1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:04,040 Well, hey all, for those who don't know me, I am Will and I 2 00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:08,520 have the privilege of being a part of the preaching team that 3 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:11,480 we're continuing to trudge on through a Genesis. 4 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:16,520 We're still in Genesis 1, but but we're actually going to hit 5 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:19,440 the double digits and even go all the way to midway through 6 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:21,600 verse 20. So of the 20. 7 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,320 So shout out to that. I do love that we are doing this 8 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:28,400 though. I believe that Genesis is one of 9 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:32,720 the most like known, well known kind of books in the Bible, but 10 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:37,160 also one of the most overlooked and kind of glossed over and 11 00:00:37,160 --> 00:00:39,160 often underappreciated books as well. 12 00:00:39,160 --> 00:00:41,960 So I'm really pumped that we're taking our time to go through 13 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:45,720 this and really kind of reflect on God's Word. 14 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:48,040 Amen, Amen. Amen, Amen. 15 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:53,520 So all right, so according to Scripture, everyone is born with 16 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:57,480 sin, right? In other words, you can even put 17 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:00,920 it as like the the sin gene, everyone has it, you're born 18 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:04,239 with it and it's innate. This is really pointed out in 19 00:01:04,239 --> 00:01:08,440 Psalms 51 five. David says, indeed, I was guilty 20 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:11,320 when I was born. I was sinful when my mother 21 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:15,400 conceived me. I was sinful when my mother 22 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:18,320 conceived me. So they even like put this even 23 00:01:18,320 --> 00:01:24,040 more perspective of this David is proclaiming he was sinful at 24 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:27,840 conception, right? So FYI about David's parents, 25 00:01:28,320 --> 00:01:32,760 they were married and his father who's also a Jew, was a well 26 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:35,280 respected and a well known Jew from Bethlehem. 27 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:41,120 So it this isn't a conception of forbidden love. 28 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:45,720 This isn't a conception of sexual immorality in which he 29 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:49,920 was he was conceived. But David is Speaking of 30 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:58,160 inherited sin from Adam. I was sinful when I was 31 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:03,040 conceived by my mother. So then even another example of 32 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:06,560 Job 25 four. How can human, how can a human 33 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:12,680 be justified before God? How can one born of woman be 34 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:18,040 pure Again inherited sin Romans 310. 35 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:25,200 There is no one righteous, not even 1, because we are 36 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:29,040 inherently sinful. Psalm 14, four. 37 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:32,920 All have turned away, All alike have become corrupt. 38 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:38,240 There is no one who does good, no, not even one. 39 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:47,680 We are naturally sinful. We are simply born that way, and 40 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:51,240 there is a reason we must be born again. 41 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:53,480 Amen. I don't think y'all heard me. 42 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:56,520 There's a reason we must be born again. 43 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,840 Amen. OK, some of you may be wondering 44 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:03,040 why the heck are we are we talking about this? 45 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:06,240 Why am I going so hard on these Bible verses of us being 46 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:10,200 inherently sinful? And bro, you just said we we in 47 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:13,440 Genesis and we haven't even talked about Adam and Eve yet. 48 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:15,840 What does this have to do with the scripture? 49 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:19,440 We're going to go over today and actually what we're going to 50 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,200 talk about. Well, I'm doing this for three 51 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:26,200 reasons, right? Reason one, it is actually very 52 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:28,160 relevant to the text today. And that's what you continue to 53 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:29,760 read. And we go through and we pull 54 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:32,160 through and dig through and pry through the scriptures. 55 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:36,320 You guys will see that. Number two, to be honest, I just 56 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:38,880 told a whole bunch of new parents, we got a lot of little 57 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:41,800 babies here that they're sweet innocent baby boy or sweet 58 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,320 innocent baby girl that they thought was is sinful. 59 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:49,040 And I, I definitely need a scripture to back that up so I 60 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:51,320 can survive leaving this thing in the day. 61 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:57,560 But for parents of older kids, I highly doubt it had to inform me 62 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:00,520 of that. But I will say this though, 63 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:07,200 about those parents of older kids, Those kids often reveal 64 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:10,560 the sin in their parents. I'm just going to let that sit 65 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:11,480 there. Just let that sit there. 