Genesis 1-4

I want to play a game with you guys. Is that alright? It’s a simple game. I am going to read a quote and you tell me what story it is from. Okay? (PLAY THE GAME)

-Show pictures of stills from different stories and have the audience name them. Why do we tell stories?

...... Then Read page 13 of BSH.

a. Show Pictures From different stories and name game

...... Then Read page 13 of BSH.

(Read BLUE HIGHLIGHT on page 13 of BSH Walton)

God tells us his story so we can understand him and love him

b. Stories are universal. Every culture and language has their own stories. Stories are structured.

b. Read Page 13 from BSH…..

And we know God through His story. The Bible. The infallible inspired words of God through human authors. Stories are universal. Every culture and language on the planet tells their own stories. Stories entertain us, they help us remember important principles or events, and they serve as mirrors of our own lives. Walton continues, saying, “(Read ORANGE HIGHLIGHT on page 13 of BSH Walton)”

God tells us his story so we can understand him and love him

We tell stories so that we can excite, remember/know, apply, go.... LOVE HIM

a. Do you remember children’s church? We heard Bible stories like Noah, Jonah, Moses, David and Goliath, etc.

We tell stories so that we can excite, remember, apply, know, go.... LOVE HIM

c. Stories are universal. Every culture and language has their own stories. Stories are structured.

Do you remember children’s church? What was the focus? It was mostly full of stories like Noah and the ark, Jonah and the whale, Moses and the burning bush, David and Goliath, etc., etc.

God’s Presence

b. While I’m up here for the rest of the year we are going back to Children’s Church. We are going to study Biblical Narrative together and revisit these ancient stories and look at them in a way that you may have never seen them before. In children’s church we often heard these Bible stories out of their context. The story of say, Samson, was an isolated account of how God gave one man super-human strength in order to defeat his enemies and save his nation, despite having a tragic flaw of lust. Read in context though… This is the story of a deeply flawed violent narcissistic individual who is only in it for himself… and How God uses him anyway. Then the message changes from the isolated, “Ask God for strength and he’ll give it to you” to the even more amazing, “Though we are flawed and choose evil over and over and over again, God still chooses us to be His people.” If this is the real meaning of the story than the question logically arises, “How can a holy God choose a flawed person?” The answer in abstract is Love the answer in physicality is Jesus’s death and resurrection. I firmly believe that the Bible is one unified story that points to Jesus. The Old and New Testaments are irrevocably unified. They are unable to be separated and read how they were meant to be read by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and faculties of the human authors.

Eden

Covenant

Exodus

Tabernacle

Temple

Incarnation - Jesus

Pentecost

New Creation

The Bible is a unified story that points to Jesus. The NT picks up where the OT left off. AS we go through this series on Biblical Narratives that we may hear in children’s Church, I want you to think of the the Bible not only as the inspired infallible Word of God but also as literature. It is a story that has character, setting, plot, symbols, motifs, etc. There is a type of story that really good authors try to tell that’s known as a four part story. It goes like this:

Introduction to Characters and symbols

Crisis

Resolution

Recreation

Most stories have the first three parts. But it’s the fourth part that makes it really a good story. The key is that it ends up better in the end than when it began. For instance take the Lord of the Rings Trilogy

a. Peace across Middle Earth (tension amidst races and no king in Gondor)

a. Do you remember children’s church? We heard Bible stories like Noah, Jonah, Moses, David and Goliath, etc.

While I’m up here for the rest of the year we are going back to Children’s Church. We are going to study 7 popular Biblical Narratives together and revisit these ancient stories and look at them in a way that you may have never seen them before. This week we will look at the beginning of the world. The creation and fall of Adam and Eve. Then in other messages we will study Noah and the ark, Daniel and the Lions Den, Gideon, David and Goliath, Jonah, and finally the birth of Jesus. In children’s church we often heard these Bible stories out of their context. The story of say, Samson, was an isolated account of how God gave one man super-human strength in order to defeat his enemies and save his nation, despite having a tragic flaw of lust. Read in context though… This is the story of a deeply flawed violent narcissistic individual who is only in it for himself… and How God uses him anyway. Then the message changes from the isolated, “Ask God for strength and he’ll give it to you” to the even more amazing, “Though we are flawed and choose evil over and over and over again, God still chooses us to be His people.” If this is the real meaning of the story than the question logically arises, “How can a holy God choose a flawed person?” The answer in abstract is Love. The answer in physicality is Jesus’s death and resurrection. I firmly believe that the Bible is one unified story that points to Jesus. The Old and New Testaments are irrevocably unified. They are unable to be separated and read how they were meant to be read by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and by the faculties of the human authors.

