Theme: CHURCH
Lesson: THE CHURCH, IN HISTORY
Scripture Reference:
Lk. 3:38
Our predecessor message has revealed that ‘The Christian Church’ is a people which is a solid foundation upon which to build the following. So, where did the people begin?
Genesis’ account presents man as beginning pure from God in the Garden of Eden with the first son of God in the flesh (Adam) according to our lead text. Out of his lawless activity that threatened to severe man from his Maker forever and, of course, from the intended fellowship God predestined, God withdrew for a while from His fellowship with man.
That, He did in order to plan how He will remove the barrier or the hindrance created by the sin of His first son in the body once and for all. Howbeit, the plan of restoration of fellowship will only be successful through His Son in the spirit – this time, he will not just be a living person but a life giving spirit. (See 1Cor.15:45)
The activity of the first Adam, therefore, negatively affected the last or second Adam, causing Him to die physical death, whereas, that of the last Adam (Christ) has positively affected the first Adam, making it possible for him to resurrect, in due season, alongside all others his sin affected negatively.
Between the fall of man in the first Adam and his rise in the last Adam (Christ), a whole lot of interventionist activities by God have taken place in order to keep God’s name as Maker and Keeper of the whole wide world fresh in the mind of man: He called Noah (Gen. 6), Abram and later Abraham (Gen. 12) promising him what came to perfect fulfillment in Christ. He called Moses as deliverer of His people as an illustration of what He purposed to do in Christ giving him semblance of worship rituals in Law – cf. Heb. 9:1,8; Col. 2:16,17. God gave predictions to people He put words in their mouths (the prophets) to proclaim to His people about His intent in Christ as well as the Psalmists’ Messianic texts. (See Lk. 24:44b) After the preparatory message of John the Baptist, the Lamb of God Who is to take away the sin (barrier to the fellowship between man and God) – the man, Christ died on a tree to remove both the curse and the barrier. Jesus died on a tree to remove the curse on man because it was about a tree that the curse/barrier came.
Primarily, Jesus’ death was to REMIND us that we WERE God’s children even before the foundation of the world for fellowship with God and not just to make us God’s children. (See John 17:6) He died to remove the barrier in our minds due to disobedience caused by ignorance. (See His. 4:6; 2Cor.4:6)
EVALUATION:
1. The history about man is that he came from God. To whom or where shall he go after here?
2. We learnt that God made us for fellowship. What does He expect us to exchange with Him?
3. How does the Old Testament serve to restore the fellowship with God caused to disappear by the first Adam?
4. Why is Christ the substance of what the Old Testament foreshadowed as we read in ‘Col. 2:16,17’?
5. Why was it imperative that the last Adam (Christ) should die on a tree?
Benediction:
May this history inspire us to always demonstrate obedience to God word as a testament we are growing daily in the knowledge and grace of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Amen! – 2 Pet. 3:18.
VIA:
Michael Ekperikpe (MSN)
READ AND REAP BIBLE ENTERPRISES
P/S:
-Any issues to commit to God in prayer?
-Any seemingly difficult Scripture(s)?
Feel free to share with me. Remember, ‘Iron sharpens iron’. (Prov. 27:17)
