All right, turn again, turn back
to Genesis chapter one. Genesis chapter one. That's the
book right before Exodus. Start in the beginning, turn
a few pages, you should find it soon. We'll do something a little different.
Oft times we often read a passage a verse or several verses or
whatever, and then speak on it, but I'm not gonna do that this
morning. My text passages are found in Genesis chapter one
and verse two, and I will not read those passages. What I'd
like for you to do is that as I mention these first several
things, just glance over the verses that I give you, and I
believe you will see, begin to see the crux of these verses. According to God's book, In Genesis
chapter one and verse three, which God calls by Moses writing,
God calls it the first day. It says these words in verse
three, God said, let there be light. And there was light. Genesis chapter one, verses six
and seven, which is called the second day. And it means exactly
that, because it specifically says the evening and the morning
were the first day, the second day, such. Genesis six, verse
seven, six and seven says of the second day, God said, let
there be a firmament. And it was so. Chapter one in
verse nine, which God calls the third day. God said, let the
waters gather together and let dry land appear. In verse nine
it says, and it was so. Also, chapter one, verse 11,
the third day, it says this. God said, let there be plant
life. And it says, and it was so. Chapter one, verses 14 and 15,
which the book of God calls the fourth day. God said, let there
be stars, sun, and moon. And it makes this statement,
and it was so. Chapter one, verse 24, which
God calls the sixth day. God said to land creatures that
they were to be. And it goes on and Moses writes,
and it was so. Now some of them would say, well
what about the fifth day? Well, that's mentioned in chapter one,
verse 20 through 23. And it doesn't say that it was
so. And I know there are those who love to become so deep, as
some said, they're so deep like a whale, the light goes out at
the bottom of it. Even though it don't say it was so, and it
was so. What about the remainder of the
sixth day? What about man, preacher? Well,
look at chapter two, verse seven. Chapter two, verse seven, it
says, God formed man from the earth's dust. And God, I believe
it means exactly this, God breathed breath into that man's nostrils
and that man became a living soul. So I can say of all days
and all things that God created, In this universe, when God said,
let there be, or when God said, or when God acted, it was so. Moreover, we actually see, I
won't deal with this, but in chapter two, verses 21 and 22,
also called the sixth day, that God made the woman. He made the
woman from man's ribs. One rib, do I believe that? I
believe it because this book says so. And God brought the
woman unto the man, and it was so. It was so. He didn't ask Adam if he wanted
the woman. He made her from him and said, here she is. Here she
is. And it was so. How was it so? Because God is the creator. That's a common word in our day.
But most people really don't get it. Most people really don't
get it. Man, beasts, fowls of the air,
whales, sun, moon, stars did not cooperate with God. God spoke
and it all was so. God is the creator, absolute
wisdom. absolute power, absolute sovereign. So sovereign was God that he
put a tree in the garden and told the man and the woman not
to eat of the fruit of that one tree, knowing full well that
they would eat thereof and plunge themselves into ruin. That's
sovereign. That's sovereign. As a matter
of fact, he didn't tell Adam, if you eat, this is the way false
Christianity presents it, that God would say to Adam, if you
eat, that's not what God said. Go back and read it. He said,
in the day thou eatest thereof. He told him he was going to.
