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FAMILY NEWSTHANKS FOR TIMBERS HELP: Our thanks to everyone who showed up at Timbers last Sunday for the worship service with the staff and patients at that nursing home. We had a record attendance and the staff and patients were vocal in their appreciation for the encouragement and help that you offered. Thanks so much! SPECIAL EVENT OCTOBER 16: We have been supporting Glynn Langston and his work with the blind for many years. Glynn will be here October 16, speaking at the Niles congregation in the morning and speaking here in the evening. If you are not in the habit of coming Sunday night for our class, please make a real effort to be here that Sunday evening to hear Glynn. We need to know how our financial support is being used, and Glynn is a wonderful person to be around. He speaks five languages, travels by himself all over the world, and having been blind since birth, he is a wonderful testimony to overcoming a physical affliction. Let us all make a real effort to be here that evening. TODAY'S LESSON
INTRODUCTION
A. What do people think about Adam and Eve?
I. ADAM WAS A UNIQUE CREATION
Myth? Story? Parable? Poetry? Western culture symbol?
B. Our approach to the Bible answers these questions.
1. Traditional answers create problems — slavery.
Generates questions — Cain's wife, etc.
2. Liberal answers compromise the Bible — trust?3. Literal answers work, but violate creationism A. There are three creation verses in Genesis 1 (bara).
II. THE “FALL” WAS PRIMARILY A SPIRITUAL EVENT.
1. Verse 1 — The cosmos, time, space
B. Man lived as a gatherer — no participation in evil.
2. Verse 21 — Life 3. Verse 27 — Man in the image of God a. Man's body is formed (yatsar), not created.
b. Adam is a miracle — (no belly button). God is not deceptive (James 1:13). 1. No indication of how long or what it was like.
2. Apparently had children — sex is not evil. 3. Genesis 1:28 — commanded to have children 4. Genesis 3:16 — pain increased in childbirth 5. Cain had fears of others — Genesis 4:14. A. Promise of the fruit was a spiritual promise.
III. GOD HAS SOUGHT TO RESTORE MAN.
1. Genesis 2:17 — Did not drop dead physically, but
they did die spiritually due to sin.
B. Man was cut off from God spiritually — Judges 17:6.2. Was there a physical tree of life? — Genesis 3:22. C. The body — a place for the spirit to dwell — 1 Corinthians 15:45 A. Adam to Moses — instinctive morality B. Moses to Christ — social order, structure, legalism C. Christ gives the way — eternally — John 1:1. Christ moves man back to Adam's relationship with God — Revelation 21 – 22. (John referred to several songs during his lesson. They are: 543 — "Redeemed" and 345 — "It Is Well with My Soul.")
THE BACK PAGEDO NOT NEGLECT THE SPIRITUALOne of the problems we all have is that a large percentage of our energy goes toward our physical existence. The reason that this is a problem is that our spiritual needs are frequently ignored. Jesus struggled with this in his attempts to get the Pharisees to deal with every aspect of life. In Matthew 23:23 – 28 Jesus tackles this problem. He begins by saying, “You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” He goes on and tells them that “on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (verse 28). It is important that we as individuals and as a congregation address the physical needs around us. Our food bank is serving a constantly increasing number of people, and we are about to start on our winter coat program. These are wonderful things for us to do, and we should do them and glorify God as we work to serve the people of this area. We must not, however, neglect the spiritual needs of both the people of this area and of ourselves. I was very impressed with the interactions I saw last Sunday as our brothers and sisters in Christ served the residents and nurses at Timbers. These are folks whose physical needs are being met. Timbers does a good job of making sure that everyone there gets adequate food, shelter, water, and bathing. What Timbers cannot do is address the isolation, loneliness, abandonment, depression, grief, sadness, and feelings of worthlessness that so many of the residents there feel. When they know we are coming, they are all there early, and their attention and smiles of welcome are intense and sincere. Two Wednesday nights ago we decided to spend some time praying for the needs of people we knew needed our prayers. That prayer service ended up going for over an hour, and was a meaningful service. We must not neglect our own spiritual needs as well as those God puts us in contact with. — John Clayton Our sign by the street!
Sign saying from www.sayingsforchurchsigns.com |
