Posts tagged Chaos to Covenant
What Can We Learn from Genesis 5? | Genesis 5:1-32 | Chris Karpus
What Can We Learn from Genesis 5? | Genesis 5:1-32 | Chris Karpus

What can we learn from Genesis 5? What if…?

From Adam to Noah

5 This is the written account of Adam’s family line.

When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God.  2  He created them male and

female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” [a]  when they were created.

3  When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him

Seth.  4  After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.  5  Altogether, Adam

lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.

6  When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father [b]  of Enosh.  7  After he became the father of Enosh,

Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters.  8  Altogether, Seth lived a total of 912 years, and

then he died.

9  When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan.  10  After he became the father of Kenan,

Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters.  11  Altogether, Enosh lived a total of 905 years,

and then he died.

12  When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel.  13  After he became the father of

Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters.  14  Altogether, Kenan lived a total of

910 years, and then he died.

15  When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared.  16  After he became the father of

Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters.  17  Altogether, Mahalalel lived a total

of 895 years, and then he died.

18  When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch.  19  After he became the father of

Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.  20  Altogether, Jared lived a total of 962

years, and then he died.

21  When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.  22  After he became the father of

Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and

daughters.  23  Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years.  24  Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he

was no more, because God took him away.

25  When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech.  26  After he became the father

of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters.  27  Altogether, Methuselah

lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.

28  When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son.  29  He named him Noah [c]  and said, “He will comfort us

in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.”  30  After Noah was

born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters.  31  Altogether, Lamech lived a total of

777 years, and then he died.

32  After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

1. Why pause and study this chapter?

- Our message series are based on a Book of the Bible and not current events or Life Skills 101,

starring Jesus. Genesis 5 is the next passage…it’s in the Bible, so it’s important.

- Our messages are exegetical, not eisegetical…or exegesis vs. eisegesis.

Exegesis - objective interpretation of the text to discover it’s original meaning

Eisegesis - Involves reading one's own ideas into the text, and is not concerned with the

original context.

2. What can we learn from Gensis 5?

- Genesis 5 is the beginning of the next major section of Genesis

- It documents the faithfulness of God as He preserves what would be the bloodline of Jesus, through

Noah’s son, Shem. In that, Genesis 5 presents an early genealogy of the people of God.

- Consider the possibility that this genealogy exists for the sake of the Gospel.

- For those in Christ, it’s an early family tree

- It’s a wide-angle view of redemptive history after the fall

- Genesis 5 connects God’s faithfulness from Adam through Noah and ultimately to all of us who

belong to Him through our faith in Jesus.

- That’s a pretty legit reason for us take a closer look, right?

3. Genesis 5 opens by echoing Chapter 1:

Genesis 5:1-2

When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God.  2  He created them male and

female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” [a]  when they were created.

- Mankind = the human race

- Just a reminder that God created mankind – in His own likeness – male and female and He

blessed them.

4. A unique inclusion in this genealogy is verse 3:

3  When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him

Seth. 

- So just as God fathers Adam and makes humanity in His likeness, so Adam reflects the image

of God by fathering a son who embodies his own likeness and image.

o It seems to really emphasize the importance of this bloodline – which we know now

leads us to Jesus

5. The most shocking aspect of Genesis 5 is that it bluntly documents a series of deaths – reminding us

that things were not the way they were originally designed to be prior to the fall.

Genesis 5:4-5

4  After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.  5  Altogether, Adam lived

a total of 930 years, and then he died.

- So in this chapter, right at the start, we get a heads up to the God-inspired redemption offered

through this bloodline – knowing that this genealogy leads to Jesus, while simultaneously

receiving a sobering reminder of the fall – the reason why redemption through Jesus was

necessary.

It may be a stretch, but I believe the genealogy in Genesis 5 is a very early reminder – in retrospect, of

the reality of Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23

“23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in [a]  Christ Jesus our Lord.”

- those “…and then he died” statements are chilling compared to the life God intended for Adam

and Eve…and all of us.

- from the fall forward, humanity is held in slavery…

Hebrews 2:14-15

“14  Since the children have flesh and blood, he (Jesus) too shared in their humanity so that by his death he

might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—  15  and free those who

all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

-As Adam tastes death as a judgement for sin, Jesus comes as a second Adam, who not only tastes

death, but overcomes it and reverses the curse. “crushes the head of the serpent” from Genesis 3:13

Romans 5:12-17

“12  Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way

death came to all people, because all sinned—

13  To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s

account where there is no law.  14  Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of

Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the

one to come.

15  But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much

more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the

many!  16  Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed

one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought

justification.  17  For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much

more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in

life through the one man, Jesus Christ!”

This genealogy shows us the very beginning of God’s redemptive plan for humanity.

5. There are 25 genealogies in the Bible

- They recount deaths and births

- But uncommon elements seem to stand out – those included people or asides that break from

the typical script – This should catch our attention because it happens for a reason.

- Everyone’s family tree has folks who stand out a little more than others – there’s

something distinct about them.

- Even in Amy’s and my family trees, there are folks that got a bronze metal in the

Olympics (Amy’s), busted Al Capone (also Amy’s), a former president (naturally Amy’s)

and a gangster - former Public Enemy Number 1 (OK…my tree)

6. Adam’s descendent Enoch, born of the line of Seth, was one of those uncommon people…

Genesis 5:21-24

21  When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.  22  After he became the father of

Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and

daughters.  23  Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years.  24  Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he

was no more, because God took him away.

- Up to this point, for each generation, we have a man living a certain number of years,

fathers at least the son mentioned, lives longer, then dies.

- Yet – we have a pause, or disruption with Enoch – why?

- Obviously, Enoch had a close relationship with God. How do we know? Because the text

takes a break from the pattern to tell us that Enoch walked faithfully with God

o It suggests an intimacy unseen since before the Fall

o This “walking with God” suggests a righteousness that comes by faith, and shows us

the intimate relationship we, as Christians, should have with God as described

throughout the New Testament.

- Enoch shows us the difference between being welcomed by God instead of facing death –

rather than die like Adam’s other descendants, Enoch gets taken by God. Hebrews 11:5

shines a little more light on what happened with Enoch:

Hebrews 11:5

5  By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found,

because God had taken him away.” [a]  For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased

God.

- One could say that the faith of Enoch led to the favor of God…for Christians, this might

mean:

- One could say that the Believer’s future is not based on his or her work, but his or her walk

which of course, does include works prepared in advance by God)

- A believer’s future is not based on credentials, but based on character

- It’s defined not by pleasing others, but by pleasing God.

- In fact, Hebrews 11:6 follows saying:

Hebrews 11:6

6  And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that

he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

- God is pleased with those who wholly believe what His word says about Him.

- Also, God rewards those who seek Him

- Enoch also believed that God judges those who reject Him…How do we know this?

Jude 14-15

14  Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon

thousands of his holy ones  15  to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they

have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against

him.”

- What we see in Enoch’s walk was that it was rooted in deepest intimacy with God: he knew

God.

- His walk rested on great faith – he believed in God with his whole heart

- He believed that God would judge and reward all who live

- This doesn’t describe the high point of his life, but his entire life – over 300 years of a

progressively closer walk with God.

- Then “God took him away”

When Enoch was just a young man…365 years old…” he was no more, because God took him away.”

- What are they saying here? How did God just take him?

- Maybe it was similar to how God took Elijah…in a chariot of fire. It DOES sound a little

familiar when 2 Kings 2:11-12 says “…and Elisha saw him no more”

2 Kings 2:11-12

11  As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared

and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.  12  Elisha saw this and cried

out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he

took hold of his garment and tore it in two.

- What we can surmise by this, is that Enoch was taken from earthly life to eternal life.

- God will do the same for us…probably not the same way, but certainly for the same reason

and the same goal…through Jesus

So how does Enoch relate to or inform us as Christians?

- What if what happened to Enoch was to encourage all of us to walk with God.

- What if what happened to Enoch is intended to awaken all of us to the hope of life after

death.

- I would think it awakened something in his contemporaries…hey had a LOT of time to think

about it.

- His son, Methuselah had 969 years to mull this over!

- Even as we discuss Chapter 5 as the beginning of the genealogy of Jesus, before Jesus was

born, we see this hope manifested in some of the greats of the Old Testament:

Job 19:25-27

- 25  I know that my redeemer [a]  lives,

    and that in the end he will stand on the earth. [b]

26  And after my skin has been destroyed,

    yet [c]  in [d]  my flesh I will see God;

27  I myself will see him

    with my own eyes—I, and not another.

    How my heart yearns within me!

Daniel 12:2-3

2  Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to

shame and everlasting contempt.  3  Those who are wise [a]  will shine like the brightness of the

heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

- Don’t these verses foreshadow the New Testament promises of Christ’s return?

SO – How do we walk faithfully with God?

1. Pray – always

a. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

16  Rejoice always,  17  pray without ceasing,  18  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the

will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

- You cannot have a flourishing relationship with someone you don’t talk to.

- Prayer is a time to tell God what is going on in our lives, to ask for guidance and wisdom, to

repent of our sin and to enjoy His presence. It is a time to admit that God is greater than we

are and to trust Him

-

2. Surrender to His will and way of life

a. Galatians 2:20

20  I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me

and gave himself for me.

b. Surrendering your life requires an eternal perspective

- Prayer of Darren’s friend –

o Thank you God for one more day, and thank you God for one less day.

- c. This means surrendering everything you are

- your job

- your family

- your money – your security

- your past, present and future

-

3. Read the Bible

- The inspired word of God

- Psalm 119:105

- “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

- You can’t walk with God in the dark.

4. Live like Jesus

a. Obey His commands

b. 1 John 2:6

“6  whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

- “My dad is my hero”

5. Confession ad Repentance

a. Recognizing and confessing sin

i. The world doesn’t determine what sin is – God does

ii. If you pray, surrender your life to Him, read His word, and live like Jesus, you’ll

recognize the sin in your life, you’ll know what to give Him

iii. He’s already died for it – give it to Him

1 John 1:9

“9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to

cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

iv. How many of us are sitting in a prison cell with door already opened?

v. Walk out of the cell that Jesus opened, and walk with God.

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Guest UserGrace Christian FellowshipChris Karpus, Genesis 5, Chaos to Covenant, non denominational church, bible believing church, Ladson, SC, Grace Christian Fellowshiop, Grace Christian Fellowship
What Happens When a Society Rejects God? | Genesis 4:16-26 | Mikey Brannon
What Happens When a Society Rejects God? | Genesis 4:16-26 | Mikey Brannon

What Happens When A Society Rejects God?

Grace Christian Fellowship

Mikey Brannon

October 13, 2024

[Gen 4:16 ESV] 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. • Went away from the presence of the Lord.

o 4:6-7 Cain is filled with rage against his brother, but is gracious to him and gives him an opportunity to repent.

o How sin is conceived (like a baby) in Gen 4:6-7, James 1:14-15

o God uses vivid language to describe his sin (4:7) “crouching desire”. (ref. 1 Peter 5:8)

o Cain’s biggest issue

 Cain conceived the sin of murder in his heart

 His desire for sin was greater than his desire for God

 While cain was religious, fundamentally he was a non-believer!

