Download Between the Trees

Between the Trees
Tonight:
1. The Bible as God’s Story.
2. What was God doing before Creation?
3. Why did God Create the Universe?
Tonight:
We don’t usually think of the Bible as story… as
having a protagonist, and antagonist, a problem
that needs to be solved, a goal that the
protagonist is trying to reach. So tonight we
focus on how the Bible is story… not that it isn’t
true, but that it has those elements of story that
make it incredibly interesting. What were the
Father and Son doing prior to creation? What
was in God’s mind when He created all this?
Next week: What went wrong?
Gen. 2:9 “…The
tree of life in the
midst of the
garden…”
Rev. 22:2 “…On
either side of the
river was the tree
of life…”
Between the Trees
1. The Bible is the
Book Where God
Tells His Story
Wing
Wing
Antagonist
Protagonist, Hero
Goal
Journey, Quest, Mission
Motivation,
passion
Passion
Inciting incident,
complication(s)
Motivation
Mission
The Protagonist
Satan is the
Antagonist,
the Saboteur
Passion satisfied,
purpose achieved,
obstacles overcome: God
completes his mission
Goal
Plot line: Quest, Mission
Motivation
& passion
What passions motivate God?
Why does God do what God
does?
What complications
will arise to sabotage
God’s Mission?
What is the Protagonist’s
passion and motivation?
The Protagonist
Goal
The Bible as Story
Motivation
& passion
Perhaps the single most important
question in Bible study is this:
What passions motivate God?
Passion is produced by a thing…
…that brings pleasure
…that is valued or prized
…that generates zeal
…that one cannot be indifferent about
1. Passion is produced by that which brings
pleasure, is valued, generates zeal, and
cannot be viewed with indifference.
2. Possessing passion gives one purpose.
Passion
Purpose
3. Purposefulness results in action.
Passion
Purpose
Action
4. We call purposeful actions “mission.”
Passion
Purpose
Action = Mission
Ex. 20:5 – “…For I, the LORD your God,
am a jealous God…” (Dt. 4:24; 5:9; 6:15)
Ex. 34:14 – “…For the LORD, whose
name is ‘Jealous’, is a jealous God…”
Ezek. 39:25 – “…And I shall
be jealous for My holy name.”
John 2:17 (Jesus speaking) “…Zeal
for Your house will consume me.”
‘There are things about which
God cannot be indifferent’
Discussion:
1. Describe to your group the
customary way you read the Bible.
2. Does reading the Bible as God’s story
offer a different paradigm for you?
3. What implications are there in
looking for the “Protagonist’s”
passion/motivation as you read the
Bible?
1. The Bible is the Book
Where God Tells His Story
2. God’s Story Began
Before Genesis 1:1
Genesis
Revelation
The Hero of His own story
Achieving his passion means
God’s mission is complete
God, Protagonist
Goal
Journey, Quest, Mission
What will be the story of God’s
quest as He pursues His
passion?
Desire,
passion
What passions motivate God?
What was God doing before creation?
Father
Eternal Heavenly
Temple
Son
Spirit
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
dwelt in shalom in this temple.
Heb. 8:1-2, 5; 9:11-12, 23-24; 12:23-25
What was God doing in His heavenly temple
before he created the heavens and the earth?
John 17:5 – “…Glorify me together with
yourself with the glory I had with you
.”
John 17:24 – “…You loved me
.”
I Peter 1:20– “…He was known about
.”
What was God doing in His heavenly temple
before he created the heavens and the earth?
Mt. 13:35 – “This was to fulfill what was
spoken by the prophet: ‘I will open my
mouth in parables; I will utter what has been
hidden since the foundation of the world.’”
Mt. 25:34 – “…Enter the
kingdom prepared for you
.”
Eph. 1:4 – “…Even as he chose us in him
before the foundation of the world…”
What was God doing in His heavenly temple
before he created the heavens and the earth?
The Protagonist
Flashback
“Before the world
was…before the foundation
of the world…”
Goal
Jesus &
the
Apostles
John 17:5
John 17:24
Motivation
& passion
These are the passions
that motivate God.
Mt. 13:34;
25:34; Eph. 1:4;
I Pet. 1:20
1. The Bible is the Book
Where God Tells His Story
2. God’s Story Began
Before Genesis 1:!
3. The Creation Account in
Genesis 1-2 is a
Continuation of God’s Story
The Bible as Story
Genesis
Revelation
God is the Hero of His own story
Satisfying his passion marks
the climax of God’s story
God, Protagonist
Goal
Journey, Quest, Mission
What will God’s story look like
as He pursues His passion?
Desire,
passion
What passions motivate God?
God’s General Purpose in Creating Is Clear
“…All the earth will be filled
with the glory of the LORD.”
(Num. 14:21; Psa. 72:19; Isa. 6:3)
“…The earth will be filled with the
knowledge of the glory of the
LORD as the waters cover the sea.”
(Isa. 11:9/Hab. 2:14)
Genesis 1-2
Revelation 21-22
New heaven &
new earth – 1:1
New heaven & new
earth – 21:1, 5
Light – 1:3
Light – 21:23, 24; 22:5
Work for God – 2:15
Work for God – 22:3
Blessing – 1:22, 28; 2:3
No more curse – 22:3
God walks with
man – 3:8
God tabernacles with
man – 21:3, 22
Garden – 2:8
Garden – 22:2
Tree of life – 2:9
Tree of life – 22:2, 14, 19
Rivers – 2:10-14
River – 22:1
Marriage – 2:24
Marriage – 21:2, 9; 22:17
Creation blessing
•
“God blessed them” (Days 5, 6)
•
“God blessed the seventh day”
Jn. 1:3 - All things came into being
… 10 …the world was made
…
Col. 1:16 - For
were all things
created… all things were made
all things
and
… 17 He is
things,
and
all things hold together.
Rom. 11:36 - For
and
and
are all things
things…
Heb. 1:2 - …Whom He appointed heir of all
all
things,
also He made the world.
things
Heb. 2:10 - For it was fitting for
Him,
all
allare
things
all things
things and
are all
It was his overflowing love for the Son that
motivated the Father to create, and creation is
his gift to his Son. The Father makes his Son
the inheritor. And so the Son is not only the
motivating origin of creation: he is its goal.
-- Michael Reeves
God’s Mission:
Before Creation
1. To fill the heavenly temple
with His Son’s glory
2. The Trinity enjoying and
loving one another
3. The Son’s fame spreading
before the watching angels.
God’s Mission: In
Creation –
Genesis 1-2
1. To create an amazing
universe for His Son
2. To populate that universe with
creatures made in the Son’s image
3. For the Son to show those creatures
His glory and to love them
4. For those creatures to
reciprocate in worship and love
Between the Trees
Gen. 2:9 “…The
tree of life in the
midst of the
garden…”
Rev. 22:2 “…On
either side of the
river was the tree of
life …”