And God is so sovereign that that did not lessen man's responsibility. And the day that thou eatest
thereof, thou shalt surely die. God is the creator. God spoke,
God acted, and it all, all of it was so. Anybody have an idea of what
the title of my message is? And it was so. That's kind of a self-made title
for a message like this, isn't it? God, God is the creator. The scripture presents him as
the potter. And the potter has power over
the clay. And it's not about the clay cooperating
with the potter. Not when God's the potter. Now
you and I may try to do a little pottery and we may feel as though
we gotta get the clay to cooperate. But remember, the clay is nothing
in and of itself But whatever it is and water mixed together,
dirt, whatever it is, God acted. You remember what the writer
of Hebrews said, Hebrews chapter 11. You don't have to turn there,
but you listen to what this says. It's this one verse, Hebrews
chapter 11. It says, Verse three, through
faith we understand that the worlds were framed. Now it does
not state we know how. But it does state that we know
that. I am not here to try to explain how God did it. I'm here to declare that God
did it. Through faith we understand that
the worlds were framed by the word of God. God just spoke. And everything that there was
originally in those first six days was because God said so. So that the things which are
seen were not made of things which do appear. So it did not
start with a big bang. It started with God. It did not
start with some minute particle of whatever might have been that
men say possibly was there. Whatever banged was when God
said, let there be. That was the bang. That's what
brought it all into existence. And it brought it all into existence
because God said so. as Moses keeps writing over and
over again, states it a little differently in a couple places,
but in almost every place that we looked at in every day, except
the fifth day, it says, and it was so. The Latin puts it this way about
God. I like this. I heard this just a few days
ago. The Latin puts it this way. God
did this dictum factum. Dictum factum. In other words,
the Latin puts it means to this, God, when God decrees, it's done. It's done. There is no need for
cooperation. There is no ability for cooperation. God speaks and it's so. Then man fell in the garden.
Yeah. There are people who don't realize
that. I believe there are those who think man just gradually
kind of became worse and worse. Of course now we're so civilized
today. And yet murder runs rampant in
our streets. People breaking into the Chick-fil-A
or going up to the Pizza Hut to rob it of $15, $20. We didn't come to be that, we
were made that back in the garden. That's what Paul says, and I'm
here to declare it, not to try to prove it. Anyone who cannot
see that man is a sinner just does not have eyes to see. Listen
to what chapter five of Romans says, verse 19. For as by one
man's disobedience, one man's disobedience. Read the whole
context, you'll see it was one disobedience of one man. Mason,
it wasn't just even getting worse and worse, it was one disobedience,
one time. For as by one man's disobedience,
many were made sinners. And somebody says, that's not
fair. This ain't about fairness, this is about the Creator's way
of doing things. This is the way it is. It's just the way
it is. And Paul, the writer of Hebrews,
I believe, but whoever wrote Hebrews, tells us in Hebrews
chapter seven, in verse nine and 10, this is the way it is.
Because he said that a few hundred years before Levi, one of the
sons of Jacob, one of the sons, of Israel, paid tithes to Melchizedek
two or three hundred years before Levi was ever born and came on
the scene. How did he do that? It said he
was in the loins of his father Abraham. And when Abraham paid
tithes to Melchizedek, Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek. That's
just the way it is. Now there's the positive side.
Think about this, there's a people that God chose in Christ before
the world began. And everything Christ ever did
or is doing today, they are doing it in Him. When He does it, they
are doing it too. I'm glad for that. While this
world boils in hatred against it and cries it's not fair, I
thank God for grace. Not fairness. I thank God for
representation. Not me, him asking me to do it
myself. Because I cannot perform that
which a thrice holy God demands. Why? Because I made a sinner.
