Genesis 1 = The days of creation

1. The universe (heaven and earth) are NOT eternal but rather created by God (Who is eternal) out of nothing (ex-nihilo) (v1, Ps 90:2, Heb 11:3 – not believing the above is a sign of unfaithfulness).
2. The creation and propagation of life was through the power of God’s Word (vv3, 6, 9, 11, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28. The same is true today – Rom 12:3, Mat 7:24 – 27, Psa 1, 2Co 5:17 w/ Gal 3:2/Rom 1:16/2 Co 3:3-6).
3. God created everything from the beginning according to its “kind”/species VERSUS all things possessing a common ancestor and evolving into different species over time (vv11-12, 21, 24-25).
4. God created everything in six literal days NOT billions of years (vv 5,8,13,19,23,31 – “evening and morning”, the 1^st– 6^th day = 24 hours not billions of years. Used 23x outside Gen 1 and always in reference to a 24 hour day. Additionally: 1) Anytime a day is numbered [410x outside of Gen 1], it refers to a 24 hour day, 2) Jesus and Moses believed in 6 literal days of creation – Mar 10:1-8; Luke 11:50-51; Ex 20:8-11, 31:16-17, 3) Moses based Israel’s weekly calendar on the 7 days of Gen 1. If they are not literal 24-hour periods of time then they fail as a means of setting precedent for our weekly calendar).
5. God created carnivores before the Fall which means there was animal death before the Fall (v24 – “beasts [Heb.“chayah”] = flesh eating animals – Gen 37:33; Lev 26:6; 1Sa 17:46; Job 37:8, Psa 79:2; Isa 43:20; Eze 14:15; 32:4, 33:27, 34:8, 25, 39:4, 17; Hos 13:8; Exe 23:29, 2Sa 21:10; Jer 12:9; Psa 104:20; Job 38:39).
6. God created man to be His image-bearer (active reflector of His glory) through: 1) the exercise of morality – “likeness” = Like God, man is a moral creature, 2) the use of his mind – “likeness” = Like God, man is able to ask “why” (Pro 25:2), 3) the fulfillment of his mandate – “have dominion” = Like God, man was to function as a king, justly and wisely exercising his lordship over the rest of the creatures. Using our morality, minds and fulfilling our mandate is how we reflect God’s glory (vv26-28; Image establishes obligation = Mat 22:17-22).
7. God created man as an omnivore BEFORE the fall (v28 – “subdue [Heb. “kabash”] = capture, bring into bondage for destruction; “have dominion” over…the animals = hunt/farm them for the purpose of food [and also] “every plant yielding seed” – v29, Gen 9:2-3 = Repeat of the previous mandate, NOT expansion).
8. God created everything righteous (v31; Ecc 7:29)
9. To deny your gender (male/female) is to deny God’s sovereignty and image (v27)
10. Male and female are properly known as “man” (v28)

Genesis 2 = Second creation account with focus on the creation of man and woman

1. God “finished” creating on the 6^th day – something both Laws of Thermodynamics confirm: 1) Conservation = no new energy in the universe, 2) Entropy = energy moves from useful to useless. Entropy as undirected energy also denies evolution – e.g. mutation – loss of information in cells (vv1-2).
2. From the beginning, God has mandated a day to focus NOT on creation, but the Creator (v3 -“holy” = uncreated/set apart from creation – hence the reason “creation-labor” = labor to cultivate creation was to cease ; Isa 58:13-14; Lev 23:3 w/7-8,21,25; Heb 4:1-11 – “another day” = Sunday – Heb 10:25; Neh 8:1-8).
3. Man was to be a cultivator (of crops – “field” food) – NOT a hunter-gatherer, as the means to his prosperity (or key to feeding himself in larger populations) (vv5-15 – “work” = cultivate/develop/farm).
4. Man’s MISSION was to: 1) cultivate/develop and care for God’s paradise (Eden) garden until it covered the planet (v15 – “work”= cultivate/develop/farm/cause to expand). 2) guard God’s Law (v15 – “keep” = guard) as the key to maintaining his life eternally (v9,17 = eating of the “tree of life” required NOT violating God’s law – i.e. NOT eating of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” – a symbol of who possessed the authority to determine good and evil – hence the reason, Gen 3:22; In this light consider Deu 8:3; Mat 4:4) AND preserving his current enjoyable (paradise) existence (Gen 3:17-19, Rom 8:20-21). Man’s mission was how he (also) reflected God’s glory to the rest of His Creation (Gen 1:31, Rom 8:19-21).
5. Man’s kingship over the other creatures is demonstrated by his role as the one giving them their names (v19 = Some or most of the names man gave to the animals were according to their function indicating also the existence of carnivores before the Fall – e.g. Hebrew names for: eagle = “one who lacerates”, hawk = “bird of prey”).
6. God’s threat of death to man is neutralized (becoming insensible/inconceivable/un-daunting/no-real-threat) unless it already existed – and had been observed, among God’s other creatures (v17).
7. God’s creation of the woman was: 1) for the purpose of helping man accomplish his mandate (righteous rule) and mission (righteous renovation) (v18 – “alone” = solo in his mission/mandate), 2) in response to man NOT finding such a suitable helper among the animals. Animals do not possess the ability to be co-regents in rule/renovation. IOW: there will never be – nor ever was, a “Planet Of The Apes” (v18b, 20), 3) from the DNA of man – she is made in his image as the reflection of his glory (vv21-23). Hence (1 Co 11:7-9). Feminism is therefore a denial of a woman’s glorious purpose, making her a gross perversion rather than a beautiful creation (1 Peter 3:1-6).
8. Men are therefore to view women as: 1) God’s precious gift and helper in ruling over God’s creation (v18, 1 Peter 3:7), 2) someone to be protected nourished since she represents/reflects his glory – in the same way man reflects God’s glory. IOW: our glory as men is seen in how we treat our women (v23 – “bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh”). Hence (Eph 5:25-31).
9. Being joined to a woman in marriage is therefore a valid reason for a man and woman to now give their loyalties to each other over their parents since it is loyalty to one’s own flesh – they are “one” or the same “flesh” (v24; Eph 5:29).
10. The sexual intimacy (and nakedness) necessary to make them “one flesh” is NOT shameful when it exists in as the consummation of a marriage covenant (v25).

