SUPERNATURAL

Amen, we're walking through the Book of Genesis and and we've been spending time. The last few weeks really thinking about issues of of worldview worldview is simply our understanding of reality. It's how we think about life. Everybody has a worldview not all of us are clear on what our worldview is and worldview is shaped and formed in time and in process through a variety of voices and authorities that speak into our lives, but tell us how the world Works what we're trying to do is we look to Genesis is let God be that Authority that sole Authority for us. We want God to Define reality to shape our worldview and we'll find as we study through this that there are there are some things that that that God says in Genesis that line up with how we see reality and it affirms it. but there's going to be many other things that we see in the in the scripture that are going to go against what this world believe against what are teachers have taught us against maybe even what are churches that's when we got to open ourselves up to the reality that God is the Ultimate Reality and that we need to adjust ourselves or be adjusted by him to him. So every worldview has to wrestle with four fundamental questions. This is a over-simplification, but it's a good place to start we got to ask the question. Where are we it's the question of environment. What is this universe? What is this world that we find ourselves? And where did it come from? What's it like, what's it mean to live in this world? Second you got the question of essence. Who are we what does it mean to be a human being what's unique about Humanity? Are we just like the animals it if we're not in what ways are we different is their purpose in being a human? What's it mean to be male? What's it mean to be female? What does it mean to exist question of essence of evil? What's wrong? We all know that there is something very very wrong with the world. There's an innate human understanding that transcends culture and time and place every human being knows in their guts and the world is not the way it's supposed to be I am not the way I'm supposed to be. Why is that every World? He's got a deal with the question of evil and then lastly the question of eschatology. Where are we going? Are we going somewhere? Is there a point to history is their purpose and meaning? How can we hope what should we hope in is Our Hope reasonable and rational these are the essential elements that every worldview have to have we've been focusing in on this first question of environment. Where are we and we're going to continue and kind of wrap that up this morning and next week. We'll start moving into the question of essence. But this morning we want to again think about this world that we live in.

I've been trying to develop over the last few weeks this idea that that a Biblical theistic cosmology the study of where the universe comes from. Asserts that weird cyst in an ordered intentional relational and functional Universe. Our environment was plans it was made on purpose with a purpose that there is a relational nature to it. And then at the end of the day it works it works for a purpose when we look at Genesis 1 1 through 2 3 that poetic Narrative of creation. We have this repetition. It was good. It was good. It was good. It was good. It was good. It was very good. And what's that saying? What's up with that statement means is if it works, it's functions. It does what it's supposed to be an environment has been created. on purpose with a purpose Genesis 1:1 starts out this way in the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth creation was made to work and I spent a lot of time the last couple of weeks dealing with pain of the modern scientific materialistic worldview our world today that has embraced the world you that says the only thing that matters is matter. Matter matters and nothing else matters, right? If I can't touch it taste it do tests on it. It doesn't exist. That's that's where our culture that's the starting point of our culture today naturalism and materialism says, the only thing that exists is the natural world governed by natural law Genesis 1:1 giving us a Biblical worldview takes a radically different approach. We see it. Even in this first verse God created the heavens and the Earth. No, I think. In our normal reading of that because we come from a materialistic culture. We read that and say God made the sky and the lamb. God made the up and the down we thinking materially I don't think that's what the text is indicating at its core at all. It's communicating not to our modern scientific culture. Remember the Bible was not written to us. We was written for us, but it was not written to us. It was written to an ancient Israelite people who lived in an ancient near Eastern culture who are not scientific the way that we are they were pretty scientific and they did not only believe in matter matter. Venom stuff that you can paste and touch and feel and build with the understood. That's the bay believe that there was more that there was a visible creation and an invisible creation that there was a material creation and an immaterial creation that there was an Earthly Realm. And that there was a Heavenly Realm. little video clips about a minute-and-a-half long It's from something called the Bible project. If you're not familiar with the Bible project, I strongly encourage you get online. Look up the Bible project. They've got tons of videos video for every single book of the Bible explain what that book is about major themes who wrote it and what is for they've got all sorts of somatic and topical videos on onfi logical issues and they do a phenomenal job putting in a very artistic and creative way the illogical truth. This is from one of their latest videos on the temple and I just took the first minute and a half of it because it's set up really what I just described in what we're going to talk about for the rest of this morning that creation is bigger than just the material world. So let's watch this year.

