THE BOOK OF GENESIS

DAY ONE

TEXT: Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

We’re going to take our time with this first verse in Genesis. Day one of creation begins with, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” 

Did you know that this was the first miracle of Jesus, the Son of God? In Colossians 1:16 we read, “For by Him (Jesus) all things were created, in heaven and in earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him.” The first miracle of Jesus was the creation! 

“In the beginning God created . . .” If this first verse in God’s Word isn’t true, then none of the rest of the Bible is true. Little wonder then, why this verse is so attacked by Satan, the liar and deceiver! Without question, this is one of the most important revelations in the Bible. If we believe this verse in the Bible, then we won’t have any trouble in believing all of the other verses in Genesis, (the first book) to Revelation (the last book).  

THREE TRUTHS FROM GENESIS 1:1

1. FOUNDATIONS ARE IMPORTANT

I know that we have already touched on this in a previous lesson, but I want to revisit again tonight because foundations are so important to our faith. 

Before builders construct the floor, the walls and the roof, they first lay the foundation. Very simply, without a foundation, the house would collapse. 

As we study the first 11 chapters of Genesis, we learn that the first verse in Genesis is foundational to the first chapter, and the first chapter is foundational to the first 11 chapters, and the first 11 chapters are foundational to the rest of the book of Genesis, and Genesis is foundational to the rest of the Bible. So Genesis 1-11 is foundational to all Christian doctrine and to the Christian world view. 

Therefore, if the foundational first verse in the Bible is not true, then the rest of the Bible isn’t true either. 

Psalm 11:3 says, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? For instance, if God is not the foundation of everything—if there is no God, then trust in Jesus and the Bible would be completely meaningless. That is why the first verse in the Bible tells us there is a God—not just any God, but the one true God! 

2. THE UNIVERSE HAD A BEGINNING

The first verse in the Bible tells us that the universe was brought into existence—it was created by God. 

The means that before the universe was made, there was no universe, no earth, no time, and in fact, not even any space! If you’re like me, then you can’t even imagine that there is no space. How would we try and describe this? We might say that there was nothing. However, I think that most people would still think that nothing would mean an empty black place. But the universe was not even a place before creation—it wasn’t black—but it just wasn’t! 

How about this? There was not even nothing, (but there was God, and we will learn about this is the next point or point number three). We can’t even think what NOT EVEN NOTHING would be like! Right? 

Not even nothing couldn’t be black—because that would be something! This is impossible to understand because we are created beings—we were created by God. This means God must be so much more powerful than us, so there are going to be many things we will not understand. This should make us realize more and more just how big and powerful God is! 

If God made the universe, what did it make it from? The word “created” used in this first verse really means that God brought into existence materials that had no previous existence to make everything that now exist. God made the universe from materials that He created from NOT EVEN NOTHING! 

In the New Testament book of Hebrews, 11:3 we read, “By faith we understand that the universe (this means everything) was created by the Word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” This also teaches us that the things that we see now were made from materials that previously did not exist, but God brough them into existence! It helps us to begin to understand just how powerful God is! 

In Psalm 33:9, we are told about how God does things, “For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm. How does God do things? He just commands it to happen—and it happens. How did He make the universe? He just spoke it into existence! Look at the following verses in Genesis chapter 1:3, 6 ,9, 14, 20, 24 and 26. They all start with “And God said (verse 26 begins with “then God said). He just spoke and then it happened—things came into existence. He spoke, and suddenly from not even nothing there was something! Only God can do this! 

In Mark 4:39, we are told the account of how Jesus, God’s Son, was on a boat with His disciples and a great storm arose. He spoke to the wind and the sea, and they obeyed Him! “And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘peace, be still.’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

When the disciples saw this, they said, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” In other words, who is this who can just speak to the wind and the sea and they obey Him? Well, the answer is that this is the Creator! This was no ordinary man. Colossians 1:16 says that “all things were created through Him and for Him. Is it any wonder then that the wind and sea obeyed Him—He made them! 

If things were made by Him, it then means that we were made by Him. Actually as we will learn a little later, God made our first parents and designed them to have children, and their children to have children, and so on. God did not make us directly from dust like He did Adam, but we are all children of Adam. So we can certainly say that God made us. 

Psalm 139:13-14 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, and I know that full well.” 

Acts 17:26 “From one man He made every nation of men. . .”

Before God spoke the universe into existence, we did not exist, except God knew we would exist. For instance, in Jeremiah 1:5 God said this about Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” God in eternity knew each one of us just as He knew Jeremiah, before we came into existence! Again, this gives us a glimpse of just how great God really is! 

Now we do exist, and we think and reason, and make decisions. And yet our first parents were made from dust that originally did not exist, but which God spoke into existence! How great is our God, sing with me how great is our God, and we all will see how great, how great, is our God! 

