THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE FALL

Our text:

Genesis Chapters 4 and 5

Focus on Genesis Chapter 4:1-12, 23-26

As we go through the short life that we have we will have to make many choices. We can never underestimate the power of one moment of decision. It only took one bad decision to plunge the human race into sin.

ALL SIN, ALL SICKNESS, AND ALL DEATH ARE CONSEQUENCES OF THE FALL OF ADAM!

All we need do is ride around in our communities and we will see the legacy of sin. We will find graveyards, cemetery, mausoleums, and even roadside memorials. Death is a reality to this flesh we live in. It is appointed man once to die.

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

There are so many ways to die it is unreal but Spiritual death is not appointed. We have the means to avoid spiritual death through Jesus Christ. It seems to me that very few people die of old age anymore. No it is the curse of this world that is taking it’s toll on our fleshy bodies.

Once sin entered into the world it had to be dealt with. There are only two ways for man to will deal with sin.

1.) We will ignore God’s word and rationalize our sin in our own way.

2.) We will admit to our sin and follow God’s word to redemption.

It took one decision to cause the fall of man and it will take one decision to to forever deal with our sin. When we repent and place our faith in Jesus Christ, we can overcome our old sin nature and our practice through His shed blood. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, the resurrection power of God, through the Holy Spirit will bring life where there was death and we will be SPIRITUALLY ALIVE EVERMORE.

You have to be born twice to die once. But if you stay in your sin you will be born once but die twice.

A preacher once said:

The highway to the cross is now firmly established. Here the “lamb” is seen, one “lamb” for one man. Later at the Passover there will be one “lamb” for one household. Then on the Day of Atonement, there will be one sacrifice, one “lamb” for an entire nation. And finally, it is Christ, the “Lamb” of God that takes away the sin of the whole World.

No one can live without sin no matter how hard we try:

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

What God’s word teaches us is how to deal with the sin in our lives. A wise man will learn that we are indeed our brother’s keeper. We are a part of each others lives whether we know it or not. Sin will bring forth death physically and “Spiritually”. When we choose to not repent we then leave God no options but to judge us.

Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and [all the world may become guilty before God].

Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: [for by the law is the knowledge of sin].

We already know that it was the Jews who were given these laws but it is written that these laws are our school master until we come to Christ:

Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

*****Our text:

Gen 4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.

Gen 4:2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Gen 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

Gen 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

Gen 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Gen 4:6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

We can see that we have the first ever birth of a human being. We should mention the words “knew Eve”. We can find this similarly mention many times in the Bible and we can see that reproduction is dealt openly and discreetly in the Bible.

The first born child was named Cain. The name “Cain” means: possession. For she said “I have gotten a man from the Lord”.

We can see that Eve had now felt she had mercy from the Lord God. She then had another son and his name “Abel” meant: A breath, A vapor, vanity. This brings to mind the scripture:

Jas 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. [For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.]

Abel the second son of Adam had a very short life even by our standards but in his short life we see a great diversity in talents given to each and everyone of us. Abel was a shepherd. The Bible has a lot written about shepherds and the shepherd is a type of Christ but also the preachers and pastors of the Church. We see that Cain was a farmer and there is great satisfaction for a man to toil in the Earth and plant crops to be harvested for food. One thing we should all remember is that the soil is a creation of God and He provides the sun and the rain. He provides the increase:

1Co 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

1Co 3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

(Verse three)

I should point out one thing about offerings to God. Every sacrifice should be vitally connected with the spirit of the worshiper:

Isa 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

Isa 1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. (vain means “empty’)

It was OK for Cain to bring his his offering but if the offering was for sin, then he was wrong but it is not the offering that caused the Lord to not respect it:

Heb 11:4 says By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

It is seen that Cain did not make his sacrifice in faith:

1Jn 3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? [Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.]

We can also see that Cain had no intention of honoring God. Cain was trying to work his way to find favor of God.

Jud 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

We see that Cain was wanting a reward for going through the motions. What we have is the intent of Satan to begin a false religion from the start. A religion based on works and people just going through the motions. It did not matter what offering Cain brought to God that day because he was not sincere.

We can see that Abel on the other hand received the respect of the Lord for his sincere sacrifice. We must worship God in spirit and truth or we are not worshiping at all.

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

We must also know that there will be no forgiveness without the shedding of blood:

Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

The false religion of Cain is prevalent in the final days of the Church Age but we can see it had it’s beginnings also in the Book of Genesis. Satan will take advantage of any such situation as this one of Cain.

2Co 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Even at this time of direct lack of respect for God, He still shows mercy and opens the door for Cain to repent. We’ve already read that Cain was of Satan and no repentance would be coming from him. He had it in his mind that “he would worship his way”.

The Bible says:

Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

God’s warning to Cain was that sin is always ready to rise up in the form of jealousy or anger, to take over a persons life and to dominate his actions.

The Bible also says:

Pro 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

We will see this proverb come true before our very eyes.

Satan shows up:

1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

*****Our text:

Gen 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

Gen 4:9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?

Gen 4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.

Gen 4:11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;

Gen 4:12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

Cain makes the wrong choice!

It did not take long for death to show up. The very first murder in the Bible happened to the first two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain’s rage over his false religion was against God. This is also true of false religions of our day. Every false religion in the world today have a lot of things that set them apart from each other but the one thing they have in common is they hate Jesus Christ and in most cases they hate the Bible. Cain had been taught the right way to worship. The way of Cain is “willful ignorance” of God’s word.

We can see that this murder was no accident. Cain talked his brother into going to the field. This was premeditated murder. Cain had seen the animals that had been sacrificed and also their use for clothing. Cain knew what death was all about. Cain got Abel away from the existing society and murdered his brother Abel. We may be able to get ourselves to a spot that others of the world do not know but we can never hide from God!

Job 34:21 For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.

Job 34:22 There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

Job 34:23 For he will not lay upon man more than right; that he should enter into judgment with God.

God says this many times and His word is always true:

Jer 23:23 Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?

Jer 23:24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

God says no matter where you go:

Amo 9:2 Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down:

Amo 9:3 And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:

Amo 9:4 And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

You see it is Christ that you cannot hide from:

Heb 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

What we cannot miss in these scriptures is the way sin multiplies itself.

The one sin of jealousy has now become a sin of murder and then a sin of lying. Sin springs up and takes control of your life if you allow it and you cannot stop it without Jesus. Sin will alienate you from God and corrupt human relations.

Cain had not heeded to God’s warning. Cain had not mastered evil but EVIL HAD MASTERED HIM!

God’s judgment is revealed against all manner of sin and to those that know the truth and yet still believe the truth of God is unrighteous. Those of false religion will always deny any wrongdoing. We see it every time a young man or woman straps a bomb to them selves as their masters have told them to die as martyrs. Those that lead them to do this deny the wrongdoing of murder. They are burning in Hell before those they murder go to whatever place they go. Satan blinds them just as he did Cain. Sinful man is always looking for someone else to take the blame.

You see the blood of Abel cried out for justice. We can see in the book of Revelation that the many souls in Heaven that were killed or murdered for believing the truth are already in the presence of God.

Rev 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, [I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God], and for the testimony which they held:

Rev 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

Rev 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

You the sacrificial blood was poured out under the altar:

Exo 29:12 And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and [pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar].

Every child of Jesus Christ that is murdered for believing the truth is crying out to God for revenge. God is listening and He is coming back for vengeance.

“that they should rest until their fellow servants and brethren should be killed and this time fulfilled”

Cain has burned in Hell for a long time now along with many more that reject God’s word and choose Satan.

The Bible says:

Luk 11:50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;

Luk 11:51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

The shedding of blood by murderous acts are very sensitive to God!

You know we read of the sacrifice of Abel to show us that Satan was already busy in the beginning of this world but we as Christians know of a greater sacrifice for all mankind:

Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Could Cain have repented and been forgiven, YES? The dread of false religion is revealed in the actions of Cain. The world is full of people who think they can go through life and reject God and His word and yet still somehow get His forgiveness. Cain said “my punishment is more than I can bear”. God has the same reaction now as He did then.

YOU WILL BE DRIVEN AWAY FROM THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN THE END, ETERNALY!

YOU WILL LAST SEE GOD AT THE WHITE THRONE OF JUDGMENT AND THEN THE BURNING LAKE OF FIRE. THIS IS THE TRUTH OF THE BIBLE.

GOD PROVIDED A MEANS OF ESCAPE BUT IT IS ONLY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

THIS IS THE TRUTH OF THE BIBLE AND THEREFORE THE TRUTH OF GOD!

1.) What is a fugitive? A rover or a wanderer, a refugee from your own people, one who is seeking to escape judgment, a deserter from truth. One who has fallen to the Enemy (Satan). ONE WHO FLEES.

2.) What is a vagabond?

A vagabond is an exile. One who wanders from place to place without any settled habitation. He has no direction. To be a vagabond is actually against the law in most nations.

