BROKEN

amen, and amen

Last week we were continuing to deal with the after effects of the flood narrative when we're looking at Genesis as a as a narrative and what it is that the author is trying to convey one of the things that becomes really clear from a just a literary standpoint is that that they're using repetition and and patterning and symbolism to make a point and end from a from a macro-level what we have here is a pattern of blessing and sin blessing and sin blessing and sin, of course, we have judgments of sin and then God's grace in the midst of that. Last week, we really looked at the reality of blessing in the flood narrative that after the flood God comes and end up his own gracious volition chooses to make covenants that he's never going to destroy the Earth again like he did in the flood with a flood. He's just not going to do it. He's going to deal with Humanity differently. This week. What I want us to do is think about the reality of sin the reality of sin what it means to be a human being made in the Imago Dei the image of God made for relationship with God Made To Rule and reign with God but separated from God by our willful rebellion and sin. this text they were going to look at this morning in Genesis chapter 9 really if we go back to Genesis chapter 8 verse 21 And this is right after the flood it says when the Lord smelled the pleasing Aroma after Noah and his family get off the ark they make an offering to the Lord and the Lord sent his heart. I will never again curse the ground because of man. So there's the grace there's the blessing. But here's here's the sin portion for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth from the beginning and other words. There's something that has happened to humanity because of sin sin is not simply external but it's also internal the consequences of sin are not just a cause and effect that happened in the environment or things that happen around us. The consequence of sin has reshaped and reforms as to the gods says that the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth went when we come into this world. We come in bent and broken by sin.

We saw that reality Before the Flood. It's the reality that actually brought about the radical Judgment of the flood. If you remember Genesis chapter 6 verse 5 the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually one of the one of the most dramatic and expansive, you can find that there are no loopholes in this reality spin evil Brokenness has permeated Humanity in the nature of it is to Escalade. To move us farther and farther away from God. So this morning I want us to think about what does it mean to be broken by sin and in the after effects? Of the flood in in in the narrative that we discover in this text of Noah and his family we see that even though God in his grace preserved this family through the flood and there's this. Hope Noah's going to be the new Adam Noah and his family are going to get it, right. That hope is dashed ever so quickly in our texts. So Genesis chapter 9 picking up in verse 18 the sons of Noah went forth from the ark we're Shem ham and japheth. Now ham was the father of Canaan these three were the sons of Noah and from these the whole people of the earth were dispersed. So now the author of Genesis is once again going to give us a family lineage an understanding of how life progressed through this particular family. He names the three sons Shem ham and japheth the author gives us this interesting little qualification now ham was the father of Canaan. In fact in the text, we're going to look at this morning. Every time that ham is mentioned. He's immediately connected to being the father of painting. Once again, the author is cluing us into something context is ping when it comes to studying the scripture. We think about the occasion for the writing of the Book of Genesis. We tribute Moses as the author of Genesis and the pentateuch he is writing it to God's people after they've been delivered to the Maya exit out of slavery in Egypt and they are being led to the promised lands. Where is the promised land it is the land of Canaan? Who are the enemies that come against God's people over and over and over again in this season that Moses is trying to help encourage and prepare them to understand that God is with them. It is the Canaanites the descendants of of painting the descendants of ham that are surrounding them and opposing them on the right and on the left. In other words the author is cluing Us in right now that this story is going to give us some sort of understanding about what's happening in the life of Israel at their current time that the Canaanites who are opposing them the Canaanites Corso wicked and evil at their car.

There's some explanation of how that comes to be and why the people of God at that time were experiencing such profound opposition. Ham was the father of Canaan. Now we get into this rather weird and and for many an indelicate situation of the soil. And he began by planting a Vineyard. Noah began to be a man of the soil that phrase man of the soil means so much more than simply farmer the Hebrew word Adama which we have encountered over and over and over again in these opening chapters of Genesis. It is the Adama that man is made from the dust. It is the Adama that is cursed when Mankind's sins and it is to Adamo which people return when they die Genesis 3:19. The idana is doomed and flooded with Don promises never to destroy it again. When Moses strikes Noah began as a man of the soil, he's communicating know it is mortal. And because of that must continue to struggle with the curse. The curse on the ground on the Adamo is still active even after the flu. He's been given a second chance, but he still has to deal with the reality of a broken world. If it takes us back to Adam and Eve coming out of the garden Genesis 3:23 there for the Lord God sent him out from the Garden of Eden to work the ground, from which he was taken. This is what we are to be and what we are to do is God's images. Adam was sent out to work the ground even though it was cursed now after the Judgment of the flood Noah is is rebuilding and restarting what was started in Adam. He is a man of the Adama man of the soil and he planted a Vineyard.

