Intro:
1. Frank Sinatra theme song was "My Way" and that is the story of mankind. Because Adam and Eve sang "I did it My Way" instead of "Have Thine own way" in the garden - death is now a certainty for all mankind.
As Harry Houdini the famous escape artist, said before his last disappearing act, "I'm tired of fighting. I guess this thing is going to get me." The "this thing" that's going to get us all is death.
Even "Old blue eyes" is not "old closed eyes" as Frank Sinatra lay dying, his last words to his wife was, "I'm losin."
2. Genesis 5 is one long obituary, a clear proof that the wages of sin is death. But death is also a door way - an entrance either to Life with God or Life separated eternally from God.
3. One Death, Two Destinies.
Trans: I could not help but think of Augustine's work, The City of God. which sees the human race divided into two groups:
"Two cities formed by two loves: earthly, by the love of self, even to the contempt of God; and the heavenly, by the love of God, even to the contempt of self."
We have before us two lines - that of Cain and that of Seth. The line of Cain theme song is "My Way." While the line of Seth, believing the promise of Gen. 3:15 sings "Have Thine own way Lord."
I. FIRST, THE OBITUARY OF ADAM. 5:1-5
A. His Likeness. 1-2
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created - we looked at this in Gen. 2:26.
B. His Legacy. 3-4
3 When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. 4 Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters - Seth was created in Adam's marred image, now fallen because of his sin.
What will he be remembered for? Rom. 5:12 [looked at this]
C. His Longevity. 5
So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years - fallen man can only live so long!
President Woodrow Wilson experienced the devastation of World War I, he suffered a stroke which severely weakened him, 3 years after leaving office he died. His last words were, "The machinery is worn out." The outward man is perishing, this bodies simple wear out.
D. His Loss of life.
and he died - God's promises always come to past. The Devil's lie, "Surely you shall not die" is now clearly exposed.
Trans: Adam's obituary will become humanities obituary - all through chapter 5 we read, "and he died..."
Reminds me of two baseball players who loved playing baseball. They made an agreement that whoever died first, would seek to communicate with the other, as to whether, there was baseball in heaven.
The day came and one of them died, and sure enough he appeared to his friend in a dream. He said, "I have good news and bad news. The good news is that there is baseball in heaven. The bad news is, your scheduled to pitch tomorrow!" Heb. 9:27
II. FINALLY, THE ANCESTRY OF SETH. 5:6-32
A. The Repetition.
Seed lived...begot...and died.
Death is a fact of life - we never know when or how but it will come to all of us.
Gen. John Sedgwick, was a commander of the Army of the Potomac who was a relentless optimist. At the Battle of the Wilderness the troops were diving for cover from a Confederate sharpshooter.
Gen. John stood up boldly, and said, "They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist...." He caught a bulled in the face and dropped dead.
B. The Exception. 21-24
1. The Promise.
a. Promises are given to those who experience Regeneration.
21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. 22 Then Enoch walked with God... - you cannot walk with God unless you are first born into God's family. IF YOU HAVE A CHILD WHO IS WALKING, IT IS A CERTAINTY THAT HE WAS FIRST BORN!
God has many wonderful promises - but they are only for those who are born-again. Those who have gone from being In Adam to being In Christ.
"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God." 2 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV)
Trans:Regeneration.
One noted, "Regeneration does not simply put us back to where we would have been had Adam never sinned. Regeneration is birth into a brand-new life; it is sharing the very life of God. It is not just a reformation. If regeneration were only reformation, then the next time you sinned, you would have lost it. No, regeneration is that act of God whereby the very life of God is communicated to those who trust Christ as their Savior."
This must be the first promise one must claim if they are going to walk with God and be prepared to die. GOSPEL
b. Promises are given by Revelation.
Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. - apparently something happened before his son was born, that made him walk God.
Many believed that God revealed to him that after his son's death, a universal flood would come as a judgment from God.
Wiersbe, "If we make the creation of Adam year 1, and then calculate the year recorded in Gen. 5, we discover that Methuselah was born in the year 678 from the creation of Adam. If we add 969 to 687, we get a total of 1656, the number of the year in which Methuselah died.
If we continue our calculations, we discover that Noah was born in the year 1056 from the creation of Adam. Since Noah was 600 years old when the flood came (Gen. 7:6), it means that the Flood came in the year 1656 - the very year that Methuselah died!"
So naming his son Methuselah ["when he dies, it shall come"] was an act of faith in God's revealed promise.
Trans: If we are going to walk with God, we must have Revelation! God has given us such revelation in His Word. We are to live by His Word. 2 Tim. 3:16-17
Promises of God are found in the Word of God today.
George Mueller, who was known for his strong faith, confided.
"The first 3 years after conversion, I neglected the Word of God. Since I began to search it diligently, the blessing has been wonderful. I have read the Bible through one hundred times and always with increasing delight!"
John Bunyan, who wrote Pilgrim’s Progress, testified, "Read the Bible, and read it again, and do not despair of help to understand something of the will and mind of God, though you think they are fast locked up from you. Neither trouble yourself, though you may not have commentaries and expositions; pray and read, and read and pray; for a little from God is better than a great deal from man."