c. Every single Bible story, and there are hundreds of them, is a part of the whole story. What is the whole story of the Bible? The whole story of the Bible in three words is: GOD WITH US. The entire Bible cover to cover, tells the story of how God came to dwell amovhng men. One could outline the Bible by asking the question, “Where can God’s presence be found in relation to man?” John Walton has suggested 7 stages of this that every story in the Bible fits into somewhere. They go like this:

Every single Bible story, and there are hundreds of them, is a part of the whole story. What is the whole story of the Bible? The whole story of the Bible in three words is: GOD WITH US. The entire Bible cover to cover, tells the story of how God came to dwell among men. It is communicated throughout the pages of the Bible. Form the beginning, God planned to create a people among whom he could dwell and with whom he could be in relationship. We should not suppose that he needed a place to live or that he had some psychological need for companionship. His plan emerges naturally, because God Himself is creative, relational, and gracious. After the Fall in Eden, the whole story of the Bible recounts God’s program to restore His presence among His people. One could outline the Bible by asking the question, “Where can God’s presence be found in relation to man?” John Walton has suggested 7 stages of this that every story in the Bible fits into somewhere. They go like this:

b. Sauron returns for the ring

b. While I’m up here for the rest of the year we are going back to Children’s Church. We are going to study Biblical Narrative together and revisit these ancient stories and look at them in a way that you may have never seen them before. In children’s church we often heard these Bible stories out of their context. The story of say, Samson, was an isolated account of how God gave one man super-human strength in order to defeat his enemies and save his nation, despite having a tragic flaw of lust. Read in context though… This is the story of a deeply flawed violent narcissistic individual who is only in it for himself… and How God uses him anyway. Then the message changes from the isolated, “Ask God for strength and he’ll give it to you” to the even more amazing, “Though we are flawed and choose evil over and over and over again, God still chooses us to be His people.” If this is the real meaning of the story than the question logically arises, “How can a holy God choose a flawed person?” The answer in abstract is Love the answer in physicality is Jesus’s death and resurrection. I firmly believe that the Bible is one unified story that points to Jesus. The Old and New Testaments are irrevocably unified. They are unable to be separated and read how they were meant to be read by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and faculties of the human authors.

i. Eden

c. Every single Bible story, and there are hundreds of them, is a part of the whole story. What is the whole story of the Bible? The whole story of the Bible in three words is: GOD WITH US. The entire Bible cover to cover, tells the story of how God came to dwell among men. One could outline the Bible by asking the question, “Where can God’s presence be found in relation to man?” John Walton has suggested 7 stages of this that every story in the Bible fits into somewhere. They go like this:

c. Ring is destroyed and Aragorn made King

ii. Covenant

i. Eden

d. Peace restored and new families are born (races unite and the King reigns)

ii. Covenant

iii. Exodus (Burning Bush/Sinai)

Stories are exciting! Do you remember as a kid when people would tell a really good story and you’d be on the edge of your seat? We tell Bible stories that get people excited. Every good author has a hook. This is something at the beginning of the story that gets the reader’s attention and gives a hint into what is coming next. It doesn’t fully explain the story or what is going to happen but it just sets the hook. For instance:

The Bible’s story is like this:

iii. Exodus (Burning Bush/Sinai)

ii. Covenant

iv. Tabernacle/Temple (via prophets)

Eden and God with man (not allowed to eat)

iv. Tabernacle/Temple (via prophets)

iii. Exodus (Burning Bush/Sinai)

v. Incarnation (Christ)

iv. Tabernacle/Temple (via prophets)

v. Incarnation (Christ)

