Sunday Wisdom: The Gospel According to Genesis - Chapter 2 - A Day of Rest

Genesis 2:1-3 - Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

God creates a pattern of rest for our flourishing. Rest so you can delight in what you have been given.  Why did God rest?  Did He need it?  Was He tired?  No, He never gets tired and He never stops.  He finished and completed His work of creation. He stopped to look back and delight in His work. He blessed and made the 7th day holy because we need this day to stop and remember our blessings.  Humans tend to forget their many blessings when they are wrapped up in their daily toils and cares. 

God gives complete rest in Christ! 

John 19:30 - When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Jesus finished the works of salvation and reconciliation with God for us on the cross. 

Matthew 11:28-30 - Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus gives us rest for our souls.  He does the work for us so we can rest in Him.  We don't earn it, we just receive it. Sabbath is a Person.  We find rest not in doing something or not doing something.  We rest in remembering and knowing Jesus. 

Colossians 2:16-17 -  Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

Sabbath is not meant to be a legalistic ritual to follow like the Pharisees. 

Resting is trusting.  Trusting in the power and grace of an all-knowing God and His forgiveness and salvation. The truth is GOD IS GOD and in charge, and we are NOT!  

God promises a place where rest will never end. The Sabbath day does not have an ending like the other days that have a morning and an evening (beginning and ending).  He doesn't say this about the 7th day in Genesis because our rest “day” is forever because it is God. 

Revelation 21:1-4 - Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

We will have eternal rest in heaven with the Lord.  Rest from mourning, death, pain, or tears. 

Genesis 2:8-9 - And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Humans were made to work and cultivate God's garden.  We were made to work!  Work came before the curse.  It is NOT a punishment.  It gives us purpose.  We are meant to cultivate and guard what God places under our care, serving in His presence, according to His word. If we don't cultivate and guard, bad things enter the garden.  Like weeds and the snake that entered to tempt and bring destruction.  

God rested. He rested before He put man to work. We work and rest like God did in creation.  It is part of being image bearers of God. 

“Idol hands are the devil's workshop.” - Old Proverb 

or

Proverbs 16:27 - A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.

Genesis 2:15-17 - The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

What is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? The forbidden fruit is the selfish pursuit of knowing everything God knows and being our own gods.  When we know evil, we know death. 

The Curse - Now our “work” is seen as “bad.”  We hate it and speak of it as toil and burden.  Work is no longer seen as God intended.  If we toil aimlessly for our own pursuits of wealth and power and the temporary things of the world, our work loses its Godly purpose.  We feel empty and purposeless and see increased unhappiness and dissatisfaction with our lives.

Sunday Wisdom: The Gospel According to Genesis - Chapter 1

This sermon series has been so enlightening as it shows that Genesis is more than a history. It's importance as a message of the beginning and source origin of the world goes far beyond that creation narrative and reveals its true purpose as a foreshadowing and testament to the promised savior of the world.

The attributed Author of the book is Moses. He lived thousands years after many of the events he tells about, but his words were the inspired words of God. We know Moses spoke and received the messages of God for his people through the burning bush and on Mount Horeb.

The book of Genesis can be broken into two parts:

Chapters 1-11 - Primeval history 

Chapters 12 - 50 - Patriarchal history 

Genesis 1:1 - Who God is

Why do we need to study Genesis?

It establishes the right perspective about God.

It shows God's sovereign wisdom. 

God is the Creator. Only God creates out of nothing orderly.  He brought order NOT chaos.  He knew infinitely everything that was needed to sustain life. 

It shows God's Amazing Grace. We are only here by God's grace.  He created with grace. He punished with grace (Adam and Eve, Cain, the flood, etc.).

It shows God's Forever Faithfulness.

It shows us that nothing can derail His purpose. 

He keeps His promises! 

He comforts us with His presence.

It fuels our worship of God.

Revelation 4:11 ESV

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Revelation 5:9 ESV [9] And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation..."

The World tells us the creation of the world was a big accident (Big Bang Theory).  If you live like you came out of an accidental random event, you will live like you are an accident without purpose or intention.  We were created by intentional design, and we should live with intention and design to fulfill our purpose.  Science shows that nothing about creation is random chaos.  It has a perfect balance.  Only when that balance gets disturbed do things get chaotic and out of balance. Sin brings chaos! 

Genesis 1:1-25 - God's Creation…everything from nothing. God created by the power of His Word.  God is a speaking God. 

Hebrews 11:3 - Creation by the Word

John 1:1-4 - The Word is God and was with God.  Jesus is the Word.  He was the beginning.  Jesus is the Living Word. 

God created with Order.  Order from chaos. 

God is NOT a God of confusion but of peace. 

