THE LIVING WORD TRANSCRIPT

Program Air Date – 4-11-10

LESSON TITLE: “THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE: THE SEVENTH DAY”

WELCOME

We are truly excited to have you with us today as we together break the Living Word of God. We are certainly glad that you have chosen this day, to give this time to our Creator - so that together we may Worship and Praise His Holy name!

As we come together this day, it is my hope and prayer that we will each participate and do our part to make this time acceptable before God. As a collective offering of those who love God, and who are willing to submit their own sacrifices before His throne.

So, at this time, as we turn our full attention to the reason we have come together, let’s approach our Father’s throne in prayer:

(PRAYER)

As those who love God, it is of the utmost importance that we put God first and obey His Will. If we do this, God will never leave us alone or let us down. So, won’t you join in and participate with the congregation at this time as we sing together, “Anywhere With Jesus!”

(SONG # 1)

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

In all of our lives it seems like we spend a great deal of time on that which is perishing. Just consider the amount of time we spend working and striving to get all of the things which we need and pretty much whatever we want! However, we must not lose sight with the fact that if we become too consumed with acquiring the things of this life, we might well find ourselves missing the most important opportunity of all. That is the promise of eternal life in the end, if we are found faithful to our God in our stewardship of this life!

One verse which really helps us in our thoughts this morning is found in John 6. Here we find Jesus had actually been able to escape the multitudes for a little while, but eventually they found Him and asked Him where He had been. In verse 26, we find Jesus rebuking the people for He knew their hearts and as to why they really were following Him or wanting to be around Him. There we read, “Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” These individuals were following God for all the wrong reasons, and notice that the first and foremost reason was for what they could get or acquire of this life!

Now let’s read the next verse, 27. Here we find Jesus helping the people to understand where they really should focus their attentions, as He said, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” Jesus said we must put our main time, effort and hope in that which is eternal in nature and not in those things which are perishing. But the reality is, many of us have this teaching backwards, and we really give more effort and time to the world, as opposed to putting God first and foremost. So what will you place your trust in, what will you put first in your life? May we all make the good, right and proper choice and realize that the only things that really matters, is that which is eternal - God and His Will!

In just a few minutes it will be time to begin our main study of the day. Our topic of study will again focus on the statement, “This Is the Day That the Lord Has Made.” Our specific lesson of the morning is entitled, “The Seventh Day.” So please stay with us for this study from God’s Word, and I will be leading our thoughts at the appropriate time. Now let’s join together in our next song of the morning. The name of this hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”

(SONG # 2)

LESSON

By Ray Sullins

In Psalm 118 and verse 24 the Bible says, “This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

I’m glad you’ve stayed with us this morning because now we are going to begin a new series of studies in relationship to this very concept of how blessed we are to know that our God has created for us each and every day.

Wasn’t it great this morning even to wake up and to be able to maybe walk around and look outside and that we now are even in the midst of our day and looking forward no doubt hopefully to a wonderful day, a day of worship and praise and commitment to our God? And why are we here? Why do we have this day? Well as we have just read, “This is the day that the Lord has made.” You know God has made every day. He always blesses us time and time again. In fact, brethren and friends, all that we have, every blessing that we enjoy is from God, not only our breath and our lives, but the day in which even to enjoy that breath and life that God has given us. Therefore, we should rejoice and we should be glad in it.

Our first lesson is going to focus on the concept of the day itself and we want to begin to understand what it was that God meant when He spoke the word “day.” If we go back to the original language the Old Testament was written in what is referred to as “Hebrew.” In Hebrew the root word generally is called “Yom”, but there are over 20 other different types or forms of that same word that also refers to day in one way or another.

In the Greek, it is no different. We have a word there that is referred to as “Ago (spelling?),” and that word there has over 25 different forms that again reference one type of day or another.

When we say, “One type of day or another,” what do we mean? Well we certainly understand in the English that we might be referring in the concept of day to morning, to noon, or even to evening. We also understand that at times we speak of day or night. We no doubt also have the concept or issue of the word “day” or “days,” the plural form meaning more than one day. But not only has that, but sometimes this concept of day referred to a time period. For instance, the Bible often says, “And in those days, or in the days of those kings.” Well it is not talking about a specific day in the singular nature. It is talking about a time period when the days are fulfilled. And so we need to understand what it is that the Bible speaks when it speaks of day, but then also we need to further understand that the context gives us the clear understanding and meaning of really what the word “day” is all about and what the word “day” is referencing.

Now to understand this further let’s think for a moment as the Jews would have thought. As we look back and really research from many different types of lexicons or concordances or even commentators, we’re going to find the concept of “day” according to the Jews was basically something understood from sunset to sunset. A good text for that would be Leviticus chapter 23 and also verse 32, there referencing the idea that the day really was from sunset to sunset. That was early on in the beginning and obviously in the wanderings of the wilderness when they were awaiting to enter into that Promised Land after having received the Law.

But also the Jews would often look at the day in reference to the morning and evening. For instance, in the book of Psalm 55 we have the concept of “the heat of the day.” Then also there in 1 Samuel 11 and verse 11, we have the idea of “the cool of the day.” Well the cool of the day always was heading toward the evening time and the heat of the day would have been as we well know much, much earlier, most believe probably around 9 o’clock or so in the Jewish day because there in that region of the land, the country which we certainly understand now to be what is referenced as the Middle East, certainly it is very hot even early on in the day, even as early as 9 o’clock when the sun is bearing down and very, very warm.

There are also basically three different ideas the Jews often made reference to as a division or part to the day. For instance, “from sunset even to midnight,” there in Lamentations chapter 2 and verse 19. Also, “from midnight until the cock crowing.” We find this in Judges chapter 7 and verse 19. And then also the idea from “the cock crowing until actually sunrise,” Exodus 14:24. Well you see, all of these help us to understand that when we begin to talk about day again, we might reference many things.

So how do I know what is being spoken about? Often again the context shows me whether it was early in the morning, first thing in the morning, the heat of the day, whether it was at noon or whether it was in the cool of the day or the evening. That helps us to understand what is being spoken about. It even helps us to know whether we are talking about a specific day or the days of feasting or even the day that something would come or would actually take place. Now with all of that in mind then, we want to understand what God’s concept of the general word “yom” was or “day.”

What was it that God thought about? What was His intent as He inspired the man, Moses, what did He want us to understand when He said there that He created the world in seven days?

I wish you would back up with me there to Genesis chapter 1, the very first chapter of all the Bible, and there in verse 3 beginning, God said, “Let there be light and there was light.” Verse 4 says, “And God saw the light that it was good and God divided the light from the darkness.” Now you and I aren’t rocket scientists but we know what light is and what darkness is. We know that when the sun is up, it is light. It is daytime. And we know that when it is dark, guess what. It is also night-time. Well now who did that? Who planned that? Was it man? Was it some group of individuals along the history of mankind, something that some specific group… No certainly not because verse 5 says this, “And God called the light day and the darkness He called night.”

Now you guess what happened with me when the sun comes up and it goes as the earth moves and eventually as the earth is rotating and the sun goes down and the moon arises. What happens? We have day and night. Do you think God understood that? Certainly He understood that! He created it! He set all things in order. Why is it so important? Because some people today actually go to the creation, the seven days that are mentioned in the creation, six being the work days and one the rest day, and they say that, “These weren’t days. How could God create in one day all of these things? How could God in one day create all of the things of the earth? How could He create all plant life, all animal life, mankind? How could He do it?” His is God! How could He do anything at all? He is God! But what was God’s concept of day? Morning and evening! What was God’s concept of day? Day or light, and darkness or night! We know that because verse 5 tells us that, “God said, The light is day and then when the darkness falls it is night.” Then further to understand this guess what He tells us at the end of verse 5. “And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Do you remember what we said about the Jews? The Jews said from what? “Sunset to sunset,” the evening and the morning, starting at the evening unto the morning were what? The first day! Then it goes down through here in verse 8, the second day was set with what? “The evening and the morning.” Verse 13, the third day was set with what? “The evening and the morning.” It goes all the way down through there. What is distinguished about evening? Night! What is distinguished about morning? Day! And who set day as light? God! Who set darkness as night? God! And so certainly we understand that God established this pattern, and then interestingly enough in the same text it says in verse 14 that, “He established the light to rule over the day and a light to rule over the night.” Notice that He did not do this until the fourth day. That means there was already light and darkness before the sun and moon ever existed. But when God finally brought it about, it says that in a day, evening and morning in that day, the fourth day, He brought about what? The great light, the sun, and the lesser night to rule the night which was the moon. Day and night. A 24-hour period! The same way that God has set it from the very beginning of time even until now.

Well you know as we think about this it makes perfect sense because why would God mean anything else than what He says? God said, “Let there be light,” and He made the light and the darkness and He called the light day and the darkness night, and then He said it was good. The evening and the morning were the first day, yom. Well, God knows what a day is. You and I know what a day is. I believe that in this text most understand what a day is, but they don’t want to accept it. They don’t want to have faith. They don’t believe in the power of God. That’s what it is. They don’t believe that God can really do what He said He did. As one text beyond a shadow of a doubt tells us that the concept of day in Genesis 1 means the day that we think of, the idea of a 24-hour period, and it is not actually found until Exodus chapter 20. You know what is next? The Ten Commandments. When God gave the Ten Commandments to His own people, He established certain laws. Guess what He established in verse 8. The Sabbath Day! Do you know what the Sabbath Day was? A 24-hour period! Then He goes on and He says, “And six days…” Do you think the Jews knew what He was talking about? Certainly! Six days, light and day, darkness and night. He says, “Six days you shall work and do all of these things, for in six days you have accomplished those things that God has, but then on the Sabbath Day (what?) you shall rest.” Because why? Because back in Genesis chapter 2, God also did what? Rested on the seventh day. But now I want you to notice with me what He says in verse 11. “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and the seas and all that is in them and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath Day and hallowed it.” What? Do you mean to tell me that the very concept under the Jewish law, that which the Jews did for thousands of years according to the Law of Moses, that they would work six days and they would rest on the seventh day is based on what? The same principle of God creating the earth in what? Six days and then resting on the seventh day. Guess what. In that text, the word “Day” or “Days” is the same. They are in unity, unison. They work together as the days of man, six days of work and a day of rest, are the days of creation, six days of creation and work and one day of rest. So that’s why when we go back to Genesis chapter 2 and we see there the beautiful thought that on the seventh day, God ended His work from all that He had done and He rested on the seventh day, what a beautiful thought that is because He saw all that He had done and He had found happiness and joy in accomplishing that wondrous task including His ultimate creation of mankind.

So I encourage us to accept the Word of God for what it says, to have the faith to believe it no matter what and to understand that if we don’t believe then we cannot be saved and we cannot be a child of God. Will you serve God? Will you have that type of faith?

(SONG # 3 - “There’s A Fountain Free!”)

CLOSING COMMENTS

Let me thank you again for choosing to be with us today. I hope our time together has been an encouragement and blessing to us all. We invite you to join us every First day of the week, at 7:30, as we commit ourselves to this time of Worship before God!

But for now, let me ask if you have any questions or comments about today’s lesson? Maybe, you would like a free transcript or a cassette tape of this program? Possibly, we could assist you with free Bible materials or correspondence courses? No matter what your need is, please contact us at the following address:

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Thanks be to God for the rest He offers the faithful. Furthermore, we thank Him because He offers us eternal existence when this life is over. Oh, what a loving God we are privileged to serve!



(Program closing)