God’s Creation & Recreation
Old Testament Core Seminar
Sunday School,
March 9th 2008
Miles Crouse
Introduction: Good morning. Last week we looked at Genesis 1-2. In those chapters we saw God’s perfect and pristine creation. We saw the LORD God exercising complete sovereignty and care over a people living in prefect fellowship with God and each other. These people were stewards of the earth as kings and priests, and enjoyed rest and peace as they displayed God’s glory! Look at Genesis 1:31. [READ] And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
When God surveyed this Kingdom, looking particularly at the humans who He created in His image, He called it “very good.” But…turn over to chapter 6, and look at verse 5. [READ] And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And look at verses 11 & 12. [READ] Gen 6:11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
Whoa! What happened? What happened to create such a radical reversal of all that was good, and true, and beautiful to such wickedness, evil corruption, and violence ? And maybe the greater questions are:
Ø What’s God doing about it?
Ø And what are we to do about it?
Well, Genesis 3-11 is going to give us a lot of answers to these and other questions.
[PRAY]
Most likely, it was during Israel’s 40 years of wondering in the wilderness – but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Each week I’ll briefly explain this context. It basically has to do with who the author is, why he wrote, and what was going on around him in space and time.
The textual/literary context is, as I just mentioned, that Genesis 1 & 2 describe God’s perfect creation as it was originally intended. As we turn to Genesis 3 we’ll see how and why the radical change took place, that has plunged us into the world we now know: a world of death and disease and broken relationships – failed marriages, a world of sin.
And each week I’m going to introduce you to something called the “redemptive-historical” context. What I mean by that is that the Bible is one book telling one story. Yes, it is made up of many books with many, many stories; but the whole of those many books and many stories are tied together to make one unified whole.
The one story that is holding the Bible together is God’s work in history to redeem, to rescue, to save a people by His grace and for His glory. So, since it is God’s work of redemption in the course of history, we have this very clever name “redemptive-history.”
Basically it means “the unified story in the Bible of the true history of God saving His people.” So each week, before we can dive into any book of the Bible, we need to know where we are on that story line. What has God been up to, what has He accomplished in His “redemptive-historical” plan so far, up to the point where we are studying in the Bible. It will become more clear what we mean by this as we go along.
Obviously, we are at the very beginning of history itself here in the opening chapters of Genesis. But as we turn to Genesis 3, we will see the beginning of “God’s work of redemption in the course of history,” the beginning of “redemptive-history.” No sooner do our first parents plunge us into sin and ruin, does God have a plan –
and begins effecting that plan – to save many a man, woman, and child out of that sin and ruin.
Each week we’ll be keeping tabs on how far along God is in His plan, and what it means for us and our place in redemptive-history.
[Take Questions]
Mankind’s first parents decided to set themselves up as equals to God, and have disobeyed Him. In doing so they have incurred the just wrath of God and have been expelled from that pristine created order, where they will no longer enjoy that perfect fellowship with God nor each other, nor will they have rest and peace on the earth. However, this is not the complete wrath that they deserve, because they will now die for there sin, but God has already established a way by which the curse of sin will be overturned and the universe re-created to its original state!
I know that’s a lot – and usually through this course the thematic summaries will be more concise –But let’s go to the text.
Outline w/ Pivotal Texts
You have in their handouts a little guide for your own study starting with the Dawn of Humanity and ending with the Seed of the Woman.
I. The Dawn of Humanity – 2 Seeds (Genesis 2:4-4:26*)
II. The Seed of the Woman
A. The effects of sin is realized (Genesis 4:1)
B. The Descendents of Adam and Their Sin (Genesis 5:1-6:8)
C. The Punishment for Sin: UnCreating the Universe (Genesis 6:9-9:29)…
D. and Grace: ReCreating the Universe (Genesis 10:1-11:9)
E. Humanity after the Flood: Still Sinful (Genesis 11:10-26)
The Seed of the Woman Continues On…
*These divisions are not arbitrary, but textually determined. Notice that each section begins with the phrase “This is the account of…” This repetition shows a nature break in Moses’ writing.