Sin

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

vi. Pentecost (Holy Spirit)

Jesus

vi. Pentecost (Holy Spirit)

v. Incarnation (Christ)

vii. New Creation

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife

God with man forever

vii. New Creation

vi. Pentecost (Holy Spirit)

It was a dark and stormy night

d. While we read and study Biblical Narrative together for the rest of this year, pay attention to this. Ask the question “Where is God’s presence?” “How does this story accomplish the divine purpose of “God with us?”” Everything he does, is moving towards accomplishing that… he relentlessly wants you. And when you answer this question, then you can begin to apply the principles of the narrative to your own life.

Once upon a time

In the beginning

We tell stories because we want them to be remembered for generations. If we really want them to be remembered we put them into songs. That’s why you have the Psalms. Israel retells its history through song so that it would not be forgotten. Stories are remembered by recitation and their structure. Most stories or genres of stories have a common pattern. If you want to tell a good story you have three main parts right? You’ve got your rising action: this includes the introduction to setting and characters. Then you have your climax. This is where the central crisis comes to a point that gets everyone on the edge of their seats. Then you have the falling action or resolution. This is how the problem is finally solved and everybody goes back to the state at the beginning of the book. Alive and well and going on with their lives. But if you want to tell a really really good story… you need four parts. I firmly believe that the Bible is one unified story that points to Jesus. The OT and the NT make one whole story, the climax of which is the incarnation and the Christ event, that is Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. But the Bible doesn’t end there. A good four part story looks like this:

Rising Action (Introduction to setting, character, plot, and crisis)

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Climax (A decisive moment of maximum intensity that marks a major turning point)

Resolution (The crisis is resolved and the state of things is restored to its pre-crisis state)

Recreation (As a result of how the crisis was solved, via a sacrifice, everything is recreated into a state better than at the beginning)

4 part story

For instance: Consider the Lord of the Rings Story (spoilers ahead)

1. Rising Action (The characters are introduced and the crisis is revealed. Sauron has returned and the ring must be destroyed)

2. Climax (After three years of labor and fighting the ring is destroyed along with evil.)

2.

3. Resolution (The fellowship is brought back together and peace prevails)

4. Recreation (Aragorn is made King. A King rules where there was no King before because of his sacrifice of self)

In the same way, The Bible is organized into one unified story, cover to cover. Our English Bible’s aren’t necessarily ordered in chronological order, but they are close. There are also lots of genres reflecting on the true narrative the Bible tells. To make it really simple, all of the Bible tells of the story of how God comes to be with us. The story of the Bible in three words is this: God with us. There are 7 stages of God’s presence with man that can be found in the Bible according to John Walton. They go like this:

Eden

Covenant

Exodus (Burning Bush/Sinai)

Tabernacle/Temple (via prophets)

Incarnation (Christ)

Pentecost (Holy Spirit)

New Creation

While we read and study Biblical Narrative together for the rest of this year, pay attention to this. Ask the question “Where is God’s presence?” “How does this story accomplish the divine purpose of “God with us?”” Everything he does, is moving towards accomplishing that… he relentlessly wants you. And when you answer this question, then you can begin to apply the principles of the narrative to your own life.

The third reason we tell Bible stories is so that we may learn from them and apply them to our lives. This application can happen in either or both of two ways:

Affective Application - Here you “Cross the principalizing bridge and determine the theological principle in the narrative.” (i.e. When Jesus calms the storm the principle is that God is in control, therefore we must live our lives accordingly). This type of application happens cognitively. This is the heart change.

Affective Application - Here you “Cross the principalizing bridge and determine the theological principle in the narrative.”

Behavioral Application - Here one physically modifies their behavior in order to line up with the Biblical principle they understood from the narrative. (i.e. Jesus calming the storm shows us that he is in control, therefore, I will not live my life in fear of natural disasters but instead call out to him when I am afraid.)

