Genesis 1-11, Faithful & True Introduction

Over the last few months I have developed some hopes that I have for us as a church this year as we preach and study through the Word. I am praying and hoping that, Lord willing, when we finish this series at the end of the year the following will have occur. I am praying and hoping for us…

To see, know, and love God more and more for His covenant love, undeserving grace, and overwhelming mercy.

Everything we read and study in the Bible should result in an increasing vertical relationship with God and impact our horizontal relationship with others.

To learn the primary story (Meta-narrative) and themes of the Bible so that you better understand the Word and therefore better know the Lord.

Each book of the Bible and what it contains is a part of bigger and complete revelation from God to man.

To see and celebrate the truth that Christ is at the center of all that God is doing so that He can be at the center of all that you are doing.

Without a solid understanding of the whole of Scripture it can be hard to see how the OT points us to Christ. One of my hopes is that we will all see how the promises God made from the Garden of Eden, to the dry land after the flood, to the plains of Ur where Abraham left from, to the crossing of the Red Sea with Moses, to the crossing of the Jordan with Joshua and Caleb, and the to building of the temple all lead to Christ.

The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself and His redemptive plan to us… and that is of massive importance as we come to the first chapters of the first book of the Bible: Genesis.

Without the Bible we do not know God and His gospel of salvation.

I know that can be a tough statement to consider, but the Bible itself tells us that this is true. Romans 1 teaches us that creation in and of itself does not provide a saving knowledge of God. But, according to Romans 1 creation provides a sufficient witness to condemn man.

Romans 1:18–25 (CSB)

“18 For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, 19 since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse. 21 For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. 24 Therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.”

Paul points out that God’s wrath is poured out on all people who suppress the truth of God and His righteousness. He states that what can be known about God is evident because He has shown it to them. He has demonstrated His eternal power and divine nature through creation from the very beginning. As a result Scripture says in Romans 1:20 that, “People are without excuse.”

This means that regardless of what anyone man has heard, he is condemned by God because of his unrighteousness. And, because of his unrighteousness/sin mankind has exchanged the truth for a lie, claimed to be wise, and instead is foolish. Because of sin mankind worships what has been created instead of the creator.

In fact, that’s one of the things I believe undergirds the beginning of Genesis.

Genesis introduces us to the beginning, and in the beginning there was God.

Moses writes in Genesis 1:1 (CSB), “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

What was true in Romans 1 was true in Egypt when God delivered Israel, and it is true today. Moses testifies in the Genesis to who God is. Throughout the book of Genesis Moses introduces the God who made everything, explains why things are the way they are, and shares why God was doing all that He was doing.

Quick Intro to Genesis:

Genesis was written by Moses. Moses wrote Genesis after the exodus of Israel from Egypt and before he died. (1400’s BC) Moses writes Genesis to establish who God is, what He has done, the promises He has made, and to preserve the good news for all generations.

The Israelites had been living in Egypt for hundreds of years. The Egyptians had a pantheon of gods and goddesses, and the 10 major ones are:

Geb- God of the Earth

Ra- Sun God

Nut- Goddess of the Sky

Hapi- God of the Nile

Heket- Goddess of Fertility

Khepri- God of Creation, movement of the sun, and rebirth

Hathor- Goddess of Love & protection

Isis- Goddess of Medicine & peace

Seth- God of Storms and Disorder

Pharoah- Ultimate Power of Egypt

We will examine these 10 again, and I definitely encourage you to take some time and consider the connection between these 10 gods and the plagues that freed Israel from Egypt. In the same way that God used their gods against them with the plagues, Moses teaches the Israelites that the real God is the maker of everything the Egyptians worshipped.

The book of Genesis is one of five books that Moses wrote. These are the first five books of the Bible and they serve as a foundation to the revelation of God to us. These books are know as the Pentateuch and together they provided God’s people with information, instructions, and inspiration that prepared them for the promised land, and ultimately the coming of the promised Messiah.

Genesis teachings us about creation, but it is not about creation. Genesis is about the God of creation.

Now, there is no denying that Genesis is the beginning of the Bible and that at the beginning of the Bible we have what happens at the beginning: Creation.

But, there are 50 chapters in Genesis and only the first two are dedicated to the creation account. I would guess that many know more about these two chapters than the rest of the book. It’s possible that many people know Genesis 1-2 better or as well as they know any passage of Scripture in the Bible. But, familiarity does not mean centrality.