• Knows God personally

• Talks with God

• Still does not trust God’s words

 Cain is the first cursed person. (4:11-12)

 The result of the curse is that Cain is forced to become a wanderer, a nomad, a homeless vagabond.

 Notice Cain willingly gives up religion and relationship with God, in order to rid himself of the precepts that come along with it. This is the choice of the sinner.

o “East of Eden” – Genesis language shows that as one moves Eastward they are moving further from the presence of God.

o “Land of Nod” Nod means wanderer, exile, or fugitive.

[Gen 4:17 ESV] 17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. • Even this vile sinner found a wife to marry. Cain obviously married one of his sisters. Together they have a son named Enoch.

• “Built a City” - It is not what we expect the vagabond to do, establish a city. It is as if he says, I’ll show you God, I’ll settle my on place and I don’t need you to help. But even the name of the city suggest it is futile.

• The Hebrew verb tense suggests that Cain didn’t just build a city, but that he was continually building a city. Essentially we can picture Cain endlessly working to buid this city, but never finishing it, until he eventually turns it over to his son to whom it is named Enoch.

• This city that Cain would build would be common a city of apostasy and of the inhabatens present and future would be rejecters of God, and they will eventually be drowned.

[Gen 4:18 ESV] 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. • Our sin doesn’t just affect us but it affects others around us, and even future generations.

• In Chapter 5 and 6 we get 2 genealogies here in our text we have a genealogy of Cain, and in the next chapter we have the genealogy of Seth. More on that later.

• This geneology traces Cain to one of his descendants Lamech. Lamech is the arch type evil representative of what has come from Cain’s apostasy.

• Enoch means “dedicated”. Cain running from the curse God has placed on him attempts to build a city and he names his Son and his city “dedicated”. He dedicates his son to his city. As if his son may finally be able to stop running and wandering.

• Talk about how sinners try to find comfort somewhere other than God.

• Enoch is cains big dillusion.

• Our kids are not fooled by our dillusions are they, its very interesting what Enoch names his son, Irad, which can be loosely translated city dweller

• Then you have Mejujael and Methusahael, which scholars say means something like, God Blots out and violence to God

• Do you see the direction from cain to -> city dweller-> outright violence to God this is trendline of the society.

[Gen 4:19 ESV] 19 And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. • The apostate generation culminates with a picture of a man named Lamech (conquerer).

• Instantly we encounter an issue with Lamech. He has 2 wives.

• We know that God has already established marriage as a union between 1 man and 1 woman. Any other version of this union is a sinful corruption. (Gen. 2:24)

• Some people encounter polygamy in the OT and they say see the Bible is wrong it condones things like that. Or that the Bible is inconsistent on its view on marriage. Not true.

• Whenever polygamy is shown in the OT it always results in hurt and devastation. (Abraham)

• As we can see here in our example text the Bible doesn’t come out and make a moral statement about polygamy here. Because it doesn’t need to. That is the entire point of this geneology.

[Gen 4:20 ESV] 20 Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. • The “bal” brothers: Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal

• Stem bal means to produce

• Society was a great at producing things

• We have world leading agriculture, invention of music, of musical instruments, iron working, bronze instruments of all kinds

• Jabal was a shepherd who likely tended sheep. People in the city need someone else to produce meat and garments, so what we see here is the first glimmering of the agricultural industry.

• Discussion about how long they lived in this society Adam lived 930 years. In fact did you ever realize Adam almost lived long enough to see the birth of Noah. Cain lived 730 years.

[Gen 4:21 ESV] 21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. • Jubal, invented music, and the first instruments. Can you imagine what an accomplishment, Chris Karpus level stuff here. They had likely had figured out things like scales, and chords, and how to construct various instruments to create harmonies.

• Now many of us in this room are musicians. How many of you feel like you have enough time to practice your instrument? How many of you feel like you have mastered it and there is nothing else to learn? Imagine if you had 700 years to work on it. Do you think you would be pretty good?

[Gen 4:22 ESV] 22 Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. • Tubal-cain in a similar way had perfected the art of metal working. He is the father of blacksmithing and was the master of the craft. In a similar way having so much time on the earth to master the craft.

• These 3 sons were epic leaders of a godless city.

• Application: I wonder what outsiders would have said about the city of Nod as they passed by. Great city! Technological leaders, Innovative, Wealthy, luxurious? Does this sound like a cursed city to you?

• A society without God is striving to find satisfaction in something else, but they will ever find is emptiness.

• This is a society who works and works for the one thing they will never have, rest. Sabbath. Because they have rejected the ultimate rest. (Matthew 12:8)

[Gen 4:23 ESV] 23 Lamech said to his wives: "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. • Lamech becomes the poster boy for how far from God this society has come.

• Brags to his wives about his murderous rampage

o Notice how he speaks to his wives. How far has this Godless society gotten from what Adam first spoke, “bone of my bone flesh of my flesh”

o Murder of man

o Murder of a child

o In both instances Lamech brags about his brutality

o What we can observe here in this society that is far from God there is no longer an appreciation for human life.

o Why is murder such a heinous crime in the first place?

o Gen. 1:27, Gen.9:6

o So what we see in a society that is far from God, there is a loss of appreciation for human life

o Another way to say this is that the value you we place on one another comes from the value that we place in God.

o Another way to say this is, Love God, Love People

[Gen 4:24 ESV] 24 If Cain's revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech's is seventy-sevenfold." • The reference here is back to verse 4:15.

• Remember God had promised Cain protection of his life. Word got around.

• In hindsight now that we have studied this passage I think God allowed Cain to live just so that the fullness of his wickedness would play out. It would have been to easy for him to die. So Cain spends hundreds of years trying to outrun the curse, only to die in his futile attempts. It is a much more worthy punishment.

• Lamech makes a mockery of God’s curse. He is vile, and wicked, he even brags about his wickedness. This city is lost indeed.

• What a terrible story if it ended here!

[Gen 4:25 ESV] 25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, "God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him." • Able the presumed line of redemption is dead. Cain is unfit and cursed. The last time things looked this dark were after the fall.

• We think back to the promise (Gen. 3:14). And in God’s graciousness we find hope. This verse gives us hope.

• Adam and Eve have another son who can help fulfill the promise of Genesis 3:14, Seth.

• Seth is not the one to crush the head of the serpant, but we will find out in the next chapter exactly where is line will lead, ultimately to Christ, the ultimate head crusher. Luke 3:38

[Gen 4:26 ESV] 26 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD. • Even in the early days apparently outside of the line of Cain people had begun to stray from God

• Enosh marks a period of revival where people began to again call upon the name of the Lord.

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Guest UserGrace Christian FellowshipChaos to Covenant, Ladson, SC, Grace Christian Fellowship, non denominational church, bible believing church, Genesis, Cain and Abel
What Does 'Raising Cain' & Sibling Rivalry Have in Common? | Genesis 4:1-1
What Does 'Raising Cain' & Sibling Rivalry Have in Common? | Genesis 4:1-1

Series: Chaos to Covenant

Title: "What does 'Raising Cain' & sibling rivalry have in common?"

Scripture: Genesis 4:1-16

Jude 11, Hebrews 11:4, Micah 6:7-8, James 1:14-15, Matt 5:21-26, Matt 18:21-22

Bottom line: The way of Cain leads to sin, death and hell. The way of Able leads to grace, mercy and life.

  1. INTRODUCTION

  2. CONTEXT

  3. SERMON OUTLINE

  4. CONCLUSION

  5. NOTES

  6. OUTLINES

  7. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

  8. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  9. MAIN REFERENCES USED

Opening prayer: Lord God, help us grow to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him, and leading others to do the same.

INTRODUCTION

Canes

One of our sons-in-law lives in Charlotte. When he comes to visit, he tries to work in a visit to the chicken finger restaurant called Raisin' Canes. Apparently, they don't have any in Charlotte yet.:-)

Where did the restaurant name "Raisin' Canes" come from?

Raising Cane’s, the popular chicken finger restaurant chain, was named after the founder Todd Graves’ dog, a yellow Labrador named “Raising Cane.” When Graves was starting the restaurant in the mid-1990s, his initial plan to name the place something different was met with the suggestion from a friend to name it after his dog. Graves embraced the idea, and the dog became the namesake and mascot for the chain.

- ChatGPT

Expression

Where does the expression come from?

The expression “raising Cain” refers to causing trouble, making a scene, or behaving in a rowdy or disruptive manner. It comes from the biblical story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4, where Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, kills his brother Abel out of jealousy. Because of this violent act, Cain became associated with sinful or rebellious behavior.

When someone is said to be “raising Cain,” it implies that they are acting in a wild, reckless, or disruptive way, much like the connotations of Cain’s rebelliousness in the Bible. The phrase became popular in the 19th century and has been used colloquially ever since.

- ChatGPT

This is also the origin of sibling rivalry.

CONTEXT

Adam and Eve are exiled and banished from the garden of Eden. They are living east of the garden and several generations have passed. Cain and Abel are the only sons of Adam and Eve. They likely continue to have daughters as well as Cain and Abel's sons and daughters. The tribe is growing.

There are two kinds of people in these clans and tribes. Those who follow the way of Cain and those who follow the way of Abel.

Another practice that has developed some is that of offering sacrifices to the Lord. The way Cain and Abel do this becomes a moment of revelation for us even today.

SERMON

Q. What do I want them to know?

A. There are basically 2 ways to live: the way of Cain and the way of Abel.

Q. Why do I want them to know it?

A. Because we will live one way or the other. There are consequences to following the way of Cain.

Q. What do I want them to do about it?

A. Reject the way of Cain and follow the way of Abel. Follow Abel as he follows the Lord.

Q. Why do I want them to do it?

A. So that you will find the favor and blessing of the Lord in your life.

Q. How can they begin to do this?

A.

  1. Turn from your ways (ways of Cain) to the Lord (ways of Abel) asking for him to show you the way to that hope found only in Jesus Christ.

  2. Tell others how they can also find this hope.

CONCLUSION

Talk about sibling rivalry? My brother and I are 3.25 years apart (I'm the older). No other siblings either. You might say we had a rivalry going on--especially when no one else was around.

I can specifically recall several times when I thought, "I hate him and I want to kill him!" Now that might sound funny to you because you can relate to that emotion due to your own sibling rivalry. I'm glad you can relate but let me sober you a little. We're all capable of murder. In Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus makes it clear that when we hate someone it's the same in God's eyes as if we murdered them. It's the idea that in our rage we're ready to murder them--we just lack the opportunity to do so without getting caught.

Why do I share this? Because we all naturally go the way of Cain.

God's grace is that we don't have to if we go Abel's way.

