If you would, turn to Genesis,
chapter one. Very first book of the Bible.
The very first chapter, beginning in the very first verse. 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. And God called the light day
and the darkness he called night and the evening and the morning
were the first day. I'm just going to stop right
there because this is the beginning
right here. This is the beginning of the
world, the universe of everything. And let me make this perfectly
clear. If I can, it begins with God. Everything begins with God. I think this is entirely appropriate
for the first book of the Bible, the first chapter and the first
verse. It says, in the beginning, God. Now, this is the beginning
and it doesn't matter what anyone else says. It doesn't matter
what men think or men say. Because God said, your thoughts
are not my thoughts. Your ways are not my ways. Now what does that mean? The
deeper meaning of that is that men's thoughts are wrong. And trust me, there's evidence
abounding all around us. In every textbook, in every library,
and on every PBS station. Man's thoughts are wrong. But again, I say this is the
beginning because God says this is the beginning. I know what
scientists say. Guess what? That'll make a bit
of difference. Because I can tell you this,
scientists always have something to say. They always have and they always
will. But I'll tell you this, the scientists
are wrong. Because I can tell you this from
personal experience. Scientists come and scientists
go. And what they say changes from
time to time. Otherwise, they wouldn't have
to update science books. They wouldn't have to update
geology books. They wouldn't have to update history books. They think they're learning something
new. What one says today, somebody
else will say different tomorrow. That's the way it works. And
when somebody, and this is true of scientists too, not just religious
people. Somebody says something they
don't agree with, they try to bury that. They try to bury what
one man is calling the truth. They try to bury it. And you
wonder why they treat us this way. This is the way they treat
their own knowledge. They're not gonna hear the word
of God. They're not gonna read the word of God. And if they
read the word of God, they're not gonna believe the word of
God. If you wanna pay attention to
what they say, go right ahead. But I can tell you this, pay
attention to what they don't say. They'll tell you this universe
was created in a bang, a big bang, or something else now. I am a little out of touch at
times. But I remember the big bang for a long time, but they
never told you what went bang. Just something went bang. Now,
if you get far enough into it, and if you dig just a little
bit deeper, now, I don't know if they still say this, because
I haven't been paying attention. OK? Because I've kind of had
my fill of some science at one time. I prefer science fiction.
But hey, I like Star Trek. That's the way it is, you know?
It's nice to have a decent future every once in a while. So they
have on TV instead of something bleak and dystopian and all that
other stuff. Post-apocalyptic. Well, there's
going to be a post-apocalyptic, but it's going to be good. But
anyway. They'll never tell you what went
bang. But if you check into it and you look at it and you go
back, the one thing that they may tell you is the fact that
what went bang was all the matter in the universe. Everything that
makes up all the sun and the stars and the moons right now
was all in one big place. And the pressure was so great
it finally went bang. And it was the expanding universe,
exploding universe thing. And everything went out, all
the matter. But they never tell you where
that came from. You know why? They don't know. They got no idea. They had a
theory once that it was expanding. And then see, once it gets to
the farthest limit, it will contract and come back to another thing.
We'll have another Big Bang someday. It's not working out for them
because they supposedly just recently discovered that the
universe is still actually accelerating. Now whether that's true or not,
I don't know. And I'll tell you this, I don't care. Because I
know how things started. In the beginning, God, what?
Created. That's the word they don't want.
They'll take intelligent design, but they will not take God creating.
they do not want to have an intelligent designer. They'll talk about
intelligent design until they turn blue in the face, some of
them will, but they're not gonna talk about an intelligent designer,
because in the beginning, God created. And that is the beginning. Because the beginning begins
with God. Nowhere else and no one else. This book, there's no preface. There's no introduction to this
book. This is just right where it starts. In the beginning,
God. The beginning is the time of
creation. In the beginning, God created
what? The heaven and the earth. And if you want to look up that
Hebrew word, it means created. It means has made. God has made
the heaven and the earth. Now, men will either deal with
that or they won't. And that's just the way it is.
