Oxford Bible Church - Living in the Last Days

The fact Genesis reveals the foundational Truth of God is confirmed by the teaching of Jesus, who treats its account of the Creation, Fall & Flood as literal. *GENESIS 1 reveals a personal supernatural God created this world. So, life did not arise by accident as evolution teaches. He created man in His image, with authority to rule. Man did not descend from apes, but is a direct creation of God. *GENESIS 2 describes His special creation of man (v7), made us in His image to have fellowship with Him (3:8). As our Creator, He is our Owner & Lord, with an absolute right to rule us & define who we are & our purpose. He makes the rules & sets the boundaries. He put Adam & Eve under obedience, and explained the result of rebellion (v17). God defines right & wrong, there are absolutes, and we’re accountable to God; if we rebel, there are consequences & judgment. God created man as male & female (1:27, 2:18-25), the origin of sexuality, with Adam & Eve the original pattern. He instituted marriage between a man & a woman & family. *GENESIS 3 reveals the devil tempted them into sin. As a result, man died spiritually & was cast out of God’s Presence. Sin resulted in man losing God’s blessing & coming under curse, bringing suffering, sickness & physical death. As man was given authority over nature & the animal kingdom, the curse also came on his domain. So, man is sinful by nature, cut off from God & under His judgment. But God shared the Gospel of the Messiah with them (v15) and they trusted in Him (v21). Genesis 3 reveals man is a fallen being, who needs salvation. Only by understanding this does the Gospel make sense. If there’s no personal God, no absolute right & wrong, no sin & judgment, then there’s no need for salvation. *GENESIS 4-6 teaches Adam transmitted the sin-nature in his flesh to all his seed (1:11-25), as seen with Cain (4:7,8) & Seth (5:3) and confirmed by Jesus (John 3:6). Due to the inherited sin-nature, sin multiplied (6:5), necessitating a world-wide Flood, proving God will judge man for his sin. So, the Truth is there’s a righteous God, who expects us to live righteously. But all have sinned and so are under His judgment. We must accept this truth, to understand & believe the Gospel & be saved. He also revealed the Gospel of salvation (the solution to man’s problem), by His provision of salvation for Noah & family from the judgment of the Flood. The ARK is a picture of CHRIST, our refuge from judgment, who offers Himself to us to cover & protect us. Christ, our Ark of Salvation, took God judgment on Himself, so that all who trust in Him & take refuge in Him, will be put in Him & be saved from judgment.

The Truth of Genesis is settled for a Christian by seeing what Jesus said about these issues, for if we believe He is the Truth (John 14:6) and the true God, then He knows what’s true & what’s false, and His teaching must be true, the authoritative Word of God, as He claimed (Matt 5:21,27,31, 33,38,43). He spoke as God, the Fount of all authority & will judge us by our response to His words (John 12:48-50). He claimed all His words come from God, and so are without error. This is especially clear in Matthew 28:18-20, where the risen Christ commands His disciples to teach all men: “to observe ALL THINGS I COMMANDED you.” If He’d taught errors He’d not have endorsed everything He taught in His earthly ministry, and tell His apostles to teach the same. Thus, we expect the apostles’ teaching to agree with His teaching on these issues. He affirmed that all of God’s Word (including Genesis) is truth (John 17:17, Matt 4:4, John 10:35, Luke 24:25-27, 44-45), as did the apostles (2Tim 3:16). He often quoted Genesis, treating it as His final authority in disputes. He believed Genesis was historically true. Some examples of this are: *1. JESUS believed in a historical MOSES, and that he wrote the first 5 books of the Bible. He validated Moses & his writings, including Genesis (John 5:39-40, 45-47). *2. He believed in a historical ADAM, the first man, directly created by God, and affirmed Genesis as historical fact (Luke 3:38, Mark 10:6, Matt 19:4, John 8:44), as did the apostles (Rom 5:12-21, 8:19-211Tim 2:13,14, 1Cor 15:22,45, Jude 1:14). Rom 5:12-21 confirms the Genesis account of a literal Adam, who sinned, and from whom sin & death was transmitted to all men. It uses Adam as a type of Christ, so the Gospel is based on the historicity of Adam. *3. He confirmed ABEL (Genesis 4) was a historical character – the first murder victim, CREATION WEEK (Luke 11:50-51), as does Heb 11:4, 12:24). Hebrews 11 confirms the historicity of many Old Testament heroes. *4. He confirmed the historicity of NOAH and the world-wide FLOOD (Gen 6-9, Matt 24:38-39, Luke 17:27), as did the apostles (1Pet 3:20, 2Pet 2:5, 3:6). He also confirmed the literal destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah and Lot’s deliverance (Matt 10:15, 11:23-24, Mark 6:11, Luke 10:12, 17:28-32), as did the apostles (Rom 9:29, 2Pet 2:6-8, Jude 1:7, Rev 11:8).

