June 5 | Genesis 5 | What's Your Life Sentence?

You are open and you come to us bodily in the person and Life Ministry of Jesus, our savior, and our soon-coming. King in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Hey man, hope you have your Bibles with you and invite you to turn to the first book of the Bible. The Book of Genesis will be looking at 5:40. And I want to ask you a question. What is your life sentence? As soon as you might, you might think about that, right? What is your life sentence? Sometimes? I think of a way to describe our purpose, right? Might think of like if I were to describe why I believe God put me on this Earth on this world. I might describe it might think of like an elevator pitch, right? What does short a succinct way to describe? Why I exist in this life, you might think of your life sentence in that way, right? You might think about, Another kind of life sentence and that is, that's a sentence that will be on. Everyone's Tombstone. We call it an epitaph. Your life sentence. He was here and he loved his family. Well.

You know, everyone's life sentence, everyone's Epitaph will end with something to the effect of whether or not it's written. And he died.

And she died.

There's not one of us that will escape that life sentence. And in our passage this morning. There are two themes that we're going to see that stand out. In fact, much of what we'll read will sound very much the same. It will be very much the same. Save a few names along the way. It's almost like a fill in the blank and then we just kind of keep breathing down and fill in certain blanks along the way. Living. And dying.

That may not sound like a big heart to you. It might not sound like a something, great, and a creative way to think about our message, but it is the reality, none. The less in chapter 4, several weeks ago. We noticed how the descendants of Adam followed two distinct lines through came and threw a table, right? When I was able to worship God and by faith and was bring it, bring it by bringing his bleeding. Sacrifice as the basis of his approach to the Lord and worship. God told them what they needed to do to worship. And we know that Adam worshipped in the way that that, that God communicated to them would be appropriate. Adam knew, he could not come to God on his own. I keep saying Adam Abell knew he could not come to God on his own. Why? Why? Because his mom and dad send And what's his mom and dad send everything changed from there on out? Will Cain his brother ignored. That fact Kane Kane came on his own basis. Kane came on the basis of what he brought that. He thought was acceptable. Knowing is a sinner by choice, but also, because of how is Dad sin? And he came to God. On his own terms and God, that's it. No, it doesn't work like that and he didn't accept his offering. And then Cain was angry, because God didn't accept his offer. And he thought, what got you accept? What? I give him. Sometimes we think like that, because we live like that. I Ain't Got You just be happy that I gave him anyting. Dangerous precarious. Place to be the reminder of the chapter traces. This Godless line of Cain down to the 7th generation, and then it closes with the account of the birth of, of Seth, the appointed successor of able and in the one from whom the chosen race, and the Messiah would come Genesis, Genesis 5. Now, begins a new section, and it traces, this line of Seth for us and in almost every case. We're going to see these phrases when so-and-so had lived. X number of years. He fathered

and his son's name.

Someone told live after he fathered so-and-so X number of years and then he had other sons and daughters. That's all the days of so-and-so were X number of years.

And he died.

Andy. We're going to read every one of them all 32 versus because we need to hear the repeated pattern. We need to see

How? This is true for each and every one of our lives, so I'm going to read Genesis chapter 5, then you'll notice sometimes we get to the sections of the Bible. And I won't tell if this is you, if you do your Bible reading in a year plan, right? And you get to these Generations by because I'm taller. These these these books of generations that are important, right? Every word of God is important for us until we get to the section. If I go. Yeah. Okay, like I had enough time in my reading today. So we're going to read it. All Lord has good stuff in here for us. This is the book of generations of Adam when God created man, he made him in the likeness of God, male and female. He created them. And he blessed them and he named them, man. When they were created. When Adam live 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness after his own image and he named him. Seth. The days of Adam, after he fathered, Seth, or 800 years and had other Sons and Daughters. That's all the days that Adam lives were 930 years.

Be ready for the first one together and he died.

What's that? Save lives. 105 years. He fathered enosh. Seth lived after he fathered Enoch 807 years and he had other Sons and Daughters. That's all the days of Seth were 912 years. And he died.

