ADAM: God's Plan for Man - Part 2

Last week we started this lesson and we mentioned how important Adam was because of:

I. The firsts he represents

‌He was the first man, husband, father grandfather.

He was made perfect, God’s creation was good.

Did you know this, that Adam was created likely without a belly button, Eve didn’t have one either. I heard some commentator argue though, years ago, that they both did have belly buttons. What ever side of the very important argument you fall will determine our friendship.

The truth is - they probably did have belly buttons after all, because God probably said, “You’re Done and You’re Done!”

II. Adam was made by “Us”

‌By the triune God.

III. God made man in His own Image

‌In his shadow, in his form.

A. In His image as a trichotomy

1. Adam had a physical body

2. Adam had a spirit within him

3. Adam became a living soul

B. He made man in his image in nature and constitution

C. He made man in the image in place and authority

Now we will continue with our study tonight:

IV. God made man in His own Likeness

- resemblance in is spiritual and consciousness to be able to think.;

Man was made like God is his qualities and attributes.

We have the capability of emotions and spirituality.

Man has the ability to choose right from wrong – he is self-conscious

Not so much that we can have his qualities and attributes to His level, but we are in his likeness, we do have the capability and potential to resemble him, to model Him

Think about Adam he was created perfect, sinless, holy, pure.

That was part of God’s perfect plan for Adam, and it is God’s will for us as well.

He was made with knowledge, abilities to farm, to name the animals, to make decisions with wisdom.

Ephesians 4:24 KJV

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Colossians 3:10 KJV

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

V. God gave man a purpose and place

He was put in the Garden of Eden, where we find that he had two jobs initially.

A. A general command

There is a command that we all have in a general sense in this earth:

Genesis 1:28 KJV

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.

1. Be productive

Everyone of us need to makes sure as responsible people of God, children of God, even more so because we as Gentiles were adopted into the family of God -

2. Multiply & Replenish

These are different. The idea of multiply is to increase in number exponentially - this had to be done for the furthering of mankind.

It is not a life long command but a good principle for today - somewhat to

Replenish is to fill up. This would be necessary because if they did not the world would overrun them.

Leviticus 26:22 KJV

I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.

As a matter of fact, the BIble warns against be overrun with wild animals in:

De. 32:24. 2 Ki. 17:25. Je. 15:3. Eze. 5:17; 14:15

3. Subdue it

Subdue means to struggle against in a contest - and to conquer.

We are to win against this earth and what it throws at us.

4. Dominion over it

This means to master have mastery over this earth.

Man should and in many ways, has especially today. But we have a world that is attacking man’s dominion over the earth. We talk about overpopulation, but every time I fly, most of this nation and much of the world is uninhabited, or sparsely.

We need to continue to take more dominion over this earth.

B. A specific command

Gen 2:8-16

1. To dress it

To labor and farm it; to work its purpose.

2. To keep it

Protect it, keep looking presentable, treat it with respect

Along with the responsibility God gave Adam, he gave him some benefits also.

3. Freely eat of it

v.16; of every tree Adam could freely eat – it was all his, if it looked good he could partake of it, if he was hungry, he could go get you a snack.

I used to love fruit when I was growing up, still do but now we have it a lot more. But what a treasure it was. I remember my stepdad would get fruit at Christmas time, which was a real treat to him.

But Adam could freely eat.

V. God created man with a Free-will

Genesis 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.

A. Adam was given almost everything

Adam could freely eat of all the trees of the garden, but one was he was kept from, one he was forbidden from partaking of.

Of all the things that God had given Adam, he also gave him one simple limitation – to see what Adam would do. Would he choose to obey and follow God’s rule in his life, or would he reject it, and follow his own way.

B. Adam was given one limitation

It was nothing more than just a limitation of not just having the fruit of one tree, but it showed the limitation the propensity of mankind to rebellion, ultimately to sinfulness which we will look into in a few weeks.

But isn’t that just like mankind, we are so focused on what we can’t have rather that what we do have:

Human nature is constantly wanting more, the lust of man is never satisfied:

Proverbs 27:20 KJV

Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

Mankind has been given something that no other creation of God has – a free will to follow God or to reject God. Some of God’s creation were created in God’s great plan who would not follow God, some were created to follow God, while yet others in creation are oblivious to God because they are not conscious to God.

But you my friend have a free will just like Adam.

Adam chose to reject God’s one rule

Genesis 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.

Do you know what our attitude is in this, or at least in my mind, I think about this and say Adam, you fool, you traded in all of creation, all of the blessings of God, the fellowship with God, to walk with Him and know him, to dwell in his creation, and to be with him forever, but you gave it up and rejected God in the one and important thing he gave you direct instruction on.

Yet we are the same today – we have this one instruction and we are bigger fools than even Adam.

Now we have this one thing, this one main overriding command of God that our future, our families future, and our eternity is dependent on:

Romans 2:16 KJV

In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

C. We have a simple decision just like Adam

This simple basic determiner in this life depends on what we do with Jesus Christ, the redeemer of mankind.

Matthew 17:5 KJV

While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Deuteronomy 18:15 KJV

The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

Deuteronomy 18:19 KJV

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

In a few weeks we are going to look at the fall of man more in-depth, but this morning, I want you to understand how simple it is for you and me to be saved, what will you do with Jesus Christ? It is in simply trusting him in faith, in a hymn by Ira Sankey – we see these words penned on page 149 from a poem by Kenneth Osbeck:

Simply trusting every day, trusting through a stormy way;

Even when my faith is small, trusting Jesus—that is all.

Singing if my way is clear, praying if the path be drear;

If in danger, for Him call, trusting Jesus—that is all.—Kenneth Osbeck