The Bible says:

Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Cain had lost his relationship with his family. He was a farmer and had raised many good things. You cannot be a farmer and move from place to place. In fact God had taken his ability to grow things away from him. (Verse 12)

The earth, the soil would never again be a blessing to Cain. He would live off the streets. This was once his profession that he enjoyed. He could no longer use his abilities for something he was real good at.

*****Our text:

Gen 4:23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.

Gen 4:24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

Gen 4:25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

Gen 4:26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

Cain was expelled from the presence of the Lord, but God also acted to stop the cycle of murder. God set a mark on Cain to prevent others from taking revenge on him. Five generations later we see Lamech.

The first thing we notice is that Lamech is the first recorded “bigamist”. He had two wives.

We can see it is the purpose of the Holy Spirit was not to include the entire details of human history. In fact we can see that beginning with chapter five there are basically two groups represented. Those that know God and those that have chosen to ignore God. Those of Cain and those of Seth. This will develop up until we have the flood. So we really have a moral and spiritual history of mankind.

Cain built a city probably to try to defy God’s curse but we can see that he had to name the city after his son Enoch. This implies there was a large population. This course of human history has developed under the shadow of sin. We can see there was a lot of cultural development (Jabal, Jubal, Tubalcain) but there are tragic declines in morality.

Lamech disregarded the ideal of monogamy in marriage and we can see that he bragged about the double murder of two other individuals. We can see that this also premeditated murder even though this could have been in retribution of some injury they had caused him.

It gets even worse as he said if God would revenge any harm to Cain seven fold then he (Lamech) would have ten times more vengeance on anyone that defied him. Lamech was truly an evil man. Lamech was morally bankrupt!

Those who followed Cain became like him, killers. Every one of them thought they had more power than God. In just six generations they had wealth, cities, music, and poetry but they also had tyrants and murderers and were wicked to the extreme.

The Bible says:

Psa 10:3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.

Psa 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

Psa 10:5 His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.

Psa 10:6 He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.

Psa 10:7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.

Psa 10:8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.

Psa 10:9 He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.

Psa 10:10 He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.

Psa 10:11 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.

Psa 37:14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.

But God says:

Pro 2:22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

That day is coming soon.

*****Immediately (verse 25) we see that God has an answer for evil. The birth of Seth shows a beginning of those that would follow the Lord. These are the “children of God” of chapter six. This is also the line to follow down the the time of the Messiah.

Luk 3:38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

Luk 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

The name “Seth” means appointed. His parents knew that God had not forsaken them. Seth would fill the void that Abel had left. His parents had seen the evil of Cain but God had shown His grace by giving them another Godly son. The Earth still had hope. We also see here what we will see all the way down through the history of the world.

1.) Those that ignore the word of God (Cain).

2.) Those that follow the word of God. (Seth)

Another first happens at this time. The official practice of the worship of God. Now worship has become a part of life. The development of worship opened a way for people to be reconciled to God. The hand of God was moving amongst His children. The greatest contrast between the descendants of Cain and the descendants of Seth was their worship of the Lord.

The phrase “men began to call upon the name of the Lord” implies that PUBLIC WORSHIP had begun on Earth and it had become a part of their lives.

With the beginning of chapter five we see the first mention of a book of records. The first record of Godly genealogy given in scriptures. Only those names that carried the line of the Messiah would be written in this book.

*****Verse 5:2 tells us that it is God that is the Creator to remind us. They were both called Adam because if we remember where the name Adam comes from:

Adam is the Hebrew word for man: A man from “dust or dirt” from the ground.

The word “ground” comes from the Hebrew word “Adamah”. The name Adam comes from this word. (From the ground).

Eve was taken from a rib of Adam so both are from the dust of the ground and man here in this verse 5:2 means mankind.

We can see that there is no way for evolution to be involved with this process of Creation by God Himself. What we see in the process of Adams son is that they were created in his (Adam’s) image where Adam was created in God’s image. Seth also possessed the sin nature of Adam. Seth was also granted choice and he chose to serve God.

The truth of the fall of man and its results are clearly seen.

Rom 5:12 says Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

*****Verse 5:5 shows us the truth of scripture:

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Adam had his day! Every man, woman, and child that will follow Adam will also have their appointed day.

*****Verse 5:22

We see one of the first(the first being Abel) of the great heroes of faith, Enoch:

Enoch’s life was in harmony with God and he walked with God:

Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Enoch was the first of only two recorded in the Bible that went straight to Heaven without having died on this Earth. (the other being the prophet Elijah) (it is believed by many that these two will be the two witnesses of Revolution for this reason and it has merit because it is appointed men once to die)

We can also see that Enoch was the first prophet of God:

Jud 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

You see that Enoch looked beyond the flood and the first coming of Christ to see the second coming of the Lord at the end of the Tribulation period. But we can also see that by naming his son Methuselah he prophesied the destruction of the flood. “Methuselah” come form two words:

1.) “muth” meaning to die

2.) “shalak” meaning to send forth

In other words at the death of Methuselah, God would send forth death to mankind.

*****Verse 5:27

We see Methuselah was the oldest man to have ever lived. His death would signal the beginning of the flood. God allowed Methuselah to finish his days before He brought the flood. Methuselah out lived his son Lamech by two years.

You see God was not willing that any would perish and He showed His longsuffering in the Life of Methuselah:

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

*****Verse 5:32:

We now see Noah whose name means “rest”. God would use Noah and put an end to the sin in the world at that time by using a flood to cover the entire Earth. Noah is the tenth recorded son of Adam. The number ten is the number of completion in the Bible. He was the tenth son in the faith line if it can be said that way.

It is a wonderful thing to find peace and rest for our souls and we can find it in the Lord Jesus Christ. Apart from Christ there can be no rest, no security and no assurance but in Him we live and move and have our being.

We can rest in the finished work of our Lord and our Savior, Christ Jesus:

When sin is finished it brings forth death:

Jas 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

But the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the Cross brings life:

Joh 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

The Bible says:

Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lets pray!

THE FALL OF ADAM AND EVE

Genesis Chapter 3

Focus 3:1-13, 23, 24

In creation we learned how powerful our God truly is. In the fall of Adam and Eve(the fall of man) we will learn how loving our God is and how He is always showing His “mercy” and His “grace”.

Adam and Eve were living in a mutually fulfilling companionship with each other and [in fellowship with God]. They lived in the most beautiful place on Earth at that time. ALL their NEEDS were met.

As we go through this lesson there are some questions we should ask:

1.) What happened to God’s creation?
2.) What happened to our fellowship with God?
3.) Why is there such a gap in the ideal world of Adam and Eve and the world we live in now?
4.) Why is there so much “evil” and “violence” in this world we live in?

The Garden of Eden could not have contributed in any way to the fall of mankind! Those that say changing one’s social environment will make a better person are proven wrong from the beginning. God will prove this again in the time of the Millennial Kingdom. It’s not so much the environment we live in but the fact of the sin nature of mankind.

It is impossible to over emphasize the importance of the things that happen in these verses. There are basically two different views of humanity.

1.) Mankind is basically good. He may do some bad things but inside everyone has a good nature and we just need to educate mankind and show people how to let the good in them control their behavior. Sadly most of the world believes this.

2.) The truth is, that man has a sinful and evil nature. We may do some good things on occasion but we are sinners by nature as well as practice and we need the saving “GRACE” of God to change our sinful nature and replace it with the Nature of Jesus Christ. The Bible says we must “MUST” be Born Again.

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

SIN is not a minor mistake! Sin is a DELIBERATE decision which always brings death and destruction of man and his surroundings.

*****Our Text:

Gen 3:1  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Gen 3:2  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
Gen 3:3  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
Gen 3:4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
Gen 3:5  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Now who is this serpent?

We find that Satan can take on shape of other things:

2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

We should know this very well because we have many of his ministers behind our pulpits today in our day. Satan could not have just appeared to Eve. He had to use whatever was available at that time. That true serpent must have stood up on two or even maybe four legs and was supposedly a magnificent animal at this time. We can believe Adam and Eve were in awe of all God’s creation. This serpent was being used of the Devil, Satan.

The Bible points this out in the Book of Revelation:

Rev 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, [that old serpent], called the Devil, and Satan, [which deceiveth the whole world]: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, [that old serpent], [which is the Devil, and Satan], and bound him a thousand years,

The Apostle Paul even wrote of this serpent:

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, [as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty], so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

We can be certain this was Satan, the Devil at work. We should not equate the behavior of this one serpent with any creature of the present world.

***What is “subtil”?

Here are some words to think about:

Deceitful; treacherous, Sly; artful; cunning; crafty; insinuating.

The only chance Eve had was to depend and believe all the word of God. The word of God is the only weapon we have to stand up to the Devil!

***What is doubt?

To waver or fluctuate in opinion; to hesitate; to be in suspense; to be in uncertainty.

