The Book of Genesis
Genesis: Primeval Prologue (chapters 1-11)
Creation: Chapters 1-2
1. What is the pattern of creation? God created, it was good, evening passed and morning came, the next day.
2. The point of this section is to show God as creator and the importance of being a human.
a. Compare Genesis 1:25 and 1:31.
3. This is not meant to be scientific
4. God did not put anything evil on the earth (1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31)
5. By telling people to rule in 1:28, God gave us the capacity to:
a. Know the Creator
b. Worship the Creator
c. Enjoy the Creator
6. There are two creation stories in Genesis. (2:4-17)
a. The point of this second story is that man is the most important creation.
The fall: Chapter 3
1. This answers why things are no longer perfect.
2. Man and woman decide that they know better than God.
3. Because of sin, they lose open fellowship with God.
The Rest of Primeval History, chps. 4-11
1. Things get worse
a. Cain kills Abel (4)
b. The Human race is completely evil (6:5)
2. God decides to start over with Noah
a. However, Noah is not perfect either (9:20-23)
3. Man becomes so arrogant, he wants to be an equal to God (11:1-9)
a. God ends this arrogant gesture by confusing their languages.
Themes in the Prologue
1. Sin ruins God’s creation, therefore there must be a penalty for sin.
2. Despite punishment, God provides grace
a. Grace = getting what you don’t deserve
b. At the fall (3:21) – God made clothes for them
c. At the murder (4:15) – God protected Cain
d. After the flood (8:21-9:2) – God will not destroy the earth again
The End of the Prologue
1. There is no grace shown after the Tower of Babel.
2. This causes us to ask the question, “Has God given up?”
Friday, September 23, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
CDD Lesson 3
This week we focused on the story of Joseph (Genesis 37-50). It is important to know that Joseph's father, Jacob, had two wives. The first was Leah and the second was Rachel. His favorite wife however, was Rachel. Rachel had a hard time having kids but Leah seemed to have no problem. Rachel was able to conceive only twice. The first child was Joseph and the second was his younger brother, Benjamin. Therefore, not only did Jacob have a favorite wife, he also had favorite sons.
In this story we are simply told that Jacob favored Joseph over the rest of his sons, so much so that he gave him a coat of many colors which of course caused Joseph's brothers to be jealous. Joseph also seemed to regularly bring Jacob bad reports about his brothers. On top of this, Joseph dreamed that one day his entire family, including his father, would bow down to him. Of course he told his brothers and that made them even angrier.
The anger of Joseph's brothers brought them to the point where they kidnapped Joseph and sold him to some Ishmaelites who then sold Joseph as a slave in Egypt to the Captain of the Pharaoh's Guards, Potiphar.
Joseph was a faithful servant to Potiphar and soon the Captain's entire household was under Joseph's supervision. This is where Joseph's first important choice was made. Potiphar's wife took notice of this handsome, powerful slave and requested that he come to bed with her. Joseph refused based on his desire to serve God (Gen. 39:9). She continued to pester him and finally one day she latched on to his cloak asking him to come to bed with her. Joseph ran, leaving his cloak in her hands. Potiphar's wife then accused Joseph of trying to force himself on her and the young Hebrew was thrown into the king's prison.
In this story, Joseph faced a choice that we face almost every day. The choice of immediate pleasure. There are many things in life that bring immediate pleasure or results. Things like drugs, premarital/extramarital sex, cheating, playing pranks on people, etc. When faced with these things, we are often enticed by the immediate pay-off with little regard to the future. When we are faced with these types of decisions, we must ask ourselves, "What's the big picture?" How will this drug affect my future health? How will cheating affect my overall academic career and my work ethic? How will this premarital affair or extramarital affair affect my future marriage or current marriage in the future? This is all done in the first C which is "Consider the choice." What are some immediate pleasure choices you face each day?
The second big choice made by Joseph is found in the very next story. Joseph stands up for what he knows is right and he gets thrown into prison. (Side note - it just goes to show that our reward for standing up for God is not always apparent on this earth!) In prison he could have very well given up on God. After all, where did following God's standards in his life land him? However, he allows this principle to guide his life. “God is going to provide. He has done so in the past and he is going to in the future.” So in spite of being wrongfully imprisoned, Joseph continues to share his God-given gifts to serve others. He organizes the jail and he interprets dreams for two high ranking servants of Pharaoh while attending to their needs. He spent two years in that jail, never giving up on God and continuing to serve. Joseph chose to wait on God and continue to live according to his standards even when there was no end in sight to his affliction. He didn’t know when his imprisonment would end or even IF it would end. We all have seasons of life like this. We struggle, we hurt, and we give up on God because we can’t see the end of the storm. However, to wait on God and his timing is to experience immense blessing, also in his timing.
