Christ’s Revelation is Necessary for Our Good and God’s Glory - Genesis 2:4-2:24
The following is a sermon manuscript, preached on January 8, 2023, at Foundation Reformed Church in Quakertown, PA.
Establishing a Christological Worldview Part 2:
Christ’s Revelation is Necessary for Our Good ad God’s Glory
Introduction
Good morning, Brothers and Sisters! Last week we saw how the creational account of God establishes our reality, a true reality. This week we are going to consider how Revelation (God’s Words) are necessary for our good and His Glory.
1689 LBCF 1.1: “The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience, although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and his will which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in divers manners to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his church; and afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan, and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary, those former ways of God's revealing his will unto his people being now ceased.”
If you remember back to last week with me, we identified that man and woman was created to image God in the creation through dominion, stewardship, reproduction, and productivity. So, God plants a garden, and orchard for the man to carry out this purpose and puts him in it. But Adam does not have all the knowledge he needs to fulfill the purpose for which he was created. This is why revelation is Necessary. God had to tell Adam what to do and what not to do. God had to show Adam what is and is not permissible. God had to reveal to Adam that which is Good for Life and that which is Deadly to Life. Adam did not have the ability to discern this through his own sensibilities. This is why revelation is Necessary. God intended revelation to be necessary from the beginning, and still God’s revelation is necessary today. This is why we have and need the full counsel of God, The Bible. If pre-fall Adam needed God’s revelation to Live, how much more do we need God’s revelation?
The Revelation of God is our Source for Knowing what we know and how we know it.
There are 4 things about God’s Revelation we should take notice of in the PreFall world that remain and exist in our world as well:
Revelation is Personal
Revelation is Practical
Revelation identifies Protective Parameters
Revelation is Productive
PERSONAL: (Genesis 2:16) “God speaks face-to-face with Adam”
The Revelation of God, as God unveils Himself to us, it is a deeply personal endeavor of God. Consider how God is revealing His will to Adam, God is standing face-to-face with Adam describing how he ought to conduct himself in this context. This is how serious our God takes His Divine communication to man. There is nothing more personal than having a one-on-one conversation with someone. We are people who crave personal communication. Adam was no different in this respect because he was created for this purpose.
Not only can we see that God personally divinely communicates to Adam, but God has, since Adam, communicated with Humans. Look with me at Hebrews 1:1-2, God spoke personally through the prophets, but now has spoken through His SON! We have the complete testimony, 66 Canonical Books, of God’s Son in our hands today. See how personal God takes His Divine speech? So personal that He would speak to us through His Son.
We can also note that God has intended from the beginning to communicate with humanity in a special and specific way. This is evidenced in this passage that is pre-fall. God has always intended to have a special discourse and dialogue with humans.
When we open the Word of God in our devotional time, we ought to view that time as God’s personal conversation time with us Proverbs 2:6. This is not to remove the reverence that we should have towards our Bible study, but we do study the Bible to personally hear from God. Our Bible reading and study is our time to get to personally know our God. God’s revelation or divine speech is not only personal, it’s also practical.
PRACTICAL: (Genesis 2:16) “May surely Eat”
Adam needed to eat food in the Garden, right? God’s revelation (Divine Speech) met the physical needs of Adam. Through God’s Divine Discourse with Adam, Adam is told how he can meet his nourishment needs through food. This is sufficient practical revelation that Adam could depend upon for his life.
The uniqueness of God’s practical word is that man depends upon it to live. Deuteronomy 8:2-3 Shows our dependency and vitality linked to the word of God. Jesus even quotes this passage when debating with the Devil in the Temptation Account recorded in Luke 4.
The world is going to try to cram all kinds of mumbo jumbo down your throat about how outdated and impractical God’s rules and regulations are; however, I want to encourage you that wisdom is known by her deeds, and the Word of the Lord is the Lamp unto our Feet, a light in the darkness. The Law of the Lord is Perfect reviving the Soul. God’s rules and regulations are wisdom, discernment, and lovely. The psalmist commits Psalms 119 to the theme of this tune.
The practical aspect of the divine revelation of God is that God makes it doable to know. God reveals His words to us and in us. John 14:15-17: God has not left us alone without the Holy Spirit to help us understand, and comprehend God’s Truth. We can also see that God’s revelation sets protective parameters for us similarly to how it did for Adam.
PROTECTIVE PARAMETERS (Genesis 2:17) “Shall not eat” “Surely die”
The Word of God identifies boundaries that ought not to be defiled. These boundaries are for our Good and God’s glory. Look at what God tells Adam about the tree of knowledge of good and evil: You shall not eat of it. God presents the boundary for Adam because Adam does not have the sensibilities to see anything wrong with its fruit. It appears natural just as the others. It looks good for food. But this fruit has a fatal flaw… For Adam’s protection God sets a parameter that Adam could not set for himself.
