Creation
Genesis 1-2
Message #1
I’m very excited to be starting a new series today. I am always excited to start a new series, but I’m especially excited to begin this one because this one involves you. Everything I teach is for you, even if I’m teaching something I am personally learning, I believe God wants to use it for you.
But this series is really for you – it’s for you to use. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ today, this series is for you to help you do your part in the Great Commission. In Matthew 28, verse 19, Jesus says to every one of his followers,
Matthew 28:19 (ESV)
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations . . .
And we want to be doing that – actually be doing that, and we want to give you the resources for you to actually be going therefore and making disciples.
So, this series is designed to
1). Help you BECOME a disciple
2). Help you GO AND MAKE other disciples
We’re calling this series "God’s Plan – Genesis to Revelation." And we’re going to start the series with fifteen messages that show God’s single plan for Mankind, from Genesis to Revelation. In just fifteen messages, we’re going to tie the entire Bible together showing one single plan from God. Then, after we get a good handle on God’s single plan in the Bible, we’re going to spend some time talking about how we are called to join God – in his plan.
Ultimately, we are doing this series because we want to help you make disciples in your own life. A disciple is a full-time follower of Jesus Christ. A full-time follower is not just referring to "twenty-four/seven" chronological time, but it means “in all things” – as in “I follow Jesus in all things.” What I watch, what I listen to, how I speak, and decisions I make at work, in my family, and in my alone time. I’m a full-time follower of Jesus Christ – I’m a disciple of Christ.
And if you do not consider yourself a disciple, this series is still for you – so don’t tune out. Our prayer is those who are disciples will go through this teaching with those who do not yet consider themselves disciples. And our prayer is that you would choose to be a full-time follower of Jesus Christ. Please be asking God to reveal to you his single plan, from Genesis to Revelation, and that your life would be transformed by it.
As we survey God’s plan, end-to-end, in the Bible, I promise moments when you are just in AWE of God
In awe of his OMNISCIENCE (all-knowingness)
In awe of his OMNIPOTENCE (All-powerfulness) – and most importantly –
In awe of his UNCONDITIONAL and UNFAILING LOVE – for you.
Then, if you decide to become a disciple (full-time follower), we’ll talk about what to do next.
Now, as we go through this series, we are going to use this book called, “Multiply” by Francis Chan and Mark Beuving. The full title is, “Multiply – Disciples Making Disciples.”
And that phrase, “Disciples Making Disciples” is a very important phrase to this church. Four years ago, in January 2009, we shook things to the core around here, and we re-focused the sole purpose (Mission) of this church on that exact statement – “Disciples Making Disciples.” It was the summary of our renewed mission statement, long before this book was written. That is what we want to be about here and that’s what the authors of this book are about.
So, I’m going to use the chapter titles in this book as the titles for the series. I hope you will get a copy of this book and read it along with these messages. You don’t have to have the book; you don’t have to read it. You’ll still be blessed by the series, without it. But if you will read the book along with the series, you’ll be better able to grasp God’s plan, and you’ll be better prepared to help others grasp God’s plan.
You can get this book on Amazon. You can also download, read, listen – for free – at multiplymovement.com and watch videos there. If you can go through this book with us, you will really benefit from it, and preferably don’t go through it alone. Go through it with someone else.
Now, if you do go through the Multiply book as I’m teaching this series, you’ll notice I’m not starting at the beginning of the book. I’m actually starting this series in Part IV – “Understanding The Old Testament” and when we finish studying God’s plan from Genesis to Revelation, THEN we’ll go back to the first three parts on Being a Disciple. That’s the game plan. So, strap in, and let’s get started.
The way we teach the Bible today - sometimes it’s hard to see there’s actually ONE, CONSISTENT story – beginning to end. Sometimes it’s hard to see – God has ONE PLAN – Genesis to Revelation. But One of the Most Miraculous things about the Bible is the one plan thread that runs from beginning to end.
The Bible is hands down, stand-alone, the most miraculous book in the history of the world. And one of the huge miracles of the Bible is this single, consistent, never-changing plan of God has been written by forty authors, over 1500 years, on three continents – ALL BEFORE there was a World-Wide-Web or international cell phone plans.
