God's Redemption: From Creation to Salvation
Summary
### Summary
Good morning, Two Rivers! Today, we embark on a new series called "Redemption Story," where we will journey through the Old Testament to understand its history, God's unchanging nature, and how it all points to Jesus. We begin with Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." This verse is foundational, reminding us of God's eternal existence and His immense power to create the universe with His breath. Despite our smallness, God knows and cares for each of us, seeking us out and offering salvation through His Son, Jesus.
In Genesis 3, we encounter the fall of man. The serpent, representing Satan, tempts Eve to eat from the forbidden tree, leading to the first sin. This act of disobedience introduces sin and brokenness into the world, affecting all of humanity. Adam and Eve's sin results in a cursed world, filled with pain, toil, and relational strife. Yet, even in their failure, God seeks them out, asking, "Where are you?" This question signifies God's relentless pursuit of us, even when we fall short.
God's plan for redemption is evident from the beginning. Genesis 3:15 foreshadows the coming of Jesus, who will crush the serpent's head, symbolizing the ultimate victory over sin and Satan. This "first gospel" points to the cross, where Jesus' sacrifice provides a way for us to be reconciled with God. Despite our sin, God offers us salvation and eternal life through faith in Jesus.
As we navigate this broken world, we must remember that God is in control and has a plan for redemption. He seeks us out, saves us, and promises a future where all things will be made new. Let us place our faith and trust in Him, knowing that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
### Key Takeaways
1. God's Eternal Nature and Creative Power: Genesis 1:1 reminds us that before time began, God existed. His power is so immense that He spoke the universe into existence. This foundational truth should humble us and fill us with awe, knowing that the Creator of everything cares for each of us individually. [41:23]
2. The Reality of Sin and Its Consequences: The fall of man in Genesis 3 introduces sin and brokenness into the world. Adam and Eve's disobedience leads to a cursed existence filled with pain, toil, and relational strife. This narrative underscores the gravity of sin and our need for a Savior. [53:52]
3. God's Relentless Pursuit: Despite our failures, God seeks us out. In Genesis 3:8, God asks Adam and Eve, "Where are you?" This question signifies His relentless pursuit of us, even when we fall short. It is a beautiful reminder that God loves us and desires a relationship with us. [49:42]
4. The First Gospel and Promise of Redemption: Genesis 3:15 foreshadows the coming of Jesus, who will ultimately defeat Satan. This "first gospel" points to the cross, where Jesus' sacrifice provides a way for us to be reconciled with God. It is a powerful reminder of God's redemptive plan from the very beginning. [49:09]
5. Living in a Broken World with Hope: Our world is broken due to sin, but God promises a future where all things will be made new. As believers, we must navigate this brokenness with hope, knowing that God is in control and has a plan for redemption. Our faith in Jesus assures us of eternal life and a restored creation. [59:26]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[38:34] - Introduction to Redemption Story Series
[39:36] - Understanding the Old Testament
[40:31] - Jesus in the Old Testament
[41:23] - Genesis 1:1 - The Beginning
[42:18] - God's Immense Power and Care
[43:18] - The Plan of Redemption
[44:06] - Genesis 2:18 - Not Good for Man to Be Alone
[44:58] - Genesis 3 - The Fall of Man
[46:18] - The Temptation and Sin
[47:23] - Consequences of Sin
[49:09] - God's Judgment and Promise
[49:42] - Random Thoughts from Ron
[50:15] - Understanding Our Enemy
[53:52] - The Reality of Sin
[59:26] - Living in a Broken World
[01:02:19] - God Seeks Us
[01:09:05] - Personal Testimony
[01:11:04] - God Saves Us
[01:14:38] - Invitation to Salvation
[01:16:12] - Final Prayer
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide: "Redemption Story"
#### Bible Reading
1. Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
2. Genesis 3:1-15 - The Fall of Man and God's Promise of Redemption
#### Observation Questions
1. What does Genesis 1:1 reveal about God's nature and His power? [41:23]
2. In Genesis 3, what was the serpent's strategy to tempt Eve, and how did she respond? [45:42]
3. How did Adam and Eve react after they ate the forbidden fruit, and what was God's initial response to their disobedience? [47:23]
4. What promise does God make in Genesis 3:15, and how does it foreshadow the coming of Jesus? [49:09]
#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the creation account in Genesis 1:1 shape our understanding of God's eternal nature and His relationship with creation? [41:23]
2. What does the interaction between the serpent and Eve in Genesis 3 teach us about the nature of temptation and sin? [45:42]
