Why the Frustration in Work?

Well, good evening. Great to be with you again at Brunsfield. Thank you so much for your kind invitation.

We're going to be looking at Genesis chapter 3 tonight in the main.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

So if you've got a Bible handy, it would be great to have it open at Genesis chapter 3.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Let me just mention one or two FIEC things. You'd expect me to do that.

I'm sure the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, I work full-time for them in Scotland and the north of England.

I think I've had opportunity to mention one or two things about them on previous visits.

But the work is going ahead. It's great that the network of churches is growing.

A couple of churches recently just voted to affiliate to FIEC.

And it's great just to see that work growing, but not just for the sake of growth,

because of the opportunities it gives us for gospel partnership and work.

And among the particular things we've been involved in recently are the Pathways Ministry.

This may have been brought to your attention already, but we've been meeting with church leaders around Scotland

to share with them something of the vision of Pathways,

which is to help churches create a training culture within the local congregation

to equip men and women for gospel service.

And then in particular, we have a day conference coming up in January this year.

It's going to be in Perth at the Tayside Christian Fellowship Church.

And that's going to be for anybody who is thinking about vocational Christian ministry,

whether part-time or full-time.

So perhaps you're thinking, perhaps God is calling me to serve him in some kind of set-aside way,

in some capacity.

It could be as an evangelist, as a youth worker, as a pastor, as a women's worker, whatever that is.

Then this could be a day that would be really helpful for you when experienced church leaders

will help you think through some of the issues that you need to be considering

as you weigh up that sense of call.

So I've got some leaflets.

I think Graham already had some of these, but I draw that to your attention.

The course that we're doing in independent church ministry is continuing at ETS this year.

We've run that for two previous years.

Tim Foster, one of your folks here, one of the graduates.

That's a rather grand way of putting it, but he did the course and got his certificate

in independent church ministry.

And we're continuing to run that at ETS as a way that we can help equip

and support future church leaders in independent churches of all types.

And then finally, it's great to be involved in mission.

FIC in Scotland is currently linked with five church plants in various areas around the country,

giving them practical support from Orkney down to the central belt.

So it's really encouraging to see that church planting going on,

to see new fellowships starting and to be able to partner with them

and to help them as they find their feet and get started.

And we had a mission forum day in March at Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh

where we brought church leaders from across Scotland and beyond together.

And one of the projects that has come out of that is a potential new church plant in Aviemore next year.

And we are bringing together a team and support and various components that can make that happen.

So pray for that.

Aviemore, surprise me, is an area, a town with very little gospel witness in it.

Almost nothing, not quite nothing, there never is nothing in God's mercy,

but actually a town that really needs a fresh, outward-looking, evangelistically-minded gospel church.

It's a growing town, one and a half thousand new homes.

Planning permission has been granted for those in the coming years.

So really appreciate your prayers that that vision comes to fruition.

So that's just a little taster of some of the things that are going on in Scotland at the moment

that FIC is connected with.

As we come to Scripture tonight, let me just give a little apology.

I wrote down in my diary way back when I think Graeme contacted me,

Genesis 3 and 4, the impact of the fall.

And we're looking a bit narrower tonight, obviously from your series on the particular aspect of work.

So tonight's going to be a bit broader.

We'll try and pick up on the work element of that as we go.

But if it feels slightly broader, then that's all my fault for not paying attention enough at the time.

But it's all God's Word, and I'm sure it will be profitable to us by the Spirit.

Let me just pray as we read God's Word, as we come to consider it in more detail.

Heavenly Father, we do thank you for your Word.

We thank you that it is true.

We thank you that it is living.

We thank you that it is relevant to us today.

We thank you that it speaks into our lives, that it guides us, that it is a light in a dark world.

And so, Father, we do pray that as we come to it now,

that you would give us ears to hear your voice,

to understand the truth that you have laid down in Scripture,

and to be better equipped to serve and love the Lord Jesus Christ.

Father, grant that prayer we ask in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So Genesis then, we're going to just pick up a couple of verses in chapter 2,

by way of background.

So chapter 2 and verse 15.

