Okay. Greetings, friends and new listeners, and welcome to The Sound of Faith. I'm Sharon Knotts, thanking you for joining us today because we know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Today's message is part three of a three-part series on Genesis: the recreation of heaven and earth. The newly refinished, beautified earth was ready for inhabitants the birds and the bees, the animals and the beasts of the field, and in his final master stroke, the crown jewel of God's creation, made in his image and likeness.
In part three of the Genesis series, days five through seven. We're going to go right into the word of the Lord, and this is part three of three weeks that we've been ministering on the Genesis account of creation. And last week we ended with day four when God created the sun, the moon, and the stars. We learned that He not only created them for light and heat to make life on earth possible, but we read that He gave them for signs. And last week, we talked about the signs.
That is a signal pointing to something. And we learn that in the book of Job, chapter thirty-eight, that God created the constellations. And we learned the Hebrew word Maserote. That means the twelve constellations of the zodiac. But we found out that man has polluted them.
But when we went to Psalm 19, we read that God wrote. The story of redemption in the constellations. and showing The coming Messiah. That he would Overcome the serpent. The evil one, and he would ultimately Reign as king of kings.
And we went from Virgo all the way around to Leo, and we learned that story.
So we stopped there at four signs. But let's Continue in chapter one of Genesis, and we were on verse fourteen. And it not only says that 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, which we learned last week. And then it says for seasons and for days and years.
So before we go into day five, I want to quickly look at these. Seasons, the Hebrew word is moed, M O E D, and it refers to an appointed time. It refers to an appointed time and usually means when you're going to meet someone. You know, like for instance, you say, Can you come over or can we go to dinner on Tuesday the 14th? And you'll say, It's a date.
It means it's an appointed time that you've agreed to meet, and that's what the word really means. But what I want you to understand is that the tabernacle that God had Moses create in the wilderness. Was called the tabernacle of the congregation. Hold your place in Genesis. And if you want to follow me, we can look in Exodus, the next book over, and chapter 29, and look at verses 42 and 43.
This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. before the Lord, where I will meet you. And to speak thereunto you, and there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. And then I'm going to go over to Exodus 33 and look at verse 7. And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it.
The tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp. The tabernacle of the congregation, the Hebrew word is Ohel Moed. Did we just We're told what Moed means the appointed time to meet someone. And what does the word ohel mean?
It means tent.
So, what does all of this tell us? It tells us that they had an appointed time to come to the house of the Lord and meet with God. And God said, when you come at the appointed time and meet with me, I will be there, I will come, and I will speak to you, and my glory will come there. Amen.
So let's just bring it up to 2020. The members of God's church, and specifically of Faith Tabernacle, we're supposed to meet with God at the appointed time. We're supposed to come to the faith tabernacle. Of the congregation. Amen.
And when we do, then, like this morning, God's presence comes down. Amen.
So saints of God, keep your appointment. Keep your appointment with God on Sunday morning. Because that's what he meant when he said for seasons. Amen.
So for signs we read, and for seasons, and then for days and years.
So let me ask you a question. Have you ever wondered why there are seven days in a week? For instance. It's easy to see why there are 24 hours in a day. Because a day is separated by light and dark.
And so we have a twenty-four hour Cycle of light and dark.
So obviously, that's a day. And we read throughout creation that God said, and the evening and the morning were whatever day it was.
So 24-hour cycles of light and dark set you up for days. And then the numbers of a day in a month. are determined by the lunar cycle, by the moon. And it takes approximately thirty days for the moon to orbit. The Earth.
So that's why there are thirty days in a month, some have thirty one. February only has 28. Every four years, they got to throw in an extra day. Because of the lunar cycle. Amen.
And then the number of days in a calendar year is determined by the solar cycle, by the sun. It takes how many days For the Earth to orbit the five hundred and eighty four million miles. To go around the sun.
So that's how we come up with the 365 days in a year. How long it takes for the earth to orbit the sun. Because we're on a solar calendar. And for instance, if you were to take a stick. and stick it out in the sand somewhere.
And you'll watch the shadow that it casts every day at noon. See where it is every day at noon. It will take three hundred and sixty five days. To go all the way around and come to the original place. where the shatter was cast.
So that's how we get How many days are there in a year?
Okay, but There's no heavenly pattern or cycle to support a seven-day week. And if you take 365 days and you divide it by 7, you come up with an unequal number. There will be a remainder of one. And that's why sometimes July fourth can fall on a Monday, and sometimes it can fall on a Friday or whatever day of the week. It never comes the same day of the week because we've got seven days in a week, and it's an uneven number.
by division of seven. Amen?
So What if instead of seven days in a week, we had five days in a week? Then instead of having 52 weeks in a year, we would have 73 weeks in a year. But let me tell you, a five-day week would be much more logical. and workable When you're scheduling things, it would make things much simpler. Things like, Annual events.
