Sermon Tone Analysis
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There’s so many ways we could do a Bible overview, because there’s many themes that run throughout the Bible.
But the important thing to remember, however you go do your overview, is that you bear in mind that Jesus Christ is at the heart of the message of the Bible, wherever you happen to look.
Sometimes we give the impression that God had a plan ‘A’, which we read about in the Old Testament.
God’s plan A was that through obedience to the Old Testament law, people would be saved.
However, when that failed, he brought in plan ‘B’ which was Jesus Christ.
Nothing could be further from the truth!
What is exciting about this journey through the Bible, is that it becomes incredibly clear that there was only ever one plan, and that plan was centred around Jesus Christ.
Our journey through the Bible then will be a long one.
We will compress thousands of years of history into about 30 minutes.
We’ll reduce around 800,000 words into less than 3,000.
Like most journey, we’ll start of driving slowly around little local streets near the home, but soon we’ll start speeding down the highways, watching the countryside whizz by.
At a couple of points, we’ll stop to take a rest, or to admire the view, then we’ll quickly be back to full speed.
As we reach the end of the journey we’ll start to slow down once more as we near our destination.
!
A perfect beginning
You know that the Bible begins by telling us how God made the whole universe.
Importantly, running throughout the opening chapters of Genesis is that recurring phrase.
‘And God saw that it was good’.
It’s a very important phrase for two reasons.
First, because it reminds us that there was once a time when that /could/ be said.
Secondly, because it shows us that there is a pinnacle of creation, and we find that in [[chapter 1 and verse 31|Bible:Gen 1:31]].
When God creates man, the creation is complete.
It is finished.
Man has been made in God’s image.
We are not animals, not highly-evolved apes, but we bear a family resemblance to our heavenly father.
All of the creatures were made /by/ God, but only one was made /like/ God.
That means human beings have a dignity and purpose.
God himself sets us above creation, to lovingly rule over it, as [[verse 26|Bible:Gen 1:26]] makes clear.
As our story continues, we’ll that God’s concerns rests with the whole of his creation, but principally with humanity.
But this opening section of Genesis shows us not just the pinnacle of creation, but the goal of creation.
We see that in the beginning of [[chapter two|Bible:Gen 2]].
God rests.
And notice that day seven differs from all the previous days.
Every other day ends with the phrase ‘there was morning, there was evening, the second day’.
But not day seven.
God’s day of rest did not end that first Saturday evening.
God’s work of creation stopped right there at the end of day six.
He continues to sustain the universe, but is creative work was perfectly accomplished, and is over.
He now wants the human beings to share with him in that rest, and enjoy life with him.
Here then, is life as it ought to be.
An unblemished relationship with God.
A wonderful garden to call home.
Sadly, it won’t last long.
!
A painful fall
As we move into Genesis 3, things start to go wrong.
God has made just one rule - they are not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
But one day, Adam and Eve disobey.
They are tempted by the serpent, who distorts God’s words, casts doubt on God’s integrity, and Adam and Eve are taken in.
They are no longer happy to live in God’s rest, no longer happy to have God as their ruler.
They wanted to be like him ([[v4|Bible:Gen 3:4]]).
They want to be able to decide what is good, and what is evil.
So they rebel against God’s authority, and they eat the fruit.
The result?
Primarily, a broken relationship between men and God.
Adam and Eve are ashamed and hide from him when they once walked with him.
But the effects of sin don’t stop there.
The relationship between Adam & Eve is also broken, indeed man’s tendancy towards harshly ruling over women, and women’s desire for independency is a direct consequence of the fall, as [[3:16b|Bible:Gen 3:16]] makes clear.
The relationship between humanity and the rest of creation is also spoilt.
Work will now be difficult and painful ([[3:17-19|Bible:Gen 3:17-19]]).
The land will be an enemy as well as a friend.
The whole of creation has been affected by the fall.
In our long journey through the Bible, we’ve now reached the edge of our housing estate.
We’ve gone fairly slowly through these opening few chapters, but as we approach the open road, we’re going to have to speed up though the next few chapters.
As we continue, we see what a fallen world, and fallen humanity actually looks like.
In Genesis 4, the first child born to sinful Adam and sinful Eve becomes a murderer.
In chapter five we have Adam’s family tree.
It’s interesting for the genealogists, but it’s purpose is deeper than that.
Eight times in that chapter we read, ‘and then he died’.
God had promised back in chapter two that death would come as a result of sin, and [[chapters four and five|Bible:Gen 4-5]] have shown that to be true.
Just in case you still haven’t realised the enormity of the fall, our story continues into [[chapters 6-9|Bible:Gen 6-9]].
Look particularly at [[6:5|Bible:Gen 6:5]]: “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.
The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.”
Imagine reading this for the first time, not knowing the rest of the story.
Imagine being Noah, hearing these words for the first time.
The promised flood, that will destroy the world, except those on the ark.
It’s a terrible judgement, but perhaps this fresh start will solve the problem.
If all the wicked men can be destroyed, surely then the problems of mankind will be over.
Of course you and I know that is not the case.
Even the terrible judgement that was poured out on the day cannot undue the wickedness that is ingrained in men’s hearts.
By the time we get to [[chapter 11|Bible:Gen 11]], the men and women are repeating Adam and Eve’s original mistake - they want to be like God, and so are banished from the land, just like they were.
Genesis 11 marks a low point.
But from now on, things can only get better.
!
A promise of hope
We were a little bit naughty charting our miserable decline in Genesis 3 through [[11|Bible:Gen 11]].
The decline is clearly there, but there are glimmers of light along the way.
For example, in that awful chapter, Genesis 3, where so much damage is done, we musn’t forget [[verse 15|Bible:Gen 3:15]].
Here it is promised that the offspring of the woman will crush the head of the serpent.
It’s only a faint hint of what’s to come, but it’s an encouraging hint, and we know that it is a veiled prophecy of the work of the Lord Jesus, Mary’s son who crushed Satan on the cross.
Did you also notice that anomaly in [[chapter five|Bible:Gen 5]], the chapter of death?
Look at [[verse 24|Bible:Gen 5:24]]: “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”
Even in this fallen world, it /is/ possible to know God, and escape the penalty of death.
By the time we get to [[chapter six|Bible:Gen 6]], the chapter of judgement, we’re introduced to another important concept: grace.
It’s there in [[6:8|Bible:Gen 6:8]] - ‘Noah found grace in the eyes of the lord’.
Our of that grace comes a covenant, or promise ([[v18|Bible:Gen 6:18]]) that judgement will not fall on God’s chosen man.
In [[9:11|Bible:Gen 9:11]] there is another promise: ‘never again will there be a flood’, and there’s a glimmer of a new start in the parallels between chapter [[9:1-3|Bible:Gen 9:1-3]] and [[1:28-9|Bible:Gen 1:28-29]].
Finally, a rainbow is given as the sign of the covenant.
But these glimmers of promise pale into insignificance when faced with the beacon of hope that we see in [[chapter 12|Bible:Gen 12]].
“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
There’s no ambiguity there, is there?
God makes another covenant, with another of his chosen people.
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