BASIC BIBLE TRUTHS FOR DISCIPLES LESSON 8 POINTING FINGER: FIVE TRUTHS ABOUT THINGS BY things we refer to all creation other than humans and spirits in earth and sky and to the limits of outer space – living things like plants, flowers, trees, microscopic life, birds, animals, and non-living things such as rocks, rivers, planets, stars, and galaxies. We must know five truths about things. TRUTH 1: THINGS SHOW FORTH THE GLORY OF GOD As we thoughtfully consider the things around us, what truth do they help us to see? Psalm 8:1; Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20 TRUTH 2: THINGS SUPPLY THE NEEDS OF MAN 1. According to Gods plan, how was mans physical need for food to be supplied? Genesis 1:29; Genesis 9:3 2. God created not only plants and trees for food; He also created plant and trees that were beautiful to look at. How did these beautiful plant and trees satisfy man’s intellectual and aesthetic sense? Genesis 2:9 3. Look at Genesis 2:9 again. How do the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil meet man’s spiritual and moral needs? Answer: These trees provided man with the opportunity to exercise moral choice. 4. In what way does mans position as ruler over the earth meet his higher need for growth, adventure and creativity? Genesis 1:28 5. In summary, through things He created God supplied man’s needs – food for his physical life; beauty for his aesthetic sense; choices for his moral powers; and authority and dominion for his creative powers. How complete and wonderful was God’s provision for the human beings He created! TRUTH 3: THINGS ARE INTERDEPENDENTLY RELATED People have now become aware of the importance of the relationship of all creation to one another (ecology). For example, forests affect water supply. When forests are destroyed ground water sinks deeper into the earth or disappears altogether; rain water is not conserved, instead it causes flash floods that cause a lot of damage to life and property. (1) Though the Bible was not written to explain ecology, there are passages which show Gods concern for proper balance in nature. Please study Genesis 2:15. How does the double responsibility of man (to work or till the ground, and to keep or take care of the garden) show Gods concern for ecology? (2) How does the command in Deuteronomy 20:19-20 show Gods concern for the relationship between man and trees? (3) Even the land had a God-given right to rest. What do you think is the purpose of the sabbath law for the land? Leviticus 25:2-4 (4) The lesson is clear. We may use things, but at the same time we must care for them. Under this proper care comes the importance of stopping all kinds of pollution, specially of the air and water. If we do not take care of our air and water, very soon we shall destroy the world on which our physical life depends. TRUTH 4: THINGS ARE TO BE MANAGED WITH PROPER STEWARDSHIP 1. Stewardship means that we do not own creation, but we have been placed as managers of creation according to the purpose of the Owner and Creator. From the following verses, show who the Owner is, and what are the things He owns. Psalm 24:1; Psalm 50:10-12 2. Since God owns everything and we are merely His stewards, how are we to manage His things? 1 Timothy 6:17,18; Ephesians 4:28; Luke 3:10,11 TRUTH 5: ALL THINGS WILL BE MADE NEW 1. Because of mans sin, what happened to Gods first creation? Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 8:19-21 2. God has planned to create a new heaven and a new earth at the end of time. Describe how the new heaven and new earth will be different from the old? Revelation 21:4-5 3. In view of Gods plan, how are we to live our lives today? 2 Peter 3:13-14 APPLICATION Romans 1:20 tells us: For since the creation of the world His (Gods) invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead... Modern science is helping us to appreciate Gods power and wisdom in creation. Those of you who enjoy science, youll find this very interesting. Apart from any theistic presupposition, scientists have discovered what they call the ANTHROPIC PRINCIPLE in creation. Dr. Norman L. Geisler describes this principle: The anthropic principle (Greek: anthropos, human being) states that the universe was fitted from the very first moment of its existence for the emergence of life in general and human life in particular... ... For life to be present today, an incredible restrictive set of demands must have been present in the early universe: 1. Oxygen comprises 21 percent of the atmosphere. If it were 25 percent, fires would erupt, if 15 percent, human beings would suffocate. 2. If the gravitational force were altered by 1 part in 10 to the 40th power (thats 10 followed by forty zeroes), the sun would not exist, and the moon would crash into the earth or sheer off into space (Heeren, 196). Even a slight increase in the force of gravity would result in all the stars being much more massive than our sun, with the effect that the sun would burn too rapidly and erratically to sustain life. 3. If the centrifugal force of planetary movements did not precisely balance the gravitational forces, nothing could be held in orbit around the sun. 4. If the universe was expanding at a rate one millionth more slowly than it is, the temperature on earth would be 10,000 C. (ibid. 185). 5. The average distance between stars in our galaxy of 100 billion stars is 30 trillion miles. If that distance were altered slightly, orbits would become erratic, and there would be extreme temperature variations on earth. (Traveling at space shuttle speed, seventeen thousand miles an hour or five miles a second, it would take 201,450 years to travel 30 trillion miles.) 6. Any of the laws of physics can be described as a function of the velocity of light (now defined as 299,792,458 miles a second). Even a slight variation in the speed of light would alter the other constants and preclude the possibility of life on earth (Ross, 126). 7. If Jupiter was not in its current orbit, we would be bombarded with space material. Jupiters gravitational field acts as a cosmic vacuum cleaner, attracting asteroids and comets that would otherwise strike earth (ibid., 196). 8. If the thickness of the earths crust was greater, too much oxygen would be transferred to the crust to support life. If it were thinner, volcanic and tectonic activity would make life untenable (ibid., 130). 9. If the rotation of the earth took longer than 24 hours, temperature differences would be too great between night and day. If the rotation period was shorter, atmospheric wind velocities would be too great. 10. Surface temperature differences would be too great if the axial tilt of the earth were altered slightly. 11. If the atmospheric discharge (lightning) rate were greater, there would be too much fire destruction; if it were less, there would be too little nitrogen fixing in the soil. 12. If there were more seismic activity, much life would be lost. If there was less, nutrients on the ocean floors and in river runoff would not be cycled back to the continents through tectonic uplift. Even earthquakes are necessary to sustain life as we know it. (From Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics by Norman L. Geisler) A PERSONAL QUESTION TO ANSWER: How should the anthropic principle motivate us to worship and love and serve God even more? MEMORIZE: 2 Peter 3:13-14
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 00:02:49 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015