• SAVED FROM FEAR •
- for Animistic cultures
(short version - needs to be completely rewritten - condense it from the long version)
WHAT WAS BEFORE THE BEGINNING?
In the beginning God...
Genesis 1:1 –
the first words in the Bible
Before…you brought forth the…world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Psalm 90:2
WHO IS GOD?
God is 3 Persons united as One:
…the Father and…the Son and…the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19
God is supreme in heaven, the universe and the world.
[God says:] "I, even I, am the Lord."
Isaiah 43:11
Is there anything he does not control?
There is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live [if we believe in him].
1 Corinthians 8:6
The Son…[that the Father] loves…is the image of the invisible God, [with] the [status of] firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. …He is the beginning and the firstborn from the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Colossians 1:13-18
[The Son] has this name… KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Revelation 19:16
God is Creator.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
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"To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" say the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?
Isaiah 40:25-26
He is the only God.
[Creator God declares:] "Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.
Isaiah 43:10
O Sovereign Lord, …what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?
Deuteronomy 3:24
We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one.
I Corinthians 8:4
God is all powerful.
With God all things are possible.
Matthew 19:26
Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving.
1 Samuel 14:6
[God says:] "Apart from me there is no savior."
Isaiah 43:10-11
Do we have any excuse for not knowing Creator God?
What may be known about God is plain to them [all people], because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities––his [1] eternal power and [2] divine nature––have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Romans 1:19-20
God has a very special relationship to you.
Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?
Deuteronomy 32:6
God is love.
1 John 4:8
WHO IS MAN?
God gave man a very honorable status.
God said, “Let us make man in our image.” …So God created man in his own image... male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:26-27
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Of course, we are not God –
for we were created by God.
But we are similar to God in important ways:
He made us to communicate, create, and love in very sophisticated ways – far beyond animals.
Father God gave us a very special relationship with himself.
We are his offspring.
Acts 17:28
Think about how special you are in God's heart!
God gave us authority, power and responsibility.
God said, "…Let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
Genesis 1:26
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Genesis 2:15
The Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all.
Genesis 2:19-20
Adam had great authority.
Because we were created by God, we must obey him.
The Lord said, "…Keep my decrees and laws… I am the Lord.
Leviticus 18:1, 5
We are under his authority.
THE WORLD WAS PERFECT
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
Genesis 1:31
The man [Adam] and his wife [Eve] were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Genesis 2:25
Evil and death had not yet entered the world and drastically impacted it.
So, there was no:
Death.
Fear.
Shame.
Guilt.
Suffering.
BUT WHO ELSE WAS IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN?
Satan:
(It seems clear that the following passages in the Bible describe Satan.)
Where did Satan come from?
The Sovereign Lord says: “You…were created.”
So Satan is:
• Not even close to being equal with Creator God.
• Not eternal like Creator God.
• Not all powerful like Creator God.
• Not all-knowing like Creator God.
What was Satan's character when God created him?
This is what the Sovereign Lord says [about Satan]: “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. …Every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mounts were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. …You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created.”
Ezekiel 28:12-13, 15
What was Satan's status when first created?
The Sovereign Lord says [about Satan]: “You were anointed as a guardian cherub [angel], for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God.”
Ezekiel 28:14
Where was Satan at the beginning?
"You were in Eden, the garden of God."
Ezekiel 28:12-13, 15
So Satan was actually present in the Garden of Eden.
How did Satan change?
"You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you."
Ezekiel 28: 13
What was Satan's great evil?
“Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.”
Ezekiel 28:14
You said in your heart… “I will sit enthroned on the…utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High [God].”
Isaiah 14:13-14
The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 16:5
Then what happened to Satan?
“I [God] drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub. …I threw you to the earth.”
Ezekiel 28:16-17
[Jesus said:] “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
Luke 10:14
Does Satan operate alone?
[Satan is] the ruler of the demons … [and of] the Dominion of Darkness.
Matthew 9:34 (New American Standard)
Colossians 1:13
Eternal fire is prepared for the devil and his angels.
Matthew 25:41
So other angels have also fallen – not just Satan.
What part did Satan play in the story of Adam & Eve?
GOD GAVE MAN ONLY ONE RESTRICTION
In the middle of the garden were [1] the Tree of Life and [2] the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Genesis 2:9
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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 of it you will surely die.”
Genesis 2:16
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The wages of sin is death.
Romans 6:23
Sin is the breaking of [God's] law.
