Paradise Failed
Genesis 3 tells us of the catastrophic event that caused the world to change from paradise to the fallen world we live in. We see Adam and Eve give in the temptation and disobey God’s loving command, but we also the promise of the defeat of sin and it’s effects in the seed of the woman.
Marriage In Paradise
In Genesis 2, we see that the story of redemption begins with a wedding. God creates man and woman because we were made to be in community to image him; And God creates marriage to display the relationship between Jesus and his people.
Work In Paradise
What is the purpose of work? Is work merely a means to make money and pay off debt? In Genesis 2, we see that the purpose of work is much deeper than that. It’s something that is written deep within the fabric of who we are. We were created to work in order to reflect our Creator and Redeemer God.
Ash Wednesday
One thing that can be said of every single one of us, is that we will die. Ash Wednesday confronts us with our mortality and our sinfulness. To heed this call is not to despair, but to repent and turn to God. On Ash Wednesday, we begin the 40 day season of Lent that leads to Easter, where we celebrate God’s victory over death and the promise of life. The journey begins with us facing our brokenness and our deep need for God’s healing.
The Image of God
What gives us worth and purpose? Why do we get angry when others are oppressed and treated badly? This text gives us the answer to these questions by telling us that we were created by God, for the purpose of imaging God. We image and reflect God back to himself to worship him, and we image God to the rest of creation by ruling over and caring for it under him.
A Place for God
We approach Genesis 1 with so many questions. Did God create the universe in six literal 24 hour days? Is evolution possible? How old is the earth? Is Genesis 1 poetic or is it meant to be taken literally? We should approach this text with humility knowing that we don’t have all the answers. But no matter what view we take, God created to display his beauty and goodness. So his creation should drive us to delight in and worship him as the Creator.
In the Beginning, GOD
The first words in the Scriptures are “in the beginning, God.” Often we worry more about the when and how of Genesis 1 rather than the who and why. But this text beckons us to humility and worship when we see that God, in his glorious love, created us and he did so because he is a God of love. He alone has the power to create and his love is the only thing that can give us purpose in our lives. Please note, this audio was not recorded at a Veritas Tri-Village gathering.
VISION: Heart & Treasure
We have been promised eternal treasure in Christ, but often we cling to and treasure lesser, temporal things. In this text, Jesus diagnoses our condition as blindness to our own greed and materialism. The only hope for us is to be under a new Master. Merely being more generous and less materialistic is not the cure. The only cure is Jesus and his transforming power in our lives.