2023

Without the Cross, we would never have been absolved of our sins and freed from our transgressions against God, but without the Resurrection, we wouldn’t have any evidence that Christ is who He says He is. Christ conquered death via His blameless life and atoning death. In the lives of everyone who believes in Him, He broke the power of sin and death via His Resurrection. Our new, born-again life in Christ is a gift from our risen and glorified Savior who also gave us His own resurrected life. Mark 16:6 NIV| “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. The fact of Jesus’ resurrection is a matter of history. What it means can only be understood by what the Bible tells us. Therefore, it is important to consider what the empty tomb of Jesus and His resurrection means. What did the cross and the empty tomb do for us? We were buried with Christ We can be confident in our own rebirth because of the resurrection. So if we accept that Jesus died and rose again, God will also take those who rest in Him with Him. Colossians 2:12 NIV| having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. We were made alive in Christ We do not make ourselves alive; God does. Our sins completely separate us from God, both spiritually, and in our eternal destiny. And yet, the trespasses which make us “dead,” were not enough to stop God from making us alive. We are made alive “together with Christ.” Ephesians 2:5 NIV| made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved. We conquered with Christ Perhaps Satan, for a moment, thought that he had won at the cross. But Hell’s imagined victory was turned into a defeat that disarmed every spiritual enemy who fought against those living under the light and power of the cross. Colossians 2:15 NIV| And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. We were raised with Christ and seated with Christ God has “raised us up with him.” We are now alive through the same power that brought Jesus back from the dead. In the future we will be seated alongside Christ in “the heavenly places.” Ephesians 2:6 NIV| And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, We inherited with Christ Our relationship to God is so far removed from that of slavery that we have become legal children with full rights as God’s heirs. God has made each person who trusts in Christ an heir to all the glories of God’s kingdom along with God’s only “birth son” Jesus  Romans 8:17 NIV| Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. We have a new life in Christ Christ’s death for sin has changed the way he regards people. Instead of looking at each person as a mere human being, he must view those who are in Christ as something entirely different. Those who are “in Christ” are those who have faith in Him, credited with Christ’s righteous life, and their sin forgiven by Christ’s death in their place. Such people are new creatures. Those “in Christ” have become something they were not before. Their identity has changed from being the fallen version of themselves, to being associated with the righteousness of Christ. That’s who they are now. 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV| Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! Ephesians 2:4-7 AMPC| 4 But God—so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, 5 Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation). 6 And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).7 He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favor) in [His] kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus.

The birth and call of Moses The Bible shows us that everything is Christ-centric. God’s plans will be accomplished; we can try to fight His will or we can be used by God to fulfill it.  Exodus 2:13-14 NKJV| 13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?” 14 Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” A prince has the right to rule and expects your loyalty. A judge has the right to tell you what to do, and to punish you if you don’t do it. In rejecting Moses they said to him, “We don’t want you to rule over us or tell us what to do.” People reject Jesus on the same thinking, and just like Moses Jesus was rejected at His first coming. Exodus 2:23-25 NKJV| 23 Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24 So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them. God remembers us not because of who we are but because of the covenant He made with Christ. As human beings we are flawed and bound to dance to our own tune – so the covenant provides us with grace and mercy.  God did not turn His attention to Israel because they were such good people but because of the covenant He made with them. The Israealites did not have to do anything to earn the covenant. They earned it through inheritance. We also did not have to do anything to earn for God’s grace and mercy because we have an inheritance because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Exodus 3:1-6 NKJV| Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” 4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. God didn’t speak to Moses until He had Moses’ attention. Often God’s Word doesn’t touch our heart the way that it might because we don’t give it our attention. Exodus 3:7-10 NKJV| 7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” God is separate but is not distant. God is separate yet God cares and connects Himself to our needs. Even though He is separate He calls us unto Him. If God said He would deliver them, why did He use or need Moses at all? This shows that God often uses and chooses to rely on human instruments. Most often God’s plan works with and through people, as we are workers together with Him. This is how we make an impact. God delivers us and then sends us to do the work He has called us to. Exodus 3:11-12 NKJV| 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” God’s reply is intended to take Moses’ focus off of himself and on where it should be – on God. God’s identity was more important than who Moses was. When we know the God who is with us, we can step forth confidently to do His will. Exodus 3:13-14 NKJV| 13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you

