Genesis 1-3, Matthew 28, 1 Corinthians 15: He is Risen!

Presented to TSA Alberni Valley Ministries, Resurrection Easter Sunday by Major Michael Ramsay, 20 April 2025.

He is risen! (He is risen indeed!)

 

Easter is the most important date on the Christian Calendar. Do we know why it is the most important date? What are we celebrating? (the resurrection of Jesus) Why does this matter? (it means we can all be raised from the dead)

 

We read the story of Mary and Mary at the tomb today. I think that is a very important story about the first Christian evangelists and preachers: Two women proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Do we know the rest of the story?

 

At the very beginning of the Bible, in the first few chapters of the first book in this holy anthology, we have the story of how God created the heavens and the earth. God created it all and it was perfect. Not only were there no bad things like murder, stealing, lying, etc. There was also no injury, no illness, no decay, no death. Even the trees didn’t die. The animals didn’t eat each other. It was paradise – it was the Garden of Eden.

 

Then the very first people that God created did something – they disobeyed God. This was the first badness to enter the world. The first sin. From that point on all that erodes life and goodness flowed into the world. Not only bad behaviours but also decay of plants, animals, and people; injury, illness and death.

 

The Bible then, as we know, has many books in the Old Testament that tell how people interacted with each other and God ever since. Mostly – but not entirely – after a certain point, the books speak about the family and descendants of Jacob who was called Israel. Many of these books are looking forward to a time when the world will no longer be in the state that it is in – when everything will be finally made right.

 

There are many recorded memories of God’s interaction with people, giving us a glimpse into when and how things might possibly return. Under and after Moses there is the Law that is given to God’s people to help us know how to relate to each other – in short it can be boiled down to, as Jesus later said, ‘love God and love your neighbour’ – while we are waiting for everything to be set right.

 

Before that even, God and Abraham make an agreement, recorded in Genesis Chapter 12, that all the nations of the earth will be blessed through Abraham and then in Genesis 15 we get our first glimpse of the cross. There is a ceremony, a covenant and God basically says that if mankind messes up again, like they did in the garden, God will take the punishment, He will die. We do mess up. On Good Friday He does.

 

The word ‘gospel’ that we still use today means, ‘good news’. On Easter – a few days later - we have the Good News. Yes God, Jesus, died. He went to the grave. But then something happened. He came back to life – and when he came back to life, he came back with a body that no longer decays, no longer experiences illness, no longer experiences death. He is the first person to experience life back like it was in the Garden of Eden.

 

Now, I say first ‘person’ for a reason. Jesus is God. Jesus is also a person. He is fully, truly and properly God and he is fully, truly and properly human. At Christmas we celebrate God becoming human – He, who was around at the creation of the world, was also, much later, born. On Good Friday he dies. On Easter He has the first fully resurrected body. His body will now never die, never get sick, never get injured. And when he overcame death on Easter, he really overcame it – not just for himself but for everyone. Jesus never died after his resurrection (like others who have risen from the dead). He went away for a while; but he will come back.

 

When he comes back, he will bring with him the Tree of Life that was in the Garden of Eden and the whole world will be made anew. We spoke about this a few weeks ago while we were looking at Romans 5, Genesis 3, and Revelation 22 where the ultimate return of God is recorded.

 

So that is what we are celebrating today: the first fruits of the resurrection, that the world is set right, and the path has been paved for Jesus’ return. On Easter, God made a way so that we never need to die (again). The Bible says that when he returns, even those who are already dead will raise from the grave and they will never die again and those who are still alive will be changed, healed, transformed into these never decaying, never dying entities that love fully both God and our neighbour forever.

 

Today, as we celebrate His victory over death, decay, and sin; We are even now awaiting Jesus’ return. While we wait, we are we are told a couple of things to do

1.     Never forget what he has done for us and that he will return.

a.     In the Bible they meet regularly over a meal to remember Jesus.

b.     Now we meet on the Lord’s Day, Sunday, and at other occasions, as well as have other ceremonies, to remember what the Lord has done and what we have to look forward to.

 

2.     And the other thing we need to do is to share the love of God with others. We can do this by telling others about God while we take care of one another.

 

So today, as we are celebrating Jesus’ resurrection to eternal life and awaiting his return when the whole world will be set right, let us do our part.

 

God has provided enough to feed, clothe, and shelter everyone in the world; He has given us this beautiful earth to take care of – and He asks nothing more of us that to love Him and take care of each other until He returns  - let us do that until he returns, for when he comes back there will be no more death, no more decay, no more sorrow, no more sadness; only joy, peace and wholeness because He has risen! (He has risen, indeed)

 

Let us Pray

www.sheepspeak.com

www.salvogesis.blogspot.com

Room For Creation

Presented to Alberni Valley Ministries, 02 June 2019 
by Captain Michael Ramsay

Click the link to read the picture book: http://sheepspeak.com/Room_for_Creation_Web_Ramsay.pdf

Genesis 1-4: God: Creator, Governor, and Preserver of All Things.

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army 26 Feb 2012

By Captain Michael Ramsay

  

Creator.

