Islington Baptist Church March 4, 2001
Sermon text: Genesis 5-6:8
What can we learn from a “boring” genealogy
For the most part the Bible’s genealogies are viewed by Christians to be something of a nuisance, something to be quickly brushed over. In essence, the Bible’s genealogies are widely viewed as “Boring”.
A strange irony is that we find our own personal family history’s to be “exciting” and worthy of great study and contemplation. People spend countless hours researching their family histories—they research on line, they go to libraries, they write letters, they interview grandma about the past, they will even journey half way across the continent to meet some long lost cousin so that they can find out more about their history.
When we study up on our family backgrounds its all about finding our roots and our place in our families. When we study up on our family’s history it gives us a sense of understanding regarding who we are and what shaped us to be the kind of people that we are today. When we study our family histories their stands out for us notable examples of people whom it would be good to be like, also, their stands out for us notable people whose examples and footsteps we should not follow in.
When I was in Seminary one of my assignments was to do a genogram. A genogram is a kind of genealogy except the goal is to analyze the relationships and patterns that are found in your family. It’s amazing what you learn about yourself when you study your family history in depth; you discover who the black sheep of the family have been, you discover hidden family secrets, you discover the unwritten rules of how your family works, you discover that generation after generation certain patterns emerge: whether it be a certain kind of cancer, mental illness, alcoholism, etc.
What’s my point: Given the fact that there is much to learn from our immediate family histories, there is also much for us to learn from the family histories that the Bible lists.
Today we are going to study Genesis 5-6:8 which details for us Adam’s family history
The goal of today’s study is for us to note the distinguishing marks of Adam’s line/family tree. But note this, we are of Adam’s line, we are the descendants of Adam, and so as we discover the distinguishing marks of Adam’s line, we will at the same time be learning about ourselves.
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Distinguishing marks of Adam’s line and by extension us
I. Made in the image of God
This is what makes us special and distinguishes us from the animals.
Note: When we talk about being made in God’s image we are not talking about a physical likeness.
When we speak of being made in the image of God we are speaking of how we are in some way like God.
How is it then, that we are like God?
-when a person exercises patience that examples a trait that God us
-when a person creates/ makes/ invents something, they are in a small way doing God did on a large scale
-when we exercise “dominion” over some facet of this world, we are in a small way doing what God does on a large scale
-we are like God in that we are moral beings. Our capacity to choose good from evil. The key difference between us and God here is that as a moral being he does not and cannot do what is evil—we on the other hand….
Even though Adam was a sinner and had rebelled against God, he and his descendants—being us, still bear God’s image. In spite of every persons sinfulness we still reflect and example something of the person of God to others- yet not perfectly and definitely not as God intended.
When a person comes to Jesus in faith and repentance they become a new person and the Holy Spirit’s day by day work is this: to conform us to the image of Christ who perfectly reflected the person and image of God on this earth.
II. Another distinguishing trait of Adam’s line is this: All of his descendants are mortal: they all died (save one exception: Enoch)
8 times in our text we are faced with these words “And then he died”
We tend to get fixated on the great ages of the men of our text but note this: every last one of them, excluding one notable exception, died.
What is it that distinguishes Adam’s line and by extension us? Death. Death is a constant for all of us
Why is it that death is common experience? Sin.
God is true to his word: He told Adam: Eat of the forbidden fruit and you will die. As the scriptures say “The wages of sin is death”
This past week on Wednesday some church’s celebrated what is called “Ash Wednesday”. The children in our Woodshop Club who are Roman Catholic each had some ash dabbed on their foreheads by their priests. When the priest put the ash on them he said this “ashes to ashes and dust to dust”.
What’s this all about? It’s a reminder that we are all going to die. It’s a reminder of God’s words of judgment to Adam “for dust you are and to dust you will return”
Every single one of us is going to die physically—unless of course the Lord Jesus returns before this happens us and takes us, who are his, into his heavenly courts—just like God took Enoch.
Since death is an imminent reality, how ought we to live? Since death is an imminent reality and then the judgment, how ought we to live?
Getting right with God and living faithfully, fearfully, and humbly before Him ought to be a priority!
How is it that a person can come to be right with God? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved! There is one who can save you from your sins: His name is Jesus. There is one who can reconcile you back to God: His name is Jesus.
III. Another of the distinguishing marks of Adam’s line is that they lived long, long lives. Because of our sinfulness and a limit to God’s patience, this is not a distinguishing mark that continues today.
The average age of the 10 people listed in ch.5 was 912. This sounds completely fantastic and mind boggling to us. How is it that they lived such long lives?
Think about it. When God made Adam, death was not part of the initial plan. Death was an intruder, a consequence of his rebellion against God.
