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Week 2 is READY! Thanks for joining us. Here you go, this is week two of my year-long survey of the 52 Key Chapters of the Bible. We are looking at the CRASH site, where humanity fell into sin. There are SO many KEY DOCTRINES that are launched in Genesis 3: temptation, sin, shame, guilt, separation from God, satan’s plans, our weak points…stay with us and you will start to grasp tools that will unlock the Scriptures for a lifetime.
Whatever happened to Paradise? There was perfect earth with no sin when Genesis 2 ends. What a place it must have been with all of the glow of Creation unshrouded by sin. Every creature was good; every part of the universe was singing the glory of God. No groaning under the burden of sin was yet present from the creation. But then something drastic happened. What? Adam and Eve’s sin. Look at Genesis 3 with me.
To Eve God said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you shall bring forth children; yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” (Gen. 3:16). The pain of childbirth and the subjection of a wife to her husband are direct results of the Fall.

Transcript

Welcome to the third week going through the Bible in 2021. This is so exciting. We’re looking at how to understand the scriptures, getting a grasp of the whole Bible, going through the 52 key chapters of the Bible. Now, I want to show you in the course of this study, and I know some of you are joining for the very first time watching this. What I would encourage you to do is either stick with week three and go week four, five, six, or go back and not try to follow the calendar with starting in January, but just go to week one, whatever the date you’re starting, and go all the way through. So, it’s up to you but let me show you what we’re doing.

We’re covering the 52 most important chapters of the Bible and I’m teaching you what I call the devotional method. Now, I’m going to show you what I mean, first of all from my Bible and my notebook. So, what I’m going to do is… it’s just a normal notebook inside, I’ve taped the 52 chapters. If you want a copy of this you can look at our Facebook page, the 52 greatest chapters of the Bible study, or our website discoverthebook.org. Either one of those locations online has this overview of the study and this list of all the 52 passages, both in the Old and the New Testament. You just need a Bible. This is my Bible that I mark and underline and highlight and use. Those two things are going to be the tools you need.

Let me just jump right in, look at the slide, we’re covering Genesis chapter 6 through 8. It’s the third week of our study, it covers the flood of Noah. I’m going to show you in this study, that Jesus in Matthew 24, verses 37 to 39 uses Noah as a picture for the end of days. So, there’s a prophetic element in this study.

Next slide, you see where we are. We’ve already covered week one, which has Genesis 1 and 2. We’ve covered week two, Genesis 3, which is the fall into sin and Satan’s temptation of humanity. This is where we’ve gotten to, week three, Genesis 6 to 8.  We’re looking at the global flood.

In the next slide, I’m overlaying this entire study with this reminder, each one of us who are studying the Bible need glasses. Now, look up for a second. You notice I have glasses. Without these glasses, everything is a blur. All the lights are like snowballs and often the distance it’s just blurry. In other words, I can hardly see. I can’t drive without my glasses. I can’t even go to the grocery store without my glasses. I would have to get right up to… In fact, to see, to read, I have to get this close and then it’s hard to even read. Why am I belaboring that? Because all of a sudden, I have perfect 20/20 vision, I look through these lenses. What are the lenses? Look at the slide. The lenses you need for personal Bible study, for understanding the Bible is a framework, you have to understand where passages fit. Let me show you what I mean.

This is my personal biblical framework. I’m not saying this is what you should be. I’ll just tell you this, I’ve read the Bible over 100 times, 100 plus times. After reading the Bible, I’d say 20, 25 times I began noting that I agreed with the Bible, that I was an evangelist. In other words, people need to be saved. I was an imputationist. Only Christ can save. Not works, not the church, not me trying harder. I became convinced the scriptures are inspired. That’s an inerrantist. Look at what we’re studying here in Genesis. I became convinced that I’m a creationist because the Bible says God made everything in six solar days. Now, if you don’t understand that you can go back when you start in week one or those of you that already been in week one, you understand? Because I belabor that point.

Look what we’re learning this lesson. I’m a catastrophist, Noah’s flood really happened. Now look up for a second. Guess what? Everywhere we go, Bonnie and I fly tens of thousands, actually a hundred plus thousand miles a year. When we look out the windows of the airplanes, we see everywhere in the world the evidence that the whole world has been in a water disaster. From the Grand Canyon to fossils up on top of the Andes Mountains. The Alps in Europe and Switzerland, there is evidence. Look back at this slide, that Noah’s flood really happened. So, that’s what I’m going to underline in our study.

