1. Adam

For a while now, I’ve been hoping to start doing character studies with you guys at our youth groups. There’s something special about taking a deeper look into the lives of the people of the Bible, we get to understand where they’re coming from, and we see their strengths and their weaknesses. We get to understand that these people we read about are very human; humans mess up! We can learn from their failures, and try to follow them where they succeeded.

Hebrews 12:1–2 NKJV

1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Character studies are awesome for our own growth as we walk with God. So, tonight we’re going back to the very beginning and take a look at the life of Adam.

Tell me, what do you know about Adam?

Adam: Where did he Come From? (NEW SLIDE)

Were any of you born outside of Saint John? Raised outside of SJ? (That’s your hometown)

I guarantee none of us had a “hometown” like Adam.

Genesis 2:8 NKJV

8 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.

What’s Adam’s “hometown”? (Eden)

Eden = Delight, bliss

IT’s hard to even begin imagining how beautiful this garden was. Verse 9 says that God made every tree grow that is pleasant to see and good for food.

Think of the unending variety of trees we’ve got today. They’re guessing there’s over 73 000 different tree species and 3.04 trillion trees on earth right now. Just here we’ve got oak, maple, spruce, fir, willows. And then all the fruit trees!

Think of the variety Adam would’ve seen (apple, pear, bananas, oranges, lemons, limes, guavas, coconuts, pinaples, etc.). And all this was before the fall, so you can only imagine how good those fruits were.

Peach tree in Dieppe...

But there were two trees that stood apart from the others, which ones are they? (Tree of life, knowledge of good and evil)

Everyday, Adam would see these trees, standing there at the very center of the garden. Jump down to verse 16, and God has some boundaries for Adam.

(NEW SLIDE)

Genesis 2:16–17 NKJV

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Verse 17 of course is the big boundary line, you are NOT allowed to eat of this fruit.

When someone tells us not to do something, what’s the first thought that comes to mind? (I wanna do that!)

Pointing something out when nobody was thinking about it...

- Food left in the fridge...

Immediately when something is pointed out to us, our first response is desire for that. We know how this turns out later for Adam.

Up to this point, how would you describe the conditions of life around Adam? (Perfect!)

Adam had a perfect body, a perfect mind, he lived in a perfect garden and walked in perfect fellowship with God, everything was just right.

Despite this perfect envrironment, what do we know is coming? (The fall)

What does that tell us? (No environment is going to make you obey God)

If our hearts aren’t right with the Lord, if we aren’t determined to obey God in every aspect of our lives, is our Christian family going to make us walk with the Lord?

We’ve got pastors kids, deacons kids, I know missionary kids from other places. And that’s great, but it won’t guarantee that you’re going to live for the Lord. One day you’ll be out of your home, out of this good environment, and then, like Adam in the garden when he’s looking at the fruit he know’s he’s not supposed to eat, you’re going to ask yourself, “Am I going to stand and chose to obey the Lord?”

That’s a lesson we can all learn from Adam. The man was in Eden of all places! He had literally zero boundaries, he talked face to face with God himself, and he STILL chose to sin!

Adam: What did God Call him to do?

Dominion

So, that was the environment God placed Adam in, his roots so to speak. Now let’s take a look at God’s calling on his life. Take a look at Genesis 1:28

Genesis 1:28 NKJV

28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Ok this verse is LOADED with good stuff here, help me unpack it, what does God call Adam and Eve to do here?

Be fruitful and multiply

Subdue the earth

Does anyone have a clue what subdue means? (To make subordinate, bringing something under your service)

“Fill the earth with people, and then subdue the earth. Get a grasp of the things around you, get to understand the ways this world works. Make it organized.”

I think this speaks to the process of understanding the world around us, and figuring ways to use it the way God intends to.

Do we see that happening today? (We absolutely do!)

Inventions, science, adventures, etc.

Have dominion over all animals

This one’s hugely important...

What does it mean to have dominion over something? (Rule, exercise authority over)

Let me tell you, we’ve definitely gotten a hang of this one.

- Service animals

- War horses

What if it were the other way around? Horses used us for war? Blind dogs have us on a leash to guide them? Rediculous isn’t it?! That’s because dominion was given to Adam and Eve, to mankind. We’ve got this special responsibility to take care of the things that the Lord has given to us. We see a prime example of this dominion just a chapter ahead.

Genesis 2:19–20 NKJV

19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

God brought the animals to Adam to see what he would name them, do any of you find that interresting? How so?

God is the One who made them, was He unable to give them names?

Why then does he want Adam to pick the names? (It’s a way to show the authority Adam has over the animals, it is an excercise of DOMINION)

Who has a pet here? What name did you give to your pet? (Let them answer)

Does any of your pets have a name for you? Did they pick out your name?

