A Whirlwind Tour through the Bible and the Earth. Ground for Hope - Philadelphia

Transcription

1 A Whirlwind Tour through the Bible and the Earth Ground for Hope - Philadelphia April 2011

2 Overview Introduction Hebrew themes and texts New Testament themes and texts Questions and Discussion

3 Hebrew Bible Themes Divine ownership Goodness and purpose God s Commitment Source of awe Creation as worshipping community Compassionate care Responsible leadership Do not destroy

4 Divine Ownership Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord s and all that is in it, the world and all its inhabitants. 1 Chron. 29 All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.

5 Goodness and Purpose Gen. 1:20-22 God said, Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures... God created the great sea monsters, and all the living creatures of every kind that creep, which the waters brought forth in swarms... And God saw that this was good. God blessed them, saying, Be fertile and increase.

6 Goodness and Purpose Gen. 1:30 And it was so God saw all that He had made, and found it very good.

7 Goodness and Purpose Isaiah 45:18 The designer and maker of the earth established the earth, not creating it to be a waste, but designing it to be lived in.

8 God s Commitment to the Earth Genesis 6:19-20 And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind with you into the ark, to keep them alive with you of the birds and of the animals and of every creeping thing of the ground. Genesis 8:21 I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done.

9 Source of Awe Psalm 8:3 When I behold Your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars that You set in place, what is man that You have been mindful of him, mortal man that You have taken note of him?

10 Source of Awe Job (selections) Where were you when I laid the earth s foundations? Speak if you have understanding. Do you know who fixed its dimensions or measured it with a line? Onto what were its bases sunk? Who set its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the divine beings shouted for joy? Who closed the sea behind doors when it gushed forth out of the womb, when I clothed it in clouds, swaddled it in dense clouds.have you commanded the day to break, assigned the dawn in its place, so that it seizes the corners of the earth and shakes the wicked out of it? Have you surveyed the expanses of the earth? If you know of these tell Me.Can you hunt prey for the lion, and satisfy the appetite of the king of beasts? Who provides food for the raven when his young cry out to God and wander about without food? Do you know the season when the mountain goats give birth? Can you mark the time when the hinds calve? Who sets the wild ass free? Who loosens the bongs of the onager, whose home I have made the wilderness, the salt lands his dwelling-place? Do you give the horse his strength? Do you cloth his neck with a mane?

11 Creation as Worshipping Community Psalm 148:6-11 Praise the Lord, O you who are on earth, all sea monsters and ocean depths, fire and hail, snow and smoke, storm wind that executes His command, all the mountains and hills, all fruit trees and cedars, all wild and tamed beasts, creeping things and winged birds, all kings and peoples of the earth, all princes of the earth and its judges, youths and maidens alike, old and young together.

12 Compassionate Care Gen. 2:15 The Lord God took the human creature and placed him in the garden of Eden, to till it and to tend it.

13 Responsible Leadership Gen. 1:26-31 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth. And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and God said to them, Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on the earth. God said, See I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for food. And to all the animals on land, to all the birds of the sky, and to everything that creeps on earth, in which there is the breath of life, [I give] all the green plants for food. And it was so God saw all that He had made, and found it very good.

14 Do not destroy Deuteronomy 20:19-20 When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city?

15 New Testament Themes What is salvation s direction? Do we want to be Left Behind? What is saved? What holds Creation together? Where does Jesus meet, teach about & reveal God? Where is Paradise What is holy?

16 JD5 What is salvation s direction? 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel s call and with the sound of God s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord for ever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. See Acts 28:15 apateson

17 Slide 16 JD5 I applied the slide layout to this slide with the title and blank below. Jennifer Duckworth, 3/15/2009

18 Do we want to be Left Behind? Matthew 24:36ff But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left behind. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left behind.

19 What is saved? Colossians 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things

20 What is saved? John 3:16 For God so loved the world (Gk: kosmos) that He gave his only-begotten son... John 1:14 And the Word became flesh (Gk: sarx) and dwelt among us

21 What holds Creation together? Colossians 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

22 Where does Jesus meet, teach about or reveal God? Luke 6:12 Now during those days (Jesus) went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. Matthew 5:1-2 Jesus saw the crowds. So he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him. Then he began to teach them, saying Matthew 17:1-3 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them.

23 Where is Paradise? Revelation Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, JD4 for the first things have passed away.

24 Slide 22 JD4 I deleted some weird spacing from in between the bullets. Jennifer Duckworth, 3/15/2009

25 Where is Paradise? Revelation 22:1-3 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

26 What is holy? Matthew 26:26-28 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

27 Conclusion Downwardly mobile view of the direction of salvation Left Behind is good! What is saved? - All is redeemed, all is saved What holds Creation together? Jesus Christ holds everything in being Where is God at home? Jesus is at home in Creation, and manifests God s love for all Creation What is holy? Not only people, but all Creation.