A Father’s Love

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Father’s Day

A Father’s Love

(Luke 15:11-24)

 

INTRODUCTION

VIDEO – The Prodigal Son, A Father’s Love.

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Wrecked car

        • When I was in high school and working at Chick-fil-A we were always the last group to leave the mall

        • The security guards would close the upper parking lot before we were finished, so one person would go up and bring everyone else’s car down and park it in the regular parking lot

        • One evening I gave my Dad’s car keys to the one employee who was bringing everyone’s car down

        • I asked if she knew how to drive a stick shift and she said, “Yes!”

        • Within the half hour I got the news that she had driven my Dad’s Ford Bronco II into the cement base of the light that I had parked under

        • I was so afraid to call my Dad, but I did anyhow

        • I remember crying as I told him what happened

        • His response was love, care, and concern for me and not the car

        • He wanted to make sure that I was alright

    • My brother

        • If you were here on May 23, 2021 you heard my Father begin the message by telling you how proud he was of his children

        • They are all serving the Lord in some capacity

        • He told you about how my brother had been an alcoholic for 16 years

        • My Dad and Mom never stopped loving him and praying for him

        • The love and prayers are what sustained my brother through a very difficult time in his life

        • He returned to the Lord and has an active, intimate relationship with Jesus

 

  • WE

    • Loving father

        • I know that some of us here, this morning, could tell similar stories about our father’s

        • We would be able to share how our fathers were loving, caring, and concerned about us, instead of a car or some other material possession that was ruined on our watch

    • Unloving fathers

        • I’m also aware that there are those of us, here today, that don’t have any good memories of our fathers

        • Our fathers were harsh, unkind, and unloving

        • Perhaps they were verbally, mentally and/or physically abusive

        • We don’t want anything to do with our fathers

 

Jesus told three parables in Luke 15 about lost things (lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son). ​​ We’re going to focus on the lost son this morning, because it talks about human beings and relationships. ​​ Jesus used the parable to illustrate God the Father’s love, card, and concern for us as human beings. ​​ Since God the Father is holy (perfect) we can look to Him, especially when our earthly fathers have failed us, or after our earthly fathers have passed on. ​​ Luke wants us to understand that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – ​​ God never stops loving us.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Luke 15:11-24)

    • Rebellion (vv. 11-16)

        • Financial windfall (vv. 11-13a)

          • Most of us would probably say that we expect some kind of inheritance from our parents

            • Proverbs 13:22, A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.

            • 1 Timothy 5:8, If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

          • We would probably agree that we don’t really talk about our inheritance, though

            • The Lord has blessed Judy and I

            • My parents have talked to my brother, sister, and I about various furniture pieces in their house, so they know what we would like to have when they’re gone

            • I’ve told my parents that there isn’t anything I have to have

            • I’m content to have whatever is leftover – the sentimental value is more important to me than the item itself

            • I’ve heard stories of that not being the case in some families – there are fights and hard feelings after the individual passes away, because more than one person wants a particular item

          • Unusual request

            • In this parable, the younger son makes an uncharacteristic request

            • In the Ancient Near East it was not common practice to divide the inheritance prior to death

            • That normally happened after the patriarch was gone

            • The younger son wanted his share of the estate while his father was still living

          • Request granted

            • We begin to see the character and love of the father at the very beginning of this parable

            • He grants the younger son’s request

            • The father divided his property between the older and younger son

              • The older son received double the inheritance – two-thirds

              • Deuteronomy 22:17, He must acknowledge the son of his unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double share of all he has. ​​ That is the first sign of his father’s strength. ​​ The right of the firstborn belongs to him.

              • The younger son would only receive one-third

              • That was enough for him

            • I can only imagine what the younger son was saying prior to receiving his portion of the estate

              • Perhaps it’s the same things we hear today from our own children

              • “I can’t wait to leave this house and be out on my own!”

              • “I can’t stand being a part of this family, I want to move out!”

            • While it was certainly not the desire or wish of the father, he lovingly grants the younger sons request

          • Liquidating his portion of the estate

            • Not long after that . . .

              • The younger son had to have time to liquid his portion of the estate

              • He didn’t waste any time

              • Certainly part of his inheritance included property and land

              • He had to sell that, so he could have the money he desired

            • Once he had the money in hand, he was ready to move out and move on

          • “Schrenk (TDNT 5:983-84) perceptively suggests that this image pictures the heavenly Father letting the sinner go his own way.” ​​ [Bock, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Luke 9:51-24:53, 1310]

            • PRINCIPLE #1 – God allows us to pursue our free will.

            • God never forces human beings to be in a relationship with Him

            • His desire is that we will want to be in a relationship with Him, since He created us

              • Jeremiah 31:3, The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with lovingkindness.

              • Acts 17:27-28, God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ​​ ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ ​​ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

              • John 1:12, Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

            • Most of us know of someone who is currently pursuing their own free will

              • As followers of Jesus Christ, we know what God’s desire is and that’s what makes it so difficult to watch a loved one pursue the things of this world instead the Lord

              • We can certainly give them sound advice

              • We can also pray for them

              • Never stop loving them and letting them know that you love them

              • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Pray for the person I know who is pursuing their free will and let them know I love them.

            • We’ll see that the father, in this parable, never stopped loving his son

          • The younger son has sold all of his inheritance and has the money in hand – now it’s time to leave

        • Freedom (v. 13b)

          • The younger son left for a distant country and wasted his wealth on wild living

          • Out on our own

            • Most of us didn’t move to a distant country – although most mothers would say that having their child move out of state is like them moving to a distant country

            • Do you remember what you did when you were finally out on your own?

            • Whether it was renting your first apartment or going off to college, do you remember what you decided to do or not do, since you were independent?

            • I remember deciding to stay up as late as I wanted, although my parents pretty much let me do that the last two years of high school (I just remember not feeling guilty about)

            • I know that other young people decided that they were no longer going to go to church

            • Others made decisions about what they would eat or drink, who they would hang out with, what they would watch or listen to, and perhaps how they spoke

            • Maybe they were already doing those things, but were guarded around their parents – now they pursued those things without being guarded or feeling guilty

          • I’m sure life was grand, for the younger son, until the money ran out

        • Famine (vv. 14-16)

          • To make things worse, the country where he was currently living experienced a severe famine

          • The young man had no money and now there was no food

          • He did want he needed to do to survive

            • He hired himself out

            • We have to remember the setting in which Jesus is telling this parable

              • Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him. ​​ But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 15:1-2)

              • The Pharisees and teachers of the law were concerned with who Jesus was welcoming and who He was eating with

              • Jesus was trying to help them understand that they needed to be reaching the lost, which required welcoming them and eating with them

              • The Jewish religious leaders would have struggled with one of their sons feeding pigs

              • Pigs were considered unclean animals, which had to be avoided

            • Although the young man had a job, no one gave him anything

              • He probably had some meager wages, but was still having trouble finding food to buy

              • The famine was so severe that he was still going hungry

          • Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom, before we realize what we had when we lived at home

        • That’s exactly what happened with this young man

    • Repentance (vv. 17-20a)

        • Wisdom (v. 17)

          • This young man knew that the men his father hired were not starving like him

          • In fact, they had food to spare

          • These hired men were not even family, yet they were well taken care

          • Wisdom is “the ability to use your knowledge and experience to make good decisions and judgments.” [https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/wisdom]

          • This young man used his knowledge of his father’s household and his current experience, of starving to death, to make a good decision to humble himself and return home

        • Humility (vv. 18-19)

          • We see humility in the rehearsed statement he is planning to share with his father

          • Recognizing that his desire to pursue his own free will, by requesting his portion of the estate and then wasting it on wild living, was sin, and that showed great humility on his part

            • Humility is not an easy characteristic to achieve, because it requires the acknowledgment of wrong

            • It requires that we repent and own our faults

            • The young man realized that he had not only sinned against his father, but also against God

          • We also see his humility in the fact that he was willing to be considered a hired hand instead of family

            • He had disgraced his family’s name, through his wild living

            • Even though he had done these things in a distant country, word had gotten back to his family

            • We see that in the older son’s response to his father

            • “But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!” (Luke 15:30)

          • When this young man comes to his senses, he doesn’t hesitate

        • Action (v. 20a)

          • He got up and went to his father

          • He left his job of feeding pigs

          • He left the distant country where he had pursued his own free will to return to his father’s house

        • PRINCIPLE #2 – With wisdom and humility comes repentance and restoration.

          • The young man was ready to repent, which showed great wisdom and humility on his part

          • Perhaps that’s where some of us are at today

            • We have been pursuing our own free will

            • We have turned away from our family and from God

            • We have sinned against heaven and our families

            • We have separated ourselves from those who love us and support us (family and God)

          • It’s not too late to pursue wisdom and humility and to repent and return

          • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Recognize my sin, repent of it, and return to the Lord and my family.

        • We see the humility of the son in returning home, but we also see the humility of the father in his response

    • Restoration (vv. 20b-24)

        • Compassion (v. 20b)

          • The son hasn’t even gotten to his father’s estate yet, but the father sees him

            • This tells us that the father was looking for the son every day

            • His desire was that his son would return home

            • PRINCIPLE #3 – No matter how sinful you are, God waits patiently and lovingly for you to return to him.

          • The father was filled with compassion

            • He never stopped loving his son

            • The same is true of God – He never stops loving us

            • God’s desire is that we return to Him

          • Humility expressed

            • In the culture of the day, a father would never have run

            • He definitely wouldn’t have run to embrace a son who had humiliated and brought disgrace on the family name

            • And yet, that’s exactly what this father did

            • He expressed his love for his son by hugging and kissing him

            • Too often men are stoic when it comes to expressing their love, even for their children

              • How many times have we heard adult children say that their father never told them that he loved them?

              • Father’s will tell us that their children knew they loved them, even if they didn’t say it

              • Guess what, guys? ​​ Our children need to hear us say that we love them

              • It’s not too late to tell them that, even if they are grown

              • My challenge for father’s today is to take time this week to reach out to your children and tell them that you love them

              • Their response may be, “Dad, have you been diagnosed with a terminal illness?” ​​ “Are you going to die?”

              • It may come as a shock to them, but I encourage you to do it anyway, and continue to do it!

          • Perhaps there are those here today who didn’t have a loving father

            • Our fathers may have passed away, so we’ll never hear them say that they love us

            • I want to encourage those of us, who are experiencing that, with these words from Scripture

              • Psalm 103:13-18, As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. ​​ As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. ​​ But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

              • John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

              • Jeremiah 31:3, The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with lovingkindness.

            • God never stops loving us.

          • The son repents and receives forgiveness and restoration

        • Forgiveness (vv. 21-24)

          • The son only gets to share the first half of his rehearsed statement

            • It’s the most important part – repentance!

            • He tells his father that he has sinned against heaven and against him

            • He is no longer worthy to be called his son

            • He never gets to express his willingness to forfeit his status as a son and be considered a hired hand

          • Restoration

            • What we see next is the restoration of this young man to the family unit

            • The father won’t consider his son anything but family

            • The items requested by the father were for family only (best robe, ring, sandals)

            • Hired hands didn’t receive these items – most hired hands didn’t wear any shoes

            • PRINCIPLE #4 – God restores us when we repent.

              • Sin separates us from God (Rom. 3:23; Rom. 6:23)

              • Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection enables us to have that relationship restored (2 Cor. 5:18-21, All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ​​ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. ​​ And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ​​ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. ​​ We implore you on Christ’s behalf: ​​ Be reconciled to God. ​​ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God)

              • Children of God (John 1:12, Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.)

            • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Repent of my sins and become a child of God.

          • Celebration

            • The father instructs the servants to bring the fattened calf and kill it

            • A celebration is about to begin

            • The father is celebrating the fact that the son, he thought he had lost through death, is alive and has returned!

            • There is a celebration every time someone repents and returns to the Lord

              • Luke 15:7, I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

              • Luke 15:10, In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

            • God is poised and ready to start the celebration when you repent and turn to Him

            • Today is that day!

 

  • YOU

    • Who do you know that is pursuing their own free will? ​​ (are you praying for them and have you told them you love them?)

    • Are you ready to pursue wisdom and humility and repent and return to the Lord? ​​ (God is waiting patiently and lovingly for you to return to Him.)

    • God is ready to restore you, are you ready to repent?

 

  • WE

    • As followers of Jesus Christ, we need to love those who are pursuing the things of this world.

    • Who do we need to love today?

 

CONCLUSION

“I will never forget the man’s face that June afternoon as he sat there on those hard bleacher seats in the high school football stadium. The hot sun was constantly pulling sweat from his body and turning his face a nice shade of pink. He was oblivious. His eyes focused on one young man on the football field. ‘What’s up?’ I whispered. ‘I am waiting for my son. Soon he will cross the stage and get his honors diploma. Then it is off to college on a full academic scholarship. We are so proud of him.’

 

Two years later I met the same man. He called me to go with him. We rode in silence up the interstate to the university town. We met a lawyer and walked across the street to the county jail ‘What’s up?’ I finally asked. ‘I am waiting for my son,’ he sniffed, trying to hold back the tears. ‘Police picked him up for shoplifting. Afraid he is on drugs, too.’

 

Just a few months ago, I met my friend yet again. This time I was seated in a beautiful little church. The man stood by his son at the front looking up the aisle. If I could have whispered again, ‘What’s up?’ he would have whispered back, ‘I am waiting for my son to get married. His beautiful, vivacious bride will be walking down the aisle toward us in just a minute. I am so proud of him. This time I have been waiting ten years, but finally the wait is over. Drugs, alcohol, and jail are all behind him. He is back in church and thinking about going into the ministry. I am so excited.’

 

This father can read Luke 15 with special understanding. He knows what it means to wait for a prodigal son. He can identify with all the emotions that run through the father after he watched his son disappear down the long road to oblivion. Now he knows the joy of seeing the son come back, penitent and sad, seeking another chance at life. He knows the joy of running to the returning son with outstretched arms, ready to plant a big kiss on him. He truly understands party time. Now each day is a celebration as he experiences the joy of finding a lost sinner, reconciling with a lost son.

 

Our Father in heaven still stands at the corner looking for another lost child to come home . . . You have a heavenly Father who loves you that much. His open arms wait for you to see that you are a lost sinner needing to come home to Abba, your daddy in heaven. The party can be ready in a flash if you will come. Having come home and enjoyed the party, then you can join the Father at the corner watching for more lost children to come home . . . You can sit beside the elder brother and show him how much the Father has always loved him even if he never got around to party time. You can let the joy flow as you seek the lost and watch as the Father saves them.

 

[Butler, Holman New Testament Commentary, Luke, 253-54].

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Perfect Timing

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Origins

Perfect Timing

(Genesis 8:1-14)

 

INTRODUCTION

“In March of 2006, the Associated Press and Ipsos surveyed 1,003 adults concerning Americans' attitudes and behavior regarding impatience. Some of the findings included:

  • While waiting in line at an office or store, it takes an average of 17 minutes for most people to lose their patience.

  • On the phone, it takes about 9 minutes for most people to lose their patience.

  • Women lost their patience after waiting in line for about 18 minutes. For men, it was an average of 15 minutes.

  • People with lower income and less education are more patient than those with a college education and a high income.

  • People who live in the suburbs are more patient than people who live in the city.”

 

Source: Trevor Thompson, "Impatience Poll Glance," www.hosted.ap.org (5-28-06).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2006/june/2062606.html]

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Patient

        • I would like to think that I’m a pretty patient person

        • I will take a long time to untangle a rope or fishing line

        • I’m patient when I’m building an architectural LEGO to make sure I’m putting it together properly

        • I’m patient when putting a puzzle together

    • Not Patient

        • There are other times when I’m not patient

        • I’m usually impatient when I’m frustrated or tired

        • There have been times when I’ve tried to untangle fishing line while I’m frustrated or tired and the result is me cutting the line and throwing the knotted mess away and starting fresh

        • My family knows when I’m not patient, because it usually ends in the same way as the fishing line, with something being scrapped and starting over

 

  • WE

    • Every one of us can probably recall a time when we were patient

    • We can also recall a time when we weren’t patient

 

As we’ll see today, the rain has stopped and the flood waters go down, but it takes time. ​​ We see that Noah patiently waits and tests the earth to determine when the ground is dry. ​​ Even after the ground is dry, Noah waits for God’s perfect timing to leave the ark. ​​ We’ll learn through this passage that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – ​​ God’s timing is perfect.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Genesis 8:1-14)

    • Remembers (v. 1)

        • Last week we saw that the waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days (Gen. 7:24)

        • But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark (Gen. 8:1)

          • When we think about the word “remember” we immediately associate it recalling something that has been forgotten

            • That’s not the case with God here

            • He hasn’t forgotten Noah and the animals

          • God’s remembering

            • Hamilton expresses it as God extending His saving mercy, either from death or barrenness [Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-17, 299]

            • Waltke, Mathews, and Wiersbe see it as keeping a covenant promise [Waltke, Genesis, A Commentary, 140; Mathews, The New American Commentary, Volume 1A, Genesis 1-11:26, 382; Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Old Testament, Genesis-Deuteronomy, 49]

              • Genesis 6:17-18, I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. ​​ Everything on earth will perish. ​​ But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark – you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.

              • God has kept His covenant promise to Noah, his family, and the animals – they have come through the storm

              • There are other Old Testament examples of God remembering His covenant promises

                • God fulfilled His promise to bring the Israelites out of Egypt and establish them in the Promised Land (Exod. 2:24; 6:5; Num. 10:9) – He remembered them

                • God remembered Abraham when He brought Lot out of Sodom and Gomorrah prior to their destruction (Gen. 19:29)

                • God remembered Rachel and opened her womb (Gen. 30:22)

                • God remembered Abraham, Isaac, and Israel when Moses interceded for an apostate Israel (Exod. 32:13)

                • God again remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when the Israelites were being disobedient (Lev. 26:42, 45)

            • Gangel and Bramer explain, God remembering, as having concern or care for Noah and the animals [Gangel & Bramer, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 88]

              • PRINCIPLE #1 – God is concerned about and cares for His creation.

              • God knew how long Noah and his family had been cooped up with all the animals

              • He hadn’t forgotten His covenant with them – the promise He had made to them

              • The same is true for us as His children – as followers of Jesus Christ

              • God is concerned about us and cares for us

              • He hasn’t forgotten any of the promises He’s made to us, found His Word, the Bible

              • In the middle of the “storm,” we may feel like God has forgotten His promises to us, but His timing is perfect

              • We can trust in His timing, concern, and care for us

              • God’s promises to us

                • Presence – He promises to never leave us or forsake us (Deut. 31:6; Heb. 13:5-6)

                • Provision – He promises to give us a hope and a future (Jer. 29:11)

                • Power – He promises to give us strength (Phil. 4:13)

                • Prayers – He promises to hear our prayers (John 14:13-14)

                • Protection – He promises to fight for us (Exod. 14:14)

                • Peace – He promises to give us peace (John 14:27)

                • Passion – He promises to always love us (1 John 4:9-10)

              • Where are you struggling to trust in God’s concern and care for you?

              • What storm are your going through right now?

              • What promise, from God, do you need to claim today? (presence, provision, power, prayers, protection, peace, passion/love)

              • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Claim God’s promise of His ___________. (presence, provision, power, prayers, protection, peace, passion)

          • Out of His concern and care for Noah and the animals and in His perfect timing, God sent a wind over the earth

        • God sent a wind over the earth

          • We realize that this wind was part of God’s plan to cause the water to recede

          • This is perhaps talking about evaporation and in vv. 2-5 we’ll talk about other potential places where the water may have gone

          • God’s power is revealed through the wind

            • Here, the wind is used to dry up the floodwaters

            • Exodus 10:13, 19, So Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt, and the Lord made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. ​​ By morning the wind had brought the locusts; . . . And the Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea. ​​ Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt.

            • Exodus 14:21, Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. ​​ The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

            • Numbers 11:31, Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea. ​​ It brought them down all around the camp to about three feet above the ground, as far as a day’s walk in any direction.

          • We can and should rejoice in God’s omnipotent power displayed through nature

        • We also see His omnipotent power displayed through, once again, restraining the waters

    • Restrains (vv. 2-5)

        • PRINCIPLE #2 – God’s sovereign power restrains His creation.