Turn to Chapter 2:15-17. [READ] Gen 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Part of man’s responsibility as kings, only under God’s greater Kingship, is to obey God. And here we read that they are told to work, and not to eat of a particular tree in the garden, the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
If they do eat of it, what will happen? [WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO ANSWER] They will “surely die.”
Now this tree was not a magical tree, such that once they ate of the magical fruit they would suddenly know what good is and what evil is, whereas before they were just kind of morally unaware, living in a state of blissful ignorance. Nor are we to think of it as some kind of cruel tease, placed there by God as a way of tempting Adam and Eve. Rather the tree is symbol. It was placed right there in full sight, to remind Adam and Eve that, although they are given great privilege and many freedoms (in fact, freedom to eat of every other tree as much as their little hearts desire), they are nonetheless not God. They are not the High King. They are still creatures, not Creator. They are not the final authority in the universe; they don’t determine what is good and what is evil; they are still under the authority of God Almighty.
This is actually what it means, in this context, to “know” good and evil. It doesn’t mean to simply be informed about, but to take the prerogative to determine what is good and evil: the right to become the judge and to have the final say on what is good and what is evil.
Appropriately, then, is this symbol of man’s creatureliness called the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” With this tree God is saying to Adam and Eve, “I alone have the right to determine what is good and what is evil, what is right and what is wrong in my universe. Remember that my children, or there will be dire consequences.”
[Take Questions]
Well, turn now to chapter 3:1-24, and let’s look at this little by little. Look at verses 1-5. [READ] Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
What a lie! The serpent of course is the devil (see Revelation 12:9), a created angel in rebellion against God. And that serpent would have us think, “I am like God.
I know what’s good and what’s evil. What’s worthy and unworthy. What’s a valuable way to spend my time, and what’s not! Who is worth loving and who is not! What’s worth worshipping and what’s not. What’s weighty and of great consequence and what’s not.” It’s arrogant. It’s idolatrous. It’s insane.
And notice that Eve’s confusion about what God has said – for she misquotes Him. And the serpent’s ability to create confusion about what God has said will be her downfall. Ignorance of, lack of clarity about, and disbelief in God’s word is always a dangerous recipe.
Look at verse 6. [READ] Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Adam and Eve both fell for it. The idea of becoming like God lodged in their hearts, and by eating the fruit of the tree they tried to supplant to take His place on His throne and take their own seat at the head of God’s universe.
This is real treachery; it’s mutiny.
However, it didn’t work. The very next verses show that. Look at verses 7-8. [READ] Gen 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
Immediately they are not behaving like gods, but like people ashamed of what they’ve done. It’s as though they immediately realize their great folly and evil. And suddenly that perfect fellowship, and love, and openness, and trust is gone. They now hide from each other in verse 7, and they hide from God in verse 8. The death that was promised as a consequence in 2:17 has begun.
Let’s jump ahead now to see what God is going to do to deal with these treasonous rebels. Because all are culpable here: the serpent, Eve, and Adam. God will address each of them in turn. We are going to look at them a little out of order though. Look at verse 16, as God deals with the woman: [READ] Gen 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
No longer will childbearing be restful and peaceful, but very painful. And women’s relationship with her husband will have difficulties and strife. But notice the grace. Eve is not destroyed on the spot. The marriage life and motherhood will continue.
And for Adam, look at verses 17-19. His work will also no longer be restful or peaceful. And no longer will he be able to control the environment. Instead, his work will be in pain and by the sweat of his face as the earth now fights against him and makes life difficult.
But again, notice the grace. Adam and Eve will still get to live on the earth. They are not blotted out entirely. Sure, the earth will be full of tornados, and droughts, and floods, and their work will be hard. Verses 23 and 24 say that he is driven out of the presence of God, but physical life still continues.
However, life will not continue forever. At the end of verse 19 we read that mankind will return to the dust from which he was taken.
It’s as though in dying the creation of man is reversed. And thus, he dies.
He dies in a sense when he is alienated from God by his sin, and in the full meaning of the word when his soul is rent from his body, and his body goes back into the ground. So there is a very tragic end to man and to the creation. It all ends, someday, in death. Everything dies, and that’s a fact. But praise God, that’s not the end of the story.
Look back now at verses 14 and 15. There we read God’s words to the serpent, to the devil.
