Genesis 1-3 (Conversation With Phil Morgan)

In this episode we discuss all of Genesis 1-3 with our guest Phil Morgan. We talk about God and His power shown in Creation, as well as His relationship with man. We talk about sin and temptation and our introduction to Satan as a liar from the beginning. Marriage is introduced and the importance of that relationship to man. Join us in our conversation from this important text from the beginning of all things. 

Transcript

 Hello and welcome back to Cultivating Growth. I want to thank everyone for joining us again this week. This is our last episode of the month, studying through Genesis chapters one, two, and three. We've got a special guest joining us this week. Jeremy will make that introduction here in just a moment. And with that, let's get right to the conversation. Well, John, you made mention that we've got a guest with us, and we're excited. He's been on the show before. It's been a little while, but I have surrounded myself by Mr. Morgans. That's what it's turned into. So John's dad is here with us, Phil Morgan, preaches over at Newcastle, and we're excited to have him in and to continue our conversation and kind of conclude with some thoughts. We've been talking about Genesis one, two, and three, really the beginning, ultimately, of everything. And so we'll go back. We'll work our way through those chapters again, maybe hit some highlights, maybe some things that stands out to us, maybe some things that even tie these three chapters together. And so i- it's easy to find in your Bible. It is literally all the way back to the very beginning. And we'll come to Genesis chapter one, and I'll throw it off to you guys. And, I do think it's interesting maybe one of two things that we can spend some time talking about. I, I think there are some interesting things that we learn out of the gate about God. It really serves as n- not just an introduction to where the world came from. Ultimately, it does that, but it also serves as an introduction into who God is. And so I think there's some interesting things w- with that. And then secondly, I, I'm always interested on why it is that we think God chose to actually start this way. He re- he doesn't give us anything before this, even though we know he was before this. But this is where he starts, and I think it's interesting on why that is, and then maybe some things that we learn about God. And I'll throw it your way, and then we'll start with those kind of thoughts this is a passage of scripture that has really been helpful to me. I, I am always thinking about how can I best bring someone who is away from God and spiritual things, but this world has nothing to offer. And when that becomes a reality for someone and they start asking the questions and wanting to know, then I wonder, okay, w- where do I start? 'Cause I, I, I want so much to help them. And Genesis 1, 2 and 3, that, that has been... There, there is so much, so many answers from God, where we came from, what this Bible is about, what, what is the problem that ruins everything? Does God care about us? Does God care about all of this? And those great big important subjects can all be addressed in one concise place. And so to, to take someone who is wanting to know what this great big Bible and what this God is all about, to take them to Genesis 1, 2 and 3 has been really very satisfying and, and I, I think it's been helpful to others. That's something that you don't oftentimes, when you think about these first few chapters, you don't oftentimes think of them from an evangelistic perspective, but that's really exactly what it is. Yeah. This is, this is God introducing himself to the world a- and that is what people need. They need to come to know who God is, and Genesis 1, 2 and 3 answers that question. He is all-powerful. He is a God who desires and creates order when things are chaotic. He, he's a God who, as you said, loves his creation. He designed it to be peaceful and restful. He, he loves, he loves the, the humans that he created above all else, and he gave us dom- you learn all of these things literally from page one. A- and so if, if someone is struggling to know and understand God, it's a great place to begin. And I think God certainly helped us by putting it right at the beginning and almost as if he was saying, "Hey, if somebody needs to have a crash course in who I am, just start from the beginning and you'll begin to be able to put some of those big pieces in place." Yeah, I think it really sets up, especially Genesis chapter 1 and 2, it, it really sets up God's desire For man to have a relationship with Him. He wants that. He cares about man. He cares about He cares about all creation for sure, but there is something special about man, and that comes out in Genesis 1 and 2. It, it is the provision that He establishes for man. He, He provides everything man needs. He gives him everything that he could ever want. And then even in the one moment after, in Genesis chapter 1, you have the, "Hey, He saw this, it was good. He saw this, it was good. He saw this, it was good." He goes through, all of these days. That one moment that you th- God sees something and it's not good, it's a need that man has, and God immediately fills it. And, and even in that, you're, you're seeing God really taking care of man. If man has needs, God l- wants to fulfill those needs. A- and really, that carries throughout the Biblical narrative. Really, throughout the Bible, I think that point is made about