Battle For The Truth (Part 8)

Battle For The Truth  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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4th Day - The Greater and Lesser Lights

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Genesis 1:14–19 KJV 1900
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Introduction
We have witnessed that on the 3rd Day God created the plant life or vegetation which will be the source of food for animal life, beauty and fragrance to the land, and oxygen to the atmosphere. Now if you have been paying attention you will recall that God created Light on the 1st Day. This fact informs us that the true source of light is not the sun, moon, and stars created on the 4th Day, but God Himself—the Father of Lights (James 1:17b).
Consider more contradictions of order between Evolution vs. Creation:
Vv. 14-15, “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: (15) And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.”
Again, observe how God created, “God said…and it was so” Here on the 4th Day, God creates light-bearing heavenly bodies whose appointment is threefold: (1) To divide day from night or light from darkness; (2) For signs and seasons, and and as time markers of days and years; and, (3) To give light or serve as lamps upon the earth, which is needed to sustain life and promote growth for the plants and every creature.
Vv. 16-19, “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. (17) And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, (18) And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. (19) And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.”
The text informs us that God made two great lights; the greater to rule the day, and the lesser to rule the night; and, by the way, He also made the stars. Will you look at God? He set in the perfect place and distance from the earth a multipurpose ball of fire in the sky for the benefit of life on earth and for a declaration of His glory (Psalm 19:1-6). We know this ball of fire or greater light,as the sun. Life on earth could not exists without the sun. The sun is a gift from God to be enjoyed, not an object to be worshipped (more on that later).
The same is true of the lesser great light, the moon. God set the moon in the perfect place and distance from the sun to reflect its brilliant light without being consumed by it. It is the perfect light-bearing body serving as a night-light for earthly creatures and a governor for the waves of the sea so that they will not overflow the land. Like the sun, the moon is a gift from God to be enjoyed, not an object to be worshipped (more on that later as well).
Finally, we see the stars and planets added to the light-bearing heavenly bodies. Not only do the stars serve along with the moon to provide night light, we also learn that they have another purpose—they are for signs and seasons. In other words, they serve as messengers of God’s revelation (Numbers 24:17; Matthew 2:2,7,9-10; Luke 21:25; Revelation 8:11).
And God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning was the forth day. So, what is all of this activity telling us? Well, there are a few observations: (1) Light existed prior to the sun, moon, and stars; (2) These light-bearing bodies were created in one 24-hour day and did not evolve over millions or billions of years; (3) Without these light-bearing bodies, man would not be able to calculate time or know what to do at various seasons.
Conclusion
God has now set the table as it were to create the next life form—the animal kingdom consisting of sea and land creatures. In this Creation drama God is about to unfold His ultimate purpose. If you are like me, you stand in awe of what and how God has created this world in which we live. God in His wisdom and grace decided to leave us a record of His actions. This record, the Bible, is either the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth or it’s a lie. There is no third option. What say you?
Listen. Here is the bottom line. The Bible says that God hung the sun, moon, and stars up in heaven where they remain to this day. This is either true or not. If God didn’t do it, then who did? Moreover, the text says, one of the reasons God created these heavenly bodies is for man to be able to could keep track of time. At 10, 000 miles per hour, the earth rotates on its axis one full turn per day or every 24-hours. The earth rotates around the sun once every 365-days or once per year. Through the gravitational struggle between these bodies they remain the proper distance from one another with absolutely no assistance from man. Amen somebody.
I could go on and on about the other particular qualities of these heavenly bodies from gamma-rays, ultraviolet-rays, etc. But if you do not accept Genesis 1:1, none of this will do you any good. You will have some scientific facts but not the God behind the science. Let me cut to the chase. Many may disagree with what I am about to say and I am fine with that. After all, I a freely admit that I am not the greatest of scholars and have never attended, let alone graduated from any seminary.
Nevertheless, I believe my position is supported by Scripture. Here it is. I am convinced that the #1 reason why so many people that are familiar with what the Bible says about Creation yet reject it is not because the Bible is unclear or contradictory. From my observation, that’s not it. I can hear somebody say, “Well, stop holding me in suspense and tell me what it is already.” Alright, here you go. It is because of pride. Pride? What does pride have to do with it? I am so glad you asked. I won’t be able to give it a full treatment until we get to Genesis 3, but suffice it to say it has historically been the downfall of both angels and men.
If a person is being intellectually honest they will admit that there is an innate curiosity about the sun, moon and stars. You look up and they are there. Why are they there? How did they get there? One thing for sure is you know that you and nobody you know had anything to do with it. You have questions about your own existence, your purpose in life. If not the Bible, where do you find the answers? Pride will keep you from accepting the record that God has left you to answer these questions and settle settle your troubled heart.
Here are just a few Scriptures on the subject:
Psalm 10:4 - “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.”
Proverbs 16:18 - “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
1 John 2:16 - “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
By rejecting the Genesis account you are in essence saying that you either know better or more than the record that God God has provided. So, I present this challenge to you. If you know better or more than what Genesis declares, present your documentation, so it can be examined and scrutinized as the Bible has. Now, I already know and so do you that you have nothing to offer but your opinion, which you pridefully hold in the highest regard. You may be smart and even possess degrees from institutions of higher learning; nonetheless, you are wrong and the Bible is right.
This is a Battle For The Truth and it has implications on how we understand the world in which we live, our relationship to the God who created it and us, and our responsibility as human beings to them all. Until next time may God richly bless you my beloved.
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