[P]REVIEW

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GENESIS  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  43:21
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We jump back into our series on Genesis with a [p]review of Genesis 1-3.

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amen What we're getting back into Genesis and I want to do this morning a review, but it's really a preview. Gun review Genesis 1 2 3 which we study through at the end of last year last decade really, but who's counting through the Book of Genesis together?

I've had several people ask me. Why why why are we doing Genesis? And why would we want to spend the amount of time in Genesis that we're going to

Far too often we treat the Bible like it's a dictionary or a handbook or an encyclopedia how to manual we got a problem. We pull out of concordance. Have you don't know what a concordance is Google? It's alright. What does the Bible say about fill in the blank that way? Yes, you can find useful information. And yes God can use that but the Bible is not A how to book it's not a handbook. It's not an instruction manual. It's not an encyclopedia or a dictionary. The Bible is a story. It's a story. It's not it's not even really our story all the work were a big part of it. But it's God's story. It's the story of God and his interaction with his people and I'm absolutely convinced that I find it incredibly tragic, but I'm absolutely convinced that not only as a culture but as as a church the church culture in the west we lost the storyline of the Bible. We just lost it narrowed it. We've reduced it. The storyline of the Bible is well, Jesus came in and he died and he rose again. If you believe in him when you die, you don't go to hell and you float off to some place called Heaven. That's the story and every everything else is just kind of fluff and in the important thing is to get people to understand those few facts and then pray a prayer or walking a mile and that's the storyline of the Bible and and Church that none of that is untrue. But it's certainly not the storyline of the scripture. There's so much more. And the reality is that for many in the church today the Old Testament makes us uncomfortable. It just does it's like that weird uncle that shows up at your family really, you know. Or that's that grandparents that you didn't know very well and and you didn't see very often and then you go visit them at holiday and they want to like kiss you and hug you and that you're you know, you're supposed to because they're your relatives, but at the end of the day, you don't really know them or want to do that. I think that's kind of the relationship. A lot of people have with the Old Testament. Like I know it's important and it's there but it makes me uncomfortable and awkward cuz there's some weird stuff in it and if you think

I mean, there's some weird and crazy and uncomfortable. And so we often treat it like that strange relatives. Yeah, it's here. It's important but I don't just read the gospels. Why don't we just see what Paul had to say? Let's just focus on the New Testament. Let me let me explain why we need Genesis better yet. Let me let me Let Jesus explain it for us Luke chapter 24. This is after the resurrection of Christ. Apple verse 36 it says it as they were talking about these things the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus himself stood among them. They're standing around talking and then there's Jesus awesome and freaky and he says that but he's like to be with you. Don't freak out, right?

But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. Said to them. Why are you troubled cuz you just died.

Are you troubled and why do dogs arrive in your heart cuz everybody we know who dies doesn't come back.

Jesus says see my hands.

Touch me and see a spirit does not have Flesh and Bones as you see that I have and when he had said this he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieve for joy and were marveling he said to them I'm kind of hungry.

It's been a rough three days.

I think about it that part of it. I think he's showing them. I'm really nauseous. I'm actually eating but this is this is funny to me like you got to imagine this thing. Have you ever been in a situation where you with a bunch of people and you're the only one eating or they're the only one eating it's always kind of awkward and weird and funny and trying to talk and chew and I'm hungry anybody got anything and they got a Lunchable here for you. It's like they give him a piece of broiled fish and he took it and ate it before them staring at him which you would do if you just saw somebody come back from the dead. They're just watching him. He's just sitting there eating. It's like, how's it going feeder? Hear it hear it listen. Then he said to them. These are my words that I spoke to you. I was still with you. That everything written about me. In the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be the fill tank at everything written about me and what we call the Old Testament what I like to call the Hebrew scripture the threefold designation that was common in the day of Jesus and still is today a month at most used the law of Moses talk about me and all that. They talked about me this all had that happened. They explain what's just happened.

He says then he opened up their minds to understand the scriptures in this this is what I pray for everyday. This is what I hope you pray for it. We need Jesus to open up our minds to understand the scriptures better understand. What scriptures is he talking about? He's talking about Genesis. He's talking about the law stuff in Leviticus. He's talking about the genealogy. He's talking about the Poetry. He's talking about the things that make us uncomfortable talking about all of those things in the Hebrew scriptures exist. He helped them understand he said to them that's what is written that the Christ should suffer on the third day rise from the dead and that repentance for the Forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to All Nations beginning from Jerusalem. The gospel does not just show up in Matthew. Gospels getting start when Jesus came and a dice and Rose against the gospel has been growing and developing from the very beginning and Jesus coming is the Fulfillment of it.

