Hope Sabbath School Lesson 9 Creation: Genesis As a Foundation

[Music] [Applause] [Applause] welcome to Hope Sabbath school an in-depth interactive study of the word of God we are in the middle of an amazing series on how to interpret the Bible and it is blessing our lives because the Word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path but how do we interpret the Bible as God intends important topic today we're still back looking at foundations as we did in the past program on Genesis how did how does our principle of interpretation affect the way that we look at the book of beginnings we're glad you're with us good to be back together again and I'm going to learn some things and you are - as the Holy Spirit as our teacher we're glad you're part of our hopes Abbas school family always good to hear from you here's a note from Shushi al in Fiji we're glad you wrote to us I've been part of Hope Sabbath school for the past nine months I prepare the Hindi content for our Indian viewers here in Fiji I use some of the questions you use on Hope Sabbath school translate it into Hindi and we have a discussion if you want to have a look go to YouTube yes I watch hope service school on the international feed well Michelle thanks for being part of the miracle of God there in Fiji and you know that's something we can't do I don't speak Hindi but we all have different gifts as we join the Lord of the harvest in his work in - Maya say writes from Rwanda that took a while for me to say that didn't it in - mo sa says I'm very grateful for hope Sabbath school I thank God that it has a great transformation on lives especially mine I doubt don't doubt God will remember your courage courage and great work in proclaiming the good news thank you and be blessed again well thank you in to move us yes a are you gonna write to me and tell me how to say that I know but what a beautiful name it probably has some significant meaning in Kinyarwanda but we're glad you're part of our hope service school family here's a note from a donor in Arizona the donor says I don't have much but I want to try to do something to help even if it's small I want to be part of supporting this ministry and a gift from Arizona for $35 thank God yeah we are all part of a great miracle of God and I'm just so thankful for all of our donors including this precious donor in Arizona for supporting this ministry from Nigeria Michael writes from a bias State in Nigeria I love Hope service school my prayer is that the Lord will perpetually use you for his glory and our blessings what do you say whose glory his glory and our blessings god bless you all well Michael Thanks for writing from abaya State in Nigeria one last note from Ian in the Philippines from Mindanao high hopes have a school team I'm in a teacher at Mindanao Mission Academy in the southern part of the Philippines I'm in charge of preparing the Bible study for our students every Sabbath I found it easy and useful because of the material on Hope Sammis goal you know you can if you want to start an interactive Bible study you can download the outline from our website hope tv.org / Hope SS you can use the same outline that we all are using in our study and it's helpful our students have a wonderful experience discuss discussing the Word of God every Sabbath it's not beautiful I also watch your program every week and I find joy listening to all of you your ideas are brilliant and we say praise God because we're sharing from the word I pray that God will continually sustain you all in thanks for encouraging us all the way from Mindanao in the southern part of the Philippines we're glad you and your students are part of our hopes out-of-school family right now I'd like to invite you all to sing with us our theme song taken from Colossians 3:16 we're talking about how to interpret the Bible let the word of Christ dwell in you find a home in you let's sing it together [Music] with [Music] singing with [Music] teaching [Music] teaching everyone yes [Music] and spiritual songs singing with grace in your [Music] you know as we were singing I was just looking at you and I was thinking what a beautiful group of people we are part of the global family of God amen take a moment a look at each other you don't all look the same we're part of every nation kindred tongue young people and one of the beautiful things about Hope Sabbath school is that we have hope Sabbath school members all around the world right and we'd love to hear from you write to us at SS hope hope tv.org just share with us where you're from and how God is blessing you through his word but we just want to pray now that the Holy Spirit will guide us we're continuing our series on how to interpret the Bible we're looking again at the foundation in Genesis right what we can learn and how to interpret that text faithfully with the guidance of the Holy Spirit let's pray father in heaven we are so thankful for your word Jesus said man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God and the prophets said surely the Lord God will do nothing but reveal his secrets to his servants the prophets and most of all as we have learned the word the one who created all things became flesh and dwelt among us was so thankful for Jesus our Savior and our teacher made the Holy Spirit guide us into truth today in the name of Jesus we pray amen so here we are about halfway through this series a little more than halfway on how to interpret the Bible and by the way if you missed anything just want to invite you to go to our website hope TV org slash hope SS you