Job/Understanding God’s Sovereignty

 The Revelation of God’s Sovereignty 

Must be restored to the Church

 

TEXT: Job 40:1-5 The Lord said to Job: 2 "Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!" 3 Then Job answered the Lord: 4 "I am unworthy — how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. 5 I spoke once, but I have no answer — twice, but I will say no more." 

 

Job 42:1-3 Then Job replied to the Lord: 2 "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. 3 [You asked,] 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely, I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”

 

Introduction: 

 

To adequately teach or preach on the Book of Job, which is 42 chapters long, would take weeks if not months! But the fact that the Holy Spirit took 42 chapters in giving us the story of Job tells us that what happened in Job is a very important part of the Word of God. 

 

This is the story of a real man, not just a figurative character. The prophet Ezekiel names him with Noah and Daniel in Ezekiel 14:14, “Even if these three men — Noah, Daniel and Job — were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord.’ 

 

The fact that Job is named along with Noah and Daniel tells you of his standing with God. Both Daniel and Noah were Godly men that were highly favored by the Lord. And Job is in that elite company. 

I feel like that it is an important truth to know as we get into the story of Job. Why? Because the story of Job is about a righteous man who suffered greatly. Listen to what God said about Job in Job 1:8 “Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." 

 

There are those in the Church today that teach that if you are really living a righteous and holy life, you will be spared the suffering that everyone else suffers. That is simply not true. The fact is that we live in a sinful broken world, and suffering is a part of that brokenness. And both those who love God and those who don’t are affected by the curse that is on this sinful world. That curse will one day be broken when Jesus returns, but not until them. Christians go by the way of the grave just like everyone else. Now, being born again, becoming a new creation in Christ, and living a surrendered life to the Lord is the way of blessing. And there are sufferings that we bring on ourselves because we sin and disobey God. But not all suffering comes because we sinned or disobeyed God. Sometimes we suffer and go through hardships simply because we live in a fallen world of sin. 

 

This is the story of Job. He was a godly man who suffered greatly. As we have already seen, God said, “There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." So then, why did he suffer? I hate to disappoint you here, but the book of Job never gives us that answer! Job does not answer the question of why do the righteous suffer! God never did tell Job why he suffered. God simply expected Job to trust him in spite of suffering, in spite of not knowing why he suffered. Job could not have known that his suffering and his story would be part of God’s revelation to his people down through the generations that would be a model in how to handle the suffering that we go through and that doesn’t make any sense.

 

What I want to do for the next few minutes is give you an overview of the revelation in the book of Job and then zero in on what I feel like the Holy Spirit is saying to us today asHe further prepares us for the coming move of the Holy Spirit. Let’s pray. 

 

I. Overview of the Book of Job:

 

1. In Chapter one, the Word of God reveals to us that there is a spiritual world, and that things are going on in that spiritual realm that we should be aware of because those things affect our life in the natural realm.

 

God is real and Satan is real. And there is a drama that is being played out on the earth. In that drama, there is warfare between good and evil. In the midst of that warfare between God and Satan there is man who is made in the image of God. It is God’s heart to bless man and make him a part of his eternal family forever, sharing in the glory of God. Satan on the other hand has come to steal, kill and destroy mankind. So there is a battle for the souls of men. In Job chapter one, we see that battle being played out. In God’s eternal plan, he has given mankind a free will. Man is given the freedom to either accept God or reject Him. Job is the amazing revelation of man choosing God even when everything he has in this world has been taken from him! In the midst of his suffering Job said, though the Lord slay me, I will trust Him.” (Job 13:15. In another place he said, “the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)

It is also very important here to know that chapter one of Job also teaches us that God is sovereign and Satan cannot do anything to a child of God without God allowing it. The point is that Satan does not have the poweror the authority to just attack us at will and overpower us. If God allows suffering, there is a reason for it. He is working a bigger plan and it is a good plan. It is an eternal plan. 

 

God’s will for us is to trust even when we can’t see why or don’t understand, just as Job did. 

 

2. Now, Job was not perfect. He was human just like you and I are.

 

In Job’s suffering, he cursed the day he was born. He cried out to God. He didn’t understand. He spoke of his righteousness before God. His suffering didn’t make any sense to him. Job was essentially saying, God I serve you and live a godly life, why am I suffering like this? 

 

3. Job’s comforters.

 

While Job is going through all of this suffering, he has three “friends” who come to see him in all of his sorrow and woes. But instead of comforting him, they tell him that the reason why he is suffering is because there is sin in his life! Some comforters!

 

Just a word of wisdom here: when someone is going through a hard time, don’t be one of “Job’s comforters!” Don’t judge them and tell them that they are suffering because there is sin in their life! You really have no idea what is going on with them. The best thing you can do is love them and let them know that you are praying for them. That’s it. Nothing more. You don’t know what God may be doing in their life. 

 

4. God confronts Job. 

 

Because I am about out of time this morning, I’m going to share just a couple of scriptures with you: 

 

1. Job 38:1-7 Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm. He said: 2 "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? 

3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. 4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!

Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— 7 while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? 

 

Job, I am God. I am the Creator of all things. Who are you to question me? 

 

2. Job 38:31-33"Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion? 32 Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? 33 Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up [God's] dominion over the earth? 

 

This is an amazing revelation! God is asking Job about the story that He, God, is telling in the stars of heaven! The Pleiades, Orion and the bear with its cubs are part of the 12 constellations that God set in the heavens. Those 12 constellations, beginning with Virgo and ending with Leo, is the Gospel of God’s Son that He wrote in the stars! That Gospel begins with God’s Son being born to Virgo, the virgin, and concludes with that Son returning to the earth as Leo the Lion of the tribe of Judah! 

 

I’m not trying to overwhelm you here, but I am trying to make a point. What point is that? God is so much bigger than we know or can even imagine! 

 

God is confronting both Job and the Church in the 21st century with His sovereignty as the Almighty God, who is Creator and Redeemer! There is no one like Him! 

 

And the Good News is that He loves us and has an eternal plan for our lives! But like Job we must learn to trust Him! 

 

5. Job’s response.

 

Job 40:1-5 The Lord said to Job: 2 "Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!" 3 Then Job answered the Lord: 4 "I am unworthy — how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. 5 I spoke once, but I have no answer — twice, but I will say no more."  

 

Job 42:1-3 Then Job replied to the Lord: 2 "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. 3 [You asked,] 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely, I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”

 

Job 42:10-11 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.

CONCLUSION

 

Our response to the Word of the Lord is critically important to our being prepared for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit! 

 

What should that response be? 

 

1. First, we should humble ourselves before God just as Job did. He alone is God. He alone is sovereign and is perfect in love, power and wisdom. Our part is not to question Him but is instead to trust Him. 

 

Job sat in awe of God, and so should we. Revival will not come until the church learns to sit in awe of God. Before revival the fear of the Lord must be restored to the Church. 

 

2. Secondly, we must pray for everyone who has spoken against us or wronged us just as Job did. Forgiveness must be restored to the Church before the power and blessing of God is restored to the Church. 

 

God not only made Job prosperous again, but He gave him twice as much as he had before. 

 

I believe that the next move of God will be a double portion of the Holy Spirit! God is ready to restore to the Church twice of what she has know before in previous revivals! 

 

ALTAR

1. Lord, return the fear of the Lord to your Church.

2. Lord, I forgive everyone who has hurt me. 

 

 

 

 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!