Our suffering can bring glory to God and help others who are experiencing difficult circumstances. Our life isn’t always going to be fun and games. We will experience suffering. God doesn’t say that life will be perfect. He says though, that it will end well. 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Genesis 50:20 NKJV In order to get to this point we have to go through preceding circumstances. Joseph’s character changes throughout the story, just as ours does through what we experience. Our experiences are actually character builders. We go through suffering so that God’s glory will be seen.  When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” Genesis 50:15 NKJV The brothers feared that perhaps Joseph would turn on them after Jacob’s death. Knowing human nature, this was certainly possible. 16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, 17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.” ’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Genesis 50:16-18 NIV 18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.” Joseph probably wept because it seemed that his brothers thought so little of him and they doubted his character so greatly. 19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:19-20 NIV Joseph first understood he was not in the place of God. It wasn’t his job to bring retribution upon his brothers. If the LORD chose to punish them, He would have to find an instrument other than Joseph. From a human perspective, Joseph had the right and the ability to bring retribution upon his brothers, but he knew God was God and he was not. Such retribution was God’s place, not Joseph’s.  No matter what evil man brings against us, God can use it for good. Every Christian should be able to see the overarching and overruling hand of God in their life; to know that no matter what evil man brings against us, God can use it for good. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 NIV Ultimately, our lives are not in the hands of men, but in the hands of God, who overrules all things for His glory. The glory is not ours – this is important. 21 No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them. 22 So Joseph and his brothers and their families continued to live in Egypt. Joseph lived to the age of 110. 23 He lived to see three generations of descendants of his son Ephraim, and he lived to see the birth of the children of Manasseh’s son Makir, whom he claimed as his own. 24 “Soon I will die,” Joseph told his brothers, “but God will surely come to help you and lead you out of this land of Egypt. He will bring you back to the land he solemnly promised to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Genesis 50: 21-24 NLT His long life was further evidence of God’s blessing on Joseph’s life, as was seeing Ephraim’s children to the third generation. The hardships of his life did not diminish God’s ultimate blessing upon him. 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath, and he said, “When God comes to help you and lead you back, you must take my bones with you.” 26 So Joseph died at the age of 110. The Egyptians embalmed him, and his body was placed in a coffin in Egypt. Genesis 50: 25-26 NLT Joseph was never buried. His coffin laid above ground for 400 or so years until it was taken back to Canaan. It was a silent witness for all those years that Israel was going back to the Promised Land, just as God said.  Even in his death, Jacob was still trusting God’s promise. God’s faithfulness remains and his goodness remains. This was faith, because it proclaimed God’s faithful promise in any way possible – even through a dead man’s bones!  Some promises of God take a long time to fulfill, we must persevere in trusting God. 

We sometimes come into our relationship with God after our salvation with the view that life is going to be perfect. However, at some point God is going to call us to sacfrice the promise.  When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. 2 I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” 3 At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, 4 “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! 5 What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. 6 I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them! 7 “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.” Genesis 17:1-8 NLT We see here the moment Abram came to a place with El-Shaddai. The God who is sufficient. He is a God who pours out blessings, who gives them richly, abundantly, and continually. We must be reminded that the promise delayed is not the promise denied. Abrams story is testament to this.  9 Then God said to Abraham, “Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility. 10 This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised. 11 You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you. Genesis 17:19-21 NLT Verse 9 – We share the mutual of a covenant/promise.  Verse 10 & 11 – The circumcision was a sign that Abraham was to not put his trust in the flesh, but rather in God. God calls us to a heart of circumcision. We need to be so reflective that we should be able to cut away things that do not produce fruit.  19 But God replied, “No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac,[a] and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant. 20 As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year.” Genesis 17:19-21 NLT The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. 2 She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. 3 And Abraham named their son Isaac. 4 Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. Genesis 21:1-4 NLT The promise was not fulfilled because of Abraham’s perfect obedience but because of God’s faithfulness to His word. Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.” 2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” Genesis 22:1-2 NLT Verse 1: This was not so much a test to produce faith, as it was a test to reveal faith. God built Abraham slowly, piece by piece, year by year, into a man of faith. This test would reveal some of the faith God had built into Abraham. Also, Abraham’s quick answer to the call is a wonderful example of how the man or woman of faith should respond to God. Verse 2: This test was difficult in yet another aspect, because it seemed to contradict the previous promise of God. God had already promised in Isaac your seed shall be called. It seemed strange and contradictory to kill the son who was promised to carry on the covenant when it had not yet been fulfilled in him. It seemed as if God commanded Abraham to kill the very promise God made to him. Abraham had to learn the difference between trusting the promise and trusting the Promiser. We can put God’s promise before God Himself and feel it is our responsibility to bring the promise to pass, even if we have to disobey God to do it. Trust the Promiser no matter what, and the promise will be taken care of. 3 The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.” 6 So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, 7 Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the