Now you did what many do you plant Vineyards drink of the wine? And became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent now this is not a sermon on drunkenness. It's not a text on drunkenness emphasis in this text is not on drinking wine is bad or getting drunk is bad. We can talk about that from other texts, but that's not what Moses is trying to deal with here. It's setting the stage for what he wants to deal with Moses or Noah drinks of the vineyard. He becomes drunk and he lays uncovered in his pants. We'll talk a little bit more about what that means. It says in ham the father of Canaan saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. Once again ham the father of Canaan. Ham the father of Canaan look at what the text says saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside and told he saw something and then he told this again is paralleling what happened in the garden in the temptation of Eve. These words that are being used are repetitive on purpose. There's a pattern being developed and their symbolism that is being shaped and shown. look look back at Genesis Chapter 3 Verse 6 when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and the tree was to be desired to make one wise of its fruit and ate and he also gave some to her husband to his with her and he

In the garden There Was An established food boundary you can eat from any of the trees in the garden except for there was a food boundary through that we can see that the sin of Eve was related to The Blessing which entailed provision of food. God was going to bless them and provide for them with food per person. Violated the blessing of God in relationships of his provision of food. He was confronted with that food boundary and chose to cross it. She's been persuaded Adam to join her.

In this story today Noah and and his son Another Blessing boundary is being crossed this time regarding being fruitful and multiply. Part of the original blessing and part of the blessing that's restated to know as his family is to be fruitful and multiply.

Is being confronted by that boundaries and tell his brothers of his intention to cross that boundary.

They however unlike Adam refuse and do not cross that boundary with him. Ham the father of Canaan saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside.

This is that an interesting phrase saw the nakedness of his father. This is an idiom. This is a phrase that has a very real and contextual meaning that is larger and broader than just the words themselves. I talked about this a few weeks ago if I sent you this morning and I'll use the same example. If I said this morning we're going to have a hot potato issue in the sermon this morning. Y'all know exactly what I'm talking about. We're going to be having a controversial difficult discussion about something that not everybody is going to agree on it's a hot potato issue, you know that because that is a cultural idiom. If somebody came from another culture English was not their first language and they take when you said all we got a hot potato issue this morning, they're not going to have a clue what you're talking about. They're going to be looking around for a fire and a potato. That's what they're going to be expecting. That is the way that idioms were. This is an idiom the nakedness of his father is an idiom in the ancient near East and especially in the ancient Israelite culture. This was an idiom. The not just talk didn't simply talk about the physical nakedness of Noah himself. But at the physical nakedness of Noah and his wife and of sexual intimacy, it is a way to talk about sexual intimacy and the relationship between a man and his wife or husband and wife. It's what we have here. It's not homosexual dazing. It's not it's not that ham with gazing at his father's naked body and lusting after it that's been a common misunderstanding about this text. This text is describing something much more nuanced and something much more broken than that. Canaan saw the nakedness of his father. He witnessed his father and mother having enjoyed the fruit of the Vine. and going into their tent and uncovering themselves and engaging in sexual intimacy and then honestly Keith Davis apartments teeth sees it and he then goes to his brothers and declares his intention to cross a boundary and be fruitful and multiply.

Let me let me. show you From other text how this is a viable and I think the best interpretation of this text this idea that the nakedness of his father is is more than just the nakedness of Noah. If we look in Leviticus Leviticus chapter 18 in the law, the Moses gives to Israel. God gives through Moses to Israel. It says this you shall not uncover the nakedness of your father that the exact phrase the nakedness of your father, but she Ritz explains which is the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother you shall not uncover her nakedness. in other words this idiom this concept But that's behind the phrase uncover. The nakedness of your father is actually about the relationship between a man and his woman the mother's nakedness. The wife sneaking is the nakedness of your father and even if she's not your mother, even if it's a stepmom. He says you should not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife. It is your father's nakedness.

