Genesis 5

Please do open up your Bibles back to Genesis chapter 5. We'll be looking just at chapter 5 today.

Genesis 5 · chapter mention

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Then you go to their house and you finally meet their family and you realise, oh, that's why he's like that.

That's where he gets it from. He's just like his family.

Knowing where someone comes from, it explains why they are the way they are.

And this is why genealogies, bloodlines, are so important in the Bible.

They show us why we are the way we are.

And this chapter in Genesis, it's doing just that.

Stepping into this chapter, it's a bit like stepping into that family's house.

But we're not meeting someone else's family.

Did you notice whose family, whose bloodline this belongs to? Verse 1.

These are the generations of Adam.

We are going back to the origin of humanity.

Where we all came from.

And we're stepping back into our family tree.

Every single person here.

Your bloodline traces back to this one man.

And so we can look at this bloodline and we can see why we are the way we are.

And after the fall, this is especially important because if we follow the line after Adam,

if we follow Adam's bloodline and see what that family is like,

we can see what the fall has done to man.

What sin has done to us.

It's kind of like following the bloodline of sin.

But also, bloodlines are really important in the Bible because do you remember the promise God made after the fall?

Do you remember the promise that humanity left with as we went east of Eden?

What are we waiting for this side of the fall?

We're waiting for a family.

And we're waiting for a son to come from that family to save the world.

And so if you want to know what God is doing, if you want to follow the promise,

if you want to find salvation, you need to watch the bloodlines.

And this is what we have here.

We're following the promise.

Because this isn't only Adam's bloodline.

This is specifically Seth's bloodline.

So remember, Abel died.

And remember, Cain isn't a part of God's chosen family.

But now we have Seth.

And so all eyes are on Seth.

And so I want us to see two things today from this bloodline.

I want us to see why we are the way we are.

And I want us to see what God is doing in this family.

Which matches up with the two things that we're always on the lookout for in these chapters.

Remember, we're looking at chapters 4 to 11 over the next few weeks.

And there are two things to look out for this east of Eden.

Remember, it's sin and a son.

Remember, get your magnifying glass out.

And we're always looking for sin and a son.

These chapters post-fall, they have a double focus.

It's showing us what sin is like in this broken world east of Eden.

And it's showing us how God is bringing a son out of this brokenness.

So keep out your magnifying glasses.

And keep looking for sin and a son.

Because it's here in this bloodline.

But the first thing we need to spot is this.

It's something about us.

We now belong to a mortal bloodline.

That's my first point today.

I've just got two points.

My first one.

We now belong to a mortal bloodline.

So this genealogy, this bloodline, it begins with a recap.

A reminder of how we're created.

Look at verse 1.

This is the book of the generations of Adam.

When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.

Male and female, he created them.

And he blessed them and named them man when they were created.

So if we go back to our family home, we find out this about who we are.

We are made in the image of God.

We are made with a special design.

In a special way.

We are made to reflect who God is.

Made male and female.

Made to rule in this world.

And made to reflect God in this world.

With a pinnacle of creation.

That's how we were originally created.

That's the design.

But a question remains after the fall.

What has happened to the image?

If everything has changed.

If Adam has brought sin into this world.

If there now exists a monster inside of us.

What has happened to this image?

What has happened to humanity?

Can we even still be called the image of God?

God.

Because if you look around the world right now.

If you look at what humanity is doing.

If you look into your own heart.

It feels like we're not.

But look at verse 3.

When Adam had lived 130 years.

He fathered a son.

In his own likeness.

After his image.

And named him Seth.

Look what this is saying.

Adam was originally created in God's likeness.

After his image.

And when Adam had children.

Seth.

He was born in the same likeness.

And after the same image.

Even after the fall.

The image of God continues.

Adam passes the image down the bloodline.

It's like this genealogy is saying.

From now on.

East of Eden.

Every human who is born.

You, me, everyone.

We are all born very, very special.

Not just animals who wear clothes.

Not just a bag of cells.

Not just atoms colliding.

No.

We are born as precious.

Invaluable images of God.

Amazingly.

This side of Eden.

God still cares about humanity.

We're his crowning jewel of creation.

So, you need to know this about yourself.

Never think that your life is worthless.

You are just like Seth.

The image of God continues in you.

Now, we will see over the coming weeks.

We will see that we are broken images.

East of Eden.

But we're still images.

Still special.

This is why we are the way we are.

And the original command for humanity.

The command to be fruitful and multiply.

It's happening, isn't it?

Our purpose still remains this side of Eden.

And we see this in the genealogy.

We get a bloodline of ten generations.

Nine different sons, grandsons, coming from Adam.

Which, again, is promising, isn't it?

We're on the lookout for a son.

God is doing something.

And look, we have nine of them.

And so, our image continues.

And our purpose continues.

And get out your magnifying glass.