Want to know and understand the gospel. We don't start in the New Testament. We got to start at the beginning of the story. If you get the beginning of a story wrong, what are your chances of understanding what's happening in the middle or the end of the story? Not very good.

Nepal had a young protege young man named Timothy Gifted Man Came From a good family. You've been taught and trained in the scriptures since he was a young man. He grew up eating the word of God. What were the New Testament? Grew up with Genesis he grew up with Exodus and he grew up with the prophets in the Psalms. He that's what he fed on as a child. And as it as a Young Man Paul sent him to lead a very difficult church and Paul wrote him a letter to encourage him and 2nd Timothy chapter 3. This is what Paul says to him. He says but as for you continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus the king. Listen to what Hall of Fame you're in a tough place, but right now. Dance with the one who brung you you grown up in the scriptures the Hebrew scriptures you grown up with this Old Testament story and as a young man, they taught you something and listen to what Paul says they taught you they made you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus the king.

That what you get when you read the Old Testament.

That's what we're supposed to get when we consider and contemplate Genesis or song or Joshua or any of these Hebrew scriptures because they are all ultimately pointing to him and they have the ability to make us wise to understand the Salvation can only come through Jesus the king.

That's why we're going to be in Genesis for a wee bit. Because we got to get the story, right? And we got to get it right from the beginning. I want us to review and what we're going to see is that in the structure of the Book of Genesis Genesis 1 2 3 serves as a microcosm of all that's going to come later not just in the Book of Genesis, but actually in the in the throttle first five books leading up to what comes afterwards Genesis 1 2 3 is this little mini preview of everything that's going to come afterwards. That's what we're going to do. This morning is both review, but we're also previewing everything that's going to come to the rest of Genesis because what we see in Genesis 1 2 3 is going to happen over and over and over again, but it's going to spiral downward. What we see in Genesis 23 is going to keep happening over and over again, but it's going to increase and get worse. Get worse and get worse than get worse until it finally gets better. So we have been looking at. Genesis 1:3 through this this lens of four fundamental questions for fundamental questions of any world view. We've got to be able to answer. These questions within the framework of our faith. If we want to have any hope of making sense. Of what it means to follow Jesus and being able to share that with others and their the fundamental issues of any good story you think about it? These are the fundamental issues of any story if we're going to understand the storyline of scripture. We got to understand these four things. So here's the four questions. Where are we? What is this place that were in where did come from? What's it? Like what's its nature? How's it supposed to work? Are we? I wasn't mean to be a human like a who who are is there anything unique about us where we come from Winter stand anything about our purpose? Who are we and this is you don't have to live very long time or stand this. What is wrong? What what's wrong with you people?

What's wrong with the man? I see in the mirror everyday, what's wrong? We all know there's something wrong. What should I wear to come from? Why is it wrong? And then lastly is there any hope where is it going? Is there any hope for the Brokenness to be repaired? He is there a future. Is there a direction these are the four fundamental questions and issues of worldview in the Bible in Genesis 1 2 3 really lays them out for us. Let's let's remind ourselves of what we've seen in the text. First of all, where are we question of environment? And the answer that were given is that we are in a kingdom. We're in a sing all the God create sin Genesis chapter 1 Genesis chapter 2 narrative is really clear on a couple of things and there's lots of things we could argue about there's lots of things. It's not clear about that. There's a few things. It's very clear on one is this God is the creator of

He's a create everything that exists. That's what Genesis 1:1 says in the beginning. God created the heavens and the Earth. What is above and what is below? What is immaterial? And what is material? What is Supernatural? And what is natural anything that exists it exists because God made it now the text does not tell us how he made it. It doesn't answer any of our scientific materialistic questions about process or procedure. It's simply States and declares if it exists it exists because God made it. God is the Creator and as the Creator he is the rightful Sovereign ruler over creation. This is something everybody can agree on if you want to read and study Genesis 1 2 3. It's. And it's kind of playground rules, right? My ball. My court my rules a kingdom.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth in verse to it says this the Earth was without form and void and darkness was over the face of the deep in the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. The Earth was without form and void Hebrew tohu vavohu. It is it's poetic language rhyme translated into English He translates that wild and waste that keeps that alliteration going desert Wilderness Barren places. In other words that it's an idea in Hospice in hospital to help somebody help me. Yeah, but in hospitality.

We'll go with that.