And there we see the ultimate solution to our plight, for in verse 15 we see the beginning of the gospel…the beginning of God’s plan of redemption. Let’s read these verses. [READ Verses 14-15] Gen 3:14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
God says that He is putting enmity, that is “hostility to the point of killing each other,” between certain persons. There are three levels of enmity here.
1. The first, it says, is enmity between the devil and the woman.
What does that mean? Well, it means that Satan and the human race are enemies.
It may not sound like such a great plan of redemption to us if the first thing God does is make us enemies to Satan. But…consider the alternative. The alternative would be to be friends with Satan and therefore permanent enemies of God. So what God is saying here is that humanity still belongs to Him. Satan cannot steal away His image bearing creatures.
He can deceive and lead astray, but can not own. Satan will not rule them or determine their final destination. They still belong to God. So enmity with God’s enemy is a good thing.
2. The second level of enmity, it says is where? [WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO ANSWER] God says it’s between the woman’s offspring (literally “seed”), and the serpent’s offspring (or “seed”). Does that mean that children and snakes will always hate each other? No, it is actually a pronouncement that humanity will be divided into two camps.
One is called the “seed of the woman.” And that other is called the “seed of the serpent.” Of course, we know that all will physically be descendents of the woman Eve (since she is the first mother of everyone), nonetheless some of those physical offspring of Eve will spiritually be the “seed of the serpent.” That means that, like Satan, they will not obey God, but will throughout their lives fall for the deceits of the devil, just as Adam and Eve did this one time. Jesus teaches this kind of spiritual fatherhood in John 8:44 when He confronts some of His contemporaries with these words: “John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
John says it more succinctly 1 John 3:8, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning...”
Those who, as a lifestyle, posture themselves against God and live intentionally sin-filled lives, are the “seed of the serpent.” The “seed of the woman,” then, from verse 15, are the rest of humanity. They are those who by grace through faith and repentance, are born of God and attempt, at least as much as one can in this fallen world, to follow and obey God. And this verse is saying that these two groups are irreconcilable. Those who hate God will make war against those who seek to obey Him.
Again, as Jesus put it like this in 11 John 15:19, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” And in 1 John 3:13 we are told “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you..”
3. Now, the third level of enmity is the most crucial. Look again in verse 15. It ends by saying “it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Suddenly God is not talking about a group of people, a line of descendents. Instead He is speaking about one descendent who will deliver the fatal blow to the devil, and end the enmity. Do you see that there? He is using singular pronouns: “he” and “him.” So out of the larger group of God’s faithful obeying people will arise one man who will crush the head of Satan, and end the enmity, thereby ridding the creation of the deceiver that initiated this whole mess.
However this One Seed will not come out of the battle unscathed. His heel will be struck. Not a fatal wound, like that to the head, but still a real wound nonetheless. So who is this One Seed par excellance who will be wounded in His victorious battle over evil in the universe? [WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO ANSWER]
He is, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ. A moment ago I read to you from 1 John 3:8, but I did not read the entire verse. The entire verse is this: “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil..” This victory over the devil and his works was accomplished on the cross.
John 12:31-33, “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. 32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.
Colossians 2:13, “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Hebrews 2:14-15 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
The problem in the universe is sin, which Adam and Eve opened the door to. And the result of that sin is death. So for the universe to be set right again, sin and death need to be eradicated. By His death on the cross Jesus Christ bore the wrath of God for the sins of His people, and purchased forgiveness for them. Thus the legal demands of God’s justice are met and His people are given eternal life.
Now, Christ’s people await His second coming when He’ll destroy the devil completely and renew the creation to its original state! In the first coming of Christ He overcame sin for us in His second coming He’ll give us the final victory over death. [TAKE QUESTIONS]
4:8, 25-26
Well, the rest of the Bible now is an outworking of this very verse, Genesis 3:15—the three levels of enmity being played out in history.
Satan is always trying to destroy God’s image bearer. And more specifically, he is using his own spiritual seed to corrupt or destroy the godly descendents of Eve,
with the goal of preventing the One Seed, the Champion, from coming into the world and crushing him.