The next slide, we’ve entered the second of the three major divisions of the Bible. Paul, the apostle Paul has a three-part outline of the Bible in Acts 17. This is when Paul shares the gospel on Mars Hill. What he said is that people need to realize there’s a creator. By the way, that’s the theme of Genesis 1 and 2 we just covered in the last section. Then, the introduction of the Redeemer, that’s what started in Genesis 3. We’re actually right next to that, Genesis 6 through 8. The Ark of Noah is a picture, probably one of the greatest pictures in all the scriptures of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Now you see this picture up here? Christ in all the scriptures. That’s a study, another course I teach about all the types, and figures, and pictures of Jesus Christ. We’re going to see that Jesus is the Ark of salvation.

Then the final, you notice there’s three divisions in scripture. Genesis 1 and 2, the Creator. Then introduces from Genesis 3 through Revelation 5, Jesus Christ as Redeemer. Then, we meet Him as Judge. So, Jesus is the creator, Jesus is the Redeemer, Jesus is the judge.

In the next slide, creator means we’re designed by Him. So, that explains our origin. How did I get here? Redeemer means I’m bought by Him. That gives me a purpose in life, that’s why I’m here on the Earth.  Judge, that’s who Jesus is. I’m answerable to Him. That’s my destiny, where I’m going. Now look up for a second, those three points are the three biggest question every human has.  The answer to those three questions; Where did I come from? My Creator, He designed me. Why am I here? He is the one that has given me purpose in life because He redeemed me. Paul put it this way. I’m bought at a price; therefore, I live my life to glorify God. Why is that important? Because He is the Judge. Me personally, as a born again Christian, I’m going to stand in front of Jesus Christ and He’s going to ask me what I did with my precious one and only life I got to live here on Earth. Look back at this slide. Creator, you’re designed by Him. Redeemer, you were bought by Him. Judge, you’re answerable to Him. That’s your origin, your purpose and your destiny.

Next slide. All of this, the personal biblical framework and what I just shared with you that overview of the Bible, helps me understand and interpret. Now interpretation is what the Bible means. Understanding is me being able to put the pieces together and that only comes by the vital key of context. So, this is what we learned in seminary, and I’ll just summarize it for you. The primary interpretation of any scripture is not what it means to me, it’s what God was saying when He originally gave that scripture. You have to know the historic context. We’re in Genesis, Moses gave this to the children of Israel. How did they understand it? That’s the key to understanding Genesis. The geographic context, where it fits in the whole view of scripture, the whole canon, and the words themselves. The syntax. The grammar. When all those are combined you have proper biblical interpretation.

What is my method? What is the devotional method? What is the 52 greatest chapter study? First, I read the passage in the scriptures and then I check all the background materials in the MacArthur Study Bible.

Now look at the slide there of the MacArthur Study Bible.  You’re not trying to read it but what you see at the top is, the yellow highlighted, it says “the sons of God saw the daughters of men” in Genesis 6. There’s a unique passage that talks about, well, I can read this. The sons of God were identified elsewhere in the Bible, almost exclusively as angels. They saw and took wives of the human race. There’s a demon intrusion into the human race. You go a little bit further down here you see there are giants. See in verse 4, the blue there, but look at verse 8. “Noah found grace.”  Then verse 15, a description of the Ark, the size of the Ark, how many animals would fit in it. Then verse 19 down here, the yellow, there are 18,000 species and how they would fit in the Ark.

Here, the next part of this MacArthur Study Bible, is a chronology of the flood. Then the major mountains. Mount Ararat is the first mountain mentioned in the Bible, but it goes all the way through Mount Zion. Then there’s this fascinating, see that yellow highlighted area is about a dove and a raven, there’s a whole lesson about unclean and clean and what Noah was doing. Letting the birds out to check. Then the last note right here is, the tie with the flood and 2 Peter chapter 3.

So, look back at your slides. That’s what I look at in the MacArthur Study Bible. Then I record my devotional findings. So, first I read the scriptures and as I’m reading them, I’m reading those notes in the MacArthur Study Bible. That’s the first step, but the second step is writing something down. There are three things that I do every time I study the Bible. I write a title for each chapter of the Bible that I read. I find as many lessons, truths, and doctrines as possible. But I write them down in my own words. Now let me show you what I mean by that. I’m going to go to my handheld device.

Here on my journal, I wanted to show you how I taped in the front, the 52 greatest chapter overview. Then, here are the chapters. Let me get to right here, Genesis 6 through 8. Now, I’ll try and hold this still. You notice that I put the passage I’m studying. I titled the whole section, the flood of Noah.

