Sermon
He Walked with God
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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And we are continuing a
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Sermon series
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through the book of Genesis, and today, we
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come to Genesis chapter 5.
Genesis 5 chapter mention
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After today, we're gonna take a break from
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Genesis until after the All church retreat, the
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weekend of August eleventh.
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And as you
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turn to Genesis chapter 5, you may see
Genesis 5 chapter mention
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why we may need a break.
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As you quickly look at the text And...
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But I will say this. I feel pretty
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confident in saying this will easily be 1
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of the top 5 sermon you've ever heard
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on Genesis 5.
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Okay. Not not because I think it's gonna
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be a great sermon just because
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it may be the only sermon you have
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ever heard a will here on this text.
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Because it is just 1 long gene.
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And I totally I totally understand whenever pastors
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you'll skip
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gene ideologies whenever they're planning out sermon series.
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In fact, I get it. I get it
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whenever, you know, you are going through your
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daily bible reading plan, and you see, oh,
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okay. It's a gene.
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Alright. This is gonna be quick. You know,
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And you and you
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skim through it. I I get that.
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Personally,
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I've never been overly fascinated with gene ideologies.
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And and that is until 1 of our
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church members
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decided that she was going to do some
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research on me and my gene ideology.
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And, you know, And it was it was
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fascinating. I mean, I clicked on the link
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that... Or the the document that she had
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sent me. And, you know, before that, before
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looking at it, I thought, okay, the the
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the the the most interesting thing about my
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gene is that You know, my name's
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Richard, Richard Harris. My grandfather's name is Richard
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harris, his father's name was Richard harris. So,
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that's really cool.
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I click on this this document and
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lo and behold, you know, I've got 3
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ancestors who fought in the revolutionary war.
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Right? Which is really cool. And now, and
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all my ancestors go back to Georgia until
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the, till 1800.
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Which probably also means that
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we were debtors and prisoners. But with that
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said, it was it was way cooler than
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than what I thought it was. There was
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more there than what I thought I was
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going to find. And if you have not
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spent much time in Genesis 5, which most
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of you probably have not,
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I think you're going to see that there
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is... There's a lot more to this gene
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than perhaps what you have assumed or
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skimmed through. Now before I read all of
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Genesis 5 to us, there are a few
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preliminary topics I wanna mention, I think, because
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I think this is helpful to to orient
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us to this chapter.
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Okay? Because once I begin reading it, this
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a gene ideology.
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And I know you're you're gonna be... You
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know, you're gonna be serious. You wanna try
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to focus in. But unless you know kind
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of somewhat to look for it's going to
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be hard to keep from kind drifting off.
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Okay? So
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few things often,
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Ideologies in the bible are given to us
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because they are of particular
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historical and theological
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significance.
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And that's certainly the case which genesis is
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5. There's rich theological significance here. We're gonna
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see this. That this gene
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records
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the line of the promised seed, the promised
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offspring of the woman, the godly line
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from Adam
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through Seth,
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down to Noah
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and his sons,
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the the line from whom Ultimately,
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the the promised
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savior messiah, Jesus Christ
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will come
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through Noah son, Shi.
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Saved from the great flood in the ark.
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Stands in contrast with the the gene that
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we see at the end of Genesis 4
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of wicked canes,
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you know, wicked line.
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Now it's also common for gene ideologies in
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the bible to include 7 generations or 10
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generations or a multiple of 7 or 10.
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You last week, we saw the the Genesis
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4
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of Kain, and it included 7 generations.
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Today, Genesis 5 includes 10 generations from Adam
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to noah.
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In just this 11, there'll be another gene
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that includes 10 generations from Noah to April.
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A year ago, we or last year we
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studied the book of ruth.
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And in chapter 4 towards the end of
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ruth, there is a gene.
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Gene of King David. It includes 10 generations.
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Perhaps the most famous gene and the bible
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is Jesus gene in Matthew 1.
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It doesn't have 7 or 10 generations, but
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it has 3 sets of 14
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generations.
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Again, a multiple of 7.
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Jesus gene in Luke 3 has 21
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generations from Adam to Abraham,
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14
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generations from Abraham to David 21
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generations from David to the exile 21
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generations from the exile to Jesus. Again, a
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multiple of 7.
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Other thing to remember about gene ideologies
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is that they're often not exhaustive
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or closed.
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Rather they're often selective or as comment refer
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to them as being open,
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not to say that they're wrong, or inaccurate.
