Sermon Central
-
Overcoming The Chaos Series
Contributed by John Dobbs on Sep 10, 2021 (message contributor)
Summary: We will work our way through the OT and see God at work in the lives of people of faith who overcome the troubles in their lives.
Overcoming The Chaos
Introduction
Today we begin a new series of messages under the theme “This Is How We Overcome”. Theme verse: 1 John 5:4 “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our
faith.”
We will work our way through the OT and see God at work in the lives of people of faith who overcome the troubles in their lives. Each one teaches us a principle in overcoming that we will consider and put into practice.
We can relate to these because we are all working on being overcomers in our own lives!
We begin in the beginning … Genesis 1:1 because the theme of overcoming is one that we see from the start of all things. There is an interesting prelude to the days of creation here as a scene of chaos is present.
Genesis 1:1-2 AMP In the beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned,) and created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void or a waste and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep [primeval ocean that covered the unformed earth]. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.
The Bible clearly presents an epic story of God over the chaos, creating, communicating, and proclaiming as ‘good’ all that is created. But it all springs from chaos …. how can we overcome the chaos of life to bring about a life that is characterized by beauty, love, and the presence of the Lord?
1. CONFRONT THE CHAOS
In the creation account we are told that the Spirit of God was moving, hovering, brooding over the chaos. A mysterious reference that we cannot know much about. Genesis doesn’t explain everything about God or try to answer any question we can conjure up. Augustine: “We are talking about God. What wonder is it that you do not understand? If you do understand, then it is not God.” But what we DO know is more important. God was present,
aware, and moving.
It’s not hard to notice the chaos in our world today. Earthquakes, Wildfires, Terrorism, Pandemic, Crime,
Heartache, Struggles. Both on a global scale and in our individual lives, there is some chaos to deal with. When we’re broken hearted and we’ve prayed and cried our eyes out we just can’t see through our own chaos what God is doing. Or Why. I’m going to guess that there’s some chaos that has been taking up space in your prayers - and that’s a great place for it!
We are unable to undo all the chaos around us on our own, we depend on God to help with the troubles that are out of our reach. Pictured is the Spirit of God hovering over the waters. Can you picture God hovering over your problems, bringing relief and strength to confront the chaos? When we bring it to God, we confront the chaos.
2. CREATE ORDER
As we read through the chapter we see the world begin to take shape in an orderly fashion. Day By Day God creates the world with which we are so familiar … each step is occurring under the sound of His words.
He could have done it in a snap, but took his time according to His plan. In our own personal chaos we assume God with his power can make things right - and that he ought to do it … now. God moves in his own time … we see prodigals who need to come home, addictions that need to be overcome, injustices that need to be made right - but God has his own order and time table for what he does. He is at work. Patiently. Creating. Beauty.
Whatever chaos you are facing in your life is addressed by order. Setting Godly Priorities - Loving God, Loving Others. Finding Godly Approaches to life -church, discipleship. Approaching life day by day - focused on ‘today’!
Overcoming Chaos means confronting chaos, creating order…
3. LOOK FOR THE GOOD
Every day God Created, He took note that it was “good”. Ultimately God makes humans - male and female - created in his own image …observes that they are ‘good’. Of all the beautiful things God made, he only made one
thing in his image. And that was us.
Max Lucado: “You weren’t an accident. You weren’t mass produced. You aren’t an assembly-line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on the Earth by the Master Craftsman.”
Humans were given three jobs:
Multiply “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth”
Subdue “Have dominion over the fish, birds, every thing that moves on the earth” (Gen. 1:28)
Survive “Every plant yielding seed, every tree with…its fruit. You shall have them for food.” (29)
