* Night is always darkest just before the dawn.
* Right from the outside of creation, before sin entered the world, “there was evening, and there was morning.”
* Vs 8, 13, 19, 23, 31 - it’s a pattern after all six days of creation.
* In the first four days God created it, named it, approved of it.
* In days 5 & 6 He created it, blessed it (the ability to reproduce), approved it.
* Animals could take part in the creation process, but they couldn’t name each other.
* Man could take part in the creation process, but they could name everything.
* This signified authority.
* Here’s the key - on each day darkness covered what God had just created.
* Satan was the source of the darkness.
* He wanted to hide God’s creativity.
* EX: I buy my wife a nice gift for our anniversary and then turn the lights off so she can’t see it.
* But God lit up what Satan covered up!
* This sets the context for the battle that ensues in the entire Bible.
* Satan hides it…God exposes it.
* On this foundation, God tells us to “be the light of the world!”
* We are darkness overcomes by nature.
* We were meant to be this way from the beginning.
Genesis 1:5 (1/7/21)
Our Role as Light
January 7, 2021 • Benham Brothers
Genesis (1/6/19)
January 6, 2019 • Benham Brothers
NEW BEGINNINGS - a message of encouragement from God to His kids (the Jews and Jesus) about the new phase of life in which they were about to embark * God to the Israelites: * The Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land. * What message would God have for them? * God downloaded five books into Moses, one of them went back to the beginning - Genesis. * The Jews needed this book to create a solid foundation for their new life. * Many scholars believe that the Israelites fled Egypt around 1450-1440 BC. * They also believe Moses wrote Genesis around 1400 BC. * KEY - Whatever God forms He fills. * But there’s an order to how He does it: * Illumination - Separation - Habitation. * He did this with all of creation - the earth first and then mankind. * Gen 1:1-2 - He created the heavens and the earth. * But the earth was FORMLESS - God needed to FORM it. * The earth was VOID - He needed to FILL it. * The Six Days of Creation are all about Him forming and filling. * 1) ILLUMINATION: Gen 1:3 * 2) SEPARATION: Gen 1:4-9 * * light from darkness * * waters below from waters above * * land from water * Illumination and separation prepared the way for habitation. * 3) HABITATION: * vs 10-31 - Vegetation, Animals, Humans. Day 1 - Heavens and the earth (nothing but water) - He lit it up and split it up! Day 2 - Sky - He separated the waters above and below Day 3 - Land - He separated the water from the dirt - vegetation was a part of this Day 4 - Stars - Gen 1:14-18 - Before habitation he had to create government so people could keep things separate. Day 5 - Fish Day 6 - Animals & Man * EXAMPLE - ADAM: God did with Adam what He did with the earth. * vs 2:19-20 - ILLUMINATION - no helper was “found” - he was looking. * vs 2:21 - SEPARATION - feminine was removed from masculine. * vs 2:22-25 - HABITATION - and they lived happily ever after. * FLOOD - when God brought the flood He set the earth back to its original form (full of water) - He removed Separation. (Genesis 7:21) * APPLICATION: Illumination - Separation - Habitation * 1) Walk in the light. Spend time with God in prayer and the Word. * 2) Stay separate from the world. “Be holy for I am holy.” * 3) When we walk in the light and remain separate we live in God and He lives in us.
Gen 1-4 (1/8/13)
January 8, 2013 • Benham Brothers
Gen 1:2-16 * Order first, then Dominion * Made man and then gave charge for dominion (1:26) Gen 2:15 * Complete the Work Gen 3:1-6 * If you leave your place of responsibility you lose your place of authority Gen 4 - Cain's Sacrifice * He gave a bad sacrifice * The sin that crouched at his door came because of his poor sacrifice * Bad sacrifice = rejection - God couldn't accept it and thus Cain got mad * When anger birthed in his heart murder crouched at his door * It all hinges on what type of sacrifice you give
Gen 1-12 (1/22/13)
January 22, 2013 • Benham Brothers
BIG PIC: Adam - Noah (Shem, Hem, Japheth) - Abe - Isaac - Jacob - 12 Tribes - Moses (govt) - Joshua - Judges & Prophets (to enforce what Moses put in place) - cried for King - SILENCE. * OT - God wanted you to keep you distance * NT - God wanted you to come close * Order had to come before God created Adam / Order had to come before God sent Jesus