"And the Lord God said, 'The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.' So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life." -Genesis 3.22-24
Man is justly banished from Eden, receiving the consequences of his disobedience, he is driven out of the paradise of Eden, and must work the ground outside in the untamed world. Once man is out, God stations cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the path to the tree of life. Man will now die because of disobedience, but even in banishment and an armed guard, there is hope. God does not destroy the garden, and He does not cut down the tree of life.
Thousands of years later, Jesus would enter Jerusalem from the east. In another garden He would face the same temptation of Adam, and reject it choosing obedience to God. He would be nailed to a cross, becoming the tree of life, and in Him man can live forever. There are no cherubim guarding the cross, no flaming sword stands between man and the empty tomb.
God is a god of hope. He did not destroy the tree of life, just placed a guard before it until the price could be paid to access it again. Physical death is part of life, but in Christ, eternal life in paradise is freely given. We will struggle in this world, it has been damaged by sin, but the God of hope is bringing His creation to restoration. Man has access to the tree of life once again, and while he has the breath of life in his lungs, access will not be denied.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Showing posts with label Genesis 3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Genesis 3. Show all posts
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Justifyer
"The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them." -Genesis 3.21
God is just, He deals with sin from every guilty party. But God is also the justifyer, He does the work of paying for sin. Romans 6.23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." God must justly deal with sin, otherwise He is not a holy and righteous God. But because God is holy and righteous, He is the one who pays the price for sin. God does the dirty work that humanity is unable to do.
Adam and the woman, now named Eve, attempt to cover their nakedness by sewing fig leaves together. When a leaf is pulled from the tree it begins to dry out and wither. The coverings that Adam and Eve made for themselves were a feeble, temporary, and ultimately ineffective solution. They were a band-aid on a deep wound that needed stitches. God steps in, and does for them what they cannot do for themselves.
God makes garments of skin, covering Adam and Eve with clothing that will last. I don't know how many of you have taken part in the hunting, field dressing, and skinning of an animal, but let me tell you, it is not the most pleasant process. Adam and Eve did not have the means to kill or skin an animal. They were unable to cover themselves with proper clothing, and so God did it. He did the dirty work. Adam and Eve could not deal with their sin, and so God made the sacrifice, one animal each, to cover the cost of their sin. Throughout the Bible, we'll see how the grace of God grows in the area of payment for sin, culminating in Jesus.
God is just, and as such, He must hold sinners accountable for their sin. Sin is serious, and the only payment that can cover sin, is death. This price is too high for humanity to pay, and so God the just, acts on behalf of man as justifyer. God does what only He is able to do. God steps in, and pays the price for man's sin.
For the last few days I've been listening to a song titled, Before the Throne of God Above (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MUNywhsZPU)
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me
Behold Him there the risen Lamb
My perfect spotless righteousness
The great unchangeable I am
The King of glory and of grace
One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God!
With Christ my Savior and my God!
One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God!
With Christ my Savior and my God!
God the just, the one who must condemn man for his sin, steps in as justifyer to redeem man from his sin.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
God is just, He deals with sin from every guilty party. But God is also the justifyer, He does the work of paying for sin. Romans 6.23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." God must justly deal with sin, otherwise He is not a holy and righteous God. But because God is holy and righteous, He is the one who pays the price for sin. God does the dirty work that humanity is unable to do.
Adam and the woman, now named Eve, attempt to cover their nakedness by sewing fig leaves together. When a leaf is pulled from the tree it begins to dry out and wither. The coverings that Adam and Eve made for themselves were a feeble, temporary, and ultimately ineffective solution. They were a band-aid on a deep wound that needed stitches. God steps in, and does for them what they cannot do for themselves.
God makes garments of skin, covering Adam and Eve with clothing that will last. I don't know how many of you have taken part in the hunting, field dressing, and skinning of an animal, but let me tell you, it is not the most pleasant process. Adam and Eve did not have the means to kill or skin an animal. They were unable to cover themselves with proper clothing, and so God did it. He did the dirty work. Adam and Eve could not deal with their sin, and so God made the sacrifice, one animal each, to cover the cost of their sin. Throughout the Bible, we'll see how the grace of God grows in the area of payment for sin, culminating in Jesus.
God is just, and as such, He must hold sinners accountable for their sin. Sin is serious, and the only payment that can cover sin, is death. This price is too high for humanity to pay, and so God the just, acts on behalf of man as justifyer. God does what only He is able to do. God steps in, and pays the price for man's sin.
For the last few days I've been listening to a song titled, Before the Throne of God Above (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MUNywhsZPU)
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me
Behold Him there the risen Lamb
My perfect spotless righteousness
The great unchangeable I am
The King of glory and of grace
One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God!