can watch the whole series important Studies on how to interpret the Bible and other series to lots of wonderful resources for you but let's just let's just kind of recap if we can what are some important principles about how to interpret the Bible that you have learned so far in our series anyone yes Gladys if I will interprets itself so I need to look at Old Testament in the news okay I need to look at the whole Bible isn't in what else have you learned yes Jason I've learned let God guide you don't try to put your own thoughts into the text itself but let the Holy Spirit show you the truth you know I'm remembering a council that was given never should the Bible be studied without prayer yeah and what do we pray for answer we pray for the Holy Spirit as jesus promised to lead us into truth really important Travis it's all about Jesus so making sure whatever I'm studying I remember that as Jesus said all these things testify about me with the purpose of what teaching admonishing with the purpose of what that you may come and find salvation you made my life now what if I find something that I can't understand what do i do then okay I can pray as we've said I could ask if someone else that's seeking the Word of God and what if I still don't find the answer ask him in heaven we can ask our great creator Redeemer God when we get to the kingdom of heaven I'd say I didn't understand that why did you let that happen or why didn't you stop this from happening that we can live with some questions that's what we call faith we don't have all of the answers right today we're gonna be looking at a faith narrative he said what do you mean by faith I mean that nobody was there when the creation happened well no they were God was there all right and then our first parents were there but we weren't there we weren't there when all of the trauma of sin entering the world came except I guess in in our first parents we were part of the family that fell away from God was separated we we weren't there with the trauma of Genesis 6 with the flood so there's a lot of things that we have to go to and say okay how do we come to these passages particularly in the first eleven chapters of the book of Genesis and how do we interpret them alright so let's see some people would come and well we have to interpret by science and if it contradicts the science that we hold we discard it let's look at one text that some people would say well that's obviously unscientific let's actually go to the end of the book first to revelation 7 and verse 1 and we will discover that well we could misinterpret this text officially do you have revelation 7 and verse 1 a reading from the New King James Version after these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth holding the four winds of the earth that the wind should not blow on the earth on the sea or on any tree and someone might say well that's obviously a antiquated unscientific cosmology because if there's four corners you could infer that the earth is flat right why you'd have to have four corners it could be flat in a circle but if you're really good literalistic way you could say well that's obviously we'll discard that what do you think the text is saying from what you've learned of Bible study well looking through the book of Revelation and looking at it in context right a lot of figurative language is used so here's a perfect example of that and so so what do these Angels do it what does it mean they're holding back the winds of strife mm-hmm yes Travis there there's actually protection goddess places protection on this earth and as they begin to let these four winds go we see bad things there to happen around the world because God is releasing these protections from the earth so how might we say four corners in other language four directions directions yeah he's north south east west everywhere right yeah let's look at Revelation chapter 20 verses seven and eight Gladys would you read that for us sure I'm reading from the New International Version Revelation chapter 20 verses 7 and 8 when the thousand years are over Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth Gog and Magog and to gather them for battle in number they are like the sand of the seashore so again we're reading in Revelation the four corners would simply mean the four dirt everywhere right the enemy is going out to find as many people as possible this is after the second resurrection right the resurrection of the wicked trying to say let's rebel against God so again we need to look at the language of the time but let's look at some other passages that would seem to clearly show a scientific model job chapter 1 and verse 1 and then job 26:7 through 10 and I'm gonna ask Addison if you found the book of Job if you could start in job 1 and verse 1 sure job 1 verse 1 and I will be reading from the King James Version there was a man in the land of us whose name was job and that man was perfect and upright and one that feared God and eschewed evil so this is a many think maybe the oldest book in the Bible right book of Job where is the Land of Oz we know maybe maybe we think yeah yeah what's more important than the geographical location as you read it is it's a literal event right that's a little story and job in jube job chapter 26 let's see what he records job 26 verses 7 through 10 Jason if you could read that for us I'll be reading from the New King James Version job chapter 26 verses 7 through 10 he stretches out the north over empty space he hangs the earth on nothing he binds up the water in his thick clouds