Sermon Outline

JFBC YOUTH GROUP

“LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS OF A GODLY LIFE!!!”

GENESIS 2

Introduction

Backgrounder and Stuff:

Sources: The Holy Bible KJV Version; Explore The Bible Lifeway Bible Study; The World And The World: An Introduction to the Old Testament by Eugene H. Merrill, Mark F. Rooker, and Michael A. Grisanti; Easton's Bible Dictionary; Blue Letter Bible (blueletterbible.org), Halley's Bible Handbook with the King James Version, Roman Marriage: Susan Treggiari, I, Isaac, Take Thee, Rebekah: Moving from Romance to Lasting Love  by Ravi Zacharias, Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, and Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Bible Commentary.Author: Moses.Date: 1,000 years ago. Theme: To lay the foundation for the theocracy (rule) of God over His creation. Key Verse: Genesis 1:1

Key Controversy: In The Beginning . . . God and The Christian Worldview! (Bold added for emphasis and * parts are very important!!!) Per Dr. Fred Smith, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and Graduate Studies: A Global Worldview is how an individual sees the world through their own eyes.

Apologetics – Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of information. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their faith against critics and recommended their faith to outsiders were called apologists.

Things to remember! (Bold added for emphasis and * parts are very important!!!)

1. Everyone has a worldview.2. Live your life in the realm of who Jesus Christ Is. 3. Let your actions and moral attitudes be shaped by the Bible.4. Dedicate your life to see how the Bible sees them.

The Three Broad Worldviews (Created by Paul Turner)

1. Oceanic Worldview- all is one. Manifestations of one reality of what specific part is from it. It is all the same. An example of this is Hinduism and Naturalism.

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2. Atomic Worldview- an atom is an atom until itself. It is in a separate world unto its own. This worldview of Western Europe and the United States of America. It emphasis focuses on the individual. It also focuses on the assumption of being the master of your own faith or captain of your own ship. Naturalism takes part in this belief as well.

3. Interconnected Worldview- believes that every part of the web is connected to individual parts, but everyone is affected. This is the Biblical worldview. Think of a spider web and everyone is connected. If one part breaks it affects the whole web. Jesus and Paul thought this way and it affected how they communicated the gospel to the world. Let it affect you in the same way!

4. Different Worldviews: People in churches think atomically not interconnected. Rural America is more interconnected than urban. People in rural areas have a better understanding of being connected. Atomic worldview is growing. Do not except! Examples: Gay Rights and Abortion Right debates.

Four Basic Worldview Questions:

1. Who are we?- What does it mean to be human being?- What sort of beings are we?- Are we physical beings?- Are we spiritual beings?- Are we both?

2. Where are we?- What is the nature of the reality we live in?- What sort of world is it?- Is it God’s creation?- Is it a product of blind chance occurring over time?

3. What is the problem?- How do we account for evil?- Is evil personal or social? - Is it external to me or is it nothing?

4. What is the answer?- How do we find happiness?- How do we find wholeness?- What goals are really worthy of pursuing?- What is life for?

Introduction

I. God’s finished work and the rest that follows. – Genesis 2:1-3 (Key verses: Genesis 1:1,)

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A.  were finished--brought to completion. No permanent change has ever since been

made in the course of the world, no new species of animals been formed, no law of nature

repealed or added to. They could have been finished in a moment as well as in six days,

but the work of creation was gradual for the instruction of man, as well, perhaps, as

of higher creatures ( Job 38:7 ).

      Gen 2:2-7. THE FIRST SABBATH.

      2. and he rested on the seventh day--not to repose from exhaustion with labor

(seeIsa 40:28 ), but ceased from working, an example equivalent to a command that

we also should cease from labor of every kind.