          • In Genesis 7:11 we talked about how God removed the boundaries or restraints from the springs of the great deep and the sky above

          • The waters contained there were allowed to rise and fall at will

          • God once again establishes the boundaries He formed at creation for the oceans, seas, the great deep, and the sky

            • God closed the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens

            • God caused the rain to stop falling from the sky

          • Illustration

            • I remember as a child going to Harvey Cedars Bible Conference every summer for vacation

            • We would spend the afternoon at the beach building sand castles, digging holes, and running away from the waves

            • Most waves would come up on the beach a certain distance and it was easy to get away from them

            • Every once in a while a larger wave would crash on shore and it would wash over our legs

            • We weren’t able to get away from those waves, because they came further up the beach

            • But, I never worried about the ocean completely covering the entire beach and perhaps going inland

            • I trusted that it would only go a certain distance on shore

            • That’s God’s sovereign power restraining His creation

          • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Worship the Lord for His restraining power displayed in creation.

        • Receding water

          • I believe that several things happened that caused the water to recede

            • Obviously the wind was causing some of the water to evaporate and return to the sky

            • I also believe that the waters were returning to the great deep (either to the oceans and seas or underground)

          • The water receded steadily, but it was still on the earth after 150 days

            • Five months after the flood began, the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat

            • Remember that I challenged you to keep an eye out for the next time we see the seventeenth day

              • Here it is!

              • On the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark rested

              • On the seventeenth day of the second month is when the flood began (Genesis 7:11)

              • That’s a five-month period

            • Rested

              • We would miss this little golden nugget if we didn’t look at the original Hebrew language

              • The Hebrew word for “rested” is nûaḥ

              • It’s the verb from which Noah’s name comes

              • Noah’s name literally means rest

              • I’m reminded of what Noah’s father said about him in Genesis 5:28-29, When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. ​​ He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us [give us rest/relief] in our labors and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.

            • Mountains of Ararat

              • This mountain range is in modern day Turkey

              • [Show map]

              • [Show picture of the mountain range]

          • Waters continue to recede

            • God is a God of order, so we see parallel time periods in this narrative

            • “The ark at last comes to rest on the ‘seventeenth day of the seventh month’ (v. 4), giving a five-month period from first rains (7:11) to the ark’s grounding. ​​ The same five-month period extends from the first sighting of the mountains (8:5) to the completely dried earth (v. 14).” ​​ [Mathews, 385]

            • The waters continued to recede and during the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains were visible

            • This is just a reminder that God’s timing is perfect

            • He knew exactly how long He needed Noah and the animals to be in the ark

        • God has remembered Noah and the animals and restrained the waters once again and now we see Him renewing the earth

    • Renews (vv. 6-14)

        • Bird testing

          • Noah waited 40 days after the top of the mountains became visible before he started using birds to test the earth’s readiness/condition

            • We see God’s order once again as He executes His perfect timing

            • “The 40 days correspond to the 40 days during which the rain fell and the waters rose; and Noah might assume that they would require the same time to recede as to rise.” ​​ [Keil & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 1, The Pentateuch, 94]

          • Noah opened the window

            • This is not to be confused with the door on the side of ark that was used to load the ark and which God closed after everyone and everything was inside

            • This would have been a hatch either on the ark’s roof or side, close to the top

          • Birds used

            • Raven

              • Noah sends out a raven first after waiting 40 days

              • There is some significant to the sending out the raven first

                • It was a larger and stronger bird, so it could remain in flight longer

                • It could also feed on carrion (dead things) or plants

                • “The foremost significance of the raven is its symbolic value as an ‘unclean’ bird, unfit for consumption (Lev 11:15; Deut 14:14). ​​ According to rabbinic tradition, the raven was released first as expendable since it was neither good for food nor sacrifice.” ​​ [Mathews, 387]

              • The raven never returns to the ark, because it doesn’t mind landing on areas that are unclean

            • Dove

              • Most scholars seem to agree that, while it’s not stated here, because it is stated two other times in the passage, Noah waited seven days to send out the first dove after sending out the raven

              • The dove was considered a clean animal and good for sacrifice

              • It was also a low-flying [Waltke, 141], valley-dwelling bird, so Noah is sending it out to determine how far the water has receded [Hamilton, 304]

              • Keil & Delitzsch share that “a dove will only settle upon such places and objects as are dry and clean.” ​​ [Keil & Delitzsch, 94]

              • First flight

                • Noah sends the dove out, but it returns to him because it can’t find a place to land in the valley

                • There were not dry and clean places available, yet

                • Noah reaches out his hand and brings the dove back inside the ark

              • Second flight

                • Noah waited seven more days and then sent the dove out again

                • It didn’t return until evening, but when it did return it had an olive leaf in its beak

                • The olive leaf was proof that new life was springing up on the earth, but there was still water on the ground

                • An olive tree will produce leaves even under water [Keil & Delitzsch, 94]

                • If the water had been completely dried up, then the dove would not have returned

              • Third flight

                • Noah waited another seven days and then sent the dove out a third time

                • This time the dove did not return

                • It had found a clean, dry place to nest

          • What we see next are two time frames to help us know how long the floodwaters had remained on the earth

        • Two time frames

          • First day of the first month of Noah’s 601st year

            • Verse 13 is from Noah’s perspective

            • The verb used here for dried up/dry means “to be free of moisture” [Hamilton, 305]

            • The NLT translates this verse with that meaning in mind

            • Noah was now 601 years old. ​​ On the first day of the new year, ten and half months after the flood began, the floodwaters had almost dried up from the earth. ​​ Noah lifted back the covering of the boat and saw that the surface of the ground was drying.

            • Noah is patiently waiting for God’s perfect timing

          • Twenty-seventh day of the second month of Noah’s 601st year

            • Verse 14 is from the narrator’s perspective

            • The verb used for dried up/dry means “the complete absence of waters” [Hamilton, 305]

            • So, from the first day of the first month until the twenty-seventh day of the second month (another 57 days) the waters were completely gone from the earth

            • When we compare timeframe given for when the flood begins and when it ends there is an interesting point that emerges [Hamilton, 305]

              • Flood begins (7:11): ​​ 17th day/2nd month/600th year of Noah

              • Flood has gone (8:14): ​​ 27th day/2nd month/601st year of Noah

              • “The Flood ‘lasted twelve months and eleven days, the exact period required to equate the year of twelve lunar months, 354 days, with the solar year of 365 days.’ ​​ The Flood lasted one solar year.” ​​ [Hamilton, 305]

          • Noah was patient through the many months after the rain and flood waters stopped

          • He was waiting for God’s perfect timing, which we’ll see next week

        • PRINCIPLE #3 – God’s timing is perfect.

          • Because Noah was a righteous and blameless man, he was content to wait on God’s perfect timing

          • The old saying is true, “patience is a virtue!”

          • Application

            • Perhaps you’re struggling today to patiently wait for God’s perfect timing

            • It’s difficult to patiently wait when:

              • You’re dealing with chronic pain

              • You’re ready to graduate from high school or college and get out on your own

              • You’re wanting to be married and you’re having a hard time finding a godly man or woman

              • You’re not sure if you should remain in your current job

              • You’re uncertain about whether or not you should change careers

              • Your debt load seems overwhelming and you’re completely stressed out

              • You’ve been praying for that loved one to come to Jesus for salvation

              • You’re waiting for that relationship to be restored

            • Through every difficulty that we face, we can trust that God’s timing is perfect

              • He’s never early and He’s never late

              • He’s perfectly on-time

            • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Patiently wait for God’s perfect timing for the thing I’m struggling with today.

 

  • YOU

    • Which one of God’s promises do you need to claim today? (presence, provision, power, prayers, protection, peace, or passion)

    • Are you ready to worship the Lord for His restraining power displayed in creation?

    • Do you need to exercise patience for God’s perfect timing concerning an issue/struggle?

 

  • WE

    • We can help each other with all of these areas by:

        • Reminding one another of God’s promises, found in His Word

        • Worshiping together as we recognize God’s power at work in our lives

        • Holding each other accountable to patiently wait for God’s perfect timing

 

CONCLUSION

“Former pro football star and coach Tony Dungy told the following story about his father's Christian character:

 

My dad was usually a quiet, thoughtful man. A scientist at heart and by training, Wilbur Dungy loved to be outside, enjoying the scenery. Fishing allowed him time to contemplate, to listen, and to marvel at God's creation. My dad used fishing to teach his children to appreciate the everyday wonders of the world God created—the sandy shoreline, the dark, pine forests, the shimmering water, and the abundant wildlife. The lessons were always memorable, whether we caught a lot of fish or not.

 

Although we fished countless times together throughout our lives, one particular day stands out in my mind. It was a summer day in 1965. Summers in Michigan are beautiful, with comfortable temperatures and clear, blue skies. I was nine years old, and my brother was five. My dad had taken us fishing at one of the many small lakes around Jackson. On that day, my dad was teaching my brother and me how to cast. We were both working on it, mostly in silence, until my dad's voice finally broke a period of stillness.

 

‘Hey, Linden, don't move for a minute, please.’ I looked back and watched my dad move his hand toward his face. Calm and deliberate, he continued to speak.

 

‘Now, Linden, always make sure that you know not only where your pole is when you're starting to cast’—at this point, I realized my dad was working my brother's hook out of his own ear— ‘but also make certain that you know where everyone else is around you.’

 

I learned something about proper casting that day, but I also learned something about patience. Years later, when I got hooked myself, in my hand, I realized how much it hurts. Remembering my dad's patience that day when Linden's hook was caught in his ear, I finally understood the importance of staying calm and communicating clearly.”

 

Source: Wess Stafford, Just a Minute (Moody, 2012), pp. 73-74.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2012/july/6070912.html].

12

 

/by

The Hand of God

,

Origins

The Hand of God

(Genesis 7:11-16)

 

INTRODUCTION

“A March 2011 poll surveyed Americans regarding their beliefs about God's involvement in natural disasters. The following are some of the results of this research:

 

  • 56 percent of the Americans surveyed believe that God is in control of the earth

  • 38 percent believe that God employs events in nature to dispense judgment

  • 29 percent believe that God punishes entire nations for the sins of a few

  • Nearly 60 percent of evangelical Christians agreed that God can use natural disasters to send messages

  • 44 percent of Americans say that the increased severity of recent natural disasters is evidence that we are in the end times

  • 61 percent of Christians from racial and ethnic minorities believe that natural disasters are God's way of testing our faith—and according to the article, that idea ‘resonates with African-American's history of surviving through slavery and racial discrimination.’

 

The article concluded: ‘After one of these disasters [like the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami], people turn to their clergy and theologians and they look for answers, and there are no great answers …. But almost every group believes you have to help people who are suffering.’”

 

Source: Nicole Neroulias, "Poll: Most in U.S., except evangelicals, see no divine sign in disasters," USA Today (3-24-11).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2011/april/2041111.html]

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Seeing the hand of God

        • I don’t know about you, but I see the hand of God almost every day

        • As I seek His face, I see His hand at work

        • It was a very busy week with lots of meetings, a project I was trying to complete at the house, and the upcoming revival services

        • On Monday I was feeling stressed and overwhelmed, which drove me to pray

          • I had gotten all of the work done on Sunday evening that I normally do on Monday morning, so I could spend the morning with Judy and her parents

          • I was able to work in the afternoon for several hours and get some other items accomplished

          • There is one mowing job that I do for a lady in Aspers and I was able to complete that on Monday afternoon

          • I needed to work on the bathroom project at the house on Monday evening, because that would be the only evening this week that I had free, except for Friday evening

          • Finally, after doing that I sat down around 9:30 pm to read five commentaries in preparation for today’s message and found that the reading was shorter than I had anticipated

        • Tuesday morning, the Lord just directed my thoughts and guided my day and I was able to get a lot accomplished is a little bit of time

        • Through all of this I saw that God was completely in control of everything I was doing

        • I saw His hand at work in my life

 

  • WE

    • The hand of God in our lives

        • Every one of us probably has seen the hand of God at work in our lives

        • We could share examples of how God was completely in control of a busy week, a difficult situation, finals at school, a job search, a medical issue, and so much more

        • I want to encourage us this morning to reflect on the last time we saw the hand of God at work in our lives

          • What was going on at the time?

          • How did God help, guide, or direct us in that situation?

          • What was the outcome?

 

Two weeks ago, Pastor Marc opened up Genesis 7:1-10 to us and talked about having the right stuff. ​​ That passage built on the end of Genesis 6 and today we will see that Genesis 7:11-16 builds on Genesis 7:1-10. ​​ We learn more details about the flood and how God’s hand was on every aspect of leading up to the actual flood taking place. ​​ We’ll see today that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – ​​ God is in complete control of His creation.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Genesis 7:11-16)

    • Water Works (vv. 11-12)

        • When did the flood happen?

          • We learned two weeks ago that the flood happened when Noah was 600-years-old

          • We are now given additional information about exactly when it happened during Noah’s 600th year

            • It was the seventeenth day of the second month

            • “The months must be reckoned, not according to the Mosaic ecclesiastical year, which commenced in the spring, but according to the natural or civil year, which commenced in the autumn at the beginning of sowing time, or the autumnal equinox; so that the flood would be pouring upon the earth in October and November.” ​​ [Keil & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 1, The Pentateuch, 91-92]

          • The seventeenth day will be important as we continue the flood narrator in the weeks to come, so keep your eyes peeled for the next time that day comes up in Genesis

          • We now know more specifics about when the flood happened

          • We’re also given more details about how the flood happened

        • How did the flood happen?

          • There were two sources for the flood waters

            • The springs of the great deep burst forth

              • There was water that was coming up from deep within the earth

              • The NIV translates the Hebrew as “burst forth,” but it also has the idea of opening something that was shut – breaking something up that was sealed

              • I’m reminded of the questions that God asks Job when He answers him in chapters 38-41

              • “Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?” (Job 38:8-11)

              • I believe that springs came up from the great deep, but I also believe that God removed the doors and bars from the oceans and seas and allowed them to cover the dry land

            • The floodgates of the heavens were opened

              • The firmament that God had created to separate the waters above from the waters below was also opened up

              • “God is indeed reversing his work of creation. ​​ He had then established the dome to hold back the water in the heavens, while evidently allowing for some apertures through which rain could fall; now he lets the apertures be wide open. ​​ What falls is more than rain; it is an overwhelming downpour.” ​​ [Goldingay, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament, Genesis, 145]

            • ​​ “There is no doubt that the two sources of water are intended to recall the ‘waters above and below’ of 1:6-7. ​​ The Flood un-creates, and returns the earth to a pre-creation period when there was only ‘waters.’” ​​ [Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-17, 291]

            • And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” ​​ So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. ​​ And it was so. ​​ God called the expanse “sky.” ​​ And there was evening, and there was morning – the second day. (Genesis 1:6-8)

          • PRINCIPLE #1 – God’s sovereign power is shown through the rejoining of the waters.

            • The hand of God was at work through the flood

              • He removed the barriers He had created and established to hold back the waters

              • In His sovereign plan, to deal with the sin of humanity, He allowed the waters to rejoin, so that the earth could once again be washed clean

              • God knew exactly what He was doing

            • God is completely in control of His creation

              • That includes us as human beings

              • He uses His sovereign power to allow difficulties and hardships to come into our lives, so that we will return to Him – so that we will cry out to Him – so that we will depend and rely on Him

              • Is God trying to get your attention, right now?

              • Are you experiencing some difficulty or hardship that has you confused and frustrated?

              • In His sovereignty, God is trying to get your attention, are you listening?

              • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Recognize God’s sovereign power at work in my life and turn to Him for help.

          • We’re told when and how the flood happened and now we’re told how long it lasted

        • How long was the flood?

          • The rain fell for 40 days and 40 nights

            • We complain when it rains for a week straight, but just imagine if it rained for 40 days’ straight (that’s almost a month and a half)

            • Two weeks ago I was frustrated because I wasn’t able to mow the lawn in Aspers – it rained on the days that I was free and was clear on the days I wasn’t free

            • Examples of flooding

              • I remember living in Greencastle many years ago and having flood waters rise in our neighborhood

              • The neighbors had a canoe and they were using it to navigate between the pine trees that were on their property

              • I thought that was pretty cool as a 6 or 7 year-old

              • Our boys have enjoyed the different times when it has rained hard and caused the pond to overflow it banks

              • They’ve used boogey boards and other items to play in the water

          • We know this is how long it rained, but the flood waters remained for another 110 days – we’re getting ahead of ourselves, though

        • God’s sovereign, powerful hand had removed the barriers to the waters above and below, but His sovereign hand was also guiding Noah, his family, and the animals

    • Guided Gathering (vv. 13-16a)

        • On that very day

          • This is talking about the same day that the waters came up from the great deep and the heavens were opened and rain poured down

          • This seems pretty incredible that Noah, his family, and all the animals entered the ark on the same day that the flood began

          • God had warned Noah seven days earlier (Gen. 7:4) that the flood was coming

          • It’s probable that in those seven days, Noah and his family are welcoming all the animals and getting them setup in the ark

          • On the same day that the flood began, Noah had completed the entering process, with his family and the animals – everyone and everything was onboard [Keil & Delitzsch, 92]

        • Humans enter the ark

          • We know who entered the ark from humanity because they are listed

          • Noah and his wife

          • Noah’s sons and their wives (Shem, Ham, and Japheth)

        • Animals enter the ark

          • Animal groups

            • Wild animals (according to their kind)

            • Livestock (according to their kind)

            • Every creature that moves along the ground (according to their kind)

            • Every bird (according to their kind)

            • Everything with wings

          • Pairs of all the animals (male and female) came to Noah

        • PRINCIPLE #2 – God’s sovereign power is evident in bringing the animals to the ark.

          • We see the hand of God again completely controlling His creation

          • We don’t know the specifics of how God communicated to each pair of animals, but He tells them to go to Noah and enter the ark that has been prepared

          • This is the sovereign power of God at work in His creation

          • Have you experienced God’s sovereign power to completely control His creation?

            • There are multiple examples of how certain things are preserved when everything else around it is completely destroyed

            • “When firefighters arrived at Freedom Ministries Church in Grandview, West Virginia they were left stunned by what they saw. ​​ A devastating fire – so hot that firefighters had to back out at one point – was ravaging through the building, the Coal City Fire Department said in a Facebook post. ​​ But as they went through the charred wreckage, they noticed something extraordinary. ​​ ‘In your mind, everything should be burned, ashes. ​​ Not a single Bible was burned and not a single cross was harmed!!’ the department wrote. ​​ The Facebook post, which went viral, features compelling photos of a pile of about a dozen intact Bibles surrounded by the rubble. ​​ ‘Though the odds were against us, God was not,’ the firefighters added. ​​ No firefighters were injured in the operation. ​​ The cause of the fire is still unclear.”

              Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN (updated 7:43 AM EST, Tue March 5, 2019)

              [https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/05/us/church-fire-bibles-untouched-trnd/index.html]

          • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Worship the Lord for His sovereign power to control His creation.

        • God’s hand was present in starting the flood and guiding both humans and animals to the ark, but His hand would accomplish one more thing

    • Safely Sealed (v. 16b)

        • The last part of verse 16 tells us that the Lord is the One who shut Noah, his family, and the animals in the ark

        • “God himself shut the door to signify that the days of grace (Gen. 6:3) were over.” ​​ [Gangel & Bramer, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 76]

        • This is God’s protective care for those He was saving

        • PRINCIPLE #3 – Divine grace brings salvation.

          • Grace is getting something that we don’t deserve

          • Noah and his family were sinners, just like us, but God declared him righteous and his neighbors found him blameless, because he walked with God

          • He deserved to be wiped out with the rest of humanity, but God extended grace to him

          • Gospel

            • Every one of us deserves to die in our sin and be separated from God for all eternity (Romans 6:23a)

            • We are all born sinners, in rebellion against God, wanting our own way

            • God could leave us in that state, but He loves us too much to do that (Jeremiah 31:3; John 3:16)

            • God made a way for all of humanity to be in a right relationship with Him

            • Ephesians 2:8-9, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that on one can boast.