Bottom line: The way of Cain leads to sin, death and hell. The way of Able leads to grace, mercy and life.

““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

How do we respond? Answer 2 questions:

Invitation

  1. What is God saying to me right now?

  2. 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

The expression “raising Cain” refers to causing trouble, making a scene, or behaving in a rowdy or disruptive manner. It comes from the biblical story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4, where Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, kills his brother Abel out of jealousy. Because of this violent act, Cain became associated with sinful or rebellious behavior.

When someone is said to be “raising Cain,” it implies that they are acting in a wild, reckless, or disruptive way, much like the connotations of Cain’s rebelliousness in the Bible. The phrase became popular in the 19th century and has been used colloquially ever since.

-ChatGPT 10.06.24

Raising Cane’s, the popular chicken finger restaurant chain, was named after the founder Todd Graves’ dog, a yellow Labrador named “Raising Cane.” When Graves was starting the restaurant in the mid-1990s, his initial plan to name the place something different was met with the suggestion from a friend to name it after his dog. Graves embraced the idea, and the dog became the namesake and mascot for the chain.

There have actually been multiple “Raising Cane” dogs over the years. The first Raising Cane (Cane I) was the original dog the chain was named after, and subsequent Labradors have carried on the name as the brand grew. It’s a fun, personal touch to the restaurant’s identity!

- ChatGPT 10.06.24

The Pattern

See D. J. A. Clines, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, No. 38 (1976), pp. 487, 488. Clines explains that Gerhard Von Rad initially observed a pattern of sin, mitigation, and punishment. Then Claus Westermann discerned another element, that of divine speech. Though he did not include it in the pattern, Clines does. Thus the following chart:

I.

II.

III.

IV.

SIN

SPEECH

GRACE

PUNISHMENT

  1. FALL

3:6

3:14-19

3:21

3:22-24

  1. CAIN

4:8

4:10-12

4:15

4:16

  1. SONS OF GOD

6:2

6:3

6:8, 18ff

7:6-24

  1. FLOOD

6:5, 11f

6:7, 13-21

6:8, 18ff

11:8

  1. BABEL

11:4

11:6f

10:1-32

11:8

Preach the Word, Genesis, Kent Hughes, chapter 1, note 3, p. 625

Hamilton puts it this way:

"God acts and speaks; man rebels; God punishes; God protects and reconciles." P. 201

GOD ACTS & SPEAKS    MAN REBELS    GOD PUNISHES    GOD PROTECTS & RECONCILES

OUTLINES

N/A

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

  1. Who is God?

  2. What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?

  3. Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)

  4. What do I get to do? (In light of who I am)

  5. How do I do it?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Discovery Bible Study process: https://www.dbsguide.org/

  1. Read the passage together.

  2. Retell the story in your own words.

  3. Discovery the story

    1. What does this story tell me about God?

    2. What does this story tell me about people?

    3. If this is really true, what should I do?

  4. What is God saying to you right now? (Write this down)

  5. What are you going to do about it? (Write this down)

  6. 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:

  1. Who is God?

  2. What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?

  3. Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)

  4. What do I do? (In light of who I am)

  5. 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)

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Darien GabrielGrace Christian FellowshipCain and Abel, Darien Gabriel, Grace Christian Fellowship, SC, Ladson, non denominational church, bible believing church, Chaos to Covenant
Where Did Marriage Come From? | Genesis 2:18-25 | Darien Gabriel
Where Did Marriage Come From? | Genesis 2:18-25 | Darien Gabriel

Series: Chaos to Covenant

Title: “Where did marriage come from?"

Scripture: Genesis 2:18-25 NIV

Matthew 19:4-5; Ephesians 5:21-34

Bottom line: Marriage came from God. It was his idea. Marriage is a covenant (not contract) before God between a man and a woman for life.

  1. INTRODUCTION

  2. CONTEXT

  3. SERMON OUTLINE

  4. CONCLUSION

  5. NOTES

  6. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

  7. OUTLINES

  8. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  9. MAIN REFERENCES USED

INTRODUCTION

Men, we need help. But we're often the last to believe it. We'll resist help at every turn.

The recent commercial of a couple on their way to a fancy party illustrates my point. He's in a very expensive car, both are dressed to the nines, and he comes to a fork in the road. The GPS says continue on the paved road as the best route and gets them there on time. However, seeing the dirt road fork off to the right, the man says, "I know a short cut" and takes the dirt road.

We need help.

Guys, I'm not picking on you. We're guys! We've got this, right?! I mean it's just a bookcase. We can assemble this. Sure, it's from IKEA and there are instructions but we've got this!

We need help.

I could go on but you get what I'm slinging, right?

Men, let's be honest. There are times, maybe, possibly, ok, yes, there are times when we need help.

I'll go one step further (at great personal risk)...

Men, let's be honest. There are times, maybe, possibly, ok, yes, there are times when we need help...from our wife.

Let's look at Genesis and ask ourselves 2 questions as we do:

  1. God, what are you saying to me today?

  2. God, what do you want me to do about what you're saying to me today?

CONTEXT

We're in the second of two creation accounts: one from satellite view (ch. 1) and one from a closer, birds-eye view. (Ch. 2)

In this second (earlier?) view, we zoom in on day 6 where God created man and woman: Adam and Eve. Last week we focused on Adam. Today, we join Adam in seeing God create Eve.

Not only does God create Eve...he creates an amazing covenant relationship called marriage.

Basic Outline:

I. Primeval history (1-11)--God and the world

II. Patriarchal history (12-50)--God and Abraham's family

SERMON

I. "Not good". (Gen 2:18) "Warning, warning, Will Robinson." (-Robert, Lost in Space)

  • Narrator Moses says God said, "not good for the man to be alone."

  • "We're better together" and "We need each other" -both from Pastor Rick Warren.

    • This is true in your marriage.

    • This is true in your family and extended family.

    • This is true where you live, work, learn and play.

    • This is true in life.

  • God's take is community > isolation (even if you're an introvert, although you may prefer less community than an extrovert and that's ok)

  • God continues...

    • "I will make a suitable (equal, complementary, similar yet different) helper (needed partner for him to obey God's command in 2:15 and 1:26-28)."

      • I = God

        • This is God's decision, not Adam's request. Adam doesn't even see that he needs help yet! (Yes, that's where we get it, guys)

        • This is God's work. He doesn't make mistakes.

        • This is God's gift.

      • Of all the ways that God could have helped the man, woman is how God chose to do it. And she was perfect and exactly what he needed.

      • One more thing. Helper. To our modern ears, "Helper" sounds pathetically demeaning. I would simply point out this: In the Bible, the nation of Israel, God's chosen people, often need a helper. The Bible says that God is their helper. Think about that. God is called Israel's helper. Sounds like good company and rare air. Ladies, do not see Adam's helper as anything but a divine appointment that honors you and blesses him.

      • Paul digs into this in Ephesians 5:21-34.

II. Help needed? The man needs to know and believe he is unable to carry out God's command to rule, work, and take care of the garden alone.

  • So God asks the man to do a very vice-recently thing. To use his God-given authority to name all of the animals.

  • In the process, Adam realizes that

    • He's similar to animals but not an animal like they are.

    • There are male and female versions of these animals.

    • There's only one of him.

  • God summarizes what Adam comes to understand: "But for Adam no suitable helper was found." Now Adam knows and believes he needs help.

  • We hate to ask for help (because we are not convinced that we need it. Often just pride and ego). But Adam has (finally) come to his senses and sees he's in great need.

  • So like any good man with a need and epiphany, he takes a nap. And "deep sleep" means there's no better anesthesia than God putting you to sleep. (I think it's at least worth noting here that scripture never says that man ever came out of his sleep. But I digress)

III. God makes a helper. We're not just talking hamburger helper here...we're talking divinely inspired and divinely created help.

  • Over and over in scripture God is called Israel's helper. The helper of his chose people. So when God calls woman a helper, we're not talking hamburger helper kind of helper. We're talking this man needs God-sized help and only a woman can provide him what he needs.

  • Enter Eve.

  • God games some of Adam's stuff (side, rib, part) and builds Eve from him (instead of from dust). Similar to Adam, he crafts and builds her with great care, skill and then breathes life into her. We ay that because she is like Adam (mostly) (image of God), though there are some very obvious and amazing differences that do not displease Adam at all.

  • Adam exclaims with the first recorded words of a person. And both was he excited!

  • Whoa-man! This time (unlike with the animal naming) this is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh (strength and weakness). We are nearly the same. She shall be called isha (wo-man) because she was taken from ish (man).

IV. First wedding and marriage

  • The man leaves his father and mother (allegiance to the family switches) and cleaves (sticks, glues) himself to his wife giving her his earthly allegiance under God for as long as they both shall live. And they lived to over 900 so there's that.

  • They commit/surrender to one another, under God, and enter a biblical covenant relationship consummated intimately, fusing into "one flesh." That is one flesh that isn't dissolved without consequences. i.e. when divorce happens, by design, there are terrible consequences no matter who is at fault. Consequences...

    • In future relationships

    • In sex life

    • In kids lives

    • In extended family life

    • In church life

  • This is why marriage is taken so seriously by God. It's a covenant that shouldn't be broken until death.

  • Marriage's ultimate purpose is to illustrate to the worl dhow our relationship with God should look and work. (Eph 5:21-34)

  • Both naked. Neither ashamed. Why? Because they have no reason to be ashamed. No sin. They're married. Let's go!

CONCLUSION

Bottom line: Marriage came from God. It was his idea. Marriage is a covenant (not contract) before God between a man and a woman for life.

Applications to consider:

  1. Community > Isolation

    1. We are better together.

    2. We need each other.

    3. Do you believe this? Does your way of life indicate that?

    4. Are you making a real effort to faithfully engage in healthy community with God's perspective in mind?

  2. Do you need help?

    1. Help in general? Reach out

    2. Help from your spouse? Tell them

    3. Help from God? Ask him

  3. Marriage

    1. Marriage is between a male and female, no matter what the culture is saying

    2. Marriage is for life

    3. Marriage was God's idea

    4. Marriage is a covenant (100-100) not a contract (50-50)

    5. Marriage is for God's mission and glory

    6. Marriage is for our good

    7. Divorce shreds the couple leaving scars that impact the rest of their lives their kids' lives

    8. Do you need help with yours?

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:

  1. What is God saying to me right now?

  2. 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 David Helms, p. 59

"Who are we really? Genesis 2 replies:

  • We are divine dust.

  • We are to live under divine rule.

  • We are divinely created for relationship."

I share this due to the nature of the topic of women doing things men can do in light of the creation of Eve. Plus it's interesting.

