by Pastor Meng Cham
Big idea:
God desires us to do our very best to honour Jesus as our king
1. Welcome the king
Luke 2:1-5
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
Jesus is no ordinary baby, Jesus is Israel's long awaited Messiah
Micah 5:2-5
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans[a] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be our peace
when the Assyrians invade our land
and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
even eight commanders,
Micah Prophecy on Messiah coming through ordinary event..
Do we pause to thank God for seemingly happy coincideces that happens in our lives? What about unhappy coincidences?
# Trust Him instead of our sub optimal circumstances. Like Mary knowing she bears a Saviour of the world in her womb
Luke 2:6-7
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
Jesus cries were accompanied by the animals sounds
2. Worship the king
Matthew 2:1-2
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
At this time probably 2 years have passed and Jesus is already a child.
Magi are gentiles astronomers, they were star trakkies... They are not spectators, they are ex-spectators
Occult, black magic or astrology... Are not to be practiced.
Astro navigation were how people travel.... No GPS
Matthew 2:7-11
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
What/how did they mean to worship Him at this point of time?
They worship:
# with their hearts
- They rejoiced with great joy exceedingly with the moment of anticipation. We're the magi more ardent worshippers than us, today's believers?
# with their actions
- They fell and prostrate themselves before the king Jesus in child form. This lowly posture demonstrated their submission to Jesus the king
# gold, frankincense and myrrh are customary gifts for kings in those days
All of us can honour the king in two ways:
1. By surrendering our lives to His lordship as king by using what he has already given us which is Time, gift, talents. We can choose to use it for a lifetime or for eternity.
2. Going the distance in welcoming and worshipping Him
John 18:37
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
Above Jesus in reply to Pilate
Only once in human history that a "king become a baby"
** The greatest gift of Christmas is to Share the greatest gift of Jesus to others
Let's all be expectators not spectators !
Monday, December 16, 2024
Sunday, December 8, 2024
The Star of Christmas - Seek the Star
by Pastor Peter Lim
Matthew 2:1-2
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Big idea:
God wants us to encounter and experience Christ for ourselves
How do we experience Christ and not just know about him?
1. The star
- Is this star a planet, a nova, a super nova etc?
- Best to describe as supernatural occurrence because it rose and stays at a location
- what is the significance of this star?
- in ancient, people see special star as birth of royal family
- the star did not point to king Herod family
- instead it led wise men to real STAR
# The star led the wise men to the real STAR of Christmas
2. The scribes
Matthew 2:3-6
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’[a]”
- king Herod was troubled
- he was well known to be paranoid
- he wanted to kill jesus
- the city of Jerusalem was troubled with king Herod as well
- commentators said that to portray Jerusalem as opposition and rejection to the Messiah
- the scribes were experts in Jewish law, most of them were teachers
Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans[a] of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
- the scribes were able to identify the relevant verse and prophecy that points to the event
- yet they were so close yet so far
- however the scribes did not join the wise men in search of the baby
# When the scribes knew where the Messiah would be born they did not bother to join the wise men in their quest. The scribes took Jesus for granted
This is different between knowledge and insight
You can know about Christ but did not encounter Him
God could have used us mightily, oh taste and see... In the end we must taste God ourselves
Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
# Act on our knowledge about God and experience HIM personally
3. The shepherds
Luke 2:8-9
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
- shepherd's were peasant located in humility
- yet God chose to give first hand info about His son in a farm to the shepherds
# The glory of God would now occupy the most unexpected of places and reveal itself to the most unexpected of individual
Luke 2:10
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
The shepherds were filled with awe and fear but angels assured them to have no fear
The good news is for all people. To be preached in all nations and all people
Luke 2:11-12
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
In contrast to the knowledge of the scribes, the shepherds have the privilege of receiving this revelation
Revelation
# Jesus is the saviour, the Messiah, Lord and King
Luke 2:13-14
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Luke 2:14
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Joy, revelation and peace are just some of God's attributes
However, It's about experiencing God's glory, his beauty for ourselves personally
# It is pleasurable and wonderful just to know Him to enjoy His beauty and presence
Luke 2:15-18
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
# The shepherds don't have much to gain materially but their lives were changed and transformed. They simply share
# The shepherds were the first evangelists.
A. SEEK the star of Christmas (He's not just the theory, take it as truth, obey and live it out despite the grief, challenges, choose to experience God instead of the gift and benefits)
B. BE a star at Christmas (be a light to point people to Jesus)
Matthew 2:1-2
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Big idea:
God wants us to encounter and experience Christ for ourselves
How do we experience Christ and not just know about him?
1. The star
- Is this star a planet, a nova, a super nova etc?
- Best to describe as supernatural occurrence because it rose and stays at a location
- what is the significance of this star?
- in ancient, people see special star as birth of royal family
- the star did not point to king Herod family
- instead it led wise men to real STAR
# The star led the wise men to the real STAR of Christmas
2. The scribes
Matthew 2:3-6
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’[a]”
- king Herod was troubled
- he was well known to be paranoid
- he wanted to kill jesus
- the city of Jerusalem was troubled with king Herod as well
- commentators said that to portray Jerusalem as opposition and rejection to the Messiah
- the scribes were experts in Jewish law, most of them were teachers
Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans[a] of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
- the scribes were able to identify the relevant verse and prophecy that points to the event
- yet they were so close yet so far
- however the scribes did not join the wise men in search of the baby
# When the scribes knew where the Messiah would be born they did not bother to join the wise men in their quest. The scribes took Jesus for granted
This is different between knowledge and insight
You can know about Christ but did not encounter Him
God could have used us mightily, oh taste and see... In the end we must taste God ourselves
Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
# Act on our knowledge about God and experience HIM personally
3. The shepherds
Luke 2:8-9
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
- shepherd's were peasant located in humility
- yet God chose to give first hand info about His son in a farm to the shepherds
# The glory of God would now occupy the most unexpected of places and reveal itself to the most unexpected of individual
Luke 2:10
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
The shepherds were filled with awe and fear but angels assured them to have no fear
The good news is for all people. To be preached in all nations and all people
Luke 2:11-12
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
In contrast to the knowledge of the scribes, the shepherds have the privilege of receiving this revelation
Revelation
# Jesus is the saviour, the Messiah, Lord and King
Luke 2:13-14
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Luke 2:14
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Joy, revelation and peace are just some of God's attributes
However, It's about experiencing God's glory, his beauty for ourselves personally
# It is pleasurable and wonderful just to know Him to enjoy His beauty and presence
Luke 2:15-18
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
# The shepherds don't have much to gain materially but their lives were changed and transformed. They simply share
# The shepherds were the first evangelists.
A. SEEK the star of Christmas (He's not just the theory, take it as truth, obey and live it out despite the grief, challenges, choose to experience God instead of the gift and benefits)
B. BE a star at Christmas (be a light to point people to Jesus)
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Where is God when it hurts?
by Pastor Norman
Our inner witness of goodness
Romans 8:14-15
Where is God when it hurts? Our inner witness of goodness Romans 8:14-15
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[a] And by him we cry, “Abba,[b] Father.”
Romans 8:16-17
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
The holy spirit is the inner witness that bears testimony that we're children of God
Holy spirit Illuminate any ungodly beliefs
Suffering is a mark of our Christian walk
John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
We say if God is good, then there should be no suffering:
# Is because we've taken on the world values of what is good in life but God sees eternity
# Is because of how we see what is good
- Success, comfort and a life free from suffering
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Just because we've overcame doesn't mean there is no scars
He is with us, suffering is not His heart for us, while God didn't cause the suffering, bad things do happen. He's transforming us to be more like Christ.
Don't Feel, don't know, don't abide, don't comune with God out of church walls is not God's heart
Only in Wilderness can experience
If Jesus have defeated sin, why do we go through pain and suffering?
We live in a tension call the "already" but "not yet".
- He's working through us to trust him and represent Him
- we live in a gap that our prayer makes a difference
Romans 8:19-22
For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[a] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
A day will come when all creation will be free. Till then we'll experience all sufferings now on earth
Not everyone experience total and instantaneous healing
Miracles are rare but while waiting is to trust and get to know Him
Life is messy, and is not clear.
God is working through us to trust Him
God fights for us
Romans 8:26
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
In life there are going to be some things we don't have answer. Do we choose to trust Him or walk away?
Suffering, diseases, problems etc found us but God found me first
You must give up your rights of understanding When you desires His peace
Our inner witness of goodness
Romans 8:14-15
Where is God when it hurts? Our inner witness of goodness Romans 8:14-15
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[a] And by him we cry, “Abba,[b] Father.”
Romans 8:16-17
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
The holy spirit is the inner witness that bears testimony that we're children of God
Holy spirit Illuminate any ungodly beliefs
Suffering is a mark of our Christian walk
John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
We say if God is good, then there should be no suffering:
# Is because we've taken on the world values of what is good in life but God sees eternity
# Is because of how we see what is good
- Success, comfort and a life free from suffering
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Just because we've overcame doesn't mean there is no scars
He is with us, suffering is not His heart for us, while God didn't cause the suffering, bad things do happen. He's transforming us to be more like Christ.
Don't Feel, don't know, don't abide, don't comune with God out of church walls is not God's heart
Only in Wilderness can experience
If Jesus have defeated sin, why do we go through pain and suffering?
We live in a tension call the "already" but "not yet".
- He's working through us to trust him and represent Him
- we live in a gap that our prayer makes a difference
Romans 8:19-22
For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[a] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
A day will come when all creation will be free. Till then we'll experience all sufferings now on earth
Not everyone experience total and instantaneous healing
Miracles are rare but while waiting is to trust and get to know Him
Life is messy, and is not clear.
God is working through us to trust Him
God fights for us
Romans 8:26
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
In life there are going to be some things we don't have answer. Do we choose to trust Him or walk away?
Suffering, diseases, problems etc found us but God found me first
You must give up your rights of understanding When you desires His peace
Monday, November 4, 2024
It's ok not to be ok - Work "ok ok"
by Pastor lee meng cham
Big idea:
God desires us to thrive vocationally in what we do, not vacationally
A great mental issue in our society is Work, anxiety and stress
Cold sweat, tightness on chest:
A classic panic attack
Lifelong perfectionistic expectancy can cause negative mental issue
Look at work in three angles:
1. Fall & work
Genesis 1:27-29
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
Genesis 2:9
The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Yahweh is the original gardener
Men suppose to work originally. Work was meaningful, fruitful and enjoyable, work was good
But came the fall, before the fall, Adams work was in the garden. After the fall his work was outside the gardens, filled with pest, diseases, thorns. .. etc
Genesis 3:17-19
To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
Genesis 3:23
So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.
Israel economy was dependent on relationship with Yahweh. Whenever they serve idols Yahweh will send no harvest, enemies....
In those days in Israel, No harvest equals no food
For us today is no work equals no food
Stress after the fall also comes from the environment that our work is from
# We are to image Him in our work
Work itself is not cursed but it was placed under a curse
God desires us to look to Him as our sole provider
2. Faith & work
Matthew 6:24-34
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Do Not Worry 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Observe the Sabbath day and every Sabbath year
Yahweh will always provides more on the sixth day... Similarly also have more on the sixth year...
The Sabbath is a stop work order
Working non stop is idolatrous... Because we don't trust God enough
If we see work that can see us to latch a return, for providing us the only necessities of life, then we have made work an idol
It will cause us unnecessary stress to no end
We want to show that we are very cultured
"Ripped what you sewn"
How will my faith in God help me as I move into retirement. Remember the lilies and the birds. God will supply, do you have the faith?
Seek the kingdom and to pray the kingdom of God will come
To freely give so that we will reap in God's will
We are to Live in a way that he live in the earth
3. Frame our work today
"Work-wealth- wellbeing-Worth"
OR
"Worth-wellbeing-work-wealth"
# Work is not what we do apart from God but as a partnership with God
Income stops when work stops
We work to serve our Heavenly boss through our earthly vocation
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”[a]
Pleasing God should be our aim, whether salaried or not, if our heart is centred on the fruit of our labour, it will cause us untolled stress
Four things how to learn to thrive vocationally and how to have good mental health at work
1. Learn to be content in any and every situation, practise to say "no" to your wants
2. Celebrate what God has gifted you to do, not what he hasn't
3. Embrace your limits, it's there for a purpose because you can't do everything. It's good to excel in one or two and be very good
4. Observe the Sabbath, once a week, stop work, assess, recharge, relive routinely. It reminds you that God is in charge, not you! Feeling up your spiritual and emotional tank, do something free, watch the sun, go for walk. Instead of exhautsion
Work is not your security
Big idea:
God desires us to thrive vocationally in what we do, not vacationally
A great mental issue in our society is Work, anxiety and stress
Cold sweat, tightness on chest:
A classic panic attack
Lifelong perfectionistic expectancy can cause negative mental issue
Look at work in three angles:
1. Fall & work
Genesis 1:27-29
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
Genesis 2:9
The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Yahweh is the original gardener
Men suppose to work originally. Work was meaningful, fruitful and enjoyable, work was good
But came the fall, before the fall, Adams work was in the garden. After the fall his work was outside the gardens, filled with pest, diseases, thorns. .. etc
Genesis 3:17-19
To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
Genesis 3:23
So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.
Israel economy was dependent on relationship with Yahweh. Whenever they serve idols Yahweh will send no harvest, enemies....
In those days in Israel, No harvest equals no food
For us today is no work equals no food
Stress after the fall also comes from the environment that our work is from
# We are to image Him in our work
Work itself is not cursed but it was placed under a curse
God desires us to look to Him as our sole provider
2. Faith & work
Matthew 6:24-34
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Do Not Worry 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Observe the Sabbath day and every Sabbath year
Yahweh will always provides more on the sixth day... Similarly also have more on the sixth year...
The Sabbath is a stop work order
Working non stop is idolatrous... Because we don't trust God enough
If we see work that can see us to latch a return, for providing us the only necessities of life, then we have made work an idol
It will cause us unnecessary stress to no end
We want to show that we are very cultured
"Ripped what you sewn"
How will my faith in God help me as I move into retirement. Remember the lilies and the birds. God will supply, do you have the faith?
Seek the kingdom and to pray the kingdom of God will come
To freely give so that we will reap in God's will
We are to Live in a way that he live in the earth
3. Frame our work today
"Work-wealth- wellbeing-Worth"
OR
"Worth-wellbeing-work-wealth"
# Work is not what we do apart from God but as a partnership with God
Income stops when work stops
We work to serve our Heavenly boss through our earthly vocation
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”[a]
Pleasing God should be our aim, whether salaried or not, if our heart is centred on the fruit of our labour, it will cause us untolled stress
Four things how to learn to thrive vocationally and how to have good mental health at work
1. Learn to be content in any and every situation, practise to say "no" to your wants
2. Celebrate what God has gifted you to do, not what he hasn't
3. Embrace your limits, it's there for a purpose because you can't do everything. It's good to excel in one or two and be very good
4. Observe the Sabbath, once a week, stop work, assess, recharge, relive routinely. It reminds you that God is in charge, not you! Feeling up your spiritual and emotional tank, do something free, watch the sun, go for walk. Instead of exhautsion
Work is not your security
Monday, October 28, 2024
It's ok not to be ok - You ok, I ok
by Ps John Lin
Consequences after the fall of mankind
Big idea:
God desires us to thrive relationally with others
Bully, excessive digital use, pressure, addiction... Etc
Alot of problems above are relational in nature
Genesis 2:18
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
,br> God wanted human being not to be alone in his original design, which is foundational to our mental wellness
Genesis 2:25
Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
They were not ashamed until sin entered
How consequences of sin brought about conflicts in our lives:
1. Humanity tries to cover up shame
Genesis 3:7-8
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Adam and Eve cover up to hide their shame when they hear God coming. Before they were perfect harmony, but now they deal with shame by hiding from God, chose to hide instead of being open
Something shifted inside them, they felt unworthy and incomplete
- I'm not good enough
- I'm not who I'm suppose to be
Shame exposes something deeper within us:
that somewhere down the line, we have believed in the lie that we're not worthy and not good enough
Avoidance to cover up:
(Clothes, deep relationship, over compensating, strive for success at expense of putting down others, being perfectionist etc)
We are suffocated by our shame and haunted by what others see or say about us
Only Christ can restore us to be children of God, by what Christ has done, none of our own effort or who we are
John 1:12
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
There is no need to strive anymore
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!
2. Humanity tries to remove the guilt
Genesis 3:11-13
And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Instead of confessing, Adam chose to remove his guilt by blaming Eve and Eve shifted blame to serpent
We try to remove guilt by playing victim and blame others
Sin distorts the way we view our relationship with God and with one another
Blaming Alleviates us from guilt and remove ourselves from responsibility from the sin we have committed
Blaming leads to Anger that leads to depression and lacks of empathy for others
God did not respond to Adam with hate or anger but he gave Adam the opportunity to respond in confession and repentance
2 Samuel 12:13
> Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
In Christ we are able to receive forgiveness because God is faithful
3. Humanity will experience conflict with one another
Genesis 3:16
To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
Men and women were created equal....sin came and distorted relationship and ultimate affect humankind
Genesis 4:7
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
Woman desires will not be aligned over men
(This is far from God's design of co-equal)
Sin causes us to have conflict with one another
World is becoming more polarised, workplace politics, school bullying, cyber bullying, harbour hatred or unforgiveness to someone who abused us. Lost of appetite, lose sleep, emotionally paralysed when going through stress
Unforgiveness is like a poison, God will not forgive us if we do not forgive others
Forgive and you will be free
We can be carrying the negative emotions or mental stress and think it's ok to carry, but We will never to be able to let go, only jesus can take away
Isaiah 53:4-5
Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Only Christ can bring peace and healing
Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
If sin did not stop God then, it will not stop HIM today!
Where are you Emotionally, Spiritually, Relationally??
