Genesis 2:4-25: The Good Life

Introduction

Trying to find jeans to fit. You used to be able to buy a pair of jeans and they just fit - now, many options. The good ole’ days when jeans fit…

The good ole’ days… Time in the past where life couldn’t be better…

We all long for something better than the present. Long for the past where we thought things were better, or we long for a better future...

Genesis 2 - “the good ole’ days.” Life as God intended. Interesting: Gen. 2 is our past, and it is also our future.

Genesis 2 - Life as God intended - People in the presence of God without the presence of sin, enjoying fellowship with God, serving Him, and enjoying each other.

Ancient Hebrews: Who is our God, and what does He want with us? Gen. 2 - He wants good for you. He wants a relationship with you.

Read through Genesis 2 and you’re reminded that because of our sin, life is broken. BUT, through faith, God is putting your life back together. Your life will never be like what Adam and Eve experience before the fall, but we can have the good life - a life that will culminate in a return to Eden.

What is the good life? Three characteristics of the good life and how to have it.

The good life is embracing obedience as your expression of belief.

Genesis 1 = a wide angle view of Creation. Genesis 2 = the zoom lens; focusing in on God’s most treasured creation: humanity.

vs. 4 - The “Lord God” = Yaweh. Genesis 1 = Elohim. Elohim is a more generic term to describe God. Yahweh is His covenant name (Ex. 3). To the ancient Hebrews - “Your God is personal. This is your story. Look where you came from.”

God is transcendent (Genesis 1), and God is imminent (near, Genesis 2).

vs. 7 - In a beautiful, uncultivated world, God creates man from the dust of the ground - remember where you came from - lowly origin.

Lowly yet unique. God breathed life into humanity - face to face intimacy, personal; able to relate to God.

Planted a garden (vs. 8) - “Garden of God” (Isaiah 51:3). A place for God to dwell with man in intimate fellowship.

Eden isn’t paradise just because of it’s beauty - (vs. 11-14) - 4 rivers in the Middle East? It’s a lush place. Eden is paradise because it’s God’s garden - a place where God meets with the people He created in His image.

In the garden are two trees: tree of life - eat of tree and experience life. Tree of knowledge of good and evil - eat and die - vs. 16.

God not hiding knowledge from Adam. But, how would Adam pursue knowledge? Through obedience or disobedience?

The choice. “Will I do it my way, or God’s way? Will I listen to God, or will I listen to myself Who’t the real king? God or me?”

Tree of knowledge of good and evil a reminder to Adam of who was in charge. God was King, not Adam. God created with His Word (Gen. 1). Would Adam listen to God’s Word?

The good life is embracing obedience as your expression of belief.

Old hymn: Trust and obey for their’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. I’ve found to be true: I’m most content when I’m living God’s way, not my way.

We’re saved by faith in God, because of the obedience of Jesus, because ultimately it was our disobedience that condemned us.

However, as we grow in Jesus, we DESIRE to obey God because we grow to understand that what Jesus wants for us is best.

Two questions:

What do I really believe about God? (I believe He is love, He sent His Son, etc… You believe all the right things in the head, but aren’t letting it affect your daily choices. You’re not convinced He knows what’s best for you.)

What does my life say that I believe about God? We say we believe God’s way is best, but we continue to run to what’s worst for us - what Christ came to redeem us from.

Maybe you look at your life and think, “My life isn’t that good… It’s always a mess...” Could be because you constantly choose your way. Why not try God’s way?

The choice for Hudson - taking fake roach to school - those daily choices show who’s in charge… the roach is tempting - but decision starts in heart

The good life is embracing work as your God-given responsibility.

God “placed” Adam in the garden to work and watch over it (vs. 8 and 15).

Placed (vs. 15) a Hebrew word translated in other places as rest. Rest in the Garden of Eden. A place of safety - what God promised Hebrews would have in the Promised Land (Deut. 3:20). (Remember, a people who had no rest…)

Rest because God’s there… Rest because living in the center of God’s will.

Satisfying work. Your work is often more frustrating than satisfying - that’s because of the fall. The fall cursed your work - made it hard. You come home cursing about your job because it seems like your job is cursing at you.

BUT, you have those moments when you have worked all day that sure, you’re tired, but you feel rested because you have a sense of accomplishment.

Original design - work was satisfying. It’s satisfying to know that you are accomplishing what God created you to do.

Man not created to be lazy nor a workaholic. Instead, man created to serve the Lord and find fulfilment in serving the Lord through the work of his hands.

Satisfying work when you realize:

You get to work for the benefit of others.

Work - developing the land for harvest - and not just for Adam and Eve - for his children, etc. Developing the land for the benefit of others.