            • Noah and his family experienced the Lord’s divine grace and they were saved from being destroyed by the flood waters

            • You and I can experience the same divine grace and be saved from eternal separation from God

            • Next steps

              • Recognize that you are a sinner

              • Repent of your sins (180 degree turn)

              • Accept God’s gift of grace by faith

              • Turn to Jesus Christ for salvation

          • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Accept God’s divine grace through faith in Jesus Christ and be saved from my sins.

 

  • YOU

    • Have you recognized God’s sovereign power at work in your life and turned to Him for help?

    • When is the last time you’ve worshiped the Lord for His sovereign power to control His creation?

    • Are you ready to accept God’s divine grace through faith in Jesus Christ?

 

  • WE

    • When we share with others how God has shown His sovereign power in our life and control over His creation, we are witnessing for the Lord

    • That is what we are called to do as followers of Jesus Christ

 

CONCLUSION

“Recently there was a surprising source arguing for the historicity of the biblical flood—The New York Times. An article on sea level rise in human history noted:

 

In the 19th century, ethnographers realized that virtually every old civilization had some kind of flood myth in its literature. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, waters so overwhelm the mortals that the gods grow frightened, too. In India's version, Lord Vishnu warns a man to take refuge in a boat, carrying seeds. In the Bible, God orders Noah to carry two of every living creature on his ark.

 

‘I don't think the biblical deluge is just a fairy tale,’ said Terence J. Hughes, a retired University of Maine glaciologist living in South Dakota. ‘I think some kind of major flood happened all over the world, and it left an indelible imprint on the collective memory of mankind that got preserved in these stories.’

 

That flooding would have occurred at the end of the last ice age.”

Source: Justin Gillis, "Looming Floods, Threatened Cities," The New York Times (5-18-17).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2018/july/evidence-of-historicity-of-biblical-flood.html].

9

 

/by

Women of Faith

, , ,

Mother’s Day

Women of Faith

(Acts 9:36-42)

 

INTRODUCTION

“Have you ever wondered when Americans started celebrating Mother's Day? The holiday was born out of one woman's desire to honor her mother's life of sacrifice and grace.

 

Born in 1864 in Grafton, West Virginia, Anna Jarvis witnessed the aftermath of the Civil War through a child's eyes. Her mother, Anna Maria Reeves-Jarvis, had spent the war organizing women to nurse wounded soldiers from both the North and South, and generally attempting to hold her border-state community together. After the war, Anna Maria started ‘Mothers' Friendship Days’ to reconcile families that had been divided by the conflict.

 

Throughout her life, Anna Maria modeled the ideals of Victorian motherhood. She gave up her dreams of college in order to tend to an older husband and four children. She bore the loss of seven other children with grace. She taught Sunday school in the local Methodist church for 20 years and stayed active in benevolent work.

 

Anna Maria's death in 1905 devastated her daughter. Two years later, Anna got the idea to found a holiday remembering her mother, and all mothers, whom she felt could never be thanked enough.

 

Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1908 in Grafton (where Anna grew up) and Philadelphia (where she lived as an adult). Later, in a resolution passed May 8, 1914, the U.S. Congress officially established the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.”

 

Source: Elesha Coffman, "Mom, We Salute You," Christian History Newsletter (5-10-2002).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2006/april/3041706.html]

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Grandmother’s

        • Most everyone knows that we recently laid my Grandma Johns’ to rest – the funeral service was a celebration of a life lived for the Lord

        • My Grandma Hykes passed away many years ago, but the funeral service was also a celebration of a life lived for the Lord

        • Judy’s Grandma’s were also women of faith

        • The faith of all four Grandma’s was passed down to the next generation

    • Mother’s

        • Judy and I have been blessed to have mothers who are women of faith

        • They have served faithfully in their homes, places of work, the church, and their communities

        • They were Sunday school teachers, Children’s church teachers, Puppet ministry leaders, Good News Club teachers, pianists, choir directors, Divorce recovery leaders, and so much more

        • They have cared about and for other women and families during their lifetime

    • Wife

        • The Lord has blessed me with an incredible wife, who has been the greatest mother to our sons and daughter-in-laws

        • She has also been an awesome grandma to our granddaughter

        • As a ministry partner, she has served faithfully in the church and community

        • She leads our church in helping with the Upper Adams Food Pantry and the Hallelujah Party

        • She is constantly thinking of ways to bless different individuals in the church, our community, and her workplace

 

  • WE

    • Women of faith

        • Most of us probably have fond memories of our grandmas and mothers

        • Perhaps there are those of us here today who can say that they are a follower of Jesus Christ, because of the faith they saw in their grandmas and mothers

        • Those of us who are married may see the faith of our wives through how they serve and minister to others

    • Faithless women

        • Not everyone of us has experienced growing up in a family with women of faith

        • Our grandmas and mothers may not have been loving, caring, and nurturing

        • They may not have been followers of Jesus Christ

        • But, my guess is that we are here, in church today, because of a woman of faith who invested in us (it may have been a man of faith, too)

 

The writer of the book of Acts (Luke) shares about a woman of faith who ministered to the needs of other women in her hometown. ​​ These other women were sharing with Peter about her faithfulness, kindness, and care. ​​ When the supernatural happened to this woman, it pointed people to Jesus. ​​ We can learn from her life that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – ​​ Godly women point others to Jesus.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Acts 9:36-42)

    • Faith through serving (vv. 36-37)

        • City

          • Joppa means “beautiful”

          • It was on the Mediterranean Sea [show map]

          • Its port was famous, but dangerous [show images of port]

          • It had a healthy and robust trading industry as a result of the port

          • In the Biblical account that is unfolding in Acts, Joppa is moving Peter closer to Caesarea where he will encounter Cornelius, a Gentile, Roman centurion

          • But first, Peter has a job to do in Joppa

        • Disciple

          • There was a woman in Joppa who was a follower of Jesus Christ

            • Her name in Hebrew is Tabitha and Dorcas is her Greek name

            • Her two names are used throughout the narrative

            • Both Tabitha and Dorcas mean “gazelle”

          • Her character

            • She was doing good

              • Acts of kindness

              • Doing good deeds

            • She was helping the poor

              • Acts of mercy or charity

              • “‘Acts of charity’ refers to providing alms – acts of mercy through charitable giving. ​​ Almsgiving was highly regarded in Judaism. ​​ The detail suggests that she is wealthy and generous.” ​​ [Bock, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Acts, 377]

            • Tabitha was exercising her spiritual gift of helps and service

            • Perhaps she was already doing these things prior to becoming a disciple of Jesus, but now her helps and service took on spiritual meaning and purpose

            • She was no longer helping and serving for the sake of doing those things – it reflected the transformation that had taken place in her life

            • The use of her spiritual gifts were pointing others to Jesus

            • How many of us have seen that in our wives, mothers, and grandmothers?

          • PRINCIPLE #1 – Faith transforms our service

            • “Many Christian women have distinguished themselves in God’s kingdom by their service to the needy.” ​​ [Fernando, The NIV Application Commentary, Acts, 314]

            • Examples

              • Mother Teresa

              • I have to say I struggled to come up with names of Christian women who have distinguished themselves by serving the needy, but isn’t that the point?

                • They are quietly serving in their local communities around the world, without a desire to be recognized

                • They aren’t trying to create soundbites or photo opts in order to promote themselves

              • It was easy to find a list of famous women who have helped fight global poverty (Michelle Obama, J.K. Rowling, Oprah Winfrey, Melinda Gates, Angelina Jolie, etc.)

              • How many of us can think of at least one Christian woman who is serving the needy? (I can think of several, just in our church and community)

              • Women, thank you for allowing your faith to transform your service

            • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Thank the Lord for the women who have used their spiritual gifts to do good and help the poor.

          • Tabitha becomes sick and dies

            • “About that time” can be translated, “In those days”

              • While Tabitha was doing good and helping the poor, she got sick and died

              • I believe it’s also referring to the time when Peter was in Lydda, which was only a three hour walk from Joppa

              • God was orchestrating everything for His glory

            • Preparation of her body

              • It was customary to wash the body in preparation for burial

              • Often the body was also anointed with oils and perfumes – Luke does not mention that here

              • What was not customary was for a corpse to lay overnight, but that may have happened in this case

              • Usually the body was buried before sunset on the same day as death occurred

              • There seems to be an exception here

              • “In the OT, bodies in an upper room were often noted in resuscitation accounts (1 Kings 17:19; 2 Kings 4:10, 21; Marshall 1980: ​​ 179) . . . When a body was kept, it was kept for three days because there was the belief that after three days the soul had departed.” ​​ [Bock, 378]

              • Keeping the body for three days was done in hopes that the soul would return to the body

              • It seems here that there is hope that Peter will be able to do something about Tabitha’s death

        • The disciples in Joppa were expressing faith through believing

    • Faith through believing (vv. 38-39)

        • The disciples send two men to urge Peter to come to Joppa

          • What incredible faith the disciples showed

          • They were believing that Peter could do something about the pain and heartache they were experiencing

          • That faith was expressed through placing Tabitha’s body in an upper room in anticipation of Peter’s arrival

          • We can express the same kind of faith in God and His healing power

          • We rarely experience here in the United States, but there are stories of believers, in other countries, who have been resuscitated by the power of God – they were brought back to life

        • Tabitha’s kindness and generosity on display

          • When Peter arrived in Joppa, he was immediately taken to the upper room where Tabitha had been laid

          • The widow’s that Tabitha had served and helped were there

            • They were showing Peter the clothes and robes they were wearing and explaining that Dorcas (Tabitha) had made them

            • It’s probable that Dorcas used her own money to buy the material or thread to weave and sew the robes and garments

            • What an incredible testimony of a transformed life

          • PRINCIPLE #2 – God is pleased when we use our giftedness for His glory.

            • As followers of Jesus Christ, I know we’re not serving others for the recognition from other human beings

            • We are serving and giving so that God will be glorified

            • This brings Him great joy

            • This morning, I want to thank women, again, for faithfully using your giftedness for God’s glory

            • When we faithfully use our giftedness for God’s glory it points others to Jesus.

            • Tabitha’s life and service were pointing these widows’ to Jesus

            • Godly women point others to Jesus

        • The disciples knew where to turn for help, and so did Peter

    • Faith through praying (vv. 40-41)

        • Following the example of Jesus

          • Peter had been with Jesus for three and half years and during that time he witnessed Jesus raise three people from the dead

          • Peter’s actions are reminiscent of Jesus’ actions with Jarius’ daughter (Mark 5:21-24, 35-43)

            • Jesus sent everyone out of the room except for the girl’s parents and Peter, James, and John

            • He then speaks to the girl and tells her to get up

          • Peter’s actions

            • He sends everyone out of the room

            • He speaks to Tabitha and tells her to get up

            • But there’s one other thing that Peter does between those two actions – he kneels down and prays

            • Jesus is God, so in this instance He didn’t need to pray, but simply commanded the girl to get up

            • Peter recognized that His ability to heal and bring people back to life wasn’t from him, but from God

            • PRINCIPLE #3 – Prayer is the first step to resolving every problem.

              • Peter knew where he needed to turn for help

              • God is all-powerful and is the One who heals and gives life

              • God is all-knowing, so He is aware of our struggles, our problems, our difficulties

                • Mother’s, He knows that our child is pursuing the things of the world instead of the things of God

                • Mother’s, He knows our fears, doubts, and anxiety about becoming a mother for the first time

                • Women, He knows the frustration and heartache we have over not being able to have children

                • Women, He knows our desire to have a godly husband who will lead us spiritually

                • Women, He knows the relational difficulties we are having at work or in our family

                • Women, He knows about the physical difficulties and health issues that we are currently experiencing

                • Women, He knows exactly how we’re feeling today

                • His desire is that we go to Him in prayer, first!

                • This challenge isn’t just for women today, it’s for men, children, and teens also

              • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Turn to God in prayer about the struggles, problems, and difficulties I’m experiencing.

            • Peter then turns to Tabitha and speaks to her

              • What Peter says to Tabitha is only one consonant different than what Jesus said to Jarius’ daughter

              • In Aramaic we see how close these two commands are

                • “Talitha koum” (little girl, get up)

                • “Tabitha koum” (Tabitha, get up)

            • God resuscitates Tabitha

              • With all of the individuals in Scripture who are brought back to life, it’s “not a matter of resurrection but of resuscitation, of temporary restoration of life.” ​​ [Polhill, The New American Commentary, Acts, Vol. 26, 248]

              • Jesus is the only person who was resurrected, because He is still alive today!

              • Tabitha opened her eyes and sat up

            • Peter presents her to the believers and widows, alive!

        • Word of this incredible miracle spread fast

    • Faith through sharing (v. 42)

        • Presumably the believers and widows went throughout Joppa and shared the incredible news about Tabitha

          • They not only shared that Tabitha was alive again, but how God had used Peter to resuscitate her

          • Their faith through believing had been rewarded by the Lord

        • Their witnessing brought repentance in many who heard

          • PRINCINPLE #4 – Witnessing encourages repentance.

            • As mother’s, our desire is that our children know and follow the Lord

              • We model and teach our children how to pray before meals

              • We read them Bible stories before bed

              • We earnestly pray for them daily

              • We take them to church, VBS, and other places where they can hear God’s Word

            • As women, we show others a transformed life by the way we act and talk

            • We may share with others something miraculous that God has done in our lives or how He has answered our prayers for others

            • There are times when we actively share the Gospel with others

            • Godly women point others to Jesus.

            • In these ways, we are witnessing about Jesus to others

          • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Witness to others about Jesus where I live, work, and play.

 

  • YOU

    • Has your faith transformed your service?

    • Are you using your giftedness for God’s glory?

    • Is prayer your first step when difficulties come?

    • Are you witnessing to others about Jesus?

 

  • WE

    • There are several great opportunities to share with others about Jesus

        • Invite someone to church

        • Invite family members, coworkers, and neighbors to the revival services coming up (May 17-23, 2021 and June 9-11, 2021)

    • We all can share with others an answered prayer or a miraculous healing we have experienced

 

CONCLUSION

“A few years ago, I somehow ended up buying two Mother's Day cards. I sent one to my mother, and because I keep a three-year calendar, I filed the other one away in the May section of the next year. Sadly, my mother died shortly after I sent that first card. Now I have a greeting card that can never be delivered—unless U.S. postal service can find a way to get it to eternity!

 

The more I've reflected on this undeliverable card, the more I've realized how it mirrors so much of life. We run into situations where we realize we can never again do what we intended. No matter how much we may want to, we can't hold on to the past. A loved one dies, and we grieve that we will never again hear their comforting, loving voice. Disease creeps in and robs us of the ability to do what we once enjoyed. An accident occurs, and in the blink of an eye, we lose some function that we took for granted. The word for these situations is finality.

 

‘Finality’ is a hard word to say. In fact, we spend a great deal of energy trying to find ways around it. We play the ‘if only’ game — ‘If only I try harder, it might get better;’ ‘If only I act better, maybe there's still a chance;’ ‘If only I pray harder, he might make it.’ But even prayer won't change some situations. My mother is gone, and the most fervent prayer won't bring her back. What prayer will do, though, is help me to remember that life is short, and I need to live a life of love while I can. I'm reminded that I should be grateful for what I have now, because it could be gone before I open next year's calendar.

 

So love now. Enjoy today. Be grateful this instant. Squeeze every drop of joy from each day. Pray hard and love deeply. And if you can, send your mom a Mother's Day card.

 

Source: Don Aycock, Palatka, Florida.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2009/april/7042709.html].

10

 

/by

“Go-pher” Broke

, ,

Origins

“Go-pher” Broke

(Genesis 6:13-22)

 

INTRODUCTION

“A century ago, a band of brave souls became known as one-way missionaries. ​​ They purchased single tickets to the mission field without the return half. ​​ And instead of suitcases, they packed their few earthly belongings into coffins. ​​ As they sailed out of port, they waved good-bye to everyone they loved, everything they knew. ​​ They knew they’d never return home.

 

A. W. Milne was one of those missionaries. ​​ He set sail for the New Hebrides in the South Pacific, knowing full well that the headhunters who lived there had martyred every missionary before him. ​​ Milne did not fear for his life, because he had already died to himself. ​​ His coffin was packed. ​​ For thirty-five years, he lived among that tribe and loved them. ​​ When he died, tribe members buried him in the middle of their village and inscribed this epitaph on his tombstone:

 

When he came there was no light.

When he left there was no darkness.”

 

[Batterson, All In, 13]

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Diet and exercise

        • Over a year ago, Judy and I started a diet together

        • She read a book about living good daily and it included recipes and an exercise regiment

        • I was already riding my stationary bike every morning and walking about two miles in the evening

        • In the book, it mentioned that cardio was not necessarily helpful in producing weight loss (that’s exactly what I was experiencing)

        • The book recommended a 10-minute HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout

        • I was skeptical about how a 10-minute workout was going to accomplish anything

        • I finally gave in and went for broke, combining the healthy eating with the 10-minute HIIT workout

        • That’s when I started to see weight loss

        • I knew things were headed in the right direction when one of my sons grabbed my sides one day and said something about my love handles being gone

        • It wasn’t until I followed the entire recommended plan from the book that I started seeing results

        • I had to go for broke!

 

  • WE

    • Going all out

        • Every one of us probably has an example of when we went “all out” for something

        • Take a moment to think about that scenario

          • What was trying to be accomplished?

          • What sacrifices were made in order to see results?

          • Is it something that is still happening today?

 

In Genesis 6:13-22 Noah is going to receive two announcements and two instructions from the Lord. ​​ The announcements center around the destruction of the world and how it will happen. ​​ The instructions tell Noah to build an ark and then who and what to fill it with. ​​ We’ll see that Noah obeys completely. ​​ Through this passage today we’ll learn that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – ​​ God provides mercy amidst discipline.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Genesis 6:13-22)

    • Construction (vv. 13-16)

        • Announcement (v. 13)

          • God’s plan

            • God tells Noah that He is going to put an end to all people

              • God’s plan is inclusive

              • No one will escape the coming punishment (except Noah and his family, of course)

            • God’s destruction doesn’t just include people, but animals and the earth itself

              • As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, sin is not done in a void

              • Our sin affects those around us, whether we realize it or not

              • The Lord is telling Noah that the earth is filled with violence and that violence has corrupted the animals and the earth, too

              • We know this to be true because of what we see with Adam and his punishment

              • Genesis 3:17-19, To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. ​​ It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. ​​ By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken and to dust you will return.”

              • Paul reminds the Roman believers that the earth is corrupt because of humanities sin

              • Romans 8:20-21, For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

            • “The Lord is not acting impulsively or selfishly but in moral outrage against the reprehensible conduct of that generation.” ​​ [Mathews, The New American Commentary, Volume 1A, Genesis 1-11:26, 362]

          • God’s reason

            • God explains His reason behind destroying all of humanity and the earth also

            • The earth was filled with violence because of humanity

            • “Nature is intimately connected with mankind.” ​​ [Gangel & Bramer, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 73]

            • God had given Adam and Eve (and all humanity by default) the authority to rule over the animals and the earth

            • That rule had become corrupt and violent, so the Lord had to destroy all people and the earth

          • PRINCIPLE #1 – God is just!

            • This means that God is always fair

            • He always makes the right decision

            • In our humanness we may not understand God’s justice, but we can trust that it is fair and right

            • Many people struggle with God’s justice, because they don’t like to think about judgment, punishment, pain, hurt, loss, etc.

            • They say that can’t believe in or follow a God who is so violent

            • They see His punishment as hatred instead of moral outrage

            • They only want to see God as loving and accepting of everyone

            • It’s bold of us to believe that we – as finite, sinful people – know better than God – an infinite, sinless deity

            • It’s arrogant for us to claim that we know better than God, who is all-knowing

            • God knows our heart (the part of us that thinks and feels) and is able to judge us correctly and fairly

          • So, the first part of the announcement is that the Lord is going to destroy people and the earth, including the animals

          • The Lord doesn’t just announce judgment, but He instructs Noah concerning His plan to rescue the earth and restore humanity

        • Instruction (vv. 14-16)

          • PRINCIPLE #2 – God is merciful!

