Transcript Lesson 1 for July 4, 2015 God created man He gave him free will Man sinned God was the first missionary We are missionaries too.

Lesson 1 for July 4, 2015
God
created
man
He gave him free will
Man sinned
God was the first
missionary
We are missionaries too
“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He
created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27)
Humans are not a consequence of
chance. Our life is not senseless. God
revealed our origin and our destiny;
the reason why we exist and how we
should live.
1. We are the crown of Creation.
Everything created before them was
made for us.
2. God created man in a different way than
the rest of Creation: “Let us make…”
3. We were created in the image of God,
according to His likeness and morally
free.
4. We were given dominion over the whole
Creation to take care of it as stewards of
God.
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you
may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not
eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” (Genesis 2:16-17)
God created us
free to choose: to
love or not to
love, to obey or
not to obey.
If we could only
love and obey,
would we be
really free?
“God desires from all His creatures the service of love—service that
springs from an appreciation of His character. He takes no pleasure
in a forced obedience; and to all He grants freedom of will, that they
may render Him voluntary service.” E.G.W. (Patriarchs and Prophets, cp. 1, pg. 12)
“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was
pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its
fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:6)
Adam and Eve were free to choose, and
they chose to disobey God’s command,
“You shall not eat.”
They lost their freedom when they sinned.
Sin transformed our nature so we can’t
stop sinning by our own.
We are called to make the right choices everyday
concerning several realms of sin. See 1 John 2:16:
 The lust of the flesh.
 The lust of the eyes.
 The pride of life.
Choosing to obey every day is only possible with
divine help.
“Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?’”
(Genesis 3:9)
They tried to solve their problems
with fig leaves. They chose to avoid
God’s presence when they felt it.
God took the initiative. He became
the first missionary.
He called them and
explained the plan He
formed to save them
(Genesis 3:15).
He gave His only Son,
that we could have
eternal life
(John 3:14-16).
“The Lord has laid on
Him the iniquity of us
all.” (Isaiah 53:6;
2 Corinthians 5:21).
“Christ might, because of our guilt, have
moved far from us. But instead of moving
farther away from us, He came and dwelt
among us, filled with all the fullness of the
Godhead, to be one with us, that through His
grace we might attain to perfection. By a
death of shame and suffering He paid man’s
ransom. What self-sacrificing love is this!
From the highest excellency He came, His
divinity clothed with humanity, descending
step by step to the very depths of
humiliation. No line can measure the depth
of this love.”
E.G.W. (The Upward Look, June 26)
“You are the salt of the earth… You are
the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:13-14)
God passed the “baton”—His missionary
initiative—to us: “As the Father has sent Me,
I also send you.” (John 20:21).
Jesus used two metaphors to explain how He
wants us to do our mission:
 Salt of the earth.
Every Christian must mingle
with the world and to
“infect” others with his
example.
 Light of the world.
Every Christian must light
this spiritually dark world.
We must teach the plan of
Salvation to others.
“‘Ye are the salt of the earth,’ Jesus said. Do not
withdraw yourselves from the world in order to
escape persecution. You are to abide among men, that
the savor of the divine love may be as salt to preserve
the world from corruption.
Hearts that respond to the influence of the Holy Spirit
are the channels through which God’s blessing flows.
Were those who serve God removed from the earth,
and His Spirit withdrawn from among men, this
world would be left to desolation and destruction, the
fruit of Satan’s dominion. Though the wicked know it
not, they owe even the blessings of this life to the
presence, in the world, of God’s people whom they
despise and oppress.”
E.G.W. (The Desire of Ages, cp. 31, pg. 272)