Eden: A Pattern of Abundant Living

Introduction

A blueprint is something that an architect comes up with to help those who are doing the work of construction know how something is to be laid out and done.

It in fact is a document that allows many facets of what it takes to create something useful/helpful to come together.

Structural support, plumbing, electricity, heating/a/c/ventilation, sound reinforcement, windows, all these things need to be coordinated so it makes sense and functions.

Blueprints help us do that.

Here is scanned copies of the blueprints of this place from 1966. It’s wonderful, fascinating, and you can see how they didn’t just want to stop here but they had big plans for expansion and creating opportunities for a retirement community/center… that the church would be around and involved in the lives of its people from the womb to the tomb.

God has also set us up with some blueprints on how we might flourish. The Garden of Eden serves as a blueprint for the kind of life God wants us to live - one that is abundant, purposeful, and centered on our relationship with Him. That’s what we’re going to read about today.

If you have your Bibles, or on your devices, please turn to Genesis 2:4-9.

If you are able and/or willing, would you stand with me as I read God’s word this morning.

Let us pray. Amen

Thank you, please be seated.

“This is the account”

Another account (vs.4)

We read a synoptic telling of what we’ve already read. It’s not another creation story, but it’s one that gives us another focus as it will be important to what is to follow.

This is controversial for some, in that some believe this is another creation account. I don’t see it that way. I see that there is a focus that God is bringing to the creation account. He’s moved from the entire cosmos and is now going to focus on an important part of what happened after creation. IT’S PIVOTAL, CHAPTERS 2 AND 3 SET THE STAGE FOR THE REST OF THE BIBLICAL NARRATIVE… IT INFORMS OUR LIVES TODAY, THOUSANDS OF YEARS LATER.

Crystal and I have been married for 21 years this May. We’ve shared our story of meeting, dating, proposal, and marriage many many times. We have a 2 minute version, 10 minute version, 20 minute version and 30 minute version of the story depending on the context on when were telling it.

Now as time has gone on, things have happened that actually inform and share new facets about our story that we can reflect on and speak about.

In fact we might highlight one part of our story for one group and another part of our story for another group. It’s all the same story, but the intent on telling the story determines what we include, how we include it, and even how recent events are highlighted by our story.

Same thing that is happening here.

Note: For Bible nerds, we see the first time of nine times we see the word account (generations, descendants)… the Hebrew word is toledot (תוֹלְד֧וֹת) this is how the book of Genesis divides itself up. (snap a picture)

Genesis lists nine specific toledot: – Creation – Genesis 2:4 – Adam – Genesis 5:1 – Noah and his sons – Genesis 6:9; 10:1, 32 – Shem – Genesis 11:10 – Terah – Genesis 11:27 – Ishmael – Genesis 25:12-13; 1 Chronicles 1:29 – Isaac – Genesis 25:19 – Esau – Genesis 36:1, 9 – Jacob – Genesis 37:2 Toledot can have slightly different meanings depending on the context. In Genesis 2:4, it’s used somewhat metaphorically as “heaven and earth” don’t literally procreate. Instead, the word refers to the events that came about with the advent of heaven and earth—namely, all of human history. In the other instances in Genesis, toledot identifies both the descendants of these men and the stories that ensued in their time—we might say the “era” in which they lived. The toledot or generations don’t necessarily end when the next begin; they’re more layered, each encompassing those that come after.

How God chooses to use these delineating lines also informs us why in Genesis two we don’t have a full recounting of creation but only that which pertains to what we need to know to help us make sense of our lives, what we need today.

God forms and sustains life

God establishes the world and everything in it. We saw last week how on the seventh day, God stopped from creating, ascended the throne and reigned over creation. He begins to sustain and maintain all that He has made.

It’s fascinating when you look life as we understand it. There is a designer, there is a sustainer, there are so many things that cause me to be in awe of our universe.

The distance that the Earth is from the Sun… any closer or any further, life could not exist.

As we had our eclipse this last week, I read that there is no other planet where this happens. The distance the moon is to the Earth and the size of the moon, it can not happen on any other planet like we see here on Earth.

The innate intricacies of our human bodies that have clearly been designed that we don’t fully understand but continue to make discoveries all the time. Science doesn’t work if things are dependable, consistent, and predictable… God sustains all of these things.

Pastor Josh spoke to us about how when we honor and remember the Sabbath, it is taking that day of the week and remembering what God has done and allowing our productivity to turn to praise and reflection of all that God has done and is doing. I loved the line that he said, “This is more a matter of engagement without obstacles rather than disengagement without responsibilities.”

He doesn’t even cause it to rain but that the water comes up from the ground to water all the seeds, plants, and trees. It waters the whole surface of the ground.

He then creates man. Now as opposed to Genesis 1 where we see man and woman, at this moment it is just man. God breathes in him and he becomes alive (again, God creating, giving life, and sustaining… it’s a pattern).

God then plants a garden in the East, in this region called Eden. He places man there.

God had made everything there look really really good. It was beautiful. They were good for food. He gave them source for food, for shelter, temperate climate that they could be naked and not need coverings.

God had created and placed man into a literal paradise.

Jesus would tell us Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

This is a pattern we see in Eden and we see even in the fallen World, Jesus is calling us to trust in God. Put our trust in Him. Seek Him. Seek His Kingdom… in that we will be blessed. He’ll provide for our needs and more.

This paradise is where God would put man. He would tend, take care of, and cultivate this garden… but he would enjoy and be blessed.

The Two Trees

We are introduced to two trees now.