And what did God first create? He created time (in the beginning); He created space (He created the heavens); He created matter (and the earth). Now point three:

3. GOD HAD NO BEGINNING! 

The Bible tells us that time, space, and matter (the universe) had a beginning, but God was just there! How could this be? If God made time, then God had to exist before time. We know that time can be measured. For instance, we measure time with our watches by measuring minutes or hours. Each time we have a birthday, we know that a whole year of time has passed by. As time goes on, we get older—everything that exits gets older. But if God made time and exists outside of time, then He does not age. Maybe we find this hard (really impossible) to completely understand because we were created, just as time was created. The One who created us, along with everything else, is infinite in His understanding! He is omniscient, all knowing! We can’t understand everything about God, but He helps us to understand as much as we can, as much as which is humanly possible.

When God sent Moses to Pharaoh to set the Israelites free, Moses wanted to know who he should say is the One who sent him. In Genesis 3:14 we read, “God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I Am has sent me to you.” God said His name was “I Am.” Now that might sound like a strange name, but do we know what that means? We were born (had a beginning) which is why we existed in the past and we exist now, and we will continue to exist in our body until we die. Of course our spirit does not cease to exist when we die. If we are a Christian, a new creation in Christ by being born again by the Spirit of God, the Bible teaches that when we leave our body, we will go to be with the Lord forever! As I have said many times, for the believer in Christ the best is yet to come! 

We were born, are existing now, and will be existing forever, either with God, or sadly apart from God, if we have not committed our lives to Christ. 

We all as created beings had a beginning. But God simply exists. He is I am. Not I was or will be, but I Am! He just was always there. He doesn’t age, because with God there is no time. He made time so He could make us. That is why His name is ‘I AM!’

In Psalm 90:2 we read, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. God exists in eternity—He didn’t have a beginning! 

I know that you have questions, like “Who made God?” And we will answer that question next week. But for now, just try and focus on the reality that God, the great I Am, who created the time, space and matter universe, lives in a dimension outside of that dimension and is so much greater than what we know! SELAH 

 UNDERSTANDING ASAPH’S STRUGGLE

IS A KEY TO THE COMING REVIVAL 

TEXT: Ps 73 “How good God is to Israel-to those whose hearts are pure. 2 But as for me, I came so close to the edge of the cliff! My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. 3 For I was envious of the prosperity of the proud and wicked. 4 Yes, all through life their road is smooth! They grow sleek and fat. 5 They aren't always in trouble and plagued with problems like everyone else, 6 so their pride sparkles like a jeweled necklace, and their clothing is woven of cruelty! 7 These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for! 8 They scoff at God and threaten his people. How proudly they speak! 9 They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut through the earth. 10 And so God's people are dismayed and confused and drink it all in. 11 "Does God realize what is going on?" they ask. 12 "Look at these men of arrogance; they never have to lift a finger-theirs is a life of ease; and all the time their riches multiply." 13 Have I been wasting my time? Why take the trouble to be pure? 14 All I get out of it is trouble and woe-every day and all day long! 15 If I had really said that, I would have been a traitor to your people. 16 Yet it is so hard to explain it-this prosperity of those who hate the Lord. 17 Then one day I went into God's sanctuary to meditate and thought about the future of these evil men. 18 What a slippery path they are on-suddenly God will send them sliding over the edge of the cliff and down to their destruction: 19 an instant end to all their happiness, an eternity of terror. 20 Their present life is only a dream! They will awaken to the truth as one awakens from a dream of things that never really were! 

21 When I saw this, what turmoil filled my heart! 22 I saw myself so stupid and so ignorant; I must seem like an animal to you, O God. 23 But even so, you love me! You are holding my right hand! 24 You will keep on guiding me all my life with your wisdom and counsel, and afterwards receive me into the glories of heaven! 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And I desire no one on earth as much as you! 26 My health fails; my spirits droop, yet God remains! He is the strength of my heart; he is mine forever! 27 But those refusing to worship God will perish, for he destroys those serving other gods. 28 But as for me, I get as close to him as I can! I have chosen him, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful ways he rescues me.”

INTRODUCTION: 

The Psalmists, Asaph, is venting his frustrations in this Psalm. His name in Hebrew actually means “gatherer.” And true to his name he had gathered a lot of information about the contrast between those who follow God and those who don’t! This Psalm is the struggle of a believer trying to find the answer to the question as to why people in the world, who do not believe in God, seem to be living the good life while those who do believe in God are not!  

I believe what the Holy Spirit revealed to Asaph in this Psalm is a very important revelation that the Church desperately needs today. To many believers are struggling with the very same thing that Asaph was struggling with. And unfortunately to many believers have giving up because they haven’t taken the time to seek God like he did. In today’s message we will reveal the answer to this struggle. Make no mistake about it. The answer to this struggle is part of our preparation in becoming a vessel that God can work through in the coming revival. I’ll show you how. Let’s pray.  

1. The first step in Asaph’s struggle is the question: IS IT WORTH IT?

In this Psalm, Asaph is venting his frustrations. He’s disillusioned because he has allowed the world to get into his thinking. He actually says in verse 2 “But as for me, I came so close to the edge of the cliff! My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. 3 For I was envious of the prosperity of the proud and wicked.” Those who don’t believe in God seem to be blessed. They are healthy and wealthy. And they don’t appear to be struggling with the same problems that believers have. 

So Asaph is perhaps wondering to himself: IS IT WORHT IT TO WALK WITH THE LORD? I mean after all, why should I deny myself anything if it really doesn’t make any difference? Why should I deny myself the pleasures of sin if there is no reward, if God makes no difference between those who follow Him and those who don’t’?