God. Whether you get with the children of Israel and their unique relationship and His caring for them, or certainly into His own church today and the care that He has for, for man, and certainly even more so for His special people, you begin to see that seed planted literally here at the very, very beginning, and I think that's an important kind of principle that plays throughout. And, and John, if I could go back to what you were saying about, you used the word evangelistic, that- ... these chapters can be evangelistic. I think that if s- look at this Bible. I'm holding it here in my hand, and how many pages? And for somebody new to this, it's very intimidating. Yeah. Even if they say I'm gonna read through the Bible," that is itself a, a great undertaking. So to be able to say generally and accurately let me just tell you j- what the Bible's about," and, and you can't start telling that story without talking about the Jeremy, as you were saying, that, that God made us To be with him and with all of the perfect joys and happiness that go with that, but it was spoiled by sin. And, and at that very moment, God, he didn't distance himself, he involved himself and committed himself to the most sacrificial expression of love the world would ever see. And if we get, if we say, "Oh, okay, that's the problem, here's God's solution," and the rest of the Bible is the, is the unfolding of God's wonderful plan to, to, to bring this loop back and, and to bring men back to God, which of course is beautifully demonstrated in Revelation. And I, if I could sneak in one more thing. One of the parts of Genesis chapter one that some people have difficulty with is the God said and it happened. God said and it happened. That such complexity was the result of God's spoken word, and, and, and it is. But it I, I think it's really helpful to consider the great power of God's spoken word. And it, and, and so when we r- when a, a new person to the Bible just ventures in to a serious consideration of what it says, for them to know that God's spoken word is powerful, it changes things, and it is always good. Jeremy, you were talking about it. It's always good. It's always beneficial to us. And, and that sort of attitude or disposition toward God's voice, God's word, you get that set from Genesis 1, then you look at whatever else He says with kind of an, a, an, a positive expectation because what God says is, yeah, it's always been good- ... from the very beginning. Yeah, let me throw one quick thing in, we'll get to God's word. You I don't wanna jump too, certainly too far ahead, but you made mention that sometimes we get to the end of Genesis 3, and it may seem as if God has given up on man, right? We've, He's tossed man out, that's it, we've closed the door- That's it ... that's all that there is. But we didn't get into Genesis chapter 4, but in Genesis chapter 4, God is still talking to man. Yeah. He's still, He's still conversing, He's still there, and so you can't get to the end of Genesis chapter 3, and that's a problem. And we'll talk about it- ... more here in just a minute. And there's no question it's a problem, and there's punishment, and there's all of those things, but it isn't God throwing man from the garden, and then He is done with man. There's- ... He, He's the farthest thing away from being done with man, and that almost immediately. I just wanna- Yeah ... that was my quick throw in. Yeah, no, it, it would've been totally understandable if after Genesis 3 God was like this didn't work. "I tried, it didn't work, so we're gonna start over. Maybe we can do something a little different and we'll try this again." It was only a week's worth of work, right? He can go back and He can do it again. But that's not the way He approaches this. A- and it does so beautifully then set up the entirety of the rest of the biblical story because mankind consistently, and routinely, and unfortunately lets God down. And at every moment in which mankind does that, it would be well within God's rights to say, "That was your last chance. That was it. I'm, I'm done." But He, He doesn't. He never does that. He didn't do that with Adam and Eve, and He doesn't do it with the people of Israel, and He doesn't do it with us. He, He, He wants to in, as you said, Dad, to involve Himself in such a way to not toss us aside, but to give us a solution. He doesn't, we don't deserve that. We haven't earned that but He does that for us. He brings Himself into the problems that we create to offer us a solution and a way out of that. And, and w- you don't have to go more than three pages in your Bible to see God do that, and He sets then a pattern and an example for how He's going to interact with mankind through the rest of time. There's some wonderful qualities about God that are demonstrated in, in Creation and how He deals with all these things. So much so that Romans 1 says, "If you behold Creation and don't conclude to y- that there's a God, you're just not paying attention." There's, the evidence is overwhelming. But it, it, it has seemed to me that there is one quality of God- that was not revealed in creation and I really think could not be revealed in creation and that was the measure of God's love. We can see his power, we can see his goodness, we can see his wisdom, we can see a lot of things, but Only in the fact that he doesn't distance himself from the center. In fact, he involves, he commits himself- ... to a, a plan that brought his Son into this world to, to die on a