In the very next chapter we see this being attempted by Cain killing Abel. Who by the way 1 John 3:12 describes this way Cain, who was of that wicked one, The story of Cain is not a picture of mans potential to restore himself but a story of the effects of sin and mans inability to restore his relationship to God.
Cain hated God and his image as we see in Genesis 4:8. [READ] And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
So has the serpent won? Is the godly line ended? Well, no. In verses 25 and 26 Adam and Eve have another son to carry forward the line that will someday birth the savior. [READ VV. 25-26] Gen 4:25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. 26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
But as the story through the Bible continues we are again and again brought to wonder Will Satan win at snuffing out the line? Or will the promises of God be fulfilled? Often times it looks bleak for the people of God, and as though surely Satan has finally won the decisive battle, but, as we just saw at the end of Genesis 4, God will always provide a way (sometimes quite narrowly).
Ø Consider the flood. Was Satan able to corrupt humanity so badly that God would destroy them all? No, one family delivered by grace.
Ø Will the promises to Abraham, through whom the Seed will come, fall to the ground because his wife is barren? No, God will miraculously provide a son.
Ø Will the descendents of Abraham be snuff out by a famine? No, God will send a savior-of-sorts ahead of them to Egypt in their brother Joseph, to gather food and stay off the famine.
Ø Will the Pharaoh and his “seed-of-the-serpent-army” extinguish the children of Abraham when they get too numerous in Egypt? No, God rescues them through Moses.
Ø Next, the One Seed is promised to come through David’s line, which is always in danger, be it from Goliath or a Babylonian captivity. Nonetheless, God always, miraculously, preserves the line. Then finally, once the Seed is born Satan tries to kill him, through King Herod, and tries to tempt Him, in the wilderness.
Ø And finally, it looks as though the devil has won when Jesus is dying on the cross. But therein is actually Christ’s victory, not his defeat, for there He defeated sin. And He defeated death when He rose three days later. And now He reigns until His final and complete victory over Satan when He returns.
Until then, Satan is a defeated enemy still raging, until Christ returns to crush His head once and for all. You can read about this in Revelation 12! We will address these things in more depth as we go through the class.
[Take Questions]
Well, as we continue in Genesis, we really see the outworkings of this enmity between the godly and ungodly lines. Chapter 5 lists out the godly line as it descends from Adam, through Seth. Seth, you’ll remember is the one who replaced Abel at the end chapter 4, after Abel was murdered.
So chapter 5 is really more than just a geneology. It’s a record of God’s faithfulness to fulfill His promises. Notice one thing though: sin and death linger and loom like the very real menace they are. Verses 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27, and 31 all end with the same phrase: “and then he died.” That refrain is like a constant drum beat, boom boom boom over and over again, to pound into us the dreadful certainty of what awaits sinners in this world, even those who are of the “seed of the woman” and mean to be obedient to God. For, godly though they may be to some extent, they are still sinners.
6:1-9:17
In chapter 6 we see more of mankind’s further and further descent into depravity and evil. In chapter 3 the rebellion against God took on the form of trespassing and stealing. In chapter 4 man’s rebellion became violent murder. Man continues more and more to be very evil divine image bearers until we read in chapter 6 the indictment I read to you at the beginning of the class today.
Look at verses 5-7. [READ] Gen 6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
The wickedness and treachery and rebellion and dishonoring (not glorifying) of God has become so great that His patience has run out. And did you notice there in verse 7, that the judgment coming will take on the form of reversing the creative acts which He did in chapters 1 and 2? The animals, and mankind in particular, will no longer teem on the earth, but will all be destroyed. And how will the destruction come? [WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO ANSWER]
Of course, this is the story of the flood. That this judgment and flood is meant to be understood as an un-creating of the universe and can be most clearly seen in chapter 7. Look at verses 11-12. [READ] Gen 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
In chapter 1, verses 6 and 7, we read about how God separated the waters below from the waters above (that is to say in the clouds in the atmosphere), and in verses 9 and 10, about how He separated the waters of the sea to make room for dry land. Well now, in this flood account, the sea is bursting forth to swallow up the land, and the skies are dumping all their rain.
Let’s also read 7:19-22. [READ] Gen 7:19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.