I summarized right up here what’s going on in all three chapters. These are my lessons right here. Then this is my prayer of application. So, in Genesis 6 the whole world, except Noah, is only evil continually. God picks Noah to build an Ark. Chapter 7, they enter the Ark. You notice it’s not even complete sentences.

Look at my lessons. Number one, God sees what we’re thinking and doing. That’s what it says in verse 5 and it grieves Him.

Number two, God chose Noah by His grace. That’s in verse 8 of chapter 6. Noah responded in faith.

Number three, the Ark is a picture of salvation. I’m going to explain that to you.

Number four, God sent the animals. It actually says that God told the animals to go, and they obeyed.

Number five, God keeps His promises and I just started noting He kept Noah safe. The flood stopped.

He spoke to him and told him to come out and everybody was safe.

Noah sacrificed.

Then I write this prayer and then I always do this at the bottom. This is a list of things I want to study more in depth. Those will be the added in the lessons. This lesson is just an overview, but there’s going to be an added on lessons.

Look back at your slide, as I’m reading the passage, I am making marks. After you titled the passage, I actually do this noting. See this word right there, look at how I’m highlighting and marking. It isn’t really clear but anytime there’s something like this demon intrusion… did you know that it’s mentioned in Jude 1. So, I wrote that in my Bible to remind me. It’s in 2 Peter chapter 2, verse 4. Then, Jesus talks about Noah in Matthew 24. So, I want to remind myself of that.

Look right here in verse 8. It says, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.”  I don’t know if you can read it, but I wrote right here that’s the first usage of grace in the Bible. Wow. The law of first mention is really exciting, in Bible study you learn so much. Here’s another one, at the bottom. I noticed that God changed His mind. People talk about that and so I did a little study on that.

Up here, I started saying the Ark pictures salvation. Salvation is planned by God. It involves perfect rest. There was a refuge from danger. By the way the word pitch, right there, is the word in the Bible that elsewhere is translated, atonement. 70 times the word kāp̄ar. So, all of these notes, as I’m reading, I’m carefully noting, highlighting.  I read actively and anything that comes to my mind that’s fascinating, I want to remind myself of it. I even noticed that God puts all these date markers in. The reason that was interesting is, from when Noah went into the Ark to when Noah came out there’s over a year that God is silent. So, that’s the scriptures and the marking of them.

Now, back at your slide, after I do all those lessons, and after I do all of the notes and copy them in. From them, I actually, write a prayer. Some people think prayer should be spontaneous and 99% of mine are, but I will always treasure the prayers I write from each chapter that I study.

Look at the next slide because this is my actual journal and I’ve typed it because it’s so hard for you to read my handheld scratches.  At the top of my journal for each section I say 52 greatest chapters, week three, Genesis 6 to 8 so I know where I am. Here’s the title. Remember, I always do a title for every chapter, and this is a section. For all three chapters, I wrote the lost world of the flood of Noah and the end of the world. Why? Because, remember in Matthew 24 Jesus said, as it was in the days of Noah, it will be at the end. We’re going to talk about that in our notes below.

Here’s the summary. This is after everything, after I’ve read everything and everything I typed in. In Genesis 6 the whole world, except for Noah and his family, are only evil continually. Noah finds grace in the eyes of the Lord and God instructs him to build an Ark. Genesis 7, see I’m summarizing each chapter, 7 Noah and his family entered the Ark and God sends this global flood. Then Genesis 8 is the end of the flood, and the amazing lessons that we can get from that, I’ll show you those later.

Here are the lessons I found and there are many more than this, but I found nine today.  I did this today, just like you. Genesis 6:5, God sees what everyone is thinking and doing, and it grieves Him. Now look up for a second. That one struck me. Bonnie and I are actually doing classes. I did three online classes today. We travel to a virtual studio. As we travel, we stay in different people’s houses. We’re staying in this house, this is someone that we only met a week ago and we’re right here, staying in this house. After the virtual studio, I record these. It’s late at night and I’m trying to get this out for those of you that are going through the scriptures. As I studied this early this morning, look back at your slide, I was reading Genesis 6:5 and I thought as I was looking out the window, the city we’re staying in is a huge, busy city, traffic everywhere, and I thought God sees what everyone is thinking. They’re actually building a house next door and there were workers all around.  God sees what everyone is thinking and doing, and most of it grieves Him because we’re such sinners.

Verse 8, God chose Noah by His grace. “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.”  God is the one that initiates salvation, but all that are saved respond. Noah responded in faith. Look at Genesis 6. The Ark is a picture of salvation in Christ. Why? Because God planned it. That’s what it says in 14a. It became a place of rest. What’s fascinating about that, the word that there were resting places for the animals in the Ark is the very same word in John 14 where Jesus said, “in my father’s house are many mansions.” It’s the same word. When the Hebrew Old Testament is translated into the Greek of the Septuagint. The word from John 14 is the word that’s in Genesis 6:14. It’s very interesting.