God's provision of a son continues.

But, it's not all plain sailing in this bloodline.

Something eerie, something ominous looms in this bloodline.

Did you notice about the ages of each son's lifespan?

Did you notice the numbers?

Just look at the numbers.

You don't need to be good at maths for this.

So, look.

All the days of Adam were 930 years.

And then look at Seth, 912.

Enosh, 905.

Kenan, 910.

Mahalal, 895.

All the way down to Lamech, 777 years.

Did you notice something about the numbers?

They're all going down.

Yes, you kind of have a few sons who live a little bit longer than their dads.

But overall, the line is going down.

Sin is eating away at these lifespans.

It's like Adam was so close to eternal life.

But as you get further away from Eden, and as sin eats away at the generations, life gets shorter and shorter and shorter.

Further and further from eternal life.

And then, there is an ominous, painful drumbeat in this bloodline.

Did you notice how each generation ends?

The same three words.

And he died.

Adam lived.

And he died.

Then there was Seth.

And he died.

And then he died.

And he died.

And he died.

And he died.

It's like this drumbeat.

This inescapable, eerie drumbeat.

Running through the bloodline of humanity.

And this says something crucial about who we are this side of Eden.

We are now mortal.

We now belong to a mortal bloodline.

We are a dying race.

A people trapped under the curse of death.

God promised Adam, if you eat this fruit, you shall surely die.

God cursed Adam and said, you are dust and to dust you shall return.

And here it is.

Here are the dusty bodies.

And he died.

And he died.

And he died.

Adam let in the monster of sin.

And he let in the monster of death.

And this is who we are now.

This is why we are the way we are.

When we left the gates of Eden.

As a family, we all entered a valley.

We all now walk in this life through the valley of the shadow of death.

And so there is a painful, relentless drumbeat in all of our lives.

A drumbeat that follows us everywhere we go.

And sometimes it's quieter.

And you almost don't notice it.

But sometimes that beat is very loud and painful.

As you enter through the sliding doors of the hospital, you can hear it, can't you?

As we prepare hymns for the funeral, you can feel it.

And it's like this repetitive, painful, full stop at the end of each life.

When we lived in America, Bethany and I, we lived right by a graveyard.

And it was actually a Jewish graveyard.

And it was really beautiful and well kept.

And there was a path going around the whole graveyard.

And we would go on walks and do loops of the graveyard.

And we began to notice, as we spotted all the tombstones,

we noticed that there were plots of land where everyone had the same surname.

On the tombstones.

And it turns out families would buy plots of land

and be buried there all together as the generations went on.

And so you'd see these big tombstones on one plot of land

with a list of names and death dates at the top of the big tombstone.

Just like this bloodline, kind of a generation going by.

But there was a big empty space at the bottom.

of these tombstones.

And that space was there to add more names as time went on.

And so you could be a grandson going to visit your grandfather's graveside

and realize on the tombstone,

my name's going to be there one day.

And it may seem like a bit of a morbid walk I took Bethany on.

But it was actually, it was really helpful.

Because we so often forget that we're mortal.

When we're younger, we try to drown out the drumbeat.

When we're older, we try to run away from it.

But seeing those tombstones, it helps us tune our ears back into that drumbeat.

Wise living is knowing that there is a space on the tombstone waiting for us.

But why is God showing us this about our bloodline?

But why turn up the volume of this drumbeat?

Well, it is to tune our ears into it.

But also, this bloodline is here to show us that death is an unnatural intruder in this world.

You may hear that death is just kind of a natural part of the natural circle of life.

Death has always just been.

But no, this bloodline shows us death is an unwelcome intruder from the fall.

These numbers shouldn't be going down.

In fact, these numbers shouldn't be there at all.

Death isn't a part of God's design.

And even if you're not a believer here today,

I'm certain you already know this.

You may say death is just normal.

You may say it's just the circle of life.

But when those tears come,

you know, you know this isn't the way things should be.

You know you should never have to say,

and he died.

And you're right to feel that.

Because this isn't the way things should be.

That is what this bloodline is showing us.

Death may be common in this world,

but it's not normal.

That this drumbeat shouldn't be there.

It is because sin has been eating away at our lives.

And so this is showing us a sobering truth.

This, this is what happens when you walk away from God.

This intruder isn't here by accident.

It's here because of our sin.

We let him in,

and now this is God's curse,

weighing upon a world that has turned their backs on him.

And so this drumbeat in our lives,

it's a constant reminder,

this is what happens when you walk away from God.

This is why we are the way we are.

And so when you hear this drumbeat in your life,

realise what it is.

It is a call to come back to God.

It is a cry telling you that you need God.

And amazingly, God cares.

He cares that this intruder has entered his creation.

He cares that his precious image

is walking through this dark valley.

And in fact, he cares so much

that he gave his only son

to join this list of names.