Consequences after the fall of mankind
Big idea:
God desires us to thrive relationally with others
Bully, excessive digital use, pressure, addiction... Etc
Alot of problems above are relational in nature
Genesis 2:18
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
,br> God wanted human being not to be alone in his original design, which is foundational to our mental wellness
Genesis 2:25
Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
They were not ashamed until sin entered
How consequences of sin brought about conflicts in our lives:
1. Humanity tries to cover up shame
Genesis 3:7-8
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Adam and Eve cover up to hide their shame when they hear God coming. Before they were perfect harmony, but now they deal with shame by hiding from God, chose to hide instead of being open
Something shifted inside them, they felt unworthy and incomplete
- I'm not good enough
- I'm not who I'm suppose to be
Shame exposes something deeper within us:
that somewhere down the line, we have believed in the lie that we're not worthy and not good enough
Avoidance to cover up:
(Clothes, deep relationship, over compensating, strive for success at expense of putting down others, being perfectionist etc)
We are suffocated by our shame and haunted by what others see or say about us
Only Christ can restore us to be children of God, by what Christ has done, none of our own effort or who we are
John 1:12
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
There is no need to strive anymore
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!
2. Humanity tries to remove the guilt
Genesis 3:11-13
And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Instead of confessing, Adam chose to remove his guilt by blaming Eve and Eve shifted blame to serpent
We try to remove guilt by playing victim and blame others
Sin distorts the way we view our relationship with God and with one another
Blaming Alleviates us from guilt and remove ourselves from responsibility from the sin we have committed
Blaming leads to Anger that leads to depression and lacks of empathy for others
God did not respond to Adam with hate or anger but he gave Adam the opportunity to respond in confession and repentance
2 Samuel 12:13
> Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
In Christ we are able to receive forgiveness because God is faithful
3. Humanity will experience conflict with one another
Genesis 3:16
To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
Men and women were created equal....sin came and distorted relationship and ultimate affect humankind
Genesis 4:7
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
Woman desires will not be aligned over men
(This is far from God's design of co-equal)
Sin causes us to have conflict with one another
World is becoming more polarised, workplace politics, school bullying, cyber bullying, harbour hatred or unforgiveness to someone who abused us. Lost of appetite, lose sleep, emotionally paralysed when going through stress
Unforgiveness is like a poison, God will not forgive us if we do not forgive others
Forgive and you will be free
We can be carrying the negative emotions or mental stress and think it's ok to carry, but We will never to be able to let go, only jesus can take away
Isaiah 53:4-5
Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Only Christ can bring peace and healing
Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
If sin did not stop God then, it will not stop HIM today!
Where are you Emotionally, Spiritually, Relationally??
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Created OK
by Pastor Wilson
Big idea:
God desires us to strive spiritually with Him
It's ok not to be ok:
God desires us to strive spiritually, relationally and vocationally, with Him and with others
Pray against Negative effects of mental health for self or others
- Raise awareness of mental health issues
- Provide a theological basis for mental health challenges
- give a pastoral response
Adams and Eve had to relate to three major areas of human flourishing :
1. Humanity relationship with God
2. Humanity relationship with Each other
3. Humanity relationship with the environment
1. Humanity relationship with God
Genesis 1:26-27
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Men was created to have dominion over the whole earth
Genesis 2:15-17
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Garden of Eden was part of God's residence
Work is part of God's plan and purpose
2. Humanity relationship with each other
Genesis 2:18-24
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam[a] no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[b] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[c] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 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.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Eve was created to:
- Facilitate procreation
- Help Adam
3. Humanity relationship with the Environment
Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Adam and Eve had to work and interact with the environment..
When they disobey God, these three areas went through adverse conditions, thus affected mental well being
First consequences of fall is humanity's independence from God
Genesis 3:6-10
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
God act of asking Adam where was he was intentional, drawing Adam out of shame and allow him to come clean on what just happen
Second consequences of fall is Humanity's experience of aging and physical death
Genesis 3:24
After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side[a] of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
The tree of life was taken away
Third consequences of fall is humanity animosity with the devil which continues today where he choose to steal, kill and destroy
Genesis 3:14-15
So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[a] and hers; he will crush[b] your head, and you will strike his heel.”
This is a Bible Ancient story with current day implication which affect mental health
1. Humanity independence from God
- They believe in the lie that there was something better believing the serpent, they chose not to believe in God, this chose from dependency on God to dependency on self - Walk away from God's original intent
"Functional atheist"
God is only involved in your eternal salvation but not your day to day activities
Instead of working on source of life, we're working in source of fear and uncertainty
Isolation from God would have detrimental effects, leading us away from source of life to meltdown
Move from independence to complete dependence in Christ jesus
2. Humanity experience if aging and death
- death cause fear and anxiety, distress
Psalm 18:4-6
The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;[a] 5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 6 In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
Psalm 116:3-4
The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”
Psalmist believed Sheol was a place that dead will go in their afterlife. They call upon God in their anguish. Death is a process where we're absence from body and presence with the lord
1 Corinthians 15:20-22
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Jesus Christ overcome death to bring us life
1 Corinthians 15:55
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
3. Humanity s animosity with the devil
Luke 8:27-29
When Jesus[a] had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.)
these evil spirits cause him to behave differently and even have supernatural strength to break chains
Luke 8:30-36
Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. 34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed[a] man had been healed.
he was clothed, in his right mind until deliverance from unclean spirits
Christ came into his life to set him free
The devil and his demons have power Over humanity because of sin
There's no fear in Demonic spirits and oppression
- There is power in the name of Jesus!
Big idea:
God desires us to strive spiritually with Him
It's ok not to be ok:
God desires us to strive spiritually, relationally and vocationally, with Him and with others
Pray against Negative effects of mental health for self or others
- Raise awareness of mental health issues
- Provide a theological basis for mental health challenges
- give a pastoral response
Adams and Eve had to relate to three major areas of human flourishing :
1. Humanity relationship with God
2. Humanity relationship with Each other
3. Humanity relationship with the environment
1. Humanity relationship with God
Genesis 1:26-27
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Men was created to have dominion over the whole earth
Genesis 2:15-17
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Garden of Eden was part of God's residence
Work is part of God's plan and purpose
2. Humanity relationship with each other
Genesis 2:18-24
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam[a] no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[b] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[c] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 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.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Eve was created to:
- Facilitate procreation
- Help Adam
3. Humanity relationship with the Environment
Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Adam and Eve had to work and interact with the environment..
When they disobey God, these three areas went through adverse conditions, thus affected mental well being
First consequences of fall is humanity's independence from God
Genesis 3:6-10
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
God act of asking Adam where was he was intentional, drawing Adam out of shame and allow him to come clean on what just happen
Second consequences of fall is Humanity's experience of aging and physical death
Genesis 3:24
After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side[a] of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
The tree of life was taken away
Third consequences of fall is humanity animosity with the devil which continues today where he choose to steal, kill and destroy
Genesis 3:14-15
So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[a] and hers; he will crush[b] your head, and you will strike his heel.”
This is a Bible Ancient story with current day implication which affect mental health
1. Humanity independence from God
- They believe in the lie that there was something better believing the serpent, they chose not to believe in God, this chose from dependency on God to dependency on self - Walk away from God's original intent
"Functional atheist"
God is only involved in your eternal salvation but not your day to day activities
Instead of working on source of life, we're working in source of fear and uncertainty
Isolation from God would have detrimental effects, leading us away from source of life to meltdown
Move from independence to complete dependence in Christ jesus
2. Humanity experience if aging and death
- death cause fear and anxiety, distress
Psalm 18:4-6
The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;[a] 5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 6 In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
Psalm 116:3-4
The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”
Psalmist believed Sheol was a place that dead will go in their afterlife. They call upon God in their anguish. Death is a process where we're absence from body and presence with the lord
1 Corinthians 15:20-22
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Jesus Christ overcome death to bring us life
1 Corinthians 15:55
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
3. Humanity s animosity with the devil
Luke 8:27-29
When Jesus[a] had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.)
these evil spirits cause him to behave differently and even have supernatural strength to break chains
Luke 8:30-36
Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. 34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed[a] man had been healed.
he was clothed, in his right mind until deliverance from unclean spirits
Christ came into his life to set him free
The devil and his demons have power Over humanity because of sin
There's no fear in Demonic spirits and oppression
- There is power in the name of Jesus!
Thursday, October 17, 2024
Disciple Makers Journey - the Disciples Makers Continuation
by Pastor John Lin
Big idea:
The great commission is only complete when we reproduce Disciple Makers
#1
We must continue to be transformed and trained in God's word
2 Timothy 3:10-17
You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
While the world is moving in certain direction, we follow and model a Christ centred life
Disciple Making should be a way of life, to love God and to love people
Similarly, As you go about your life, live a way of life of being a disciple maker to love God and love his people, pursue a godly life..
John 15:19
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
The world hates you, there is no middle ground for those who follow Jesus
When you desire a godly life, it is normal to face trouble, persecution, pain
Continue in what you have learned, from the character of someone for you to model... Who make you wise for salvation
Proverbs 22:6
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
Bible was Written by 40 different authors, across 40 different continents, Over 1500 years About God's redemptive plan in our lord Jesus christ
God's word
- Instruct good and sound doctrine
- Rebuke false teaching or trachers
- Correct wrong behaviour
- Train disciples towards righteous living
God's word must be the reference, compass to Form our worldview and Life, in the way we live, when negative emotions seeps in
God's word must be the primary source of what forms our worldview and lives
#2
We must continue to reproduce Disciple Makers until Christ return
2 Timothy 4:1-8
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
- with internet at our fingertips
- influx of info online
- tools can be used for good or evil
- we may consume false teachings or theology if we are not trained in God's word
The great commission will never complete if it ends with only us
1. Identify one person in your life that has yet to follow Jesus
2. Pray for this person consistently
3. Connect with them and find out how they're doing
4. Allow God to move and work in their lives
Big idea:
The great commission is only complete when we reproduce Disciple Makers
#1
We must continue to be transformed and trained in God's word
2 Timothy 3:10-17
You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
While the world is moving in certain direction, we follow and model a Christ centred life
Disciple Making should be a way of life, to love God and to love people
Similarly, As you go about your life, live a way of life of being a disciple maker to love God and love his people, pursue a godly life..
John 15:19
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
The world hates you, there is no middle ground for those who follow Jesus
When you desire a godly life, it is normal to face trouble, persecution, pain
Continue in what you have learned, from the character of someone for you to model... Who make you wise for salvation
Proverbs 22:6
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
Bible was Written by 40 different authors, across 40 different continents, Over 1500 years About God's redemptive plan in our lord Jesus christ
God's word
- Instruct good and sound doctrine
- Rebuke false teaching or trachers
- Correct wrong behaviour
- Train disciples towards righteous living
God's word must be the reference, compass to Form our worldview and Life, in the way we live, when negative emotions seeps in
God's word must be the primary source of what forms our worldview and lives
#2
We must continue to reproduce Disciple Makers until Christ return
2 Timothy 4:1-8
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
- with internet at our fingertips
- influx of info online
- tools can be used for good or evil
- we may consume false teachings or theology if we are not trained in God's word
The great commission will never complete if it ends with only us
1. Identify one person in your life that has yet to follow Jesus
2. Pray for this person consistently
3. Connect with them and find out how they're doing
4. Allow God to move and work in their lives
Sunday, October 6, 2024
The Disciple Makers Journey - The Disciple Makers Challenge
by Pastor Wilson Teo
Big idea:
God wants us to be aware of the messiness in Disciple Making
2 Timothy 3:1-5
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
We will see increase in wickedness, lovers of self, disobedient to parents...etc
No point engaging these people because their hearts are bent on godlessness..
Do we accept how the world define family or we obey God's instruction when he creates family?
Salt&light...
Olympic Games 2024
Last supper picture using drag queens....
How should we make sense of the messiness brought about by godlessness?
2 Timothy 2:15-16
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 16 Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.
2 Timothy 2:22-23
Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.
Prove yourself in teaching and conduct
Go beyond just the ability to teach well but also live out God's word with integrity
Biblical integrity is "closely tied to the concept of wholeness, uprightness, and blamelessness before God. It involves living in accordance with God's moral standards and commands, both inwardly in one's thoughts and motivations, and outwardly in one's actions and speech.
- AI Gemini -
When someone has integrity, it refers to him having consistency in words and actions
Paul wanted Timothy to be a Disciple Maker with integrity and teaching to align to God's words.
Only then can Timothy present as approved minister in the eyes of church
2 Timothy 2:24-26
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
The devil was using them (opponents) to harm the church
Timothy must be consistent in word and in deed to live in the authority of God's word to overcome opposition. In the same way, Disciple Makers must have integrity in both words and deed to live in the authority of Gods word and overcome opposition
Don't hide weaknesses and only show good side
Looking at the scandals that evolves great ministers of God who had fallen. At the end of the day, It is not just what we teach and have said, what we have achieved in during our life on earth, but also How we live our lives
So how do we address the current scandals without riding on our moral high?
To develop and raise disciples makers with integrity
We must provide a safe space to share our struggles and be accepted for our weaknesses so that we can move forward
Be held accountable in a safe space
Transparency must be accompanied by accountability to find godly freedom and victory over our weaknesses
Life is messy with human shortfalls and weaknesses
2 Timothy 2:3-6
Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.
Paul gave three metaphors to encourage Timothy
Soldier
Timothy was expected to be single minded and not be tangled
Athelete
Compete by rules
Farmer
Work hard on the farm
Persevere through hardship and not give up, knowing there is a purpose for your suffering
To encourage Timothy to persevere through hardship, not to give up, and to know that there was a higher purpose to his suffering
John was the only one to die of old age, he was exiled, died as a prisoner. God blesses His people. As Disciple Maker we must also teach the full counsel of God's word. God blesses His people and allow suffering to grow our awareness and dependence on Him. Bible does not promise that belivers will not face any suffering. Instead it says God will be with us, To have an end in life no matter how difficult the journey is, and to look forward to the next challenge
Instead of blaming, overcome adversities ...
Why am I going through all these?
James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters who suffers trials of many kinds. For the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And perseverance must finish it's course, so that you will be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:12
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
We have Eternal assurance ...
Conversion
2 Timothy 2:11
Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him;
Water baptism
Is not an option, it is a command from the lord Jesus lord.
Perseverance
2 Timothy 2:12
if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;
Apostasy
2 Timothy 2:12b
if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;
Pray for Hearts turnaround and return to Jesus Christ when they still can
Faithlessness
2 Timothy 2:13
if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
Big idea:
God wants us to be aware of the messiness in Disciple Making
2 Timothy 3:1-5
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
We will see increase in wickedness, lovers of self, disobedient to parents...etc
No point engaging these people because their hearts are bent on godlessness..
Do we accept how the world define family or we obey God's instruction when he creates family?
Salt&light...
Olympic Games 2024
Last supper picture using drag queens....
How should we make sense of the messiness brought about by godlessness?
2 Timothy 2:15-16
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 16 Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.
2 Timothy 2:22-23
Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.
Prove yourself in teaching and conduct
Go beyond just the ability to teach well but also live out God's word with integrity
Biblical integrity is "closely tied to the concept of wholeness, uprightness, and blamelessness before God. It involves living in accordance with God's moral standards and commands, both inwardly in one's thoughts and motivations, and outwardly in one's actions and speech.
- AI Gemini -
When someone has integrity, it refers to him having consistency in words and actions
Paul wanted Timothy to be a Disciple Maker with integrity and teaching to align to God's words.
Only then can Timothy present as approved minister in the eyes of church
2 Timothy 2:24-26
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
The devil was using them (opponents) to harm the church
Timothy must be consistent in word and in deed to live in the authority of God's word to overcome opposition. In the same way, Disciple Makers must have integrity in both words and deed to live in the authority of Gods word and overcome opposition
Don't hide weaknesses and only show good side
Looking at the scandals that evolves great ministers of God who had fallen. At the end of the day, It is not just what we teach and have said, what we have achieved in during our life on earth, but also How we live our lives
So how do we address the current scandals without riding on our moral high?
To develop and raise disciples makers with integrity
We must provide a safe space to share our struggles and be accepted for our weaknesses so that we can move forward
Be held accountable in a safe space
Transparency must be accompanied by accountability to find godly freedom and victory over our weaknesses
Life is messy with human shortfalls and weaknesses
2 Timothy 2:3-6
Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.
Paul gave three metaphors to encourage Timothy
Soldier
Timothy was expected to be single minded and not be tangled
Athelete
Compete by rules
Farmer
Work hard on the farm
Persevere through hardship and not give up, knowing there is a purpose for your suffering
To encourage Timothy to persevere through hardship, not to give up, and to know that there was a higher purpose to his suffering
John was the only one to die of old age, he was exiled, died as a prisoner. God blesses His people. As Disciple Maker we must also teach the full counsel of God's word. God blesses His people and allow suffering to grow our awareness and dependence on Him. Bible does not promise that belivers will not face any suffering. Instead it says God will be with us, To have an end in life no matter how difficult the journey is, and to look forward to the next challenge
Instead of blaming, overcome adversities ...
Why am I going through all these?
James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters who suffers trials of many kinds. For the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And perseverance must finish it's course, so that you will be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:12
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
We have Eternal assurance ...
Conversion
2 Timothy 2:11
Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him;
Water baptism
Is not an option, it is a command from the lord Jesus lord.