How can forty authors, over 1500 years, on three continents, write one single story – one single plan of God? 2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV) says, All Scripture is breathed out by God . . . and THAT is the only way forty Authors, over 1500 years, on three continents could write ONE single story – ONE single PLAN OF GOD. The single plan of God has often been called “The Scarlet Thread of Redemption” – from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22.
And this plan is so big, so eternal – it must start with its primary subject… GOD! And God alone! This plan is God’s. This story is about God. Even your role in this plan is actually about God because this is God’s plan to create and redeem a people for his own glory!
So, the Bible begins with the eternal focus of this great plan.
Genesis 1:1 (ESV)
1 In the beginning, God . . .
In the beginning, God was already there. He started it. He created it. He holds it all together. That makes this is all God’s story and all God’s plan. God is the only character in Genesis Chapter 1, and he begins his plan by creating all that’s been created. Genesis 1, verse 1 tells us the following.
Genesis 1:1 (ESV)
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
God has a plan, and this is the initial unfolding of that plan. The Hebrew word for “created” is BARA, used only with God as its subject means “create out of nothing.” Its counterpart in Latin (early church) is “EX NIHILO” (out of nothing). God created the Heavens and the earth out of nothing to set the stage for his plan. In fact, Genesis 1-3 sets the stage for the entire rest of the Bible. In Genesis Chapters 1-2, we see the world as God created it to be. In Genesis Chapter 3, we see the Fall and the beginning of God’s plan of redemption.
This is God’s world. The story starts with God speaking creation into existence.
Genesis 1:2 (ESV)
2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Then, in the following verses, God spoke this world into existence.
God Said - “Let there be LIGHT,”
“Let there be SKY,”
“Let there be LAND and SEA,”
“Let there be GREEN VEGETATION”
“Let there be SUN and MOON”
“Let there be FISH and BIRDS and Animals on the Earth”
The creation account separates God from everything else. He is the Creator – everything else is his creation, which maybe, for some of us, should lead to more humility in how we deal with God…
So, God created the Heavens and the earth. And then in Genesis 1, verse 26, God kind of “tops off” his creation.
Genesis 1:26 (ESV)
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . .
WHO is it that God is conferring with here? Let’s address the Trinity really quick.
The Bible teaches that God exists as One True God in Three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Creator God of the Bible is One God – existing in three Persons who are fully equal and yet individually distinct.
Throughout Genesis 1, the name used for God is ELOHIM which is the plural form of the Hebrew word for GOD… Some point out his may refer to God’s plural majesties/attributes, and maybe so, because that is true as well. But the Trinity is clearly here in Genesis 1, regardless. In Genesis 1, verse 2, the Holy Spirit is named as having part in Creation. And both John Chapter 1 and Colossians Chapter 1 make it clear, Jesus Christ was THE AGENT of Creation.
John 1:3 (ESV)
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Colossians 1:16 (ESV)
16 By Him all things were created . . . all things were created through him and for him.
AND, this is not the only place the Godhead confers with itself.
Genesis 3:22 (ESV) Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.
Genesis 11:7 (ESV) Come, let us go down and confuse their language,
Isaiah 6:8 (ESV) Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
This is what makes Mankind unique over all of creation. We are made in the image and likeness of God. God made us (in some respect) in his image… No other part of God’s creation has this trait. Mankind alone was created by God – in his image.
There’s a lot that could be said to be made “in His image”
Our Personality (or Soul)
Our Decision-Making Will
Our Relational Based Lives
And especially our Spirit – which enables us to know and worship God.
But I believe being created in the image of God is about reflecting God in some way to the rest of his Creation because we are made in God’s image (spiritually) and because the Spirit of God can live in us… We are able to display God’s nature and God’s attributes in a way the rest of creation cannot. Guys, we were created not only to commune with God but also to reflect his image to this world.
Plus, God made us to share dominion with him, which is another way we’re made in his image. Let’s read this verse one more time.
