Death and Walking with God
Genesis 4-11 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 11 viewsWe escape the cycle of death by walking with God.
Notes
Transcript
Please turn to Genesis 5.
Genesis chapter 5.
As humans we have a massive problem that Genesis 5 highlights. What is it?
See if you can figure it out.
(and if you need a sermon handout, raise you hand)
1 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” 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 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.
What is the problem that Genesis 5 highlights? And we all said: death.
we die.
You and I know this.
but we haven’t really seen it yet in the book of Genesis except for murder, Cain killing Abel.
God had told Adam and Eve...in chapter Genesis 2:17
17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
and up to this point, they have not died...but now they do, despite living crazy amounts of time....
now, we see they die.
This is the problem: death.
We are in this cycle of death and cannot get out.
and the reason behind the problem of death: sin. the wages of sin is death. (Rom 6:23)
It goes back to our representatives back in the garden—Adam and Eve.
I wish they would have chosen differently.
death makes sense as the consequence for sin.
because if God is the author of life—He made us...then if we turn our backs on God—the only result is death.
A couple of pastoral observations on death:
We do everything to avoid it.
as a society as a culture—we remove death—and want it somewhere else—in a hospital, in a nursing home, away from us. it used to be not long ago before modern medicine that we were around death all the time. I remember my Grandma on my mom’s side—Rosemary Amstutz had her mom—great grandma Habegger—in her home, taking care of her until she died.
I think of people like Martin Luther, known for starting the Protestant Reformation, had 6 children, 2 died in childhood...very common in that time period. so it used to be people were around it a lot.
but personally, we do as much as we can, even though we are reminded of it all the time. Got a haircut recently, and I looked down at the hair—so much more gray than I remember! just a reminder of my mortality and getting older. I am old enough now that I can be sore from sleeping in the wrong position. all these aches and pain are reminder of the cycle of the curse of death. my time is coming for death—and so is yours.
Death happens unexpectedly to our loved ones or us.
death is no laughing matter. Our desire deep down—we were made to live forever in loving community with God and one another, but death interrupts all of that.
and this is especially true if someone you love dearly dies with no warning. a medical diagnosis—pancreatic cancer that kills someone in a matter of a few weeks. a work accident. a car wreck. a heart attack. we can all think of people in our very lives who fit these categories. It’s painful to even bring up.
sometimes, the good can and do die young.
I know as a pastor I am only one phone call away from hearing tragic news of one of you in our beloved church family dying. I have been there when some of your loved ones have taken your last breath. I have had to deliver news of death—so tough.
We should think about death, so that we make the most of every opportunity.
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,
16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
are you making the most of every opportunity?
do you have a heart of wisdom that numbers your days?
what are you putting off even though God has called you to it—thinking “I got plenty of time...” you just don’t know. this life goes by quickly
some of you have said that one of the most clarifying words in your life are the words “you have cancer.” not that you want it—but it all of a sudden brought into sharp focus what matters.
we are not here just to pay bills and accumulate stuff and go on cool vacations...we exist for moe.
so are you making the most of every opportunity? how should you live if you know your days are numbered
and also, if you know that you probably have less life ahead of you than behind you...how can you not only live well? but someday...die well? leaving a rich legacy of faith for your family?
the names mentioned here—only get maybe half a sentence or a full sentence—and that’s all we know.
now there are actually 2 problems with death:
we die physically
we die spiritually (kicked out of the garden)
there are 2 types of death—the first is where our heart stops beating and our brain ceases to function...but the 2nd is kicked out of the Garden out of God’s presence.
and the Bible talks about, especially in the NT, the fire of hell. that heaven exists where God is, but hell is a place of isolation from God, described as outer darkness, the lake of fire, weeping and gnashing of teeth.
and I know people have a hard time with the reality of hell...but to me it makes sense. if heaven is where God is in His absolute fullness and presence...if we lived this life not wanting Jesus to be our Lord—why would we want to go to a place where we are face to face with Him. the only alternative is a place or reality where God is not
How do we get out of this cycle of death—the consequences of sin is death?
Well, we start to see some answers...
let me keep reading...and we actually see 3 characters in Genesis 5 that give us hope!
Genesis
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.
Characters that give us hope:
Character #1: Enoch
This is mysterious—Enoch breaks the cycle of death.
He walked faithfully with God—then he was no more...because God took him away.
Can you imagine—God just beams you up into heaven!
There is only one other person mentioned in Scripture like this—Elijah, taken in a whirlwind.
That’s how I want to go.
God’s Word is giving us hope—that death doesn’t have the last word!
God can and does.
Enoch is a picture of that, for those who walk with God, they will escape the cycle of death.
that’s amazing!
now...I don’t think it’s because Enoch somehow earned it.
because if you look at Hebrews 11—
Hebrews 11—the hall of faith says this:
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.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.
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.
Enoch didn’t even know fully about Jesus Christ in the NT like we do.
but I think just like Abel—he trusted in God’s promise from Gen. 3:15
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
he trusted that one day God would send someone to crush the head of the serpent, the devil who tempted Adam and Eve.
We saw this pattern with Abel—Abel trusted God; Cain did not.
and now Enoch trusted God.
and those who put their faith in God, will escape the cycle of death.
We know the OT saints looked forward to what God would do—we look back at what God has done.
The reason we know that we can escape death is because of Jesus.
if the wages of sin is death—Jesus took that wage, that consequence and penalty on himself.
