Constraints Of Restoration-4

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-IV—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:

Commercial for Physician’s Mutual Dental Insurance...

•A dentist & the assistant are both looking at an x-ray & discussing their diagnosis & the particular course of action in alleviating a patient’s situation. They speak in hushed tones behind the patient The dentist quietly make’s an ominous statement to his assistant, “Oooooh, just what I thought...It's all going to have to come out!”...

•Then you see the x-ray that they are examining... & it is an x-ray of the patient’s wallet!

•“If you don’t have dental insurance, paying the bill can be really expensive.”...“Take the pain out of big dental bills, with physician’s mutual.”

According to that particular dentist, the constraints involved in the restoration of a patient’s teeth, was the removal of all their money!

Likewise, there are certain ‘uncomfortable’ constraints by which mankind’s restoration before God can be accomplished!

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. CREATION(:3)

4—Restoration is constrained thru relationship with...

MAN(:4-7)

Explanation: (:4-7)

:4—“But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”

Though animals are allowed to be killed for mankind’s sustenance, there is to be a continual reminder in such preparation for consumption. The provision to take of animal life in order to sustain Noah’s(& progeny) is a seeming paradox/contradiction seeing as all have been partakers in salvation(Rom. 8:18-25). However, at the same time, this preserves a real distinction between animals & mankind—made in the image of God Himself.

Rom. 8:18-25—“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”

The “blood” of even meal-bound animals is never to be eaten. The “blood” of an animal is considered as the very essence of its “life.” Thus The “blood” of every animal is to be deeply ‘considered.’

“Respect for life, & beyond that, respect for the giver of life, means abstaining from the ingestion of blood. This is a universal concept & anticipates the Jewish sacrificial Law.

Abstinence from blood is one of the very things which the Jerusalem Council wanted to ensure was shared with & secured among the Gentile Christians(Acts 15). Thus this is a timeless application which directly confronts paganism with a constant reminder of the perfect design of the One Creator God as well as the preciousness(to God) of the result of such design.

Acts 15:19-29—““Therefore I[James] judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, & from blood. For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath. Then it pleased the apostles & elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul & Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, & Silas, leading men among the brethren. They wrote this letter by them: The apostles, the elders, & the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, & Cilicia: Greetings. Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised & keep the law”--to whom we gave no such commandment-- it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas & Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas & Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, & to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, & from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”