Perseverance
2 Timothy 2:12
if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;
Apostasy
2 Timothy 2:12b
if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;
Pray for Hearts turnaround and return to Jesus Christ when they still can
Faithlessness
2 Timothy 2:13
if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
The Disciple Makers Journey
by Pastor Meng Cham
Big idea:
God's desire is for you to raise up Disciple Makers for the next generation
2 Timothy 1:3-5
I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
Paul was a spiritual parent to Timothy
Our faith legacy
- Spiritual heritage (Paul to Timothy as spiritual parent)
- Natural parentage (Eunice and Lois as natural parent and grandmother)
Doctrine requires the context of relationships to become effective
Paul was filled with thanksgiving when he goes through reminiscent :
Calling ---> Recalling our calling
Recall Motivation
Recall Purpose
Recall Zeal
Recalling helps us to rediscover our calling
Don't give up praying and doing your calling even though you are the only one left
2 Timothy 1:6-7
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
There will be opposition, rejection from the world, challenges for pushing forward your calling
You have supernatural power within you to do what you need to do, fan the flame of the holy spirit, rekindle the Holy spirit within you
Holy spirit will fill us with 3 things when we pray:
1. Power to undergo, to stay the course, to overcome
2. The ability to love, willingness to love for the person for his/her betterment
3. Self control to not do what we want/know how to do, not to act rashly or impulsively but make room for the lord to do what He need to do
We are just earthen vessel. We need to wait for the power of the holy spirit for us to proceed with ministering
Holy Spirit should always be on standby mode in us, spiritual battery fully charged
Share in the suffering for the gospel
2 Timothy 1:8-12
So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.
Reframing suffering for the gospel:
1. A holy calling v9a
2. A privilege.v9b
3. A win v10
4. A divine appointment v11
What is sobering is looking at the "world watch list 2024"
Around 365 million Christians are subject to high level...
1 in 7 Christians are persecuted worldwide, including 1 in 5 in Africa and 1 in 7 in Asia....
1 Peter 2:21
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
To ensure the propagation of the gospel
1 Timothy 1:13-14
Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
To continue Disciple Making call, we take the following steps:
1. Follow sound (healthy) teaching
2. Guard the gospel message now, by the power of the holy spirit
2 Timothy 2:1-2
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.
3. Entrust to faithful individuals
Reliable and Able
Big idea:
God's desire is for you to raise up Disciple Makers for the next generation
2 Timothy 1:3-5
I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
Paul was a spiritual parent to Timothy
Our faith legacy
- Spiritual heritage (Paul to Timothy as spiritual parent)
- Natural parentage (Eunice and Lois as natural parent and grandmother)
Doctrine requires the context of relationships to become effective
Paul was filled with thanksgiving when he goes through reminiscent :
Calling ---> Recalling our calling
Recall Motivation
Recall Purpose
Recall Zeal
Recalling helps us to rediscover our calling
Don't give up praying and doing your calling even though you are the only one left
2 Timothy 1:6-7
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
There will be opposition, rejection from the world, challenges for pushing forward your calling
You have supernatural power within you to do what you need to do, fan the flame of the holy spirit, rekindle the Holy spirit within you
Holy spirit will fill us with 3 things when we pray:
1. Power to undergo, to stay the course, to overcome
2. The ability to love, willingness to love for the person for his/her betterment
3. Self control to not do what we want/know how to do, not to act rashly or impulsively but make room for the lord to do what He need to do
We are just earthen vessel. We need to wait for the power of the holy spirit for us to proceed with ministering
Holy Spirit should always be on standby mode in us, spiritual battery fully charged
Share in the suffering for the gospel
2 Timothy 1:8-12
So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.
Reframing suffering for the gospel:
1. A holy calling v9a
2. A privilege.v9b
3. A win v10
4. A divine appointment v11
What is sobering is looking at the "world watch list 2024"
Around 365 million Christians are subject to high level...
1 in 7 Christians are persecuted worldwide, including 1 in 5 in Africa and 1 in 7 in Asia....
1 Peter 2:21
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
To ensure the propagation of the gospel
1 Timothy 1:13-14
Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
To continue Disciple Making call, we take the following steps:
1. Follow sound (healthy) teaching
2. Guard the gospel message now, by the power of the holy spirit
2 Timothy 2:1-2
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.
3. Entrust to faithful individuals
Reliable and Able
Monday, September 30, 2024
The study of Genesis
(Chapter 1)
Chapter 1 – Chapter 11 (covers 1/5)
* God described how all things began, how the creation of the universe and the world began
* how the nations of the world were structured, how men moved outward from the garden and became the nations that populate the world today
Chapter 12 – Chapter 50 (covers 4/5)
* the focus changes dramatically
* how God began the Jewish race and Israel
* how importance is Israel to God?
* Moses wrote the “Torah or the law” which is the first 5 books (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). He was the eyewitness from Exodus to Deuteronomy
* Genesis reveals about the person of God and about men relationship with God
* it reveals about the nature, character, His Person including the trinity itself
* Genesis makes sense of everything in life
* Moses wrote Genesis based on accounts represented to him depending on scholars Moses might consult, stories handed down by men like Adam, Noah. Adam died only a few decade before Noah was born
* there was only a few gap between the major events in Genesis given the length of life at that time. God in His sovereignty and power has the capacity to ensure the information flows as He desires it
* Genesis is the work of history and foundation and origins of the world. It depicts :
- first human beings
- first birth
- first death
- first marriage
- first lie
- first trial
- first murder
- first case of self defence
- first example of God’s grace
- first time that someone owns a property
- first natural death
- first rainfall
- first time a boat is created
- first time nations are formed
- first time cities are built
- first time a calendar is established
- first covenant
All the firsts origins of matter, energy, life, marriage, family, society, morality, law, 7-day week
Mark 12:26 (NLT)
But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—haven’t you ever read about this in the writings of Moses, in the story of the burning bush? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob
* the “Book of Moses” is referring to one work not 5 books. In the way the scrolls were maintained, it’s considered one work by God
* the genealogy covers 4000BC - 1800BC, that’s the length of time captured in just one book of Genesis. An equally long period of history in the bible forward from 1800BC – 4000BC you will have to go from Exodus to Revelation to cover the same length of time
* Genesis has a Hebrew name call “Todak” which can also be divided into “Todaks” ie, generations or family stories which found their way to Moses and he stitches them together
Genesis 1:1-2 (NIV)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters
* “heavens and earth” here refers to the physical earth and the atmosphere. It is not speaking about the heavens where God dwells
* just with 4 words “in the beginning God….”, we learn :
- our world and everything in it had a beginning. There was a point before it existed and there was a point it came into being. Once someone acknowledge the source of where big bang theory or existence comes from, then he is also acknowledging there is a higher authority
- everything have a beginning, everything have an author
- if in fact there is a beginning, it would imply that there would come a point that what has been created will cease to exist
2 Peter 3:3-7 (NIRV)
Most of all, here is what you must understand. In the last days people will make fun of the truth. They will laugh at it. They will follow their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘return’ he promised? Everything goes on in the same way it has since our people of long ago died. In fact, it has continued this way since God first created everything.” Long ago, God’s word brought the heavens into being. His word separated the earth from the waters. And the waters surrounded it. But these people forget things like that on purpose. The waters also flooded the world of that time. And so they destroyed the world. By God’s word the heavens and earth of today are being reserved for fire. They are being kept for the day when God will judge. Then ungodly people will be destroyed
* the unwillingness to acknowledge biblical account of creation begins with an unwillingness to acknowledge there’s higher authority holding us accountable
Revelation 21:1 (NIRV)
I saw “a new heaven and a new earth.” The first heaven and the first earth were completely gone. There was no longer any sea
* this verse says there is indeed an end. We are eternal but the world is not, not this world. The unbelieving generation says the world is eternal and we are temporary. That’s not true! There is a consequences of who we are, and what we believe and what we do and they carry into eternity
* God existed before all else : In the beginning God. He’s the actor, the author, He’s already there before all creation began. Eg. Can painting challenge painter? Can sculpture challenge sculptor?
* time itself is measured according to the origin of creation, not by origin of God’s existence. Time is part of God’s creation, it did not exist prior to God’s creation. We can’t put time/date to God. Time is an element so that we can use it to measure and keep track of what God is doing in this creation, this counting down to the end of times
* single-handedly contradict 6 popular philosophies in the world today (atheists, panthesism, polythesym, radical materialism, naturalism, faithalism)
* even in Christian family there may be 2 different views such as traditional or gap theory
* the natural reading of the text almost always is the right reading of the text
Genesis 1:3-5 (NIRV) (1st Day)
God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light. God saw that the light was good. He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day.” He called the darkness “night.” There was evening, and there was morning. It was day one
* it was dark, empty space, matter without form and order. Spirit hovering suggest a formless, void matter and spirit moving. There is a matter and the spirit becomes the energy for the matter. God puts energy into the creation to the movement of the spirit
E = MC2
Energy = Matter x speed of light2
* then God said let there be light in verse 3, there are linked!
* how come there’s light when sun is not created yet? How come God need to create darkness when there’s already darkness?
Job 30:26 (NLV)
When I expected good, then trouble came. When I waited for light, darkness came
* God is associating light and darkness with good and evil. As God begins creation, evil is not in the world yet. God is already anticipating evil to arrive. Therefore, He creates light and darkness during creation even though earth has no rotation yet, sun and moon not created yet
* Why did God take 6 days (so long) to create creation? First 3 days of creation, God is creating spaces. And the last 3 days of creation, He takes time to making the things to fill those spaces
* God has 2 times where He make heavens and earth. There will be another time He starts all over again. The new one will be fundamentally and strikingly better in design than the first one. Why?
Revelation 21:25 (NIV)
On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there
* John writes, it’s gate will never be closed, we will never see night again….
* God has 2 other thoughts evil and good
Isaiah 9:2 (NIRV)
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned
* people walk in darkness will see a great light, those who live in dark land the light will shine upon them
* God anticipating that light chases away dark, there is no way to mix the two. In the new heavens and earth, we will not have dark because we have no more evil and sin, so the metaphor for darkness representing evil and sin is no longer required
* there was evening, there was morning, one day. Dark first, then night. Sin comes, then redemption
* in Hebrews evening (12 hours), morning (12 hours). One yon (day) which is 24 hours a day
Genesis 1:5 (NIRV)
God called the light “day.” He called the darkness “night.” There was evening, and there was morning. It was day one
Exodus 20:8 (NASB)
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy
* six days work, seventh day Sabbath
2 Peter 3:8 (NIRV)
But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day
* this is a metaphor that God is not slow to His promises, there is no time in God, there is no slowness or changes His mind
Genesis 1:6-8 (NIRV) (2nd Day)
God said, “Let there be a huge space between the waters. Let it separate water from water.” And that’s exactly what happened. God made the huge space between the waters. He separated the water under the space from the water above it. God called the huge space “sky.” There was evening, and there was morning. It was day two
* there is more atmospheric waters than the atmosphere water in the ocean. God changes H2O to gas form in the atmospheric
* first heaven : birds fly / second heaven : outer space / third heaven : God’s throneroom
* Paul was called up to third heaven, Hebrews call “shamaim”
2 Corinthians 12:2
I know a believer in Christ who was taken up to the third heaven 14 years ago. I don’t know if his body was taken up or not. Only God knows
* in new heavens and earth, there is no sea anymore. Why?
Revelation 21:1 (NIV)
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea
* sea in old testament means deep, Abyss (synonym of going to dead, deep, sheol). There is no more death, so no need for sea
Genesis 1:9-13 (NIRV) (3rd Day)
God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place. Let dry ground appear.” And that’s exactly what happened. God called the dry ground “land.” He called all the water that was gathered together “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land produce plants. Let them produce their own seeds. And let there be trees on the land that grow fruit with seeds in it. Let each kind of plant or tree have its own kind of seeds.” And that’s exactly what happened. So the land produced plants. Each kind of plant had its own kind of seeds. And the land produced trees that grew fruit with seeds in it. Each kind of tree had its own kind of seeds. God saw that it was good. There was evening, and there was morning. It was day three
* space creating, vegetation, trees, plants are all part of creation, they are not here for our sake, they do not exist for themselves, they are just like water, light, darkness etc
* notice the vegetation were created before the sun, and yet we know in today, sun is required for the growth of vegetation. Why? Because the vegetation and plants were part of the creation process! Not the filling in
Genesis 1:14-19 (NIRV) (4th Day)
God said, “Let there be lights in the huge space of the sky. Let them separate the day from the night. Let the lights set the times for the holy celebrations and the days and the years. Let them be lights in the huge space of the sky to give light on the earth.” And that’s exactly what happened. God made two great lights. He made the larger light to rule over the day and the smaller light to rule over the night. He also made the stars. God put the lights in the huge space of the sky to give light on the earth. He put them there to rule over the day and the night. He put them there to separate light from darkness. God saw that it was good. There was evening, and there was morning. It was day four
* God use the greater light in the day and night to distinguish/separate night from day. At this time, He hasn’t name them yet
* 3 ways/reasons the sun, moon and stars bears the existence of God
Psalm 19:1-6 (NIRV)
The heavens tell about the glory of God. The skies show that his hands created them. Day after day they speak about it. Night after night they make it known. But they don’t speak or use words. No sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into the whole earth. Their words go out from one end of the world to the other. God has set up a tent in the heavens for the sun. The sun is like a groom leaving the room of his wedding night. The sun is like a great runner who takes delight in running a race. It rises at one end of the heavens. Then it moves across to the other end. Everything enjoys its warmth
* one who looks up toward the sky and wonder at their existence and the magnitude of their creation and turn your heart and mind toward God. It’s a sign of God’s existence. Sun, moon and stars bear witness to God’s existence
Romans 1:20 (NLT)
For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God
* God is there, the signs are there to speak about His power, the fact that He’s a God of order, that He is a God of laws and rules. They are a sign to tell us of God’s character or His nature or His attributes
Joel 2:30 (NLT)
And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth— blood and fire and columns of smoke
Psalm 104:19 (NLT)
You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT)
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven
Jeremiah 5:22-24 (NLT)
Have you no respect for me? Why don’t you tremble in my presence? I, the LORD, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the boundaries I set. But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned away and abandoned me. They do not say from the heart, ‘Let us live in awe of the LORD our God, for he gives us rain each spring and fall, assuring us of a harvest when the time is right
* These objects in the sky are signs of His plan for creation. God created the light in the sky for a season. Why does God creates seasons? It’s another method of talking to His creation, it’s a message in itself. The message is of surety of God’s promises, that what goes around comes around. That what He said will be will be. And God use season as a stamp of surety to His own promises. People can look at the world regular pattern of harvest, winter, spring, summer, autumn as prove of God’s continual care of the world of a pattern that He has established for their benefit and yet, because they don’t take it for what it is and thank Him and praise Him over it, it’s prove of how they turn their backs on what is obvious in the world, that God is sustaining the world. God is counting down in time to the return of our Messiah by giving us time and calendar, contrary to the world counting up
Genesis 1:20-23 (NIRV) (5th Day)
God said, “Let the seas be filled with living things. Let birds fly above the earth across the huge space of the sky.” So God created the great sea creatures. He created every kind of living thing that fills the seas and moves about in them. He created every kind of bird that flies. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them. He said, “Have little ones so that there will be many of you. Fill the water in the seas. Let there be more and more birds on the earth.” There was evening, and there was morning. It was day five
* for the very first time, we have living creatures, a living soul or living being. This is a new kind of life, different from plants because it represents conscience life. These living beings are created not just for the purpose of life but also for redemption
* plants die but they don’t have a soul like human or animals death. The animal life of the world first appears in the sea together with the birds
* is God’s word literal? Why not? Do we trust it to mean what He says or must we invent a creative alternative in order to please ourselves?
* if we place our faith and our trust in God’s words even before we fully understand it, God is good to bring a complete understanding overtime. On the other hand, if we doubted from the beginning, He would often refrain from revealing the truth to us because He doesn’t want to reward pride and arrogance and self dependence
Genesis 1:24-31 (NIRV) (6th Day)
God said, “Let the land produce every kind of living creature. Let there be livestock, and creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals.” And that’s exactly what happened. God made every kind of wild animal. He made every kind of livestock. He made every kind of creature that moves along the ground. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make human beings so that they are like us. Let them rule over the fish in the seas and the birds in the sky. Let them rule over the livestock and all the wild animals. And let them rule over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created human beings in his own likeness. He created them to be like himself. He created them as male and female. God blessed them. He said to them, “Have children so that there will be many of you. Fill the earth and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the seas and the birds in the sky. Rule over every living creature that moves along the ground.” Then God said, “I am giving you every plant on the face of the whole earth that produces its own seeds. I am giving you every tree that has fruit with seeds in it. All of them will be given to you for food. I am giving every green plant as food for all the land animals and for all the birds in the sky. I am also giving the plants to all the creatures that move along the ground. I am giving them to every living thing that breathes.” And that’s exactly what happened. God saw everything he had made. And it was very good. There was evening, and there was morning. It was day six
* cattle refers to animals that would become domesticated. Beasts refer to animals that are not domesticable
* God uses His hand to make man (all mankind, not singular). Adam mean ‘earth’ or ‘dirt’
* death is not mentioned at this point yet, which means there is no fear among animals. There is no prey, there is no predator. Therefore, animals eat plants at this point including dinosaurs. This is the intended normal. What we have today is the exception
Isaiah 65:17-25 (NIV)
See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach]a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD.
* Isaiah talks about coming world … the wolves and the lamb will graze together..
* as God ended each day, He remark always that “it is good”. Why? Because it’s for men’s need. Each day is supporting an ultimate purpose He’s moving towards. These days are created for a single purpose ie. home for man
- light and dark to communicate good and evil, for who? Obviously not to the animals
- light in the sky to tell time, who tell time? Animals?
- signs and seasons, who cares about signs and seasons? Man!
- atmosphere (perfect for man to breathe), just what man need
- seas (to produce weather and provide food)
- land and trees (with fruit ready to be eaten, by who? Man!)
- animals for company and for labour
* all these to make a suitable home for God’s most important creation “MAN”!!
* why has God created this world for man? Why does God want man on the world?
* everything else exist for man. Man was created to have a capacity to know God in a manner similar to the way God knows Himself (in His image)
* we have the capacity to share in any of the character attributes that God Himself embody. We know that God is the author of love, Grace, have mercy and charity. These concepts don’t exist apart from God Himself. God established the reality of these concepts by His own existence
* we can exhibit that to one another. Animals, plants, rocks they don’t have the ability. They do out of instinct. They don’t have the higher functioning that God Himself gives only to men to relate to one another in the way God Himself can relate to creation
* we have the ability to make moral choices or decisions. We can obey or disobey authority. In animals there is no conscience awareness between right and wrong couple with the will to decide to do wrong instead of right. It’s just a mere options base on needs and instinct (reward and punishment)
* we have the capacity to know and relate to God Himself. We have intellect, we have reasoning, we have a capacity to worship and through our life we can glorify God, if we choose to. The rest of creation gives God glory does so merely by its existence ie. mountains, seas….