66 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:15,600 Anyway, the third and final reason I, I, I really had to 67 00:04:16,399 --> 00:04:19,959 kind of set the stage or, or kind of dive into that is 68 00:04:19,959 --> 00:04:22,400 because it's relevant to the story I'm about to tell you. 69 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:28,360 So Thursday night, my wife was cooking and the two bigs, my two 70 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:32,240 big kids were, were helping the, the little kid put away his toy 71 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:37,560 and, and clean up his area. And by helping I mean that they 72 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:40,800 were doing it while Lamari the little is deciding to wand 73 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:45,360 around and create more chaos while I'm standing by the stairs 74 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:49,880 and he's actually in the kitchen and somehow wandered his way 75 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:54,160 there. I tell him Amari give that toy 76 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:59,040 to Zane and go help clean up. When I tell you all he looked at 77 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:04,960 me as if I was the little dude that owed him money and screamed 78 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:07,400 with his whole chest pointed out no. 79 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:15,000 So shout out to God for my the patience he's he's giving me. 80 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:20,160 I took a deep breath. I started to walk closer to him 81 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:26,000 and that warrior glare he had started quickly to turn into 82 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:30,520 puppy dog eyes. So I flicked his hand and told 83 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:34,520 him again my son again that remember like kids they watch 84 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:39,480 us. He then took a deep breath and 85 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:43,480 said OK, then proceeded to do what I told him to do. 86 00:05:44,840 --> 00:05:46,240 Why? Why is that? 87 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:54,520 Like why did it kind of go down like that stating if you're able 88 00:05:54,520 --> 00:06:03,120 for the reading of God's Word. We're in Genesis 1 verses 14 89 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:05,720 through 25. Yes, this is the first time 90 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:07,320 we're in reading double digit verses. 91 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:11,600 So walk with me through this. Amen. 92 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:16,000 And God said, let there be lights in the expanse of the 93 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:19,760 heavens to separate the day and the night, and let them be signs 94 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:26,400 for the seasons, and for the days and for the years, and let 95 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:29,040 them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon 96 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:30,320 the earth. And it was so. 97 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:33,240 And God made the 2 great lights, the greater light to rule the 98 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:36,000 day, and the lesser light to rule the night and the stars. 99 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:39,960 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on 100 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:45,240 the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to 101 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:47,160 separate the light from the darkness. 102 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:51,120 And God saw that it was good, and there was evening, and there 103 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:54,600 was morning, the 4th day. And God said, let the water 104 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:58,840 swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly 105 00:06:58,840 --> 00:07:01,440 above the earth across the expanse of the heavens. 106 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:06,480 So God created the great sea creatures and every living 107 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:10,200 creature that moves, with which the water swarm according to 108 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:13,080 their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. 109 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:16,920 And God saw it was good. And God blessed him by saying, 110 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:21,920 Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters and the seas, 111 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:23,920 and let the birds multiply on earth. 112 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:27,960 And there was evening, there was morning, the 5th day. 113 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:32,560 And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures 114 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:35,440 according to their kind, livestock, creeping things, 115 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:37,360 beast of the earth according to their kind. 116 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:41,520 And it was so. And God made the beast of of the 117 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:44,760 earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their 118 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:47,720 kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according 119 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:51,920 to its kind. And God saw it was good. 120 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:54,760 Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for your word. 121 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:56,440 Thank you so much for the creation. 122 00:07:56,440 --> 00:08:01,240 Thank you for allowing us to have the ability to hear your 123 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:03,920 word. Father, we ask that you convict 124 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:06,560 those who need to be convicted, encourage those who need to be 125 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:09,760 encouraged, and draw near and draw them near to you, those who 126 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:11,360 have drifted afar. Father. 127 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:14,160 Father, we ask for wisdom, guidance. 128 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:17,080 Speak, Lord, your servants are listening. 129 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:19,640 Amen. You may be seated. 