The Lord took the man, it's Adam, and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

And the Lord commanded the man,

You are free to eat from any tree in the garden,

but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

For when you eat from it, you will certainly die.

Genesis chapter 3, verse 1.

Genesis 3:1

Now the snake was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, Eve,

Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?

The woman said to the snake,

We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,

but God did say you must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden,

and you must not touch it or you will die.

You will certainly not die, the snake said to the woman.

For God knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God,

knowing good and evil.

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye,

and also desirable for gaining wisdom,

she took some and ate it.

She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked.

So they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day.

And they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

But the Lord God called to the man,

Where are you?

He answered,

I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.

And he said,

Who told you that you were naked?

Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?

The man said,

The woman you put here with me, she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.

Then the Lord God said to the woman,

What is this you have done?

The woman said,

The snake deceived me, and I ate.

So the Lord God said to the snake,

Because you have done this,

Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals.

You will crawl in your belly, and you will eat dust all the days of your life.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers.

He will crush your head, and you will crush his heel.

To the woman he said,

I will make your pains and childbearing very severe.

With painful labor you will give birth to children.

Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.

To Adam he said,

Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you,

you must not eat from it.

Cursed is the ground because of you.

Through painful toil you will eat food from it.

All the days of your life.

It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

and you will eat the plants of the field.

By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground,

since from it you were taken.

For dust you are, and to dust you will return.

And then verse 23.

So the Lord God banished him from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.

After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the garden of Eden,

Chirubim, and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Amen.

And may God bless too, is the reading of his holy and inspired words.

A number of years ago I remember having a conversation with an atheist,

it was actually a relative of mine,

and I just asked him up front,

Why don't you believe in God?

And the answer he gave to me was,

Because if God had made the world,

he would have made a better one than this.

And for many of course,

the state of the world as we look around is a real problem

when it comes to having faith.

Where is this all-powerful, loving God

when crimes are committed,

when wars are started,

when people are being abused?

How can you expect me to believe in a God

who would allow such misery?

And yet at the end of Genesis chapter 1,

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

when God completed his work of creation,

we read that it was a place of perfection,

harmony,

beauty,

and peace.

At the apex of which was humanity.

Man and woman,

male and female,

made in the image of God.

Male and female created to know God

and to live in the closest of all relationships with God.

People who were made to care

and rule over the earth

under God,

kindly,

and responsibly.

So what happened?

Why did the world,

made by a loving God,

so full of potential and hope,

become the place that we know

and experience and live in today?

A place which is marred by conflict,

hardship,

division,

and suffering.

It's why actually Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

is perhaps the most important chapter

in the Bible.

Certainly plot wise.

Because if you take Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

out of the Bible,

nothing after it makes any sense.

You see,

Genesis chapter 3 explains

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

why the world that we live

and work in today

is not the one

that God made.

It's not that there's nothing good

about the world now,

but something went terribly wrong.

And Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

shows us

that the bit

that went terribly wrong

was us,

was you

and me.

I remember being in Africa,

you probably had this experience

in various places,

you could have it in

parts of Scotland,

but standing on a road

and looking at a magnificent view,

wonderful African sun,

huge African sun,

setting over some pink mountains,

absolutely idyllic

and breathtaking.

But if you turned around

and looked at the other side

of the road,

you saw a slum,

terrible poverty,

children

in rags.

The bit that God had made

in that sense

was wonderful.

The bit that humans had made

was horrible.

contrast between

the good

and the bad,

of course,

runs throughout our world,

doesn't it?

Humans have achieved

amazing things,

quite staggering

what human beings

have been capable of,

of the ingenuity

and creativity

of men and women,

sent a rocket

to the moon,

invented medicines

medicines that have

relieved suffering

and improved

the quality of people's lives.

We have invented

the internet,

the entire information

in the world

in my pocket.

Astonishing.

And yet,

of course,

those very achievements,

those very skills,

that very ingenuity

is simultaneously

turned into

making weapons,

drugs that are addictive

and ruin lives.

The facility

to bring

a tsunami

of pornography

into people's homes,

even their pockets,

potentially.

Bill Bryson,

the American author,

lives in Britain now,

I think.