            • God provides mercy amidst discipline.

            • Mercy is not getting what we do deserve

            • Perhaps we all have experienced mercy from a parent, boss, teacher, administrator/principal, etc.

            • Doing something wrong

              • Every one of us has done wrong in the past

              • When we get caught or confess on our own, our hope is that the person who is in authority over us will extend grace and mercy to us

              • Our hope is that they will give us something we don’t deserve (grace) and not give us what we do deserve (mercy)

              • In a work setting, we hope that our boss will not fire us, but give us a second chance

                • We may deserve to be fired, but they don’t fire us

                • Instead they give us a warning and perhaps additional training

            • God is providing mercy and a second chance for the earth and humanity through Noah and his family

            • So, the Lord gives Noah instructions about building an ark

          • God instructs Noah to build an ark

            • Ark

              • The Hebrew word for ark is used 14 times in Genesis

                • Seven times in the construction passage we are looking at today

                • Seven times in the passage talking about the waters subsiding (Gen. 8:1-14)

              • The only other place that the Hebrew for ark is used in the Old testament is in Exodus 2:3-5

                • This is the story about baby Moses and how his mother saved him from Pharaoh’s order to have every Hebrew baby boy thrown into the Nile

                • Moses mother got a papyrus basket (ark) and covered it in tar and pitch and put Moses in it

                • It’s incredible how many similarities there are between Noah’s story and Moses’ story

            • Materials

              • The wood he is to use has been given two names in our modern translations

                • Cypress or Gopher wood

                • The reason for the two names is because the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain

                • This is the only occurrence of the Hebrew word in the Old Testament, so we don’t have any other context with which to compare it

                • Cypress wood would be a good guess, since we know that it was used by ship builders in ancient times as a rot resistant wood [Waltke, Genesis: ​​ A Commentary, 135]

              • Pitch

                • It was some kind of substance that made the ark waterproof

                • We’re not given any additional information about the make-up of pitch

              • God not only told Noah what materials to use, He also gave him the dimensions and layout

            • Dimensions and layout

              • Dimensions

                • 450 feet long

                • 75 feet wide

                • 45 feet high

                • [show two images to give idea of the size]

                • It was most likely a flat bottomed barge-like boat that was designed for flotation and not navigation

                  • There is no mention of a rudder or sail, which would have been used for navigation

                  • Noah and his family had to rely on the Lord to carry them along

                  • This is true for us today as we go through life’s storms (we can trust God, by faith, to carry us through – to be our Navigator. ​​ We can leave it in God’s hands and watch Him do the miraculous)

                • Now we know the dimensions of the ark, but what else do we know about it?

              • Layout

                • It was to have a roof over it

                  • The reference to completing it to within 18 inches of the top is probably to allow for ventilation and light

                  • It was also a way for Noah to release the birds after the flood waters stopped rising

                • Door

                  • The door on the side was to allow for the loading of the ark

                  • We know that God is the One who shut the door once everything was inside

                • Decks

                  • There were three levels to the ark (lower, middle, and upper decks)

                  • The dimensions for the decks are not given in Scripture

          • PRINCIPLE #3 – God provides wisdom and guidance.

            • God provides mercy amidst discipline and with His mercy He also provides wisdom and guidance to accomplish His purposes

            • He gave Noah specific instructions on how to build an ark that would preserve he and his family’s lives and the lives of a pair of animals of every kind

            • God can and will do the same for us

              • As someone who was righteous before God and blameless among his peers, Noah knew that he could count on God to provide wisdom and guidance as he faced the total destruction of humanity and the world

              • We may not be facing the total destruction of humanity and the world, but the storms in our life can be very overwhelming and difficult to navigate

              • Storms of life

                • Educational challenges

                • Relational challenges (family, friends, neighbors, coworkers)

                • Financial challenges (loss of job, unexpected bill, more bills than money, etc.)

                • Health challenge (no insurance, not enough insurance, medical debt, chronic pain, surgery)

                • Spiritual challenge (doubting God, questioning your faith, hurt by someone who claims to be a follower of Jesus, etc.)

              • As we pursue holiness (righteous and blameless) we will know that we can trust God to provide wisdom and guidance through those storms

              • God will provide just what we need, right when we need it

              • He will provide next steps and support through His Word, prayer, and other believers

              • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Trust the Lord to provide wisdom and guidance through the difficult storm I’m experiencing.

        • This concludes the first cycle of announcement and instruction and what we see next is additional information concerning the first announcement and instruction

        • The same information is communicated again with more details and additional information

    • Covenant (vv. 17-21)

        • Announcement (v. 17)

          • The Lord announces again that He is going to destroy all life – everything that has the breath of life in it

            • Everything that has the breath of life would include humans, animals, creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air (Gen. 6:7)

            • The creatures in the waters would be safe, because more water wasn’t going to be a problem for them

            • As in verse 13, we see the justice of God

          • The way in which the Lord was going to destroy all life is now mentioned

            • This is additional information that gives us more detail to verse 13

            • The Lord is going to bring floodwaters on the earth

            • We won’t spend time today explaining how that happened, because it will be explained later in chapter 7

          • In verses 18-21 we see additional information about how God will extend His mercy in order to accomplish His plan and purpose

        • Instruction (vv. 18-21)

          • Covenant (v. 18a)

            • This is the first time in the Old Testament that the Hebrew word for “covenant” is used

              • A covenant is an agreement between individuals who already have a relationship and involves both obligations and benefits [Waltke, 136; Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Old Testament, Genesis-Deuteronomy, 45]

              • Example of marriage

                • The marriage relationship is a great example of a covenant

                • In most cases, aside from arranged marriages, there is a period of time when a man and woman get to know each other (dating/courting)

                • Then there is the commitment phase when the man asks the woman to marry him (engagement)

                • Finally, there is the covenant ceremony, which binds the man and woman together (wedding day!)

                • Before the covenant ceremony, a relationship has already been established

                • Hopefully the husband and wife have discussed their expectations concerning obligations and benefits within the marriage relationship (this should be accomplished through premarital counseling)

              • There were two basic covenants in the Ancient Near East [Gangel & Bramer, 82]

                • Parity covenant

                  • This was a covenant between equals

                  • Abraham and Abimelech (Gen. 21:22-32)

                  • Isaac and Abimelech (Gen. 26:26-33)

                  • Jacob and Laban (Gen. 31:44-54)

                • Suzerainty covenant

                  • This was a covenant between a superior and inferior (i.e. – king and vassal)

                  • God and Abraham (Gen. 15:18)

                  • God and the nation of Israel (Ex. 19)

                  • God and Noah (Gen. 6:18)

            • “God is faithful to keep His promises, and as God’s covenant people, the eight believers had nothing to fear.” ​​ [Wiersbe, 45]

            • God provides mercy amidst discipline.

          • Filling the ark (vv. 18b-21)

            • Noah’s family

              • We’re told that Noah, his wife, his sons, and their wives would be on the ark and safe from the floodwaters

              • This was God’s benefit for them as part of the covenant He had made

              • God’s obligation was to protect them and sustain them during the flood

              • Part of the obligation for Noah’s family was to take care of the animals and gather the necessary food for the ark

            • Animals

              • Noah was to bring two of every kind of living creature into the ark

                • Every kind of bird

                • Every kind of animal

                • Every kind of creature that moves along the ground

              • The pair were to be male and female, which would be important after the flood, to repopulate the earth

              • Noah and his family were to keep them alive (another important part for after the flood)

              • All of the animals, creatures, and birds would come to Noah

                • [show picture from Evan Almighty]

                • God would be the One who directed the animals to Noah

                • Noah and his family would not have to go out and track down and capture a pair of every kind of animal, creature, and bird

                • Noah and his family not only experienced God’s faithfulness, but also His sovereignty as the animals came to them

            • Food

              • Obviously they would need food during their stay on the ark

              • Another obligation for Noah and his family was the gathering of food for themselves and the animals

        • The covenant between God and Noah required that Noah do a couple of things – build an ark and fill it with animals and food

        • In verse 22 we see that Noah obeyed

    • Compliance (v. 22)

        • Noah followed all of the commands of the Lord

        • PRINCIPLE #4 – God is pleased when His people obey completely.

          • We see Noah’s character once again

          • His righteousness is evident through his obedience

          • God knew that He could trust Noah to complete everything He had commanded him to do

          • How about us?

            • Can God trust us and count on us to complete everything He has commanded us to do?

            • Corporately

              • God has commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20)

              • How are we doing as a body of believers at Idaville Church

              • I’m looking forward to the revival services to see how God will work supernaturally in the lives of those He is drawing

            • Individually

              • God uses us as individuals to accomplish His commission

              • Who are the six people you are praying will come to the revival services

              • Is God prompting you to share the Gospel with someone now?

              • Has God called you to be a missionary or a pastor?

              • Is there someone who is lonely or in need that God has been prompting you to reach out too and help?

            • Have we been obedient to God’s commands for us?

          • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Be obedient to do everything that God has commanded me to do.

        •  

 

  • YOU

    • Are you trusting God to provide guidance and wisdom through the difficult storm you are experiencing?

    • Will you obediently do everything that God has commanded you to do?

 

  • WE

    • Are we accomplishing the Great Command and the Great Commission as a church?

    • Are we preparing to reach our community with the Gospel through the revival services in May?

 

CONCLUSION

“In the 1880s, if you wanted a good life with a good job, you moved to Johnstown, PA. The Pennsylvania Main Line Canal came through town, so that brought jobs. So did the Pennsylvania Railroad. And the Cambria Iron Works. Families were moving in from Wales. From Germany. Not to mention there are beautiful mountains, covered with forest, all around town. And right through the town runs the Conemaugh River.

 

In fact, the area is so beautiful, the country’s richest people—Andrew Carnegie and Andrew Mellon—would come out from Pittsburgh to hunt and fish at a private club up above town, where an old earth dam had been modified to make a fishing lake for them.

 

On May 30, 1889, a huge rainstorm came through and dropped six to 10 inches of rain. Despite that weather, the next day the town lined up along Main Street for the Memorial Day parade. The Methodist pastor, H. L. Chapman, said, “The morning was delightful, the city was in its gayest mood, with flags, banners and flowers everywhere ... The streets were more crowded than we had ever seen before.”

 

And then the old dam miles above town collapsed, releasing almost four billion gallons of water. When that wall of water and debris hit Johnstown 57 minutes later, it was 60 feet high and traveling at 40 miles an hour. People tried to escape by running toward high ground. But over 2,000 of the 30,000 people in town died. Some bodies were found as far away as Cincinnati, and some were not discovered until 20 years later.

 

The Johnstown Flood remains one of the greatest tragedies in American history, behind only the Galveston Hurricane and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. And in every one of those cases, life was fine. Until it wasn’t. In a moment, in a way that was unexpected and most people were not prepared for, something cataclysmic occurred, and people were swept away.”

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2020/april/not-ready-for-flood.html].

12

 

/by

Faith Alone

, ,

Origins

Faith Alone

(Genesis 6:9-12)

 

INTRODUCTION

“In his book, Faith That Endures, Ronald Boyd-MacMillan tells the story of a number of conversations he has had with Wang Mingdao, one of China's most famous church pastors of the last century. The first time he met this famous—and persecuted—Chinese pastor, they had the following interchange:

 

‘Young man, how do you walk with God?’ I listed off a set of disciplines such as Bible study and prayer, to which he mischievously retorted, ‘Wrong answer. To walk with God, you must go at walking pace.’

 

The words of Wang Mingdao touched me to the core. How can I talk about the Christian life as walking with God when I so often live it at a sprint? Of course, we ‘run with perseverance the race marked out for us,’ but we may fail to run with ‘our eyes [fixed] on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith’ (Heb 12:1-2). Jesus is inviting me to walk with him. Too often, I find myself running for him. There's a difference!

 

On another visit, Boyd-MacMillan asked Wang Mingdao about his twenty-year imprisonment for proclaiming Jesus in China. That cell became a place of unchosen unhurried time for Mingdao. There was nothing to do but to be in God's presence, which he discovered was actually everything. Boyd-MacMillan summarizes what he learned from Wang Mingdao:

 

One of the keys to the faith of the suffering church: God does things slowly. He works with the heart. We are too quick. We have so much to do—so much in fact we never really commune with God as he intended when he created Eden, the perfect fellowship garden. For Wang Mingdao, persecution, or the cell in which he found himself, was the place where he returned to ‘walking pace,’ slowing down, stilling himself enough to commune properly with God.”

 

Source: Ronald Boyd-MacMillan, Faith That Endures (Revell, 2006), p. 307; Allan Fadling, An Unhurried Life (IVP, 2013), pp. 13-14.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2020/may/secret-of-walking-with-god.html]

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Running instead of walking

        • Leading up to Easter and now preparing for the revival services, I am keenly aware that I am running for God, instead of walking with Him

        • Over the past several years, the Lord has been prompting me about a Sabbath rest

          • It’s different than a day off

          • It’s a day, each week, where I spend time reflecting on God and sitting in His presence and perhaps walking with Him

          • I must confess that I’ve yet to accomplish a weekly Sabbath rest

        • Distractions

          • Satan wants nothing more than for me to be distracted and running for God

          • When I’m doing that, I’m not really communing with Him

 

  • WE

    • Distractions

        • Our culture is such that we are distracted, even as followers of Jesus Christ

        • We are so busy doing, doing, doing, that we aren’t even thinking about being with God

        • We’re not really walking with God

        • We’re not pursuing holiness and righteousness

        • Our family, friends, and coworkers would probably not characterize us as blameless

 

Noah stood out in his culture. ​​ He was different. ​​ His neighbors and the Lord recognized his character. ​​ He was not influenced by the culture of his day, but tried to influence them.  ​​​​ We have to ask ourselves the question that Noah probably asked himself . . .

 

BIG QUESTION – ​​ Am I influencing others or being influenced by them?

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Genesis 6:9-12)

    • Noah’s faith (vv. 9-10)

        • Toledot

          • This is the third toledot (origins of/account of) in Genesis

          • It is the account/origin of Noah’s line

          • It encompasses four chapters and is pretty significant, because it covers the flood narrative

          • After the introductory “origin” statement, we see Noah’s character before God and with others

        • Noah’s character

          • Before God

            • Righteous

              • This is the first time this Hebrew word is used in the Bible and it’s only used of Noah in Genesis

              • It can also be defined as faithful

              • Hamilton states that he was “habitually righteous” [Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis Chapters 1-17, 277]

                • That speaks of his character, it was who he was (mind, body, and soul)

                • He wasn’t someone different at home and in the public square

                • He followed the Lord in every area of his life

                • He was concerned about honoring God and following His commands [Gangel & Bramer, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 72]

              • “Noah’s righteousness didn’t come from his good works; his good works came because of his righteousness. ​​ Like Abraham, his righteousness was God’s gift in response to his personal faith. ​​ Both Abraham and Noah believed God’s Word ‘and it was counted to [them] for righteousness’ (Gen. 15:6; see Heb. 11:7; Rom. 4:9ff; Gal. 3:1ff).” ​​ [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Old Testament, Genesis-Deuteronomy, 44]

                • God is the One who called Noah righteous, it wasn’t Noah who claimed that description for himself

                • Noah had faith that God was real and that he needed to serve, honor, and follow Him

                • His faith in God affected every area of his life

                  • It affected his thought life

                  • It affected how he dealt with his wife

                  • It affected how he raised his children

                  • It affected how he conducted business

                  • It affected how he related to other people

            • His relationships with other people were blameless

          • With others

            • Blameless

              • It means perfect, whole, complete, sound, unblemished, having integrity, free from defect, moral uprightness

              • I’m reminded of the requirements for a sacrificial animal as it pertains to the word blameless

                • The same Hebrew word is used in Exod. 12:5; Lev. 1:3, 10; 3:1, 6

                • Exodus 12:5, The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.

                • Leviticus 3:1, “If someone’s offering is a fellowship offering, and he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he is to present before the Lord an animal without defect.

            • “Blameless denotes to abstain from sin, not to be without sin.” ​​ [Waltke, Genesis A Commentary, 133]

              • We know that Noah was not sinless, because he was human (all humans are born sinners)

              • His neighbors could not find anything to accuse him of, that would point to unrighteousness, evil, or corruption

              • He probably would have been labeled a “goody two-shoes” (uncommonly good)

              • “His righteousness and blamelessness is in comparison to the people of his time . . . [it] do[es] not generally indicate one’s absolute righteousness or blamelessness relative to God’s standards but indicates one’s status on the human scale.” ​​ [Walton, The NIV Application Commentary, Genesis, 311]

          • Because Noah was righteous in God’s sight and his conduct was blameless with his peers, it was evident that he walked with God

        • Walked with God

          • “His righteousness and integrity were manifested in his walking with God . . .” ​​ [Kiel & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 1, The Pentateuch, 89]

          • We see the spiritual legacy of Seth’s line through the phrase “walked with God”

            • We know that Enoch “walked with God” (he was Noah’s great grandfather)

            • In fact, Enoch’s “walk with God” was so profound that he escaped death

            • Noah’s “walk with God” meant that he would escape the judgment of the flood

            • While nothing is said about Methuselah (Noah’s grandfather) and Lamech (Noah’s father) walking with God, it’s apparent that they passed down the spiritual legacy, since Noah walked with God

          • We see this incredible spiritual legacy down through Noah, then the next generation is identified

        • Noah’s sons

          • Noah’s sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth

          • These three guys are going to be responsible to repopulate the earth after the flood – that’s pretty significant!

          • The order in which Noah’s sons are listed is based on their importance for biblical history and not their birth order

            • Birth order

              • Japheth is the oldest, Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was Japheth . . . (Gen. 10:21)

              • Shem was the middle son

              • Ham was the youngest son, Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside . . . When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan! ​​ The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” (Gen. 9:22, 24)

            • Biblical history

              • In chapter 11 of Genesis we will see the origins of Shem (the beginning of another toledot)

              • It’s through Shem’s line that Abraham is born

              • We know that through Abraham’s line, Jesus is born

          • Noah’s faith is a valuable model for us as we relate to God and others

        • Application

          • PRINCIPLE #1 – God is pleased when His people live in a right relationship with Him and others.

            • Relationship with God

              • It most cases, if I asked someone if they are good with God, they would probably answer “Yes!”

              • If I asked them if they were going to heaven, they would most likely say, “Yes!”

              • When asked by what standard they believe they are good with God or going to heaven, it inevitably centers around them being a good person and God being loving

              • Certainly God is loving, but He’s also just

              • Sin

                • Isaiah 53:6, We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

                • This is the human condition – we are sinners, wanting our own way

                • The Good Person test lets us know that we are not really good people according to God’s standard (liar, thief, blasphemous, adulterer, murderer at heart)

                • Romans 3:23, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

              • God’s plan

                • Jeremiah 31:3, The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.

                • God’s great love for us compelled Him to provide a way for us to overcome our human condition of sinfulness

                • His plan was to send His one and only Son, Jesus Christ from heaven to earth to take our punishment for sin

                • 1 Peter 2:21-22, To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ​​ “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

                • Jesus came as the perfect sacrifice for sin

                • He willingly died on a cross, so that we could be free from the debt of sin

                • Romans 3:23-26, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ​​ God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. ​​ He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

                • Ephesians 2:8-9, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.

                • Noah was saved from the impending flood, because of his faith in God – there wasn’t anything he did to earn it, it was God’s gift to him, because of his faithfulness

                • He wasn’t being influenced by those around him, but attempted to influence them

                • We can be saved from eternal death (hell) by having faith in Jesus Christ and His blood shed for us on the cross

              • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Accept God’s grace gift of salvation, through faith in Jesus Christ.

              • We can’t live in a right relationship with God without Jesus and the same is true concerning relationships with others

            • Relationships with others

              • As followers of Jesus Christ, we have the Holy Spirit living in us to help us in our relationships

              • Read Philippians 2:12-16

              • Selfishness is perhaps the key to every sin, and selfishness hurts every relationship we have

              • Take a moment to think about the last conflict you had with someone (spouse, child, neighbor, coworker, etc.)

