An Ultimate Display of God's Supreme Dominion
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Introduction:
Lesson #1 - We identified 7 things that God did: created, moved, said, saw, divided, called…etc Day #1
Lesson #2 - We can rest assured that the God of the Bible is God alone. Day #2
Lesson #3 - Creation should influence our lives. Day #3
Lesson #4 - TODAY
(1) Why do the heavenly lights exist?
(1) Why do the heavenly lights exist?
(a) to divide (v. 14, 17)
this day/night pattern caused by these lights would bring about...
this day/night pattern caused by these lights would bring about...
(i) for tokens (signs)
"signs" - the next time this word is used is in and is translated "token" - it is evidence of something (the rainbow); then it is used in of the "token" of circumcision, then a "token" of God's presence in and a token (the blood on the door) in ; also "sign" in , , of evidences to bring people to faith in God...
(ii) for seasons
place for meeting, assembly point; agreed time, appointed time, festival; a company assembled together for a certain purpose Next used in as "season" Appears to mainly refer to an appointed time This again shows the authority of God, not only that He can appoint, but that He can create and cause something to be perpetually appointed or to perpetually meet the appointment He established
(iii) for days
Ill: Have you ever been in a car accident? The breaks are pressed firmly as everything inside the car jolts and jerks around. Consider: The earth spins at 1000 miles per hour.
(iv) for years
(b) to give light (v. 15, 17)
The sun is an immense ball of flame. Its diameter measures 865,000 miles, which is about 109 times the diameter of the earth. Its volume is 1.3 million times greater than that of the earth, meaning that if the sun were hollow, it would take more than a million earth–sized objects to fill it. If the sun were the size of a bowling ball, the earth by comparison would look like a poppy seed.
MacArthur, J. (2001). The battle for the beginning: the Bible on creation and the fall of Adam (p. 109). Nashville, TN: W Pub. Group.
(2) How do they fulfill their purpose for existence? They were made
(2) How do they fulfill their purpose for existence? They were made
(a) to rule - dominion, jurisdiction; great cross reference
- dominion, jurisdiction; great cross reference
Illustrations:
Are the stars still?
From our perspective, it appears that the stars are fixed in place. They are not. They move vast distances at incredible speeds. But because the distances are so great, from the viewpoint of earth the stars appear to be in the same place all the time. Mariners for thousands of years have been able to chart their course by the stars because they don’t appear to be moving.
MacArthur, J. (2001). The battle for the beginning: the Bible on creation and the fall of Adam (p. 107). Nashville, TN: W Pub. Group.
Did the Bible writers know about the Sun’s circuit?
Even the sun has a circuit (cf. ), and the entire solar system moves with it, in constant orbit around the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way.
MacArthur, J. (2001). The battle for the beginning: the Bible on creation and the fall of Adam (p. 107). Nashville, TN: W Pub. Group.
Why is all of this important? While man is still learning, he has learned that the heavenly bodies are not only massive, but the distances in space are immeasurable. Man has to submit to an unknown, even where the stars are already located.
(3) What do we learn about God?
(3) What do we learn about God?
(a) God’s activities have specific purpose & order.
(b) God’s purpose and intelligence is on a universal level.
(c) God’s dominion is so great that He gives dominion.
The moon completes a full orbit around the earth every 27.3 days, traveling a distance of almost a million and a half miles each month.
MacArthur, J. (2001). The battle for the beginning: the Bible on creation and the fall of Adam (p. 111). Nashville, TN: W Pub. Group.
The moon, like the sun, helps keep the perfect balance of earth’s life sustaining environment. Ocean tides are caused by the moon’s gravitational pull.
MacArthur, J. (2001). The battle for the beginning: the Bible on creation and the fall of Adam (p. 111). Nashville, TN: W Pub. Group.
(4) Why should everyone listen to these truths?
(4) Why should everyone listen to these truths?
(a) It is impossible for anyone to exist outside of the established dominion of created order.
(b) If this is truth then it’s impossible to exist outside of God’s ultimate dominion.
(c) God’s ultimate dominion should cause men to be troubled over the humiliation of Christ.
David celebrated this fact in :
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
As David gazed into an unfathomably large universe, he realized it was just finger work for God. As great as the universe is, God is infinitely greater. And the human race is nothing by comparison
MacArthur, J. (2001). The battle for the beginning: the Bible on creation and the fall of Adam (p. 105). Nashville, TN: W Pub. Group.
(i) For believers, troubled at how deeply unappreciative we tend to be about the depth of Christ’s humiliation
(ii) For unbelievers, troubled at the apparent paradox (self-contradictory) of Jesus Christ.
(d) The humiliation & glorification of Christ is God’s ultimate display that calls all men to realize God’s supreme dominion.
Concluding Questions:
(1) Have you received the Lord Jesus Christ?
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(2) Believer, when’s the last time you were humbled by seeing the greatness of God and the depths of Christ’s humiliation?
(3) When’s the last time you were brought to repentance of pride or specific sin in your life because you saw how big and massive God is?
The sun, moon, and starts are displays of God’s supreme dominion over all.
The resurrected Jesus (the Son) is the ultimate display of God’s supreme dominion over all.