This is part Two of my message to the folks at the 55+
community on April 28, 2019. You can
find part one here:
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“In the beginning, God
created the heavens and the earth. The
earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and
the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. “Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was
light.
As I
prepared this message, lyrics of an old Beatle’s song passed through my thoughts.
You might remember the song, All the Lonely People. The lyrics tell us of Eleanor
Rigby who gathers up rice in the church after a wedding. Then she goes home,
alone. And no one cares.
The lyrics then turn our attention to Father
McKenzie who writes the words of a sermon no one will hear. He, too, returns to
his home. Alone. And no one cares.
Both Eleanor and the priest are among
the forgotten and lonely millions. That’s the song’s point. People alone.
Knowing no one cares about them. Lonely people, like so many other lonely,
lonely people.
“Where do they all belong?”
Did you
know suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US? In 2017 there were 1,400,000 suicide attempts
in the US. On average, there are 129 suicides per day. In 2017, the highest suicide rate was
among adults between 45 and 54 years of age. The second highest rate occurred in those 85 years or older.
If this
text in Genesis chapter one is simply an allegory, if it is NOT historical fact,
then what hope can Christians bring to those whose lives today are a formless
void, and darkness smothers their hopes?
But what does God
say about it? In this foundational Genesis text, Moses assures us of something that
you and I need to know is unerringly true: In the midst of the formless
void and darkness, “The Spirit of God was moving – the Hebrew word carries the idea of ‘brooding’
– as a bird covers and protects her young with its wings – the Spirit of
God was moving over the surface of the waters.”
Oh! Of course He was brooding over His
creation! And of course, He broods over His creation in 2019. Scripture repeatedly
tells us God is with us by His Spirit so that we who read it – AND BELIEVE it –
would not lose heart.
The Lord Jesus promised: “I will ask
the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you
forever; that is the Spirit of
truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides
with you and will be in you.” Then Jesus added in verse 18: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come
to you.” (John 14:16-18)
Listen! I know how
difficult faith in Christ’s promises can be when we are in the middle of
darkness and formlessness and loneliness. But – Hang in there! Don’t give up.
Listen to what Moses next tells us in this text: In the midst
of formless darkness and void – God said: “Let there be
light.”— And there was light.”
That’s why
John writes in his gospel: “In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . .
.” (now dropping down a few verses, John continues):” In Him was life, and the life was the Light
of men. . . .” (John 1:1-5)
I hope you
caught that last phrase: “Jesus – the Light of men and women – shines in our
darkness.”
Everyone reading
this has from time to time walked out of a dark room into the bright noonday
sun. The effect was startling, wasn’t it? Our eyes reflexively squinted, and we
shielded them with our hand until we could adjust to the sudden brightness.
That illustrates what can happen to any of us when Jesus breaks into lives
lived in shadows of despair and loneliness and hopelessness. But it can happen
only if we trust our God that it can and will happen.
It’s not news to anyone who has lived more than
half a century: “In the world we will have tribulation.” That’s what Jesus said in John’s gospel. But the
Lord didn’t stop with that solemn caution. The One who is called Immanuel – “God
WITH Us – Jesus then added: “Be of good
cheer. I have overcome the world” – the world of darkness, formlessness, hollowness,
and loneliness.
THAT is the word of hope we have for ourselves.
AND it is the word of hope we have
for others.
Let me remind you of a story in Acts chapter 3:
Peter and John were on their way into the Temple for the 3 pm hour of prayer
when they saw a crippled man begging at the Temple gate. When he asked alms of
the two apostles, they stopped, and Peter said to him:
“I do not
possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus
Christ the Nazarene—walk!” And seizing
him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his
ankles were strengthened. With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the
temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.”
Most of us read this text and think it’s simply
a nice story nestled within early church history. Buy it really doesn’t apply
to us in the 21st century. After all, God doesn’t use us to heal the
sick and the lame.
But there is much more application of this
story than physical healing. God may not use us to raise the sick and the lame
out of their beds, but “SUCH AS WE HAVE” we can still give to others who’ve
been crippled by the events of their lives. And God will use what light we have,
to heal the darkness in people’s souls.
What
was it St. Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome? “How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will
they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just
as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of
good things!” (Romans 10:14-15)
Christian! Don’t believe the devil’s lie that you
don’t know enough Bible to help others. You each know the scriptures far better
than most people you run across every day.
For decades, statistics have demonstrated such a profound
bible illiteracy in America, that even if all you know is John 3:16 you STILL
know more than half of those in your neighborhood, your classroom, your
workplace.
Go ahead. Test it. Ask random people among your
spheres of daily interactions if they know what John 3:16 says? Besides, don’t you know far more than that
one verse? Speak it into the lives of those who need to hear what God has to
say.
We have God’s promise that He will use His word
for His glory. We find this in Isaiah 55:
“For as the
rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering
the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and
bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will
not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without
succeeding in the matter for
which I sent it.” (verses 10-11)
As I’ve said throughout this message, the first
chapter of Genesis
is foundational to our lives. Don’t let false teachers destroy that foundation,
and who seduce us into looking outside of God’s word for answers to our heartaches
and trials.
Genesis
tells us many critical details of our life of faith. Here are only the three
that I wrote about here:
First:
God ‘is.’ The Great “I AM’ is the self-existent One, without beginning,
without end. He alone exists above time and space, and who created all things
seen and unseen.
Second:
God did not stop His creative processes after the sixth creation day. He is
always, at each present moment, active
in His creation. The Lord Jesus tells us in John 5:17 – “My Father is
working until now, and I Myself am working.”
And Third: As the Holy Spirit brooded at the beginning
of creation, He continues to cover, warm, and protect His creation – including
you and me – at this very moment.
Christian, do not despair. Light has come to
invade your own darkness. Let Him do so. Open the door of your heart and His
light will shine into your life.
God has privileged us to bring His light of
encouragement to others. We may not have silver and gold. We may not have the
gift of healing. But what we DO have – knowledge of God and His words of life
and hope – what we DO have we can give to others.
Oh, Holy Spirit, help us to do so.
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