Sometimes following God’s plan is filled with uncertainty, suffering, and pain but He remains faithful. God sees more than we can see. He knows more than we know. He works in ways beyond our comprehension. And if we agree to follow Him only when we understand what He’s doing, we’ll always stop short of experiencing His inexplicable wonders.  12 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Genesis 12:1–4 NKJV Here we see the first mention of the covenant God makes with Abram. Terah means delay and Haran means delay. When we knowingly disobey God, we often delay the outworking of His plan in our lives and we also experience barrenness.  7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. Genesis 12:7–8 NKJV We build our own alters where: -We remember the sacrifice Jesus made for sin -We submit to God as living sacrifices -We offer the sacrifice of praise Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. Genesis 12:10 NKJV God called Abram to Canaan not Egypt. Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the [a]South. 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord. Genesis 13:1–4 NKJV And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. Genesis 13:14–15 NKJV “Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” Genesis 13:17 NKJV In the same way, God wants us to explore a land of promise, for us – His Word – where God has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, where He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. He wants us to walk through this land, possessing it by faith. After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” 2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. Genesis 15:1–6 NKJV And he said, “Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?” Genesis 15:8 NKJV Abram asked God fro proof of the promise. Abram had no title deed to the land, no certificate of ownership that another person would recognize. Abram had nothing to make anyone else believe he actually owned the land. All he had was the promise of God. 9 So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. Genesis 15:9–10 NKJV And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. Genesis 15:17 NKJV Therefore, the certainty of the covenant God made with Abram is based on who God is, not on who Abram is or what Abram would do. This covenant could not fail because God could not fail. In a sense, the Father walked through the broken and bloody body of Jesus to establish His covenant with us, and God signed it for both of us. We merely enter into the covenant by faith; we don’t make the covenant with God. 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I

The flood reminds us of God’s holiness, judgment, and the grace he will eventually bring about through Jesus Christ. The flood is the picture of what God does in judgment in order to cleanse sin. With the waters of the flood, He judges all the sin on the earth. And in the ark, he brings through Noah and his family for the purpose of establishing a new world, a new world in righteousness. Genesis 5:5-7 NLT | 5 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. 7 And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” Here we see the extent of how bad the human race is. God is angry at the disobedience to instruction. Matthew 24:37 NLT | “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. Essentially the world is; Exploding population (Gen 6:1)  Sexual perversion (Gen 6:2)  Demonic activity (Gen 6:2) .  Constant evil in the heart of man (Gen 6:5) Widespread corruption and violence (Gen 6:11) Genesis 6:8 NLT | But Noah found favour with the LORD. Noah didn’t earn grace he found it. In Him, we live and find our being. Genesis 6:9 NLT | This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. We don’t have to gain favour with Him, but the price isn’t cheap. Someone has to pay the price. Genesis 6:11-14 NIV | 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress[a] wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. Genesis 6:17 NIV | I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. God called Noah to an essential role in the greatest judgement – and greatest salvation. Genesis 6:22 NLT | So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him. Genesis 7:1 NKJV | Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. Genesis 7:17 NKJV | Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. Genesis 8:1 NKJV |Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. The ark is a picture of Christ. The flood, God’s judgement. Those in Christ are saved and those outside are doom. Genesis 8:6–11 NKJV| 6 So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. 7 Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. 8 He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. 10 And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. 11 Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. The unclean raven and clean dove are good illustrations of the believer’s old and new natures. The dove (new nature) finds no rest until it sets its feet on resurrection ground.  Genesis 8:15-16 NKJV | 15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 16 “Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. Genesis 8: 20-21 NKJV | 20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. Noah’s first act after leaving the ark was to worship God through sacrifice. Costly sacrifice is pleasing to God. In the face of God’s holiness and grace, we too should take sin seriously, aiming to obey God in every area of our life. 