To be blunt, Asaph is questioning God! Haven’t we all done that at one time or another? I think we have. I know I have. Why are those people blessed like they are? They don’t even serve God and yet they seem to be doing really well—a lot better than I am! They make more money; they live in a nicer house; they drive better cars! They never seem to be sick or have any of the problems that I have to deal with. 

ILL. I remember a particular day many decades ago now, that I was a lowly security guard, pastoring a small church in Jasper and working an extra job for a security company to just make ends meet. One day I was working security at a man’s house who was a multi-millionaire. He had several garages at his home with very expensive cars in each one of those garages! As I walked around his home I was praying. This is basically my prayer or complaint to God. Lord, I’m tired of working two jobs just trying to make ends meet. I’m going to resign from the Church I pastor, and I’m going to go into business where I know I can make really good money! I’ll tell you the Lord’s response to me a little later in my message. 

The problem I was having that day is the same thing that Asaph was having. What problem is that?  I had my eyes on myself, on my problems, on what  others had and what I didn’t have. I was blinded to just how incredibly blessed that I was because I was failing to see that I had the Lord. 

After Abraham had rescued Lot and refused any reward from the King of Sodom, God spoke these words to him in Genesis 15:1, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." 

II.  And that leads me to my second point in Understanding Asaph’s struggle. God broke through to Asaph when he took his eyes off of the world and focused them on the Lord. 

When Asaph gets his eyes on the Lord, he changes the way that he is thinking. He goes from focusing on the temporal, what is passing away, and he gets his eyes on the eternal and what will never pass away. He gets his eyes on who and what really matters! He sees the truth of life!

It may look like the people who don’t believe in God have it made. But in reality, they really don’t. The truth is that what they have will not last. When Bob Hope passed away, someone asked the question: how much did he leave behind? The answer is that he left it all behind! 

Matthew 6:19-21"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Asaph came to understand that he may not have had very much by what the world thinks is much, but the Lord reveals to him, that because he has the Lord, he has everything!  

III. My final point in understanding Asaph’s struggle is his response to the Lord 

Asaph’s response is that he humbled himself before the Lord and repented. And here is the answer to Asaph’s struggle and also ours. 

73:25-26 “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Church this is the key to life. It is also the key to being prepared for the coming move of God. How is that? Because when we receive the revelation that nothing in this life is as good as knowing, belonging and tasting the Presence of the Lord, we will be ready to receive the next great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Knowing Him and making Him known will be the desire of our hearts! 

When we get our eyes off of ourselves, our issues, and what we don’t have by the world’s standards, we will then realize how truly blessed that we are because we have the Lord! 

CONCLUSION

I want to conclude this morning by sharing with you the Lord’s response to me that day as I poured out my complaints to him at the house of a man who seemingly had everything by the world’s standards, and I had nothing!

When I told the Lord I was through with ministry and with working two jobs just trying to pay the bills and get by, this was His immediate response. “Yes, you can do that, but it is not my will.” 

My response to the Lord was this: Lord, then I will be here and do what I am doing until Jesus comes if that is Your will for my life. 

That day I came to better understand what Asaph said in 73:25-26 “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Lord, Your Presence means more to me than anything this world has to offer! 

And if I may just testify for a brief moment: I finished my assignment in Jasper and then God moved me to my next assignment. The money was not much better, but I can honestly say that it didn’t matter. And I can still say that today. Friends, I wouldn’t change one thing about the life that God has blessed with me. To know Him and walk with Him have been the true riches of my life. And one day, when my life is over here on this earth, I will step into His eternal Presence forever! 

I also believe that when we can receive this revelation from our hearts, we will have taken one step closer to being prepared to steward the coming outpouring of the Holy Spirit: 

73:25-26 “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

 LESSON ONE, PARTS III AND IV

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS

INTRODUCTION: 

In our first session we covered Genesis as the foundation of all history. It is the book of the origin or the beginning of all things. That is what the Hebrew “Genesis” means, the first or the beginning. Then last week we saw that the author of Genesis was Moses. God used him to organize, edit and write the Book of Genesis from written records that were passed down from father to son, all the way back to Adam and the earliest Patriarchs. 

Now tonight our goal is to complete the Introduction to Genesis by focusing on the principles of interpretation of Genesis, the way it should be interpreted and how Genesis is the anticipation of eternity. 

Let’s pray. 

PART III: PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION 

1. First, there are those who believe that the Book of Genesis should be interpreted as allegories or allegorically. This is especially the case with the first 11 chapters. This means that they spiritualize what is written in Genesis. For example, Adam is not considered a real person, but rather a symbolic representative of all men. The fall of man was not actually an act of rebellion and disobedience by the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, but was instead a figurative expression of the common experience of all men. I don’t have to tell you just how deadly this is! It’s eternally deadly. 

