Sunnyside Church of the Nazarene
Sunday, April 14 2019
  • Hosanna (Praise Is Rising)
  • The Wonderful Cross
  • Here I Am To Worship
  • Once Again
  • Turn to
    14 April 19
    Turn to
    Today is Palm Sunday - the celebration of Jesus’ final earthly entry to Jerusalem. It’s the week prior to His crucifixion and resurrection. People often think that this is a story about Jesus, the Son of God who died on a cross for bad people - and we’re all bad do Jesus died so bad people could go to Heaven. There may be some elements of truth to that, but it’s flawed and really misses the big picture of what God accomplished through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus - both in the physical and the spiritual realms.
    Jesus’ path to the cross and His death and resurrection not only deals with paying the price for sin (rebellion against God), but it’s also about a grand reversal. Reversal of what? To answer that, we need to go back to the beginning – to Genesis - to a garden in a place called Eden. Before we get there, please note that there is some pertinent information is in your handout to help make sense of what I’m saying this morning.
    Let’s start from the beginning: God created the heavens and earth - a spiritual and physical realm. In the spiritual, God created spiritual beings - in Hebrew called ʾělōhîm. Much like us, God created ʾělōhîm for fellowship and to participate in managing His creation. God enjoys partnership. He’s relational.
    Now, let’s look at the creation of the physical. There are two events that are significant for our discussion this morning.
    Genesis 1:1–2 LEB
    In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth— Now the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
    In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth - Now the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
    ​
    1) God brought order to chaos.
    This is ancient imagery and in ancient times water often represented chaos - disorder - danger etc. So there’s this chaos in the beginning and in the rest of this chapter we see God creating light, land, boundaries for water, vegetation … bringing order to chaos. This plays a significant role to Christ’s path to the cross (Hint - ) - we’ll get there later.
    2) God created humans.
    Let’s get the order here - Spiritual realm, ʾělōhîm, physical realm, earth and order and lastly humans. So, these humans are like the new kids on the block - and we’ll see that they have a special place and purpose in Creation.
    Genesis 2:8 LEB
    And Yahweh God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.
    And Yahweh God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.
    ​
    God gives this mandate to humanity - care for the garden and rule over the earth. Keep that in mind.
    How could we best view this garden?
    3) The ancient Jewish worldview would have understood the Garden to be the dwelling place of God.
    It was not necessarily made exclusively for Adam and Eve. This is God’s place of residence, if you will - His Kingdom on earth - a place where the spiritual and the physical intersected - where both ʾělōhîm and humans were invited to enjoy relationship with Yahweh.
    Think of it like this - God owns it all - the spiritual and physical realm. All of it is His house, but
    The Garden is like a family room.
    - it’s God’s hangout place to be with His family - both spiritual and physical.
    In Biblical terms, many scholars refer to the Garden as the first temple. Why is that? Throughout the Bible, God instructs His people to build Him a temple. We have the Tabernacle built by Moses - was a large tent that acted as a portable temple. Then a permanent Temple in Jerusalem built by King Solomon. After Christ’s resurrection, He pours out His Spirit on His followers and our bodies become temples of the Living God. And in the end (the beginning of what we call Heaven), God creates a new heaven and earth, and a new Jerusalem - but no temple because God is the “temple.”
    What do these temples have in common? A lot - but only got time for one.
    Temples (Biblical) are places where God resides with His people.
    Where His presence is. For example -
    Exodus 25:8 LEB
    And make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell in the midst of them,
    , God said, “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.” And then in Revelation - And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with humanity, and he will take up residence with them, and they will be his people and God himself will be with them.
    Revelation 21:3 LEB
    And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with humanity, and he will take up residence with them, and they will be his people and God himself will be with them.
    And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with humanity, and he will take up residence with them, and they will be his people and God himself will be with them.
    ​
    The Garden, the Tabernacle, the Temple, the human heart and eventually Heaven - all places for God to hang out with His people. Family rooms! The God of this universe wants to be with us and throughout history, He kept making ways to be near His people!
    Back to the garden. In the garden are many trees, but two of importance - the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. What these trees actually were is less important than what they represented.
    The Two Trees
    Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
    4) The Tree of Life represented immortality.