yet the clouds are not broken under it he covers the face of his throne and spreads his cloud over it he drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters at the boundary of light and darkness no joke jube is not a scientist right he's a holy man but he's describing where does he get all of that from hmm is that a revelation from God or is it simply an observation of the natural world that he's living it could be both right certainly early in the book of Job is some divine revelation right about the council's in heaven and so on but also by observation see if I start with the presupposition that well the Bible is not scientific I'm going to just discard it especially in the early chapters but if I recognize well let's look at the wording the four-corners doesn't mean they think it was a flat earth it's a way of describing what's happening let's look in or describing the world as we know it Isaiah chapter 40 verses 21 and 22 shana you could read that for us a revelation given to the prophet Isaiah regarding the created cosmos Isaiah 40 verses 21 and 22 and then verse 26 and I'll be reading from the King James Version have you not known have you not heard have it not been told you from the beginning have you not understood from the foundations of the earth it is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain and spreadeth them out as a tent to dole in verse 26 says lift up your eyes on high and behold who hath created these things that bring it out their hosts by number he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might for for that he is strong in power not one faileth what's the most important message markers you hear in that in that testimony of the prophet that God created everything and God hung stars in the sky all the scientific wonders that we know of and that we as man study it was all God who placed everything then all right anybody else what about sitting on the circle of the earth while the earth is a globe literally sitting on it he's overseeing it he's overseeing it nothing like his Dominion is dominion over it so again we need to look at the language look at the context in order to come to a conclusion it is not inevitable that we will say well the Bible obviously has got an antiquated cosmology we need to come and read the text with prayer with counsel together and if we have some unanswered questions mm well asking when we get there right one of the areas has been really challenged is the creation account and what some people say is well there are many other creation accounts in ancient writings and there's some similarities with them and so this is probably just one more mythological account of the origin of life let's go back to Genesis and read the first four verses of Genesis chapter 1 and let's address that challenge and I'm going to ask Trisha Lee if you would read for us in Genesis 1:1 - 4 familiar verse to Christians and and to children of Israel who had the books of Moses right familiar but but - some may be as this is a new thing - here I'll be reading from the New King James Version in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth the earth was without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters then God said let there be light and there was light and God saw the light that it was good and God divided the light from the darkness and we've talked about this in the previous study when we're looking as genesis of foundation but what important truth is established in these opening verses Jason God created God created it doesn't tell us how later will say he spoke and it stood fast we'll see that in the Psalms right he spoke the world out of nothing into existence but here it just says he did it anybody else Travis and just the fact that there is a God you know God created but it establishes the fact that there is a God there is a God which challenges the presupposition there's no God so we've got to explain our existence some way which many intelligent people have struggled to do with different theories how do we get here you know where we flown in by aliens or or did we just over time and chance end up in this situation we've got to find some explanation for reality right Eric and that the ad was formless and void that the earth was formless and void and we really don't know how long that formless and void entity was there but the Lord comes to it God comes to it and begins the creative work so again do you have any questions hey I think I do we'll have to ask also when we get there but have you read any of the different ancient accounts Jason I see you nodding what what different startling difference do you see between this account in Genesis and some of the other mythological or ancient Near East accounts of creation at least in my experience when I've read the mythological ones they don't speak like this they don't say in the beginning God created they give a bunch of words about various other gods and all these entities kind of acting around but they don't make very clear statements like this okay sue me sue yeah anyone else an expert on ancient Near East texts Addison oh I I'm probably not an expert but from what I've studied and understand there's non biblical stories that talk about the used the objects like the Sun and Moon as gods when in the Genesis account the Sun and Moon are objects with specific natural functions that God implemented and created yeah will actually come to that in just a minute with the reading but as Jason mentioned some accounts you know God sheds a lot of a lesser God and mixes in with clay and there's