              • If we’re truly honest with ourselves, the conflict probably happened because one or both people involved wanted their own way – the sin of selfishness

                • James 4:1-3, What causes fights and quarrels among you? ​​ Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ​​ You want something but don’t get it. ​​ You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. ​​ You quarrel and fight. ​​ You do not have, because you do not ask God. ​​ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

                • James spells it our clearly – we have desires that battle within us (selfishness)

              • I recently watched a video of a YouTuber and his wife who shared that they had been alcohol free for around two years. ​​ They talked about how the consumption of alcohol is culturally accepted and perhaps encouraged (if you aren’t drinking alcohol, then there must be something wrong with you). ​​ They realized that the times they experienced conflict in their marriage was when they were drunk. So, they eliminated the thing that was causing conflict. ​​ They are teaching their children what they have learned through this.

              • Are you currently struggling in a relationship with someone? (family, friend, coworker, etc.)

              • Will you willingly take time to do some self-evaluation to determine if you are wanting your own way?

              • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Ask the Lord to reveal any selfishness I’m experiencing in any relationship and then confess that before Him.

                • Conflict can be resolved when we acknowledge the part we’re playing in it

                • It can also be resolved when we pray for the other person(s) involved

                • It’s also important to go to that individual and ask them to forgive you for being selfish

            • There’s another principle from these two verses that is important

          • PRINCIPLE #2 – Faith is possible even if it’s done alone.

            • We come to God and are saved by faith alone, but there are times when it feels like we are living out our faith, alone (in a void)

            • Noah certainly experienced that as he remained faithful in a corrupt and violent world

            • He had to determine if he would influence others or be influenced by them

            • The same is true for us

              • It may seem like everyone around you is choosing the things of this world

              • Perhaps you’re struggling to find other people who are pursuing holiness like you are

              • There are family members, friends, coworkers, and fellow church attenders who act a different way depending on the crowd they’re hanging out with

              • I want to encourage you to remain faithful!

                • It’s possible to remain faithful even when everyone else isn’t

                • It doesn’t matter what age you are, what gender, what race or nationality

                • Every one of us, as followers of Jesus Christ, has the Holy Spirit living in us to empower us to remain faithful

              • You are not alone!

              • Story of Elijah

                • Read 1 Kings 19:9b-19a

                • Notice that Elijah felt like he was living out his faith, alone

                • God shared with him that He had reserved 7,000 in Israel who had remained faithful

                • Then God directs Elijah to Elisha

                • God provided someone to walk together with Elijah, so that he didn’t feel isolated and alone

              • Noah had the support of his family (wife, sons, and daughter-in-laws)

              • If you are feeling like you are living out your faith alone, be encouraged that there are others who are feeling the same way

              • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Ask the Lord to connect me with at least one other person who is remaining faithful.

        • Noah was righteous and blameless, but the rest of the earth was not

    • Earth’s folly (vv. 11-12)

        • Repetition

          • Earth

            • It’s used three times in these two verses

            • The people were obviously corrupt and their corruption and violence had corrupted the earth

            • God had to destroy both the animate and inanimate objects because of the corruption

          • Corrupt

            • This word is used three times in these two verses to highlight how bad it had become

            • Last week we learned that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time (Gen. 6:5)

        • Violence

          • “Humanity has devastated the earth by filling it with violence or violation (ḥāmās; 6:11, 13). ​​ It is the first use of the verb ‘fill’ since 1:22-23, 28. ​​ God had commissioned human beings to fill the earth, and they had filled it all right, but not as commissioned.” ​​ [Goldingay, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament, Pentateuch, 141]

          • The violence that’s being identified here involves threatening other people and probably physically hurting them too

          • It was all motivated by selfishness

        • History repeating itself

          • Every generation is looking forward to Christ’s return

          • Every generation is convinced that the time is drawing near, based on the corruption and violence we see

          • Over the past couple of years, it seems like corruption and violence are running wild in our culture

            • The protests and violence have continued to happen across our nation is difficult to comprehend aside from understanding Biblical history and the end times

            • The political unrest is greater than I can remember in my lifetime

            • The social unrest is hard to watch and hear about

            • The “cancelling” of our freedoms is alarming

            • But don’t be disheartened, there is hope

          • Jesus is coming!!!

            • Read Matthew 24:36-41

            • Corruption and violence will cover the earth

            • People will be thinking about evil all the time

 

  • YOU

    • How is your relationship with God and others?

    • Are you remaining faithful?

 

  • WE

    • We need to remain faithful, even if we have to do it alone

    • We have to ask ourselves, “Am I influencing others or being influenced by them?”

 

CONCLUSION

“In Executive Edge newsletter, management-consultant Ken Blanchard retells the story of a little girl named Schia (which first appeared in a book titled Chicken Soup for the Soul). When Schia was 4 years old, her baby brother was born.

 

‘Little Schia began to ask her parents to leave her alone with the new baby. They worried that, like most 4-year-olds, she might want to hit or shake him, so they said no.’ Over time, though, since Schia wasn't showing signs of jealousy, they changed their minds and decided to let Schia have her private conference with the baby.

 

‘Elated, Schia went into the baby's room and shut the door, but it opened a crack--enough for her curious parents to peek in and listen. They saw little Schia walk quietly up to her baby brother, put her face close to his, and say, 'Baby, tell me what God feels like. I'm starting to forget.’’ Have you grown older and forgotten God? It's not too late to return to the one who created you. Jesus taught that to enter the kingdom of God, we must simply receive it like a little child (Mark 10:15).”

 

Source: Leadership, Vol. 16, no. 3.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1997/august/3308.html]

 

The longer we’re alive and the longer we’re a follower of Jesus Christ, we can run the risk of not remaining faithful (forgetting what God feels like). ​​ We can recapture those feelings and remain faithful by slowing down our pace and walking with God.

11

 

/by

Finding Favor

, ,

Origins

Finding Favor

(Genesis 6:1-8)

 

INTRODUCTION

“For some reason, human beings can't walk in a straight line. There's just something about our inner orientation that causes us to walk in a crooked or warped way. That's the conclusion of Robert Krulwich, science correspondent for NPR. In an interview on Morning Edition, Krulwich cites a study from Jan Souman, a scientist from Germany, who blindfolded his subjects and then asked them to walk for an hour in a straight line. Without exception, people couldn't do it. Of course everybody thinks they're walking in a straight line, until they remove the blindfolds and see their crooked path.

 

Krulwich observed,

 

This tendency has been studied now for at least a century. We animated field tests from the 1920s, so you can literally see what happens to men who are blindfolded and told to walk across a field in a straight line, or swim across a lake in a straight line …, and they couldn't. In the animation, you see them going in these strange loop-de-loops in either direction. Apparently, there's a profound inability in humans to [walk] straight.

 

According to this research, there's only one way we can walk in a straight line: by focusing on something ahead of us—like a building, a landmark, or a mountain. If we can fix our eyes on something ahead of us, we can make ourselves avoid our normal crooked course. Krulwich concludes, ‘Without external cues, there's apparently something in us that makes us turn [from a straight path].’”

 

Source: Steve Inskeep, "Mystery: Why We Can't Walk Straight?" NPR: Morning Edition (11-22-10).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2011/may/5050211.html]

 

As followers of Jesus Christ we realize that in order for us to “walk a straight line” we have to fix our eyes on God.

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Blessings of our marriage

        • One of the blessings of our marriage is that Judy and I both grew up attending United Brethren in Christ churches

        • We met at Huntington College (now Huntington University), which is the denominational college of the United Brethren in Christ church

        • We were both followers of Jesus Christ when we met

        • Because of our faith and common upbringing, we had the same goals and we were fixing our eyes on God

        • Those same goals and focus have enabled us, over the years, to stay connected and growing in our love and dedication to each other

        • God brought us together for a purpose, to serve Him in ministry

 

  • WE

    • Not everyone has experienced what Judy and I have experienced

    • We realize that and our heart breaks for those who have struggled in their marriages and have even gotten divorced

    • Story of one person

        • There is one person I know who said after two days of being married, they realized they had made a mistake

        • They were not following the Lord (their eyes were not fixed on the Lord) when they met their spouse and subsequently married someone who was not a follower of Jesus Christ

        • This created problems in the marriage, which finally resulted in divorce

        • This person deals with regret, because of marrying someone who was not a believer

        • This story is not an isolated incident – it probably happens more often than we know

        • Perhaps every one of us knows of someone who has experienced this or maybe we have experienced it ourselves

 

We’ll see today that the population of the earth exploded and that sin was rampant. ​​ This broke God’s heart as He watched godly individuals compromise their convictions and marry ungodly individuals. ​​ While this happened on a large scale, there was still hope, because of one man and his family, who had their eyes fixed on God. ​​ We’ll learn today that . . .

BIG IDEA – Our heart will find what it’s looking for.

 

If our eyes are fixed on the things of this world, then our heart will find the things of this world.

 

If our eyes are fixed on the Lord, then our heart will find the things of the Lord.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Genesis 6:1-8)

    • Pursuit of Sin (vv. 1-4)

        • Population of the earth in Noah’s time

          • The population began to increase in number

          • “If a man has four kids and lives to see his kids have kids, in five generations his family will number ninety-six. ​​ In ten generations, the population will jump to 3,070. ​​ In twenty generations, the population soars to 3,120,000. ​​ And in thirty generations, it skyrockets to 3,220,000,000. ​​ If a generation is forty years, with at least forty generations listed in Genesis 5, the population on earth in Noah’s day would have conservatively been billions and billions of people.” ​​ [Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary, Old Testament, Volume 1: ​​ Genesis-Job, 29]

          • The Population Reference Bureau lists the world’s population at 7.8 billion in 2020

          • Noah probably lived when the population on the earth was higher than it is now

          • This is hard for us to wrap our minds around, because we see the genealogy in Genesis 5 and it seems so compact in 32 verses

          • We never really stop to think about what is really being said when they list the first born son and then mention that the individual had other sons and daughters

        • Mixed marriages

          • Sons of God

            • There are three views concerning who they were

              • Angelic beings

                • This view was held unanimously up to the second century A.D.

                • Scholars view these angelic beings as being either angels or fallen angels, so there is division about that also

                • The phrase “sons of God” is used in three other places in the Old Testament that refer to angels (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7)

              • Rulers/Kings

                • The Hebrew word for God (Elohim) is used for rulers in Ex. 22:8-9 and Ps. 82:6

                • Those who hold to this belief focus on those passages

              • Sethites

                • This view focuses on the passages where those who are spiritual are called God’s children (Deut. 14:1)

                • We know from Genesis 4:26 that during the time that Seth had his son, Enosh, that men began to call on the name of the Lord

                • We also know that it’s from Seth’s line that Noah comes, and from Noah’s line that Abraham is born, and eventually Jesus

            • What makes it most difficult to determine, which view is correct is that all of them can be defended with Scripture

          • Daughters of men

            • This distinction doesn’t need any further explanation

            • These were human women

          • Married any of them they chose

            • The Hebrew word for marriage is the usual word used for marriage and does not carry any connotations of the “daughters of men” being forced to have sexual relationships with the “sons of God” or forced into marriage (it was consensual – agreed upon by both parties)

            • What exactly is the concern here with the sons of God marrying the daughters of men?

            • Let’s return to the three views of who the sons of God are [Walton, The NIV Application Commentary, Genesis, 291]

              • Angelic beings

                • The concern with human women marrying angelic beings is the transgression of boundaries

                • In the creation story we know that God said that each tree was to produce its own kind and every animal was to reproduce its own kind

                • The same would be true for human beings

                • The reproduction of angelic beings with human beings would produce demigods, as the mythological accounts tell us

              • Rulers/Kings

                • The concern with human women marrying human rulers was that the rulers of the day would have married multiple women

                • The offense would have been polygamy or promiscuity

                • We already saw that with Lamech in Cain’s line (not to be confused with Lamech from Seth’s line)

              • Sethites

                • The concern with human women marrying human men from Seth’s line is the mixing of godly with ungodly

                • The offense would have been spiritual exogamy (marriage outside the group)

            • Godly and ungodly lines of humanity

              • Because the punishment that is coming, is for mankind only, I tend to shy away from the view that the “sons of God” were angelic beings

              • The identification of the “sons of God” is less important than the principle or truth behind it

              • “Whatever position one takes on the identification of ‘sons of God,’ the truth remains that there was a sin of improper, mixed marriage that resulted in great sin and eventually necessitated God’s world-wide judgment.” ​​ [Gangel & Bramer, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 66]

              • PRINCIPLE #1 – God is concerned about proper marriage, because godly marriages are the foundation of a righteous society.

                • Choosing a spouse is a serious matter, before the Lord

                • We should be very careful who we marry

                • In fact, we should be very careful who we date, because once an emotional attachment is formed it’s very difficult to break that connection, even when we know we should

                • Paul talks about not being yoked with unbelievers when he writes the Corinthian believers

                • 2 Corinthians 6:14-16a, Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. ​​ For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? ​​ Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? ​​ What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? ​​ What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? ​​ What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? ​​ For we are the temple of the living God.

                • If you are in a dating relationship with an unbeliever, I would encourage you to seek the Lord about ending that relationship

                  • Marriage is sacred!

                  • Marriage is for a lifetime (until death do us part)!

                • If you’re in a marriage with an unbeliever, listen to Paul’s advice to the Corinthian believers

                • 1 Corinthians 7:12-14, To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): ​​ If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. ​​ And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. ​​ For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. ​​ Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

                • If God is concerned about proper marriages, then we should be concerned about it too

              • The sons of God were being indiscriminate in who they were choosing to marry and in some cases they were choosing ungodly women – the reverse was probably true also – ungodly men were choosing godly women

              • Our heart will find what it’s looking for.

              • NOTE: ​​ We see repeated here what happened with Eve and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – both of them saw something that was good/beautiful and they took it

          • It was improper, mixed marriages and the resulting sin that followed that prompted the Lord to remove His Spirit from mankind

        • Time of grace

          • “In withdrawing his ‘spirit,’ the Lord no longer graciously preserves their life span. ​​ ‘The attempt by man to become more than he is results in his becoming less.’” ​​ [Eslinger cited by Mathews, The New American Commentary, Volume 1A, Genesis 1-11:26, 332]

          • Obviously, after all of humanity was destroyed through the flood, the Spirit of God would no longer remain with them

          • With the removal of the Spirit comes this period of grace prior to the punishment

            • Growing up I always read this passage and thought that it meant that human beings would not live longer than 120 years

              • We know that some of the Patriarchs lived longer than 120 years (Abraham lived 175 years)

              • I don’t know that in our modern age that many people even make it to 120 years old

            • In studying for this message, it’s fascinating that many scholars believe that the 120 years was a period of grace prior to the flood

              • Potentially how long it took the build the ark

                • Genesis 5:32, After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

                • Genesis 7:6, Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth.

              • God was providing a time for humanity to repent before He wiped them out

                • It seems that He used Noah to preach righteousness to them during this time

                • 2 Peter 2:5, if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others

                • PRINCIPLE #2 – God is patient with His creation.

                  • This is especially true when it comes to salvation

                  • Peter continues writing to believers and reminds them about how God destroyed the earth by flood (2 Peter 3:5-6)

                  • Then he reminds us of God’s patience when he says, The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. ​​ He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)

                  • It’s mind blowing to realize that God pronounced judgment on humanity and then waited a hundred years to act, so that they would have an opportunity to repent and turn to Him

                  • God is still patient with His creation today

                  • Perhaps that’s a truth that you need to hold on to today, especially if you have been praying for years for a loved one to repent and turn to Jesus for salvation

                  • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Claim the promise that God is patient, especially with those who need to repent.

          • In verse 4 we basically have information that helps us place this story in time

        • Time frame

          • Nephilim

            • The Hebrew word can mean “giants” or “fallen”

            • “Luther gives the correct meaning, ‘tyrants:’ they were called Nephilim because they fell upon the people and oppressed them.” ​​ [Kiel & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 1, The Pentateuch, 86-87]

            • These giant, fallen, tyrants were on the earth before and after the sons of God and the daughters of men were marrying

          • Heroes of old, men of renown

            • It is most natural in the sentence structure to connect the heroes of old, men of renown with the sons and daughters

            • These were the offspring of those marriages

            • The Nephilim were not the heroes of old, men of renown

        • We’ve seen the pursuit of sin in the first four verses and now we see the punishment for sin

    • Punishment for Sin (vv. 5-8)

        • The Lord saw (v. 5)

          • He saw that humanity was caught up in wickedness – they were focused on it – their eyes were fixed on it

          • He saw that human beings thought about evil all the time

            • “Wickedness is an inner compulsion that dominates their thoughts and is not just overt action; they plot evil as a matter of lifestyle.” ​​ [Mathews, 340]

            • That’s the human condition

            • We are all born sinners (Rom. 3:23)

            • Romans 3:10-12, As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. ​​ All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

          • That’s what God saw and it grieved Him

        • The Lord grieved (v. 6)

          • PRINCIPLE #3 – God is grieved when His people choose evil over righteousness.

            • Our heart will find what it’s looking for.

            • If our heart is looking for evil, it will find evil

            • If our heart is looking for righteousness, it will find righteousness

          • The imagery here is of a parent who is grieving and feeling the pain associated with losing a child or having a child walk away from the Lord

            • That child is fixing their eyes on the world instead of God

            • Their heart is finding what it’s looking for, but that brings incredible pain to us as parents or loved ones

          • “Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright shares this brief moment she shared with Holocaust survivor and author, ElieWiesel:

            Not long after September 11, I was on a panel with Elie Wiesel. He asked us to name the unhappiest character in the Bible. Some said Job, because of the trials he endured. Some said Moses, because he was denied entry into the Promised Land. Some said Mary, because she witnessed the crucifixion of her son. Wiesel said he believed the right answer was God, because of the pain he must surely feel in seeing us fight, kill, and abuse each other in the Lord's name.”

            Source: Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, in a talk given to Yale Divinity School in March 2004

            [https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2007/october/8100107.html]

          • This didn’t take God by surprise, but knowing that it was going to happen didn’t lessen the pain [Goldingay, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament, Pentateuch, 126]

          • After grieving and experiencing the pain of His creation rebelling, the Lord had to act

        • The Lord said (v. 7)

          • Humankind, animals of all kinds, and birds will be wiped out

            • This was God’s punishment for the human race, that thought about evil continually

            • The animals and birds were an unfortunate side effect of humanity’s sin

              • They weren’t going to be able to tread water for 40 plus days

              • This is a reminder that our sin doesn’t just affect us, but it affects others

            • “The Lord audited the accounts because he had made humankind in the earth and his heart tormented him (i.e., he was distressed) over it. ​​ So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe humankind, who I have created, from the face of the earth . . . because I have audited the accounts since I have made them.’” ​​ [Walton, 310-11]

          • PRINCIPLE #4 – God is just and must punish sin.

            • Many people struggle with God’s justice, but it is one of His many attributes

            • Perhaps the struggle we have is that we really haven’t experienced perfect justice in our culture

              • We know of people who have broken the law and have never been brought to justice

              • We also know of people who have been falsely accused and have even spent time in jail – some of them have been found innocence years later and set free

            • God’s justice is perfect!

              • It’s hard for us to realize that all of humanity was corrupt and evil except for eight individuals and yet we know our own hearts and the sins we struggle with

              • In our humanness we don’t want to see people hurt or destroyed

              • Guess what, God doesn’t want them to be destroyed either, that’s why He is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance

              • As was mentioned earlier, none of us are righteous, we have all turned away from God, none of us does good

            • If God did not punish sin, He would not be just

              • Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

              • While God must punish sin in order to be just, He has also provided a way for us to have our sins forgiven

              • He sent Jesus from heaven to earth to take our punishment for sin

              • That’s the gift of God that enables us to have eternal life

              • 2 Corinthians 5:21, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

            • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Accept God’s gift of eternal life by recognizing that Jesus took my punishment for sin.