130 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:29,240 This first chapter would have been really controversial to the 131 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:32,360 people living while it was being written by Moses. 132 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:35,200 Like extremely. It completely went against 133 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:39,400 everything they have been taught to believe and their gods they 134 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:46,440 believed in and relied on. This word was world breaking, 135 00:08:47,680 --> 00:08:52,120 earth shattering words being written down, especially in 136 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:57,720 verses 14 through 19. The one who knew that better 137 00:08:57,720 --> 00:08:59,960 than probably the most was Moses. 138 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:07,560 In Acts 7, Chapter 7, verses 20 through 22, it talks about the 139 00:09:07,560 --> 00:09:11,640 beginning of Moses's life. One key thing it talks about is 140 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:17,240 how he was educated in all wisdom of the Egyptians. 141 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:20,200 It also gives him the characteristics of being 142 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:26,240 powerful in his speech and actions, powerful in his speech 143 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:30,920 and actions. This means that he knows what 144 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:33,880 Egyptians believe. He was raised as a Prince. 145 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:37,760 He was likely tutored in those teachings, nurtured in those 146 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:42,640 teachings, and was likely an everyday topic in his life, his 147 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:46,000 friends lives, his family lives, and everyone around him. 148 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:50,760 Everything he sees, every picture, every medium echoed 149 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:55,240 that. This means he would have known. 150 00:09:55,920 --> 00:10:02,360 Egyptians worship Newt, the God of the sky, Shoe, the God of 151 00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:08,960 air, wind and light, Geb, the God of earth or fertility, and 152 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:15,120 their almighty God, Raw, who is the God of Sun, the creator, and 153 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:19,480 to them the king of the gods. He would have known that they 154 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:23,000 also would have worshipped the stars additional to that as 155 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:29,160 additional celestial beings. And still and still with that 156 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:34,080 knowledge, Moses wrote verses 14 through 19. 157 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:38,200 And God said, let there be light in the expanse of the heavens to 158 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:42,720 separate the day from the night. And let them be signs for 159 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:47,840 seasons, signs for the days, and signs for the years. 160 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:52,640 Let the light be the expanse of let there be a light in the 161 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:56,040 expanse of heavens to give light upon earth. 162 00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:58,680 And it was so. God made the 2 great lights. 163 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:01,040 The greater lights rule the day, and the lesser lights rule the 164 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:05,000 night and the stars. And God set them in the expanse 165 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:09,120 of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day, 166 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:12,160 over the night, separate the light from the darkness. 167 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:20,240 And God saw it was good. That was the 4th day in Moses 168 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:28,000 writing that in him taking his time to scribe that Moses then 169 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:32,160 reveals that the one true God created everything. 170 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:36,800 They're all powerful, all knowing Son. 171 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:45,040 God was merely a creation, a tool used to tell time that God 172 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:49,240 is also sovereign over, and to tell seasons. 173 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:57,200 He's a glorified watch for the world that God truly reigns in. 174 00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:03,680 The stars that they saw with celestial beings or deities 175 00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:08,440 literally just footnotes in the creation story. 176 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:12,960 This is really emphasizing that they have no real power, no 177 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:15,360 control. They are not to be worshipped. 178 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:19,760 They are not to have any type of means of understanding from 179 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:21,360 them. You can't gain nothing from 180 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:23,840 them. They are just created things to 181 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:27,680 serve a purpose for the one true God. 182 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:30,640 Deuteronomy 419 further highlights this. 183 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:34,000 When you look to the heavens and you see the sun, the moon, the 184 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:38,360 stars, all the stars in the sky, do not be LED astray to bow and 185 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:42,680 worship to them and serve them. The Lord your God has provided 186 00:12:42,680 --> 00:12:46,160 them for all people everywhere under the heaven. 187 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:53,200 They are tools to tell time, tools to dictate the seasons, 188 00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:58,600 tools to make the nice guy sometime look a little pretty. 189 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:07,040 Let's continue then you see and, and as we continue as Moses goes 190 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:09,800 on in verses 20 through 25, right? 191 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:15,680 Moses then goes on in these verses to tell how God created 192 00:13:15,680 --> 00:13:21,240 life itself, all the swarms and the creatures in the ocean. 