North Main Street Church of God
Good and Evil
1201 North Main Street Ext. Butler, PA 16001 02/04/2023
Locations & Times
North Main Street Church of God
1201 N Main St Ext, Butler, PA 16001, USA
Sunday 10:30 AM
Sunday Morning
Join us on Sunday Mornings online where you can Check-in/Connect, Give, and Watch along with us.
https://northmaincog.org/online/Know Christ intimately,
Grow in Christ continually, and
Go for Christ daily
Check-in Here
Thanks for joining us! If it's your first time here we'd love to connect with you! Fill out the form below. <br> For our regular attenders, please check in with your name and email, if you need to update information
https://northmaincog.org/online-connection-form/Joining us online?
Thank you for joining us today! Please check in here:
https://northmaincog.org/online-connection-form/
Newcomers to North Main
If you are a newcomer, we’re so glad you’ve joined us! If you’re here in person, make sure to stop by the Welcome Center where we have a gift bag for you with some information about us and some delicious homemade chocolate chip COOKIES. <br> For those online please visit the website below and make sure to click the COMMUNICATION CARD button and fill that out so we can send you a free gift!
https://northmaincog.org/onlineChurch Mobile App
Did you know North Main has a church mobile app? Access videos anytime from your device and never miss a sermon. Securely and easily give your tithes, offerings, and donations. Instantly register for upcoming events, and stay in the know of what's happening. Contact Us at any time with a simple message. Find others in the North Main directory. To download go to:
https://northmaincog.org/app/Bible Reading Plan
Join us in 2024 as we read through the Bible in a year and highlight evidence of “GOODNESS” throughout our daily Scripture readings. Reading Guides and PURPLE highlighters are available at the Welcome Center. You can also access the resources digitally on:
https://northmaincog.org/bible/
Events
For more information about events at North Main such as our upcoming softball games, women’s hikes, classes, and groups, please make sure to stop by the Welcome Center or visit our website at
https://northmaincog.org/eventsEvery February we partner with Meals on Wheels and make desserts they can include with the meals that they distribute. Would you be willing to bring in a dessert to donate? Please don’t top your desserts with icing or cream or include nuts as an ingredient. Bring your desserts labeled, packed to freeze, and in non-returnable containers to North Main on Sunday, February 25th. You can pick up a card with this information at the Welcome Center!
Starting February 1 we're inviting everyone at North Main to commit to spending 60 seconds of every (waking) 60 minutes for 60 days inviting God into whatever you might be doing in that moment and intentionally focusing on His presence. If you're going to commit, please sign the posters outside the main Sanctuary doors.
Give
We thank you for your faithful gifts. You can give online and, of course, on Sundays by using the secure drop boxes located outside the doors of the Sanctuary. THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS.
https://northmaincog.org/give/
(Genesis 2:4-17)
Yearly Theme: “Goodness is… Great”
Series Title: “Breaking Bad: The Consequences of Sin”
February 4th, 2024
According to the Guinness Book of World Records…
“The smallest possible size for anything in the universe is the Planck Length, which is 1.6 x10-35 m across.
“Equivalent to around a millionth of a billionth of a billionth of a billionth of a cm across (a decimal point followed by thirty-four zeroes and a one), this is the scale at which the quantum foam is believed to exist: the laws of quantum physics cause minute wormholes to open and close constantly, giving space a rapidly-changing, foam-like structure. If we were ever able to exploit the tremendous energy of the quantum foam, then the power contained within one cubic centimeter of empty space would be enough to boil the Earth's oceans.”[1]
This infinitesimally small unit of measure doesn’t seem like much, but if you were building something that needed to be exactly precise in measurement – with no deviation whatsoever – even this small measurement could ultimately cause a problem over the course of time.
When GOD created the Universe and everything in it, He deemed it good; in fact, He deemed it very good. And “good” by GOD’s design is perfection, with no deviation at all (not even a Planck Length off). However, GOD’s good creation also held within it the possibility of becoming off-center, so to speak. In the center of the Garden of Eden, where GOD placed the first man, was a tree that was forbidden for humans to partake: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Let’s read the Genesis chapter two account of the ongoing creation narrative:
[1] “Smallest Unit of Length.” Guinness World Records. Accessed December 12, 2023. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/smallest-unit-of-length#:~:text=The%20smallest%20possible%20size%20for,1.6%20x10%2D35%20m%20across.
Key Point: “The difference between good and evil is one Planck Length.”
So, what are we able to take away from this passage today with regard to good and evil? Well, we can learn that…
Genesis 2:15 (NLT), The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.
Genesis 2:16-17a (NLT), 16 But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden – 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
Genesis 2:17b (NLT), “If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
There is one crucial experience that we do not have that the first humans had (at least for a little while): life without sin. There was a time when humans had no knowledge of evil because all they had was good. Oh to experience that would be bliss. To have only the experience of good would truly be heaven. But this wasn’t to be the case. Due to their disobedience to GOD, the first humans ushered into GOD’s good creation that which was evil thus setting in motion a ripple effect of death throughout all creation.
However, in due time, GOD would restore that which was broken by sending His Son, Jesus, to deal with the problem of sin and death by hanging on a tree of death that would become a symbol of the tree of life. What the enemy meant for evil GOD purposed for good. Because of what GOD did through Jesus, we now have the privilege to come into right relationship with GOD once again. Because Jesus overcame evil with good, we too have the ability to overcome evil with good as we surrender our lives in faith to Jesus Christ. Then, when all is said and done, we will be able to hear those words we all long to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. … Enter into the joy of your Lord.” John, in the Revelation, gives us a glimpse into that time and place when those who have believed in the name of Jesus enter heaven…
Revelation 22:14 (NLT), Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.
Bruce Barton writes, “In Eden, Adam and Eve had been barred from any access to the tree of life because of their sin (Genesis 3:22–24). In the new earth, God’s people will eat from the tree of life because their sins have been removed by Christ’s death and resurrection. Those who eat the fruit of this tree will live forever.”[1]
Key Point: “The difference between good and evil is one Planck Length.”
[1] Barton, Bruce B. 2000. Revelation. Edited by Grant R. Osborne. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
Do you think created human nature stands in direct opposition to the will and nature of God? Why is dependence on the moral authority of God necessary for us?
There were two trees in the middle of The Garden; what was God’s specific direction and which tree was it regarding?
How does God’s command to Adam about the Tree of Knowledge introduce the concept of free will?
What lessons on obedience can we learn from the restriction placed on The Tree of Knowledge? Additionally, What knowledge comes from this tree? Why is that significant?
What do you suppose would have happened if Adam and Eve had eaten from The Tree of Life as opposed to The Tree of Knowledge?
Past Sermons
To view past sermons, please visit our website below.
https://northmaincog.org/media-resources/sermons/Contact Us
If you would like to update your information or have a prayer request, please fill out the link below.
https://northmaincog.org/media-resources/contact-us/North Main Street Church of God
1201 North Main Street Ext.Butler, PA 16001 (724) 285-4214 info@northmaincog.org
http://www.northmaincog.org/Give
We thank you for your faithful gifts. You can give online at NORTHMAINCOG.ORG/GIVE, text "give" to (724) 313-2211, and, of course, on Sundays by using the secure drop boxes located outside the doors of the Sanctuary. THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS.
https://www.northmaincog.org/giveMonday - Thursday
9:00am - 4:00pm