I made a sinner. You had no choice in the matter,
neither did I. That's just the way it is. Then man fell in the
garden. But I got a question. Man fail,
I'm not debating that, I'm declaring that. Man fail, who changed? What changed? Who changed, man or God? That's
simple enough, ain't it? Everything changed, but God. Everything, everything that it
created. became cursed so that even the dust of the ground began
to bring up briars and thistles and thorns. Did it not? Even the book says that the stars
and the sun and the moon are now not clean in God's sight. They were one day, but they weren't
after the fall. Everything changed but God. And God didn't change not one
speck. He's still the creator. He's still absolute wisdom. He's still absolute power. He's still absolute sovereign. God was not diminished, not one
iota through the fall. Everything but God was diminished
many times over by the fall. God never changed. Man is now
a dead soul. When God first breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life, he became a what? A living soul. Man, though he lives physically
now by nature, is a dead soul. That's what Paul calls the Ephesians
2 verse 1. He says, dead. And that deadness
is just as real as physical deadness. That, in other words, spiritual
death is just as real as physical death. Physical death is the
manifestation that spiritual death is a reality. And every man will die unless
there are the people remaining when our Lord returns to this
earth again. And you and I can't stop it. We've tried. We do all we can, there's nothing
wrong trying to take care of your body, don't you misunderstand
me. But you could take care of your body all you want, you could
exercise, eat all the right things, do all the right things, you're
still gonna die and you're gonna rot in the ground. The pharaohs
back in their day had some of the greatest embalmers of the
time. And we still found their dried
up carcasses. Did we not? Did we not? No, who changed? Everything changed. What changed? Everything changed
but God. It did that same passage, Ephesians
chapter two. It says that there are people
who are created in Christ Jesus. Is that not what it says? That's
the same, Mason, that's the same creator God. the spiritual life
now. God does not seek man's cooperation. God breathes into him life. He said through Ezekiel the prophet,
I passed by you, I saw you polluted in your own blood. That means
you were laying there dead. Bled out. That's what it's talking
about. I seen you laying there bled
out and I passed by you and I seen you like you were and I said
unto you, live. And they don't even say they
live, you know why? Dictum factum. Dictum factum. God decrees, it's
done. It's done. Even when a man rebels
against God, it's still dictum factum. Do you hear what I'm
saying this morning? Look at all of Pharaoh's rebellion.
God told Moses he's gonna do it. And God said, I'm gonna harden
his heart in the process. And Pharaoh will harden his heart.
Why? Because that's the only thing unregenerate man can do.
The more he or she hears the truth, the harder they become
toward it. And unless God Almighty gives
you a new heart, that's what the book teaches, doesn't it?
Unless God Almighty gives you a new heart, you will never,
ever know spiritual life. But if God says to you, live. Joey, you don't even have to
yell it out. Live. Bless God, it will be so. It will be so. Ephesians 2 and
10. Let's read it go back and look
at it. I Quoted a part of it Ephesians chapter 2 in verse
10 for we are his workmanship Created in Christ Jesus not because
of good works But unto good works And if God Almighty's created
you you'll have the good works God before our name that you
should walk in You'll have them just like Jonah when he fled
from the presence of the Lord. Wasn't that an evil act? Yes,
it was an evil act. It was an act of rebellion, but
you know what? There were some old mariners that got to hear
the truth of who God Almighty was because of that act of disobedience.
Did you know that? Mason, there were a bunch of
old shipmen on that ship with Jonah that got to hear the truth
of the living God. You see, God will cause even
the wrath of man. His disobedience and His rebellion
to praise Him. Anything that doesn't, He restrains
it. We would do much more than we even do now, but God restrains
us. Regenerate or not. Elect or reprobate. That is the Creator God. This begging effeminate, powerless
God forced upon men and women today is not God the Creator.
You're right. He is not God the Potter. He
is not God Almighty. He is not Jesus Christ the Lord.
