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"The Genesis"

January 4, 2004
Pastor Cliffe Knechtle (32:12)

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis is the book of beginnings, a tremendous statement of the power, glory, majesty, and grandeur of God. Genesis doesn't attempt to give a scientific description of how God created. It is believed that the book was likely written by Moses to the Isrealites as they were poised on the border of the Promised Land preparing for battle. The Isrealites needed to feel God's power. Genesis communicated God's power to them, giving them hope, security, confidence, tenacity and power from within.

God is a being separate from us who has His own identify and a unique personality. He created us in His own image yet he doesnt have a physical body. He's spirit and a personal being; a generous God who loves us. He gave us free wills and the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. He created us to love others and to live in oneness and be connected to each other. Because God is all powerful, the appropriate heart response should be awe of His greatness and majesty.

Genesis 3 records the fall of Adam and Eve as they chose to rebel against God. At that point, the world was cursed and death entered into the human experience. The Anatomy of Temptation is:

Pastor Cliffe Knechtle

Deception - Satan shifted Eve's attention from the gifts that God had given her to what she didn't have. Doubt - Satan tried to make Eve doubt God by telling her that he is threatened by us. He poisoned Eve's view of God's character.

Diversion - Satan is a master of diversion by making good look boring and evil look enticing and attractive. Evil is the path towards self-destruction.

Discouragement - When we focus on our problems rather than on God's power, we get discouraged and then we're open to rebelling against God.

Defeat - Satan wants us to feel like a failure so we give up and no longer try. The amazing grace of Christ is that He continues to forgive us so we should never give up. He wants to give us the power to live victorious lives.

In spite of our sin and rebelliousness, God has a plan to restore us to Him and each other, to rescue us and put our broken lives back together. Genesis introduces the messiah. Satan is defeated by Christ. God is working to restore oneness and to give us life where there is death, hope where there is despair, and reconciliation where there is alienation. There is tremendous power and strength that comes from faith and knowing God. When we surrender our lives, we receive His encouragement so that we can encourage others. He gives us confidence and inner strength.

May God grant us the humility to depend upon Him, the openness to allow Him to encourage us, to give us confidence, wisdom, and strength which will enable us to steer away from the deceptions, lies, doubts and diversions of Satan so that we may be Godly men and women of integrity who live to encourage others.


Summary submitted by Karen Walsh