The Backdrop: Creation & Fall

The question we asked at the end of our service last week may have been a little misleading… not every short story in the bible relates to Jesus in a simple 1 to 1 way - rather all the smaller stories are kind of like subplots that fit into a greater story-line and it is this greater story-line that is all about Jesus - it is this larger story-line that most people today have lost sight of or never learned. So our goal in this series isn’t to focus on all the little stories but to learn the greater story-line that ties everything together! It is this greater story-line that was used by Jesus to open the hearts and minds of his followers… the disciples didn’t have the story-line right that’s why they misunderstood

So what we are attempting to learn together is the basic summary of the Core Story or the basic Framework that ties all the stories together - once we learn it we can go back and make proper sense of all the smaller stories and details - and look forward and make better sense of how we are part of the same story.

Movie montage: In film making a montage is an editing technique in which shots are given one after the other often in a fast paced way that compresses time and conveys a lot of information in a relatively short period of time. - like in ROCKY

Often at the beginning of a movie or even the beginning chapter of a book there is an opening montage a backdrop that sets up the story. It’s really a literary device of giving a short narrative - a history of events that introduces the story of primary interest - to set the stage for the plot to unfold… it is the short history of Characters and other elements that underline the situation existing at the main story’s beginning. “Even a purely historical work will select some important information to give a backstory to set things up for the audience.”

This is what the opening chapters of Genesis are like for Jesus and his disciples on the Road to Emmaus - there is an assumed backdrop or setting to the Story of God’s Plan that Jesus told them… It is foundational and is used by John later in his writings to show how God will accomplish restoring all of creation to his original plan — this backstory would have been well known by the disciples and it sets up the story Jesus told on the road to Emmaus …

The opening chapters of Genisis are like an opening montage in a movie that forms the backdrop for the Story Jesus told on the Road to Emmaus.

The backdrop or background is a set of

In eternity past God spoke and ‘Bang’ the heavens and earth were created. Humans are created in the image of God both male and female and are made partners in God’s work, called to cultivate creation, to build families and culture. There is order and harmony and God declares that it is good and rests after all his work. This is recorded in and 2.

Then in we have the story of Adam and Eve being tempted. Doubting God’s character, they rejected his rule and chose to be their own authority by eating from the tree of good and evil. They instantly experienced guilt and shame, and when God called them out, instead of admitting their sin they tried to hide it and place the blame. This ruins their relationship with God bringing chaos, evil and death on all of creation. They are expelled from God’s presence, yet God provides for them and hints that there is still hope –in a cryptic statement God says that someone born of a woman will crush evil once and for all yet be wounded in the process.

Adam and Eve’s heart of selfish rebellion is then passed on to their children. Their son Cain murders his brother Able in . Evil continues to develop and gets so bad that God decides to start over by destroying all mankind with a flood, yet he preserves Noah and his family who in faith follow God’s instructions to build an ark. They then re-populate the world forming cities and nations but evil doesn’t go away it continues to develop as it is passed on from generation to generation. The story of the Tower of Babel illustrates how the nations continued in their selfish rebellion toward God. They gathered together to build a city and tower as a symbol of replacing God with man’s own kingdom. As a result God scattered them and broke up their common language.

The first 11 chapters of Genesis acts like an opening montage or backdrop tracing the family heritage of Abraham’s ancestors from Adam to Noah to Abraham. It is the assumed setting or backdrop that focuses our attention on Abraham who would become the father of the nation of Israel, which is the beginning of the story Jesus tells on the road to Emmaus of God’s plan to bring us back to himself and set up a future kingdom through Abraham and his descendants.

Review:

· In eternity past God speaks and BANG the universe is created

· Humans are created in the image of God both MALE and FEMALE

· They are made PARTNERS with God in cultivating creation, building families and culture.

· There is order and harmony and God declares that it is GOOD and rests after all his work.

· But the first family is tempted and chooses to reject God’s good rule by eating from the tree of GOOD and EVIL

· This RUINS THEIR RELATIONSHIP with God, expelling them from God’s presence, and introduces chaos, evil and death into all of creation.

· A heart of selfish rebellion is passed on to their children and Cain MURDERS Able

· Evil gets so bad that God decides to FLOOD the earth and start over with Noah and his Family

· They repopulate the world but evil doesn’t go away, it is passed on from generation to generation – from ADAM to NOAH to ABRAHAM – which is where our story begins…

So how does this introduction set the stage for our story?

Characters and other elements that underline the situation existing at the main story’s beginning.