While living to 900 is an impossibility for us—because God decreed that 120 would be our limit, consider for a moment this thought “What if these folks listed in this chapter were able to consider us and our lifespans?” Consider how shocked they would be. “They only live to 80 or 90, surely God’s hand is against them”
Indeed, God’s hand is against us. In 6:2 we are told that God decreed that our days would be 120.
Q Why did God limit our life spans to such a decree from what they were?
Our sinfulness and limits to God’s patience with us. “My Spirit will not contend with man for ever”
The Lord is extremely patient but to have a man be in a state of rebellion against Him for 100’s of years is too much.
The reason we only live a short time today is because we are all under God’s common judgment. A short life is a mark of God’s common judgment against man
A neat passage to contemplate: Isaiah 65:17-25
“Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice for ever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Never again will there be in an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at 100 will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach 100 will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpents food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.”
IV. Another distinguishing mark of Adam’s line and by extension us is this: Imperfect, flawed, sinful, fulfillment of the creation commandments
There are 2 creation commands—commands that are still for today. 1. Have children 2. Exercise dominion over the world
Our text portrays the descendants of Adam as doing these 2 things, but doing them in such a way that is sinful and displeasing to the Lord. See ch. 6:1-5
As descendants of Adam we are no different. When it comes to the command to have children there are all sorts of ways we disobey and pervert God’s intentions (i.e not having them, abortion of unwanted children, etc)—just as the first descendants of Adam did. Same thing when it comes to our exercising of dominion over the world
V. Another distinguishing mark of Adam’s line is this: His descendants were are, extremely sinful/wicked/evil
A distinguishing mark of Adam’s descendants is this: on the whole his descendants were extremely sinful—there are few of Adam’s line who stand out as even being worthy of mention, there are fewer still who stand out as godly.
What is it that distinguishes us as descendants of Adam: our extreme sinfulness!
In Genesis 6:5 God gives his analysis of Adam’s line, an analysis that stands today “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.”
Oh we like to think that we are somehow good. Yet there is no one who is good but God. On the whole we underestimate the deep depths of our personal sinfulness and wickedness. On the whole people live in a state of denial. Yet the scriptures are clear: Man is a big sinner who desperately needs a Savior: Jesus Christ. (For more info on the depths of man’s sinfulness apart from Christ note Romans 3)
VI. A further distinguishing trait of those of Adam’s line is this: There are few of his line who find favor with God.
Of Adam’s line here listed, Enoch and Noah stand out as exceptional men of God in a very dark and evil world.
Broad is the way that leads to Hell and narrow is the way that leads to Heaven. (Matthew 7:13-14)
Those who serve and love God have always been the minority, yet in these ones footsteps we must follow if the good promises of God are to be ours.
Today, of Adam’s line, there are still but a few who have found favor with God.
One finds favor with God by doing what is right in his sight. If you are asking “What must I do?” listen to these words from John 6:28-29 “Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
What did Paul say to the Philippian jailer who asked ‘What must I do to be saved?’ Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved!
VII. The last distinguishing mark, for today, of Adam’s line and by extension us, is this: His descendants were and are, on the whole, a major disappointment and source of grief to God: this explains his past, present, and future judgments against us, the line of Adam.
How’s that for a downer? We go from Genesis 1 and God’s declarations of the goodness of what He had made to Genesis 6:6 which says “The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.”
When it comes to our thinking about God we hardly ever conceive of God as being personally offended and hurt by our evil actions, thoughts, and ways. Yet this is true.
God is a personal being. He is not just a God who lives a way up there. He has feelings, He is a relational being, He can be offended and grieved by us, His patience with man is not something that is without limit.
When we sin against God, we are not sinning against some impersonal being, who remains emotionally detached from what He sees us doing.
Think about this: when you were a child and rebelled against your parents, were they unmoved or rather, didn’t your rebellion against them tear them up inside and cause them pain? Same thing with God
How ought we to respond God, being called our Father?: Seek to please Him, draw near to Him, enjoy his Fatherhood and the blessing of knowing Him and being in relationship with Him
CONCLUSION
The goal of today’s study was for us to note the distinguishing marks of Adam’s line/family tree. NOTING of course that we are of Adam’s line, we are the descendants of Adam, and so as we discover the distinguishing marks of Adam’s line, we have, at the same time be learning about ourselves.
These are the distinguishing marks of Adam’s line and ultimately of us….
1. Made in God’s image
2. Mortal
3. Long lives for them, but not for us: we live short lives, as compared to the first descendants of Adam because that is God’s judgment against us
4. Sinful doing of the creation commands
5. General and pervasive, personal wickedness and evil: This is why we need a Savior
6. There of few who find favor with God
7. A cause of personal grief for God.