I need another cup of coffee. You can't live there. How's that? All right. That's the point. It doesn't facilitate life. It's this chaos. It's disorder. It's if it does not sustain or support life. It's a desert. It's a weird kind of desert because of this one was said and and and darkness was over the face of the deep deep Waters cover in it. He's got a desert by water. The strangest damn desert you've ever seen are so beautiful there. So poetic there, so

Fascinating to me when you think about places that don't support life think of the extreme the desert.

And the ocean these are places that don't support and facilitate life without our modern advances. It's not possible to live in 120 degrees very well. When you think about a desert you think about an ocean Peter places that don't allow life to flourish and for the description here in this Wilderness covered by water. The whole point is life doesn't flirt but they're in the midst of it is the spirit of God. What does what does God do God speaks? He brings order Hebrew Genesis right on page one. It tells us that there is a God who has the desire and the will and the power and the wisdom and the creativity to turn disorder and chaos and darkness into order and beauty and Life to take something that's inhospitable for humans. I said it and turn it into something where humans can flourish.

This is what God is building.

brings order from chaos in the rest of Genesis chapter 1 is a dysfunctional Narrative of how he does that I'm on day one you created time Monday to increase the basis for weather Monday 3. He creates the basis for the production of food and agriculture all the basic stuff that we need for Lifetime weather and food and then after trade in the environment, he fills them. What God does the orders and structures he creates these environments and then she fills them. So the answer to the question, where are we? What is the environment we find ourselves in we find ourselves in God's creation in God's kingdom which is made to function and order to produce life and beauty. and lights

on behalf of those who got correct? That's what Genesis one tells us about where we are. And then it begins to tell us a little bit about who we are. It tells us about our Essence a dark or at our Essence in our DNA. Hey, we are made as imagers. Divine Images who are created only reflect who God is but to imitate who God Is by joining him in his work. No, we're not. The only imager. This is important. We see this in Genesis 1:26. Then God said let us make man in our image. I'm just not God talking to himself in the Royal plural. This is God speaking to other creatures not Earthly creatures, but Divine supernatural creatures. We often call them angels angels are one type of these Divine beam. There's many types of divine beings that we see in the scripture where God says to his Divine Council. He says, let's make another imager not a immaterial spiritual imager. Let's make unearthly Imager. Let's make man in our image.

Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the bridge to the heavens over the livestock and over the Earth and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image in the image of God. He created him male and female he created them. Maybe image the word there literally is it means statue? When you read in the Old Testament in NEC about the Canaanites were the moabites of these other these other people that worship these other gods and they built idols. Add gold and wood and stone they carve out an idle if that's that's the same word an image their carving out a statue of that God. Back, the Israelites were commanded not ever to make another image of God. They were you couldn't walk into the temple in Jerusalem or the Tabernacle in the wilderness and see a statue of God. Why why did God forbid them from making a carved image of statue? Cuz God is already made one.

We are the living statues. Bosch him to demonstrate who he is and there's something just so beautiful and profound in in in verse 27 here. God created Man In His Image now, that's not male. That's human. Create an image of himself that he created. We got Ducks. We got platypus. We got duck-billed platypuses. We got all sorts of crazy. But there's one creation that is made in God's image, man. Again, not mail mankind human so we got create an imager he creates one. But how does he create them male and female he created them in other words for God's to make an image of himself that accurately reflects who he is.

Who makes one but they're really two. Are you starting to pick up on some memes? Let him sink in male and female he created them. God bless.

That's what God wants to do. That's what God does that's God's intent and purpose in his creation. God creates for multiply fill the Earth and subdue it rule over it the fish in the sea the birds of the heavens over everything that moves on the earth. We are made as Gods images to rule in relationship with God. Just get this straight. God takes the Wild and waste and channels it in a direction. It would never go on its own and when he doesn't it creates order and beauty and life. He been makes a creature that is his image in that created realm and that creature is given the same task that preacher-man X is to take the raw materials and potential of God's creation and steer it towards order and beauty and life.

Aren't you off and we read Genesis 1 2 3 and we think man God was bored and lonely. And he created a bunch of naked vegetarians and put them in a garden. Just sit around and not do much. And that's not the story. They were naked. They were in a garden, but what is a garden? A garden is something that takes the raw potential and resources of creation and organizes and shapes and in tears for it so that it will produce more it take an avocado tree avocado tree. It will grow beautiful. Sweet delicious avocado. It will just drop off the tree and you pick him up and eat him. An avocado tree leave it by itself. It will maybe produce a couple other trees. But mankind made in the image of God, we come with our intelligence our creativity. We we we we learn the nature of how the trees grow bass and how that we create Orchards. We make sure that the nutrients are in the soil. We make sure that water is consistent. We organize week. We pull weeds. We we we make sure that other things aren't going that are going to compete and then all sudden out we have taken the raw material is a avocado tree and we create these avocado Orchard and now it's guacamole for everybody.

