"A Substantial Matter"

"My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth." (Psalms 139:15)

  Here is the power of knowing God's plan for our life, even before we were conceived, in that He has known us all along; you have got to see that makes a difference in the way we have confidence in Him. The major problem in this world today, is that many people have bought into the lie that there is no God; that this life we have been given was not given at all, but is merely a freak accident of nature. How small and unsubstantial must someone feel, as they try and convince themselves that there is no Creator, but that the earth, all on by itself created them? No wonder there is so much attention being given to the changing climates or the life of this earth. If you think the earth is what has given you life, what a weird and messed up fear must be guiding your life. Regardless of all of that, this morning I want to focus upon something extraordinary that is hidden in this message. In the King James Version of the Bible, John 3:21 uses this word, "wrought,' which is used here in this verse we are looking at before us. The thought being delivered here is one of a complex and very unique woven tapestry, one that is impossible to figure out, but one that God knows everything about. There is two very different interpretations given in both of these uses of the same word; this use in the verse above is in Hebrew, while the one in John's writing is in Greek. I know it might not make sense to everyone, but it might to some; because the "wrought" of the Greek is speaking to working out or producing something, to work for or earn, to acquire; all of which are geared towards us making something happen, which in the context of what Jesus said to Nicodemus, we are openly doing what God wants us to do. The thought is one of knowing that there is a cleansing power in coming clean with God; much as John speaks about in 1 John 1:9, where he says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The twist in the use of the word here today, is that this "wrought" is used of God's work, which is almost the opposite of the way this word is used for us! This is speaking of something more, "curiouser and curiouser," which is much like the novel by Lewis Carrol; if you are familiar with Alice in Wonderland. Oddly enough, the earth is also involved in that, which many interpret to mean, "Underland," not "Wonderland." Anywho, this is about us knowing and believing that we are part of God's glorious tapestry; a tapestry that He has fashioned and created in His mind long before He ever spoke it into existence; if you can accept it or not, that really does not matter to me; but if you can, it is a very substantial matter to you...

"Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." (1 Peter 2:1-3)