Genesis 1:26 (ESV)
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
That’s a pretty big start for God’s plan, and then in Genesis Chapter 2, God gets more personal. We see it even in the name used for God – from Chapter 1 to Chapter 2. We already mentioned the Hebrew name for God in Chapter 1 – ELOHIM, which is actually a title of recognition, authority.
But in Genesis Chapter 2 we see (for the first time) the personal, covenant-making name of God – YAHWEH, written LORD (all caps) in most of your Bibles. And throughout the Old Testament we see when God is relating personally, especially in making a covenant, he uses the name YAHWEH. Along that line, we can see Genesis 1 as God’s authority and Genesis 2 as God’s intimacy in Creation. Look at how personal the creation of Man was.
Genesis 2:7 (ESV)
7 then the Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
Like a Master Sculptor making a masterpiece, when YAHWEH (personal name) formed Man, he stooped down and “formed” man (used of a potter’s work), and then, God blew the “the breath of life” into Man. And THAT is what made man a living being like nothing else in creation. God breathed his own life into Man.
And just as intimate was God’s completing of Mankind. When he created woman, Adam had already been put to work (which we’ll come back to) and he got to name all the animals, which shows God working with Man in dominion of the earth. But it seems like it was all a lesson for Adam. God was showing Adam his need for close relationship because God made us for relationship.
We read the following in Genesis 2, verses 21-22.
Genesis 2:21–22 (ESV)
21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
Notice how personal, how intimate is God’s work with Mankind – The Master Potter creating his masterpiece, and then breathing his life into it. And then, God showing Man how much woman is a part of him, and proving we were created to be one flesh. And even though these are the foundation verses for marriage, I want you to see just two things here.
1). The personal, life-giving intimacy of God’s creation of Mankind
2). Our created requirement for relationship with God and each other
These are the things that make us in the image of God… along with us reflecting God in the dominion he’s given us on his behalf (which we see in Genesis 1:26, Genesis 1:28).
And finally, it’s critically important we see what God intended our life to look like and our relationship with him to look like, and we see a picture of both those things in the Garden, back up in Genesis 2, verse 8.
Genesis 2:8 (ESV)
8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.
The Garden of Eden was a Paradise for Mankind to live in relationship with one another and with God.
Genesis 2:9 (ESV)
9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
And then, Genesis 2, verse 15 says,
Genesis 2:15 (ESV)
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
Sometimes we think work is a part of the curse, but it’s not. We were made to be productive, and enjoy our work. So, God creates a Paradise for Mankind to live, and work, and have relationship with each other and God.
And then, in Genesis 2, verses 16-17, God makes his first covenant with Adam. The first time we see the word “command” remember, God is the CREATOR. Man is the created. God had given Man great honor and privilege, and now, Man is given responsibility to go with it.
If Man CHOOSES GOD’S way – he lives
If Man CHOOSES his OWN way – he dies
This is man’s first opportunity to choose to obey God.
Genesis 2:16–17 (ESV)
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Seems pretty clear… Enjoy the Paradise I’ve made for you. Obey my command and live OR reject my command and die. And as you may know, in the next chapter, all of this that God created for Mankind is “put on hold.” Adam, who we call “The Federal Head” of all Mankind, sins by rejecting God’s command, and a six-thousand-year pause is put into effect, while God fully, completely, and eternally deals with sin.
But, before we get to the bad news… can you see the pinnacle of all of God’s creation was his personal, intimate creation of Mankind? And can you see the place he created for Mankind to live in real communion with God? This incredible picture that Genesis Chapters 1-2 describes, is the picture of God’s plan for Mankind to live in harmony with God and with each other, in the world God created for us.
But don’t worry, this Paradise – where Man lives in harmony with God and with each other – is not lost! This Paradise will return to this earth WHEN Jesus returns to set all things back to this state. We just saw that, as we finished Revelation.
God has only one plan from Genesis to Revelation
And in his OMNISCIENCE he knew
And in his OMNIPOTENCE he will prevail
And in his LOVE he has already MADE A WAY.