Free to the world by Bill Murphy Jr.

https://click.convertkit-mail.com/qdure6d67ec7h7k3xqrcgu8kx6wkkb4/8ghqhohlv5d9qesk/aHR0cHM6Ly9ja2FyY2hpdmUuY29tL2Ivd3Z1MmhnaDUwZHo4d2Y5cjU1MnJxdG54ODU5eHhzOD9sY3RnPW8zcGVnZXJw

We're going to commemorate two milestones from history this weekend, and they both seem a bit entwined even though they were mostly unrelated back when they actually happened:

  • September 8, 1916: Sisters Augusta and Adeline Van Buren arrive in Los Angeles, as they complete a 60-day motorcycle tour across the United States.

  • September 8, 1921: A 16-year-old named Margaret Gorman won the Inter-City Beauty Contest and the Atlantic City Bathing Beauty Contest, which was eventually retconned as the first Miss America.

Let's talk about the Van Buren sisters first. They were actually following in the footsteps of a mother-and-daughter team named Avis and Effie Hotchkiss who had ridden a motorcycle with a sidecar from New York to California the year before.

Still, I remain impressed. Challenges along the way:

  • Lack of roads and easily available gasoline,

  • Lack of navigation tools and maps, and

  • Angry local law enforcement kept arresting them for wearing pants. (Not kidding.)

To put the achievement in perspective, the Van Buren sisters were riding four years before women could vote in the U.S., and three years before a lieutenant colonel (and future president) named Dwight Eisenhower led a famed and epic 81-vehicle convoy from east to west, which took 62 days.

Unencumbered by men and military bureaucracy, I suppose, the Van Buren sisters did it two days faster. Their goal was to demonstrate that women could be counted on to do things like serve as military dispatch riders in the upcoming U.S. entry into World War I, and generally to act like badasses.

(Aside: I learned while reading up on all of this that I'm not the first Bill Murphy to write about the Van Burens' trip. That honor goes to a Michigan writer named William M. Murphy, who wrote a short book about them called Grace and Grit, back in 2021.)

Their adventure is striking to me because five years later—and no offense to anyone involved in pageants, but I've never liked the whole concept—the milestone of the first Miss America contest seems a little out of place.

Details: Gorman was a high school junior in Washington D.C., still only 15, who was apparently "scouted" months before the contest by a pair of Washington Herald reporters trying to find pretty girls to send to Atlantic City.

Come to think of it, assuming these reporters were grown men, the whole idea of “scouting” 15-year-olds sounds more than a little creepy. But, I guess things were different then? Anyway they met Gorman's family in Georgetown and convinced them all to head north so that Gorman could pose in a bathing suit for the contest.

This was an early 20th century bathing suit: "dark, knee-high stockings and a chiffon bathing costume with a tiered skirt that came almost to her knees."

I’m wearing a t-shirt and shorts as I write this, and probably showing more of the ol’ skin than Gorman’s getup did back then.

It's not clear to me what, if anything, Gorman got out of winning the contest besides a trophy.

These days the winner gets $100,000 in scholarships plus a salary for the year (which honestly, I don’t know; still doesn't seem all that much). Gorman said the pageant organizers were cheap and didn't even reimburse her for her expenses years later, when she agreed to attend contests as the winner number-1.

The obituaries that appeared around the time of Gorman's death in 1995 suggest that being crowned Miss America—and then carrying the crown like a burden for the next 70+ years—seemed to sum up her life story.

As for the Van Buren sisters, Adeline went on to law school at New York University, while Augusta became a pilot who was active with a flying group known as the 99s.

Here we are, a century later, and I doubt most readers will have known any of the three women’s names but for this article (or perhaps another one like it).

Of course, the Miss America pageant continues, and a few years ago about 200 women retraced the sisters' ride across the United States together on motorcycles to mark the one century anniversary.

So even if their names aren’t on the tip of everyone’s tongue, their legacies endure.

Frankly, its the juxtaposition of these two events, the trip and the pageant, five years apart but on the same day that stand out to me. I think it's worth it simply to point out their anniversaries in history.

I think I'll let Gorman have the quote of the day, quoting this line from a 1980 interview. I like it because reading it made me question my assumptions once again. Also, because while she was directing it to someone else, it sounds as if she were talking to me:

"Write this down, young man. Life has been extremely, I say extremely, kind."

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.

Who wrote Genesis? According the Old and New Testaments, Moses c. 15th century BC. Jesus confirms this, with the exception of Genesis. The religious leaders of Jesus' day credited Moses with writing it (Luke 20:28) and early Jewish writers viewed Moses as the author of all 5 books.

During his years in the Egyptian royal family, Moses could have become a skilled writer and historian as the Egyptians were quite advanced and he'd have had access to top tutors. He was, after all, a prince of Egypt.

Moses would have been an eye-witness and contemporary to all that happened and was recorded in Exodus-Deuteronomy. However, not so for Genesis. So how did he write this?

God gave it all to him.

Passed down orally.

Passed down in writing.

Any of these would make Moses an editor or compiler of ancient history from Adam to his day around after he led Israel out of Egypt in and through the wilderness enroute to the Promise Land.

Abraham c. 2,000 BC

End of Genesis c. 1,800 BC

Exodus c. 1,500 BC (1.440s) after 400 years in Egypt

Truths to note

  • God existed and exists eternally

  • God exists in plural unity as the Holy Trinity

  • God was in the beginning

  • God was before anything existed in our universe and the universe itself

  • God created everything that exists in the universe and the universe itself

  • God creates something from nothing Latin ex nihilo

    • An atheist scientist came to God and said, “We’ve figured out how to make a man without you.” God said, “OK, let me see you do it.” So the atheist bent down to the ground and scooped up a handful. But God stopped him and said, “Oh, no you don’t. Get your own dirt!”

  • God creates with words. He spoke creation into existence. His words still have power.

  • God creates purposefully for his glory and our good.

  • God starts with light to display his creation and provide an essential ingredient for life.

  • God only creates things that are good. Together it was all very good and will be again.

  • God is a God of order and moves from chaos to order.

  • Elohim (gods) intensifies God's divine majesty, when used as a noun. When used as a verb, it's singular for there is only one true God.

  • God created all things. "Heavens and earth"

  • God created an "open" universe, not a "closed" one where he never interacts

Notes from Bible Project Videos

1-11 God and the world

12:3 Hinge verse

12-50 God and Abraham's family

Disorder --> Order

Adam = human

Humanity created to:

  1. Reflect God's character (image)

  2. Represent God's rule (reign)

  3. Harness creation's potential and create beauty and order

"Blessing" is a key word here

Choice: Tree of knowledge of good and evil

  1. Trust God's definition of good and evil, or

  2. Seize autonomy and define good and evil for themselves?

Serpent (against God) tells a different story. He lies when he tells them that if they eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that they will be like God. Because they already are like God (made in his image).

Heavens and earth aka skies and land

Formless and empty aka wild and waste

Deep abyss = dark, chaotic ocean

Days 1-3 God splits apart and forms this disordered waste into 3 ordered realms:

  1. Realm: Time. God splits darkness and light on Day 1.

  2. Realm: Sky & Seas. God splits the waters into water canopy or clouds (or both) and sea on Day 2.

  3. Realm: Land. God brings land out of water and includes vegetation on it on Day 3.

Days 4-6 God

  1. Day 4 brings lights--sun, moon and stars to reflect his light in space.

  2. Day 5 brings creations to fill the sky and sea

  3. Day 6 brings land animals and humanity to fill the land.

First poem in the Bible (1:27) celebrates God's creation where he completed the skies, land and inhabitants. God completes and rests and dwells in this sacred space he treats as a temple. The world or at least the garden of Eden is his temple.

"As America’s “loneliness epidemic” continues to impact Americans nationwide and foster increased social tension, there could be a simple cure: “Make a new friend,” our old friend David French argued in the New York Times. “There is a class divide in the percentage of Americans who can rely on someone to give them a ride to the doctor, lend them a small amount of money in an emergency or offer a place to stay. Another way of putting this is that the Americans who are most vulnerable to losing the informal social safety net of friends and relatives may be the people who need it the most. … The thought that so many millions of our fellow citizens feel as if they don’t belong, as if they can’t call anyone for help or simply lack the pure joy of fellowship with close friends should grieve us all. It should change the way we behave. It should make us be more intentional about reaching out to people. And it should call us to action in our own neighborhoods and communities.”" -morning dispatch

The Pattern

See D. J. A. Clines, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, No. 38 (1976), pp. 487, 488. Clines explains that Gerhard Von Rad initially observed a pattern of sin, mitigation, and punishment. Then Claus Westermann discerned another element, that of divine speech. Though he did not include it in the pattern, Clines does. Thus the following chart:

I.

II.

III.

IV.

SIN

SPEECH

GRACE

PUNISHMENT

  1. FALL

3:6

3:14-19

3:21

3:22-24

  1. CAIN

4:8

4:10-12

4:15

4:16

  1. SONS OF GOD

6:2

6:3

6:8, 18ff

7:6-24

  1. FLOOD

6:5, 11f

6:7, 13-21

6:8, 18ff

11:8

  1. BABEL

11:4

11:6f

10:1-32

11:8

Preach the Word, Genesis, Kent Hughes, chapter 1, note 3, p. 625

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

  1. Who is God?

  2. What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?

  3. Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)

  4. What do I get to do? (In light of who I am)

  5. 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

Outline for Genesis (Willmington)

I. GOD'S WORKING SCHEDULE (1:1-2:19)

A. First day: creation of light (1:3-5): "Then God said, 'Let there be light.'" He then divides the light from the darkness.

B. Second day: creation of space and water (1:6-8): He separates the atmospheric, upper water from the earthly, lower water.

C. Third day: creation of plant life (1:9-13): First he separates the water from the land. The earth then brings forth green grass, plants, trees, and vegetation of every kind.

D. Fourth day: creation of sun, moon, and stars (1:14-19)

E. Fifth day: creation of fish and fowl (1:20-23)

F. Sixth day: creation of land animals and people (1:24-31; 2:7-20)

1. The brute creatures: livestock and all wild beasts (1:24-25)

2. The blessed creature, who is given two things:

a. The image of God (1:26-27)

b. The instructions from God (1:26-31; 2:15-19)

(1) People are to rule over all nature (1:26, 28),

(2) to fill the earth with their own kind (1:28),

(3) to cultivate and care for their beautiful home, the Garden of Eden (2:15),

(4) to eat from any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (2:16-17),

(5) and to provide names for all the other creatures (2:19-20).

G. Seventh day: God rests (2:1-6): His creative work is complete and is pronounced good. God blesses and sets apart the seventh day.