cross. And, and it's only, only by taking us into th- into that realm do we get to see God and appreciate Him a- at a deeper level, to know the love that God has for us. And, and again, I, all of that's introduced, but then it's the rest of the Bible that provides the color for it. Yeah, it is certainly love is there. In a lot of ways, it, it really comes to the forefront, maybe in a little bit different way in chapter 2. I've a- I, I've always thought... chapter 2 to me has always been an interesting chapter. That chapter 1 makes perfect sense, even chapter 3 makes sense, but chapter 2 almost, it becomes a parenthetical in a lot of ways. He goes back, and talks about His creation of man. But I think it does establish, you have these first chapters in the Book of Genesis, and He's establishing the beginnings of s- pretty important things. And, and what's interesting to me in Genesis chapter 2, we, we've already been introduced to the relationship that God is gonna have with man. That is the primary relationship that we need to be focused on. It is my relationship with God. But it is interesting to me that in Genesis chapter 2, He right away is gonna introduce what I believe to be the primary, important, this-world, physical relationship, and that is between spouses. And I think it establishes the importance of that relationship. God is gonna get to it right at the very beginning. He's gonna He's gonna make the point, here is something that Adam is in need of, and what he is in need of is a wife. That is what He provides to him. And, and John and I, we've talked about, listen, God could have given him all kinds of things. He could have given him a dog. He could have given him a father or a mother. He could have given him a child. He, He could have given him a good friend. He could have given him lots of things, but He doesn't. He gives him a spouse. That's what man needed. And then, of course, at the very end of chapter 2, you get teaching that only is to be applied about marriage, 'cause He makes a point about leaving father and mother, and that didn't have anything to do with Adam- No and Eve. And so He's only looking forward there. But this early that God is gonna take a moment and say, "Listen, let's talk just for a minute about this relationship," and I think it's because of just how important that relationship is. It, it is certainly under my relationship with God, but it is the primary physical, this-world relationship that we can have. I was thinking about that aft- after we recorded our episode on chapter 2. I, I was thinking about that and i- it struck me, God could have created Eve at the same time that He created Adam. He could have done that. God knew what was going to transpire. He could have just created them both at the same time. But if he had done that, he wouldn't have been able to establish this point in the way that he does, where God, your, your relationship, like you said, your number one relationship is between you and God. That's number one. But second on that list, above all other relationships, is going to be the relationship with your spouse. A- and the way that God waited to create Eve, he was able to make the point that your relationship with me comes first, but for man to be alone is not good, and he needs a wife, and here's why, and here's how that's to look. And, and so the, the structure of the creation of Eve allowed God to make this point and really establish that relationship in a different way than had he just created Eve right alongside Adam during the time of creation. And so th- this chapter two, I think you're right. It really highlights that relationship in a unique way, and obviously we see how God places an emphasis on that relationship moving forward. But I think that w- there was a lot of obvious thought behind how God approached the creation of Eve. The fact that he gave them, gave Adam animals to name, and, and in, I think it said at the end of that, "And there was not found a helper suited for him." It's almost as though that was an intentional- ... journey. And so I have thought about this from the standpoint, John, of what you were talking about marriage, that a, a man Still, Adam and everybody since then, a man is not ready to have a wife until he realizes how profound his need for a wife is. You, you gotta, you gotta know you need a wife and, and as a companion. Mm. It's gotta go deep. It's gotta be real. It's gotta be the, an, an aching of the soul for the completeness that Genesis 2 sh- shows God intends this. We are w- w- we are half of what we oughta be, and, and, and only when we realize that are we, like Adam, ready to, to receive our helper. And, and I think sometimes it, it, that chapter 2 and verse 24, I, I think sometimes that phrase that they're gonna be joined together and the two shall become one flesh, I think sometimes we sell that phrase short a little bit. Some- a lot of times we'll make, we'll make the point of the physical union the, and I certainly think that that's there, for sure. But I think there's so much more. It's a very simple phrase- ... but there's so much more that's there from you have the two becoming one. A- and that, yeah, that indicates the importance of the relationship. It indicates the intimacy and the closeness of the relationship. It, it indicates all of those things. But I think there's something else, because the math doesn't work. It, our, it doesn't... We have to... It, it just, it doesn't work. One plus one equals one. It one plus one equals one. That's