3. How does God's question, "Where are you?" in Genesis 3:9 reflect His character and His desire for a relationship with humanity? [49:42]
4. In what ways does Genesis 3:15 serve as the "first gospel," and how does it set the stage for the entire biblical narrative of redemption? [49:09]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflecting on Genesis 1:1, how does acknowledging God's immense power and care for you personally impact your daily life and faith? [41:23]
2. Considering the nature of temptation as seen in Genesis 3, what are some practical steps you can take to guard against similar temptations in your own life? [45:42]
3. How can you be more aware of God's pursuit of you, especially during times when you feel distant or have fallen short? [49:42]
4. In what ways can you live out the hope of redemption in a broken world, knowing that God has a plan for restoration? [59:26]
5. How does understanding the promise of Genesis 3:15 and its fulfillment in Jesus encourage you to share the gospel with others? [49:09]
6. What specific actions can you take this week to strengthen your relationship with God, knowing that He seeks you out even when you fail? [49:42]
7. How can you remind yourself daily of God's unchanging nature and His redemptive plan, especially when facing challenges and uncertainties? [40:31]
Devotional
Day 1: The Creator's Care for Us
Description: Genesis 1:1 is a powerful reminder of God's eternal nature and His immense creative power. Before time began, God existed, and with His breath, He spoke the universe into existence. This foundational truth should humble us and fill us with awe, knowing that the Creator of everything cares for each of us individually. Despite our smallness in the grand scheme of creation, God knows us intimately and desires a relationship with us. This realization should inspire us to trust in His care and provision for our lives. [41:23]
Isaiah 40:26 (ESV): "Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing."
Reflection: How does knowing that the Creator of the universe cares for you personally change the way you approach your daily challenges and decisions?
Day 2: The Gravity of Sin
Description: The fall of man in Genesis 3 introduces sin and brokenness into the world. Adam and Eve's disobedience leads to a cursed existence filled with pain, toil, and relational strife. This narrative underscores the gravity of sin and our need for a Savior. Sin is not just a minor mistake; it has profound consequences that affect all of humanity. Understanding the seriousness of sin helps us recognize our need for redemption and the importance of seeking God's forgiveness and grace. [53:52]
Romans 5:12 (ESV): "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned."
Reflection: In what ways have you experienced the consequences of sin in your own life, and how can you seek God's forgiveness and healing today?
Day 3: God's Relentless Pursuit
Description: Despite our failures, God seeks us out. In Genesis 3:8, God asks Adam and Eve, "Where are you?" This question signifies His relentless pursuit of us, even when we fall short. It is a beautiful reminder that God loves us and desires a relationship with us. No matter how far we stray, God is always calling us back to Him. This relentless pursuit is a testament to His unwavering love and grace, encouraging us to respond to His call and seek a deeper relationship with Him. [49:42]
Luke 19:10 (ESV): "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."
Reflection: Can you identify a moment in your life when you felt God pursuing you? How did you respond, and how can you continue to seek Him today?
Day 4: The Promise of Redemption
Description: Genesis 3:15 foreshadows the coming of Jesus, who will ultimately defeat Satan. This "first gospel" points to the cross, where Jesus' sacrifice provides a way for us to be reconciled with God. It is a powerful reminder of God's redemptive plan from the very beginning. Despite the presence of sin and brokenness in the world, God has always had a plan for our redemption. This promise of redemption gives us hope and assurance that through faith in Jesus, we can be restored to a right relationship with God. [49:09]
1 Peter 1:18-19 (ESV): "Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot."
Reflection: How does the promise of redemption through Jesus impact your understanding of God's love and your daily walk with Him?
Day 5: Hope in a Broken World
Description: Our world is broken due to sin, but God promises a future where all things will be made new. As believers, we must navigate this brokenness with hope, knowing that God is in control and has a plan for redemption. Our faith in Jesus assures us of eternal life and a restored creation. This hope should influence how we live our lives, encouraging us to trust in God's promises and to share the message of hope with others. [59:26]
Revelation 21:4-5 (ESV): "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.'"