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But rather they are
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intentionally selective in the names that are included
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to allow us to see and to focus
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in on the theological important part of the
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gene.
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Okay. So, Genesis 5 like the rest of
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the book of Genesis is true history.
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This is an accurate gene.
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Is it selective? Yes. I I believe it
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is selective, and I don't think that the
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gene tries to hide that from us.
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For example, we're gonna be told
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among
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this about a number of men in the
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gene, but we're told about Adam in just
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5 verse 4 that he had other sons
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and daughters, but size seth,
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but their names are not listed.
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But it still is an accurate and true
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historical narrative like the rest of Genesis.
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However, this most certainly means
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that we are not intended
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to add up all the ages of the
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men listed in Genesis 5
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to then figure out how old the earth
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is.
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Okay?
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Now,
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so I know that offend some of us
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perhaps, well, to offend the other half of
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us.
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I still also don't think that adds up
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to billions and billions of years either. Okay?
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So now we've offended everybody as we think
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about how old the earth is. Okay. But
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God has given us this true and accurate
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gene
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here for more significant in theological and
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historical reasons
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than guessing at the the age of the
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earth.
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You see, you're going also notice
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that the men in This Genesis 5 geology,
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they live extraordinarily long lives.
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So there's a question. Right? Why? Why do
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people live so much longer
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before the flood than after the flood.
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Okay? We can't we can't know for certain,
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but we know that the flood was
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such a huge and cataclysmic
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event that it forever changed
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and altered the earth and life on the
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earth.
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That it stands to reason that is that
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the flood changed the the the atmosphere and
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the clot the climate
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and what life was like on the earth,
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To the point that
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spans soon became much shorter after the flood.
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It also stands to reason,
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and the long life spans before the great
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flood was purposeful in god's sovereign plan, as
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men were able to faithfully tell generation after
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generation after generation, the story of creation and
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fall and god's promise of redemption through the
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offspring of the woman who was yet to
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come.
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But who would come.
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And through his own suffering, he would crush
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the serpent head and defeat Satan.
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And so this was 1 of the ways
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that God preserved the truth and the reliability
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of his word among his people.
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Okay. That's a lot.
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Often, the gene ideologies in the bible are
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given to us
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because they are of some particular
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theological,
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and red dent historical significance and that is
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certainly the case here.
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As it records and traces the line of
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the promise offspring of the woman
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from Adam through Seth, to noah and to
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his sons.
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A line that will eventually find its climax
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and fulfillment in Christ
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the promise savior and messiah. So with all
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that said, here, god's holy inspired and inherent
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and infallible life giving word,
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I'll begin reading in Genesis chapter 5 verse
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1.
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This is the book of the generations of
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Adam.
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When God created man, he made him in
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the likeness of God.
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Male and female, he created them and he
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blessed them and named the man when they
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were created.
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When Adam had lived 130
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years, he father a son and his own
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likeness
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after his image and named seth.
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The days of Adam, after he father... Earth
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were 800 years, and he had other sons
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and daughters.
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Thus, all the days that Adam lived were
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930
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years, and he died.
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When Seth had lived 105 years, he followed
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E enoch.
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Seth lived after he followed E enoch 807
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years and had other sons and daughters.
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Thus all the days of seth were 912
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years, and he died.
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When Enoch should lived 90 years, he followed
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Keen.
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E enoch lived after he followed king in
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815
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years and had other sons and daughters.
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Thus all the days of En enoch were
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905
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years, and he died.
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When Keen had lived 70 years, he father
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Mahal,
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Keen lived after he father Mahal, 840
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years and had other sons and daughters.
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Thus all the days of Keen were 910
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years, and he died. When Mahal mahal had
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lived 65 years, he followed Jared.
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Mahal mahal lived after he father Jared at
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830
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years and had other sons and daughters.
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Thus, all the days of Mahal were 895
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and he died.
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When Jared had lived 162
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years, he followed Enoch.
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Jared lived after he followed Enoch 800 years
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who had other sons and daughters
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Thus all the days of Jared were 962
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years and he died.
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When En enoch had lived 65 years, he
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father Math.
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Enoch walked with God after he followed Meth
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300 years and had other sons and daughters.
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Thus all the days of Enoch were 365
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years
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E enoch walked with God, and he was
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not for God took him.
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When Math had lived 187
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years, he father lam.
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Math lived after he father lam 782
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years and had other sons and daughters. Thus
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all the days of Meth were 969
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years and he died. When Lam had lived
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182
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years, he followed a son and called his
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name Noah, saying, out of the ground that
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the Lord has cursed, This 1 shall bring
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us relief from our work and from the
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painful toil of our hands.