And for the most part, they deny it. The best part, they try to
explain it away. They will use these terms like
intelligent design, But this is a flat statement from God,
written by Moses under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. There's no
room for debate. There's no room for speculation.
In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. There's
no room for argument. So what do men do? They argue. They debate. They speculate. They imagine. Now there's a word for you. You
know where the word image comes from, don't you? It comes from
man's imagination. It comes from man imagining things. He imagines. He uses his own
thoughts to come up with a process and gives absolutely no credence,
no thought to the word of God in any of his speculation. As
a matter of fact, they will do everything except believe the
one who created the heavens and the earth. Now God doesn't tell us how he
created anything here. You get a little bit of a hint
when we get to the light. But here he doesn't say, he just
says he did it. He'll tell us a little bit later on in some
other places. But here he doesn't. Because
this is the beginning. This is where it starts. And
if you've got a problem with this, you're not gonna have any, well, you are gonna have all
kinds of problems. You're not gonna have any good
results after this. Because if you don't believe
in the beginning God, you don't believe God. This is as much
a part of his word as ye must be born again. And for Baptists, this is as
much a part of the Word of God as, by grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves. It's the gift of God. And it says, and the Spirit of
God, well, 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. Where was man during all this?
Nowhere. Nowhere to be found except for
in the mind of God. We're told that later. But man
has a distinct tendency to overestimate his own importance. And the Bible, if you'll read
it, will show you exactly the opposite. Man don't come into
later. Much later. In the beginning, the Spirit
of God moved upon the face of the waters. And verse three says,
and God said. Here are the first recorded words
in the Bible from God. Let there be light. Four words. Four words. Says he created the heavens and
the earth. It doesn't tell us how. But the first words we have recorded
that he actually spoke is, let there be light. I think that's
important. I think it's important. Because here we are being told
by God that in the beginning, God, everything starts with God. And let me tell you something,
God starts with light. That's where he starts his creation.
God starts with light. After the heaven and the earth
is formed, the first thing he said is, let there be light. And there was light. There was
light. Everything starts with a light
from here on out. Because God himself is light.
In him there is no darkness at all. And he said himself, let there
be light. And all light comes from God. Every single bit of it. Because
what happened after God spoke? There was light. There was light. See, this is the thing that the
world does not comprehend, Mason. God's power is absolute. He's the only one who has absolute
power. And his power is so much that
if he speaks it, it comes into being. You know, that scares
people. It should, it should. But they don't want to talk about
a God who says something and it's done. They don't want to
know about a God who can speak and it's done. Doesn't matter
what it is. Because whatever he says is right. Whether we know it or not, that
part doesn't matter. I believe him. There are things
that I've read in this book that I don't understand. There are
things that I just don't grasp yet. I'm working on them, I'm
trying when I get the chance. But see, here's the point. What
he says is true whether I get it or not. Because Walter, this morning,
I submit to his authority. I submit to him. That's what
I ran into in John chapter six. He said, no man can come unto
me except to be given him of my father. No man can come unto
me unless the father which has sent me draw him, and him I'll
raise up. And I'm thinking, wait a minute,
does that mean if God doesn't draw people I like, people that
I love, they won't be drawn and they got no chance? Actually,
yeah, kind of that is what it means. And that stopped me. but I had nowhere else to go. He was my Lord. I didn't know
everything he said. I still don't know everything
he said, but he was my Lord and he is my Lord. And I bowed to
what he said. And then he said it again. When
I got to John 6, 6, 6 or 6, 6, 5, he said it again. I'm guessing
that he meant it. and they left him in droves. Why? Because they would not submit
themselves to the word of the Lord Jesus Christ, the truth
of God. And that's what people do with
this, just this little bit here. And God said, let there be light
and there was light. And the only reason there was
light is because God said so. That's the way it is. That's
the way it is. Everything starts with this light.