You can go back to the city of Jerusalem during bible times. The biggest thing you see is the temple this beautiful building designed by King David and the home of the god of the universe. Wait, I thought home was in heaven of this Earthly Temple is that it's the place that overlaps with God's Heavenly Home. The temple is where God lives and rules all creation as king that's cool. But even Solomon to build the temple didn't believe that pain. Universe and it pointed to the fact that all of creation is God's Temple and that's actually what the first page of the Bible Genesis 1 is all about really says that creation is God's Temple doesn't need to say it the whole story shows it in Genesis 1 God creates an ordered world out of a dark Wasteland by speaking in the series of seven then on the 7th Day God's presence. Creation as he takes up his rest and Rule similarly the Tabernacle and later the temple built and dedicated in a series of seven speeches and 7 days after we could rest and Rule In God's Presence. So all of creation is where God intends to dwell. It's like his Temple exactly. All right. Hopefully that's enough you go home and you watch the rest of the video really good actually, but what we see here. What we see here and what we need to see here is that all of creation belongs to God was made by God and belongs to God but is design for guy. We don't in the church. We don't even tend to think that way we've been so deeply influenced by our culture that we think that heaven is where God dwells and the Earth is where we dwell it. So it's very easy for us to read Genesis chapter 1 from a man Center Point of View and go how God made this Earth for us. And well, that's true. It's not the whole story. Made this Earth for us and for himself.

Let that sink in this morning. That was created was created to be a dwelling place for God with his creation. That's what Genesis wants helser. There was a creation we have different round. We have an Earthly round and a Heavenly Realm. But they were all created by the same God for the purpose of God dwelling in his creation Isaiah 66. Got some of this up really nicely says the Lord heaven is my throne and the Earth is my footstool. What is the house that you would build for me? What is my the place of my rest all things? My hand has made and so all these things came to be Claire's The lure. Temple is not going to contain.

the vastness of God God made the vastness of creation to be his Temple Sacred Space the place where God dwells with his people. creation Is bigger than the earth? Creation is bigger than simply material thing. The Earth was created by God for God and the heavens were created by God for God. The Earth is one realm of creation. It's all round. It's the round. We understand we Are Spiritual Beings. We have a spirit assault, but we are fleshly bleeding we come from this realm The Earth is a realm of creation. Materialism says it's the only realm the Bible says it's not the only realm the heavens is another realm of creation. The heavens was made by God for God it's hard for us to comprehend. It's hard for us to understand because we belong to the realm of the earth. We belong to the visible physical Earthly realm the idea of an invisible non-material realm is difficult for our physical brains to understand and yes, the scripture is replete with the reality that there is not only a material world. There is a spiritual world. And the difference is not one of geography. Don't want a distance. In other words. We're not here on the earth and Somewhere Out There we got a really big telescope. Maybe we could find heaven. That's a material View. That's in heaven is actually I match a part of a material realm the heavens is a material existence. I love the cosmos. I love it. I love black holes and quasars and pulsars and I love the Beauty and the immensity of what God has created, but all that stuff out there in the deepest reaches of space.

It all is simply a part of the Physical Realm. The Heavenly realm is not a geographic or a distance reality. It's a different existence. It's it's different of a kind.

The difference is not geography but it's the difference of time. So this morning I want to introduce you to this idea that the heaven the Heavenly realm not just the sky. Not just that the Stars at the Heavenly Realm. Is a different kind of existence but in existence none the less it's around created by God for God just like our realm has been. And the Heavenly realm is ordered. It's intentional its relational and it's functional. Just like the Earthly realm is ordered intentional relational functional. The Heavenly realm is as well. Nnnn, we need to get this right. because if we get the story wrong at the beginning the later parts of the story simply won't make any sense. Let's let's look at a little bit the creation of mankind in Genesis chapter 1 26 and 27. Let me see this. I've got some rules for theology my first and an unchanging rule of theology. Is this God is weird.