With Christ my Savior and my God!
One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God!
With Christ my Savior and my God!
God the just, the one who must condemn man for his sin, steps in as justifyer to redeem man from his sin.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Prepared
"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." -Genesis 3.15
Sin has entered the world through man's willful disobedience to God, but in spite of this, God is not caught off guard or taken by surprise. He does not fumble over His words, or rush around trying to figure out what to do now that everything comes crashing down. God is prepared, and as He is serving justice, He announces His plan for restoration.
As God is sentencing the serpent, He says that there will be enmity between the snake and the woman, and their offspring. He finishes by saying that the serpent will strike at the heel, but that he will have his head crushed. The enemy will inflict a devastating blow, but it will not be a blow of ultimate defeat, however, the head of the snake will be crushed, defeating it fully and completely.
In opening scene of The Passion of the Christ Jesus is praying in Gethsemane, and Satan shows up bringing discouragement. The clouds cover the moon, and Satan releases a snake which slithers towards Jesus who is on his face. Jesus rises, looks at the devil, and then crushes the head of the snake with his foot. When Jesus sacrificed Himself willingly, paying for sin, and rose from the grave, conquering death and Hell, the head of the enemy was crushed.
God is prepared. The instant everything fell apart, God set His plan in motion to restore everything. He told the enemy that day, "You have brought sin into My world, but you will not destroy My creation. You will have your moment, but I will be victorious." Sin entered the world through a man, and sin was defeated by the Son of Man.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Sin has entered the world through man's willful disobedience to God, but in spite of this, God is not caught off guard or taken by surprise. He does not fumble over His words, or rush around trying to figure out what to do now that everything comes crashing down. God is prepared, and as He is serving justice, He announces His plan for restoration.
As God is sentencing the serpent, He says that there will be enmity between the snake and the woman, and their offspring. He finishes by saying that the serpent will strike at the heel, but that he will have his head crushed. The enemy will inflict a devastating blow, but it will not be a blow of ultimate defeat, however, the head of the snake will be crushed, defeating it fully and completely.
In opening scene of The Passion of the Christ Jesus is praying in Gethsemane, and Satan shows up bringing discouragement. The clouds cover the moon, and Satan releases a snake which slithers towards Jesus who is on his face. Jesus rises, looks at the devil, and then crushes the head of the snake with his foot. When Jesus sacrificed Himself willingly, paying for sin, and rose from the grave, conquering death and Hell, the head of the enemy was crushed.
God is prepared. The instant everything fell apart, God set His plan in motion to restore everything. He told the enemy that day, "You have brought sin into My world, but you will not destroy My creation. You will have your moment, but I will be victorious." Sin entered the world through a man, and sin was defeated by the Son of Man.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Monday, October 24, 2016
Just
"And he said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?' The man said, 'The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.' Then the Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this you have done?' The woman said,'The serpent deceived me, and I ate.'
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. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.'
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.'
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. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.'” -Genesis 3.11-19
Something has gone wrong, and God directly deals with it. He asks Adam a direct question, and Adam passes the blame to his wife. God asks her a a direct question, and again, she passes the blame. Now that God is at the bottom of the problem, He begins to deal with it and enforces justice. The serpent is cursed for his deception. He is cursed to drawl on his belly and eat dust, with enmity existing forever between man and snake, with the promise of ultimate defeat.
At first glance this seems like it should be the end of it. The serpent was the one who brought all of this about, it's his fault. Now that he has been punished, that should be the end of it, and that was probably the hope of passing the blame, as it is the hope of us today. But the tactic didn't work then, and it will not work when we each stand before God. God is just, and every act of disobedience will be dealt with. Every sin will be punished.
God dealt with the serpent, but now He turns to Adam and his wife. They knew God's command, His one rule, and they chose to break it. The language earlier in the chapter shows deliberate choice and action. The woman saw that it was good for food and for gaining knowledge, so she took and ate, and then gave some to Adam who was with her, and he ate. They had the choice, and they chose to disobey God, and the blame cannot be passed on.
To the woman, she will still give life, but it will be painful. She will have a desire for her husband, and he will rule her. No longer will their relationship exist as helpers, but as leader and follower. To Adam, for his failure to lead, and failure to fight for his wife, and all of creation, the ground is cursed. No longer is there the freedom to simply reach out to a tree and eat freely, now food comes by the sweat of his brow. His muscles will ache, his back will be sore. The final punishment is death. Disobedience is sin, and Romans 6 says that sin brings death.