II. GOD'S WEDDING SCHEDULE (2:20-25)

A. The making of Eve (2:20-22): Eve, the first woman, is formed from the flesh and bone of Adam's side.

B. The marriage of Eve (2:23-25): Eve is returned to Adam's side.

"This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is josted so his mare, and the two are united into one." This marks history's first marriage.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Discovery Bible Study process: https://www.dbsguide.org/

  1. Read the passage together.

  2. Retell the story in your own words.

  3. Discovery the story

    1. What does this story tell me about God?

    2. What does this story tell me about people?

    3. If this is really true, what should I do?

  4. What is God saying to you right now? (Write this down)

  5. What are you going to do about it? (Write this down)

  6. 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:

  1. Who is God?

  2. What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?

  3. Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)

  4. What do I do? (In light of who I am)

  5. 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)

Claude.ai

Read More
Darien GabrielGrace Christian FellowshipGrace Christian Fellowship, Ladson, SC, Chaos to Covenant, Darien Gabriel, marriage, Genesis 2, non denominational church, bible believing church
How Is Humanity to Relate to Our Creator? | Genesis 2:4-17 | Darien Gabriel
How Is Humanity to Relate to Our Creator? | Genesis 2:4-17 | Darien Gabriel

Series: Chaos to Covenant

Title: “How Does Humanity 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.

  1. INTRODUCTION

  2. CONTEXT

  3. SERMON OUTLINE

  4. CONCLUSION

  5. NOTES

  6. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

  7. OUTLINES

  8. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  9. 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:

  1. God, what are you saying to me today?

  2. 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:

  1. What is God saying to me right now?

  2. 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

  1. Who is God?

  2. What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?

  3. Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)

  4. What do I get to do? (In light of who I am)

  5. 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/

  1. Read the passage together.

  2. Retell the story in your own words.

  3. Discovery the story

    1. What does this story tell me about God?

    2. What does this story tell me about people?

    3. If this is really true, what should I do?

  4. What is God saying to you right now? (Write this down)

  5. What are you going to do about it? (Write this down)

  6. 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:

  1. Who is God?

  2. What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?

  3. Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)

  4. What do I do? (In light of who I am)

  5. 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)

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)

Read More
Darien GabrielGrace Christian FellowshipDarien Gabriel, Genesis, Chaos to Covenant, non denominational church, bible believing church, Ladson, SC, Grace Christian Fellowship
Why Did God Rest on Day 7? | Genesis 2:1-3 | Darien Gabriel
Why Did God Rest on Day 7? | Genesis 2:1-3 | Darien Gabriel

Series: Chaos to Covenant

Title: “Why did God rest on Day 7?"

Scripture: Genesis 2:1-3 NIV

Hebrews 3:7-4:11

Exodus 20:8-11

Phil 2:12-13

Romans 8:28

Bottom line: God rested on day 7 to establish for us a rhythm and posture of rest that comes by grace through faith in Christ alone.

  1. INTRODUCTION

  2. CONTEXT

  3. SERMON OUTLINE

  4. CONCLUSION

  5. NOTES

  6. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

  7. OUTLINES

  8. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  9. MAIN REFERENCES USED

INTRODUCTION

Why did God rest on day 7?

I may not know why but I do know this: He didn't rest because he was tired. God is omnipotent or all powerful. He never needs to sleep or rest. He has infinite energy and power. He has no needs including rest.

Graham's newsletter

When I was very young, I thought I was adopted. 

I was very insecure at that age and jealous of my younger brother's attention from parents and strangers. He had red hair with a freckles and was "so cute" (unlike the skinny kid with glasses and buck teeth). I was convinced I looked nothing like my parents (which was true at the time).But, I was definitely treated like a son. I was treated as a member of the family like everyone else. I had privileges and responsibilities. I got to eat and sleep in doors while doing my part with the chores.

Ultimately, I got over my adoption fears because, even if I had been adopted, I was convinced that I was part of the family. You didn't have to convince me because I was dearly loved, protected and provided for. I was disciplined and educated. I was lavished with gifts and encouragement. I was blessed simply because I was a son in the family.

Said another way, when I realized I was a son in the family, I never tried to earn that position or role. I was a son. I learned (eventually) to rest in who I was. A son of Roe and Ruth. Brother to Kent. A Gabriel through and through. 

In a word, I learned to REST in my identity.

Just typing that out fills my eyes with tears of gratitude to

God. Rest

.

Let's look at Genesis and ask ourselves 2 questions as we do:

  1. God, what are you saying to me today?

  2. God, what do you want me to do about what you're saying to me today?

CONTEXT

Remember our analogy comparing Genesis 1 and 2? Place-mat map Vs. Rand-McNalley Atlas

SERMON

I. Primeval history (1-11)--God and the world

A. God finished creating (forming and filling) the heavens and the earth. It was very good.

B. God rested or ceased/stopped his creative work on day 7

      1. Not because he was tired

      2. Because he was finished

        1. Very good--no evil, suffering, or death

        2. Complete not lacking anything

      3. To give us an example of how to rest

        1. Through a rhythm

        2. Through a posture

C.  God established the sabbath rest as law for the new nation of Israel. This established rest as a rhythm to be observed.

D. God points to the ultimate sabbath rest by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

      1. Hebrews 3:7-4:11 we see the connection to salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. This established rest as a posture.

        1. From Willmington:

          1. "3:7-19 "Don't let this happen to you." Though God led Israel out of Egypt, their constant rebellion caused him to swear that they "will never enter my place of rest," meaning that the generation that began the journey would not see Canaan (see exposition on Num. 14:10-38 and on Josh. 1:12-18).

          2. We should be careful, and remind each other daily, not to harden our hearts and miss God's eternal Sabbath rest (see exposition on 4:1-11).

          3. 4:1-11 Enter his rest today! God's offer of rest began far before the days of Moses (4:4), and the offer is still good today (4:1, 9-11; see Matt. 11:28). We need only accept it through faith (4:2-3, 9-10). Even the rest achieved by those who entered Canaan under Joshua was only temporary, as seen by the psalmist's reference, years later, to God's rest as something yet to come (see 3:15; 4:3, 8; Ps. 95:6-11). The word rest occurs repeatedly throughout 3:11-4:11:

            1. Lack of faith kept Israel from God's rest (3:11, 18; 4:11).

            2. Lack of faith will keep Christians from God's rest (4:1).

            3. Faith will give us God's rest, which involves our "finding rest" from our "labors," by which we may have tried to earn salvation (4:9-10).

II. Patriarchal history (12-50)--God and Abraham's family

CONCLUSION

Graham's newsletter (missionaries to East Asia we've been supporting for many years)

"Prayer & Update for our family:

In our last newsletter, I mentioned being in the clinical training portion of my counseling degree program. I have been working as a student/intern counselor in a clinical practice since January and will continue through August.

In all sincerity, these past five months have probably been the busiest our family ever has been, with hardly any margin whatsoever.

We knew this season was going to be a tough one. The clinical experience l am gaining has been incredible and invaluable. But it feels like every minute of every day is spoken for and allocated for a specific purpose. I'm behind in almost every area of life.

Living this way has made me treasure the Sabbath each week. As best we can, we do a little straightening late Saturday afternoon to help give the house a sabbath rest. I give my computer a sabbath rest by shutting it down (all the way down) around dusk on Saturday. When I pray for the kids that evening we express thankfulness that we can rest and don't have to work or go to school on Sunday. We ourselves try to cease from the striving, performing, accomplishing (and hurrying) that characterize the other six days of the week.

Some weeks have not been pretty, but we're making it one step forward at a time... and now that June is here, this harried season will come to a close in just a few more months. It doesn't mean we're out of the woods quite yet, but hopefully we'll be through the hardest part of the journey. All this hard work means l've been able to stay on track to graduate May 2025, less than a year away!"

Bottom line: God rested on day 7 to establish for us rest as a rhythm and a posture. These both come when we trust and follow the Lord in all of life.

Applications:

  1. Rest as a rhythm.

  2. Rest as a posture.

Invitation

““Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.””

-Jesus in Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Bottom line:

  1. What is God saying to me right now?

  2. 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:

"What does 1:1 Say to those who interpret reality apart from a personal, infinite God?

• To the atheist it says that Creation was the work of God.

• To the polytheist it says there is only one God.

• To the pantheist it says that God is apart from and independent of his creation.

• To the evolutionist it says that the universe was created and did not evolve.

• To the materialist it says that matter is not eternal but was itself created.

• To the existentialist it says creation has a purpose." P. 4

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.

"There's only one way fallen humanity can be saved--the Genesis way--by faith. There has never been another way." -Hughes

Who wrote Genesis? According the Old and New Testaments, Moses c. 15th century BC. Jesus confirms this, with the exception of Genesis. The religious leaders of Jesus' day credited Moses with writing it (Luke 20:28) and early Jewish writers viewed Moses as the author of all 5 books.

During his years in the Egyptian royal family, Moses could have become a skilled writer and historian as the Egyptians were quite advanced and he'd have had access to top tutors. He was, after all, a prince of Egypt.

Moses would have been an eye-witness and contemporary to all that happened and was recorded in Exodus-Deuteronomy. However, not so for Genesis. So how did he write this?

God gave it all to him.

Passed down orally.

Passed down in writing.

Any of these would make Moses an editor or compiler of ancient history from Adam to his day around after he led Israel out of Egypt in and through the wilderness enroute to the Promise Land.

Abraham c. 2,000 BC

End of Genesis c. 1,800 BC

Exodus c. 1,500 BC (1.440s) after 400 years in Egypt

Truths to note

  • God existed and exists eternally

  • God exists in plural unity as the Holy Trinity

  • God was in the beginning

  • God was before anything existed in our universe and the universe itself

  • God created everything that exists in the universe and the universe itself

  • God creates something from nothing Latin ex nihilo

    • An atheist scientist came to God and said, “We’ve figured out how to make a man without you.” God said, “OK, let me see you do it.” So the atheist bent down to the ground and scooped up a handful. But God stopped him and said, “Oh, no you don’t. Get your own dirt!”

  • God creates with words. He spoke creation into existence. His words still have power.

  • God creates purposefully for his glory and our good.

  • God starts with light to display his creation and provide an essential ingredient for life.

  • God only creates things that are good. Together it was all very good and will be again.

  • God is a God of order and moves from chaos to order.

  • Elohim (gods) intensifies God's divine majesty, when used as a noun. When used as a verb, it's singular for there is only one true God.

  • God created all things. "Heavens and earth"

  • God created an "open" universe, not a "closed" one where he never interacts

Notes from Bible Project Videos

1-11 God and the world

12:3 Hinge verse

12-50 God and Abraham's family

Disorder --> Order

Adam = human

Humanity created to:

  1. Reflect God's character (image)

  2. Represent God's rule (reign)

  3. Harness creation's potential and create beauty and order

"Blessing" is a key word here

Choice: Tree of knowledge of good and evil

  1. Trust God's definition of good and evil, or

  2. Seize autonomy and define good and evil for themselves?

Serpent (against God) tells a different story. He lies when he tells them that if they eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that they will be like God. Because they already are like God (made in his image).