what we see Happening Here in

Eatzi's the nakedness of his mother

this kind of sexual intimacy and sexual sin. It's something that the ancient Israelite culture didn't talk about in great detail. It was enough to describe it with this idiom to let the reader understand that what's going on in the mind of this sun is something that is terribly terribly wrong. I think that what's going on here is that he looks upon this and in some level he decides I'm going to take my father's wife for myself to guarantee my progeny. But if if you just keep reading a few chapters later in the Book of Genesis, we see this happen again with lot and his daughters and in that story. It's very explicit. Let's get him drunk so that we can become pregnant so that we can guarantee that we have children. This is this pattern and repetition here to help us understand. There's a deep sexual violation that is being considered here. He wants to cross a boundary times to think about this cuz coming out of Genesis chapter 6. We had a sexual boundary being crossed by the sons of gods the Bene Elohim who took human wives for themselves and produced these bastard Offspring the Nephilim.

so now mankind Pam is considering breaking this boundary.

verse 23 Shem and japheth the other two brother took a garment laid it on both their shoulders and walk backwards. Uncover the nakedness of their father their faces were turned backwards and they did not see their father's nakedness.

when Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him. He said this is where it gets really interesting.

cursive B Canaan A servant of servants shall he be to his brother? If you've been paying attention, that's not what you would probably be expecting incredibly. I'm just right.

If hampson was simply against know if this was some sort of homosexual incestuous gazing upon is his father and that's what was going on. This cursed delivered by Noah.

But this curse should have gone against am not against his son Canaan.

But when we understand that what's going on here is something far more significant that what ham wanted to do was he served his father's position and Authority take his father's wife for himself produce his own offspring with his father's wife essentially established himself at the top of the hierarchy at the patriarch of the family. It makes sense. Then when Noah tears of what his intentions were that Noah response if it's what you tried to do was elevate your Offspring and elevate your lineage. What in fact is going to happen. Is that your Offspring in your lineage is going to be lower.

Cursive B Canaan a servant of servants shall he be to his mother? I cannot preach on this text without dealing with one of the greatest tragedies and quite frankly at one of the greatest embarrassments to the Christian church over the last two thousand years. Is that many times in a mini places especially here in the United States during the early years of our country and during slavery this text with you to justify the practice of enslaving African Americans black human beings made in the Imago Dei in slave away the rice and using a labor. On the basis of this text the arguments when something like this painting was cursed to be a slave and the argument was presented. Well canaan's descendants were all Africans and they were all dark skin. And so they're cursed to be slaves. And so we're just we're just doing our part to keep the scripture true. There's so many problems with this. I don't even know where to begin. First of all their few families from the line of ham that eventuate in dark-skinned peoples and none from the line of Canaan. We can track where the sons and grandsons and great-grandsons went What cities were established who they became what their skin tone was. None of descendants came from Africa or Southern Africa, and we're deeply dark skin people none of them. The argument is fundamentally flawed at its core. There's no line of descent connecting ham or the curse of Canaan to dark-skinned Africans, but secondly accursed does not create a mandate. If this was a purse by God, it's not up to us to make sure that it happens.

I don't know anyone that cultivates and grows weeds so that the curse on the ground might remain a reality.

The God curse the ground weeds will grow by the sweat of your brow still eats. Nobody's going what we got to make sure God's curse is good. So I'm going to grow a bunch of weed. So that God's word can stay that is not the way we think about this and God said it it's going to happen. I trust me those weeds happen. If this was a curse by God upon painting and his descendants that they were going to be saved even if that was true, which is Knox. There would be no reason for us to feel like we had to step in and make sure that God's word was going to happen.

So we continue.

Not only curse is Dana, but he says blessed be the Lord the god of sham and let Cain and be his servant may God in large japheth and let him dwell in the tents of Shem and let Canaan be his servants. After the flood Noah lives 350 years all the days of Noah were 9 or 50 years and then he died.

There's a couple of things here that are going on. There's this curse that's giving a man a blessing to the other two sons and their lineage.

First one I've already said that this is a pronouncement a curse and a Blessing by Noah. Not from God. And we see this throughout the Book of Genesis sent through the Old Testament sometimes God. Speaks and moves these Patriarchs to pronounce these there's no indication that God is behind this at all. Secondly, we need to understand. Noah made a said a whole lot more than what's recorded here. All history is selective. All history is selective. The author of this text Moses is selecting what he wants to include in order to make his point.

