Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20080120.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Genesis: Explaining The Foundations Of History
Part I: Explaining The Creation Of The Universe, Genesis 1-2
C. Explaining The Steps Of The Universe's Creation
1. Explaining God's Creation Of Light To Address The Darkness
(Genesis 1:2, 3-5 et al.)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

From the previous two sermons in this new series of messages out of Genesis 1, it should be evident that the straightforward reading of Genesis 1 is clearly the reading the original Hebrew text supports, and that it does not allow for evolutionary processes: like oil and water,

the literal Genesis 1 record and evolutionary theory simply do not mix!

We have also learned that Moses wrote the creation account in stark contrast to the pagan creation accounts of his era. The pagans held a hero-god struggled against a giant sea monster that restrained innate creative forces from forming the creation, and that he slew the mythical monster so that from its fluids might spring up the creative order (cf. Bruce K. Waltke, Creation and Chaos, p. 48). In stark contrast to this view, Genesis reveals that when God began to create the universe, there was no sea monster or innate creative forces: there was only a formless, empty mass covered with an ocean of water that was blanketed in total darkness, and the sole Entity with any life force in it was the Holy Spirit who hovered above the mass in sovereignty as He anticipated His future creative work upon it all, Genesis 1:2!

However, even though the believer might be aware that the Bible does not allow for evolutionary processes in creation nor for the pagan view of origins, he may wonder why God took the entire first day to create just the single entity of light, cf. Genesis 1:3-5. That passage reveals God spoke light into existence, that He made a distinction between it and the original, foreboding darkness of the Genesis 1:2 chaotic state, and that He then called the light "Day" for "daylight" and the darkness "Night" to form the first solar day.

However, in fascinating contrast to God's creating several items on the other five creation days in Genesis 1, we may wonder why did He take a whole day to create the one item of light!



Consequently, we may ask, "I understand from this sermon series that God supernaturally created the universe with no evolutionary processes, but WHY did He take a FULL DAY to create the ONE item of LIGHT?!"



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "I see from the past sermons in this series how Genesis 1 presents the creationist view of origins, but I fail to see WHY God made ONLY LIGHT the first day as He did! Why did He do that?!"
  1. Genesis 1:3-31 explains HOW God's CREATIVE ACTS worked to ADDRESS the NEEDY STATE of Genesis 1:2 (as follows):
    1. The unfinished world God had called into existence out of nothing (Hebrews 11:3) was NEEDY, being formless, empty, and cloaked in darkness over its surface of deep waters, Genesis 1:2 NIV, ESV.
    2. Thus, God addressed the darkness by creating light in Genesis1:3-5, He addressed the formlessness by creating the heavens, the seas and the dry land in Genesis 1:6-10, and He addressed the emptiness by filling the new structures with life in Genesis 1:11-31.
  2. In creating LIGHT to ADDRESS the DARKNESS in Genesis 1:3-5, as Romans 1:18-20 suggests, God displayed His invisible attributes of ETERNAL POWER and DIVINE NATURE (as follows):
    1. Scripture reveals God created light by calmly calling it into existence in Genesis 1:3 in demonstration of the immense power of His Word.
    2. That creative act, and what God did immediately following it, reveals His invisible attributes of truth and righteousness that are opposed to what is false and sinful in the coming history of man (as follows):
      1. The Hebrew text reveals God did not initially create light as being distinct from darkness as we now know it (as follows):
        1. The verb rendered "divided" (KJV) or "separated" (ESV, NIV) in Genesis 1:4 is from the Hebrew verb, badal meaning "to divide," B. D. B., Heb. and Eng. Lex. of the O. T. , p. 95.
        2. The Hebrew preposition, bayn, translated here "in the interval of" appears twice in verse 4, once before "the light" (ha'or) and again before "the darkness" (hahoshek), and this repetition of bayn before both nouns with their articles makes "the idea of separation still more prominent," Ibid., p. 107; Kittel, Biblia Hebraica, p. 1; H. C. Leupold, Expos. of Genesis, v. I, p. 55.
        3. Hence, after God had created the light that offset the darkness of the imperfect Genesis 1:2 state, He saw the light was good in CONTRAST to the DARKNESS , so He EMPHASIZED that CONTRAST by SEPARATING them FROM EACH OTHER!
      2. Now, God's description of the light as being "good" stands in direct contrast to the imperfect darkness, for He called only the light "good", NOT the darkness that existed in the needy state of Genesis 1:2; thus, He PARTED the GOOD light from the NEEDY darkness in distinguishing daylight from night, 1:4-5.
      3. From other Scripture passages, we learn that light in contrast to darkness represents truth and righteousness versus falsehood and sin respectively (Isaiah 8:19-22 with 9:1-2 and 1 John 1:5-7).
      4. Later, in the second creation of Revelation 21:1 and 22:5 where there will be no more falsehood and sin (Revelation 21:27), there will be no darkness or night , Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 29.
      5. Thus, God anticipated the sin and falsehood that would afflict this first creation as Satan had already fallen, and that it would afflict man as well, Genesis 3:1-6 (cf. Isaiah 14:12-15 with Luke 10:18)!
      6. Hence, in creating light to address the darkness, God revealed He was true and righteous in CONTRAST to the false and sinful entities of spiritual darkness that were to afflict human history!
  3. So, in FOREKNOWLEDGE of man's coming sinful failure, God's FIRST LESSON taught in His CREATION of LIGHT was that MAN'S EARTHLY LIFE was to FOCUS on SEPARATING TRUE from FALSE and RIGHTEOUSNESS from SIN as GOD did at creation in accord with His attributes! (2 Cor. 4:6; 1 Thess. 5:5-9)!
  4. Also, in God's FOREKNOWLEDGE of His coming SALVATION from sin, He ALSO signified that AS the LIGHT was called to exist by His WORD in the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT ALONE in Genesis 1:2, 3, God's COMING SALVATION of man from his COMING LOST condition of FALSEHOOD and SIN was by faith in God's WORD and the POWER of His SPIRIT, 2 Thess. 2:13b.
Application: (1) May we trust in Christ's GOSPEL, the WORD of GOD, for salvation from sin and falsehood (John 1:11-13), and then (2) grow in TRUTH and RIGHTEOUSNESS by the POWER of God's WORD and HOLY SPIRIT who indwells the believer!

