Scripture Reading: Genesis 1 | Sabbath: July 20, 2024
Memory Verse: Revelation 21:23
Revelation 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Weekly Proverb: Proverbs 13:18
Proverbs 13:18 Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.
Introduction: For thousands of years people worshipped the sun. They worshipped the thing that gave heat and light. In the light of the scriptures and the wonders shown to Israel, who should we worship?

1. Before the seventy years of captivity, how bad had the religion of Israel become? What were they worshiping? Ezekiel 8:16.
Ezekiel 8:16 And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
2. Through Josiah, what did the great God do for those that worshipped the sun? 2 Kings 23:5, 6, 11.
2 Kings 23:5 And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.
2 Kings 23:6 And he brought out the grove from the house of the Lord, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people.
2 Kings 23:11 And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering in of the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathanmelech the chamberlain, which was in the suburbs, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire.
3. Whose sun is it? Matthew 5:45.
Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
4. Why is it His sun? What is the origin of the sun? Genesis 1:14-19.
Genesis 1:14 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:
Genesis 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
Genesis 1:16 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.
Genesis 1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
Genesis 1:18 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.
Genesis 1:19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
5. The Creator created the sun. Did He create the dwelling place of the sun? Psalm 19:4, (1-6).
Psalm 19:4 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,
6. The sun serves and praises who? Psalm 148:3-5, (Job 9:7).
Psalm 148:3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.
Psalm 148:4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.
Psalm 148:5 Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were created.
7. Do we have a historic example of God commanding his servant? Joshua 10:12-14.
Joshua 10:12 Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
Joshua 10:13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
Joshua 10:14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel.
8. How does Paul show disrespect for the glorious sun? Acts 26:13.
Acts 26:13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.
9. At the second coming of the Messiah, what will be obvious to those that worship the sun? Matthew 24:29.
Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
10. At that time, what human characteristic will the sun display? Isaiah 13:10, Isaiah 24:23.
Isaiah 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
Isaiah 24:23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
11. What position does the sun hold in the eternal kingdom? Revelation 21:23, Revelation 22:5.
Revelation 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Revelation 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Conclusion: Today, there probably isn’t anyone who worships the sun directly. We know there are many who worship it indirectly. But, why worship the sun? The sun is God’s creation, His tool, and His servant. Worship the Almighty God who created the sun.