Sermons - Cornerstone Christian Fellowship

The Beginning and the End - Part Nine

Dec 08, 2024 by: John Herbert | Series: The Beginning and the End

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Ge 2:7 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 being.

Today we will look at matters concerning life, death, darkness and light.

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Sunday December 8th 2024 
The Beginning and the End
Part Nine

Ge 1:3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

Ge 2:7 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 being.

We have seen in our previous study that the light shining in the darkness and God breathing into Adam ‘the breath of life’, are complimentary, foundational descriptions of what happens to an individual as they receive, by faith, God’s provision of a substitutionary death and shed blood for their sins, which for us is the Lord Jesus Christ – Ro 6:20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, age-lasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

From v21 and the beginning of v23 we see the clear connection between sin and death, and we will remember what we have previously read from - Eph 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins…..
Now, as we were physically alive at the time prior to being ‘made alive’, it should be obvious that ‘death’ as used in Romans 6:21 + 23, cannot be dealing with the end of physical life – Ro 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men,[all procreated in the likeness and image of fallen Adam – born dead in trespasses and sins] because all sinned—

The ‘death’ which was our experience before we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ finds its direct connection with fallen Adam, as we can see from the verses in Romans Chapter 5 that we have just read. And it has been described for us in - Eph 2:11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

What is also clear from the verses in Romans is that Adam must also have ‘died’ because of sin. And we will remember what God had said to him with respect to this – Ge 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

It is true that Adam experienced physical death within the first one-thousand-year day of the six one-thousand-year days that make up Man’s Day – Ge 5:5 So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.

But this was not what God had told Adam. That he would ‘surely die’, was never about physical death, rather it was about the death that comes through sin, that which is the wages of sin. And this is exactly the content of the serpent’s deception of the Woman in the Garden – 
Ge 3:3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.

In effect, the serpent is saying to the Woman that there are no wages given for sin, which in her experience would be making a judgment which is right in her own eyes rather than following God’s instructions. But as we know, the wages of sin is death and in Adam’s and the Woman’s case, this was a complete separation from God’s purpose for creating them, to have dominion, to rule. Stripping them of the glory with which they had previously been covered to reveal the naked shame of their separation from God’s purpose.

The absence of ‘life’ in Adam and Eve with respect to God’s stated purpose for creating them is then made obvious in the fact that beyond their fall, God then provided redemption for Adam and Eve through a substitutionary death and shed blood, seen in the tunics of skin used to clothe them. And even though Adam and Eve had been redeemed, even though they had been made ‘alive’, both still experienced physical death.

And even though we have been ‘made alive’ by grace through faith, we will all experience physical death, unless we are of those who remain at the time of the resurrection/rapture.

To die or not to die physically has never been the issue. And really is of no consequence. What is the issue is whether we will have ‘life’ with respect to participation in God’s purpose for our redemption, and the purpose for which He created the first Man, rulership in the Seventh Day, or whether we will have ‘death’, complete separation from that purpose for the duration of the Millennial Kingdom – Re 3:18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed………

And this complete separation from God’s purpose, which will reveal the shame of nakedness, as with Adam and the Woman, is variously described as ‘the outer darkness’, ‘the furnace of fire’, ‘the lake of fire’, and ‘Gehenna’ – Ro 5:15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense [Adam] many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign [lit. will reign as kings] in life [during the Millennial Kingdom] through the One, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous. 20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to age-lasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So then, just as the light was restored on Day 1 in Genesis Chapter 1, but complete restoration of the ruined material creation required another three days of restorative and two days of creative work before rulership could take place in the Seventh Day, so after we were made alive by grace through faith, there is a continuing work that must take place with regards to us, if we are to have ‘life’, and therefore, rulership with Christ, in the Age to come. And this is first seen in its foundational form in that said to Adam following the fall – 
Ge 3:17…….“Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread…..

In the thorns and the thistles and the herb of the field we find a direct connection with verses from Hebrews – Heb 6:7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8 but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

And we should understand that eating bread, which parallels being continually filled with the Spirit, ‘in the sweat of your face’, not in the sense of strenuous physical activity but the continual struggle against the ‘thorns and briers’, the continual struggle between being right in our own eyes or being obedient to the Scriptures. The continual struggle between the old man and the new man – Ga 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

And last week we had seen the work beyond eternal redemption introduced through Adam expanded in the Book of Ruth, where we saw Ruth working in Boaz’s field - Ru 2:8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.”……. 12 The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

And it is here in Ruth that we can find the inseparable connection between working in the field according to the instructions given, and a full reward for doing so – Col 3:23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

And we will no doubt call to mind work in a field from the Matthew 13 parables – Mt 13:18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom………….22 Now he who received seed among the thorns [remember Adam and what we saw in Hebrews Chapter 6] is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”………………… 37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.

And if we follow all this to its conclusion, we will remember what Jesus said and will say to all Christians in His presence at His Judgment Seat - Re 2:2 “I know your works…………….

And if we continue with Ephesus, the first of the seven churches in the Revelation, as our example we see this – Re 2:4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent [they are to change their minds about where they have placed their attention] and do the first works, [these can only be the works that God prepared beforehand for us to walk in them] or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

To leave their first love was to turn away from the great truth of Scripture – 2 Ti 4:8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. [Christ’s appearing speaks of us in His presence at His Judgment Seat. The time when Paul will receive’ the crown of righteousness’, as will all those who look for, long for, and work for that Day]

And for those who heed the Lord’s call to repentance, who turn back to ‘the first works’, there is a promise – Re 2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’

The one who overcomes is the one who will deal with the thorns and thistles, who will consistently win the struggle between the man of the Spirit and the man of the flesh. And how will this individual manage to win this struggle? Simply, by following that which the Scriptures teach, doing the first works. By clinging to the Word of God, brought forth from above, which is the wisdom brought forth from above, in which there is no darkness – Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

And the promise? The overcomer will eat from the tree of life, the same tree that Adam was prevented from eating from, leading to his work outside the Garden, in the hope that it would one day lead him back to the paradise of God.

