Corby LaCroix:
Welcome to ‎The Bible for Life Podcast, where we’re passionate about leading and equipping people in a growing relationship with Jesus. In today’s episode, it’s part two of Pastor Harrell’s overview of the book of Genesis. We’re so glad you’re with us. And now with today’s episode, Pastor Ken Harrell.

Ken Harrell:
We ended our last podcast as we began the book of Genesis. We ended in chapter three, where sin now has entered the world for the first time. And I just want to say before I get into this podcast, just a reminder that what these podcasts taking book by book is to give us an overview. We’re not going to get into the details. We’re not going to even cover every chapter, but I just want you to get a handle on the book. For instance, the book of Genesis, so let’s go back and let’s pick up where we left off. Adam sinned. Sin enters the world and the result is tragic. I find it interesting that the first thing that man did was cover up. That’s still going on today, folks. Before this time, there was nakedness but no shame. You know why? Because Adam and Eve were not self-conscious. You see, sin brought self-consciousness into the world. In chapter three, verse nine, the Bible says, “Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?'”

God didn’t wonder where he was. He knew where he was. And the Bible says, “So Adam said, ‘I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself.'” Those are new words for Adam. “I was afraid. I was naked.” And God says, “Who told you, you were naked, Adam?” And then the curse came, folks. And that’s the beginning of the end for Satan, for man, for man… man died instantly, spiritually. And the moment he sinned, it started the process of death physically. You see, that was never to happen. God created man to live forever in that incredible majestic place called the garden. The serpent, the curse came said you’ll crawl on your belly. And for the first time drops to the ground and he can’t get off. He gives woman the curse and that’s the whole problem of motherhood that women go through. The pain.

He gives man a curse. By the way, the curse isn’t work. It’s the sweat of work. It’s the pain that comes with work. And God now sets the stage for the remaining of the Bible. In verse 15, he said, “and I will put enmity, Satan, between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed.” You see, from then until now that battle is going on. And by the way, her seed, that’s a reference to Jesus Christ. It’s in the singular and God said, “he shall… to Satan, he shall crush your head and you will bruise his heel.” But that battle continues throughout time. Evil versus good. That’s exactly what’s going on in this world right now. It’s evil versus good. Well God cast them out of the garden. He puts a guard at the gates and they’re not permitted to enter. It’s interesting when you get to chapter five. I want to show you something, if you’ve never seen it before.

In chapter five, the Bible says in the day that God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. That’s verse one. In verse three, the Bible says, and Adam lived 130 years and began a son in his own likeness. You see that? God created Adam in the likeness of God, but now Adam has sinned. He’s a sinner. And he has a son and begets a son in his own likeness. And there you see the first sign of depravity. In chapter five, it gets worse, folks. The Bible says that sin is running rampant and the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of the heart was only evil continually. And then in verse number seven, the Lord said, “I will destroy man, whom I have created from the face of the earth.” And every single human being was going to be destroyed, but there was a man by the name of Noah.

In chapter six, verse eight says, “but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” And that begins the story of the flood. I’m amazed at how many Christians I’ve talked to over the years who have these strange ideas about the flood and the Ark. If you study carefully, the Bible, you’ll find out that the maximum time they were in the Ark was one year and 17 days. The total time of the deluge, omitting the loading time, was one year and 10 days. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights. That was a total rainfall. Chapter seven verse four tells us that. Verse 12, 40 days and 40 nights. Verse 17 of chapter seven, 40 days and 40 nights. There had never been a flood over the entire earth. In fact, until that time there’d never been rain. And the earth then, folks, was nothing like it is today.

The atmosphere was different. No rain. But with this flood, it brought incredible changes… geologically, to the climate. The whole upheaval of the earth, the whole strata of the terrain, as vast continence twisted and pushed up and sections of the ocean bottomed off. It took over one year for the waters to recede and the Ark rested on Mount Ararat. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to the Ark encounter, down just outside of Cincinnati, over into Kentucky. It got a replica of the Ark. It’s the most fascinating replica in the entire world. That Ark, 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, 51 feet high. It’s amazing. Critics of mock the flood and the Ark and they say, “oh, it never happened.” But the fact is, it did happen. And you know what? God put a rainbow in the sky just to remind you and me, not only did it happen, but that was a promise from God that it would never happen again.