We need a head live, 90 years. He fathered Keenan. Enosh lived at 3 after your father teen and eight hundred fifteen years and he had other sons and daughters and us all the days of enosh were 905 years and he died. Makinen had 70 and live seventy years. He fathered my head, although Cantina lived after your father and he'll l840 years and he had other Sons and Daughters. That's all the days of canine were 910 years. Then he died. Mahalalel live, 65 years. He father, Jared mahalalel lived after your father Jared, 830 years and he had other sons and daughters. That's all the days of mahalalel were 895 years and he died. When Jared live 162 years, he fathered Enoch.

Jared lived every father, denied 800 years and he had other Sons and Daughters. That's all the days of Jared were 962 years. And he died. When, you know, I can live 65 years. He fathered Methuselah Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. That's all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God. And he was not. For God, took him.

When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered Lemak. Methuselah lived after your father limit, 782 years and he had other sons and daughters. That's all the days unless it was on the word 969 years. And he died.

When they make your member, they mad cuz we were at last week member. He beat his chest for how brutal he was and brag to his wives about but he killed him for that or I'll kill them for far less, right? This is this arrogant Pride that he had when they make LED 182 years. He fathered a son and he called his son Noah. Saying out of the ground that the Lord has cursed. This one shall bring us relief from our work from and from our painful toil of our hands. Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and he had other Sons and Daughters. That's all that the years of lamech were 777 years. And he died.

After Noah was 500 years old, Noah father to Shem, ham and japheth.

Moses. If you remember wrote these words to the Israelites who were poised and ready to conquer enter and Conquer Canaan, they were ready to go. Take the land that God had promised them, right? They were prone to rebell and they were prone to return to Egypt, or they're going to join the idolatry and the immorality of the Pagan Nations that were around them. And so if we remember from the very beginning and of Genesis, where reminder, that Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament, Genesis Exodus, Leviticus Numbers, and Deuteronomy to the Israelite people who needed a reminder of who their God was of how God had created Mankind. And here in this book,

maybe the first mention of the of the booklet is, in fact, but

he's trying to remind them as you go into this Godless culture. Don't follow the line of Cain.

Follow the line of Seth.

Is it going to this Godless culture? You're going to have many Temptations? It's important. We remember what the word, Temptations, their Temptations because they're attempting to us. No, I'm not tempted by that, what you're tempted by something. And so was we go into to the Israelites and to us today as we go into this Godless culture and we're going to have many Temptations including the temptation to strive to make progress without God. We're going to strive to do things, our own way to live life according to the beat of Our Own Drum. And to ultimately walk away from the Lord, and you need to remember that. You will die. Everybody is going to die. Everybody has a life sentence and it's all the same and he died and she died.

Hebrews says, it is appointed unto man once to die. And after that to face the Judgment, every one of us is going to stand before our creator one day and you will only live in this Fallen World by calling upon the name of the Lord. And by Walking with God, really want on the same thing. We call upon the Lord, Jesus Christ for salvation because we recognize our own Houston and we say I can't live in this world of My Own Strength. I can't make it to heaven on my own good works. Anytime I try to compare myself with anybody. I compare myself to the next guy. Well, that's not good enough. The only one that is, is Jesus. So we call upon his name and he promises to save those who call on him in faith, and we walk with God.