I John 3:4
Holman Christian Standard Bible
THEN SATAN TRIED TO PULL MAN AWAY FROM GOD
[In the form of a snake] he said to [Eve] the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'? …You will not surely die."
Genesis 3:1, 4
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What did Satan attack?
1. He attacked God's word:
He said… "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from ANY tree?'"
So he twisted God's command.
Then he implied that God was lying.
"You will not surely die."
Throughout history, one of Satan's main strategies is to attack the truth of the Bible.
2. He also attacked God's character and motives.
[Satan continued:] "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Genesis 3:4-5
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He implied:
• God knows that this fruit is good for you.
• So God doesn't want what is best for you.
What was the great temptation Satan presented to Eve?
Hint
It was the same temptation that caused Satan to fall:
"You will be like God."
Genesis 3:4-5
Are we not also tempted to be the god of our own lives?
What was the proper response for Eve in this situation?
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.
James 4:7-8
But Satan is a very skillful deceiver.
There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:44
Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then that his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.
2 Corinthians 11:14-15
Satan...deceives the whole world.
Revelation 12:9
(New American Standard Bible)
He hooks us with an appealing promise, but he delivers the opposite . . .
. . . because his motives are terribly evil:
The devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8-9
The devil…was a murderer from the beginning.
John 8:44
So what would Eve do?
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.
Genesis 3:6
Eve followed Satan's lies and violated her relationship with God her Father.
What was it that she wanted?
Wisdom.
But, as we will soon see, this wisdom came at a great price.
Why did she turn to Satan to get something that only Creator God could give her?
God promises his children . . .
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5
How often are we like Eve?
In our fear of evil spiritual powers . . .
How often do we rely on Satan, himself, for protection against the forces of evil (which he controls!)?
We seem to think:
If I get the spiritual power or protection that I need, the source doesn't matter.
In our sense of weakness or uncertainty as to what to do . . .
We seem to think:
If I get the spiritual guidance or assistance that I need, the source doesn't matter.
But do we stop to think about what Satan desires to gain from us in these transactions?
Our focus is on the thing that we want to gain from the transaction.
But what does Satan deviously want from us?
The devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8-9
God gives very strict warnings about getting involved with Satan's power:
Let no one be…among you who…practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. … Should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 … Isaiah 8:19
Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God. … I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists.
Leviticus 19:31 … Leviticus 20:6
We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. … But the sacrifices of pagans [to idols] are offered to demons, not to [Creator] God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.
1 Corinthians 8:4 … 10:20
[Before we believed in Jesus] we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world … slaves to those [idols and demons] who by nature are not gods. But now that you know [Creator] God…how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you.
Galatians 4:3, 8-11
But we get involved with Satan because . . .
[Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light.
2 Corinthians 4:4
Did Eve's evil decision influence anyone else to follow Satan?
She also gave some [of the fruit] to her husband [Adam], who was with her . . .
Genesis 3:6
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Would he also follow Satan's deception? Or would he be loyal to his Heavenly Father?
. . . and he ate it.
Genesis 3:6
HOW DID ADAM & EVE REACT TO THEIR SIN?
They were afraid of God.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden…, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:8
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[Adam said to God], "I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked."
Genesis 3:10
Sin makes us afraid of being exposed for what we are in the presence of our holy Creator.
Since Adam, others have also shown such fear of Creator God.
Much later someone said:
I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted. …Above him were seraphs [angels] calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty…" …"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, …and I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."
Isaiah 6:1-3, 5
You [God] alone are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry?
Psalm 76:7
DO WE HAVE GOOD REASON TO BE AFRAID?
Yes – we certainly do.
Fear has to do with punishment.
I John 4:18
But, is there also a benefit in being afraid of Creator God?
Yes.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Proverbs 9:10
Why?
[Jesus said,] "Be afraid of the One [Creator God] who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
Matthew 10:28
Because . . .
Your iniquities [sins] have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you.
Isaiah 59:2
Does sin have further consequence?
The wages of sin is death.
Romans 6:23
God's righteous decree [is] that those who do such things deserve death.
Romans 1:32
So, we are not just afraid of God; we are also afraid of death.
All their lives [people are]…held in slavery by their fear of death.
Hebrews 2:14-15
So their sin caused Adam and Eve to be consumed by fear –
and they hid from God.
BUT WHAT WAS GOD'S FIRST REACTION TO THEIR SIN?
But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
Genesis 3:9
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Think how significant this is!
What did they deserve?
[God had said:] "When you eat of it you will surely die.”
