Section 3 - Part 1: Hope in Death

Order of Service:

Starting Prayer and Reading of a passage

Communion

Worship

Teaching

Fellowship / Discussion

Prayer time as a group

Current Sermon Position:

Gen 1:1-2:4 The generations of the heavens and the earth

Gen 2:4-5:1 The book of the generations of Adam

Gen 5:1-6:9 The generations of Noah

Gen 6:9-10:1 The generations of the sons of Noah

Gen 10:1-11:10 The generations of Shem

Gen 11:10-11:27 The generations of Terah

Gen 11:27-25:19 The generations of Isaac

Gen 25:19-37:2 The generations of Jacob

Gen 37:2-Ex 1:1 The generations of the Sons of Jacob

The Text: Genesis 5

These were real people:

1 Chronicles 1:1–4 “Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth.”

Luke 3:36–38 “the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”

What Genesis 5 speaks to is human history of both humanity and God’s faithfulness within human history

Death was Prevalent

Genesis 5:5 “So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.”

Genesis 5:8 “So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.”

Genesis 5:11 “So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.”

Genesis 5:14 “So all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.”

Genesis 5:17 “So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.”

Genesis 5:20 “So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.”

What would it have been like to know everyone was starting to die for the first time?

The reality of death was entering the world

That life ended was becoming a reality to all of humanity

Eternal life was a reality also

Genesis 5:21–24 “Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”

Enoch walked with God

If we do as Enoch did, we can walk with God

We can walk with God now into eternity:

Colossians 2:6 “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,”

Galatians 5:25 “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”

2 Corinthians 5:7 “for we walk by faith, not by sight—”

It was known, at least by the faithful, that:

God was real

God had expectations on humanity

God provided eternal life if the conditions were met by a human

How should this impact our worldview?

Two prophets are listed in this lineage:

Acts 3:21 “whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.”

1. Enoch:

Jude 14–15 “It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.””

What was Enoch’s prophecy? What does this say about what Enoch was doing when he was alive?

How old is this prophecy?

Interesting side note:

His son’s name, Methuselah meant, generally, “When he has died, it shall be sent”

What do we know about Methuselah other than the prophecy?

His age: 969 years when he died - he died the year the flood came by some calculations

What happened when Methuselah died? The flood

What does this show of God? He is long suffering.

2. Noah’s Father, Lamech:

Genesis 5:28–31 “Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and became the father of a son. Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.” Then Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.”

Noah’s name means “Rest”

What rest was Noah to give us? Was this talking about Noah providing rest?

Judgment must come:

Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”

Death was not supposed to be normal

There is judgment to come, but there is hope in Christ. How do we know this?

We die

Scripture states it