I mean that with all my heart wonderfully weird deliciously with radically different than you and I when we conceived of God in some ways we can't help but to think of ourselves and our terms and then try to apply that to God but God is not like us we're like him, but he's not like us. . Different God is other That's rule. Number one. I've got rules for Bible interpretation as well. And it's similar. The first rule is this if something seems weird in the text, it's probably really important.

Right, look at something doesn't make sense. Then then it's probably something we should really pay attention to because what we're finding is a place where our worldview are worldly worldview is rubbing up against the biblical worldview. We're going to look at a bunch of weird passages together this morning starting with Genesis 1 26 and 27. Then God said let us make man in our image after our likeness and let them have dominion over the birds of the air and the fish of the sea and all the creeping things on the earth. So God created man in his own image in the image of God. He created him male and female he created his versus or these words or this idea. But sometimes we don't actually see what it's saying. This is very very strange in Genesis chapter 1 you have God speaking let there be light. Let the water be separated let the land come up. What the let the crops come in. What the animals reproduce and when the word speaks stuff happens? Inverse 26 on day 6. Does something really strange. He starts having a conversation. You see this in a text. Let us make man in our image in our likeness.

That's a conversation with somebody else. In other words as God is creating the Earthly realm there's already other things in creation. There's somebody or someone or something else that God is talking to while he's creating the Earthly realm and walking deciding to create Man In His Image. Let us create God in our image after our likeness who is God talking to

Out some of you may have come from Traditions or or teachings as well. This is the Trinity that exciting the trinities right there first chapter Genesis chapter once we've got the Trinity Church. The trinity That's reading back from our understanding. And our place in Redemptive history back into the text. Remember the Bible is not written to us. It's written for us but not to us. This was written to Israelites The sun hadn't been revealed yet. The song had been born yet. The sun hasn't died yet the sun has resurrected yet.

Moses said he's riding it to the ancient Israelite people is not thinking Trinity at all. What is he thinking and what were they hearing? For them it would have been simple and easy and natural. Because for them the supernatural was as natural as the natural. which is strange right Supernatural by definition is a natural look for them it was They didn't have a distinction between natural law and the Divine Law. They didn't have and shape each other.

When an ancient near Eastern person would read this text or go. Oh wow course God the Creator is talking to his Divine Council. He's talking to spiritual being

And what he says to them is passing. Let's create Mankind in our image in our likeness. In other words these Spiritual Beings have been made in the image of God. So God made Spiritual Beings In His Image, and now he's going to make Earthly physical beings in His image. The writers very clear. God and God Alone is the creator. So God has this time let's let's make Mankind in our image. But then it says God created Man In His Image in the in the image of God. He created them male and female he created them. Singer goes from singular to plural and singular.

What's going on here in this text? In order to understand this we got to think a little bit. about the word. When I say God when you hear it when you read it, what does the word God mean? In our culture and I imagined for most of us when we think of the word God we think about a being who possesses a specific list of attribute. He's Sovereign. He's Eternal. He's Immortal. He's omnipresent. He's omniscient. He's loving his the credit when we think God when we thank God. We think of it as a personal name describing a specific person who possesses a certain list of quality. That's what God means in our language in our cultural day today.

We cannot read the Hebrew text with our definitions of words.

God is an English word that translates the Hebrew word Elohim. you looking

let's get this. Let's get weird. Are you ready? Psalm 82 Psalm 82 God Elohim has taken his place in the Divine Council. Singular God Divine Council plural in the midst of you can't be in the midst of one takes his place takes his place in the Divine Council in the midst of the what's it say, what's the word in Hebrew? Elohim This is what it says in Hebrew. Hello. Kitty takes his place in the council in the midst of the Elohim. He holds judgment. You go. Oh, oh. Oh, well, I'm on a fist. There's only one God there's no other gods. When we do with Psalm 82, I'll tell you what we do. We ignore it.

Or we come up with really really bad explanation the oh, well, this is just he just talking about Jewish important Jewish people in the day. Well if you read the actual song, how about we do that let's look at this whole song God has placed in the Divine Council in the midst of the Gods. Help me hold judgment. How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked right there? We know it's not Trinity. That's not talking to himself. That's not the father is not like alright spirit and son. We got to have a little talk. Because the first thing they said was how long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Anybody want to go here and say but that's that the father one part of the Trinity is rebuking two parts of the Trinity for being Wicked.

