Genesis 1: The Manager - Revision history

Wakefien at 14:37, 25 September 2024

2024-09-25T14:37:27Z

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Wakefien: /* Make (עשׁה) - Used of man */

2022-03-13T02:07:42Z

‎Make (עשׁה) - Used of man

Wakefien: /* Owner: God created it all (1:1) */

2022-03-11T16:51:28Z

‎Owner: God created it all (1:1)

Wakefien: /* Image: Why write Genesis? */

2022-03-11T15:54:06Z

‎Image: Why write Genesis?

Wakefien at 15:48, 11 March 2022

2022-03-11T15:48:06Z

Wakefien at 13:49, 10 March 2022

2022-03-10T13:49:00Z

Wakefien: /* Mankind: Adam was created to manage everything God created. */

2022-03-09T17:10:10Z

‎Mankind: Adam was created to manage everything God created.

Wakefien: /* Hmainity: Humanity was created to manage everything God created. */

2022-03-09T17:09:32Z

‎Hmainity: Humanity was created to manage everything God created.

Wakefien: /* Man: Man was created to manage everything God created. */

2022-03-09T17:08:45Z

‎Man: Man was created to manage everything God created.

Wakefien: /* Purpose: God’s purpose in creating man in his image is stewardship (1:26). */

2022-03-09T01:52:35Z

‎Purpose: God’s purpose in creating man in his image is stewardship (1:26).

@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 ====Create (ברא) - Only used of God====
 ====Make (עשׁה) - Used of man====
-In fact, the word that is used of God's creative act ברא is only used of God's act of creation. Humans only make עשׁה God alone creates. Therefore, God alone has the right ow ownership.
+In fact, the word that is used of God's creative act ברא is only used of God's act of creation. Humans only make עשׁה God alone creates. Therefore, God alone has the right of ownership.
 In historical context, other peoples all had their own stories of creation. These creation stories talked about the genealogy of their so-called gods. People not only had their cosmogony (generation of the cosmos) but they even had theories of theogony (generation of gods). It is upon this backdrop that Moses writes one of the most profound phrases, "In the beginning God." The God of Israel, our God, is uncreated, self-existent without beginning and end. This is the God who created the universe, this is the God who owns it all, who reigns sovereignly above all.

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:51, 11 March 2022
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	Genesis 1:1 is one of those verses that I always said pretty early in VBS just to earn a point for memorizing a verse, it is easy, right? In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. However, this simple verse is vitally important. For a variety of reasons. A lot of people have made a big deal of the transition from Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 1:2. Some people see a huge gulf of time, others some mythological construction, but it is very simple. Genesis 1:1 is the heading under which the rest of the Bible Falls. Genesis 1:1 provides the vital piece of information you need to be able to understand everything else. Specifically, Genesis 1:1 tells us that God owns it all because he created it all. God is our owner, no matter how high someone is in the company, God is the final authority. God alone reserves the right to make all final decisions.		Genesis 1:1 is one of those verses that I always said pretty early in VBS just to earn a point for memorizing a verse, it is easy, right? In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. However, this simple verse is vitally important. For a variety of reasons. A lot of people have made a big deal of the transition from Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 1:2. Some people see a huge gulf of time, others some mythological construction, but it is very simple. Genesis 1:1 is the heading under which the rest of the Bible Falls. Genesis 1:1 provides the vital piece of information you need to be able to understand everything else. Specifically, Genesis 1:1 tells us that God owns it all because he created it all. God is our owner, no matter how high someone is in the company, God is the final authority. God alone reserves the right to make all final decisions.

		+	====Create (ברא) - Only used of God====
		+	====Make (עשׁה) - Used of man====
	In fact, the word that is used of God's creative act ברא is only used of God's act of creation. Humans only make עשׁה God alone creates. Therefore, God alone has the right ow ownership.		In fact, the word that is used of God's creative act ברא is only used of God's act of creation. Humans only make עשׁה God alone creates. Therefore, God alone has the right ow ownership.

