Read Genesis 8:20-9:17; 2 Thess. 1:10-12; 2 Tim. 4:18; Isaiah 46:9-10
As a believer, I have an urge to ask two questions. ‘Why am I here?” and “Where am I going?” Without answering these questions, we will naturally slip into a life of idleness, laziness, confusion, and sin. There is so much in the Bible that urges me to be steadfast, enduring, and persevering…but why? And to what purpose?
In Isaiah 46:9-10, God says, “…for I am God, and there is no other, I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’”
Our Creator has a final purpose in Creation. As a part of that creation, we have a created purpose. God, the Creator, stands outside of time and declares what will be. Before sin entered the world, this purpose existed. And God will not allow man’s sin to keep His purpose from being accomplished. So, you may ask, “what is this purpose?!" This purpose is HIS GLORY FOREVER!!! Hebrews 2:10 says the He is drawing many sons to this glory. 2 Tim 4:18 expresses that this glory is to be to God forever and ever. God’s high renown, God’s honor, God’s magnificence, God’s great beauty, God’s distinctive and unimaginable being is what Christ died to bring us to. The aim is specific and its finality is certain. God will reign forever in glory.
On earth, God has given us the created purpose of putting His glory on display. But on earth, because of sin, we exist in a fallen state. In Genesis 9, God makes a covenant with us to assure protection from the THREE main things that could threaten God’s final purpose of His glory being enjoyed by us forever; Animals, Man, and God. The animals could pose a threat to man being fruitful, multiplying, and filling the earth. With their physical strength and sometimes deadly instincts, they could kill man one by one. But God places the fear and dread of man upon every animal and gives man dominion over them all. Next, mankind, in his sin, could keep itself from being fruitful, multiplying, and filling the earth by killing each other. But God establishes “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image.” Finally, as we saw in the flood, the biggest threat to man being fruitful, multiplying, and filling the earth is God’s righteous judgment and wrath. But in this covenant God establishes that until the end of time, He will not wipe man out completely, specifically with a flood. You can imagine the great comfort this was to Noah and his family the next few times it started to rain…
Man is still sinful, but God, within the bonds of covenant, has gone to great lengths to redeem a people to accomplish His final purpose. Indeed, to Him be the glory forever and ever!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Hope When Our Hearts Are Far
Read Genesis 8:20-21; Rom. 15:4-7; Psalm 51:5-6; Micah 7:8-9; 2 Cor. 4
As I see Noah worshipping God when he steps off of the ark, before he does anything else, I see the clear truth that God should be worshipped in every circumstance. But sometimes our hearts are not in the same place. Sometimes our circumstances and sin give us a sense of hopelessness that makes us believe we can never worship God like that. We know it is the right thing, but our heart is not in it. In the next verse in Genesis 8, God explains that “the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Psalm 51 explains this heart condition by saying we were “brought forth in iniquity and conceived in sin”. But it goes on to say that God goes to great lengths to redeem His children who are guilty of this sin. God aims His truth at the inward being of man. And God delights in this truth. He goes further to teach wisdom in the secret heart of man.
Romans 15 tells us that everything written in the Old Testament was written for our instruction so that we might have HOPE! What a TREASURE! And we have this treasure in jars of clay. That means that we are common and fragile vessels, so that when people see us called out of darkness and into light it is obvious that it is not by our own power. Rather, it is made known that the surpassing power belongs to God! My hope is that when sin and lies try to keep us from worshipping, we can proclaim with Micah, “I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against Him…[but] He will bring me out to the light!”
As I see Noah worshipping God when he steps off of the ark, before he does anything else, I see the clear truth that God should be worshipped in every circumstance. But sometimes our hearts are not in the same place. Sometimes our circumstances and sin give us a sense of hopelessness that makes us believe we can never worship God like that. We know it is the right thing, but our heart is not in it. In the next verse in Genesis 8, God explains that “the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Psalm 51 explains this heart condition by saying we were “brought forth in iniquity and conceived in sin”. But it goes on to say that God goes to great lengths to redeem His children who are guilty of this sin. God aims His truth at the inward being of man. And God delights in this truth. He goes further to teach wisdom in the secret heart of man.