Genesis 1: The first chapter of Genesis reads like a love story of sorts or like a wonderful little children’s book. It shows a loving God who carefully prepares an environment for his newborn creatures just as a mother bird carefully lines her nest in anticipation of the advent of her little ones. Let us read this story (to view it in picture book format click HERE): [1]

 It was the first day and God the Father made a wonderful room for His creation and it was good. On day one, He made in this room, light and He made the darkness; He made the day and He made the night.

And then it was morning. So God the Father, on the second day, made another wonderful room for His creation.  On day two, He made this room, separating the waters. He made the sky and then it was evening.

And then it was morning. So God the Father, on the third day, made another wonderful room for His creation.  On day three, He made this room, gathering the waters. He formed the land, and placed trees and vegetation upon the land and then it was evening.

And then it was morning. And God had finished making His rooms so He now gave life to His creation and He placed them each in their own room that was especially made for them.  God the Father, on the fourth day created the stars, and the moon, and the sun and He placed them in the room that He had lovingly prepared for them – the room of light and of darkness and then it was evening.

And then it was morning. God the Father, on the fifth day created the sea creatures, and every bird, and winged creature and He placed them in the room that He had lovingly prepared for them – the room of the separated waters and of the sky and then it was evening.

And then it was morning. God the Father, on the sixth day created the land creatures, and every animal that walks upon the ground, and God created humankind in His own image and He placed them in the room that He had lovingly prepared for them – the room in which He had gathered the waters, made the land, and planted the vegetation and then it was evening.

And then it was morning. God the father, on the seventh day, He rested from His work. The rooms were finished. Creation was finished and it was good. God blessed the day, making it holy and then He rested. That is Genesis 1 (cf. also Psalm 33:6, Psalm 93; Isaiah 45:12; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 11:3).[2]

            Genesis 2 is thought by some to be a separate creation account.[3] At the very least, it expounds upon this creation story a little more, specifically relating to the role and responsibilities of humanity.[4] Picture this with me if you will. God has made for His children this wonderful garden to take care of and to watch grow. He has made them this beautiful land out of nothing.

Do you know what this reminds me of? Hank (maybe with some help of some others, I don’t know) made this beautiful little garden by the Sunday entrance to the corps here. You can see it again in the summertime. He and Ray and others faithfully tend to it each year as it grows into a great blessing for all who come here during growing season. It always amazes me that this wonderful garden now blooms in season where there once was nothing. Hank created it out of an area of concrete and gravel – basically out of nothing and Hank and Ray on summer days take great pleasure in tending to it by even doing simple things such as Ray ensuring the water is just the right temperature for watering the plants. This reminds me – like a real life parable or object lesson - of God’s creation.

Governor.

            When God made this wonderful garden out of even less than gravel and concrete, out of nothing at all for Adam and Eve to tend to, He – as the governor of all things – just asked something very simple in return. God made the world for His people and He just told them to take care of it and obey Him in two or three simple ways.

1. Genesis 1:28a: “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…”
2. Genesis 1:28b: “Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’”
3. Genesis 2:16-17: “And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’”

God says 1) populate the earth, 2) take care of everything in it and 3) in doing this I’ll let you eat anything you want in the garden – but just not the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it’s not safe. I’m saving that for something.
.

This is like if you, as parents, are going out for the first time on a Saturday night leaving your older children to baby-sit their younger sibling all on their own. “Be good and take care of the house”, you say. “I want you to unload the dishwasher and you can have whatever treats you want before bed but just don’t touch the cupcakes; they’re for church on Sunday, so don’t eat the cupcakes or there will be real trouble.” Then you come home, very pleased with your children that they are now old enough to be left alone, you look in the kitchen for something to eat and you notice that where the cupcakes should be… they are gone. The disappointment, the sadness and anger must be a reflection of the disappointment God felt when He came back to the garden and saw that – even though there was only one fruit that He was saving – He came back and it was gone. As parents, of course, if our children ate the cupcakes we would realize that they are not quite ready for the responsibility of being left alone at home and so we would wait awhile before we would trust them to take care of the house again. The children would certainly have a time-out from that responsibility. It was the same with God. He wasn’t about to leave his children in the garden by themselves when they betrayed His trust, letting Him down in exactly the same way. Adam and Eve couldn’t be trusted to take care of the garden. Adam and Eve couldn’t be trusted. Humankind couldn’t be trusted. That responsibility was thus removed from us until we are more able to handle it (Genesis 3).[5]

There is more still to this story in Genesis 1-4 of God as governor. We mentioned how well humanity did in keeping God’s third command to abstain from eating the one forbidden fruit in the garden. How did we do with the first two of His commands? God told us to, Genesis 1:28 ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…’ After we messed up by eating his fruit, how did we do with scattering and filling the whole earth?[6] Let’s take a look at Genesis 11 and the story of the tower of Babel, shall we?[7]  Genesis 11:1-3:

 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and NOT be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’

Here we are just a couple of chapters and a few generations later and if we haven’t messed things up enough by eating God’s fruit that He was saving; now, He has told us to go and fill the whole earth and we say, “Thanks anyway God, but I think we’ll just stay here and make a name for ourselves instead of going and filling the whole earth like You said.” How well do you think that goes over?[8]