This kind of allegorizing the Book of Genesis must be rejected by any serious believer or Bible student! Why? Because as we have already showed you, the writers of the New Testament, and Jesus Himself, accepted Genesis as the record of literal history. How arrogant is it then, when so called modern-day scholars attempt, to correct the Son of God and the Apostles concerning the Book of Genesis! But someone says, “what about the dreams of Joseph?” The answer is that the symbols in Joseph’s dreams represented real events, as interpreted by Joseph, and they were events that actually took place in the time of Joseph. 

Therefore, we reject any allegorical interpretation of Genesis. The events in Genesis cannot be spiritualized. Genesis is about literal people and literal events that took place during a literal time period. 

2. Next we need to take a look at what is known as the typological interpretation of Genesis. 

This simply means that Noah, Abraham, Joseph and others, along with their experiences as recorded in the Book of Genesis, are taken as “types” of the experiences in the nation of Israel, in the life of Jesus, in the Church or of something else. The problem with this kind of interpretation is that it can be taken to far beyond the clear meaning of scripture. 

Now, not all typological interpretation in the Book of Genesis is wrong. There are things that happened in Genesis that are treated as types of what we see in the New Testament. For example, there is a first man in the Book of Genesis which is a type of the second man who came from heaven, Christ:

 1 Corinthians 15:21-23 “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”

1 Corinthians 15:45-46“So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.” 

Also, Abraham and Isaac can be taken as a type of Father God offering up His only begotten Son in Heb 11:17-19: By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."  19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.” 

Also, there is little doubt that Joseph was a type of Christ. There are far too many similarities in what Joseph experienced and what Jesus experienced to just be coincidences! 

As long as we let scripture interpret scripture we are on solid ground. If the New Testament makes it clear that certain things that happened in the Old Testament are types of what happened in the New Testament, then we are rightly dividing or interpreting the Word of God. 

The danger comes when someone takes their liberty and makes types out of things that are not revealed in the New Testament as types. I gave you an example of this a while back about when someone took the parable of the Good Samaritan and completely allegorized the parable, adding a lot of things that were very questionable. That kind of typology can lead to dangerous errors and doctrines in the church. Be careful. 

The bottom line is this: in our studies in the Book of Genesis we will interpret the actual events in their historical setting and in their significance in terms of God’s plan and purposes. Typological illustrations will only be spoken of when the text warrants us to do so. 

Our goal is to stress the real-life truthfulness and significance of what is recorded in the Book of Genesis, the Book of our literal beginnings. 

IV. ANTICPATION OF ETERNITY 

Genesis is important not only as a history of man’s origin, but also as a prophecy of man’s future. The Book of Revelation should be taken literally just as Genesis should be taken literally. Paradise lost in Genesis becomes Paradise regained in the Revelation! 

The first chapters of Genesis describe a perfect world, made for man and placed under his dominion. Had man not sinned, he would have continued to rule and develop that perfect world, for man’s good and for God’s glory. Since God cannot be defeated in His purpose, even though sin and the curse have come in as intruders for a time, we can be confident that all God intended in the beginning will ultimately be realized! The earth, therefore, will be restored to its original perfection, and will continue eternally! Sin and the curse will be removed, and death will be no more! 

We can learn much about the original world in the last book of the Bible, the Book of the Revelation, and also much about the final world by studying the first book in the Bible, the Book of Genesis! 

The world revealed in the Book of Genesis and the world revealed in the Book of the Revelation are not quite the same. In the first world, man, though sinless, was yet untested. The first world was a probational world, though perfect and flawless for God’s intended purpose. In the final world, man, though having experienced sin and failure in the first world, has also experienced redemption and renewal. He will be made perfect and eternal, and so, his world will be made perfect and unchanging. Man’s probationary testing in the first world will have been completed and will not be repeated. The final world will be perfect and fully equipped as redeemed man’s eternal home, in the Presence of His Creator and Savior! 

Look with me at the contrast between the world under God’s curse and the new world that has been eternally redeemed and renewed: 

Cursed world (Genesis)                                         Eternal world (Revelation)              

Cursed ground (3:17)                                             No more curse (22:3)

Daily sorrow (3:18)                                                 No more sorrow (21:4)

Thorns and thistles (3:18)                                     No more pain (21:4)                                                                      

Sweat on the face (3:19)                                       Tears wiped away (21:4)                                        

Eating herbs of the field (3:18)                            Twelve manner of fruits (22:2)

Returning to dust (3:19)                                        No more death (21:4)

Evil continually (6:5)                                               Nothing that defiles (21:27)

Coats of skins (3:21)                                               Fine linen white and clean (19:14)

Satan opposing (3:15)                                            Satan banished (20:10)

Kept from the tree of life (3:24)                           Access to the tree of life (22:14)

Banished from the garden (3:23)                         Free entry to the city (22:14)

Redeemer Promised (3:15)                                   Redemption accomplished (5:9,10)

CONCLUSION

There are many more connections between the first book of the Bible and the last book of the Bible. But I believe that you can see how connected Genesis and Revelation are. 

The point here, as we will continue in our study in the following weeks is this: Understanding Genesis is very important in understanding the eternal purposes of God! 

The Bible is the story of God from Genesis to Revelation. It is the revelation of His eternal purpose to bring many sons and daughters into His glory forever! 