Because if God speaks, there's light. Because God is power. And he is light. And ever since
the beginning of the world, there's been light. Why? Because God
said so. They're worried about the sun
burning out. I'm not. I'm not, of course they say it's
gonna be in a few billion years, so what does it matter anyway
to us? I don't think I can conserve
it, you know? I'm not, you know, I remember
Earl used to talk about fouling our own nest, is what we do in
this world, and that's what they call strip mining nowadays, and
fracking and all this other stuff. I understand all that, but I'm
not worried about me fouling the sun. I don't think I can
touch it. But God said let there be light
and there's gonna be light until God says different. But what?
God don't say different. I am the Lord God, I change not. There's always going to be light
because God said let there be light. There has been light since the
beginning. And here's the point. Whether you see it or not, The
light's there. The light's there. And you can
take that any way you want. That's the whole point. God said,
let there be light. There's light. But he didn't stop there. And God, what? Saw the light. That it was good. The light is
good. God saw the light because God
is light and God set it to be there. And it is good. And the light is always good. But then this statement, and
this is kind of what got a hold of me. I think Walter, you mentioned
this one time while back. And God divided the light from
the darkness. Why is there a separation between
a light and a darkness? God put it there. God put it
there. God said let there be light,
but in God there is no darkness at all. And God totally separated
the light from the darkness. Because light and dark in this
world, in this universe, in the heaven and the earth he has created,
light and dark don't mix. They don't. They have a way of putting it,
and I agree. This is the definition of darkness.
Darkness is the absence of light in the light. There is no darkness
where there is light. There is no darkness, but where
there is darkness, there's no light. I know it sounds simple. and actually in some ways it
is but it is one of the most profound things that there are because the light is always there
there are people who are blind who cannot see and they cannot
see the light and if you want to apply this to the natural
man and to spiritual things and I do it's what I'm here for If our gospel be hid, it's hid
to them that are lost. Whom the God of this world hath
what? Blinded the minds. Why? So they can't see the light. They can't see the light. God
said, let there be light and there is light. Jesus Christ
came into this world. Ooh, he's the light. And men didn't comprehend the
light. I'm going to get to that here
in just a second. Because fallen man, man as he is naturally born,
is born blind to the light of God. That's what it means. If our
gospel be hid, it's hid to them that are lost, whom the God of
this world has blinded the minds of. There's not a problem with
the light. There's never been a problem
with the light. The problem is with us. The problem was with
me. Their minds are so blinded, they
cannot see the light all around them. And it's the light of God
they can't see. Now, let's look at John chapter
one for just a little bit. I'm not gonna keep you long,
I hope. Start Genesis 1-1, let's start
John 1-1. 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. All things were made by him,
and without him was not anything made that was made." Who made the heavens and the
earth? God did. Who said, let there be light?
God did. Who's this word that John's writing
about? He's God. He's God. And you'll read on,
he's talking about Jesus of Nazareth. The man, Christ Jesus. In him was life, and the life
was the light of men. Already the light started here.
And the light shineth in darkness, and what? The darkness comprehended
it not. The life of the Word of God,
Jesus Christ, is the light of man. He said, I am the way, the
truth, and the life. What's that mean? That means
no man cometh unto the Father but by me. And I'll tell you,
no man sees the light until it's been given to him. until somebody
says to a man, let there be light. And guess what? There'll be light. There'll be light. Now how much cooperation does
that determine on the man? Absolutely none. Just as much
as it determines on that dead man that God comes to and says,
I came upon you when you were polluted in your own blood. And
I said unto you, what? Live. Live. He didn't ask for the dead man's
cooperation, and he didn't ask for your cooperation. He says,
let there be light, and there will be light. And Jesus Christ
is the light of man. The light has been in the world
since the Father declared it. The light physically came into
the world as God manifests in the flesh. And the light of the
world always shines. And the darkness always doesn't
comprehend it. Both those statements are true.