fighting among the gods and and we see something quite different here right there's there's actually only one god I am the Lord and there is none other right that's clearly taught in the in the Bible so and and that's certainly what Jesus taught two trees also see that we were created intentionally I think of some of the other narratives there it's by chance or by the byproduct of conflict that I happen to spring up but this account says there is an all-powerful God who needs nothing or else and chooses intentionally chooses to create this earth and to create us now someone mentioned we were talking about the Sun and the moon was that you Edison yes would you take us to the passage in Genesis chapter 1 which presents quite a different account from the Sun God was involved with this God and then the moon God asks and it's it dispenses with that what it says if you could read Genesis 1:14 through 1914 through 19 and I'm reading from the King James Version and God said let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth and it was so and God made two great lights the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night he made the stars also and 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 the evening and the morning were the fourth day why do you think it's some cultures that people worship the Sun I mean that was true and some of the coaches South America right inca cultures and why do you think they worshiped the Sun yes some Issa thing man kind is looking for something to worship and and we look for a source of look at the sunlight what it does and some people are even scientifically say it sort of states for photosynthesis and that's how we get everything the food that we have and so forth so instead of looking at who created this Sun they just see the Sun and don't go beyond uh-huh is the greater creator of everything so they find something that has a key role in human life and they say well that must be the God let's worship that object right anybody else why did why do people worship the Sun Travis I think like we're always looking for something reliable in a society that's always like letting us down we're looking for something reliable in this sense every day it comes up it comes up it comes up comes in dependable something dependable and and the Samiha was talking you know we know that God is dependable but to them if they didn't know God maybe they're thinking well this thing is dependable and as he said producing for us and of course in our perspective in our world the Sun is very significant but how significant is that one the Sun compared to the universe [Music] insignificant right it's significant for us by the way in the texture Edison read it says he created these greater light lesser light he made the stars do you know think that's big yeah take a look at the universe God's a creator of all things in fact in a previous study Hebrews 1 it says by whom he made the world's yeah that's talking about the Son of God who created all things the worlds that's an interesting discussion maybe we're not the center of the universe like we thought right but it challenges this Genesis account challenges the idea that these created things are the Creator that we should worship right what about the creation of humankind let's go to Genesis to verse 7 a unique perspective what do you see here you know there are some people that think well maybe God created the world and then he left they pull that deism right he's not actively involved in which by the way we dispense with any kind of plan of salvation you know but God did make some things because we've got to explain it somehow what do you see in Genesis 2 Kim verse 7 that really challenges that kind of detached attitude of a creator I'll be reading from the English standard version then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living creature what do you see them yes Marcus I see an intimate between God and man that God breathed the breath of life into man's nostrils did he need to do that by the way I could have just said let there be man greater the world's yeah and he formed man so again that goes back to the being uniquely made and for a purpose handmade handcrafted so we're all special for a purpose because the Lord made us so that challenges this idea that the gods don't really care about human beings that maybe they have them do work for them this is this is very much of an intimate loving relationship it makes me think about our our current views on evolution and evolution to tell us that human life evolved from lesser forms and became increasingly complex through millions of years and this is so much more believable implausible if you were to even look at this watch that I have I would never look at this watch and believe that somehow over millions and millions of years pieces of metal got closer and closer together a spark of lightning happened to strike it it started to move around it can show pictures that can give me calendar reminders this was designed it was created to do these things and when you look at the human body people all the life that we have that didn't just happen by chance it's so much more plausible to believe in all-powerful God created and fashioned us to do these things and not just that after millions of years when Adam got closer to another and when bacteria became to bacteria and then all of a sudden the human beam comes from that life at all our life at all it's not believable things tend to separate but not come together this way now you're a very highly intelligent young professional can