Truths We Learned From Our Genesis Study

TRC’s vision is: For God’s glory disciple the nations by being and producing radical followers of Jesus Christ.

Radical followers of Jesus is our strategy.

A radical follower of Jesus expresses three relationships:

UP – Reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit.
1. It all begins with “UP”.
2. Jesus reconciles us to the Father, gives us the Holy Spirit and we get to go on an eternity long adventure of knowing God!!
  1. This is why we want to capture just a few of the things we’ve learned about God in our Genesis study:
    1. Knowing God, continuing to go deeper into knowing God, and refining our knowledge of God defines our IN and OUT.
IN – Knowing God takes our “IN” from personal affinity to Trinity.
1. Personal affinity is centered on the self by only gathering with people who like what you like.
2. Trinity celebrates and gathers diversity into unity. That is love.
OUT – Knowing God takes our “OUT” from being a line item to being the reason.

We feed this strategy tactically by feeding it the Word of God that fuels the UP, equips the IN, and motivates and apostolically sends the “IN” to the OUT.

So, what has God’s Word taught us in Genesis about God?

Genesis 1: God’s word is powerful. V. 3, V. 6, V. 8, 9, V. 11, V. 14, V. 20, V. 24, V. 26, V. 28

God is a communicating God who uses words and language and grammar. Therefore, when God speaks his word is effective and instructive.

The OT authors and the NT authors claim that God was “speaking”, and they wrote his words down.

Hebrews 1:1-2 CSB “Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son.”

This is why the doctrine of God’s word is central to Christianity. The Bible claims that God has spoken and therefore, his word is the baseline for determining what is true.
1. John 17:17 (ESV) Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
  1. Truth is not a describing word for God’s word. Truth is it’s very essence.

Genesis 1:26-28: Work is good and missional and centered in God’s personhood as the working Creator.

God bestows on mankind the glory and honor of work. Therefore, work is holy in and of itself, and it has a missional end.

Genesis 3:21: We see that God is gracious and merciful to His people and that God has woven the gospel of the kingdom into history.

Psalms 86:15 (ESV) But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

God gives us a glimpse of substitution that will come to it’s full revelation at the cross.
1. Adam and Eve sinned and rebelled, but God was gracious to them and did not kill them immediately.
  1. He provided covering for them as He sent them out of the garden.
  2. ANOTHER INNOCENT CREATURE BORE THE PENALTY OF DEATH FOR ADAM AND EVE’S SIN while they go free.
    1. Romans 3:21-26

Genesis 12: God is on a mission to bless the nations through knowing him.

He tells Abram that all nations will be blessed through him.

Genesis 15, 15:6: God alone saves, and God saves by faith, and has always done so.

God alone makes the covenant. God alone passes through the death taking on the payment of the covenant. God alone pledges to keep the covenant.
1. Romans 3:21-26

Genesis 12:4 – Genesis 21: God keeps his word in his divine and good timing.

Abraham was 75 when called to go and promised by God to make him a nation through Sarah, who was barren, having a child.

This requires faith and patience in following God’s way.
Trying to generate God’s promises in our ways created generational conflict.

How can we apply these truths?

We don’t let the dark kingdom and it’s culture determine ultimate truth.
1. As people of the Book, we live from the Manual…God’s Word.
2. Do theological triage with God’s word as our Manual if you need to know how to think on something.
  1. Things we’ll die for: Jesus’ divinity and humanity manifest in the person of Jesus.
  2. Things we can agree to disagree on and still be Christian: Infant baptism.
  3. Things of Christian conscience: Food. Drink. The Rona!
3. Genesis 1 and 2 form the “plumb line” for what is right and the base form which we determine what is good.
Don’t shun your vocation for “holier” activity.
1. Vocational skill is a holy calling by God for joy, God’s glory and missional living.
2. Domains of society IS GOD’S strategy to complete the vision of his glory among the nations.
  1. Every disciple of Jesus. Everywhere. All the time. Making disciples. Planting churches.
Know/Believe/Practice Psalm 86:15 (ESV) But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
God saves by faith and he does the saving without our work.
1. We don’t have to be responsible for saving ourselves.
2. We don’t have to earn God’s favor.
3. We simply believe.
4. Hebrews 7:25 (ESV) Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
God’s timing is always on point, so don’t lose heart and begin a self achievement plan.
1. Abraham had to simply wait on the Lord to keep his word.
2. We must labor over making sure to get God’s ends in God’s ways.
3. Genesis 21:1-2 (ESV) The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.
4. Psalms 27:14 (ESV) Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
  1. Scour God’s word to learn his way, and get after that.
God’s way is worship.
1. Worship in song is the outward manifestation of the inward allegiance and bent of a new heart.
2. If you are in Christ, let’s sing to him.
3. If you are not in Christ, believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be transformed, given a new heart, brought from death to life, taken from darkness to light and have a reason to worship in song.