Reflection: In what ways can you live out the hope of God's promise of a restored creation in your daily life, and how can you share this hope with those around you?
Quotes
1. "We want to give you a better understanding of how God is unchanging, right? That the God of the Old Testament is the same God in the New Testament. He's the same yesterday, today, tomorrow, forever. And we want to look at how he's moved throughout the lives of so many and moved throughout history. Same God. The Old Testament is not disjointed from the New Testament, which leads me to our third purpose of doing this series. And it's simply to gain a better understanding of how the Old Testament not only leads to the birth of Jesus, but points to him every step of the way." [39:36] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "There is an incredible God who words cannot even describe. There is no one to compare him to, but he is the one who created everything. He's the one who holds everything together. If he took his hands off for a nanosecond, the whole thing would spin out of control. By the way, we're going to see, it's incredible that that God would even know or care about who I am or who you are, but he does, and he seeks us, and he sent his son to save us. And if you place your faith and trust in Jesus, you get to spend all of eternity with that God. That's a pretty good deal." [42:18] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "We have a real enemy. So Genesis 3, 1 says, Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. So, all of a sudden in Genesis 3, this new character appears, the serpent. And we're not given any other information here and the truth is, there is no other information in Genesis chapter 3 narrative. He just shows up and he's there and he starts tempting Adam and Eve. And so, to really understand, you have to go to a bunch of other places in the world. You have to go to the Bible to understand who Satan is and I could exhaust that this morning." [50:15] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "We have a sin problem. So Genesis three, right? Like I say this around here, when we talk about the gospel, you can't talk about the good news of Jesus without the bad news of our brokenness and our sinfulness. And it all starts right here in Genesis chapter three, right? Genesis chapter three, six. The woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good. She ate it. And then she gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate it. So Adam and Eve, both sinned in this instance. It's interesting though, that God puts the blame on Adam, right?" [53:52] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "We live in a broken world, right? Sometimes people are like, why is this happening? Why is that happening? Why are things so crazy? Well, it's because the world that we currently live in was cursed because of Adam and Eve's sin back in the garden. It's in Genesis 3, I didn't read this part, but in verse 16, God said to the woman, I'll make your pains in childbirth very severe. With painful labor, you will give birth to children. It's why I'm glad I'm not a woman. I've watched my wife give birth, and if that were up to me, the human population would have gone extinct a long time ago, right?" [56:41] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "God seeks us. Verse eight of Genesis three, 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. By the way, that's one of the funniest verses in all of scripture. Oh, no, here comes God. Let's hide from him. And we're laughing, but aren't we the same sometimes? It's somehow we think we can hide from God, that he won't know what we're really up to, that he won't know the thoughts that are really in our minds. That he won't know the motives that are coming from our heart. We can hide nothing from God." [01:02:19] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "God saves us. So the Lord God said to the serpent, because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals. You'll crawl on your belly. Verse 15. Listen, this verse in theological circles, it's known as protevangelicum. I didn't even say that right. It's something like that. It's a word that I would never use. But in studying it, I saw the word and it's two words put together. And the word means first gospel. Theologians look at Genesis 315 and say, there it is. First gospel. The gospel shows up right here." [01:09:05] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "We win in the end. I already read you the verse, right? Here's some other, here's Romans 16. It says, the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. Revelation 12, 19, the great dragon was hurled down. That ancient serpent called the devil or Satan who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth and his angels with him. Listen, here's the deal. God is coming back again someday to set all things right. New heaven, new earth, no more sin, no more death, no more disease, no more tragedies, no more struggles, no more Satan." [01:12:49] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
9. "Redemption story. Genesis 3, the gospel on full display. Men with a desperate sin problem, relationship broken with God, God seeking them out and God already laying out to say, hey, there's a plan of redemption here. It's John 3, 16, all the way back in Genesis 3, that God loved us so much that he gave his one and only son to die on a cross for us. That whosoever would believe in him, place their faith and their trust in him, would not perish, would not die spiritually forever and spend eternity in a place called hell, but would receive eternal everlasting life in a spectacular place called heaven." [01:14:38] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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