How It All Began

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

“The Least Understood Best Seller” • Redeemer’s • 2/2&3/19 • Selected

Intro: The Harry Potter series is one of the blockbuster book series of all time. Since the first book was published 20 years ago, the series has sold nearly 500 million copies in 68 languages, averaging 25 million a year! But every single year in the past century, the Bible has sold more than 100 million copies across the globe in +2100 languages. Nothing else even comes close. In fact, the Bible is excluded from every publisher’s best sellers list, because it would always take the top spot. The YouVersion, the free digital Bible has, in its short existence, had more than a quarter billion downloads (330M) and it’s still growing. Still, the Bible is one of the least understood best sellers of all times.

•I can see why. It has over a 1000 pages depending upon the printing and formatting; it’s composed of 66 separate documents written by 40 authors who lived over a 1500 year period of time. The authors wrote from their own perspective against the backdrop of their own language, culture and customs—and the story unfolds rather indirectly, like life itself: it has twists and turns, and often isn’t wrapped up with a nice bow in a short time. Drop into an unfamiliar section, and you’ll find lists of laws that make little sense to us today, or hear a man speak for God about what’s wrong with the Canaanites, or read a page that sounds strangely like someone’s journal entry. There’s lots of stories, and histories, but also you can find yourself feeling like you’re reading someone else’s mail—letters to Corinthians and Galatians. How does one put it together? That’s what I want to help you do. The Bible does indeed tell a single, amazing story about God and man, about human history’s origin and outcome, and about life and death. In fact, the story is one that God himself has orchestrated, and has related to us through the Bible. I want to help you be able to drop into any part of the Bible, look around, identify where you are, and make sense of it. Here we go!

I. THE BIBLE FROM A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW

•The [Bible] has two unequal sections—the [OT&NT]. The pivot point between the two is the arrival of a person promised from ancient days, who would be unique among all people who ever lived or will live. He is called, in Hebrew, the [Messiah, or the Christ] (in Gk). He would be the rescuer of the human race—the one who would make all things right and restore us to a relationship with God. He is predicted from the beginning of the OT, & arrives in the first few pages of the New. And he challenges & changes everything.

•The OT can be divided into [two unequal sections]. From the Creation in [Eden] until the Israelites settle in Egypt, and from the [Exodus]/escape from Egypt until the resettling of Israel back into the Land after the Exile. This first part of the story is from a single book [Genesis] & spans [thousands] of years, whereas the second part of the story covers [about 1000 years], and the entire rest of the [OT]—Exodus-Malachi.

•This [1st section] is absolutely critical to our understanding everything else. Genesis (the name comes from the Gk translation of the book & means, beginnings—an appropriate title because it explains the beginning of everything except God: the universe, people, marriage, family, sin, death, civilization, governments, languages & cultures, & the nation of Israel. This 1st book provides the backdrop against which the entire rest of Scripture is seen. The rest of the story of the Bible is compelling because of its beginning & ending. Without the beginning, everything else get really confusing.

OVERVIEW OF GENESIS [See Chart] Zero in on:

[•Four Great Events]

[1. The Creation: How did we get here?] (1:1) If you believe those ten words, it will shape how you see everything else. One writer observes: [MBH p. 7/x] I cannot think of a single conviction that will have more influence on how I view the world around me, myself, my own life, my responsibilities, my relationships with others, than this single truth: There is a God—an eternal, uncreated being responsible for the existence of everything else—everything we see and everything we can’t see. He is behind the order and design of the whole universe; all matter, energy, space and time originate from his hands. He created all things, and all things therefore belong ultimately to Him. That is how the Bible begins.

•The Bible begins with and is primarily all about God: who he is, what he’s like, what he has done, and what he promises to do. We learn that God is creative, powerful, self-existent, eternal, sovereign, personal, and moral. Secondarily, the Bible is about us—about human beings and our existence in God’s vast universe. In fact, we learn that the pinnacle of creation is none other than man: (1:26-28). We are significant, valuable, reflecting something of God that no other part of creation can reflect. We are entrusted with the stewardship of the earth, and are to manage it well for God. Though we can delight in creation, and be amazed at its vastness & beauty, we must never confuse creation with the Creator, or worship or serve it; our place is to manage and enjoy it, but to worship God.

•In first 2 chapters of Genesis, we gain insight into human beings: we were made by God for Him; all of us were created to live in a close, even intimate relationship w/Him. We were never intended to live apart from God. Further, we are by design social creatures; we were made for & need companionship—the height of which is marriage—a male & female bonded together.

