The Master Plan
Gtcotr/ss101203
Please Turn In Your Bibles To Genesis 1
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.
In Genesis, chapters 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, tricked into sin and separated from God and His master 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 Adam and Eve and gave them instructions for life. It was God’s Divine Master Plan.
When sin separated God and His children, God put plan ‘B’ into action.
He first gave:
* His law, The Ten Commandments, to guide His children
and then He gave:
* His Son, Jesus, to restore His children
Once restored it becomes the responsibility of every individual to live life as God intended, in accordance with His Master Plan.
Under God’s Master Plan there are three main areas of responsibility given to mankind. These are not mere suggestions but are written in our hearts and are continually on our minds, fueled by the Holy Spirit.
What does God’s Master Plan outline as the three responsibilities each one of us have? It is our individual responsibility to:
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 (NKJV)
26 ¶ Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
29 ¶ And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.
I. In The Beginning
A. We were created to be like God (God-like or Godly)
B. We were told to pay attention to Key Health Issues (Healthy)
1. Diet (Genesis 1:29 & 2:16)
2. Exercise (Genesis 2:15 Active, non sedentary lifestyle)
3. Rest (Genesis 2:3 The pattern of rest & relaxation)
C. We were given command to be Productive (Genesis 1:28 & 2:5 Be fruitful; multiply; replenish; subdue; exercise dominion)
This all worked fine until Adam and Eve sinned and fell from the position God had created them for.
Then God waited until He found someone who would trust and follow Him and who would influence others to do the same.
When God chose Abraham and his descendants, God gave them the law to guide them to truth as a school teacher guides young children.
II. Under the law God required that His Children pay strict attention to being:
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 (NLT)
12 "Mark off an area outside the camp for a latrine.
13 Each of you must have a spade as part of your equipment. Whenever you relieve yourself, you must dig a hole with the spade and cover the excrement.
14 The camp must be holy, for the LORD your God moves around in your camp to protect you and to defeat your enemies. He must not see any shameful thing among you, or he might turn away from you.
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
The Law God gave through Moses to Abraham’s descendants, the Children of Israel, was in fact a very rigid, strict and unforgiving law.
God wanted more from His relationship with man than He could achieve through the law. Through the law God could not be the Father He wanted to be but rather became the police, judge, jury and executioner. God wanted relationship. He wanted a family, not a school house or a jail house.
So, God sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus, to be born of a virgin and raised as a man under the law. What sinful man could not do in the flesh, God sending His Own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemned sin in the flesh, and became a sinless sacrifice for all sin forever.
God sent Jesus not to condemn man but to save him and restore him to right relationship, putting mankind back into God’s Master Plan.
What God Demanded From Man, Jesus Provided For Man
III. Under The New Covenant (God’s Master Plan)
* God provides _______ for us:
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. (KJV)
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. (KJV)
C. The Power To Be Productive
* Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (NKJV)
Three Questions To Ask Yourself In Light Of All God Has Done
#1 Are You Godly
#2 Are You Physically Healthy In As Much As It Lies With You
Regular Exercise
Proper Diet
Enough Rest & Relaxation (Not Just Sleep!)
#3 Are You Productive
Making a living?
Making a life?
Making a difference?
Call upon Jesus, He has made a way for you!