Since the day that Moses wrote this to the Israelites, God's words are just as practical for us today, right? We live in a pagan world or Temptations all around us. We forget the shortness of our life and we want to join the world's progress. We want to join the world system. We want to join in and an embrace, the world's ideas, but God says, no, you need to cling, to me, claim to my word. It is always right. It is always true. And it is your only hope. so, if we make progress without God, We're really only doing is building around little kingdoms. Rather than engaging in in building God's kingdom Walking with God is the only way to live life in this world with the hope of eternal life. Walking with God, is the only way to live in this world with the hope. Of eternal life. I mentioned a minute ago that Genesis 5:1 is that is the first mention of of the word book here or you might call it Bible for those Old Testament folks, right? And the first mention of book in the New Testament is in Matthew 11, where it lays out of the generation, the book of the generation of Jesus Christ. And so, the first book, if you will tells us about about the lineage of Adam and a second book, speaks about the origins of the last, Adam Jesus Christ, 1st Corinthians, Paul's summarizes as he says in verse 1547. He says, the first man was from the earth, a man of the dust. And the second man is from heaven or the Lord of Heaven. SOS, we read the V, the very first couple of verses of this. This chapter here you going to see that the word the word atom and the word man, both translate the same Hebrew word. It's actually the context that tells us whether this means man or mankind, or whether this means Adam more specifically right to read male and female, he created them and he blessed them and he named them, man. In the day that they were created, which is a reference back to Genesis 1 26 to 28. Right? And so what we're seeing here is that God is giving us a complete record of human history. A complete summarize record of human history from the very beginning. Henry Morris points out. It's necessary for Noah's to record. I'm sorry for North Noah's records to be identified with with both of these Generations that are listed here early in the Bible, because it's a continuation of the official history of the human race. And especially of the line of promise, if you take an end and some Scholars have charted this out, but if you take everyone that's listed here and you kind of plot their lives, right? It be between about 1600, but maybe about 2,300 years span of time, right? Because they lived this long and then they had a son. And then after they had this son, they lived this length of time. And as you add those up, it comes out to somewhere between 1600 and and twenty-three hundred years or so. So because of the Fall friends, we must die. Because of the Fall, we must die. You have to look at the bad news before, you can understand the good news if you wondered, if you'd, if you refuse to understand the bad news or the truth. The good news is an actually good news. It really actually doesn't matter. You see, if you look at your own life. If you consider your ways and you think, you know what I'm doing, just fine. And like Cain. You think. You just accept me how I am cuz I'm a pretty good person. I try to be nice to other people lesson. God gives us his common Grace to be able to express some of his character traits. But none of us, not one of us will do it perfectly. Not one of us will ever do it perfectly until every one of us must die. And it's the result of sin. I want to tell your friends. God is always true. God's word is always true. And Satan is always a liar. Mark it down saying is always a liar and it is true now as it was way back then. In the Garden of Eden, right. Even think about it was lying to you today about how important certain things are in your life. Why do need to focus on on worshipping God by connecting with my local shirt at the church of being engaged in discipleship?

You you might think I'm going to do more important things to do. Many things are important. I'm helping this company grow.

I could go on and on and on with examples.

Satan wants to deceive you. By the way. I just I do need to say. There's incredibly meaningful. Work that happens.

Two companies, corporations things like that as a Believer, working in whatever job you have working with integrity and working to honor the Lord incredibly meaningful. Don't say your work, not meaningful. What we want to be saying is let's focus and whatever we do. On on working and on playing in proportion to the way that God has called us to and assigned us to particular tasks in our lives cuz that's where the real true Joy is found. if you're seeking development for syncing progress, without Devotion to the Lord, You're building your own kingdom and the Lord won't bless it on this Earth, but

your life sentence is going to be the same. And he died. And after that, we have to account for whether or not, we were walking with God. Not where we walked at that perfectly, but whether we called upon God and we walked with God. So Market down, right? When God tells us that our most important priority in this life is Walking with God in the life of a local church and ministering to Brothers and Sisters in Christ and being available to love and serve our neighbors. In the name of Jesus. We call it reaching and teaching, and living out what it means to be a wholehearted. That's an important word, wholehearted followers of Jesus Christ. Nothing is more true than that mission. That God has called us to. Yes, that involves your family. Absolutely.

Often the number one, Ministry priority. God's word is always true. Satan is always a liar. Member went went when Satan said to the Lord. I'm serving. The Lord says, Adam and Eve or to Adam. He said in the day that you eat of it from the knowledge of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. You shall surely die. What it's saying. You say Satan said, you do know that you shall not surely die. Now we don't know exactly where the emphasis was there. You know, you actually die. Are you shall not surely die, like maybe that's just like a woman make. Maybe it's just a maybe you'll die.

Sitting is going to try to cause us to doubt God's word.