The pitch, the atonement, I already showed you that in my Bible. He covered it with pitch. That’s the word for kāp̄ar, for atonement. Look at this, there’s only one doorway. What did Jesus say? “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Genesis 7:1, God invited them to come into the Ark of salvation.

God sent the animals. Boy, that was fascinating. I spent a long time thinking about that. That all of a sudden, two of every animal started going. They just looked up and God told them, time to walk to the Ark. God knew where they were. They came from all over the world, and they started walking toward the Ark two by two. It’s fascinating.

Let me read to you. It says in chapter 7, verse 13 “On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the Ark.” Remember, God invited them in. Told them to go in, Genesis 7:1. Look at verse 14, “they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creepeth on the earth,” and verse 15, “and they went into the Ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life.” Do you understand? God alerted all these animals, start coming. They all came and arrived at exactly the same moment. Now you say, why are you spending so much time thinking about that? Because if God can direct birds, and creeping things, and land animals of all kinds, and can get them all to the doorway in an orderly manner, that they come through two by two after Noah and his family are on the Ark. They watch this parade go by. Why? Look back at your notes because see, number six; God keeps His promises. God was showing that He was in control. He told Noah to build the Ark. He said, if you obey me, you’ll be safe, and they were. They stayed in there until the flood stopped.

Then, look at verse 15. This is the first time God spoke between Genesis 7:1 and 8:15. God is silent for over a year while the flood raged. That must’ve been hard inside the boat, the Ark. From 600 years, two months and 17 days to 601 years, two months, and 27 days. That’s over a year and 10 days God was silent. Look up for a second. This is to remind us that sometimes we feel like God is not around and we feel He’s left me. Can you imagine how Noah felt? All the rocking of the boat and the rain beating for 40 days, and God said nothing. It was dark in there, stormy outside. Now look back at your notes, God remembered them. God took care of them. Even when they didn’t know He was taking care of them.

Verse 19, all who entered the Ark survive, none is lost. Compare 7:1, 7:13-15, and 8:19. Then the wonderful conclusion. Noah offers a burnt offering.

Next slide, here’s my prayer. Now, you’ll see why these notes are so important. First, I’m just going to go through the elements and then I’m going to actually read this prayer as the very ending of our time together. Let me just show you the elements. Lord, you can see all my thoughts. Do you remember that? God saw everyone’s thoughts and it grieved Him. When He looks at my thoughts He sees my deepest heart’s desire, even though I fail the Lord, even though I sin, even though I don’t perfectly follow Him, my deepest heart’s desire is to please Him. And so, like Noah found grace, I asked for your grace to deny ungodliness in my life.

By the way, in my journal I noted Titus chapter 2, verses 11 to 13. Do you know what it says there? “The grace of God that brings salvation […] teaches us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts.” So, I said, Lord, I want your grace to help me deny ungodliness. Increase my faith in your truth. See, Noah found God was silent for a year. I’ve never by the way, I’ve never heard the voice of the Lord out loud, but I do hear His voice through His word all the time, because by faith I believe His word, His truth. I want His way, which the Bible reveals. I want to follow His plan for today. Thank you for the security. Remember the Lord, it says in your study you’re going to see it says, God shut the door of the Ark. There was no handle. God shut it and sealed it. That’s a picture of salvation, security I have in Christ. He is the Ark of my salvation.

Now look at this, this is why I talked about the animals. Since you can direct specific pairs of animals to enter the Ark, I want to entrust all my needs, all my plans, and all my fears to come under your control. If God can take care of the animals, and the rain, and make sure they had time to build the Ark, He certainly knows what we need, the timing of it, our plans, and He can allay our fears. I do trust you with every part of my life. You keep your promises so I can live and walk by faith.

Now, next slide. I showed you my Bible. The reason I’m telling you this is, my Bible slowly gets marked up. In fact, I would encourage you to wear your Bible out so your family can get you a new one and ask you why it wore out. You can show it to them when it wears out, you copy the best truths you found into a new Bible every few years. What happens is, every time I see my notes, those reminders trigger a memory. So, every day I’m in the word, it stirs everything I’ve ever studied in my lifetime. Think about this, all the time people say to me, how do you remember that? You know what? They don’t realize I have all those marks in my Bible and every time I read the Bible it reminds me of everything I’ve ever learned my whole life. So, if you’d like to understand the whole Bible start consciously following something, like this devotional method I’m showing you.

