Genesis

Outline

• I. God's creation
• A. God's desire and purpose
• 1. God's original creation
• 2. Judgment and corruption
• 3. God's restoration and further creation
• a. The Spirit, the word, and the light coming, the first day
• b. The waters under the expanse separated from the waters above the expanse, the second day
• c. The earth separated from the seas and the plant life generated, the third day
• d. The light-bearers appearing, the fourth day
• e. The living creatures in the water and in the air generated, the fifth day
• f. The living creatures on the earth generated, the sixth day
• 1) The animals of the earth
• 2) Man
• a) The conference of the Godhead
• b) Created by God male and female
• c) Blessed by God to be fruitful
• 3) Man and all other living creatures satisfied by God's provision
• 4) Everything being very good to God
• g. God resting in satisfaction, the seventh day
• B. God's procedures to fulfill His purpose
• 1. The background — no rain from heaven, no man on the ground, no life in the field, only a mist from the earth
• 2. The first step — creating man as a vessel to contain God as life
• 3. The second step — having man receive God as life
• a. Placing man in front of the tree of life
• b. Putting man in the garden with its river
• c. Allowing man to have free choice
• 4. The third step — working God into man as life to be His complement
• a. Man, typifying God, needing to have a complement
• b. Man gaining a complement in and by life
• II. Man's fall through Satan's corruption
• A. The first fall — from God's presence to man's conscience
• 1. The serpent's (Satan's) temptation and man's first fall
• 2. God dealing with man's first fall
• a. Seeking man
• b. Judging the serpent
• c. The promise regarding the seed of the woman
• d. Disciplining man through suffering
• e. Redemption anticipated
• f. Closing the way to the tree of life
• B. The second fall — from man's conscience to others' control
• 1. The background
• 2. Man's presumption, anger, murder, lying, and arrogance
• 3. God's dealing with man's second fall — cursing man and making him a fugitive and a wanderer
• 4. Man producing a culture without God
• 5. The way to escape man's second fall — man realizing his fragility and calling on the name of Jehovah
• C. The generations of the saved revealing the ultimate issue of man's fall and the way to escape it
• 1. The ultimate issue of man's fall — death
• 2. The way to escape death — walking with God
• 3. The family of salvation finding comfort and rest
• D. The third fall — from others' control to human government
• 1. The evil spirits mingling with man and man becoming flesh
• 2. God dealing with man's third fall — blotting out man from the earth
• 3. The way of salvation from the third fall
• a. Walking with God
• b. Building the ark
• 1) Receiving the revelation
• 2) Preparing the ark
• 3) Entering the ark and being shut in the ark by Jehovah
• c. Saved through water
• E. Life in resurrection
• 1. The ark resting upon the mountains, signifying resurrection with Christ
• 2. The raven being sent forth, signifying the fleshly ones going back to the world judged by God
• 3. The dove being sent forth, signifying the spiritual ones staying with the church and caring for life in the Spirit
• 4. Going forth from the ark in resurrection
• 5. Making burnt offerings to Jehovah on an altar, signifying the offering of Christ to God through the cross
• 6. Fulfilling God's purpose to express and represent Him
• 7. Living under God's covenant
• a. No more judgment through death's waters
• b. The rainbow as the sign of God's faithfulness in keeping His covenant
• 8. The failure of the leader and deputy authority
• a. Caused by the success of his work
• b. Ham exposing the failure, and Shem and Japheth covering the failure
• c. Ham's son receiving the curse, and Shem and Japheth receiving the blessing
• 9. The nations issuing forth with Babel as the consummation
• F. The fourth fall — from human government to rebellion under Satan's instigation
• 1. Building a city and a tower to rebel against God, to renounce God, and to make a name for themselves
• 2. God dealing with man's fourth fall — scattering them in living and confounding them in language
• G. The generations from man's salvation through water to Jehovah's calling
• III. Jehovah's calling
• A. The first aspect — the experience of Abraham