Not a Christian,

but he wrote a book

called

A Short History

of Nearly Everything

a while ago.

And he says this in it,

he says,

as far as we can tell,

we are the best

there is.

We may be

all there is.

It's an unnerving thought

that we may be

the living universe's

supreme achievement

and its worst nightmare

simultaneously.

And of course,

that problem

runs right through

our hearts.

Every one of us

is a strange mixture.

Sometimes we can be

capable of great acts

of kindness,

bravery,

love for others.

And yet,

on the other hand,

in the blink of an eye,

we can be selfish,

cowardly,

proud,

using others.

See this in so many ways,

don't we?

The loving father,

protective of his family,

addicted to pornography.

The loyal,

considerate friends,

meanly gossiping

about a colleague.

Somebody who gives

generously to charity,

but will lie about

their taxes.

Humanity is like,

as somebody has put it,

a ruined grandeur,

a ruined castle.

Have you ever been to

an old ruined castle

and you look at it

and if you squint,

you can imagine

what it was like

when it was first built.

You can imagine

when the towers were complete

and the ramparts

were intact

and just how magnificent

and great

and wonderful

and impressive it was.

But actually now,

it's broken down.

It's scarred,

it's dirty

and there's weeds

sprouting out

of it everywhere.

The account of humanity's fall

in Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

has a number of

mysterious elements in it.

We're not told

where the serpent,

the tempter,

the snake comes from.

We're not told

where evil originated

or why God allowed it

into Eden.

And yet the facts

and lessons are clear

regarding this world-changing

encounter.

That's why we read

from Genesis chapter 2

Genesis 2:15–17

verses 15 to 17.

Do you notice there

that God did two things

when he places man

in the garden?

Firstly,

he gives Adam

instructions

about his purpose.

If you like,

he gives Adam

instructions

about his vocational

responsibilities.

That he is there

to work.

You notice that?

God took the man

and put him in the garden

to work it

and to take care of it.

Humanity's vocation

is to steward

and to manage

and to care for

and to oversee creation.

But he also

gives Adam

instructions,

even he does that,

about right and wrong,

about his moral

responsibility.

And that is

to obey God.

You are free

to eat from any tree

in the garden,

but you must not eat

from the tree

of the knowledge

of good and evil,

for when you eat from it,

you will certainly

die.

You see,

just as man

was dependent

on God

for his purpose

in the world,

what he was there for,

he was to be

dependent on God

for his understanding

of right and wrong.

Now, of course,

many today object

to that,

don't they?

That second part,

especially,

they can be very

offended and prickly

by the suggestion

that God

or religion

is somehow

necessary

in order

for people

to live morally

good lives.

But the fact

remains

that once

you remove

God

as your moral

guide,

you're ultimately

making up

your own rules.

And we know

from experience

that it won't be

long before

those rules

start to get bent

out of selfish

self-interest.

It's inevitable.

And it is

what we see.

So Adam

has commanded

not to eat

of the tree

of knowledge.

Again,

the tree of knowledge

is a mysterious

thing,

but I don't think

it was magical.

I don't think

there was some

kind of Walt

Disney-esque

magic potion

in the fruits,

not Snow White

here.

I think that

it was there

to teach

humanity

about the need

right at the

start of creation,

the need to

trust God

and to

obey God.

that is,

good

was not

to eat

of it,

that is,

to obey

God,

whereas evil

would be to

eat of it,

that is,

to disobey

God.

One writer

puts it like

this,

Colin Adams,

in his book

Unlocking the

Bible Story,

he says,

when God

told Adam

that he must

not eat

from the tree

of the knowledge

of good and

evil,

it was as

if he said,

Adam,

you need

to understand

that there

is a terrible

reality in

the universe

and I want

to protect

you from

it.

It's called

evil.

You do not

know anything

about it,

but it already

exists.

I do not

want you ever

to experience

it,

so whatever

you do,

trust me

and do

what I

tell you.

So what

on earth

caused

Adam and

Eve to

distrust

God

and to

reject

that very

simple,

that very

basic,

that very

reasonable

commandment.