What chapter 5000c was, right? Did you eat from the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil you shall surely die? No, they didn't die immediately, but they did die immediately. Spiritually speaking, but they did die. And then every generation after they've died, everybody dies. And we see this phrase. It sounds like a a funeral Bell. Just over and over again and he died and he died every one, must die and we need to feel the weight of God's judgement on send. But here's the beautiful thing friends, that, that message that I carry to you, because someone carry to me that you get to carry to others, is not a message of hopelessness, is not a message of Despair. It's a message that says, every one of us is going to die, every one of us deserves to die. Every one of us deserves to be separated from God, but God while we were yet, sinners Christ died for us. There is always a, but God, In the Bible. There is always a but God for your situation.

As long as you can hear the preaching of God's word there is a but God will Adamson. Because Adamson, everyone is Born Into sin, but also our own personal since we can't quite get away with just got to blame it on Adam, right? Because we were in Adams Shoes Woodland. Same thing. All right, we did on the same thing, death entered the human race through Adams Disobedience when Adam and Eve sinned, they died spiritually, like I said immediately, but then also it follow through with that they died physically as well. Paul says it like this in two passages in Rome and I'll put them up here for you. Romans 5:12 there for just as Sin came into the world, through one man and death through sin. So death spread to all men. Because I'll send. So you see right there death comes to us to Adam, but it all comes to all men because we've all sinned. And the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ. Jesus, our lord.

But when we walk with God, we have hope of eternal life. When we walk with God, we have the hope of eternal life, how it's really easy here to think of its really easy here to start thinking about, religion are the things that God has called us to do. Absolutely, but really what it all fun and falls under is this this this large umbrella heading of Walking with God and living in such a way that that we're growing, our relationship with the Lord. And so we want other people to come to know this to. I will tell you we have a baptism and membership service coming up July 10th. I will tell you, mark your calendars down, and if you can move something to be here for that day do so. It will be a fantastic service. It will be a wonderful service and I'll tell you why. We're preparing a handful of a baptism testimony videos right now and one of them and I say this to people were getting ready to record the videos. I'm sure they're probably like you're saying to make me feel better for the video, but I want to tell you one of the greatest Joys that I have in this life is working through helping p. Will prepare their baptism testimony video their salvation story because we get to wrestle through different aspects of it in and what part was me and what part was God, and we get to just kind of shape that a little bit together and then we get to talk through it again, and then I get to watch them practice it before they actually hit record on the camera there. And then they get to record, it will record it more times than they care to record. But we do that. So we have multiple copies, and angles and all that sort of stuff. But let me tell you what to hear someone's story of how they were lost.

Without hope.

Walking aimlessly through this world.

Following their own Temptations.

Realizing their sin and their need for a savior.

And then saying that God. God brought someone into their life cut connected. That was somebody another Christian like you

And they got to tell him about the whole bunch of Jesus Christ and I do but not for me. Yes. It's for you, for me. Really? Are you sure it's for everyone who will repent of their sins and call upon the name of Jesus and he will save you when he will change your life. Yes.

It's not. I'm going through my life. I'm doing my own thing and I'm hopeless. Oh Jesus, okay.

Why don't you start coming to church and you need to turn from walking, your own way, when my kids were younger. And we would Have discipline conversations sometimes in our restroom. We had a door. Let's see. We're going to go this way. We're going to go this way. We had a door, lock the bathroom tub, doors and mirror on a door. And one of the things which is frequently talked about his lesson. when you live this way, you're like, I would make them do not roll their eyes, and we just Say, walk toward this mirror. You're walking toward yourself. You're you're going toward what you want and Jesus says calling me. And turn around and walk with me. And that's what the Bible cost repentance. And when you repent of your sins and you trust Jesus as your savior, your whole life gets new color, and I'm not trying to be over dramatic, because it's not always fun. It's not always easy. It doesn't always seem wonderful. But it is wonderful. When we're walking with Jesus. You may have been fishing for a long time, and you're in a place. Now, you're feeling kind of dry will start walking with Jesus again, right? I mean, let's not make any bones about it. You don't have to prep yourself up. You don't have to dust yourself off. You just need to say, Lord. I need to come home. I'm coming home. Can you start walking with Jesus again?