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Lam lived at father Noah, 595
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years, had other sons and daughters,
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thus all the days of Fl were 777
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years, and he died,
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After Noah was 500 years old,
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Noah father Shi, ham and Ja.
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This is the word of the Lord.
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And it's absolutely true it's given to us
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in love and for our good.
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So in this gene,
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3 men stand out, and we're gonna make
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other observations from other parts of the whole
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gene, but we're gonna use these 3 names...
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Stand out as the outline for today. K?
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So we have Adam,
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Enoch,
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and Noah.
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Adam, Enoch, and Noah. So first, Adam,
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Look at verse 1.
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This is the book of the generations of
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Adam. When God created man, he made him
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in the likeness of god.
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So I hope that sounds familiar. That's a
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deliberate echo of what we read in Genesis
Genesis 1 chapter mention
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chapter 1 that Adam was made in the
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likeness of God as an image bearer of
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God.
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And guess what?
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This is true
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of every person in this sanctuary this morning.
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This is true of every person you've ever
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met.
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This is true of every person you will
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ever meet.
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This is why Christians
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are to see inherent worth and dignity in
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all people.
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Regardless of their ethnicity
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or their native language
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or their level of education
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or their age,
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and this is true for people who will
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vote differently than you will vote in November.
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This is true of people who think differently
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about what happened at the political rally last
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night.
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See, this is true of your greatest enemy
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This is true of the person who has
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lied to you the most,
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the person who has betrayed you. This is
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true of the person who who hates you.
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This is true of every person you've ever
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met
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and every person you will ever meet.
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They are image bearer of god.
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And show we, as followers of Christ should
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seek to treat them
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with value and dignity
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deserving of an image bearer of God.
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And this is true for all people,
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male and female.
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Look look at verse 2. Male and female
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he created them, and he blessed them and
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named them man when they were created.
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So male and female, Adam and, they're both
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named, man. They're both named Adam dom when
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they were created. See Male and Ph equally.
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Fully
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mankind.
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Right? And I believe that every 1 of
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us in the sanctuary story this morning, we
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agree that men and women are equal god.
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I don't think anybody with that. Right? We
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all believe that men and women have equal
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value and standing and dignity
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before God and they ought to be treated
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that way.
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However, the reason why we think that
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is not because it's 20 24 and our
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society has advanced. The reason we think that
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is because of what we read in the
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book of Genesis,
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what we read in Genesis 1,
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what we read in Genesis 5.
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We think that way
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we think that way
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because of what Jesus taught.
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We think that way because of the way
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he treated,
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women and children during his earthly ministry during
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the this recorded in the gospel accounts.
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That's what's lay the foundation for us thinking
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the way that we think today about women
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and children.
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Anyone who thinks that the bible is reg
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progressive on how women ought to be valued
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and treated with dignity, respect and honor
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has not read the bible very carefully
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or even at all,
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The bible is the reason that we all
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agree that men and women
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have equal value and dignity before God.
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But it's also true here in Genesis, 1
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in many other places.
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It's also true in Genesis 1 as well
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as Genesis 5 in many other places. That
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the bible makes it clear that there are
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differences
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between men and women. There are differences between
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boys and girls
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I, in the the... The biblical text here
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highlights that. And these differences are good things.
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I mean, look again at verse 2, male
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and female we created them. And he blessed
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them and named the man when they were
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created.
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So you see?
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You know, gender is is god's idea.
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Right? If you're a boy or man, then
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your mel
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is intrinsic,
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inherent and essential to who god designed you
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to be.
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If you're a girl or a woman then
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your female
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is intrinsic, inherent essential to who god designed
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you to be.
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So regardless of how
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confusing and harmful the the the teaching on
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these matters is on Tv, and
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commercials and social media and schools and universities.
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Their friends, we have to be committed
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to to teaching and raising
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little boys up to know that
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being made a little boy means
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that they're gonna grow up to be a
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man.
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And that's a good thing.
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And we have to not be afraid to
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raise boys to grow to be men.
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Who gonna be good, strong, tough, tender men
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who will service as servant leaders in their
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home in the church out in the world.
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Likewise, we have teach little girls. That's a
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good thing, that God made them female.
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And that means they're gonna grow to be
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women.
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And we have to not be afraid to
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raise girls to grow to be women God
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women who'll be eager to serve and their
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god given roles in the home in the
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church in the world to the fullest
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to the fullest of their ability.