* God created man so that we will have a meaningful relationship with Him. Men have greater relationship with Him and can relate to God that even the angels enjoy. Angels longed to look upon these things and to have the opportunity to God. Hebrews said “does not extend mercy to angels”. There is no plan of redemption for fallen angels only for fallen men
Colossians 3:9 (NLT)
Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds
* Paul says since you lay aside the old self, it’s evil practies and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the one who created him. Therefore, closer to the pattern of God, closer to God’s likeness. Not becoming God!
Ephesians 4:20-24 (NLT)
But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy
* up till this point, man have dominion over the animal kingdom and over the world. By God’s decree, man was placed at the supreme top of creation. At the time when God put man in the garden, there was nothing to contend the power of man in the context of creation
* Why are only plants being offered? Consider what would it require for us to eat meat or animals to eat animals? Death!
* if God had permitted to eat meat by animal or man, He would have been instituting death. At least up till this point God did not decree this as the ultimate design to creation
* God will again institute no death in the ultimate new heaven and earth
* your reason to believe in Christ, to trust in His death on the cross, to be a Christian is utterly and completely destroyed if you believe death came before sin. The reason that Jesus came to die on the cross was to do away with the penalty of death for sin. But if death is natural, then we don’t need a Messiah
* sabbath = rest
* God doesn’t need to stop as in physical rest, why does He did that? To ‘rest’? He did that literally in a moment of cessation, why? Except that it’s a particularly pointed method of God or that it’s a particularly effort to make a statement, to say something to us by the fact that He did this. To set an example. There is absolutely nothing in the text to suggest that Adam in his day was ever given a commandment to take a sabbath, except the first time in Exodus
Exodus 20:8 (NLT)
Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
Deuteronomy 5:15 (NLT)
Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the LORD your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day
* sabbath is observed by law for Jewish, the nation of Israel because God extradited them from Egypt. Nowhere was it mentioned in bible that Gentiles, much less the church is to observe sabbath law
* yes, sabbath should be everyday for christian, to rest in the lord spiritually, Christ is our sabbath. God rest is not a physical rest. The sabbath ultimate purpose is not to provide our physical rest
* God’s point is the physical act/observance to picture a spiritual reality. So what is the spiritual picture that God is building? We have been saved and transformed by faith in Christ
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here
* God reconciles us to Him through Christ, we didn’t reconcile ourselves to God. The reconciliation that we obtained in that way is the result of a work that God Himself did on our behalf
Hebrews 10:11-12 (NIV)
Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God
* God did the work of our Salvation when Christ having kept the law perfectly went to the cross on our behalf. We are simply the beneficiary of all His works if we trust in the faith that God allows. So far how much have we done? ZIP!!
(Chapter 2)
Chapter 2:4-6 (NIV)
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground
* Moses starts Chapter 2 by going back the time right before man was created, no planting, no harvesting yet, no shrubs…we are talking about the 3rd Day, not moving into the 6th Day yet
* in answering question “how did we get into our current state of inperfection, a decaying world, people are sinful?” (we are still in the 6th Day)
* there is no rain yet because rain is not part of God’s original design. When did rain begin?
Genesis 7:11 (NIV)
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened
* this is the first time that describes floodgates of heaven open, which is first rainfall
Genesis 9:12-14 (NIV)
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds
* setting the rainbow is our continuing prove that God will keep His word regarding not to destroy the world with water anymore again, but this sign is meaningless as prove of God’s faithfulness if they pre-existed, if they were in the sky as regular features like sun, moon, stars, clouds. If we could just look up at any given time and see rainbows, then when God says this is prove of my faithfulness, it means nothing
* by definition, a sign is something unique, it’s different, it changes the moment so that I see something I never saw before and then I remember God is keeping His promise
Genesis 2:7 (NLT)
Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person
* this verse is a greater detail of Genesis 1:27
* why did God use dirt? Why didn’t God just made man out of nothing? Dirt seems lowly, dirty
Isaiah 42:5 (NLT)
God, the LORD, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth. And it is he who says
Job 34:14 (NLT)
If God were to take back his spirit and withdraw his breath, all life would cease, and humanity would turn again to dust.
* physical life is not a biological process, it includes the physical biology of the body, yes but life is not determine by the biology. The biology is determine by the spirit and the removal of the spirit that God gave us will result in the body dying and another way to say it, until God removes the spirit, the body can’t die
Luke 12:19-20 (AMP)
And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many good things laid up, for many years. Take your ease; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself merrily. But God said to him, You fool! This very night they [the messengers of God] will demand your soul of you; and all the things that you have prepared, whose will they be
* it is God’s spirit himself, the Holy spirit who was the actor in the process giving man their spirit
Job 33:4 (AMP)
The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life. Answer me, if you can; Set yourselves before me, take your stand. “Behold, I belong to God like you; I too was formed out of the clay
* Adam was perfectly formed physically, a man in the body is literally perfect. It existed, Adam was sinless and probably more importantly he was perfect spiritually, innocent spirit, a spirit that does not know evil, a spirit that does not know sin. In that state, if Adam were to remain in that state, he would have live eternally. Death is not natural, death is not part of the creation God has intended, that’s not His design in the sense that He didn’t intend that to be the state we would be at eternally
* Adam has a body that is not decaying, not subject to any kind of decaying or aging process in the sense of reaching a point of where it can’t function any longer. And he has a spirit that’s not offensive to God, not oppose to God, it has no reason to be put to death. He is in a perfect state, he can live eternally in that state. But now, as we come into life, we don’t come into the world like Adam. We inherit a disobedience spirit
* God is at work correcting these problem since the time of Adam’s fall. With each believer that come to faith in Christ, you receive a new spirit, the one you’re born with is replaced by a new one and the same way God gave Adam his spirit is the same way we receive our spirit by the Holy spirit, by his arrival in our heart, which comes as a consequence of faith
* so we are halfway there, we still have our old corrupt, sinful decaying body but a better spirit. But Adam was 2 parts (he was the clay and he was the breath of God’s spirit)
1 Corinthians 15:20-23 (NLT)
But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back
* only when this day comes, then we all have our new body during resurrection. You and I will reach the point to where Adam was in the beginning, to be like Adam
* plants for example are biologically alive, but they do not have the living life blood. Animals have the living life blood but they don’t have the spirit that comes from the breath of God. Animals can die, can be put to death because they have this life blood. That makes them a suitable sacrifice when God put the law together with Moses and give it to the nation of Israel and He use animals to take the place of man to make a picture, to make a story about what sin requires – death and these animals become a substitute for a time
* but an animal cannot be murdered. The term ‘murder’ refers to unlawful taking of life, which is against God’s intent, against God’s desire
Genesis 9:5 (AMP)
For your lifeblood I will most certainly require an accounting; from every animal I will require it. And from man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man shall his blood be shed, For in the image of God He made man
* there is a penalty that God instituted for taking a man’s life and the penalty is the one who takes it shall have his life taken, that is a capital punishment
* there is an important principle in which one we have lost in our modern culture today. We have a spiritual obligation according to scripture to treat other man with love and respect regardless of how they treat us because they are made in the image of God, not by how they treat us but by how God sees them. That’s the basis for why we treat them well, why we treat them properly. But should that person or any person take upon themselves to end the life of someone in an illegal way – murder in other word, then they have nothing to expect back from people except the same judgement and response - capital punishment
* understand that it is the image of God in the form of His breath making possible the life of man that sets up this entire premise that says there’s such a thing as murder, there is such a thing as life that can’t be taken by anyone except God because He was the giver of that life, there is no one of higher authority than Him and therefore He’s the only authority who may dictate the taking of it by His own choice in the moment He removes the soul or by the hands of man when He permits it as part of a lawful process. That’s God at work through the government, through man
Genesis 2:8-15 (AMP)
And the LORD God planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and He put the man whom He had formed there. And the LORD God caused to grow from the ground every tree that is desirable and pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers. The first is named Pishon; it flows around the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. The gold of that land is good; bdellium and the onyx stone are found there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the entire land of Cush. The third river is named Hiddekel; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. So the LORD God took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it
* God specially arranged a garden, different from the trees and plants He created earlier
* God is making something from the East, east from what? East from the man where man is observing it. This implies that God intended for man to be the audience, to show Adam. God placed the man, which suggest that God told Adam to walk to that place. It is God’s loving intention for man, it is a learning stage for Adam
* the tree of life is not the source of life, because God is the source of everything. Perhaps this tree is by means that God will sustain life eternally. God has chosen to do it this way, not because the tree is special
Revelation 22:2 (AMP)
in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations
Genesis 3:22 (AMP)
And the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take from the tree of life as well, and eat, and live forever
* this verse suggest the tree have been given the capability to keep physical life going forever, by God’s choice but now He doesn’t permit it. Why create the tree to provide an eternal life? Our life has a sustainer, think about the problem if there is an eternal life. We are conscience of life and death, we mourn, we pray for strength and health etc. What happens if that goes away? Are we going to be just as thankful and mindful of God as our sustainer, as our life giver? Perhaps this tree becomes a symbol reminding us that God is always there providing His continuity to uphold our lives
* cultivate = to serve God (man original purpose)
* scriptures teaches us that we will work in the kingdom when we are in our perfect new bodies for the kingdom. We would have farming, Isaiah talks about farming and building and planting and harvesting. There will again be work even after we leave this world and we are not in sin any longer and therefore, that retirement, concept that the world that the world pursue is not a biblical concept. No man is ever portray in the bible as retiring in the sense of ceasing from working and serving God. We are not suppose to cease work and then go serve ourselves until we die. We can cease a full time occupation, we can retire from the job we have, but that just becomes a transition to serving God in some new way, not fishing until you die
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 (AMP)
For even while we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. Indeed, we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined and inappropriate life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such people we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work quietly and earn their own food and other necessities
* Paul says this because the testimony of our lives is not just a testimony of what God’s done for us. The testimony of a Christian life ultimately is a testimony that we are His and that we are serving Him and so the nature of our existence should be from day one and into eternally to serve God somewhere somehow, wherever He places us
Ephesians 6:7-8 (AMP)
rendering service with goodwill, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive this back from the Lord, whether slave or free
* Adam receives new instruction
Genesis 2:16-17 (AMP)
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely eat from every tree of the garden; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, otherwise on the day that you eat from it, you shall most certainly die
* these 2 verses are central to the rest of the bible. There is a tree and it is off limit, it is a tree of knowledge of good and evil. This tree does not have any neon sign. It is just a tree that look no different from others, what made it different was God’s word. You cannot know one but not the other, and this tree by it’s very designation of God’s word is a means/method/knowledge of something that they currently do not have
* man have been given this commandment whereby they have an option to know evil if they choose, but they are prohibited from that choice. By His word, God forbid this behaviour (the eating from the tree). By their disobedience to that instruction, they can come to know evil if they choose to disobey God’s word. It wasn’t the tree that provides them with this knowledge, it wasn’t the fruit so to speak. It would be their own disobedience to God’s word that would lead them to an experience that would allow them to know what evil is. This possibility was a part of a covenant, a 2-part covenant between God and Adam
Hosea 6:6-7 (AMP)
For I desire and delight in loyalty, rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant; There they have dealt treacherously against Me
* Edenic covenant = a binding agreement between God and man based on God’s word
Genesis 1:28 (AMP)
And God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it; and rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth
* God blessed Adam, be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, exercise dominion over the earth etc (1st part). Keep (obey in service) the garden, to serve God, exercise dominion over the animal, cannot eat from tree of knowledge of good and evil etc (2nd part). These are all parts of how God is establishing His relationship with Adam through covenant
* why put the tree there? The tree has been placed in the garden to make available an opportunity to sin, and for the purpose of ensuring that man would fall by his own choice, it’s an inevitable conclusion., it is so that the fall will happen. God has created man having the ability to choose sin and the opportunity to act on that choice which is more than God Himself can do. God’s character and His nature is such that He cannot choose to sin, even if it is available to Him, God cannot sin. He is not the author of sin, He cannot go contrary to His nature. His perfection is so binding on Himself that He cannot do the wrong thing even though it is available to Him as an option
* obviously God could have left the tree out of the garden, He does in the future. Obviously, He could have restricted Adam from having the will to disobey, He does in the future. So the very fact that He doesn’t start in that way tells us that He had the intent that this would take place (I’m going to give Adam a test and he would fail)
* Remember the story of the prodigal son, the father could have said no to his son’s request. If the son remain at home by force, there would have be the appearance of a relationship but no love, no mutual relationship, it’s all make belief, it’s all external. Therefore, the opportunity of letting the son leave was the only way the father could have the son truly. Without the opportunity to leave home, without the opportunity to squander, without the opportunity for the child to reach bottom, and then hopefully return, the son could never have known or learn the father’s mercy, never would have understood his father’s forgiveness, never would have seen grace. Those concepts would have been meaningless to a child who was forced to stay behind in the home against his own will. There is a risk, that if I let go, then son won’t come back. From God’s point of view, the risk is the disobedience, some are lost. But if Adam never falls, then none will gain. It’s either that or there will never be true love
* Consider this as we move forward to the day when we receive our resurrected bodies, we were told that we will be in a state that we will no longer to be able to sin, we will never have the chance to make the choice Adam made, we will always be protected
1 Corinthians 15:52-54 (KJV)
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory
* man born into the world today are not like the original Adam and nor are we like Christ. We come into the world born into a state of sin already, already fallen, already unable to obey God. We are slave to that state of disobedience that Adam himself establish for us when he made the wrong choice
1 Timothy 5:21 (AMP)
I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels that you guard and keep these rules without bias, doing nothing out of favouritism
* there is no sense anywhere in scriptures that the remaining 2/3 of angels are in all jeopardy of making the same mistakes of rebelling against God, it’s as if the issue is settled. 1/3 fell, 2/3 didn’t, end of story. Paul described those 2/3 angels that never rebel as the chosen/elect angels indicating that even the angelic realm is subject to God’s sovereignty in the question of who will be with Him and who will not
* God has made a provision for fallen man in the form of the gospel. Interestingly, although there’s 1/3 of the angels fell, there is no plan of redemption for them, God has no intent of rescuing any of the fallen angels, but yet for man He did make that provision available
Hebrews 2:16 (NIV)
For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants
* why does God permit or maybe even to invite Adam’s sin? Is that a good, loving thing to do? God’s purpose in the creation itself is so that He has an opportunity to express His nature, His character, His personality into that creation and have it know Him fully and worship Him for who He is. God has to reveal Himself fully to creation. If there were some part of God that was not shown, then that part would be secret, they wouldn’t know it, and therefore they couldn’t worship Him fully. Example : marriage
* sin does not have to exist for me to know love, sin does not have to exist for me to know God’s wisdom or for me to know His power or might or His compassion or His provision
* but how would I know God’s wrath if there wasn’t sin? How would I know God’s judgement as the perfect judge, how would I know what perfect judgement even looks like, how would I even know what the word is, if there was nothing that needs judging? How would I know what mercy is, or the word forgiveness if i do something wrong? How do I know what grace is if I don’t need it?
* it may seems unloving of God to allow a bad thing to happen, however we have to step back and to understand that nothing exist apart from God’s plan, there is no plan B, there is no other way it can be except that God would have what He wishes for His purpose according to His will. And if it necessitated sin becoming a reality so that we would know of the grace that have been ours, so be it, that’s God will
Ephesians 1:3-5 (AMP)
Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ, just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will — to the praise of His glorious grace and favor, which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved
* how do you have praise to the glory of His grace unless you have a plan that necessitate grace?
* is the tree an entrapment for Adam who is a helpless victim in the whole plan? Far from it, God warns Adam, “Do not eat!” there was no ambiguity about this. There was no attempt to bait Adam. Adam fell because he chose to sin, because he chose to disobey that word, pure and simple. But yet because he had the ability to do that, it was an inevitability
* the tree came with a promise, that should Adam chose to eat from the tree, he will surely die. What does it mean? The bible talks about 2 deaths, one is physical death. The bible also talks about spiritual death, it talks about the state of existence in which our physical body is alive but our spirit is corrupted by sin. Prior to our faith in Christ, we were dead to our sin. This state of deadness is characterised by a separation from God, our inability to know God or to have fellowship with God and it is also an inability to ever seek God truly, even the world thinks they are seeking after God, they are not, not in true sense. Spiritually when you are dead, you are unable to know God, to follow Him, to seek after Him, you are separated from God
Ephesians 2:1-6 (AMPC)
And you, when you were dead by trespasses and sins. In which at one time you walked. You were following the course and fashion of this world, following the prince of the power of the air. the spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience. Among these we as well as you once lived and conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh, obeying the impulses of the flesh and the thoughts of the mind. We were then by nature children of wrath and heirs of indignation, like the rest of mankind. But God—so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, Even when we were dead by shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; it is by grace that you are saved. And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together in the heavenly sphere in Christ Jesus.
