Examining The Foundation Continued
The Master Plan - ‘To Be Or Not To Be’
Gtcotr/ss101203
Please Turn In Your Bibles To The Book Of Genesis, Chapter One
There is an old saying, ‘When all else fails, read the directions.’
I have found that many times the only difference between someone who fails and someone who succeeds is that one of them just simply followed the directions.
Genesis 1-2 we are given the biblical record of creation and a glimpse of the divine plan God has for mankind.
Genesis 3 tells how mankind was deceived by satan, led into sin and separated from God and His divine plan.
The rest of the whole bible reveals the person and nature of God and shows His work to redeem mankind from destruction, destroy the power of sin and restore that which was lost in the fall.
In the beginning
God Placed Demands On Mankind And Gave Directions For Success
The demands that God placed on mankind could easily be cataloged into three main categories. Through the scriptures we see that interestingly enough, God first used the law to guide His children in His ways and Then the sacrifice of Jesus to restore His children and help them be all He designed them to be.
It is under these three categories that all other duties can be listed.
These Three Categories Of Responsibility Are Not Mere Suggestions, But Are Written On The Hearts and Minds Of Every Man & Every Woman.
What Are These Three Demands? What Does God Want You To Be?
From The Beginning It Was Every Person’s Responsibility:
1. Be Godly
2. Be Healthy (In as much as it lies with man)
3. Be Productive (As much as God’s grace allowed)
Genesis 1 (KJV)
26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 ¶ And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31 ¶ And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
2:1 ¶ Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
4 ¶ These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
8 ¶ And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16 ¶ And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
I. In The Beginning
A. Godly
1. Genesis 1:26-27
2. Created in the likeness of God
3. The children of God - God’s offspring
B. Healthy (3 Things Necessary For Health)
1. Diet
* Genesis 1:29 & 2:15-16
2. Exercise
* Genesis 2:15
* Active, not sedentary
3. Rest
* Genesis 2:3 (the pattern of rest & relaxation)
C. Productive
1. Genesis 1:28 & 2:5
2. Fruitful; multiply; replenish; subdue; have dominion; till
Then Man Fell Into Sin And Needed Special Guidance/Directions
II. Under The Law
A. Godly
1. No Other Gods Before Me
2. Exodus 20:3ff
B. Healthy (God is seen as being very interested in health issues)
1. Diet - Leviticus 11
2. Latrines (Primitive Waste Management)
* Deuteronomy 23
12 Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:
13 And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:
14 For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
3. Mold Remediation - Leviticus 14
4. Quarantine Of Infectious Diseases - Leviticus 13
5. Rest - Exodus 35:2 (What Is So Difficult - Take A Day Off)
C. Productive
1. Work the fields for 6 years, let them rest the 7th - Leviticus 25
2. Raise up offspring for the slain brother - Deuteronomy 25
3. Prepare the field first, then build your house - Proverbs 24:27
4. Deuteronomy 28 ‘How To’ Chapter On Being Blessed
III. Under The New Covenant
> What God Demanded From Man, Jesus Provided For Man
A. Godliness
* 2 Corinthian 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
B. Divine Healing & Health
* 1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
C. The Power To Be Productive
* Matthew 28:18-20 The Great Commission
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
* Mark 16
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Three Things To Examine This Week
#1 Are You Godly
In As Much As It Lies With You
#2 Are You Physically Healthy
Regular Exercise
Proper Diet
Enough Rest & Relaxation (Not Just Sleep!)
#3 Are You Productive
You Are The Only One Who Can Do Anything About These Things