God is just, and all who violate His commands will be punished. God cannot overlook sin because it is a violation of His character. Sin was not part of His design. Painful childbirth, dominion of people over each other, cursed ground, and difficult toil were not part of His creation. But God is just, and He must, and will deal with sin, all sin. There were no innocent parties in Genesis 3. The man was guilty, the woman was guilty, and the serpent was guilty, and God the just, dealt with all of them. And just as God dealt justly with their sin, He will deal justly with all sin.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
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. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.'
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.'
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. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.'” -Genesis 3.11-19
Something has gone wrong, and God directly deals with it. He asks Adam a direct question, and Adam passes the blame to his wife. God asks her a a direct question, and again, she passes the blame. Now that God is at the bottom of the problem, He begins to deal with it and enforces justice. The serpent is cursed for his deception. He is cursed to drawl on his belly and eat dust, with enmity existing forever between man and snake, with the promise of ultimate defeat.
At first glance this seems like it should be the end of it. The serpent was the one who brought all of this about, it's his fault. Now that he has been punished, that should be the end of it, and that was probably the hope of passing the blame, as it is the hope of us today. But the tactic didn't work then, and it will not work when we each stand before God. God is just, and every act of disobedience will be dealt with. Every sin will be punished.
God dealt with the serpent, but now He turns to Adam and his wife. They knew God's command, His one rule, and they chose to break it. The language earlier in the chapter shows deliberate choice and action. The woman saw that it was good for food and for gaining knowledge, so she took and ate, and then gave some to Adam who was with her, and he ate. They had the choice, and they chose to disobey God, and the blame cannot be passed on.
To the woman, she will still give life, but it will be painful. She will have a desire for her husband, and he will rule her. No longer will their relationship exist as helpers, but as leader and follower. To Adam, for his failure to lead, and failure to fight for his wife, and all of creation, the ground is cursed. No longer is there the freedom to simply reach out to a tree and eat freely, now food comes by the sweat of his brow. His muscles will ache, his back will be sore. The final punishment is death. Disobedience is sin, and Romans 6 says that sin brings death.
God is just, and all who violate His commands will be punished. God cannot overlook sin because it is a violation of His character. Sin was not part of His design. Painful childbirth, dominion of people over each other, cursed ground, and difficult toil were not part of His creation. But God is just, and He must, and will deal with sin, all sin. There were no innocent parties in Genesis 3. The man was guilty, the woman was guilty, and the serpent was guilty, and God the just, dealt with all of them. And just as God dealt justly with their sin, He will deal justly with all sin.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Friday, October 21, 2016
Direct
"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. But the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?' He answered, 'I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.' And he said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?'" -Genesis 3.8-11
God shows up for his walk in the garden with man, but they aren't anywhere in sight. God goes looking for them and calls out, "Where are you?" When God speaks, man answers, creation must answer at the call of the Creator. God knew where they were, they couldn't hide from Him, but as we've seen God does not force man to do anything, but dignifies him with the ability to choose. God calls, and man answers, explaining why he has hidden from Him. At this moment, God goes right to the point. He doesn't ask why, or how, but "Who told you? Have you eaten?"
When God deals with an issue, He does it directly. He doesn't beat around the bush, mumble, or avoid the issue, He goes right to the heart of the matter. He doesn't accuse man, or belittle him, but firmly asks the question that is at the heart of the matter. People like to play games, avoid awkward situations, and pass the blame to save their own skin (as we'll shortly see), but God doesn't work that way, you can't talk your way out of anything with God (again, as we'll soon see). When there is a problem, God gets to the bottom of it immediately, and deals with it directly.
God is not intimidated by anything or anyone. He is not afraid to ask a question, and when He does, He will be answered. When there is an issue, God doesn't put it off, He deals with it, and when God deals with an issue, He is direct and to the point.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
God shows up for his walk in the garden with man, but they aren't anywhere in sight. God goes looking for them and calls out, "Where are you?" When God speaks, man answers, creation must answer at the call of the Creator. God knew where they were, they couldn't hide from Him, but as we've seen God does not force man to do anything, but dignifies him with the ability to choose. God calls, and man answers, explaining why he has hidden from Him. At this moment, God goes right to the point. He doesn't ask why, or how, but "Who told you? Have you eaten?"
When God deals with an issue, He does it directly. He doesn't beat around the bush, mumble, or avoid the issue, He goes right to the heart of the matter. He doesn't accuse man, or belittle him, but firmly asks the question that is at the heart of the matter. People like to play games, avoid awkward situations, and pass the blame to save their own skin (as we'll shortly see), but God doesn't work that way, you can't talk your way out of anything with God (again, as we'll soon see). When there is a problem, God gets to the bottom of it immediately, and deals with it directly.
