1037. The Work of the Holy Spirit in Creation

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. The school was founded in 1927 by the evangelist Dr. Bob Jones Senior's intent was to make a school where Christ would be the center of everything, so he established daily chapel services today. That tradition continues with fervent little preaching from the University Chapel platform today on The Daily Platform were continuing a study series entitled breath of life, which is a study on the Holy Spirit. Today's message will be brought by Dr. Jason Ormiston of the Bob Jones University seminary really what I want to do today is encourage you to stand in awe of who the Holy Spirit is in our series here on the Holy Spirit to consider three aspects, but I'm really focusing on one primarily was given the topic of looking at his work in creation.

His work in Revelation and inspiration all comments on revelation and inspiration and spend the majority of our time in creation is because we have limited time and I want to spend as much time as possible but focusing on that aspect really given. Here's the goal that if you look at this picture it's a picture of my wife and daughter in Ethiopia and this was taken just a month or so ago and this is the edge. It's an Abrahams oasis or grace village and I don't. I didn't picture Ethiopia as being lush and green. This is dry season. On top of all that. That's a place we can sit down on this mountain time and to Barack and look down over the valley and see how amazing God is in his so if I can help you find in the Holy Spirit then this is a sermon well delivered. If I can help you understand that though your life may seem chaotic, and it may seem like it's selecting some structure from time to time where you feel like things are out of control. I want to introduce you to the reality that the Holy Spirit brings order and structure.

He takes what is chaotic and makes it just simple and easy for us to follow and I want to encourage you in your own heart in that bulimic comment here on this doctrine of the Holy Spirit in Revelation and the best way to illustrate this is to ask you to take your Bible and turn over to acts chapter 1 verse 16 just to highlight these two points. Acts 116 and what we see here is an example of the Holy Spirit who is responsible for selecting the messengers and he is one who is responsible for delivering the message that he selected a variety of messengers throughout the Scriptures and go back and consider Ezekiel 2 to Ezekiel is selected by the Holy Spirit to deliver a message even selected a false prophet and bail him in numbers 24 to select whomever he wants to give the message he wants to deliver to that particular person in Revelation use King Saul when King Saul was seeking after David. The spirit fell on him and he prophesied there was a statement made about King Saul and it is very clear of the Holy Spirit is greater than man, and is able to fall on anyone in communicate a message to them that they will clearly speak a look at acts 116. I think this highlights it. Men and brethren.

This Scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas which was guide to them except Jesus. This is just one proof text that shows that the Holy Spirit speaks a message to a particular person and he guides that message and it comes out of that person the way he wants it to come out. You can find several other examples of this. John 1426 John 1613 to 14 also speak of this, that's his work in Revelation. Much could be said about that also is working inspiration when it comes to his work in inspiration. The Holy Spirit is the one who guided the writing of Scripture and in this case, I want to encourage you to consider.

Second Peter 121 second Peter 121 you can turn over there if you'd like.

Second Peter 121. If you know this from Bible doctrines or from your Alana or personal memory for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved and that word moves means carried along by the Holy Ghost to bring forth the guide to lead the Holy Spirit is the one who, in essence, fills the sales of about that directs the message through the personalities of select people cc of revelation and inspiration go hand in hand but got selects the messenger and uses the personality that messenger but speaks into them what he wants them to know.

Second Timothy 316 is the one that would support that second point about the Holy Spirit infuses life.

It says in second Timothy 316 all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, it is feel Numa toss God breeze that's important for us to consider as it relates to creation God breathes in the Scripture is profitable. It teaches us what is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