Well,

there's lots

written on

this,

you'll be

familiar with

this,

I'm sure,

so I'll

spend very

little time,

but three

causes are

very evident

here,

three causes

that are

always at

play,

then and

today in

our own

lives,

whenever we

turn from

God,

whenever we

make the

same kind

of decision

as we

do

continually,

if we're

honest,

to do

our own

thing,

rather than

God's,

to prefer

our own

way to

the one

that God

has shown

us.

So firstly,

of course,

we have

misrepresentation,

don't we?

Satan's

tactic,

the snake,

the tempter,

is to create

confusion about

what God

has said.

If the

key to

bringing down

humanity is

to get

them to

distrust

God,

then let's

misrepresent

what God

has actually

said and

his motives

for saying

it.

Notice

here in

verse 2,

verse 1

rather,

said to

the woman,

did God

really say

you must

not eat

from any

tree in

the garden?

He poses

a question,

but like a

lot of

questions,

it's loaded

question,

isn't it?

it's driving

a certain

answer?

It's

exaggeration.

God

hasn't

said you

can't

eat

from any

tree in

the garden.

Then he

falls into

the trap

in verse

3,

talking about

how we

were not

to touch

it.

But

actually,

touching

was not

mentioned

in chapter

2.

It's all

misrepresentation,

it's all

an attempt,

an agenda

here to

present God

as being

draconian,

unreasonable,

excessive.

God is

out to

spoil your

fun.

Christianity

is dull

and boring,

God is

frankly just

mean.

But actually

of course,

God made

all the

good and

fun stuff

in the

universe.

He made

a world

that was

packed with

delights,

that is

packed with

delights.

C.S.

Lewis puts

it,

the devil

never invented

any pleasure.

He just

misuses the

ones that

God

created.

My wife

was given

an ornament,

a kind of

figurine a

number of

years ago

by an

aunt,

which passed

away and

it was left

to her.

So it had

kind of

sentimental

value,

but I

think it

was probably

quite a

valuable

ornament in

its own

right.

and we

told the

kids they

weren't

allowed to

touch it.

We had

three kids

younger at

that stage

that said,

don't touch

this ornament,

it's precious

for various

reasons.

And they've

got a room

full of

toys,

if your

kids are

similar,

a shed

load of

toys,

ridiculous

number of

toys,

the bottom

three feet

of their

bed is

soft toys

and they've

got all

these things

falling out

of their

cupboards

that they

never

interested in.

But they

so wanted

to get their

hands in

that ornament

and they

were so

indignant

they weren't

allowed to.

craving for

it.

And it was

ridiculous,

you've got a

room full

of toys and

you want

this one

thing.

It's very

humorous,

isn't it?

Pretty strange

really,

but it's

very human.

It's very

Genesis

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3.

So Satan

wants to

misrepresent

God.

Secondly,

he wants to

sow seeds

of doubt.

Verse 4,

his second

tactic is just

to challenge

God's word

head on.

You won't

surely die.

Don't worry,

it's not

going to be

that big a

deal.

In fact,

God is,

God's word

continues to

be attacked

in this way,

doesn't it?

God

didn't really

mean.

A warning

to us,

isn't it?

Just to be

aware of

those in

the church

and without

whose message,

whose ambition,

whose ministry

it seems to be

just to cast

doubt on the

Bible.

They look at

things that

seem to you

and me to

be fairly

plain and

clear and

straightforward

and they

just question

it and

question it

and question

it and

question it.

Then you

say,

why are you

questioning it?

I'm just

asking questions.

But of course

there's an

agenda there,

isn't there?

There's an

agenda of

attrition

to cast

doubt on

God's words.

We need to

push on.

And then

there's ambition,

isn't there?

Verse 5,

God is just

trying to

suppress you

and keep

you down.

He knows

that in the

day that you

take this

fruit,

you'll be

like him,

you'll be

like God,

you'll know

good and

evil.

Trying to

stop you

reaching your

full potential,

you too

could be

God.

It just

is Philip

Pullman,

isn't it?

See,

he's got

his latest

books out

after his

previous

dark trilogy.

Philip

Pullman's

basic thesis

is that the

fall was an

upward fall.