God is not intimidated by anything or anyone. He is not afraid to ask a question, and when He does, He will be answered. When there is an issue, God doesn't put it off, He deals with it, and when God deals with an issue, He is direct and to the point.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Personal
"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. 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. But the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?' He answered, 'I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.'" -Genesis 3.7-10
Adam and Eve have disobeyed God by eating the fruit of the forbidden tree. For the first time they feel shame and cover themselves. For the first time they feel fear and hide. These emotions that God never created or intended for humanity to experience now drive human action, causing him to distance himself both from others, and from God. Man realizes his nakedness and covers himself, then he hears God walking in the garden and hides.
I don't believe this is the first time God waked in the garden. I feel like this was a frequent occurrence, God created man to fellowship with and worship Him; to be in relationship with Him. I believe that daily, God would meet with man, and walk among the trees of the garden in the cool of the day. There is a belief system known as Deism, which says God created the universe, He set the world in motion, but then backed off letting it function on its own. This belief system says God exits, but that He is uninvovled with the day to day happenings of earth. But this is not the image that is presented in Genesis, or the rest of the Bible.
God is personal. Look at what has happened up to this point. God spoke and created the world and everything in it, at the end of each day declaring it good. He formed man, intentionally crafting him from the dust of the ground, and then breathed into him the breath of life. God created a helper for man so that he would not be alone, and then He shows up in the cool of the day to walk with man. The Old Testament is full of accounts of God intervening on behalf of His people, and the New Testament begins with four accounts of God becoming man to walk the dusty roads of Israel, and sacrifice Himself on a cross to save humanity. How does that sound like an univovled and distant Creator?
God is personal. He created us for fellowship and intimacy with Him, and our acts of disobedience push Him away. But God is always walking in the cool of the day, calling out to us, inviting us to come and walk with Him.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Adam and Eve have disobeyed God by eating the fruit of the forbidden tree. For the first time they feel shame and cover themselves. For the first time they feel fear and hide. These emotions that God never created or intended for humanity to experience now drive human action, causing him to distance himself both from others, and from God. Man realizes his nakedness and covers himself, then he hears God walking in the garden and hides.
I don't believe this is the first time God waked in the garden. I feel like this was a frequent occurrence, God created man to fellowship with and worship Him; to be in relationship with Him. I believe that daily, God would meet with man, and walk among the trees of the garden in the cool of the day. There is a belief system known as Deism, which says God created the universe, He set the world in motion, but then backed off letting it function on its own. This belief system says God exits, but that He is uninvovled with the day to day happenings of earth. But this is not the image that is presented in Genesis, or the rest of the Bible.
God is personal. Look at what has happened up to this point. God spoke and created the world and everything in it, at the end of each day declaring it good. He formed man, intentionally crafting him from the dust of the ground, and then breathed into him the breath of life. God created a helper for man so that he would not be alone, and then He shows up in the cool of the day to walk with man. The Old Testament is full of accounts of God intervening on behalf of His people, and the New Testament begins with four accounts of God becoming man to walk the dusty roads of Israel, and sacrifice Himself on a cross to save humanity. How does that sound like an univovled and distant Creator?
God is personal. He created us for fellowship and intimacy with Him, and our acts of disobedience push Him away. But God is always walking in the cool of the day, calling out to us, inviting us to come and walk with Him.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Best Option
"The woman said to the serpent, 'From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die."' The serpent said to the woman, 'You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' 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 desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, 'Where are you?' He said, 'I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.'" -Genesis 3.2-10
As Genesis 3 progresses, the enemy continues to twist and corrupt what God has made good. The words, and intentions of God are twisted to make God seem like the less desirable option, and that He is withholding something good from His creation. God's character is called into question, Satan makes Him out to seem a liar. The evil one took what God had forbidden, and made it the focus of desire, and when Adam and Eve chose the opposite of God, everything fell apart.
As they ate, their eyes were opened, and they became aware of their nakedness, and the first thing they did was cover themselves. Now there is shame, now there is something to hide. Vulnerability leads to fear, and fear creates the need to cover up and hide. God did not create fear, or shame. In God's original design there was nothing to hide from or cover up. These feelings and responses are the result of God's creation being twisted and corrupted.
God made a paradise, and in that paradise there was one simple rule, don't eat from the tree in the middle of the garden. The option was to enjoy God, and the bountiful creation He had made them, think about that for a second. Every fruit tree in creation is at their disposal, and they choose to stand right next to the only one that has negative consequences. In reality are we really any different? The forbidden draws us to it, because we believe we're missing out on something, but it's forbidden for a reason.