When we waver on God’s word and do not take it literally, we are an open door to the wiles of the Devil.

***What is a lie?

To utter falsehood with an intention to deceive, or with an immoral design.

The Bible says of Satan:

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. [He was a murderer from the beginning], and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. [When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it].

We can see that Paul, Moses, John and our Lord Jesus are all referring back to this verse in Genesis 3.

Eve knew the truth but she was not convinced SHE HAD TO OBEY THE TRUTH!

When Satan said: “did God really say”:

The effect of this was to cause doubt in God’s word. Eve may have gotten the word from her husband Adam but it was still the word of God. God speaks to us through His written word in our day. It is still the Holy Word of God!

Satan insinuated that a loving God should and would not withhold anything good from the people He created. Satan said this would have been selfish of God not wanting to share knowledge.

Eve made the sad mistake of trying to reason with the Devil. We have all made this same mistake and old Satan has not had to change his tactics in over 6000 years. The truth is most of us do not take the time to read and study God’s word for ourselves but depend on our Pastors and Preachers to tell us what the Bible says. We are an open book of disaster when Satan comes at us in full force.

The word “Devil” comes from the Greek word “diabolos” which means slanderer, false accuser.
The word “diabolos” comes from another Greek word “diaballo” meaning to libel or accuse.

The word “Satan” comes from the Greek word “satanas” meaning accuser, opponent.

We can see these descriptions fit this evil, vile person, who rejected God and was thrown out of Heaven.

ALL SIN is based on doubting the word of God! We can believe the Bible because the Bible really does say what it says and God means what He says.

Jesus Christ defeated the Temptation of Satan with only the word of God:

Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, [It is written], Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Mat 4:7  Jesus said unto him, [It is written again], Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Mat 4:10  Then saith Jesus unto him, [Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written], Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

We should notice that it is Satan that had to leave the scene:

Jas 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Jas 4:8  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

We submit to God first by believing Him and then obeying His word!

God says:

Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Eph 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

These words may have been written by Paul but he got them from the Holy Spirit.

IF WE ARE TO DRESS IN THIS MANNER THEN WE CAN EXPECT A WAR WITH SATAN AT ALL TIMES. If we try to dispute what the Bible says we will be just like Eve and we will lose to Satan every time.

You see Eve corrected Satan by saying we can eat of all the trees but this one in the center of the garden. God said it would cause us harm and that we could die and she added(neither shall we touch it). There was a pretty good chance Adam actually had to touch this tree as he was the caretaker of all the trees in the garden. It was his job to dress the trees in the garden.

We can see the Devil was trying to destroy the sovereignty of God in the eyes of Eve. What Satan was telling Eve was that God just would not punish “SIN”. In our day there are many who still preach against the judgment of God and a literal HELL but we can see from the very start that judgment is a truth of the Bible.

Questioning the word of God leads to greater sin. Eve was tampering with God’s word. There are those today that come up with version after version. They are also tampering with God’s word. They are no different than Eve and it all leads to “SIN”.

What we need to ask ourselves is, what was Eve doing near this tree of death. We seem to always get into trouble when we go to places we should never be. There may not have been a temptation on this day if Eve had been dong what she was supposed to be doing instead of being near this tree.

What we see is once Eve says these things Satan then goes for the kill.

(“Ye shall not surely die”)

SATAN IMPLIED THAT GOD WAS A LIAR!

(“ye shall be as gods”)

THIS IS THE SAME THOUGHT THAT WAS THE DOWNFALL OF LUCIFER.

When we ignore the word of God we make gods of ourselves. We make our own selves to be better or smarter than God. The truth is when we ignore the word of God we jeopardize our selves and everyone around us. This is the beginning of every false religion that exist:

1.) The Mormon teach that what God is man can become. They believe that Adam was a god. If this were true then God is a sinner and no better than we are. The Bible says Adam was only a creation of God!

2.) The World Wide Church of God (Armstrongism) believe they all will become gods. Those that believe this way have already made themselves smarter than God!

3.) Buddhism teaches the 8 steps for the soul to reach Nirvana where they will be reunited with Brahman. (A false god)

4.) Hinduism teaches that reincarnation will continuously take you to a higher and higher plain of existence. (Until you become a god)

5.) All cults deny the deity of Christ or a literal Hell or the Immortality of the soul or the Holy Ghost. (To deny anyone of these things is to deny the God of the Bible).

The vast majority of modern day translations are really MUTILATIONS OF THE WORD OF GOD!

Satan was telling Eve that she did not need God. She would not need the Cross, and she would not need the blood atonement. You can save yourself.

This friends is the [Doctrine of works]. Many too many people still believe this today.

The Bible says emphatically:

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Salvation is by “Grace”, but this repulsive to the natural man for they are always seeking some “glory” for
themselves. They want to “buy” their way in, in some form or fashion. They want to maneuver their they into
Heaven.

Every sinner will go through the “cross” or they will burn in Hell.

Jesus said:

Mar 7:21  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Mar 7:22  Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
Mar 7:23  All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

A wise man wrote:

Pro 4:23  Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

If we will look into our own hearts we will all agree to the truth of this word of God.

What was Satan doing in the Garden of Eden?

What we know:

Isa 14:12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isa 14:13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

We also know:

Eze 28:6  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; [Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God];

Eze 28:13  [Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God]; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
Eze 28:14  Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:15  Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

From Peter we know:

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Pe 5:9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, [knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world].

We can see that it was Eve the Devil had set his sights on and she was not prepared and since his fall from grace
everyone that calls on the name of the Lord will be his target. We must have and wear the armor of God as
defined in the Book of Ephesians.

Isaiah wrote:

Isa 53:6  [All we like sheep have gone astray]; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid
on him the iniquity of us all.

That Him is the Lord Jesus Christ!

*****Our text:

Gen 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Gen 3:7  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

The Apostle John wrote of the steps our flesh takes in regard to sin:

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

As we follow the path of Eve, we will see it is just as John wrote.

(The Look) The woman saw the tree. We can see it was the lust of her eyes that began her downfall. This probably a beautiful tree, maybe the most beautiful in the garden but it had been set aside by God Himself.
(The food) The fruit of the tree was good and pleasant to the satisfying of the flesh.
(The desire) Eve filled with lust was filled with the pride of a chance to be as wise as God.

This is human reasoning substituted for the “clear commandment of God”.

ALL GOD’S COMMANDS ARE CLEAR!

THIS IS THE ESSENCE OF SIN!
SIN IS NEVER SATISFIED!

See she then gave some to Adam. Adam was not deceived. He knew exactly what He was doing and he was a
willing partner in sin.

1Ti 2:14  And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

From this time all the way through the day we live in, lost mankind would determine for themselves what is good
or evil based on their own reasoning. We know it is true because we witness it every day and we see it from the
very first couple on Earth.

God alone has the right to determine right or wrong because it is He, and He Only that can save!

According to modern philosophy, mankind is his own god.

The Bible says:

Psa 82:1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.

This is talking about all those that reject the truth of the word of God.

THEY CHOSE TO MAKE THEMSELVES THE CENTER OF THE WORLD!

God says:

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

You see Adam and Eve had declared their independence from a Holy and merciful God. (SHAME ON US)

God still sits on the throne no matter what we think!

All they learned was, what it means to be disobedient, guilty, full of shame, and most of all alienated from God.

IT IS THESE TRAITS THAT ARE PASSED DOWN FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION!

Satan still uses this method on all sinners because it continues to work on everyone he attacks all these years!

Did man create God(in their minds) as evolution teaches, or did God create man which is the truth?

*****Our text:

Gen 3:8  And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
Gen 3:9  And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
Gen 3:10  And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
Gen 3:11  And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
Gen 3:12  And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
Gen 3:13  And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

Gen 3:23  Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
Gen 3:24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN WERE IMMEDIATE AND IRREVERSABLE! However, praise the Lord, they
were not beyond forgiveness.

HOW CAN GOD FORGIVE US?

Notice now Adam and Eve are afraid to hear the word of God. Most of the world is like that now, they are afraid
that God’s people will tell someone about Jesus and they might possibly believe. If we are to have true freedom of
religion let’s open up all the books and let all the preachers preach and all religions teach and see where the people
will go.

My God says His word will never come back void:

Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Let the truth of the word of God free. I can tell you why the world denies the word of God. It is because they know
IT IS THE TRUTH, and they just like Adam and Eve are afraid of God’s word.

But we must notice, IT IS GOD THAT “STILL” DESIRES FELLOWSHIP. HE CAME SEEKING THE MAN AND
THE WOMAN.

The presence of God made them feel guilty. When God spoke it caused them to fear and have shame.

To deny sin in the face of God is wrong. They were no longer in harmony with God. THEY KNEW THEY WERE
SINNERS. They attempted to cover their sin themselves. In fact it seems that they were ashamed of each other.
We see that they each made their own clothes. This is a man made effect of sin. THIS IS WORKS! Our WORKS
will not restore us to fellowship with God. We know as Christians we have to come under the Blood of Jesus to
remove that guilt and shame.

