INTRODUCTION
1. Open your bible, please, to Genesis 1:9,10.
2. Do you have a definition for the word “smut”? What is your definition?
3. Webster’s New College Edition has the following definitions: (1) to stain, taint, or affect a crop or plant with smut.
(2) soot that blackens or soils. (3) obscene or indecent language (4) Webster has some other definitions, but those definitions will help us to understand why we don’t want to ever be guilty of calling the bible a message of “smut”.
4. Are you aware that there is a group in San Antonio at the University of Texas campus that are regularly setting up tables on the campus and advertising that they want to trade “SMUT FOR SMUT”?
(1) They want to trade that which contains obscene and indecent information and that which will stain and taint one’s character for what they say is also obscene and incent.
(2) The group claim to be a part of “THE ATHEIST AGENDA”. “The Smut” that they have to trade is pornography.
(3) “The Smut” that they are asking for students to trade to them are bibles and bible related reading material.
5. Would you believe that we would ever hear of or see on TV a group of young people showing that kind of disrespect for the bible?
(1) Calling the bible and bible literature “smut” and classifying it on equality with pornography makes you wonder if God might soon bring a bolt of lightning down on that table and those who are a part of the Atheist Agenda.
(2) And then what about the students that would trade in their bible and bible related literature for “pornographic smut”? If they consider the bible to be no more than “smut” they should also stand in fear of God.
6. Do you have any questions about why the university would allow such blasphemy against God and the bible?
(1) The university says that they can not stop this because of the Freedom of Speech Law.
(2) The university says that they can not stop the handing out of the particular pornography because it is not the hard core and extremely graphic pornography.
(3) It is a pornographic literature that the law allows to be distributed, even though God and God fearing people would not approve of it.
7. What is being done to counter act this “smutty blasphemy”?
(1) Religious young people are also setting up tables and doing as much teaching as they can to teach the truths about God, Christ and salvation.
(2) It is terrible that the “Atheist Agenda Group” are doing what they are doing.
(3) However, maybe this will motivate more religious people to get busy teaching more of the pure and holy and “un-smutty truths” of the Bible.
8. Last Lord’s day evening we had a lesson from Psalm 8:8 that revealed that the scientific truth about the “paths of the seas” prove that the bible is from God and that the bible is superior and more important than all other books.
9. In this lesson we will discuss two other scientific truths that additionally prove that the bible is from God and that the bible is superior and more important than all other books. Never should the bible be called “smut”!
DISCUSSION
I. FIRST, TURN TO GENESIS 1:9&10. THIS PASSAGE TEACHES THE SCIENTIFIC FACT THAT SEVEN OCEANS PARTS ARE ALL CONNECTED BY ONE OCEAN BED.
1. The planet earth is approximately 71% water. That makes our earth about ¼ land and about ¾ water. How many oceans are there? There are five oceans. How many of you can name the five oceans?
(1) The Pacific Ocean, which is off the West coast of all of the west edge of California, Oregon and Alaska and etc. Actually, the Pacific Ocean is to the West of both South and North America.
(2) The Atlantic Ocean is to the East of the United States and toward Africa and Europe.
(3) The Indian Ocean is to the South of Africa and down toward Australia.
(4) The Southern Ocean is to the far South and on the bottom side of the earth.
(5) The Arctic Ocean is to the far North above Alaska and much of the Arctic Ocean is frozen.
2. Since the Pacific Ocean is referred to as the North Pacific and the South Pacific and then the Atlantic Ocean is referred to as the North Atlantic and the South Atlantic this divides the ocean waters up into seven parts.
(1) There are seven ocean parts. However, they all connect to one another and are all tied together with one ocean bed.
(2) The fact that all the oceans were tied together with one ocean bed was not known by man until probably around the 1600’s and 1700’s and yet Moses wrote about this one ocean bed about 1500 years before Christ.
(3) In other words Moses revealed the scientific fact that there was one ocean bed for all seven parts of the oceans about 3,100 or 3,200 years before men in general knew this scientific fact.
3. Let’s read Genesis 1:9&10, “9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.”
(1) Over 3,000 years before the scientific fact was common knowledge to man, Moses taught that certain portions of the earth are covered by one hydrosphere or one layer of connecting water. Each ocean flows into the other.
(2) The phrase “into one place”, in the Hebrew language literally refers to “one bed”.
(3) The plural “seas” teaches that even though there was one connecting body of water that God considered it a plurality of seas. Moses would not have known that on his own.
4. All of this scientific information proves that God gave Moses what to write as Gen. 1:9&10 was written.
(1) Oh, let’s please appreciate the bible. Let’s never be guilty of calling the bible “smut”.
(2) Let’s never be guilty of thinking of teaching that comes from the bible as being stained, tainted, blackened or obscene or containing indecent language.
(3) Let’s understand and appreciate the bible as being pure and holy providing the most accurate and truthful and decent information that we could ever read.
(4) Let’s never classify teaching from the bible on the same degraded level as pornographic pictures and pornographic reading material.
II. SECOND, TURN TO JOB 36:26-28. THIS PASSAGE REVEALED THE SCIENTIFIC ACCURACY ABOUT THE CYCLE OF WATER ABOUT 2600 YEARS BEFORE MAN UNDERSTOOD THE SCIENTIFIC TRUTH ABOUT THE CYCLE OF WATER.