* Paul says while we were dead, God made us alive in Christ. We didn’t make ourselves alive, God did
* spiritual death is the consequence of eating the fruit. Adam surely don’t understand, all fruits look the same to him. All Adam had was God’s word, a promise that he had to believe. He had to take it by faith or reject it
* so if you are willing to accept God’s word on His face, without all the explanation, without all the fancy understanding and doctoral degree, if you just say “God said it, I believe it, that settles it”, then you will not eat of the fruit and you will live forever
* salvation is made possible for the descendants of Adam by grace through faith in Christ. Why did God choose this method to save us? Because God wants us to believe in a promise, He wants us to believe that because Christ death pays all that is necessary to cover your sin, therefore, you can rest or trust in that work and not in your own and if you believe that if you trust and accept that in place of your own attempt, He would count all Christ’s righteousness as yours and you will suddenly and instantly become 100% righteous before God, not on your own basis but on the basis of Christ’s work and he will save you. How do you prove that? Same scenario as Adam, gee there is no way to prove except by faith to accept and believe God’s word on His face. It directly reverses the mistakes of Adam, we inherit the sinful nature and it stands that all of us have God’s word, with a promise, no prove, do you believe or not, receive the eternal life that Adam forfeited
Romans 5:12 (AMP)
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all people [no one being able to stop it or escape its power], because they all sinned
Genesis 2:18-20 (AMP)
Now the LORD God said, “It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [one who balances him—a counterpart who is] suitable and complementary for him.” So the LORD God formed out of the ground every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. And the man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper [that was] suitable (a companion) for him
* God concluded on day 6 in Genesis 1 that it was very good, but now looking at v20 of Genesis 2 it detailed at day 6 there was a point midway through that day when God decided that His creation on that day was actually not good enough. God decides at this midpoint that it is not good for Adam to be alone. That’s a strange statement since literally Adam was not alone, he walks with God in the garden. God Himself is the perfect companion, it would suggest that God is thinking here into a future moment, into a future need, a time when Adam would need a helper other than God by his side. The main point is God if He’s not with Adam has already intended that Adam has something in God’s absence
* helper – God Himself at multiple point in scripture calls Himself a servant using exactly the same Hebrew word as He use here to describe the word servant
* if it is used to describe God, it cannot be used in a demeaning sense, it cannot be used in the sense of lessening the value. In fact, it’s used to describe someone who’s committed as a willing partner, in an honourable and important lifework. It means a servant who values the opportunity to serve
* what God expects out of a marriage. God is implying that Adam’s helper is to be engaged in the work of service to God that God gave to Adam. That’s why she’s called the helper. She is a committed helper with Adam in the work that God gave Adam. The context in which women helps husbands is not in the trivial sense of doing the laundry and the dishes. That may be the way a woman may help in the home, but then again the man may help in the home that way as well, that’s not the sense of it. The sense of it is in the spiritual work of serving God. Man in his appointed role to serve God is better with a helper than without in serving God.
* secondly, it implies that the ultimate purpose of marriage is to make Adam more effective in serving God, it is not an arrangement to enhance our social calendar or our financial standing. It is not an arrangement that is design to make us feel good about ourselves or feel accepted or needed. We look for God in those things, we hope our partner in marriage accomplishes that work as well, but it is not where we rest
* women helps Adam in the sense the Holy Spirit is sent to help every believer in Christ. Just like the Holy Spirit, the wife is the lifelong companion. Just like the Holy Spirit the wife can be a counsellor for the sake of righteousness. Just like the Holy Spirit, she can be a source of comfort, love and encouragement but just like the Holy Spirit, she is also at times a source of conviction. These are all the ways in which a wife or the Holy Spirit to us is a helper in our spiritual service to God
* interestingly, God created animal out of the dirt of the ground, just as He created Adam! The animal kingdom comes from the same substance that God use when He created man! Adam is given the right to name animals. Up to this point, God name everything in His own creation but the only exception being with the sun and the moon and we discuss why He didn’t choose to name those. Here now though He grants Adam the right to name the animals and in the fact that He does this, God is implicitly assigning Adam dominion over with these creatures, over the animals of the kingdom of the world
* Adam has a speaking language. He was created with a language from Day 1. But what language? Look at biblical record prior to the tower of babel, prior to the scrambling of languages, if you look at the names the people were given such as Adam (earth), Abel (vanity), lamech (warrior)… but these words only have meaning in one language, that’s Hebrew. After the confusion on the language on the tower of babel, the names of the bible no longer have meaning in languages except Hebrew therefore, you can safely assume that the first language given to men was Hebrew, all men from Adam onwards spoke Hebrew until the scattering of language on the tower of babel
* Chapter 2 ultimately leads to why is there is a creation of woman
Genesis 2:21-24 (AMP)
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
* we notice the last thing God created was woman, and then He felt things were very good
* the woman was created in a unique way. She wasn’t made exnihilo, out of nothing, nor was she made the way Adam was made out of dirt. She is uniquely made, nothing else in creation is made a woman is made. She is made out of Adam. Ultimately, it means she comes from the same substance as Adam – dirt. But there is tremendous significant in the fact that she is made from part of Adam and not from the return of the earth itself, not to go back to Square 1 as God made Adam
* first surgery happens when God puts Adam into a deep sleep. We logically would have assume that the deep sleep is necessary to protect Adam from the pain of the surgery, like a kind of Godly anesthesia. Now in the perfect world, it may not even be true that Adam would have felt pain under these circumstances. We don’t necessary understand what was life like prior to the fall, prior to the curse was pain a part of life? And even if it were, let’s assume, God can certainly eliminate the pain without putting Adam to sleep. Remember Shadrach, Meshach Abednego? They were in the heat of the fire furnace, they don’t feel pain, they certainly don’t burn up and die, but they don’t have to be put to sleep to avoid that either. So why is there deep sleep? The significant here suggest that deep sleep means something much more, symbolic meaning. Do you remember as God enters into a covenant with Abraham, what transpire as God extends the Abrahamic covenant to Abraham? He puts Abraham into a deep sleep. Abraham deep sleep picture Abraham dead, that’s the sense of it. As dead as dead in his sin. God was the one doing the work of establishing a covenant to save Abraham and his descendants
* Looking back at Adam, God made clear that God alone is doing the work to save Adam. The work in this case is part of his flesh is taken away, and the flesh is used to make a bride for Adam. In the future, there will be a new Adam, who will go to the grave but only for a time. And later this new Adam, whom we call Christ will resurrect back to life, as if coming back from sleep. And when He awakens after that death, the resurrection we call it, what would be awaiting to greet Him? Over time, the body of Christ becomes the bride of Christ. The body of the man whose death made possible a bride is pictured in Adam in a deep sleep something like a death giving part of his body to make possible a bride matched for him. The bride of course meaning the church. So even in this early point of the bible, we see a foreshadowing of God picturing how He will build a church – the bride out of the body of His son, the Christ
* marriage is the first relationship God established for man apart from our relationship with Him
Luke 20:34-36 (AMP)
Jesus said to them, “The sons of this [world and present] age marry and [the women] are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy to gain that [other world and that future] age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; and they cannot die again, because they are [immortal] like the angels (equal to, angel-like)
* however, in our new resurrected body, in the new heaven and new earth, we are not married. Why? Because they cannot die any longer aka because there is no sin. The institution of marriage has been given to man in this age, not the future, because it is an essential means by which we can contend with sin, battle sin, deal with it successfully in the service to God
(Chapter 3)
Genesis 2:25 (ESV)
And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed
* many people would say chapter 3 is about the fall. But it is really about the beginning of redemption. This chapter is where God sets out the plan to redeem man
* we are also going to see how sin work, how does evil work, how does temptation work. If you want to solve those issues in your life by the power of the Holy Spirit, the first step is understanding how they work
* we are going to also see the technics of the enemy himself and his methods
* why mention the nakedness part? Moses is connecting something here that is fundamental to our understanding. He is connecting evil with our tendency to be ashamed of nakedness. It’s a spiritual issue. Transparency is always with God first, then man. After the fall, we lose the ability to live with transparency with one another and with God because we lack complete holiness, because we lost transparency with God therefore we no longer have transparency with one another
Genesis 3:1-3 (AMP)
Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. And [a]the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, “Can it really be that God has said, ‘You shall not eat from [b]any tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden, except the fruit from the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God said, ‘You shall not eat from it nor touch it, otherwise you will die.’”
* what does Moses mean when he said the snake is more crafty than any other beast? is Moses saying the snake as God created snake is just naturally a sneakier and nastier animal than any other animal? That is not true because God also made poodles. Moses is telling us something particular about this snake, this particularly serpent standing infront of Eve at the moment was craftier than all creature, this is Moses describing it in an artful way that this snake is different from any other snake or any other beast because satan was indwelling it. In the last day, there will be a man who rules the earth, whom bible call anti-Christ. At the point of ruling, he is indwells by satan, with satan influence directly in his life and in the same sense here, an ordinary snake has been indwelled by the devil
* why bother to take the form of snake? No need to dwell into that, satan has to take some form one way or another, or appear as himself
* satan purpose in this encounter is to set himself as an allie of man and the woman with the common enemy whom he will portray to be God. That’s why he appears in a simple form, appealing form, attractive, unthreatening, natural, a form that presents as no concern and fits his purpose. That is why Paul describe he comes as an angel of light
2 Corinthians 11:14 (NLT)
But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light
Ezekiel 28:12-17 (ESV)
Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.
* where does satan comes from? He existed in the garden before he fell
* evil exists before man sin. Satan’s fall produce the arrival of evil as the father of lies and then he becomes the instrument for initiating man’s fall. He still gives an access to man and woman. Why did God allow satan to remain in the garden and tempt man product the fall? Would there have been a fall without satan tempting the woman? God has anticipated the fall from the beginning
* satan asked ‘has indeed God said…” it sound like a question but actually it is a statement. He is implying that God is treating them unfairly. But did you notice where he goes first, “indeed has God said…” what he is implying is that He’s taking you for a ride, He is giving you something to your disadvantage, He is making you look like a fool, He is making you feel naïve….satan impunes God’s motives. Satan method is to bring us to a place where we doubt God’s character and purposes by questioning His word. Is it any mystery that in our day and age that creation story of Genesis is easily the most maligned part of the bible. If you get the beginning wrong, virtually nothing else matters. And we go directly to the point of what God has said, maligning His motives, criticizing His truthfulness and in building a story from there. But look at satan’s technic even further, cleverly he allows us to fill in the blanks with our own accusations against God. He doesn’t make the accusation; he seeps the doubt and let us fill in the blank! This is the way the father of lies works. He will use suggestions that we cannot resolve and also on our obedience and doubt. Without the tree, without the commandment concerning the tree, there is no starting point for disobedience
* Eve first thought was running into a defensive moment “I got to defence God’s words”. How did she get it wrong? First, she makes God’s word more restrictive than it was, but at the same time she neglects an emphasis of freedom that God gave in His statement (you can eat of any tree in the garden) while de-emphasizing the penalty. She tones down the penalty, she said “we would die, not we would surely die” and not “in the day you eat of it, you shall surely die” and then she makes it more restrictive by saying “she’s not allowed to touch it” which God never said anything about
* what happens when we face the temptation and schemes of the enemy without a strong enough understanding of God’s word. What you assume happens, it’s counter-intuitive what actually happens because what we assume happen is we get more liberal, the assumption is when we don’t know God’s word and we are face with a moment of decision, we will tend to be more liberal, more likely to do the wrong thing and actually this example and the testimony of the scripture and the history of mankind argues for the opposite conclusion
* when religious minded people depart from God’s word, they tend to make up or invent their own rules and ideas calling them God’s rules and ideas and substitute theirs for God. And in the end is we tend to make God’s word more restrictive when you don’t know the word, you run to legalism. Legalism is a man-made restriction masquerading as God’s law. And it is the natural instinct of a religious minded person who is unfamiliar with God’s word to make up rules when we don’t know what the rules are. It makes God in the end to be an unkind task master, intent of robbing us of joy. That’s an inevitable impression that leaves people to resentment, frustration and ultimately drives them away from a loving God because their impression is “this is a God who doesn’t want me to have any fun”
* when we run to God’s word, He will counsel us to the proper understanding of what is righteousness with an understanding that in love He gives us this expectation. When we rely on man-made rules, it is all cold, dry and hard legalism
Romans 4:15 (AMP)
For the Law results in [God’s] wrath [against sin], but where there is no law, there is no violation [of it either]
* the law that Adam have was a single law, “don’t eat of that tree”, that’s it. Without the law, there can be no violation but now that there is law, violation is possible
Revelation 12:9 (AMP)
And the great dragon was thrown down, the age-old serpent who is called the [a]devil and Satan, he who continually deceives and seduces the entire inhabited world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him
Revelation 20:2 (AMP)
And he overpowered and laid hold of the dragon, that old serpent [of primeval times], who is the devil and Satan, and bound him [securely] for a thousand years (a millennium)
* the scripture says that the one referred to in the earlier time, the old time as serpent was satan the devil, which appeared as physical snake because bible described it as an animal craftier than any beast of the field
John 8:44 (AMP)
You are of your father the devil, and it is your will to practice the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar and the father of lies and half-truths
Proverbs 30:5-6 (AMP)
Every word of God is tested and refined [like silver]; He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, Or He will reprove you, and you will be found a liar
Genesis 3:4-5 (ESV)
But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
* satan is appealing to pride, remember his fall was a matter of pride as well, pride is the beginning of sin. He wants woman to imagine how much better things would be for her if she can have her own way rather than living within God’s law. That’s when pride comes into the foreground here. Satan is asking woman to think of how much better things could be for her if she can just do something her way instead of God’s way (pride)
* woman didn’t fall for the bait initially but it’s her own uncertainty concerning God’s word left her vulnerable to satan’s lie
* step one: satan set forth the proposition that was actually a lie and said that God is wrong about the consequences (attack the word, attack the truth about what God’s said)
* step two: the woman who lack acknowledging confidence to God’s word try to refute the enemy’s scheme but she falls short of being able to do it satisfactorily (our response if we know God’s word at all is if it’s incomplete leaves a gap)
* step three: the enemy proposes an alternate path by suggesting this alternate path will arrive at a greater benefit than the path God is offering (he said to woman you surely will not die)
* satan said “you’ll be more like God” which is absolutely true
* the lie is she’ll also be less like God in that she will have the first-hand experience of sin with evil and sin that God Himself does not even have. Though God knows about evil, He knows everything, He has no first-hand experience, He’s never participated in sin. She will be doing something He’s never done and, in that sense, she is less like God. She falls from the point of holiness that she currently occupies
* satan proposing that sin has not consequences. He’s saying it’ll all be better, he’s suggesting that when you choose your own desire over God’s commands, you won’t suffer loss, you only experience gain. This is the first and the greatest lie and from it stems all others. When we decide that following our desire above God’s word leads to something better rather than to consequences, we are pursuing the same lie that satan offer to the woman in the garden
* if we want to rise above sin in our lives which we all should want, and to the degree God gives us the grace to do so, we will. But the beginning of that process is understanding the problem, then we can move on, hopefully to addressing the problem
* Sin is by definition a disregard of God’s will and His word and the reliance on our own ways and desires in place of God’s will. It’s that fork in the road, it’s facilitated by a weak knowledge of God’s word that can be twisted by the enemy or willing disregard of it if we choose to ignore what we know
* example of weak knowledge of God’s word: “God helps those who helps themselves” this phrase is not in the bible but more importantly that sentiment is not in the bible. The bible teaches exactly the opposite, God helps those who cannot help themselves and who acknowledge they cannot help themselves. Those who think they can help themselves do not get God’s help until they are willing to acknowledge they cannot help themselves
* prosperity gospel? The very fact that there is a prosperity gospel in the church today is a direct result of a weak knowledge of God’s Word. If there was a strong understanding of God’s Word, no preacher with a prosperity gospel would never get a hearing. They’ll be run out of town.
* Even Christian could naively follow the enemy’s half truths when we allow this pattern to take hold because of a weak knowledge of God’s Word. And when we come to believe that making our own rules arrives at a better result than what God gives us, we just repeating the same sin. You will not necessarily know that you’ve made that wrong choice at first, but time will tell
Genesis 3:6 (ESV)
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,[b] she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
* the crucial word here is “saw”. God has already declared that the fruit is bad, the fact that it looks good doesn’t change that, does it? The impression is after hearing from satan woman took a new look at the tree again and probably say “I didn’t realise how good it actually looks”. We know that tree is a fruit tree, we’ve been told already, so does the woman. We know it produce fruit similar to the other trees, so of course it looks good. There is no new information in actual
* if we allow that “look” of intense longing, driven by the inflaming of that desire convince us, we are letting lust takeover
* almost invariably sin begins with the eye
Luke 11:34 (ESV)
Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.
