Pattern of Redemption

John 19:28-30

Fractals

• Huh?• Examples

• From nature• A Mandelbrot set

Mandelbrot - 1

Mandelbrot - 2

Mandelbrot - 3

Mandelbrot - 4

Mandelbrot - 5

Copper River Delta - 1

Copper River Delta - 2

Patterns in Biblical History

• Creation• Flood• Revelation - End Time

Creation began with chaos

Creation Pattern (1/2)

• Ocean storm, chaos (Genesis 1:2a) • Spirit (wind) begins to bring order (Genesis

1:2b) • World created, bringing order to chaos

(Genesis 1:3-31) • Bodies created out of the dust of the

ground (Genesis 2:7a) • Bodies given life through the breath

(spirit) of God (Genesis 2:7b) • Community formed (Genesis 2:21-25)

Creation Pattern (2/2)

• Adam and Eve found faithless (Genesis 3:6)• A decision made at a tree (Genesis 3:6) • Community broken (Genesis 3:8-12) • Nakedness and shame to clothing (Genesis

3:7, 10, 21) • Ground cursed with thorns (Genesis 3:17-

18) • Labor cursed with sweat (Genesis 3:19)

Flood Account

• Curse upon the ground re-iterated and relief sought (Genesis 5:29)

• God's spirit will be withdrawn (Genesis 6:3) • The breath of life will be removed (Genesis 6:17) • Chaos returns as God's spirit and breath are

removed (Genesis 7:11) • Creation is reversed (Genesis 7:17-24) • A remnant is found faithful and saved • Recreation, order out of chaos (Genesis 8:1-19)

• Wind begins to bring about conditions necessary for life (v. 1)

• A covenant given in place of a curse (Genesis 8:20-9:17)

Chaos returns before history ends

Revelation - End Time

• As God's Spirit leaves the world, chaos returns

• Creation is reversed • Those who choose to remain apart from God

experience physical death • A remnant is found faithful and saved • The world reverts to a pre-creation state • God recreates the world • Sin and its effects are no more

Patterns

• Nature• Mathematics• History• Are patterns a fundamental part of

the universe?• Design Patterns

John 19:28-30

“After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I thirst.’ A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (ESV)

What Was Finished?

• The big question of John’s gospel account

• Revealing God's glory - God's love • Formation of a new community based

on self-sacrificing love • Removing sin and its curse by

becoming sin and its curse (2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Galatians 3:10-14)

Removing the Curse (1/2)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

(2 Corinthians 5:17-21 ESV)

Removing the Curse (2/2)For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for usbecoming a curse for us — for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” — so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

(Galatians 3:10-14 ESV)

Curse Reversed (1/2)

• Labor cursed with sweat• Ground cursed with

thorns• Nakedness and shame

to clothing• Community broken

• A decision made at a tree

• Adam and Eve found faithless

• Jesus sweats blood • Thorns placed upon

Jesus' head • Clothed to nakedness

and shame • Rejection of God's

community • Decision at a tree

• Jesus, the second Adam, is victorious

• The women are faithful to Jesus, the Son of God

Creation Cross

Curse Reversed (2/2)

• Community formed• Bodies given life

through the breath (spirit) of God

• Bodies created out of the dust of the ground

• World created, bringing order to chaos

• New community formed• Breath and life given up

from body • Body entombed in

ground

• Nature descends into chaos

• The Resurrection and Ascension

Creation Cross

The Curse Lifted

• The curse of sin is finished in Jesus • Relationships are restored (2

Corinthians 5:17-21) • Real life is restored (Galatians 3:10-14) • Jesus' resurrection is proof of victory

over sin• The pattern of redemption is assurance

that evil will not continue forever

It’s a Choice

• We don’t have to remain under the curse

• “Wrath of God” Judgment• Each person has a choice to make

• We can choose to change our citizenship from the cursed world to the new kingdom of God

• We can choose to belong to God's family, by becoming a child of God

Choose Life

• Moses’ farewell address (Deut. 30:19-20)

• John, in his gospel prologue (John 1:1-5, 9-14)

• Jesus, speaking to Martha (John 11:25-26)

• Jesus, speaking to the Jews (John 12:35-36)

Dying Water

Dying Water

Living Water

Living Water

Living Water

Patterns of Living Water