GENESIS gives us the foundational TRUTH of the Bible, necessary for us to receive SALVATION, whereas believing the LIE leads to destruction (2Thess 2:10,11). It’s the fundamental issue of reality - ORIGINS. Why is this universe here? Why are we here? Is there a God who created us, or is it all just a big accident? Everything depends on this issue including our identity, meaning & purpose. There are only 2 ways to interpret reality – the TRUTH or the LIE. The TRUTH is there is a GOD, who CREATED all things and defines who we are. He has the right of ownership & sovereignty over us, and to expect our loyalty. He defines right & wrong. We are accountable to Him, and one day will judge us. He gave us the freedom to choose or reject Him, to believe the TRUTH or the LIE, but will hold us accountable for our choices. The LIE says we’re just accidents, the product of random events (evolution), so our life has no purpose or meaning. No wonder there's such despair in society. The only alternative is ATHEISM (this universe is all there is). EVOLUTION is a BELIEF, a RELIGION based on the LIE, to explain our ORIGINS apart from God. You either believe there’s a personal Creator God, or that you’re part of an evolving universe. The LIE means there’s no God and no absolute moral code, so we are our own god and can define our own reality and do what we want. So, a culture that promotes the LIE becomes immoral The Kingdom of LIGHT is governed by the TRUTH, whereas the kingdom of DARKNESS is governed by the LIE. The key spiritual battle over every soul is whether he embraces the TRUTH or the LIE. Only if he LOVES the TRUTH can he be SAVED by trusting Christ. God revealed the TRUTH to man in (1) CREATION & (2) CONSCIENCE, but since men love the darkness more than the light, they suppress the Truth in their hearts, exchanging it for the Lie, and so worship the creation rather than the Creator (idolatry), resulting in immorality (Rom 1:18-25).

The TRUTH of God is given in the first chapters of GENESIS, the most attacked part of the Bible, for Satan knows the foundational place Genesis plays in establishing the TRUTH. *Genesis 1 describes God’s CREATION of the universe (1:1), then how God brought forth all living things by direct CREATION – not EVOLUTION. It describes God as uncreated & eternal, not part of this universe. *Genesis 2 describes the direct creation of Adam & Eve (not by evolution), in the image of God, not apes (Gen 1:26-27), and that we are all descended from them (Acts 17:26). It describes the FALL. Adam SINNED, bringing the whole human race into a state of SIN & DEATH (Rom 5:21-21, 1Cor 15:22). This is opposite to evolution, in which we were created by a process of cruelty (sin) & death. The Bible says God made everything GOOD. Genesis 3 reveals the PROBLEM of SIN, so we need SALVATION. If we don't accept the truth that MAN is a SINNER, we will not feel our need for a SAVIOUR, so the Cross will be foolishness to us. It also reveals the nature of the LIE, and its entrance into the human race through Satan. The LIE is we are our own gods, independent from God. Satan denied the TRUTH of a supreme Creator God. Instead, he claimed the whole universe, including God, is evolving. The LIE was the basis for man’s FALL into SIN, for embracing the LIE, led them to rebel against God (Gen 2:17, 3:1-5) resulting in all mankind becoming sinners (Isa 53:6). God’s TRUTH in Genesis 2-3 reveals the nature of SIN as rebellion against God (rejection of His authority), and also reveals its consequences: the CURSE & JUDGMENT. The penalty of SIN is DEATH, which came on the whole human race in Adam (Gen 2:17, Rom 6:23).

