Jesus in the Old Testament 2: Jesus and Creation

Jesus and Creation

Thesis: Jesus is the God of creation.  While this is hinted at in the original text, it is fully revealed in the New Testament. Practically for us, as followers of Jesus, this means that there is nothing that is outside of His ability to affect for His glory and our good. He created in the past and is creating in us a “new creature.”

1. Nutshell with Kids (<5min)
1. Has anyone been somewhere really cool?  What is your favorite place?
2. What are some of your favorite animals? 
3. Hebrews 1:1-3
1. What are some of the things that Jesus is said to have done in this passage?
2. Why do you think that it is important that Jesus is mentioned as our creator?
3. If Jesus made everything, is there anything He can’t do?  Is there any problem He can’t solve?
4. Jesus made all of the amazing things you’ve ever seen or ever will see.  He made it all, and He can do anything with it!  You can trust Him in everything. 
5. He made you, too, and He is still working on making you exactly who he wants you to be.
2. Deeper (30 min)
1. Genesis 1
1. Eloheim, the plural of “god,” El.

a)    Used elsewhere to denote a council or collection of divine beings, real or imagined (Ex 20:23; Ps 8:6).

b)    However, when referring to the God of the Bible, always with singular verbs and pronouns (Bara, “He created”)

c)    Debate as to whether this is a preview of the doctrine of the Trinity or an expression of the “plural of majesty.”

(1)  All the members of the Trinity are referred to independently with the singular “El.”  So plurality here may be proto-trinitarian.

(a)  Father Gen 14:18

(b)  Son Isa 7:14

(c)  Spirit Job 33:4

(2)  Earliest uses of the plural of majesty outside of the Bible are much later and tend to be European before they are Near-Eastern. 

d)    Less debated are the “us” pronouns in Gen 1:26 and 3:22.  This is definitely not a majestic plural. Jews: a council of the angels.

2. Creation is a correction of chaos

a)    To the modern western thinker, the opposite of creation is nothingness (why is there something rather than nothing?)

b)    To the Semitic mind, the opposite of creation is chaos (vs 1)

(1)  Darkness and deep water

(2)  Formless and void

c)    Creation is about creating the form (days 1-3) and filling the void (days -6).

d)    Several of these images used in Psalm 30:4, in reference to God and God’s son.

e)    Interestingly, in the New Heavens and the New Earth, there will be no hint of this chaos Rev 21.

(1)  No seas: vs 1

(2)  No darkness: vs 25

(3)  Highly ordered form vs11-21

(4)  Highly populated: vs 24-27

3. Creation is accomplished through the spoken word of God.

a)    Gen 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26

b)    Heb 11:3

c)    Jesus is the word of God John 1:1-5, 14.

d)    While it is a stretch, based only on the text of Gen 1, to say that Jesus is the intention of “God said,” the NT helps us clarify.

2. NT Clarifications
1. John 1:1-5, 14

a)    “With God” a separate person

b)    “Was God” an identical essence.

c)    Vs 3: “All things created” Explicitly stated.  Nothing created outside of His agency.

d)    Vs 4: He is the source of life (Days 3-6).

2. Col 1:15-17

a)    Nothing made apart from Him

b)    Physical world and heavenly, ranks of angels.

c)    He is the sustainer of all creation.

3. Heb 1:1-3

a)    Creator and Sustainer

b)    Redemption tied to his role as creator.

3. Jesus creating in miracles
1. Feeding of the 5,000 and 3,000 Matt 14:13-21

a)    A small amount of matter was magnified into much more.

b)    Creation out of nothing.

2. Water into wine John 2:1-11

a)    Not just a miracle of accelerating natural process. Water doesn’t become wine. Grape juice and yeast do.

b)    Creation of new compounds where they did not exist.

3. Raising Jairus’ daughter Luke 8:40-42, 44-56 (and Lazarus).

a)    Creation of life where there was not life.

b)    Reminiscent of the creation of Adam.

4. Jesus controlling natural processes
1. Calming the storm (twice) Mark 4:35-31

a)    Demonstration of his control of nature.

b)    Disciples get it!

2. Walking on water Matt 14:22-33

a)    He triumphs over the watery chaos of creation (storm)

b)    He brings peace in the midst of the storm while standing in the middle of it with his people.

5. Application for us: Nothing is outside the power of God.
1. Christ created order out of chaos “in the beginning,” and he is still in the process of doing so.
2. Nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God! Rom 8:38-39
3. There will come a time when all the hardship of this life is over, when sin, death, and all the primordial chaos is finally done away with. Rev 21-22
4. When hardship comes, run to the only one who can overcome anything and create the peace that we cannot comprehend.

a)    Prov 18:10

b)    Phil 4:7

Follow-Up Questions:

1. Why is it important to understand Jesus as the creator with regard to:
1. His identity as God?
2. His ability to do anything?
3. His ability to save us from any danger, hardship?
4. His ability to save us from our sin?
2. What are some things that we need to trust Jesus with in our lives?
3. Spend a moment in prayer as a group/family, giving these things to Jesus and asking Him to exercise His power as creator over them.