Genesis 2:16
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They deserved instant death.
But what did God do on about page 3 of the 1,000+ page Bible?
God called them to himself:
“Where are you?”
What does this tell us about God's goal throughout the whole rest of the Bible?
God's passion is to restore our broken relationship with himself.
Yet, Adam's disloyal choice resulted in great disaster for himself and for all people after him.
WHAT ARE THE DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES OF OUR INVOLVEMENT WITH SATAN?
1. We become a child of Satan.
He who does what is sinful is of [Satan] the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. …This is how we know …who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
1 John 3:8, 10
We know that…the whole world lies in the power of the Evil One.
1 John 5:19 (English Standard Version)
2. We are conquered by Sin & Death.
[Satan] holds the power of death… All their lives [people are]…held in slavery by their fear of death.
Hebrews 2:14-15
How did sin and death spread to us today?
The wages of sin is death.
Romans 6:23
Sin leads directly to death.
Sin entered the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.
Romans 5:12
So there is nothing natural about sin and death –
At the beginning they did not exist.
But now they are our greatest problems.
3. We are slaves –
Slaves to idols and demons:
When you did not know God, you were slaves to those [idols and demons] who by nature are not gods.
Galatians 4:8
Slaves to sin:
Jesus…[said], "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin."
John 8:34
I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
Romans 7:14
4. We are under a curse.
To Adam he [God] said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life … until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."
Genesis 3:17, 19
Later God says:
Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law [of God].
Galatians 3:13
4. We belong to Satan's Kingdom of Darkness.
[Satan is] the ruler of the kingdom of the air.
Ephesians 2:2
Satan has his throne.
Revelation 2:13
[We need to be] rescued…from the Dominion of Darkness.
Colossians 1:13
At the beginning man had been given rule over the earth.
But when man sinned Satan gained power.
[Satan] is the prince of this world.
John 12:31
The devil…showed…all the kingdoms of the world. And he said…, "…All their authority and splendor…has been given to me."
Luke 4:5-6
SO WE ARE IN A TERRIBLE CONDITION.
[Being] dead in your…sins, …you follow [Satan]…the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Ephesians 2:1-2
There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands . . .
Romans 3:10-11
There is...no one who seeks God. All have turned away.
Romans 3:11-12
IS THERE ANY HOPE FOR DELIVERANCE FROM SATAN?
After Adam & Eve sinned . . .
The Lord God said to [Satan who was in the form of] the serpent, "Because you have done this, …I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel."
Genesis 3:14-15 [Christian Standard Bible]
Who will strike Satan's head?
That will not become clear in the Bible for thousands of years.
But there was hope!
Think how significant this is!
God gives this ray of hope in the first pages of the 1000+ page Bible.
What did Adam & Eve deserve?
The wages of sin is death.
Romans 6:23
They deserved instant death.
Instead, what did God the Father do for them?
1. He implied that they would have descendants.
To the woman he [God] said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children."
Genesis 3:16
In other words, he promised them a future! And with a future comes hope.
2. Then, even better, he promised them a descendant who would strike the head of their great enemy, Satan.
The Lord God said to the serpent, "…Her offspring…will strike your head."
Genesis 3:14-15
Christian Standard Bible
What does this tell us about God's intentions throughout the whole rest of the Bible?
God is love.
1 John 4:8
The whole Bible is the historical account of how God calls us back to himself.
But to do this, God must deliver us from Satan.
So God's passion for us is . . .
". . . to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God . . .
Acts 26:18
". . . so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified [made clean] by faith in me."
Acts 26:18
Who does "me" refer to in the last quote?
He is the one who would crush Satan's head.
But that would not happen for several thousand years.
FIRST, GOD PRESENTS OPTION #1 FOR OVERCOMING SIN:
Initially, God gave very general, logical instructions:
The Lord said to Cain [Adam & Eve’s son], “…If you do what is right will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door; …but you must master it.”
Genesis 4:7
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First, God told us to "do what is right."
He told us to "master" sin.
So, God's instructions were general and obvious: Just don't do bad things!
But much later, God gave very specific instructions:
God told us to obey his specific Laws.
[Creator God said,] “Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.”
Leviticus 18:5
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The...commandment...was intended to bring life.
Romans 7:10
Keeping God's Law perfectly results in eternal life.
This is Option #1 for gaining eternal life:
Trying with all our power we must never do wrong and always do right.
We must obey everything God tells us to do.
We must be a perfect person.
Does this sound like good news for us?
Do we keep even the first commandment on God's list?