He also said, "I am a man of one Book."
Enoch had very little revelation - but he built his whole life upon what he had. This is the secret of life!
Ronald Reagan, "Within the covers of one single book, the Bible, are all the answers to all the problems that face us today—if only we would read and believe."
Martin Luther, "God is everywhere. However, He does not want you to reach out for Him everywhere but only in the Word. Reach out for it and you will grasp Him aright. Otherwise you are tempting God and setting up idolatry. That is why He has established a certain method for us. This teaches us how and where we are to look for Him and find Him, namely, in the Word."
c. The Promises must be Relied upon by faith.
"5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." Hebrews 11:5-6 (NASB)
Let's be clear faith is a wonderful gift given to us by God (Eph. 2:8-9). Katie Couric anchor of the CBS Evening News, lost her husband, who was just 42 years old, to colon cancer in 1988.
Her sister died about 4 years later. She said:
"I'm very interested in exploring a more spiritual side of me, and I'm in the process of doing that, both formally and informally. I really envy those who have a steadfast, unwavering faith, because I think it's probably so comforting and helpful during difficult times."
If we believer God's Promises, even during the difficult times of live, we should thank God for equipping us with such faith.
A story from the life of missionaries Robert and Mary Moffat illustrates this truth. For 10 years this couple labored faithfully in Bechuanaland (now called Bots-wana) without one ray of encouragement to brighten their way.
They could not report a single convert. Finally the directors of their mission board began to question the wisdom of continuing the work.
But they refused to leave their post, they felt sure that God had promised to bless their efforts.
They stayed; and for several more years things looked bleak. One day a friend in England sent word to the Moffats that he wanted to mail them a gift and asked what they would like.
Mrs. Moffat replied, "Send us a communion set; I am sure it will soon be needed." God honored their faith. The Holy Spirit moved upon the hearts of the villagers, and soon a little group of 6 converts was united to form the first Christian church in that land.
The communion set from England was delayed in the mail; but on the very day before they were to have their first commemoration of the Lord’s super - the set arrived.
Enoch believed God not only for 300 years but in a society that had for the most part rejected God.
d. Claiming God's Promises require continual Resolve.
Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years - walking with God is not a sprint but a marathon!
Boice, "Enoch went the long haul! We need people who walk with God all the way. Not flashes-in-the-pan; not shooting stars, who attract attention and then are gone - dazzling us more with their brilliance then their substance. We need steady, faithful people, who know God, and are, coming to know Him better and better, day by day."
Spurgeon, "What a splendid walk! A walk of 300 years! He did not commune with God by fits and starts, but he abode in the conscious love of God. He did not climb to the heights and then descend into the marshy valley of lukewarmness; but he continued in the enjoyment of fellowship with God from day to day. It is not a run, a leap, a spurt, but a steady unwavering walk."
e. Claiming God's Promise of a coming Rapture.
23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him - one moment he was there and then he was gone!
"And Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God; and he was not, for God took him [home with Him]." Genesis 5:24(AMP)
"Enoch walked with God, and then he disappeared because God took him away." Genesis 5:24 (NET1)
We have such a promise!
"15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 (NASB)
Within every believer beats a heart that longs for eternal intimacy with God.
C.S. Lewis, "Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger - well, there is such a thing as food; A duckling wants to swim - well, there is such a thing as water...
If I find in myself a desire that no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud.
Probably, earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing."
We will never experience the fulfilling of this inner longing until either we die or are raptured out of here.
I like what Charles Ellis of Indianapolis, Indiana does - he is a sports fan. Because he has to work when most games are on, he records the games.
When he comes home - he fast-forwards the tape to the end and finds out who wins and who loses. If his team loses - he turns off the TV. But if his team wins, he rewinds it, gets a bowl of popcorn and watches the entire game.
He said, "Some say this can't be much fun. But I love it. No matter how bad things look for my team, I don't have to worry because I know the end of the story."
No matter how bad things get - I know sooner or later I am going to be in God's Presence, in the next conscious second.
Con:
1. What is your theme song today - if your life a testimony of "I did it My Way?" Or is it "Have Thine own way Lord?"
2. Bar the rapture - we are all going to experience one death; but two very different Destinies.
3. You’ve probably heard the familiar story of the man whose name was printed in the obituary column of a daily paper by mistake.
Greatly disturbed, he went to the newspaper office and exclaimed, "This is terrible! Your error will cause me no end of embarrassment and may even mean a loss of business. How could you do such a thing?"
The editor expressed regrets, but the man remained angry and unreasonable. Finally the editor said in disgust, "Cheer up, fellow, I’ll put your name in the birth column tomorrow and give you a fresh start!"
That’s what happens when we find new life in Christ.
Are you still registered in Adam’s obituary column, or is your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life? There are only two books, and you are in one or the other!
Johnny Palmer Jr
StrugglingThruScriptures.ning.com