Romans 15 tells us that everything written in the Old Testament was written for our instruction so that we might have HOPE! What a TREASURE! And we have this treasure in jars of clay. That means that we are common and fragile vessels, so that when people see us called out of darkness and into light it is obvious that it is not by our own power. Rather, it is made known that the surpassing power belongs to God! My hope is that when sin and lies try to keep us from worshipping, we can proclaim with Micah, “I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against Him…[but] He will bring me out to the light!”
Monday, April 7, 2008
The Right Response / Some Worship is Unacceptable
Read Genesis 8:20-21; Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 2:14-17
As we come to the end of Genesis 8, it is hard for us to really take in what is going on here. Noah has just stepped off of the ark after a long, tedious, scary, lonely, sometimes quiet, sometimes loud ride. There is so much to do and they are the only ones left. But rather than taking a nap to get ready, or writing up a game plan, or even just getting straight to work, NOAH WORSHIPS! There are a million things to do, but Noah worships. Resources are limited, but Noah gives his best to God. It is good for us to try to consider what God is receiving at this point. Only one year before it says that God was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart. But now, about a year later, every source of grief is gone and only one Patriarch is left. And he, Noah, is WORSHIPPING! This pleases God.
I think it is safe to say that since the flood, there has not been another man who has had more on their plate than Noah! Our schedules usually include “feed the dog, pay the electric bill, and don’t forget about soccer practice…” and somehow this keeps us from worship! Noah’s schedule, however, included “build a house for you and seven others, establish a city, and populate the earth…” yet, the first thing he did was worship! Noah could have said, “God, let my flock repopulate, and then I will sacrifice a burnt offering…or God, let me at least get a roof over my families head, and then I will worship You.” Noah is alive! And he knew that he didn’t deserve to be. As a recipient of God’s mercy and grace, Noah saw no other option than to worship God and offer a pure sacrifice.
God has offered Christ, the purest of all sacrifices, to cover our sins and bring us back into fellowship with Him. The result is that we are now called to live every day AS living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, and we are to BE the sweet aroma, first to God and then to the world. God is not pleased when His children are half-hearted creatures. It does not please Him if we put off worshipping Him for ANY reason! Our encouragement, as we repent and move forward in faith, is the same encouragement that Peter gave to his brothers and sisters in Christ. “Be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace.”
As we come to the end of Genesis 8, it is hard for us to really take in what is going on here. Noah has just stepped off of the ark after a long, tedious, scary, lonely, sometimes quiet, sometimes loud ride. There is so much to do and they are the only ones left. But rather than taking a nap to get ready, or writing up a game plan, or even just getting straight to work, NOAH WORSHIPS! There are a million things to do, but Noah worships. Resources are limited, but Noah gives his best to God. It is good for us to try to consider what God is receiving at this point. Only one year before it says that God was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart. But now, about a year later, every source of grief is gone and only one Patriarch is left. And he, Noah, is WORSHIPPING! This pleases God.
I think it is safe to say that since the flood, there has not been another man who has had more on their plate than Noah! Our schedules usually include “feed the dog, pay the electric bill, and don’t forget about soccer practice…” and somehow this keeps us from worship! Noah’s schedule, however, included “build a house for you and seven others, establish a city, and populate the earth…” yet, the first thing he did was worship! Noah could have said, “God, let my flock repopulate, and then I will sacrifice a burnt offering…or God, let me at least get a roof over my families head, and then I will worship You.” Noah is alive! And he knew that he didn’t deserve to be. As a recipient of God’s mercy and grace, Noah saw no other option than to worship God and offer a pure sacrifice.
God has offered Christ, the purest of all sacrifices, to cover our sins and bring us back into fellowship with Him. The result is that we are now called to live every day AS living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, and we are to BE the sweet aroma, first to God and then to the world. God is not pleased when His children are half-hearted creatures. It does not please Him if we put off worshipping Him for ANY reason! Our encouragement, as we repent and move forward in faith, is the same encouragement that Peter gave to his brothers and sisters in Christ. “Be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace.”