WE CANNOT HIDE FROM GOD!

Peace with God comes from the blood of Jesus at the foot of the cross! We have access to it if we bow and pray.
We will then and only then rise back up in fellowship with God with peace again in our hearts.

ADAM AND EVE HAD DIED THE SPIRITUAL DEATH!

Psa 139:7  Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

We cannot escape the truth of the Gospel of God!

The “works” theology has been passed down from generation to generation. Cain brought the “work” of his own
hands to sacrifice to God. (Arminianism) Not in the Blood!

The Bible says:

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 3:24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 3:25  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Rom 3:26  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Eph 1:5  Having predestinate us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Eph 2:7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

SIN WILL CAUSE YOU TO LIE TO GOD:

Ananias was caught lying to God when he didn’t have anything to gain but maybe some bragging rights.

Act 5:3  But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
Act 5:4  Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

SIN WILL CAUSE OTHERS TO SIN:

1Co 5:5  To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1Co 5:6  Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

1Ti 1:19  Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
1Ti 1:20  Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

SATAN WILL CAUSE YOU TO BELIEVE A LIE: (walking in your own trespasses)

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

THIS IS THE STATE OF ALL MANKIND:

Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

THE HEART OF MAN WAS NOW DESPERATE AND DECEITFUL AS WAS HIS SONS:

Jer 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

(The Blame) When we have done wrong and we know we have, sometimes, we don’t know what to do about it. In
most cases we just ignore it and suffer the consequences of it. Adam laid the blame for his own sin squarely on his
wife and then on God. He said that the woman “which you gave me” caused this problem of sin. Adam claimed no
fault for himself but he did not deny that he knew the truth.

There is no excuse for sin but there is another thought. God had told Adam and Eve to go forth and multiply and
replenish the Earth:

Gen 1:28  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, [Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it]: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

A reason he ate the fruit could have been that he was aware that he might lose fellowship with his wife in her fall.
Adam wanted continued fellowship with his wife. Adam loved his wife. If Adam stayed in a sinless position he
would not have been able to have fellowship with his wife. His bride who sinned. So in order to be identified with
her in her fall Adam voluntarily and deliberately took of the forbidden fruit. Eve gave Adam the fruit but Adam
was not tricked into eating it but out of his love for her he ate the fruit willingly.

Rom 5:14  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
Rom 5:15  But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

This in typology is exactly what Jesus Christ did. Out of His love He took all our sin, so we could live. He took all
our sin so He could live, bleed, and die for His bride, the Church. Adam was a shadow of the second Adam in
Jerusalem. The second Adam laid His life down at Calvary for all our sin.

The Bible says:

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1Co 15:45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

Adam and Eve had made their choice. That choice has affected every living soul to be born on this Earth since.
Therefore there is the need to be “Born Again”, “Washed in the Blood of Jesus” and “Made alive by the Holy Spirit”
(regeneration)

The Bible says:

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
1Jn 5:5  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
1Jn 5:6  This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
1Jn 5:7  For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
1Jn 5:8  And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
1Jn 5:9  If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
1Jn 5:10  He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
1Jn 5:11  And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1Jn 5:12  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1Jn 5:13  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

God says I tell you these things THAT YOU MAY KNOW!

This is the only way to be restored to fellowship with God!

Notice the serpent was not permitted to reply at all. Satan had shown us an example that he would continue to use
until the Second Coming of Christ.

Though Eve tried to blame the serpent, she had lost to him because she had not relied on God’s word. This why we
as individuals all need to know the word of God.

Ephesians chapter six tells us of the armor of God. Through Eve would come the “seed” of God’s promises. From
that “seed” redemption would be provided both for the woman and for the man.

Verses 14 through 22 are not part of this lesson but there are some highlights we should see:

1.) The curse on the snake tells us why he has no legs and why he crawls as they do and why people have such
fear and revulsion for them.

2.) Verse 15 tells us the fight of good versus evil will end with [good being the victor].

3.) Verse 16 tells us why a woman goes through so much pain at childbirth.

4.) Verses 17 and 18 tells [why man will work to supply his own food] and battle all the obstacles that make it hard
to do so.

5.) Verse 19 tells us [it is appointed for all men once to die] and return to the dust we are all made of.

6.) Verse 20 tells us that [it is Eve who is the mother of all human beings].

7.) Verse 21 tells us that [without the shedding of blood there will be no redemption of sin and therefore no
fellowship with God]. This is what God did. When we read further we will see that Able brought a lamb for
sacrifice so I believe this represents the Lamb of God.

(to continue on with the lesson)

With the entrance of sin into the world, the life styles of Adam and Eve were permanently changed. How true this
is throughout all time.

SIN IS NOT A MINOR THING!

All sin separates us from God and all that is good in this world and in the world that is to come.

The cool of the day was replaced with the sweat of the brow. The sentence of death was fatefully established upon
all creation. Adam and Eve knew about good and evil but not in the way Satan had promised.

THE AGE OF INNOCENSE CAME TO AN ABRUPT END!

The access to the Tree Of Life was removed. It had to be this way. God showed “His Grace” in doing so. First He
provided garments of animal skins to clothe them. In that way God showed them He would not use their shame
to make them suffer more.

You see they had sinned against God but [it was God who took the initiative to begin redemption]. Some innocent
animals had to die to provide that clothing. BLOOD WAS SHED!

Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

God sent them from the garden away from the Tree Of Life. You see if Adam or Eve or anyone else had access to
this tree they would have been locked forever in a condition without God. They would not have had a chance to
make that “individual” choice for to live forever with God. They would have been condemned from that point on.

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, [that whosoever] believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Those in Hell now will never again know the fellowship of God no matter what some religions teach. There is no
amount of praying and no amount of money that can get you out of Hell once you go there. Any that would have
eaten of the Tree of Life would have been in that same condition.

God’s next work would begin the age of redemption to bring mankind back to restored fellowship through “His
Grace”.

The human family had tried to make themselves the center of God’s world through rebellion against God. God
simply will not allow this to happen.

The Bible says:

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Lets Pray and pray for all those that do not know God!

THE CREATION OF ADAM AND EVE

Genesis Chapter 1:24-31 and Chapter 2

I seem to want to ask God why He formed me knowing that I would break His heart. I’m sure we will not understand the purpose of creation until we get to Heaven. God has a purpose. He tells us so:

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, [to them who are the called according to his purpose].

Again the Bible will lead us to Jesus and we can know that the purpose of creation follows in line with the plan of God. He knew what would happen and He gave us a means of salvation and He made this plan before He created anything else in this universe and also in Heaven:

2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, [but according to his own purpose and grace], (which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began),
2Ti 1:10  But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

God did not ask anyone else about what He planned to do. God just created it all:

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated [according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will]:

God did not select just a few to be saved but He wished all would choose to “Believe” on Him.

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, [not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance].

Until we get to Heaven we may never understand why God would make mankind. If He had just wanted to create life, He could have stopped with the plants and had a beautiful Earth or even added the animals who could cause Him no heart ache. As we read further in this chapter we will see that God created man and woman and only these are created in His image.

All we have seen so far and what we will see in this lesson is that the human and the souls God created are a thing of love for Him. God loves each and every one on this planet.

No greater love:

Joh 15:12  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:14  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

For God so Loved the world:

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

When we believe that God had this plan, then everything He created in the first five days were created for His main creation “Mankind”.

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

All He ask us to do is to “BELIEVE”. (Have Faith)

*****Our text:

Gen 1:24  And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
Gen 1:25  And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Gen 1:26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Gen 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Gen 1:28  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Gen 1:29  And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
Gen 1:30  And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
Gen 1:31  And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

These animals and all these living creatures are not to be confused with any sea bound creature. God made them on different days. Notice the words “after their kind”. This tells us that cats and dogs cannot go together. Neither horses and cows. Neither birds and fish. Only animals that are in the same family could replenish the Earth. Notice also that these animals are also created from the dust of the Earth.

God did not create eggs and embryos but mature animals just like He did the plants. The true facts of science prove that life began in a perfect mature state. This what the book of Genesis teaches. There is no one single particle that could cause the diversity of life that we have on this planet.

What is “ecology”?

Ecology is the study of how living things and their environment interact with one another.

What do we know for sure about “ecology”?

Nature’s living organisms (humans included) depend on one another.

All animals everywhere at this time were vegetarian. The food chain did not consist of each other. The world was in harmony at this time but it would not last very long. The fallible humans would be next.

You see these things cannot be by accident. It took wisdom far greater than we know on this Earth to create such harmony.

The Glory of the Creator is revealed in His creation. With everything in place it was now time to make “Man” (Mankind).