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 ==Subject: Stewardship==
-==Image: Why write Genesis?==
+==Image: Why write Genesis? (Preparing for the inheritance that will still belong to God - See Lev 25:23)==
 Have you ever thought about the circumstances or reasons why God led Moses to write Genesis? I don't know about you, but when I study the New Testament I tend to think about the circumstances that resulted in the writing of a passage, but in the Old Testament, I tend to be less likely to consider the circumstance.  We talk about Dr. Luke writing for his Gentile audience or Paul writing to the church in Corinth. So this morning, as we open up Genesis I want us to consider the circumstances. In Genesis, Moses is writing for an audience of Israelites leaving Egypt to enter a new land and take responsibility for that land. The Bible uses the phrase inheritance to describe the land. I often just read quickly over the word inheritance but I think it is significant. When we talk about an inheritance it might be better to think about a family heirloom instead of a monetary inheritance. When you inherit a family heirloom you only kind of become the owner, there is an expectation that the family owns the object and you are entrusted with the care of the object. Something similar is in view when we talk about the inheritance of the land. The Land of Israel always remained the property of God (see Lev. 25:23). The Israelites were simply the managers of the land, those who took possession of it. So as we read Genesis we need to understand exactly what God was communicating. We could think of the first five books of the Bible as a sort of employee handbook and the first book, Genesis is going to give us the background we need to understand how the company works.

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 =Introduction:=
-In 1982 Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson made waves in the world of business with their book The One Minute Manager. The book quickly became a New York Times bestseller and has sold over 15 million copies. Within the book, a few key ideas stand out. One of the most prominent ideas is that a good manager teaches others to be good managers. A good manager uses his resources: time, money, people, wisely. A good manager provides an opportunity for those under his management to bring praise to the good manager.
+==Subject: Stewardship==
-In Ecclesiastes 1:9 Solomon tells us that there is nothing new under the sun and this case is no exception. You see God is the Owner/Operator/CEO/Chief Manager of the universe and he is training each of us to be good managers as we manage well we bring praise to the ultimate Good Manager - God.
+I have been using the word manager but there is a more theological word we often use to describe management, that word is stewardship. Over the next several weeks we are going to be studying the concept of stewardship and trying to understand what it means for us. Today we will introduce the notion of Stewardship and in the coming weeks, we will look at some specific ways in which the Bible calls on us to be stewards. We have a job to do, we are going to look at that job today.
-I have been using the word manager a lot but I want to switch terms. You see there is a more theological word we often use to describe management, that word is stewardship. Over the next several weeks we are going to be studying the concept of stewardship and trying to understand what it means for us. Today we will introduce the notion of Stewardship and in the coming weeks, we will look at some specific ways in which the Bible calls on us to be stewards.
+Have you ever spent much time looking at job postings? Most job postings have information that at a minimum includes who the employer is, what the job responsibilities are, and how individuals are to be evaluated.
-==Subject: Stewardship==
+==Preview: Within the text of Genesis 1 we are going to work with exactly this structure: Employer, Responsibilities, Evaluation==
-As we look at these themes I want you to look out for the theological truths about who God is, what God created man to be, and how we today should live in light of those truths.
+As we look at this structure I want you to look out for the theological truths about who God is, what God created man to be, and how we today should live in light of those truths.
 ==Text: Gen. 1:1, 26-31.==
 =Body=
 ==Employer: God owns and operates it all because God made it all.==
 ===Owner: God created it all (1:1)===
@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
 ==Responsibilities: Mankind was created to manage everything God created.==
-We could take all day and just God's act of creating individual pieces of his creation. The sun, moon, stars, and so on but I want to keep moving forward. The second point that I see in our text is that Man was created to manage everything God created.
+We could take all day to look at God's act of creating individual pieces of his creation. The sun, moon, stars, and so on but I want to keep moving forward. The second point that I see in our text is that Man was created to manage everything God created.
 ===Purpose: God’s purpose in creating man in his image is stewardship (1:26).===
 Look at Genesis 1:26. In verse 26 we see that God created man in his image, in his likeness. The Hebrew word for image (צֶלֶם) used here is the word for a statue and can even be used to describe an idol. The word for likeness (דְּמוּת) can mean model or shape. Scholars have written extensively on what exactly it means to be made in the image and likeness of God but instead of getting caught in the nuances of the exact meaning, I want you to instead focus on the purpose of God's creation of man in his image and likeness.
-God's purpose in creating man in his image was so that man could rule over the Earth as his representative. Did you catch that, this is possibly the most important verse on stewardship. God created us in his image to be his stewards. In fact, just in case you missed it, Genesis 1:27 reminds us we are created in God's image! We are tasked with representing God to his creation. God is the owner/operator but we are his managers.
+God's purpose in creating man in his image was so that man could rule over the Earth as his representative. Did you catch that? This is possibly the most important verse on stewardship. God created us in his image to be his stewards. In fact, just in case you missed it, Genesis 1:27 reminds us we are created in God's image! We are tasked with representing God to his creation. God is the owner/operator but we are his managers.
 If someone were to ask you, "why did God create me?" you might answer "to bring him glory," and you wouldn't be wrong, but you also would have only scratched the surface. God certainly created to bring glory to himself, but he created in specific ways for specific purposes. God created each of us in his image that we might represent him to creation by stewarding his creation.
 ===Description: God’s description of man’s role in his creation is one of dominion. (1:28)===
 In verse 28 we see the command to subdue the earth. This is the notion of dominion. The idea of dominion is not adversarial, that is man is not called to become hard taskmasters over the earth but rather one of bringing under control. The idea here is that man should harness the potential and use the resources at his disposal for God's glory. This is again an explicit reference to stewardship. Man is called to manage on behalf of God, the owner-operator.
@@ Line 100: / Line 104: @@
 =Conclusion: =
 ==Image: Even a family heirloom is just in the care of the owner.==