The ‘work’ beyond eternal redemption seen through the overcomers of Revelation Chapters 2-3, seen in Ruth’s ‘work’ in Boaz’s field, the good works prepared beforehand that we should walk in them, and introduced in foundation through Adam is pictured in foundation in God’s continuing work beyond Day 1 in Genesis Chapter 1, work that had to be completed before the fulfillment of God’s purpose for creating Adam and the Woman, rulership in the Seventh Day, could be accomplished.

And we can return to those six days in Genesis Chapter 1 to find spiritual truth that will be helpful for our understanding of God’s continuing work as He searches for a Bride for Christ on the one hand, seen in the type from - Ge 24:2 So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; 4 but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

And as He child-trains sons on the other hand, as seen in – 
Heb 12:5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening [child training] of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?

Back to Genesis - Ge 1:3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

These of course by now are a very familiar verses, but it will be useful to look at them a little more closely so that our familiarity with them does not lead us to complacency in our understanding. Let’s just consider the darkness for a moment. This is the same darkness that covered the face of the deep, and it was there as a consequence of Satan’s rebellion. And we should not think of this darkness as being akin to the darkness we see before we turn the lights on. This darkness existed because there was a total and complete absence of light. And in conjunction with this, we can note that the word translated darkness also has the figurative meaning of destruction, or perhaps we should say, ruin. Exactly how the earth is described at the beginning of Genesis 1:2.

And as God spoke light into the darkness, so a division was made between the two. And given the origins of both, darkness inseparable from Satan’s sin and rebellion and light, the glory of a holy God, they must always remain, in a figurative sense, polar opposites. And as we compare Scripture with Scripture, we will find some encouragement concerning the light and the darkness in that which John reveals – 
Jn 1:5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend [overcome] it.

No matter how thick the darkness is, it can never overcome the light. That which comes forth from above out of God, that is light, can never be overcome by that which comes from the darkness below. And it is for this very reason that John can write – 1 Jn 1:6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin………… 9 Whoever has been born [brought forth (out)] of God does not sin………….

1 Jn 5:18 We know that whoever is born [brought forth (out)] of God does not sin; but he who has been born [brought forth (out)] of God keeps [to watch, to guard] himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

We will be careful to note that these verses do not say that if we have been ‘born again’, if we have received eternal redemption, we can never sin. Just casting our minds back to our actions over this past week will convince us of the foolishness of such a thought.

Rather, as we are brought forth from above, in the sense of receiving and believing that which God has said through His Word, so that which we have received from above, as we then choose to walk in obedience to it, cannot allow the access of sin. That which is brought forth from God from above cannot be overcome by sin, just as the darkness could not overcome the light. To be brought forth from above after this fashion is to walk in the Spirit – Ga 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

That which is brought forth from above, the wisdom from above, is the Word of God, Who is the Lord Jesus Christ. To walk faithfully in the Word is to abide in Him, it is to walk in the light as he is in the light, where sin cannot exist – Jn 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

1 Jn 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all………………7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

To walk in the Spirit is to be faithfully obedient to the Word of Christ which is to continually dwell in us richly in all wisdom. It is not a supernatural experience but an obedience experience. And in those times when we conduct ourselves in faithful obedience to that Word, sin has no place. And this remains so, until we stop walking in the Spirit.

And in conjunction with this, here is something else that has been established through the account of Day 1. Even though the darkness could not overcome the light and the two remain in a figurative sense, polar opposites, the light and the darkness continued together. And just as day turns to night, and night turns to day, so we walk in and out of the Spirit, following either the new man, the man of the Spirit or the old man, the man of the flesh.

And the light and the darkness, used in this sense, will continue together until the end of the Millennial Kingdom, when the last enemy will be dealt with – 1 Co 15:25 For He must reign [the Millennial Kingdom] till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

And the destruction of the last enemy is shown to us in – 
Re 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.

And as we have already seen today, ‘death’ exists because of sin. Once Death and Hades, the place of the dead, are cast into the lake of fire, destroying the last enemy, so not only will sin no longer exist and therefore, death is destroyed, but the darkness associated with it will be gone as well. We will remember the promise given following Noah’s sacrificial offering to the Lord after the flood – Ge 8:22 “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”

‘While the earth remains.’ But as we know, the earth will not always remain - Re 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.

There is to be a new heavens and a new earth, not a re-vamped version of the heavens and earth we have now. And so, beyond the end of the Millennial Kingdom, the present heavens and earth will no longer exist, having been completely consumed by fire, just as we find described in Peter – 2 Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

And taking all this into consideration, what would we expect to find as we glimpse the beginning of the endless ages? Exactly this – 
Re 21:22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.

The darkness seen in conjunction with sin and death and the present heavens and earth, can no longer exist once death is destroyed and the present heavens and earth are destroyed. There can only be light. Because God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

And we will get back to this next time if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed.

The Beginning and the End - Part Nine

Refresh A Recap from the Sermon

The Beginning and the End - Part Nine

Dec 08, 2024

Speaker: John Herbert

Series: The Beginning and the End

Category: Sunday Morning

Refresh
A Recap from the Sermon