The Generations of Adam
1 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. Genesis 5:1
אָדָם = AW-DAWM “MANKIND”
שֵׁת = SHA-YTH “IS APPOINTED TO"
אֱנוֹשׁ = EN-OHSH "MORTAL"
קֵינָן = KAY-NAWN "SORROW"
מַהֲלַלְאֵל = MAH-HAL-AL-ALE "THE BLESSED GOD"
יֶרֶד = YEH-RED "SHALL COME DOWN"
חֲנוֹךְ = KHAN-OKE "TEACHING"
מְתוּשֶׁלַח = METH-OO-SHEH-LAKH "HIS DEATH SHALL BRING"
לֶמֶךְ = LEH-MEK "DESPAIRING"
נֹהַ = NO-AKH "GRACE AND COMFORT"
http://www.khouse.org/articles/1996/44/
http://gifkg.org/hebrewword/tengenerations.html
The Generations of Adam
SERMON STARTER
There have been several books written and a major film produced around the concept of a mysterious code written between the lines of Holy Scripture. Most of this is speculation and fiction. It makes good copy and sells books and movie admissions. Has there, however, ever been a code written into Holy Scripture and has anyone ever figured it out?
Ray Stedman discovered an interesting message buried in the first ten names of the patriarchs in the Generations of Adam. Could it be possible that God hid specific information for us to discover in the last days before His Return? This information is not speculation. It has been lying in wait in God’s Word all of these centuries. If you like to research and verify this information, remember that most Bible Concordances are not extensive on Hebrew Proper Name origins and root meanings.
The researchers I rely on for accuracy with this information have done their homework. The message is direct and takes your breath away to consider that God placed in His Word the sweep of redemption. The enclosed sheets show Ray Stedman’s research and one other source that collaborates the message.
MANKIND IS APPOINTED TO MORTAL SORROW
THE BLESSED GOD SHALL COME DOWN TEACHING
HIS DEATH SHALL BRING DIAPAIRING GRACE AND COMFORT
The other researcher finds the message even more astounding.
MANKIND IS APPOINTED TO FEEBLE, FRAIL MORTALITY
A FIXED DWELLING PLACE
GOD WHO IS PRAISED COMES DOWN, DESCENDS TO INSTRUCT, TRAIN UP A MAN SENT FORTH TO BE BEATEN, SMITTEN, TORTURED
BRINGING REST, A QUIET PEACE
Amazing! Is all of that in the Generations of Adam? What else is in our ancestor’s genealogy? Let’s examine it together.
Pastor Phil <><<
May 03, 2015- Sheepfold Ministries
Pastor Phil Roland
The Generations of Adam
GENESIS 5:1-
"God's Word is a relevant message to mankind today. His Word echoes down the 6000 recorded years of mankind's existence. The entire book is about redemption: how mankind was lost and then found through God's own son, the Lord Jesus Christ." Pastor Phil <><<
1 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. Genesis 5:1
Upon reading Genesis Five, we are amazed by the long life spans of these men:
Adam 930 years
Seth 912 years
Enosh 905 years
Kenan 910 years
Mahalalel 895 years
Jared 962 years
Enoch 365 years
Methuseleh 969 years (His death marked the day of the Great Flood)
Lamech 777 years
Four Things about these men in their Generations:
I. IN THE MIDST OF UNGODLINESS, THEY WERE GODLY
A. Earliest attempts to find God were mostly Idolatrous
1. Animism - The worship of animals
2. Myths - A collection of stories about an imagined god
3. Polytheism - The worship of many gods
4. Idolatry - Worship of man made objects attributed as god
B. Every man did what he thought was right in his own eyes
25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was
right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25
1. Pre-Judges time in Israel there was no law
2. In a Lawless time, they were seeking God's natural law
C. These ancient Patriarchs sought God thru scorning of peers
24 A proud and haughty man--"Scoffer" is his name; He acts with
arrogant pride. Proverbs 21:24
1. Does this sound like how Believers are treated today?
2. You and I are in good company when we are scorned
II. IN THE MIDST OF WICKEDNESS THEY WERE GOOD
A. The Patriarchs in Adam's Generations were distinctive
1. They stood for Goodness in a perverse generation
2. Among their peers they stood out like a sore thumb
THE GENERATIONS OF ADAM, cont. p.2
B. Goodness simply means doing right by others and yourself
1. Following the Golden Rule - Matt. 7:12
12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to
them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
2. Loving God and putting Him first in your life
3. Treating others they way you wish to be treated
III. IN THE MIDST OF REBELLION, THEY WERE RIGHTEOUS
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king." 1 Samuel 15:23
A. Obedience is Valuable to God
1. Loving God and one another
2. Faithfulness and consistency: the fruit of righteousness
B. Mankind has always been Rebellious - Eating forbidden fruit
1. Mankind enjoy creating their gods in their own image
2. The Ten Generations of Adam stood for righteousness
C. We face the same Rebellion as the Patriarchs - Psalm 68:8
6 God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
IV. IN THE MIDST OF BITTERNESS, THEY WERE BLESSED
A. Bitterness is a foul root that grows in Unforgiveness
Hebrews 12:15
15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any
root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many
become defiled;
B. Otto Von Bismarck illustration:
Otto Von Bismarck was the Chancellor of Germany during the first
World War. Toward the end of his life he got mired down in the quick
sand of bitterness, and never got out. He carried the bile of bitterness
into his grave.
One morning he got up out of bed and proudly announced to his
household, "I have spent the whole night hating." The burden of
bitterness eventually crushed his health. He had to grow a beard to hide
the twitching muscles of his face. Jaundice, gastric ulcers, gallstones
and shingles racked his body. When he was offered a small fortune to
publish his memoirs he began to write with a reckless disregard for
truth, using his pen to spill out the poisonous venom of hatred and
bitterness on men and women who had long been dead. Expressing his
bitterness became the very thing he lived for, and the very thing that
killed him. He died embittered, cynical, lonely, miserable and self-
consumed.
C. Reject this world's Bitterness, Be Blessed - Galatians 6:7,8
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows,
that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh
reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap
everlasting life.
THE GENERATIONS OF ADAM, cont. p.3
THERE ARE THREE LESSONS FROM ADAM'S PROGENY:
1. People Matter to God
a. The Generations of Adam existed in an Ungodly Age
b. They were mocked, scoffed at, ridiculed, spat on
c. These Generations of Adam matter to God and to us
d. They lived, breathed, had good days / bad days
e. Could shed tears, feel pain, reacted to rejection
f. Adam's Generations are just like ours today
g. People still matter to God
2. Death Still Reigns Today
Adam lived … and he died
Seth lived … and he died
Enosh lived … and he died
Kenan lived … and he died
a. All of Adam's Generations Lived and Died
b. Exception was Enoch who was taken up - Hebrews 11:5
c. Death reigned then and still does today
d. Last week 25 people died in the Shenango Valley
e. Next week probably 25 more will die
f. Death has reigned in this world from Adam and his generations
until now. . .
g. Our Issue today is: Since Death is inevitable, are you ready?
h. Are your bags packed?
3. God Honors Those Who Live By Faith
a. Adams Descendants remind us that life's a Relay Race
b. We hand our baton to the next runner who hands it to the next
c. Handing the baton to the next runner is critical
d. Dropping the baton means we could lose the race
e. Summary of Genesis 5:
Adam ran the race of Faith
He handed the baton to Seth
He handed it to his son Enosh
He handed the baton to Kenan
He handed the baton to his son, Mahalalel
Who passed it to Jared
Who passed it to Enoch, who as he rose to the sky
Passed it to his son, Methuselah
Who passed it to Lamech
Who passed it to Noah
f. Ten men caught the baton of faith and passed it on
g. We, like the patriarchs of old, live to pass the baton of faith to the next generations
Here is the story of Genesis 5. Adam ran the race of faith and handed the baton to Seth who ran hard and handed it to his son Enosh who also ran hard. Before he died, he passed it along to his son Kenan who passed it to Mahalalel who passed it to Jared who passed it on to Enoch. As Enoch was rising to the sky, he tossed it to his son Methuselah who caught it and started running. Eventually he passed the baton of faith to Lamech who made sure that Noah got it. Ten generations, ten men who lived by faith, ten fathers who made sure their sons caught the faith and then passed it along to the next generation.