you explain how your watch works I can explain how it were me could you in theory not always I know they told me the time but there are things about this but you can see that it's designed yes it's designed and you can see that it it works right so we don't have to understand everything to recognize that there's a creator a designer yeah now one thing that that is missing from all of these other ancient Near East accounts is this idea of Sabbath mm-hmm but in the Genesis account we do find and you remember it in Genesis chapter 2 God finishes his work and then what does he do he does three things he he rests yeah and he thanks advise it which means holy use right that is missing from any other account unique in the Bible account of creation why is that concept so important why do you think it's so important Gladys is the same going back to a Marcus said about God in intimacy with us he wants that relationship it's not just like a major okay feed yourself find your own way he wanted you know how close can't have to get to something to breathe into the nose it's like so close that's for how close God wants to be with us all right now should we know for my study of Scripture there's a great controversy between good and evil yes and the enemy wants us to forget that God is our Creator right this is not the end mm-hmm the Sabbath is to help us remember the Creator right so you could see the enemy would do whatever was possible to say you know what eat drink and be merry tomorrow you'll die you're just here by accident don't think about the fact that your life has any meaning or purpose Travis remember my studying theology that they talked about this turtle that was on a post and he didn't get there by himself well the Sabbath is a reminder that we're not we're not here on our own cause because we're great remember we we have a creator we have somebody who designed us who cares about us and who's working in and through us to to be saved yes Janna it's like going back to the machinery that Trisha Lee mentioned like you have to plug it in after a while it has to recharge God is a God of practicality so he understands like as human beings we can't just keep going going going we have to rest our bodies need rest in order to recharge and part of that is reconnecting plugging in with him and like being restored for the new week ahead a recharging station because it does say in the fourth commandment six days labor right someone says people always say one day is holy but it also says six days work right that's why you look forward to that time to rest but that I like that contemporary illustration you know you're the battery on whatever it is you have like a cell phone or it running down you need to recharge you need a connection with God all the time but there's a special special gift for us one of the other things that the book of beginnings tells us and again we come to interpret this text by faith because we weren't there right Jesus speaks about the scripture as we'll see he speaks in his humanity trusting the account that was given in the scripture let's look at the account about chronology let's go to Genesis chapter 5 Jason I'm gonna ask you to read this because you're good at reading difficult names but you might ask and I want you to think about this why takes so much space I mean it's like a whole chapter to record a chronology for what we might call a family tree let's look in Genesis chapter 5 let's start first verses 1 through 20 alright I'm reading from the New King James Version Genesis chapter 5 verses 1 through 20 this is the book of the genealogy of Adam in the day that God created man he made him in the likeness of God he created them male and female and blessed them and called them mankind in the day they were created and Adam lived 130 years and begot a son in his own likeness after his image and named him Seth after he begot Seth the days of Adam were eight hundred years and he had sons and daughters so all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years and he died Seth lived one hundred and five years and begat enos after he begat enos Seth lived eight hundred and seven years and had sons and daughters so all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years and he died Enoch lived ninety years and begot kaanum after he begot Kanaan Enoch lived 815 years and had sons and daughters so all the days of Enoch were nine hundred and five years and he died Kanaan lived seventy years and begot Mahalalel after he begot Mahalalel Kanaan lived eight hundred and forty years and had sons and daughters so all the days of Kanaan were nine hundred and ten years and he died Mahalalel the sixty-five years and begot Jared after he begot Jared Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years and had sons and daughters so all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years and he died Jared lived 162 years and begat Enoch after he begot Enoch Jared lived 800 years and had sons and daughters so all the days of Jared were 962 years and he died what are you learning so far you said what I'm glad I don't have to memorize that what have you learned something simple a diet that's right Marcus that's not an insignificant observation and he died and he died because the wages of sin is so all even in this chronology we see the need for a savior right we see someone need for someone to rescue us from death what else you see though just maybe someone's hearing this for the first time something so I noted that they lived very long a long time right almost a millennium yeah you say well that's