Almost every time I hear someone passing away. Have the opportunity to do, you know, funerals? Sometimes for our church family, sometimes for those in the community. One of the things I often here. And by the way, I just want to tell you, I don't know if you had someone that passed away recently. I mean absolutely, no disrespect, but this is the reality of many of the conversations that I hear. I see people and they Comfort themselves. And made a way for tear, and they say, you know. He surely is in a better place.

But sometimes that surrounded by a day of Godless talk. Of. Will any number of things that don't look anything like somebody. Loved the Lord Jesus?

It almost always centers around the fact that they were. Nice. Even if they weren't nice.

Well, I was just his way. It's just her way. I'm so glad she's in a better place.

No. There. Not.

If? They did not turn from their sinful selfish living. And call upon the name of the Lord Jesus for salvation.

They're separated from God for all of eternity.

The gospel of Matthew, says it this way, just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire. So we'll be at the End of the Age of son of man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom. All I'm saying they will gather out of his kingdom, all the causes of sand in the lawbreakers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace. And in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Friends, I cannot tell you the importance of hearing this aspect of our need for a savior.

Now we're not measuring how long they walked with God because I've known people in the very end of their life who have repented of their sins. They knew there was a Saviour. In fact, they had a hard time sometimes coming to the Lord because they they know I'm dying soon. I'm not going to have time to do very much. Good night that does matter. Turn from your sins and trust in Jesus. Now, God credits credits it to you as righteousness. And you are close your eyes, and you open your eyes and Glory. Friend, that's the promise of God stirs. Joy and Walking with God, right? I'll walk with God begins by face. The world takes note of those who achieve in in science or in business, or in farming or an entertainment or other aspects of that agriculture, right? We celebrate we celebrate, we make celebrities of notorious criminals, we study and we follow them become heroes in their own right? In fact, some people even commit crimes just to have their name live on as a criminal what a tragic way to live your life, Hebrews 11:5 and 65 Faith. Enoch was taking up so that he should not see death. And he was not found because God had taken them and not before he was taken. He was commended. As having please, God is having walked with God and without faith. It is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to him must believe that he exists, and that he rewards those Who seek him? He knocked believed God friended me last this morning. Do you believe God? Do you believe God that you eat you you're not good enough to work your way to heaven.

Do you believe God that you are in desperate need for a savior?

I'll let you believe, God, that he sent his son. Jesus, to be the sin sacrifice for you.

So that you will close your eyes and death and open your eyes in eternity. An eternity filled with promise and relationship. An ongoing wonderful worship right at the starting point is coming to walk. I mean coming to God in faith. I'll tell you a walk with God is helped by a family. We see here a lineages of families here and we see one generation of a family that walked with God and another generation of a family that did not walk with God and then we get several down and we see more we see the progression only several Generations. I think Seven Generations where it changed from a Godly lying to an ungodly lying. Seven Generations from Adam through Seth, we find Enoch and we find later we find Noah. and so there's good news and there's bad news about this reality of a walk with God often beginning with a family. What a good news is Whatever your past, whatever your upward family line is, whatever the the drama is, whatever. The the relationship struggles were in your family. You can be by God's grace and agent of that chain. You can be the one.

What people began to walk with God, you may have children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren?

This is why this Legacy virtual conference is important, if you're able to buy several conference, it's a couple hours. But if you're able to be a part of that you say, why don't I don't know what to do here. But this is not a conference has to see, who knows what to do the best. This is a this is a meeting to help you to encourage you to equip you had to do one thing where you can begin. Discipling, your grandchildren. You, you can be that Agent of Change, if your children are not walking with the Lord, the bad news.

That is of the same observation is that your family may have walked with God for many, many years.

If you don't walk with God, you can be the one to change it.

You can bring the lack of blessing of not walking with God to your children. Cool, maybe more than likely will carry on the patterns that you have taught them in your life, your your anger, your bitterness, your frustration, your jealousy can carry down from one generation to another and to another.

Matthew Henry, says, Grace does not run in the blood.

Corruption guns. A center baguettes and Center. but a saint does not forget us ain't

Parents. Your children.

Will never be Christians because you are a Christian.

You must teach them.

It is the joy of Our Lives. To get to sit around the family or spit in the living room, or I'll tell you, I'm at Little window from the McGee household. Sometimes some of our best gospel conversations. Come out. Come after Pastor. Dad has sinned. Until you.

