Constraints Of Restoration-3

Series:

SUPPLANTING The LEGACY Of WICKEDNESS—Genesis 6:9—10:32

A—GOD’s REMOVAL STRATEGY—Genesis 6:9-22

Toward Removing the Legacy of Wickedness

B—GOD’s DESIGNED DESTRUCTION(& Salvation)—Genesis 7:1-24

C—SALVATION REALIZED(Getting to Normal)—Genesis 8:1-19

D—EXPERIENCING The VICTORY(Man’s Response)—Genesis 8:18-22...

OR RATHER--MANIFESTATIONS Of ACCEPTANCE—Genesis 8:18-22

E—CONSTRAINTS Of RESTORATION-III—Genesis 9:1-19

1. CONSTRAINTS For FRUITFULNESS(Success)—Genesis 9:1-7

2. GOD’s COVENANT With The EARTH—Genesis 9:8-17

F—SAME Ol’ SAME Ol’—Genesis 9:20-29

G—The NATIONS—Genesis 10:1-32

Attention:

!NO OPENING ILLUSTRATION!

Our Success as Christians is Constrained thru certain relationships & actions.

CONSTRAIN—‘To severely restrict the scope, extent, or activity of.’ OR--‘To compel or force toward a particular course of action.’

OR rather--for OUR/Today’s APPLICATION--‘To keep within God’s limits.’

Need:

The constraints attending mankind’s restoration may not be what you may imagine!

God blessed Noah’s family with a restoration based on relationship.

Man’s restoration is to be constrained/limited contained/determined thru relationships.

How do relationships constrain/determine our restoration?

3 relationships constraining/determining our restoration.

We have already found that ‘Our Restoration is constrained thru relationship with’...

1. GOD(:1a)

2. REINSTATEMENT(:1b-2)

3—Restoration is constrained thru relationship with...

CREATION(:3)

Explanation: (:3)

:3—“Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.” ”

It explicitly states here that the previous rules of sustenance(1:29-30) will no longer hold true in this new post-diluvial world. God had formerly “given” green herbs, plants & seed for food for both mankind & animal-kind alike(1:29-30). At that time there was no provision made in which a person would take an animal’s life for food or vice-versa(implied). The only mention of the lives of animals being taken were in the context of worship(4:3-5).

“Noah’s world included killing,” “& this demanded safeguards.”—NAC

With Noah now set as the second Adam(Jesus being the Last Adam(1Cor. 15:20-26, 45)), “all things,” including animals, are given to him “as” are/were “the green herbs”(1:29-30). There is now nothing to hinder Noah & his future generations(mankind) from gratefully accepting “all things” as gifts of the Lord for their survival, thriving & enjoyment(gladness of heart).

We must also realize that even with such food restrictions removed, there is also a very real recognition of “clean”(acceptable) as opposed to “unclean”(unacceptable) as seen in Noah’s worship(8:20).

This is reminiscent of Paul’s statements in 1Tim. 4, where he writes...

1Tim. 4:1-5—“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits & doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, & commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe & know the truth. For every creature of God is good, & nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God & prayer.”

Likewise, Peter’s grasp of the universal application of the Gospel was pictured in his foregoing/giving up the severe limitations of ceremonial dietary Law for an acceptance of all things “God has cleansed.”

Acts 11:5 -18—““I[Peter] was in the city of Joppa praying; & in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; & it came to me. “When I observed it intently & considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, & birds of the air. “And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill & eat.’ “But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’ “But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’ “Now this was done three times, & all were drawn up again into heaven. At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea. Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, & we entered the man’s house. And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, & call for Simon whose surname is Peter, ‘who will tell you words by which you & all your household will be saved.’ “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ “If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?” When they heard these things they became silent; & they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.””