Intro:
1. Maddie cannot tell time, the other day she was wearing a watch. I asked her "Maddie, what time is it?" She looked at me kind of puzzled, just then Missi drove up to take her home. She smiled and confidently said, "It’s time for me to go home!"
2. We cannot imagine how confusing our life would be, if we did not know how to keep track of time. Time is a needful, wonderful, and exciting gift that God has given to us.
3. Day Four - The Exacting and Exciting Gift of Time.
Trans: Gen. 1:14-19
"It is important to see the real reason for the lights in the heavens...Their benefit to humanity will go far beyond the lighting of dark places, they will be guides for direction, resources for navigating the oceans, signs for tracking the seasons, and much more." [Expository Thoughts on Genesis.]
Review: Self-existant God, created all Existence - including a planet just for you; then turned on the light, make the enviornment perfect, provided and inexhaustable supply of food, and then regulated everything enabling to give man a sense of time.
I. FIRST, THE EXACTNESS OF A SOLAR DAY.
Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night - V. 14
"On the first day, He had said: "Let there be light!" (Hebrew or). On the fourth day, He said: "Let there be lights" (or light-givers, Hebrew ma-or). In-trin-sic light first, then generators of light later, is both the logical and the Biblical order.
The chief purpose of both the light of the first three days and the light-givers of all later days was to "divide the light from the darkness" (verses 4, 18), and this can only mean that the two regimes were essentially identical.
The duration of the days and nights was the same in each case, and the directions of light emanation on the earth from space must have been the same in each case.
In other words, light rays were impinging on the earth as it rotated on its axis during the first three days of essentially the same intensities and directions as those which would later emanate from the heavenly bodies to be emplaced on the fourth day. Light was coming during the day as though from the sun and during the night as though from the moon and stars, even though they had not yet been made.
If such a concept sounds strange, let it be remembered that it is as easy for God to create waves of light energy as to create generators to produce such waves. There was no need for such generators except to serve the additional function (after man’s creation) of marking "signs and seasons, days and years...The fact that both sun and moon are called "light-givers" does not suggest that they are of the same substance. One actually generates light, whereas the other only reflects light; but both "give light" as far as their functions relative to the earth are concerned." [The Genesis Record]
Phillips, "God’s eye is ever on the clock. He does things according to set times and never forgets a date or misses an appointment. There are set times, predetermined in heaven, at which God acts. The Scriptures may be studied profitably from that standpoint.
A vast wealth of evidence proves it so. When God created the sun and moon He ordained that they might be "for signs, and for seasons" (Gen. 1:14) and deliberately introduced a time factor into human affairs. Thus the sun governs our days and our years, and the moon divides them into months."
"The light source of the first day was replaced by the sun and moon. Their purposes were to distinguish day and night, to be signs (by which men get their bearings...), to mark off the seasons, and to give light to the earth." Ryrie Study Bible.
"This is a particular function of the sun, for light upon earth comes from the sun. The earth is round, and it revolves on an axis at about 1000 m.p.h.
Each rotation takes 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.1 seconds—just about 24 hours. Therefore, about one half of the earth faces the sun all the time. When a part of the earth rotates and faces the sun, the light from the sun gives man a time for work. When a part of the earth rotates and faces away from sun, the darkness gives man a time for rest." [Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible]
Trans:What would life be like without a day and night! How could you keep track of time or anything else, if one day it was light 18 hours; but the next day only providing light for 4 hours; etc.
We mark our lives by days! We have a way to understand time! And that time was meant to be exciting!
Adam and Eve would recognized the concept of days - Gen. 3:8
And day and night will not cease while this earth remains - Gen. 8:22
"Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?" John 11:8
Keep in mind these Days were meant to be endless days! Man was to partake of the tree of life and live forever!
How much more meaningful would our days be if we knew there would be no days of sickness, no pain, no diseases, no days of wearisome work, no death? That was the world God created man to live in.
They not only had exciting days, but endless days! Time was not a problem in the garden before the Fall.
Reminds me of a man who was walking past a farm, and noticed a farmer feeding pigs in a most extraordinary manner. The farmer would lift a pig up to a nearby apple tree, and the pig would eat the apples off the tree directly.
The farmer would move the pig from one apple to another until the pig was satisfied, then he would start again with another pig. The city man watched this activity for some time with great astonishment.
Finally, it was more then the passerbyer could take, he walked over to the farmer and asked, "This is the most inefficient method of feeding pigs that I can imagine. Just think of the time that you would saved, if you simply shook the apples off the tree and let the pigs eat them from the ground!"
The farmer looked puzzled and replied, "What’s time to a pig?"
II. FURTHERMORE, THE EXACTNESS OF TIME SEEN IN SIGNS AND SEASONS.
...and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years- this is interesting.