ALTAR

“For God so loved the world, that He gave us His only begotten Son, that whosever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Salvation, your eternal redemption, your place in the New and final world of God described in the Book of the Revelation will begin the moment you choose to put your faith in Christ. 

If you haven’t done so, I urge you to do so now. Your eternal future is only a prayer away. 

 THE LOOK OF JESUS

TEXT: Luke 22:31-34"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." 33 But he replied, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death." 34 Jesus answered, "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me."

22:52-62 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? 53 Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour — when darkness reigns." Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. 55 But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56 A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, "This man was with him. 57 But he denied it. "Woman, I don't know him," he said." 58 A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." "Man, I am not!" Peter replied. 59 About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean." 60 Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times."  62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.” 

INTRODUCTION: 

Where are we Church? Where are we Warrior Assembly of God? I will tell you where I believe we are: We are in a place when darkness reigns! We are in a place when Godly people are being singled out for their faith in Christ. We are in a place where being a true believer in Jesus is costing you something! It is a time when darkness has seized the moment. The pressure is on to conform to this world; to accept the sin of the world or else be ostracized, isolated, and in some cases persecuted. It is the time when speaking out for the truth can most definitely affect your relationships at work, at church and even at home! I am not being dramatic. I am simply telling you the truth. This is the time that we are living in. 

But don’t despair. None of what is happening today has taken God by surprise. Quite the contrary. He is actually using it to prepare the Church for His next great move!  Preacher, what is that next move. It is a move of the Holy Spirit, a mighty revival, that begins in the Church with THE LOOK OF JESUS. That is the word of the Lord to you today, THE LOOK OF JESUS. Let’s pray. 

I. In verse 33 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death." But was he? Peter needed to know what was really in his heart. And that revelation would come with the Look of Jesus. 

My first point to you today is that THE LOOK OF JESUS reveals to us what is really in our hearts. 

When Peter told the Lord that he was willing to go to prison with Him and even die with Him, Jesus spoke these sobering words to Peter in verse 34, “Jesus answered, "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me."

I wonder what was going through Peter’s mind when he heard those words from Jesus. Is this what Jesus meant when He said to him, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

Up to this point, what Jesus said to him were only words. He didn’t yet understand. How could he? He had walked and lived with the Master for over three years and had seen Jesus do things that no one else had ever done. Perhaps he was thinking that Jesus would soon be declared King and Israel would once again be a mighty kingdom like that ruled by King David and King Solomon! 

But all of this changed when Jesus was arrested and taken into the house of the high priest to be tried! The Scripture says that when Jesus was arrested, “Peter followed at a distance!” Where now was all of that courage about following Jesus to prison and to death? When it became dangerous to follow Jesus, Peter followed at a distance! The Greek word for distance actually means from “far off!” 

And when Peter was confronted by a servant girl about being a follower of Jesus, he denied it. He said, “woman, I don’t know him!” Then twice more when being confronted with being a follower of Jesus, he again denied that he knew Jesus! Peter went from I’ll die with you to I don’t know you! 

Look with me at what happened when Peter had denied Jesus the third time, 

Luke 22:60-61 “Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times."

It was the LOOK OF JESUS at that moment that revealed to Peter what was really in his heart! He followed Jesus when it was popular and when it was easy and convenient. But when it was going to cost him something, it was a different story. 

And friend, that is where the next move of God must begin! The Church has to be awakened to where she really is! And I’m telling you today that most of the Church is where Peter was on the night, he denied Jesus, on the night that he realized that following Jesus was going to cost him more than he knew! 

It took the LOOK OF JESUS for Peter to receive that revelation! And it will take the LOOK OF JESUS for us today to know where we are in the Lord. I believe that He is looking at each one of us today, right now. As I have been bringing you this word from the Lord, maybe you have begun to realize that you have been following the Lord at a distance. You have been following Him from far off! You are seeing that at work, at home and even at Church you are denying the Lord. When you could have stood for the Lord at work, you instead denied Him by remaining silent. At home when you could have spoken up for the Lord, you denied Him by not speaking out or by leading your family in prayer. But today, Jesus is LOOKING STRAIGHT AT YOU with eyes of love that are penetrating your very soul. The Holy Spirit is revealing to you what is really in your heart, just like He did with Peter. 

And it’s this revelation that the Church must receive if we are to be prepared for the next move of the Holy Spirit, for the coming revival! 

II. And that leads to my second point which is that the LOOK OF JESUS must lead us to repentance. 

Luke 22:61-62 “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times."  62 And he went outside and wept bitterly. “

Just having a revelation of what’s really in our hearts is not good enough. Judas regretted what he did in betraying Jesus, but he didn’t have a heart of repentance. There is a big difference between being sorry and being repentant. 

Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” 

This scripture is referring to a broken heart over your sin, over a failure to obey God, over a failure to live as God intended us to live. We all have regrets. We all wish we had not done something that hurt others or had done something that helped others. But did that regret lead to repentance? Did it lead to a change of heart? Do we become bitter or better? God is willing to forgive. He will save us from our elves, from our mistakes, from our sin. But we must be willing to humble ourselves before Him if we are to see the salvation of the Lord. 

The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said “sin dies hard. It makes a hundred excuses for itself.” 

