Dale Spencer – Monday Night Gospel Meeting – October 5, 1987

I suppose the purpose of our meetings here would be [most] clearly define[d] that we have come to learn about the Son of God who came to manifest the will of God in His human flesh. The purpose of these meetings is to reveal what the purpose of God’s will is. We are going to try and speak about the scripture and try to be of help in understanding it. This word “beginning” is what I had in mind for tonight. How many books are in the Bible that have the word “beginning” in the first verse? There are four (4) books in the Bible that have the word “beginning” in the first verse and that is what I am going to speak about.

We have already heard about the book of John where the Word was talking about Jesus, who was with his Father from the “beginning.” The first book in the bible says – “In the beginning God created,” you cannot go back beyond that. Now you don’t have to be very smart to know that there was not just an explosion one day and all the sticks and stones and whatever there is in this building (where we are having meeting tonight) all fell into this shape and the building was formed because of a great explosion. You know that someone planned this building! It was not just a happenstance. Now this world didn’t just happen! It doesn’t take a very smart person to realize there was a creator to create all this. It is by faith that we believe this. If you say in your heart that there is no God, you know what the Bible says you are – “The fool has said in his heart there is no God.” But it’s not hard for us to look at creation and see that some super person somewhere has made all these things, and we know God has created it.

Now if I was to ask you what was the very first thing God created, what would you say? Let’s read this verse together in Revelations 3:14 – “These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.” The beginning of the creation. Who is speaking in these first chapters of Revelations? It was the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, and as it says here “The Amen,” the faithful and true witness. Jesus was talking about himself and this is what he said was the beginning of the creation of God. He was talking about himself being – just one of the titles he had – “The beginning of creation.”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Now where did this begotten Son come from? God begot Him, and when did God begat His Son? The beginning of the creation was God begetting His Son. I couldn’t prove it and I may stand to be corrected some day, but when I read of what God did on this day it seems to fit in. What did God create on the first day? Genesis 1:3 — “And God said, Let there be light; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” What did God create on the first day? The light of heaven and earth. And if you want to continue reading on you can see that He made the earth and then the grass, and didn’t make the animals before He made the grass because the grass was for the animals and didn’t make man before animals and grass, but made all these things and then one of the last things He created was man. And He said, “Let us make man in Our image.” Didn’t say, “Let Me,” but “Let Us” make man. And we must believe that there is no question when God made man and all things on the earth that He was talking with His Son. Who was the beginning of God’s creation, and the light of the world, and the light of men, and the only true light that has ever shined? Jesus!! He did not create the sun, moon and stars until the 4th day and as far as we know that is all the light there was. But in this world God created the sun and moon on the 4th day because He had already created the light of life in heaven and that was the beginning of the creation of God.

Colossians 1 tells us a whole lot about Jesus being from the beginning. What was from the beginning that has a foundation that was from God? We are not talking about something 100 years ago, but we are talking about something from the BEGINNING! Colossians 1:13-19 –“ (13) Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son; (14) In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins; (15) Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature; (16) for by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: (17) And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. (18) And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence. (19) For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell.” God is talking about His Son. Now no man has seen God at any time, but when we read here He is talking about the Lord Jesus, not Himself. Jesus always said He was the Son of the Father and knew that His Father was more than He. Now we are going to go a little farther here and read again the 16th verse. This is not talking about God but His Son and it says all things were created by Him and for Him and He is before all things and by Him all things consist, who is the beginning from the first born unto death. All was created in the light of the Son.

Now then, if I would ask you this question what would you answer, “What did God make the world for?” That is a big question, but I can tell you because the Bible tells us, He made it for man. Now God made the world for man, but why did God make man? I think you know. GOD MADE MAN FOR HIMSELF. He wants you and wants me. Some people in their religion think what God wants is His substance and think the more I reach in my pocket and pull out green, the more God wants me. God doesn’t want your substance!! Paul said – “We seek not yours” – we seek not what you have by you. Out of this world God is getting a people from and for His pleasure that He might have fellowship with His people and enjoy these same people throughout all eternity, all the years of eternity. You know how long we are going to live? As long as God lives, the human soul will live. He has created an eternal soul and we will either live in the light of His presence or in the darkness – that is God’s purpose. Now that is not unrighteous or unfair because it is not God’s purpose that any man should perish. God wants to save man for Himself and that is what the scripture teaches.

In the beginning the first creation of God was the light on the first day. The beginning of the first day was the beginning of His Son. Now then They both began to create of Their pleasure. Jesus was with his Father from the beginning. Before anything was made, He was made. He is the head of the church. “The first born from the dead,” what does that mean? Jesus was the first one to go unto the grave, die, and be raised up again in an eternal body. It says when men die, the body separates from the spirit, the body returns to dust where it came from, and the spirit returns to God. But in the resurrection a new body like the glorious body is raised again. Jesus was the first one raised up in this new body. And those, like Him at his coming, will be raised up and gathered unto Him and that will be the harvest of God reaping the souls for whom Christ died.

I would like to briefly in closing mention the other two books that mention the “beginning” in the first verse. The next one is 1 John 1:1-3, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (2) (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) (3) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” And it begins with “that which was from the beginning” – what is he talking about? He says “which we have seen with our eyes..” What is it that John is talking about that he wants men to understand? We have seen His life, our ears have heard, and we have handled Him, rubbed shoulders with Him. He handled Him and came in physical contact with Him. He said, “We saw” – does that mean we are going to show you? No, it means we are going to demonstrate it. Those men of God said, “We saw and heard Him and we handled Him and now we are declaring unto you and showing you that life that was with the Father and given by God.” That was perfection in the Father’s eyes. He is talking about having fellowship with the servants of God and with the Father’s Son, Jesus Christ. He wants us to have fellowship in this life, that is the work of the gospel.

Now there is just one other book. We already have 1) Genesis 1:1, (2) John 1:1, 3) 1 John 1 and now let’s look at the Gospel of Mark 1:1-3, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in the prophets, ‘Behold I send My messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.’” When did this gospel begin? The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he said. This was talking about the new covenant and gospel of salvation and said the beginning of the new covenant was when John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness. Some have thought that that was the wilderness of humanity, but it says they came from all over to hear him in the wilderness. Now how much older was John the Baptist than Jesus? He was six (6) months senior to Jesus, their mothers were cousins in the flesh. He was out preaching six months before Jesus.

Now if John was speaking in John 1:27, “He it is, who coming after me is preferred before, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.” John understood already by the spirit that Jesus was the beginning and though he was born of Mary he was from the beginning and preferred “before me.” And some people wonder about what Jesus said in Luke 7:28, “Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” Jesus said least because who is highest? Jesus!! Jesus has a name in heaven above every name in heaven, sitting at the right hand of God. Now that is except the Father, he has the greatest name ever given amongst men. How do you become the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? It is humble men that are going to have the great place in the kingdom of heaven one day. Jesus, though the Lord of Heaven, came down and took the lowest place of any man, took the least in the kingdom that he might be the greatest. John the Baptist – the purpose of his gospel was to prepare the hearts of people and prepare their hearts for Jesus’ coming. John said, “I must decrease and He must increase.” John said, “Behold the lamb of God” and that is the New Testament, Jesus coming to the earth.

I have enjoyed these thoughts about the “beginning” and there is lots more we would like to share with you.