          • It’s great that the passage doesn’t end there, because that would be dark and depressing

          • What we see in verse 8 is hope and a future

        • Finding favor

          • Noah’s heart found what it was looking for

            • Noah had his eyes fixed of the Lord and it made all the difference

            • His heart was looking for righteousness

            • Noah’s lifestyle was characterized by righteousness

          • Our heart will find what it’s looking for.

          • God’s favor is also His grace, which is initiated by Him

            • PRINCIPLE #5 – Only God’s grace can save us from His judgment.

            • “The only way people can be saved from God’s wrath is through God’s grace (Eph. 2:8-9); but grace isn’t God’s reward for a good life: ​​ it’s God’s response to saving faith. ​​ ‘By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household’ (Heb. 11:7, NKJV). ​​ True faith involves the whole of the inner person: ​​ the mind understands God’s warning, the heart fears for what is coming, and the will acts in obedience to God’s Word.” ​​ [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Old Testament, Genesis-Deuteronomy, 43]

            • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Worship the Lord for extending His grace to me and saving me from His judgment.

 

  • YOU

    • What is your heart looking for? (the things of this world or the things of God?)

    • Have you expressed your gratitude to God for His patience & grace?

    • Are you ready to accept God’s gift of eternal life?

 

  • WE

    • How can we help our family and friends with what their heart is looking for?

 

CONCLUSION

“On April 28, 1789, Lieutenant William Bligh, commander of the H.M.S. Bounty, was awakened by men who ‘seizing me, tied my hands with a cord and threatened instant death if I made the least noise.’ Bligh called out anyway, but all of the ship's officers were guarded by mutineers. Bligh was then ‘carried on deck in my shirt, in torture with a severe bandage round my wrists behind my back, where I found no man to rescue me.’

 

Anyone who has seen either the 1935 or the 1962 version of this story likely thinks Bligh had it coming. He was a sadistic villain, and the dashing leader of the mutineers, Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable/Marlon Brando), was doing everyone a favor. The reality was more complicated—and the ending much more surprising.

 

When the mutiny occurred, the Bounty was en route from Tahiti, where its crew had collected breadfruit plantings, to the Caribbean, where the plantings would be used to grow food for slaves. The sailors had enjoyed their time in Tahiti, though, and they didn't want to leave—especially under the command of Bligh, who was, if not a sadist, notably strict and ill-tempered.

 

Christian's original plan was to flee the Bounty in its attached long boat and head back to sunny Polynesia, but other crew members convinced him to keep the Bounty and pack the officers in the long boat instead. Amazingly, Bligh and company navigated their overcrowded vessel 3,600 miles to the Dutch East Indies. The lieutenant eventually made it back to England, then returned to the South Pacific for revenge. In the meantime, the mutineers were living large on Tahiti.

 

Though Christian never found out Bligh had survived, he feared that staying at Tahiti could put him in danger of capture. Mutiny was, after all, a capital offense. He reboarded the Bounty and set out to find a place where he could hide forever. Seven other mutineers, twelve Polynesian women, six Polynesian men, and one infant joined him. After months of exploration, they found Pitcairn Island, which had no people but an abundance of coconuts, breadfruit, and other useful crops. The group destroyed the Bounty, to avoid detection by passing ships, and settled into their own paradise.

 

Like the first paradise, however, this one featured hidden dangers. Unfettered sexuality provoked jealousies and rage. The root of the ti plant, one mutineer discovered, could be distilled into liquor. The underlying problem, though, was building a society with criminals, concubines, and malcontents. Within four years, all of the Polynesian men and half of the mutineers had been murdered. A few years later, only two Englishmen—Edward Young and Alexander Smith—remained with the fearful women and children.

 

The Mutiny on the Bounty films are uninterested in the fate of Pitcairn Island, but for Christians, this is where the story really begins. While poking through the items saved from the ship, Smith discovered a Bible and a Book of Common Prayer. Smith couldn't read, but Young taught him before succumbing to consumption in 1801. Smith studied the Bible for years and became convinced that everyone on the island (at this point, himself, 10 women, and many children) needed to live by its principles. He instituted Sunday worship and daily prayer times, at which he would offer petitions like this:

 

Suffer me not, O Lord, to waste this day in sin or folly. But let me worship thee with much delight. Teach me to know more of thee and to serve thee better than ever I have done before, that I may be fitter to dwell in heaven, where thy worship and service are everlasting. Amen.

 

In 1808 an American ship discovered Pitcairn Island, where the crew was shocked to find a community of 35 English-speaking Christians. The Americans reported their find, but England was too busy with the Napoleonic Wars to do much of anything about it. Six years later a British ship rediscovered Pitcairn, and though the crew had orders to seize and kill any mutineers they found in the South Pacific, they couldn't bring themselves to disrupt the peaceful community by punishing Smith, now known by all on the island as ‘father.’ Smith still feared recapture, and he changed his name to John Adams (after the American president) in a rather curious move to avoid it. But no one came to seize him, and he died on the island in 1829.

 

Even sincere biblical teaching couldn't turn Pitcairn into an earthly paradise—every community has its problems—but Smith's work made a huge difference. The island settled by fugitives from the law has a courthouse, but it has never hosted a trial. Pitcairn's three jail cells house only lifejackets.

 

Source: Elesha Coffman, "Mutiny and Redemption," Christian History Newsletter (4-27-01).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2001/june/13104.html]

 

Notice that Alexander Smith fixed his eyes on the Lord and it made a huge difference. ​​ It transformed him from a mutineer to a man of God.

12

 

/by

I Understand!

, , ,

Easter Sunday

I Understand!

(Luke 24:36-49)

 

INTRODUCTION

“Patsy Clairmont beautifully and movingly portrays the reality of recovering from grief. I quote her words because they are so strongly and lovingly written: “We buried my friend’s 26–year–old son last week. An accidental gunshot took Jeff’s life. We have more questions than answers. We are offended at people who have all the answers and no experience with devastating loss.

 

‘I watched the heart-wrenching scenes as the family tried to come to grips with their tragedy. I can still hear the travailing of the mother’s anguished heart. I can still see the wrenching of the father’s grief-worn hands. I can still feel the distraught sobs that racked the sister’s body as I held her. I can still smell the hospital and the funeral home. Memories march before my mind like soldiers, causing me to relive the agony. If it is this difficult for me, Jeff’s godmother, how much more magnified it must be for his birth mother! I can’t imagine.

 

As I watched Jeff’s mom, Carol, the week after his death, I observed a miracle. I saw her move from despair to hope. From franticness to peace. From uncertainty to assurance. From needing comfort to extending it.

 

I witnessed a mom face her worst nightmare and refuse to run away. Instead, she ran to Him. When grief knocked the breath out of Carol, she went to the Breath Giver. I watched as the Lord placed His mantle of grace around her and then supported her with His mercy. The grief process has just begun for Jeff’s loved ones. The Lord will not remove His presence from the Porter family. But there may be moments when He will remove their awareness of His presence. That will allow them to feel the impact of their loss. For He knows it would be our tendency to hide even behind His grace to protect our fragile hearts from the harsh winds of reality. He offers us refuge, but He also promises us wholeness. Wholeness means we are fully present with ourselves and with Him. Therefore, we have to own our pain. If we do not, part of who we are we must either shut down, avoid, or deny. That would leave us estranged from ourselves and divided in our identity. Also, we would never heal in a way that would allow us to minister to others’ (Under His Wings, [Colorado Springs: Focus on the Family, 1994], 139ff.).

 

The death of Jesus Christ left his followers devastated with grief similar to the Porter family’s. They had lost their best friend, their leader, and their life’s goals, hopes, and dreams. All meaning had disappeared from life. Meeting the resurrected Christ gave them the assurance and power they needed to recover from their grief realistically, regain their wholeness, and renew their commitment to the goal Christ set before them. We have trouble feeling the same grief and loss the disciples felt at Jesus’ death, but we can feel the glory of his resurrection and the joy of being part of his goal for living and for dying.”

 

[Butler, Holman New Testament Commentary, Luke, 413-14].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Alternative guitar chords

        • When I first started playing guitar in high school, I took lessons and began to learn scales and chords

        • It was awkward at first trying to get my fingers to hold the position for each chord

        • Once I learned the individual chords then I had to learn how to transition between the various chords, so I could play songs

        • Many years later, while living in California, the worship leader at the church we attended, introduced me to some alternative chords for E, B, A, and C#m

        • This knowledge made it so much easier to transition between those chords and to play many worship songs

        • Let me illustrate it for you this morning on my guitar [Use the song Almighty and show the original chord locations, then show the alternative chord locations]

        • It took me a little bit of time to retrain my brain with the new location for these chords, but once that happen it made playing so much easier

        • I was finally able to say, I understand!

 

  • WE

    • The nine times table

        • How many of us know our nine times table?

        • Would it be helpful to learn an easy way to remember the nine times table?

        • [Have everyone hold up their hands with their palms facing out]

        • [Show how to lower one finger based on the formula 9 x _ and how the remaining fingers will give them the answer]

    • My guess is that every one of us has a memory of struggling to understand something

        • It may have taken several people explaining it to us in various ways before we got it

        • Once we got it, we were able to say, “I understand!”

 

The women that went to the tomb early in the morning and the apostles and disciples that were gathered together in Jerusalem did not have a resurrection mindset when it came to the first day of the week after Jesus’ crucifixion. ​​ They had not fully understood Jesus’ teaching from the Old Testament about His purpose on earth and what was going to happen to Him. ​​ So, they were not expecting Him to rise from dead on the third day. ​​ After His resurrection, though, Jesus did something supernatural for them that enabled them to understand the Scriptures and it transformed them all. ​​ This transformation is what motivated them to preach the Gospel to all nations. ​​ We can experience the same transformation today. ​​ Through the Holy Spirit that lives within each follower of Jesus Christ, we have the same power as the apostles and disciples. ​​ We’ll learn from Luke 24:36-49 that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Understanding God’s Word, empowers us to witness.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Luke 24:36-49)

    • Physical proof (vv. 36-43)

        • While they were still talking about this

          • We have to go back to verses 13-35 to understand what they were still talking about

          • Those verses share the story of the two believers who encounter Jesus on the road to Emmaus

          • If you remember they were traveling from Jerusalem to Emmaus when Jesus began to walk and talk with them

          • Jesus wanted these two men to express, openly, what they were thinking and feeling about His death and burial, so He acted as though He wasn’t aware of everything that had just transpired in Jerusalem

          • After hearing their hearts, Jesus began to use Scripture to explain that everything that had happened over the past several days had been foretold by Moses and the Prophets

          • The two disciples asked Jesus to stay with them when they arrived in Emmaus, which He eventually agrees to do

          • As they were sharing a meal together, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them

          • At that moment, their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus

          • They weren’t able to talk with Him anymore, because He disappeared

          • They returned to Jerusalem immediately, found the other disciples, and told them what they had experienced

          • This is what the group of disciples was talking about when Jesus appeared to them behind locked doors

        • Jesus’ supernatural appearance

          • Jesus stood among them and greeted them with Shalom

          • PRINCIPLE #1 – Jesus is all-powerful (omnipotent).

            • The disciples were gathered together behind locked doors for fear of the Jews (John 20:19)

            • Jesus didn’t have the key and He didn’t need a key

            • He was able to supernaturally appear to them

            • We don’t know exactly how He did it, but we know that He did do it, because He is all-powerful!

            • This principle and truth should give us hope as we face life’s struggles

              • The disciples were experiencing fear because of the political and religious atmosphere of their culture

              • Some of us can definitely identify with the disciples – we are experiencing fear because of the political and religious atmosphere in our culture

              • Maybe our fear is centered around our health, with the coronavirus and the vaccine

              • Perhaps our fear and anxiety stem from financial struggles as a result of the coronavirus or the loss of a job

              • There are those who are experiencing fear, anxiety, and depression due to the loss of a loved one or a broken relationship

              • Hebrews 4:15, For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet without sin.

              • Jesus is able to sympathize with us through our weaknesses, heart break, fears, anxiety, and depression

              • He’s not only able to sympathize with us, but He is able to do something about it, because He is all-powerful

              • He is waiting for us to sacrifice our independence and self-sufficiency, and rely completely on Him

              • Philippians 4:6-7, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ​​ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

            • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Recognize Jesus’ omnipotence by crying out to Him with my fears, concerns, and anxious thoughts.

          • PRINCIPLE #2 – Jesus’ presence brings peace.

            • When we cry out to God and present our requests to Him with thanksgiving, then we will be able to experience His peace

            • It’s a peace we cannot understand, because it’s supernatural – it comes from a source outside of ourselves

            • I’ve experienced it when I’ve gone through difficult times, and I can’t explain the feeling of peace when I should be experiencing a churning stomach and unrest

            • Perhaps there are those of us here today, that have experienced God’s peace that doesn’t make sense to our finite minds

            • We can rejoice and worship the Lord for providing His peace

          • It appears as though the disciples were not experiencing peace, though

        • Disciples’ reaction

          • The disciple’s fears were elevated

            • They were terrified and thrown into fear

            • They were already fearful and on alert because of the Jews

            • And now someone or something had gained access to their secure location

          • It’s a ghost!

            • Ghost stories

              • I remember as a child, waking up in the middle of the night, once, and thinking that I saw the doorknob on my bedroom door twisting. ​​ I tried to work up enough courage to walk past the door to my parent’s room, but it took a couple of tries. ​​ In fact, I didn’t walk – I ran. ​​ I was already wearing glasses at that age, so I’m certain, now, it was just my eyes playing tricks on me

              • My sister has always been attuned to the spiritual realm. ​​ It wasn’t until I was in college or perhaps after Judy and I were married that she told me about seeing the Grim Reaper standing at the foot of her bed. ​​ It didn’t happen just once, but multiple times.

            • Since the disciples had not understood Jesus’ teaching about His resurrection, they were not expecting Him to show up, in person

            • So, their assumption was that this was Jesus’ ghost

          • Jesus realized what they were thinking, so He asks them a question and then gives them two physical proofs that He is real – He is alive – He has been resurrected!

        • Question

          • “Why are you troubled [frightened], and why do doubts rise in your minds [heart]?”

          • If they had understood Scripture and Jesus’ teaching they would not have been frightened or had doubts – they would have been celebrating Jesus’ appearance

            • It meant that He was alive!

            • Scripture had been fulfilled!

            • Jesus had defeated sin and death!

            • God’s plan of redemption for humanity had been accomplished!

          • Perhaps there are those here today who are afraid of death and/or have doubts about life after death or about who Jesus is

            • The Gospel writers and New Testament writers tell us who Jesus is

              • The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)

              • He is the way, the truth, and the life. ​​ No one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6)

              • He is the light of the world (John 8:12)

              • He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25)

              • He is the bread of life (John 6:35)

              • He is the stone the builders rejected that has become the cornerstone and salvation only comes through Him (Acts 4:11-12)

              • He accomplished this through His death, burial, and resurrection

            • We don’t have to fear death or have doubts about life after death, because Jesus has defeated sin and death

              • We may still have to experience physical death, but eternity with Jesus will far outweigh that experience

              • Physical death, for followers of Jesus, means eternal life with Him in a perfected body

              • You can have assurance about life after death, because of Jesus

                • First, we have to admit that we are a sinner (Rom. 3:23; Rom. 6:23) [Ten Commandments]

                • Second, we have to believe in who Jesus is and why He came to earth (1 Cor. 15:3-4)

                • Third, we have to choose to repent and turn to Jesus for salvation

                  • 2 Corinthians 7:10, Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

                  • Repentance is intentionally and purposely turning away from sin and toward righteousness

                • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Choose to repent of my sins and turn to God for His salvation.

                • As followers of Jesus Christ we can claim the promise found in Hebrews 13:5b-6, . . . God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” ​​ So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. ​​ What can man do to me?”

                • God is always with us – He is omnipresent!

          • Jesus provides two physical proofs to ease the disciples fears and doubts

        • Two physical proofs

          • His body

            • Nail marks in His hands and feet

            • “I have flesh and bones, touch me – I’m real! I’m alive!”

            • “Ghosts don’t have flesh and bones, but I do”

            • This first proof didn’t seem to convince them, probably because they were in shock

            • They were so happy to see Jesus alive, but they were struggling to understand how it happened

            • Nothing like this had ever happened before (someone coming back to life on their own – they had seen Jesus raise Lazarus and others from the dead, but that was different)

          • Food

            • While the disciples are trying to wrap their minds around what they are seeing, Jesus asks them for something to eat

            • This is part of His second proof

            • A ghost was not going to be able to take something tangible, solid and eat it

            • Jesus proved that He was alive by taking the broiled fish and eating it in their presence

        • Jesus provided physical proof on the day of His resurrection that He was real, He was alive!

        • At a later time, He provided intellectual proof also

    • Intellectual proof (vv. 44-49)

        • We don’t know the exact time frame between verses 43 and 44, but it was sometime during the 40 days that Jesus spent with His disciples between His resurrection and ascension

        • Jesus fulfilled Scripture

          • Jesus reminds His disciples that everything that happened to Him while He was on earth was in fulfillment of Old Testament Scripture (Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms)

          • PRINCIPLE #3 – God keeps His word, even when it involves things that seem impossible.

            • God promised to send a Savior

              • Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

              • Isaiah 7:14, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: ​​ The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (Immanuel means God with us)

            • Jesus is that Savior – He is alive!

          • Jesus opened their minds so they could understand Scripture

            • It’s not that the disciples didn’t know what Jesus was about to tell them

            • They had heard it countless times, even more times than its recorded in our Bibles

            • They were struggling to make the connection between Jesus and what was written in the Scriptures

            • Electrical illustration

              • In an electrical circuit, all the components are there to have power

              • In order for power to run through the circuit the switch has to be engaged, completing the circuit, otherwise no electricity and no lights

            • This is similar to what had happened with the disciples

              • All the components were present – Jesus and the Scriptures

              • The circuit had not been completed in the disciple’s minds – the switch needed to be engaged

              • When Jesus opened their minds, the switch was engaged, the circuit was completed, and the light came on

              • “We understand! ​​ Why didn’t we see this before?”

          • Once the switch was flipped, Jesus reminded them of the past and foretold the future

            • The recent past

              • While it was written about, hundreds of years before, the events had just happened days before

              • The Christ will suffer (Isaiah 53)

              • The Christ will rise from the dead on the third day

              • Both of those things happened to Jesus

            • The future

              • Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem

                • Jesus was telling them what they would be doing in the future

                • They would tell others what they had seen and heard concerning Jesus and His ministry (that’s what being a witness is)

                • They were going to spread the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the known world

              • They had to wait for the empowering of the Holy Spirit before they began their mission

                • Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

                • Acts 2:1-4, When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ​​ Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ​​ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ​​ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

                • We know that Peter stood up with the Eleven and preached the Gospel boldly and about 3,000 were added to their number that day (Acts 2:14, 41)

            • Application

              • Understanding God’s Word, empowers us to witness.

              • PRINCIPLE #4 – The Holy Spirit gives us power to witness for Christ.

                • The same power that the Eleven experienced at Pentecost is living inside of every follower of Jesus Christ

                • The Holy Spirit comes to live within us when we repent and turn our lives over to Jesus Christ

                • The command and commission that Jesus gave to His disciples is for us also

                  • Mark 16:15-16, He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. ​​ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

                  • Matthew 28:18-20, Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ​​ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. ​​ And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

                • Fear

                  • Many of us have fear about sharing the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others

                  • Remember, we have the power of the Holy Spirit living in us to help us share

                  • The Holy Spirit has opened our minds to Scripture and with that understanding we are empowered to witness for Christ

                • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Ask the Lord to empower me, through the Holy Spirit, to be a witness of the Gospel to someone this week.

 

  • YOU

    • Do you need to recognize Jesus’ omnipotence by crying out to Him for help today?

    • Do you need to rest in the fact that Jesus’ presence brings peace?

    • Will you repent of your sins, today, and turned to God for salvation?

 

  • WE

    • Who will we witness to this week?

    • Who will we pray for and then invite to the revival services on May 17-23, 2021?

 

CONCLUSION

“After years of urban living had ground down my childhood love of nature, I found it suddenly rekindled through my friendship with a young photographer named Bob McQuilkin. I was working as a magazine editor at the time, and Bob seemed determined to drag me out of my stale routine and reintroduce me to the joyous world outside.