The LOOK OF JESUS reveals to us what is truly in our hearts, not because He desires to hurt us, but because He longs to save us and lead us into our God-given destiny. 

Jesus said to Peter, "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

God allowed Satan to sift Peter. Why? because the Lord needed to show Peter what was in his heart and to help mold him into the leader that would play a major role in the coming revival that began with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost! 

The LOOK OF JESUS is for to reveal to us what is really in our hearts and not just what we think is there. We need to know who we are if we are to be a part of the remnant Church that will help steward the coming move of the Spirit. 

And we must allow the LOOK OF JESUS to break us and lead us to repentance for the sin that’s in our life. True repentance is not just being sorry for what we’ve done, but it is turning from it. 

The LOOK OF JESUS has the power to cause us to see and experience the sin that is really in our hearts. The LOOK OF JESUS STRIPS away all of our cover up and excuses. He looks straight into our soul. And the LOOK OF JESUS also has the power to break us and lead us to repent from our sin. THE LOOK OF JESUS broke Peter, and it will break us too, if we let it! And let me show you why we should let it.

Revelation leads to repentance and repentance leads to revival. 

III. And that is my final point to you in this message. The LOOK OF JESUS leads to revival!

When we get to the Day of Pentecost and the first revival in the Church, who do we find leading that revival? We find Peter, the man who was broken by the LOOK OF JESUS! It is the same Peter who denied Jesus three times on the very night He was betrayed! 

The LOOK OF JESUS had so broken Peter that he now preached Jesus in the same hostile environment in which he had once denied Him!!!

Satan desired to sift Peter like wheat to destroy him, but God allowed and used that sifting to prepare Peter to steward the great power of the Holy Spirit that was soon to be poured out. A outpouring that would empower the Church and bring in a great harvest of sons and daughters into God’s eternal family! 

CONCLUSION

This is the Word of the Lord to you: we are in the season and in the place where God is soon to pour out His Spirit for a great end time harvest of souls. In the midst of a gross darkness, the Great Shepherd of the Church is allowing His chosen vessels to be sifted like wheat. He is allowing this sifting not to destroy us but to prepare us to steward what He is soon to send: A GREAT REVIVAL! 

In the days ahead we should fully expect to be encountered by the One who walks among the seven golden candle sticks, His Church. We should be ready for the LOOK OF JESUS, whose eyes are like flames of fire, to reveal to us what is really in our hearts so that we can repent and so be prepared to steward the coming revival of signs, wonders, divine healing and miracles! 

ALTAR

Is there a yes in your spirit to the LOOK OF JESUS? I pray so friend. It is time to hoist our sails because the wind of God is soon to blow! 

 LESSON ONE, PART II

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS

I. THE BOOK OF BEGINNNGS

    A. THE FOUNDATION OF HISTORY

    B. WHO WROTE GENESIS

    C. PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION

    D. ANTICIPATION OF ETERNITY

REVIEW: “The Book of Genesis is no mere collection of myths and legends; it is the actual, factual record of real events and real people at the beginning of history.” 

The revelation of God to man was written over a period of 1,600 years by 40 different authors who were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and Genesis is the most important book in that revelation! Why? because it is the foundation of all of the other books of the Bible; without the Book of Genesis all of the other books of the Bible would not make sense. Without the Book of Genesis, it would be like building without a foundation, with no bridge to the other floors and without support. The Books of the Old Testament, concerning the chosen nation of Israel, would not make any sense without knowing what happened in the earlier chapters of Genesis. The New Testament, which is the revelation of God’s work in Christ for the redemption of man, cannot be understood without the revelation of the fall of man, and his need for redemption as revealed in the Book of Genesis!  

The Book of Genesis gives essential information concerning the origin or beginning of all things and therefore the meaning of all things, which without man could not know. The future is bound up in the past. A person’s belief concerning his origin will inevitably determine what he believes about his purpose and destiny. Man wants and needs to know where he came from, why he is here, and where he is going! Genesis answers those questions!

That brings us to letter B in our outline.

B. Who wrote Genesis? 

1. Moses as the Author

Most conservative scholars have accepted the view that Genesis was written by Moses. This has been the position of both the Jewish scribes and the Christian fathers. Genesis is the first book of what is known as the Pentateuch. The other books that follow are Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The five together are known as the “Law of Moses.” 

This is how Jesus viewed them. Luke 24:27 “And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He explained to them what was written in the scriptures concerning Himself.” And verse 44 “This is what I told you while I was with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms.”

Believing then that Moses is the author of Genesis, the next question that needs to be answered is this: by what method did Moses receive it and then transmit it. There are three possibilities. 1.) He received it by direct revelation from God, either in the form of audible words spoken to Him by God which he then put down in his own words, being guided by the Holy Spirit. 2.) He received it by oral traditions, passed down over the centuries from father to son, which he then collected and wrote down, again being guided by the Holy Spirit. 3. He took actual written records of the past, collected them, and brought them together in a final form, as lead by the Holy Spirit. 

Any of these methods would be consistent with the doctrine of the verbal inspiration of scripture as revealed in the New Testament. II Peter 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. “And II Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 

The most likely method that Moses used was that he took actual written records from the past, collected them, and then put them together in their final form, as he was inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit.