When Adam

and Eve

rebelled,

that was a

wonderful

breakthrough

moment.

That was

getting rid

of God,

getting rid

of oppression

and finding

fulfillment

and coming

of age.

Don't be

held back

by God.

This is the

way to be

fulfilled.

This is the

way to

get the

most out

of life.

But of

course,

having ignored

God's

warnings,

having

disobeyed

God's

commands,

the result

for Adam

and Eve

and for

all of

humanity

that would

follow

was not

a great

liberation,

was not

a new

and exciting

life,

but actually

a world

that quickly

turned

sour.

the

consequences

then,

verses

7 to

19,

we won't

go into

these in

great detail,

we don't

have the

time,

but they

are immediate

and dramatic,

aren't they?

Where they

had life,

verse 19,

they will

now face

death.

Where they

had pleasure,

they will

now face

pain,

verse 16.

Where they

had abundance,

verse 17,

they will now

have toil.

Work itself

will be

subject to

frustration.

Work that

should have

been fulfilling

and invigorating

and energizing

and delightful

will often

now be

hard and

boring and

monotonous and

difficult

and wearing.

where they

had harmony

in relationships,

verse 16,

they will

now have

conflict.

Where they

had fellowship

with God,

they will

now have

separation.

And notice

how as we

read through

these decrees

of God

and how

the rebellion

of humanity,

how the

consequences of

sin would

affect life,

would affect

Adam and

Eve and

the world

they lived

in.

Notice how

the very

fabric of

creation itself

is damaged

by this

rebellion.

So that

sin's

consequences

go beyond

just humanity,

they actually

distort everything.

You see,

humanity was

created back

in Genesis

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

as the

representative

head of

creation,

the apex

to rule

creation

under God.

They had a

distinct and

unique role

among everything

that was

created.

God breathed

his very

spirit into

them.

And that

meant that

the fate

and condition

of the

universe

was always

going to be

tied to the

fate and

condition of

humanity.

Which meant

that when Adam

and Eve

became

dislocated

from God,

the whole

of creation

was put

out of

joint.

Weeds,

droughts,

tsunamis

are all

indicative

of that.

That's a

reality which

is picked

up later

in Romans

Romans 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8

in the

New Testament

when Paul

writes,

for the

creation

waits in

eager

expectation

for the

children of

God to

be revealed.

For the

creation was

subjected to

frustration,

not by its

own choice

but by the

will of the

one who

subjected it

in hope

that creation

itself will

be liberated

from its

bondage to

decay and

brought into

the freedom

and glory of

the children

of God.

See what

Paul's saying

there?

He's saying

that the

whole of

creation,

the very

fabric of

creation,

the very

structures of

nature itself

have been

brought into

frustration

because of

the rebellion

of humanity

but it will

be the

liberation of

humanity,

it will be

the revelation

of the sons

and daughters

of the living

God that

will be the

liberation

ultimately

of creation.

Creation

will only be

restored and

healed when

humanity

is restored

and healed.

Now that

doesn't mean

that we

shouldn't

bother being

good stewards

of creation.

Recycling

is good,

let me commend

it to you.

But of course

it means that

the world's

ultimate hope

and salvation

is not in

environmentalism,

as useful

and as worthy

as that is,

but actually

an evangelism

and men

and women

getting right

with God.

things cannot

continue as

they had

done.

God will

keep his

words,

the word

that he

gave in

chapter 2

that if

they rebelled

against him,

if they did

not obey,

they would

die and

God will

keep his

words.

The fact

is that

relationship

with God

and consequently

peace in

this world

were always

dependent upon

trusting God

and acknowledging

his good

rule.

And the

consequences

of the fall,

the consequences

for work

and for every

aspect of

our life

that come

in in

Genesis

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3

and those

verses from

verse 14

onwards

are not the

spiteful

revenge of

a slighted

God.

It wasn't

God taking

the huff

and saying,

well if you

rejected me,

just you

wait.

I'll get

my own

back.

But those

consequences

were inevitable.

You see,

the world

can only

work well

when it

is in

step with

its maker

and its

sustainer.