2. Behavioral Application

vii. New Creation

While we read and study Biblical Narrative together for the rest of this year, pay attention to this. Ask the question “Where is God’s presence?” “How does this story accomplish the divine purpose of “God with us?”” Everything he does, is moving towards accomplishing that… he relentlessly wants you. And when you answer this question, then you can begin to apply the principles of the narrative to your own life.

e. Perhaps you didn’t go to children’s Church or you haven’t been a Christian very long. That’s okay. Stories are for everyone. Especially today. We are going to study the template story for all other stories in the Bible. Open your Bibles or devices to Genesis chapter 1. This is the beginning of your story.

d. While we read and study Biblical Narrative together for the rest of this year, pay attention to this. Ask the question “Where is God’s presence?” “How does this story accomplish the divine purpose of “God with us?”” Everything he does, is moving towards accomplishing that… he relentlessly wants you. And when you answer this question, then you can begin to apply the principles of the narrative to your own life.

Perhaps you didn’t go to children’s Church or you haven’t been a Christian very long. That’s okay. Stories are for everyone. Especially today. We are going to study the template story for all other stories in the Bible. Open your Bibles or devices to Genesis chapter 1. This is the beginning of your story.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

e. Perhaps you didn’t go to children’s Church or you haven’t been a Christian very long. That’s okay. Stories are for everyone. Especially today. We are going to study the template story for all other stories in the Bible. Open your Bibles or devices to Genesis chapter 1. This is the beginning of your story.

Hear The Story

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,

10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

“This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”

So every story has three key elements to it: Characters, Setting, and Plot. The characters are the vehicle that drives the plot, and the setting is the road they drive on. These three elements move us from rising action to the climax, to the falling action, and finally to the resolution. Bible stories are no different. The opening of the Bible introduces us to some key characters in this story of God with Us.

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

First, we are introduced to the story’s protagonist, God. God- Elohim (Mighty One) God is the subject of the first sentence of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible, and is the subject of the whole Bible. As we are introduced to his character, we notice a couple of things right off the bat. His name in this Hebrew sentence, “Elohim” just means God. It is the name used for God when the Bible wants to refer to his sovereignty. This word also is used to mean mighty, judge, ruler, etc. Immediately we are to understand that God, Elohim, is the protagonist of this story. The Bible is a book about God. Every single word in both the New Testament and Old Testament is part of the story about Him. It is a dangerous thing when we take Biblical narrative and make it about people. No, this is the story of God with us.

We are also introduced to the animals. They reproduce after their own kind and because they are from God we can expect that animals will play a significant role in this story.

Remember the Question we are asking: How does this accomplish the divine purpose of God with mankind?

-How does this story fit into the rest of the Bible? (It’s the beginning of a cycle…)

Finally, we are introduced to Mankind. Male and female. Many have looked at and 2 and ascertained a contradiction therein. They have said, “Oh look! There are two different creation accounts! The Bible contradicts itself.” I disagree. In ancient Hebrew literature, they would often retell their stories from different perspectives. In , the creation of the cosmos takes center stage while the creation of man is marginal. introduces us to a powerful, wise, protagonist God. introduces us to mankind. Remember to pay attention to names in Scripture. They provide clues as to who the person is and what they will become. Adam is the Hebrew name simply for, “Man.” It comes from the Hebrew word Admah which means Ground. So literally, the first human character in the story God is Adam – Man from the ground. The second human character, Eve, means “Life.” Thus far we’ve been introduced to God (The Mighty Sovereign Creative Protagonist), the animals (wards of man from God), Adam (human) and Eve (Life.)

In addition to the main characters we are also introduced to the setting, the Garden of Eden. Eden means delight. We will see Garden moments throughout the Bible. It begins in the Garden and ends in the Garden and I believe that the climax of the Bible is in the garden of gethsemane when Jesus gives up himself and says, “not my will be done, but yours”

- Introduces Characters (God, Man, Animals)

In chapters 1 and 2 there is no crisis save for the loneliness of man. The main crisis of the Bible occurs in Genesis chapter 3. This is how we went from God with us, to God not with us.

