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Greater New Life Family Worship Center Thursday Night Teaching

Facilitator: Pastor Kenneth Bond, M.Div., MBA

April 23, 2020: SESSION #5

2020 Church Theme: “Still Here”

Thematic Text: 1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

T.N.T TEACHING SERIES: ‘THE MIGHTY ACTS OF GOD’

NEW TERM/CHALLENGE FOR THIS WEEK: REDACTION CRITICISM

Note from Pastor K. Bond: This teaching is going to stretch you. Don’t be afraid to

be stretched! Some of you may even think that you can’t do it—can’t possibly soak-in this information.

God gave it to me to teach, and if you’re willing, He’s going to help you to learn. HAVE NO FEAR!

2 Timothy 1:7.

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I. Base Text: Psalm 150:1-6 (A PSALM OF PRAISE) KJV:

150 Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.

2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.

3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.

4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.

AMP: Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty heavens. 2 Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to [the abundance of] His greatness. 3 Praise Him with trumpet sound; Praise Him with harp and lyre. 4 Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flute. 5 Praise Him with resounding cymbals; Praise Him with loud cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

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II. REVIEW OF DAY 1 OF THE CREATION NARRATIVE

Scripture Reference: Genesis 1:1-5

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And

the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the

morning were the first day.

REMEMBER: ‘E.S.T.L’

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III. ‘MIGHTY ACT 1’: ‘GOD CREATED HEAVEN AND EARTH’ (DAY ‘2’ OF THE CREATION NARRATIVE)

Scripture Reference: Genesis 1:6-8

Genesis 1:6-8 (KJV) 6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters

from the waters.

7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the

waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Genesis 1:6-8 (CSB) 6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, separating water from

water.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water

above the expanse. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.”[a] Evening came and then

morning: the second day.

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IV. ‘MIGHTY ACT 1’: ‘GOD CREATED HEAVEN AND EARTH’ (DAY ‘3’ OF THE CREATION NARRATIVE)

Scripture Reference: Genesis 1:9-13

Genesis 1:9-13 (KJV) 9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

Genesis 1:9-13 (CSB) 9 Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land

appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of the water he

called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth produce

vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit with seed in it according

to their kinds.” And it was so. 12 The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according

to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it

was good. 13 Evening came and then morning: the third day.

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I. ‘MIGHTY ACT 1’: ‘GOD CREATED HEAVEN AND EARTH’ (DAY ‘4’ OF THE CREATION NARRATIVE)

Scripture Reference: Genesis 1:14-19

Genesis 1:14-19 (KJV) 14 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:

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

16 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.

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

18 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.

19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Genesis 1:14-19 (NLT)

14 Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. 15 Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. 16 God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, 18 to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19 And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.

New Living Translation Factoid The goal of the New Living Translation (NLT) is a translation of

the Bible into a clear, readable form of modern English.

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A. Day 1 vs. Day 4 – A COMPARISON (REDACTION CRITICISM)

REDACTION CRITICISM: Focuses on identifying an author’s particular theological emphases.

Q: Difference between ‘Let there be light’ (Day 1) vs. ‘Let lights appear in the sky’ (Day 4)?

A: According to the MacArthur Bible Commentary, “For three days, there had been light (v4) in the day as though there were a sun, and lesser light at night as though there were the moon and stars. God could have left it this way, but He did not. The alternation between day and night

Genesis 1:3-5 (NLT)

3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”

And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.

Genesis 1:14-19 (NLT)

14 Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. 15 Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. 16 God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, 18 to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19 And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.

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continued, but now heavenly bodies provided varying degrees of light.”1

Dr. Tony Evans says it this way in his commentary: “God had created light and darkness. So what was emanating light for the first three days? God himself was. On day four, God handed over that responsibility to a group of celestial representatives, so that they would provide light on the earth (1:17) and serve as signs for seasons and for days and years (1:14).”2

Q. Difference between ‘Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”’ (Day 1) vs. ‘separate the day from the night.’ (Day 4)?