To have those three painful words next to his own name,

Jesus Christ lived 33 years,

and he died.

But,

we know

something else came after those three words.

That wasn't the end of the story.

There is a hope.

And that hope

can actually already be seen

in this bloodline.

Because there's something else going on.

Yes, this shows us we belong to a mortal bloodline.

But also, we see something else.

We see

God

is creating

an immortal bloodline.

That's my second and final point today.

God is creating

an immortal bloodline.

I want you to notice two names in this genealogy.

Enoch

in verse 21

and Lamech

in verse 28.

Now,

this isn't Lamech.

This isn't the bad Lamech

from last week.

This isn't

Cain's descendant Lamech.

This is

the same name Lamech,

but this is

great Lamech.

And I want you to

to notice

that these two sons,

because there's

something special,

something out of the ordinary

happening

in this mortal bloodline.

Look at Enoch,

verse 21.

When Enoch

had lived

65 years,

he fathered

Methuselah.

Enoch

walked with God

after he fathered

Methuselah

300 years

and had other sons

and daughters.

Thus,

all the days of Enoch

were 365 years.

Enoch

walked with God

and he was not,

for God took him.

What stands out

about Enoch's life?

It says it twice,

did you notice?

Enoch

walked with God.

Now,

what does this mean?

This means

Enoch

had faith

in God.

Enoch

knew the Lord.

He prayed

to God.

He had communion

with him.

He devoted

his life

to him.

When life

was shaky,

when the drumbeat

was loud,

Enoch

trusted God.

He lived

his life.

He walked

through this dark

valley,

not on his own,

not aimlessly,

but Enoch

walked through

this valley

by faith

with God.

And this,

this is the life

of everyone

in the family

of God.

When you trust

in God,

God is not

distant.

He's not a

backseat passenger

in your life.

No,

when you trust

in God,

something remarkable

happens.

God walks

with you.

God stays

by your side.

That is,

that's the blessing

of the Christian life.

And notice

how this affects

Enoch's biography.

Firstly,

it's the main

thing mentioned

about him,

isn't it?

We don't hear

about his achievements,

his bank balance,

the size of his house.

No,

the most

important thing

about his whole

365 years

on this planet

is that

Enoch

walked with God.

At the end

of each of our lives,

when the drumbeat

hits,

this is what

matters.

this is what

we should pray

people can say

of us.

He,

she

walked with God.

And secondly,

notice how this

affects his ending.

Did you notice

there's no

drumbeat

at the end?

It's missing

three words.

There's no

and he died.

Instead,

it just says

Enoch

walked with God

and he was not

for God

took him.

Enoch

is one of

two people

in the Bible

who never

actually faced

death.

There's Elijah.

Do you remember

Elijah?

He was taken

up into heaven

and then

there's Enoch

whom God

took from

this world.

And like

Elijah,

God took him

straight to heaven.

Hebrews 11

even confirms

this.

Hebrews 11

says,

by faith

Enoch

was taken

up

so that

he should

not see

death

and he

was not

found

because

God

had

taken

him.

And we

don't know

what this

looked like.

Maybe he

was actually

lifted up

like Elijah

or maybe

he just

disappeared.

Maybe he

was hanging

out with

a friend

like,

oh,

Elijah,

can you

just pass

me that?

Oh,

must have

gone home.

We don't

know how

it happened,

what it

looked like,

but we

do know

why he

was taken.

Because

Enoch

walked

with God.

God

loved

Enoch

so much.

God

loved

Enoch

so much

that he

didn't

let

Enoch

face

the

drumbeat

of death.

And this

is showing

something

remarkable

this side

of Eden.

this is

showing

us,

yes,

this

world

is

cursed.

Yes,

this

drumbeat

is

everywhere,

but actually

there is

a way

to escape

the curse

of death.

Yes,

this world

is filled

with death,

but there

is a way

to escape

death

itself.

And how?

It's not

by running,

it's by

walking.

walking

with God,

that is

how you

escape.

This

world

is a

valley

of the

shadow

of death,

but by

faith

we walk

with God

and God

walks with

us through

this valley

and he

leads us

out the

other side,

out of

death

itself.

You walk

away from

God and

there's only

death,

death,

but you

walk with

God and

there is

life.

And so

get your

magnifying glass

out again.

This is what

God is doing

in this

world.

Yes,

we belong

to a mortal

bloodline,

but from

that mortal

bloodline,

God is

creating

an immortal

bloodline.

a new

family

whom God

is leading

out of

this valley

to escape

the curse

of death,

who will

live forever,

who will

be raised

to

immortality.

Now for

us,

it won't

be like

Enoch.

Unless the

Lord returns,

we will

still face

the drumbeat

of death.

But for

those who

walk with

God,

death will

never be

the end.

died won't

be the

final word

of your

biography.