193 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:24,800 He created all weeded creatures, all creatures again of the sea, 194 00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:27,720 all the creatures and massive creatures of the land, and then 195 00:13:27,720 --> 00:13:31,880 he blesses them. Moses also in the in the midst 196 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:34,360 of that, since we're talking about what people worshipped, 197 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:40,680 made sure to emphasize large sea creatures as well. 198 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:43,040 This is specifically in verse 21. 199 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:47,160 So God created the great sea creatures. 200 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:51,880 Why? Because in those times, giant 201 00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:55,200 sea monsters like the Leviathan was worshipped as well. 202 00:13:57,040 --> 00:14:00,640 The Leviathan was seen as a deity of wrath and destruction. 203 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:06,400 Some people saw it as the the means or the prediction of the 204 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:08,480 end of the world when you did see it. 205 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:16,880 But this again is just a mere creation of the Lord. 206 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:20,640 This is really shown in in Job 41 five. 207 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:25,400 Will you play with him the leviathan God is talking about 208 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:31,040 as with a bird or will you put them on on a leash for your 209 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:35,160 girls? To God, this is literally just a 210 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:41,320 plaything, a toy, a pet, a gift you give to girls. 211 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaking of Job and Job 40, it speaks of the behemoth, a 212 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:50,360 massive land creature that God created as well. 213 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:55,200 So Job forty, 2020 through 22, it it, like I said, it really 214 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:58,400 illustrates this. It shows the impact of Genesis 215 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:03,640 111 through 25 and how God is not only the Creator but a 216 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:09,400 sovereign designer. So in Job it says for the 217 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:14,560 mountains yield food for him, the behemoth where all the wild 218 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:19,320 beasts play in their environment under the Lotus plant. 219 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:24,800 He lies in the shelter of the reeds and in the marsh means 220 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:28,200 that there was there was a place made for him to lay down and get 221 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:31,360 rest and for his shade the Lotus trees cover him. 222 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:33,920 So when it gets hot, he already got a spot where you can go 223 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:36,640 again to lay down. And the willows of the brook 224 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:39,840 surround him so you can always have something to drink. 225 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:45,320 Church. This is literally a biblical 226 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:48,720 description of an ecosystem that God created. 227 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:52,440 For those who may not know or maybe too young or don't 228 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:56,200 remember their biology vocab words, I get it. 229 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:59,400 I was one of those two. Ecosystem is a biological 230 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:03,760 community of interacting organisms and their physical 231 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:06,480 environment. A commentary emphasizes this by 232 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:10,080 saying the living creatures, like the vegetation before, are 233 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:12,200 created according to their kinds. 234 00:16:12,200 --> 00:16:16,400 Inherently, the created order possesses divinely impose 235 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:22,120 limitations and established, self maintained, self maintained 236 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:25,360 and governed systems. Why? 237 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:31,560 Because everything our all powerful creator has made has a 238 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:37,440 job, a purpose and was carefully and woefully designed. 239 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:46,560 Here, I'll give you a modern example of one that actually a 240 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:52,400 woman in in our CG on Wednesday brought up about oak trees. 241 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:59,440 Oak trees go four to seven years between massive and widespread 242 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:03,160 acorn production, right? They do this to outwit the 243 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:06,160 current population of acorn eaters, typically squirrels. 244 00:17:06,839 --> 00:17:10,720 During this what's called a mashed year, there are far more 245 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:15,240 acorns than a squirrel or other acorn eaters can consume. 246 00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:19,760 When faced with this surplus, squirrels or other eaters cannot 247 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:23,200 consume them immediately, so they bury the access. 