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Waiting Faithfully Pt. 2
Read Genesis 8; 2 Peter 3; Psalm 37
As we wait faithfully for the return of Christ, God has revealed to us promises that should not be unfamiliar to the one who claims faith. J.C. Ryle beautifully explains this: “There are ‘shalls’ and ‘wills’ in God’s treasury for every condition. About God’s infinite mercy and compassion, - about His readiness to receive all who repent and believe, - about His willingness to forgive, pardon, and absolve the chief of sinners, - about His power to change hearts and alter our corrupt nature, - about the encouragements to pray, and hear the gospel, and draw near to the throne of grace, - about strength for duty, comfort in trouble, guidance in perplexity, help in sickness, consolation in death, support under bereavement, happiness beyond the grave, reward in glory, - about these things there is an abundant supply of promises in the Word. No one can form an idea of its abundance unless he carefully searches the Scriptures, keeping the subject steadily in view. If any one doubts it, I can only say, ‘Come and see.’” My hope for us is that we will hear these promises and treasure them in such a way that we will live the life of radical purity that God calls us to. If we do not treasure God’s promises, we will treasure those promises that sin gives. Sin is what you do when your heart is not satisfied with God. If Noah’s heart had not been satisfied with God, he would not have endured and waited as faithfully as he did. He would not have sat until the Lord gave him further direction. He would have believed the lies all around him that told him that there was greater joy without God… that there is better life without God. I urge you to press on to make these promises from God more familiar. Study them, meditate on them, and pray over them. God commands us to be diligent to be found without spot or blemish. He warns us against being stained by the world, and he gives us many reasons and promises. The only reason that I can see for one to follow God blindly, rather than faithfully, is that that person must not deem it necessary to take the time to become familiar with God’s promises. And if one is not familiar with what God promises to His children in Christ, it seems almost inevitable that the natural hunger found in every man will attempt to be quenched by believing the promises of sin.
As we wait faithfully for the return of Christ, God has revealed to us promises that should not be unfamiliar to the one who claims faith. J.C. Ryle beautifully explains this: “There are ‘shalls’ and ‘wills’ in God’s treasury for every condition. About God’s infinite mercy and compassion, - about His readiness to receive all who repent and believe, - about His willingness to forgive, pardon, and absolve the chief of sinners, - about His power to change hearts and alter our corrupt nature, - about the encouragements to pray, and hear the gospel, and draw near to the throne of grace, - about strength for duty, comfort in trouble, guidance in perplexity, help in sickness, consolation in death, support under bereavement, happiness beyond the grave, reward in glory, - about these things there is an abundant supply of promises in the Word. No one can form an idea of its abundance unless he carefully searches the Scriptures, keeping the subject steadily in view. If any one doubts it, I can only say, ‘Come and see.’” My hope for us is that we will hear these promises and treasure them in such a way that we will live the life of radical purity that God calls us to. If we do not treasure God’s promises, we will treasure those promises that sin gives. Sin is what you do when your heart is not satisfied with God. If Noah’s heart had not been satisfied with God, he would not have endured and waited as faithfully as he did. He would not have sat until the Lord gave him further direction. He would have believed the lies all around him that told him that there was greater joy without God… that there is better life without God. I urge you to press on to make these promises from God more familiar. Study them, meditate on them, and pray over them. God commands us to be diligent to be found without spot or blemish. He warns us against being stained by the world, and he gives us many reasons and promises. The only reason that I can see for one to follow God blindly, rather than faithfully, is that that person must not deem it necessary to take the time to become familiar with God’s promises. And if one is not familiar with what God promises to His children in Christ, it seems almost inevitable that the natural hunger found in every man will attempt to be quenched by believing the promises of sin.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Waiting Faithfully
Read Genesis 8:1-20; 2 Peter 3; Psalm 37
Our God’s faithfulness has never been and will never be broken. As Noah sat on that cold and dark boat for over a year, I am sure that there were days where God’s faithfulness was hard to see and/or understand. But God’s grace enables us to trust Him. It would be easy to read a story like this and just say, “Be like Noah.” But this is a flawed goal. We cannot be like Noah if we do not have God’s grace. This is what we should focus on! God’s grace enables his children to wait faithfully, while enduring to the end. Real “Christian waiting” is not idle! It is not lazy! It is active and faithful. We have seen it radically in Noah’s life and we must understand that if we have God’s grace, our faithful waiting will be just a radical. It will undoubtedly result in persecution and sacrifice, but our God is worthy. He is most important and completely worthy of trust. He makes covenants and keeps them. For those who sit in dark and death, He guides their feet to a way of peace. He encourages and loves in ways that are beyond our understanding. All other gods are not worthy of trust. They have all broken their promises and forsaken their people. As we wait on the return of Christ, let us be as diligent as God commands us. Let us be active, moving forward, loving whole-heartedly, willing to make any sacrifice we are called to, knowing that all along our God is not distant or disinterested. HE IS ACTIVE! He plays the most key role in our lives. As we grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, delighting in the Lord, committing our way to Him, trusting Him, being still before Him, and waiting patiently for Him, HE is giving us new desires, and bringing forth our righteousness and our justice who is CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD! And we have promises, just like Noah, that even on our worst days when we think we may very well die in the midst of this waiting, HE will deliver us into our eternal, heavenly dwelling, where we will experience God in ways that are now unfathomably sweet.
