Pastor Seyi Osanyinbi
[biblegateway passage=”Genesis 6:1-3″ display=”Genesis 6:1-3″]
Last week we started learning on what the bible refers to as ‘flesh’ and today we will continue the teaching. As a recap on the anatomy of flesh let’s take a cue from the story of Cain and Abel. From the story, we know that God had respect for the offering of Abel and not for the offering of Cain. Many preachers have tried to give reasons why God accepted the sacrifice of Abel and not that of Cain because one gave of the fruit of the ground that God had cursed but we know from the Old Testament requirement, that there were times when God desired crops as a sacrifice and other times when He required animals.
Two things made the sacrifice of Abel acceptable, he offered what God required at that time and also offered the sacrifice in faith. This acceptance made Cain very angry that God had to warn him that:
If you had done the right thing, you would be smiling; but because you have done evil, sin is crouching at your door. It wants to rule you, but you must overcome it.”
(Gen 4:7, GNB)
But the next verse told us that Cain killed his brother. It was what it is called a premeditated murder which takes place in the mind. So after the judgement on Cain, he left the presence of God and built himself a city which was referred to as ‘the ways of Cain’ in the New Testament.
Now going back to the story of the fall of Adam, we notice that it was as a result of eating a fruit of the Tree of Knowledge (of good and evil) which had a seed in it ([biblegateway passage=”Gen.1:11-12″ display=”Gen.1:11-12″]). When Adam ate of the fruit, he also ate the seed and died by his knowledge of good and evil. This made him independent of God and he began to make his decisions without God. Naturally, men do not see a reason to refer to God on making decisions about their lives which is a result of the fall which occurred from eating of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. The objective of the devil in his temptation was to make Eve agree with him that they will not need God ([biblegateway passage=”Romans 1: 28″ display=”Romans 1: 28″]) to run their lives anymore.
The problem in [biblegateway passage=”Genesis 6:2″ display=”Genesis 6:2″] was not that they chose wives but that they made the decision independent of God. Also in the temptation of Eve, we took note that she saw the fruit and acted. You must be careful about how you see and what you see. So we see that the source of our problems is the wrong programming that we have gone through in life as a result of what we have seen and heard.
Note: Names are not just for the identification or just prophetic but a definition of your nature.
In [biblegateway passage=”Genesis 6:3″ display=”Genesis 6:3″], God declared that He would not always strive with man. This means that it is God who restricts men from wrongdoing but he will not keep doing so forever. Sin is a kind of life. When God breathed into man he breathed into him the breath of lives. There is a life that sustains our physical body which is the biological life. There also exists a kind of life that is sustained by the word of God. There are many expressions of life, Hence, life is expressed and not defined.
Man has been made as a multidimensional being, which makes the sin in his heart to spread to all areas of his life. A medical typology of sin is cancer which originates at a site and becomes malignant; spreading to other parts. Another typology is the baker’s yeast which when added leavens the whole dough.
[biblegateway passage=”Genesis 6:5″ display=”Genesis 6:5″]
The definition that God gives a thing is not the same as that which man gives it. God is not a man and growing in God requires learning His definitions. What makes a man wicked or evil in God’s eyes is when his thoughts do not align with the knowledge of God ([biblegateway passage=”Matthew 13:19-20″ display=”Matthew 13:19-20″]). The nature of sin is domiciled in the heart. Whatever died in Adam at the fall, was what controlled the way he thinks and acted and also contained the glory in him because as soon as he sinned he knew he was naked, that is, the covering glory disappeared.
Everything you hear is a seed, so the bible instructs that you take care of what you hear. You must understand that your heart doesn’t discriminate the between the kinds of seed sown in it. It will allow any seed that is sown to germinate. For the seed of divine truth to enter the ground of a man’s heart and germinate, understanding must be involved. God wants His word to have root in people’s heart, and not just have emotional responses. Both the cares of the world and deceitfulness of riches will not allow the word of God germinate in a man’s heart. Therefore, you need to be careful about the choices you make.
For the ground to be good, the field needs to be prepared. Your heart needs to be ploughed before planting if the seed will germinate to yield increase. You need to prepare your heart for God’s word, persevere by meditating and then apply the word you’ve heard – that is how to make a profit by God’s word. Perseverance is needed in making a profit out of God’s word. Don’t be weary in doing good (including receiving God’s word), because everyone will have their reward in due season. Some person’s reward of obeying God’s word might be instant and some may not but God has a due season for everyone.
Life and godliness are assessed through knowledge ([biblegateway passage=”1 Peter 1:23″ display=”1 Peter 1:23″]; [biblegateway passage=”2 Peter 1:3-4″ display=”2 Peter 1:3-4″]). Man fell due to knowledge and he will also be redeemed by knowledge. You have been called to have the knowledge of the creator and this knowledge alters your nature. The knowledge of God’s word (intentions, plans and wisdom) and promises need to be gotten and appropriated by faith. When God’s word sinks into a man, his natural nature becomes altered ([biblegateway passage=”2 Corinthians 3:3-6″ display=”2 Corinthians 3:3-6″]).
The writing on the stones in the Old Testament made those stones to come alive and when it was put into an ark, that ark became the most powerful box in the whole world. Likewise, allowing God’s word to be written in our hearts also gives life to you.
It took time for God to write on the testament and Moses waited till God was through. God wants to get His word planted and imprinted in you but you have to be patient to allow Him to teach you His ways. The knowledge of the Holy one is what will save the world. The goal of God is to restore that which Adam lost and He needs your prepared heart to accomplish that goal. You should begin to re-programme what you like and desire to align with God’s will. Faith comes when you receive new knowledge, the knowledge of the Holy One.
You are a product of what you listen to; therefore, spend more time acquiring wisdom from God’s word. Daniel learnt the wisdom of the Chaldeans and also learnt the wisdom of God. You are living when the supernatural becomes natural to you. Jesus’ disciples were recognised because they had a lifestyle patterned after God and were named Christians.