God spoke all these words: "I am the Lord your God… You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God."
Exodus 20:1-5
Think what a great offense it is to Creator God to turn to Satan for help of any kind.
Worshiping other gods is a great insult to Creator God.
It is no different than worshiping
HOW DID ADAM & EVE'S DESCENDANTS DO?
Adam & Eve had 2 sons.
Eve...became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. …Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Genesis 4:1-2
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Later, Cain tried to approach God.
Now…Cain worked the soil [which God had cursed]. …Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. …But on [1] Cain and [2] his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Genesis 4:4
1. Cain experienced the shame of personal rejection – he himself was judged as unworthy.
2. What Cain had worked hard to produce and offer to God, God also rejected.
Why did Cain experience the shame of rejection?
Much later the Bible explains the reason:
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the Evil One [Satan]. …[Cain's] actions were evil.
I John 3:12
Man had experienced the glory of being made in God's image.
But Cain had fallen into the disgraceful position of belonging to Satan.
The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door; …but you must master it.”
Genesis 4:7
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This is Option #1 for being accepted by God.
What is Option #1?
• "Do what is right."
• "Master" sin.
• Then you will be accepted by God.
So, God gives us a broad, common-sense responsibility: Just don't do bad things!
Then we will be accepted by God.
Abel also approached God.
Now Abel kept flocks. ...Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on [1] Abel and [2] his offering.
Genesis 4:2, 4
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Why did God accept Abel?
What was the difference between Abel and Cain?
We will find out this important difference later.
So what did Cain do?
Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field?" And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Genesis 4:8
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Cain did an unspeakably shameful deed.
Why did Cain do it?
And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous [good].
He did not like the comparison between himself and his brother.
Of course, everyone does not act as Cain did.
But don't people often feel as Cain felt when they are seen as inadequate or inferior in comparison to someone else?
It is the condition of our heart that matters.
Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7
We should love one another. …Anyone who does not love remains in [spiritual] death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.
1 John 3:11, 14-15
Hate and murder come from the same heart.
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the Evil One [Satan].
1 John 3:12
What was the consequence of Cain's sin?
The Lord said to Cain, "…Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood. …When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you…"
Genesis 4:9, 11 New American Standard
Genesis 4:12 New International Version
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"…You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."
Genesis 4:12
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• Cain was now under the shame of a curse.
• He was driven from his source of employment.
• Cain could find no peace within himself.
Cain became an outcast:
Estranged from God the Father.
And estranged from people.
Cain said to the Lord, "…I will be hidden from your presence …"
Genesis 4:13, 14
"…I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."
Genesis 4:14
He certainly deserved to die – immediately.
Did God give Cain what he deserved?
But the Lord said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then God put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him."
Genesis 4:15
God was very merciful and gracious to Cain and did not give him what he immediately deserved.
Question:
Do we want to immediately get from Creator God what we deserve for how we treat him?
Or do we want to receive God's mercy?
DID THE PEOPLE WHO CAME AFTER CAIN FOLLOW OPTION #1?
Did they "do what is right?"
Did they "master" sin?
Some centuries after Cain, Option #1 had already become a failure.
The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become.
Genesis 6:5
God the Father's loving heart was grieved?
The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.
Genesis 6:6
Question:
How do you feel when people you love betray you?
If you have deep feelings, don't you think that the Heavenly Father has far deeper feelings?
God had waited for centuries.
The Lord…is patient…, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
But what did God finally decide to do?
God decided to start over with Noah.
CAN WE OVERCOME SIN?
I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Psalm 51:5
(Psalm 51:7 in Japanese, New Interconfessional Translation)
There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away.
Romans 3:10-12
But don't we get credit for doing some good things?
Whoever keeps the whole Law [of God] and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
James 2:10
Illustration:
God’s Law is like a priceless vase: If you drop it once, you completely shatter it.
The Law is not like an exam with a passing score of 51%.
The Law is not like a scale that balances the good that we do against the bad.
So, what's the outcome of trying to implement Option #1?
Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.
Hebrews 9:7
The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in...[God's] books.
Revelation 20:12
[Jesus said:] "This is how it will be at the end of the age. ...Throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Matthew 13:49-50
First, God gave the general instruction to "master" sin – but we couldn't do it.
Then, God told us to obey his specific Law – but we couldn't do that either.
So, no matter how hard we try, we cannot achieve eternal life by trying to be good.
SO OPTION #1 FAILED.
If there had been nothing wrong with the first covenant [Option #1], no place would have been sought for another [Option #2].