God gave options so that creation could freely choose Him. With Him is life, peace, openness, and shameless enjoyment of the world. Apart from Him is death, shame, deception and secrecy. With God is His presence and company, apart from Him, we must hide out of fear. The way that God has made is the way of life and purpose, apart from Him is the endless pursuit of meaning that leaves emptiness and unquenchable desire. We are given options, and the best option is God.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
As Genesis 3 progresses, the enemy continues to twist and corrupt what God has made good. The words, and intentions of God are twisted to make God seem like the less desirable option, and that He is withholding something good from His creation. God's character is called into question, Satan makes Him out to seem a liar. The evil one took what God had forbidden, and made it the focus of desire, and when Adam and Eve chose the opposite of God, everything fell apart.
As they ate, their eyes were opened, and they became aware of their nakedness, and the first thing they did was cover themselves. Now there is shame, now there is something to hide. Vulnerability leads to fear, and fear creates the need to cover up and hide. God did not create fear, or shame. In God's original design there was nothing to hide from or cover up. These feelings and responses are the result of God's creation being twisted and corrupted.
God made a paradise, and in that paradise there was one simple rule, don't eat from the tree in the middle of the garden. The option was to enjoy God, and the bountiful creation He had made them, think about that for a second. Every fruit tree in creation is at their disposal, and they choose to stand right next to the only one that has negative consequences. In reality are we really any different? The forbidden draws us to it, because we believe we're missing out on something, but it's forbidden for a reason.
God gave options so that creation could freely choose Him. With Him is life, peace, openness, and shameless enjoyment of the world. Apart from Him is death, shame, deception and secrecy. With God is His presence and company, apart from Him, we must hide out of fear. The way that God has made is the way of life and purpose, apart from Him is the endless pursuit of meaning that leaves emptiness and unquenchable desire. We are given options, and the best option is God.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Sole Creator
"And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Indeed, has God said, "You shall not eat from any tree of the garden"?'" -Genesis 2.25-3.1
Everything God makes is good. At the end of each day of creation He looks at what He has made and declares it good. When He finishes all of creation, He looks at it and declares it very good. There is no fault, and no shame in God's design. The man and his wife are both naked, uncovered, and vulnerable, and there is no shame in them. They have nothing to hide from each other, or from God, and they are free to enjoy the goodness of both creation and Creator. God only makes that which is good. Then we get to Genesis 3.
The serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. God made the serpent, and Satan uses it for his own purpose. The devil does not have the power to create, that power is God's alone. All the evil one can do is take what God has made and twist and corrupt it. Satan uses a serpent to tempt humanity; he twists nudity into pornography. Food becomes an object of gluttony, and the world becomes an object for man to posses and abuse. Satan only takes and twists God's creation, he cannot create.
God is the sole creator, the power to bring something from nothing rests with Him alone. Everything He makes is good.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Everything God makes is good. At the end of each day of creation He looks at what He has made and declares it good. When He finishes all of creation, He looks at it and declares it very good. There is no fault, and no shame in God's design. The man and his wife are both naked, uncovered, and vulnerable, and there is no shame in them. They have nothing to hide from each other, or from God, and they are free to enjoy the goodness of both creation and Creator. God only makes that which is good. Then we get to Genesis 3.
The serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. God made the serpent, and Satan uses it for his own purpose. The devil does not have the power to create, that power is God's alone. All the evil one can do is take what God has made and twist and corrupt it. Satan uses a serpent to tempt humanity; he twists nudity into pornography. Food becomes an object of gluttony, and the world becomes an object for man to posses and abuse. Satan only takes and twists God's creation, he cannot create.
God is the sole creator, the power to bring something from nothing rests with Him alone. Everything He makes is good.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Saturday, November 1, 2014
What God Says
"Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you." -Deuteronomy 4.1-2
As Israel prepares to enter the Promised Land God gives them instructions for them to live by so that they may enjoy the blessings that He has for them. He tells them that they are not to add to what God says, or to take away from it, but simply follow the commands that He gives them.
If we look all the way back to Genesis 3 we see both of these take place. When asked by the serpent what God said, "The woman said to the serpent, 'From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die."'" (Genesis 3.2-3) She adds words that God never said, making it seem as if He has limited them where He has not.
Adding words to what God has said allows the serpent to plant seeds of doubt, as he takes words away from God's commands. "The serpent said to the woman, 'You surely will not die!'" (Genesis 3.4) Now with God's commands tampered with the enemy works hard. He convinces them that God is holding back from them and then leads them to disobey God, bringing sin into the world and cursing it.