That’s the whole life of faith in a nutshell. What we have been given, we pass along to our friends and neighbors. We pass it along to our co-workers and to our classmates. We tell it to our family and we labor in prayer to make sure that our children and our grandchildren pick up the baton and start running with it.
Nothing matters more than this. If we are rich and successful, if we are famous and blessed with worldly acclaim, if we are regarded as the best and the brightest, if we are quoted and feted and praised by all men, it will all count for nothing if we fail to pass the baton of faith along to the next generation. What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and yet lose his own family? And if we go to our grave knowing that our children and grandchildren believe in Jesus, we can die happy, knowing that our time on earth was not spent in vain.
If the list in Genesis 5 were extended, would your name be on the list? If you will walk with God, you can come to the end of life with full assurance that the best is yet to come. May God help us to run the race with endurance so that we can pass the baton of faith along to those who come after us.
Eternal Father, teach us to live in light of eternity. Help us to walk with you, wherever you lead, with nothing held back, so that those who follow us will really be following you. Amen.
Romans 1:18
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.
Titus 2:12-14
12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
Exodus 23:2
2 You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice.
Galatians 5:19
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, b fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, c drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Political Correctness – Placing Odious Labels on people
Truth is Subjective
Morality is Subjective
Perpetrator / Victim – Black / White Two Dimensional Thinking
Racist
Political Ungodliness
Social Ungodliness
Media Ungodliness
We must Stand up against Ungodliness
Eg. Phil Robertson
Prov. 14:12
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
2 Timothy 2:24-26
24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,
26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done with love.
2 Corinthians 5:20
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
Matthew 12:18-21
18 "Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory;
21 And in His name Gentiles will trust." d
GENESIS 5:1-32
The Family of Adam
5 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. 3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters. 5 So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.
6 Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begot Enosh. 7 After he begot Enosh, Seth lived eight hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters. 8 So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died.
9 Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Cainan.[a] 10 After he begot Cainan, Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and had sons and daughters. 11 So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died.
12 Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalalel. 13 After he begot Mahalalel, Cainan lived eight hundred and forty years, and had sons and daughters. 14 So all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died.
15 Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and begot Jared. 16 After he begot Jared, Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years, and had sons and daughters. 17 So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years; and he died.
18 Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch. 19 After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 20 So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died.
21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
25 Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. 26 After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters. 27 So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died.
28 Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed.” 30 After he begot Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and had sons and daughters. 31 So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and he died.
32 And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Living Lessons From an Ancient List
Let’s wrap up our study by drawing three lessons from this ancient genealogy.
A. PEOPLE MATTER TO GOD
That’s obvious, isn’t it? Kenan and Mahalalel are otherwise unknown to us. We can’t say anything definite about what they did. Their personal details are completely hidden to us. But this much we know. They were in the godly line that stretches from Adam and Noah and they were both vital links in the chain. Even though Adam and Noah are much better known to us, without Kenan and Mahalalel the line would be broken and Noah would not be born. And Mahalalel was the grandfather of Enoch who walked with God. These names that are just words on paper to us represent men who once walked on the earth a long time ago. They lived for God in an ungodly age and they believed in God when others scoffed at them. They are true heroes and deserve to be remembered and even honored. And they remind us that no one is ever forgotten or overlooked by the Lord. Those who today stand strong in their faith will one day shine as the brightest stars in the firmament. God is not so unjust as to forget those who labor in obscurity for him. People matter. Names matter. Kenan matters. His name is in the book.