Matthew 5:27 (ESV)
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
* when we see something leads to a longing coveting desire act (touch, hold, imagine it’s yours, engage in conversation etc), sin has come into being
James 1:14-15 (ESV)
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
* temptation itself is not sin, Jesus was tempted. But giving in to temptation is sin
* in the woman case, her lust here is the temptation of what satan say the fruit would bring her which is to make her wise (satan plants a lie, make it into a temptation, which drives the desire of human to pursue that temptation)
* not knowing God’s word accurately can lead us to a point where we feel like we’ve tested and got away with something and we won’t see the consequence
* woman touches the fruit, mm no death? Maybe satan was right, maybe I really have nothing to fear about this fruit. And then after touching it she moves to the next step, by eating
* therefore, since nothing happened and nothing’s changed, from woman self perception, she must have felt truly that God’s word is not trustworthy. It seems as though everything God had said has not come true and everything the enemy had said was right
* God warned “surely die” means spiritually death, not physically. They will cease to be holy and innocent and pure and they will lose the ability to fellowship with God in that state but their physically life will continue on
* God is not present in the garden at the moment, woman sense no change in herself because she, in the unholy state now has not come face to face with holiness as of yet and so in that difference (between light and dark) we come to an understanding
Romans 5:12 (ESV)
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men[a] because all sinned
* instinctively, woman shares the fruit with man. Think about that? Why did woman gave man the fruit? What was it that drove her to share that experience? When we live in sin, we seek out others to share in that sin with us. Misery loves company and so do sin. When you live in sin as a matter of a pattern, you’re not just a bad influence to other people but the very nature of sin is that it wants to spread, you want to spread, you feel uncomfortable until someone else validates or affirms your choice by sharing with you
* it’s like a disease, it cannot stay with one person. It moves from host to host and when we indulge in sin, we will have a thinking and desire to share with others. If someone close to us, someone we spend a lot of time with, someone who matters to us, has not chosen to make the same mistake that we are choosing to make, we will want them to join us just for the sake of minimising our own conviction or we will hide our sin from them or we will run from them
* Adam just ate without questioning, no debate, no discussion. He chose to eat without any deception. He was with her all this time
1 Timothy 2:14 (ESV)
and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor
1 Cortinthians 15:21-22 (ESV)
For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive
Genesis 3:7 (ESV)
Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin cloths
* only after Adam ate were both their eyes opened
* why wasn’t woman credited for the fall? According to the verse we just read, deception is a legitimate defence she was deceived by satan, he twisted her understanding of God’s word he planted in her mind thoughts that were not true. Her own lust and her own sinful desire ultimately bring about sin. Woman was the harder defense target to satan. She defended God’s word, she believed God’s word
* the bible tells us here that the practice of covering ourselves came as an instant result of sin and not as some cultural practice. The simple definition of sin is law breaking. When we sin we broke the law and in doing so we offend the law giver. In this sense is God. This law giver promised to these 2 people that when they ate of the fruit, they would be doing a penalty which is spiritual death, therefore they experienced a spiritual change as promised. That change left them feeling instantly different about themselves and about their relationship with God. They literally felt the shame instinctively and that shame always accompanies with law breaking till times now
* now that we are spiritually fallen and shameful, we cannot fix the spiritual defect through physical action. It was the physical act that leads to the spiritual fall but there is no solution that would reverse what it has been done spiritually
* God understands what would happen when they encounter sin for the first time. He knows what kind of change would take place in the spirit. He already told them that they would surely die (spiritual death) when they eat the fruit. So He provided His grace, His unmerited favor on God’s part to make sure they would have an opportunity to heal themselves. God is compelled by His own perfect nature to judge sin and not ignore it
Exodus 33:19 (ESV)
And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”
Stop at 10:52 (3c)
Chapter 1 – Chapter 11 (covers 1/5)
* God described how all things began, how the creation of the universe and the world began
* how the nations of the world were structured, how men moved outward from the garden and became the nations that populate the world today
Chapter 12 – Chapter 50 (covers 4/5)
* the focus changes dramatically
* how God began the Jewish race and Israel
* how importance is Israel to God?
* Moses wrote the “Torah or the law” which is the first 5 books (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). He was the eyewitness from Exodus to Deuteronomy
* Genesis reveals about the person of God and about men relationship with God
* it reveals about the nature, character, His Person including the trinity itself
* Genesis makes sense of everything in life
* Moses wrote Genesis based on accounts represented to him depending on scholars Moses might consult, stories handed down by men like Adam, Noah. Adam died only a few decade before Noah was born
* there was only a few gap between the major events in Genesis given the length of life at that time. God in His sovereignty and power has the capacity to ensure the information flows as He desires it
* Genesis is the work of history and foundation and origins of the world. It depicts :
- first human beings
- first birth
- first death
- first marriage
- first lie
- first trial
- first murder
- first case of self defence
- first example of God’s grace
- first time that someone owns a property
- first natural death
- first rainfall
- first time a boat is created
- first time nations are formed
- first time cities are built
- first time a calendar is established
- first covenant
All the firsts origins of matter, energy, life, marriage, family, society, morality, law, 7-day week
Mark 12:26 (NLT)
But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—haven’t you ever read about this in the writings of Moses, in the story of the burning bush? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob
* the “Book of Moses” is referring to one work not 5 books. In the way the scrolls were maintained, it’s considered one work by God
* the genealogy covers 4000BC - 1800BC, that’s the length of time captured in just one book of Genesis. An equally long period of history in the bible forward from 1800BC – 4000BC you will have to go from Exodus to Revelation to cover the same length of time
* Genesis has a Hebrew name call “Todak” which can also be divided into “Todaks” ie, generations or family stories which found their way to Moses and he stitches them together
Genesis 1:1-2 (NIV)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters
* “heavens and earth” here refers to the physical earth and the atmosphere. It is not speaking about the heavens where God dwells
* just with 4 words “in the beginning God….”, we learn :
- our world and everything in it had a beginning. There was a point before it existed and there was a point it came into being. Once someone acknowledge the source of where big bang theory or existence comes from, then he is also acknowledging there is a higher authority
- everything have a beginning, everything have an author
- if in fact there is a beginning, it would imply that there would come a point that what has been created will cease to exist
2 Peter 3:3-7 (NIRV)
Most of all, here is what you must understand. In the last days people will make fun of the truth. They will laugh at it. They will follow their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘return’ he promised? Everything goes on in the same way it has since our people of long ago died. In fact, it has continued this way since God first created everything.” Long ago, God’s word brought the heavens into being. His word separated the earth from the waters. And the waters surrounded it. But these people forget things like that on purpose. The waters also flooded the world of that time. And so they destroyed the world. By God’s word the heavens and earth of today are being reserved for fire. They are being kept for the day when God will judge. Then ungodly people will be destroyed
* the unwillingness to acknowledge biblical account of creation begins with an unwillingness to acknowledge there’s higher authority holding us accountable
Revelation 21:1 (NIRV)
I saw “a new heaven and a new earth.” The first heaven and the first earth were completely gone. There was no longer any sea
* this verse says there is indeed an end. We are eternal but the world is not, not this world. The unbelieving generation says the world is eternal and we are temporary. That’s not true! There is a consequences of who we are, and what we believe and what we do and they carry into eternity
* God existed before all else : In the beginning God. He’s the actor, the author, He’s already there before all creation began. Eg. Can painting challenge painter? Can sculpture challenge sculptor?
* time itself is measured according to the origin of creation, not by origin of God’s existence. Time is part of God’s creation, it did not exist prior to God’s creation. We can’t put time/date to God. Time is an element so that we can use it to measure and keep track of what God is doing in this creation, this counting down to the end of times
* single-handedly contradict 6 popular philosophies in the world today (atheists, panthesism, polythesym, radical materialism, naturalism, faithalism)
* even in Christian family there may be 2 different views such as traditional or gap theory
* the natural reading of the text almost always is the right reading of the text
Genesis 1:3-5 (NIRV) (1st Day)
God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light. God saw that the light was good. He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day.” He called the darkness “night.” There was evening, and there was morning. It was day one
* it was dark, empty space, matter without form and order. Spirit hovering suggest a formless, void matter and spirit moving. There is a matter and the spirit becomes the energy for the matter. God puts energy into the creation to the movement of the spirit
E = MC2
Energy = Matter x speed of light2
* then God said let there be light in verse 3, there are linked!
* how come there’s light when sun is not created yet? How come God need to create darkness when there’s already darkness?
Job 30:26 (NLV)
When I expected good, then trouble came. When I waited for light, darkness came
* God is associating light and darkness with good and evil. As God begins creation, evil is not in the world yet. God is already anticipating evil to arrive. Therefore, He creates light and darkness during creation even though earth has no rotation yet, sun and moon not created yet
* Why did God take 6 days (so long) to create creation? First 3 days of creation, God is creating spaces. And the last 3 days of creation, He takes time to making the things to fill those spaces
* God has 2 times where He make heavens and earth. There will be another time He starts all over again. The new one will be fundamentally and strikingly better in design than the first one. Why?
Revelation 21:25 (NIV)
On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there
* John writes, it’s gate will never be closed, we will never see night again….
* God has 2 other thoughts evil and good
Isaiah 9:2 (NIRV)
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned
* people walk in darkness will see a great light, those who live in dark land the light will shine upon them
* God anticipating that light chases away dark, there is no way to mix the two. In the new heavens and earth, we will not have dark because we have no more evil and sin, so the metaphor for darkness representing evil and sin is no longer required
* there was evening, there was morning, one day. Dark first, then night. Sin comes, then redemption
* in Hebrews evening (12 hours), morning (12 hours). One yon (day) which is 24 hours a day
Genesis 1:5 (NIRV)
God called the light “day.” He called the darkness “night.” There was evening, and there was morning. It was day one
Exodus 20:8 (NASB)
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy
* six days work, seventh day Sabbath
2 Peter 3:8 (NIRV)
But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day
* this is a metaphor that God is not slow to His promises, there is no time in God, there is no slowness or changes His mind
Genesis 1:6-8 (NIRV) (2nd Day)
God said, “Let there be a huge space between the waters. Let it separate water from water.” And that’s exactly what happened. God made the huge space between the waters. He separated the water under the space from the water above it. God called the huge space “sky.” There was evening, and there was morning. It was day two
* there is more atmospheric waters than the atmosphere water in the ocean. God changes H2O to gas form in the atmospheric
* first heaven : birds fly / second heaven : outer space / third heaven : God’s throneroom
* Paul was called up to third heaven, Hebrews call “shamaim”
2 Corinthians 12:2
I know a believer in Christ who was taken up to the third heaven 14 years ago. I don’t know if his body was taken up or not. Only God knows
* in new heavens and earth, there is no sea anymore. Why?
Revelation 21:1 (NIV)
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea
* sea in old testament means deep, Abyss (synonym of going to dead, deep, sheol). There is no more death, so no need for sea
Genesis 1:9-13 (NIRV) (3rd Day)
God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place. Let dry ground appear.” And that’s exactly what happened. God called the dry ground “land.” He called all the water that was gathered together “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land produce plants. Let them produce their own seeds. And let there be trees on the land that grow fruit with seeds in it. Let each kind of plant or tree have its own kind of seeds.” And that’s exactly what happened. So the land produced plants. Each kind of plant had its own kind of seeds. And the land produced trees that grew fruit with seeds in it. Each kind of tree had its own kind of seeds. God saw that it was good. There was evening, and there was morning. It was day three
* space creating, vegetation, trees, plants are all part of creation, they are not here for our sake, they do not exist for themselves, they are just like water, light, darkness etc
* notice the vegetation were created before the sun, and yet we know in today, sun is required for the growth of vegetation. Why? Because the vegetation and plants were part of the creation process! Not the filling in
Genesis 1:14-19 (NIRV) (4th Day)
God said, “Let there be lights in the huge space of the sky. Let them separate the day from the night. Let the lights set the times for the holy celebrations and the days and the years. Let them be lights in the huge space of the sky to give light on the earth.” And that’s exactly what happened. God made two great lights. He made the larger light to rule over the day and the smaller light to rule over the night. He also made the stars. God put the lights in the huge space of the sky to give light on the earth. He put them there to rule over the day and the night. He put them there to separate light from darkness. God saw that it was good. There was evening, and there was morning. It was day four
* God use the greater light in the day and night to distinguish/separate night from day. At this time, He hasn’t name them yet
* 3 ways/reasons the sun, moon and stars bears the existence of God
Psalm 19:1-6 (NIRV)
The heavens tell about the glory of God. The skies show that his hands created them. Day after day they speak about it. Night after night they make it known. But they don’t speak or use words. No sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into the whole earth. Their words go out from one end of the world to the other. God has set up a tent in the heavens for the sun. The sun is like a groom leaving the room of his wedding night. The sun is like a great runner who takes delight in running a race. It rises at one end of the heavens. Then it moves across to the other end. Everything enjoys its warmth
* one who looks up toward the sky and wonder at their existence and the magnitude of their creation and turn your heart and mind toward God. It’s a sign of God’s existence. Sun, moon and stars bear witness to God’s existence
Romans 1:20 (NLT)
For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God
* God is there, the signs are there to speak about His power, the fact that He’s a God of order, that He is a God of laws and rules. They are a sign to tell us of God’s character or His nature or His attributes
Joel 2:30 (NLT)
And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth— blood and fire and columns of smoke
Psalm 104:19 (NLT)
You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT)
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven
Jeremiah 5:22-24 (NLT)
Have you no respect for me? Why don’t you tremble in my presence? I, the LORD, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the boundaries I set. But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned away and abandoned me. They do not say from the heart, ‘Let us live in awe of the LORD our God, for he gives us rain each spring and fall, assuring us of a harvest when the time is right
* These objects in the sky are signs of His plan for creation. God created the light in the sky for a season. Why does God creates seasons? It’s another method of talking to His creation, it’s a message in itself. The message is of surety of God’s promises, that what goes around comes around. That what He said will be will be. And God use season as a stamp of surety to His own promises. People can look at the world regular pattern of harvest, winter, spring, summer, autumn as prove of God’s continual care of the world of a pattern that He has established for their benefit and yet, because they don’t take it for what it is and thank Him and praise Him over it, it’s prove of how they turn their backs on what is obvious in the world, that God is sustaining the world. God is counting down in time to the return of our Messiah by giving us time and calendar, contrary to the world counting up
Genesis 1:20-23 (NIRV) (5th Day)
God said, “Let the seas be filled with living things. Let birds fly above the earth across the huge space of the sky.” So God created the great sea creatures. He created every kind of living thing that fills the seas and moves about in them. He created every kind of bird that flies. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them. He said, “Have little ones so that there will be many of you. Fill the water in the seas. Let there be more and more birds on the earth.” There was evening, and there was morning. It was day five
* for the very first time, we have living creatures, a living soul or living being. This is a new kind of life, different from plants because it represents conscience life. These living beings are created not just for the purpose of life but also for redemption
* plants die but they don’t have a soul like human or animals death. The animal life of the world first appears in the sea together with the birds
* is God’s word literal? Why not? Do we trust it to mean what He says or must we invent a creative alternative in order to please ourselves?
* if we place our faith and our trust in God’s words even before we fully understand it, God is good to bring a complete understanding overtime. On the other hand, if we doubted from the beginning, He would often refrain from revealing the truth to us because He doesn’t want to reward pride and arrogance and self dependence
Genesis 1:24-31 (NIRV) (6th Day)
God said, “Let the land produce every kind of living creature. Let there be livestock, and creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals.” And that’s exactly what happened. God made every kind of wild animal. He made every kind of livestock. He made every kind of creature that moves along the ground. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make human beings so that they are like us. Let them rule over the fish in the seas and the birds in the sky. Let them rule over the livestock and all the wild animals. And let them rule over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created human beings in his own likeness. He created them to be like himself. He created them as male and female. God blessed them. He said to them, “Have children so that there will be many of you. Fill the earth and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the seas and the birds in the sky. Rule over every living creature that moves along the ground.” Then God said, “I am giving you every plant on the face of the whole earth that produces its own seeds. I am giving you every tree that has fruit with seeds in it. All of them will be given to you for food. I am giving every green plant as food for all the land animals and for all the birds in the sky. I am also giving the plants to all the creatures that move along the ground. I am giving them to every living thing that breathes.” And that’s exactly what happened. God saw everything he had made. And it was very good. There was evening, and there was morning. It was day six
* cattle refers to animals that would become domesticated. Beasts refer to animals that are not domesticable
* God uses His hand to make man (all mankind, not singular). Adam mean ‘earth’ or ‘dirt’
* death is not mentioned at this point yet, which means there is no fear among animals. There is no prey, there is no predator. Therefore, animals eat plants at this point including dinosaurs. This is the intended normal. What we have today is the exception
Isaiah 65:17-25 (NIV)
See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach]a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD.
* Isaiah talks about coming world … the wolves and the lamb will graze together..
* as God ended each day, He remark always that “it is good”. Why? Because it’s for men’s need. Each day is supporting an ultimate purpose He’s moving towards. These days are created for a single purpose ie. home for man
- light and dark to communicate good and evil, for who? Obviously not to the animals
- light in the sky to tell time, who tell time? Animals?
- signs and seasons, who cares about signs and seasons? Man!
- atmosphere (perfect for man to breathe), just what man need
- seas (to produce weather and provide food)
- land and trees (with fruit ready to be eaten, by who? Man!)
- animals for company and for labour
* all these to make a suitable home for God’s most important creation “MAN”!!
* why has God created this world for man? Why does God want man on the world?
* everything else exist for man. Man was created to have a capacity to know God in a manner similar to the way God knows Himself (in His image)
* we have the capacity to share in any of the character attributes that God Himself embody. We know that God is the author of love, Grace, have mercy and charity. These concepts don’t exist apart from God Himself. God established the reality of these concepts by His own existence
* we can exhibit that to one another. Animals, plants, rocks they don’t have the ability. They do out of instinct. They don’t have the higher functioning that God Himself gives only to men to relate to one another in the way God Himself can relate to creation
* we have the ability to make moral choices or decisions. We can obey or disobey authority. In animals there is no conscience awareness between right and wrong couple with the will to decide to do wrong instead of right. It’s just a mere options base on needs and instinct (reward and punishment)
* we have the capacity to know and relate to God Himself. We have intellect, we have reasoning, we have a capacity to worship and through our life we can glorify God, if we choose to. The rest of creation gives God glory does so merely by its existence ie. mountains, seas….
* God created man so that we will have a meaningful relationship with Him. Men have greater relationship with Him and can relate to God that even the angels enjoy. Angels longed to look upon these things and to have the opportunity to God. Hebrews said “does not extend mercy to angels”. There is no plan of redemption for fallen angels only for fallen men
Colossians 3:9 (NLT)
Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds
* Paul says since you lay aside the old self, it’s evil practies and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the one who created him. Therefore, closer to the pattern of God, closer to God’s likeness. Not becoming God!
Ephesians 4:20-24 (NLT)
But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy
* up till this point, man have dominion over the animal kingdom and over the world. By God’s decree, man was placed at the supreme top of creation. At the time when God put man in the garden, there was nothing to contend the power of man in the context of creation
* Why are only plants being offered? Consider what would it require for us to eat meat or animals to eat animals? Death!
