How Is Humanity to Relate to Our Creator? | Genesis 2:4-17 | Darien Gabriel
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How Is Humanity to Relate to Our Creator? | Genesis 2:4-17
Series: Chaos to Covenant
Title: “How is Humanity to Relate to Our Creator?”
Scripture: Genesis 2:4-17 NIV
Matthew 4:4; 19:4-5
Bottom line: Humanity relates to our Creator by finding wisdom and life on his terms instead of ours. Humble surrender.
INTRODUCTION
CONTEXT
SERMON OUTLINE
CONCLUSION
NOTES
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
OUTLINES
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
MAIN REFERENCES USED
INTRODUCTION
Perhaps the older of the two versions of creation. Certainly the more personal one. We don't just see God as the massive deity who spoke all creation into existence. We see him here as a personally involved, master craftsman. One who gets his hands dirty and blows the paint dry with his own breath.
The Lord God placed Adam in the garden in Eden with two unique trees.
One gives life abundant and eternal and is given to enjoy and partake.
One gives profoundly moral wisdom but is forbidden.
Let's look at Genesis and ask ourselves 2 questions as we do:
God, what are you saying to me today?
God, what do you want me to do about what you're saying to me today?
CONTEXT
Perhaps the older of the two versions of creation. Certainly the more personal one. We don't just see God as the massive deity who spoke all creation into existence. We see him here as a personally involved, master craftsman. One who gets his hands dirty and blows the paint dry with his own breath.
The Lord God placed Adam in the garden in Eden with two unique trees.
One gives life abundant and eternal and is given to enjoy and partake.
One gives profoundly moral wisdom but is forbidden.
SERMON
Who is God?
What has he done?
Who am I?
What do I get to do?
How?
Sovereign Creator
God has created me in his image on purpose for a purpose.
Someone God personally crafted in his image & breathed life into for his glory & creation's good.
Work & tend his garden right where he placed me for the privilege & blessing that it is.
Work for/serve my Lord God as a priestly-servant in this world from a rhythm & posture of rest where he has sovereignly put/placed me.
YHWH or Lord as in personal, relatable God whose authority & rule I am under.
God placed/put me where I am at rest.
A priestly-servant & protector in the Lord God's world.
I do his priestly-servant work in the garden of this world on his behalf & as his image bearer.
I do his priestly-servant work where I live, work, learn & play on his behalf & as his image bearer. I do it by representing people to God & God to people.
Abundant Provider
Placed me at rest in the middle of abundant resources where I live, work, learn & play.
A priestly-servant & protector fully resourced for the Lord God's work where I live, work, learn & play.
Leverage the Lord God's infinite resources to love God & love people by multiplying image bearers for his glory & our good.
Being a bright, salty image-bearer who's out to nurture the garden of this world like a priestly-servant would: with unconditional love.
Sovereign Wisdom
Given us sovereign wisdom in the form of his word. Also, the freedom to rebel against him.
His beloved; A rebellious former servant with a badly corrupted image of God who's forsaken his priestly-servant role in this world by believing a lie that God cannot be trusted.
Repent & believe that God wants me back & has made a way for me to become his shining & salty image-bearer again.
Repent of my sins against my sovereign creator & believe that he's fully trustworthy as seen in his love shown to me through the cross of Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION
So the applications are laid out there in this chart. But the specific thing that God is calling you to may not be in that chart. You can still repent and believe that he is fully trustworthy. Repent of your sins against the Lord God today. Today is the day of salvation. Turn from your wicked, doubting ways to Christ Jesus as the Lord and Savior of your life. Turn your life over to him today.
Two trees. One that brings life, abundant and eternal. One that brings death when approached on one's own terms.
We either trust God and take him at his word, repeating life, or we go our own way which leads to death. That's the difference between the narrow way and the broad way.
Bottom line: Humanity relates to our Creator by finding wisdom and life on his terms instead of ours. Humble surrender.
Applications:
Invitation
““Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”” Acts 2:36-39 NIV
Bottom line:
What is God saying to me right now?
What am I going to do about it? Write this down on a sheet of paper.
What I hear you saying, Lord, is ___________________.
[my name] is going to believe/do __________________________________________________ as a result.
Finally, share this with your Home or Mission group this week when you gather as a testimony about what God is doing in your life. You don’t have to get too specific to give him praise.
Pray
NOTES
From Wilmington's Bible Handbook:
It's primeval history (universal world history) of the world (universe) made up of 5 stories with the same structure. (1-11)
The Fall
Cain
Sons of God marrying daughters of man
The Flood
Tower of Babel
They all follow this 4-fold pattern:
Sin: the sin is described
Speech: There is a speech by God announcing the penalty for the sin
Grace: God brings grace to the situation to ease the misery due to sin
Punishment: God punishes the sin
Patriarchal history (12-50) or the history of Israel's founding fathers. It continues to reveal the many graces of God based on the gracious promise God made to and through Abraham in Genesis 12:3.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Who is God?
What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?
Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)
What do I get to do? (In light of who I am)
How do I do it?
Let’s ask some summary sermon questions:
Q. What do I want them to know?
A.
Q. Why do I want them to know it?
A.
Q. What do I want them to do about it?
A.
Q. Why do I want them to do it?
A.
Q. How can they begin to do this?
A.
OUTLINES
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Discovery Bible Study process: https://www.dbsguide.org/
Read the passage together.
Retell the story in your own words.
Discovery the story
What does this story tell me about God?
What does this story tell me about people?
If this is really true, what should I do?
What is God saying to you right now? (Write this down)
What are you going to do about it? (Write this down)
Who am I going to tell about this?
Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcast
Alternate Discussion Questions (by Jeff Vanderstelt): Based on this passage:
Who is God?
What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?
Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)
What do I do? (In light of who I am)
How do I do it?
Final Questions (Write this down)
What is God saying to you right now?
What are you going to do about it?
MAIN REFERENCES USED
“Genesis,” by R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word Commentary, Edited by Kent Hughes
Exalting Jesus in Genesis, by Bethancourt
The Genesis Record, by Henry Morris
The Genesis Factor, by David Helms & Jon Dennis
“Look at the Book” by John Piper (LATB)
“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)
“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)
Outline Bible, D Willmington (OB)
Willmington’s Bible Handbook, D Willmington (WBH)
NIV Study Bible (NIVSB) https://www.biblica.com/resources/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/
Chronological Life Application Study Bible (NLT)
ESV Study Bible (ESVSB) https://www.esv.org
The Bible Project https://bibleproject.com
“The Bible in One Year 2023 with Nicky Gumbel” bible reading plan on YouVersion app (BIOY)