Lesson: God's creation of LIGHT and His subsequent SEPARATING it from DARKNESS signaled He KNEW of man's coming failure of sin and what is false, and that man was to SEPARATE from sin and falsehood by His SALVATION through FAITH in His MIGHTY WORD, the Gospel, wrought by the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT! (John 1:11-13)

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

This Genesis 1:3-5 passage has been profoundly used by God to direct my whole pastoral ministry focus for 31 years! Though I had not wished to explain this in this illustration at this time, the Lord overwhelmingly pressed me to explain it today!

Accordingly, in the late summer of 1976 while in my first pastorate, I was studying Genesis 1:3-5. I had just discerned the great theological emphasis the Hebrew text stresses on God's making a sharp distinction between light and darkness, when the doorbell rang.

I arose to answer it, and was met by the Roman Catholic priest of the large local Catholic Church and a Protestant minister of a Liberal Theology Church in our town. They had come to invite me to join their minister's association, of which the priest was president.

Being brand new to the pastorate, I did not know how my Board of Deacons would want me to respond to them. Yet, I knew Galatians 1:8-9 forbade me to fellowship with such men who held to errant gospels of faith plus works as in Catholicism, or, as in the case of the Protestant minister, a pure works salvation. Besides, the lesson of the Genesis 1:3-5 passage was still throbbing in my head, directing that I separate from darkness as God had willed! So, knowing I might well be risking my relationship with my deacons and congregation in saying what I was about to say, and with my face flushed with emotion, I told the men I could not join their group due to my Biblical beliefs!

The priest responded, saying quietly, "We are not surprised! The minister of your Church before you held the same view!"

They soon left, and I returned to sit in my office chair, relieved I had done what my predecessor, Reverend Everett Tatman, had done, and stunned at how God had so surely led me by way of Genesis 1:3-5.

Since then, the Lord has repeatedly arranged that I be similarly "cornered" in various circumstances in the ministry where I must apply the same principle of Biblical holiness!

Again, I am letting you know this NOW as God this week has strongly PRESSED me to report this to you even though it had not been my plan to do so (as my wife can testify)!



Thus, from God's creation of light, and His DIVISION between it and darkness, may we realize He wills that, via Christ and His Word, we gain and grow in His truth and righteousness!