Our God’s faithfulness has never been and will never be broken. As Noah sat on that cold and dark boat for over a year, I am sure that there were days where God’s faithfulness was hard to see and/or understand. But God’s grace enables us to trust Him. It would be easy to read a story like this and just say, “Be like Noah.” But this is a flawed goal. We cannot be like Noah if we do not have God’s grace. This is what we should focus on! God’s grace enables his children to wait faithfully, while enduring to the end. Real “Christian waiting” is not idle! It is not lazy! It is active and faithful. We have seen it radically in Noah’s life and we must understand that if we have God’s grace, our faithful waiting will be just a radical. It will undoubtedly result in persecution and sacrifice, but our God is worthy. He is most important and completely worthy of trust. He makes covenants and keeps them. For those who sit in dark and death, He guides their feet to a way of peace. He encourages and loves in ways that are beyond our understanding. All other gods are not worthy of trust. They have all broken their promises and forsaken their people. As we wait on the return of Christ, let us be as diligent as God commands us. Let us be active, moving forward, loving whole-heartedly, willing to make any sacrifice we are called to, knowing that all along our God is not distant or disinterested. HE IS ACTIVE! He plays the most key role in our lives. As we grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, delighting in the Lord, committing our way to Him, trusting Him, being still before Him, and waiting patiently for Him, HE is giving us new desires, and bringing forth our righteousness and our justice who is CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD! And we have promises, just like Noah, that even on our worst days when we think we may very well die in the midst of this waiting, HE will deliver us into our eternal, heavenly dwelling, where we will experience God in ways that are now unfathomably sweet.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
A Command, A Response, & A Flood
Read Genesis 6&7 and 2 Peter
We must remember that this world is not our home, and just like the last world that was destroyed because of sin, the rampant wickedness of this world will meet a similar end. God communicated to Noah that He saw that the world was wicked. God told Noah that He was going to destroy it. And then He commanded Noah to obey some specific direction. By grace, Noah obeyed. Had Noah disobeyed, there would have been no ark to climb into when the rains came. And after it was completed, Noah had to further obey God’s command by getting into the ark. 2 Peter 3:7 says that “by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” And we wait, just as Noah waited. And God commands us to “be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” God’s grace enabled Noah to be found in this way, and by God’s grace we are enabled to endure to the end, so that we may be found the same way. As God commanded Noah to “Come into the ark”, He commands us to “Come to Christ”. The only hope that anyone had of surviving the flood was to be in that ark. There were those who scoffed and laughed. But the flood still came. There were those who evaluated the ark and decided it was not worthy of consideration. Noah himself could have surveyed the ark and then decided not to get in. But he had grace. If you hear the Gospel and respond by desiring to obey God and keep His commands, it is only by grace that you have done so. And you will be able to persevere, even through heart-breaking loss and circumstances, as God provides you with peace, when everything else is hard to understand. As Noah was called out of the world and into the ark, we are called out of this world and into Christ, renouncing its ways and obeying God’s commands.