* if God had permitted to eat meat by animal or man, He would have been instituting death. At least up till this point God did not decree this as the ultimate design to creation
* God will again institute no death in the ultimate new heaven and earth
* your reason to believe in Christ, to trust in His death on the cross, to be a Christian is utterly and completely destroyed if you believe death came before sin. The reason that Jesus came to die on the cross was to do away with the penalty of death for sin. But if death is natural, then we don’t need a Messiah
* sabbath = rest
* God doesn’t need to stop as in physical rest, why does He did that? To ‘rest’? He did that literally in a moment of cessation, why? Except that it’s a particularly pointed method of God or that it’s a particularly effort to make a statement, to say something to us by the fact that He did this. To set an example. There is absolutely nothing in the text to suggest that Adam in his day was ever given a commandment to take a sabbath, except the first time in Exodus
Exodus 20:8 (NLT)
Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
Deuteronomy 5:15 (NLT)
Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the LORD your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day
* sabbath is observed by law for Jewish, the nation of Israel because God extradited them from Egypt. Nowhere was it mentioned in bible that Gentiles, much less the church is to observe sabbath law
* yes, sabbath should be everyday for christian, to rest in the lord spiritually, Christ is our sabbath. God rest is not a physical rest. The sabbath ultimate purpose is not to provide our physical rest
* God’s point is the physical act/observance to picture a spiritual reality. So what is the spiritual picture that God is building? We have been saved and transformed by faith in Christ
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here
* God reconciles us to Him through Christ, we didn’t reconcile ourselves to God. The reconciliation that we obtained in that way is the result of a work that God Himself did on our behalf
Hebrews 10:11-12 (NIV)
Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God
* God did the work of our Salvation when Christ having kept the law perfectly went to the cross on our behalf. We are simply the beneficiary of all His works if we trust in the faith that God allows. So far how much have we done? ZIP!!
(Chapter 2)
Chapter 2:4-6 (NIV)
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground
* Moses starts Chapter 2 by going back the time right before man was created, no planting, no harvesting yet, no shrubs…we are talking about the 3rd Day, not moving into the 6th Day yet
* in answering question “how did we get into our current state of inperfection, a decaying world, people are sinful?” (we are still in the 6th Day)
* there is no rain yet because rain is not part of God’s original design. When did rain begin?
Genesis 7:11 (NIV)
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened
* this is the first time that describes floodgates of heaven open, which is first rainfall
Genesis 9:12-14 (NIV)
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds
* setting the rainbow is our continuing prove that God will keep His word regarding not to destroy the world with water anymore again, but this sign is meaningless as prove of God’s faithfulness if they pre-existed, if they were in the sky as regular features like sun, moon, stars, clouds. If we could just look up at any given time and see rainbows, then when God says this is prove of my faithfulness, it means nothing
* by definition, a sign is something unique, it’s different, it changes the moment so that I see something I never saw before and then I remember God is keeping His promise
Genesis 2:7 (NLT)
Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person
* this verse is a greater detail of Genesis 1:27
* why did God use dirt? Why didn’t God just made man out of nothing? Dirt seems lowly, dirty
Isaiah 42:5 (NLT)
God, the LORD, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth. And it is he who says
Job 34:14 (NLT)
If God were to take back his spirit and withdraw his breath, all life would cease, and humanity would turn again to dust.
* physical life is not a biological process, it includes the physical biology of the body, yes but life is not determine by the biology. The biology is determine by the spirit and the removal of the spirit that God gave us will result in the body dying and another way to say it, until God removes the spirit, the body can’t die
Luke 12:19-20 (AMP)
And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many good things laid up, for many years. Take your ease; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself merrily. But God said to him, You fool! This very night they [the messengers of God] will demand your soul of you; and all the things that you have prepared, whose will they be
* it is God’s spirit himself, the Holy spirit who was the actor in the process giving man their spirit
Job 33:4 (AMP)
The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life. Answer me, if you can; Set yourselves before me, take your stand. “Behold, I belong to God like you; I too was formed out of the clay
* Adam was perfectly formed physically, a man in the body is literally perfect. It existed, Adam was sinless and probably more importantly he was perfect spiritually, innocent spirit, a spirit that does not know evil, a spirit that does not know sin. In that state, if Adam were to remain in that state, he would have live eternally. Death is not natural, death is not part of the creation God has intended, that’s not His design in the sense that He didn’t intend that to be the state we would be at eternally
* Adam has a body that is not decaying, not subject to any kind of decaying or aging process in the sense of reaching a point of where it can’t function any longer. And he has a spirit that’s not offensive to God, not oppose to God, it has no reason to be put to death. He is in a perfect state, he can live eternally in that state. But now, as we come into life, we don’t come into the world like Adam. We inherit a disobedience spirit
* God is at work correcting these problem since the time of Adam’s fall. With each believer that come to faith in Christ, you receive a new spirit, the one you’re born with is replaced by a new one and the same way God gave Adam his spirit is the same way we receive our spirit by the Holy spirit, by his arrival in our heart, which comes as a consequence of faith
* so we are halfway there, we still have our old corrupt, sinful decaying body but a better spirit. But Adam was 2 parts (he was the clay and he was the breath of God’s spirit)
1 Corinthians 15:20-23 (NLT)
But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back
* only when this day comes, then we all have our new body during resurrection. You and I will reach the point to where Adam was in the beginning, to be like Adam
* plants for example are biologically alive, but they do not have the living life blood. Animals have the living life blood but they don’t have the spirit that comes from the breath of God. Animals can die, can be put to death because they have this life blood. That makes them a suitable sacrifice when God put the law together with Moses and give it to the nation of Israel and He use animals to take the place of man to make a picture, to make a story about what sin requires – death and these animals become a substitute for a time
* but an animal cannot be murdered. The term ‘murder’ refers to unlawful taking of life, which is against God’s intent, against God’s desire
Genesis 9:5 (AMP)
For your lifeblood I will most certainly require an accounting; from every animal I will require it. And from man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man shall his blood be shed, For in the image of God He made man
* there is a penalty that God instituted for taking a man’s life and the penalty is the one who takes it shall have his life taken, that is a capital punishment
* there is an important principle in which one we have lost in our modern culture today. We have a spiritual obligation according to scripture to treat other man with love and respect regardless of how they treat us because they are made in the image of God, not by how they treat us but by how God sees them. That’s the basis for why we treat them well, why we treat them properly. But should that person or any person take upon themselves to end the life of someone in an illegal way – murder in other word, then they have nothing to expect back from people except the same judgement and response - capital punishment
* understand that it is the image of God in the form of His breath making possible the life of man that sets up this entire premise that says there’s such a thing as murder, there is such a thing as life that can’t be taken by anyone except God because He was the giver of that life, there is no one of higher authority than Him and therefore He’s the only authority who may dictate the taking of it by His own choice in the moment He removes the soul or by the hands of man when He permits it as part of a lawful process. That’s God at work through the government, through man
Genesis 2:8-15 (AMP)
And the LORD God planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and He put the man whom He had formed there. And the LORD God caused to grow from the ground every tree that is desirable and pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers. The first is named Pishon; it flows around the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. The gold of that land is good; bdellium and the onyx stone are found there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the entire land of Cush. The third river is named Hiddekel; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. So the LORD God took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it
* God specially arranged a garden, different from the trees and plants He created earlier
* God is making something from the East, east from what? East from the man where man is observing it. This implies that God intended for man to be the audience, to show Adam. God placed the man, which suggest that God told Adam to walk to that place. It is God’s loving intention for man, it is a learning stage for Adam
* the tree of life is not the source of life, because God is the source of everything. Perhaps this tree is by means that God will sustain life eternally. God has chosen to do it this way, not because the tree is special
Revelation 22:2 (AMP)
in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations
Genesis 3:22 (AMP)
And the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take from the tree of life as well, and eat, and live forever
* this verse suggest the tree have been given the capability to keep physical life going forever, by God’s choice but now He doesn’t permit it. Why create the tree to provide an eternal life? Our life has a sustainer, think about the problem if there is an eternal life. We are conscience of life and death, we mourn, we pray for strength and health etc. What happens if that goes away? Are we going to be just as thankful and mindful of God as our sustainer, as our life giver? Perhaps this tree becomes a symbol reminding us that God is always there providing His continuity to uphold our lives
* cultivate = to serve God (man original purpose)
* scriptures teaches us that we will work in the kingdom when we are in our perfect new bodies for the kingdom. We would have farming, Isaiah talks about farming and building and planting and harvesting. There will again be work even after we leave this world and we are not in sin any longer and therefore, that retirement, concept that the world that the world pursue is not a biblical concept. No man is ever portray in the bible as retiring in the sense of ceasing from working and serving God. We are not suppose to cease work and then go serve ourselves until we die. We can cease a full time occupation, we can retire from the job we have, but that just becomes a transition to serving God in some new way, not fishing until you die
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 (AMP)
For even while we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. Indeed, we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined and inappropriate life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such people we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work quietly and earn their own food and other necessities
* Paul says this because the testimony of our lives is not just a testimony of what God’s done for us. The testimony of a Christian life ultimately is a testimony that we are His and that we are serving Him and so the nature of our existence should be from day one and into eternally to serve God somewhere somehow, wherever He places us
Ephesians 6:7-8 (AMP)
rendering service with goodwill, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive this back from the Lord, whether slave or free
* Adam receives new instruction
Genesis 2:16-17 (AMP)
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely eat from every tree of the garden; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, otherwise on the day that you eat from it, you shall most certainly die
* these 2 verses are central to the rest of the bible. There is a tree and it is off limit, it is a tree of knowledge of good and evil. This tree does not have any neon sign. It is just a tree that look no different from others, what made it different was God’s word. You cannot know one but not the other, and this tree by it’s very designation of God’s word is a means/method/knowledge of something that they currently do not have
* man have been given this commandment whereby they have an option to know evil if they choose, but they are prohibited from that choice. By His word, God forbid this behaviour (the eating from the tree). By their disobedience to that instruction, they can come to know evil if they choose to disobey God’s word. It wasn’t the tree that provides them with this knowledge, it wasn’t the fruit so to speak. It would be their own disobedience to God’s word that would lead them to an experience that would allow them to know what evil is. This possibility was a part of a covenant, a 2-part covenant between God and Adam
Hosea 6:6-7 (AMP)
For I desire and delight in loyalty, rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant; There they have dealt treacherously against Me
* Edenic covenant = a binding agreement between God and man based on God’s word
Genesis 1:28 (AMP)
And God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it; and rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth
* God blessed Adam, be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, exercise dominion over the earth etc (1st part). Keep (obey in service) the garden, to serve God, exercise dominion over the animal, cannot eat from tree of knowledge of good and evil etc (2nd part). These are all parts of how God is establishing His relationship with Adam through covenant
* why put the tree there? The tree has been placed in the garden to make available an opportunity to sin, and for the purpose of ensuring that man would fall by his own choice, it’s an inevitable conclusion., it is so that the fall will happen. God has created man having the ability to choose sin and the opportunity to act on that choice which is more than God Himself can do. God’s character and His nature is such that He cannot choose to sin, even if it is available to Him, God cannot sin. He is not the author of sin, He cannot go contrary to His nature. His perfection is so binding on Himself that He cannot do the wrong thing even though it is available to Him as an option
* obviously God could have left the tree out of the garden, He does in the future. Obviously, He could have restricted Adam from having the will to disobey, He does in the future. So the very fact that He doesn’t start in that way tells us that He had the intent that this would take place (I’m going to give Adam a test and he would fail)
* Remember the story of the prodigal son, the father could have said no to his son’s request. If the son remain at home by force, there would have be the appearance of a relationship but no love, no mutual relationship, it’s all make belief, it’s all external. Therefore, the opportunity of letting the son leave was the only way the father could have the son truly. Without the opportunity to leave home, without the opportunity to squander, without the opportunity for the child to reach bottom, and then hopefully return, the son could never have known or learn the father’s mercy, never would have understood his father’s forgiveness, never would have seen grace. Those concepts would have been meaningless to a child who was forced to stay behind in the home against his own will. There is a risk, that if I let go, then son won’t come back. From God’s point of view, the risk is the disobedience, some are lost. But if Adam never falls, then none will gain. It’s either that or there will never be true love
* Consider this as we move forward to the day when we receive our resurrected bodies, we were told that we will be in a state that we will no longer to be able to sin, we will never have the chance to make the choice Adam made, we will always be protected
1 Corinthians 15:52-54 (KJV)
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory
* man born into the world today are not like the original Adam and nor are we like Christ. We come into the world born into a state of sin already, already fallen, already unable to obey God. We are slave to that state of disobedience that Adam himself establish for us when he made the wrong choice
1 Timothy 5:21 (AMP)
I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels that you guard and keep these rules without bias, doing nothing out of favouritism
* there is no sense anywhere in scriptures that the remaining 2/3 of angels are in all jeopardy of making the same mistakes of rebelling against God, it’s as if the issue is settled. 1/3 fell, 2/3 didn’t, end of story. Paul described those 2/3 angels that never rebel as the chosen/elect angels indicating that even the angelic realm is subject to God’s sovereignty in the question of who will be with Him and who will not
* God has made a provision for fallen man in the form of the gospel. Interestingly, although there’s 1/3 of the angels fell, there is no plan of redemption for them, God has no intent of rescuing any of the fallen angels, but yet for man He did make that provision available
Hebrews 2:16 (NIV)
For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants
* why does God permit or maybe even to invite Adam’s sin? Is that a good, loving thing to do? God’s purpose in the creation itself is so that He has an opportunity to express His nature, His character, His personality into that creation and have it know Him fully and worship Him for who He is. God has to reveal Himself fully to creation. If there were some part of God that was not shown, then that part would be secret, they wouldn’t know it, and therefore they couldn’t worship Him fully. Example : marriage
* sin does not have to exist for me to know love, sin does not have to exist for me to know God’s wisdom or for me to know His power or might or His compassion or His provision
* but how would I know God’s wrath if there wasn’t sin? How would I know God’s judgement as the perfect judge, how would I know what perfect judgement even looks like, how would I even know what the word is, if there was nothing that needs judging? How would I know what mercy is, or the word forgiveness if i do something wrong? How do I know what grace is if I don’t need it?
* it may seems unloving of God to allow a bad thing to happen, however we have to step back and to understand that nothing exist apart from God’s plan, there is no plan B, there is no other way it can be except that God would have what He wishes for His purpose according to His will. And if it necessitated sin becoming a reality so that we would know of the grace that have been ours, so be it, that’s God will
Ephesians 1:3-5 (AMP)
Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ, just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will — to the praise of His glorious grace and favor, which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved
* how do you have praise to the glory of His grace unless you have a plan that necessitate grace?
* is the tree an entrapment for Adam who is a helpless victim in the whole plan? Far from it, God warns Adam, “Do not eat!” there was no ambiguity about this. There was no attempt to bait Adam. Adam fell because he chose to sin, because he chose to disobey that word, pure and simple. But yet because he had the ability to do that, it was an inevitability
* the tree came with a promise, that should Adam chose to eat from the tree, he will surely die. What does it mean? The bible talks about 2 deaths, one is physical death. The bible also talks about spiritual death, it talks about the state of existence in which our physical body is alive but our spirit is corrupted by sin. Prior to our faith in Christ, we were dead to our sin. This state of deadness is characterised by a separation from God, our inability to know God or to have fellowship with God and it is also an inability to ever seek God truly, even the world thinks they are seeking after God, they are not, not in true sense. Spiritually when you are dead, you are unable to know God, to follow Him, to seek after Him, you are separated from God
Ephesians 2:1-6 (AMPC)
And you, when you were dead by trespasses and sins. In which at one time you walked. You were following the course and fashion of this world, following the prince of the power of the air. the spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience. Among these we as well as you once lived and conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh, obeying the impulses of the flesh and the thoughts of the mind. We were then by nature children of wrath and heirs of indignation, like the rest of mankind. But God—so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, Even when we were dead by shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; it is by grace that you are saved. And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together in the heavenly sphere in Christ Jesus.
* Paul says while we were dead, God made us alive in Christ. We didn’t make ourselves alive, God did
* spiritual death is the consequence of eating the fruit. Adam surely don’t understand, all fruits look the same to him. All Adam had was God’s word, a promise that he had to believe. He had to take it by faith or reject it
* so if you are willing to accept God’s word on His face, without all the explanation, without all the fancy understanding and doctoral degree, if you just say “God said it, I believe it, that settles it”, then you will not eat of the fruit and you will live forever
* salvation is made possible for the descendants of Adam by grace through faith in Christ. Why did God choose this method to save us? Because God wants us to believe in a promise, He wants us to believe that because Christ death pays all that is necessary to cover your sin, therefore, you can rest or trust in that work and not in your own and if you believe that if you trust and accept that in place of your own attempt, He would count all Christ’s righteousness as yours and you will suddenly and instantly become 100% righteous before God, not on your own basis but on the basis of Christ’s work and he will save you. How do you prove that? Same scenario as Adam, gee there is no way to prove except by faith to accept and believe God’s word on His face. It directly reverses the mistakes of Adam, we inherit the sinful nature and it stands that all of us have God’s word, with a promise, no prove, do you believe or not, receive the eternal life that Adam forfeited
Romans 5:12 (AMP)
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all people [no one being able to stop it or escape its power], because they all sinned
Genesis 2:18-20 (AMP)
Now the LORD God said, “It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [one who balances him—a counterpart who is] suitable and complementary for him.” So the LORD God formed out of the ground every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. And the man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper [that was] suitable (a companion) for him
* God concluded on day 6 in Genesis 1 that it was very good, but now looking at v20 of Genesis 2 it detailed at day 6 there was a point midway through that day when God decided that His creation on that day was actually not good enough. God decides at this midpoint that it is not good for Adam to be alone. That’s a strange statement since literally Adam was not alone, he walks with God in the garden. God Himself is the perfect companion, it would suggest that God is thinking here into a future moment, into a future need, a time when Adam would need a helper other than God by his side. The main point is God if He’s not with Adam has already intended that Adam has something in God’s absence
* helper – God Himself at multiple point in scripture calls Himself a servant using exactly the same Hebrew word as He use here to describe the word servant
* if it is used to describe God, it cannot be used in a demeaning sense, it cannot be used in the sense of lessening the value. In fact, it’s used to describe someone who’s committed as a willing partner, in an honourable and important lifework. It means a servant who values the opportunity to serve
* what God expects out of a marriage. God is implying that Adam’s helper is to be engaged in the work of service to God that God gave to Adam. That’s why she’s called the helper. She is a committed helper with Adam in the work that God gave Adam. The context in which women helps husbands is not in the trivial sense of doing the laundry and the dishes. That may be the way a woman may help in the home, but then again the man may help in the home that way as well, that’s not the sense of it. The sense of it is in the spiritual work of serving God. Man in his appointed role to serve God is better with a helper than without in serving God.