Other than the fact they aren’t able to do that, it’s totally rediculous!

When you give your pet a name: Gunner, Carney, Luna, Randy, Bufford, etc. What are you doing? (Using dominion)

God has given us animals to have dominion over, we use our God given authority over them just like Adam did.

Work

God has also given us work, which we see for Adam in Genesis 2:15

Genesis 2:15 NKJV

15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

What were Adam’s jobs in the garden?

Tend: Till the garden, work, get things done!

God created us to get work done, to get on the to do list and accomplish things. People hate work these days, they’ll say it’s a necessary evil.

Is work evil? How do we know it’s not evil? (God gave Adam work before the fall)

Are there certain chores or things you do you find super satisfying?

Mowing the lawn, loading the dishwasher perfectly...

Have you ever wondered why you feel satisfied by these painfully normal things? (Because God made you that way! When God hardwired your brain, He set it so that you’d find joy in a good day of work!)

Keep: Maintain

This is the one we don’t usually like to hear about...

Keep your room clean, pick up those socks, etc.

Why don’t we like maintaining things? (It’s hard!!)

Back in Adam’s day, it wasn’t like that. He could work for 100 hours straight and never break a sweat. Work was easy, fruit would grow as quick as weeds grow in your garden. But now since the curse, work is hard, that’s actually a part of the curse!

Genesis 3:17–19 NKJV

17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”

Although it isn’t easy anymore, God still wants us to work, and we still find satisfaction in that.

What’s something God placed in your life for you to maintain? What are some responsibilities you have?

God’s purpose for your life is to take care of ________

When you’re faithful with these things, you’re living out one of the main reasons you were created!

Adam: What were his struggles?

We all know that Adam had his fair share of troubles in life. Let’s take a look at that together...

Someone remind us what God commanded Adam and Eve? (Not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil)

We all know how it goes… One day Adam and Eve were minding their business, when Satan comes in the form of a serpent, and deceives Eve.

“Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

So Eve replies, “We can eat of all the trees of the garden, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We can’t even touch it or we’ll die.”

What’s Satan’s response in vs. 4? (You will not surely die)

What’s he doing to Eve here? (Placing doubt in Eve’s mind)

“Maybe I misunderstood God, or worse, maybe God is holding me back. This fruit looks delicious, and who doesn’t want to be wise?!” Eve is justifying the disobedience in her mind as Satan subtly tempts her.

This is where we get the saddest verse in the Bible. Genesis 3:6

Genesis 3:6 NKJV

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

Where was Adam while all this was happening? (He was actually right by her side the whole time)

Did he just eat this by accident?

Dog falling onto birthday cake...

He watched Satan deceive Eve and persuade her to eat of the fruit. Paul has a detail for us that makes his sin so much worse.

1 Timothy 2:14 NKJV

14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

Adam was what? (Not deceived)

He watched all of this happen, and knowingly ate of the fruit. This was a deliberate choice to disobey God.

Who is supposed to lead in a marriage? (The husband)

The husband is the head of the wife, just like Christ is the head of the Church.

So, as the leader, what should Adam have done as he watched his wife get deceived by the Devil? (Step in and stop the interaction)

But what does he do? (Sits back and watched it happen)

This is for the guys in particular, we’re going to have that same tendency that Adam did. It’s far easier for us to sit back, and let things happen than to jump in and be a leader. It’s a tendency within us ever since this moment in the garden.

God has called us to step up as men, and to lead. When we are passive, careless, we’re rebelling against out Maker. God designed us so that we would lead by example.

- Inappropriate talk, we shut it down

- Gossip

- Lead by example too...

There’s a weird shift in relationships these days.

Women are the ones working, and the men stay at home...

Adam: How did he get victory?

How did Adam get the victory in the end?

Trick question, he never really did! All we know about Adam from this point on is that he had children, and died at the young age of 930 years old! But there’s a greater Adam, turn to Romans 5 as we close things off tonight.

In an amazing way, Adam serves as a picture of what Christ would be.

Romans 5:18 NKJV

18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men [Who is this?], resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.

Raise your hand if you were in the garden of Eden and sinned with Adam

But you’re still a sinner, how’s that possible? (Through Adam’s one act of disobedience, we are all made sinners)

In the same way, through Christ’s one act on the cross, we can be made righteous. We can be forgiven and be set free!

If you’ve already gotten that forgiveness, the Gospel still applies to you.

Do we still struggle like Adam did?

Absolutely we do! But Jesus Christ gives us the grace we need to be forgiven of these things, AND He gives us the grace to conquer our sins. We need Christ!

Lessons

Our environment does not make us obedient

God has given us the responsibility to maintain what He’s given us

Step up and lead!