And we're going to see that point develop and fleshed out as we continue reading through the narrative that there is this real problem with Humanity. Humanity is broken by sin. That's the reason why the curse of Canaan is preserved both times, as mentioned by name the text informed us that he's the father of Canaan within Genesis. We can conclude that the author is more interested in training. Then he isn't ham implies that the Canaanites got off on the wrong foot from the beginning. That's it is no surprise there by the time of Moses and his audience. They have earned the Wrath and Punishment of God this concept in turn give the Israelites at the time of Joshua a broader perspective about the Canaanites. And God's use of them as his instrument of judgment. on them

Text is helping us see and deal with the reality that broke in. This sin is real and powerful and that there are long-term consequences to it. Now. I know we live in a cultural environment that it is past say to talk about Sin.

the talk about Sin as a real force or real power is frankly at this point in time in our culture almost offencive right out of the gate.

There's an old adage that those who do not learn from the mistakes of History are doomed to repeat them.

Judging by the impact of those who decry history is bunk in a boat who simply had no opportunity to study its lesson. We must admit this truisms. Absolutely true. Power continues to corrupt leaders self-indulgence continues to bring the K in society greed continues to undermine economic growth the sins of the fathers are visited on the children primarily because they repeat them.

Cycles of sin are not only repeated across the span of centuries. They're also repeated in each person's habits. I thought lodged in the network of our brains are developed patterns of behavior that repeatedly corrupt us, whether these habits of concedes and pride of deception and facade of Unfaithful thoughts of manipulation or patronization of prejudice. The Revenge of Anger of hate for Bruce thoughts selfish Indulgence. We secretly cultivate them we cling to them and at the same time deny them to ourselves and hide them from others. Our own personal depravities Thrive because we continue to feed the addictions of our minds and perpetuate the thoughts that are habits stimulate. We are trapped in cycles of sin. And the recursions that can be traced through our lives. would horrify If we allowed ourselves to be conscious of them. This is the story of humanity. Made by God for God made in the Imago Dei the image of God our potential is so amazing. And when we do good we do good.

but when we do bad we do bad. Sin is a reality not just in history. Not just in other places and other times when is a absolute reality here in now in my life and in your life in our lives. in our communities and in our culture We violate the blessing and Mandate of God in the fruit of sin is chaos and death. This is the story of humanity. broken unfulfilled expectations two steps forward three steps back Cycles perpetuated over and over and over again the ascendency and increase of violence wickedness and sexual immorality. This is the reality of sin in our world today. If you don't see it, you're not paying attention.

This is humankind's reality. We have been bent and broken by sin.

until Jesus

until Jesus this is this is where the story changes. This is why the Gospel of Jesus recorded in the gospels is the turning point of History because it is where things actually change for. The first time there is a human being Jesus who is not broken and corrupted by sin who doesn't cross the boundaries who is faithful and obedient to in the Imago Dei as it was supposed to be Jesus changes everything because he changes and breaks the pattern of sin. Adam send Noah since Abraham and Moses sins Davidson, they all experienced the fruit of death as a result of there since Jesus. Knew no sin.

the uniqueness of Jesus as a human being free from the taint and Brokenness of sin changes the trajectory of humanity.

2nd Corinthians 5:21 to Claire's list for our sake God made him. Jesus to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become. the very righteousness of God

Jesus change and changes everything. before and without Jesus the pattern of sin Remains the Same over and over and over it is inescapable and unavoidable. No one is outside of its reach until Jesus. But what God does in Jesus is so mind-boggling and scandalous and it's the Scandal of Grace. God made him who knew no sin to be sin.