not scientific you can't live that long so this we can't we have to reinterpret the text but we've learned that that we should take the text as it reads look at the context is there any suggestion that this is not literal it says how many years and then his son was born so how would you explain that rationally that they're living so long Sammy so you have an answer well but besides just taking it at face value is that safe the Lord and maybe also understand the diet they have then but also understand later on in Scripture God says I shall not contend with men and their lifespan shall be shortened to okay they're they're perfect from the creator's hand when Adam and Eva created right it's like there's not a lot of genetic defects and sickness and so on Erik I was going to add on to what he just said it's it's it's it looks it from this it tells us that we were intended to live for a long long actually we were intended to live that was the initial that was the initial plan before sin kami so maybe Adam and Eve were grieving that people only lived 800 years you know oh yeah that was that was not God's plan but again they're from the creator's hand well we come to it I pause there because I want Laurel maybe you can continue to read just verses 21 to 24 because it's a it's a remarkable little flash in this chronology or this family tree this genealogy that I think is worth pausing and taking a look at all right I'll be reading from the new American Standard Bible Enoch lives 65 years and became the father of Methuselah then Enoch walked with God 300 years after he became the father of Methuselah and he had other sons and daughters so all the days of Enoch were 365 years Enoch walked with God and he would and he was not for God took him well first if you just read through verse 23 is it you go what would you say he liberate long right you lived about 30 but everybody else right but what unique revelation is given about Enoch God not only did he walk with God didn't die that he was translated he was taken to heaven right God God took him we see him appearing later Enoch and no sooner else in the Bible that mentions Enoch by the way yeah maybe we should look there and then we'll finish the rest of the genealogy the account there in the book of Jude actually there's a couple of places aren't they yeah Jude only one chapter verses 14 and 15 Jude anybody found it Travis have you found Jude right before the book of Revelation by the way if you wondering is it where is it just one page would you read verses 14 and 15 for that I'll be reading from the New King James Version now Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied about these men also saying behold the Lord comes with ten thousand of his Saints to execute judgment on all to convict all who were ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have been which they have committed in an ungodly way and all of the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him what do we learn about you know we didn't know much about him except that he had a child and then he lived a little while and then he was not because God took him what do we learn from this text he's a prophet the Prophet and he was given a revelation about what the end of all things right that when the Lord will return in glory bring his rewards with him he was given that revelation there's another reference to him in Hebrews chapter 11 shana if you could find that some people call Hebrews 11 what chapter for faith because there's these great men and women of faith that are recorded little reference Shana to Enoch I think in verse in verse 5 of chapter 11 yep verse 5 says by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him for before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God was there anyone else it was taken up without seeing death Elijah not we don't know how Enoch was transported but at least from Elijah's account how was Elijah translated and transported directly to heaven carry the fire right I mean it's like wow amazing so embedded in this account in Genesis chapter five a little thing about Enoch just in case we've read over it and and missed it let's keep reading in Genesis 5 verses 25 to 32 and then I want to ask what what else have we learned that would be important to remember sue me so could you read those last verses from Genesis 5 verses 25 to 32 I'm reading from the New King James Version verse 25 Methuselah lived 187 years and begat lamech after he begot lamech Methuselah leaved seven hundred and eighty-two years and at sons and daughters so all the days of Methuselah went 969 years and he died Lamech lived 182 years and had a son and he called his name Noah saying this one will comfort us concerning our work in the toil of our hands because of the ground which the Lord has cursed after he begat Noah Lamech lived five hundred ninety five years and at sons and daughters so all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years and he died and Noah was five hundred years old and he begat Shem ham and Japheth and what's significant about this name Noah I know it's a popular name today their children Noah but Noah was one who build the ark one who career and in this account he's a real person right yes it's not a mythological figure because there are other accounts about floods so where do you get these other accounts about creation about the flood that seemed in some way to have fragments of truth in them but they don't agree with the Bible account how would you explain that some say well it's obvious the writers of Genesis bore from these