That way – is in Jesus Christ…
Jesus, himself, said in John 14, verse 6,
John 14:6 (ESV)
6 . . .“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
A disciple is a full-time follower of Jesus Christ and you can become a disciple, today.
But this series is really for you – it’s for you to use. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ today, this series is for you to help you do your part in the Great Commission. In Matthew 28, verse 19, Jesus says to every one of his followers,
Matthew 28:19 (ESV)
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations . . .
And we want to be doing that – actually be doing that, and we want to give you the resources for you to actually be going therefore and making disciples.
So, this series is designed to
1). Help you BECOME a disciple
2). Help you GO AND MAKE other disciples
We’re calling this series "God’s Plan – Genesis to Revelation." And we’re going to start the series with fifteen messages that show God’s single plan for Mankind, from Genesis to Revelation. In just fifteen messages, we’re going to tie the entire Bible together showing one single plan from God. Then, after we get a good handle on God’s single plan in the Bible, we’re going to spend some time talking about how we are called to join God – in his plan.
Ultimately, we are doing this series because we want to help you make disciples in your own life. A disciple is a full-time follower of Jesus Christ. A full-time follower is not just referring to "twenty-four/seven" chronological time, but it means “in all things” – as in “I follow Jesus in all things.” What I watch, what I listen to, how I speak, and decisions I make at work, in my family, and in my alone time. I’m a full-time follower of Jesus Christ – I’m a disciple of Christ.
And if you do not consider yourself a disciple, this series is still for you – so don’t tune out. Our prayer is those who are disciples will go through this teaching with those who do not yet consider themselves disciples. And our prayer is that you would choose to be a full-time follower of Jesus Christ. Please be asking God to reveal to you his single plan, from Genesis to Revelation, and that your life would be transformed by it.
As we survey God’s plan, end-to-end, in the Bible, I promise moments when you are just in AWE of God
In awe of his OMNISCIENCE (all-knowingness)
In awe of his OMNIPOTENCE (All-powerfulness) – and most importantly –
In awe of his UNCONDITIONAL and UNFAILING LOVE – for you.
Then, if you decide to become a disciple (full-time follower), we’ll talk about what to do next.
Now, as we go through this series, we are going to use this book called, “Multiply” by Francis Chan and Mark Beuving. The full title is, “Multiply – Disciples Making Disciples.”
And that phrase, “Disciples Making Disciples” is a very important phrase to this church. Four years ago, in January 2009, we shook things to the core around here, and we re-focused the sole purpose (Mission) of this church on that exact statement – “Disciples Making Disciples.” It was the summary of our renewed mission statement, long before this book was written. That is what we want to be about here and that’s what the authors of this book are about.
So, I’m going to use the chapter titles in this book as the titles for the series. I hope you will get a copy of this book and read it along with these messages. You don’t have to have the book; you don’t have to read it. You’ll still be blessed by the series, without it. But if you will read the book along with the series, you’ll be better able to grasp God’s plan, and you’ll be better prepared to help others grasp God’s plan.
You can get this book on Amazon. You can also download, read, listen – for free – at multiplymovement.com and watch videos there. If you can go through this book with us, you will really benefit from it, and preferably don’t go through it alone. Go through it with someone else.
Now, if you do go through the Multiply book as I’m teaching this series, you’ll notice I’m not starting at the beginning of the book. I’m actually starting this series in Part IV – “Understanding The Old Testament” and when we finish studying God’s plan from Genesis to Revelation, THEN we’ll go back to the first three parts on Being a Disciple. That’s the game plan. So, strap in, and let’s get started.
The way we teach the Bible today - sometimes it’s hard to see there’s actually ONE, CONSISTENT story – beginning to end. Sometimes it’s hard to see – God has ONE PLAN – Genesis to Revelation. But One of the Most Miraculous things about the Bible is the one plan thread that runs from beginning to end.
The Bible is hands down, stand-alone, the most miraculous book in the history of the world. And one of the huge miracles of the Bible is this single, consistent, never-changing plan of God has been written by forty authors, over 1500 years, on three continents – ALL BEFORE there was a World-Wide-Web or international cell phone plans.