That’s like telling your children to get their boots on because its time to go to school, then heading out to warm up and scrape off the car and upon coming back into the house, seeing them all still just sitting around in their pyjamas. And when questioned they answer you, “we decided not to go to school today.” How’s dad going to react? How’s dad going to feel? Our earthy fathers are going to  - in maybe not their most gentle, inside voices – tell their children to get ready right now! Dad is not happy. The children are going to school whether they like it or not! The children are none the better off for this little stunt because a loving father is still going to send his children to school because he cares what is best for them. And a generation and a Supreme Court ruling or two ago, they might just have had a sore backside to show for their disobedience as well. The children’s stunt didn’t help their cause at all because they still have to go to school, just maybe now they are a little less happy about it then they would have been if they had done what they were asked to do in the first place.

It is the same with God, the governor of all things, and humankind’s decision to disobey His command to fill the whole earth.[9] We still had to do what we were told – scatter over the whole earth – but now we just have something extra to remind us about it. Genesis 11:8-9: “So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.”

The Lord is the governor of all things. You would think that humanity would have learned this by now after blatantly defying God in breaking the first and the third rule of His government but no. We still hadn’t completely learned our lesson and later in the Pentateuch is recorded the penalty His people experience for breaking the second governing rule: Genesis 1:28b: “Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’” Now we must note first that, as The Salvation Army Canada’s Position Statement articulates, “God’s instruction to ‘subdue’ the earth and ‘rule’ over every living thing (Genesis 1:28) cannot be interpreted to justify abuse or disregard for any life, not only human life. The privileges granted require our accountability to Him and one another.”[10]

Leviticus 25 records that we are directed that the land itself shall enjoy its Sabbath rest (Leviticus 25:2, 26:34,35) just as man was commanded to (Exodus 20: 8-11, Deuteronomy 5:15), and just as God did (Exodus 20:11, Genesis 2:3). If we, as ‘tenants’ of God’s land (Leviticus 25:23), fail in our responsibility to carry out this duty to take care of the land, then the owner of the land -who cares about His land- may remove us from it, like He did with Adam and Eve.[11]

This is exactly, according the scriptures, what happened to Israel as well. God removed Israel from the Promised Land as it neglected its responsibilities to take care of that land. 2 Chronicles 36:20-21: “He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. The land enjoyed its Sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfilment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah.”

God, as the governor of all things, gave us just three rules of His government in Genesis Chapters 1 and 2 and before the conclusion of the books of Moses, it was apparent that we would disobey them all and presumably break God’s heart in the process (cf. Job 34:14-15; Psalm 65:9-13, 104:24-30; Isaiah 65:17-25; John 19:11; Romans 8:18-25; Colossians 1:17; Revelation 21:1-4).[12] And this brings us to the third attribute of God we are looking at in our passage today: God as preserver.

Preserver:

God is the preserver of all things. Job 12:10 records that, “In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” Job 27:3 refers to the life within us as “the breath of God in my nostrils.” Job 33:4: “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” And Psalm 104:29 warns us that “When You [God] hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.” God is the preserver of all life. If He were to withdraw His spirit from us, we would perish (cf. also Job 32:8, 34:14; Psalm 33:6; Ecclesiastes 3:19).[13]

            Back to Genesis 1-4: We know the story of the Fall, of course, which we touched on briefly earlier, when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit and were removed from Eden. Even when Adam and Eve disobeyed God so that they deserved even death, God provided for them. As He led them to their new life beyond the garden it records in Genesis 3:21 that, “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” He preserved their life and He provided for them, even as they suffered the consequence of their sin.

            He then extends that same grace to their children, preserving the life of Adam and Eve’s eldest son, who murdered his own brother in cold blood (Genesis 4).  We remember that story, don’t we? Here we have two siblings with more than a little bit of sibling rivalry: some kids just don’t stop fighting. I don’t know if any parents or children here can identify with that at all. Here we have two brothers fighting for the attention of their Heavenly Father. One gets so upset that his offering isn’t as pleasing as his brothers that he actually kills him and then denies that he knows anything about his brother’s disappearance. God calls Cain on it and as a consequence -like his parents before him and like Israel after him- God removes Cain from the land. He removes him from the ground where his brother, Abel, was killed (Genesis 4:11,12). But even in this, where Cain has killed his own brother and tried to deceive God about it, though there are grave consequences for his actions, God has mercy on his soul and preserves his life. Genesis 4:15, “But the LORD said to him, ‘… if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.’ Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.” Like with his parents before him and Israel after him, the Lord preserved Cain. He still suffered the natural and logical consequences of his rebellion, because God loves him too much not to rebuke him but God preserved Cain.

Psalm 104:29, again reminds us that God is the preserver of all life. If He were to withdraw His Spirit from us, we all would perish. But John 3:16-17 tells us that God loves the world so much that He sent His only begotten Son so that whosoever of us believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life for God sent His son into the world not to condemn the world but to save it.