1. God- Elohim (Mighty One) God is the subject of the first sentence of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible, and is the subject of the whole Bible. As we are introduced to his character, we notice a couple of things right off the bat. His name in this Hebrew sentence, “Elohim” just means God. It is the name used for God when the Bible wants to refer to his sovereignty. This word also is used to mean mighty, judge, ruler, etc. Immediately we are to understand that God, Elohim, is the protagonist of this story. The Bible is a book about God. Every single word in both the New Testament and Old Testament is part of the story about Him. It is a dangerous thing when we take Biblical narrative and make it about people. No, this is the story of God with us.

(READ CHAPTER 3)

2. also introduces the animals, the creation of God that depends on God and comes from Him. They reproduce after their own kind and because they are from God we can expect that animals will play a significant roll in this story.

So the plot thickens… but have you noticed a pattern?...

3. Finally we are introduced to Mankind. Male and female. Many have looked at and 2 and ascertained a contradiction therein. They have said, “Oh look! There are two different creation accounts! The Bible contradicts itself.” I disagree. In ancient Hebrew literature, they would often retell their stories from different perspectives. In , the creation of the cosmos takes center stage while the creation of man is marginal. introduces us to a powerful, wise, protagonist God. introduces us to mankind. Remember to pay attention to names in Scripture. They provide clues as to who the person is and what they will become. Adam is the Hebrew name simply for, “Man.” It comes from the Hebrew word Admah which means Ground. So literally, the first human character in the story God is Adam – Man from the ground. The second human character, Eve, means “Life.” Thus far we’ve been introduced to God (The Mighty Sovereign Creative Protagonist), the animals (wards of man from God), Adam (human) and Eve (Life.)

as we dive into this text we know that it has structure like other literature. It has characters that teach us about ourselves and God. It has Setting that serves as a clue to what is about to happen and as a reminder of both blessings and curses. It has plot that includes rising action, climax, and falling action… but look a little more closely and we notice what Dr. Tim Mackie has called “Design Patterns in Biblical Narrative.” Here’s what I mean: There are key images and words all through the Bible that act as hyperlinks or bridges that connect us to remember other stories in the Bible. Take our text, . God creates the world and seven times it says that God SAW that it was GOOD. So we know that these words “saw” and “good” are really important words for us to pay attention to. Now watch, God creates two characters named human and life to rule this world on His behalf and they are told that everything they SEE is GOOD to eat. Save for one tree: The tree of KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL. The tree that represents Almighty God’s sovereign power to declare what is good and evil. Here is where it gets ironic… HUMAN AND LIFE DOUBT GOD and we read that they SAW the fruit of the tree and they determined that it WAS GOOD for themselves, so they DESIRE to be able to become wise determine good and evil for themselves and they TAKE what they want. And then they are ashamed… they HIDE from God and everything falls apart. Welcome to the condition of Mankind. And You think that Humans would have learned their lesson… but turn to chapter 4 of the Bible: The Story of Cain and Abel. Abel offers a good offering to God but Cain offers a poor one. Cain then doubts that God cares about him, sees an opportunity to get rid of his brother and determines that it would be in his own interest and good for himself to kill Abel. So he TAKES Abel’s life and then is ashamed of what he did (4.13) and is hidden from God (4.14)

-Introduces Setting

This pattern repeats itself over and over and over again… Abraham and Sarah doubt that God is strong enough to give them a son so they see that Hagar would be a good surrogate to carry out God’s plan and they take her… and are ashamed… and then Hagar and Ishmael go and hide in the wilderness, banished from their family.

-Introduces Plot

-Part of the Rising action of the Bible – there is no crisis yet. The first crisis in the Bible is that of loneliness.

The people of Israel doubt that God can rule their nation so they desire a king! They see that Saul would be good for them so they take him as their King… but when they try to anoint Him King where is He? He is hiding among the baggage.

We DOUBT GOD, we SEE something, we DETERMINE THAT IT IS GOOD (in our own interest) FOR OURSELVES, so we TAKE whatever we want… Then we are ashamed and we HIDE.