* secondly, it implies that the ultimate purpose of marriage is to make Adam more effective in serving God, it is not an arrangement to enhance our social calendar or our financial standing. It is not an arrangement that is design to make us feel good about ourselves or feel accepted or needed. We look for God in those things, we hope our partner in marriage accomplishes that work as well, but it is not where we rest
* women helps Adam in the sense the Holy Spirit is sent to help every believer in Christ. Just like the Holy Spirit, the wife is the lifelong companion. Just like the Holy Spirit the wife can be a counsellor for the sake of righteousness. Just like the Holy Spirit, she can be a source of comfort, love and encouragement but just like the Holy Spirit, she is also at times a source of conviction. These are all the ways in which a wife or the Holy Spirit to us is a helper in our spiritual service to God
* interestingly, God created animal out of the dirt of the ground, just as He created Adam! The animal kingdom comes from the same substance that God use when He created man! Adam is given the right to name animals. Up to this point, God name everything in His own creation but the only exception being with the sun and the moon and we discuss why He didn’t choose to name those. Here now though He grants Adam the right to name the animals and in the fact that He does this, God is implicitly assigning Adam dominion over with these creatures, over the animals of the kingdom of the world
* Adam has a speaking language. He was created with a language from Day 1. But what language? Look at biblical record prior to the tower of babel, prior to the scrambling of languages, if you look at the names the people were given such as Adam (earth), Abel (vanity), lamech (warrior)… but these words only have meaning in one language, that’s Hebrew. After the confusion on the language on the tower of babel, the names of the bible no longer have meaning in languages except Hebrew therefore, you can safely assume that the first language given to men was Hebrew, all men from Adam onwards spoke Hebrew until the scattering of language on the tower of babel
* Chapter 2 ultimately leads to why is there is a creation of woman
Genesis 2:21-24 (AMP)
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
* we notice the last thing God created was woman, and then He felt things were very good
* the woman was created in a unique way. She wasn’t made exnihilo, out of nothing, nor was she made the way Adam was made out of dirt. She is uniquely made, nothing else in creation is made a woman is made. She is made out of Adam. Ultimately, it means she comes from the same substance as Adam – dirt. But there is tremendous significant in the fact that she is made from part of Adam and not from the return of the earth itself, not to go back to Square 1 as God made Adam
* first surgery happens when God puts Adam into a deep sleep. We logically would have assume that the deep sleep is necessary to protect Adam from the pain of the surgery, like a kind of Godly anesthesia. Now in the perfect world, it may not even be true that Adam would have felt pain under these circumstances. We don’t necessary understand what was life like prior to the fall, prior to the curse was pain a part of life? And even if it were, let’s assume, God can certainly eliminate the pain without putting Adam to sleep. Remember Shadrach, Meshach Abednego? They were in the heat of the fire furnace, they don’t feel pain, they certainly don’t burn up and die, but they don’t have to be put to sleep to avoid that either. So why is there deep sleep? The significant here suggest that deep sleep means something much more, symbolic meaning. Do you remember as God enters into a covenant with Abraham, what transpire as God extends the Abrahamic covenant to Abraham? He puts Abraham into a deep sleep. Abraham deep sleep picture Abraham dead, that’s the sense of it. As dead as dead in his sin. God was the one doing the work of establishing a covenant to save Abraham and his descendants
* Looking back at Adam, God made clear that God alone is doing the work to save Adam. The work in this case is part of his flesh is taken away, and the flesh is used to make a bride for Adam. In the future, there will be a new Adam, who will go to the grave but only for a time. And later this new Adam, whom we call Christ will resurrect back to life, as if coming back from sleep. And when He awakens after that death, the resurrection we call it, what would be awaiting to greet Him? Over time, the body of Christ becomes the bride of Christ. The body of the man whose death made possible a bride is pictured in Adam in a deep sleep something like a death giving part of his body to make possible a bride matched for him. The bride of course meaning the church. So even in this early point of the bible, we see a foreshadowing of God picturing how He will build a church – the bride out of the body of His son, the Christ
* marriage is the first relationship God established for man apart from our relationship with Him
Luke 20:34-36 (AMP)
Jesus said to them, “The sons of this [world and present] age marry and [the women] are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy to gain that [other world and that future] age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; and they cannot die again, because they are [immortal] like the angels (equal to, angel-like)
* however, in our new resurrected body, in the new heaven and new earth, we are not married. Why? Because they cannot die any longer aka because there is no sin. The institution of marriage has been given to man in this age, not the future, because it is an essential means by which we can contend with sin, battle sin, deal with it successfully in the service to God
(Chapter 3)
Genesis 2:25 (ESV)
And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed
* many people would say chapter 3 is about the fall. But it is really about the beginning of redemption. This chapter is where God sets out the plan to redeem man
* we are also going to see how sin work, how does evil work, how does temptation work. If you want to solve those issues in your life by the power of the Holy Spirit, the first step is understanding how they work
* we are going to also see the technics of the enemy himself and his methods
* why mention the nakedness part? Moses is connecting something here that is fundamental to our understanding. He is connecting evil with our tendency to be ashamed of nakedness. It’s a spiritual issue. Transparency is always with God first, then man. After the fall, we lose the ability to live with transparency with one another and with God because we lack complete holiness, because we lost transparency with God therefore we no longer have transparency with one another
Genesis 3:1-3 (AMP)
Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. And [a]the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, “Can it really be that God has said, ‘You shall not eat from [b]any tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden, except the fruit from the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God said, ‘You shall not eat from it nor touch it, otherwise you will die.’”
* what does Moses mean when he said the snake is more crafty than any other beast? is Moses saying the snake as God created snake is just naturally a sneakier and nastier animal than any other animal? That is not true because God also made poodles. Moses is telling us something particular about this snake, this particularly serpent standing infront of Eve at the moment was craftier than all creature, this is Moses describing it in an artful way that this snake is different from any other snake or any other beast because satan was indwelling it. In the last day, there will be a man who rules the earth, whom bible call anti-Christ. At the point of ruling, he is indwells by satan, with satan influence directly in his life and in the same sense here, an ordinary snake has been indwelled by the devil
* why bother to take the form of snake? No need to dwell into that, satan has to take some form one way or another, or appear as himself
* satan purpose in this encounter is to set himself as an allie of man and the woman with the common enemy whom he will portray to be God. That’s why he appears in a simple form, appealing form, attractive, unthreatening, natural, a form that presents as no concern and fits his purpose. That is why Paul describe he comes as an angel of light
2 Corinthians 11:14 (NLT)
But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light
Ezekiel 28:12-17 (ESV)
Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.
* where does satan comes from? He existed in the garden before he fell
* evil exists before man sin. Satan’s fall produce the arrival of evil as the father of lies and then he becomes the instrument for initiating man’s fall. He still gives an access to man and woman. Why did God allow satan to remain in the garden and tempt man product the fall? Would there have been a fall without satan tempting the woman? God has anticipated the fall from the beginning
* satan asked ‘has indeed God said…” it sound like a question but actually it is a statement. He is implying that God is treating them unfairly. But did you notice where he goes first, “indeed has God said…” what he is implying is that He’s taking you for a ride, He is giving you something to your disadvantage, He is making you look like a fool, He is making you feel naïve….satan impunes God’s motives. Satan method is to bring us to a place where we doubt God’s character and purposes by questioning His word. Is it any mystery that in our day and age that creation story of Genesis is easily the most maligned part of the bible. If you get the beginning wrong, virtually nothing else matters. And we go directly to the point of what God has said, maligning His motives, criticizing His truthfulness and in building a story from there. But look at satan’s technic even further, cleverly he allows us to fill in the blanks with our own accusations against God. He doesn’t make the accusation; he seeps the doubt and let us fill in the blank! This is the way the father of lies works. He will use suggestions that we cannot resolve and also on our obedience and doubt. Without the tree, without the commandment concerning the tree, there is no starting point for disobedience
* Eve first thought was running into a defensive moment “I got to defence God’s words”. How did she get it wrong? First, she makes God’s word more restrictive than it was, but at the same time she neglects an emphasis of freedom that God gave in His statement (you can eat of any tree in the garden) while de-emphasizing the penalty. She tones down the penalty, she said “we would die, not we would surely die” and not “in the day you eat of it, you shall surely die” and then she makes it more restrictive by saying “she’s not allowed to touch it” which God never said anything about
* what happens when we face the temptation and schemes of the enemy without a strong enough understanding of God’s word. What you assume happens, it’s counter-intuitive what actually happens because what we assume happen is we get more liberal, the assumption is when we don’t know God’s word and we are face with a moment of decision, we will tend to be more liberal, more likely to do the wrong thing and actually this example and the testimony of the scripture and the history of mankind argues for the opposite conclusion
* when religious minded people depart from God’s word, they tend to make up or invent their own rules and ideas calling them God’s rules and ideas and substitute theirs for God. And in the end is we tend to make God’s word more restrictive when you don’t know the word, you run to legalism. Legalism is a man-made restriction masquerading as God’s law. And it is the natural instinct of a religious minded person who is unfamiliar with God’s word to make up rules when we don’t know what the rules are. It makes God in the end to be an unkind task master, intent of robbing us of joy. That’s an inevitable impression that leaves people to resentment, frustration and ultimately drives them away from a loving God because their impression is “this is a God who doesn’t want me to have any fun”
* when we run to God’s word, He will counsel us to the proper understanding of what is righteousness with an understanding that in love He gives us this expectation. When we rely on man-made rules, it is all cold, dry and hard legalism
Romans 4:15 (AMP)
For the Law results in [God’s] wrath [against sin], but where there is no law, there is no violation [of it either]
* the law that Adam have was a single law, “don’t eat of that tree”, that’s it. Without the law, there can be no violation but now that there is law, violation is possible
Revelation 12:9 (AMP)
And the great dragon was thrown down, the age-old serpent who is called the [a]devil and Satan, he who continually deceives and seduces the entire inhabited world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him
Revelation 20:2 (AMP)
And he overpowered and laid hold of the dragon, that old serpent [of primeval times], who is the devil and Satan, and bound him [securely] for a thousand years (a millennium)
* the scripture says that the one referred to in the earlier time, the old time as serpent was satan the devil, which appeared as physical snake because bible described it as an animal craftier than any beast of the field
John 8:44 (AMP)
You are of your father the devil, and it is your will to practice the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar and the father of lies and half-truths
Proverbs 30:5-6 (AMP)
Every word of God is tested and refined [like silver]; He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, Or He will reprove you, and you will be found a liar
Genesis 3:4-5 (ESV)
But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
* satan is appealing to pride, remember his fall was a matter of pride as well, pride is the beginning of sin. He wants woman to imagine how much better things would be for her if she can have her own way rather than living within God’s law. That’s when pride comes into the foreground here. Satan is asking woman to think of how much better things could be for her if she can just do something her way instead of God’s way (pride)
* woman didn’t fall for the bait initially but it’s her own uncertainty concerning God’s word left her vulnerable to satan’s lie
* step one: satan set forth the proposition that was actually a lie and said that God is wrong about the consequences (attack the word, attack the truth about what God’s said)
* step two: the woman who lack acknowledging confidence to God’s word try to refute the enemy’s scheme but she falls short of being able to do it satisfactorily (our response if we know God’s word at all is if it’s incomplete leaves a gap)
* step three: the enemy proposes an alternate path by suggesting this alternate path will arrive at a greater benefit than the path God is offering (he said to woman you surely will not die)
* satan said “you’ll be more like God” which is absolutely true
* the lie is she’ll also be less like God in that she will have the first-hand experience of sin with evil and sin that God Himself does not even have. Though God knows about evil, He knows everything, He has no first-hand experience, He’s never participated in sin. She will be doing something He’s never done and, in that sense, she is less like God. She falls from the point of holiness that she currently occupies
* satan proposing that sin has not consequences. He’s saying it’ll all be better, he’s suggesting that when you choose your own desire over God’s commands, you won’t suffer loss, you only experience gain. This is the first and the greatest lie and from it stems all others. When we decide that following our desire above God’s word leads to something better rather than to consequences, we are pursuing the same lie that satan offer to the woman in the garden
* if we want to rise above sin in our lives which we all should want, and to the degree God gives us the grace to do so, we will. But the beginning of that process is understanding the problem, then we can move on, hopefully to addressing the problem
* Sin is by definition a disregard of God’s will and His word and the reliance on our own ways and desires in place of God’s will. It’s that fork in the road, it’s facilitated by a weak knowledge of God’s word that can be twisted by the enemy or willing disregard of it if we choose to ignore what we know
* example of weak knowledge of God’s word: “God helps those who helps themselves” this phrase is not in the bible but more importantly that sentiment is not in the bible. The bible teaches exactly the opposite, God helps those who cannot help themselves and who acknowledge they cannot help themselves. Those who think they can help themselves do not get God’s help until they are willing to acknowledge they cannot help themselves
* prosperity gospel? The very fact that there is a prosperity gospel in the church today is a direct result of a weak knowledge of God’s Word. If there was a strong understanding of God’s Word, no preacher with a prosperity gospel would never get a hearing. They’ll be run out of town.
* Even Christian could naively follow the enemy’s half truths when we allow this pattern to take hold because of a weak knowledge of God’s Word. And when we come to believe that making our own rules arrives at a better result than what God gives us, we just repeating the same sin. You will not necessarily know that you’ve made that wrong choice at first, but time will tell
Genesis 3:6 (ESV)
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,[b] she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
* the crucial word here is “saw”. God has already declared that the fruit is bad, the fact that it looks good doesn’t change that, does it? The impression is after hearing from satan woman took a new look at the tree again and probably say “I didn’t realise how good it actually looks”. We know that tree is a fruit tree, we’ve been told already, so does the woman. We know it produce fruit similar to the other trees, so of course it looks good. There is no new information in actual
* if we allow that “look” of intense longing, driven by the inflaming of that desire convince us, we are letting lust takeover
* almost invariably sin begins with the eye
Luke 11:34 (ESV)
Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.
Matthew 5:27 (ESV)
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
* when we see something leads to a longing coveting desire act (touch, hold, imagine it’s yours, engage in conversation etc), sin has come into being
James 1:14-15 (ESV)
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
* temptation itself is not sin, Jesus was tempted. But giving in to temptation is sin
* in the woman case, her lust here is the temptation of what satan say the fruit would bring her which is to make her wise (satan plants a lie, make it into a temptation, which drives the desire of human to pursue that temptation)
* not knowing God’s word accurately can lead us to a point where we feel like we’ve tested and got away with something and we won’t see the consequence
* woman touches the fruit, mm no death? Maybe satan was right, maybe I really have nothing to fear about this fruit. And then after touching it she moves to the next step, by eating
* therefore, since nothing happened and nothing’s changed, from woman self perception, she must have felt truly that God’s word is not trustworthy. It seems as though everything God had said has not come true and everything the enemy had said was right
* God warned “surely die” means spiritually death, not physically. They will cease to be holy and innocent and pure and they will lose the ability to fellowship with God in that state but their physically life will continue on
* God is not present in the garden at the moment, woman sense no change in herself because she, in the unholy state now has not come face to face with holiness as of yet and so in that difference (between light and dark) we come to an understanding
Romans 5:12 (ESV)
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men[a] because all sinned
* instinctively, woman shares the fruit with man. Think about that? Why did woman gave man the fruit? What was it that drove her to share that experience? When we live in sin, we seek out others to share in that sin with us. Misery loves company and so do sin. When you live in sin as a matter of a pattern, you’re not just a bad influence to other people but the very nature of sin is that it wants to spread, you want to spread, you feel uncomfortable until someone else validates or affirms your choice by sharing with you
* it’s like a disease, it cannot stay with one person. It moves from host to host and when we indulge in sin, we will have a thinking and desire to share with others. If someone close to us, someone we spend a lot of time with, someone who matters to us, has not chosen to make the same mistake that we are choosing to make, we will want them to join us just for the sake of minimising our own conviction or we will hide our sin from them or we will run from them
* Adam just ate without questioning, no debate, no discussion. He chose to eat without any deception. He was with her all this time
1 Timothy 2:14 (ESV)
and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor
1 Cortinthians 15:21-22 (ESV)
For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive
Genesis 3:7 (ESV)
Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin cloths
* only after Adam ate were both their eyes opened
* why wasn’t woman credited for the fall? According to the verse we just read, deception is a legitimate defence she was deceived by satan, he twisted her understanding of God’s word he planted in her mind thoughts that were not true. Her own lust and her own sinful desire ultimately bring about sin. Woman was the harder defense target to satan. She defended God’s word, she believed God’s word
* the bible tells us here that the practice of covering ourselves came as an instant result of sin and not as some cultural practice. The simple definition of sin is law breaking. When we sin we broke the law and in doing so we offend the law giver. In this sense is God. This law giver promised to these 2 people that when they ate of the fruit, they would be doing a penalty which is spiritual death, therefore they experienced a spiritual change as promised. That change left them feeling instantly different about themselves and about their relationship with God. They literally felt the shame instinctively and that shame always accompanies with law breaking till times now
* now that we are spiritually fallen and shameful, we cannot fix the spiritual defect through physical action. It was the physical act that leads to the spiritual fall but there is no solution that would reverse what it has been done spiritually
* God understands what would happen when they encounter sin for the first time. He knows what kind of change would take place in the spirit. He already told them that they would surely die (spiritual death) when they eat the fruit. So He provided His grace, His unmerited favor on God’s part to make sure they would have an opportunity to heal themselves. God is compelled by His own perfect nature to judge sin and not ignore it
Exodus 33:19 (ESV)
And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”
Stop at 10:52 (3c)
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