Evolution can't answer:

What is the origin of life? Where did the first matter or particle come from?  What is the origin of species?  How did the different species come about if not specifically created to be different? 

The importance of the meaning of a day in creation: At the very beginning, God shows us that he cares for us each and every day and will provide.  Jesus taught us to pray “Give us this day our daily bread.”  We pray each and every day for God's provision.  We don't need to pray ahead to store up for the future because God will still be there in the future to provide.  He is yesterday, today and forever unchanged!  

Genesis 1:26-31

Man - Created in the Image of God

What we believe about the Image of God affects our view of all the issues of today.

God created mankind to be like Him…but NOT to be Him.  We cannot be our own gods.  We are not creators.  We are supposed to be image bearers reflecting the greatness of our creator.  We display who God is and are beacons of hope to the world of who God is. God has characteristics that we can never attain…omniscience, eternity, perfection.  God does transmit His characteristics of love, grace, and the rest of the fruits of the spirit. God wants to communicate who He is through us. 

Living as an image bearer reflects who God says we are.  It changes the way we view others.  Our value is vertical not horizontal.  We should look to God above for our identity and not place our identity in the horizontal things of the world.  

Humans are created differently from the rest of creation.  He breathed life into us instead of just speaking us into existence.  He did it to show us a personal relationship with Him.  Breathing into someone is as close as it gets. 

God created mankind to be male and female.  He created us to be in relationship with one another because He is a God of relationship.  

God created mankind to be servant-rulers over the earth.  He gave us the job of being good stewards of His creation.  We have limited authority over the earth and will never have total dominion over the universe because that is God's domain. 

God gave us everything we could ever need to live in abundance and plenty.  And yet, if even one thing is denied to humanity, he will seek to have that one thing.  Our natural desire to not be denied and to have everything is the root of sin.  We let our selfish desires control us.  

Sermon Notes - Delight in Him

Psalm 37:23-24 

[23] The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;

[24] though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.

God orders/establishes the steps of the faithful when we find delight in God's way. 

Living Faith means we delight in being Biblically Obedient, Unashamed Ambassadors, Intentional Disciple-makers, and Sacrificial Servants.

We have to submit to all-knowing God's plan. 

God allows falls, but it doesn't mean you are finished. Humans will fail, make mistakes, and fall. As Christians, we are faith secured. Remember Job. 

God upholds his children. He will hold us up when we stumble. 

Psalm 119 - Longest chapter in the Bible and filled with all the ways we delight in God. 

How do we delight in God?

Verses 1-8 - To walk in the Word of God. 

Blessed = Completely satisfied and ultimately fulfilled by being Biblically Obedient.

Verses 9-10 - Guard our way with the Word. Feelings will misguide you. God's Word will always be the same and will never fail or misguide you. 

Verses 11-14 - Store up the Word so that we won't fall into the temptation of sin. 

Verses 15-16 - Meditate (Think Deeply, Focus, and Occupy your attention) on the Word.  

Verses 25-48

Ask God to help you behold (understand) the Word.

Ask God to bend your heart towards the Word - to change the desires of your heart away from your selfish desires.

Turn your eyes from worthless things to the Word. 

We take comfort from the old and ancient Word that has seen people through their hardest times.

Praise Him from the Word.

Look to the Word. Do not forget His commandments and that He is the Shepherd who will never leave us even when we go astray. 

Delight in Being Disciplemakers 

The Great Commission - Jesus's final call to go and be disciples of men. 

Matthew 28:16-20 - Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.  And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.  And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Some of the disciples doubted when they saw Jesus again after the resurrection. They hesitated. They were scared of the prospect of continuing the ministry without Jesus and also that it may cost them their lives as it did Jesus. And many would be martyred for their faith. Their hesitancy wasn't unfounded. Our duty to serve won't be safe and easy and carefree. We have cause to be hesitant, but in faith, we will find delight in serving and following Jesus. It is our ultimate purpose we were created to fulfill. That fulfillment brings contentment and delight and joy. 

How do we become disciples who confidently and intentionally make disciples? 

Submit to the authority that sends us. 

Commit to the mission that directs us by going. We aren't meant to sit passively in our comfortable homes and churches. God has always called his believers and followers to spread his message. He first called the descendants of Abraham, but when the Jewish leaders didn't want to spread the message outside their nation, he called followers who would do so. We are all sent by Jesus. The question is only where and how.  

Teach the Word that shapes us.  Teach and guard all that Jesus commanded us. 

Rely on the presence that sustains us. Jesus says he will be with us always to the very end of the age. It is a promise of a parent promising to always be there for you and supportive of you. Unfortunately as mortal parents, we can't really make such a promise. Our lives are not infinite, but God/Jesus is infinite. He can make that promise! Jesus gives us his presence! He is our greatest present! 🎁