 Genesis 3: The Fall of Mankind Into Sin

1. Satan employs three methods to entice the man and the woman to an attitude of entitlement and eating of the forbidden tree: 1) he implies that God is unreasonable/unjust (v1-2), 2) he insists that God is untrustworthy (vv3-4), 3) he infers that God is uncaring (v5).
2. The weakness of women is their tendency to let feelings determine fact; the weakness of men is their tendency to let their wives lead (6) (17- “you listened to the voice of your wife”).
3. Sin makes us: 1) less likely to be transparent (“naked”) before God/others or seek fellowship/deep relationships w/Him/them. IOW: it makes us ashamed and so we attempt to cover up our true selves (vv7-11), 2) act like the victim – wanting to “pass the buck” of responsibility to someone else (vv12-13).
4. The righteous offspring of the woman will HATE the wicked offspring of Satan and desire their destruction (vv14-15) (to be fulfilled through the righteous offspring of Christ – 2 Th 1:5-9; see also Pro 28:4). Hence (Deu 7:16 – “eye shall not pity”).
5. The woman was cursed with pain in her labor (providing offspring), – yet promised to still desire her husband as her lover and leader VERSUS be single and a feminazi (16).
6. The man was cursed with pain in his labor (providing for his family), – yet promised to still desire to cultivate and conquer VERSUS be lazy (vv17-18).
7. The Fall (or sin) of the man and the woman meant they were now mortal – unable to continue eating from the “tree of life” (or immortality). In this way they died/began to “die” on “the day” they sinned (2:18, vv19,22-24).
8. After God’s punishment (justice), He again shows mercy in re-establishing His (marriage) covenant with Adam/Eve (vv 20-21; Eze 16:8; Hos 6:7).

Matthew 10: Jesus’ Shepherds and Witnesses

1. Jesus gives His (or God’s) authority to those He appoints as His shepherds/pastors (v1) (Joh 20:21-23; for “shepherd” see Mat 9:36).
2. The primary focus of Jesus’ shepherds is the covenant community – NOT those outside (vv5-6).
3. Those worthy of receiving God’s Abundant Life blessings will faithfully submit to God’s gospel AND financially support Jesus’ shepherds/pastors (v7 w/ Mat 4:17,23 w/1Co 9:14) (vv7-15).
4. Pagans will have it better in Hell than those who chose NOT to listen to Jesus’ shepherds/pastors in the covenant community (v15). Hence (Heb 13:17).
5. We are NOT to waste time attempting to evangelize/minister to people who don’t want to listen (v14).
6. Wolves eat shepherds as well as sheep (vv15-18) (As it relates to sheep see Act 20:29-30).
7. Spirit empowered witnessing is often the opportunity Jesus brings thru persecution (so don’t shrink back! – Heb. 10:36-39) (e.g. Act 7) (vv18-20).
8. If we are being faithful witnesses for – and devoted disciples to Jesus, then we will be hated and persecuted by lots of people – most especially those who claim to be Christians and our family (vv21-25, 34-39).
9. Speaking boldly and demonstrating supreme loyalty to Jesus before these people (false Christians and family) is how we witness and lose/give our lives for Jesus (vv26-33, 38-39).
10. A person cannot be a true Christian and reject Jesus’ shepherds and witnesses (vv40-42).

Matthew 11:

1. Doubts are shored up by facts NOT feelings (vv1-5).
2. If the actions of attitude of Jesus offends us (stands against our personal convictions as to what is proper/right), then we are not living like disciples (learners) or submitting to Jesus as Lord AND will not be blessed (even saved) unless we repent and change (v6).
3. The result of crafting God’s kingdom or gospel according to our terms/comforts is missing the real Jesus and His mightiest messengers (vv7-18).
4. If you want to discover who a person really is, then look at their deeds – NOT what they say (v19; Pro 20:11).
5. The more we have seen/heard, the more we wb responsible for on Judgment Day (vv20-21).
6. The people Jesus welcomes (and God wills) to come and receive salvation are only the teachable and those truly laboring to live faithful lives to God Law (vv25-30 w/13).
7. Jesus (and His NC application of the Law) secures lasting justification and (as a result) a lighter burden for the people of God (vv28-30; Act 15:10; Heb 10:1-18). Hence (Gal 3:1-7).