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To the glory of God.
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Now in in listen, parents, grandparents. If you're
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not sure how to do that.
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Listen, that's okay Let us know, talk to
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our pastors, our elders, our dea, we would
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love to help you. We'd love to come
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alongside you.
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Now, look at verses 3 and 4.
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When Adam had lived a hundred and 30
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years,
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he father a son in his own likeness.
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After his image,
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named seth.
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The days of adam a Mat father's Seth
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were 800 years,
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and he had other sons and daughters.
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Okay. Now think about these 2 verses.
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For a moment? Don't don't just run by
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them because
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my guess is in Genesis 5 versus 1
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and. Okay Those are verses that say a
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little... Give me a little bit of content.
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I'm focusing on those But we get the
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verse 3, and we begin to add in
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numbers.
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All of a sudden go, okay, Richard. I
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didn't sign up for math and numbers and
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and we began this where began to skim
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and read through things quickly, but we shouldn't
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do that.
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See this is
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the summary that we're given,
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of Adam's life.
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Okay. Adam's kind of an important guy.
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I mean, think about all that he did
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named the animals.
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Married the first woman,
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committed the first sin,
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Think about Adam. Think about his life.
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Do you see what Genesis 5
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list as Adam's legacy?
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The the the the the sum of his
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life
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in this godly gene. You remember, Genesis 5
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is the godly gene.
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Leading to the the promised
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offspring of the woman. What's the summary of
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his life?
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It's not a trick question. It's.
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He lived he had children,
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including Seth,
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and Adam passed down to his children, faith
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in the 1 true God.
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Even remember what we saw last week at
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the end of Genesis 4,
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and Adam knew his wife again and she
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bore a son and called his name seth.
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For she said, God has appointed for me
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another offspring instead of able for Cain killed
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him
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to Seth, also a son was born, and
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he called his name En enoch. At that
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time, people began to call upon the name
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of the Lord. And so Adam passed on,
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Faith in the 1 true God
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to Seth, who passed it on to his
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son, En enoch and gathered corporate worship,
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comes down through Adam's children in the line
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of seth.
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Okay. So what does that mean? If you
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think about the summary of Adam's legacy in
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Genesis 5. That every 1 of us
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in this.
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We have done, we're gonna do really cool
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things,
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some very noteworthy things
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some really valuable things throughout our lives,
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but ultimately
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our legacy
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is the people to whom we passed on
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faith in Christ.
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It's the people who we encouraged
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who we spurred on to followed Christ more
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wholeheartedly
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You know, whether that be the covenant children
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who got entrusted to us in our homes
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for us to pray for and evan and
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disciple and bring to worship and to live
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a godly example before or whether that be
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that the children in teenagers, the Esl students
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and the other men and women, and the
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the prisoners who we volunteered
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to serve and to teach and to pray
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for and to invest in and to encourage
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through the various ministries of the church.
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Or whether that be the friends and the
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family members and the neighbors and the c
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and the classmates that we never ever ever
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gave up praying for that we never ever
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stop sharing with and be f and reaching
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out to and inviting for them to know
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and to investigate and to follow Christ.
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See, this is the legacy
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that we have of adam.
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Okay. Look look at verse 5.
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Thus all the days that Adam lived for
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930
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years.
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And he died. Now, again, that number of
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930
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years, that may be what jumps off the
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page at you from verse 5. Wow. That's
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a long life.
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I could tell you, that's not what God
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intends for you to notice in Genesis 5.
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It's not how long they lived.
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But
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And I know this because the refrain that
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is repeated over and over and over and
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over and over and over again throughout Genesis
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5 is the last phrase of that sentence,
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and he died.
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8 times
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It's like a solemn funeral bill that just
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keeps on ringing
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all throughout. There's 10 generations in 8 times
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we read and he died.
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Okay. So think this through Adam Lived 930
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years. That's a long time.
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You perhaps he and eve and maybe others
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started to think. Okay? You know what? Maybe
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God didn't really mean that that death was
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that death death, like dying death was the
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punishment for my. I mean, is what God
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said, but maybe that's not what God meant.
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I mean I mean, that's what Satan told
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us, saying sam, you know, hey, there's no
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consequences for sin.
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Right? You're not... You will not surely die.
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Right God's lying to you.
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He's he's directing you. He's misleading you.
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But we know. Right? God never lies. His
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word is always true and it's given to
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us in love.