Much of the phraseology here is taken right out of Genesis 1 and 2 to help us see that judgment for sin is here experienced in the form of creation being undone. Well, we have a problem here don’t we? How can God’s promised Seed ever come to crush the head of the serpent, if everyone is dead? [WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO ANWSER]
Right, God’s judgment and wrath are again mixed with grace and mercy. Look at 6:8. and 6:17-20. [READ] Gen 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. 18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. 20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
In the midst of God’s wrath, God has Himself provided a way of escape. And so we see that the recession of the flood waters are pictured as a type of re-creation. Look at 8:1-3 and 8:16-17. [READ] Gen 8:1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; 2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; 3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. 16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. 17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.
Again, the language here is plucked right out of Genesis 1 and 2 such that we would see God starting over again, the old promises of Genesis 3:15 are still in tact. Now the earth remains such that it might be the stage upon which God will carry out his plan of redemption. Look at 8:21-22. [READ] Gen 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
Okay, so man has become exceedingly sinful. And God has judged him for it. Yet all the while God has still displayed His grace on mankind, and He’s still faithful to His promises. But why did we need to go into all that detail about judgment taking on the form of un-creation, and grace taking on the form of re-creation?
1. What we are struck with here is the real horror of sin. We have all thought far too slightly of sin. We have not considered the complete and utter evilness of our rebellion against God. We dance around it and call it by names that soften the blow of it. But we need to call it what it is: treason!
Think about it. You have the all powerful, all creative, self-sufficient God on the one hand. He designed the whole system. Everything, all the way down to the level of atoms and quarks. And then you have his creatures, completely dependent on him, made from dust, assigned with the task of imaging his moral perfection, beauty, and love; assigned with bringing his justice and rule to the world; created with the purpose of pointing to him and glorifying him; but putting their hand up to him and saying: no thank you. I’m as good as you. I’ll do it my way. I’ll rule my life and the world around me how I please. I’ll be the captain of my soul.
Do you realize that when you get up in the morning, and decide to get out of bed, brush your teeth, eat breakfast, and plan your day without any consideration of God’s rule over your life, you are saying “I am like god. I know good and evil. I’ll feel this morning the way I want to feel. I respond to my parents or my spouse the way I want to respond. I’ll think what I want to think about this church service. I am like god. I know what’s good and what’s evil. God? Who needs Him? I have me!” I am god. Well, we need to remember that we are to be reverential creatures, not pointing-to-ourselves. We were made for Another, to display the glory of Another. And every time we insist on our own autonomy we are committing the same treachery and sedition that we read about today.
Even after the fall into sin, man still bears God's image. So the problem is not that man no longer bears God’s image. The problem is that man bears a perversion of God’s image. He does not fill the earth with God’s righteous glory. He misrepresents, dishonors, lies about, distorts the truth of who God is. And by his sin mars the image of God. Like a carnival mirror, its reflection is twisted and wrong. Think about what this means: If nothing is more important than God’s glory, then nothing is more evil than trying to deny God the glory that is his. Therefore, nothing is more important than God vindicating his righteous glory by punishing sin and destroying those who mis-bear it.
2. And that leads us to our second point of application. Do you remember what we read when we were looking at 2 Peter? “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people out you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of Christ’s coming.”
Knowing God will hold us accountable for our actions should serve as a motivator toward holiness. And we as a church members need to open up our lives to each other, and be involved in each other’s lives, not to be busy bodies, but in order to help each other fight this nemesis within: sin.
3. But thirdly, no matter how righteous a life we lead relative to some worldly standard, we will never live up to God’s standard of holiness. We are all sinners. Our situation is desperate. Our righteousness is really dirty rags. We all stand in need of Someone else’s righteousness imputed to us. And so our application is this: put your whole and entire confidence and trust in Christ. Believe in Him. Repent of your sins and trust that His death and resurrection are sufficient to atone for your sins and give you eternal life. Let no other trust intrude…throw the whole of yourself on Christ.
4. And lastly we need to follow Christ by hearing and obeying the Word of God. You see, the fall originated in the same place that all sin originates: in ignorance of and confusion about the Word of God. So we need to be renewing our minds with learning and meditating and internalizing and memorizing the Word of God.
[TAKE QUESTIONS]
[PRAY]