THE GLORY OF GENESIS

INTRODUCTION:

Genesis is, as all of us know, the very first book of the Bible. It is a book that tells us so much about God. There is a glory and majesty to the book that we often overlook.

BODY

I. WE SEE THE INFINITE POWER OF GOD IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS.

A. Look at the creative power found in the first chapter of the book.

1. Genesis 1:1_ "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

a. This is a grand statement that gives a thumbnail sketch of what we will see in the next two chapters. God's power brought into existence the entire universe, "the heavens and the earth."

2. The Hebrew word used here for create literally mean, "absolute creation or creation out of nothing"

a. Hebrews 11:3 "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible."

3. Look at the creative power found in chapter one.

a. Verse 3 - "Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light."

b. Verse 6 - "Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.""

c. Verse 9 - "Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so."

d. Verse 11 - "Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so."

e. Verse 14 - "Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;"

f. Verse 20 - "Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.""

g. Verse 24 - "Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind"; and it was so."

h. Verse 26 - "Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.""

B. But Genesis tells of the great destructive power of God.

1. Genesis 6:5_7 "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6_ And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7_ So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.""

2. Genesis 19:24_25 "Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. 25_ So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground."

C. Our God is truly an Awesome God!

1. Job 26:12 - "He stirs up the sea with His power, And by His understanding He breaks up the storm."

2. Psalms 93:4 - "The LORD on high is mightier Than the noise of many waters, Than the mighty waves of the sea."

3. Acts 17:24 - ""God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands."

4. Job 42:1_6 "Then Job answered the LORD and said: 2_ "I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. 3_ You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4_ Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, 'I will question you, and you shall answer Me.' 5_ "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. 6_ Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.""

II. WE SEE GOD'S ATTITUDE TOWARD SIN IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS.

A. God laid out the penalty for sin (disobedience against God's law).

1. Genesis 2:16_17 "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 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.""

2. Genesis 3:16-24 3. Genesis 4:9_12 "Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" 10_ And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11_ "So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12_ "When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.""

B. God has ordained that punishment be meted out for sin. He hates sin!

1. Proverbs 6:16_19 "These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17_ A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, 18_ A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19_ A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren."

2. Romans 6:23 3. Hebrews 2:2_3 "For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, 3_ how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,"

III. WE SEE GOD'S MERCY AND LOVE IN GENESIS

A. God didn't leave Adam and Eve hopeless after their sin.

1. He provided clothing for them.

a. Genesis 3:21 - "Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them."

2. Genesis 3:15 - "And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.""

B. God began working the plan of salvation which would culminate in Jesus's death on the cross for the sins of the world.

1. Genesis 3:15

2. Genesis 12:1_3 "Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. 2_ I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3_ I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.""

3. Genesis 49:10 - "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people."

4. God even worked out a plan for the protection of the Jewish race in Egypt in order to preserve it for the eventual coming of the Messiah.

a. Genesis 50:19_20 "Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20_ "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive."

C. This scheme of redemption that God began in Genesis would culminate in Christ and his work on the cross.

A. Galatians 3:16, 19 - "Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ.... "What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator."

IV. WE SEE THE FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE OF GOD IN GENESIS

A. God would not allow the innocent to die with the guilty in Sodom.

1. God was willing to spare the entire city of Sodom, as wicked as it was, if ten righteous could be found (Genesis 18:32).

2. Even when ten were not found God still sent angels to deliver Lot and his family from destruction.

B. We see God putting in place a way of worship for Adam and Eve where they could come back into fellowship with God, even though they had departed from His way.

1. Genesis 4 C. We see King Abimelech held to a strict standard when he ignorantly took Sarah as a wife, not knowing that she was Abraham's.

1. Genesis 20 2. In this chapter we see Abraham lying, Abimelech ignorantly taking Sarah, God speaking to him and granting him mercy because he did it ignorantly, and Abraham and Sarah embarrassed and rebuked for sin. God's justice was tempered by fairness.

V. WE SEE GOD'S ATTITUDE TOWARD MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY

A. God performed the first "wedding ceremony."

1. Genesis 2:21_25 "And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22_ Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23_ And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." 24_ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25_ And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."

2. We know that this was God's attitude toward marriage because the Lord referred to it when talking about the ideal marriage.

a. Matthew 19:3_6 "The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" 4_ And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' 5_ "and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? 6_ "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.""

B. Genesis is so important to marriage and the home because it shows a practical demonstration on why God's plan for marriage is best.

1. Look at all the problems that took place when Abraham took Hagar as his handmaiden to bear a child.

2. Look at all the problems with envy, partiality, and family enmity that took place when Jacob took both Rachael and Leah as wives. It led to hatred that caused Joseph to be sold into slavery.

3. God showed his displeasure a relationship outside of marriage with Sarah and Pharaoh (Genesis 12:10-20).

CONCLUSION:

In the great book of Genesis we see God beginning a work that has culminated in the death of Jesus on the cross. What they could not know, we know. Jesus is the sin sacrifice for us.

By Grady Scott

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