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And so Adam did die. He would die
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is as Romans chapter 5 verse 12 puts
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it. Therefore, just as sin came into the
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world through 1 man. Adam.
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And death through sin,
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and so death spread to all men
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because all sinned.
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And guess what? That's genesis is 5.
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That's what we find all throughout this chapter.
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Right in verse 5, thus all the days
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of Adam, any he died.
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Verse 8, thus all the days of seth
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and he died. Verse 11, thus all the
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days of E enoch and he died. Verse
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14.
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The solid days of Keen and he died.
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Verse 17, the solid days of Mahal mahal
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and he died. Verse 20, the solid days
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of Jared and he died. And then we're
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gonna skip past Enoch will come back to
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him verse 27.
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Thus all the days of,
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and he died. Verse 31. Thus all the
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days of Lam. And he died.
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You see the wages of sin is death,
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and so death spread to all men
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beginning after Adam's sin.
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And so Genesis 5
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is a reminder.
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So no matter how long we live on
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this earth,
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we will all die.
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You we may think that we will live
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forever, but we won't, we will all die
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in remembering that reality
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that 1 day, our life here on this
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earth will come to an end
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is critical for living this life well.
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It really really is. That's why the bible
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tells us this over and over again in
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a number of ways giving us different
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images and analog, the metaphors for how to
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think about life.
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In Job 7, verse 7, we read, remember
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that my life is a breath.
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Psalm 39 verse 5 be hold you have
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made my days a few hand breaths, and
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my lifetime is as nothing before you, surely
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all mankind stands as a mere breath.
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Psalm 01:02 For my days, pass away like
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smoke
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later in Psalm 01:02. My days or like
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an evening shadow.
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I with her away like grass.
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In the new testament, James 4 verse 14
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as, what is your life?
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For you are a mist
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that appears for a little time and then
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vanish us.
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You see, there's so much in our world
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that wants us to believe that wants to
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communicate that you to you that you can
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be,
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you can be buffer
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you can be insulated.
-
You can be secure
-
that you can live here forever as the
-
stars of your own show so you all
-
to just, you know, make your plans.
-
Do what you wanna do,
-
acquire all your possessions, work to build up
-
your portfolio
-
without any meaningful
-
consideration of god
-
and of eternity
-
and of heaven and hell of his word
-
of the millions of lost people literally all
-
around us in the city of Houston.
-
But what genesis is 5 in the the
-
totality of scripture says over and over again
-
is don't do that.
-
And don't live like you're gonna be here
-
forever.
-
Instead live, plan work like your life is
-
short.
-
And like, you don't wanna waste it on
-
worldly things.
-
You know, live like, you wanna make your
-
midst of a life count for the glory
-
of God. I mean, remember, life is short.
-
Eternity is near.
-
That ought impact the way that we live.
-
You'll psalm 90 verse 12 says, so teach
-
us to number our days.
-
That we may get a heart of wisdom.
-
Okay. Every time I read psalm 90, I
-
can't help, but break out my phone, type
-
in you know, average life expectancy
-
in the Us. And so currently, what they're
-
saying is a lot... The average life expectancy
-
in the Us is 78...
-
78 years. It's like 77.5
-
years. We'll round up 78.
-
So what that means
-
If you're 30 years old,
-
and you're going live to be 78,
-
you have 17520
-
more days.
-
You're 40 years old,
-
you're literally to be 78, you have 13870
-
more days.
-
If you're 50 years old,
-
10220
-
more days.
-
60 years old, 6570
-
more days, and now looking around the room.
-
No 1 looks even close to 60. So
-
we'll just stop there. But the the point
-
being that
-
it is, we gain a heart of wisdom,
-
we gain a heart of wisdom.
-
When we remember,
-
that ultimately our life here on this earth.
-
It's a mist.
-
We're here today we're gone tomorrow. Listen.
-
I am I am the wisest
-
most humble,
-
the best pastor whenever I remember it there'll
-
be a day
-
whenever I will no longer pass through this
-
church or any church.
-
Because I'm a mist.
-
I am the the the the wisest
-
best
-
husband
-
and daddy whenever I
-
remember
-
that my days with my bride and my
-
children are not unlimited.
-
That they matter.
-
It matters how I invest them, how I
-
spend them.
-
You see the theme of death is prominent
-
in Genesis 5, So we're gonna come back
-
to it. Okay? But there are 2 men
-
in in all of the bible who who
-
never die.
-
1 of them is listed in Genesis 5,
-
but there's also Elijah in second kings to
-
was taken up to heaven by a whirlwind
-
But the 1 list of Joseph's 5 is
-
enoch. And so that's our second heading Enoch.