Something else is going on here. God's sit-down takes his place among the Elohim and says y'all are not doing what you're supposed to be doing. You're acting unjustly you're showing partiality. What you're supposed to do is give Justice to the week in the fatherless. You're supposed to maintain the right of The Afflicted in the destitute rescue the week and I need to deliver them from the hand of the wicked. They have neither knowledge. No understanding. They walk in darkness. All the foundations of the Earth are shaken. I said you are Elohim God some of the most high all of you. Whoever God's talking to God called them gods.

Even though that's what you are never the less like men. You shall die in fall, like any trance arise o God judge the Earth or you shall inherit all of the nation's what's going on?

What's going on? Is that God which we use as a personal name and as a type of being? The ancient Israelites Israel language didn't use it that way Elohim simply met one who dwells in the round of the heaven. Adam literally means Earth humankind mankind male and female Adam. What are they? They're those who dwell in the Earth? Elohim what are the other team they are those who dwell in the spiritual Realm? We know that there's lots of Adam on the earth and in the same way. There's lots of Elohim in the Heavenly Realm. When the scriptures talk about other gods, it's not saying that that God is in a Pantheon and there's other beans that are equal to him. Just as God created Adam in the earth. God created Elohim in the heavens God is the creator of all

but don't for a second think that they're not real. That they're not powerful. And that their existence and their actions don't shape affect and influence the material world that we live in do you never understand Genesis let alone the rest of the Hebrew scriptures unless you understand that the spiritual World affect the physical world that the invisible World shapes the visible world that the Heavenly world is intricately and intimately connected to the Earthly Realm.

That's not true. There's No Angel but there's no fairies is no magic there's no that's just what weak minded people believe We know that all there is is science. We know that all that matters is matter and the scripture says absolutely not. There is a whole other realm of existence.

And it's populated. It's intentional its relational. It's ordered and its functional. Well, that's what if you if you get some Bible software and do a search in in the Hebrew for the word Elohim in the Old Testament the Hebrew scriptures, you're going to find it used in a variety of ways it is going to show up thousands of times. Some of the times it's going to be the god of Israel the Covenant God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. Sometimes it's going to be the Divine Council. We just saw that and so maybe two other times it's going to be about the gods of the nation you look up in that first first king. Sorry 1133 talks about the goddess of of Assyria and the God of this and the god of that. It's just simply that word Elohim.

My favorite is this it it's found in in first Samuel chapter 28 favorite stories it in 1st, Samuel. Saul is not doing so well. He's been rejected by God is playing David running around things aren't going well Samuels died. So needs to talk to Samuel. Why cuz Sammie was the prophet Samuel was the one that can communicate to God and from God besides. I know what I'll do. I'm going to go talk to a medium. Because you're probably familiar with it as the witch of Endor. He goes to this which isn't tell her who she is. And at any goes any since I need to talk to somebody, but you need to talk to you. I need to talk to Samuel and and all of a sudden and if you read the text and some translations get it, right. It says I'm suddenly a Elohim a sum sum translation. Say God. It's not. It's Samuel. It's the disembodied spiritual being of Samuel you no longer dwells in the Earthly realm. He now dwells in the spiritual realm. So when she shows up, what is he called? He's called an Elohim Samuel was not a God. He was just a guy that used to live on the Earth.

Let's look at some other places. We look at Psalm 8 last week. David's out watching the Sheep looking at the stars. Cuz when I look at your Heavens the work of your fingers the moon and the stars, which you have set in place. What is man that you are mindful of him? The son of man that you care for him. You have made him a little lower than the Elohim Heavenly being and yet you crowned him with glory and honor is thinking about the Majesty of creation the ancient Israelites the Stars actually represented Divine being so he's thinking about that and he's marvelling because these Divine beings are so much more powerful than us. And yet with all of these glorious Divine beings God still cares about little old David. little ol me and little you and he's crowned us with Glory and Honor even though we're so much smaller so much weaker so much more limited in many ways because we dwell in the realm of the year.