 

Once Bob drove his jeep to my office and insisted that I come see two baby owls he'd just rescued. For months he fussed over those scraggly orphaned owls, chasing barn mice and lizards to feed them, then trying to teach them to hunt on their own, and to fly. (Bob teaching a bird to fly!) They'd flutter in soaking wet from a rainstorm—not wise enough yet to find shelter—and Bob would patiently pull out his electric hair dryer and blow them dry. …

 

Bob was as fully ‘alive’ as anyone I have ever known. And so when I heard [in the fall of 2000] that Bob had died on a scuba-diving assignment in Lake Michigan, I could hardly absorb the news. Bob, dead? It was inconceivable. I could picture Bob doing anything at all—anything but lying still. But that is my last image of him: a 36-year-old body in a blue-plaid flannel shirt lying in a casket. … I would never ski with Bob again, never sit with him for hours viewing slides, never again eat rattlesnake meat or buffalo burgers at his house.

 

Susan, his widow, asked me to speak at Bob's memorial service. Without a doubt, it was the hardest thing I have ever done. When I stood before them, the magazine editors and art directors and family and neighbors and friends, they reminded me of little birds—Bob's owls—with their mouths open begging for food. Begging for words of solace, for hope. What could I offer them?

 

I began by telling them what I had been doing the very afternoon Bob was making his last dive. That Wednesday I was sitting, oblivious, in a café at the University of Chicago, reading The Quest for Beauty, by Rollo May. In that book the famous therapist recalls scenes from his lifelong search for beauty, among them a visit to Mount Athos, a peninsula of monasteries attached to Greece.

 

One morning, Rollo May happened to stumble upon the celebration of Greek Orthodox Easter, the tail end of a church service that had been proceeding all night long. Incense hung in the air. The only light came from candles. And at the height of that service, the priest gave everyone present three Easter eggs, wonderfully decorated and wrapped in a veil. ‘Christos Anesti!’ he said—‘Christ is risen!’ Each person there, including Rollo May, responded according to custom, ‘He is risen indeed!’

 

Rollo May writes, ‘I was seized then by a moment of spiritual reality: what would it mean for our world if he had truly risen?’

 

I read Rollo May's question the afternoon that Bob died, and it kept floating around in my mind, hauntingly, after I heard the news. What did it mean for our world that Christ had risen? Why were monks staying up all night to celebrate it? The early Christians had staked everything on the Resurrection, so much so that the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians, ‘And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.’

 

In the cloud of grief over Bob's death, I began to see the meaning of Easter in a new light. …

 

On Friday Jesus' closest friends had let the relentless crush of history snuff out all their dreams. Two days later, when the crazy rumors about Jesus' missing body shot through Jerusalem, they couldn't dare to believe. … Only personal appearances by Jesus convinced them that something new, absolutely new, had broken out on earth. When that sank in, those same men who had slunk away in fear at Calvary were soon preaching to large crowds in the streets of Jerusalem.

 

At Bob McQuilkin's funeral, I rephrased Rollo May's question in the terms of our own grief. What would it mean for us if Bob rose again? We were sitting in a chapel, numbed by three days of grief and sadness, the weight of death bearing down upon us. What would it be like to walk outside to the parking lot and there, to our utter astonishment, find Bob. Bob! With his bounding walk, his crooked grin, and clear, grey eyes.

 

That image gave me a hint of what Jesus' disciples felt on the first Easter. They, too, had grieved for three days. But on Sunday they caught a glimpse of something else, a startling clue to the riddle of the universe. Easter hits a new note, a note of hope and faith that what God did once in a graveyard in Jerusalem, he can and will repeat on a grand scale, for the world. For Bob. For us.”

 

Source: Philip Yancey, "The Great Reversal," Christianity Today (April 2000).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2009/april/2040609.html].

11

 

/by

Two Lines

, , ,

Origins

Two Lines

(Genesis 4:17-26)

 

INTRODUCTION

Can we agree this morning that no one is alike – we are all different? ​​ This is perhaps played out most clearly through children. ​​ We recognize that each child is different. ​​ We may have an easy-going first child, only to have a strong-willed second child. ​​ Or perhaps the first two children have been difficult, but the third one is laid back. ​​ We hear the general consensus that girls are easier to raise at a younger age, while boys are easier to raise the older they get.

 

How many parents have gone through the heartache of having a child or children turn away from the Lord and the church? ​​ Sometimes they return, but sometimes they don’t. ​​ It’s all based on the choices they make.

 

This trend has been going on since the beginning of time. ​​ We see two distinct lines based on the choices that each individual takes. ​​ “The whole of the human race can be divided into the godly and the ungodly.” ​​ [Gangel & Bramer, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 64].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Changing lanes

        • I know this doesn’t happen to anyone else, so it will come as a shock to you

        • When traffic is heavy on the interstate, the other lane is always moving more than the lane I’m in

        • Now you would think that if I change lanes, that I would now be in the lane that is moving more, but that’s not the case

        • As soon as I change lanes, the lane I just left begins to move more while the lane I just entered begins to move less

    • Choosing lanes

        • I’m not a very good chooser when it comes to lanes

        • Whether it’s at the bank, the grocery store, or the drive-thru at Chick-fil-A, I tend to choose the lane that I think will move most quickly, only to discover that I have actually chosen the lane that moves the most slowly

 

  • WE

    • Maybe we all can relate to not being a very good chooser when it comes to lanes at the bank, grocery store, or fast-food restaurant

    • It’s possible that everyone of us has experienced the unexplainable, lane changing phenomenon on the interstate ​​ 

    • Perhaps all of us have experienced the heartache of having a child or relative who chose to walk away from the Lord

 

The choices we make are important, especially when it comes to who we will depend on. ​​ As the Creator, God’s desire is that we depend on Him for everything in our lives. ​​ But, too often, we depend on ourselves and choose to leave God out of the equation. ​​ The narrator of Genesis 4:17-26 wants us to understand that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – We have a choice to depend on God or ourselves.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Genesis 4:17-26)

    • Godless Line (vv. 17-24)

        • Cain’s activities (v. 17)

          • Family building

            • We see that Cain and his wife have a child together

            • Where did Cain’s wife come from?

              • Jon Courson says that this question is the one that is most asked of him [Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary, Old Testament, Volume 1: Genesis-Job, 21]

              • It’s pretty simple, but taboo in our culture today

              • Genesis 5:4, After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.

              • Most scholars agree that Cain’s wife was either one of his sisters or a niece

              • “The marriage of brothers and sisters was inevitable in the case of the children of the first men, if the human race was actually to descend from a single pair, and may therefore be justified in the face of the Mosaic prohibition of such marriages . . .” [Keil & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 1, The Pentateuch, 72-73]

              • We know that later on, Moses prohibited these kinds of marriages as sinful

              • Leviticus 18 provides a list of unlawful sexual relations, including family members

            • They named their first born child, Enoch

              • Enoch (khan-oke’) means “dedicated”

              • That seems like an appropriate name for the first born child, especially a son

              • It would lead us to believe that, perhaps, Cain and his wife were following the Lord, but we really can’t know for sure

              • What we’ll see through Cain’s genealogy is a gradual moral degeneration

            • Cain wasn’t just busy building his family, but also building a city

          • City building

            • We know that Cain’s punishment for killing Abel was to be a restless wandered, because the ground would no longer yield it’s crop for him

            • Cain was also fearful that his other family members would try to kill him, so God put a mark on him

            • Perhaps building a city was Cain’s way of ensuring that he would be safe instead of simply trusting in the Lord’s provision through the mark

            • He was striving to be self-sufficient, to depend on himself instead of God

            • Hamilton suggests that Cain is building a city as a way to provide security for himself, because he is not sure that God’s mark on him would be sufficient [Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-17, 238]

            • We have a choice to depend on God or ourselves.

            • Cain named the city after his first-born son, Enoch

          • From Cain’s activities, the narrator moves to his genealogy

        • Cain’s genealogy (v. 18)

          • Enoch’s son was Irad (ee-rawd’) [“fleet, fugitive, or wild ass”]

          • Irad was the father of Mehujael (mekh-oo-yaw-ale’) [“smitten by God”]

          • Mehujael was the father of Methushael (meth-oo-shaw-ale’) [“who is of God or man of God”]

          • Methushael was the father of Lamech (leh’-mek) [“powerful”]

        • Lamech’s life (vv. 19-24)

          • Lamech’s wives

            • This is first time that polygamy is mentioned in the Bible

              • “Polygamy is a rejection of God’s marital plan.” ​​ [Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary, 100]

              • Genesis 2:23-24, The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” ​​ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

              • We know from Paul’s writings concerning elders and deacons that they are to be the husband of one wife (1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)

              • There were several reasons for multiple wives in the Ancient Near East as outlined by The IVP Bible Background Commentary: ​​ Old Testament [Walton, Matthews, and Chavalas, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, Accordance electronic ed. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 34]

                • “An imbalance of the number of males and females”

                • “The need to produce large numbers of children to work herds and/or fields”

                • “The desire to increase the prestige and wealth of a household through multiple marriage contracts”

                • “The high rate of death of females in childbirth”

              • We see next, the names of his two wives

            • Names of Lamech’s wives

              • Adah (aw-daw’) [“ornament or beauty”]

              • Zillah (tsil-law’) [“shade or shadow”]

            • We’re told that each wife provided two children for Lamech

          • Genealogy

            • Through Adah

              • Jabal (yaw-bawl’) [“river, stream, or stream of water”]

                • Jabal was basically a nomad shepherd

                • He was the one who introduced taking care of livestock (pastoral life)

              • Jubal (yoo-bawl’) [“stream, a river, a moist country”]

                • He invented musical instruments

                • The mention of the harp and flute are representative of string and wind-blown instruments of all kinds

            • Through Zillah

              • Tubal-Cain (too-bal’ kah’-yin) [“thou will be brought of Cain”]

                • He worked with and instructed others who worked with bronze and iron

                • They probably made agricultural tools and weapons

              • Naamah (nah-am-aw’) [“pleasant or loveliness”]

            • After being introduced to Lamech’s wives we see, what has been called, the “Song of the Sword”

          • Song of the Sword

            • This poem or song has multiple parallel lines

              • Adah and Zillah//wives of Lamech

              • Listen to me//hear my words

              • A man for wounding me//a young man for injuring me

              • Seven times//seventy-seven times

              • The parallelism helps us know that Lamech is only talking about one incident with one man

            • Did Lamech kill a man or is he threatening to kill a man?

              • Almost every modern English translation says that he killed a man (some have a footnote saying that he will kill a man or youth)

              • Whether he already killed a man or is threatening to kill anyone who wounds or injures him, he is boasting about being a violent man

            • Pride

              • Lamech sees the mercy of God on Cain’s life as a badge of honor for him

              • Cain felt that his punishment was too harsh and was fearful that his other family members would find him wandering and kill him, but God puts a mark on him to protect him, and also says that whoever kills Cain will suffer His vengeance seven times over

              • Lamech is willing to take matters into his own hands when it comes to vengeance

              • We see this number formula in the New Testament also

                • Jesus is teaching and sharing parables with the crowds and His disciples

                • Peter comes to Him with a question

                • Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? ​​ Up to seven times?” ​​ Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21-22)

                • What’s incredible here, is that Jesus is talking about forgiveness, not vengeance

                • He has taken the negative of the Old Testament and made it a positive in the New Testament

                • If Lamech was following the Lord, his response to being wounded or injured should have been forgiveness instead of vengeance

                • But he wasn’t following the Lord, he was relying on his own power and strength to take vengeance on others

              • PRINCIPLE #1 – Self-reliance leads to pride.

                • Lamech was not following the Lord, but rather his own moral and ethical standard

                • His standard, it seems, allowed him to kill another human being without regret

                • The same is true of us today

                  • When we rely on our own moral and ethical standard, instead of God’s, we will move toward pride

                  • Pride then leads us to more serious offenses, because we believe we’re unstoppable and justified in our actions (“this is what’s best for me,” “this will make me happy,” “I deserve this!”)

                  • Read Romans 5:12-21

                • We have a choice to depend on God or ourselves.

                  • Depending on God means eternal life through Jesus Christ

                  • Depending on ourselves means eternal death/separation from God

                  • What choice will you make?

                  • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Choose to depend on God and receive His eternal life through Jesus Christ.

            • “The text has moved from unrepentant Cain to defiant Lamech. ​​ Violence is glorified, and the mark of Cain no longer stands as a stigma of exile but as a badge of honor that brings protection equivalent to invulnerability. ​​ The human situation is degenerating.” ​​ [Walton, The NIV Application Commentary, Genesis, 278]

        • Application

          • PRINCIPLE #2 – Unrepentant sin has generational consequences.

          • Cain didn’t repent of his sin and, therefore, lived a life separated from the Lord and his family

          • His unrepentance, whether knowingly or unknowingly, passed down from generation to generation

          • It was an ungodly line that we see ending with a boastful Lamech, six generations later

          • We may not be aware of how our own unrepentance is affecting our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and will potentially affect generations beyond that

            • We have to ask ourselves the tough question, “Do I have unrepentant sin in my life?”

            • If we can identify unrepentant sin in our lives, we are choosing an ungodly line for our family

            • It’s not too late to change that, no matter how old we are

            • I’ve seen individuals, nearing death, who have been transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and it made a huge impact on their families

            • In some cases, the entire family unit (spouse, children, grandchildren, etc.) were transformed by the Gospel

            • Think about the Philippian jailer who had charge of the prison where Paul and Silas were

              • An earthquake set all of the prisoners free, but they didn’t run away

              • When the jailer realized that everyone was accounted for, he invited Paul and Silas to his house

              • Acts 16:29-34, The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. ​​ He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ​​ They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.” ​​ Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. ​​ At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. ​​ The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God – he and his whole family.

            • Think of Zacchaeus in Jericho

              • He wanted to see the Lord, so he climbed up in a sycamore-fig tree

              • When confronted by Jesus, he repented and invited Him to come to house for a meal

              • Luke 19:9-10, Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ​​ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

            • It’s not too late!

          • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Confess my unrepentant sin to the Lord, seek His forgiveness, and choose a godly line for my family.

        • That’s what we see in the last two verses of chapter 4 – a godly line

    • Godly Line (vv. 25-26)

        • God’s mercy

          • We see God’s creative power through procreation

          • Adam and Eve have another son, Seth (shayth) [“granted or compensation”]

          • Eve recognizes the grace and mercy of God in naming Seth

          • PRINCIPLE #3 – God is gracious and merciful!

            • I’m sure that Adam and Eve had been grieving the death of Abel

            • It was a difficult time for them, as it would be for any parent who loses a child

            • Yet, they found hope through the birth of another son

            • They experienced the grace and mercy of God through this

            • Most of us have probably not lost a child, but we have experienced the death of a loved one

            • We have all experienced the loss of hope through difficult circumstances

            • In that loss, have you experienced God’s grace and mercy?

              • God’s grace is getting something we don’t deserve

              • God’s mercy is not getting something we do deserve

              • We may experience His grace and mercy through the visit of friend, a note in the mail, a phone call, or even the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit

              • On our worst days, we are able to function, because of God’s grace and mercy

            • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Thank the Lord for providing His grace and mercy through the difficulties in my life.

          • Next, we see a very brief genealogy for Seth that will be expanded in chapter 5

        • Seth’s son

          • Seth obviously got married at some point and he and his wife had a son

          • They named their son Enosh (en-ohsh’) [“man or a man”]

          • Enosh is very similar to Adam as a general name for “man”

        • Proclaiming the name of the Lord

          • I like the NLT translation of the last sentence in verse 26

          • At that time people first began to worship the Lord by name (NLT)

          • God’s promise and plan to send a redeemer for the sins of mankind was still going to happen

            • He wasn’t going to come through Cain’s line

            • He was going to come through Seth’s line

          • In proclaiming the name of the Lord or worshiping the Lord by name, Seth’s line was choosing to depend on God instead of themselves

        • PRINCIPLE #4 – God is pleased when His people call on His name.

          • When is the last time you have called on the name of the Lord?

          • Perhaps it was just this morning through our time of worship

          • Maybe it’s been longer than that

          • Are you depending on the Lord or on yourself?

          • #4 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Show my dependence on God by calling on His name, first.

 

  • YOU

    • Have you chosen to depend on God for salvation?

    • Are you ready to confess any unrepentant sin?

    • When is the last time you’ve thanked the Lord for His grace and mercy?

    • Are you showing your dependence on God by calling on His name, first?

 

  • WE

    • Our family, neighbors, and coworkers will know that we are pursuing a godly line when we depend on God

    • It could be the catalyst for them to turn to God, call on His name, and fully depend on Him

 

CONCLUSION

“It is obvious from reading Genesis 4:1–6:8 that life moves on from one generation to the next. How can a generation live on? Someone suggested that parenting is hereditary—if your parents didn’t have any children, you’re not likely to have any either! But having a physical child is only the first step in a generation living on. Only by following the Lord and passing this faith on can a generation live on.

 

You must have a faith before you can pass it on. So take a moment and make sure you believe God’s Word. Once that answer is firmly positive, then decide to live in such a way that the next generation in your family and in your church will have reason to believe because of you. Never underestimate the power of living out your faith. The next generation needs to see people with a living faith in a living God.”

 

[Gangel & Bramer, 65]

10

 

/by

Merciful Maker

,

Origins

Merciful Maker

(Genesis 3:1-24)

 

INTRODUCTION

The Malfunctioning Human Being  

 

“The Maker of all human beings is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to the serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units’ code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been technically termed, “Subsequential Internal Nonmorality”—or more commonly known as SIN, as it is primarily expressed. Some other symptoms are the loss of direction, foul vocal emissions, amnesia of origin, lack of peace and joy, selfish or violent behavior, depression or confusion in the mental component, fearfulness, idolatry, and rebellion.

 

The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this SIN defect. The Repair Technician, Jesus, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R.

 

Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure. Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component. No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

 

Please see the operating manual, HOLY BIBLE, for further details on the use of these fixes. As an added upgrade, the Manufacturer has made available to all repaired units a facility enabling direct monitoring and assistance from a resident Maintenance Technician, the Holy Spirit. Repaired units need only make him welcome and he will take up permanent residence on the premises.”

 

[Gangel & Bramer, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 39].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Playing Mercy

        • I remember growing up with family and friends and learning about the game mercy

        • I would interlock my fingers with another person and try to bend their wrists backwards until they would say, “mercy!”

        • Of course there were times when I would be the one saying, “mercy!”

        • What I learned pretty quickly is to only challenge someone that I knew I could beat, because I didn’t want to have to say, “mercy!”

        • I wanted to be the one who was dominant and the winner!

