beginning, God said, let
there be light. And in Revelations at the end
it says, the lamb shall be the light thereof. Oh, I like that,
I do. We only see because he has given
us his light, his light. We see him who is the light,
the Lord Jesus Christ. And his light is pure. His light is true. His light
is holy and righteous and correct. Perfect. Oh my. I like it. The scriptures begin
in the light, in Genesis, and in Revelations it ends in the
light, in Christ Jesus. And I'll tell you this, it's
in Christ that God divided the light from the darkness. And
it is God dividing the light from the darkness, even right
now. I'll leave you with a verse or
song from, this is actually by Gatsby himself. Now, Jesus, the
true light is come. The path is far brighter than
day. Nor can that fair body, the sun,
shine equal to Jesus the way. The light that in Moses appeared,
though great, was dim at the best, when with that divine light
compared, with which the true church is now blessed. He is
the light. And by his grace, he's our light. Oh, I like that. Shined in our hearts I like the light, folks. I like
the light. I've had enough of darkness.
Sure, I'm still there sometimes. We're in this world. But I've
had enough. I could go with some more light.
Our Heavenly Father, we're thankful for this time, this place. Lord,
most of all, for you, our Lord, the Holy Father, who sent your
son the light of the world. And you shined in our hearts
his light so that we might see your will and your way in our
Lord Jesus Christ. Be with Paul and be with Walter
as they come to preach your word. Help us to hear your gospel.
In Christ's name we pray, amen.