Hebrews 4:11-13, The Word of God

Hebrews 4:11-13:

The Word of God

Bibliology, the Christian doctrine of the Bible, is described.  The Bible is inspired, inerrant, infallible, sufficient, clear, comprehensible, sufficient, and able to change lives.  Jesus used it as if all of these adjectives were true.  So should we.  Hebrews 4:11-13 deals principally with the Bible's authority as the basis for our judgment before a Holy God.  It gets to the heart of the matter and leaves us without excuse. My notes follow the video. 

A.    Bibliology: The theology of the Word of God

1.    Scripture is Inspired:

a.    2 Tim 3:16 Scripture comes from the mouth of God, not man.

b.    2Pet 1:20-21 The prophet’s mind is involved, but carried along by the Spirit of God.

1.    Unique vocabularies and idioms, grammar and even language.

2.    Same, unified message.

c.    Examples:

1.    Jer 36:2

2.    Ezek 1:3

3.    Rev 14:13

2.    Scripture is inerrant

a.    “The Bible is entirely truthful and reliable in all that it affirms in its original manuscripts.”

b.    God cannot lie, so if these are the words of God, they are true.

1.    Titus 1:2

2.    2 Sam 7:8

3.    Prov 30:5

c.    It has proved faithful in its predictions and promises: 1 Kings 8:56; Ps 111:7; Eze 12:25

d.    [Manuscripts, historical discoveries, unified message]

3.    Scripture is clear and comprehensible:

a.    Some passages are hard to understand (2 Pet 3:16),

b.    But with the Spirit’s illumination (2 Tim 2:7), the teaching can be understood by children (Deut 6:6-7).

c.    Are you “simple”? God’s word makes you wise (Ps 19:7)

d.    Clear enough that Jesus never assumes that his people haven’t understood, rather they have not read (Matt 12:3, 5; 19:14; 21:42; 22:31)

e.    When people misunderstand, the fault lies with the people (sin, pride, etc), not the word of God.

f.     Teachers are gifted for illumination and explanation (1 Cor 12:28; Eph 4:11)

g.    “5 Solas” Sola Scriptura.

4.    Scripture is sufficient:

a.    The canon of scripture has all that we need for life and Godliness (2 Tim 3:15; Psalm 19:7-9)

b.    All functions of the church are anchored in scripture (2 Tim 3:16-17)

c.    Nothing is to be added to the word of God (Deut 4:2; 12:32; Prov 3:5-6; Rev 22: 18-19)

d.    The Holy Spirit will guide and instruct individual believers for the circumstances of their life (Rom 8:14; Gal 5:16, 18, 25) This will always be in line with scripture and a local thing, not new revelation for the church as a whole.(Gal 1:8)

e.    If there is something God hasn’t given us in scripture, it isn’t something we need to capitalize on.  Focus on what he has said clearly, and leave the mysteries to Him (Deut 29:29)

5.    Scripture is spiritual food, a source of Joy and Confidence:

a.    Food: Dt 8:3; Job 23:21; Psalm 119:103; Jer 15:16

b.    Delight: Jer 15:16; Psalm 1; Prov 2:1-5

6.    Scripture is eternal and unchanging (Ps 119:89; Isa 40:8; Matt 5:18; Matt 24:35; 1Pet 1:25)

7.    Scripture is powerful!

a.    Devouring flame: Jer 5:14

b.    Crushing Hammer: Jer 23:29

c.    Life-giving force: Eze 37:7

d.    Saving Power: Rom 1:16

e.    Sword (below)

B.    Jesus and Scripture:

1.    Jesus believed the literal and simple reading of the OT:

a.    Creation: Matt 19:4-6

b.    Cain and Abel: Luke 11:50-51

c.    Noah’s flood: Matt 24:37

d.    Abraham’s call: John 8:56-58

e.    Sodom and Gomorrah: Matt 11:23-24

f.     Elijah’s drought: Luke 4:25-27

g.    Jonah and the Whale: 12:41

2.    Jesus’ life was saturated with scripture. 

a.    Source of his power. Matt 26:54; Mark 8:31

b.    Resist temptation: Matt 4:1-11

c.    Settle disputes: Matt 19:1-12

d.    Died quoting scripture: Matt 27:46

e.    On resurrection Sunday exposited scripture: Luke 24:13-17

C.   Hebrews 4:11-13

1.    This passage is all about judgment based on your adherence to Scripture.  Belief and Obedience.

2.    Verse 11: Let us hasten diligently to the rest, so that we are not hardened by disbelief.  Hurry up and believe and obey.  The longer you put it off, the greater risk of wrath you incur.

