GENESIS: MAKING OUR WAY THROUGH TROUBLED TIMES

1. MAKING S= OMETHING OUT OF NOTHING—GENESIS 1

This morning, we begin a journey through the very firs= t book of the Bible, Genesis. For th= e last several months, we’ve spent a lot of time in the Gospels—and ce= rtainly the life and teachings of Jesus deserve the lion’s share of our time = and devotion.

There is also, however, a wealth of material in the Old Testament which speaks God’s word to our lives. The more I’ve studied the bo= ok of Genesis in recent weeks, the more excited I’ve become about its messa= ge for us. It’s ancient hi= story, and yet it’s as relevant to our lives today as it was for those who f= irst received it.

There seems to be a general consensus that we’re living through troubled times. There’s uneasiness about the world. We see political tensions and econ= omic distress. Throw in a few natu= ral disasters as well.

Confidence in our leaders to do anything about the pro= blems we face is at an all-time low. Changes are coming at us faster than we can process them, which only adds to our perception that these are troubled times.

This is really nothing new, though. We find troubled times all through= the Bible, including the book we are focusing on today. God created the heavens and the ea= rth and all the inhabitants thereof, and God said, “It’s good.̶= 1;

But it didn’t take long for things to go downhill. Problems arose̵= 2;for the world in general, but also for individuals and families and communities in particular. God intended some= thing much better “in the beginning,” but troubled times became the norm, = it seems; and people like you and me have been trying to get through them ever since.

So, the theme of our study is MAKING OUR WAY THROUGH TROUBLED TIMES. We’ll g= et started this morning by looking at Genesis 1. Listen again--in wonder and amazem= ent--to these beautiful and powerful verses: Genesis 1: 1-3--

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and t= he earth.

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was o= ver the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkne= ss. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "ni= ght." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

“In the beginning, GOD.” It’s interesting that the Bible spends no time trying to argue= the existence of God, or persuading us that God is real. Instead, it proclaims, “The = fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God…’”(Ps.14:1)= For the Biblical writers, God’s presence was simply too obviou= s to seriously consider any alternative.

Of course, this was before anyone had heard of the “Big Bang” or a= ny other theories of how this world came about.&nbs= p; Last Sunday evening, there was a big bang over at the civic center&#= 8212;in the form of a fireworks display.

Fireworks are beautiful and exciting to see; but before the first shell explodes, a l= ot of planning and coordination are handled by people with experience in such things (e.g., the Zambelli Brothers). Without a plan, instead of a beautiful display, we would have noise = and chaos and people getting hurt!

Apply this to our world: even if there was some kind of cosmic explosion at the outset, are we to believe that this big bang just happened and in such a wa= y as to eventually bring about everything that we see around us? Talk about a leap of faith!

I like this story: a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come so far in education and sophistication that God was no longer necessar= y. They chose one of their group to g= o to God and tell Him their conclusions.

“God,” he said, “we’ve decided that we no longer need you. We’re to the point now that = we can clone people and do many other amazing things. Sorry, God, but that’s just the way it is.”

Well, God listened patiently. Then = God said, “Okay, but first, let’s have a little contest. Let’s see which of us can ma= ke a human being.” “Ok= ay,” said the scientist, “You’re on.”

“Here are the rules,” God said. “We’ll do it just like I did back there at the beginning…when I made Adam.”&n= bsp; “Sure, no problem,” the scientist said, as he reached do= wn and grabbed some dirt.

“What are you doing?” God asked. “You used dirt, right—that’s what the Bible says.&= #8221; “Yes, indeed,” God sai= d, “I used MY dirt. YOU ha= ve to get your own!”

Science is a wonderful thing, friends; but it’s limited. Science can answer many questions = about this world--but not all of them. Science cannot address the “why” questions of life—questions about ultimate meaning. For these, = we need God.

And the reason is, “In the beginning, God…” It’s spelled out for us in t= he very first verse of the Bible: “In the beginning, God created the hea= vens and the earth.”

Listen: our most troubling times come when we forget this truth. Life is dark and chaotic; life is = in disarray, when God is absent.

Verses 2 and 3 of Genesis 1 assure us, though, that God knows how to deal with the chaos: “…the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.&= #8221;

Let that serve as a reminder to us that God is always at the edge of the darkne= ss and chaos, that no matter how troubled our lives seem to be, God is ready to shine His light on our circumstances and bring order and make sense out of = our confusion.

In his prayer poem, John Greenleaf Whittier wrote: “Drop Thy still dews = of quietness, Till all our strivings cease; Take from our souls the strain and stress, And let our ordered lives confess The beauty of Thy peace.”

Perhaps we hear this verse and think, “Oh, that it was true—that God co= uld really relieve the strain and stress and bring order and peace and calm to = my life!” Well, friends, t= his is God’s promise, but only if we allow Him to do His work in us.