• 1. God's calling
• 2. Living by faith
• a. A life of the altar and the tent
• b. The trial of the called
• 1) Famine
• 2) The brother's striving
• c. The victory of the called
• 1) The brother being captured
• 2) Fighting for the brother
• 3) Ministered to by Melchizedek
• 4) Overcoming the temptation of earthly substance
• 3. Knowing grace for the fulfillment of God's purpose
• a. God's covenant with Abraham
• 1) Concerning the seed
• 2) Concerning the land
• b. The two women — an allegory
• c. God's covenant confirmed with circumcision
• d. The birth of Isaac promised
• 4. Living in fellowship with God
• a. Communion with God on the human level
• b. A glorious intercession
• c. The negative record of Lot
• 1) A defeated righteous man and a pillar of salt
• 2) The seed by incest
• d. A hidden weakness and a shameful intercession
• e. The birth and growth of Isaac
• f. Hagar and Ishmael cast out
• g. Two wells — two sources of living
• h. The offering up of Isaac
• i. The death and burial of Sarah
• j. The marriage of Isaac
• 5. Having no maturity in life
• B. The second aspect — the experience of Isaac
• 1. Gaining twin sons
• 2. Living in the natural life like Jacob
• 3. Inheriting the promise given to his father
• 4. Having natural weakness like Abraham
• 5. Reaping a hundredfold and becoming great
• 6. Finding wells in many places
• 7. God confirming His promise to him at Beer-sheba, the unique place of God's appearing for the fulfillment of His purpose
• 8. Not having much maturity in life
• C. The third aspect—the experience of Jacob (with Joseph)
• 1. Being dealt with
• a. Being chosen to be born second
• b. Being forced to leave the loving mother and the father's home
• 1) Supplanting the birthright
• 2) Supplanting the father's blessing
• 3) Being instructed by his mother to go away
• 4) Being blessed and sent away by his father
• c. The dream at Bethel
• d. Being led in God's sovereignty to meet Rachel and Laban
• e. Being cheated by Laban to marry Laban's two daughters
• f. The competition, envy, and wrestling between Jacob's wives in bearing children
• g. Being squeezed by Laban and tricking him, but being blessed by God
• h. Fleeing from Laban and being pursued by him
• i. Fearing Esau
• 2. Being broken
• a. Wrestling with God
• b. Being welcomed by Esau
• c. Returning to Canaan but only to Shechem
• d. Still needing the dealing in his circumstances
• 3. Being transformed
• a. Being reminded by God at Bethel
• b. Deeper and more personal dealings
• 1) The death of Rachel
• 2) The birthright being changed through the defilement of Jacob's concubine
• c. Entering into full fellowship
• d. Released from the tie with his father
• e. (The descendents of Esau)
• 4. Being matured
• a. The process of maturity — dealings in the last stage
• 1) Being robbed of the treasure of his heart (Joseph) under God's sovereign hand
• 2) Being stricken with famine and forced to send his sons to Egypt to buy grain
• 3) Having his second son, Simeon, detained in Egypt
• 4) Being stricken with severe famine and sending his youngest son, Benjamin
• b. The manifestation of maturity
• 1) Assigning no blame at hearing that Joseph was still alive
• 2) Offering sacrifices to God at Beer-sheba
• 3) Meeting Joseph again
• 4) Blessing people all the time
• a) Blessing Pharaoh
• b) Blessing Joseph's sons
• c) Blessing his own sons
• 5) Departing in an excellent way
• 5. The reigning aspect of the matured Israel as seen in Joseph
• a. Being a shepherd and the father's beloved
• b. Viewing his people as sheaves of life and as the sun, the moon, and the stars of light
• c. Ministering to his brothers according to the father's will
• d. Living as a sheaf of life
• e. Living as a star of light
• 1) His brother Judah indulging in lust
• 2) Overcoming lust and shining in darkness
• f. Being delivered into the prison of death
• g. Being resurrected from the prison of death
• h. Being enthroned with authority and receiving glory and gifts
• i. Becoming the savior of the world, the sustainer of life (the revealer of secrets)
• j. Supplying people with food
• k. Being recognized by the children of Israel
• 1) Being wise in dealing with his brothers and showing them love
• 2) Testing his brothers further
• 3) Revealing his exaltation and glory to his repentant brothers
• 4) His brothers participating in the enjoyment of his reign
• l. Reigning