In the Beginning God Revealed His Glory (Genesis overview)

why read OT?

primitive

animal sacrifices

archaic laws

angry God

Marcion (85-160)

taught OT God not same as God who sent Jesus

broke off relationship with Christians

embarrassed by OT

rejected OT

God too cruel

Church rejected Marcion’s radical surgery of the Bible

blank screen

what is your view of OT?

like gold mine

for good stories (Joseph, David, Moses, Elijah)

psalms, proverbs, most of 10 Commandments

if honest, try to avoid it?

Andy Stanley—Christian faith must be “unhitched” from OT

if unhitch from OT

then unhitch from the Bible Jesus used and quoted from

In the Beginning God Revealed His Glory

@ FCC we believe the whole Bible is God’s Word (completely true, without error)

so much of the Bible goes back to Genesis

assumes you know Genesis

so much of our world makes more sense with Genesis

reading Genesis well will allow us to read the newspaper better

the beginning always impacts the rest

overview

know details and people in Genesis

but do you know the arch of Genesis?

what Genesis is about?

speed through 2,000 years of history in a few short chapters

then slow down and zoom in for 120

Genesis (beginning) of what???

Genesis of God revealing His glory

God reveals His glory through His created world (Genesis 1-11)

origin stories grab our attention

why are they like that? Spiderman, Wolverine, Hulk

why is our world like it is?

deep question we all want to know

open Genesis to find that…

God creates everything and has authority over all His creation

not in NT

contrary to contemporaries

we come to Genesis with our 21st century scientific questions

not the world Genesis was written in

ancient background

Genesis was strikingly original

we can fail to see this today

polytheism—monotheism

gods were weak—sovereign

exploited mankind for food—God concerned for mankind

Mesopotamia clung to wisdom of man

Genesis records sinful disobedience

we learn much of God through Genesis

God is self-existent

nobody made Him

He is not a needy god

many ancient gods depended on sacrifices for food

He is not dependent on you

not on our weekly offering

why did God create the world?

no need or inadequacy in Himself

not needy for companionship (Trinity)

God’s nature is why He created

God does not wish to be all-powerful, holy, faithful, and true

God IS all-powerful, holy, faithful, and true

God wanted to exhibit these qualities

so He created the world to manifest His great glory

to put His glory on display (solar eclipse tomorrow)

purpose

if God created all

we are here on purpose

not random act (Big Bang) or natural process over millions/billions of years (evolution)

we find our purpose when we look to God and His Word

authority

if He created all

He has authority over all

even you, whether you acknowledge Him or not

God is holy and holds humanity accountable for sin

everything seems fine…until the 3rd chapter

humanity seems to be spiraling out of control with consequences from God along the way

sin enters and humanity is cursed (Gen 3)

Cain kills Abel (Gen 4)

sons of God are sexually exploiting the daughters of men (Gen 6)

Noah is like a second Adam—a recreation (Gen 6-9)

but he too fails

gets drunk with wine

part of family cursed

tower of Babel represents condition of mankind (Gen 11)

feeling they don’t need God because they are like god

but clearly the God of the Bible has to come down

to deal with the unruly children

dealing with sin and evil is a hard one

if God created everything, did He create evil?

Augustine (354-430 AD)

seems reasonable

if God created everything and evil is a thing, God created evil

if God created evil, then God is not good

BUT if God is good, then what is going on?

1. all things that God created are good

2. evil is not good

3. thus God did not create evil

4. therefore evil is not a thing

Augustine on evil

while God did not create evil

God allowed evil to enter

He chooses to coexist with evil for a time

allowing evil gave depth to God’s goodness

a white painting contrasted with black makes the white brighter

God gets more glory by contrasting with evil

Roger Sanders (Lynette)

if sin would not have entered humanity

God would never have been able to display

judgment, wrath, justice

NOR grace, mercy, forgiveness

“Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb”

God is more gracious than humanity deserves

OT—God of wrath; NT—God of love

not true!!!

every time God shows Himself gracious

Gen 3

Adam and Eve are not destroyed and start over with 3-toed sloths

no hope except for God’s mercy

Genesis 3:15 pew Bible # 3

proto-gospel

IN A CURSE

Gen 4

Cain is not annihilated after murdering Abel

Gen 6

not all of humanity is destroyed in the flood, 1 family is saved

early church presented Noah’s ark as a symbol of Christ

ark affixed to a cross—Jesus is our ark

“He is the vessel of mercy that we, once inside, can safely ride through the floods of God’s judgment.”