I won’t call any names—but one of our members saw me before the B= ible study last Wednesday evening and said, “Well, Jim, I read the whole b= ook of Ecclesiastes last night in preparation for our study.” I guess I looked a little puzzled,= so he said, “We’re starting our study of Ecclesiastes tonight, aren’t we?”

I had to explain to him that we are actually studying Ephesians on Wednesdays, not Ecclesiastes. I was just glad to see him in such a good mood in spite o= f reading that particular book all the way through.&= nbsp; In case you don’t remember, Ecclesiastes is the one that begin= s, “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” = (Eccles.1:2)

And this continues for twelve chapters with very little relief along the way! Reflecting on this later, though, I realized that a dose of Ecclesiastes might actually be good preparation for studying Ephesians or the first chapter of Genesis, for that matter—because it gives us a perspective on life when God is forgotte= n.

Back to Genesis 1 now--verse two uses the words “formless,” and “empty,” and “darkness.” That’s us--without God. There’s a void deep inside o= f us until we allow God to come into our hearts and fill it!

Interesting thing about the way God begins creation.&n= bsp; It doesn’t start out complete. It’s not instantly beautiful= . Really, it sounds more like that g= lob of wet clay a potter puts on his wheel. It’s “formless” until he slowly shapes it into something splendid.

The Bible speaks of “creation,” but also “new creation”= —and it’s all God’s work. Paul tells us that ‘anyone who is in Christ Jesus is a new creation—the old passes away and the new arrives--in us!’

It’s the same God, whether He’s molding that primordial mush into a world = or reaching into the darkness of our lives and shaping them into something that has substance and beauty and meaning.

And, friends, like creation itself, this, too is a process--a long one, lasting = our entire lifetime—from the moment God gets hold of our lives. Then it continues right on through eternity!

Maybe you feel like you’re still in the dark, though—that nothing has= yet taken shape in your life. There’s still a void, an emptiness. And if not in your life, then surely in the life of someone you know—the darkness and emptiness and, yes, meaninglessness, are still there.

Good news, friends. Verses 3-4a: “And God said, ‘Let th= ere be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good…&#= 8221;

Light out of darkness—and not just here in Genesis 1. This theme runs all through the Bi= ble. It comes into focus in the New Tes= tament with Jesus Christ, the “light of the world.” But here it is in the third verse = of Genesis 1: light, new light, God’s Light!

One of the great things about studying the Bible is how it keeps shedding new l= ight every time we go back to it. = I had this happen last week—something about the creation story that I had n= ever noticed before—just missed it somehow!

Light happens on day one: “Let there be light, and there was…”<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> The light gets separated from the darkness and we have night and day. Again, that’s day one.

Now follow this: on day two: “God said, ‘Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.’" (Genesis 1:6) So now we have earth and= sky—on day two.

Day three: “God said, ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered to o= ne place, and let dry ground appear.’ And it was so.” (Genesis 1:9) The earth becomes land a= nd sea, and the land has plants and trees by the end of day three.

Now hear this—day four: “God said, ‘Let there be lights= in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them ser= ve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.’ And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.” (Genesis 1:14-16)

So on day four, we have the sun, moon, and stars! But here is what I had missed befo= re: the light came on day one!

Not to take anything away from these celestial bodies and their importance in t= he universe, but it wasn’t sun, moon and star light that came first. On day one, it was Divine Light—God’s Light—the Light that we see shining throughout the Scriptures, and always with the intention of getting inside of our live= s!

So, when God delivers David from troubled times, he sings: “You are my la= mp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light.” (II Samuel 22:29) And the Psalmist says, “The = Lord is my light and salvation—whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1) and “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

The prophet Isaiah announces, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9:2) <= /p>

And he ties this good news to the birth of a baby: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

Jesus Christ is born, and when Mary and Joseph bring the baby to be circumcised, = old Simeon takes Him into his arms and says he’s ready to die now--because “…my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in = the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” (Matthew 2:30-32)

Lat= er, John tells us: “In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, b= ut the darkness has not understood it.” (John 1:4-5)

And then, as I continued to follow the light through the New Testament, I came = to II Corinthians 4:6; and for the first time, I saw this verse in a whole new light. Listen: “For God= , who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light (the sa= me light!) shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the gl= ory of God in the face of Christ.”

Paul understands. He gets the connection. Before his encoun= ter with Christ, Paul had a deep darkness in his soul. But then the light of Christ got h= old of Paul, and though he went through more troubling times than most of us can imagine, the light never left him—not even when he went through the v= ery darkest of days.

The God of Light--and Love--who made something out of nothing when He created t= his world--did a miracle of “new creation” in Paul’s life. Paul found Christ that day on the Damascan road, and the Light took hold of Paul’s heart, and he was ne= ver the same again.

God wants to do the same in my life and yours, and He will as we find Christ an= d place our faith in Him. Friends, I don’t want to try to get through any times, let alone “troubled times” without the LIGHT—without Christ Jesus, the Light of the world, the light of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ!