25-0406p Transcript

Preacher: Scott Reynolds

(0:37) Good evening. (0:38) We’re back in the glow of day four of the beginnings where God lit the heavens with sun, (0:46) moon, and stars.

(0:48) And this morning we marveled at his power, his purpose, his stretching out the skies (0:56) all in a single day. (0:58) But tonight we’ve got a fight on our hands. (1:02) The world hurls a challenge.

(1:06) If the earth is 6,000 years old, how do we see stars billions of light years away? (1:17) They say it’s proof Genesis is wrong. (1:21) A young earth is impossible. (1:24) But God’s word stands like granite and his creation sings his truth.

(1:29) We’re going to unpack this starlight problem and see day four’s triumph and hear the heavens (1:38) preach a sermon louder than any skeptic’s shout. (1:44) So open your Bibles to Psalm 19 and let’s dive into this battle and this victory with (1:54) faith unshaken. (1:58) Psalm 19, verses one through four.

(2:03) The heavens declared the glory of God. (2:07) The skies proclaimed the work of his hand. (2:11) Day after day, they pour forth speech.

(2:15) Night after night, they reveal knowledge. (2:19) They have no speech. (2:22) They use no words.

(2:24) No sound is heard from them. (2:26) Yet their voice goes out into all the earth and their words to the ends of the world. (2:36) The starlight problem facing the skeptics.

(2:40) Let’s lay it out plainly. (2:42) Astronomers peer through telescopes and say stars are far, really far away. (2:52) The Andromeda galaxy, 2.5 million light years.

(2:58) The farthest galaxies, 13 billion light years. (3:05) A light year is 5.88 trillion miles. (3:11) So light zipping at 186,282 miles, not per hour, per second, for a year, comes out to (3:27) 5.88 trillion miles.

(3:32) So 13 billion light years means light’s been traveling 13 billion years, right? (3:41) But Genesis 1, traced through genealogies, Adam to Noah, Noah to Abraham, puts creation (3:53) at about 6,000 years ago. (3:56) Maybe 10,000 max. (3:59) So how do we see those stars if their light hasn’t had time to get here? (4:08) Skeptics lean back and grin.

(4:10) See, the universe is old. (4:13) Billions of years. (4:15) Your Bible is a myth.

(4:19) Second Peter, chapter 3, verses 3 through 5, saw this coming. (4:24) Scoffers will come deliberately forgetting that long ago, by God’s word, the heavens (4:33) came into being. (4:36) They forget on purpose, because if Genesis is true, their worldview crumbles.

(4:47) But we don’t flinch. (4:48) Romans 3, verse 4, let God be true, and every human being a liar. (4:57) Day 4 has got answers.

(5:00) Let’s find them. (5:02) God’s not stumped by starlight. (5:06) He wrote the story.

(5:09) Let’s explore how day 4 solves this, verse by verse, with faith and reason. (5:16) A mature creation, light in place. (5:22) In Genesis chapter 1, verse 14, it says, let there be light to guide us.

(5:30) Light on the earth was one of the purposes. (5:34) Verse 15, and it was so. (5:37) God didn’t say, let light start traveling and get there someday.

(5:44) He made it shine on the earth instantly. (5:48) Picture Adam in Genesis 2, verse 5, formed a man, not a cell, evolving over eons. (5:56) Day 3’s trees bore fruit, not just buds.

(6:03) The universe born mature, stars blazing, light hitting the earth from the very first evening. (6:12) Apologetics Press calls this mature creation, which was God’s intent from the start. (6:20) So, Isaiah 45, 18, he who created the heavens did not create it to be empty, (6:29) but formed it to be inhabited.

(6:33) A universe with stars we couldn’t see for billions of years isn’t inhabited. (6:41) It’s pointless. (6:44) God made it functional, light and all.

(6:47) Psalm 104 too, he wraps himself in light as with a garment. (6:54) And this is something to keep in mind. (6:57) There are certain things we’re told that God is.

(7:02) God is love. (7:04) He’s not like love, and he doesn’t just love a lot. (7:07) He is the essence, or his essence is love.

(7:12) God is love. (7:14) And we’re also told here in 1 John 1, verse 5, that God is light. (7:25) Not like light, or he gives off light.

(7:28) God is light. (7:30) And in him, there’s no darkness at all. (7:35) God himself is light.

(7:38) And if he wears light, as Psalm 104 too told us, he wraps himself up in light as with a garment. (7:45) He can place it anywhere he wants. (7:48) Day four, done.

(7:51) Another idea is stretching and time dilation. (7:55) God’s clock. (7:57) Back in Genesis 1, 17, it said, God set them in the vault of the sky.

(8:03) And that vault, the expanse, ties to stretching out the heavens. (8:09) In Psalm 104, verse 2, he stretches out the heavens like a tent. (8:16) Isaiah 42, 5, the creator who stretches them out.

(8:20) And creationists, Dr. Russell Humphreys, that we talked about earlier today, (8:25) builds on this with his white hole cosmology. (8:31) Imagine creation starting out small, earth near a gravitational core. (8:37) And day four, God stretches space fast, faster than light itself.

(8:44) And Einstein’s relativity kicks in, and time slows in strong gravity. (8:50) So out there, millions of years pass, starlight streaking across. (8:55) And here, it’s 24 hours.

(8:59) 2 Peter 3, verse 8, with the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, (9:06) and a thousand years are like a day. (9:08) Not stretching days, but showing God bends time. (9:12) By evening, the universe is 93 billion light years wide.

(9:17) And light is here, and God says, good. (9:21) Humphreys ties this to Job 26, 7. (9:24) He spreads out the northern skies over empty space, and he suspends the earth over nothing. (9:32) And the stretching is a miracle worked in the beginning, (9:35) not a process that we see happening now.

(9:40) Faster light is the third possibility that creationists have come up with. (9:46) What if light moved quicker? (9:48) Genesis doesn’t lock light speed at 186,282 miles per second forever. (9:58) Some scientists, like those apologetics press sites, (10:03) say the speed of light might have varied if it was a million times faster on day four.

(10:09) 13 billion light years shrinks to hours. (10:12) God could have dialed it down post-creation. (10:16) Job 38, 19, and 20.

(10:19) What is the way to the abode of light? (10:23) You know it. (10:24) And no, we don’t. (10:25) God does.

(10:27) Psalm 119, 91. (10:30) Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you. (10:35) So he sets the laws, then and now, even natural laws.

(10:39) So which is right? (10:41) Mature creation, the simplest. (10:43) God did it, no fuss. (10:46) Time dilation, it’s intricate, fitting to stretch.

(10:51) Or faster light is plausible but speculative. (10:56) So Deuteronomy 29, 29. (11:00) The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us.

(11:06) And he reveals, he made. (11:09) How is his secret? (11:14) Beyond science. (11:15) God’s unique domain.

(11:18) Here’s the clincher. (11:20) Day four is not repeatable, which you need for scientific observation. (11:28) Genesis 2, 1. (11:30) The heavens and the earth were completed.

(11:33) Verse 2. (11:34) God rested from all his work. (11:37) Creation week was a one-time supernova of power. (11:41) That’s a descriptive word, by the way.

(11:44) But not an actual supernova. (11:47) Today, Hebrews 1, 3. (11:50) Sustaining all things by his powerful word. (11:53) So stars might form slowly now if they do.

(11:58) But day four was instant, supernatural, done. (12:02) Science studies the present, like gravity’s pull and light speed today. (12:08) But miracles? (12:10) Job 38, 33.

(12:11) Do you know the laws of the heavens? (12:16) No lab catches God’s voice. (12:20) Apologetics splits it between operational science, today’s patterns, versus origin science, past (12:30) events. (12:31) And skeptics assume uniformitarianism, which is everything’s always been, as now.

(12:39) Second Peter 3, 4. (12:41) Everything goes on, the skeptics say, as it has since the beginning. (12:47) Wrong. (12:48) Day four broke the mold.

(12:51) If God stretched space or placed light, their math is toast. (12:58) Psalm 19, 1. (13:01) The heavens declare the glory of God, not man’s charts. (13:07) Science is God’s gift.

(13:09) Genesis 1, 28. (13:10) Subdue the earth. (13:13) And science is not king.

(13:15) First Corinthians chapter 3, verse 19. (13:19) The wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. (13:23) Day four is his beyond our grasp.

(13:28) The heavens preach a silent sermon. (13:32) Let’s look at Psalm 19, 1 through 4 again. (13:35) Day four’s echo.

(13:37) Verse 1. (13:39) The heavens declare the glory of God. (13:42) The skies proclaim the work of his hands. (13:45) Every star is a megaphone, silent yet deafening.

(13:50) Glory is God’s weight. (13:52) His majesty, 93 billion light years, trillions of stars, all day four. (14:00) Psalm 147, 4. (14:02) He determines the number of stars and calls them each by name.

(14:08) Verse 2. (14:09) Day after day, they pour forth speech. (14:12) Night after night, they reveal knowledge. (14:16) Sunrise preaches faithfulness and starlight preaches power.

(14:21) No gaps every day since day four. (14:24) And verses 3 and 4. (14:26) They have no speech, yet their voice goes out into all the earth. (14:31) No words, yet universal.

(14:35) Romans 1, 20. (14:36) God’s invisible qualities have been clearly seen from what has been made. (14:45) The stars accuse the skeptic and comfort the saint.

(14:49) So what’s the message? (14:51) God is infinite. (14:53) Psalm 8, 3 and 4. (14:55) The moon and the stars. (14:57) What is mankind that you are mindful of them? (15:01) Yet he is.

(15:03) God is trustworthy. (15:05) Joshua 23, 14. (15:07) Not one of all the Lord’s good promises has failed.

(15:12) Genesis holds. (15:15) God is near. (15:16) Matthew 10, 30.

(15:18) The very hairs of your head are all numbered. (15:23) Stars are numbered and so are the hairs on your head. (15:27) He knows both.

(15:29) Living the triumph of day four. (15:33) Five takeaways. (15:35) This isn’t just a debate to win or a puzzle to solve.