exactly right. A- and I think that, again, there's a profound point that's being made about the uniqueness of this relationship. No other relationship that we're gonna have is one plus one equals one. No other relationship. A- and there's lots of other close relationships, and important ones, whether it's from the parent to the child spiritually brothers and sisters, even physically brothers and sisters and the kind of the nuclear family. But none of it is one plus one equals one. A- and it just, it- I, I don't wanna just eh, I don't wanna s- sell it short of- Yeah ... the profoundness of, that when we're s- we're all the time like that, that's really pushing towards kinda their phys- the physical union." It, it is a much bigger statement there at the end of chapter two than that. That's why I think, Dad, when you're talking about a, a man needing to recognize his need, it, it goes deeper than just the physical needs that a wife fulfills. There is obviously that, but if, if someone is looking to get married just to try to fulfill those needs, then they don't understand the marriage relationship at all. Because that is still a relationship where one plus one equals two. A- and that's, that is not what marriage is intending to be in the eyes of God. He wants it to be more. And you gotta have that, that deeper appreciation when the r- when it gets tough. Mm. And that, and it, and it will. But, if it's just a, a physical attraction, that is not, not gonna be enough to, to p- get past those storms. Jeremy, as you were talking about verse 24 it begins, "For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother." And then it adds, a-and then it says, "And be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh." So the one flesh seems to be connected not to the fulfillment of a sexual desire or, or something like that. The, the oneness being talked about here is the kind that comes from leaving one relationship and embracing a second, and doing so in a way that results in two people becoming one. So it's, it's, it's just like a, a mom and dad and child relationship is multidimensional. So too in this context would be taking two very different people and, and having come from that union, the oneness that's here described. Then we get into, to chapter three, and we, we talked about this last week, but I think it ties in with the conversation that we're having right now about the relationship between the husband and wife. When, when we get into chapter three and sin enters into the picture, we talked last week about the separation that occurs between man and God as a result of that sin. But we also talked about the, the animosity and the strife that entered into the relationship between man and his wife, and that was something that really stuck with me even after our conversation was finished. When, when God confronts Adam about what's taking place, he's "She did it. She made me do it." And immediately what you're seeing is now there's conflict between man and woman who were intended to be one flesh, but because of sin, there's now friction between them as well as man and God. A-and so it speaks not only to the destructive nature of sin between us and our relationship with our Creator, but when sin enters into a marriage relationship, it creates conflict and strife between the husband and wife, too. And it just, it, it deepens the destructive nature of sin. And, and certainly for a man and woman who are married, they have to be very cautious around sin, not just for, and obviously for their relationship with God, but so that their relationship remains strong as well, because sin is so destructive that it begins to eat away at even that relationship. I- from the very outset we see, listen, Satan is looking to go after the family almost as hard as anything else. It, it is the Lord's church and the family. It, he goes at those two things harder than he goes at anything else. Because I think he knows if he can infiltrate the Lord's church, catastrophic problems abound. In the same way, if he can infiltrate the family, catastrophic problems abound. And I think maybe we see that warning, given to us right here. He is attacking that relationship, and when you attack that relationship, the, now the math is messed up. It, it isn't the one plus one equals one. Now we're one plus one equals two. Now w- they've almost separated themselves. "Hey, that wasn't me. That was, that was her." "No, that wasn't me. That was him." Now we're pointing fingers, all over the place, and, and Satan has done that, and he's done that with his deception and lies. The one thing that really stands out to me when we get to Genesis chapter 3 is the v- strict contrast between God and Satan from chapter 1 to chapter 3. We've already made mention of God's words in chapter 1, powerful, straightforward, orderly. He, He's working with purpose. All of those things we learn about God right out of the gate. But here we're introduced to Satan, and the literal very first words that come out of him, a lie. And, and that's gonna ultimately be the way that he, he'll operate. And so this contrast is set in the first three pages of our Bibles between the way God operates in His words, and ultimately in the way Satan operates in his. Yeah. Y- you've done a really helpful job to help m- help us see the the impact of s- sin, not only in our relationship with God, but in, in the home as well. And how that's addressed and corrected- By God's grace and through His teaching throughout the rest of the