The Gospel In Genesis

The Gospel in Genesis Genesis 3:15

1. God’s Purpose is Goodness. Read Genesis 1:4; 1:18; 1:25; for everything that God created, he said it was ‘good’; He reached the pinnacle of His creation in verse 27 (read), and then when he finished creating he said in verse 31….

A. Pretend you were to go out on the streets today and ask people a question. The question is this: “What is good?” What is ‘good’ my friends? On the face, we live in corrupted world; in which things are OK…. So what is ‘good’? In Matthew 19 a man addressed Jesus and said, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. The point being, God is Good! He defines everything that is good, right, and true! If we see something that God says is ‘good’ then what right have we to say that it is bad? Certainly, understanding God’s goodness is going to take time with Him. Ie.)God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden and they knew what God expected of them and what had been provided them. If God had irrationally ordered their daily lives, then maybe they would have a complaint; but He didn’t. How many people on the street would respond to your question: “God is good!”

B. Secondly; concerning goodness we are given a clue in Genesis 2:18. Relationship is good! Man is not to be left alone in a marriage relationship. And if this is true…and it is; man should also not be alone in other relationships….children, friends, and ultimately God. What good is being alone? In fact, in referring to the man and the women….they will become one flesh. He said, she is a help…in other words a “completer” Man is not complete in goodness without relationship. Now, I said earlier that our good relationship is ultimately with God. If you’re single today, I don’t want you leaving saying, “Well, ‘no wife’ or ‘no husband’ means “no good!” Because ultimately what is truly good, is our relationship with God Himself. Jesus said, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

Are you all familiar with the ‘Footprints’ poster that essentially says that when times get rough and there was only one set of footprints in the sand as you walked with God, that this is the time when God carried you. How inspirational, but it’s a lie! What drivel…it all started within a heresy of Gnosticism which saw the remaining footprints on the beach to be ours because it asserted that Jesus did not have a human body that would leave footprints…he was only a phantom. But aside from this, let me ask you this question: “When has God left you?” If you are an unbeliever here today…. “Has God left you?” In John 16:8 the Bible describes how God is working in the lives of people in regards to sin, righteousness and judgment. (read) To some, Christ’s death may seem like Satan’s victory; but it was actually Satan’s destruction. The Spirit of God is here working to lead sinners to the truth. While Satan attempts to deceive people, the Spirit is working to save them. For those who are believers, the Bible says in Ephesians, “he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, So tell me….in the ‘Footprints’ poster…when did you walk by yourself? When were you not being carried? That poster is not good! When has God left you? Never! He’s always carried you! Always! Now, that’s good!

C. Another obvious observation is that Creation was good! In a scene of the television show ‘Joan of Arcadia’(which is not always theologically correct by the way) Joan asks God to prove that He is God. He asks Joan, “now.. how might I do that?” She says, “do a miracle or something.” God says, “what about that,” as He points to a tree. Joan says in disgust, “It’s a tree!” God responds, “Let’s see you make one!” The Scriptures abound with the majesty of God’s creation. “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,” 1 Timothy 4:4 says, For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected.”

TRANSITION: God’s goodness was exceptionally demonstrated in His Son; mutually lived out in relationships; and observed consistently in His creation. But something is always ‘rearing its ugly head’ in attempts to steal, kill, and destroy God’s ‘good’ creation. I don’t suppose that refers to the head is the serpent. Sin continues to plague men.