248 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:27,520 And because there's so many, because it's such a plethora of 249 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:32,640 them, they often get forgotten and later grow into more oak 250 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:37,040 trees. I'm here to tell you that that 251 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:42,040 mastering strategy is not by coincidence, but it's by design 252 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:45,760 by our Creator. This shows that God did not just 253 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:49,160 randomly put stuff together and hope it was all going to work 254 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:52,920 out because He didn't account for any problems or or 255 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:59,920 disasters, but that He made everything thoughtfully, 256 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:06,200 carefully, and is in total control of it all. 257 00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:11,560 Like, we can't even truly predict when this lasting 258 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:14,480 strategy is going to take place. So we just put it maybe four to 259 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:16,800 seven years. But you know who does know? 260 00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:23,520 God, who orchestrates it? God who dictates it, God, the 261 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:26,640 God from Genesis one one through 25. 262 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:33,720 But again, he's made everything thoughtfully, carefully, and is 263 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:36,480 in total control still to this day. 264 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:47,360 So I walk to Amari who just yelled no to me like he could 265 00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:52,720 beat me up and his eyes go from Leonidas from the movie 300. 266 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:59,080 You know the this is Sparta to Oliver Twist. 267 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:05,440 Please Sir. Real quick as I got closer and 268 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:08,760 even before the consequence of the little hand flick even 269 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:12,960 happened before it was even received again, why? 270 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:16,480 Why is that? It's proximity. 271 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:22,680 See, when when his earthly father me was further away from 272 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:25,040 him, it is easier for him to disobey. 273 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:27,440 It is easier for him to be tough. 274 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:32,520 It's easier for him to rebel. But as I, his earthly father, 275 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:37,440 gets closer to him, it gets a lot harder to keep that up. 276 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:42,400 As I get closer, he is instantly reminded of the sheer difference 277 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:47,160 in our size, the strength, and he's also reminded how much he 278 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:52,440 actually relies on me. That has to be how Moses must 279 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:58,320 have felt, because when when he was far from the Heavenly Father 280 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:03,440 and being raised as an Egyptian, it is said in Acts Again that he 281 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:07,960 was powerful in his speech. He often took matters into his 282 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:10,800 own hands. And when he was far from the 283 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:14,280 Heavenly Father, he was also so petrified of Pharaoh. 284 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:19,920 That that Moses lived like an Egyptian, knowing that he was an 285 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:29,480 ethnic Jew, but he was terrified, terrified of Pharaoh. 286 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:34,320 So most of that when he did take matters into his own hand, 287 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:37,720 because he knew he was an ethnic Jew, because he saw an Egyptian 288 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:46,600 tormenting a Jewish person, he then killed him, took matters 289 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:51,600 into his own hands, But still he was still terrified of Pharaoh, 290 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:56,200 that Pharaoh would find out that he went into hiding for 40 291 00:20:56,400 --> 00:21:00,960 years. It wasn't a week from him 292 00:21:00,960 --> 00:21:05,600 leaving Egypt, fleeing Egypt, that he that God then sends him 293 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:09,160 back. This is 40 years of hiding and 294 00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:17,880 being terrified for his life. But God, can everyone say but 295 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:22,360 God one more time? But God, when God revealed 296 00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:26,880 himself suddenly, suddenly the man that was described as 297 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:30,960 powerful in speech was a terrible speaker. 298 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:35,320 His fear was no longer about Pharaoh. 299 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:39,760 He had no questions of going there, but that he wouldn't be 300 00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:44,520 able to accomplish what God wanted him to do because he saw 301 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:49,240 himself as insignificant in the presence of God. 302 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:54,960 His fear and reverence of Pharaoh and the Egyptian 303 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:59,240 teachings incinerated in the presence of God and that burning 304 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:05,480 Bush. But that proximity of God, that 305 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:09,760 proximity of God gave him security and strength to write 306 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:15,160 down that the gods that he was taught to worship, that were 307 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:21,480 pivotal to Egyptian culture were merely tools and creations of 308 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:26,720 the one true God. That proximity rule also applies 309 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:28,640 to Job. We've been using Job in a lot of 310 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:31,080 reference, so it applies the same way. 311 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:35,000 Far from God, Job was questioning God, claiming he 312 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:38,200 should have never been born, and initially even proclaiming that 313 00:22:38,360 --> 00:22:41,240 God made a mistake and having him be born. 314 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:50,560 And Job deserved answers. But in close proximity to God, 315 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:59,840 God reminded Job who God is. He reminded Job of Genesis 111 316 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:03,680 through 25 that he is the creator, He is sovereign. 