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 =Body=
-==God: God owns and operates it all because God made it all.==
+==Employer: God owns and operates it all because God made it all.==
 ===Owner: God created it all (1:1)===
@@ Line 55: / Line 55: @@
 I remember when I would talk to a customer when I managed the shop in Colorado. I would say something like "I have a couple of different options I can give you. Do you want me to put in my Synthetic oil or my house oil etc?" Did you catch that, I claimed it was mine? I knew it wasn't but I talked like it was. I am fine with you talking as if you own the car out in the parking lot or those shoes on your feet. It is okay but only as long as you recognize that it is in reality all God's.
-==Mankind: Mankind was created to manage everything God created.==
+==Responsibilities: Mankind was created to manage everything God created.==
 We could take all day and just God's act of creating individual pieces of his creation. The sun, moon, stars, and so on but I want to keep moving forward. The second point that I see in our text is that Man was created to manage everything God created.
@@ Line 81: / Line 81: @@
 It may be cliche, but I cannot count the number of times that someone has asked me "what is my purpose in being here?" The answer is right here in Genesis 1. God created man to be his representative to his creation. The question that we need to ask ourselves is, "Do I accept God’s purpose in creating man in his image is stewardship?" This is a hard question for most of us because we have ideas about our purpose. Maybe your purpose in life is to have as much fun as you can, maybe it is to be the coolest mom, or the most adventurous dad. Maybe your purpose is to acquire as much stuff as you possibly can or to retire comfortably. I am sorry but that is not what God's purpose is for you. God's purpose is for you to steward what is his.
-==Us: God expects us to steward well.==
+==Evaluation: God expects us to steward well.==
 Fast forward to the New Testament and in Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus spoke about the value God places on good management. We don't have time today to go through the entire parable, but I want you to notice a couple of key truths in this parable.