And when you consider that I think this is information you have already heard before, but it's no less amazing is what you pause and consider with me the Holy Spirit's role in Revelation and inspiration he is guiding and protecting he is selecting whom he wants to and delivering exactly the message that he wants us to have and to hear we have a completed canon of Scripture, we can hear the Holy Spirit speak to us through the word of God to direct our paths and we can find great delight in that net so you can take that chaotic life that we we live or that you live and bring it back under order and direction as you follow the spirit teaches you in Scripture. But as I said, I really would like to focus our attention on creation so for the bulk of the message. Take your Bible and turned the very first verse of the very first chapter in the Bible, Genesis 1 want to see with me that the Holy Spirit is very very active in creation. He structures creation. He protects creation and if infuses life into creation's. Let's start with this first one he structures creation looked on in Genesis 11 in the beginning God I love how it is not proving his existence. It's proclaiming it's just a presupposition that God existed in the beginning God created that word for create really has the connotation of something out of nothing. So in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And then we are transitioning from this one into this next verse which creates an opening in our minds as to how the Holy Spirit help in the structure of creation before I go there when she noticed something. The word created does mean something out of nothing. It is not a word that means he re-created. It's not reformed the word for reform or re-create us is found in parallel terms with the bar or create any find all throughout Scripture there synonyms. Genesis 126 and 27 Exodus 3410 Isaiah 41 2043 seven Nehemiah 96 clears up all the issues about whether or not this is something out of nothing. It is God creating something out of nothing because it uses the word sought to refer to the same thing as Barack which is he create something out of nothing. So in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. What we see here is this next verse, 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 water. So here we are in a doctrine of the Holy Spirit and refine the Holy Spirit right away. Second verse in the Bible.

What these two verses have ended up creating in the minds of some is some tension and there is a view that between verse one and verse two there is a large gap of time. It's called the gap theory and it is proposed to believe that God created the earth and then over a million or billion of years is just who knows how long is the way the theory goes, there was this time of gap and it allows for an old earth view in the old earth view says you can look at science in the records and see how the layers of the earth match up and we can say quote that the gap is the reason for that. But there's a problem with the gap. The gap theory puts death before the fall, and that ends up messing around or challenging the very heart of the gospel that we find in Romans five that says death is the result of sin. Sin that Adam committed, so it's really a big deal to talk about their air.

There have been some big names such as you may not know all these bad Scofield reference Bible included the gap theory J. Vernon McGee has been on a lot of radio broadcasts and he is one who held to this and there are some that could hold to this it in and really still believe that there holding to six literal days of creation by want to know that there are all sorts of problems. Accompanist and then it introduces us to this next thought that if you bind the gap theory usually also hold this next phrase the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep, to introduce the ruin reconstruction.

And here's the theory or not. One is that the word for was without form actually should be translated became without form.

That's not the correct translation. The correct translation was just as for reading it in English. The earth was without form, not became without form, and they use it that way and they say this is an example of what happened when Satan read habit on a previous existence. A previous creation and it was something that created problems and then he Satan introduced a type of a flood that destroyed everything and so now right before we get into verse three we have a re-creation that the account in verses three all the way to verse 31 of chapter 1 is the re-creation of a second existence. Okay so that's the theory.

Problems well. One of the things is that as you're reading this. This is an introduction to God. There's an introduction to his creative work. The introduction to the Bible if we just read it. Naturally, we realize that he goes from stating what he did, creating something out of nothing in verse one and then he focuses our attention from the heavens and the earth to the earth. In verse two seed in the grammar connects our thoughts to and so we have God. The heavens and the earth.

That word we live, we live in the earthly talk about the earth for a second and the earth was without form and void and it's helpful to understand the natural progression. Psalm 115, 16, says the heaven, even the heavens are the Lords but the earth hath given to the children of men. So, as a reader were reading the summer learning about God and he exists and he created something out of nothing and we live on the earth. So tell me about the earth. This is a great I love the time of the earth and the earth was without form and void. So what is this mean to be without form and void. Well, I'm glad you're at least thinking about it with you in attaining my thoughts and that many teachers in Hebrew. It's really fun right tell who bow who say that with me. So who bow who was at its without form and void and so this seems to mean well obviously it's some sort of chaos that's created actually no that's not what's talking about here.

It's talking about something that was lacking substance and then received the substance or its fullness. To put it in simple terms, I have found great benefit from answers in Genesis, book one on the answers they illustrate.

