How many of you know that there are many in the Body of Christ who do not think that Genesis is literal? Many believe it’s allegorical. Some don’t believe Genesis really happened believing that the book is a series of stories that were compiled to try and help us understand what happened in the beginning.
I was mowing the yard recently. Normally I pull up YouTube and listen to a message. But this time I felt a sensing to listening to the book of Genesis. I probably got through 40 chapters. And as I’m listening the Lord began pointing some things out and so I said Lord you know that I’m mowing the yard and not writing this stuff down. He kept talking.
When I finished and took a shower, I sat down and began to read Genesis again. So I asked a question. You know you can ask the Lord questions, right? So I asked him “Why were you showing me all of this?” And He said “Because Genesis is important.”
So we’re going to look at some things tonight that show us why Genesis is important and why the enemy of soul wants us to believe it’s allegorical.
Turn to Genesis 1.
(26) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
(27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
(28) And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth [In Old English, the word “replenish” meant “to fill” not to replace. Every other place in Genesis where this Hebrew word is used it’s translated “fill”.], and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
In your outline you’re going to see a redundancy – “Why is this important?”
What we have just read describes man before his rebellion. So, why is this important? What changed after Adam’s rebellion? The sin nature was introduced. What did not change after Adam’s rebellion? Man’s authority. He still had authority even though he no longer had the life of God living in him.
Ladies and gentlemen, that is so important. We think just because we’re God’s sons and daughters that we’re the only ones who have authority in this world. The sin natured man has authority too. That is what Satan accesses to get things done in this world. He accesses man’s authority through the sin nature.
Let me tell you something. Satan has an easier time getting access to the authority of the person with a sin nature than God does gaining access to the authority of His own children!
Again, why is this important? Let’s go back to Genesis and read the first three verses.
(1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
(2) And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
(3) And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
In Genesis 1:26-28 God created man to be exactly like Him except we don’t have deity. So when Genesis says “God said” “And God said” “And God saw” – that’s us! Because God created us to be like Him. His word came to pass. Our words are supposed to come to pass. Do you see this?
But if you believe Genesis is a myth or that it is allegorical you’ll miss who you really are ladies and gentlemen. When you speak it is supposed to come to pass. God tells us in the very first book of the Bible who we are but we often miss it.
The words of man, saved and lost, carry power and authority in this world to create. Proverbs 18:21 says “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Get a hold of that ladies and gentlemen. What you speak is what you love. You are either speaking life because that’s what you love or you’re speaking death because you love it. That’s what the Bible says.
You need to make a decision. You need to decide every day to speak life because if you don’t you’ll find yourself speaking death. We’re been raised to speak death, to speak doubt, to speak unbelief. Same thing just different words.
Gen 1:21 – “And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
Why is this important? Hold your finger here and turn to Genesis 6.
(1) And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
(2) That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
(3) And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
(4) There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
How many of you have heard that the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 were fallen angels? The Bible says in Genesis 1:21 that everything reproduces after its kind. This tells us that we can’t mate with angels and produce offspring. Angels are not after our kind! But if Genesis is myth, if Genesis is not true, if Genesis is allegorical, you’ll miss this.
Now look at Genesis 2:15. “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”
That word “keep” means “to guard and protect.” Why is that important? How many of you have prayed to God to protect something? How many of you have prayed to God to guard something? The Bible says God put Adam in the garden to guard and protect it. So if God says “Son, I’m putting you in the garden; you protect it” what is He going to say to His sons today? The same thing! Your house, you protect it. This is our right! This is our inheritance! We don’t ask God to do for us what He has already given us the power to do!
We’re looking at why Genesis is important. Look in chapter 2.
(19) And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
(20) And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
What I want you to see: Adam, the son of God, gave names to the things he had dominion over. Throughout the course of history, man has given names to things.
Tuberculosis. Man gave it the name. Now according to the Bible if man names it man has dominion over it. Do you hear me? Cancer. Man gave the disease the name. Man has dominion. Nor the man with a sin nature but the man with God’s life and nature. He is the one with true dominion. Remember Adam did the naming before he fell in Genesis 2. He fell in Genesis 3.
I hope you hear what I’m saying. Heart attack. Man gave it that name. Arthritis. Oh, you’re going to love this one: “the cold and flu season”. If man can give it a name then the Bible says man has dominion. Again the sin natured man does not have this type of dominion. We do. Why? Because we live in the kingdom of light!