-
So look at versus 21 to 24.
-
When Enoch had lived 65 years, he father
-
Meth,
-
Enoch walked with God after he father Meth
-
300 years
-
and had other sons and daughters.
-
Thus all the days of Enoch were 365
-
years. E enoch walk with God and he
-
was not for God took him.
-
So that phrase walked with God, what does
-
it mean? Well, it means that he walks
-
by faith. It means that he walked in
-
a way that plagues the God, which you
-
can see at the in the footnote at
-
the bottom of your Esp Bible.
-
If you flip over the new testament, Hebrews
-
11 versus 5 and 6, say this. By
-
faith, Enoch was taken up so that he
-
should not see death, and he was not
-
found because God had taken him. Now before
-
he was taken, he was committed as having
-
please God
-
and without faith, it's impossible to please him
-
for whoever withdraw near to god must believe
-
that he exists and that he rewards those
-
who seek him.
-
So Enoch walk with God and please God.
-
He walked by faith. Now, of course, it
-
doesn't mean that Enoch was without in. Right?
-
All of sin and fall short of the
-
glory of God, but Genesis 5 is telling
-
us that among this godly line
-
From Adam through Seth,
-
down to noah, enoch in particular, he stood
-
out.
-
As 1 who pleased God as he walked
-
with God by faith.
-
And that's what hebrews 11 makes clear.
-
Yet, last week, we saw that lam in
-
the line of cain was the seventh in
-
that line.
-
And Cain Islamic was a portrait of exceptional
-
in exceeding wicked
-
immoral morality, violence.
-
And he celebrated. He boasted
-
about it as he mocked God.
-
Here Enoch in the line of seth is
-
seventh in that line.
-
And this enoch is the portrait of a
-
faithful man who please God as he walked
-
with God by faith.
-
Okay. So what does that mean? What does
-
that mean for you and me today for
-
us to walk with God.
-
For us to please God as we walk
-
with him by faith.
-
Well, I think the old P bible comment,
-
Matthew Henry, was very helpful. He says, to
-
walk with God is to set god always
-
before us.
-
And to act as those who are always
-
under his eye.
-
It is to make God's word our rule
-
and his glory, our end and all our
-
actions
-
It is to make it our constant care
-
and endeavor in everything to please God and
-
in nothing to offend him.
-
Try to walk with him. See, that's... The
-
people of God have always been called to
-
walk with God
-
by faith.
-
You're gonna see in the next chapter in
-
Genesis 6,
-
verse 9 that noah was a righteous man
-
blame listen in this in his generation.
-
And says noah walked with God.
-
In the new testament, Christians are called to
-
walk with God. Paul writes in Galatians 5,
-
If we live by the spirit, let us
-
keep in step
-
walking with the spirit.
-
In 2. Therefore, as you receive Christ, Jesus,
-
the Lord, so walk in him. You'll walk
-
with him, rooted built up in him
-
in ephesians 4. Verse 1. I therefore, a
-
prisoner for the lord urge you to walk
-
in a manner worthy of the calling to
-
which you've been called. Right? The first 3
-
chapters of ephesians talk about what God has
-
done for us for our salvation in Christ.
-
We once we're dead in our tres passes
-
and sins, but we have been made alive
-
together with Christ.
-
Ephesians for then turns the corner and says,
-
you've received a new calling
-
and so now be who you are.
-
Walk in a manner worthy of that calling.
-
So all Christians are called to walk with
-
God.
-
Can you think about that? If you... I
-
know some of you maybe, you know, you
-
have a friend
-
whom you walk with or or who you
-
run with?
-
You think about that. What why do you
-
why do you walk or run with them?
-
I... Because they're your friend.
-
Right? Because you enjoy being with them
-
that you know them well, and and you
-
look forward to your time with them and
-
and for them to keep getting to know
-
you better and you keep getting to know
-
them better. Well, it's the same thing. You
-
see, to walk with God is is to
-
wanna be with them.
-
It's to love him to want to know
-
him to to desire to read and to
-
know in the study and and to hear
-
his word priest and explain it's it's too
-
long to faithfully
-
obey his word.
-
And so we see in Genesis 5 verse
-
24,
-
e enoch walk with God,
-
and he was not
-
for God took him.
-
Or he was no longer found for God
-
took him. Okay. So what does that... What
-
does that look like? For God to take
-
Enoch?