"Signs is the noun form of a verb meaning "to mark, sign, describe." It is used in Gen. 9:12-13 referring to the rainbow as a sign of the Covenant. Seasons translates a word derived from a term meaning "to fix, appoint times." The reference is not mainly to the seasons of the year but rather to fixed times for carrying out a human activity such as the stages of the agricultural cycle or festive celebrations."
[A Handbook on Genesis, by Reyburn and Fry]
Speiser, translates it "Let them mark the fixed times, the days, and the years." He notes, "Signs and seasons should not be understood as two separate nouns but rather as a clause in which signs explains what follows, for example, "they will serve as signs for fixed times."
Another translation, "Lights must appear in the sky, to mark off day and night, and to mark days and years and all the special times of the year."
"And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years," Genesis 1:14 (NIV)
Again it has the idea of time involved.
"...the focus here is on the way in which God has ordained the sun and moon to order and define the passing of time according to his purposes. Thus the references to seasons (v. 14) or "appointed times" (esv footnote) and to days and years are probably an allusion to the appointed times and patterns in the Hebrew calendar for worship, festivals, and religious observance (Ex. 13:10; 23:15). [ESV Study Bible]
"As seasons—they function as a calendar, dividing seasons, days, and years, enabling men to accurately plan their work." [Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible]
Leupold, "...seasons are from the root..."to appoint"; therefore appointed time...Therefore "seasons" or times in the wides sense are to be thought of: agricultural seasons (Hos.2:9,11; 9:5)...as long as they are times that are fixed and come with stated regularity."
A farmer has to have fixed times in order to know when to plant his crops and to ensure that they produce the desired results.
It is also interesting that this Hebrew word which appears 240 times, about half of those references refers to celebrations and feasts, referring to Israel gather to worship the Lord. Ex: Lev.23:4/Psa.104:19
So it relates to appointed times for Work and Worship something which Adam and Eve would be involved in before the Fall. These were not done happhazzardly but according to God’s exact time schedule.
III. FINALLY, THE EXACTNESS OF TIME SEEN IN LIGHTS SHINNING ON THE EARTH.
and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth; and it was so - of course these lights were the basis of Solar day and the Signs for seasons.
Application:
A. These lights give Sermons for believers.
1. About God’s Reliability.
Not only His faithfulness to created and sustain the light bearers, but as a picture of God’s faithfulness to Israel!
"33 "But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him, Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness. 34 "My covenant I will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. 35 "Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. 36 "His descendants shall endure forever And his throne as the sun before Me. 37 "It shall be established forever like the moon, And the witness in the sky is faithful." Selah. Psalm 89:33-37 (NASB)
"35 Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name: 36 "If this fixed order departs From before Me," declares the LORD, "Then the offspring of Israel also will cease From being a nation before Me forever." Jeremiah 31:35-36 (NASB)
While Israel proved to be chronically unfaithful - God’s faithfulness to that nation remains!
"THE SUN is a light twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. All year long, all decade long, all century long, the sun just keeps on shining. The problem, however, is that the earth gets dark. How can there be all that light and the earth still gets dark?
It’s because the earth turns. The earth gets dark because the earth is spinning on its axis. Therefore the side that faces the sun gets light and the side that is facing away does not.
If there is darkness in your life, it’s not because God, the Father of Lights, is turning; it’s because you are turning. He is the Father of Lights and in Him there is no shadow.
There is no darkness in Him. Because God is faithful, He’s consistent. Just like the sun, He is always shining and in His light, there is no shifting or moving shadow, even when we turn aside from Him.
2. About God’s Ability.
"1 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? 2 My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep." Psalm 121:1-4 (NASB)
Spurgeon, "My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. What we need is help,—help powerful, efficient, constant: we need a very present help in trouble. What a mercy that we have it in our God. Our hope is in Jehovah, for our help comes from him. Help is on the road, and will not fail to reach us in due time, for he who sends it to us was never known to be too late.
Jehovah who created all things is equal to every emergency; heaven and earth are at the disposal of him who made them, therefore let us be very joyful in our infinite helper. He will sooner destroy heaven and earth than permit his people to be destroyed, and the perpetual hills themselves shall bow rather than he shall fail whose ways are everlasting. We are bound to look beyond heaven and earth to him who made them both: it is vain to trust the creatures: it is wise to trust the Creator."
3. God’s Sufficiency.
a. Just as the Sun is needed for all physical life; so the Son of God is needed for all spiritual life.
"But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall." Malachi 4:2 (NASB)
b. The sun is only a temporary provision, but the Son of God is an eternal provison.