How can forty authors, over 1500 years, on three continents, write one single story – one single plan of God? 2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV) says, All Scripture is breathed out by God . . . and THAT is the only way forty Authors, over 1500 years, on three continents could write ONE single story – ONE single PLAN OF GOD. The single plan of God has often been called “The Scarlet Thread of Redemption” – from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22.
And this plan is so big, so eternal – it must start with its primary subject… GOD! And God alone! This plan is God’s. This story is about God. Even your role in this plan is actually about God because this is God’s plan to create and redeem a people for his own glory!
So, the Bible begins with the eternal focus of this great plan.
Genesis 1:1 (ESV)
1 In the beginning, God . . .
In the beginning, God was already there. He started it. He created it. He holds it all together. That makes this is all God’s story and all God’s plan. God is the only character in Genesis Chapter 1, and he begins his plan by creating all that’s been created. Genesis 1, verse 1 tells us the following.
Genesis 1:1 (ESV)
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
God has a plan, and this is the initial unfolding of that plan. The Hebrew word for “created” is BARA, used only with God as its subject means “create out of nothing.” Its counterpart in Latin (early church) is “EX NIHILO” (out of nothing). God created the Heavens and the earth out of nothing to set the stage for his plan. In fact, Genesis 1-3 sets the stage for the entire rest of the Bible. In Genesis Chapters 1-2, we see the world as God created it to be. In Genesis Chapter 3, we see the Fall and the beginning of God’s plan of redemption.
This is God’s world. The story starts with God speaking creation into existence.
Genesis 1:2 (ESV)
2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Then, in the following verses, God spoke this world into existence.
God Said - “Let there be LIGHT,”
“Let there be SKY,”
“Let there be LAND and SEA,”
“Let there be GREEN VEGETATION”
“Let there be SUN and MOON”
“Let there be FISH and BIRDS and Animals on the Earth”
The creation account separates God from everything else. He is the Creator – everything else is his creation, which maybe, for some of us, should lead to more humility in how we deal with God…
So, God created the Heavens and the earth. And then in Genesis 1, verse 26, God kind of “tops off” his creation.
Genesis 1:26 (ESV)
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . .
WHO is it that God is conferring with here? Let’s address the Trinity really quick.
The Bible teaches that God exists as One True God in Three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Creator God of the Bible is One God – existing in three Persons who are fully equal and yet individually distinct.
Throughout Genesis 1, the name used for God is ELOHIM which is the plural form of the Hebrew word for GOD… Some point out his may refer to God’s plural majesties/attributes, and maybe so, because that is true as well. But the Trinity is clearly here in Genesis 1, regardless. In Genesis 1, verse 2, the Holy Spirit is named as having part in Creation. And both John Chapter 1 and Colossians Chapter 1 make it clear, Jesus Christ was THE AGENT of Creation.
John 1:3 (ESV)
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Colossians 1:16 (ESV)
16 By Him all things were created . . . all things were created through him and for him.
AND, this is not the only place the Godhead confers with itself.
Genesis 3:22 (ESV) Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.
Genesis 11:7 (ESV) Come, let us go down and confuse their language,
Isaiah 6:8 (ESV) Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
This is what makes Mankind unique over all of creation. We are made in the image and likeness of God. God made us (in some respect) in his image… No other part of God’s creation has this trait. Mankind alone was created by God – in his image.
There’s a lot that could be said to be made “in His image”
Our Personality (or Soul)
Our Decision-Making Will
Our Relational Based Lives
And especially our Spirit – which enables us to know and worship God.
But I believe being created in the image of God is about reflecting God in some way to the rest of his Creation because we are made in God’s image (spiritually) and because the Spirit of God can live in us… We are able to display God’s nature and God’s attributes in a way the rest of creation cannot. Guys, we were created not only to commune with God but also to reflect his image to this world.
Plus, God made us to share dominion with him, which is another way we’re made in his image. Let’s read this verse one more time.
Genesis 1:26 (ESV)
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
That’s a pretty big start for God’s plan, and then in Genesis Chapter 2, God gets more personal. We see it even in the name used for God – from Chapter 1 to Chapter 2. We already mentioned the Hebrew name for God in Chapter 1 – ELOHIM, which is actually a title of recognition, authority.