-
I have no idea. And no 1 else
-
has any idea. Okay. So 1 day, Enoch
-
was a 365
-
year old man on this earth and suddenly,
-
he was no longer found.
-
For God took him.
-
Now, I think God has given us this
-
record of Enoch life in the true account
-
of Enoch not dying to make a very
-
significant theological point.
-
Okay. But the point is not
-
a formula.
-
The point is not, okay, Enoch was so
-
good that he earned his salvation by walking
-
with God. Therefore, if you are good enough,
-
Okay. If you're good enough, you try hard
-
enough,
-
it'd be obedient enough, you'd be faithful enough,
-
then you can, you can earn this
-
position this standing with God and that you
-
can perhaps 1 day achieve this level of
-
avoiding death and going straight up to heaven.
-
No friends, enoch like all sinful people had
-
to be saved by grace through faith in
-
the savior.
-
He was saved by faith in the savior
-
who was to come.
-
A promise offering offspring of the woman
-
who threw his suffering with Crushed Serpent head.
-
I mean, hebrews 11 highlights Enoch faith.
-
And the rest of the bible makes it
-
clear that that saving faith is a gift
-
from god.
-
Right salvation, a gift of god not by
-
work, so no 1 can boast.
-
He enoch did not earn his salvation by
-
being good enough or generous enough or kind
-
enough because no 1 can.
-
Listen to how professor Richard Be puts it.
-
Enoch example does not mean that everyone who
-
walks with God will avoid physical death.
-
But it does mean that everyone who walks
-
with God will experience the same kind of
-
life that Enoch experienced.
-
Both in this life and in the next
-
life.
-
You see, that's that's the key, I think
-
the enoch life
-
is a reminder to us that for the
-
Christian
-
Death is never the last word.
-
That for the Christian, death is never the
-
final answer that death is never
-
ultimately getting the final victory in the end.
-
You see what we we too often think
-
wrongly about death
-
We think of death being the end of
-
everything.
-
We we think of death being that we
-
we lose out on everything.
-
We see for the Christian, death is not
-
passing from the land of the living to
-
the land of the dead. No for the
-
Christian, death is passing from the land of
-
the dying.
-
To the land of the living, where we
-
will spend all eternity with our God and
-
his people.
-
You see, and this this is true for
-
your loved ones who have passed away in
-
Christ,
-
and this is true for you
-
that this is our hope,
-
and it's all because of Christ, and his
-
life death and resurrection.
-
Listen how Paul puts in Romans 5
-
for if because of 1 man's tres pass.
-
That's Adam.
-
Death reigned through that 1 man.
-
Much more will those who receive the abundance
-
of grace and the free gift of righteousness
-
reign in life
-
through the 1 man Jesus Christ.
-
Therefore,
-
As 1 Tres past led the condemnation for
-
all men, so 1 act of righteousness
-
leaves to
-
justification and life
-
for all men.
-
You see salvation in Christ is so much
-
more.
-
Than merely having your sins forgiven.
-
It is that, but when you come to
-
Christ, yes, your sins are washed away,
-
your sin debt is fully paid
-
is canceled.
-
That that that bill because of your sin
-
is torn up.
-
There is... Therefore no therefore now no
-
condemnation for you or that will ever be
-
for you why.
-
Because Christ was condemned in your place on
-
the cross.
-
There's no more for you,
-
but there's even more than that It's not
-
just that your sins are washed away, you're
-
also credited with Christ's perfect life of righteousness.
-
But even as wonderful as that is that
-
same
-
resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead
-
on that first easter morning has raised you
-
to walk in newness of life to new
-
life in Christ.
-
That you only have your sins paid for,
-
not only are you credited with Christ righteousness
-
but you are now living a resurrected life
-
as Ephesians 2 says you are now currently
-
seated with Christ
-
in the heavenly places.
-
Given a new heart
-
made a new creation.
-
Or
-
bone,
-
Scottish preacher in 1800 says the first Adam
-
dies,
-
and we die in him. But the second
-
Adam, that's Christ dies, and we live in
-
him
-
The first Adam's grave pro claims only death,
-
the second Adam's grave announces life.
-
I am the resurrection and the life. Right?
-
That was our assurance of pardon and comfort
-
today earlier in the service.
-
This from John 11 versus 25,
-
and 26. Right before Jesus raises lazarus from
-
the dead. I'm the direction resurrection the life.
-
Whoever believes in me, though he die yet,
-
shall he live. And everyone who lives and
-
believes in me shall never die.