How many of you have ever said abracadabra? Abracadabra. It’s an Aramaic term that means “I create what I speak.” I want you to think about that for a moment. We grew up as children saying “Abracadabra”. We create what we speak.
Remember how we read that death and life are in the power of the tongue? Are you creating life when you speak or are you creating death when you speak? You only have two choices.
Now look at Genesis 2:24. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
The word “cleave” means “glued”. You can’t pull them apart. Why is this important ladies and gentlemen? God tells us in the very first book of the Bible that He created woman for man. Do you see this? It doesn’t say “cleave unto his girlfriend.” It doesn’t say “cleave unto his domestic partner.”
When God created the man and the woman, He created a husband and a wife – from the beginning. It was not up for debate. The only reason they were together is because God said you are a husband and you are a wife. So don’t tell me a man and a man is what God had in mind. Don’t tell me a woman and a woman is what God had in mind
The Bible says He created them male and female. But if you think Genesis is myth, if you think Genesis is allegorical, you will negotiate on that and we have seen too many men and women in the pulpit agree that Genesis is myth because they’re not preaching and teaching what it says. This is why Genesis is so important.
Look in Genesis 3:1. “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”
Now we know that the serpent ends up persuading Eve to eat of the fruit that God had prohibited. Why is this important ladies and gentlemen? It shows us in chapter 3 of Genesis that Satan has no power over us. The only reason that man fell is because he believed what Satan said and then acted. Other than that Satan has no power over us! None! Zero! Write that down! Get out your highlighter! He has no power over you! Stop thinking that he does.
The serpent had to talk Eve into rebellion. He could not make her rebel. Do you think it’s any different today? Satan can’t make anyone do anything he or she is not willing to do.
Look at Genesis 3.
(17) And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
(18) Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
(19) In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Why is this important? In the third chapter of the first book of the Bible God makes it very, very clear: “When I speak, you obey.” “If you want to be victorious in this life, when I speak, you obey.” This not hard. This is not complicated.
Now turn to Genesis 5.
(1) This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
(2) Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
(3) And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
What does verse 3 say? It says Adam begat a son in his own likeness and image. The children that Adam and Eve had were not in God’s image. When you believe Genesis is myth you will say “we’re all God’s children”. Genesis 5:3 tells us that this is a lie. Every human being is not God’s child. I have three children – three – and I know who they are. Don’t you think God knows who His children are?
Genesis 6:5. “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Now this was before the flood. Now look at Genesis 8.
(20) And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
(21) And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
Why is this important? It shows us that the nature of man, man’s behavior, man’s way of thinking did not change after the flood. So when we get born again, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 tells us to cast down the imaginations that are in opposition to God’s Word. Before we got born again, we had all sorts of imaginations that were wrong and they did not go away when we got born again.
Turn to Genesis 13.
(14) And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
(15) For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
(16) And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
Turn to chapter 15.
(1) After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
(2) And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
(3) And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
(4) And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
(5) And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
(6) And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Why is this important ladies and gentlemen? In both passages, God created a picture for Abram. He created an image for Abram. God says to Abraham, “Here’s my promise and let me paint a picture for you so you can see what I see.”
We see here in Genesis, in the very first book of the Bible, that God wants us to see things the way He sees things. That’s why God said “Look at the stars Abram and if you can number them that is your seed!” “Look at the sand Abram and if you can number them that is your seed!”
We have to understand how important pictures are to us. Jesus says, for example, that a man commits adultery in his heart, in his mind, before he commits the act. Why does Jesus say this? He says you have the picture in your head so you’ve already done it and you have sinned!
But Satan says “No, no. You haven’t sinned yet because you haven’t completed the act. When you complete the act then you’ve sinned.” Jesus says “Nope. Where I come from, and where you now come from, when you think the thought you’ve already sinned.”
That’s why it’s so important that we control the pictures. If we don’t control the pictures the pictures are going to control us. And I’m talking about men and women who have the life and nature of God on the inside of them. So you think about that the next time you watch a certain movie. You think about that the next time you watch a movie that has “F” bombs.
God says “When you see what I see – that’s when you get the promise.”
In Genesis 18 God and a couple of angels show up at Abraham’s house on the way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Jump down to verse 16.
(16) And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
(17) And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
“Shall I hide from Abraham what I’m about to do? Genesis tells us that God wants us to know what we need to know. John 16:13 tells us that the Spirit of Truth will lead and guide us into all truth – if we let Him.