Heavens and earth aka skies and land

Formless and empty aka wild and waste

Deep abyss = dark, chaotic ocean

Days 1-3 God splits apart and forms this disordered waste into 3 ordered realms:

  1. Realm: Time. God splits darkness and light on Day 1.

  2. Realm: Sky & Seas. God splits the waters into water canopy or clouds (or both) and sea on Day 2.

  3. Realm: Land. God brings land out of water and includes vegetation on it on Day 3.

Days 4-6 God

  1. Day 4 brings lights--sun, moon and stars to reflect his light in space.

  2. Day 5 brings creations to fill the sky and sea

  3. Day 6 brings land animals and humanity to fill the land.

First poem in the Bible (1:27) celebrates God's creation where he completed the skies, land and inhabitants. God completes and rests and dwells in this sacred space he treats as a temple. The world or at least the garden of Eden is his temple.

Notes from Bethencourt

Outline for Genesis 1-2:3

Main idea: "God establishes his kingdom by speaking the universe into existence. He designs creation to reflect his glory and goodness as humanity takes leadership over it."

Some of his introductory thoughts...

  • Main character of Genesis and the Bible is God himself.

    • It reveals his goodness and his glorious purpose and person.

    • The goodness of God includes both the physical and the spiritual.

  • Genesis demonstrates God's authority over creation.

  • Genesis demonstrates God's creativity in creation too.

  • Age of the earth approaches can be diverse without Christians breaking fellowship over. That said, 3 non-negotiables are central to Christian doctrine of creation:

    • 1- "Sound doctrine must recognize the VIRGIN BIRTH of creation, acknowledging that God creates ex nihilism. Before he speaks the universe into being, there is nothing in existence other than God."

    • 2- "Such a doctrine must affirm the VIRTUOUS BIRTH of creation, that is, the goodness of all creation before the fall. Genesis 1 repeatedly declares that what God makes is 'good.'"

    • 3- "Sound doctrine must affirm the VERIFIED 'BIRTH' of a historical, literal Adam. As Jesus affirms in the Gospels, there is one man, created by God, from whom the entire human race descends (see Acts 17:26 where Paul makes this statement to the Athenians)."

  • Moses is the writer and editor while God is the author.

  • Moses gives us a summary overview of how it all came to being.

  • "Most 'creation' narratives from the ancient Near East assumed the universe itself had always existed." In fact, until relatively recently, our own scientists believed this until they discovered the "Big Bang" based on infrared light readings and such.

Outline for Genesis 1-2:3 (Bethancourt)

Main idea: "God establishes his kingdom by speaking the universe into existence. He designs creation to reflect his glory and goodness as humanity takes leadership over it."

IV. God FINISHES the Created Kingdom (2:1-3)

A. God finishes with his own rest.

B. The climax of the creation story is rest.

C. Creation is completed and lacks nothing. God accomplishes what he sets out to do.

D. Rest

      1. God celebrates his completion of creation by resting in it, blessing it, and declaring it holy. It is his temple.

      2. After the Fall, Jesus rebuilds the temple through his death, burial and resurrection ultimately restoring all things in the new heavens and the new earth.

      3. Genesis 2 beings by declaring creation completed. In other words, God looks at his creation and says, "It is finished."

      4. Jesus echoes these words on the cross just before he dies.

E. The Sabbath (though the word doesn't appear in Genesis 1 or 2) establishes a pattern

      1. The sabbath (meaning cease or stop) is CREATED as God rests on the 7th day

      2. CORRUPTED by sin in our human rebellion

      3. COMMANDED for Israel as part of the law to observe weekly

      4. CONFIRMED in Jesus' life as he honors it as the Lord of the sabbath

      5. COMPLETED in Jesus' resurrection as he, per Heb 4, becomes our sabbath rest

      6. CONVERTED in the early church as Christians move it to Sunday as a nod to the resurrection and to distinguish themselves from Judaism

      7. CULMINATED in the new creation as we experience eternal sabbath rest in Jesus Christ

See D. J. A. Clines, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, No. 38 (1976), pp. 487, 488. Clines explains that Gerhard Von Rad initially observed a pattern of sin, mitigation, and punishment. Then Claus Westermann discerned another element, that of divine speech. Though he did not include it in the pattern, Clines does. Thus the following chart:

I.

II.

III.

IV.

SIN

SPEECH

GRACE

PUNISHMENT

  1. FALL

3:6

3:14-19

3:21

3:22-24

  1. CAIN

4:8

4:10-12

4:15

4:16

  1. SONS OF GOD

6:2

6:3

6:8, 18ff

7:6-24

  1. FLOOD

6:5, 11f

6:7, 13-21

6:8, 18ff

11:8

  1. BABEL

11:4

11:6f

10:1-32

11:8

Preach the Word, Genesis, Kent Hughes, chapter 1, note 3, p. 625

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

  1. Who is God?

  2. What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?

  3. Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)

  4. What do I get to do? (In light of who I am)

  5. 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/

  1. Read the passage together.

  2. Retell the story in your own words.

  3. Discovery the story

    1. What does this story tell me about God?

    2. What does this story tell me about people?

    3. If this is really true, what should I do?

  4. What is God saying to you right now? (Write this down)

  5. What are you going to do about it? (Write this down)

  6. 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:

  1. Who is God?

  2. What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?

  3. Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)

  4. What do I do? (In light of who I am)

  5. 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)

Claude.ai

 Read More
Darien GabrielGrace Christian FellowshipGrace Christian Fellowship, Ladson, SC, non denominational church, bible believing church, Darien Gabriel, Chaos to Covenant, Genesis 2:1-3
How Did the Universe Begin? Part 2 | Genesis 1:3-31 | Darien Gabriel
How Did the Universe Begin? Part 2 | Genesis 1:3-31 | Darien Gabriel

Series: Chaos to Covenant

Title: “How did the universe begin?" Part 2

Scripture: Genesis 1:3-31 NIV

Bottom line: "God established his kingdom by speaking the universe into existence. He designs creation to reflect his glory and goodness as humanity takes leadership over it." -Bethancourt.

"Genesis 1 is doing way more than telling us how everything was made. Genesis 1 is designed to show us that God's purpose is to share creation with his images o so they can rest and rule it with him forever. And that purpose is what the rest of the Biblical drama is all about." -Tim Macke, The Bible Project

  1. INTRODUCTION

  2. CONTEXT

  3. SERMON OUTLINE

  4. CONCLUSION

  5. NOTES

  6. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

  7. OUTLINES

  8. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  9. MAIN REFERENCES USED

INTRODUCTION

Lego Table

I was riding through my in-laws neighborhood and I felt a nudge to turn and go out a different way than usual. Now, I have a confession. I am a bit of a dumpster diver. I like to find treasures on the side of the road. And it was a Saturday. The day when people clean out their garage and put things on the side of the road. So I'm driving along looking for treasure and get that nudge to turn and go a different way. I felt a distinct impression that God was nudging me. So I turned, not that I always do. I often ignore those nudges, unfortunately. You never know what's on the other end and it's often not convenient. So I'm driving and I see Lego green in the side of the road. I have four grandkids and we love Legos and I had been talking to Anita about getting a Lego table. I'd decided that they were too big and too expensive. So what do I find on the side of the road? I small, free Lego table. It's used, and has some scrapes, sure. But it's study and complete.

I share this to remind us that God is always speaking. Not just when we sit for a sermon or read the Bible. He is always speaking. "The heavens declare the glory of God." (Psalm 19) Are we listening? And, when we hear, are we obeying? This is what we're about at Grace. Hearing from God and doing what he says. We show our love for God when we obey his commands (and respond to his nudges in faith).

Let's look at Genesis and ask ourselves 2 questions as we do:

  1. God, what are you saying to me today?

  2. God, what do you want me to do about what you're saying to me today?

CONTEXT

Last week we began with God forming the universe from nothing. God is the main character and point of creation. He creates for his glory and our good. He first began forming our universe by inserting his presence and perspective. Today we'll see how he framed creation, filled creation and then next week how he finished creating.

Genesis (beginning) is a book of beginnings.

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/cycle:

    • 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.

"There's only one way fallen humanity can be saved--the Genesis way--by faith. There has never been another way." -Hughes

Who wrote Genesis? According the Old and New Testaments, by and large it was written down by Moses with help from oral and written sources protected and provided by the Spirit of God c. 15th century BC. Jesus confirms this.

SERMON

I. Primeval history (1-11)--God and the world

II. Patriarchal history (12-50)--God and Abraham's family

Outline & notes for (based largely on Bethancourt)

Main idea: "God establishes his kingdom by speaking the universe into existence. He designs creation to reflect his glory and goodness as humanity takes leadership over it."

Some of his introductory thoughts...

  • Main character of Genesis and the Bible is God himself.

    • It reveals his goodness and his glorious purpose and person.

    • The goodness of God includes both the physical and the spiritual.

  • Genesis demonstrates God's authority over creation.

  • Genesis demonstrates God's creativity in creation too.

  • Age of the earth approaches can be diverse without Christians breaking fellowship over. That said, 3 non-negotiables are central to Christian doctrine of creation:

    • 1- "Sound doctrine must recognize the VIRGIN BIRTH of creation, acknowledging that God creates ex nihilio. Before he speaks the universe into being, there is nothing in existence other than God."

    • 2- "Such a doctrine must affirm the VIRTUOUS BIRTH of creation, that is, the goodness of all creation before the fall. Genesis 1 repeatedly declares that what God makes is 'good.'" (7X)

    • 3- "Sound doctrine must affirm the VERIFIED 'BIRTH' of a historical, literal Adam. As Jesus affirms in the Gospels, there is one man, created by God, from whom the entire human race descends (see Acts 17:26 where Paul makes this statement to the Athenians)."

  • Moses is the writer and editor while God is the author.

  • Moses gives us a summary overview of how it all came to existence.

  • "Most 'creation' narratives from the ancient Near East assumed the universe itself had always existed." In fact, until relatively recently, our own scientists believed this until they discovered the "Big Bang" based on infrared light readings and such. now most acknowledge that the universe is expanding from a point in time when it began (somehow).

I. God FORMS the Created Kingdom (1:1-2)

  • Not sage or myth like other Near Eastern versions of creation. It is history.

  • It "reveals that God forms the created kingdom with his purpose and his presence."

  • "In the beginning" often causes us to wonder how long ago. But it is there to remind us that God was actually there and active 'in the beginning.'"

  • How should we think about Genesis and the age of the earth? Several points should be emphasized consenting the age of the earth:

    • "First, God is the Creator, and the creation exists solely because of the creative work God began 'in the beginning.'"

    • "Second, the Bible offers no precise timelines concerning the age of the earth...Genesis clearly affirms that everything that exists only does so because of God's creative act."

    • "Third, any interpretation of Genesis that rejects God's role as the Creator, or Adam and Eve as literal, historical human beings, is in conflict with the Bible's teaching."

    • "Finally, ...Christians may reach different conclusions about the earth's age while still enjoying fellowship."

  • Genesis 1:2 speaks of the "Spirit of God" hovering over the waters.

  • The Spirit brings order out of chaos (here and throughout the Bible).

    • "When Gabriel tells Mary that the Spirit of the Lord will overshadow her" this is another time when he brings order into our universe. He launches a "new creation" through Jesus at that time.