Gen 11

God confuses the people’s language

instead of dropping a divine nuclear bomb

we don’t want what we deserve

we do not get the full wrath of God on us every time we sin

but do not be fooled into thinking that God’s full wrath will never come

Genesis 1-11 is a clear picture that humans are in desperate need for God to step in and rescue us from our sin

if anything stands out in Gen 1-11,

it is the hopelessness of the human race

speed through 2,000 years (Genesis 1-11)

then slow down 120 years (Genesis 12-50)

which indicates where main interest lies

camera zooms in on 1 family

how God intends to accomplish this rescue of humanity through a special people

most crucial event between fall of Adam and birth of Christ occurs in Genesis 12

God reveals His glory through His special people (Genesis 12-50)

Genesis 12:1-3 pew Bible # 10

hope is lost in humanity

hope is found in God’s promises to Abraham, not Abraham’s goodness

God creates a new people to end humanity’s hopelessness

not Abram’s goodness, but God’s love and promise

God, not Abraham’s idea (Genesis 12:1-3)

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob/Israel, and Israel’s sons (special attention to Joseph)

patriarchs

not a favorable word to some

because seen as oppressive system with men leading

Biblical worldview says not oppressive

if men lead as God designed

covenant making God

Abraham and children are only special by trusting Him

by grace, not merit

consider Sarah’s barrenness (90)

God even changes names

Abram to Abraham

Sarai to Sarah

Jacob to Israel

not dependent on themselves, but on God

evidenced through faith

faith is the anti-work

Genesis 15:6 “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”

God tests Abraham and shows how He will provide

Genesis 22:8 “Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.”

but faith is never alone, there is a life change

God is holy and expects His people to be holy too

God’s special people must be holy, as He is holy

God doesn’t let sin go unpunished

judgment clearly displayed at Sodom and Gomorrah

Abraham pleads with God to spare Sodom

Gen 18

50-45-40-30-20-10

Genesis 19:24, 27-28 pew Bible # 16

God forbids intermarriage with the Canaanites

why??? interracial marriage the issue???

foreigners will lead Israelites to worship false gods

God’s people are to be holy—set apart

Christians are to be different than those who are not

we are to be holy (separated)

church discipline

examine yourself before you come to the Lord’s table

unrepented sin is not to continue in our lives

sexual immorality, gossip, anger, unforgiveness, etc.

over and over again we see that…

God is gracious to His chosen people

God’s people are definitely not a perfect people

you don’t get far to see that

Gen 12 (Abram lying about Sarai)

God owes His people nothing

they deserve nothing except judgment

yet He shows mercy and grace

and God’s grace is all over Genesis

Gen 38

Judah sinfully sleeps with Tamar, his daughter-in-law

Matthew 1:3 “and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,”

one of several sinful displays of sexual immorality in genealogy

yet Jesus, the promised seed, came through them

Judah’s sin was not okay

but God’s mercy is on full display

prior slide

God wanted to make it clear that His promises were not dependent on Abraham and his descendants

God’s promises are dependent only on Him

God deserves all the glory

often because of my covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

being saved is nothing we can do ourselves

our sins do not have to rule us

God has fulfilled the promise of Gen 3:15 in Jesus

your sin does not have to define you

God provided sufficient sacrifice in His son

theme of Genesis creation, sin, re-creation

GOSPEL

1st service

Mark to present Dan Kellis

present Randy and Jana Ivy

recognize Dan and Debs English