(18) Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
(19) For I know him.
God knew Abraham! You are His son and if you need to know something He’s not going to keep it from you! Do you see this? In Genesis, the book that many people think is myth or a bunch of stories just thrown together.
(19) For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
We never have to be caught off guard by anything. That’s not saying things are not going to happen.
We’re still in Genesis 18. After God tells Abraham what He’s going to do, Abraham begins a conversation. “God if there are 50 righteous men will you not destroy the city?” God says “Okay, I won’t destroy it.” Now we get to verse 32.
(32) And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.
Who has authority in this earth? We do. God says “I know Abraham. I know the type of man he is. I know how he’s going to raise his family. And his family is going to respect me.”
So God says to Abraham “I will do this for you.” Now some people believe God was negotiating with Abraham. Let me tell you something. God doesn’t negotiate. It is “yea and amen”. Well Bro. Barry, what was God doing?
Abraham was not negotiating with God. He was trying to preserve life. And we know that God is all about life ladies and gentlemen. So as long as Abraham was trying to keep people alive in Sodom and Gomorrah, God was willing to work with him. God says “I’ll work with you to save lives. That’s who I am. That’s what I do.”
Now let me ask you something ladies and gentlemen. Don’t you think God will do that for us? When preserving life is what we’re after don’t you think He’d do that for us? I’m not talking about “God, what about a Mercedes Benz? No. Well what about a Bentley? No.” God is all about preserving life.
Listen to what the Lord is saying to Abraham: “Because of our relationship, because I know you and because I know you will teach your house to follow My ways, I will do for Sodom and Gomorrah what you ask.”
We have authority in this world. Abraham, in a sense, was standing in the gap for Sodom and Gomorrah. We have people in our lives that we need to stand in the gap for them so they won’t spend an eternity in the lake of fire. Abraham was standing in the gap for a people that Genesis 13 says was wicked. The passage says Sodom and Gomorrah was filled with “great wickedness.”
The angels did not find 10 righteous men in Sodom and Gomorrah so the city is about to be deleted. The Lord commands Lot and his family to leave the city and don’t look back. Now jump down to verse 22.
(22) Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
(23) The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
(24) Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
(25) And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
(26) But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
Why is this important? The Lord’s mercy cannot stop the consequences of our deliberate disobedience. Let that sink in.
Genesis 21.
(9) And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.
(10) Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
Turn to Galatians 4. It’s a verse we must read. “Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”
What do we see in Genesis 21? When Sarah spoke in agreement with God, God backed her up. If you hadn’t read the passage in Genesis, who would you have credited with saying what is said in Galatians? God. But He didn’t say it. Sarah said it. And God said “Yea and Amen.”
If you want God to back you up, speak what He speak. Do what He does. If you want Him to have your back give Him a reason.
In Genesis 22 we have the record of Abraham taking Isaac to be sacrificed.
(9) And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
(10) And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
(11) And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
(12) And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
Why is this important? When you read about Abraham and Isaac, Abraham had started putting Isaac upon a pedestal and seeing Isaac as the fulfiller of the promise instead of God. So says “Abraham I want you to sacrifice Isaac.” Bro. Barry, why would God do that? It was a test. God wanted to find out how much Abraham loved Isaac and how much Abraham loved Him.
Did not Jesus says the same thing? He said you have to love me more than you love your wife and your children. And we’re seeing this in Genesis 22! Abraham loved God and was willing to sacrifice him because as we learn in Hebrews 11 he knew God would raise him to life again.
So God tells Abraham, now I know you love me. What is this telling us? God is telling us here in Genesis 22 that He wants all of us. All of us. He doesn’t want us to hold anything back from Him. And God says “When I have all of you then I can fulfill My promises to you.” This is the message we see in Genesis 22.
Let’s recap what we’ve seen in these passages from Genesis:
? Man (the saved and the lost) has authority in this world.
? Everything produces after its own kind
? We have the authority to guard and protect ourselves.
? Faith sees what God sees.
? When we put our faith in God, we co-labor with Him to bring things to pass.
? God’s mercy cannot stop the consequences of deliberate disobedience.
? When we speak in agreement with God’s Word, it will come to pass.
? There is only one thing God wants from us: Us!
If you take Genesis out of the Bible then we will have no clue as to who we are. Don’t let anyone make you believe that Genesis is not important. The book is critical. Don’t let the enemy of the soul convince you that you are less than who you are.