I speak in the wrong tone or whatever, the case might be plenty examples of my life looking at sin. I'm a roll them under the bus, but just playing, there's two, and I would guess yours.

but, We recognize, you know, something else. Sometimes our kids like to wear hoodies or things like that. And one of the things we don't do is we don't when we're mad, or when we're feeling ashamed, or when they've done something wrong, when we don't throw the hoodie over and

It was one of the first things we do because that's how Satan wants us to walk around in this life, with the proverbial who you over head walking around, like we're ashamed. And we're not good enough to look people in the eye. Can I will walk over and I will pull that hoodie back and I'll say, It does not ever matter what you do? You never need to hide from God.

And you don't need to hide from me.

Parents that will Speak Life. To your children. Grandparents, that will speak life and joy and peace to your grandchildren that performance. Not do better next time. Okay. I'll try to do better next time.

Look at me in the eye.

I love you.

even when I don't love you the way that I ought to God loves you.

Walk with them, walk with the one, the only one in all the universe that will love you without regret. That will love you with purpose that will love you without failure and I just want to tell you as we wrap up a walk with God is not fancy. It's not spectacular.

We live this life. We suffer in this life. We struggle in this life. In such a way that God will use our struggles. To shine the spotlight of his grace on our lives. And the world will take note. Because God is at work.

We're not here to make a name for ourselves. We're not here to make a name for Oak Grove Church. I'm not here to make a name for pastor Matt. One day. I'm going to be gone. I'm going to slide out. Somebody else going to slide in and the work of God is going to continue. How was it here last week? The work of the ministry. Went on just fine.

Start to get a little insecure. Sometimes I go. Maybe they'll realize they don't need me.

God gives us his picture of of walking with him. It is a beautiful picture of the spiritual life of of growing with him, right? It is not, the quickest is not the flashiest. In fact, I'll tell you Romans 5, I don't have time.

Romans 5 just gives us this beautiful picture that Through our difficulties and our trials, and our struggles. God will develop in US perseverance. What does that mean? It means you got. It means you have to continue to walk holding God's hand, clinging to God's word, clinging to the body of Christ through the struggle. Not over the struggle or around the troubled, through the struggle and got through walking with him through the struggle. God, develops perseverance. And perseverance, develops. Character, steadfastness steadfastness, develop your character and character produces. Hope. And hope is a confident expectation that God is who he says he is the god never lies. That Satan always lies. That God will always keep every promise.

The Coushatta during walking. I can't walk for you. You can't walk for me.

You got to take the initiative, got to take the effort. Got to take the time as necessary to walk with the Lord. I'll tell you you're not going to know the Bible overnight. God doesn't expect you to the Bible overnight.

You can do it a little bit better after 5 minutes reading the Bible.

After an hour reading by laughter a day reading, the Bible. After years, of reading the Bible, you'll know it a little bit better. And the beautiful thing is that because of God's perfect wisdom in all of the universe. Nothing in our life, throws him off kilter. He does not going to stay home and I really need you to know this part of the Bible by now, but you just started walking with me. I guess Imma have to scramble whatever scrambles.

I didn't send Jesus is a plan, B, Jesus with the plan, a all along.

Jesus came, he walked with God. Has the Dogman. And we're encouraged to the same. Listen to how the Apostle. Paul describes, Jesus, our savior have his mind. This attitude is posture among yourselves, which is yours.

Yours. In Jesus. Who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God. A thing to be grasped. But he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant and being born in the likeness of men.

And being found in human form, he humbled himself. Pastor Timothy, Keller says a wonderful thing about the word humility. Humility is not thinking less of yourself. Humility is thinking of yourself less.

Jesus, humbled himself and becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed upon him. The name, that is above every name. So that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth. And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. To the glory of God, the Father. Friends walking in this life. It's the only way to live in this world with hope of eternal life.

So, what's your life sentence going to be?

Is it simply going to be?

He died.

She died.

Or maybe it'll be.

He walked with God and lives.

Heavenly father. I pray that you would capture our minds and our hearts with the realities of what we've looked at this morning.

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