Sermon Tone Analysis

Genesis 1:14-19

For you baseball fans out there: since baseball season is very near...

5919 Baseball Game In Space

Astronomers have often speculated about a baseball game on the moon.

Each team would need dozens of outfielders, some stationed more than a-quarter-of-a-mile from the batter’s box, because when the batter connects the ball will fly 1500 feet or more.

Since the base-running batter is so light that he can take a 30-feet stride, it’s only three steps to first base and 12 for a circuit.

The poor pitcher would have to rely on his straight ball, because there is no air on the moon, he couldn’t pitch a curve.

On the other hand, his shortstop would be able to jump 20 feet into the air to snag an infield fly.

The average Dodgers’ fan wouldn’t have much fun at the moon baseball game; he couldn’t holler at the umpire.

For that matter, the catcher would have to talk to the pitcher in sign language even when they went into a huddle.

Same old reason: there isn’t any air.

—Science Yearbook

We’re near the beginning of our study of Genesis—having looked at the first 3 days of creation: describe the forming of the earth, and the second three describe its filling.

And together they remedy earth’s initial condition of being “without form and void.”

You can see how each set of days (1-3; 4-6) correspond as we take a look at the 4th day of creation (day 1=light; day 4=luminaries).

The creation of light before sources of light is not problematic since the divine glory could very well be the light God creates as it emanates from Himself.

This would include all visible light and invisible light on the electromagnetic spectrum.

Creation: Day Four

The biblical account of creation is a very succinct and simple explanation of how all things came into existence (one that requires faith to accept): and the simplicity is this--God spoke.

That account of creation has been aggressively attacked by secularism which prefers an impossible explanation of evolutionary theory.

That theory—which seeks to explain the existence of the universe (and stars in particular); is described by the ALMA Observatory:

Star formation is the mechanism which controls the structure and evolution of galaxies, the buildup of heavy elements in the Universe, which is responsible for the creation of planetary environments in which life is possible.

Stars shine for billions of years, but their formation – which takes only a few million years – remains, literally, a mystery: optical telescopes cannot observe inside the dusty clusters of gas where stars are born.

On the other hand, infrared telescopes that can reveal infant stars before they completely emerge from their dusty cradles, are not able to observe the development process involved in the pre-ignition of stars...According to our current knowledge, planets are formed around a new star by condensing in a disc of molecular gas and dust, embedded within a larger molecular cloud.

Condensation increases until they become giant planets, which are heated, then cleanse their orbits in the disc and possibly bend it.

Remaining gas in the disc finally disappears, leaving planets, a disc of dust and debris.

The ALMA observatory sees light (smaller wavelengths electromagnetic spectrum) from the coldest and most hidden places of universe.

Their admission reveals a stubborn allegiance to the theory of evolution—even after many years—decades of observing the universe; there’s a leap of faith that causes them to make assumptions (based on their current knowledge—which includes a rejection of creationism/supernatural).

Embracing creation necessitates faith (Heb 11:3), so does embracing evolution (a far greater faith in something that violates every natural law that has been discovered) nobody + nothing = everything.

God’s explanation reveals the vastness of all that is created in the universe—every star, every galaxy, every planet, unfolds the glory and creative wisdom of our God.

Notice Moses description:

Gen 1:14-19;

Days 4-6 explains how God takes what He has formed (light, expanse, land—plants) in making earth a place habitable—then filling His creation and populating it; so that it is fit for human life which becomes the pinnacle of God’s creative activity on day 6.

Earth once again becomes the vantage point for the description of God’s activity on day 4. Earth is of central importance in God’s creation.

There are some who subscribe to the idea of “Geocentric Universe” where earth is the center.

The earth, they believe, does not rotate but the heavenly hosts move in such a way that sunrise/sunset are literal.

Stars move in courses around the earth.

I don’t believe earth is the physical center of the universe but it is the spiritual center.

Earth is where God created man (the height of His creation).

Earth is where God’s plan of redemption unfolds.

The Son of God came to earth.

Earth becomes the spiritual center of God’s creative activity.

So from our view point, Moses describing the creation of the sun and moon makes sense before “He made the stars also.”

The sheer magnitude of the universe that God creates with a spoken word is incomprehensible.

If you look into the night sky—unaided you will see about 6000 stars.

Astronomers can only estimate the number of stars based on an estimated number of galaxies in the universe.