Despite man’s disobedience, God foretold of a saviour that would crush evil’s head and make the world right again. He provides a way to be redeemed and restored to the original purpose of God.  15 And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and guard and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and blessing and calamity you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. Genesis 2:15-17 AMPC God made this command originally to Adam. He made the command for Adam not Eve. God gave us free will. He told Adam – but was it a test? If there is never a command and never the option of free will, then it is not a chance. God wanted obedience to be a choice. It must be free will. God wants our love and obedience to Him to be love and obedience of choice.  The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Genesis 2:18 NIV This is a call for man to righteousness and to be His representatives of God. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Genesis 2:25 NIV Sin condition moves us into vulnerability with shame. We now only want to reveal to people what we want them to see. Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1 NIV The serpent – We can’t outsmart Him but we can overcome and overpower Him through Jesus. Satan’s first attack was levelled against the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Satan comes against the Word and undermines it. Which int urn makes you neglect the Word and doubt it.  2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3: 2-5 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3 NIV Satan planted the seed of doubt about God’s Word & he expected Eve’s incomplete understanding of God’s Word. We don’t enter into a discussion with him. We resist him and he flees. The moment you give him an audience he stays put. Don’t give the devil a place in your life, do not allow him to have a foothold.  In Satan’s direct challenge, he tries to get eve to doubt the goodness of God and the badness of sin. The devil knows the word better than us. Adam and Eve’s eyes were instantly opened…to their own rebellion and shame.  6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:6-7 NIV Every attempt to cover our own nakedness before God is foolish. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” Genesis 3:8-11 NIV This was not the interrogation of an angry commanding officer, but the heartfelt cry of an anguished Father. 4 ways God approaches man in sin -God came to them patiently -God came to them with care -God came to them personally  -God came to them with truth Sin made Adam afraid of God’s presence and afraid of God’s voice.  14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:14-15 NIV This is a prophecy of Jesus’ ultimate defeat of Satan. Even in a broken and fractured world, God loves us enough to provide a way for our sins to be forgiven.

God is the Creator and Ruler of all in existence. Because of this, He deserves our worship. Does your view of God compel you to worship Him with your life? This is the beginning of “The Gospel Story.” God, the everlasting Ruler of heaven and earth, created all we see before us. This isn’t the beginning of God, but it’s the beginning of the story He has allowed us to be a part of. 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:1-25 NIV To bring order out of chaos is an expression of who god is the gospel story. Genesis 1:2- As God began to move in his week of creation, he brought order from that initial disorder. He organized, he formed, he made, he filled. From that unformed substance emerged the beauty, the order, of this world. But it emerged only by his effort, his will, his handiwork. God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. [Ps. 104:30; Heb. 1:2; 11:3.] So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. [Col. 3:9, 10; James 3:8, 9.] Genesis 1:26-27 NIV An understanding of who we are begins with knowing we are made in the image of God. Much debate has been made over what being made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26) means for humans today. That the image and likeness of God in man is in three folds: personality, morality, spirituality. Aspects of being made in God’s image -Personality: will, emotions -Morality: judgement and conscience -Spirituality: connection to God And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth. Genesis 1:28 Man was the crowing glory of God’s entire creation and as man and wife, Adam and Eve were authorised to rule over the works of God’s hands. Man’s stewardship over earth was established, and the unique position of humanity in the plans and purposes of God was instituted by the Lord Himself. Without the goodness of God’s blessing, human life would be not only unbearable but also impossible. God also gives man a

Let’s begin with the big idea… All of scripture points to Jesus death, burial and resurrection. The most important series of events in the history of the world was the death, the burial and the resurrection of Jesus. By means of His death, Jesus fulfilled prophecy and bought man’s freedom from slavery to sin. By means of His burial, Jesus removed any doubt that He had really died. By means of His resurrection, Jesus proved He had power over death. This assures us that if we truly trust and obey Jesus, He will one day raise us from the dead also. In fact the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the greatest proof that He is indeed “the Christ, the Son of the living God”. The death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord are the very foundation of the Gospel by which we are saved. 13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. 17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” 18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?” 19 And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. 22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.” 25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He [c]expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. 28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them. 30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread. 36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” 37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. Luke 24:13-37 NKJV| The story of the universe is not about us, it’s about the glory of God The universe teaches us about God’s glory, power, divinity, faithfulness, extravagance, immensity, love, and other attributes. God’s special revelation in scripture is our primary place to learn of God’s character. The universe we are privileged to observe is meant to reveal the God of creation, the God of Abraham, the God of the Bible. It is meant to reveal to us our purpose and place in the plan of God. It is meant to point us to God. It is meant as one of the greatest helps to a relationship with Him. When we release this important truth, we position ourselves better to serve God. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47 NKJV