1) It introduces us to God and his design & intentions for humanity

Genesis 1:26 ESV

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.”

Genesis 1:27 ESV

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

Genesis 1:28 ESV

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.”

Genesis 1:29 ESV

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.

Genesis 1:30 ESV

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.

Genesis 1:31 ESV

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.

Genesis 2:1 ESV

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

Genesis 2:2 ESV

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.

God is portrayed as the creator - who brings order and beauty out of darkness...

Read

and creates man Male & Female in his own image - 1:27 (humans have God like traits - reflect his character, his glory)

God creates man Male & Female in his own image - 1:27 (humans have God like traits - reflect his character, his glory)

God gives humans a clear purpose - to cultivate the creation - to partner with God in building families and culture - filling the earth with God’s image - his glory 1:28, 2:15

God blesses and provides - 1:28-30 in ch2 places Adam in a beautiful garden to begin his work

God is portrayed as relational - let us - he personally interacts with Adam and Eve - chap 2 there is intimacy - ch2 Walks in the garden with them - a place where they meet - and there is peace and harmony ---

it’s not a fake relationship, they aren’t robots with no choice, God trusts them and gives them one rule to express their trust in him - don’t eat from the tree of good and evil

1:31 - it was very good!

2) It reveals the main issue that needs to be resolved

Genesis 3:1 ESV

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

Genesis 3:2–3 ESV

And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

Genesis 3:4–5 ESV

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:6 ESV

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

Read Gen 3:1-13

instead of becoming more like God - Adam and Eve became more like the serpent - created beings living in rebellion toward God - our Proud, selfish, rebellious hearts toward God - produces all kinds of consequences…

the relationship between God and humans is broken - there is separation, shame and blame - that now distorts every relationship - they trade blessing for a curse and become separated from our life source - God who breathed life into us - so humanity is now cursed instead of blessed - slowly dying like a cellphone without a charger - work is distorted - it becomes painful to fulfill our purpose -

This heart of selfish rebellion toward God is passed on to their children - resulting in all kinds of evil — that’s the problem even good guys like Noah act selfishly and pass on a heart of rebellion...

The story is set in a world that is broken and cursed because human beings, have proud,selfish, rebellious hearts that reject the idea of a Good God who rules over creation, and are determined to live life on their own terms.

The story is set in a world that is broken and cursed because human beings reject the idea of a Good God who rules over creation, and are determined to live life on their own terms.

If you are sick - you can treat the symptoms - you can suppress your cough with cough medicine, you can bring your fever down with Asprin and a cold bath, you calm your upset somach with

3) it hints at future hope

yet God still provides for them, God is an active participant in human History - restraining evil - whether it’s sending a flood or confusing languages -

cryptic statement - he shall bruise your head, you will bruise your heel

Traces the line of Adam to Abraham… because the story Jesus tells his Disciples - is the story of God’s plan to bring us back to himself, to set-up a future kingdom through Abraham and his descendants - restoring and bringing all of creation back in line with his good intentions… and this story points directly at JESUS

yet God still provides for them, God is an active participant in human History - restraining evil - whether it’s sending a flood or confusing languages -

God is an active participant in human History - restraining evil - whether it’s sending a flood or confusing languages -

He left His Father's throne above, So free, so infinite His grace; Emptied Himself of all but love, And bled for Adam's helpless race; 'Tis mercy all, immense and free; For, O my God, it found out me.

Traces the line of Adam to Abraham…

The Hymn Writer

Amazing love! how can it be That Thou, my God, should die for me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay Fast bound in sin and nature's night; Thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray, I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; My chains fell off, my heart was free; I rose, went forth and followed Thee.

Amazing love! how can it be That Thou, my God, should die for me!

In what ways does our Story so far ‘ring true’ to your life experience?

Can you identify a time in your own life where you questioned God’s character or acted in selfish rebellion toward God?

If you are sick - you can treat the symptoms - you can suppress your cough with cough medicine, you can bring your fever down with Aspirin and a cold bath, you calm your upset stomach with pepto-bismal ---

In what ways does our Story so far ‘ring true’ to your life experience?

Can you identify a time in your own life where you questioned God’s character or acted in selfish rebellion toward God?

Does the idea that our world is broken and cursed fit our reality?

Lots of work by scholars comparing Mesopotamian creation myths with the Genesis accounts of creation - scholars point out that there are lots of similarities - but there are some major differences one of them being

Ezekiel 36:25–27 ESV

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.