-What does this tell us about God? (God is wise and good and wants to walk with mankind)

-What does this tell us about people? (People are made in the image of God, and therefore are creative and have dominion over creation with God)

I could name dozens of stories just like this. These are intentional design patterns in the narrative and they call us to look at something really really important… and Christian… I hope you won’t miss it. Remember… the Bible is a book about God. What does this pattern tell us about God?

-What does this tell us about what God wants from us/for us? (He wants us to be holy. And he wants for us to live in intimacy with Him.) So how do we get there from our place of exile? How do we get to live in close intimacy with God? Well the answer is simple… We don’t. Just as Adam and Eve, human and life, SAW what was good and desirable to the eye, and they TOOK it for themselves, and then they HID from the judgment of God, so we are in the same state. We read the stories of the Bible and see over and over and over and over again how often humans and all life fall into this viscous cycle, and we are in captivity of the truest kind! We are banished from the presence of God to a life of humiliating existence in which nothing exists save for shame and our fruitless endeavors to avoid it… Yet when Human and Life, the creaiton of God, the longing of His heart, do not measure up… there is another character… His name means “The one who saves.” Ah… and upon reading that name we hope and we pray that this character, this Jesus, will be the one to save us and finally break the cycle of sin and shame and set us free from seeing, our taking and our hiding… But alas.... At the hands of those whom he loves… He was nailed to a tree. And died. He died for our sins, yes! He freed us from the viscous cycle… but… If the story of the Bible is God with us, and God is dead… than it matters not that we are without sin, for the one in whom we live and move and have our being is lying dead in a tomb along with the thousands of other Gods we created that could not free us and bring us intimacy with the true God… But the story does not end there. For Jesus, bursting forth in glorious day arose from the dead! And He is alive and is God with us now. And as that song says, “Now my debt is paid, it is paid in full, by the precious blood that my Jesus spilled and the curse of sin has no hold on me, for whom the son sets free, oh… is free indeed...

Well… the pattern doesn’t end with shame… God somehow, in his wisdom, provides grace. A sacred space where God in his holiness can meet human or life in their unholiness and protect them from shame and isolation. For Adam and Eve he provided clothing and a sacrifice of Blood. For Cain he seals him with a mark so that no one may kill him. For Hagar and Ishmael he provides food and water for them in the desert and gives them an entire nation of their own! For Saul he provides him with great military victory and sends him Samuel the prophet to speak His words to Saul. And what about for us… where is our grace? Our sacramental moment?

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

But Church

Explain The Story

We’ve looked at one Garden story… the Fall of man… now lets look at another…

Live The Story

It is dark outside… it is very quiet. The only thing able to be heard in the garden of gethsamene was snoring and drops of blood hitting the ground. A Man on his knees in deep supplication before God…. He desires to live… He sees that it would be good for him to not have to go through the pain of death… but instead of reaching out and taking life for himself…. Well…

Conclusion

though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped (taken), 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The third reason we tell Bible stories is so that we may learn from them and apply them to our lives. This application can happen in either or both of two ways:

Jesus broke the cycle. He broke the pattern of the fall and sin and death forever and now… now you have the opportunity to not be a part of the cycle any longer. For whom the Son sets free is free indeed. If you are a Chrisitan, when God looks at you he does not see your paltry righteousness but Jesus’ perfection.

The problem in the cycle begins with doubting God… Stop doubting. Why can you stop doubting? Because God is the Creator. So today I ask you… when the climax of your story comes… how will it end?

Affective Application - Here you “Cross the principalizing bridge and determine the theological principle in the narrative.” (i.e. When Jesus calms the storm the principle is that God is in control, therefore we must live our lives accordingly). This type of application happens cognitively. This is the heart change.

Behavioral Application - Here one physically modifies their behavior in order to line up with the Biblical principle they understood from the narrative. (i.e. Jesus calming the storm shows us that he is in control, therefore, I will not live my life in fear of natural disasters but instead call out to him when I am afraid.)

Genesis 1-4

Exciting!

Remember

Apply

Genesis 1-4

Exciting!

Remember

Apply

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