And this brings us to our very lives here today for, when all is said and done, “there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship” (TSA doc. 2). And this God of the universe and beyond loves us, you and I so much that He has provided “the privilege [for] all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (TSA doc. 10). The LORD created us, He governs us and He loves us and he has provided for us so that we all may be even preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us pray.

---

[1] To see this in picture book form click here:  http://www.sheepspeak.com/Room_for_Creation_Web_Ramsay.pdf  For more story books by Michael Ramsay (and other writings) click here: http://www.sheepspeak.com./Michael_Ramsays_opinion.htm

[2] Cf. The Salvation Army, Salvation Story: Salvationist Handbook of Doctrine, (The Salvation Army: London: 1998), pp. 27-28.

[3] Cf. Derek Kidner, Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, Il.: InterVarsity Press, 1967 (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries 1), S. 58

[4] Captain Michael Ramsay, Reading Report on Charles Darwin, "Recapitulation and Conclusion" [The Origin of the Species, Akron, Ohio: Werner, 1872), chapter 15, pp. 267-306]. Presented to William and Catherine Booth College (February, 2009). Available on-line: http://www.sheepspeak.com/Michael_Ramsay_History_TSA.htm#Darwin

[5] Cf. Alan Hausser, “Genesis 2-3: the Theme and Intimacy and Alienation,” in Art and Meaning: Rhetoric in Biblical Literature, ed. David J.A. Clines, David M. Gunn and Alan Hauser. (Sheffield, England: Department of Biblical Studies, The University of Sheffield, 1982).

[6] Cf. Josephus, Antiquities I.iv.1. Cited from Terence E. Fretheim, The Book of Genesis, (NIB I: Abingdon Press: Nashville, 1994), p. 412.

[7] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, ‘Genesis 11:1-12:4: A Very Moving Covenant’, Journal of Aggressive Christianity, Issue 70, December 2010 – January 2011, pp. 32-35. Available on-line: http://www.armybarmy.com/pdf/JAC_Issue_070.pdf

[8] Cf. Terence E. Fretheim, The Book of Genesis, (NIB I: Abingdon Press: Nashville, 1994), p. 412 where he argues that the primary sin here is the unwillingness to move and the‘making a name for themselves’ is secondary.

[9] Cf. Walter Brueggemann, Interpretation: Genesis,(John Knox Press: Atlanta, Georgia), 1982, pp.97-104 and Michael K. Chung , ‘The Narrative of the Tower of Babel in Dialogue with Postmodern Christianity’, Presented to Fuller Theological Seminary (Fall 2005), p. 7.

[10] The Salvation Army Ethics Centre, ‘Responsibility for the Earth’ (December 11, 2011), The Salvation Army, Canada and Bermuda 2009, Available on-line: http://www.salvationarmyethics.org/position-statements/responsibility-for-the-earth-2/

[11]Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, Leviticus 25 1-23 in the Context of the Holiness Code: The Land Shall Observe a Sabbath, presented to William and Catherine Booth College  (Fall 2006), available on-line at http://www.sheepspeak.com/OT_Michael_Ramsay.htm - Leviticus 25 1-23   

[12] Cf. The Salvation Army, Salvation Story: Salvationist Handbook of Doctrine, (The Salvation Army: London: 1998), pp. 27-28.

[13] Andreas Schuele, 'The Spirit of YHWH and the Aura of Divine Presence', in Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology vol. 66 no. 1, (January 2012) pp. 16-28; cf. also Debra Reagan, ed. Creation Groaning issue of Interpretation: a Journal of Bible and Theology 65 no.4 (October 2011).

---

2 Corinthians 5:17: Turning the Page, a New Creation

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 01 Jan. 2012

By Captain Michael Ramsay

New Years is often the time when we look back on the year and there are often quizzes to see how much we remember of the significant events that occurred in the world, our country and our community. In that spirit here is a New Years Day Quiz for you.

EVENTS IN OUR WORLD (answers below)[1]

1)      A tsunami swept through this country?

2)      What did these two cities have in common in 2011: London and Vancouver?

3)      Who is the new General of the Salvation Army in 2011?

EVENTS IN OUR COUNTRY

1)      Who is famous for the following quote from last year? “My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”

2)      Famous Wedding this past year where the honeymooners visited Canada?

3)      Who won the Grey Cup in 2011?

EVENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY

1)      Which bank was robbed here on January 7/11?

2)      Who won this riding (Swift Current) in the provincial election?

3)      What member of this congregation spoke her first words and took her first steps this year?

