Yesterday we began to look for an explanation as to why Jesus, who we established to be God, would want to become a man. We explored the biblical account of Adam and Eve. God, despite the fact that He loves perfectly and unconditionally, is also perfectly just. When sin entered the world through the couple’s disobedience of the only rule the LORD God gave them, He was obligated to punish them. We noted that they tried to cover their sin by the works of their own hands. They made garments of fig leaves. This was insufficient. God Himself covered them with animal hides. To get these hides, the animals had to die. Blood must be shed to cover sin. Human history plodded on through the mire of the curse spoken by the LORD God in response to the actions of the serpent and Adam and Eve. “And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Mankind quickly turned from the God that had created them once they were cast out of the garden to roam the earth. Life was no longer easy. No more tending the paradise God had prepared for them and communing with Him in the cool of the evening. Now they had to eke out a living by the sweat of their brows. From the introduction of the first murder, when Cain slew his brother Abel, human being became progressively more wicked. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” The LORD God’s sense of justice moved Him to eradicate wickedness from the face of the earth. He would flood the planet and destroy every living thing. “ And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Despite the actions of everyone else around him, Noah remained righteous. He maintained a close fellowship with the LORD. Remember, it is written that all men have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Noah was not completely without fault. In Genesis chapter 9 we find him passed out drunk and naked in his tent. What saved Noah from being swept away with the rest of humanity? Grace. Grace is the companion of God’s perfect love. It is God’s favor towards us. We cannot earn it. The LORD detects the heart that longs for Him and responds with kindness. What made Noah righteous? The writer of Hebrews says this, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” Noah trusted God. The LORD told Noah of His plan to destroy the earth and told him to build an extremely large boat. In the boat Noah, his family, and a selection of all the animals on the planet would ride safely atop the deluge. Up until this point the earth had never known rain, it was watered by a mist. The neighbors probably thought that Noah had lost his mind as they watched him construct an enormous ship in his yard, far from any body of water. We all know how the story ended. Noah was saved by his faith. Up to this point we have established that Jesus is God and everything was created by and for him. God loves perfectly and unconditionally. God is perfectly just. His sense of justice obligates Him to punish sin despite His love. We have seen that blood must be shed to cover sin. We stated that God sees beyond the outward man and his faults into the deep longings of his heart. Faith in Him is counted as righteousness and the heart that seeks Him is rewarded by His grace or unearned favor. More tomorrow. .
Posted on: Sat, 10 Aug 2013 04:35:55 +0000
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