Galaxies are clusters of stars—like our own Milky Way (100 billion stars).

There are 2 trillion galaxies and if they have on average 100 billion each you get 200 sextillion (200 billion trillion stars—2 with 23 zeroes after it).

Every single star is numbered and named by God.

It is an important illustration of the promise of God:

There is a remarkable variety of stars.

This is not just referring to brightness but that each star has its own divinely designed structure for its divinely ordained function.

God reveals 3 divinely ordained functions for the heavenly hosts:

To Separate

14,16

Of all the stars, planets, moons that we know exist in our universe, 2 primary heavenly bodies are created on day 4: the sun and the moon.

These 2 are described as “2 great lights.”

Again, this is from our vantage point.

They are “great” in comparison to all others lights we see in the “heavens.”

And the 2 are distinguished from each other by another comparison (greater and lesser).

The purpose of these 2 great lights serves to separate day from night (to govern each respectively) and to divide light and darkness.

The Sun (the greater light)

Our sun is an average sized star compared to other stars.

There are smaller and larger ones.

Sun’s diameter=865,000 miles: the star Betelgeuse (the 2nd brightest star in Orion—Rt shoulder) is 700x larger diameter of 700 million miles.

If our sun were that large it would consume the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars & Jupiter and Saturn barely escapes.

But it is still massive: according to NASA you could line 109 earths across the face of the sun and if it were hollow you could stuff 1.3 million earths inside it.

The earth is 93 million miles from the Sun and that’s just the perfect distance for life to be supported on earth (further/closer; freeze/heat).

That’s b/c the sun is hot…with a surface temp b/t 9000-10000 degrees F. Internally temps reach 27 million degrees F.

The sun radiates light and heat—solar energy (both necessary for survival).

Plants require sunlight to grow (one reason why there can’t be ages of undetermined length of time—vegetation was created on day 3; they could go 1 day without sunlight but not indefinitely).

Living creatures depend on plants/vegetation for food.

Humans depend on both.

So we need the sun.

You can’t tell just by looking at it (which you shouldn’t do)…but the sun rotates on its axis (like the earth).

It takes an average of 27 days to make 1 rotation (equator—24 days).

The sun also has orbital motion—orbiting around the center of the Milky Way galaxy—will take 226 million years to get back to the same spot (514,000 MPH).

If you think that thru—earth is revolving around the sun (66,700 MPH).

The sun and everything orbiting it is on a very fast journey around the galaxy—yet the galaxy is immense and has itself an overall motion of 1.1 million MPH.

This sun is the “greater” light—created to govern (to rule/have dominion) the day.

The Moon (the Lesser Light)

The moon is the other “great” light designed by God to have dominion over the night.

Compared to the sun it is a lesser light.

Whereas the sun radiates light and heat, the moon only reflects light to the earth.

The moon is on average about 240,000 Miles from earth.

It orbits around the earth every 27.32 days that is also the rotational period on its axis.

This is why the same side always faces the earth (due to lunar libration—moon nods at the earth—over time we see 59% of lunar surface).

During a solar eclipse, the moon appears to be the same size as the sun—but it is actually 400 times smaller than the sun and the distance from earth to the sun is 400 times greater than the moon is to earth—not coincidence.

The earth derives a great benefit from the orderliness of the moon—namely oceanic tides.

As earth rotates, 2 high and 2 low tides occur every 24 hours.

Tides are especially high when phases of the moon are full or new.

The tides of the oceans and currents and currents act like earth’s garbage disposal—waste and pollutants are taken out to sea and settle to the bottom.

There’s amazing regularity in this—NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Admin) publishes Tide Tables for 3000 locations around the nation.

There are several secular theories as to how the moon came to be:

Fission Theory: moon split off from the spinning earth (like mud from a bicycle wheel)

Capture Theory: earth’s gravity brought the moon into orbit as it wandered too close to the earth

Collision Theory: some planetary object collided with the earth causing an orbiting cloud of debris to eventually group together as the moon.

It was believed by the ancient Babylonians and Sumerians in a creation account that has numerous similarities to the Bible’s account—but also navigated far from it that the sun and moon were personified gods which governed the affairs of earth and man.

The account of Scripture is much simpler: God said…(Gen 1:14).

Because of their importance to life on earth, the sun and moon have both been the object of worship by many civilizations.

To Regulate