Now from Noah and his sons, came a whole new world. Noah didn’t forever walk with God. He lived a long life. Chapter nine verse 28 tells us that Noah lived after the flood 350 years. So all the days of Noah were 950 years and he died. But unfortunately in the latter part of his life, after the flood, he got drunk and his son and himself… there was an elicit act, nakedness, shamefulness, and a curse fell on that boy. Had followed and plagued him all of his life. But when you get to chapter 10… chapter 10 is… it traces the origin, or should I say the Genesis, the beginning of the nations. It’s one of the most interesting of all the chapters in Genesis, but I got to tell you, when you begin to read it, it may very well put you to sleep, but it traces the origins, the Genesis of all the nations.

Well now you come to chapter 11, and chapter 11 is the Tower of Babel, that humanistic attempt that failed. People wanted to make a tower that went all the way up into heaven so that they would never be scattered. They wanted to make a name for themself and God brought judgment on them. And as a result, God scattered them into nations. He confused their languages. And now for the first time, it’s a multi-lingual world. You see, up until that time, there was only one language, but now there’s all sorts of changes. And as a result, God set his heart on Abraham and chose him to be his own. And he began the work of the semitic line, the people of the Hebrews. God says that he chose them simply because he chose them. In Deuteronomy seven, verse seven, the Bible says, “the Lord did not set his love on you.”

Speaking to the Hebrews, to the Jews. “He did not set his love on you nor choose you because you were more number than any other people, for you are the least of all the people.” God chose him just because he chose them. Abraham was an idolater at one time, but he turned to God in faith. And as a result, God made an unconditional promise, an unconditional covenant. God said, “I’m going to bless those who bless you. And I’ll curse those who curse you. And through you, the nations will know of me.” And in chapter 12, God begins his messianic plans that brings Jesus Christ through the line of Abraham.

I’m going to come back to Genesis as I get into the book of Exodus so that you understand exactly what’s going on. But before we close this podcast, I want to make a couple of applications to your life and my life. The first application is like those in Genesis, we were created by God. Psalm 139 says that we have a body built by God. We were fearfully and wonderfully made. And if you are a parent of young children, I would encourage you to make this a reality in your communicating and teaching and leading your child. Let them see who they are, not defined by what the world and our culture tells them, not by what they read or what they see, but rather by what God has to say that they were fearfully and wonderfully made. Their body’s just like God wanted it to be. The reason their nose is like that, their ears, whatever, is simply because that’s how God made them. And God said they’re beautiful in his sight.

There’s another application. And I want you to listen to me carefully. We are all just like Adam after he sinned. We are fallen at birth. We’re sinners by nature. The Bible says the soul that sins must die, and you and I would draw our last breath and die and go to hell except for a man. And that man’s name is Jesus Christ. And God gave that man his son to be a substitute for our sins. And just like the Ark, those that come inside are safe. Those that stay outside of Jesus are lost. And thank goodness by the grace of God, he brought me in. I hope you’ve let him bring you in. But you know what? For those that reject God’s plan, continually trying to build their own towers, their own babbles to make a name for themselves. I just want to tell you, if that’s you, it’s a futile effort. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen how the book of Genesis closes, but it’s the way that most men and women close their lives.

They close it in a coffin. The last verse in the book of Genesis says, “so Joseph died being 110 years old and they embalmed him and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.” You see, your life can end in a coffin or it can begin at a cross. The choice is yours. If you’re listening to this podcast, I don’t want to take for granted that you’re on your way to heaven. You might be on your way to hell. And I want you to listen to me. Our roots, your roots and mind take us all the way ultimately back to Genesis. And we have to face the fact of what God says about the origin of things, and especially about the seed of the woman who was sent for your salvation. You see, the only way to get out of the coffin is through his life.

Jesus took your sin and my sin, and he paid the penalty of our sin. He shed his blood that our sin would be forgiven. He died, he was buried, and he rose from the dead. That’s the gospel. That’s the good news. And if you’ve never asked Jesus Christ to come into your life, you can do it right now. Just say, “Jesus, I admit, I’m a sinner. And I know I need a savior. And I ask you Jesus to come into my life and forgive me of my sin. And I ask God that you would bring me into your forever family. I’m trusting you Jesus, and no one but you.” If you will do that, I promise you God will forgive your sin, give you an eternity in heaven, place you in his forever family.

Until the next podcast, as we begin the book of Exodus, I hope you’ll be in God’s word. I’d encourage you if you’re listening to this, but not writing anything down, take the time. It’s worth it. I’ll see you at our next podcast.

Corby LaCroix:
This has been The Bible for Life Podcast with Pastor Ken Harrell. Thanks for joining us today and make sure you like, subscribe, and encourage others to do so as well. We can’t wait to see you again on the next episode and remember, for the issues of life, for the rest of your life, it’s The Bible for Life.