It's like

removing the

firewall from

your laptop

and then

complaining that

the programs

have become

corrupted.

This

self-declaration

of independence

from God

could only

ever be a

disaster.

And of

course it

is the

cause of

everything

that damages

and spoils

our world

today.

Every

asylum,

every

hospital,

every

prison,

every

refugee

camp,

every

police

station,

every

slum,

every

employment

tribunal,

every

sexual

harassment

claim.

And within

a generation,

chapter 4,

you have the

first grave.

And then in

chapter 5,

you have a

cemetery.

A world

which is now

full of

alienation,

distrust,

conflict,

and death.

Well,

where does this

leave us?

Where did it

leave Adam

and Eve

and where

does it

leave us?

Well,

Adam and

Eve left

them hiding,

running from

God,

hoping,

it's bizarre

isn't it,

that God

would just

kind of go

away,

that he

might forget

about them,

that he

might not

have an

interest in

what had

happened.

And yet,

so many

people live

life like

that today,

don't they?

Have their

head in the

sand when it

comes to

God,

hoping that

perhaps they'll

be able to

make good

with some

metaphorical

fig leaves of

good works

or a bit

of religion.

People who

are now

detached from

any

great

purpose,

whether

vacationally

or morally,

hoping that

things will

just work

out okay,

that God

will leave

them alone.

But of

course,

God won't

go away.

This is

his world

and you

and I,

as Adam

and Eve,

are responsible.

We're

accountable.

And God

will ask the

same question

of every one

of us that

he asked

of Eve.

What is

this that

you have

done?

And yet

in the

middle of

this

judgment,

this fear,

the guilt,

the alienation,

there is

incredible

mercy,

isn't there?

Even here,

even in the

darkest of

all the

chapters of

the Bible,

God

shows his

mercy,

firstly,

in barring

the way

to the

tree of

life.

We see

enough evil,

don't we,

in the

years that

we have.

imagine

if Stalin

was still

alive today.

Imagine

if he

just lived

on and

on and

on.

Nobody

wants that.

There's

mercy in

the provision

of clothing.

God

giving

practical

care,

even in

the face

of people

that have

snubbed

him.

Continues

to care

and to

send the

rain and

the sunshine

on the

righteous

and the

wicked

even today.

But of

course the

greatest

mercy in

Genesis

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3

is that

despite all

this,

hope is

not lost,

that

restoration

is a

possibility,

that

paradise

can be

regained,

that intimacy

with God

could be

restored.

The promise

is just a

glimmer of

course,

we could

easily miss

it on

the first

reading,

but it's

there in

verse 15,

isn't it?

The seed

of the

woman will

crush the

tempter's

head,

that from

this

humanity

one would

arise who

would overturn

the fall,

who would

overcome

death,

the devil

and sin,

but who

would be

wounded even

as he

did so.

And the

hope of

Genesis

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3

of course

is the

hope and

the story

of the

rest of

the Bible.

And the

glimmering

promise in

the ruins

of Genesis

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3,

even as

humanity

is driven

out the

garden,

even as

that way

of life

is cut

off by

the angel

and the

flashing

sword,

is that

there can

be a

way back,

but that

the sword

would need

to be

dealt

with.

And the

way back

to God,

we could

stop there,

you know

the rest,

don't you?

You can put

two and

two together,

but for the

avoidance of

any doubt,

the way back

to God,

of course,

that one who

was going

to arise

was the

Lord Jesus

Christ,

born of

a woman,

the one

who would

destroy the

works of

the devil,

the one

who would

bear God's

punishment for

sin,

that we

might be

forgiven,

the one

who would

give life

to those

under the

sentence of

death.

A world

renewed,

and a world

that we can

look forward

to that will

be recreated,

a humanity

that will be

recreated,

even as men

and women are

born again in

the spirit,

and look

forward to

that day

of resurrection,

and a world

that will be

free from

frustration,

a world

where work

itself won't

be subject

to frustration

and difficulty

and boredom

and hassle,

but actually

will once again

be enriching

and joyful

and fulfilling

and glorious

to the glory

of God.

And may God

bless these

thoughts.

from his

words.

Amen.