And so it would make things Easier To schedule on an annual basis. It would make your holidays easier to schedule, your vacation easier, and payroll calculations would all be easier if we had a five day week instead of a seven day week.
So Why do we have seven days in a week?
Well, let me tell you something. After World War II, the League of Nations, which today is. the United Nations, led by one of its members, the nation of Russia, they tried to change the whole world to go on a five day week. But they failed. Why did Russia want to change it?
Because communism Denies there is a God. And there was a time when everyone knew the verse. And the Lord God made the earth in six days, and on the seventh day he rested. And every time we start a new seven-day week, we are testifying to the existence of our Creator God. There's no logical reason for a seven-day week.
But there's a very important, indispensable theological reason God created. The earth in six days, and he called the seventh day his day. He said, according to the commandment when he gave the law to the children of Israel in Exodus 20, he said, Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shall you labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it shall you do not any work, Not your son, your daughter, your servant, nor your cattle.
For in six days the LORD made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day wherefore the LORD blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it, or sanctified it.
So that's the reason why we have a seven-day week. Amen.
And God designed man to rest at least one day out of seven. Whatever day it is. He said, You're to work six days and you're to rest one day. And when we circumvent God's design, We will pay for it. Because after a while the body would break down.
And remember. Back then the people were agricultural people. Amen.
So that means they didn't have modern inventions, they had to use animals. to get out there and sow the seed and harvest the crops. And if they didn't have a day of rest, they would work those animals to death. And God loves animals too. Amen.
He wanted them to be treated right. And what about those who had indentured servants, or even that had slaves? They would make them work seven days a week, too. And they wouldn't have a day. Amen?
God knew how people are. And even today, let's face it, some employers would work their employees seven days a week. And some employees don't stand up for their rights and will do it till they're about ready to fall out somewhere. Amen.
God ordained it because he wanted People not to be overworked by greedy. Owners and employers. Amen?
And so I think instead of spelling it Sunday S-U-N-D-A-Y, we should spell it S-O-N-D-A-Y. Amen.
For the Son of God.
Now we have finished day four. Let's move on to day five and look at verse twenty. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that has life, and the fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and the word their whales just means. sea creatures and even sea monsters.
Okay, not just whales. And every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
So God Created on this day, the birds. And all that are in the fish family, and within these species, God created great variation. Amen.
You know scientists are still discovering some new creatures in the sea?
Now they can get down deeper and they're seeing new creatures that was never known before. Amen.
Oh, God created great variation within the species. Amen?
And here's the thing: among all of this diversity, many animals still share similar structures. But saints, listen. That does not support The idea or the argument that they all evolved from the same primordial cell. What it supports is the Bible's claim that they were all designed by the same designer. He said, after their own kind.
God deliberately designed and structured great variation within a kind. Within a species, but one kind does not become another kind. Amen.
You heard him repeating over and over after his own kind, after their own kind. They stay within their kind, their species. Within the species, there can be a lot of diversity. But a fish is still a fish. And a bird is still a bird.
And as I said before, look at dogs. You can have a teacup poodle that weighs like five pounds, and you can have a St. Bernard. That weighs maybe 200 pounds. Amen.
But no matter how much you interbreed. Different dogs. They will only produce dogs. They will never come up with a squirrel. Or a mouse.
Or a cat. You can have a labradoodle. A Labrador and a poodle, and so many other. Like, I have a Yorkie Poo, a Yorkshire Terrier mixed with a poodle, but they're still dogs. And no matter how much you interbreed and come up with new, beautiful breeds that people love and want.
There's still going to be dogs. Amen.
You see, they share the same structure in that. God created them. From the same materials. The same dirt. Amen.
And even mankind, even humans, they'll say, oh, well, we share DNA with the apes, so we must be apes. But God created them out of the dirt. Just like he created Adam out of the dirt. Amen.
We all come from the same dirt. And that's why we have some DNA that's similar. But there is no fossil record to prove or support evolution. And even Charles Darwin himself stated that there had to be. The discovery of a fossil record.
And if there never was, he figured eventually it would be found. The fossil record by that I mean showing some creature that went from this kind of animal Here Change to here, change to here, change to come to another animal. He said there has to be a fossil record to support. My theory of evolution, and if there is no fossil record found, then it's wrong. He said that because he really thought that someone would eventually discover it.
But all these many years later no one has. Because God created Every living thing. Amen.
All right.
So that was day five. Let's go to day six and let's look at verse 24. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind. Cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth after his kind, and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps upon the earth after his kind.
And God saw that that it was good.
So now we're on day six. And we find that God is now creating all of the animals. On the earth, having already created birds. And fish, he's now going to the beast of the field, and again we noted after his own kind. Amen.
None of these evolved from one kind to another kind. They stayed within their kind.
Now let's Jump over to chapter 2 and look at verse 19. And if you wonder why sometimes I'm going from chapter 1 to chapter 2, the reason is. The story in chapter one tells us God created. But chapter 2 tells us how he created.