but the creator of this universe is Jesus Christ the Lord. And he is the potter, the almighty
one, the absolute potentate. Someone says sovereignty is not
even in the Bible. It uses the word one time and
one time only, and that's good enough with God, potentate. Potentate,
that means sovereign. Sovereign. And it says, he gonna
show everybody. Right now, we don't all know
that's true. When Adam fell, he plunged us into such darkness
that we can't even comprehend God as creator. And even as a
regenerate man this morning, folks, I still don't comprehend
that to the degree it is. Because when things don't go
my way, I murmur and complain. But God, the creator, is having
his way with me. You know the old song, maybe
some of us used to sing, hopefully some of you didn't ever sing
it, but, let him as I have his way with you. He's having his
way with you, Pharaoh. He's having his way with you,
Jacob, you supplanter. And he'll damn you in hell, or
he'll save you, and it'll be at his sovereign discretion,
because he's the creator. So I say, that begging, effeminate,
powerless God, forced upon men and women today is not the creator. And that's the way this world
wants it. They want that God that's not truly, they want God
to have changed just a little bit. Now they will be, there
are many who will say, well, boy, back there, God was, God
was God. But things got so bad, God has
to let down just a little. God says, I am the Lord, I change
not. And you best be glad for that,
because if I did change, I'd consume every one of you, sons
of Jacob. I am the Lord, I change not,
therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Men refuse what this book says
about Christ the creator. And I mean to say this like I'm
about to say it, and they rape the book and defile it. You hear
what I said? They rape God's book and defile
it. Because if one hears the book
for what it says about who God is, and who man is, it will either
drive you to despair of yourself and drive you to Christ, or it
will drive you to despair only. You hear what I said? I'll say it one more time. Men refuse what this book says
about Christ, about God, about who they are, about who God is,
the creator. And they rate the book, and they
defile the book, because if one hears the book for what it says,
it will either drive you to despair of yourself, and it'll drive
you to Jesus Christ, or it will drive you to despair only. And
we're so depraved that we say, I will not despair. Therefore,
I will not bow to what this says. It must mean something else.
You ever just quoted the scripture to someone and said, well, I
don't believe it like that. We say that kind of thing. You know? Someone, or, well, I already
know that. Really? Really? God help us. God help us. Therefore, men everywhere distort
the book to avoid the fall, to avoid the creator, or to avoid
both. Don't they? That's why they distort
the book, to avoid the fall. Well, it's not really as bad
as it sounds like. You people are pushing it too
far. We're just reading what the book says, making a couple
statements on it, verifying scripture with scripture. Men everywhere distort the book
to avoid the fall, to avoid the creator, and usually it's an
attempt to try to avoid both. Paul even talks about it this
way. They worshiped and served the creature more than the creator. Now let me ask you. I know they
like to point the finger to homosexuals, and believe me, you meet. That's
mentioned in that book. But look at the rest of the list,
that plethora of that list that God calls the reprobate. It's
not just some homosexual. It's called disobedient to parents,
Joe. It's just as much a sin as homosexuality. And it says God gave them up. It doesn't say God gave up on
them. It says God gave them up. It says God gave them over to
a reprobate mind. And what is it that they do?
What is it? They hold the truth in unrighteousness. They say
just enough Bible to soothe their conscience, or at least attempt
to soothe their conscience, but they will not bow down to thus
saith the Lord. Because the fact that God did
say it, makes it so, whether I like it or not. Because, and
it was so. Question then, is the Christ
I worship, is he that creator? That's the question. There's
a lot of people worshiping a Jesus. But you remember, even Jesus
says they're gonna be false Jesuses. False Christs. Paul says there's
a gospel that's actually not really the gospel, but it is
a perversion of the gospel of Christ. You believe the wrong
one and you're in trouble. And I'm declaring who the creator
of God is, and he is manifested right in the face of Jesus Christ. And this book tells us what his
face looks like. Doesn't it? Tells us, and I'm
not talking about physical. Joe, they beat him so bad the
physical didn't matter. Right? We're talking about who
he truly is. When he speaks, that is this
Christ that I'm talking about, when he speaks, when he moves,
when he acts, it will be done. It will be done. Now look at
what the prophet Isaiah said, Isaiah 46. Isaiah 46 and verse eight. Remember
this and show yourselves men. You know what he's saying there.
Stand up. Show your buster. Be a man. Be a woman. Be one. Look, remember this and show
yourselves men. Bring it again to mind. Oh ye transgressors. Most people right there cut God
off. Don't they? I'm not that bad. Yeah, you're
that bad. Every one of you here this morning,
including me, you're that bad. Even if God saved you by his
free, marvelous, reigning great, you're still, yourself, that
bad. Remember the former things of old. Isn't that what I'm kind
of trying to say here? Remember who God was when he
says, let there be light? What happened? There was light.