"19 "No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory. 20 "Your sun will no longer set, Nor will your moon wane; For you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And the days of your mourning will be over." Isaiah 60:19-20 (NASB)
Rev. 21:23; 22:
4. God’s Glory. Psa.19
B. We could also give Sermons to unbelievers.
1. These light-bearers along with all creation Proves that God Exists.
"19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." Romans 1:19-20 (NASB)
2. These light-bearers Remove any Excuse they might have. Ro.1:20b
3. These light-bearers will Reprove them in an Expression of Judgment.
"29 "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory." Matthew 24:29-30 (NASB)
"25 "There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken." Luke 21:25-26 (NASB)
Rev.6-18...
But the greatest sermon for the unbeliever is:
"For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6:2 (NKJV)
Time for the lost is limited...today is the day to get saved!
Con:
1. Day Four - the Exacting and Exciting Gift of time.
2. The problem is - after the Fall this has become more of a threat then a thrill! Because man knows time is running out, and that means a headon collision with death. Heb. 2:14-15; 9:27
"Much sooner than you can anticipate, you will be the silent guest at your own funeral. No doubt there will be relatives and friends present to mourn for you whom you haven’t seen in years. After the preacher delivers a message in your memory, you will be taken to the graveyard, given a final farewell and buried.
The retirement that you spent your life working for will be gone forever. Remember the new car that you worried about scratching? Its new owner just wrecked it!
The newlyweds bought your house and have redecorated the room that you had at last decorated to your liking.
Your personal belongings have been sorted and some discarded. The dog is making a bed out of your favorite old coat. Other clothes of yours that no one could wear or did not want have been boxed and given to Helping Hands.
Your personal treasures that were valuable only to you—the carefully preserved flower, the lock of hair, the torn picture, the stained postcard—have been burned as trash.
You attended a number of funerals in your lifetime, but for some reason you just never expected to be lying in the casket yourself. Sure, someday, but not that particular day. But the truth is, Sooner or later, everyone runs out of time.
Well preacher I have plenty of time left. Do you? I read the other day the the life expectancy for an American in 2010 is about 77 years old.
We get 365 days every year - 70 yrs = 25,550 days. I am 57 years old, so I have already used up 20,805 days - leaving less then 5,000 days left, 4,745 days to be exact...or
That is just alittle over a decades, just 13 brief years and I will be 70 years old! I HAVE BEEN HERE OVER 24 YEARS...I DOUBT THAT I HAVE ANOTHER 24 YEARS LEFT TO GIVE YOU!
When you subtract how much time is spent sleeping; eating; getting ready - dressing, saving, showering, etc; waiting; etc.
In a lifetime the average American will spend:
6 months sitting at stoplights
8 months opening junk mail
1 year looking for misplaced objects
2 years unsuccessfully returning phone calls
5 years waiting in line
6 years eating
20 years sleeping
Someone calculated it on a day, if one lived to be 70 years old
If your age is:
15, the time is 10:25 a.m.
20, the time is 11:34 a.m.
25, the time is 12:42 p.m.
30, the time is 1:51 p.m.
35, the time is 3:00 p.m.
40, the time is 4:08 p.m.
45, the time is 5:16 p.m.
50, the time is 6:25 p.m.
55, the time is 7:34 p.m.
60, the time is 8:42 p.m.
65, the time is 9:51 p.m.
70, the time is 11:00 p.m
For me, it would be like it is about 8:oo p.m.!
So what can we do?
1. Get saved and you will receive eternal life. Jn. 3:16
2. After we are saved number our days! Psa. 90:12
Truth is none of us may be alive next year! We are not told to number our years but our days...Two days of the week we don’t have - yesterday and tommorrow.
3. Live this life with eternity in mind - a day is coming when time will be exciting again...because it will not end; it will be more wonderful then we have ever dreamed!
Reggie White was consensus All-America football player in 1983 at the University of Tennessee; a 7-time All-NFL pro bowl player and the all-time National Football League leader in sacks of the quarterback. He was also a Christian minister who died suddenly at the age of 43, just four years after his retirement.
Bill Horn, his good friend and agent, said they spoke every day on the phone for the past five years, said of Reggie, "He was the kindest, most living and loyal friend a person could ever ask for. Reggie was studying Hebrew to know more about his Savior and the word of God. Reggie was on a journey for the truth. It’s unfortunate that his journey ended so soon, but..."
Horn broke down and sobbed, he continued, "... but he’s found the truth now. I know he’s found the truth."
Tony Dungy, the head coach of the Colts, put sports in perspective when he said that Reggie’s death "makes you understand that, as great as this game is, it’s not as big a deal as we think. Reggie always said, ’The Lord only gives you one day, and you better make the most of it.’"
But when you realized death for the believer is only the doorway to eternity with God - what does it really matter how long we live down here! It makes me jump for joy to think that I might have less then 2 decades left before I lose this sin nature; get a glorified body; and enjoy unhindered time with God!
Johnny Palmer Jr
StrugglingThruScriptures.ning.com