Joseph compared his actions and attitudes to God (the second C) and saw that it was important that he continue to be the person that God called him to be whether as a powerful slave in Potiphar’s household or as a prisoner in the king’s prison. So he committed to God’s way (the third C) and paid the price for his stand. And of course, once you have made the stand, all that is left is to count on God’s provision (the fourth C). When is it hardest for you to wait on God?
I will finish out this saga at a later date.
In this story we are simply told that Jacob favored Joseph over the rest of his sons, so much so that he gave him a coat of many colors which of course caused Joseph's brothers to be jealous. Joseph also seemed to regularly bring Jacob bad reports about his brothers. On top of this, Joseph dreamed that one day his entire family, including his father, would bow down to him. Of course he told his brothers and that made them even angrier.
The anger of Joseph's brothers brought them to the point where they kidnapped Joseph and sold him to some Ishmaelites who then sold Joseph as a slave in Egypt to the Captain of the Pharaoh's Guards, Potiphar.
Joseph was a faithful servant to Potiphar and soon the Captain's entire household was under Joseph's supervision. This is where Joseph's first important choice was made. Potiphar's wife took notice of this handsome, powerful slave and requested that he come to bed with her. Joseph refused based on his desire to serve God (Gen. 39:9). She continued to pester him and finally one day she latched on to his cloak asking him to come to bed with her. Joseph ran, leaving his cloak in her hands. Potiphar's wife then accused Joseph of trying to force himself on her and the young Hebrew was thrown into the king's prison.
In this story, Joseph faced a choice that we face almost every day. The choice of immediate pleasure. There are many things in life that bring immediate pleasure or results. Things like drugs, premarital/extramarital sex, cheating, playing pranks on people, etc. When faced with these things, we are often enticed by the immediate pay-off with little regard to the future. When we are faced with these types of decisions, we must ask ourselves, "What's the big picture?" How will this drug affect my future health? How will cheating affect my overall academic career and my work ethic? How will this premarital affair or extramarital affair affect my future marriage or current marriage in the future? This is all done in the first C which is "Consider the choice." What are some immediate pleasure choices you face each day?
The second big choice made by Joseph is found in the very next story. Joseph stands up for what he knows is right and he gets thrown into prison. (Side note - it just goes to show that our reward for standing up for God is not always apparent on this earth!) In prison he could have very well given up on God. After all, where did following God's standards in his life land him? However, he allows this principle to guide his life. “God is going to provide. He has done so in the past and he is going to in the future.” So in spite of being wrongfully imprisoned, Joseph continues to share his God-given gifts to serve others. He organizes the jail and he interprets dreams for two high ranking servants of Pharaoh while attending to their needs. He spent two years in that jail, never giving up on God and continuing to serve. Joseph chose to wait on God and continue to live according to his standards even when there was no end in sight to his affliction. He didn’t know when his imprisonment would end or even IF it would end. We all have seasons of life like this. We struggle, we hurt, and we give up on God because we can’t see the end of the storm. However, to wait on God and his timing is to experience immense blessing, also in his timing.
Joseph compared his actions and attitudes to God (the second C) and saw that it was important that he continue to be the person that God called him to be whether as a powerful slave in Potiphar’s household or as a prisoner in the king’s prison. So he committed to God’s way (the third C) and paid the price for his stand. And of course, once you have made the stand, all that is left is to count on God’s provision (the fourth C). When is it hardest for you to wait on God?
I will finish out this saga at a later date.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Choices That Determine Destiny
This is a study based off of one that one of my OC professors, Dudley Chancey, wrote. However, I am not teaching his material verbatim. A lot of my own work and conclusions are in here as well. Over the next six weeks as we study these choices, I am going to post catch up material on this blog so that if anybody misses the class they can get on and fill in the workbook. Also, if someone has a comment that they didn't get to make in class, they can get on and make it. So here's the overview of the class material for Sunday the 27th.
Prov. 22:3 - "The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty."
When you get on a highway, you are going somewhere. Even if you don't intend to go there, that's where you are going because that's the highway you're on. Life is the same way. It is full of choices that we make, choices that determine destiny. When you make a choice, you get on a path and that path leads somewhere, whether you intend to head there or not. (Andy Stanley, The Principle of the Path). We are going to study in the following weeks how to be intentional about the path that we are on.