If it's a simple silly example, but this is what mankind is called to do. We called to join God in his task of taking chaos and turn it into order taking darkness and bringing light of taking things that God has created and asses imagers joining him in the work of shaping it in such a way that it produces human flourishing. Not just human flourishing, but the flourishing of all of God's creation. That is Who We Are.

Well, we know that something is wrong. the question of evil

and it's an issue of idolatry. When we talked about evil, we're so quick in the Church of the West specially my evangelicals and Protestants. We just talked about Sin.

I don't think we have an understanding of what sin is. Or worse than comes from or how it actually functions. the answer in Genesis 1 2 3 is that at the core of sin is idolatry? The Bible is a story and it's the story of God the Creator. Who is the king over his creation? The major plot twist that takes place in Genesis chapter 3 is not that Adam and Eve break a rule. I think you break a rule, but that's that's not the point. It's not that they break a rule. It's at they make a choice. about how into God's kingdom should be ruled by. The god the story is it's God's kingdom. God Wants to Rule it with Humanity. The story of chapter three of the snake in the fruits and the rule don't eat from this tree. It's not just about a rule. It's about the moral responsibility that we have is God's images will we choose to trust that God is the one who defines? What is good? You can't read Genesis chapter 1 and not get that right. It was good. It was good. It was good. It was good. It was good. It was good. It was very good. What's the point of this? God knows what is good? If you want to know and again good doesn't just mean warm fuzzy and pleasant. It means it works. When God makes something it works its functions. It does what it's supposed to in the point of that is if you want to know how God's kingdom is supposed to work you got to do a God's way God's defines. What good is The tree of knowledge of Good and Evil in the middle of it. simply

the natural consequence if God is the one that defines what what good is Then there is another way. There's an option. I'm trying to find good some other way. And that's the Temptation that comes to them. The Temptation is not eat the fruit. The Temptation is there's a better good. Then God's good. And you can have it right? That's that's in the serpent said to the woman. You will not surely die. This is not a talking snake. It's been a lot of time trying to talk and demonstrate. This is a Divine spiritual B. That is leading fomenting Rebellion against God you surely not die. God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God knowing good and evil Genesis chapter 1 God knows what good is the Temptation is you don't need him to know. What good is you can Define good for yourself?

You know when we keep walking through the storyline of the scripture. This is what we see over and over and over again. They did what was right in their own eyes. How's that work out for them? There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it always leave see what the death it's not interesting because God said on the day that you eat of it. You will most surely die. God. God knows. What good is God is good. The Temptation wasn't to eat a fruit that Temptation. Was there something better than God at the end of the day it was idolatry. Underneath every sin is idolatry.

God is in that one. Who knows what good is woman saw that the tree was good for food. That was a delight to the eyes and the tree was desired to make one wise. She took some of his fruit and ate and she also gave some to her husband to his with her and he ate the eyes of both of them were open if they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves. We as God's imagers. Rejected him as the rightful ruler and Rebelle bringing about ruin and death.

That's what's wrong. What's wrong is we're trying to take God's kingdom and turn it into our kingdom. We are Rebels.

We're living in a rebellion. We have our own personal Rebellion. I want to do things my way. We have our own political rebellions. We have it happens in every way. We we anytime we are not rightfully acknowledging God as The Sovereign ruler of all of creation. It is his kingdom were in a state of rebellion. And that's when you do things God's way. It is good. What is it? Bring blessing and life and Order and beauty and lights. When you Rebel and go against God's ways and do things a different way. What do you get chaos and darkness and death and destruction.

This is the story of Genesis 1 2 3. God made a kingdom God put his images in the kingdom and those images rejected him as the definition of good and something else and that's Choice brought death. Everything God does is to bring life? Everything our Rebellion did is to bring death.

So, what's our Our Hope? Where are we going the question of eschatology future thing?

We discovered here Grace. He's so many people believe that there's Grace in the New Testament and the Old Testament is just a law find a real law. The first 67 chapters of the Hebrew scriptures many exciting narrative story.

We often have this misunderstand his grace and the New Testament law in the Old Testament. Jesus is nice the Old Testament. God is angry.