He lived the life we failed to live (never sinning!) He is called the 2nd Adam—our new and better representative.
and Hebrews 2:9
9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
he tasted death for everyone, so that if by faith—I trust that Jesus did what I could not do, that he took the sin I could not deal with, then I, too, will walk with God faithfully as a result, and death will not have the last word.
Jesus said those incredible words to Mary and Martha in John 11:
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
do you believe this?
even though we physically die—we live with jesus forever!
and in one sense we never really die—
now, unfortunately, we still physically die.
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.
yes Enoch gives us hope—but we still live in this tension of 2 realities:
we physically die (like Methuselah)
and yet in the NT—for Christians, death is described as falling asleep
for Christians death is saying “see ya later” “we will see you soon” in heaven with Jesus.
that gives us so much hope...
1 Thess. 4 says for Christians we do not grieve as those who have no hope—we still grieve—because it’s painful—it’s appropriate to grieve—in some sense when you lose a loved one you grieve for the rest of your life!
and yet we have hope...
Enoch begins to give us a glimpse of hope!
his faith was in God...
and that resulted in him walking faithfully with God.… that is the evidence that is faith was truly in God...
so how do we escape the cycle of death....
by faith in the promised deliver, that results in a life of faithfulness
Enoch looked forward to Jesus—we look back.
what does it mean to walk faithfully with God? before I answer that—notice 2 other characters...
Another character that gives us hope:
Character #2: Adam (vs. 1-5)
this passage is very repetitive, but there are 3 characters who break it—Enoch is one.
but Adam is another one.
if you look at vs. 1-5 in your text—-
We are reminded that Adam, all human beings, despite sin, is still made in the image of God.
God had said this back in Genesis 1:26-28
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
there are a lot of debates on what the image means—
—some look at it in terms of what we do—we have capacities to reason, make decisions, create things like art, buildings, civilization, we can understand beauty, we can have relationships, we know right and wrong...certainly all true.
one of the problems with this view though is that if we only focus on what we do...then this limits our understanding—as we think about babies in the womb—they can’t do all these things—but are made in the image of God. those in the hospital that are so sick, maybe in a coma, no brain activity—still image of God.
but I get what theologians are saying—these things mimic God.
—at its core—the idea of image—is that we are to represent God.
and Adam despite sin, still called to represent God. Seth his son—made after Adam’s image—and also called to represent God.
this is getting at one of our main purposes in life—since we are made in the image of God....we are called to reflect and represent God
to walk faithfully with God...means to image Him.
we are his representatives on this earth...
how are you doing at reflecting Him?
Can a watching world look at you and say—there is something different about you—by the way you live, talk, interact, work, your attitude...does it imitate God?
in our earlier series on discipleship—part of our goal of being with Jesus everyday is that we become like him.
and this is part of the challenge now—Adam and Eve failed to image God.
but the good news is that Jesus came
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Jesus imaged God perfectly—so that when we put our trust in Jesus
he starts to remake us in His image so that He by his Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit—
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control....
are you abiding and beholding Jesus day after day after day....are you surrendering to Him and becoming little images of Jesus...
this isn’t all about doing...
but you will notice how much the fruit of the Spirit is character like Jesus
walking with God means imaging Him...becoming like Jesus.
look at the 3rd character who gives us hope—not just Enoch or Adam, but Noah.
Character #3: Noah (vs. 28-32)
look at the end of this passage.
28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son.
29 He named him Noah 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.
can you imagine becoming a dad at 500 years old. my goodness.
this passage will lead us into chapter 6, the story, true story of Noah and the flood.
Lamech, Noah’s dad, is crying out for help.
Noah means comfort!
and Noah would bring comfort, just probably not in the way expected. he brought comfort under the curse as God would use him to walk faithfully
9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.
Noah is a reminder that God cares not just about life after death—but life...right...now.
that our faith in God impacts our eternal destiny—but also affects right now.
as Noah would walk faithfully with God, building an ark, that took him decades—he must have been crazy, people thought....
so what does it mean to walk faithfully with God?
we said to reflect God or image God...
day by day, moment by moment, relationship with God
I think that image of walking is very instructive....
watch me walk for a second—-ok....
up and down....
I am driving our camera people nuts right now....I should go up to the balcony
In Biblical times, do you know the most common way to get somewhere—not an amish buggy, or car, or uber, or plane...but walking.
one step at a time...
the Bible references walking with God over 200 times, some versions 300 times.
One writer says jesus is the most persistent pedestrian walker in the Bible.
in Genesis 3, right after Adam and Eve sin,
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
we get the picture that before sin—Adam and Eve would walk with God.
when you go on a walk with someone—you are going the same pace, in step with them, side by side, talking, doing life together.
I see some of you walking around Berne together with friends, or married couples one of the best prescriptions I can give you is to go on a walk together. You get exercise, but you also are doing life side by side, interacting, communing
God had promised Israel this, even after sin:
12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.
Israel’s failure was that they failed to walk with God time and time again.
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
in the NT—Jesus and His disciples—literally walked together...as Jesus modeled and showed them his amazing way.
and in 1 John 1:7
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
6 Whoever claims to live in him must live (or walk) as Jesus did.
sometimes, we run ahead of God...
or stay far behind God...
but we are called to walk with Him—day by day, moment by moment, humble dependence on Him.
so first of all, have you put your trust in Jesus? to take care of both of your death problems—physical and spiritual...
and second...as a result are you walking with God?
Enoch walked with God over 300 years....it’s amazing how far you can go with God, or He takes you if just walk with Him. day by day, moment by moment....
to escape the cycle of death, we walk by faith day by day with our beautiful Savior.