One is the “Tree of life”

One is the “Tree the knowledge of good and evil”

Did you know there is a whole theology on Trees in the Bible and their relation to the biblical narrative. Trees actually tells us about God, what God will do, and who God is. We’ll unpack a little of this today, but more to come in the future.

Back to these two trees in Genesis 2. One allows God to be God and us to be us… the other we are assuming God’s role (it crushes us, hurts those around us)

As we will see next week, Eden imagery is one where Eden is set on a mountain. This idea is conveyed in the ways that the rivers flow from Eden. The scriptures tend to have a pattern of holy place, mountain, high place. Eden was thought to be high in elevation to the rest of the land.

The tree of life was intended to give life. To give that which God gives.

There’s another tree like the tree of life, where there is a tree on a mountain radiating with God’s life and power, just like the tree of life.

And God tells Moses, “Bring your people out of this land and up to this mountain, so we can form a partnership.”

And this partnership will force them to make a choice. Will they follow gods of their own making or receive life from the true God?

And in this story, they give their allegiance to an idol.

And it’s just the first of many. The story goes on to show generation after generation choosing gods of their own making. And these idols were usually placed on tall hills, like beautiful trees. But they’re false trees of life that lead the people into self-destruction, exile, and death.

It’s like death’s grip on us is too strong to resist. Is there any hope?

Jesus: Tree of Life

Well, let’s turn now to the story of Jesus. He came to announce that God’s eternal life was available once again through him.

So Jesus thinks of himself as the tree of life!

Yes. This is what he meant when he claimed to be the vine that brings God’s life into the world.

And Jesus invited people to eat from him.

Yeah. He was inviting people to trust him and be transformed by his life. But Jesus also exposed how corrupt humans are, how much they love false trees of life. And so Jesus presented people with a new choice between life or death.

And this time they don’t just choose death, they also chose to attack the one who sustains all of life.

Jesus is led up to the top of a hill where he dies upon a tree. The cross is the sad and violent result of humanity’s desire to do what is good in our own eyes.

Deuteronomy 21:22–23 “If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole, you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.”

The tree of life has been overcome by the power of death.

Well, it seemed that way. But Jesus said that he was a seed of God’s life that would die in the ground but then grow into a plant that would bear much fruit.

So to defeat death, Jesus went through it.

Eat from the Tree Today

And now this new tree of life stands before us all. We can eat from it, but it will mean passing through death like Jesus, allowing our old way of being human to die.

So that a new humanity can grow in its place.

Yes. Jesus said that he is the vine and we are his branches. So not only do you eat from this tree, you’re invited to become part of it, helping produce its fruit, so that his life and love can spread through us to others.

And so the story of the Bible ends with a new temple.

Which is also a new garden with the tree of life is at its center, providing healing and life forever to all who choose to eat from it.

Conclusion

Church, Jesus is the tree of Life. In fact Jesus would say that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him.

We’re going to explore these two trees further as we get into Genesis 2 and 3. But we are being introduced to them today.

I want us to know that if we are struggling, suffering, or in need… may we turn our eyes to the tree of Life, may we taste and see that God is good and blessed is the one that puts His trust in Him.

There are a lot of counterfeit trees. There are a lot of trees that say they offer life, but the end is a deeper void, the hurt is only numbed so much and so we go back for more and more because we think if we have more we’ll be satisfied… but that is the lie… as we consume it, it consumes us completely.

We’re in a presidential election year. Our votes are important, but our political candidate is a false tree of life… they will not save us. They will not deliver us from this present evil. No matter who is elected they will bring good and bad with them. I realize we can choose our bad, that is the gift that it is to live in this country. But if it consumes us to where we are sacrificing relationships, our character, our integrity, our witness as followers of Jesus, it has become an idol and is death.

Our achievements can be an idol or false tree. Our titles or bank accounts can be an idol and false tree. In and of themselves they are not evil, it is the place of value that we put it.

God never calls the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, evil… when He made it, He said it was good… it was part of creation which when all said and done was very good. But we’ll find (without giving it away), what God intended it for, man perverted it and in their consumption of something that was not intended to be consumed by them, brought death and sin into the world.

Choose Jesus today, choose the tree of life. Go tell your friends. Go tell your family. They may not listen to you, but that’s ok, that’s not up to you. But if they are willing to listen, share. If God brings someone across your path that you think, “wow, Jesus could change their life… I think its really Jesus they are looking for”… tell them.

Let us be bearers of good news.

Lets see the pattern of Eden be one in which we know at least three things:

God loves us immensely (God’s purpose for us)

God will bring His peace (shalom) into our lives as we experience Heaven on Earth until we get there (God’s provision for us)

God wants to tend and cultivate which means to share with others, cause more life to extend from the tree so it gets bigger and bigger and bigger, seeing more and more people experiencing His faithfulness, His loving-kindness, and His never ending compassion. (God’s passion for us)

Q1: What is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever.

John Piper would add, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him”

Let us pray.

I want to invite our elders, pastors, deacons down to be available for prayer…

As we've seen, Jesus is the true tree of life, offering us hope, healing, and abundance. Today, you have a choice: will you continue to seek fulfillment from the false trees of this world, or will you turn to Jesus, the source of eternal life? If you haven't already, I invite you to make the decision to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. By putting your trust in Him, you can experience the love, peace, and purpose that God intended for you since the beginning. Don't wait any longer - choose life, choose Jesus today, and discover the joy of walking with Him in the garden of your heart.

You can come down at any time during the music or after the music but they are here to pray with you. Today is the day of salvation, don’t leave without prayer if you want to make that commitment to Him today. If God is stirring something in your heart, and you need prayer, come down and pray. This is how we can love and support one another. Let’s sing.