We must remember that this world is not our home, and just like the last world that was destroyed because of sin, the rampant wickedness of this world will meet a similar end. God communicated to Noah that He saw that the world was wicked. God told Noah that He was going to destroy it. And then He commanded Noah to obey some specific direction. By grace, Noah obeyed. Had Noah disobeyed, there would have been no ark to climb into when the rains came. And after it was completed, Noah had to further obey God’s command by getting into the ark. 2 Peter 3:7 says that “by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” And we wait, just as Noah waited. And God commands us to “be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” God’s grace enabled Noah to be found in this way, and by God’s grace we are enabled to endure to the end, so that we may be found the same way. As God commanded Noah to “Come into the ark”, He commands us to “Come to Christ”. The only hope that anyone had of surviving the flood was to be in that ark. There were those who scoffed and laughed. But the flood still came. There were those who evaluated the ark and decided it was not worthy of consideration. Noah himself could have surveyed the ark and then decided not to get in. But he had grace. If you hear the Gospel and respond by desiring to obey God and keep His commands, it is only by grace that you have done so. And you will be able to persevere, even through heart-breaking loss and circumstances, as God provides you with peace, when everything else is hard to understand. As Noah was called out of the world and into the ark, we are called out of this world and into Christ, renouncing its ways and obeying God’s commands.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
What Sin Reveals About God
Read Genesis 6:1-13, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21,
Romans 8:5-8, James 1:21
The entire life of the Christian is to be a life lived for God’s glory…a life of worship. Worship is the response to God revealing Himself to us. As God reveals Himself we learn more about ourselves, our condition, and our desperate need for a Savior. In Genesis 6, sin reveals a lot to us about God… or we could say that God reveals a lot to us about Himself in His perfectly just and perfectly righteous response to sin. In just a few chapters before we see God observing all that He created and saying “It is good!” Now He observes His creation and says, “I am grieved…I will destroy them…” What happened? What changed?
The huge change came when sin entered the picture. Sin is corrosive. Adam and Eve turned from God’s design in the garden and the result was death. And from that point sin infected humanity. This is no small problem. All of humanity had turned from the worship of their Creator and become consumed with the flesh. Not only were all of their actions evil, but not even a good thought or intention could be found. And in the midst of all of creation walking according to the flesh, we see God’s response. He repeatedly points out the corruption and violence and reveals His sorrow and grief.
Rather than being wiped out with the old creation, in Christ, God makes us new creations. Now we have new roles, new minds, new desires, new longings, and new passions as we no longer live according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. And as we set our minds on the things of the Spirit, we should see sin as God sees it. Rather than welcoming sin into our lives and experiencing again its completely corrosive nature, we present our members to God as instruments of righteousness. We put away filthiness and rampant wickedness. We will face temptation, but now God has given a way of escape and a way of endurance. In Christ, we put on the new self showing steadfast endurance, going to God for wisdom, setting our minds on the things above, and letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly, transforming us by the renewal of our minds. God’s disdain for sin and its effects should keep us pursuing holiness and purity, glorifying and honoring Him who pulled us from our sin and gave us new lives as new creations in Christ.
Romans 8:5-8, James 1:21
The entire life of the Christian is to be a life lived for God’s glory…a life of worship. Worship is the response to God revealing Himself to us. As God reveals Himself we learn more about ourselves, our condition, and our desperate need for a Savior. In Genesis 6, sin reveals a lot to us about God… or we could say that God reveals a lot to us about Himself in His perfectly just and perfectly righteous response to sin. In just a few chapters before we see God observing all that He created and saying “It is good!” Now He observes His creation and says, “I am grieved…I will destroy them…” What happened? What changed?
The huge change came when sin entered the picture. Sin is corrosive. Adam and Eve turned from God’s design in the garden and the result was death. And from that point sin infected humanity. This is no small problem. All of humanity had turned from the worship of their Creator and become consumed with the flesh. Not only were all of their actions evil, but not even a good thought or intention could be found. And in the midst of all of creation walking according to the flesh, we see God’s response. He repeatedly points out the corruption and violence and reveals His sorrow and grief.
Rather than being wiped out with the old creation, in Christ, God makes us new creations. Now we have new roles, new minds, new desires, new longings, and new passions as we no longer live according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. And as we set our minds on the things of the Spirit, we should see sin as God sees it. Rather than welcoming sin into our lives and experiencing again its completely corrosive nature, we present our members to God as instruments of righteousness. We put away filthiness and rampant wickedness. We will face temptation, but now God has given a way of escape and a way of endurance. In Christ, we put on the new self showing steadfast endurance, going to God for wisdom, setting our minds on the things above, and letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly, transforming us by the renewal of our minds. God’s disdain for sin and its effects should keep us pursuing holiness and purity, glorifying and honoring Him who pulled us from our sin and gave us new lives as new creations in Christ.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Corrupt…in God’s Sight
Read Genesis 5:28-6:13
In the time of Noah, evil existed in a way that we have not seen since. We have seen evidences of this kind of evil. We have seen families torn apart and division run rampant because people choose to go against God’s design. But, in the antediluvian world, with the exception of Noah, “every intention of the thoughts of every heart was only evil continually”. These weren’t people who were just trying some “new” things and, in their immaturity, stumbled upon folly and sin. NO. They had “matured” to a point of deliberate and intentional evil…ONLY. And this was the entire earth’s population, with the exception of Noah. If God had not placed his hand on Noah and his family, we would not be here to discuss the flood, because we would have died in it.