    • Experiencing and extending mercy

        • Mercy is defined as “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.” (not getting what we deserve)

        • Experiencing mercy

          • While in college, Judy and I were traveling back from spending the weekend at her parents’ home in Ohio

          • We were almost back to Huntington when I got pulled over by a police officer

          • He was concerned that I had crossed the centerline a couple of time, which I had, because I was tired

          • He could have written me ticket, but instead he gave me a warning

          • I deserved the ticket, but the police officer showed me mercy

        • Extending mercy

          • Raising children can be difficult

          • There have been times when our boys have disobeyed something we have asked them to do

          • They deserved to be punished, but Judy and I sat down with them and talked through the situation and explained that we were not going to punish them

          • Instead, we were going to extend mercy to them

 

  • WE

    • Every one of us can probably recall a time when we experienced mercy

    • We also have times when we have extended mercy to others

 

Genesis 3:1-24 is a very familiar passage of Scripture for most of us. ​​ The heading in most modern translations is, “The Fall of Man.” ​​ The first man and woman disobeyed God and deserved to be punished. ​​ There were consequences for their disobedience, but we also see the mercy of God extended to them. ​​ What we’ll learn from this passage today is that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Even in our failures, God provides mercy.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Genesis 3:1-24)

    • The main point headings are from Warren Wiersbe’s commentary [The Bible Exposition Commentary, Old Testament, Genesis-Deuteronomy, 30-34]

    • The Strategy (vv. 1-5)

        • The serpent (v. 1a)

          • It was a real serpent, not some mythical creature

          • It was one of the undomesticated, wild animals created by God on the sixth day

          • Its natural tendency is to be shrewd, cunning, crafty (think about a snake lying in wait for its prey)

          • It obviously had the ability to speak

            • We’re not told how it had this ability

            • Some believe it was a tool of Satan, so Satan is speaking through the serpent

            • We know that God allowed Balaam’s donkey to speak to him (Numbers 22:28-30)

            • “An ancient Jewish interpretation explains the reference to the serpent in a literal manner, attributing the capacity to speak to all the animals in the orchard. This text (Jub. 3:28) states, ‘On that day [the day the man and woman were expelled from the orchard] the mouth of all the beasts and cattle and birds and whatever walked or moved was stopped from speaking because all of them used to speak to one another with one speech and one language [presumed to be Hebrew, see 12:26].’” ​​ [W. Hall Harris, eds. The NET Bible Notes. 1st, Accordance electronic ed. (Richardson: Biblical Studies Press, 2005), paragraph 385]

            • It’s certainly within God’s ability to allow all animals to speak, but we’ve never experienced anything like that

            • Dr. Doolittle has the ability to talk to the animals

          • With this ability to speak, the serpent asks the woman a question

        • Creating doubt (v. 1b)

          • “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

          • Focusing on the prohibition instead of the blessing

            • Notice that the serpent tries to get the woman to focus on the prohibition – the negative

              • The serpent wants the woman to question the character of God

              • ​​ “Satan smoothly maneuvers Eve into what may appear as a sincere theological discussion, but he subverts obedience and distorts perspective by emphasizing God’s prohibition, not his provision, reducing God’s command to a question, doubting his sincerity, defaming his motives, and denying the truthfulness of his threat.” ​​ [Waltke, Genesis: ​​ A Commentary, 91]

              • The serpent wants the woman to believe that God is holding something back – that He is not being fair or equitable with her

              • That is so far from the truth

            • God’s blessing

              • And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” (Gen. 2:16-17)

              • God gave every tree in the garden to the man and woman for food

              • That was an incredible blessing

              • They were not lacking variety or quantity in their food source

              • It’s not like they needed to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil

              • “Rather than God’s putting the tree there simply to test Adam and Eve, it is more in keeping with his character to understand that the tree would have use in the future. ​​ When the time was right, the first couple would be able to eat from it.” [Walton, The NIV Application Commentary, Genesis, 205]

              • PRINCIPLE #1 – A distorted view of the character of God can cause a person to sin against a holy God.

                • This is evident in our culture today

                • Live my life and enjoy life

                  • So often I hear young people say that they will follow the Lord and be a Christian when they get older, because they want to be able to “live” their lives

                  • They want to be able to “enjoy” life

                  • This is a distorted view of the character of God and the Christian life

                • There are others who champion the idea that God will allow everyone into heaven, because He is a loving God

                  • This is a distorted view of the character of God

                  • Love is definitely one of His many attributes, but that attribute doesn’t exist by itself – in a vacuum

                  • God is also holy and righteous and, therefore, He must punish sin

                  • He tells us that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23)

                  • Out of His attribute of love, He provided redemption for our sins through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ

                  • God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. ​​ (2 Cor. 5:21)

                  • That’s how God’s attributes of holiness, righteousness, and love work together for our benefit

                • Application

                  • Do you have a distorted view of the character of God?

                  • Perhaps the best way to know if you do, is to determine whether or not you are questioning the validity of one of His many attributes

                  • His attributes are true and trustworthy – all the time!

                  • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Determine if I have a distorted view of God’s character and confess that to Him.

                  • We can know who God is and His character by studying His Word, the Bible

                  • We can ask the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom as we study, so that we can truly know God’s character

                  • That way we can ensure that we will not have a distorted view of His character

          • The serpent was trying to create reasonable doubt in the woman’s mind

        • Woman’s response (vv. 2-3)

          • Downplays the blessing

            • The woman omits two key words in God’s command – “free” and “any”

            • Through this, she downplays the blessing that God has provided for them in the garden

            • She falls into the same tendency as the serpent to focus on the prohibition instead of the provision

          • Adds to the restriction

            • The woman puts words in God’s mouth when she says that they are not even allowed to touch the fruit of the tree of knowledge

              • I’d have to say that not touching the fruit would definitely help them not to eat it, since it wouldn’t be in their hands

              • But, God did not say that they couldn’t touch it

              • As human beings we need boundaries – some need more boundaries than others

                • I’ve heard of new Christians attending a church that has more rules, because they feel like they need those rules in order to maintain their walk with the Lord

                • Those who struggle with substance abuse, many times, have to change their friend base and even where they live in order to avoid the temptation to return to their substance of choice

                • Others have to have safeguards loaded on their electronic devices in order to protect them from the temptation to look at images that they shouldn’t be looking at

                • These are just a couple of examples, but we all know where we are tempted

                • If we don’t struggle with a certain temptation, we have a hard time understanding why, those who do, have to have those strict boundaries set up

            • Notice that she doesn’t mention the name of the tree, but rather its location in the garden (this could simply be a way of downplaying the significance of the tree)

            • She not only adds to God’s command, but she underrated the punishment for disobeying

          • Underrated the punishment

            • Again, the woman omits a keyword, “surely”

            • “She failed to capture the urgency of certain death, ‘You shall [surely] die’ (v. 3).” ​​ [Mathews, The New American Commentary, Volume 1A, Genesis 1-11:26, 237]

          • The serpent realizes that his strategy is working, so he goes from creating doubt to openly contradicting God

        • Contradicting God (vv. 4-5)

          • The serpent tells the woman that she will not surely die

            • While the woman underrated the punishment by omitting the word “surely,” the serpent doesn’t underrate his contradiction – it uses the word “surely”

            • When we think about the word “surely” it gives the idea that something will definitely happen or definitely not happen

            • We see that played out here

              • God says that if the man and woman disobey, they will definitely experience death

              • The serpent then says that the man and woman will definitely not experience death

              • Perhaps the serpent meant that they would not immediately die if they eat the fruit

              • God meant that if they eat the fruit, they will definitely experience death, even if it’s not instantaneous

          • We see the serpent attacking the character of God, once again

            • God isn’t being truthful with you

              • He is holding something back from you

              • He isn’t giving you something you deserve

              • He’s keeping you blinded to the knowledge of good and evil

              • He created you in His image, but you’re not really like Him

              • These were all lies

            • PRINCIPLE #1 – A distorted view of the character of God can cause a person to sin against a holy God.

          • Side note – the verbs in verse 5 are in the plural, so we should see the word “you” as being plural instead of singular (this is perhaps the case, because the serpent is speaking to both the man and the woman, although it has only addressed the woman directly) [Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-17, 188]

          • “Whenever one makes his own will crucial and God’s revealed will irrelevant, whenever autonomy displaces submission and obedience in a person, that finite individual attempts to rise above the limitations imposed on him by his creator.” ​​ [Hamilton, 190]

        • The trap is set – doubt has been established in the heart of the man and woman

    • The Tragedy (vv. 6-7)

        • Justification

          • Woman

            • Good for food, pleasing to the eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom

            • “Here is the essence of covetousness. ​​ It is the attitude that says I need something I do not now have in order to be happy.” ​​ [Hamilton, 190]

            • None of us are exempt from the same attitude that the woman had

              • 1 John 2:15-17, Do not love the world or anything in the world. ​​ If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ​​ For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of the eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world. ​​ The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

              • Cravings of sinful man (good for food)

              • Lust of the eyes (pleasing to the eye)

              • Boasting of what we have and do (desirable for gaining wisdom)

              • “Doubt, unbelief, and pride were the roots of the sin of our first parents . . .” ​​ [Keil & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 1, The Pentateuch, 60]

              • Those roots haven’t changed – they are the same for us today

            • PRINCIPLE #2 – True wisdom only comes from the Lord.

              • So often we try to find wisdom and truth in all the wrong places

              • In fact, we’ll search until we find wisdom and truth that matches our preconceived ideas or desires

              • But, that’s not true wisdom

                • Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

                • This is not being afraid of the Lord, but rather reverencing Him – acknowledging who He is

              • Application

                • Where do we turn for wisdom and knowledge?

                  • Some people turn to the New York Times Bestseller list (they want to read the books that are trending, whether secular or religious)

                  • Others turn to the “popular/successful” preachers, evangelists, or speakers

                  • Still, others turn to government officials, celebrities, or professionals

                  • There are certain vitamins and supplements that boast a boosting of our brain power – perhaps we’ve turned to this for wisdom and knowledge

                  • “Ignorance, disregard, or deception about God’s word makes a person vulnerable to temptation.” ​​ [Gangel & Bramer, 42]

                • Where should we turn for true wisdom and knowledge?

                  • Psalm 119:9-11, How can a young man keep his way pure? ​​ By living according to your word. ​​ I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. ​​ I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

                  • This takes us back to the importance of studying God’s Word and seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance in understanding it

                  • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Seek true wisdom from the Lord by studying His Word and hiding it in my heart.

              • “Failure to appreciate God’s goodness leads to distrust of his goodness. ​​ Distrust leads to dissatisfaction and finally to disobedience.” ​​ [Gangel & Bramer, 42]

              • “One of the easiest paths from temptation to sin is the path of instant gratification.” ​​ [Atkinson, The Bible Speaks Today, The Message of Genesis 1-11, 86]

            • She ate

              • The woman disobeyed God’s command by taking some of the fruit and eating it

              • Many times we’re more comfortable disobeying when there are others there to join us

              • Romans 1:32, Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

              • Paul has a list of things that those with a depraved mind do (Rom. 1:29-31)

            • Now the narrator tells us, directly, that the man was with her

          • Man

            • The woman offered the fruit to the man and he ate it too

            • He wasn’t deceived, but rather just followed the lead of the woman

            • 1 Timothy 2:14, And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.

            • The man ate with full knowledge about what he was doing

            • He should have been the leader of his household and chosen not to eat, even though the woman had already eaten

          • Their eyes were definitely opened, but not in the way they thought

        • Realization

          • Obviously the man and woman thought that the benefits of eating were going to be incredible

          • They were going to have something that the Lord had not given them to this point – knowledge of good and evil

          • Unfortunately, the serpent oversold the benefits

          • What they actually experienced was not some sense of fulfillment and satisfaction that brought them incredible joy and happiness

          • They experienced guilt and shame

            • Up to this point they were naked and unashamed

              • They were fully confident in who they were

              • They did not have any body image issues or fears

              • They did not look at each other’s naked bodies with lustful thoughts and improper desires

            • “They had lost ‘that blessed blindness, the ignorance of innocence, which knows nothing of nakedness’ (Ziegler).” ​​ [Kiel & Delitzsch, 60]

          • They tried to deal with their sin on their own

            • They sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves

            • [Show picture of fig leaf]

            • The fig tree has the largest leaves of any of the trees that grow in Palestine

            • These fig leaves weren’t going to last very long – it was a short-term fix to a long-term problem

            • How many times have we tried to deal with our sin on our own?

        • We can’t hide our sin from God, because He is all-knowing

        • That’s what the man and the woman were about to find out

    • The Discovery (vv. 8-13)

        • Hiding from the Lord God

          • Most scholars believe that the Lord God came down every day and walked and talked with the man and the woman

          • They had an incredible relationship and friendship

          • But this particular day was different

          • The man and woman were afraid, so they hid themselves from the Lord God

        • Questions from the Lord God

          • “Where are you?”

            • Perhaps the man and woman eagerly greeted the Lord each evening, but they didn’t this evening

            • So, the Lord calls to the man and asks where he is?

            • The Lord didn’t ask him why he was hiding

              • “The question, Where are you? Was a rhetorical question asked for their benefit. ​​ God, in his mercy, was giving them a chance to acknowledge their wrong.” ​​ [Gangel & Bramer, 43]

              • The Lord was giving him an opportunity to come clean on his own

              • Even in our failures, God provides mercy.

            • The man’s response doesn’t answer the Lord’s, “where question,” but it does answer the unspoken, “why question,” that when he heard the Lord in the garden, he was afraid because he was naked, so he hid

          • “Who told you that you were naked? ​​ Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

            • Something has changed!

            • The man and woman were never concerned about being naked in His presence before

            • They must have gained some new knowledge – the knowledge of good and evil

          • The man’s response to the Lord’s two questions starts the blame game

        • Shifting blame

          • The man

            • First, he blames God – “The woman you put here with me . . .” (This is really Your fault, God!)

            • He blames the woman – “. . . she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” (I thought she was a godly woman, but I guess not!)

            • Notice that he doesn’t say he was innocent

          • The woman

            • The Lord then turns to the woman and asks her what she’s done?

            • The woman doesn’t blame God, but she does blame the serpent

            • She admits to the fact that she was deceived by the serpent

            • Again, she doesn’t say she is innocent

          • Application

            • The man and woman reacted in the same way that you and I react when confronted with our disobedience and sin

            • We become defensive and try to shift the blame

              • We try to blame other people (i.e. – God, friends, parents, siblings, etc.)

              • We try to blame our environment, culture, and how we were raised

              • We’ll blame everything and everyone else, but ourselves

            • PRINCIPLE #3 – We are responsible for our own choices.

              • Healing only begins when we are willing to admit that we have done something wrong and accept responsibility for it

              • This is a difficult step for us, as human beings, to take

              • We are ultimately concerned with our own self-preservation

              • Take a moment to reflect on your life right now

                • Is there something you’ve done wrong?

                • Have you taken responsibility for it, or are you still shifting blame?

              • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Take responsibility for the wrong things I’ve done and seek forgiveness from God and those I’ve wronged.

        • There are always consequences for our disobedience

    • The Penalty (vv. 14-19)

        • The serpent (vv. 14-15)

          • Cursed above all the livestock and wild animals

          • Humbled

            • I’ve heard it said before that snakes used to have legs and walk upright, but there is nothing in this passage that would confirm that

            • Also, we know that snakes don’t just eat dust as their only food source – they’re great at keeping the mouse and rat population under control

            • These two images are symbolic of humiliation and subjugation

          • Lifelong struggle

            • This lifelong struggle will not only be between the woman and the snake, but between their offspring for generations

            • It will end with the woman’s offspring gaining the upper hand

              • If you’ve ever heard Vinnie Spangler talk about his mother and wife as it concerns snakes, you’ll realize that the enmity between the woman’s offspring and the snakes offspring still exists in our day and age

              • Both his mother and wife were scared to death of snakes, but they would go and get a shovel and chase that snake down and cut its head off

            • The same Hebrew word is used for “crush” and “strike”

              • So, the second half of verse 15 should be translated, he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel

              • Some believe this is a foreshadowing of Christ, but others believe it’s not

              • Whether it was meant to be or not is not important to this passage

          • Next, the Lord God turns to the woman

        • The woman (v. 16)

          • Increased pain in childbearing

            • There are two different Hebrew words that are translated “pain”

              • The first one is only found two other places in the Old Testament (Gen. 3:17; 5:29) which talk about the pain associated with working the ground that God has cursed

              • “Nouns from the same root refer to pain, agony, hardship, worry, nuisance, and anxiety.” ​​ [Walton, 227]

              • The second one is used in other places to indicate strenuous or hard work

              • Childbearing will be both emotionally and physically demanding

            • Women who have gone through childbirth and childrearing, understand both kinds of pain

            • With the increase in pain of childbearing, it wouldn’t be inconceivable for most families to only have one child, but the Lord put an incredible desire within women

          • Desire for her husband

            • The woman’s maternal instinct will drive her to desire her husband

            • It’s all a part of God’s plan and blessing on the man and woman to “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” (Gen. 1:28)

            • “The basic idea here is that woman’s desire, which renders her dependent, is traceable to her need to fulfill her maternal instinct. . . . For now let us recall what sociologists have called the principle of lesser or least interest: ​​ In a relationship involving two partners, the one with the greater need of the other is the more vulnerable, while the one with the lesser interest in the relationship is in a position of dominance.” ​​ [Brichto cited by Walton, 228]

            • The man will have the position of dominance over the woman as it pertains to her maternal desires

            • We know from Paul’s writings “that husbands and wives who love each other and are filled with the Spirit will be mutually submissive (Eph. 5:18ff; 1 Cor. 7:1-6).” ​​ [Wiersbe, 33-34]

          • God’s mercy shown

            • We see God’s mercy shown here in the fact that the woman will live long enough to bear children

            • Also, we see God’s mercy in the fact that the woman will not be barren

            • Even in our failures, God provides mercy.

          • Finally, we see the penalty for the man

        • The man (vv. 17-19)

          • Because he listened to his wife and disobeyed the Lord we see the cursing of the ground

          • What once was considered enjoyable – tending the garden and guarding it – will now be painful toil

          • The man will have to work hard in order to provide food for his family

          • This will be an ongoing, life-long toil

          • God’s mercy shown

            • Notice that the man will be able to provide food for his family

            • The Lord was not going to allow them to starve to death

            • Even in our failures, God provides mercy.

        • Application

          • PRINCIPLE #4 – Sin is not an isolated action; it always has social consequences.

            • Satan wants us to believe that our sin, especially our secret sin, isn’t going to hurt anyone

            • That’s simply not true

            • Pornography does affect our spouse and how we view other men and women

            • Adultery and affairs affect our spouse and children

            • Substance abuse does affect our family and friends

            • Gossip, spiritual pride, unforgiveness, hatred, etc. affect all of our relationships

            • Our sin is not isolated

          • #4 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Confess my sin to the Lord and to those who are affected by it.

        • Finally, we see how God recovers what was lost

    • The Recovery (vv. 20-24)

        • Naming of the woman

          • Adam names his wife Eve

          • He names her this because she was the mother of all the living

          • Although she had not had any children yet, Adam is trusting the Lord and believing that, even through her penalty of having increased pain in childbearing, the Lord was going to provide children for them

          • Adam believed the blessing of Genesis 1:28 and accepted the mercy of God, even in their failures

        • Making of garments

          • We see the mercy of God through the making of garments for them

          • God realized that the fig leaves were a short-term solution to a long-term problem

          • God knew that animal skins were going to be more durable over the long haul

          • Some believe this is a foreshadowing of the sacrificial system that God institutes for the Israelites later on

          • It certainly could be, but that’s not stated here

        • Protecting the man and woman

          • What seems like a punishment is also protection for Adam and Eve

          • While they won’t have the benefit of a beautiful garden with an unlimited variety of food, God is protecting them from eating from the tree of life and living forever in their sinful state – separated from Him

          • Even in our failures, God provides mercy.

          • Notice that God provided His mercy for them before He banished them from the garden

          • Safeguards in place

            • The Lord placed cherubim on the east side of the garden, which leads us to believe that Adam and Eve settled somewhere east of the garden

            • He also placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life

 

  • YOU

    • Do you have a distorted view of God’s character?

    • Where are you seeking wisdom and knowledge from?

    • Are you ready to take responsibility for the wrong things you’ve done?

    • Are you ready to confess your sin to the Lord and those affected by it?

 

  • WE

    •  

 

CONCLUSION

In evil long I took delight,

 Unawed by shame or fear,

Till a new object struck my sight,

 And stopped my wild career:

I saw One hanging on a Tree

 In agonies and blood,

Who fix’d His languid eyes on me,

 As near His Cross I stood.

 

Sure never till my latest breath

 Can I forget that look:

It seem’d to charge me with His death,

 Though not a word He spoke:

My conscience felt and owned the guilt,

 And plunged me in despair;

I saw my sins His Blood had spilt,

 And help’d to nail Him there.

Alas! ​​ I knew not what I did!

 But now my tears are vain:

Where shall my trembling soul be hid?

 For I the Lord have slain!

-- A second look He gave, which said,

 ‘I freely all forgive;

This Blood is for thy ransom paid;

 I die, that thou may’st live.’

 

Thus, while His death my sin displays

 In all its blackest hue,

Such is the mystery of grace,

 It seals my pardon too.

With pleasing grief, and mournful joy,

 My spirit now is fill’d,

That I should such a life destroy, --

 Yet live by Him I kill’d!

 

[John Newton (1725-1807)].

 

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