•So all of life has dignity and importance as the Creation of God. We were created by God and for God, that we are significant and valuable. But something has gone terribly wrong:

[2. The Fall: What’s wrong with us?] Are human beings basically good or flawed? Why do I have to die?” These are the Qs answered by The Fall. What is the “Fall”? Not a season of the year, but an event with lasting consequences. In a fully free and sinless world, God had a single restriction: (2:16-17). In paradise, our ancient parents were encouraged to eat from every tree as they desired; the single restriction was not to eat from one specific tree. Tempted by evil, Eve believed the lie that God was withholding something good from her, and rebelled, ate from the tree, and gave Adam who also joined her in eating, That joint rebellion between the first two humans and their Maker affected not only them but us. Somehow, the Fall brought sin and a broken relationship w/God into every subsequent life. We sin because we are sinners; not the reverse. Cut off from God, we sink into our own small world of selfishness. Our ancient parents rebelled against God, and did the one thing God specifically commanded them not to do. Because of their disobedience, they were ejected from Paradise, and their offspring were infected with “human nature”—a propensity for independence from and disobedience to God. (No big surprise to us.)

•Death was promised as the ultimate penalty: but it comes faster than any expected: In chpt 4, Cain envies his brother, Abel and murders him. By chapter five, the judgment on a sinful race begins to be individually seen: (5:5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27, 31). Don’t be put off by the length of life; stare at the common end of life. We not only inherited from our ancient parents a propensity to sin, but the certain penalty of death.

•It really doesn’t matter what the original sin was—eating an apple or a pear, or transgressing a border—what matters is that they did what God had forbidden them to do. They weren’t weighed down w/a lot of don’ts. They were encouraged to indulge in whatever their hearts desired. With a single exception. They doubted God’s goodness & wisdom, thought better of themselves, & took matters into their own hands. When we fail to believe God and disobey his instructions, we do so at great cost.

•Of the 1189 chapters in the Bible, only four of them don’t involve a fallen world: the first two (before the Fall), and the last two (after God makes all things right and new). “The rest is a chronicle of the tragedy of sin.”

•The first sin separates man from God, and a husband from his wife; further, creation is corrupted and diminished. And the next major sin separates man from his brother. Despite the devastating curse of the Fall, God makes a promise that through a descendant of the woman, the power of evil and sin will be crushed: () It is only a whisper of a promise overheard by Adam and Eve, as part of the curse for the serpent’s part in man’s fall. The Rescuer will come—as one of the human race; it is the first ray of hope that what has happened won’t be fatal. This theme will be repeated a thousand times throughout the centuries: God taking the initiative to forgive and restore despite man’s disobedience; we look forward to The One, the Rescuer from God & the Woman, who will reverse the curse. BUT it gets far worse before it gets any better:

[3. The Flood: Will God judge us?] The early history of the human race is dark. In the first generation from Adam, there was murder between brothers. Polygamy, rule by violence, and a host of other sins flourished with each new generation. It became so bad that the average person couldn’t think straight without have evil inclinations staining his mind: (6:5-6). The result is that God was sorry...sorry he had ever created us. The Flood was heaven’s way of washing the moral dirt from the earth. The one exception was a man by the name of Noah. God told him to construct a boat/ark, and gave him an exact blueprint of how to do it. (Measuring it out, its displacement would have been 43,300 tons—not a small boat—the equivalent of 500 railroad stock cars.) He does so, and it takes him not a little while. Eventually, there is a male and female from every genus of land-dwelling creatures on that floating zoo—and the last day dawns: (7:16b-23). And God starts over with the human race.

•The flood reminds us that we cannot ignore God and flaunt our wills without consequences. In holiness, God will judge the earth. But in mercy, he saves a man who believes, and his family. The rainbow is a sign in the sky that God’s promise of mercy will prevail. Even in the darkest times, God seems to show the colors of his grace.

•Now, having cleansed the world of man’s corruption, and starting over with a man of faith, doesn’t it mean that the world would be a better place? Only if the corruption is outside of man, and not in his heart. The 4th event reveals that we are bad to the bone:

[4. The Tower: Will we ever learn?] The next major event that exposes us concerns the construction of a Tower [E.G. 2 artists’ ideas]; most scholars understand it as a [ziggurat]—square pyramid—an ancient place of worship. Archaeologists have found footprints of these ancient constructions in Iran/Iraq—not small. Quite a building program [x], but God isn’t pleased, and as a judgment, miraculously changes brain patterns to alter their languages and impede understanding. Sounds odd, doesn’t it? People are together, get involved in a building project, then God gets grumpy, causes groups to speak different languages so they go away divided. What gives? Here’s the background:

•Initially, “in the beginning,” God gives man this simple command: “Be fruitful, increase in number; fill the earth & subdue it...” (1:28) Then, after the flood, God commands Noah and his descendants to multiply and spread out over the earth, and to manage the earth as its custodians & stewards (9:7). They don’t. Instead, they eventually clump together around the plains of Shinar (current Iraq), form a city (Babylon), and in tribute to themselves, intend to construct a monument to their self-reliance, around which they can assert their identity. Their intentions? (11:4) i.e. 1) to defy God’s command to spread out, and 2) to make a name for themselves. NB that the human race didn’t begin with lots of religions and then eventually evolved into the worship of one God/Judaism; it began with the worship of one God, and in time it devolved and fragmented into the worship of false gods.)