    • When Jesus is baptized, the Spirit descends on him like a dove while in the waters.

    • The Spirit raises Jesus from the dead, bringing him back to life.

  • "After God forms the created kingdom, he frames it with light, with limits, and with land." P. 9

II. God FRAMES the Created Kingdom (1:3-13)

A. The first day of--"God frames the kingdom with light."

      1. God's words bring something from nothing. We see this throughout the 6 days of creation.

      2. God creates light on day 1 separating it from darkness and giving the names day and night.

      3. Interestingly, he hasn't created sun, moon and stars yet so this seems premature. But God is making a point here. He's saying that he's the source of light and doesn't even need the stars to light our universe.

      4. This powerfully spoke to the other nations who worshipped the sun, moon, and stars in Moses' day (and ours) showing that God is sovereign over all light.

      5. This theme of the kingdoms of light and darkness carries over throughout scripture.

B. The second day of creation--"God frames the kingdom with limits."

      1. Theme of water is introduced. We take water for granted with our endless supply of clean water. They saw water as

        1. A blessing--drinkable, washing, watering fields

        2. A danger--floods that drown people, famine caused by flooded fields, sea monsters, storms at sea, dying of thirst

        3. God separates waters from the sky.

        4. New creation, new heaven, new earth--river of endless, life-giving water (Rev 22:1)

C. The third day of creation--"God frames the kingdom with land."

      1. God divides the land from the waters he just divided from the sky. This created earth/land, seas and vegetation.

      2. 2 sources of fear in ancient culture: sea and land:

        1. "Anxiety about the sea was related to protection."

        2. "Anxiety about the land was related to provision."

      3. God's role in creating the seas reshapes our understanding of baptism too:

        1. New believers are baptized when they are plunged into the waters representing judgment (watery grave; wages of sin is death)

        2. And brought through and out of that watery grave raised to walk a new life with him--as a symbol of God's victory of sin and death.

        3. Vegetation holds a privileged place throughout the scriptures

          1. The garden of Eden was full of trees

          2. Noah's ark

          3. Moses' staff

          4. Ark of the Covenant

          5. The coming Messiah

            1. A root

            2. A branch

            3. A stump

            4. A shoot

            5. A vine

            6. A cross

III. God FILLS the Created Kingdom (1:14-31)

A. The fourth day of creation--God fills the kingdom with life.

      1. God creates vegetation on the third day before creating the sun to once again show that he alone is the giver and sustainer of life. This would speak to the nations who had fertility cults/idols/gods.

      2. "The creation story was intended to shatter the allure of the false gods of Israel, and it should do the same for us today."

B. The fifth day of creation

      1. God doesn't actually need 6 days to create the universe. God is using a process to show the glory of his creation.

      2. Creation is more than a place for animals and humanity to live. It's his temple! Where God lives with his creation where Eden was the holy of holies. God creates the universe and then fills it with his presence.

C. The sixth day of --capstone of creation

      1. God declares all of his creation good (1:25). And that's before he creates humanity. Creation with humanity is "very good."

      2. Humanity becomes his capstone as the creates them in the image of God. Trinitarian overtones:

        1. We see the unity or oneness of God "he" "his"

        2. We see the unity and community of God "us" "our"

      3. IDENTITY: "Being sinners is a secondary truth. Being created in the image of God is a primary truth." -Deb Hirsch; Find the imago dei and let God deal with the sin.

      4. ILLUSTRATION: When we look at an ultrasound, we're always looking to see which parent the child looks like. It's innate. And as humanity, we also look like our Creator. Each of us, in a sense, looks like our Heavenly Father.

      5. In contrast to the animals, we're designed to reflect who God is and what he's like.

      6. Paul calls Jesus the "image of the invisible God." (Colossians 1:15-17)

      7. "Jesus is both the architect and the blueprint for what it means to be made in the image of God."

      8. Not only are we to image our creator, we're to rule, subdue, be fruitful and multiply, and to lead over all creation on God's behalf.

      9. Adam and Eve reject this in disobeying God's command.

IV. God FINISHES the Created Kingdom (2:1-3)

A. God finishes with his own rest.

B. The climax of the creation story is rest.

C. Creation is completed and lacks nothing. God accomplishes what he sets out to do. And yet day 7 continues.

D. Rest

      1. God celebrates his completion of creation by resting in it, blessing it, and declaring it holy. It is his temple.

      2. After the Fall, Jesus rebuilds the temple through his death, burial and resurrection ultimately restoring all things in the new heavens and the new earth.

      3. Genesis 2 beings by declaring creation completed. In other words, God looks at his creation and says, "It is finished."

CONCLUSION

Bottom line: God established his kingdom by speaking the universe into existence. God designed creation to reflect his glory and goodness while humanity takes on leadership over creation on his behalf.

Remember the Lego table. Are you listening to God speak? What is he saying to you?

Do you love God? Do you realize that we express and prove our love and trust for him when we obey? And we show our distrust of him when we delay obedience, obey partially or disobey?

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:

  1. What is God saying to me right now?

  2. 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

Sabbath/Rest

Hebrews 3:15-4:11

Graham's newsletter about rest.

Truths to note

  • God existed and exists eternally

  • God exists in plural unity as the Holy Trinity

  • God was in the beginning

  • God was before anything existed in our universe and the universe itself

  • God created everything that exists in the universe and the universe itself

  • God creates something from nothing Latin ex nihilo

    • An atheist scientist came to God and said, “We’ve figured out how to make a man without you.” God said, “OK, let me see you do it.” So the atheist bent down to the ground and scooped up a handful. But God stopped him and said, “Oh, no you don’t. Get your own dirt!”

  • God creates with words. He spoke creation into existence. His words still have power.

  • God creates purposefully for his glory and our good.

  • God starts with light to display his creation and provide an essential ingredient for life.

  • God only creates things that are good. Together it was all very good and will be again.

  • God is a God of order and moves from chaos to order.

  • Elohim (gods) intensifies God's divine majesty, when used as a noun. When used as a verb, it's singular for there is only one true God.

  • God created all things. "Heavens and earth"

  • God created an "open" universe, not a "closed" one where he never interacts

Notes from Bible Project Videos

1-11 God and the world

12:3 Hinge verse

12-50 God and Abraham's family

Disorder --> Order

Adam = human

Humanity created to:

  1. Reflect God's character (image)

  2. Represent God's rule (reign)

  3. Harness creation's potential and create beauty and order

"Blessing" is a key word here

Heavens and earth aka skies and land

Formless and empty aka wild and waste

Deep abyss = dark, chaotic ocean

Days 1-3 God splits apart and forms this disordered waste into 3 ordered realms:

  1. Realm: Time. God splits darkness and light on Day 1.

  2. Realm: Sky & Seas. God splits the waters into water canopy or clouds (or both) and sea on Day 2.

  3. Realm: Land. God brings land out of water and includes vegetation on it on Day 3.

Days 4-6 God

  1. Day 4 brings lights--sun, moon and stars to reflect his light in space.

  2. Day 5 brings creations to fill the sky and sea

  3. Day 6 brings land animals and humanity to fill the land.

First poem in the Bible (1:27) celebrates God's creation where he completed the skies, land and inhabitants. God completes and rests and dwells in this sacred space he treats as a temple. The world or at least the garden of Eden is his temple.

Notes from Bethencourt

Outline for Genesis 1-2:3

Main idea: "God establishes his kingdom by speaking the universe into existence. He designs creation to reflect his glory and goodness as humanity takes leadership over it."

Some of his introductory thoughts...

  • Main character of Genesis and the Bible is God himself.

    • It reveals his goodness and his glorious purpose and person.

    • The goodness of God includes both the physical and the spiritual.

  • Genesis demonstrates God's authority over creation.

  • Genesis demonstrates God's creativity in creation too.

  • Age of the earth approaches can be diverse without Christians breaking fellowship over. That said, 3 non-negotiables are central to Christian doctrine of creation:

    • 1- "Sound doctrine must recognize the VIRGIN BIRTH of creation, acknowledging that God creates ex nihilism. Before he speaks the universe into being, there is nothing in existence other than God."

    • 2- "Such a doctrine must affirm the VIRTUOUS BIRTH of creation, that is, the goodness of all creation before the fall. Genesis 1 repeatedly declares that what God makes is 'good.'"

    • 3- "Sound doctrine must affirm the VERIFIED 'BIRTH' of a historical, literal Adam. As Jesus affirms in the Gospels, there is one man, created by God, from whom the entire human race descends (see Acts 17:26 where Paul makes this statement to the Athenians)."

  • Moses is the writer and editor while God is the author.

  • Moses gives us a summary overview of how it all came to being.

  • "Most 'creation' narratives from the ancient Near East assumed the universe itself had always existed." In fact, until relatively recently, our own scientists believed this until they discovered the "Big Bang" based on infrared light readings and such.

See D. J. A. Clines, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, No. 38 (1976), pp. 487, 488. Clines explains that Gerhard Von Rad initially observed a pattern of sin, mitigation, and punishment. Then Claus Westermann discerned another element, that of divine speech. Though he did not include it in the pattern, Clines does. Thus the following chart:

I.

II.

III.

IV.

SIN

SPEECH

GRACE

PUNISHMENT

  1. FALL

3:6

3:14-19

3:21

3:22-24

  1. CAIN

4:8

4:10-12

4:15

4:16

  1. SONS OF GOD

6:2

6:3

6:8, 18ff

7:6-24

  1. FLOOD

6:5, 11f

6:7, 13-21

6:8, 18ff

11:8

  1. BABEL

11:4

11:6f

10:1-32

11:8

Preach the Word, Genesis, Kent Hughes, chapter 1, note 3, p. 625

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

  1. Who is God?

  2. What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?

  3. Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)

  4. What do I get to do? (In light of who I am)

  5. How do I do it?

OUTLINES

See above

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Discovery Bible Study process: https://www.dbsguide.org/

  1. Read the passage together.

  2. Retell the story in your own words.

  3. Discovery the story

    1. What does this story tell me about God?

    2. What does this story tell me about people?

    3. If this is really true, what should I do?

  4. What is God saying to you right now? (Write this down)

  5. What are you going to do about it? (Write this down)

  6. 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:

  1. Who is God?

  2. What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?

  3. Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)

  4. What do I do? (In light of who I am)

  5. 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)

Claude.ai

 Read More
Darien GabrielGrace Christian Fellowshipnon denomindational church, non denominational church, bible believing church, Ladson, SC, Grace Christian Fellowship, Chaos to Covenant, Genesis, Darien Gabriel
How Did the Universe Begin? | Genesis 1:1-2 | Darien Gabriel
How Did the Universe Begin? | Genesis 1:1-2 | Darien Gabriel

Series: Chaos to Covenant

Title: “How did the universe begin?"