It is interesting that although Genesis is quoted from or alluded to at least 200 times in the New Testament, not in any of these references is it ever stated that Moses was the actual author. Why is that significant? Because while Moses actually wrote the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, he was mainly used by God to compile the material in the Book of Genesis. But what about the inspiration of scripture? Simple. The Holy Spirit guided Moses in compiling and editing the information and revelation that God made available to him. God had a story to tell concerning the beginning of all things, and he inspired and used Moses to tell that story in Genesis. 

Let’s go a little further here. Moses compiled and edited the earlier written records from the line of the Patriarchs that had been handed down from father to son. That line would be Adam, Noah, Shem, Terah, and others who wrote down individual accounts of events that had occurred in his own lifetime, or of which he had direct knowledge of. These records were kept most likely on stone tablets in such a way that they would be preserved until the time that they finally came into Moses’ possession. He then selected those that were relevant to his own purpose as he was guided by the Holy Spirit. 

It’s also probable that these original documents used by Moses can be recognized by the phrase “these are the generations of . . .” The word generation is a translation of the Hebrew word “toledoth,” which means essentially “origins” or “records of origins.” 

There are eleven of these divisions marked off in the Book of Genesis:

1. “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 2:4)

2. “This is the book of the generations of Adam” (Genesis 5:1)

3. “These are the generations of Noah” (Genesis 6:9)

4. “Now these ae the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth” (Genesis 10:1)

5. “These are the generations of Shem” (Genesis 11:10)

6. “Now these are the generations of Terah” (Genesis 11:27)

7. “Now these are the generations of Ishmael (Genesis 25:12)

8. “Now these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son” (Genesis 25:19)

9. “Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom” (Genesis 36:1)

10. “And these are the generations of Esau, the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir” (Genesis 36:9)

11. These are the generations of Jacob (Genesis 37:2)

To further understand how the Holy Spirit used Moses to compile the Book of Genesis, let’s take a closer look at the first two of these 11 divisions or records of origins.

1. “The generations of the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1-2:4)

This section, describing the initial Creation and the work of six days, has no human name attached to it, as the other ten sections or divisions, for the obvious reason that no man was present at the time the record happened. It must either have been written directly by God himself and then given to Adam, or else given by revelation to Adam, who then recorded it. 

2. “The book of the generations of Adam” (Genesis 2:4-5:11)

This section, written by Adam, describes the Garden of Eden, the temptation and fall, and the experiences of Cain and Abel. Adam was obviously the logical one to record this particular history. The use of the word “book” makes it clear that the earliest records were actually written down, and not simply handed down by word of mouth. For example, in the New Testament we read: “The Book of the generation of Jesus Christ” (Matthew 1:1)

CONCLUSION

Let’s pull it altogether and conclude for tonight. It is very likely that Genesis was written by actual eyewitnesses of the events of that time. The original narratives were recorded on tablets of stone or clay, a common practice in those times, and then handed down from father to son, and finally coming into the possession of Moses, a man chosen by God. Moses, then put together and edited the material he deemed necessary to tell God’s story. And this resulted in the Book of Genesis that we have today. God gave us exactly what we needed to know. I’m sure not everything that happened was included, but we have all we need to understand God’s eternal story and His plan for man. 

Even as John 21:25 says in the New Testament: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

Next week we will look at some principles of interpretation and how Genesis sets the table for the eternal. Then the following week we will get into Genesis 1:1-2, “The Creation of the world.”

Let’s pray.

 LESSON ONE

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS

I. THE BOOK OF BEGINNNGS

    A. THE FOUNDATION OF HISTORY

    B. WHO WROTE GENESIS

    C. PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION

    D. ANTICIPATION OF ETERNITY

A. THE FOUNDATION OF HISTORY

1. “The Book of Genesis is no mere collection of myths and legends; it is the actual, factual record of real events and real people at the beginning of history.” 

The revelation of God to man was written over a period of 1,600 years by 40 different authors who were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and Genesis is the most important book in that revelation! Why? because it is the foundation of all of the other books of the Bible; without the Book of Genesis all of the other books of the Bible would not make sense. Without the Book of Genesis, it would be like building without a foundation, with no bridge to the other floors and without support. The Books of the Old Testament, concerning the chosen nation of Israel, would not make any sense without knowing what happened in the earlier chapters of Genesis. The New Testament, which is the revelation of God’s work in Christ for the redemption of man, cannot be understood without the revelation of the fall of man, and his need for redemption as revealed in the Book of Genesis!  

The Book of Genesis gives essential information concerning the origin or beginning of all things and therefore the meaning of all things, which without man could not know. The future is bound up in the past. A person’s belief concerning his origin will inevitably determine what he believes about his purpose and destiny. Man wants and needs to know where he came from, why he is here, and where he is going! Genesis answers those questions!

Those who have a naturalistic, animalistic belief about our origins will also have a naturalistic, animalistic belief about their future. And is isn’t very promising! On the other hand, those who believe that our origin came by an omnipotent, holy and loving God, will live their life with a divine purpose and the belief that that divine purpose will end in eternal meaning and glory! The contrast between the two belief systems definitely effects how we live our lives! 