The consequence that God informs Adam of is death. This is a final consequence; it is not one someone can say oops... for. It’s a serious consequence. God says to Adam: you will surely die. That is exactly what God is protecting Adam from by telling Adam he shall not violate this parameter or boundary.
God’s revelation and Divine Discourse to us today provides protection for us as well. There are many references in the scriptures that proclaim that the Bible makes clear the boundaries of life that ought not to be violated. Consider the boundary of marriage. God clearly states that physical and spiritual intimacy in the ultimate sense is prohibited outside of the parameters of marriage. This is because participation in activities of this nature outside of marriage incur damage to the human soul. If a spouse commits adultery, that is a quick way to kill a marriage or at the minimum severely damage the marriage.
There are other areas of life that God’s word set protective parameters as well. Consider raising a child. The Bible is clear that the main responsibility of the parents are discipleship and discipline. The Bible in Deuteronomy 6:4-7 shows us the idea that the parents should be the main disciple makers in their children’s lives. This protective parameter prevents nefarious people from misguiding, indoctrinating, or brainwashing your children into thinking absurd things are permissible and then abusing them.
1 John 2:22 set protective parameters against us falling victim to False Prophets. These are not people whom we want to be buddy-buddy with or defend on the public stage.
Matthew 16:24-27 warns us about the real meaning of life and the judgment to come. It helps us calibrate our life under the protective parameters of scripture that we don’t lose our soul in a lifelong pursuit of worldly pleasure or worldly goods.
Jesus reveals His identity in that He is Savior and Judge! The Holy Revelation shows Jesus as the only name under Heaven by which men must be saved! And Jesus Proclaims: Repent, and be Baptized for the Kingdom of God is at hand! If you forsake this warning, just as if Adam would forsake His warning from Divine Revelation – You shall Surely Die! What do you do with God’s Holy Revelation when it sets Protective Parameters?
God’s word sets protective parameters that establish morality, define justice, mitigate disturbances, propagate peace, and reveal Jesus, Our Savior. This is one of the many reasons that we need to seek God’s wisdom in His word, because we have clearly identified protective parameters for life that leads to Godliness… Lastly, we shall consider how God’s Words, His Revelation, is Productive.
PRODUCTIVE: (Genesis 1: 28) “Be Fruitful and Multiply”
The Necessity of God’s Revelation makes humanity Productive. If humanity is obeying the personal, practical, and protective Words of God, then surely, they are productive abounding in all good works. How does God’s Words make us productive?
Adam was set apart from all the other items of creation by God’s command to take dominion over the Earth, and to not eat of the specific tree of knowledge of Good and Evil. This meant that God had sanctified Adam by giving him a special place in the created order as overseer of all the created things and tender of the Garden of Eden.
God’s Word also sets us apart as well. It forms us into the People of God. Consider John 17:17 when Jesus prays that we should be sanctified in Truth, God’s Word is Truth. This makes us unique amongst all the other peoples of the world because of God’s word in us at work yields fruits of Gentleness, Patience, Kindness, Faithfulness, Love and all the other fruits of the Spirit that are described in Galatians 5.
God divine revelation is also productive as it transforms us. Romans 12:1-2 Our bodies are to be presented as items of worship through non-conformity to the world. The way that this occurs is through transformation that starts by renewing your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Meditation on God’s Holy Word is how we know what is good, acceptable, and perfect, and it is how we know that we are in God’s Will doing what honors Him, and that is how the Word is productive in us. The Holy Spirit of God will use the Holy Word of God to show us the Personalness of God, the Practical Application of His Word, the Protective Parameters it sets in our Ethics, and the Productive Fruit of the indwelling character of God.
Conclusion
So, as we conclude this morning: Let me ask you:
Do you view God’s Words as a Necessity? Do you live in a way that you show they are necessary? – Do you read them, study them, cherish them, does it inform your actions, reactions, thoughts, desires, relationships, and interactions?
In what ways can you ask God to help you see His revelation as life-giving, freedom-defining, and God-glorifying in your daily life? This is the way we have to think church, especially if we are going to combat this world word for Word. Our Word is a sure Word, a confident Word, a true Word, a Powerful Word, and a God Word. Our word is not our own, but our God’s who graciously gifts it to us that we may live with Him, in Him, and by Him to His Glory.
Let us lift our voices up to our God this morning in Prayer and Cry to Him: Jesus help me Hide your Word in my heart that I might not Sin against you!
“This Morning I have set before you the words of Life and Death. Choose Life, our Christ, that you May Live! This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.”