Scripture: Genesis 1:1-2 NIV Father and Spirit created

Hebrews 11:3 created out of nothing

Romans 5:20 where sin increased, grace increased all the more

2 Timothy 2:13 if we're faithless, he is faithful

John 1:1-14 Father and Son created

Colossians 1:15-17 Son of God created

Hebrews 1:1-3 Son of God created

Acts 2:36-39 (Invitation)

Bottom line: The universe begins with God speaking it into existence from nothing.

  1. INTRODUCTION

  2. CONTEXT

  3. SERMON OUTLINE

  4. CONCLUSION

  5. NOTES

  6. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

  7. OUTLINES

  8. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  9. MAIN REFERENCES USED

INTRODUCTION

"TWO MAPS, ONE JOURNEY by David Helms

I vividly recall taking family vacations. My father was a schoolteacher, and summertime meant extended driving trips.

We began at home in Chicago and drove to South Dakota and Mount Rushmore — across to Cheyenne- up to Yellowstone - down through the Rockies — and into Silverton, where we would camp for an extended time.

In the months leading up to those trips, Dad would always post a large map of the United States on our refrigerator door.

This map contained the grand view of the entire journey. For on it, with indelible ink, Dad would trace our path. However, he never traced it out all at once. You see, all seven of us kids would set aside money from our newspaper routes in an effort to help pay for the gasoline for the trip. So, as the funds for gas accumulated, the indelible ink indicating how far we could go extended across the map. It was always a great day when the ink made its way back to the beginning, because we knew then that we had collected enough money to pay for the entire trip.

A funny thing, though: We never brought this map on the trip. The "grand view map" was too general. For the actual trip we needed a more detailed map, so we took along our Rand McNally Road Atlas, complete with all fifty states! I loved that map because it contained inset maps of large cities and all kinds of information the refrigerator map didn't have.

The creation account in Genesis 1, like the map on my family's refrigerator, is the grand view in which mankind is seen as the pinnacle, but only within the context of all of creation.

Chapter 2, on the other hand, is like one page of the Rand McNally map, which shows in full detail what the pinnacle (mankind) is really like.

In one breath, chapter 1 spoke of the creation of man in the image of God as male and female. Now, however, beginning in

2:4, the writer focuses our attention specifically on humankind.

He wants us to camp here for an extended time.

This is exciting, because chapter 2 deals directly with one of life's big questions: "Who are we, really?"" -David Helms, pp. 49-50

Imagine you are a cartoon. You live in a 2D world--height and width. Let's say you can think like you do now. You have the same questions about life and eternity. You live in a animated world that is real. Eventually, you realize that there's order in your cartoon world. You see clues in the consistency of things, the order of things, the purposefulness of things and the beauty of things. This leads to more questions. Eventually, the cartoonist begins to reveal more to you through other characters. And at some point you realize that there is a creator of the cartoon world in which you live. In fact, the great cartoonist exists and created you on purpose for a purpose.

If you found yourself in this situation, how would you respond? How would you feel about the great cartoonist? Would you be grateful that he created you when he didn't to? Or would you complain about he color of your costume? Would you be in awe that there exists a being so powerful that at the stroke of a pen, he could create life? Or would you complain about the story plot of your life?

My hope is that as we listen to God through His Story in Genesis, we will wrestle with these questions in 3D+. Because this is like the world in which we live. There's a creator and he is God. His name is Jesus and he created you on purpose for a purpose. My hope is that you will come to understand and believe this to the degree that it moves you to gratitude and worship. Not just when we sing a song but 24//7. That it will shape the way that you live and the choices that you make and the narratives you choose to believe and the people you hang out with.

Let's look at Genesis and ask ourselves 2 questions as we do:

  1. God, what are you saying to me today?

  2. God, what do you want me to do about what you're saying to me today?

CONTEXT

Genesis (beginning) is a book of beginnings.

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.

"Genesis is about grace." Sin, then grace. Sin, then grace.

Grace is often times defined as an acronym

  • God's

  • Riches

  • At

  • Christ's

  • Expense

Grace is undeserved favor.

Genesis is also about God's fidelity.

God is faithful even when we're not.

God keeps his promises even when the people the promises are for threaten the fulfillment of the promises.

"If we are faithless, he remains faithful--for he cannot deny himself." 2 Timothy 2:13

People are wonderful and awful.

  • The bulk of Genesis affirms our terrible sinfulness.

    • Therefore, salvation had to come by faith (we certainly didn't deserve it or could earn it)

    • Genesis 15:6 Moses writes, "Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness."

"There's only one way fallen humanity can be saved--the Genesis way--by faith. There has never been another way." -Hughes

Who wrote Genesis? According the Old and New Testaments, Moses c. 15th century BC. Jesus confirms this.

Kind of cool:

  • Genesis 1:1 is 7 words.

  • 1:2 is 14 words.

  • And the chapter ends with 3 verses of 7 Hebrew words (21 words).

SERMON

I. Primeval history (1-11)--God and the world

A. God and the beginning

    1. Bereshith Elohim Bara is the Hebrew for this phrase, "In the beginning God..."

      1. "In the beginning" of our universe - Hebrew bereshith

      2. God was there in the beginning before time and space existed. The beginning of universal history.

        1. He has always existed. He never began or was born.

        2. He will always exist. He lives forever.

        3. Elohim = God or gods; not plural for number here but intensity i.e. Most God you can get

        4. Genesis, the OT, and the Bible are all about God, his creation and his glory.

        5. The Bible assumes God's existence. Never debates it. Says the fool believes there is no God in Proverbs.

          1. It's one thing to doubt or question whether he exists or not

          2. It's another to ignore the many evidences of his existence and conclude he doesn't exist; too much evidence from nature

B. God and the universe (1:1): "God created the heavens and the earth."

      1. "God created the heavens..."

        1. Heavens = skies

          1. Heaven 1: as we think about it

          2. Space

          3. Our sky as we think about it

        2. Earth = land (they would have understood it as the ground)

        3. We see from the rest of the chapter that God spoke things into existence.

        4. God created out of love for us and his son

          1. Us - we now exist

          2. Him - he now has a bride (not that he needed one)

      2. God created from nothing - Hebrew bara; this reminds me of an old joke:

        1. An atheist scientist came to God and said, “We’ve figured out how to make a man without you.” God said, “OK, let me see you do it.” So the atheist bent down to the ground and scooped up a handful. But God stopped him and said, “Oh, no you don’t. Get your own dirt!”

        2. Primary or absolute creation is from nothing (what only God can do)

        3. Secondary or relative creation is from something (what we can do)

      3. God or Elohim (gods in Hebrew) is plural as a literary device to intensify the word. This isn't just a god. This is the God of gods.

        1. God is the point of the Bible.

        2. God is pre-existent. He existed before our universe did because he's eternal and uncreated. Before time and space, there was God.

        3. God is powerful. He created out of nothing.

        4. God is personal. He personally spoke creation into existence. He personally walked in the garden with Adam.

C. God and the earth (1:2): "Now the earth (land) was formless (wild) and empty (waste), darkness was over the surface of the deep (abyss = chaotic darkness), and the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) was hovering (overshadowing) over the waters."

      1. The world starts out as a dark, chaotic, wild wasteland without form. God will form it, frame it, fill it and then finish it.

        1. Here he begins to form it through his Spirit. The triune God is at work here.

        2. Have you ever been at sea, miles out, at night? Maybe on a cruise ship or a deep sea fishing trip so far out that you can't see any lights or land? It's creepy and a little scary.

      2. God creates/works as a triune God

        1. Father--Genesis 1:1; 26

        2. Son--John 1:1-2; Gen 1:26

        3. Holy Spirit--Genesis 1:2; 26

      3. The Spirit working chaos to order is seen when the Holy Spirit "overshadows" Mary making her pregnant with Jesus in the virgin birth (new creation). The Holy Spirit comes down like a dove onto Jesus at his baptism in the waters (symbolizing chaos and judgment). The Spirit raises Jesus from the dead, bringing him back to life. (Bethencourt) This is the first of many examples of the Holy Spirit doing this kind of work.

II. Patriarchal history (12-50)--God and Abraham's family

CONCLUSION

Bottom line: The universe begins with God speaking it into existence from nothing.

God deserves our worship. Therefore, we should worship him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.

God creates out of love. Love creates and connects relationally.

God wants us to worship him with our lips and our lives. (Hebrews 13:15-16)

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:

  1. What is God saying to me right now?

  2. 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

Truths to note

  • God existed and exists eternally

  • God exists in plural unity as the Holy Trinity

  • God was in the beginning

  • God was before anything existed in our universe and the universe itself

  • God created everything that exists in the universe and the universe itself

  • God creates something from nothing Latin ex nihilo

    • An atheist scientist came to God and said, “We’ve figured out how to make a man without you.” God said, “OK, let me see you do it.” So the atheist bent down to the ground and scooped up a handful. But God stopped him and said, “Oh, no you don’t. Get your own dirt!”

  • God creates with words. He spoke creation into existence. His words still have power.

  • God creates purposefully for his glory and our good.

  • God starts with light to display his creation and provide an essential ingredient for life.

  • God only creates things that are good. Together it was all very good and will be again.

  • God is a God of order and moves from chaos to order.

  • Elohim (gods) intensifies God's divine majesty, when used as a noun. When used as a verb, it's singular for there is only one true God.

  • God created all things. "Heavens and earth"

  • God created an "open" universe, not a "closed" one where he never interacts

Notes from Bible Project Videos

1-11 God and the world

12:3 Hinge verse

12-50 God and Abraham's family

Disorder --> Order

Adam = human

Humanity created to:

  1. Reflect God's character (image)

  2. Represent God's rule (reign)

  3. Harness creation's potential and create beauty and order

"Blessing" is a key word here

Choice: Tree of knowledge of good and evil

  1. Trust God's definition of good and evil, or

  2. Seize autonomy and define good and evil for themselves?

Serpent (against God) tells a different story. He lies when he tells them that if they eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that they will be like God. Because they already are like God (made in his image).

Heavens and earth aka skies and land

Formless and empty aka wild and waste

Deep abyss = dark, chaotic ocean

Days 1-3 God splits apart and forms this disordered waste into 3 ordered realms:

  1. Realm: Time. God splits darkness and light on Day 1.

  2. Realm: Sky & Seas. God splits the waters into water canopy or clouds (or both) and sea on Day 2.

  3. Realm: Land. God brings land out of water and includes vegetation on it on Day 3.

Days 4-6 God

  1. Day 4 brings lights--sun, moon and stars to reflect his light in space.

  2. Day 5 brings creations to fill the sky and sea

  3. Day 6 brings land animals and humanity to fill the land.

First poem in the Bible (1:27) celebrates God's creation where he completed the skies, land and inhabitants. God completes and rests and dwells in this sacred space he treats as a temple. The world or at least the garden of Eden is his temple.

Notes from Bethencourt

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Darien GabrielGrace Christian FellowshipDarien Gabriel, Ladson, SC, Grace CHristian Fellowship, Chaos to Covenant, Genesis, non denominational church, bible believing church