While the effects of this rampant wickedness can be discussed at length, the worst is that it “grieved God’s heart”. Now God is not an emotional push-over. He is holy. He is sovereign. He is Creator. And He has been wronged. It says he was “sorry” that he had made man on the earth. What is being explained here is that God was now repentant. Not of sin, like we should be. Rather, he is taking action, according to His perfect justice and righteousness, and not only turning from this less desirable world, but to a positive course of action in which redemption is found.
Every day we will be presented with the opportunity to make an exception to the “rules”. At some point, so many exceptions can be made, that the rules no longer seem to exist. The “rules” are from God. They are commands that result in a completely different life-style and mindset. We either respond obediently or we respond disobediently. Disobedience communicates that either “God does not exist” or “God does not matter”. He tells us to love Him with all of our heart, soul, and might. If we do this, there will be those who ridicule us. We will be presented with options that will make us “happier”. But we must endure. We must ask God for wisdom. And we must remember that He promises that as Noah was protected in the Ark, so we have protection and redemption in Christ. Even death cannot separate us from His love.
In the time of Noah, evil existed in a way that we have not seen since. We have seen evidences of this kind of evil. We have seen families torn apart and division run rampant because people choose to go against God’s design. But, in the antediluvian world, with the exception of Noah, “every intention of the thoughts of every heart was only evil continually”. These weren’t people who were just trying some “new” things and, in their immaturity, stumbled upon folly and sin. NO. They had “matured” to a point of deliberate and intentional evil…ONLY. And this was the entire earth’s population, with the exception of Noah. If God had not placed his hand on Noah and his family, we would not be here to discuss the flood, because we would have died in it.
While the effects of this rampant wickedness can be discussed at length, the worst is that it “grieved God’s heart”. Now God is not an emotional push-over. He is holy. He is sovereign. He is Creator. And He has been wronged. It says he was “sorry” that he had made man on the earth. What is being explained here is that God was now repentant. Not of sin, like we should be. Rather, he is taking action, according to His perfect justice and righteousness, and not only turning from this less desirable world, but to a positive course of action in which redemption is found.
Every day we will be presented with the opportunity to make an exception to the “rules”. At some point, so many exceptions can be made, that the rules no longer seem to exist. The “rules” are from God. They are commands that result in a completely different life-style and mindset. We either respond obediently or we respond disobediently. Disobedience communicates that either “God does not exist” or “God does not matter”. He tells us to love Him with all of our heart, soul, and might. If we do this, there will be those who ridicule us. We will be presented with options that will make us “happier”. But we must endure. We must ask God for wisdom. And we must remember that He promises that as Noah was protected in the Ark, so we have protection and redemption in Christ. Even death cannot separate us from His love.
Adam, Enoch, Noah & Others
Read Genesis 5
As we read about the descendants from Adam to Noah, we encounter great men with long lives. In the midst of the Patriarchs, we find one that shines even brighter. Enoch’s story is a bit different. Rather than just living a certain number of years after fathering Methuselah, God wants to specifically communicate that Enoch walked with God. We then find that Enoch, whose life on earth was significantly shorter than the other Patriarchs, after 365 years does not experience the sting of death, but rather “he was not, for God took him.” Hebrews 11:5 tells us that it was by faith that he was taken up and that he was commended as having pleased God. In Jude 14-15 we also see that Enoch was especially insightful of the fault of the ungodly…an insight that comes from walking with God for over 3 centuries. So as we ask in every piece of Scripture that we study, “where is Jesus in this?” If we hope to please God and receive eternal life…if we hope to live lives of godliness….then we MUST walk with God. Sin keeps us from walking with God. It separates us from Him. Amos 3:3 says, “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?” How could we possibly convince the only true, sinless, perfect God to meet with us? We can’t. We must have a Mediator. Jesus is our Mediator. And it is only by the work of the cross in which our sins are forgiven and we are made able to stand before the Lord. So I urge you to cling to Christ, your only hope, and walk with God in faith. And with every step, as you overcome each obstacle, and as you move forward in your journey, give God all of the glory. Acknowledge what it is that His hand has done that you could not do even with all of your might. Stay humble, always being mindful of the fact that each breath is borrowed, and it is only by the merciful and graceful will of God that you are made able to walk with Him in Christ.