    . What these trees actually were is less important than what they represented. 4) The Tree of Life represented immortality. And they had access to it. Get this - the word life in this passage is plural in Hebrew - probably meaning life abundantly (). So, we see that the original design for humanity was eternal life - but immortality is dependent upon access to the Tree of Life.
    And they had access to it. Get this - the word life in this passage is plural in Hebrew - probably meaning life abundantly (). So, we see that the original design for humanity was eternal life - but immortality is dependent upon access to the Tree of Life.
    The other tree, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil - here God had only one rule, “Don’t eat from that tree - hands off ( or mouths off).” This tree could represent several things: e.g. moral accountability; “This one is mine - everything else is yours;” choice. Could be several things, but one thing we overlook:
    5) The Tree of Knowledge represented something humans could not handle.
    Knowing this,
    6) God gave this rule as a means of protection.
    “Don’t eat this - you can’t handle it - it’s going to kill you.”
    Back when I was 6-years-old - I remember my dad chewed Red Man chewing tobacco. He said hands off - for my protection. One day I found a new pack of Red Man on top of the fridge. I wanted to be a man, like my dad. Even though he said, “Don’t touch,” I figured I could handle it. So I opened that new pouch, but I wasn’t wise enough - put the whole thing in my mouth, and soon this white boy turned red - swallowed - this red boy turned green! I paid a heavy price that day for disobedience - and so did Adam and Eve - and so does everyone who rebels against God.
    If the Garden was so wonderful, what went wrong? Well, we need a crash course in . In , still in the Garden, we’re introduced to a new creature - a serpent. Get the idea of a talking snake out of your head!
    In the Hebrew language, the word serpent in this passage is nachash. And Nachash can refer to a shining divine being that has a bronze serpentine appearance (; ; ).
    In the books of Isaiah and Ezekiel, we see that this divine being was a cherub - a throne room guardian - impressive, intimidating - Incredible Hulks of the spiritual realm.
    Remember, the Garden is the family room - where spiritual beings and humans hang out. So, chatting with a divine being would have been normal. This serpent, this cherub - he’s jealous, wants to usurp God, wants to be worshipped, and wants to destroy humanity’s place in God’s Kingdom. What am I talking about? Remember, God gave humans lordship - He appointed them rulers of the earth - and here we have a divine rebel who wants to be in charge. Thus begins the intense hatred of humanity.
    And so what does this divine rebel do? He deceives Adam and Eve. He wants them to believe that this tree of knowledge has something that God doesn’t want them to have. That’s true, but rather than thinking that God is protecting them, they begin to believe God is holding out on them - that they could be equal to God - that they could handle it - that they could live by their own rules without consequence. That’s called pride and pride says, “I can be my own god - I don’t have to follow God’s rules. I can be in charge.” And so they ate from the tree. There’s no magic fruit here. What kills is choosing to sin, to rebel.
    We cannot serve both God and self.
    We cannot eat the fruit of both trees.
    We cannot follow the serpent and God at the same time - you will hate one and love the other …. They rebelled, and there are
    We cannot follow the serpent and God at the same time - you will hate one and love the other …. They rebelled, and there are Consequences for Rebellion.
    Consequences for Rebellion
    Let’s go quickly through these Consequences of Rebellion (also view in today’s world):
    Genesis 3:7 LEB
    Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed together fig leaves and they made for themselves coverings.
    Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed together fig leaves and they made for themselves coverings.
    ​
    1) They suffered guilt.
    Naked (innocence)- loss of innocence - no longer blameless
    2) They suffered shame.
    This is the first case of low self-esteem (covered themselves).
    Genesis 3:8 LEB
    Then they heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden at the windy time of day. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.
    Then they heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden at the windy time of day. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God ….
    ​
    3) They suffered fear.
    We were created for love, but we spend most of our lives in fear - fear of God, fear of others, fear that we’re not good enough ….
    And Yahweh God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin, and he clothed them.
    Genesis 3:21 LEB
    And Yahweh God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin, and he clothed them.
    ​
    4) An innocent victim suffered death.
    God had to kill an innocent animal to cover them. Others pay the price for our sinful choices - always.
    Genesis 3:16–19 LEB
    To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bear children. And to your husband shall be your desire. And he shall rule over you.” And to Adam he said, “Because you listened to the voice of your wife and you ate from the tree from which I forbade you to eat, the ground shall be cursed on your account. In pain you shall eat from it all the days of your life. And thorns and thistles shall sprout for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread, until your return to the ground. For from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
