Good morning and welcome to Living Faith Church. I am so excited to be able to worship Jesus Christ with you on this amazing Sunday. If we have never met before, my name is Aaron. My wife Stella and I are honored to be able to serve on the Pastoral team at LFC. Today, I want to share with you from my heart a thought that God has given me.

Genesis 1:1–2 (NASB95)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 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.

Today I want us to think deeply about what this passage says, the very first couple verses of the first book of the Bible. In the beginning, before anything was created, formed, or in the process of, darkness covered the earth. It was out of this darkness that God began to build, create and form. Interesting isn’t it that nearly everything living thing begins in the dark place. Whether you are talking about a seed, a child, or even something as simple as a new idea. These things find their first moments in darkness, in the hidden places. But Scripture says something significant that should cause each of us to stop and take a look. It says “and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.”

So often when we look into the dark moments of our life we struggle to find the significance, the meaning, and the purpose. In the darkness we don’t seek much happening, in the darkness we are unaware of the future, in the darkness we cannot find our way around. But God says to you today - My Spirit Is In That Season!

When I was a child living in my parents home in Portland, Oregon, I was terrified to take out the trash. We had a detached garage that was several yards from the back door of our home. I had to cary the trash out the back door, through the yard, pass the walnut tree, to the back side of the garage where the was a dark alley. In my 10 year old imagination, I could think of all kinds of bad things that could happen. I could be stabbed, kidnapped, held hostage, or worse, shot and die! See, the truth of the matter is this, humans are addicted to control, and what we cannot see, we cannot control. So in the dark place, in the obscure place, in the place without form where there is no control, where anything can happen, a spirit of fear manifests.

I remember one night I was out by the garage, about 20 yards from the house, near the alley. It was pitch black, I could only see what was light by the little light on the garage, which was not much. My typical routine was run to trash and run back as fast as I could before anything bad could get me. I had that tightness in my chest, shallow breath, fight or flight mode. So this particular night I had just got the trash in the bin and was turning around to run back to the house when all of a sudden there was this large man standing right in front of me. With darkness all around, my mind immediately leaped to the worst possible conclusion and my body went into fight mode, something I had reversed over and over. I drew my arm back to punch when all of a sudden is grasped by these huge arms and pull tight as if I were going to be carried away by kidnappers. But instead, I heard the most loving voice say “whoah, whoah, whoah. It’s ok- It’s just Dad”. What I didn’t know, is that while I was trembling in my boots - my guardian and protector was watching over me. There was a spirit hovering over the waters.

2 Timothy 1:7 ESV

7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

This is Paul final epistle right before his death somewhere around 67 A.D. He is writing to instruct the young pastor Timothy on how to deal with the apostasy among the Ephesian church. Most of us in this room would be fearful to confront such matters, especially when the one encouraging us to do is in prison for this very reason. But Paul says, don’t fear, instead go forth with power, with love, and self-control. Or, the King James uses the phrase “a sound mind”. A sound mind comes from realizing, to quote one of my favorite movies, “you never had control - that’s the illusion”. Look at what the prophet Isaiah has to say.

Isaiah 46:10 (NASB95)

10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;

Can I encourage you right now in something? Whatever you are going through, God has already hand crafted your outcome. That fear that you feel, that anxiety that is driving you to anger, depression, or isolation; this is not of God. This is a very human response, but not a God response. It is birthed out of mans drive for control and to play God. But the real God, the God of heaven says; I’ve already dictated the outcome, and if you trust me,

Psalm 23:4–6 (NASB95)

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

What is the Psalmist saying? He says, “even if it looks really bad right now, even if I feel I have no idea where I am going, how it is going to end, if it is going to end, this is what I know- and I’m going to tell you; God has determined that no matter where I go, His Spirit is hovering over my void, my darkness, and not just yesterday, or tomorrow, but ‘all the days of my life’.

Developed In The Darkroom

I think it is time that we come to grips with something. God set the precedence that creation begins in the dark. Gods greatest work happens when you let go.

Genesis 1:2 (NASB95)

2 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.

Genesis 2:21 (NASB95)

21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.

Exodus 12:33 tells us about Israels deliverance and journey from Egypt, but look at what Deuteronomy has to say.

Deuteronomy 16:1 (NASB95)

1 “Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.

Acts 2:24 (NASB95)

24 “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

Romans 6:4 (NASB95)

4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

Our new life is directly connected to our spiritual death that was made possible through death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Everything God creates begins in a darkroom.

Obscurity Is Gods Instrument For Personal Development

We live in a culture that is not friendly to obscurity. We live with this mindset that potential should be given a platform. But potential to quickly realized can lead to swift plunder. Often God takes his leaders through long seasons of development in hidden places.

Noah – developed in the dark room of persecution while building the ark.

Joseph - developed in the dark room of imprisonment in Egypt.

Moses - developed in the dark room of Midian- living as a convicted murderer.

David - developed in the dark room Adullam, while being hunted by king Saul.

Jesus – the dark room of betrayal.

Peter – developed in the dark room of shame after denying Jesus.

Paul and Silas – developed in the dark room of imprisonment.

John – developed in the dark room of Island of Patmos where he was exiled.

Yet in each of these lives, something amazing was developed.

Through Noah God restored humanity

Through Joseph God sheltered the world during famine

Through Moses God lead Israel into freedom

Through David God turned the heart of Israel to him

Through Peter we find Gods mercy

Through Paul and Silas, the Church was strengthened and spread

Through John we were given the book of revelation

Through Jesus- we are saved!

5430 Learn your lessons well in the schoolroom of obscurity. God is preparing you as his chosen arrow. As yet your shaft is hidden in his quiver, in the shadows … but at the precise moment at which it will tell with the greatest effect, he will reach for you and launch you to that place of his appointment.

Chuck Swindoll

When the prophet Isaiah said that our God declares the end from the beginning he is reminding you today, that God knows your life from beginning to end. Look at the words of the Psalmist.

Psalm 139:16 NASB95

16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

now look at what the Psalmist say just one verses earlier.

Psalm 139:15 (NASB95)

15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

You may feel invisible to this world, your life may seem as if it is insignificant to every person around you. But there is a God, the only real and living God who knows you, who sees you - and He is developing your life in his darkroom. This room is full of men and women who, just like Esther, in the Old Testament, you are being set aside and at just the right time, when God has fulfilled his darkroom season He will say, Child I have prepared you “For Such A Time As This”.

With God, Waiting Time Is Not Wasted Time.

Jesus very first miracle is found in John chapter 2.

John 2:1–10 NASB95

1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2 and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” 6 Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it to him. 9 When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, 10 and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.”

To understand the magnitude of this miracle, you should know about this water. Verse six tells us that there were six stone waterpots. It says that these were for the Jewish custom of purification. This was not purified water for drinking, this was water for washing your feet, washing your hands. It was not only unsuitable for drinking, it was ceremonially impure water. But what does Jesus do? He takes these 25 gallon jars of impure water, unclean water only good enough for washing dirt off your hands and feet and turns it into wine. Now look at verse 10.

John 2:10 (NASB95)

10 and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.”

Jesus took years of development and collapsed it into seconds. You may be here today wondering how will you ever recover. Maybe you are thinking, I am too old for God to do anything significant with my life. Maybe you have thought to yourself, how long do I have to go through this. I am here to tell you today, stop trying to control the outcome. What I love about this miracle in John 2 is that the water did nothing. These water jars sat near the entrance of home, maybe for years, maybe for decades, maybe for generations. They simply were available, and at just the right time; God revealed their secret.