Back to the slides. I have this theme verse for our whole study. Your devotional study is finding the word of God, you’re writing it down and finding applications, meditating on it. The more you meditate, God’s word becomes inside of us joy and rejoicing. There are many people that need highs. They’ve got to buy something, or do something, or feel something, or music, or whatever. Do you know what brings me transformational, internal joy and rejoicing? Meditating on the word of God. What happens? I realize I’m called by the name of the Lord God of the universe. My identity is totally found in Him.

Next slide. I have two final challenges for you before I read this prayer and close our time. Number one, find someone with whom you can share your findings and your application prayer. Now look up from the slide. Christians are not islands. We are not meant to be solo, all alone. Notice the Lord’s prayer. Doesn’t say my Father in Heaven, give me. It’s “Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.” Now listen, “give us.” Everything about Christianity is shared with a group of other believers. So, look back at the slide. Find someone with whom you can share your findings and your application. Prayer. Say, you know what I have? I’m in a year-long study through the Bible and I need five minutes. Would you please give me five minutes and show them that you’re reading Genesis 6 through 8. You are going to find all kinds of exciting things you never realized before are there.  Then say, you know what? This is what God’s doing in my life.

Now look up for a second, I want to share with you. Five years ago, I began taking groups of people through the Bible this way. 10 groups. I had 10 small groups five years ago. I started them and we met. We’d go to Panera, and we’d go to Starbucks, and we go to Chipotle. I remember once we were in Chipotle with three guys and all of a sudden, this whole group of state policemen, in the state where I was serving at that time, in their dark blue suits all came in and got in the line around our table at Chipotle. I notice that one of them, the biggest one, he stopped talking to the other policemen and he started watching us. I didn’t think anything of it cause we all had our Bibles out and we were pretty into our study. About 20 minutes later, the other guys started looking. I could tell someone had walked up behind me. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I looked around. There was that great big, dark suited, boots, and big gun policeman. He said, do you ever do Bible studies like this, with people like us? I said, what do you mean people like us? He said, with policemen. I said sure. I gave him my email address. Believe it or not, I started an active duty police Bible study. It was an exciting one. They would sometimes roar off from the study when they got these alerts, that they had to go to something, but that was one of the most special groups. You know what I learned? No matter how big and tough you are, look back at this, this is the hardest thing to do. Not to apply the Bible to your wife, or your children, or your friends, but apply it as a prayer that I want God to change me. Share that with someone.

Here’s the last slide, start a review. Start or review a scripture passage, take the ultimate challenge. You should be learning scriptures. Now, there’s a lesson zero in the YouTube playlist that has the 52 greatest passages to memorize in the Bible. You ought to, if you haven’t watched that yet. Why don’t you consider taking the ultimate challenge and getting those on the back of your phone, one at a time and memorizing them.

Before I go, I want to remind you, Bonnie and I are full-time missionaries. We’re on the road right now. I’m teaching actually classes along the Pacific Rim. If you think of it, pray for us. We’ve had more trouble with cameras and everything else. So, just ask the Lord to bless. But remember, if you want to comprehend the Bible, do all 52 weeks. We’re on week three, Genesis 6 through 8. I’m a catastrophist and also, I believe that God has mapped out the future. If you stick with this study to the end, we’re going to cover all the way to the book of Revelation.

I’m going to pray this prayer and I want you to, as I’m doing this, think about who you would share this with. After you find it, write it down. Share your insights. I would pick someone that is important to you. Someone that prays for you. Someone that loves you. So, maybe it’s your roommate. It could be your parent. Could be your husband or wife. Could be a classmate. It could be a coworker. Maybe you’ll start a small group Bible study with them because you know what happens? They say, what are you doing? I want to do it too. You can say look, I’ve gone through these 52 chapters.

Let me close with this prayer. Bow with me.

Lord, you see my thoughts and my actions and as you look, I pray you’d see my deepest desire is to please you. I asked for your grace, and I want to deny by your grace ungodliness in my life at every point. Increase my faith in your truth, your word, your way, in your plan today. Thank you for the security I have in Christ. He’s the Ark of my salvation. Since you can direct all those pairs of animals to enter the Ark, I just want to trust you with all my needs, my plans, and my fears, and I want them to come under your control. I trust you with every part of my life. You keep your promises. And I want to live and walk by faith. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

What a blessing to share this study with you. I pray you’d get started and don’t quit for 52 weeks. Go with us through these key chapters of the Bible.

God bless you this week.