I can't believe it was all the elephant out there. You still love us?

How about some? 89 let the heavens praise your wonders. Oh lord your faithfulness in the Assembly of the Holy ones for who in the skies can be compared to the Lord who among the Heavenly beings is like the Lord. This is so important because listen while there are other Elohim, there are no Elohim like God, he is the Elohim of Elohim. There's no one that can compare with him. So who can compare there's other Divine beings. There's other Heavenly beat there's other amazingly powerful creatures that none of them compare to you. You are a god greatly to be feared in the Council of the Holy ones and awesome above all who are around him. Our our cosmology today is so small. We think there's us on the earth and then almost begrudgingly almost because we have to we acknowledge that there's a God. And we don't like to really go there but we know that there's Angels at least a couple. Some dude named Michael. You got a Gabriel here and there a couple others. What we really don't like to acknowledge that there might be. spiritual forces of evil in the Heavenly realms

Demons are an adversary the Satan. With knowledge with are there but we don't like to think about it too much. We like to just focus on our realm and think we gather there's God and there's listen and that that's about it.

The picture the Bible paint is not that. The picture the Bible paints is at the Earthly realm is beautiful and diverse and filled and populated with image bearers of God and the Bible portrays the Heavenly Realms as rich and diverse Lee populated with the spiritual image bearers of God. I love Daniel chapter 7 Daniels having one of these visions and in the midst of it. He's he's shown a scene in The Heavenly Realm. Anne says this and I looked and Thrones were placed how many Thrones? I don't know but more than one. Cuz it's plural right Daniels having this Vision in the heaven Thrones are spread out. And then comes the Ancient of Days to take his see his clothing was white as snow in the hair of his head was like pure wool. His throne was fiery Flames. Its Wheels were burning fire. Here you have these there's a strong put out in the heavenlies for Heavenly Creatures in the midst of them. There's this unique drone for The Unique one the Ancient of Days.

Is thrown is immense and Powerful the wheels of fire is that it's like a chariot. It's imagery of power. It's the same description that we did in Ezekiel of the Throne of God.

Listen to what? It says stream of fire issued and came out from before him the power. Oh God. Thousand thousands served him. I don't know. I'm not a math major, but that's a lot of zeros.

Not talking about humans. Not talking about material Earthly creatures at all why she's having a vision of a spiritual Realm. Thousand thousands served him around the throne taking care of him doing what?

But more than that and ten thousand times 10000 stood before him.

the Bible portrays a spiritual Realm I don't like the word Supernatural but it's supernatural what realm if you well that is populated by 10 an immense cast of Spiritual Beings that the scripture calls LOL team. how the sons of God They're all throughout the story. And if we don't understand that reality the story the scripture lays out let alone the story of Genesis won't make any sense at all.

Then listen to what does the court? Sat in judgment, and the books were open. Court sat in judgment

God has appointed some of these beings in the spiritual realm to sit on these Thrones in his Divine council with him. And when the books are open and judgment is being given, it's not just God alone. It's God's and his Council casting judgement. You say what? What why would God need a council? Any God can he do that all by himself? Why would God need these spiritual Divine beings in the Heavenly realm to do anything? Isn't he? God can't they do it all on his own? in my answer to that is what why did God need to create you and I he doesn't need to he doesn't need you. Sorry if that hurts your ego, but it hurts your ego. You got some real problem psychologically. You're not that important. You're not that extinct dick. Look at. Why why does he create a why would he create there's something within the nature of God belongs to create for himself a family. He's got a family in the spiritual. He's got a family in the Earthly realm and God ultimately wants to dwell with his entire family. He doesn't do it cuz he has to does it cuz he wants to

So what we see in the scriptures is that the heavens is an ordered intentional relational and functional environment. If you approach the scriptures like our culture does as a material the story falls apart.

Rather we need to learn from the scriptures. Then there's more than materialism allows in this world. That the creation consists of a physical and a non-physical a visible and invisible at least to us. material and immaterial unearthly and a heavenly

All right, I know. Is this is outside the box? I know I had several people after the first service time come up and say I've been in church all my life. I never heard any of this. I know cuz we ignore it. Cuz it's uncomfortable cuz it doesn't fit into our narrative. And here's the deal. This is where I'm at. And I hope where you're at. I don't want the Bible to fit into my narrative. I want to fit into the Bible's narrative.