The light always shines and the darkness never gets it. That's the way man is. Because the light is real and
also The darkness is real. What's that statement Christ
made? They'd be blind leaders of the
blind? What happens to them? They both fall in a ditch. That's
what happens when there's no light. There's no good end for
the darkness. The light is real, the darkness
is real, and the darkness that we're comprehend is to lay hold
of. It's to seize onto. The darkness
does not seize the light. Christ goes on to tell us in
John chapter three, men hate the light. Why? Because they love darkness. They are darkness, they are in
darkness, and what, they love to have it that way. They hate the light. Preach Christ
to somebody, you'll find out how much they hate the light.
Preach a sovereign God who does what he will, when he will, and
where he will. And they'll hate you and the
message. Or they'll be like the scientists
and say, oh, you people are crazy. You don't know anything. It doesn't
matter if I know anything, if you know him, you know everything. The darkness does not take hold
of the light. The darkness does not take hold
of the word of God. Because the darkness does not
know Jesus Christ, who is the light. Now, who maketh thee to differ?
What have you got that you have not received? And God divided
the light from the darkness. That's where we're at. Right
now, God is dividing the light from the darkness. I came to bring division. I came
to bring a sword in your own household, in your
own family. This is the way the book starts.
This is the way it goes on. Because if you don't know the
beginning, you can't understand the present. And if you don't know the beginning
and you can't understand the present, you're not going to
get the end either. You're just not gonna get it.
And I can't give it to you. I wish I could. Because believers and unbelievers
are just as different as night and day. How about that? Isn't that amazing
how that works out? If you would, look at Revelations
21 for just a moment. Because I wanna talk just a minute
here about the end, and then I'm gonna quit. Because this
book starts with light, this book continues with the light,
and this book is gonna end with the light. Revelations 21, just for reference,
verse one says, and I saw, what? A new heaven and a new earth.
For the first heaven and the first earth, what? Were passed
away. And there was no more sea. Now, verse 22. This is after he said, I'm gonna
show you the bride of Christ. And I'm seeing the new Jerusalem
coming down from heaven. Verse 22 says, and I saw no temple
therein. Why? Because it didn't need a
temple. not in the new heaven and the new earth. For the Lord
God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. Guess what? That temple they used to have
was a picture of Christ. We got Christ here now, I don't
need no pictures. We got the reality here. The
reality's coming. But the next verse, 23. And the
sea had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it.
For the glory of God did what? Lighten it. And the Lamb is the
light thereof. Let there be light, and there
is light. The beginning, the present, and
the end. is the light. Let there be light. And God, God set a division between
the light and the darkness. And this new heaven and new earth,
guess what? There ain't no darkness. Chapter 22 of Revelations in
verse five, it says, and there shall be no night. There. There. Just in case you thought
I was making something up. And they need no candle, neither
light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light, and they
shall reign forever and ever." Here's the end. There ain't no
end if you're in the light. There's
an end to the darkness. The light and the darkness have
been separated, but there's an end to the darkness. There's
no end to the light. Why? Because God said, let there
be light. Even on a new heaven and a new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness, there's the light. And there
is no darkness. There is no night. Those in the light Do comprehend,
do seize on to, hold fast to the light. Jesus Christ, the righteous. Question is, do you know him?
Do you know the light? And our salvation is in him.
The word of God, the light of men, the light of the world. And here's the future. There's
more light coming. We see through a glass darkly.
That's gonna end one day. That's gonna end one day. We're
gonna stand in his light. On a new heaven and a new earth. And it's gonna be glorious. Because
the light is the glory of God's going to lighten it. And the
lamb shall be the light thereof. Our Heavenly Father, thank you
for this time and this place. Thank you for everything you've
done for us and to us and you're doing in us and you're going
to do with us. Thank you, Lord, for your work, your blood that was shed for
us, the forgiveness of sins, the life that we have been given
from the dead. Through your son, our Lord Jesus
Christ, in whose name we pray, amen.