The main purpose of creation so far was to make a place that would sustain human life. God loves plants and animals and it shows. We have already seen that our very existence depends on these very plants and animals. On this Earth our survival depends on all life surviving. We also know that more plants and animals become extinct every day so this world is dying just as the Bible says:

Psa 102:25  Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
Psa 102:26  They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:

Isa 51:6  Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

Heb 1:10  And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
Heb 1:11  They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
Heb 1:12  And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

You see the proof of evolution depends on evolving. BUT, The truth is the Earth and all creation is aging and dying.

What does it mean to be made in the image of God?

Notice the words “Our image”. This is talking about the Holy Trinity of God.

God the Father
God the Son
God the Holy Ghost.

Then God says He created man in His own image still showing us that there is only one God. He just has three forms.

This in itself makes man a unique creation of God. He does not say this about any of the animals. Humanity is far superior to all animals. The “image” of God does not refer to the physical, bodily form of human life! The physical form of humans are more related to animals than to God. You see God is a spirit, so we cannot resemble Him in our looks or form.

Man does have body, soul, and spirit. This cannot be said about the plants or the animals. There is an enormous gulf between the lowest human and the highest animal.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

1Th 5:23  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God [your whole “spirit” and “soul” and “body”] be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The spirit is that part of man that has knowledge:

1Co 2:11  [For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him]? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

The soul is our self conscious life as distinguished from plants that have unconscious life. It can be said that animals have soul but not on the level of man. It can the said that the soul is the seat of emotions, desires and affections.

The heart in scripture usage is talking about soul in most cases. The body “separable from spirit and soul and is susceptible to death.

Deu 6:5  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Psa 72:14  He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the  [dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow], and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Creation in the image of God includes morality as a quality of human life. Without this trait of God the world would be totally immoral. Humans are more than animals, they may choose to live on the level of an animal but they do not cease to be human. The animal has no such choice. Humanity was created less than divine so a person can never rise above his humanness.

It is the “spirit” that returns to God at the point of physical death:

Ecc 12:7  Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

This not said of the animals:

Ecc 3:17  I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.
Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
Ecc 3:19  For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
Ecc 3:20  All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
Ecc 3:21  [Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward], and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

It is mankind that God has bestowed this honor!

Psa 8:4  What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Psa 8:5  For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

We will always be subject to God. (This is where Satan had his greatest failure.) God gave us the freedom of choice. We choose wrong most of the time.

Job 14:1  Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.

You see our existence is not this flesh but our inner being. Our soul our spirit!

The Bible says:

Job 4:17  Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?
Job 4:18  Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:
Job 4:19  [How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay], whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?

We should remember God planned a means of salvation before He created anything.

2Co 5:1  For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2Co 5:2  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
2Co 5:3  If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
2Co 5:4  For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

Peter also understood this:

2Pe 1:13  Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
2Pe 1:14  Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.

God even promises us a new body a resurrected body like that of the Lord Jesus one day but it is the soul and spirit that must be saved first.

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:4  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
Joh 3:5  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

No matter what the future will hold God says that the food of human consumption will be the herb bearing seed and and every tree which is a fruit tree for food. Not one animal is listed yet for food. The animals are to eat of the grasses and the herbs. The fish eat what is in the waters as far as plant life.

It is man that is to be the dominate species on this Earth. The care of the Earth and it’s resources were placed in our hands.

One of the biggest verses in the Bible is verse thirty one Genesis.

God said everything He made was “very good”. This means from Genesis verse 1 all the way to Genesis verse 30, God was very satisfied with His creation. There are no gaps, no day theories, and no place for millions or billions of years. Only the six actual 24 hour days of creation.

Ecc 3:11  He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
Ecc 3:12  I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
Ecc 3:13  And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

*****Our text:

Gen 2:1  Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
Gen 2:2  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Gen 2:3  And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

We first see that there were the three heavens but there is only one Earth mentioned. No matter how man explores the second Heaven they will never find another place that can support life like Earth.

*****All the “hosts” of them:

The Hebrew word “tsaba” is used for the English word “host”.

This is a mass of persons.

The Webster dictionary says: “any great number or multitude”.

We can know that every angel in Heaven was made at this time for they are also created beings. On Earth only Adam and Eve and at least a pair of each animal were created because only on Earth is the command to replenish given.

In fact the command was to “to be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the Earth”. In other words death was already in the picture. No one, nor any animal was going to live forever on Earth. This command was not given in Heaven. There is no physical death in Heaven. Angels cannot die any more than the spirit God sends to dwell in our physical body can die. That’s why we must make a choice while we are living in our flesh to where we will spend eternity.  God gave us this choice, the freedom to choose. Everyone in Hell now believes the word of God and wish they had chosen life with God rather than eternal damnation.

*****God ended His work:

What most people do not realize is that God created everything at this time. He is not sitting in Heaven making new things as old ones pass away. Every soul that will ever live was created at that time. That soul remains with God until the birth of the flesh that will house it is born. Everything we see now and in the future was created  at that time. Our celestial system is not still growing but stars are dying all the time. There are no knew solar systems but only those we haven’t been able to see. There not any new things coming alive on the Earth but there are many things dying everyday. Even when Jesus says these words:

Joh 14:2  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

He is not talking about creating but making ready:

The Greek word “hetoimazo” means to make ready.

When Jesus says “I make all things new”:

Rev 21:5  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for
these words are true and faithful.

Here the Greek word “poieo” is used and it means to bring forth.

What he is saying is he will show us things we have never seen! There are many things we have never seen and will not see until we get to Heaven.

*****God rested

From hanging the Earth in space on nothing and making it rotate to completing everything He said God spent six literal days doing these things. God now notes the seventh day. If He had said nothing we would have six day weeks. On the seventh day God ceased from doing any work of creating or making. There was noting more that remained to be done.

Now there are those that believe that God just went on about His business and left this planet to be on it’s own but that’s not true. God was refreshed by the satisfaction of having before Him a finished work that was very good.

Was God tired?

God was not weary nor was He tired. God was pleased!

1Co 15:38  But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
1Co 15:39  All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
1Co 15:40  There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
1Co 15:41  There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
1Co 15:42  So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
1Co 15:43  It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
1Co 15:44  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
1Co 15:45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
1Co 15:48  As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1Co 15:49  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

*****There is no account of this seventh day being made compulsory upon man. God sanctified and blessed this day for Himself. This day ended creation week. God set this day apart for Holy use. On this day God did not say that He did anything. He rested from His creating is all we know for sure. God says three times in these verse that He rested.

Sanctified means:

Made holy; consecrated; set apart for sacred services.

Blessed means:

Made happy or prosperous; extolled; pronounced happy. Happy; prosperous in worldly affairs; enjoying spiritual happiness and the favor of God; enjoying heavenly felicity.

God always sets the example for us but here again we have the freedom to choose.

The Jew chose the sabbath to honor God.

The Church chose Sunday to honor God.

What day have you chosen to honor God?

I also believe God is telling us we need a day of rest from the labors of this world. If we want this blessing of God then we need to set aside a day for Him and rest or [be pleased] with the wonderful gifts He has given us and especially His Holy Word. We need to find out all we can about Our Lord God and He gave us this Book, this “love letter” so we can know Him.

Remember:

1.) There is a spiritual meaning to the duration of this day. Notice it does not say the evening and the morning. The seventh day of rest is designed to be without end.

Heb 4:1  Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
Heb 4:2  For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
Heb 4:3  For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Heb 4:4  For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
Heb 4:5  And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
Heb 4:6  Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
Heb 4:7  Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Heb 4:8  For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

2.) This day is specifically blessed of God:

God did not bless the other six days. That means this seventh day was a blessing to the entire creation.

3.) This day was sanctified of God:

This means that this day has a special use and a designated purpose.

Moses knew the importance of a the seventh day and through the Holy Spirit it was made a commandment to the Jew to observe this day but the laws where not given to the Gentile and a Gentile is everyone that is not a Jew.

The Bible says:

Gal 3:22  But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24  [Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith].
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Gal 3:26  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Our text:

Gen 2:4  These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,

Gen 2:7  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Gen 2:8  And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
Gen 2:9  And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Gen 2:10  And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

Gen 2:15  And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
Gen 2:16  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
Gen 2:17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Gen 2:18  And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

(these are the generations of) These words are used ten times in the Book of Genesis. This phrase is used to document “History”. It gives us a time line if we follow them.

We will not go deep into this at this time but verse five says it did not rain on the Earth. God watered the Earth with a heavy dew. In the time of Noah when he said God was going to cause rain to fall enough to flood the Earth was unacceptable to the population of those days. They were unbelievers who died in there unbelief. We can see how this carries us all the way through the Bible.

Unbelief is the greatest sin!

Jesus said of the Holy Spirit:

Joh 16:8  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Joh 16:9  Of sin, [because they believe not on me];
Joh 16:10  Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Joh 16:11  Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

(Verse 7)

Along with everything else in this world man is made from the dust of the ground. The Hebrew word used here is “aphar” which means: dust (as powdered or gray); hence clay, earth, mud: – ashes, dust, earth, ground, morter, powder, rubbish.