ancient Near East accounts that's one explanation what's another explanation yeah Jason the reverse that baby these ancient near-eastern accounts are actually taking from the biblical scriptures they actually the Bible could be the truth as we believe if these are taking parts of the truth and mixing their own understanding in with them and whether they took it from the books of Moses or these were oral accounts that were passed down that there had been a great deluge or that we're not here by accident but there was a God who created but unfortunately those things can become distorted over time right I've seen that even with passing a message down a line it can get distorted so the work of the Holy Spirit is important not only in inspiring Moses for example with these books or inspiring the other prophets but in preserving that text for us right so we have as Peter called a more sure word of prophecy well let's look at Jesus we've been looking at these early chapters our principles of interpretation would say we need to pray ask the Holy Spirit to guide us but look at the context and read the text and accept his testimony as it reads right so let's see what Jesus did talking about these early chapters Matthew 19 Edison could you read verses 4 and 5 for us Matthew 19 verses 4 to 5 reading from the King James Version and he answered and said unto them have you not read that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female and said for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife and they twain shall be one flesh wherefore they are no more Twain but one flesh what therefore God hath joined together let not man put asunder where's he getting those words from by the way putting this from Genesis right he's saying here's a reliable testimony of what happened let's look it's still from Jesus in Matthew 24 jarick if you could find Matthew 24 verses 37 through 39 and Jesus is also speaking here and I'll be reading from the New Living Translation and it says when the Son of Man returns it will be like it was in Noah's day in those days before the flood the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time nor entered his boat people didn't realize that people didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away that is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes Jesus uses an illustration yeah from right nowa he didn't say well this is ancient myth about he speaks about Noah as a real person right in the real story and he says as a lesson we could learn from that let's look at some early Christians and how they referred back to these early passages of scripture first Peter 3 verse 20 the Apostle Peter is there giving a testimony and who has that would read it for us see you all looking travis you have it would you read verse 20 of first Peter 3 and I'll be reading from the New King James Version who formerly were disobedient when once the divine long-suffering waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared in which a few that is eight souls were saved through water does it surprise you that Peter it was not there back then would speak with confidence about something that happened why doesn't it surprise you because they learned about it in their text read it in their text and follow what Jesus said right what about James the Apostle James in James chapter 3 right before Peter you'll find James chapter 3 tanja if you could read verse 9 for us this many people believe this James is not the brother of John because he was martyred but this is James the stepbrother of Jesus who is the leader of the Church there in Jerusalem what is James tell us in James 3 and verse 9 I will read through the version New King James James chapter 3 verse 9 said with either we bless our God and Father and we did we curse men who have been made in the similitude of you God made in the similitude or image of God reference to James you weren't there how do you know the answer is he trusted the word and Jesus also said it too right so they're followers of Jesus I think that's really important for us to realize you know we can do our research but ultimately did Jesus believe the account was reliable yes and we're followers of Jesus trust what Jesus had to say well the Apostle Paul references many of these early events let's look at a few of them in Acts chapter 14 glados acts 14 and verse 15 and what does what do you read there I'm reading from the New International Version Acts chapter 14 verse 15 and he says friends why are you doing this we too are only human like you we're bringing you good news telling you to turn from these worthless things to the Living God who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them now we've got to look at the context who's speaking yeah and Barnabas may be with him and what are the people doing they are worshiping thank you God you guys you know because of something that they did right and he's saying there's one God and what did he do and he's quoting back from the scriptures right yeah in the beginning God created you say he read the book but he also believed it right what about Romans chapter one and verse 20 him Romans chapter one and verse 20 Paul's writing to Christians in Rome what does he say I'll be reading from the English standard version for his invisible attributes namely his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world and the things that have been made so they are without excuse so let's talk about that I'm gonna give you a chance to give you a testimony in a moment when you came to say you know what I need to just trust