317 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:08,520 And immediately Job humbled himself and acknowledged that 318 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:16,680 God doesn't make mistakes. This proximity rule is why God 319 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:20,800 sent his son Jesus. Our sins severed our 320 00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:25,040 relationship and closeness to God, so He had to send His Son 321 00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:30,480 Jesus to die for us to take our consequence. 322 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:34,760 And I assure you, it's more than a hand flick to clean up our 323 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:41,360 mess that we made so that we can have close proximity to Him for 324 00:23:41,360 --> 00:23:42,680 eternity. Amen. 325 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:47,280 Amen. So remember that inherited sin I 326 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:53,000 was rambling about earlier how we're we're born with that sin 327 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:56,520 gene. Well, because of that, the 328 00:23:56,520 --> 00:24:02,240 further we are from God, the bigger and deeper that sin 329 00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:07,240 becomes, the more comfortable we get with it, the more distorted 330 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:13,200 our views of the world become. And the more we forget about 331 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:20,280 Genesis 1, even one through 25, and it becomes easier and easier 332 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:28,040 and easier to make something else, our God and our idol, even 333 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:33,120 his gifts and his creations. So what is your proximity right 334 00:24:33,120 --> 00:24:38,160 now to God? Even some of you wondering like, 335 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:43,240 well, I don't even know how I know how far I am if I am far. 336 00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:45,760 Well, I'll, I'll give you guys some examples. 337 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:49,600 This isn't all of them, but I, I think some of these might, 338 00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:51,400 might, might hit some people here. 339 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:53,160 I know it hit me writing it down. 340 00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:58,960 I'll tell you that. So one example of, of 341 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:01,280 separation. The first one is anxiety. 342 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:08,240 Anxiety is the findest feeling worry or nervousness or unease, 343 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:12,160 typically about an imminent event or something with an 344 00:25:12,160 --> 00:25:16,920 uncertain outcome or desire to do something, typically 345 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:21,240 accompanied by unease. Now I want to clarify this. 346 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:27,080 Having moments of anxiety or bouts of anxiety even in itself 347 00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:29,920 is not sinful. We are still people. 348 00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:34,440 That is not sinful. But the The thing you may be 349 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:40,280 anxious about may be a key indicator of your proximity. 350 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:47,840 The thing you may be feeling anxious about may be a key 351 00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:53,080 indicator of your proximity. A source says that the top 352 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:56,920 anxieties in America are the economy, political and global 353 00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:00,240 instability, gun violence, violence. 354 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:05,680 Sorry, and the societal issues or social justice issues. 355 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:13,000 The second example is apathy. Apathy is defined as lack of 356 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:15,360 interest, enthusiasm, or concern. 357 00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:21,640 Specifically around this apathy is the apathy around God, His 358 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:32,800 Word and His statutes. Apathy of God, his word and his 359 00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:34,520 statutes. Feel like that's 360 00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:35,840 self-explanatory. Amen. 361 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:41,360 OK, the third and last example. This is really, really similar 362 00:26:41,360 --> 00:26:43,440 to Job. We just talked about how he was 363 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:51,440 feeling, but it's living and a feeling of unworthiness, a 364 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:57,120 feeling of unloved even where you feel like your life is a 365 00:26:57,120 --> 00:27:02,760 mistake. That is literally what Joe was 366 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:05,240 feeling. What Joe was rebuked by God by 367 00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:16,080 the sin of these three types of separation indicators all have 368 00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:22,600 in common is idolatry. Idolatry is often the root of 369 00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:26,640 most if not all proximity disruptions or or separators 370 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:31,200 when it comes. Like anxiety, the idolatry in 371 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:39,720 anxiety is often but not always an idol of safety, An idol of 372 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:42,320 comfort. An idol of control. 373 00:27:43,120 --> 00:27:47,560 I love the opinions or acceptance of others these in 374 00:27:47,560 --> 00:27:53,800 themselves of enjoying safety, comfort, valuing the opinions of 375 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:57,080 people who are close to you, and even sometimes having control. 376 00:27:57,080 --> 00:27:59,440 What you do have control over what God has given you. 377 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:02,320 Dominion over them in itself is is not sinful. 378 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:08,520 But when they become your idol or the the reasons as to why you 379 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:12,680 do everything you do and when they become the thing you only 380 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:16,200 focus on, when they become your absolute end goal in life. 381 00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:23,960 When they dictate your life, they have become your God and 382 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:26,840 often the source of a lot of your anxiety. 