The Hebrew word for ground is “adamah” which means: soil (from its general redness): – country, earth, ground, husband [-man] (-ry), land.

The first thing we should notice is this is where Adam got his name!

In today’s market man has very little value but there is a God that says we are of great value. The very next statement is what separates mankind from all other creation:

” the LORD God —— breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

God has given life to all his creation! BUT in this instance God has given man spirit. This was not given to the animal world.

Isa 42:5  Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; [he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein]:

The life that man has is internal and eternal. The soul of man will never die and His spirit will go back to the Creator who gave it.

Ecc 12:7  Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Mankind is the center of life in God’s creation!

Therefore mankind only has one duty! You can study all the books you want if the Bible is not the one that is closest to your heart then you are in the wrong books.

Ecc 12:12  And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
Ecc 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecc 12:14  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

We are created in the image and likeness of God!

1.) Image can best be understood in the casting of a shadow on a wall. The shadow is not actual but it will reveal certain characteristics of the actual.

2.) Likeness on the other hand comes from comparing at least two objects to see if there are similarities.

God created man a shadow of Himself with a few similarities!

This not ever said of Jesus Christ. In fact the Bible states:

Heb 1:1  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Heb 1:4  Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

The words express image would mean IDENTICAL, EXACTLY LIKE.

(That Garden)

The name Eden means: pleasure; delight. God created this garden for His pleasure. This was not a vegetable garden. This would be more like a park. This was the place God would choose to meet with His children. There are many today that find enjoyment and delight in a serene park. That is one of the things that comes from God in our likeness.

Jesus Christ loved the Garden of Gethsemane. He promises again to meet us in His paradise if we only believe.

Rev 2:7  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, {which is in the midst of the paradise of God}.

It is not important where the exact location of this first garden was located for is proven that the “Fertile Crescent” is the region that archaeologists have found traces of the oldest civilizations.

Definition: The “fertile crescent” refers to an ancient area of fertile soil and important rivers stretching in an arc from the Nile to the Tigris and Euphrates. It covers Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq. The Mediterranean in on the outside edge of the arc. To the south of the arc is the Arabian Desert. On the east, the fertile crescent extends to the Persian Gulf.

This water basin of rivers has been changed greatly because of the flood of Noah’s day but this was a great river that began in this garden and split into the heads of four rivers. What we see in our day is that many streams and smaller rivers flow together to make a mighty river. The Euphrates still exist by that name today and is a great river of the fertile crescent.

****What was man’s (Adam) job?

To dress and keep this garden. He didn’t have to plant, nor water, nor fertilize in this garden.

1.) This was his place to serve.
2.) This was his place to be a watchman for God.

*****Now comes man’s first test!

The command to obey.

In all this whole garden there is only one tree that is not for food. God did not threaten Adam, He only told him the truth. Did Adam understand. When God gave Adam his job, God knew he understood what He was saying. There was truly only one thing to understand, Obey God. This had nothing to do with any tree.

The trees of the garden had already been described as pleasant to look upon and good for food. (verse 9) The difference now was the concern for moral judgment. The willingness to obey was on trial here and the outcome of life was at stake.

We must understand the twofold nature of death. Death is a separation. At physical death the spiritual dimension of human life, along with the physical life, is separated from the body and the body disintegrates through decay. A body in the open will pretty much disappear in about six months. This flesh will turn back to dust.

There is also a spiritual death. This the state of the relationship with God in which a person is alienated from God through disobedience, rebellion, trespasses and sins.

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

We were created to live lives of moral choice rather than being creatures of instinct. God gave us the freedom to choose but He also said we would suffer the consequences for our choices. We can choose to obey or to not obey. As we study the Bible it is full of examples of those that chose not to obey. We are all foolish when we ignore the word of God.

(It is not good for man to be alone)

The reason it was not good for Adam to be alone was because of another commandment.

Gen 1:28  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Adam could not do this on his own. God would not allow Adam to be like the animals.

Help meet means:

The Hebrew word “ezer” means help to aid.

The Hebrew word for meet “neged” means: a counterpart, a mate, opposite. A person of opposite sex.

There is no place in the Bible where you find that God condones lesbianism or male counterparts. (Gays)

This why God took so much time to explain what He meant. God did not bring woman directly from the Earth.

*****Our text:

Gen 2:21  And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
Gen 2:22  And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
Gen 2:23  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Gen 2:24  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Verse 19 and 20 are not part of this lesson but let’s read them any now:

Gen 2:19  And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
Gen 2:20  And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

It was important for Adam to see all the animals God had created. This verse also shows us the intelligence of Adam as he named them all. His vocabulary was tremendous. What Adam noticed was he did not have a mate.

God wanted a permanent relation between a man and a woman. This not to be a dominance thing. This was to be a counterpart, and aid, a friend, and of course a permanent lover. You see God set up the family before He set up the Church. Because the woman was made from man (his rib), a man should find his wife to be the most dearest person on Earth to him. Adam was created with a need for companionship. This need was to be partially fulfilled with the wife but she was not to take the place of God in man’s life!

There is no way to fit the creation of Eve into any kind of evolution theory.

The Bible says:

1Co 11:8  For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
1Co 11:9  Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

1Ti 2:13  For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

Adam could be put into a deep sleep because as of yet there was no death in the world. Only the created life of God.

If we consider that at the time of this writing there was not a high regard for the woman in that culture and in some places now a woman is treated as property, we can see that these scriptures hold a woman in high regard. She is valued for herself. Her child bearing role is not even mentioned at this time. A relationship between man and woman should be precious in their both eyes and hearts.

The Bible says:

Eph 5:24  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Eph 5:28  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
Eph 5:29  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

Marriage is between one man and one woman:

Mat 19:5  And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Mat 19:6  Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

To acknowledge the Genesis account of creation gives sanctity of life. It also gives us the moral responsibility to obey God.

Who is God?

1Jn 5:1  Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
1Jn 5:5  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

When God completed His work with Adam and Eve, He then said His work was complete and he rested but not until then. This is the importance we have with Our Lord and Savior. Every day we are sustained by this creation of God. We enjoy uncounted blessings from the hand of God. If you leave God out of your life your days will be filled with miserable substitutes for the love of our Father.

When we ignore the word of God we jeopardize our selves and everyone else around us!

Let’s Pray!

The Beginning of God’s Creation

Genesis 1:1-23

Boy we just finished the Book of Revelation and now we get to spend a short time in the Book of Genesis. I love this Book. I love God’s account of  creation because it is the truth. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the all that evolution stuff is nothing but theories and very few theories ever make it to true fact.

The Biblical account of creation is ridiculed by atheists, patronized by liberals and even distorted by some conservatives. The fact remains that God’s account of creation was even quoted by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Mar 10:6  [But from the beginning of the creation] God made them male and female.

This also means that there was no gap in the time that God created the universe we live in and the time He created mankind, except for the day by day events. And these were literal 24 hour days. In other words this planet did not exist for millions of years before God put mankind on it. This verse even upsets some so called Christians.

God means what He says and He says what He means and our job is to listen to what God says. God’s account of creation is in full accord with true science. The Apostle Paul wrote to tell us about the false theories of evolution.

1Ti 6:20  O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and [oppositions of science falsely so called]:

Science by definition is: In a general sense, knowledge, or “certain” knowledge; the comprehension or understanding of “truth or facts” by the mind.  A collection of the general principles or leading truths relating to any subject.

You see to be science you have to have some facts. It takes more faith to believe in “evolution” than it does to become a “Christian”.

There are only two possible models for the origin of our world.

1.) Evolution with it’s theories.
2.) Creation as written in the word of God.

The theories of Darwin have proven to be so false that now some so called scientist use what is called Neo- Darwinism that does not resemble what Darwin said. Darwin himself said if his theories did not hold up then his whole philosophy would be wrong and “He was and It is”.

Genesis given to us by the Holy Spirit is the Book of Beginnings:

1.) The beginning of the Universe.
2.) The 1st Man.
3.) The 1st marriage.
4.) The 1st sin.
5.) The 1st sacrifice.
6.) The 1st murder.
7.) The 1st flood.
8.) The beginning of multiple languages.
9.) The beginning of:
a.) Governments
b.) Nations
c.) Religion
d.) The foundation of true history
e.) The nation of Israel

Apart from the Book of Genesis there is no other trustworthy explanation found for the origin of all we see.

If there is anything certain in this world, it is that there is absolutely no evidence that evolution is occurring today. There is no evidence of true vertical evolution!

No one has observed a star evolve from hydrogen.
No one has seen life evolve from chemicals.
No one has seen a higher species evolve from a lower species.
No one has seen a man evolve from an ape or anything like it.
No one has a clue how evolution can even work. They have no models to go by.
No one has ever found any evidence that evolution ever took place in all recorded history!
No fossil has ever been found with half scales and half feathers, or half legs and half wings, or a half developed heart or anything else.