Yeah, he is angry because he loves. And Grace doesn't appear in Jesus. Grace is Manifest in Jesus. Grace is right from the beginning, please think about the story like they eat the fruit. What does got to do that was two things. 1 he brings about cursing. Batu he provides think they realize that they're naked God kills and animal makes coverings clothing for them. the cover them in their naked there is Grace everywhere in the Hebrew scripture. Genesis is a book of Grace. The story should go radically different. They should eat the fruit. Should go you ate the fruit. And open up a can. That's what should happen.

That's right. Don't you deserve that? I know what I deserve. I know what date is there instant immediate death? Destruction would anyone accuse God if he just wiped out the whole human race and start over from scratch? Nobody have an accusation against them they deserve it. It's not what he does. He provides for the me makes garments. He removes them from the garden so they can eat the tree of life and remain in that condition forever. He puts it scary Ninja cherubim at the entrance so they can't get back in God's takes

even in the midst of cursing actually got never curses them.

The curse is not to the man or to the woman. There's consequences. The curse is twofold one The Serpent and to the land. Let's look at this this verse Genesis 3 15. I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your Offspring and her Offspring and he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.

Serpent this Divine supernatural being who has rejected God he commits idolatry and invites Adam and Eve into there. I draw a tree. God comes to the serpent and he says this this is what God says. I'm going to put stripe entity Warfare intense hatred. between you and the woman interesting Literally, it's the woman that has the conversation. It's the woman that eats the fruit and give it to her husband. So now God comes and says, alright, you want to you want to mess with the woman? You're going to mess with a woman. And it's not going to go well for you.

It's not going to go out for you you're going to have seed. And she's going to have see you're going to have Offspring and she's been have offspring of this is not little snake people running around.

This is what I think they're going to be those that come from the woman that will trust me and walk in my ways and there's going to be others that come that they're going to be like you serpent. They're going to disobey me. They're not going to trust me. They're going to be idolatrous and there's going to be conflict between those who trust God and those who don't trust God going to be this Cosmic conflict.

This Is Us He says and he now we get to singular. There's going to be one Offspring that's going to come. And he he's not going to fight The Offspring of the serpent. That's kind of what you would expect. So God sent his going to Warfare between the seat of Serpent and see the woman and then his offspring is going to come and he's going to just he's going to destroy all the is. He will he will bruise your head. Let's go right at the serpent.

As well as we continue walking through Genesis. You got up. We have to read it through a lens that acknowledges the reality of supernatural beings and Rebellion. That what we're experiencing and participating in is more than just the natural world. God's promises hear the Wonder a seed of the woman is going to come and he will strike. the Hebrew word shoe illiterate shoot shoot your head

How do you shoot the head of a serpent?

And at the same time he will shoot same word. Sugar Hill listen to just think about what's being said here.

Think about what's being said here one day. A seed of the woman will come. and he will

Serpent the instigator the originator of idolatry and rebellion and at the same time. that serpent was strike C Edwards the killing blow of the serpent will also result in the killing blow up the sea.

It if you don't see the beauty of the Gospel in that. I don't know if you're paying attention.

Play from the beginning. This is what God says is coming. Do you see the grace in the It's not it's not a passive Grace. It's not a Grace where God says I know you blew it, but let's just pretend it didn't happen.

Grace is the active power of God on our behalf. Grace is God doing for us what we can't or won't do for ourself will not give up on his plans to have all of creation be his kingdom ruled over by him in partnership with his imagers. There is no plan B. This is what God will accomplish That's it snow play me. This is Genesis 1 2 3.

God is a god of order.

God is a god of life. God is a god of good. And God loves to bring blessing. At the same time in Genesis 1 2 3 we see. That when we reject God and his order we get chaos. If we turn from God and his life we receive death. If we ignore or tried to find good on our own we end up with evil.

and when we forsake the blessing of God we end up living in the curse. This is not just a story of Genesis 1 2 3. It's the story of Genesis. It's the story of the Hebrew scriptures. It's the story of the New Testament. It's the story that you and I are living today. That's why we study Genesis. So we can get the story, right? So that we can understand that when Jesus comes he doesn't appear out of nowhere. He is the promise the filament of Genesis 3 15. He is the seed that strikes The Serpent and sets us free from the power of sin and death Jesus is God's grace manifest for to us with us as one of us so that the Rebellion can be put down and at the same time we can be rescued and transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of the Beloved son. This is the story of the gospel. God will not give up. on his creation

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