By Timothy Johnson
Preacher’s Point
All the Old Testament stories are true – David did kill Goliath, Noah did build an ark, Daniel did survive the den of lions, and Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone falling from the sky, among others. Also, the Old Testament overflows with physical examples of spiritual truths. In David versus Goliath, we can see that faith overcomes everything in our path regardless of the size of the enemy. Noah and his ark are a good picture of how the rapture occurs before the Tribulation. God places His people safely into the ark, then worldwide judgment comes. The list is nearly endless.
The Bible begins with a beautiful physical example of the spiritual truth of salvation. Genesis 1:1-3, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2. 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. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
The prophet Jeremiah parallels the unsaved state and the unformed universe we read about in Genesis. Jeremiah 4:22-23, “For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.”
“Without form, and void.”
Being without form and void is the condition of the unsaved. Life has no meaning, no purpose. People often have a false sense of security when they believe they have a goal. What they are trying to achieve is usually something they want to do, something they think glamorous or would grant them status, wealth, influence, happiness, or a combination of these. Often they will accomplish the dream and discover life is still empty. This emptiness after the achievement is why we read of the rich and famous committing suicide. The joy and fulfillment they thought would be at the end of the rainbow is not there. Heartache, despair, and hopelessness prevail. This emptiness is because they are filling the void as they please, not with the Creator, who gives them purpose. They continue in a constant state of having no hope. Ephesians 2:12, “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:”
“And darkness was upon the face of the deep.”
The darkness of sin is everywhere. Selfishness, a lack of respect for God (and authority in general), having self-proclaimed gods, such as entertainment, money, or whatever, filthy language, disrespect of others, sex outside of marriage, hatred, lust, covetousness, all the lies, and these are only a few of the sins people usually do not think about. Violence (physical, verbal, and emotional), drugs, drunkenness, and much more are also problems in many people’s lives. Just as darkness spread across the face of the deep in the beginning, darkness is widespread across many people’s lives today.
“And the Holy Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
Now God begins to move. In creation, He moved upon the darkness of the deep, and with individuals, He moves in the darkness of their lives.
Jesus tells us in John 16:7-11 that He is sending the Holy Spirit to reprove the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. One of the reasons He does this is “because they believe not on me” (John 16:9). The Holy Spirit moves in people’s life to bring them to Jesus Christ. A person will not look for a Savior if they do not believe they need saving. Therefore, the Holy Spirit convicts of sin.
Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2), so we have no hope and are without God in the world (see Ephesians 2:12 above).
As the Holy Spirit moves in a person’s life, He will send circumstances to get our attention. He also sends the Word of God to them. A person’s salvation is the goal of the Holy Spirit. He reproves us of sin so that we can see we are sinners in need of a Saviour. He reproves us of righteousness so we can see that God is righteous. He also reproves us of judgment because He wants us to see what awaits us (hell) if we end our life without Christ as our Saviour. He wants us to move from darkness to light.
“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
Once a person places their faith in the blood of Jesus Christ for their salvation, salvation is granted – the light arrives.
In creation, once God inserted light, there is life. The universe takes shape, and everything has a purpose and meaning. Everything changed. The same is true with the individual. At the moment of salvation, we move from darkness to light. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Preacher Johnson is Pastor of Countryside Baptist Church in Parke County Indiana. Website: www.preachers-point.com; Email: [email protected]; Mail: 25 W 1200 N; Kingman IN 47952. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Timothy-Preacher-Johnson-101171088326638. All Scripture KJV.
