Tag: Genesis 5

Walking Faithfully with God: learning from the legacy of Enoch

Matt EricksonLeave a comment

One of the most interesting, yet brief, characters in the primeval histories of Genesis 1-11 must be Enoch. In just four short verses, we catch a glimpse of someone whose distinguishing mark in life was that he “walked faithfully with God” (Genesis 5:22, 24). Enoch has one of the shortest quantities of life recorded in Genesis 5, but he undoubtedly has the most distinguished quality of life in that chapter.

The concept of walking faithfully with God is used in reference to only two other characters in all the book of Genesis: Adam (indirectly in Genesis 1 and 2) and Noah (6:9). Certainly, some of the later patriarchs are describes as walking faithfully before God (24:40; 48:15), but there is a different quality of intimacy to the walk with God which Enoch, Noah, and Adam enjoyed.

We do not know much about whether Enoch experienced difficult times or easy times in his life (although the extra-biblical 1 and 2 Enoch provide some imaginative explorations). Given what we read about the state of the world during the expansion of evil, we can assume Enoch’s life experiences were not all that different from others during this time, and perhaps not all that different from our own. Undoubtedly, his life included beauty and difficulty, love and discord. Yet, amidst all this, Enoch walked faithfully with God. His is one of the few lives described in the Bible as not exactly ending but being taken to God directly (see Elijah in 2 Kings 2:11 for another notable example). I wonder sometimes if Enoch walked so closely with God that he walked right out of his days into the presence of the Eternal One without even noticing.

One of the most famous summaries of the life with God arises from the lips of the prophet Micah:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

Micah’s memorable statement describes what it looks like to walk faithfully with God. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if that was the summary description someone would give of our life? “This person,” they would say after we were gone, “walked faithfully with God.” If there were only four short sentences to narrate our life, there would be no better description we might aspire to.

Some may say such a report is beyond us, and only for the high holy ones or super saints. But, of course, the Gospels reveal this is not the case. The incarnation of Jesus reminds us that God draws near to the ordinary with His glorious presence, making company with ordinary fisherman and homemakers, tax collectors and prostitutes. Jesus called His disciples His family (Matthew 12:48-50) and promised to never depart from them (28:20). Even ordinary you and me can walk faithfully with God through Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So, why not start the adventure of life with God now? Why not make today the day when we take one more step closer to God? Why not reach out in prayer, to talk to God, to ask Him for help, to confess our need and sin, and to thank Him for everyday mercy and grace? Why not let this very moment be the one where we ask God to teach us the way to walk faithfully with Him all our lives. Maybe, just maybe, we might walk right out of our days and into the presence of the Eternal One without even noticing.

“The Expansion of Evil: Before the Flood”

Matt EricksonLeave a comment

This past weekend at Eastbrook, we contimued our preaching series, “Fractured,” drawn from Genesis 4-11. This is the second part of a two-part series on Genesis 1-11 that will stretch from January through Lent up to Easter. You can access the first part of this series on Genesis, “In the Beginning,” here. This second week of the series I preached from Genesis 4:17-6:8, walking through the expanding cycle of disorder from Adam and Eve up to the life of Noah.

You can find the message outline and video below. You can access the entire series here. Join us for weekend worship in-person or remotely via Eastbrook at Home.

“The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” (Genesis 6:5)

The Internal Conflict of Humanity (4:17-26)

Cain and future human accomplishment: a city, technology, the arts

Lamech: a representative of vengeance beyond Cain

Seth: a new beginning and the worship of the Lord God

The Generations (5:1-32)

The story of Genesis as a story of God working across the generations (toledot)

The generation from Adam to Noah

Examples to explore:

  • Enoch who walked with God
  • Lamech and his son, Noah

The Sons of God and the Daughters of Men (6:1-4)

Who are the sons of God?

  • Godly descendants of Seth versus descendants of Cain?
  • Angelic beings of some sort?
  • Dynastic tyrants descended from Lamech?

The absolute contamination of even the best humanity 

The Response of God to the Expansion of Evil (6:5-8)

God sees

God grieves

God acts

God extends favor

Dig Deeper

This week dig deeper in one or more of the following ways:

Eastbrook at Home – March 5, 2023

Matt EricksonLeave a comment
Eastbrook-At-Home-Series-GFX_16x9-Title

Join us for worship with Eastbrook Church through Eastbrook at Home at 8, 9:30, and 11 AM. This weekend we continue our preaching series entitled “Fractured” based on Genesis, chapters 4-11, by looking at the expansion of evil before the flood as described in Genesis 4-6.

Here is a prayer for this second Sunday in Lent from The Book of Common Prayer:

Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities that may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

If you are able to do so, let me encourage you to join us for in-person services at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 AM this weekend at the Eastbrook Campus.

If you are new to Eastbrook, we want to welcome you to worship and would ask you to text EBCnew to 94000 as a first step into community here at Eastbrook.

Each Sunday at 8, 9:30, and 11 AM, you can participate with our weekly worship service at home with your small group, family, or friends. This service will then be available during the week until the next Sunday’s service starts. You can also access the service directly via Vimeo, the Eastbrook app, or Facebook.

If you are not signed up for our church emailing list, please sign up here. Also, please remember that during this time financial support for the church is critical as we continue minister within our congregation and reach out to our neighborhood, city, and the world at this challenging time. Please give online or send in your tithes and offerings to support the ministry of Eastbrook Church.

“Fractured” (Genesis, part 2) – a new series at Eastbrook Church

Matt Erickson2 Comments

This coming Sunday at Eastbrook Church we begin a new preaching series entitled “Fractured.” This will be the second of a two-part series on Genesis, chapters 1-11. This series explores Genesis 4-11, picking up where our earlier series, “In the Beginning,” left off. Genesis is a book of beginnings, setting the stage for all that comes afterwards not only in that book but in the entire Bible. Each of these messages will explore the reality of a humanity’s fracturing from God and how we see that in each descent of the Fall through these stories. Each of these early stories speak of our need for God and leads us through a season of lament and repentance consonant with the season of Lent. This series is also accompanied by our annual devotional written by members of Eastbrook Church.

Here are the weekly topics for this series, which begins with Ash Wednesday and carries through Palm Sunday:

February 22 [Ash Wednesday] – “Dust to Dust” – text: Genesis 3:19

February 26 – “The Power of Anger: Cain and Abel” – text: Genesis 4:1-17

March 5 – “The Expansion of Evil: Before the Flood” – text: Genesis 4:17-6:8

March 12 – “The Need for Cleansing: The Flood, part 1” – text: Genesis 6:9-7:24

March 19 – “Healing for the Earth: The Flood, part 2” – text: Genesis 8:1-9:17

March 26 – “Faltering at the Finish line: After the Flood” – text: Genesis 9:18-10:32

April 2 [Palm Sunday] – “Confusion Among the Nations” – text: Genesis 11:1-32