God put the TRUTH in man’s heart, that he’s a created being, under God. As such, he was made to depend on God and submit to His authority. But Satan challenged this basic TRUTH, by feeding man the LIE - the only alternative explanation for our existence apart from Creation. They BELIEVED the LIE, that we could be like God, knowing good & evil in ourselves, and so be independent from God, and as a result sinned (Gen 3:6). Genesis 3 reveals God didn’t finish with man when he sinned. In His love, He promised He’d send the MESSIAH, to save us (v15), and instituted a sacrificial system, to point to how He’d save us (Gen 3:21, 4:4). The everlasting GOSPEL is based on the foundational TRUTH of GOD as our CREATOR (Rev 14:7). The truths of sin, righteousness & judgment )(n 16:8), as well as the truth of SALVATION, are seen in the story of NOAH & the FLOOD (Gen 6-8), for it shows how man’s SIN infected the whole human race, until GOD had to JUDGE man’s SIN by a world-wide FLOOD. But before that, He provided SALVATION, through Noah’s Ark (a picture of CHRIST, our ARK of SALVATION), for all those who believed & entered the Ark. Likewise, those who trust in Christ are put into Him and are saved from judgment, for in His Atoning Death, the judgment we deserved fell on Him, instead of us, so we could be saved under His Covering.

Pastor Derek explores the concepts of the Truth and the Lie according to the Bible. He explains how believing the Truth leads to life, while believing the Lie leads to destruction. He emphasises the importance of embracing God's truth and rejecting falsehoods, in our spiritual journey of faith. This is ideal for those seeking a deeper understanding of the foundations of the Christian faith.

The TRUTH by its very nature is NARROW, whereas the LIE is BROAD. There is ONE TRUE GOD and one true faith, but there are many false gods, and many false religions. Therefore, you will only find the TRUTH, by having a heart commitment to seek and to

know the TRUTH of God, and a refusal to take the easy way, and accept the convenient lies that make your life easier (Matthew 7:13-14). The truth is reality, the Lie is an illusion. The Truth of God: (1) God is the Creator. and sovereign over all. He defines our identity and purpose. (2) There is an absolute standard of right and wrong (the Moral Law, based on God’s own nature), and we are accountable to God to keep His Law. (3) Thus there is such a thing as SIN and GUILT, when we break God’s Moral Law. (4) We will be JUDGED by God for how we have lived. Atheists say that faith in God is an escape for people afraid of the dark, whereas the truth is that atheism is a fairy-tale escape for people who are afraid of the light. We must choose between the light (truth) and the darkness (lie), John 3:19-20. The Lie is the denial of the truth. If there is no God, there is no absolute right or wrong, so we are free to do whatever we want, which is attractive to many. The LIE says there is no ultimate reality beyond this evolving universe, which means we can define our own truth. This allows man to be his own god, with the right to decide in himself, what is right and wrong, and he is not accountable to any higher being. This means this universe came into being from nothing by accident, and evolved all by itself – irrational! The Lie is EVOLUTION. Believing the LIE puts you in the broad road to corruption & destruction (Romans 1:18-25). Satan is the father of the Lie (John 8:44, Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezekiel 28:13-18, Revelation 12:3-4, Genesis 3:1-4).