Evolution must be accepted by faith and that makes it a religion and a false one at that.

If there is no evidence of evolution then by the process of elimination we must go back to what God said.

There is a key to all this:

Heb 11:6 says  But without faith it is impossible to please him: [for he that cometh to God must believe that he is], and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

You must believe that there is a God!

Whether people believe or not we have a record of our origins and no science has been able to prove them wrong but on the other hand the exact order of creation has been verified by scientists. In other words human life could not have taken place if Moses had gotten one step of creation out of place. Moses could not have possibly have gotten it all right without the help of the Holy Ghost.

2Ti 3:16 says  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

The Bible goes on to say:

1Jn 5:20  And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. [This is the true God], and eternal life.

How about a little faith in the word of God:

Heb 11:3  Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

*****Our text:

Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

In the beginning God:

Does God exist?

God does not take the time to prove His existence. He simply says there is enough evidence to show that there is a God and the God of the Bible claims He is that God. I believe Him but He doesn’t need me or anyone else to believe because it does not change anything about His existence. The Bible itself is proof enough of His existence but look around you and you can see we live in a world that was did not happen by accident.

1.) The watchmaker theory:

If you wear a watch then you know there had to be a watchmaker! If you look outside at God’s creation and at night the glories of the heaven then you should assume that there was a heaven maker.

2.) This world is not in chaos:

The planets circle the sun in precise motion, The days are constant and consistent(24 hours). The sea has currents that stay consistent. The wind has it’s patterns. The system for rainfall is readily seen. All things living and that exist have an order. “It took someone with “intelligence” to do this.

3.) Mankind itself has a sense of morality though it seems in decay just as this world is aging rather than evolving. A blind evolutionary force could never produce a man with intellect, a will, a conscience, sensibility and so on. “Man has to be created in someone’s image!

Rom 2:14  For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Rom 2:15  Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
Rom 2:16  In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

In the book of Psalms we find this scripture:

Psa 19:1  The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Psa 19:2  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
Psa 19:3  There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
Psa 19:4  Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Psa 19:5  Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
Psa 19:6  His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

The heavens speak of God’s glory. Only God could have done this!

The Earth and all it’s beauty. It’s harmony and “intricacy” reveal the handiwork of God.

The Bible says:

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

We see God’s provision and His control:

Mat 5:45  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Man’s conscience:

Joh 3:19  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Joh 3:20  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Joh 3:21  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

You see God has His existence in Himself:

Exo 3:14  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

You see God revealed Himself to “all” the world so the world could be saved.

2Ti 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

God expects us to listen to what He says and we have a free will to do what we think.

2Pe 1:20  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The Bible is the “living” written word:

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Heb 4:13  Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

THE BIBLE ACCURATELY PRESENTS THE SPECIAL REVELATION OF GOD AND OF GOD IN CHRIST!

When God gave the laws to Moses, He was specific about one thing and listed it first:

Exo 31:18  And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

Exo 34:14  For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

That means to not to lay prostrate or bow down to.

Exo 23:13  And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.

That means not to ever mention another god’s name.

Deu 6:14  Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;

That means to never walk behind other gods.

Deu 8:18  But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
Deu 8:19  And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

That means never to forget these things that are written.

Deu 11:16  Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;

That means to never allow ourselves to be deceived.

Deu 28:14  And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

That means to never withdraw yourself from the word of God!

Jesus Christ said:

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment.

It behooves us to remember these things!

*****The words “create” and [“made” or “formed”]:

The word create (Hebrew bara) is used seven times in Genesis chapter one but is never used in chapters 2-4.

The words made or formed are used in these chapters.

The Bible stresses that these words have different meanings:

Gen 2:3  And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

We can notice from their use that to “create” is God’s creating from nothing. When God uses something He has already created to make some something He uses the words made or formed, such as:

Gen 2:7  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

God used the dust of the ground to form man.

*****We have a witness to creation, in fact more than one:

The Bible says:

Rev 3:14  And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, [the beginning of the creation of God];

We know these are the words of Jesus and He says He is the Amen and “the beginning of creation”.

The Book of John states:

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Jesus said this on another occasion:

Mar 10:6  But from [the beginning of the creation] God made them male and female.

Again this proves that mankind was made at the beginning of creation and not millions of years later.

Peter also used this phrase:

2Pe 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

This verse was written of those that deny any creation. They are still around.

But God wrote:

Exo 20:8  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Exo 20:11  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Those are six literal days of creation!

Peter also wrote to those that deny these words would lead to your own destruction:

2Pe 3:16  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

*****Heaven(that which is above) is used in three ways in the Bible:

1.) The Atmospheric heaven- (The troposphere):

We get our dew:

Deu 33:13  And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
Deu 33:14  And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,
Deu 33:15  And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
Deu 33:16  And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

We get our frost:

Job 38:28  Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?
Job 38:29  Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?
Job 38:30  The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.

We get our rain and snow:

Isa 55:10  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

We get our wind:

Psa 78:26  He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.

We get our thunder:

1Sa 2:10  The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.

We see the clouds:

Psa 147:8  Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

Where the birds fly:

Gen 1:20  And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

This is a precious gift of God given to us during creation week!

2.) The “celestial” heaven:

Psa 33:6  By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

3.) The subject of this verse, THE DWELLING PLACE OF GOD:

The Apostle Paul said:

2Co 12:1  It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2Co 12:2  I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.

Jesus said:

Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Where God sits:

Psa 2:4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Isa 66:1  Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

Where God judges:

Gen 19:24  Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

Jos 10:11  And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

The place of God’s blessings:

Exo 16:4  Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

Where God watches His people:

Deu 26:15  Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

Where God listens to prayers:

Psa 20:6  Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.

Where God makes His plans:

Psa 119:89  For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.

The place where the saints go at death:

Gen 25:8  Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

Luk 23:43  And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

2Co 5:8  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Php 1:23  For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so [them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him].

We may not know a lot about Heaven but there is a good bit of information in the Bible:

1.) We know it is also the place of angels. (They have ranks)
2.) You know God created all souls probably at this time. They come from God and go back to God. Every time someone is born at that time God sends a soul to dwell in that person.
3.) God probably created demon at this time. They are different from the angels.
4.) We can only imagine what else is in Heaven. Jesus said:

Joh 14:2  [In my Father’s house are many mansions]: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

*****The Earth

There is only one blue marble as an astronaut once said. This Earth we live on is the only planet throughout all the galaxies that God placed mankind(human life). People are starving all over this planet while money enough to feed them is wasted looking for life on other planets.

Our Text:

Gen 1:2  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

We could say of this verse that God is assembling His building materials.

(without form and void)

The Hebrew word “tohu” is “form” and the Hebrew word “bohu” for “void” in this verse. Without form would mean a place that is desolate, desert, wasteland or empty place. The second word is similar meaning empty place an indistinguishable ruin.

In other words this place could not sustain life at this time. I believe we can look at the moon or some of the nearby planets and get an idea of what the Earth looked like before God brought it to life.

(darkness upon the deep)

The Hebrew word “choshek” is used here meaning total darkness, or no light at all. “God said it was so dark you could feel it”.

You know scientist say that nothing on this planet could be as it is if “darkness had not been created first”.

Don’t be fooled we may not know what anything looked like before God began creating but “darkness” was one of His creations.

Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

The “deep” at this point would probably mean the future location of the abyss or the place where the Seas would be located. We know this because the Holy Spirit was in control of the “Waters”.

(The Spirit)

We Hebrew word for God used in verse one was Elohim. This word is a plural. Now we see that the Holy Spirit was also involved with creation. As I pointed out in John 1:3:

Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

This is referring to Christ Our Lord, we know that the Holy Trinity was all involved in the creation of our universe.

In fact:

1.) The Father God planned it all from Heaven. (Intelligence)
2.) The Son of God performed the work. (Carpenter)
3.) The Holy Spirit sustains it or gives it life. (Regenerates)

Jesus prayed to the Father and said:

Joh 17:20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
Joh 17:21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
Joh 17:22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
Joh 17:23  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Joh 17:24  Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

Before God broke ground on His creation, He already put in place a means of Salvation. He knew what the world would do. He would not be God if He were caught by surprise. Has it ever dawned on you that nothing has ever dawned on God.

1Jn 3:19  And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
1Jn 3:20  For if our heart condemn us, [God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things].

You know the world expects the Christian to prove everything in the Bible and science and archeology and documentation of God’s word is proven every day. But most of the world accepts the theory of evolution without the slightest bit of proof. How backward can we be.

This is actually blind faith of a false religion.

2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Satan has dug this thing in deep and people are to blind to see it and those in charge will not change because they know they would have to admit that the God of the Bible is after all the “Creator” of this universe.

Our text:

Gen 1:3  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Gen 1:4  And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
Gen 1:5  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

I said earlier God was assembling His building materials because God is bringing life to this planet. It will begin with a garden. We all know to plant a garden you need soul, you need water and you need light. God is now ready to begin. Many things take place this very first day of creation.