Baby is still doing a lot of firsts. She just had her second Christmas this year. There is a lot to look forward to for our little one. The Scripture that we are looking at today, 2 Corinthians 5:17, says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

As well as quizzes, New Years Day is the time when many people make resolutions: where we promise to make changes, to do something new. People decide to turn a new page, turn over a new leaf and make a new start. Because of this, Susan suggested that today we look at 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” I think this is something worth considering on a day like today when many people are considering new starts; when we are turning the page on a new calendar year. So let’s take a look at this verse in the context of 2 Corinthians here.[2]

We know who wrote this letter, 2 Corinthians, right? The Apostle Paul. Who did he write it to? The Corinthians. This is one of two of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians that we have in our Bibles. Scholars think that he wrote at least four, maybe more. He probably wrote this 20 or so years after Christ rose from the grave. Now, do we know where Corinth is? It is in Greece and Grecian Corinth was an important city in the Roman Empire of the first century. Paul is writing this letter to a congregation probably about the same size as the group of folks we have gathered today and presumably they are all saints. They are all Christians to whom Paul is writing. This letter addresses a number of different things: the joy Paul feels for their response to an earlier letter, the troubles he has suffered, why he has had to change his travel plans; he is also asking them to forgive another, telling them not to be yoked with unbelievers, and explaining the joys that come from suffering for the Gospel, teaching about grace, dealing with opposition in the church, and telling them to get ready for his arrival in Corinth. It is not as focused as some of his epistles; Paul really does chat about quite a few different things in this letter to the Corinthians.

In this letter, in our verse for today, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul writes, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” “Therefore if anyone is in Christ…”: This phrase refers to anyone who is a Christian or as the New Testament more commonly refers to us, saints. We know what a saint is, right? The Greek word ‘saint’ in our Bibles is derived from the same word as ‘holiness’. In the New Testament ‘saint’, simply put, just means ‘Christian’.[3] A Christian saint is contrasted with a ‘sinner’. So in the apostolic letters in the New Testament there really are just two choices in this regard. You can be either a Christian saint or you can be a sinner.[4] As Paul’s letter reads ‘if anyone is in Christ’ it is saying that for all of us saints, for all of us Christians, we are a new creation – the old is gone, the new has come for all of us! This is exciting. When we hand our lives over to the Lord, it is like a changing of the guard; a new, fresh set of eyes now guards the prize. It is like those New Year’s pictures we see with the old year being ushered out as the new baby year comes marching in, full of energy and a big smile on his face. Paul is saying, like with the changing of the page on the calendar when the year is renewed; so when we each turn the page on our life, giving it to Christ, we are holy (cf. Leviticus 19:2, 1 Peter 1:16).[5] We are renewed (cf. Isaiah 42:9, 43:19-20).[6] The old has gone. The new has come.

This is good news. At New Years we often make resolutions to turn over a new leaf, to do something different and something new. How long, stereotypically, do these resolution usually last in our contemporary Canadian culture? Not very long… The Apostle Paul is telling these Christians who are reading and listening to his letter and he is telling us as well that we don’t need to abandon our new life in Christ like others might abandon a hasty New Years resolution. Paul says, much to the contrary, that we have died to sin and we are now alive in Christ (cf. Romans 6:1,11; 8:10; Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13). He is speaking to Christians here and he is encouraging us to keep on, keeping on. And He is not just speaking in global, nebulous terms. He is telling us specifically how our lives should be different now that we have turned the page to our new life in Christ. Let us look back a bit in this letter to the Corinthians to see how our lives looked Before Christ and compare them to what they look like now, Anno Domini, in the years of our Lord. I think it will serve us well to look through this letter to see exactly what Paul means by this new creation versus that old creation.

If we turn back to Chapter 4, we can see what he is talking about. The Apostle Paul talks about how we have changed. Paul says of the old self, 2 Corinthians 4:2: “Rather, we have renounced [those] secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” Paul says that our old selves were selfish. Our old selves used deception and distorted the word of God. This is interesting because as our country, moves further and further away from our salvation, I have noticed this same thing appear here quite a bit – honesty seems to be a sad casualty of the secular evolution of our nation. In the week after Christmas here I read a couple of articles on the CBC website and in the Globe and Mail, talking about the Pope and the Queen’s Christmas messages and about how the Third World has been turning to Christ en mass. One article in the Globe and Mail by Margaret Went asks,[7]

“What’s the fastest-growing religion in the world today? It’s Christianity. You can be excused if you guessed wrong. For the past decade, the Western world’s attention has been transfixed by Islam. But in sub-Saharan Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, it’s Christianity that’s on the march. Today, Christianity claims 2.18 billion believers – a third of the world’s population. By 2050, Christians will outnumber Muslims 3 to 1.”

Praise the Lord for, 2 Corinthians 5:17, “… if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

But there is a sad note: you should of read the hatred towards everything Christian that people wrote in the comment section underneath this article about the worldwide growth of our faith. I have come to expect a certain level of anti-Christianity from CBC message boards but I was floored by how much hatred and prejudice there is against Christians and the Bible in the Globe and Mail as well. I even reported as hate speech a few of those comments that the Globe and Mail and CBC moderators allowed. It was that bad. People are misquoting the Bible and blaming Christ and Christians seemingly for every conceivable evil in the world – and they were doing this during the Christmas season in articles about Christians and Christianity. The Apostle Paul tells us 2000 years in advance of this that this is what people do. This is what people -who are not saints living out their salvation- do. Paul says that before we were saved, we deceived and we distorted the truth to make our point. That is what some of those commentators were doing.