In this way. Consider the analogy of a potter making a vase. The first thing he does is gather a ball of clay when he is what what he has is good but it's unformed. Next, he shakes it into a vase using his partners will now the ball of clay is no longer formless. He then dries it applies glaze and fires it. Now it's ready to be filled with hours and water. At no time could one of the stages be considered evil or bad, because we do note that all of Genesis 1 says it was good. It was good. It was good all the way to the end. It was very good. That's in verse 31 chapter 1 it was unfinished, unformed, unfilled when the base was finally formed and filled it could be described as very good." So let me illustrate this way without form is light and dark. So what we find in day one is light and dark. If you're in the Old Testament literature and interpretation class. You know I've talked to the days of creation in day one, lights remember that was so here we have light and darkness and by the way, if you're a little confused as to what darkness will if darkness has always existed. I found it interesting that in Isaiah 5545 seven it says God created darkness just so that you know he created everything something out of nothing and so this was form light and darkness and then we find it full of fullness in date for lights of day and night. He follow that pattern. You're fine for Celie form and fullness of form date to receive example of sky and sea, sea and sky. And you have creatures of water and air in day five form and then fullness given to us form given to us in day three of fertile earth, and the fullness is given with creatures of the land. It helps us understand that God is a God of love and ease of God of order and he structures all of creation. We can rejoice in the truth. He not only structured creation. Three.

Configure mass my mess and give us order to affect he also protected creation.

So once you understand that one of the possibilities here of understanding the protection really comes from. The second part of the verse. The earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

And then God offered this this form and fullness, but it says here in the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, and we must direct your attention to what is that talking about. This is interesting as I was studying this out. What in the world is this document with the word for the spirit of God moved where that is moving on the face of the department a picture that in your mind. I do want you to understand that it is describe the same word is described in the book of Deuteronomy 3211 as an eagle started up the nest moderate over her young. So the Holy Spirit was doing something to flutter over this that which was wit with which had form, but needed fullness and I am I'm just thinking less of what is he doing is just putting things in order so it all worked out and protected or or was he structuring it, and bring up the consummate may be he was doing something that was protecting creation that if I called to that view. If you in if you actually engage that thought with me. It does introduce a problem to us protecting from whom. Well I guess the answer would be Satan.

If you consider the passages that we find in the Old Testament we have Isaiah 1412 through 17 and Ezekiel 2814 through 18.

Isaiah speaks of the king of Babylon. Ezekiel speaks of the king of Tyre.

Both are real kings and from their lives. We have analogies or pictures of what happened to Satan and in Isaiah. It speaks of Satan who says these five I wills I will ascend to heaven, I will set my throne on high. I will set sit on the mount of the assembly.

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the most high event in the Ezekiel passage you have statements you were in Eden, the garden of God in verse 13 in verse 14. Your anointed guardian cherub verse 14 verse 15 you were blameless in your ways from the day you were created verse 17 in your heart was proud because of your beauty.

So this is a picture of something that happened to Satan when did Satan fall has to be asked right. Here's the good answer. The good answer is we don't know for sure I do it I can tell you this, that he fell before Genesis 3 because he's on the scene in Genesis 3. The ruin reconstruction view holds the fact that Satan somehow was created in day one and then created or wreaked havoc on the earth that God was trying to know put in the order and created this foreman and formless and void type thing, I don't think that's true because of Joe. What it says in Job 30 8427. It speaks of a time when the morning and in reading from verse seven when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy.

Here's my suggestion to from Job 30 8427.

The Angels were present before the earth existed when they created. I know they were created because it tells us in Nehemiah 96 that God created the heaven the hosts of heaven. I know he created them. When you betrayed him. I really don't know my suggestion is that a week that he cravings at some time in eternity past, and that Satan fell at the Holy Spirit was protecting the whole process of creation.

I know he was ordering it and giving structure to it and suggesting to you that he possibly also was protecting it and I want to see if you can follow this logic as we continue to go on with this same word is found in Luke 135 and the angel answered and said under her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon this idea flutter or move in the power of the highest shall overshadow the therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of the shall be called the son of God and suggesting to you. It matches with the very thing he did it creation, the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary Virgin Mary, protecting her, and there's more. Also going on in there. It's his word that we find in Hebrews. I'm sorry. In Genesis chapter 1 verse two move. We have the overshadowing and that to me isn't awesome is things that create all an article from answers in Genesis states this on this fascinating topic. We should also note that Scripture describes a similar hovering of the Holy Spirit in one of the greatest miracles of all time miraculous conception of Jesus Christ and the angel answered and said to Mary, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the highest shall overshadow you just as God work through Jesus and the Holy Spirit to bring life into the dark, formless world that creation so also now he offers eternal life to any who would repent and believe through the spirit in the name of Jesus encourage you to consider that. Also note in the last point that he Holy Spirit at creation. Infuse life in order to get that in our book Genesis. The very first book of the Bible eternal to chapter 2 no notice in verse seven, the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul. This is the concept that Holy Spirit was what was breathed into Adam and and Adam became a living soul. It's it's supported with the verse that you find a job. 20 7324, and while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils. My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit and I'm saying that this is an example of the Holy Spirit, not just structuring creation not just protecting creation, but infusing the life into creation. If you want another proof for that.