“I get to make life better for someone else...” (Dairy farmers in Franklinton - God’s way of providing milk to my house.)

Your life is better because of someone’s hard work...

Your job is so much more than a paycheck. It’s a way to sacrificially serve others.

You get to work as an act of worship.

In the garden, work an act of worship - serving the Lord by tending God’s garden. Adam in God’s presence serving the Lord living out God’s calling. Language in Ch. 2 is language of priestly service at tabernacle.

Colossians 3:23. Worship by giving your best. What’s your work ethic? To give your employer a hard day of work or to half-heartedly get through? Worship by developing your abilities. Desire to get better at what you do. You have God-given abilities, talents, etc. Give God glory - thank Him!

You get to work as a vocational missionary. Garden wouldn’t stay small - Adam and his descendants would outgrow the garden and the work of God through Adam would spread throughout the earth. God’s image bearers would reflect His image everywhere they went.

Standing behind Billy Graham’s pulpit. He’s a hero, but ALL WORK IS SACRED.

1. Praise God on your way to work tomorrow.

2. Minister to SOMEONE tomorrow. Pray for, pray with, encourage, etc. (Be the office chaplain.)

3. Give your best tomorrow for the Lord.

The good life is embracing marriage as your life-long joy.

These verses are controversial! They have been ever since the fall! One man and one woman committed to each other for life! Seriously? Our culture has perverted God’s design for family in so many ways.

Adam in this perfect place resting in God’s presence with purpose - yet he’s alone. Adam doesn’t know it. For all Adam knows, life is great, but God has more - a gift. (This is so good.)

vs. 18 - “It is not good...” First time we see that phrase. God formed the animals out of the ground and brings all the animals before Adam. “Name them.” Hippo, Elephant, etc. “Wait… this is great, but there’s no one like me.”

Puts Adam to sleep, took a rib from his side, and made a woman.

Not made from the dust of the ground but from side of man - intimacy.

Big day for Eve. She’s created. She meets God. She meets Adam, and she gets married. She probably needed a nap.

vs. 23 - “Bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh...”

Vs. 24-25 - Man shall leave father and mother and join with his wife. They shall become one flesh. Naked and not ashamed.

Throughout Scripture this is held up as God’s ideal for marriage. Any sexual relationship or distortion of this relationship is against the will of God and therefore sinful. God never lessens His standard for marriage. Humanity lowers the standard, God elevates this standard.

Marriage is for your life-long joy! Think about what God has given you in marriage:

God has given you a helper because you need one!

Are you a hurt or help to your spouse? Hurt: nag, tear down, fight, unrealistic expectations, etc. Help: encourage, support, serve, etc.

Complement - made from side - side by side - neither is in front or behind - but side by side. Spouse beside you helping you in your weakness, building you up. Eph. 5 - sanctification

God has given you an intimate partner because you need one!

Uniqueness of the marital relationship = one flesh.

Sexual intimacy - why sex outside of the confines of biblical marriage is sinful.

One flesh - No one on earth knows me like my spouse. A picture of your relationship with Jesus. You have been united with Him in faith, and no one knows you like Jesus.

Marriage is a side-by-side relationship. We’re partnering together for the work God has for us - raising godly offspring, ministering together, etc.

Marriage is a face-to-face relationship. Intimacy with spouse you share with no one else.

God has given you a friend because you need one. Adam and Eve in the garden enjoying each other and enjoying God. It was a good life. God has given marriage for your enjoyment! Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it.

Be a friend. Listen. Encourage. Make memories.

Be enjoyable. Be a blessing.

Everyone likes a wedding… You never go to a wedding and say, “That was terrible wedding.” Why is it? God has put it in our hearts to long for love… to long for union…

We all like weddings, yet we know from experience that what comes after the wedding is broken… Our view of marriage is broken… Our marriages are broken.

Why? Why can’t we get it right? Why can’t complement each other well? Why can’t we be intimate partners? Why can’t we be friends?

Gen. 2 - the good life - Yet, Adam and Eve didn’t embrace it. They rebelled against it. They said, “Our way, not God’s way.”

But, God loved us in spite of us choosing our way. He planned a wedding. You see, we are His wayward bride - created for friendship and intimacy with God, yet we rebelled. God came for us. Jesus stepped into creation, lived the life we could not live, died the death we deserve, and rose again to prove His love for us.

For those who believe, there’s going to be a wedding. Revelation 21:2 - We are the bride of Christ who will one day be united with our Savior and He will give us the good life - a life free from sin - for all eternity.

And we will eat from the tree of life, not the tree of death (Rev. 22:2). The Bridegroom is taking His bride back to Eden - to the garden of God - where everything will be right.

Living for Jesus is the good life, but the good life will never be really good until we are in His presence.