1. Thirty years before Christ, a Roman Engineer named Marcus Vitruvius began to make known, to mankind in general, the scientific information about the cycle of water.
(1) Technically, the cycle of water is referred to by modern scientist by the term Hydrologic Water Cycle.
(2) Hydro, a term referring to water. Logic referring to the logical process of the water cycle.
2. As we get ready to read Job 36:26-28 it is important to notice that the greatness and eternity of God is illustrated by the water cycle process.
(1) Let’s read Job36:27&28, “26 “ Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him;
Nor can the number of His years be discovered.27 For He draws up drops of water, Which distill as rain from the mist, 28 Which the clouds drop down And pour abundantly on man.”
(2) God draws particles of water and they form a cloud, and then when God chooses the water in the clouds will be sent down in the form of rain and for the benefit of man.
(3) So that we might appreciate and look in awe at God’s great work relating to His scientific water cycle, let’s discuss the processes involved in God’s water cycle in more detail.
(4) In Job 36:27a, God’s drawing up “drops” would refer to the sun’s heat causing the water to evaporate and ascend into the sky and form into clouds. These “drops” are small particles that come from multiple sources of water scattered across the earth and the sea.
1) Amos 9:6b teaches that one source for water particles to be drawn from is the sea: “Who calls for the waters of the sea, And pours them out on the face of the earth— The LORD is His name.”
2) The sun’s heat also lifts the particles of moisture from beautifully clear and pure water sources. The sun’s heat also lifts the particles of moisture from grimy and polluted water sources, such as around dairy barns, feed lots for cattle and hogs and chickens. In some of these water sources animals have died and their bodies remained for decaying.
3) Some of the polluted sources that water particles come from are from the oil and gas fields where that there is a mixture of oil, salt water and poisonous chemicals.
4) Other polluted sources that water particles come from are from the ditches and boggy place that are infested by mosquitoes and disease carrying creatures.
(5) In Job 36:27b, God’s distilling as rain from the mist or water particles refers to the distilling or purifying process in God’s water cycle.
1) Scientist and chemists, with all their distilling and purifying capabilities can not produce water purer than rain water, that comes from God.
2) We can not drink water from the sea because it is too salty. We can not drink water from the polluted sources that we have mentioned, for fear it would kill us.
3) And yet God lifts water particles from the salty sea and from the polluted and disease infested water sources and filters all the impurities out of them before He sends it back to man in the form of rain!
4) Indeed, indeed our God is great. God is the origin of the bible and His word should be respected and honored by all.
(6) In Job 36:28, reference to the clouds teaches man that the water particles that are drawn up into sky are bound up in the clouds as in a huge piece of cloth.
1) No doubt the purifying and distilling process continues as those water particles bound up in the clouds pass through the atmosphere.
2) When God does choose to drop the water particles down in the form of rain it is completely pure and harmless. Or God is amazing!
3) The rain comes to man sweet and fresh and not one bit brackish or salty or impure.
4) If the rain reaches man in an impure form it would be because man has sent something up into the sky impure and contaminated the rain while it is falling to the earth.
(7) In Job 36:28b, the statement “and pour abundantly on man” refer to the opening up of the clouds that hang in the sky.
1) Oftentimes there is an overabundant amount of rain and then on other occasions there are small amounts of rain.
2) Our amazing and wonderful God is in charge of the weather. We should regularly and faithfully pray to God about the weather and all other things, but as in all other things we must close our prayers with, “not my will, but thy will be done”.
CONCLUSION
1. Turn to 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
2. Hopefully, in the future each time we look up into the sky and see clouds we will think of all that God has done to bring those clouds into existence.
3. Hopefully, clouds and rain and the water cycle that God uses to distill and purify all types of polluted and contaminated water will remind you that the bible teaches that God can cleanse you of all sinful contamination that might be upon you.
5. If you are not a Christian God will purify you as you express belief, repentance, confession and obey the command of baptism.
6. Let’s read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, “9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
(1) Here, Paul lists many spiritually immoral and corrupt individuals that, without the mercy of God and their obedience to God’s purifying process have no opportunity at all of going to heaven. Lifestyles such as Paul list here are representative of the “smutty lifestyles”.
(2) Earlier, as we talked about the water particles coming from the salty sea, contaminated water sources near animal feed lots, from out in the oil and gas fields and the mosquito infested waters – all these could symbolize the sinful and smutty things that Paul list in 1 Cor. 6:9&10.
(3) Now let’s read 1 Cor. 6:11, “And such were some of you. But you were washed [this refers to God’s purifying process – the obeying of the command of baptism – the final step in the plan of salvation.]
Continuing to read verse 11, “but you were sanctified [set apart from whatever would have earlier tainted you and set apart to live for God],
but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” [God’s purifying process for your soul makes you, just as if you had not sinned – your past is completely forgiven].
7. Do you need to become a Christian? Do you, as a Christian need prayers, to God, for forgiveness or strength? Please come as we stand and sing.
Acknowledgements for helping stay accurate with scripture interpretation and in the development of this lesson go to: 1. Bob Winton CD Commentary on Genesis and Job. 464 Ridgewood Drive Manchester, Tennessee 37355. If interested in CD covering many O. T. & N.T. books call (866) 753-8456. 2. John Gill from commentaries on Genesis and Job from studylight.org 3. Ethan Cole |Christian Post Reporter from San Antonio, Tx