383 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:34,280 The idolatry and apathy, especially nowadays, is often 384 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:40,480 but not always an idol of yourself or self worship. 385 00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:44,720 Your lack of interest in God and his word. 386 00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:49,560 Maybe because you have more interests in yourself, your 387 00:28:49,560 --> 00:28:57,000 entertainment, people's opinions, and honestly what we 388 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:05,960 deem to be important. The idolatry and unworthiness is 389 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:11,880 often not always, but the idolatry again of self and 390 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:16,600 people as well. Based on how you or we define 391 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:22,880 love, what we define to be worthy and what we feel that we 392 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:30,880 deserve in this life. Often our own expectations whore 393 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:35,600 what the world has told us we should expect and what we 394 00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:39,240 deserve. When it comes to anxiety, Lord 395 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:42,320 knows I struggle with it. By no means I'm not sitting here 396 00:29:42,320 --> 00:29:44,280 saying I'm perfect at it by at all. 397 00:29:45,640 --> 00:29:49,320 I even if you were here during Advent, I talked through some 398 00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:54,520 anxiety, but I do have encourage encouraging encouragement. 399 00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:59,600 Sorry. I encourage this all to remember 400 00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:05,920 Genesis one one through 25 more scripture that can help is is 401 00:30:05,920 --> 00:30:10,920 Matthew 625 to 34 going to read some parts of it. 402 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:17,000 Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life and what 403 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:19,240 you'll eat, what you'll drink, and what you will do, and what 404 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:22,640 clothes you put on. Look at the birds of the of the 405 00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:25,360 air. They neither sow nor reap, nor 406 00:30:25,360 --> 00:30:29,920 gather in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 407 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:34,360 Are you not more value than they? 408 00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:40,960 And which you by being anxious, And which of you by being 409 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:43,120 anxious? And honestly, and what you're 410 00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:48,280 anxious about can add a single hour to your lifespan? 411 00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:55,920 Skip down to 30. But if God so clothes the grass 412 00:30:56,200 --> 00:31:02,040 of the field, and which today is alive, and tomorrow is thrown 413 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:10,440 into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little 414 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:16,920 faith, But seek first the Kingdom of God and His 415 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:19,680 righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 416 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:23,480 Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow 417 00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:27,120 will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day. 418 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:34,680 Is it its own trouble? Genesis 1 one through 25. 419 00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:40,560 Matthew 625 to 34. These two passages can remind 420 00:31:40,560 --> 00:31:49,840 you that the Creator of everything that he loves you and 421 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:54,360 that you can trust in his sovereignty, not yours. 422 00:31:57,600 --> 00:32:04,480 When it comes to apathy, this is fought with obedience. 423 00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:09,480 People say, and the world tells you to do what makes you happy, 424 00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:15,520 what makes you feel good, what gives you what they say life. 425 00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:24,360 But the Bible says in Acts 529 that we must obey God rather 426 00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:28,040 than man. James 122 says do not merely 427 00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:32,240 listen to the word so it just so it and it so deceives you 428 00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:39,800 yourselves, but do what it says it doesn't say. 429 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:43,480 Do it when you feel like it, it doesn't say. 430 00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:47,240 Do it when you feel inspired, it doesn't say. 431 00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:54,040 Do it when you have interest. The lack of obedience will lead 432 00:32:54,040 --> 00:33:02,640 you to apathy, which would lead you to a lukewarm faith In 433 00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:08,120 Revelation 315 through 16 says I know your works. 434 00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:16,240 You're neither cold nor hot. With that, you rather be cold or 435 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:20,200 hot. So because you are lukewarm and 436 00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:25,280 neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 437 00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:33,080 I implore you to remember Genesis one one through 25. 