Because like

Christ,

something comes

after death.

Something comes

after this

mortal life,

the resurrection,

everlasting

life,

immortality.

And in

that life,

the drumbeat

stops.

And there

is only,

only rest.

that's what

lies at the

end of this

valley.

And that is

what God is

doing in this

world.

From this

mortal blood

line,

God is

creating an

immortal

bloodline.

And he's

doing that

by walking

with his

people.

This

drumbeat

is eerie.

It is too

much to bear

by ourselves.

The grief

is too

painful.

And so

how do you

escape this

curse?

come and

walk with

God.

Walk by

faith with

God.

And it

may be a

weak faith.

The walk

may be a

struggle.

You may

not understand

why God

is taking

you through

this.

But when

you live

by faith,

there will

be an

end to

this cursed

world for

you.

There will

be a

finish line.

And as

you walk

it,

you will

never be

alone.

death.

This is

why, as

Christians,

we don't

need to

run from

death.

Why we

don't need

to be

scared about

it.

When death

comes knocking

on your

door, when

you walk

with God,

you can

actually embrace

death.

Because you

know this

isn't the

end.

And the

world can't

do that.

The world

can't do

anything like

that.

The world

offers no

hope after

death.

death.

But when

you walk

with God,

you know

immortality

runs through

your blood.

So ask

yourself,

after you

die,

what will

your biography

say?

Will it just

say,

and he

died?

And she

died?

And that's

it?

Well,

walk with

God,

and it will

say so much

more.

And how

is God

doing this?

How is

God bringing

this rest?

Well, he's

bringing us

there by

sending a

son.

And did

you notice

that there

is someone

else who

passed this

immortal

bloodline,

Lamech?

And he's

a man

walking with

God too,

because look,

he's a man

clinging to

God's

promises.

He knows

a son is

coming.

He remembers

Genesis 3.15.

He's

waiting for

a son,

and he

knows what

that son

will bring,

because look,

get out your

magnifying glass.

When a son

is born to

him,

verse 29,

he calls

him Noah.

And Noah,

it means

rest in

Hebrew.

It's like

calling your

son rest face,

right?

Noah means

rest.

And so

Lamech says

very appropriately,

out of the

ground that

the Lord

has cursed,

this one

shall bring

us relief,

rest,

from our

work,

and from

the painful

toil of

our hands.

As he

looks at

his little

son,

he knows

we can

only escape

this curse

through a

son.

God is

only bringing

rest through

a son,

and he

thinks this

could be

him.

And so

Noah is a

very fitting

name.

and in

a way

Lamech is

right.

Noah is

a son who

will bring

rest from

the curse.

And we'll

focus on

Noah in

the coming

weeks as

we think

about the

flood.

But Lamech is

absolutely right

about something

here.

Only a

son can

bring rest.

But we

know Noah

only brings

temporary rest.

rest.

We leave

this blood

line realizing

we need a

son who

will bring

final rest.

A son to

actually bring

immortality to

the mortal.

And that is

only found in

the son of

God.

If you keep

following this

genealogy,

and if you

keep following

the line of

Seth, and

if you keep

seeing how

God has

been creating

and protecting

an immortal

bloodline for

himself, and

if you keep

following that

bloodline down

and down,

son after

son after

son, eventually

you get to

a final son.

You get to

a boy born

in Bethlehem

to bring this

world rest.

And in the

Lord Jesus,

God has

come down

into this

valley to

experience this

valley of

death for us.

To actually

feel the

drumbeat in

his soul, to

have the

words, and

he died next

to his name.

And to not

only feel the

curse of death,

but to bear

it.

To carry it

all on that

cross for us.

As he cried

out in agony,

as he took his

last breath,

that was the

full weight of

the curse of

death, landing

on the son

of God.

And he did

this to walk

with his

family, to

know the

pain that you

go through in

order to lead

us out of it.

Because he's

already come out

the other side.

As Jesus

left that tomb,

that was the

final son being

clothed in

immortality.

that was the

final son bringing

rest to this

world.

And for

everyone who

walks with God,

for everyone who

walks with faith

in his son,

Christ shares

this immortality

with you.

And so the

church, we

are the

immortal blood

line.

But not

simply because we

were born with

the right blood,

but because we

are cleansed with

the right blood.

And so we can

look back at

this blood line

and we can

actually see as

Christians why

we are the way

we are.

Why can we

sing no guilt

in life, no

fear in death?

Why can we

proclaim Christ

our only hope

in life and

death?

Because we are

now part of an

immortal blood

line.

That is why we

are the way we

are.

It's all because

of the

sun.

So as you

walk this dark

valley, we

will all face

mortality.

We will all

hear this drum

beat, but there

is a way to

escape it.

Walk with God

and you will

belong to

something immortal.

Let's pray.

Let's pray.