As we continue on in the story, we see how the fall of Adam and Eve segregate them from God. The punishment of sin brings about a loss of privilege of abiding close to God’s presence and shalom, and the sense of security and rest they were meant to enjoy. 

In today’s passage, we will explore what life looks like outside of God’s providence. We see how sin naturally grows (metastasizes); we see how sin intensifies and spreads throughout humanity; and we see how sin destroys relationships. Though the stark reality of human sinfulness without the Lord’s favor is shown, sin does not have the last word – the Lord’s graciousness and authority does. 

It is hard to deny that evil broods deep in each one of us. Everyday, we are constantly bombarded by stories and news of suffering and pain resulting from wars, crimes, scandals, abuse, and more. Humanity holds so much potential to do good but we also have an infinite capacity to destroy and ruin. In today’s passage, we will look at when sin first entered into the world, it’s distorted effects on the lives it affects, and how to overcome sin with Jesus’ help.

David is the author of today’s psalm. He was often described as a: shepherd, the defeater of Goliath, courageous, the King of Israel, and genuine. God Himself even calls David “a man after His own heart”. Psalm 103 is an exhortation that David lifted up to the Lord. At the bottom of his heart is a genuine sincerity to praise God.

We continue in discussing the topic of gender from last week’s sermon. Today, we’ll explore 5 questions:

1. What is gender?

2. What is gender dysphoria?

3. What causes gender dysphoria?

4. What does God say to those who are struggling with gender?

5. How should we respond to those who are struggling with this issue?

When we speak about sex and gender, there are nuances that are not apparent to each person.

Sex often refers to the physical body – the biological aspects and physicalities that are true to our human bodies.

Gender refers to the sense of self that is culturally, psychologically, socially, and spiritually created. Gender is more subjective and less tangible than the use of sex.

We continue our series on Genesis, and how the creation we are part of reflects the image of God. Last week Pastor John spoke specifically about how “rest” fits into the plan of creation, its importance and what rest means: that rest is not just about napping or playing – although it could be – but that rest is essentially “to be free from the unrest of stress, striving, chaos and trouble… to trust in God’s unfailing love.”

Today we will discuss how marriage relates to the image of God.

Oftentimes, the focus of the creation story is on days 1-6. But there is also something created on day 7. God introduces the concept of rest into His creation by choosing to rest Himself. The use of the word “rested” comes up twice in our passage –

• “Rested” on the seventh day from all His work that He had done

• So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God “rested” from all His work that He had done in creation.

This word “rested” in Hebrew is Shabbat, and also the origin word of our English word “Sabbath”. We will explore the importance of rest and compare the creation story of day 7 with the previous 6 days.

‘What does it mean to be human?’ may be a question we seek to answer from time-to-time. This question affects our ways of living and how we may come to find our purpose one earth. When we read into the creation story of mankind, we arrive at the pinnacle of God’s creation story. Humanity is made in the image of God. The use of “likeness” or “reflection” alludes to humanity’s purpose of mirroring God into the world. 

Sometimes, we may subconsciously answer questions with a certain frame of mind the asker is not curious about. When we think about Genesis 1 and the story of creation, we may answer questions rooted in frames of reference touching on ideas of evolution, scientific evidence, astronomical principles, etc. Even after multiple attempts to explain this chapter, Genesis 1 remains heavily debated and struggles in being accepted wholly and satisfactorily under one interpretation.

We dive into a new sermon series titled ‘The Image of God’. We will be starting in Genesis in hopes to re-alter and renew our perspective of developing a worldview anchored unto the unchanging truth of God. Our worldview can heavily impact how we live our lives. We’ll be using Pastor Darrell Johnson’s approach to dividing the Bible topically: Genesis 1 to 11 and then everything else. These 11 chapters in Genesis help set the stage for the rest of the biblical narrative: knowing God, purpose of this created world, human sin, judgment, and the redemptive grace of God.

The ministry of Jesus often revolved around food. Jesus’ desire for those He loved was to feed them.

• Jesus’ first miracle was the turning of water into wine. (John 2:1-11)

• Jesus’ miracle of feeding the five thousand with bread and fish is mentioned in all four of the Gospels. (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14)

• Jesus’ last remembrance was through The Last Supper had with His disciples on the eve before His death. (Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-25; Luke 22:7-20; John 13:1-30).

In today’s passage, John writes about the important breakfast made by Jesus Himself. Jesus’ provision through this meal is filled with grace and love.

Today on Easter Sunday, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We believe Jesus died on the cross not only to take away our sins but also that He has resurrected from the dead. The reality of the resurrection is where our energy, time, and effort within our faith through prayer, meditation on Scripture, attending church, offering up our service, etc. - to praise the living and risen King.

Hebrews 11 is often regarded as the chapter of faith. Prior to this chapter, we’ve been constantly reminded that Jesus is better. We know though, as we continue on this walk with God - faith is absolutely needed. The previous references (High Priest, Tabernacle) were only the pointers to the door, but faith is the hinge of the actual door we want opened to allow us to approach Jesus.

As we continue through the Book of Hebrews, we see more clearly how Jesus is the culmination of the greatest to come. In comparison to the angels, to Moses, the prophets, the temple, the priests, and the sacrificial system - Jesus is better and higher. The writer of Hebrews points to the importance of connection and to our church community for it is ultimately better to be joined to others in the presence of Jesus than to be alone.

The Bible shows two different aspects of blood: the senseless blood of war and the redemptive blood of sacrifice. There are many stories of the former caused by our sin, but we should remember that the later blood sacrifices come with a very loving purpose, especially the blood sacrifice and redemptive work of Jesus on the cross.

In today’s sermon, we’ll look at the old forms of worship and how the blood of Jesus established a new form of worship from the new covenant.

We are now at the midpoint in the Book of Hebrews, both figuratively and literally. Today’s passage points to the culmination behind the description of Jesus as the High Priest of a New Covenant.

The passage for today is one that has been met with quite some controversy. It focuses on a core theological issue (“salvation”) that has been debated heavily.

In today’s sermon, we will see how the writer of Hebrews argues how Jesus is the better high priest and how we should continue to move forward towards Jesus and not look back on our old ways.

Last week we looked at the idea of rest for God’s people by entering into God’s rest. However, the people of Israel were unable to enter into God’s rest because of their hardened hearts. The key to entering God’s rest is genuine faith, a faith that Jesus provides for us. This week we will continue to look into what this rest looks like.