Tag Archives: Genesis

God is Near: Book Discussion #1

Posted on by

book discussionMaybe I’ll come up with a more clever series title but let’s try this out. If you haven’t read the book don’t worry, there should be enough discussion of scripture and of the Christian life in general to give these posts merit. If you don’t know what book I’m talking about it read this page. 

The process of writing God as Near as it exists in its final published form took place over a 2 year period of time, more or less. The first 4 or 5 chapters in particular have been around a while. Chapter 1 deals extensively with the creation story recorded in Genesis and Chapter 2 begins with a quick summary of the Noah story. As publication drew near I decided to leave those chapters alone and ignore certain recent events which are more suited for blogging anyway. Continue reading →

Academic Discussion: Young Earth Debate

Posted on by

earthWe started our academic discussion series by defining terms. One of my favorite sayings is “Don’t make the Bible say something it doesn’t say.” I enjoy a hearty discussion and even a little bit of friendly debate as much as the next guy, but we must be careful to build up not tear down other believers. There are many things that we simply cannot know. There are mysteries that will only be revealed to us when we come into God’s Kingdom. The ancient Greeks were occupied with continuous discussion and debate, but Paul encourages us to keep our eyes on the prize so to speak, focusing on what is of most importance.

In the 17th century an Irish bishop named James Ussher worked out a chronology of biblical events, based on male lines of lineage presented in scripture. His work is the basis of many young earth creationists, which it might be noted, was his particular bias when he started the started task. Continue reading →

God’s Image – Part 1

Posted on by

stick manSo God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)

Imaging a simple stick figure. With no more than a circle and a few straight lines, one can convey the image of a human form. But does the stick man above look like me? To an extent yes, but it also resembles every other one of the six plus billion people on earth. We could create a more realistic portrait with a few crayons or colored pencils. A portrait artist with oil paints could create an image approaching photo realism, and of course we could always take a picture. Wax museums are filled with likenesses of iconic figures capable of fooling the human eye.

So what does it mean that we created in God’s image? Continue reading →

The Fourth Man in the Fire

Posted on by

Screenshot 2013-03-10 at 2.19.14 PMIn Daniel chapter 3, Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego were called to appear before King Nebuchadnezzar. They were charged with not worshiping the gods of Babylon nor bowing down the golden image of Nebuchadnezzar himself. He is willing to give them another chance, and if they will bow down then all will be well. But instead:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”  -Daniel 3:16-18 Continue reading →

A Seed Must Fall

Posted on by

wheatTruly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:24 ESV)  I’ve heard that verse a couple of times this weekend, so it was fresh in mind when I started reading the Exodus this morning.  Let’s first put it in its proper context.

Nearly half of John’s Gospel deals with the events of the Passion week.  The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem is recorded at the beginning of chapter 12, and this verse is spoken by Jesus in reference to his hour having come.  A seed must fall into the ground and die just as Jesus must go down into the earth by being placed in the grave.  John 12:24 is an illustration of how Jesus must die and be buried in order to rise again with new life.  By being obedient to the Father’s will, Jesus will produce much fruit for the Kingdom.  God speaks aloud in verse 27 and says that he has gloried Jesus’ name and will glorify it again. Continue reading →

Blessings and Curses

Posted on by

The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
(Numbers 6:24-26 ESV)

That is the blessing which God commanded Moses to give Aaron and his sons.  Aaron was the first high priest of Israel, and his sons were anointed to serve under him as priests.  This was the blessing they spoke over the people of Israel, so that God’s name went before them and he would bless them.  I like to place my hands on any man being ordained as a deacon or into the ministry and say these words.  It is a fitting and appropriate way to ask God’s blessing on others.

There is another phrase often borrowed from scripture Continue reading →

The Read and Share File

Posted on by

overload

This is where I list other blog posts and articles that I’ve read myself and wish to share with others.  They’ve slowed down since the introduction of Happy Monday, but this is Read and Share #18.  

It’s a little late, but this treatment of I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day proclaims the wonder of the Gospel.

Randy Kilgore takes an inspiring look at T-ball in this day’s devotion at Our Daily Bread.

Check out Throw it Out, New Year’s posting from our friend Cloudwatcher. Continue reading →

Bible Survey: Joseph: Dreams Do Come True

Posted on by

If you follow The Master’s Table but have never heard of Bible Survey, that’s because it’s been a while.  Specifically it’s been over a year.  There was a time I considered bailing out on that project and deleting the URL.  I once tried to give away but there were no takers.  Every now then it bugs me, so…

Joseph: Dreams Do Come True is the Bible Survey post based on Genesis chapters 37 – 41.  The first several chapters of Genesis deal with a lot and cover several hundred years of human history.  As we near the end of Genesis and begin Exodus the story should speed up.

Bible Survey: The Children of Israel

Posted on by

Bible Survey is a category of posts that are part of The Master’s Table but located under a unique URL.  In recent weeks I have been reading the Bible more, but posting on my blogs less.  Disciplined Bible reading and prayer are something I struggle with.

The Children of Israel (Gen 29 – 35) is the latest post at Bible Survey.  Jacob’s name change, his wives Leah and Rachel, and a listing of his children are all covered.  Click through the link to give it a read; questions, comments and discussion are always welcome.

Mother’s Day Sermon

Posted on by

mothersAs I began preparing to preach on Mother’s Day, I searched the internet just to see what other preachers would be doing that day.  What I ended up reading instead was a blogpost and comment thread about how most woman are unhappy with the Mother’s Day sermons they’ve heard in the past.  Some felt the day should not be celebrated in church at all, while others thought the church should recognize mothers in some way and then the pastor should preach his message.  More than a couple of commenters said that whatever text he was using, what they wanted to hear preached was the gospel!  Amen to that.  The general consensus was that too often the Mother’s Day sermon comes off as “light” and that wasn’t what the church needed.  Continue reading →