Here is another one.

Do you ever let everyone about why Jesus up in the upper room in John 20 verse 33 breathes on the disciples the Holy Spirit and have peace but yet they received the blessing of the Holy Spirit. Later at Pentecost.

This was a type of theocratic anointing, or God placing spirit on the disciples as a foretaste of what would come, but it is through his breath that the Holy Spirit comes and infuses life as you follow this logic.

Deceit also back in and our concept of the virgin birth notices. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise when his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. So that is created within me great all of who God is and I have rejoiced in the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

So if you need a refresher on what I've said the Holy Spirit in creation structured it. The Holy Spirit in creation protected it.

The Holy Spirit infused life into it. How does that relate to the concept of the virgin birth. He organize the details. He protected Mary so that it would happen in Satan's agenda from eternity past was to wipe out God's promise in Genesis 315. He did not want Jesus to come. The Holy Spirit says no, that's not happening.

He is coming, and he infuse life into Mary as we saw in Matthew 118.

What about you what about me about the believer.

While the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, the Holy Spirit infuses spiritual life into Romans 811 says that just as he infuse life into the body of Jesus when he was in the grave since he came alive.

He infuses life into you when you become a child of God, he protects you from falling away.

Ephesians 430 grieve not the Holy Spirit of God and in whom you are sealed unto the day of redemption and he distributes spiritual gifts to you. First Corinthians 12 seven he gives and according to his design and his desire the same Holy Spirit who worked in creation, who worked in revelation and inspiration works in your life would you yield to him. We submit to him and here's my simple point of application rejoining and standing in who he is, would you consider the joy that we have the treasure God and his word by digging in and learning more about him and would you ask the Holy Spirit today to help you bring order out of whatever thing you're facing, which may seem chaotic because he is able is pretty God, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Holy Spirit for your work in Revelation inspiration and creation. Help us to trust you with the details of our lives. Help us to yield to you work your power in and through us and through the student body. In Jesus name, amen. You been listening to a sermon preached by Jason Ormiston of the Bob Jones University religion faculty part of the series about the Holy Spirit. Today we have Dr. Eric Newton from the Bob Jones University seminary with us to talk about some of the other aspects of the Holy Spirit.

Eric today's message focused on the spiritual power in creation but tell our listeners a little more about the Holy Spirit and the inspiration of Scripture. Sure, I thank you, David. Things very significant that throughout our Bibles. The Scriptures emphasize the powerful word of God. In fact, it talks in Hebrews 1 about how Christ upholds all of creation with his powerful word.

And so this doctrine of inspiration isn't that the Holy Spirit breathed some kind of quality into human words. Actually, that these human words that we have in our Bibles are ultimately divine at the Holy Spirit breed them out and it's like exhaling heat, breed them out, and I think it's very significant that we we have these words in and we have this doctrine of inspiration because it tells us a lot about God. It tells us that he wants to communicate with us that he wants us to know him. It tells us about the importance of words. We all know that words can be powerful, but these are the kind of power that that we know nothing of here in a human level. It isn't just an awesome experience that that somebody had in the past and is trying to relive the these words are powerful now that they are alive because the spirit read them out and because the spirit continues to teach us the truth of them and so in in a world that has so many voices and opinions and and factoids.

True or false, swirling around that we need words that have a quality that that none of us could give them in and of ourselves we have equality in Scripture that that actually is from God. They are his very own words and so is amazing is creationism. We never want to take anything away from that, it is equally amazing that God's power is displayed through the words of Scripture that he breathed out and so because of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the old and new Testaments. The Scriptures that you and I read and meditate on every day can can actually change us. They have that kind of power. Thanks Eric for sharing that and we hope these messages will be an encouragement as we explore the power of the Holy Spirit in this series called the breath of life.

Join us again tomorrow here on The Daily Platform