I say this all the time to the kids class, God is not bound by our methods of making things. “God makes the light then He builds the flashlight”.

There are those that think that light is nothing but it is a creation. It has wavelength and other characteristics and it is the reason we can see. Light has been called a mode of motion. All scientist agree that the activity and energy of light was necessary to prepare the way for all life. God has everything in order and again Moses would have not known how to put things in the proper order.

Light has no material but is the most basic form of energy. Natural life cannot exist without life. Light warms, makes things grow and gives them color. God made light independent of other heavenly bodies. Notice God has not created a source for this light as of yet. This the one thing that allows for star light to exist because some stars are so far away the light that they produce could not possibly reach Earth but God solved this problem by creating light first.

Albert Einstein was able to construct his famous formula (E=MC squared) because light is the one thing in the entire universe that is constant and never changing. That is except Jesus Christ. That’s why Jesus said He was as light.

Now the building blocks are assembled!

The Bible says:

2Co 4:6  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

and we must not forget:

Joh 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

and He does not change:

Mal 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Jas 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

And He will be the Light of the Eternal Age:

Rev 21:23  And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

God who is the sovereign judge of all things to have joy or be pleased, determined that light was “good”. It brought Him pleasure unlike bad or evil.

God called the Light “day” and the Darkness He called “night”. You see God named this part of creation and not man. A day is a twenty four hour period unless understood by scripture to be different. When God spoke to Moses the Ten Commandments, He made it clear that the “six days” of creation were exactly six 24 hour days.

The Bible says:

Exo 20:11  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Time as we know it on Earth has begun!

God gave us this time to fulfill the purpose He has for each and everyone of us. There is a reason for our lives and we are important to God.

Rom 9:11  (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

By the way not only did time begin but History, Mathematics Science, Astronomy, Geology, and many more things.

Jeremiah wrote:

Jer 10:12  He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.
Jer 10:13  When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

BUT GREATER THAN ALL THESE THINGS IS THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD REACHING OUT TO ALL WHO WILL BELIEVE HIM!

Our Text:

Gen 1:6  And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
Gen 1:7  And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
Gen 1:8  And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Two elements of great importance are found only on this Earth. There will never be another planet discovered by man that have these things in such abundance as Earth. They are water and oxygen and God placed them on this Earth before any life forms were created.

Firmament from the Hebrew “raqai” means an expanse or sky. The 1st heaven is created. This will be the place where the birds will fly and modern day aircraft.

Isa 40:22  It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

You know up unto the time of Christopher Columbus, the lost world thought the Earth was flat and that Columbus would sail off the edge of the Earth. The word of God had it right all along because it is God that sits on the circle of the Earth.

The lower waters would provide the Seas and all water on the Earth and the upper waters would provide protection from the future Sun. This created a green house effect on our world that would last until the flood of Noah’s day. Trapped between the two would be our breathable atmosphere.

Even in our day and time it is estimated that there  54 trillion tons of water suspended above us at any given moment. The annual rainfall and snowfall of this Earth could again cover the Earth up to about three feet deep if it fell all at once. God brought it all down one time but He promised it would never happen like that again. That’s why we have the rainbow. A sign that God is remembering His promise.

Because of the gravity of Earth and these elements that sustain us life can exist on our planet. There is not another planet like Earth and there will not be until God makes the new Earth.

We again should praise the Lord for such a gift:

Psa 148:4  Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.
Psa 148:5  Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.
Psa 148:6  He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.

Oh, by the way the Earth just got soaked with water on the entire surface maybe about three feet deep. The garden is now ready to plant. The Earth would soon be a tropical paradise.

Our text:

Gen 1:9  And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
Gen 1:10  And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
Gen 1:11  And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
Gen 1:12  And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Gen 1:13  And the evening and the morning were the third day.

Now if all the waters under heaven are gathered in one place then that only leaves one place for the land. The Earth was just one large continent at this time.

Notice in verse ten we see that God had said the gathering of the Seas and the dry land was good. At the end of day two, He had completed His work with the waters and the dry land and the first heaven or our atmosphere. This work was not good until the dry land appeared.

You might say why so much water. We know it is the Oceans that keep pollution under control on our planet, This take s a lot of salt water. The plants that are about to grow on this exposed earth will need a lot of carbon dioxide. If you listen to those from the Greenhouse religion you would think carbon dioxide is a bad thing. Nothing on this earth would be green without it. Our oceans absorb and emit Carbon dioxide. We humans also create carbon dioxide every time we breath. It is not a pollutant. It is not smog. It is a “Naturally” occurring invisible gas that is necessary on our planet.

God gave us the cycle of water along with constant patterns to keep our world pure:

The Bible says:

Ecc 1:5  The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
Ecc 1:6  The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
Ecc 1:7  All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

Those waters still obey the word of God because of His Son:

Pro 8:23  I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
Pro 8:24  When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.
Pro 8:25  Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
Pro 8:26  While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.
Pro 8:27  When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:
Pro 8:28  When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:
Pro 8:29  When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
Pro 8:30  Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;
Pro 8:31  Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

Why should we not believe the Bible when we read that Jesus control the elements when He was with us.

Mar 4:35  And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
Mar 4:36  And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
Mar 4:37  And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
Mar 4:38  And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
Mar 4:39  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Mar 4:40  And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
Mar 4:41  And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

1.) The entire dry land blossoms out in grass.
2.) Notice the edible herbs are already full grown and yielding seed to multiply.
3.) Notice the fruit tree already yielding it’s fruit.
Notice the definition of a fruit tree. The seed is inside the fruit. And we can also see that an apple tree will not grow an orange nor will an peach tree grow a pear. They have to be after their kind.

Scientist have tried to manipulate some cross bred trees but most fail and only those on similar families will even work out but they cannot reproduce themselves.

Now the atmosphere above has the main ingredient oxygen.

Job tells us it takes the wisdom not found in man:

Job 28:5  As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.

Job 28:13  Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.

Job 28:18  No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.

But Jesus says:

Mat 6:25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Mat 6:26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Mat 6:27  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
Mat 6:28  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
Mat 6:29  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Mat 6:30  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Mat 6:31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Mat 6:32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

The Bible says:

Psa 104:1  Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
Psa 104:2  Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
Psa 104:3  Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
Psa 104:4  Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
Psa 104:5  Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
Psa 104:6  Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.
Psa 104:7  At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
Psa 104:8  They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.
Psa 104:9  Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.
Psa 104:10  He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.
Psa 104:11  They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.
Psa 104:12  By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
Psa 104:13  He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
Psa 104:14  He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
Psa 104:15  And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.
Psa 104:16  The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;
Psa 104:17  Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.
Psa 104:18  The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.
Psa 104:19  He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.
Psa 104:20  Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.
Psa 104:21  The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.
Psa 104:22  The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.
Psa 104:23  Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.
Psa 104:24  O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

Our text:

Gen 1:14  And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Gen 1:15  And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
Gen 1:16  And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
Gen 1:17  And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
Gen 1:18  And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
Gen 1:19  And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Remember that light from the first day, now God builds the continuing source of that light.

1.) These lights will to divide the day from the night.
2.) To be signs
3.) To show the seasonal changes.
4.) To separate days
5.) To separate the years.
6.) To let them be lights in the second heaven.

The moon has it quarters to mark weeks and months.
The sun rises and falls daily and marks the seasons and the years. We get our minutes and hours of each day from the rotation of the Earth.

You see all those beautiful stars and planets and suns and moons do have a purpose. THEY ARE FOR LIGHTS IN HEAVEN TO LIGHT UP GOD’S EARTH.

We can see a few stars on a clear night with the eye but there are millions of them:

Psa 147:4  He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
Psa 147:5  Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

Most scientist agree that the moon could not have just drifted into orbit around our planet. It is much to large to do so by accident. The moon had to be hand placed in it’s location. Only God has those kind of hands.

Job 26:7  He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.

The Bible says:

Isa 40:26  Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

Isa 42:5  Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

Psa 8:3  When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

Our text:

Gen 1:20  And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
Gen 1:21  And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Gen 1:22  And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
Gen 1:23  And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

The Earth is ready to sustain living creatures. I didn’t read where a single thing evolved into anything did you?

The animal kingdom begins!

God spoke and the waters were filled with living creatures. One spoonful of water contains millions of microscopic creatures. Some are so small that, that spoonful of water would be the same to them as an ocean to us. God creates big and small with the same ease. Notice whales were also included.

The fish were swimming and the birds were already flying and to those that still ask that familiar question, YES THE CHICKEN DID COME BEFORE THE EGG!

We know a lot of animal life is extinct now but there are still over 30,000 kinds of fish and over 9 thousand kinds of birds.

The Bible says that the birds and the fish were both made on the same day. Another blow to evolutionist.

Only God can create. Evolution and man made theories have no place alongside Biblical creation. There is no life without the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.

And there is no “salvation” without Jesus Christ!

Let’s pray!