-
You see the same God who said no.
-
To death in taking Enoch up to heaven
-
is the same God who will 1 day
-
raise you up from your grave and take
-
you to be with him.
-
For all eternity if you are in Christ.
-
Now there's 1 more man who stands Alan
-
genesis 5, and this is gonna be quick.
-
This is Noah.
-
Okay. I'm not gonna say a lot about
-
Noah today.
-
I don't think this is a spoiler, but
-
we're gonna talk a lot about Noah. Okay.
-
The next 3 chapters. You know, he he
-
builds an arc. Lot of water comes. He's
-
kind of an important guy. We'll talk a
-
lot more about him. We're we're going just
-
touch on him. Okay? Versus 28 and 29.
-
When Lam had lived 182
-
years, he followed a son called his name
-
Noah saying, out of the ground that the
-
lord has cursed. To hear that? That's language
-
from the fall,
-
consequence from Adam's sin in the garden.
-
Out of the ground, the Lord has cursed
-
This 1 shall bring us relief from our
-
work
-
and from the painful toil of our hands.
-
So this let... There's a Islamic genesis 4
-
in wicked kings line and that Lame is
-
an evil man.
-
Guilty of great sin,
-
boasting about it. He is always looking for
-
revenge. Remember he's he's saying in his song.
-
I have killed a man for wounding me.
-
This lam in just 5 in the godly
-
line of Seth, he's not looking for revenge
-
rather he's longing for relief.
-
He's so grieve over the effects of sin
-
in the world
-
And in the hearts of mankind that he
-
named his son noah
-
because Noah sounds like the Hebrew word for
-
rest
-
for relief.
-
Islamic names his son in hope that deliverance
-
for god's faithful people will come. And isn't
-
that what comes?
-
Are we're gonna see in our study of
-
Genesis 6 to 9 that through noah laborers
-
in building the arc, he will make a
-
way for God's people to pass
-
unharmed through the waters of God's judgment and
-
deliver them
-
to provide relief and rest for them on
-
the other side.
-
Now we know that Noah is not the
-
promised offspring of the woman. He's not the
-
1 who's going crush the serpent head through
-
his own suffering.
-
But Noah is 1 whose life points forward
-
to the Christ who was to come.
-
Right? In fact, Jesus will eventually come through
-
the line of Noah
-
and his son shi, who was saved from
-
the flood on the ark.
-
Okay. So Genesis 5 is a list of
-
men.
-
All but 1 died,
-
but Genesis 5 is not ultimately about death
-
It's ultimately about life.
-
Real true, abundant,
-
eternal
-
resurrection life
-
because in Christ
-
death does not get the last word.
-
Death does not ultimately win the final victory.
-
So let me leave you with this.
-
First Corinthians chapter 15.
1 Corinthians 15 chapter mention
-
Behold, I tell you a mystery.
-
We shall not all sleep, but we shall
-
all be changed.
-
In a moment, and the twin of an
-
eye at the last Trumpet.
-
The Trumpet will sound and the dead will
-
be raised imp,
-
and we shall be changed.
-
For this perishable body must put on the
-
imp. And this mortal body must put on
-
immortality. When the perishable puts on the imp
-
and the mortal puts on mortality, then shall
-
come to pass the saying that is written.
-
Death is swallowed up in victory, O death
-
where is your victory, O death where he
-
is your sting.
-
The sting of death is sin.
-
The power of sin is the law, but
-
thanks be to god. Who gives us the
-
victory through our lord Jesus Christ.
-
Amen.
-
Amen, let's pray.
-
Father, we thank you for all of your
-
word in efforts and today, we thank you
-
especially for Genesis chapter 5 and this gene.
Genesis 5 chapter mention
-
And what it teaches us
-
about ourselves
-
and about our span of years here on
-
this earth,
-
or may we think
-
rightly both about our days here on the
-
earth but also about eternity and Heaven and
-
hell.
-
And who were what we're trusting in
-
for our salvation.
-
And may we wrestle well with whether or
-
not we
-
We know
-
this Christ.
-
This son of god who took on human
-
flesh. You lived the perfect sin endless life.
-
Who died the at
-
sufficient sacrifice
-
on the cross
-
who rose from the grave 3 days later?
-
Do we know him
-
the resurrection and the life
-
do we love him?
-
Are we following him?
-
Genesis is 5. In fact, the whole of
-
the bible
-
calls us to put our faith and trust
-
in him,
-
while they help us to do that today.
-
We ask call this in Jesus name. Amen.