438 00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:36,560 It is important to remember that. 439 00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:41,440 Meditate on it. Realize that the Almighty God 440 00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:45,080 who created everything is revealing himself to you. 441 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:49,320 It will lead to fear and reverence of the Lord. 442 00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:56,400 This book is not a bedtime story, it's not a game, not a 443 00:33:56,400 --> 00:34:02,280 fairy tale, not make belief. Your soul is on the line. 444 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:15,280 Lastly, unworthiness is something I I've struggled with 445 00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:19,520 quite a bit in my faith walk. I shared with some of the 446 00:34:19,880 --> 00:34:21,719 leaders in our church on Tuesday about this. 447 00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:28,239 I once expressed to a pastor that I feel like I've done too 448 00:34:28,239 --> 00:34:39,280 much and my sin was my sin is too big for God to really love 449 00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:44,520 me and welcome me into the fold. He then responded with something 450 00:34:44,520 --> 00:34:52,159 that will forever stay with me. He said, I know what you're 451 00:34:52,159 --> 00:34:58,640 trying to say when you say that you've sinned too much or your 452 00:34:58,640 --> 00:35:03,800 sin is too big, but what you're really saying is that Jesus's 453 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:13,360 sacrifice was too small, that Jesus is insufficient, God isn't 454 00:35:13,360 --> 00:35:24,800 that big and that all powerful. And when he said that, it 455 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:29,720 shattered my view because I was making an idol of myself, trying 456 00:35:29,720 --> 00:35:33,920 to be my own savior. So for those who struggle like 457 00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:38,440 me with that, I would encourage you again to read Genesis one 458 00:35:38,440 --> 00:35:46,600 one through 25 this week and also read John 316 for that. 459 00:35:46,600 --> 00:35:52,280 God in Genesis so loved the world that he created that he 460 00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:58,200 gave a part of himself his only begotten Son. 461 00:35:58,720 --> 00:36:03,800 So whoever shall believe in him shall not perish, but I've 462 00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:10,800 everlasting life. Know that the God in Genesis is 463 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:15,280 that same God in John 316 who sent us Jesus. 464 00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:21,720 This will help you with a heart of worship. 465 00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:27,840 This can be summed up in our big idea today. 466 00:36:29,600 --> 00:36:35,720 Close proximity to the Lord leads to reverence, trust, and 467 00:36:35,720 --> 00:36:40,160 worship. When we're far away, we get 468 00:36:40,160 --> 00:36:45,320 distracted, idols appear, we forget who God really is, and we 469 00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:51,360 forget who's really in control. We look to creations to fill the 470 00:36:51,360 --> 00:36:55,240 void. We look to creations to give us 471 00:36:55,240 --> 00:37:00,720 peace, to give us joy, to give us love, to give us hope, to 472 00:37:00,720 --> 00:37:06,160 show us kindness, to help us with our self-control, to show 473 00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:12,240 us how to be gentle and to help with our patients, and to show 474 00:37:12,240 --> 00:37:16,880 us how to be faithful. Instead of looking at those as 475 00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:22,680 the fruit of the Spirit, we look at those as the fruit of earth, 476 00:37:23,080 --> 00:37:25,160 and that's where we're supposed to get it from instead of God. 477 00:37:28,520 --> 00:37:33,440 Again, we look to creations and ourselves rather than the 478 00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:37,640 creator of Genesis one one through 25. 479 00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:49,840 Remembering church and learning who God is is the first step to 480 00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:56,040 close proximity to God. Now I've been up here a long 481 00:37:56,040 --> 00:37:58,200 time, so I'm gonna give you some applications and let me get out. 482 00:37:58,200 --> 00:38:00,040 Y'all here man. Thank y'all, thank y'all for 483 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:06,280 engaging so some of the applications that yeah, help 484 00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:11,960 with the first step one, some of y'all ain't shocked. 485 00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:16,880 Read your Bible. I even gave y'all some verses 486 00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:22,000 verses earlier to meditate on and to read through again. 487 00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:25,480 Read it for yourself, yourself. Oh my word, my lisp is going 488 00:38:25,480 --> 00:38:28,440 crazy today. Read it for yourself. 489 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:34,720 Do not slowly rely on social media, post podcasts or even 490 00:38:34,720 --> 00:38:39,880 Sunday gatherings. Get a relationship with Him for 491 00:38:39,880 --> 00:38:47,400 yourself to pray, talk to God, ask Him to help you draw near to 492 00:38:47,400 --> 00:38:51,520 Him. Ask Him to reveal those idols in 493 00:38:51,520 --> 00:38:58,560 your life, and be prepared to obey what He reveals to you. 494 00:39:00,160 --> 00:39:05,680 Lastly, fast in the Bible fasting is a biblical rhythm 495 00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:09,000 people use to draw near to the Lord, to hear from the Lord and 496 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:14,720 seek comfort from the Lord. It wasn't and isn't a weight 497 00:39:14,720 --> 00:39:21,160 loss fat. Lastly, everybody church, 498 00:39:22,200 --> 00:39:26,400 remember the God who created everything, the God that created 499 00:39:26,400 --> 00:39:33,600 the sun, the moon, the stars, this world life itself breathe 500 00:39:33,600 --> 00:39:43,280 life into our lungs, who offered us a new life to be born again. 501 00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:51,000 That God wants a relationship with you and we get to call him 502 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:52,760 Father. Let's pray. 503 00:39:52,760 --> 00:39:57,720 Dear heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be able to 504 00:39:57,720 --> 00:40:01,640 call you father. Father just. 505 00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:07,480 Continue to give us a heart and a mind of all of all the things 506 00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:11,120 that you've created. Let us not become apathetic and 507 00:40:11,880 --> 00:40:15,160 and think it's so mundane and and boring, but rather it's 508 00:40:15,160 --> 00:40:18,160 something that is inspiring that we get to know the creator of 509 00:40:18,160 --> 00:40:21,800 everything. Father, help us draw near to 510 00:40:21,800 --> 00:40:25,920 you. Give us a heart, a will, a mind 511 00:40:25,920 --> 00:40:28,440 that echoes yours. Let us appreciate everything 512 00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:34,120 that you have created and let us get our worthiness, our 513 00:40:34,120 --> 00:40:39,720 righteousness from you because of what your Son has done, not 514 00:40:39,920 --> 00:40:45,160 by what anything we could do, have done or ever will do. 515 00:40:45,640 --> 00:40:51,600 Father, we love you. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.