by faith this is reliable and based my confidence upon the Word of God but it says there there without excuse I don't want to be too hard on a person that believes were here by some kind of evolutionary process let's say a friend comes to you and she says to you I'm really struggling shayna because how can all of my teachers be so mistaken you know they're all telling me that there's no God and I'm studying at a prestigious University and they're explaining to me the origin of life over eons of time and chance I don't want to argue with her right but what can I say to that friend he goes I'm struggling how can my teachers be so mistaken what would you say maybe you'd hug her first and say you know we don't know the answer to all of the questions but any idea I mean like I told her what I believe okay so you give you a testimony of what you've come to believe Marcus what would you say well I would say just as well look at some of the evidence like there is so much complicated nature in within just the human body alone look at the intricacies look at the look at the balance between the ecosystem and the environment and everything and just ask yourself would this have just all come into being just because of being around for so long but but but Kim they just how did they get there then I mean these are smart people right they were top of their class they went to grad school how did they get to that place where they're explaining the origin of life in this way what we just besides we learned God is creator I think we can also say that he created morality and that something that atheist and non-believers can explain through their beliefs like why is there good and why do we sense that some things are wrong and some things are good you know we talk about the survival of the fittest but if a person just acted like that they would get arrested in most countries right right we say that's not right what do you mean it's not right if everything is just not if there's no absolutes right I think the key though we've you heard this word earlier in our series is well it's the result of a presupposition right and what is the presuppositions that they have coming to study is that there's no God and that we're here by chance so now I've got to try to explain it with that in mind right so I need to say to my friend well that is a sensible explanation if you start with this presupposition right yeah but I like the fact that I could share my testimony and I could say look at the evidence anyone else a friend comes to you Eric what would you say um we live in a world in an age where it's technology and behind behind that technology that we're able to see there's a lot of code now if you think of it from the phone code for it to work like it's supposed to there has to be an intentionality behind what happens if the code is is scrambled it means it doesn't work but you but to even to get it to the point where it works you someone has to be very intentional about making it happen it's like trishal is yeah but with what and that's a small thing right compared to landing a person on the moon yeah and you know the angels are going that's simple right compared to complex I want to finish on a positive when did you finally come and say you know I'm just gonna trust the Word of God is reliable I hear all of these alternate voices anyone want to share when you came to that conviction Tanya yes I think something very important here is to be willing to the truth so when you get at that point I say okay this is not working so the things that looks like right is not true so you play Europe you pray and if you are willing you say God God is no against us even if we don't trust so I like what it says about the berean Christians they received the word with a readiness of heart with an openness apart anyone else sue me so did you did you ever you must have heard competing theories about life when did you settle and so I'm just gonna believe what the Scriptures teach what Jesus told ya I'll continue on the Berean church after they they actually went back to reconfirm what was taught so by the same token I've actually gone back within scriptures to validate everything that I believe so God doesn't expect us to not think right but but he wants us to pray and ask the Holy Spirit guidance too because we could come to the wrong conclusion especially if our presuppositions are false well you're watching today many of you who have may have studied in detail about issues of different explanations of the origin of life Jesus accepted the scripture is reliable I don't know if all of our questions are answered yet but they will be when we meet our Creator and Redeemer face to face may God give us faith to come to scripture with the Holy Spirit's guidance and see the truth he has for us there let's pray together father in heaven we recognize that we are not that bright but you promised the guide us into truth you know thank you for your Holy Spirit thank you for the word of God and for Jesus the Living Word of God may we find peace and rest as we trust in Jesus in Jesus name we pray amen well thanks for joining us for hope Sabbath school we're not finished with the series how to interpret the Bible but remember the Bible is to leave me to God whom to know his life eternal [Applause] [Music] [Applause]

Channel: HopeSabbathSchool

Views: 47,214

Rating: 4.6506023 out of 5

Keywords: Hope Sabbath School, hopesabbathschool, Seventh-Day Adventist, Derek Morris, Bible Study, Genesis

Id: _eGvtv2AQ3s

Length: 58min 24sec (3504 seconds)

Published: Mon May 25 2020