Here, God tells Israel to do just what He says. He isn't limiting them for enjoying the goodness that He has given, and so they need to not add words to His commands, (but they later did with the Mishnah). Adding words that God did not say put restrictions in place that God never intended and only keep us from fully enjoying His blessings. At the same time, we must never take words away from God's commands. When we do this we are in danger of taking His blessings too far and abusing them in sinful behavior.
Men, let us be careful to do what God has said. We don't need to be paranoid and put all these limitations that He never intended for us to have on ourselves. At the same time, we cannot neglect His commands because then we live life separated from Him.
May we always do what God says. Let us enjoy His blessings as He intended for us to.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
As Israel prepares to enter the Promised Land God gives them instructions for them to live by so that they may enjoy the blessings that He has for them. He tells them that they are not to add to what God says, or to take away from it, but simply follow the commands that He gives them.
If we look all the way back to Genesis 3 we see both of these take place. When asked by the serpent what God said, "The woman said to the serpent, 'From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die."'" (Genesis 3.2-3) She adds words that God never said, making it seem as if He has limited them where He has not.
Adding words to what God has said allows the serpent to plant seeds of doubt, as he takes words away from God's commands. "The serpent said to the woman, 'You surely will not die!'" (Genesis 3.4) Now with God's commands tampered with the enemy works hard. He convinces them that God is holding back from them and then leads them to disobey God, bringing sin into the world and cursing it.
Here, God tells Israel to do just what He says. He isn't limiting them for enjoying the goodness that He has given, and so they need to not add words to His commands, (but they later did with the Mishnah). Adding words that God did not say put restrictions in place that God never intended and only keep us from fully enjoying His blessings. At the same time, we must never take words away from God's commands. When we do this we are in danger of taking His blessings too far and abusing them in sinful behavior.
Men, let us be careful to do what God has said. We don't need to be paranoid and put all these limitations that He never intended for us to have on ourselves. At the same time, we cannot neglect His commands because then we live life separated from Him.
May we always do what God says. Let us enjoy His blessings as He intended for us to.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Saturday, February 8, 2014
When God Calls
"Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, 'Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.'" -Genesis 22.1
What is your response when God calls? In Genesis 3, Adam hid from God, ashamed because he was naked. Here, Abraham hears God call him by name and responds, "Here I am." He isn't hiding, ashamed and afraid to hear from God. He welcomes the conversation, ready to hear what God has to say.
What is your response? God is calling you. He's reaching out to you. Are you hiding from Him, or are you calling out to Him, "Here I am"? Some of you have been hiding from Him for years, maybe decades, afraid and ashamed of something in the past. You're hoping He won't find you. That is no way for a man to live.
A man must own up to his mistakes if he is ever to find healing from the past. God cannot work in us, or through us, if we are determined to try and hide from Him. We'll see a King who tried this at some point in the future. But when we are open, and available, with "Here I am" God can work and teach us. He's about to test Abraham, and in the testing, to teach Abraham more about Himself.
God is calling us because He wants to know us more deeply. He wants to reveal more of Himself to us, and mold us more into the image of His Son. God is calling you, what will your response be?
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
What is your response when God calls? In Genesis 3, Adam hid from God, ashamed because he was naked. Here, Abraham hears God call him by name and responds, "Here I am." He isn't hiding, ashamed and afraid to hear from God. He welcomes the conversation, ready to hear what God has to say.
What is your response? God is calling you. He's reaching out to you. Are you hiding from Him, or are you calling out to Him, "Here I am"? Some of you have been hiding from Him for years, maybe decades, afraid and ashamed of something in the past. You're hoping He won't find you. That is no way for a man to live.
A man must own up to his mistakes if he is ever to find healing from the past. God cannot work in us, or through us, if we are determined to try and hide from Him. We'll see a King who tried this at some point in the future. But when we are open, and available, with "Here I am" God can work and teach us. He's about to test Abraham, and in the testing, to teach Abraham more about Himself.
God is calling us because He wants to know us more deeply. He wants to reveal more of Himself to us, and mold us more into the image of His Son. God is calling you, what will your response be?
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Dust to Dust
"By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." -Genesis 3.19
During college I had the opportunity to intern with an awesome youth pastor, he's one of the men I respect most in this world. As the new year began to approach he started talking about doing a service on Ash Wednesday, using ashes. I had never been a part of anything like this before, but as I had taken a class on Church History I began to understand the significance of the liturgical year.
Yes, I know it's January, but this is where the Bible has us today. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, forty days before Easter. In that time people give something up, a fast, in order to prepare themselves to focus more fully on God, in preparation for the celebration of Easter. That year was my junior year, and prior to youth group that night a friend and I went to an Ash Wednesday service at noon that day, just checking it out. We went forward to have ashes placed on our foreheads, and as the priest made a cross with them he said these words, "Ashes to Ashes. Dust to dust."