(15:39) It’s a trumpet blast, a call to action. (15:43) Day four’s triumph isn’t locked in the past. (15:46) It’s a living reality that shapes how we stand, worship, trust, rest, and shine today.

(15:54) Here are five ways to carry this victory into your homes, your workplaces, your very souls. (16:01) Because the God who lit the stars still reigns over every corner of your life. (16:08) Number one, defend the faith.

(16:12) Verse Peter, chapter 3, verse 15. (16:16) Give an answer with gentleness and respect. (16:20) Starlight is no threat.

(16:22) Share it. (16:23) The starlight problem isn’t a threat. (16:26) It’s a doorway.

(16:28) When the skeptic sneers, how can you believe in a young earth? (16:32) Don’t shrink back. (16:33) Smile, stand tall, and share the triumph winsomely. (16:38) Tell them of a God so mighty he draped light across billions of miles in a single day.

(16:47) You don’t need a PhD in astrophysics, just a heart anchored in his word. (16:53) Maybe it’s a co-worker at the coffee machine, a friend over dinner, or a child with big questions. (17:00) Point them to the heavens and say, look up.

(17:04) Those stars don’t disprove God. (17:07) They declare him. (17:09) Defend with love, not fists, because day four’s truth shines brighter than any argument.

(17:17) Number two, worship anew, Psalm 96.1. (17:23) Sing to the Lord a new song. (17:26) Stars inspire, sing, step outside tonight and gaze up. (17:33) Let the stars, those ancient lanterns of day four, spark a fresh fire in your soul.

(17:40) They’ve been praising him for 6,000 years. (17:43) A choir without words that invite you to join. (17:49) Maybe your worship has grown stale or your prayers rote.

(17:55) Let the Milky Way’s shimmer or Orion’s belt jolt you awake. (18:01) Sing, whether it’s a hymn in the shower, a melody in the car, or a whisper in the dark. (18:07) Creation doesn’t mumble its praise.

(18:09) It roars. (18:11) So should we. (18:13) Day four isn’t just a fact.

(18:16) It’s fuel for adoration, a reminder that the one who hung the sun hangs on you too. (18:24) Number three, trust his power, Philippians 4.19. (18:30) My God will meet all your needs. (18:33) Day four’s God can.

(18:35) Think about it. (18:36) The God who spun galaxies into being on day four, who stretched the heavens like a tent, (18:43) isn’t stumped by your bills, your fears, your tomorrow. (18:49) That power isn’t retired.

(18:51) It’s active, personal. (18:53) It’s yours. (18:55) When the doctor’s report lands heavy, when the bank account dwindles, when the night (19:01) feels endless, lift your eyes.

(19:04) The same voice that said, let there be light, says to you, I’ve got this. (19:12) He didn’t just create the stars. (19:15) He knows them by name.

(19:17) If he governs the cosmos, he can govern your chaos. (19:23) Trust him. (19:24) Not with timid hope, but with the bold confidence of a child of the day four king.

(19:32) Number four, rest in his order. (19:37) Ecclesiastes 3, verse one. (19:39) There’s a time for everything.

(19:42) Live his rhythm. (19:43) Day four didn’t just birth stars. (19:46) It birthed rhythm, day and night, seasons and years, a cosmic clock ticking.

(19:54) And perfect harmony. (19:56) God will order into the fabric of creation. (20:00) And he offers it to you.

(20:02) Our world races, deadlines, looms, screams, buzz, anxiety churns. (20:08) But the God who set the sun to rise and the moon to glow says, be still. (20:16) Align with his rhythm, work hard, then rest deep, pray steady, then trust fully.

(20:24) When life feels like a storm, remember the stars still shine in their courses, unmoved. (20:31) You can too. (20:33) Rest isn’t laziness.

(20:35) It’s faith in the one who keeps the universe spinning while you sleep. (20:42) Number five, shine for him. (20:45) Matthew 5, verse 14.

(20:47) You are the light of the world. (20:50) Reflect day four’s light. (20:53) Day four’s brilliance wasn’t meant to stop with the stars.

(20:57) It flows through you. (20:59) In a dark age where despair creeps, lies spread, and hope flickers, God calls you to direct his light. (21:09) God calls you to reflect his light.

(21:13) You’re not a dim bulb. (21:16) You’re a beacon, lit by the creator himself. (21:20) Shine at the grocery store with a kind word, at school with integrity, at home with patience.

(21:27) The stars don’t apologize for glowing. (21:30) Neither should you. (21:32) When the world squints at your face, let them see day four’s glory in your courage, your joy, (21:41) your love.

(21:43) You’re not just a witness to his triumph. (21:46) You’re proof of it. (21:48) Day four wins.

(21:51) Starlight is no riddle. (21:53) It’s God’s glory, lit in a day. (21:57) 6,000 years ago, science can’t touch that miracle.

(22:02) It’s his. (22:04) Look up. (22:05) The heavens shout.

(22:07) Our God reigns. (22:09) And that’s my sermon. (22:11) If anyone needs to come forward, the invitation is being extended.

(22:16) Come while we sing.