Another word for all the fruit of Synthol the Brokenness of cents is piled Upon Jesus. He takes upon himself sin itself and its consequences. God made him who knew no sin to be sin. So that in him we might become.

the righteousness of God

I love how John talks about this right from the beginning of his first little epistle and first John chapter 1. Right after the introduction and inverse 5, this is what he writes. He says, this is the message we have heard from him. And Proclaim to you. Here's the message. God is light. God is perfect God is whole God is good. God is light and in him is no Darkness at all. God is light and in him there is no Darkness at all right from the bat right from the beginning there were confronted with the reality of the absolute.

distance between God and us

there's lights in me. There's good in me. But there's a lot of Darkness as well. I haven't met all of you, but I met enough for you to know you're exactly the same. The God is not like God is light and in him. There is no Darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him. while we walk in darkness what we believe in darkness. Well, we Embrace and accept our Darkness if we say I walk with God, I'm on God's team. I'm with Team Jesus. I'm a part of God seeing if we say we have fellowship with God while we walked in darkness.

We lie. And do not practice the truth.

but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus. His son cleanses us from

not some sense not most sent not partisan from all sin.

Is that talking about? Living an absolute perfection. He's talking about a way of life. A way of living. That's that's not walking terminology. What path are you walking on? Are you walking on the path of light and righteousness? Are you walking on a path of darkness and sin if you're walking on the path of darkness and since you cannot say that you have fellowship with God because God is light and in him, there is no Darkness at all.

But if you want to walk in the light. If you want to walk in the light, and that's only available to us now because of Jesus. Who opens the way to the kingdom if you want to walk in the light just as Jesus is in the life. We have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus is son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin. Upchurch listen to this this morning if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves.

And the truth is not in US.

We live in a culture that wants to sanitize soon.

Sweep it under the rug. Market ridicule, it belittles pretend it doesn't exist or flat-out just embrace it and call that which is evil good in that which is good evil.

sadly even within the church We don't want to acknowledge the reality and the power of sin not just in our country or in our community or in others, but within us.

Is it a real danger in denying sin? If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves.

And the truth isn't in. Because the truth is every single one of us has to reveal with the reality of Brokenness within ourselves.

Hiding from it denying it pretending it's not there. Ignoring it doesn't do anything for us.

The verse 9 if we confess our sins.

We all know.

We lay it out. Acknowledge. Yeah. This is a part of who I am. Is a part of my broken this is house in manifest in me if we confess our sin. he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us. I'm all done righteousness. He's faithful because that's who he is. He's just because of the cross. Because he made him who knew no sin to be sin. Because sin has been judged not in me. Not in you. but in Chief when we confess our sin. When we own it when we grab a hold of it and we expose it to the lights.

God is faithful and God is just I forgive us. the cleanse again, not from some not from part not from most but from all unrighteousness.

Jesus came to do Jesus came to deal with the reality of sin and Brokenness in the cosmo. Jesus came to deal with the reality that you Manatee is not what it's supposed to be.

And came to break the pattern.

And open the door. for a new way of life only experience that is only experienced and lived out.

When we owned the reality of our Brokenness in our sin. I would bring it to Jesus. forgiveness and healing

so it continues it says if we say we have not sinned we would make him a liar. And reveal that his word. Is not really an us. at all

one of the things that I love about Genesis and really all of the scripture. Is there an uncompromising commitment? to reveal the Brokenness of humanity

It's mind-boggling. That in writing about their forefathers their Heroes the Patriarchs, they would include their sin. But time and time and time and time again, that's exactly what we see and you have to step back and ask yourself. Why?

And the reason is so obvious. It's almost not worth stating because that's why they're being recorded and written for us to understand that sin is a powerful reality and that on our own. The inclination of the heart of mankind is towards evil evil from their youth.

This is what makes the reality of Jesus so surprising. Sophia Because he comes. the climax of a story failure and Brokenness over and over and over again. And he and he alone.

Stay strong and because of his faithfulness. And because of his obedience. the power of sin has been broken. We do not have to live and walk in the way of sin anymore because Jesus is open the door to the kingdom of life in the Kingdom of the Beloved son. We get to walk in the power of Christ, which has devastated the power of sin that does not mean we walk in absolute perfection it me. In practice, this is what it means. You will see more and more sin within yourself the more and more lights is exposed upon you. The more you walk with Jesus and walk in the light the more you will realize just how dark just how broken. Just how crushed by Thin you've actually been the beauty of that is the more you see that and the more Jesus forgives and the more he healed and the more he restores the more you see the power and the beauty of our King.

send is not something to be avoided or denied. Sin is something to be examined and owned. To be confessed and to be put down. We had a walk in the lights. with Jesus the son and his blood what cleanses? from all unrighteousness and then