Believing the Truth is necessary to be saved, for the Gospel of salvation through Christ only makes sense if you believe the truth of God, righteousness, sin & judgment. 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12: “They will PERISH, because they did not receive the LOVE of THE TRUTH, that they might be SAVED. And for this reason, God will send them strong DELUSION, that they should believe THE LIE, that they all may be CONDEMNED, who did not believe THE TRUTH, but had PLEASURE in unrighteousness.” When men reject the TRUTH, because they want to be free to enjoy a sinful lifestyle, they open their heart to embrace the LIE (the only alternative), the deception that there is no God, so they can be their own god, free to live as they please. This then becomes the basis for their final CONDEMNATION by God. So, an essential first step for people to be SAVED is that they must believe in the TRUTH of the CREATOR God.

This is part 1 of a 4-part Series called: 'The Truth.' In this message, Pastor Derek discusses the different approaches needed to share the Gospel with various audiences, focusing on the Hebrew and Greek worldviews. For the Jews who'd already received the foundational biblical truths of God, Creation, Adam, the Fall (sin), and the Messianic Hope, the apostles focused on proving that Jesus is the promised Messiah, because He fulfilled all the Messianic Prophecies (Acts 2,3 and13). For those who do not have this foundation of Truth, as is the case for many people today, because of secular humanism, we have to build this foundation first before they can understand the Gospel. This is what Paul did in Acts 14 and 17. Derek demonstrates this by expounding Acts 14:8-17 and 17:16-21. As we share the TRUTH of God and the GOSPEL of Christ, we are SHINING His LIGHT on them, and if they desire to know God, they will SEEK Him, and the eyes of their heart will gradually open more and more to the light, and they will FIND Him, because He is not far from each one of us (Acts 17:27).

Join Derek Walker as he delves into the significance of Israel in Biblical Prophecy. In this insightful lecture, he challenges the notion of Replacement Theology, emphasising the enduring everlasting covenants made by God with Israel. He explores the role of Israel in God's Kingdom Program and the sure fulfilment of biblical promises. This comprehensive teaching strengthens faith and understanding of Israel's central place in God's plan.

Join us for a deep dive into Biblical Prophecy and eschatology as we explore pivotal historical dates such as 1948 and 1967, their significance in the end times, and the typology surrounding Pentecost. Learn about the implications of the 'Times of the Gentiles' and how they relate to Jesus' life. Discover insights into the Feast of Pentecost, the Rapture, and the importance of spiritual readiness in today's world.

Derek shares 3 essential Keys to receiving Healing from God. EPG: *Key 1: Know that Healing is God’s will. *Key 2: Know that God gives us His Healing Power as a free gift, on request, to be received by faith. *Key 3: To receive His power, surrender your body to God. This video explores the spiritual nature of healing, emphasising the importance of faith, the belief in God's will for healing, and the power of surrendering to divine grace. Through biblical examples and teachings, discover how to open your heart to receive God's healing power.

Join this detailed examination of biblical prophecies focusing on the imminent Invasion of Israel as outlined in Ezekiel 38 and 39. This talk delves into the historical and current geopolitical alignments that are fulfilling these ancient prophecies. Discover the implications for believers and the potential for a worldwide revival triggered by divine intervention. A must-watch for those interested in eschatology and the role of nations in the end times.

Join Derek Walker as he delves deep into the spiritual significance of the Water Ceremony at the climax of the Feast of Tabernacles, and how it is fulfilled in us as Temples of the Holy Spirit, as we allow the Holy Spirit (the River of Life) flow through us.

Join Pastor Derek as he explores the 'prayer of commitment,' a powerful practice for casting burdens onto the Lord. Learn how to find peace by trusting in God's guidance and submitting life's challenges to Him. Discover the importance of decisiveness in prayer and the transformative effect it can have on your spiritual journey. The Prayer of Commitment is when we cast all our cares on the Lord, and submit to His leadership in the situation (1Peter 5:6-7). Then we should trust Him to lead us and offer the Sacrifice of Praise.