As we read about the descendants from Adam to Noah, we encounter great men with long lives. In the midst of the Patriarchs, we find one that shines even brighter. Enoch’s story is a bit different. Rather than just living a certain number of years after fathering Methuselah, God wants to specifically communicate that Enoch walked with God. We then find that Enoch, whose life on earth was significantly shorter than the other Patriarchs, after 365 years does not experience the sting of death, but rather “he was not, for God took him.” Hebrews 11:5 tells us that it was by faith that he was taken up and that he was commended as having pleased God. In Jude 14-15 we also see that Enoch was especially insightful of the fault of the ungodly…an insight that comes from walking with God for over 3 centuries. So as we ask in every piece of Scripture that we study, “where is Jesus in this?” If we hope to please God and receive eternal life…if we hope to live lives of godliness….then we MUST walk with God. Sin keeps us from walking with God. It separates us from Him. Amos 3:3 says, “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?” How could we possibly convince the only true, sinless, perfect God to meet with us? We can’t. We must have a Mediator. Jesus is our Mediator. And it is only by the work of the cross in which our sins are forgiven and we are made able to stand before the Lord. So I urge you to cling to Christ, your only hope, and walk with God in faith. And with every step, as you overcome each obstacle, and as you move forward in your journey, give God all of the glory. Acknowledge what it is that His hand has done that you could not do even with all of your might. Stay humble, always being mindful of the fact that each breath is borrowed, and it is only by the merciful and graceful will of God that you are made able to walk with Him in Christ.
Cain, Abel, & Life Outside The Garden
Read Genesis 4
In the fourth chapter of Genesis, we get the first glimpse of what life was like outside of the garden. Cain and Abel both brought an offering to the Lord. Abel’s was accepted while Cain’s was not. Mark Driscoll comments that the sin was not what Cain brought in his offering but what Cain brought in his heart. We see further evidence of the effect of Cain’s heart when his anger becomes so great that he kills his brother Abel. God reminds us here that sin’s desire is to rule over us as it is always “crouching at the door”. And if we do not take seriously the insight from God that we MUST rule over it, we see that the results are catastrophic! The first city ever established is further evidence of this truth. The city, Enoch, was named after Cain’s son. In this first city we see trade, commerce, poetry, musical instruments, and forged tools. But none of these things were used for the glory of God. The city was entirely selfish and Godless. Polygamy was even introduced by an arrogant poet named Lamech, who referred to his wives as “wives of Lamech”.
A huge point that develops in Genesis 4 is that we must see sin as God sees sin. It is a matter of the heart. You can go through all of the motions and outwardly look very religious. But if your whole heart is not in it, the sin that is crouching at the door will eventually consume you. We also learn that God redeems a people for his glory. In the close of the chapter, God blesses Adam and Eve with another son, Seth. It was at this time that people began to call upon the name of the Lord.
In the fourth chapter of Genesis, we get the first glimpse of what life was like outside of the garden. Cain and Abel both brought an offering to the Lord. Abel’s was accepted while Cain’s was not. Mark Driscoll comments that the sin was not what Cain brought in his offering but what Cain brought in his heart. We see further evidence of the effect of Cain’s heart when his anger becomes so great that he kills his brother Abel. God reminds us here that sin’s desire is to rule over us as it is always “crouching at the door”. And if we do not take seriously the insight from God that we MUST rule over it, we see that the results are catastrophic! The first city ever established is further evidence of this truth. The city, Enoch, was named after Cain’s son. In this first city we see trade, commerce, poetry, musical instruments, and forged tools. But none of these things were used for the glory of God. The city was entirely selfish and Godless. Polygamy was even introduced by an arrogant poet named Lamech, who referred to his wives as “wives of Lamech”.
A huge point that develops in Genesis 4 is that we must see sin as God sees sin. It is a matter of the heart. You can go through all of the motions and outwardly look very religious. But if your whole heart is not in it, the sin that is crouching at the door will eventually consume you. We also learn that God redeems a people for his glory. In the close of the chapter, God blesses Adam and Eve with another son, Seth. It was at this time that people began to call upon the name of the Lord.
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