Paul says, that prior to turning the page to the new creation, we are blinded by the god of this age. That is the devil and this is how the devil works. He blinds people to the abundant truth of God’s through all kinds of deception. Just open the news headlines in any given western country’s papers in any given year in the 21^st Century. How many scandals are there, involving the elected leaders of the world, our country and various provinces? We have a political system with which the devil feels right at home. It all boils down to a popularity contest every few years. I will tell you how much this old creation dishonesty and deceitfulness has become: we, Canadians, have become so used to our leaders deceiving us and distorting the truth that less and less people are even bothering to vote – why bother if people are just lying to us? It is not only in our leaders that we see the old creation represented in North America today. We also see this on TV. I am shocked by the kind of deception and shameful ways that are extolled by our media and entertainment industries. This all filters down to our individual lives to and then back up into our society as a whole. I can’t tell you the number of times I have heard people justifying a ‘white lie’: cheating on our taxes, not declaring our income, or lying about our age: young people trying to be older; elders appearing to be younger. Deception has grasped our society as the god of this age, 2 Corinthians 4:4, has blinded the non-believing heart. This is what old creation is like without reconciliation with God and without Christian renewal.

The Apostle Paul says, 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Paul says that we can turn the page on all this as we are made anew, like the year is made anew.[8] This is important – being a new creation. We, the New Year, the new creation, as we are reconciled with Christ, we are completely differently from the old.[9] Paul writes, 2 Corinthians 2:15-16, “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.”  This is cause for happiness because we are the fragrance of life for some and this is cause for sadness because we are the smell of death to others. Some people really hate Christians. Some people really hate Christ and that is becoming a viewpoint that is more the norm than the exception in our country in this century and this is sad. Even sadder still, I think, is the fact that this ‘old creation deception’ that we have been talking about can even be seen in the churches. Actions consistent with the old creation can be seen in the churches where the new creation is supposed to be flourishing. How many of us have heard people complaining and planting seeds of discontent? How many of us have ever been tempted to act like life Before Christ instead of living Anno Domini, in the year of our Lord? How many of us have been tempted to keep on sinning, and thus like the author of the sermon to the Hebrews says, trample on the body of Christ (Hebrews 10:29)? We don’t need to do this: Paul encourages us that God wants is to be reconciled to us all. God wants us all to experience His new creation. “… it is the privilege of all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (TSA doc. 10) Christ died on the cross and rose again from the grave so that we can die to sin and rise again to salvation.  So let us do that. Let us turn the page on the old creation and in this New Year let us instead experience all the joys of the New Creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17, for “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

In a couple of months, we are going to start a sermon series here looking at the Salvation Army doctrines. I am going to do my best to try and find some good speakers and big name people to share with us their thoughts and feelings on the doctrines. I ran across this holiness test from O&R posted on www.armybarmy.com this week. I think it is a good one for us to try to answer ourselves to see if we are taking full advantage of the holiness of salvation that is available to us all.

TEST FOR SELF-EXAMINATION: ORDERS AND REGULATIONS FOR SOLDIERS.

1. Am I habitually guilty of any known sin? Do I practise or allow myself in any thought, word, or deed, which I know to be wrong?

2. Am I so the master of my bodily appetites as to have no condemnation? Do I allow myself in any indulgence that is injurious to my holiness, growth in knowledge, obedience, and usefulness?

3. Are my thoughts and feelings such that I should not be ashamed to hear them published before God?

4. Does the influence of the world cause me to act, feel, or say things that are unlike Christ?

5. Do my tempers cause me to act, or feel or say things that I see afterward are contrary to that love which I ought to bear always to those about me?

6. Am I doing all in my power for the salvation of sinners? Do I feel concern about their danger and pray and work for their salvation as if they were my children?

7. Am I fulfilling the vows I have made to God in my acts of consecration or at the Penitent Form?

8. Is my example in harmony with my profession?

9. Am I conscious of any pride or haughtiness in my manner or bearing?

10. Do I conform to the fashions and customs of this world or do I show that I despise them?

11. Am I in danger of being carried away with worldly desires to be rich or admired?

Let us pray.

www.sheepapek.com

---

---

[1] WORLD: 1) Japan, 2) Riots, 3) General Linda Bond; COUNTRY: 1) Dr. Jack Layton, 2) The Royals William and Kate, 3) BC Lions; COMMUNITY: 1) BMO, 2) Hon. Brad Wall, 3) Heather and Cecilia

[2] Philip E. Hughes, ‘2 Corinthians Introduction’, 1803, in NIB Study Bible. Edited by Kenneth L. Barker, Grad Rapids, Michigan, USA: Zondervan, 2002.

[3] W.E. Vine. . 'Holiness, Holy, Holily.' In Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Word. (Nashville, Tennessee: Royal Publishers Inc., 1939), 555.

[4] Cf. John D.W. Watts. 'Holy.' In Holman Bible Dictionary, general editor Trent C. Butler. Nashville, Tennesee: Holman Bible Publishers, 1991), 660. W.E. Vine. 'Holiness, Holy, Holily.' In Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Word. (Nashville, Tennessee: Royal Publishers Inc., 1939), 555.

[5] Captain Michael Ramsay, 1 Peter 1:16 (Leviticus 19:2): God says, “…be holy because I am holy”, presented to the Swift Current Corps (13 February 2011). Available on-line at http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/02/1-peter-116-lev-192-god-says-be-holy.html

[6] J. Paul Sampley, The Second Letter to the Corinthians (NIB X: Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 2000), 94.

