(Genesis) Genesis 1:14-19
God's sovereignty is demonstrated through His creation of plant life, lights, and His ability to clearly distinguish between right and wrong.
In this sermon, the speaker discusses the creation of the earth and the division of light and darkness by God. He emphasizes that God created the heavens and the earth effortlessly, as stated by John Wesley. The speaker also mentions that God positioned the sun and the moon to govern the day and night, highlighting the moon's influence over the night. Additionally, the speaker notes that on the fourth day, God created plant life, indicating that man was likely a vegetarian before the flood. The sermon emphasizes that God sets the standards for right and wrong, and it is important to follow His principles.
Full Transcript
Now, we come to day four, and God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, whose seeding is itself upon the earth. It was so. Now, God is putting plant life here, because man, until the flood, was apparently a vegetarian.
He's going to eat nothing but fruits and nuts. And we could make a comment about that, I guess, but we shouldn't, so we should move on. And we read here, And the earth brought forth grass and herb, yielding seed after its kind, the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself after its kind.
And God saw that it was good. Now, that was the evening and morning of the third day. Now, we have, and God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night.
Now, God didn't create the sun and the moon at this time. They were already up there. God just brought them around in position, one of them to take charge of the day, and the sun does it pretty well, and the moon by night, and the moon does a good job by night.
I do not know about you, but I propose to my wife by moonlight, friends. That moon has a lot of influence over the night, I can assure you. And then it just says here in a clause at the end, He made the stars also.
That was a pretty big job, by the way, but not for God. It was John Wesley who said that God created the heavens and the earth and didn't even half try. He made the stars also.
And then it says, God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 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. And if you'll notice, it's God that does the dividing here.
You know, He still does that. There are those that say today, what's the difference between right and wrong? What God says, friends, God's drawn all the line. Somebody says, how do you know what's right? What God says is right.
God has put down certain principles. God divides the light from the darkness. And it's just that much distinction between the two, by the way.
He is the one that makes the difference, and He still does it.
Sermon Outline
- God's Creation of Plant Life
- God's Creation of Lights
- God's Sovereignty in Separation
- God creates lights in the firmament to divide day from night
- God positions the sun, moon, and stars to fulfill their roles
- God divides light from darkness
- God's principles are clear and distinct
Key Quotes
“God created the heavens and the earth and didn't even half try.” — J. Vernon McGee
“God divides the light from the darkness. And it's just that much distinction between the two, by the way.” — J. Vernon McGee
“God is the one that makes the difference, and He still does it.” — J. Vernon McGee
Application Points
- We should recognize and respect God's clear principles and distinctions between right and wrong.
- We should trust in God's sovereignty and ability to guide us in our decisions.
- We should acknowledge God's power and ability to accomplish great tasks with ease.