A. “He created the lights, sun, moon and stars, not for light, but to serve as markers for signs, seasons, days, and years. From now on there would be light-bearing bodies that would perpetually shine on the earth at the proper intervals and seasons.”3

MacArthur says “the entire panoply of heaven was complete and fully functioning on the day God made it. “Signs”. The Hebrew word means “beacons” or “signals.” It suggests that the heavenly bodies were set in place to serve as markers to indicate times and seasons. These certainly included: (1) weather (Matt 16:2, 3); (2) testimony to God (Pss. 8; 19; Rom. 1:14-20; (3) divine judgement (Joel 2:30, 31; Matt. 24:29); and (4) navigation (Matt. 2:1, 2). “Seasons”. It is

1 MacArthur, John. 2005. MacArthur Bible Commentary, Thomas Nelson Publishing, p. 10. 2 Evans, Tony. 2019. The Tony Evans Bible Commentary. Holman Bible Publishers. p. 59. 3 MacArthur, John. 2005. MacArthur Bible Commentary. Thomas Nelson Publishing, p. 10.

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earth’s movement in relation to the sun and moon that determines the seasons and the calendar.”4

Referenced Scriptures from MacArthur Above: Note: Various Translations as Indicated

1) Weather

Matthew 16:2-3 (CSB) 2 He replied, “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be good weather because the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy because the sky is red and threatening.’ You[a] know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times.

2) Testimony to God Psalm 8 (KJV)

8 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the

heavens.

2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine

enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

4 MacArthur, John. 2005. MacArthur Bible Commentary. Thomas Nelson Publishing, p. 10.

Christian Standard Bible Factoid The motive for the Christian

Standard Bible translators to produce another English translation was two-fold: first, the translators saw the need for each new generation of

English speakers to have a translation that reflects changes in the English language; second, the

translators wanted a modern translation grounded in theologically conservative ideology without regard

to liberal cultural trends.

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3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast

ordained;

4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and

honour.

6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under

his feet:

7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the

seas.

9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

Psalm 19 (KJV)

19 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the

firmament sheweth his handywork.

2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night

sheweth knowledge.

3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath

he set a tabernacle for the sun,

5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a

race.

6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is

nothing hid from the heat thereof.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making

wise the simple.

8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure,

enlightening the eyes.

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9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and

righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and

the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me:

then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord,

my strength, and my redeemer.

Romans 1:14-20 (NLT) 14 For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the

world,[a] to the educated and uneducated alike. 15 So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to

preach the Good News.

16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving

everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.[b] 17 This Good News tells us how God

makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures

say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”[c] 18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.[d] 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

3) Divine Judgement

Joel 2:30-31 (NIV) 30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth,

blood and fire and billows of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

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Matthew 24:29 (NIV) 29 “Immediately after the distress of those days

“‘the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light;

the stars will fall from the sky,

and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

4) Navigation

Matthew 2:1-2 (NIV)

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod,Magi[a] from the

east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the

Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Anything stand-out about ‘Day 4’ to you? Please Share.

2. God shows us, through His creation thus far, His thoughtfulness. How much concern do you think He has for us, based on what you’ve seen Him do thus far?

3. God is perfect, as evidenced by His creation of Heaven and Earth. Since we are made in His image, do you think He has an expectation of perfection from us?

4. Man is still discovering planets in the solar system. If possible, do a Google search on ‘NASA Planet Hunter Finds its 1st Earth-size Habitable zone’. Then, watch the video. After watching, why do you think God chose Earth for us to reside, versus another planet? What are your thoughts on planet discovery?

New International Version Factoid The New International Version (NIV) was conceived in 1965 when, after several years of study by committees from the

Christian Reformed Church and the National Association of Evangelicals, a trans-denominational and international group of scholars met at Palos Heights,

Illinois, and agreed on the need for a new translation in contemporary English.