GOD AND US Genesis 1-3

WHAT WE LEARNED: 1. Only God Creates 2. Only God is Powerful 3. Only God is Good 4. Only God is Beautiful

PART 1: GOD CHOSE TO MAKE MAN IN HIS IMAGE

Genesis 1: Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—

everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

PART 1: GOD CHOSE TO MAKE MAN IN HIS IMAGE The concluding remarks about Creation is that it is very good Literary pattern “Let there be > it was so > according to kind > Good” Let US make In our image Very Good

PART 1: GOD CHOSE TO MAKE MAN IN HIS IMAGE What does this mean?  You and I are the crowning point of God’s act of creation.  Image means “essence” (i.e. Intellect, moral choices, creativity)

PART 1: GOD CHOSE TO MAKE MAN IN HIS IMAGE In God’s image we are given certain qualities: a) Spiritual qualities — more than flesh and bones — awareness of God b) Mental qualities — intellect, reason (abstract) c) Relational qualities — walk with God (Gen 2) d) Moral qualities — conscience (right/wrong)

PART 1: GOD CHOSE TO MAKE MAN IN HIS IMAGE 1. We were made to reflect God’s Glory (worship): Isaiah 43:7 “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."

PART 1: GOD CHOSE TO MAKE MAN IN HIS IMAGE 2. God’s image in us is the source of our dignity Our dignity lies solely in the fact that God created us

PART 1: GOD CHOSE TO MAKE MAN IN HIS IMAGE 3. God’s image, though marred by sin, can be made whole through life in Christ: As we submit to Jesus, the Holy Spirit begins to change us back into the image of God that he purposed.

PART 2: MAN CHOSE TO EXALT HIS OWN IMAGE Genesis 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

GENESIS 3 THE FALL 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’?” 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.” 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. 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?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

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.”

16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” 17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

PART 2: MAN CHOSE TO EXALT HIS OWN IMAGE I. THE FALL A. Satan’s Question Essence – misrepresent what God said.

PART 2: MAN CHOSE TO EXALT HIS OWN IMAGE I. THE FALL B. Eve’s Response Eve miss-quotes God. “Shall not eat (Correct) neither touch (God did not say)”

PART 2: MAN CHOSE TO EXALT HIS OWN IMAGE I. THE FALL C. Satan’s Rebuttal (3-fold lie) a) Questions God’s honesty: he is a liar b) Questions God’s character c) Removes distinction between God/man

PART 2: MAN CHOSE TO EXALT HIS OWN IMAGE I. THE FALL D. Adam and Eve Sin  Sin began not when they ate the fruit, but when they believed the lie.

PART 2: MAN CHOSE TO EXALT HIS OWN IMAGE II. CONSEQUENCES (3:7-24) Point is, God created it good, now it is not because of sin. God is good, sin is bad. God didn’t create pain.

PART 2: MAN CHOSE TO EXALT HIS OWN IMAGE II. CONSEQUENCES (3:7-24) A. Interpersonal pain  The relationship Adam & Eve, Man & Woman crumbles.

PART 2: MAN CHOSE TO EXALT HIS OWN IMAGE II. CONSEQUENCES (3:7-24) B. Pain between God and Adam & Eve  Sin results in alienation — from God and from one another

PART 2: MAN CHOSE TO EXALT HIS OWN IMAGE II. CONSEQUENCES (3:7-24) C. The Blame Game ADAM Adam blames Eve….and God. “The woman YOU gave me.”

PART 2: MAN CHOSE TO EXALT HIS OWN IMAGE II. CONSEQUENCES (3:7-24) C. The Blame Game EVE The Devil made me do it….I was tricked.

PART 2: MAN CHOSE TO EXALT HIS OWN IMAGE III. CURSE AND JUDGEMENT (3:14-19) A. Curse on the Snake 1)Crawl in dust 2)Enmity between Eve’s descendants and his. Ultimately Jesus will “Crush his head”

PART 2: MAN CHOSE TO EXALT HIS OWN IMAGE III. CURSE AND JUDGEMENT (3:14-19) B. Judgment on Eve 1)Increased pain in Child birth 2) Desire to “rule” over husband.

PART 2: MAN CHOSE TO EXALT HIS OWN IMAGE III. CURSE AND JUDGEMENT (3:14-19) B. Judgment on Adam 1)Ground will produce thorns 2) Will experience death (From dust to dust) a) Spiritual death b) Physical death

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR US 1. The essence of sin is lack of faith in God 2. God is both Judge and Redeemer a) Forgiveness in the sacrifice b) God’s creation will some day be restored — return to the Garden

CONCLUSION 1. God chose to put is image in us a.God’s image means we are meant to worship / reflect b.God’s image gives us dignity c.God’s image was marred but the Holy Spirit 2. Man chose to exalt his own image a.Essence of sin is not trusting God / exalting myself and my choices over God b.God judges sin but he also made a way to restore us