sermon20220814 An Introduction to Genesis
Genesis • Sermon • Submitted
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1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.
Prayer
Hebrews 11:1-22 is all from the Book of Genesis
When we look at the Book Genesis we need to understand that it does not sit alone at the start of the Bible:
The five books of Moses
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
26 So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
The ESV Study Bible Author, Title, and Date
The English title “Genesis” comes from the Greek translation of the Pentateuch and means “origin,” a very apt title because Genesis is all about origins—of the world, of the human race, of sin, and of the Jewish people. The Hebrew title is translated “In the Beginning,” using the first phrase in the book.
Traditionally Genesis, like the rest of the Pentateuch, has been ascribed to Moses. The other books of the Pentateuch relate Moses’ life and his role in bringing Israel to the borders of Canaan, and parts of these books are expressly said to have been written by Moses (e.g., Num. 33:2; Deut. 31:24). Genesis is clearly an introduction to the books that follow, so it is natural to suppose that if Moses was responsible for their composition, he must also have been the author of Genesis (cf. John 5:46). This understanding of the Pentateuch’s origin was the view of Jews and Christians from pre-Christian times until the nineteenth century.
How should we approach Genesis?
How should we understand Genesis?
Genesis reveals to us the size of our God. - how big is your God?
It reveals our view of the miraculous.
It reveals the character of God
It reveals the depth of man’s evil and depravity
What did Genesis mean?
(1) Genesis to the exodus community
There is one true and living God
The creation is not to be worshipped - the origins
The Lord had given them a promise and a land
Egypt was not their home
(2) Genesis to the time of the kings
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
(3) Genesis to the exilic community
We have been to Egypt before. We have been captives and slaves.
We no longer have a king on the throne of David
There has been the temptation to be like Lot living in Sodom.
But we are to live outside the city of man
(4) Genesis to the post exilic community
Are we to build a Tower of Babel or build a place of worship?
We no longer have a king.
(5) Genesis to the gospel community
The promise of Gen 3:15
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
The God who ate with Abraham, wrested with Jacob. Who is this God who was God and man?
Before Abraham was, I am.
(6) Genesis to the early church
The second Adam, Jesus. The trinity in creation, Jesus the creator.
In the beginning was the Word
John 1:1-14
The Abrahamic covenant and the salvation of the world
(7) Genesis to us
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
What do all seven communities have in common?
The character of God
The sinfulness of man and the presence of evil in this world
The punishment for disobeying the will of God
The blessings of obedience
That life is hard - dreams are crushed, disappointments abound, uncertainty in this life is certain - but God is faithful
The need for a Savior, the inability to save our selves
Reading through the Book of Ecclesiastes and listening to Austin Duncan's sermon series. He mentions this quote from Packer:
Now, the mistake that is commonly made is to suppose that this is an illustration of what God does when he bestows wisdom: to suppose, in other words, that the gift of wisdom consists in a deepened insight into the providential meaning and purpose of events going on around us, an ability to see why God has done what he has done in a particular case, and what he is going to do next. People feel that if they were really walking close to God, so that he could impart wisdom to them freely, then they would, so to speak, find themselves in the signal-box; they would discern the real purpose of everything that happened to them, and it would be clear to them every moment how God was making all things work together for good. Such people spend much time poring over the book of providence, wondering why God should have allowed this or that to take place, whether they should take it as a sign to stop doing one thing and start doing another, or what they should deduce from it. If they end up baffled, they put it down to their own lack of spirituality. Christians suffering from depression, physical, mental or spiritual (note, these are three different things!) may drive themselves almost crazy with this kind of futile inquiry. For it is futile: make no mistake about that. It is true that when God has given us guidance by application of principles he will on occasion confirm it to us by unusual providences, which we will recognize at once as corroborative signs. But this is quite a different thing from trying to read a message about God’s secret purposes out of every unusual thing that happens to us. So far from the gift of wisdom consisting in the power to do this, the gift actually presupposes our conscious inability to do it, as we shall see in a moment.
Packer, J. I.. Knowing God (The IVP Signature Collection) (pp. 102-103). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.