    (Summarize) To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pain … to your husband … he shall rule over you.” To Adam he said … the ground shall be cursed on your account. In pain you shall eat from it …. By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread, until your return to the ground .…
    Here’s the point -
    Here’s the point -
    5) They suffered chaos.
    Their world was flipped upside down - no longer orderly, peaceful and pain free … chaos was reintroduced into the world.
    And Yahweh God said, “Look - the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil (I can handle this knowledge - they can’t). What if he stretches out his hand and takes also from the tree of life and eats, and lives forever?” And Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. So he drove the man out, and placed cherubim east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming, turning sword to guard the way to the tree of life.
    Genesis 3:22–24 LEB
    And Yahweh God said, “Look—the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil. What if he stretches out his hand and takes also from the tree of life and eats, and lives forever?” And Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. So he drove the man out, and placed cherubim east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming, turning sword to guard the way to the tree of life.
    ​
    6) They suffered mortality (death).
    No longer have access to the Tree of Life.
    7) They suffered separation.
    Banished from God’s dwelling place - Go to your room!
    8) They suffered captivity.
    They chose to play by the serpent’s rules, when we do that, we become his captive.
    Let’s summarize - sin (willful rebellion against God’s house rules) brings guilt, shame, fear, death, chaos, separation and captivity. Do we find any of these in our world? How many people try to cover up guilt, shame? How many live in fear? How often does this world face chaos and brokenness? How many are captive to darkness - captive to a destructive life?
    How many in this room live with the consequences of rebellion - living in guilt, shame, fear, chaos …. How many are facing a place called Hell because you choose to rebel against God. What if all that could change?
    What if it all could be reversed? Forgiveness instead of guilt. Healthy self-image instead of shame. Love instead of fear. Peace instead of chaos. Freedom instead of captivity. Reconciliation with God instead of separation. Life instead of death.
    It can all be reversed - if we receive the One who walked the path from the Garden to the Cross, from the cross to the grave, and from the grave to victory - to life. Who’s the One? Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Bible tells us that on the cross Jesus said, “It is finished” - He reversed ALL the consequences of sin!
    But there’s a catch. We’re all guilty before God. We’ve all broken His house rules - and once guilty, no one can make themselves unguilty. Nothing we can do to reclaim innocence.
    In the Garden, God had a choice. See, the compensation due sin is death. Someone or something has to die to pay the price of rebellion. God said, “Do I make Adam and Eve pay the price, or someone else?” God said, “I love you too much to let you die,” so an innocent victim died in their place.
    Who is that innocent victim for us?
    Romans 6:23 LEB
    For the compensation due sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    - For the compensation due sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    ​
    1 John 2:1–2 LEB
    My little children, I am writing these things to you in order that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one, and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
    My little children, I am writing these things to you in order that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (innocent) one, and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
    ​
    Isaiah 53:5–6 LEB
    But he was pierced for our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his wounds we were healed. All of us have wandered about like sheep; we each have turned to his own way; and Yahweh let fall on him the iniquity of us all.
    But he was pierced for our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his wounds we were healed. All of us have wandered about like sheep; we each have turned to his own way; and Yahweh let fall on him the iniquity of us all.
    ​
    Jesus is the innocent victim - but He’s not really a victim because He did this by choice! On the Cross, Jesus reversed it all by giving Himself up for us! Jesus, the innocent sinless Son of God took all our guilt, shame, fear, condemnation and gave us new life - if we believe in Him, trust in Him, and receive by faith what He accomplished.
    John 3:16 LEB
    For in this way God loved the world, so that he gave his one and only Son, in order that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life.
    For in this way God loved the world, so that he gave his one and only Son, in order that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life.
    ​
    Do you need new life? Eternal life? Forgiveness? Love? Freedom? Receive Jesus Christ today.

      • Genesis 1:1–2NLT

      • Genesis 2:8NLT

      • Revelation 21:3KJV1900

      • Psalm 82KJV1900

      • Ezekiel 28:1–10KJV1900

      • Isaiah 14:3–23KJV1900

      • Psalm 82KJV1900

      • Ezekiel 28:1–10KJV1900

      • Isaiah 14:3–23KJV1900

      • Genesis 3:7NLT

      • Genesis 3:8KJV1900

      • Genesis 3:21NLT

      • Genesis 3:16–19KJV1900

      • Romans 6:23NLT

      • 1 John 2:1–2NLT

      • Isaiah 53:5–6NLT

      • John 3:16KJV1900

  • Do It Again
Sunnyside Church of the Nazarene
office@sunnysidenazarene.com
503-771-3934
http://www.sunnysidenazarene.com
36 members • 11 followers