God said, let there be firmament. What happened? God said, let
there be animals. There was what? Animals, let
there be grass, dust, everything. It was so. God created man and
God did with that man and that woman what he wanted to do with
that man and that woman. Did he not? Remember the former things
of old, for I am God. And there is none else. I am
God and there's none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning. And from ancient times, the things
that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand. And somebody
said, but what about, shut up! Shut up! Because God said, my
counsel shall stand. And I will do all my pleasure. If God doesn't do it, then it's
because God wasn't pleased to do it. Remember, Cadenzas was
brought to see that, wasn't he? He said, those that walk in pride,
he is able to abase. So Jack Mattis, that means if
there's a man who dies proud against God, that means God wasn't
pleased to bring him down. God was pleased to leave him
right where he was. And remember, he's the creator.
He's the potter, he's the sovereign. He can do what he will with his
own. And we are all his. Elect or
reprobate. Regenerate or unregenerate. Pastor or church member. He does with us as he pleases.
Everything, everything. Mm, look at it. Calling a ravenous
bird. That doesn't sound like a too
pleasant of a bird, does it? Huh? But not just using. Calling that very ravenous bird.
Do you see it? Calling a ravenous bird from
the east. And the man that executeth my
counsel from a far country. Yea, I have spoken it. I don't
care if it's a Balaam. I don't care if it's a Balaam.
When I had a, I spoke to a man one time about who God was, and
that God had to give the devil permission to touch Joe. And
folks, I was just quoting what the book said, and he said, I
don't believe that. Do you understand? And this man
feels himself to be a Christian. But you don't believe God is
God? Call it a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth
by counsel from a far country, yea, I have spoken it, dictum. I will also bring it to pass,
factum. I purposed it, dictum. I will also do it, factum. You see it? God decrees, it's
done. Hearken unto me, ye stout-hearted. that are far from righteousness,
there is hope, you transgressors. There is hope. Listen. You're
far, far from righteousness. Far from it. I bring near my righteousness. Isn't that good news to a bona
fide transgressor? I bring near my righteousness.
It shall not be far off. and my salvation shall not tarry. Well, you need to be saved in
the Lord's day. If he's pleased to save you, you'll be saved
in the Lord's day. Because bless God, that's the only day you
could ever be saved. And I will place salvation in Zion for Israel,
my glory. So that answers the question.
That's who God is. You either believe him as he
is or you don't believe him at all. Make up in your own mind, your
own imaginations, but you're fooling and deceiving yourself
if you do so. Oh God, I need you like you are. Oh God, Mason, if he does change,
I'm a goner. Oh God, I need you like you are.
Oh God, I believe you as you are. Lord, I believe. help thou my unbelief. When I
do doubt, when I get a little weary, when everybody else around
you just could care less about this God, it's just like, well,
why am I saying anything? You ever been there? You go to
work and you care about the people you work with, and they're religious,
they're Christians, but they don't know God. And it's like,
When you try to say something, it's like you're the pariah,
and you're just trying to be honest with their soul. Help
thou, my unbelief. In other words, God show me mercy,
because that's what I need first. I need mercy. And then God correct
me. Just correct, chasten me. That's
what chasten means, correct me. Because remember, every person
who is a child of God, he does correct. Because if God is not
correcting you, then you are illegitimate. You are, as the
book calls it, a bastard. You're an illegitimate Christian.
You're not a real one. You're an illegitimate believer.
You're a bastard believer, not a real one. That's what the book
says. And that's just the way it is.
Oh God, be merciful to me. Correct me. Father, as we pray,
as we sing, Lord, may it be that we honor you as you are in Christ's
name, amen. Let's all stand and sing number
363. This is a song that probably
most of us are familiar with, but I think Ellen says it's been
a long time since we sang it. But the tune is familiar, 363.