Hebrews 8:7
Whose fault is it that Option #1 failed?
God found fault with the people and said: "... they did not remain faithful to my covenant [Option #1]."
Hebrews 8:8-9
Because of us, Option #1 failed:
The possibility of gaining eternal life by doing good failed.
The possibility of gaining eternal life by keeping God's Law failed.
We cannot do it.
So we are eternally doomed – and it is totally our own fault.
But...
God is love.
I John 4:8
The wages of sin is death [Option #1], but the gift of God is eternal life [Option #2] through Jesus Christ.
Romans 6:23 (KJV)
SO GOD PRESENTS OPTION #2 FOR OVERCOMING SIN:
While Option #1 was still in operation, God set in motion a long process that could actually save the whole world.
This was a very specific plan, starting about 2000 BC.
Starting in one specific place on earth, God chose one man Abraham, to become the father of one nation Israel, from which (2000 years later) would come one savior Jesus Christ.
[God said:] “I will make you [Abraham] into a great nation and I will bless you; …and you will be a blessing. …And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Genesis 12:2-3
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How would God bless all people through Abraham?
Jesus Christ [was]… the son [descendant] of Abraham.
Matthew 1:1
About AD 1, God would send the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to this earth to be born in the country of Israel.
God would bless the whole world through Jesus Christ.
But Abraham, who was about 80 years old, had a big problem:
Abra[ha]m said, "O Sovereign Lord, ...You have given me no children." ...Then the word of the Lord came to him: "...A son coming from your own body will be your heir." He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars. ...So shall your offspring be."
Genesis 15:2-5
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Then comes one of the most important statements in the Old Testament!
Abra[ha]m believed the Lord, and he [God] credited it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15:6
This is Option #2:
Abraham believed God, and God gave him a gift.
This gift was righteousness.
This gift only came to him because he believed God.
He did not earn it by working hard to be good or by trying hard to obey God's Law (Option #1).
So Abraham was saved by Option #2 – not by Option #1.
This righteousness from God allowed him to receive eternal life.
What is "righteousness"?
Righteousness = Being clean, pure and good in God's eyes – as though we are without sin!
[The Bible] speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness [Option #2] apart from works [Option #1]: "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."
Romans 4:6-8
Is the gift of righteousness only for Abraham?
The words "it was credited to him [Abraham]" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness––for us who believe in him [God] who raised Jesus...from the dead.
Romans 4:23-24
So we too are made righteous by believing God [Option #2], not by trying hard to be a good person [Option #1].
And this gift of righteousness only comes to us through the Messiah:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son [Jesus the Messiah], that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
The Son of God became a human being (100% God & 100% human) in order to bring us back to God.
WHAT DID THE MESSIAH DO TO SAVE US FROM SATAN?
"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."
I John 3:8
For he [Creator God] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.
Colossians 1:13
WHAT DID GOD'S SON DO TO SAVE US FROM DEATH AND GIVE US ETERNAL LIFE?
1. He [Christ] suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
Hebrews 2:9
By dying on the cross, Christ died in our place and took the punishment of death that we deserve.
2. He [Christ] himself bore our sins in his body on the tree [the cross].
Peter 2:24
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3. I [God] will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.
Hebrews 8:12
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1
Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.
Romans 10:11
4. To all who received him [Jesus Christ], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
John 1:12
When we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son.
Romans 5:10
5. Since the children [of God] have flesh and blood, he [Jesus Christ] shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death––that is, the devil––and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Hebrews 2:14-15
6. Jesus said… , “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies... Do you believe this?”
John 11:25-26
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Christ rose from the dead, so that we too can receive eternal life.
[The Bible's final prophecy about the future says:] Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. ...And I heard a loud voice from the throne [of God] saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." ...Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
Revelation 21:1, 3-5
SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
Believe and Repent.
They must turn to God in repentance [for their sins] and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
Acts 20:21
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The jailer…asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household.” …Then immediately he and all his family were baptized. …He was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God–he and his whole family.
Acts 16:29-34
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We are given only 2 options!
Whoever believes in [Jesus] the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.
John 3:36
What is God's heart toward you?
The Lord...is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
II Peter 3:9
"As surely as I live," declares the Sovereign Lord, "I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live [eternally]. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die [eternally]?"
Ezekiel 33:11
The Spirit…say[s], “Come!” …Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of [eternal] life. [Option #2!]
Revelation 22:17
This is God’s invitation to you on the last page of the Bible!