The central theme to the book of Genesis is Jesus, because Genesis is the beginning of the God’s story, and Jesus is at the center of God’s story- The Gospel. Now I know that Jesus is not named in the book of Genesis, but He is the reason for the book.

Everything that starts in Genesis is completed and fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

I love how D.A. Carson points to Revelation 21 as a filter through which to consider the

Revelation 21:1–5 (CSB)

To a people who had lived in captivity as slaves in Egypt, Moses writes to them about the beginning. And through the beginning they are better able to understand their place in God’s story as they make their way to the promised land.

This is true for us, the better we understand the beginning and the end of Scripture the better we are able to understand our place God’s story as we make our way to the promised land of eternity.

Genesis is the beginning of a story that spans all of Scripture. This is a story that has a beginning, a problem, a solution, and an ending.

This story is known as the Gospel, and it can be divided into four corresponding categories known as Creation, the Fall, Redemption, and Consummation.

Creation

Genesis 1-2

God was, is, and will be

God made the world and all that is in it.

God made the world the way that the Bible says.

There is one Adam, there is one Eve, and all the world is one human race with Adam and Eve as first parents.

Fall

Genesis 3

Sin came into the world through Adam. I know that serpent tempted Eve, but Adam was present and Adam was responsible. He sins by abdicating his role and by eating the fruit. This is why the world is stained by Adam’s sin and not Eve’s.

The serpent (Satan) tempted them to sin, but he did not make them sin.

Genesis 4 Cain and Abel

Cain murders his brother in pride and anger

Genesis 5 Seth to Noah

This is the line of faithfulness from Seth to Noah

Genesis 6- The depth of despair and the decree of God’s judgment

At this point in the history of the world unspeakable things are occurring and the Lord has had enough of the wickedness of men.

Genesis 6- God warns Noah & Promises judgement and salvation

As God warns Noah He also pronounces judgment on the world. God provides a way of escape or salvation to Noah through the building of the Ark. Noah obeys.

Genesis 7- Noah in the Ark and the Flood of God’s Judgment

God places Noah and his family in the Ark and then floods the world. All living men and land creatures are wiped from the face of the planet. The only ones left are Noah, his descendants, and the animals on the ark with him.

Genesis 8- God keeps His promise to Noah

God remembers Noah after the floods receded and opens the door to the ark. Noah makes an altar and worships the Lord and begins to fulfill the Lord’s instructions.

Genesis 9- God makes a covenant with Noah and all future generations

God promises to never flood the earth again. This promise prepares us from the coming final judgment of the earth at the end of the age. But, we have the promise and the sign of the rainbow that remind us of the promise God made to Noah and all future generations.

Genesis 10-11- The nations multiply from Noah’s descendants and they build the tower of Babel.

As the nations multiply so does sin. The eventual result is the tower of Babel. God confuses their languages, births the nations, and scatters them throughout the earth.

Genesis 11- From the many nations God calls one to be the blessing to them all. (The line of Abram)

From the scattering of nations God calls to Abram to go and follow Him. We will look more at this next week.

Redemption

In the same story that shows us the beginning of the problem of sin, we see the first steps in the solution, God’s plan of redemption through Christ.

Genesis 3 God covers their guilt and shame

When Adam and Eve sinned, God came looking for them. He called them out from hiding, led them through confession, and then killed an animal to make clothing for them. The consequence of sin is unavoidable. But, even in this moment we see the compassion and mercy of God to cover their guilt and shame. This is a foreshadowing of the sacrificial system that God would give Israel and the first glimpse of the manner by which God would overcome sin and death- the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Genesis 3 God promises a son who will overcome the serpent, sin, and death.

Even in the judgment God gives to Adam, Eve, and the Serpent there is the whisper of Jesus. God promises that one day the woman would give birth to a son… the serpent would bruise his heal, but the son would crush the head of the serpent. That son is Jesus Christ. The cross is the bruise and the empty grave is the crushing of the serpents head!

Genesis 5 Seth is born to provide a line of faithfulness to replace what was lost in Abel. Cain’s line leads to the cities that lead the judgment of God that results in the flood. Seth’s line results in faithful generations that include godly men like Enoch (Who walked with God and was taken up to be in the presence of God.), Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah.

Genesis 6-9 Noah and his family are carried through the judgment of the world in the Ark. This is a precursor to Christ. Those who have faith in Christ are carried through the final judgment of the world in Jesus like Noah was carried through the flood in the Ark.

Genesis 10-11 God scatters the nations for His glory so that one day in Christ He will gather them back together for His glory.