But in Genesis Chapter 2 we see (for the first time) the personal, covenant-making name of God – YAHWEH, written LORD (all caps) in most of your Bibles. And throughout the Old Testament we see when God is relating personally, especially in making a covenant, he uses the name YAHWEH. Along that line, we can see Genesis 1 as God’s authority and Genesis 2 as God’s intimacy in Creation. Look at how personal the creation of Man was.
Genesis 2:7 (ESV)
7 then the Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
Like a Master Sculptor making a masterpiece, when YAHWEH (personal name) formed Man, he stooped down and “formed” man (used of a potter’s work), and then, God blew the “the breath of life” into Man. And THAT is what made man a living being like nothing else in creation. God breathed his own life into Man.
And just as intimate was God’s completing of Mankind. When he created woman, Adam had already been put to work (which we’ll come back to) and he got to name all the animals, which shows God working with Man in dominion of the earth. But it seems like it was all a lesson for Adam. God was showing Adam his need for close relationship because God made us for relationship.
We read the following in Genesis 2, verses 21-22.
Genesis 2:21–22 (ESV)
21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
Notice how personal, how intimate is God’s work with Mankind – The Master Potter creating his masterpiece, and then breathing his life into it. And then, God showing Man how much woman is a part of him, and proving we were created to be one flesh. And even though these are the foundation verses for marriage, I want you to see just two things here.
1). The personal, life-giving intimacy of God’s creation of Mankind
2). Our created requirement for relationship with God and each other
These are the things that make us in the image of God… along with us reflecting God in the dominion he’s given us on his behalf (which we see in Genesis 1:26, Genesis 1:28).
And finally, it’s critically important we see what God intended our life to look like and our relationship with him to look like, and we see a picture of both those things in the Garden, back up in Genesis 2, verse 8.
Genesis 2:8 (ESV)
8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.
The Garden of Eden was a Paradise for Mankind to live in relationship with one another and with God.
Genesis 2:9 (ESV)
9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
And then, Genesis 2, verse 15 says,
Genesis 2:15 (ESV)
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
Sometimes we think work is a part of the curse, but it’s not. We were made to be productive, and enjoy our work. So, God creates a Paradise for Mankind to live, and work, and have relationship with each other and God.
And then, in Genesis 2, verses 16-17, God makes his first covenant with Adam. The first time we see the word “command” remember, God is the CREATOR. Man is the created. God had given Man great honor and privilege, and now, Man is given responsibility to go with it.
If Man CHOOSES GOD’S way – he lives
If Man CHOOSES his OWN way – he dies
This is man’s first opportunity to choose to obey God.
Genesis 2:16–17 (ESV)
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Seems pretty clear… Enjoy the Paradise I’ve made for you. Obey my command and live OR reject my command and die. And as you may know, in the next chapter, all of this that God created for Mankind is “put on hold.” Adam, who we call “The Federal Head” of all Mankind, sins by rejecting God’s command, and a six-thousand-year pause is put into effect, while God fully, completely, and eternally deals with sin.
But, before we get to the bad news… can you see the pinnacle of all of God’s creation was his personal, intimate creation of Mankind? And can you see the place he created for Mankind to live in real communion with God? This incredible picture that Genesis Chapters 1-2 describes, is the picture of God’s plan for Mankind to live in harmony with God and with each other, in the world God created for us.
But don’t worry, this Paradise – where Man lives in harmony with God and with each other – is not lost! This Paradise will return to this earth WHEN Jesus returns to set all things back to this state. We just saw that, as we finished Revelation.
God has only one plan from Genesis to Revelation
And in his OMNISCIENCE he knew
And in his OMNIPOTENCE he will prevail
And in his LOVE he has already MADE A WAY.
That way – is in Jesus Christ…
Jesus, himself, said in John 14, verse 6,
John 14:6 (ESV)
6 . . .“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
A disciple is a full-time follower of Jesus Christ and you can become a disciple, today.