2. The word “Genesis” means “origin” and the Book of Genesis gives the only true and reliable account of all of the basic parts of the universe and of life itself. We will dig deeper into these things, along with differing opinions about the origin of all things, a little later in our studies. The important point here is that the Book of Genesis simply lays out the truth about how all things began. Another word for origin is “beginnings.” 

Let’s look at several important examples:

1.) Origin or the beginning of the universe

The Book of Genesis stands alone in its’s accounting for the actual creation of the basic space-matter-time universe that we live in. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” God spoke the worlds into existence. It all began with Him—the Divine Creator!  All of the other so-called sciences, literature and philosophies start with eternal matter or energy in some form, from which all other entities were supposedly gradually derived from some random process. To put it into layman terms, a wind blew through a junk yard and a 747 commercial airplane flew out on the other side!  

Only the Book of Genesis even attempts to account for the ultimate origin of matter, space and time. It does so with a unique act of creation by an all-powerful, all-knowing, Creator! An intelligent designer!

2.) Origin of order and complexity

It is widely believed, by both personal experience and formal study of biological and physical systems, that the orderly and complex things tend to naturally decay into disorder and simplicity. Order and complexity do not arise spontaneously or by chance. They instead are the result of prior cause (God’s Word) that produces order and complexity! And this is exactly what you find, only in the Book of Genesis. Creation and not chance!

3.) Origin of the solar system. 

The earth, as well as the sun and moon, the stars and planets were all brought into existence by the Creator as told in Genesis. It is small wonder that modern scientific cosmogonists, or those who study the cosmos or universe, have been so haplessly unsuccessful in attempting to devise some naturalistic theory of the origin of the universe and the solar system. 

4. Origin or the atmosphere and hydrosphere

The earth is uniquely equipped with a great body of liquid water and an extensive make-up of an oxygen-nitrogen gaseous mixture, both of which are necessary for life. These have never “developed” on other planets and are explained ONLY BY SPECIAL CREATION, which means a CREATOR! 

5. Origin of life

How living systems could have come into being from non-living chemicals is, and will always be, a total mystery to materialistic, evolutionary philosophers! The marvels of the reproductive process, and the almost-infinite complexity programmed into the genetic systems of plants and animals, are simply inexplicable except by an act of SPECIAL CREATION. The account of the creation of all “living creatures” in Genesis is the only rational explanation.  

6. Origin of man

Man is the most highly organized and complex creation on the earth, possessing not only innumerable intricate physical-chemical structures, and the most marvelous capacities of life and reproduction, but also a nature which contemplates the abstract qualities of beauty and love and worship, and which is also capable of reasoning about his own meaning! Man’s imaginary so-called descent from animal ancestors is nothing more than an illusion, a lie. The true record of man’s origin is given only in the amazing Book of Genesis!  

7. Origin of marriage

The universal and foundational institution of marriage and the home, in a monogamous, patriarchal society culture, is likewise revealed in Genesis as having been ordained by the Creator. Polygamy, infanticide, matriarchy, promiscuity, divorce, abortion, homosexuality, and all other corruptions came later because of man’s fallen, sinful nature. 

8. Origin of evil

Cause-and-effect reasoning accounts for the origin of the concepts of goodness, truth, beauty, love, and such things as fundamental attributes of the Creator Himself. The origin of physical and moral evils in the universe is explained in Genesis as a TEMPORARY intrusion into God’s perfect world, allowed by Him as a concession to the principal of human freedom and responsibility, and also to manifest Himself as not only Creator but also Redeemer! 

9. Origin of language

The gulf between the chattering of animals and the intelligent, abstract, symbolic communication systems of man is completely unimaginable by any evolutionary process. The Book of Genesis not only accounts for the origin of language in general, but also the different national languages in particular. Genesis tells us where man got his language and also how different languages came to be. 

10. Origin of government

The development of organized systems of human government is described in the Book of Genesis, with man responsible not only for his own actions, but also for the maintenance of orderly social structures through systems of laws and punishments. 

11. Origin of culture

The Book of Genesis also describes the beginning of the main cogs which we now associate with civilized cultures—such things as urbanization, the technology of metals, music, agriculture, writing, education, navigation, textiles and ceramics. 

12. Origin of nations

All scholars today accept the essential unity of the human race. The problem, then, is how distinct nations and races could develop if all men originally were one race and one language. Only the Book of Genesis gives an adequate answer. 

13. Origin of religion

There are many different religions among men, but all share the consciousness that there must be some ultimate truth and meaning toward which men should strive. Many religions take a form of an organized system of worship and conduct. The origin of this unique characteristic of man’s consciousness, as well as the origin of true worship of the true God, is given in Genesis. 

14. Origin of the chosen people

The enigma of the Israelites—the unique nation that was without a homeland for 1,900 years, which gave the world the Bible and the knowledge of the One True God, through which came Christianity, is a nation which has remarkably contributed to the world’s art, music, science, finance, and other gifts more than any other people. The fact that they, for no natural reason, are despised by great numbers of people worldwide is answered only in terms of the unique origin of Israel in the Book of Genesis! 

And with that we will stop here tonight and pick it up next week. Let’s pray.