The meaning is incredible. As you enter into this time of sacrifice to prepare to celebrate the resurrection, go into with the reminder that you are dust. Humility is the key here. What are we really? In Genesis 2, we see that God forms man from the dust of the earth, and gives him life by breathing into him the breath of life. Man is dust, and one day, when he is no longer able to say the name of God, to dust he will return.
As we go through life let us keep this fact in mind. How insignificant are we really? Dust is something we sweep up and throw out, and that is what we are made of. Apart from God, all we are good for is being thrown out. But in this we also see the incredible love of God. He cared enough to form man from dust and give him life. And then, after man brought a curse on all of creation, God still loved him enough to redeem him. And man has the audacity to blame God for anything?
As we go through our lives let us remember who we are. Let us live with humility, knowing that one day, no matter the wealth or success we accumulated, we shall return to dust. So let us take the time we have and make the most of it. As William Wallace said, "Every man dies. Not every man really lives." Let us live our lives fully alive, to the glory of God. Dust to dust, with a lot of glorification in between, which leads to eternal glorification of the Father.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
During college I had the opportunity to intern with an awesome youth pastor, he's one of the men I respect most in this world. As the new year began to approach he started talking about doing a service on Ash Wednesday, using ashes. I had never been a part of anything like this before, but as I had taken a class on Church History I began to understand the significance of the liturgical year.
Yes, I know it's January, but this is where the Bible has us today. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, forty days before Easter. In that time people give something up, a fast, in order to prepare themselves to focus more fully on God, in preparation for the celebration of Easter. That year was my junior year, and prior to youth group that night a friend and I went to an Ash Wednesday service at noon that day, just checking it out. We went forward to have ashes placed on our foreheads, and as the priest made a cross with them he said these words, "Ashes to Ashes. Dust to dust."
The meaning is incredible. As you enter into this time of sacrifice to prepare to celebrate the resurrection, go into with the reminder that you are dust. Humility is the key here. What are we really? In Genesis 2, we see that God forms man from the dust of the earth, and gives him life by breathing into him the breath of life. Man is dust, and one day, when he is no longer able to say the name of God, to dust he will return.
As we go through life let us keep this fact in mind. How insignificant are we really? Dust is something we sweep up and throw out, and that is what we are made of. Apart from God, all we are good for is being thrown out. But in this we also see the incredible love of God. He cared enough to form man from dust and give him life. And then, after man brought a curse on all of creation, God still loved him enough to redeem him. And man has the audacity to blame God for anything?
As we go through our lives let us remember who we are. Let us live with humility, knowing that one day, no matter the wealth or success we accumulated, we shall return to dust. So let us take the time we have and make the most of it. As William Wallace said, "Every man dies. Not every man really lives." Let us live our lives fully alive, to the glory of God. Dust to dust, with a lot of glorification in between, which leads to eternal glorification of the Father.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Monday, January 6, 2014
Passing the Blame
"The man said, 'The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.'" -Genesis 3.12
Adam messed up. He failed to act, and failed to play the man. And now it's time to face the consequences. First he hides from God, and then when God asks him a direct question he throws his wife under the bus. "Did you eat?" "She made me do it!" Since the beginning men have found themselves in the position of inaction. And shortly there after, we find ourselves in the situation of not owning up to our mistakes.
Why? Is it an attempt to try and preserve some sort of tainted sense of our own innocence? Is it out of embarrassment because we know we messed up? Are we trying to have ourselves overlooked in the judgment? Yes. A man who has failed doesn't want everyone else to find out about it. That's actually one of the biggest fears of all men, to be found out as a fraud. And so they do whatever they can to avoid that, and protect a false image.
Guys, part of being a man is owning up to our mistakes and failures. A man doesn't let his wife take the blame for his failures. Remember, Adam was right there watching everything unfold, and he did nothing. And now to make it worse, he blames the woman. When we fail at protecting and leading, we can't blame others for not following. You can't follow where no one will lead you.
And we also have to make sure that we don't blame God. Look at that verse again. "The woman whom You gave to be with me," so now this is partly God's fault. How often do we do this? I know I have blamed God for how things have turned out. The past year has involved a lot of that. But really, who am I to blame God? What right do I have to point the finger at Him and say "This is Your fault!" No matter how slight or indirect the jab might be, it's still there, and it does nothing for our growth or honor.