      3. blessed and sanctified the seventh day--a peculiar distinction put upon it

above the other six days, and showing it was devoted to sacred purposes. The

institution of the Sabbath is as old as creation, giving rise to that weekly division of

time which prevailed in the earliest ages. It is a wise and beneficent law, affording

that regular interval of rest which the physical nature of man and the animals

employed in his service requires, and the neglect of which brings both to premature

decay. Moreover, it secures an appointed season for religious worship, and if it was

necessary in a state of primeval innocence, how much more so now, when mankind has

a strong tendency to forget God and His claims?

II. God’s creation of man and the foundations of his being!!! – Genesis 2:4-15 (Key Verses: 1:9, 11, 14, 26, and 28.)

A.  4. These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth--the history or

account of their production. Whence did Moses obtain this account so different from

the puerile and absurd fictions of the heathen? Not from any human source, for man

was not in existence to witness it; not from the light of nature or reason, for though

they proclaim the eternal power and Godhead by the things which are made, they

cannot tell how they were made. None but the Creator Himself could give this

information, and therefore it is through faith we understand that the worlds were

framed by the word of God ( Hbr 11:3 ).

      5, 6. rain, mist--(See on JF & B for Ge 1:11).

      7. Here the sacred writer supplies a few more particulars about the first pair.

      formed--had FORMED MAN OUT OF THE DUST OF THE GROUND. Science

has proved that the substance of his flesh, sinews, and bones, consists of the very

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same elements as the soil which forms the crust of the earth and the limestone that

lies embedded in its bowels. But from that mean material what an admirable

structure has been reared in the human body ( Psa 139:14 ).

      the breath of life--literally, of lives, not only animal but spiritual life. If the body

is so admirable, how much more the soul with all its varied faculties.

      breathed into his nostrils the breath of life--not that the Creator literally

performed this act, but respiration being the medium and sign of life, this phrase is

used to show that man's life originated in a different way from his body--being

implanted directly by God (Ecc 12:7 ), and hence in the new creation of the soul

Christ breathed on His disciples (Jhn 20:22 ).

      Gen 2:8-17. THE GARDEN OF EDEN.

      8. Eden--was probably a very extensive region in Mesopotamia, distinguished for

its natural beauty and the richness and variety of its produce. Hence its name,

signifying "pleasantness." God planted a garden eastward, an extensive park, a

paradise, in which the man was put to be trained under the paternal care of his

Maker to piety and usefulness.

 9. tree of life--so called from its symbolic character as a sign and seal of immortal

life. Its prominent position where it must have been an object of daily observation

and interest, was admirably fitted to keep man habitually in mind of God and

futurity.

      tree of the knowledge of good and evil--so called because it was a test of

obedience by which our first parents were to be tried, whether they would be good

or bad, obey God or break His commands.

      15. put the man into the garden of Eden to dress it--not only to give him a

pleasant employment, but to place him on his probation, and as the title of this

garden, the garden of the Lord ( Gen 13:10 Eze 28:13 ), indicates, it was in fact a

temple in which he worshipped God, and was daily employed in offering the

sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise.

III. God’s “foundational” command to man!!! - Genesis 2:16-17 (Key Verses: 1:31). Pay attention to the wording!!!

A.  17. thou shalt not eat of it. . . thou shalt surely die--no reason assigned for the prohibition, but death was to be the punishment of disobedience. A

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positive command like this was not only the simplest and easiest, but the only trial to which their fidelity could be exposed.

IV. God’s foundation for life and marriage is shown and explained!!! - Genesis 2:18-25 (Key Verses: 2:23-25).

18. it is not good for the man to be alone--In the midst of plenty and delights, he

was conscious of feelings he could not gratify. To make him sensible of his wants,

      19. God brought unto Adam--not all the animals in existence, but those chiefly in

his immediate neighborhood to be subservient to his use.

      whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof--His

powers of perception and intelligence were supernaturally enlarged to know the

characters, habits, and uses of each species that was brought to him.