So now, chapter 2 and verse 19, we're still talking about the animals and the beasts. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air, and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them. And whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. I want you to see that God formed them out of the ground. the animals and we also just noted here Even though it occurred the day before.
God created the birds. Out of the ground. How many was all that? Chapter 2 explains what took place in chapter 1. All of the birds and all of the animals of every kind are.
On the earth, God formed out of the ground. We're going to see in just a moment because day six is going to get another. addition to creation in a moment. It's going to be when God creates man, and we're going to see that He also formed Him out of the ground.
So I ask you, is there any wonder that humans share similar DNA to animals? Isn't it sensible? considering we're all made from the same dirt, Similar DNA does not point to evolution, but it points to similar raw materials. Amen.
Easy. And God saw that it was good. Now let's go to verse 26. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.
So God created man in his own image, and the image of God created he him. Male and female created he them. Mankind is the last. of God's creation and Mankind is the crown jewel. of God's creation.
You know, the rabbis say the reason why God created man on day six, creating him last of all, is so that man couldn't take any credit. For the rest of the creation. And how many know We are prone to do that, are we not? We're prone to take credit.
So God created man in his image and his likeness. Amen.
His image and likeness and I looked at these words in many different places trying to, you know, to really get the truth of what they mean. And folks, everywhere that I studied, they mean the outward form and the outward appearance. That's what they mean. The outward form and the outward appearance.
So that means that God, whatever material, spiritual material, celestial material God's body is made of. It looks like ours. We are made in the likeness, the similitude, the same outward image of God. Amen.
Made in his image and in his likeness.
Now let's go to chapter 2, verse 7, and learn how he did it. Chapter 2 and verse 7. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. This is one of my favorite verses in this whole account. The word formed.
It's Yatsar. In Hebrew, it means to form, to fashion as a potter does clay, or like a sculptor would. It means to mold, to squeeze, to shake with your hands. This means that God got down in the dirt. And sculpted Adam into a perfect Human Male body.
In the likeness and image of the But Adam was inanimate. He was lifeless. You can go to Europe, and you can go to some of the famous places in Rome and such, and you can see the beautiful sculptures that Michelangelo sculpted. The famous one is the one of David. It's beautiful, the one of David.
You can see the shape of the arms and the muscles and everything, and admire its beauty and the artistry of the artist. But as beautiful as it is It's lifeless. You can admire it. But it's lifeless. And when God leaned over this beautiful sculpture.
Of This creature that he made in his own image and his own likeness. We read that he put his mouth On the nostrils. God got down and put his mouth on his nostrils and breathed into him the breath of life. But in the Hebrew, the word life is kaim. And it's a plural word.
He breathed into him the breath of lives. Man is the only one of God's creatures. That received this double life. Both physical And spiritual. Because man has a soul and a spirit.
All other animals have souls. They have the capacity for emotions. They have the capacity for intelligence. I saw something the other day on Facebook. I forgot what kind of dog it was because you only saw the back of the dog.
But he was watching television. And they were playing that movie. I've never seen the movie, but The Lion King. And there comes a scene when, what's it, Mufasa the lion. Is killed And the dog is watching this movie, and when that lion is killed, the dog gets so upset.
The dog gets upset. It's like he's crying. And you think that he understood what happened. And he had empathy. Animals have souls.
They have emotions. Your animal will love you and be loyal to you and show you affection. Amen.
Some of them are very intelligent, aka they use them for police dogs. They use them to help people that have handicaps and things. They can help them navigate through life. Turn on switches and go get them, you know, their medicine, and they're very intelligent. But you see, what they don't have is a spiritual relationship.
With God. Amen.
We have a spiritual relationship with God because when God breathes into us, He breathes into us a part of Himself. Amen.
No. Amen.
If you've been following us in this comprehensive study of the Genesis series, the recreation of heaven and earth, we have come to days five through seven. When God created wonderful inhabitants to dwell on the newly restored, beautified earth. God formed the birds and the beasts of the field. Then, his final masterpiece, the crown jewel of his creation, God created humans in his own image and likeness.
Now, all were formed from the dust of the earth, but only man received the breath of God into his nostrils, creating him not only a soul, but also a spirit. Only humans have the ability to communicate spirit to spirit with God. Find out the exciting way God put his signature on Adam that can only be seen in the spelling of the Hebrew word for formed, and why it begins with two To hear this complete teaching, order the three C D set of Genesis, the Recreation of Heaven and Earth. You will receive Part 1, The Recreation of Heaven and Earth, Part 2, Recreation Days 2 through 4, and Part 3, Recreation Days 5 through 7. Send your minimum love gift of $20 to Sound of Faith, PO Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203.
Request Offer SK 777. Or go to our e-store at soundoffaith.org, where MP3s are also available. But to order the Genesis series, the complete 3 C D teaching, by mail, send your love gift of $20 or more to PO Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Request SK777. Till next time, this is Sharonat saying Maranatha.