•(11:6): Sounds like if people can accomplish the building of this temple, they can do anything they wish (e.g. fly? eat 500 hotdogs? Become invisible? Aren’t a few things still impossible?) Actually, the idea is, “If man controls history and exerts his will like this, if he casts off all restraint, then there will be no limit to his rebellion.” How do I know this is the meaning? Because then God disrupts their plans by confusing their languages, and they slink off into groups and do under duress what God commanded in the first place. I think this was merciful, because in making it difficult to communicate with each other, God was walling off the spread of sinful attitudes and actions. Like quarantining a disease, God made it harder for rebellion to spread.

•Of course, this incident makes us ask Qs: “Whose plans—God’s or mine? Whose will—God’s or mine? And whose glory—God’s or mine?” Those questions are as fresh and challenging to us today as they were to those ancient people then. Then God turns his attention away from all men and begins to focus on a single family:

[B. Four Great Men] These 4 men each teach us something important to know about God:

[1. Abraham: the Faithful Promises of God] Through this common man from a small community in Haran, God would grow a nation, from which the rescuer would come. The mark of Abraham is his faith and trust in God. His faith moves him to leave his homeland and to go to where God would lead him. He and his wife hear God’s promise and stake their entire futures on it: (12:1-7). Through his kids, all people everywhere will be “blessed”. What isn’t said, but what is intimated, is that through him will come the Man who will make all things right—the yet unnamed, but promised son of the woman. The trouble was, he had no kids, and despite trying, Sarah was never pregnant. Year after year, as they grew older, the promise was affirmed but never came. Year after year, he continued to trust God. It was 25 years before he saw the promise fulfilled. But in the midst of those barren days: (15:5-6)

•What does God want from us? To trust him. To trust his promises. To believe in Him and be patient if we must wait. In time, it happened exactly as God has predicted. He who promised is faithful! Soon Isaac was born to Abraham.

[2. Isaac: The Persistent Grace of God] The first few chapters about Isaac concern his finding the right wife; from this point on, the family line really matters to God. From this line would come the Messiah. Despite not having the energy and faith of his father (lives a quiet, uneventful life), he nonetheless is blessed by God (sometimes in spite of his actions). He has two sons, but is tricked into blessing the younger (Jacob) over the older (Esau). This is a pattern that continues throughout Scripture—it is not tradition and rightful place that earns God’s blessing, but God’s choice and God’s grace.

[3. Jacob: The Transforming Power of God] God transforms this selfish, manipulative man into a humble and broken person. God uses him greatly; he has 12 sons, who become fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel.

[4. Joseph: The Protecting Providence of God] The latter 15 chapters in Genesis focus on this faithful young man who believes in God’s sovereignty, but suffers repeatedly and unjustly. Yet he stays faithful to God and others, and God seems to bless him wherever he goes and whatever he does. Eventually, rising from the prisons of Egypt to Pharaoh’s second in command, Joseph finds himself in a position of power and authority; he becomes the preserver and protector of not only Egyptians, but also of his Jewish family. Despite having an opportunity to get even with his brothers who had sold him into slavery, he resists: (50:19-21). So God uses him to bring Jacob and his entire extended family into Egypt: (50:22-26). The Story that begins in that Garden in Eden ends in a coffin in Egypt. The Israelites settled in Egypt, and over the next four centuries grew to over a million people. (Start there next week…)

III. [THE BEGINNING OF OUR UNDERSTANDING]:

[1. Life makes no sense without God.] The knowledge of God affects how we see everything else. We are not accidents of evolution. We are not the most important beings in the universe. Nor are we just a part of the earth on the same level as slugs and spiders. And God is not a force, not just an imaginative idea, not a principle of Karma, but a living ancient, eternal person. He is absolutely holy, and has gone on record through the destruction of the world that he will not allow man’s sin to go unpunished.

[2. Apart from God, (left to ourselves) we self-destruct.] Cut off from God, the heart of man is consistently and profoundly evil. At best, we manage our lives, but fulfill no purpose for which we were made: because we were made to know, and love and enjoy God. At worst, we destroy ourselves, hurt each other, and band together to flaunt our disobedience in our Maker’s face. Though we do not yet hear it in Genesis, we cannot miss it: we desperately need a Savior.

[3. God extends grace to those who trust Him.] In the Bible, we are introduced to the God who made us, who has given us purpose, who loves us, who when we turned away and rebelled, has gone after us, and who through these stories and pages, now speaks to us. He is the one who persistently takes the initiative and never gives up on us, who seeks our salvation, and who orchestrates plans for the ages so that the world will have Savior. [MBH: p.17/x]

Concl: When you understand God’s story, you begin to make sense of your own story. Your story is a significant, but smaller part of the grand stoSry that the Living God is telling through the Scriptures. Your life will make no sense apart from God; but with God, in light of his persistent, transforming love and power, because of the Promised Savior, the Christ, the story of your life will come alive, and make a difference to the wonders of His coming kingdom. Prayer Focus