Genesis 11- Out of the confusion of Babel, God calls a man named Abram to be a blessing to all nations. Jesus Christ is that promised blessing.

Consummation

This is the fulfillment of God’s promises. This is the undoing of sin, the gaining of what was lost in the garden. This is the hope that we have and the promise that we have in Christ. The consummation of God’s work is the full and better Eden, Promised Land, Temple, etc. Revelation 21-22 give us a glimpse of the final working of God’s redemptive plan. Let me read a long section of the Bible in hopes that God stirs in your heart as you hear of what He has promised.

Revelation 21-22:1- (CSB)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. 3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne:, Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples,, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. 5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life. 7 The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son. 8 But the cowards, faithless, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” 9 Then one of the seven angels, who had held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me: “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 He then carried me away in the Spirit, to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11 arrayed with God’s glory. Her radiance was like a precious jewel, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. 12 The city had a massive high wall, with twelve gates. Twelve angels were at the gates; the names of the twelve tribes of Israel’s sons were inscribed on the gates. 13 There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. 14 The city wall had twelve foundations, and the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb were on the foundations. 15 The one who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out in a square; its length and width are the same. He measured the city with the rod at 12,000 stadia. Its length, width, and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall, 144 cubits according to human measurement, which the angel used. 18 The building material of its wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold clear as glass. 19 The foundations of the city wall were adorned with every kind of jewel: the first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates are twelve pearls; each individual gate was made of a single pearl. The main street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass. 22 I did not see a temple in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it., 25 Its gates will never close by day because it will never be night there. 26 They will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it., 27 Nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Revelation 22:1–5 (CSB)

“Then he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the city’s main street. The tree of life was on each side of the river, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations, 3 and there will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 Night will be no more; people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

Whew… can you see it? Can you see how from the very beginning God has been working all things to this end? Can you see how through Adam, Seth, Enoch, and then Noah that God is solving the problem of sin with the promise of Christ? And isn’t it amazing?!

Let’s land the plane and put a few big truths and applications in front of us for today:

There is only one God and He is the God revealed in the Bible.

All other religions are false, not lesser. Religion is not a matter of degrees, it is a matter of truth.

The God of the Bible is the one who is faithful and true.

Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s plan to redeem and restore the world.

Eden- Jesus

Ark- Jesus

Tower of Babel- Jesus

Where the people of the earth were building themselves up to be equal with God and were scattered into different languages and nations; Jesus has humbled himself to save us and unite all nations

Philippians 2:8–11 (CSB),8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In the end, when all is said and done the chaos and confusion of the nations that came out of Babel is undone and united in Christ.

Revelation 7:9 (CSB)

9 After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands.

The creation account is essential to the gospel.

Without a literal Adam, we don’t need a literal Jesus.

Scripture tells us in Romans 5:12–15 (CSB) sin came into the world through Adam, but that through Christ the gift of God’s grace has come to us. Death came through the first Adam and life comes through the second Adam (Jesus Christ).

God’s plan before the fall is our pursuit after faith.

Through sin mankind rebels against God’s design and plan. This rebellion against God’s design and plan is sin. Presently under attack:

This applies to:

Marriage (including roles)

Sexuality

Gender

*Chart of before the fall/after the fall

Church

**Even in the church the roles of leadership are built on the design and patter God gives us in creation. In the same way that the husband is the head, pastors are also to be men. (Not all men have authority over all women, that is in marriage. Pastors are to exercise the authority of the Word, not a personal authority. And in both situations the leader is held accountable to present the bride (wife and church) to the Father without blemish or any such thing… just as Christ does. And, that doesn’t happen without sacrifice, again, just like Christ.

People are without excuse and their only hope is the gospel delivered by a church on mission.

Romans 1 makes it clear that we are all without excuse. Adam has sinned and the human race and all of the world are now under the curse of sin. We have exchanged the truth of God with a lie and worship the created rather than the created. This means that every where someone doesn’t worship God through faith in Jesus Christ we must take the gospel. This means that we must answer the call of God to follow Him and make disciples. This also means that God calls some of us out from the church to go and pastor other churches, to serve as ministers in other churches, to start new churches, to serve as missionaries around the world. Everywhere the Spirit of God is at work there are people loving God, growing in grace, giving it all, and living sent. Don’t be afraid to surrender to being sent across the street or across the globe.

Jesus has crossed from the throne room of heaven to the cross of calvary to save you from your sins. Say yes to Him and the direction He has for your life.