Please say well what about monotheism that we're monotheists? Are you teaching that we're not mono in one sense? Yes. We mean that there is one singular God Elohim who possesses eternity and immortality and omniscient and omnipresent and in great love and was manifested as a word made flesh in Jesus. I absolutely believe that in that sense. I am a monotheistic there is one God over and above all but what that doesn't mean is that there's not other

The way the Bible uses it Elohim. percentages of great power and authority and responsibility within the Heavenly Realm

What about the about the nun beside me passages? And there's a lot of them right at passages like Deuteronomy at 4:35 to you. It was shown that you might know that the Lord is God and there is no other beside him. There's actually 11 different variations of this. No other besides me wording in the Old Testament that there's no other gods. Does that mean that they don't exist doesn't that mean that there's just one guy. We're good monotheistic. We only believe in God. We don't believe in anything else.

What the text is saying is not that those other things don't exist. It's saying that those other things don't compare.

There are other Elohim but there's no other Elohim like God. Comparison. You can actually it's interesting if you would look at.

That's enough. How many do you have your quiet time and stuff and I on a regular basis those poor poor Old Testament Minor Prophets. Zephaniah Zephaniah is riding a prophecy against the Syria and the capital city of Nineveh in Zephaniah chapter 2. It says this is talk god is talking to the ninevites. This is the exalted City that live securely that said in her heart. I am and there is no one else. It's the exact same wording as God uses in those other texts. I am and there's nowhere else then invites are saying Nineveh is and there is no other city. Did they mean that there were no other cities on the face of the Earth? Imagine that kind of hubris. I was like, we're the only city where the only one know, what are they saying? They're saying we're the greatest City. Where the greatest City Babylon says the exact same thing of itself, there's no one else. I guess. We're the only one and and God says what is Desolation she's becoming there for a while because everyone who passes by her his cousin shakes is V.

the idea

here's the comment Evangelical interpretation. What does texture sayings I am God? And there is no other God. Therefore I'm better than them.

I can I say to you this morning that it gives God no glory to say he is greater than fictional being. Be the equivalent of me saying God is greater than the Avengers. God is greater than SpongeBob SquarePants and all the denizens of Bikini Bottom.

Don't punish greater than Batman. Listen. I'm greater than Batman.

Your greater than all those things could you exist and give God the glory to say he's greater than things that don't actually exist you actually strip those texts of any meaning and significance about the glory of God. When you take the text at its face value and say yes, there are other Elohim but none of them hold a candle to the god of Abraham Isaac and Jacob they may serve him. Well, they may rebell against him which some of them did but there is one and only one God deserves our heart our worship our adoration and who loves us enough to send his son to die for us. He is the Elohim of all Elohim and none can compare.

What why?

Why do this why break open the box? Why look at these difficult packs, I think. Some might say this is just useless theologies abstract. It doesn't really matter. I think it matters way more than we can even imagine. Because here's the reality as functional materialist. and I put almost all the Christians I know in that box we believe in God but we're functional materialist and we look for physical human answers to our problem we look the human physical strength for our Solutions

and if what this text is telling us is true

but there is more than the material and physical world But some of the realities that we Face are not caused by material physical realities that are shaped and caused by immaterial Heavenly reality then we're never going to find Freedom. We're never going to experience the joy of Lord because we will be looking for Earthly physical solutions to spiritual Heavenly problem.

That's why God says over and over again. It's not by might.

not by strength But it is by my roof my spirit. Says the Lord God on my walk by faith. Is to walk in the reality that there is a supernatural spiritual realm that exists all around us and we can't test it. We can't touch it. We can't paste it. We can't feel it. Are we still at the fact every single day?

We deny it at our own peril.

We ignore it and we get stuck.

When we acknowledge it and let the scriptures speak. It's amazing how the story begins to make absolute sense. And we see the truth for what it is. Let the word of God Stan let every man including myself be called a liar. a man