[7] Margaret Wente, 'God's far from dead in the global South' in the Globe and Mail, Dec 29, 2011 3:19PM EST. Available on-line: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/margaret-wente/

[8] Cf. N.T. Wright, On Becoming the Righteousness of God: 2 Corinthians 5:21 (Originally published in Pauline Theology, Volume II, ed. D. M. Hay: Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis,1993, 200–208. Reproduced by permission of the author.) Available on-line: http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Becoming_Righteousness.pdf

[9] Cf. Rev. Dr. Leslie Milton, ‘14^th March 4^th in Lent – Joshua 5:9-12; Psalm 32 (11); 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32’, in The Expository Times: Journal of Biblical Studies, Theology and Ministry, (Vol. 121: No. 5: Feb, 2010), pp. 241-242.

The Appeal of Creation: Genesis 1, Romans 1.

Presented to the Nipawin Corps, 07 June 2009

and Alberni Valley Ministries, 05 October 2024
by Captain Michael Ramsay

This is the 2009 version; to view the 2024 BC version, click here: https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2024/10/romans-120-reconciliation-of-creation.html  

Click HERE to read the Scriptures.

You’ll have to bear with me a little bit this morning. I wasn’t originally intending to preach today and I do like to prepare well in advance so as of Saturday I had ¾ of a sermon on 2 Kings 5 prepared for next week but God and my wife had a different idea and so yesterday after a day of dealing with another vandalized window at the ministry centre, packing boxes and a short walk in God’s creation, I set to work on this sermon on Genesis 1 and Romans 1: The Appeal of God’s Creation.

It is amazing as we were walking around yesterday. We walked around the trees in some of the small forests around here a little bit. It really is a very beautiful part of the country. In many ways it actually does remind me of where and when I grew up on Vancouver Island. We would spend many days exploring trails in the woods, hiking, walking along streams. Even when I was a young adult there was this time in my life when we would go hiking almost every weekend. My friend Dan would pick me up after I finished work Friday nights and we would drive up Island as far as we could get and find new areas to explore. It was a lot of fun. One often really experiences the power of God in these situations.

Stepping out into the wilderness is like peeling a banana. You see much of our life has become peels hiding the beauty of the fruit of the Lord’s creation beneath them. Our cities and towns have added ever so many peels, so many layers atop of God’s creation. We have our warm houses, our fancy cars, pavement, telephone poles and wires obscuring the view and in this area we even have quads (ATVs), sleds (snowmobiles) and some pretty fancy farm machinery that makes life easier but also changes the way we’d otherwise work and play.

Not only this but in our society today we have the imaginary worlds of television, games, the internet, and other entertainment avenues providing a further peel of escape from the realities of God’s creation.

We have social barriers that create peels obscuring God’s creation as well. Our education systems sometimes let us think that we have solved most of the world’s mysteries all on our own. Our political system lets us believe that we have absolute control over our own destiny, that we should actually do as what we see fit in our own eyes (Judges 21:25). We seem to believe that the majority is right the majority of the time. Culturally as we move further and further from God’s creation physically, emotionally, intellectually and practically, we seem to be enticed more and more to believe that old serpent’s lie that as humankind evolves our ‘eyes will be opened, and we will be like God’ (Genesis 3:5). Stepping out into God’s creation is like peeling off the rind, taking off the peel of society and tasting the fruit of the LORD. Without doing this from time to time we can fall into the trap of Romans 1, ignoring and suppressing the obvious truth of God. Romans 1:18-23:[1]

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Acclaimed to be wise, Sigmund Freud – the father of modern psychology and a devout, religious Atheist – believed that society had progressed beyond God and he seemed to hope that civilization would quickly progress even further and move beyond its 'illusion' of religion[2] the same way one should outgrow a 'childhood neurosis' and Freud had faith that eventually humankind would because he thought "nothing can withstand reason and experience and the contradiction that religion offers to both is all too palpable"[3] Moving beyond the 'illusion' of God and religion for Freud "would be an important advance along the road which leads to being reconciled to the burden of civilization."[4] Freud denied God. He was not alone. Our society seems to want to progress beyond God’s creation as if that is possible.

Karl Marx (who, being raised by Jewish parents who converted to Christianity, has no excuse for not knowing better) says of religion, “Man… looked for a superman in the fantastic reality of heaven and found nothing but the reflection of himself”[5] He says religion is the ‘opium of the people’ and “the abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness.”[6]

Marx, Freud, Mark Twain and many others who have had a very profound influence on the world continuing on into this the 21st century have consistently ignored what was abundantly obvious and chose to reject God.[7] Even though God has made it plain to them (and us), as Romans 1:20 states, “for since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that (these) men (and all of us) are without excuse.”

God loves us so much that He made it so obvious through this life and all He created that He is God, so that all we have to do is peel back the artificial barriers that we create in this life and taste the fruit of Jesus Christ and see that He is good.

As important as the peel is [8] and as favourable as many of the developments that we have been blessed with in our world are, I think it is important to take the time to actually taste God’s creation and know how good He is (Ps 34:8).