Bible. And so we, we, we, we learn r- really deep understandings of the power of God's word, and it's, it's gonna do what is good, it's going to help us. And then beware of Satan, because it will take that which is most valuable and will destroy it. And, and so as we begin the Bible, as we begin to hear from God about His story and, and, and what's ahead for us, to know both things is, is a real great value. And wow, what, what a wonderful gift these first three chapters are. They, they really help us, even chapter three continues, as we were talking about earlier, continues to teach us more and more about God. And it also now begins to teach us about temptation and about what we're going to face. A- and it's important to remember and to know and to be honest about the fact that temptation is real and that Satan lies. Those things are really important to know and understand, and he's very good at it. He is the father of lies. He is very, very good at it. A- and we have to be always on guard. And I think what we see here is- Adam and Eve had been given by God everything, and yet Satan convinced them they needed more. That seems like an impossible lie to pull off. How in the world could Satan convince these two people that God literally gave the world to, "Hey, there's something you're missing"? But he's that good at it. A- and so we have to be... That's how cautious and on guard we have to be. He was able to convince someone who had complete control and dominion over the entire world that you need something else. Guess what? He's gonna be able to convince me of some things, too, if I'm not always on guard against it. We have to be that careful because the deceit that he has brought into this world, and the temptation that comes with it, really is strong, and we have to be able to resist that. Yeah, and the other thing that we're gonna learn about sin here from Genesis chapter 3 that's gonna be important, and something that we've gotta carry with us all the time, is that when it comes down to it, God cannot and will not tolerate sin. He's just not gonna do it. He's not gonna excuse it. He's not gonna justify it. He's not gonna tolerate it. And so sin brings about punishment. And and it brings about it swiftly here in Genesis chapter 3. And there is punishment for the serpent, there is punishment for man, there is punishment for woman, and it is big punishment. A- and I think that's a lesson that we've gotta be able to grab hold of. That listen, there's no room for God to tolerate sin in any capacity. E- even for the, the crowning jewel of His creation, man, He just isn't going to tolerate it. And so sin takes place, and because there's sin, there's going to be punishment. And, and that's what sin, is all about. I'll add one other thing. I, I do think it's interesting, we had talked about these different contrasts, that we're getting throughout. You, you have at the very end of chapter 2, almost an oddity, verse, after you have that powerful verse in verse 24 about, leaving a- and cleaving and them being one flesh. But then in verse 25, they were both naked and were not ashamed. And, and sometimes you might be like what?" That, seems oddly out of place. But you read chapter 3, and now you have a contrast to There was shame. They, they were ashamed even of their own nakedness, they were ashamed. And you're like what's changed?" Sin has changed. That's what sin does. Sin brings about shame, and sin has brought about shame, it's brought about death, punishment, destruction, and that's what sin does. We probably need to start wrapping this up here in just a second, but Dad, we'll we'll let you share any last thoughts you have from Genesis 1, 2, and 3 before we stop. I, I, I might throw a pitch to you guys for what's coming. We kinda hinted at this earlier, but yes w- we're told in J- in chapter 3 that God will not ignore sin. Sin's going to be punished, and it, and it, fundamentally it results in separation from us and God, and all the death that goes with it. But one thing, one thing sin does not separate us from is the love of God. He, he l- he loved and continued to love Adam and Eve, and, and I'm so thankful that He, He dealt with me in the same way. And what's it, Romans 8, that nothing can separate us from the love of God. And w- we might resist that, and we might die away from such love, but God is not ever going to stop trying and, and connecting with those, and in this case, even outside the Garden of Eden then Cain and Abel were God was not far. A- and we see that carried out really throughout the entirety now of the biblical narrative, that God is just, is not gonna leave. Yeah. And He's always, He's always going to be there. It's just a beautiful story that will play its way out. Let's close with a passage. We've made mention already of Romans chapter 1 the important passage there about being able just to look and to see God. He's everywhere, and there is knowledge of who He is in every spot. But let's close with a couple of verses from Psalm 19, a Psalm of David. Psalm 19:1-2, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night utters knowledge." Thank you for listening this week. If you haven't already done so, we'd appreciate it if you would take just a second to subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you're listening, and rate and review the show so we can continue to spread the good news of Jesus as widely and effectively as possible. Thanks again for joining us this week, and we'll talk to you again next week.