B. DEATH STILL REIGNS TODAY
This list is like a monotonous drumbeat of death:
Adam lived … and he died.
Seth lived … and he died.
Enosh lived … and he died.
Kenan lived … and he died.
And so on across the generations, the only exception being Enoch who was taken directly to heaven without seeing death. But all the rest lived hundreds of years and then they died. Death reigned in the earliest generations of world history. And death still reigns today. Just open any newspaper and look at the obituary section. This morning I checked the Chicago Tribune and found more than 150 obituaries. Tomorrow there will be more. And more the day after that. Every day a brand-new list, names never repeated. Why? Because death reigns in Chicago. But death also reigns for you and for me. If there is one thing about which we may be perfectly certain it is this: Unless the Lord returns in your lifetime, you are going to die someday. We say nothing is as certain as death and taxes, but death is far more certain.
How certain is the fact of your death? So certain that there is an entire industry built about the expectation of your death. It’s called the life insurance industry. The only reason you buy life insurance is because someday you are going to die. If you lived forever, you’d never need life insurance. But you buy life insurance precisely because you know the fact of your death, you just don’t know the time of your death. You pay the money, but in order to get the insurance benefit, you have to die. If you live and don’t die, you’ve spent the money and you lose. But when you die, someone else gets the money. You lose either way. Don’t miss the point: Life insurance is based on one great theological truth—Death reigns.
When you die, the coroner will fill out a death certificate for you. There’s a space on that certificate that says “Cause of Death.” If we understand the Bible, the answer is always the same: “Sin.” Not sickness, not cancer, not an accident, not old age. Those are merely symptoms of the one great cause of death: Sin.
the danger of bitterness
Secrets can be destructive, no matter how long they've been buried, as residents of a Ukraine village found out. The Associated Press reported their story this way:
For 43 years Zinaida Bragantsova had been telling people there was a World War II bomb buried under her bed.
The story began in 1941 when the Germans advanced toward the Ukrainian city of Berdyansk. One night at the very start of the war, she was sitting by the window and sewing on her machine. Suddenly a noise was heard and a whistling close by. She got up and in the following moment was struck by a blast of wind. When she came to, the sewing machine was gone and there was a hole in the floor as well as in the ceiling.
Zinaida couldn't get any officials to check out her story, so she just moved her bed over the hole and lived with it—for the next 40 years. Finally, the woman's problem was uncovered. As phone cable was being laid in the area, demolition experts were called in to probe for buried explosives. "Where's your bomb, grandma?" asked the smiling army lieutenant sent to talk to Mrs. Bragantsova. "No doubt, under your bed?"
"Under my bed," Mrs. Bragantsova answered dryly.
And sure enough, there they found a 500-pound bomb. After evacuating 2,000 people from surrounding buildings, the bomb squad detonated the bomb. According to the report, "The grandmother, freed of her bomb, will soon receive a new apartment."
Many people live like that grandmother, with a bomb under the bed—a terrible secret, a great hurt, a seething anger that lays there for years while everyone goes on about their business. No one is safe until it's removed.
Otto Von Bismarck was the Chancellor of Germany during the first World War. Toward the end of his life he got mired down in the quick sand of bitterness, and never got out. He carried the bile of bitterness into his grave.
One morning he got up out of bed and proudly announced to his household, "I have spent the whole night hating." The burden of bitterness eventually crushed his health. He had to grow a beard to hide the twitching muscles of his face. Jaundice, gastric ulcers, gallstones and shingles racked his body. When he was offered a small fortune to publish his memoirs he began to write with a reckless disregard for truth, using his pen to spill out the poisonous venom of hatred and bitterness on men and women who had long been dead. Expressing his bitterness became the very thing he lived for, and the very thing that killed him. He died embittered, cynical, lonely, miserable and self-consumed.