We read from Genesis 1 earlier and those of you who were here a few months ago when our Area Commander Major Judy Regamey preached were blessed with a wonderful sermon on this, I’m sure. I won’t go into the creation account too much here but I will say that it reminds me of a love letter of sorts akin to the Song of Solomon in the Scriptures. Look at how poetically the creation story is related to us in Genesis Chapter 1.[9]

First, on Day 1, our loving God creates light and the day and the night and then it is recorded, on Day 4, three days later, after having creating this environment, He lovingly creates the sun and the moon and the stars to be placed within that light (Gen. 1:1-3, 14-19).

Next, on Day 2, our loving creator makes the water and the sky and then three days later, on Day 5, He creates sea creatures to be placed in this sea he made for them and He makes birds to soar into these skies (Gen. 1:4-8, 20-23).

Then on Day 3, our Heavenly Father gathers together the waters to create dry land and on Day 6, He creates plants and animals to be placed in this land he made for them. Next God creates men and women in his own image (Gen 1:9-13, 26-7), blesses them and graciously tasks us with the job of filling the earth and taking care of it (Gen 1:28-31). The Lord loves His creation, it is good and the Lord loves us too (cf. Gen. 1:31; Lev. 25:1, 23; 2 Chr. 36:20-21; John 3:16-17).

It is true. It is obvious and God loves us but – too bad – the story of Adam and Eve doesn’t end there with though. As we know, Adam (the first man) disobeys God and he instead of taking responsibility and owning up to his actions, he blames his wife and his God. Adam, when confronted with his sin says, Gen. 3:12, “The woman YOU put here with me – SHE gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it.” And lest we think the woman is any better, her response is, Gen.3: 13, the SERPENT deceived me, and I ate.” This was the fall. With humankind’s sin, we become separated from God’s creation and separate from God.[10]

Now God, of course, has a remedy for this. He really does desire that all the people of the earth be blessed as he blessed Adam and Eve. Genesis 12:3: We are promised that all the nations of the earth will be blessed through Abraham and God is faithful to that promise. God sends his only begotten son to die and rise again on the third day, so that we may live so that we may be reconciled to God and His creation.

As we go from here today, as we walk outside– now that the snow has finally gone – as we walk outside today, let us take in the abundant beauty that is the evidence of God’s love for us. Let us peel back all that might be blocking the view of our hearts, let us notice each other, our family, our friends, our animals, our gardens, plants, our crops, and all His creation. Let us notice the sun and then the stars later tonight. Let us notice all of this around us, then let us bow our heads, and lift our voices in praise of our God because He loved us so much that he sent Jesus Christ, his one and only Son so that all barriers to salvation are now removed and we can now be fully reconciled to Him.

http://www.sheepspeak.com/
---
[1] For a full discussion of this pericope see Michael Ramsay, ‘Paul and the Human Condition as reflected in Romans 1:18-32 and 2:1-16’. Presented to William and Catherine Booth College (Winter 2007). Available on-line: http://www.sheepspeak.com/NT_Michael_Ramsay.htm#Paul%20and%20the%20Human%20Condition
[2] Sigmund Freud, ‘The Future of an Illusion’, p. 31, 37
[3] Sigmund Freud, ‘The Future of an Illusion’, p.54.
[4] Sigmund Freud, ‘The Future of an Illusion’ ,p.41.
[5] Karl Marx. 'Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of the Right'. Marx and Engels on Religion. Ed. Reinhold Neibuhr. (New York: Schocken Books, 1964) 41.
[6] Karl Marx 'Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of the Right'. Marx and Engels on Religion. Ed. Reinhold Neibuhr. (New York: Schocken Books, 1964) 42.
[7] Cf. for a more in-depth discussion: Michael Ramsay, ‘Good News to the Poor: Comparing a Christian Worldview as expressed in Luke’s Gospel to Marx’, Presented to William and Catherine Booth College March 2009. Available on-line: http://www.sheepspeak.com/Michael_Ramsay_History_TSA.htm#Marx
[8] I argue that and in this analogy, for the first century Jewish believer the peel would be the Law in the following sermon: Michael Ramsay,' Galatians 3:19-25: Don't be a McChicken...' Presented to Nipawin Corps on January 20, 2008 and to Tisdale Corps on January 27, 2008. Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/01/galatians-319-25-dont-be-mcchicken.html
[9] For a further discussion on this days of creation see the following: Michael Ramsay," Darwin, Charles, 'Recapitulation and Conclusion' [The Origin of the Species, Akron, Ohio: Werner, 1872), ch. 15, pp. 267-306], a Reading Report." Presented to William and Catherine Booth College (February, 2009). Available on-line: http://www.sheepspeak.com/Michael_Ramsay_History_TSA.htm#Darwin
[10] Cf. Alan Hausser, “Genesis 2-3: the Theme and Intimacy and Alienation,” in Art and Meaning: Rhetoric in Biblical Literature, ed. David J.A. Clines, David M. Gunn and Alan Hauser. (Sheffield, England: Department of Biblical Studies The University of Sheffield, 1982).