Men, let's own up. We're not perfect, and we're not going to be. And trying to make it seem like we are only makes things worse. Owning a mistake does more for our integrity than lying and covering one up ever will.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Adam messed up. He failed to act, and failed to play the man. And now it's time to face the consequences. First he hides from God, and then when God asks him a direct question he throws his wife under the bus. "Did you eat?" "She made me do it!" Since the beginning men have found themselves in the position of inaction. And shortly there after, we find ourselves in the situation of not owning up to our mistakes.
Why? Is it an attempt to try and preserve some sort of tainted sense of our own innocence? Is it out of embarrassment because we know we messed up? Are we trying to have ourselves overlooked in the judgment? Yes. A man who has failed doesn't want everyone else to find out about it. That's actually one of the biggest fears of all men, to be found out as a fraud. And so they do whatever they can to avoid that, and protect a false image.
Guys, part of being a man is owning up to our mistakes and failures. A man doesn't let his wife take the blame for his failures. Remember, Adam was right there watching everything unfold, and he did nothing. And now to make it worse, he blames the woman. When we fail at protecting and leading, we can't blame others for not following. You can't follow where no one will lead you.
And we also have to make sure that we don't blame God. Look at that verse again. "The woman whom You gave to be with me," so now this is partly God's fault. How often do we do this? I know I have blamed God for how things have turned out. The past year has involved a lot of that. But really, who am I to blame God? What right do I have to point the finger at Him and say "This is Your fault!" No matter how slight or indirect the jab might be, it's still there, and it does nothing for our growth or honor.
Men, let's own up. We're not perfect, and we're not going to be. And trying to make it seem like we are only makes things worse. Owning a mistake does more for our integrity than lying and covering one up ever will.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Failure to Act
"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 desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate." -Genesis 3.6
And now we come to root of the problem. Up until this moment everything was perfect. Up until this moment everything functioned exactly as it was supposed to. Every relationship existed in perfect harmony. It was paradise. And a man screwed it all up.
For a long time I blamed woman for bringing sin into the world, and then I read Genesis 3.6 again, and noticed two words that changed everything, "with her". Adam was right there watching the whole thing happen. He heard everything the serpent said. He listened as the woman (she isn't named Eve until the end of chapter 3), misquoted God's command. And he just stands there silently letting it all happen. He doesn't speak up. He doesn't lead her away from the tree. He lets her fend for herself, pick some fruit, eat it, and then he follows her lead. Adam failed to play the man. He failed to lead his wife. He allowed her to take the position of leadership, and all of creation is cursed with sin because of it.
How often have we been guilty of the sin of silence and actionlessness? How many times have we watched injustice or dishonesty seize a foothold, while we slid into the shadows? How many times have we held our tongues when someone's character is assassinated in our presence? How much harm have we allowed because we have failed to act?
Men, this is a tendency that has been around since the first one of us walked the earth, and we've all inherited it. But we have to break the cycle. It's easy to do what he did. It's easy to hold keep still and silent. But it takes a man, a warrior, to act. It takes a man to silence the snake, and lead others into truth. Silence brings death, but action leads to life, and that is what men of God fight for.
Let us work to break the sin of inaction. Let us take a stand, digging in our heals, and refusing to let the enemy advance another step. Let us silence gossip. Let us stand up for the oppressed. Let us fight for truth.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
And now we come to root of the problem. Up until this moment everything was perfect. Up until this moment everything functioned exactly as it was supposed to. Every relationship existed in perfect harmony. It was paradise. And a man screwed it all up.
For a long time I blamed woman for bringing sin into the world, and then I read Genesis 3.6 again, and noticed two words that changed everything, "with her". Adam was right there watching the whole thing happen. He heard everything the serpent said. He listened as the woman (she isn't named Eve until the end of chapter 3), misquoted God's command. And he just stands there silently letting it all happen. He doesn't speak up. He doesn't lead her away from the tree. He lets her fend for herself, pick some fruit, eat it, and then he follows her lead. Adam failed to play the man. He failed to lead his wife. He allowed her to take the position of leadership, and all of creation is cursed with sin because of it.
How often have we been guilty of the sin of silence and actionlessness? How many times have we watched injustice or dishonesty seize a foothold, while we slid into the shadows? How many times have we held our tongues when someone's character is assassinated in our presence? How much harm have we allowed because we have failed to act?
Men, this is a tendency that has been around since the first one of us walked the earth, and we've all inherited it. But we have to break the cycle. It's easy to do what he did. It's easy to hold keep still and silent. But it takes a man, a warrior, to act. It takes a man to silence the snake, and lead others into truth. Silence brings death, but action leads to life, and that is what men of God fight for.
Let us work to break the sin of inaction. Let us take a stand, digging in our heals, and refusing to let the enemy advance another step. Let us silence gossip. Let us stand up for the oppressed. Let us fight for truth.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
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