      20. but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him--The design of this

singular scene was to show him that none of the living creatures he saw were on an

equal footing with himself, and that while each class came with its mate of the same

nature, form, and habits, he alone had no companion. Besides, in giving names to

them he was led to exercise his powers of speech and to prepare for social

intercourse with his partner, a creature yet to be formed.

      21. deep sleep--probably an ecstasy or trance like that of the prophets, when they

had visions and revelations of the Lord, for the whole scene was probably visible to

the mental eye of Adam, and hence his rapturous exclamation.

      took one of his ribs--"She was not made out of his head to surpass him, nor

from his feet to be trampled on, but from his side to be equal to him, and near his

heart to be dear to him."

      23. Woman--in Hebrew, "man-ess."

      24. one flesh--The human pair differed from all other pairs, that by peculiar

formation of Eve, they were one. And this passage is appealed to by our Lord as the

divine institution of marriage ( Mat 19:4, 5 Eph 5:28 ). Thus Adam appears as a

creature formed after the image of God--showing his knowledge by giving names to

the animals, his righteousness by his approval of the marriage relation, and

his holiness by his principles and feelings, and finding gratification in the service

and enjoyment of God.

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Key Controversy: What is Marriage and why is it important? The word matrimonium, the root for the English word "matrimony," defines the institution's main function. Involving themater (mother), it carries with it the implication of the man taking to woman in marriage to have children. It is the idea conventionally shared by Romans as to the purpose of marriage, which would be to produce legitimate children; citizens producing new citizens.

• “We exaggerate the separation of the emotion and the will as two distinct faculties of operation —some kind of misshapen two-headed monster. Think for example, of the caricature we make of one difference between men and women. We seem to think that women are more emotionally driven and men more cerebrally driven. If that caricature were true, why is it that more men fall into infidelity after marriage than do women? If women are more emotionally driven, should it not be the other way around?“I think it more appropriate to say that women in general recognize the emotional ramifications of their acts better than men do. Men do feel emotion, but they do so selectively and fail to face the consequences of reality. Betray a man and you find out that his emotions surge to the top. I believe that a legitimate understanding of what is happening here can preserve the grand union between emotion and will. Without the will, marriage is a mockery; without emotion, it is a drudgery. You need both. We like the side dealing with emotion, not the will.” • “Jesus said that greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friend. But it is probably more difficult to live a life of continual dying to oneself than to die in one moment. Marriage is hard work, and that’s why, when you come to that pivotal moment of decision (Ravi is addressing those who are considering marriage) my suggestion is that you seek the advice of somebody you love and respect.

• “The playwright Thornton Wilder said it well: ‘I didn’t marry you because you were perfect. I didn’t even marry you because I loved you. I married you because you gave me a promise. That promise made up for your faults. And the promise I gave you made up for mine. Two imperfect people got married and it was the promise that made the marriage. And when our children were growing up, it wasn’t a house that protected them; and it wasn’t our love that protected them —it was that promise.'”

Application/Conclusion:

I. Be Real With God!!!

II. God’s worldview is central to believing the truth that is found in Genesis. It must be applied to how we see life as a whole. Example: Isis and the treatment of those opposed to them.

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III. Remember, you were created by God for a purpose, not by chance or luck. Understanding this leads to a more focused worldview not a fractured one. Ex: Isis way of converting members to its beliefs verses the apostles in converting the Jews and Gentiles to Jesus Christ.

IV. Lastly, Man and woman are made to be as one in the confines of marriage. Any attempt to fracture this foundation of “one flesh” leads to a destructive consequences for the individual and society as a whole. Ex: Gay Marriage vs. Traditional Marriage.

VI. Altar Call/Close. God wants a personal relationship with you!!! He wants to hear from you and be open about how you feel and the struggles you go through. God helps those that cannot help themselves. Jesus died for ALL OF US on the cross since we could not pay the sin debt. That MEANS ALL OF US need His help!!! Accept His help today and stop struggling with burdens you were not designed to bear.

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