3.    Verse 12-13:

a.    Faith is only as good as the object in which it is invested.

b.    Believe what the word of God says.

c.    The Bible is not dead or in the past, living and active.

1.    Not “living” as if it can grow and change, like the Constitution. It is unchanging, but not dead. 

2.    Active: Energized! ἐνεργής energēs

3.    1 Pet 1:22-23

4.    1 Thes 2:13

d.    Two-edged sword

1.    Common picture (Eph 6:17; Rev 1:16; 2:12; 19:21)

2.    Possessing two powers,

a.    Salvation,  Heb 4:2, Rom 1:16  scalpel

b.    Judgment,  Heb 4:4, 2 cor 2:15-16 Sword

e.    Dividing and Judging are parallel ideas.

1.    The word of God Divides:

a.    Divides the physical world at creation Genesis 1

b.    Divides God’s people from those who are not (Lev 19:19; Deut 22:11; Rom 13:13-14; 2 Cor 6:14-18)

c.    Obedience to it divides those who are living (John 14:15, 23)

d.    Obedience to it divides the the eternal future of all people (Matt 25:31-46)

e.    In this context

                                                                                      i.        Dividing what is inside us, our thoughts and intentions,  from what is spiritual,  soulful,  or merely fleshly

                                                                                     ii.        Two spiritual aspect, closely allied, soul and spirit, and two fleshly aspects, joints and marrow.

f.     it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. In doing this, it is able to discriminate successfully between what is spiritual in man and what is merely “soulish” or natural (it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit), and does so even when these often-contradictory inner elements are interwoven as closely as joints and marrow. The inner life of a Christian is often a strange mixture of motivations both genuinely spiritual and completely human. It takes a supernaturally discerning agent such as the Word of God to sort these out and to expose what is of the flesh. The readers might think that they were contemplating certain steps out of purely spiritual motivations when, as God’s Word could show them, they were acting unfaithfully as did Israel of old.

4.    Vs 13

a.    Discernment has discrimination and evaluation implied. 

b.    You will be judged based on your obedience to and belief in the word of God.

1.    Deut 6:6; 11:18

2.    Ps 119:11

3.    Matt 22:29

4.    Col 3:16

5.    The word of God is a personification of God himself (vs 13).  God is manifested in his word (Hebrews 1:2; Jn 1:1ff).

6.    You cannot hide your unbelief from God.  You will be laid bare on judgment day. 

a.    Naked.  Gen 3:9; 2 cor 5:3

b.    τετραχηλισμένα perfect of a verb based on the noun “neck.”  To “neck” is used in the sense of bending back the head of a victim, prisoner, or sacrifice to expose the neck to the sword or knife for execution.  In the perfect tense, we are, once and for all, on the verge of execution because of our transgression of God’s word.

c.    We are awaiting the judgment from God, who is the one “to whom we must give account.”

d.    In saying this, the readers were reminded that, like all Christians, they would someday stand before the judgment seat of Christ where they must give account to God for their lives (cf. Rom. 14:10–12; 2 Cor. 5:10). If at that time their lives are seen to be marked by the kind of failure they have been warned against, the writer implied they will suffer loss of reward (cf. 1 Cor. 3:11–15). In this context the loss they suffer will be that of their inheritance-rest.

1.    Jer 23:29

2.    2Chr 16:9

5.    “God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else—something it never entered your head to conceive—comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing: it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realized it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last forever. We must take it or leave it.” --C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

This is my Bible. (James MacDonald)

I am who it says I am. (Matthew 5:16)

I can do what it says I can do. (Philippians 4:13)

I am going where it says I will go. (John 14:3)

God’s Word is milk for my soul. (1 Peter 2:2)

God’s Word is seed for my faith. (Luke 8:11)

God’s Word is light for my path. (Psalm 119:105

God’s Word is power for my victory. (Hebrews 4:12)

God’s Word is freedom for my life. (John 8:32)

When I read God’s Word, it brings me joy. (Jeremiah 15:16)

When I study God’s Word, it keeps me from shame. (2 Timothy 2:15)

When I memorize God’s Word, it purifies my heart. (Psalm 119:11)

When I quote God’s Word, it defeats my enemies. (Ephesians 6:10, 17)

When I meditate on God’s Word, it brings me success. (Joshua 1:8)

When I abide in God’s Word, it gives me confidence. (John 15:7)

I am a Bible-believing follower of Jesus Christ!