In each lesson, we will focus on two different themes. First, we will explore a process for making godly choices in everyday life. This process, called the 4 C's, is from one of Josh McDowell's books.
Consider the choice - stop and take a look before you go.
Compare our attitudes and actions to God - Though you must know him and his word!
Commit to God's ways - pretty self-explanatory
Count on God's protections and provision - He's going to take care of you!
These are principles not rules. A principle is a personal or specific basis for conduct. An exammple of a principle is to eat good and exercise and you'll stay healthy. You aren't going to get arrested if you eat at McDonald's. And just because you are exercising and eating healthy, you might still get some disease. It's a principle, not a rule.
A rule on the other hand is a regulation or law governing conduct. If you break the speed limit, you will get a ticket. If you steal something you will get arrested. If you kill someone you will go to prison and possibly get the death penalty.
The Bible is a book that teaches principles for living (though it was called the Law before Christ). The Ten Commandments (minus the don't kill and steal commandments) are principles. No one is going to be looking over your shoulder and arresting you for putting money before God. As long as you don't resort to violence, the police are not going to show up at your house for disrespecting your parents. Principles. Think about the Sermon on the Mount. Don't be angry, let your yes be yes and your no be no, love your enemies, give to the needy, don't worry, etc. Principles. In John 10:10 Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." These principles guide us to a full and happy life. But here's the best part. God's way has a fail safe. If for some reason your life sucks here on earth or it gets cut short, heaven is coming. Dwelling in God's presence will make up for all the stuff we have to put up with on this earth. Principles.
The second theme we will be exploring in each lesson will be the influence that our friends have on our choices. Is that influence positive? Is it negative?
Ecclesiastes 4:12 - "Though one may be overpowered two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Which brings us to our first Bible text.
Daniel 1:3-20
Background:
God judges Judah because they are following foreign gods. He sends them into captivity. Nebuchadnezzar takes the best-looking, smartest, and most promising teenage boys for himself to come and serve in his court.
From here, you can fill out the workbook on your own from the Bible texts. God bless and we'll see you on Sunday.
Prov. 22:3 - "The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty."
When you get on a highway, you are going somewhere. Even if you don't intend to go there, that's where you are going because that's the highway you're on. Life is the same way. It is full of choices that we make, choices that determine destiny. When you make a choice, you get on a path and that path leads somewhere, whether you intend to head there or not. (Andy Stanley, The Principle of the Path). We are going to study in the following weeks how to be intentional about the path that we are on.
In each lesson, we will focus on two different themes. First, we will explore a process for making godly choices in everyday life. This process, called the 4 C's, is from one of Josh McDowell's books.
Consider the choice - stop and take a look before you go.
Compare our attitudes and actions to God - Though you must know him and his word!
Commit to God's ways - pretty self-explanatory
Count on God's protections and provision - He's going to take care of you!
These are principles not rules. A principle is a personal or specific basis for conduct. An exammple of a principle is to eat good and exercise and you'll stay healthy. You aren't going to get arrested if you eat at McDonald's. And just because you are exercising and eating healthy, you might still get some disease. It's a principle, not a rule.
A rule on the other hand is a regulation or law governing conduct. If you break the speed limit, you will get a ticket. If you steal something you will get arrested. If you kill someone you will go to prison and possibly get the death penalty.
The Bible is a book that teaches principles for living (though it was called the Law before Christ). The Ten Commandments (minus the don't kill and steal commandments) are principles. No one is going to be looking over your shoulder and arresting you for putting money before God. As long as you don't resort to violence, the police are not going to show up at your house for disrespecting your parents. Principles. Think about the Sermon on the Mount. Don't be angry, let your yes be yes and your no be no, love your enemies, give to the needy, don't worry, etc. Principles. In John 10:10 Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." These principles guide us to a full and happy life. But here's the best part. God's way has a fail safe. If for some reason your life sucks here on earth or it gets cut short, heaven is coming. Dwelling in God's presence will make up for all the stuff we have to put up with on this earth. Principles.
The second theme we will be exploring in each lesson will be the influence that our friends have on our choices. Is that influence positive? Is it negative?
Ecclesiastes 4:12 - "Though one may be overpowered two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Which brings us to our first Bible text.
Daniel 1:3-20
Background:
God judges Judah because they are following foreign gods. He sends them into captivity. Nebuchadnezzar takes the best-looking, smartest, and most promising teenage boys for himself to come and serve in his court.
From here, you can fill out the workbook on your own from the Bible texts. God bless and we'll see you on Sunday.
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