Intro:
1. Tony Evans, "In His goodness, God not only created you, but He also created everything for you. In other words, God didn’t create the plants, animals, or fish just to have them around. He created them for the benefit of mankind. The earth was created to give us a home to enjoy.
Every day when you get up and see the sun shine and say, "What a beautiful day!" God sits back and says, "How do you think that happened? Today didn’t just jump up here by itself. It’s a beautiful day because I’m a good God."
You eat that fried catfish and you say, "Umm, that sure was good." God says, "Hold it. If you read Genesis 1, you will find that I created the water and the dry land. I separated the dry land from the water. I created every fish in every body of water. So whenever you eat catfish, don’t just say, ’It was good.’ Say, ’God is good.’"
Every time I pick up a piece of fried chicken, I am reminded that God is good. Every time you see a rose, God says, "I don’t want you just talking about how pretty those roses are, or you miss the point. The point is I know what I’m doing when I make flowers because I am a good God."
When it rains and you say, "It’s a bad day," God says, "Hold it! Hold it!" Why? Because Acts 14:17 says He gives the rain and makes the seasons change to bring satisfaction to the human race. No rain, no vegetation; no vegetation, no vegetables or fruit. So the next time you enjoy a vegetable or a piece of fruit, you ought to pause and have a time of prayer and thanksgiving because our good God causes it to rain."
2. God has surely blessed us! Last week we saw that mankind was made like the Lord, was an awesome blessing that is! Now we see that He blessed mankind as a sort of Landlord, under God’s Sovereign hand.
3. The most Exceptional creature God ever made - God’s Landlord.
Trans: Gen. 1:27-31
I. FIRST, HE IS TO REPRODUCE.
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth - 9:1, 7; 17:20; 28:3; 35:11; 48:4
McGee, "We see here that God has given to this creature something unusual. First He says to man, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth." We will hear Him repeat that when He creates woman.
God seems to be the One who introduced the subject of sex. It is quite interesting that our generation thinks that they have made a new discovery, that they are the Columbus that discovered sex. God mentions it here at the very beginning.
In fact, there are four methods that God has used to get mankind into this universe. One was by direct creation, which produced Adam. A second way was by indirect creation, which produced Eve. The third was by the virgin birth, and this was how Jesus Christ came into the human family. The fourth way is by natural generation, and that is pretty well known in our day.
We have certainly dragged natural generation down to a level that God never intended for it. God created man to reproduce. This is a wonderful, glorious truth, and it is not to be made into a dirty, filthy, slimy thing as man is doing now. God never intended for sex to be abused in this way."
Sex is God’s idea and was and is a wonderful blessing within marriage!
Reminds me of a grandfather and his grandson on a fishing trip. The subject turned to sex. The grandson, a teenager, asked, "Papa, they didnt have a whole lot of problems with sexual diseases, AIDS, and those kind of this when you were young did they?"
He said, "No, not really."
His grandson asked, "Well what did you use for safe sex?"
He said, "A wedding ring!"
II. FURTHERMORE, HE IS TO RULE.
have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Genesis 1:28 (NKJV) - I like the way the amplified puts it, "And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth. Genesis 1:28 (AMP)
"God blessed them: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth." Genesis 1:28 (MSG)
"The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S; But the earth He has given to the children of men." Psalm 115:16 (NKJV)
Hamilton, "Of the two verbs rada, ’exercise dominion’ and kabas, ’subdue’, the latter connotes more force. Thus it refers to subjecting someone to slavery (2 Chron.28:10/Neh.5:5/Jer.34:11,16); to physical abuse and assault (Esth.7:8); to treading [sins] under foot (Mic.7:19/Zech.9:15, where it parallels ’devour’); and to militarily subjecting the population of a city (Num.32:22,29/Josh.18:1). All these references suggest violence or a display of force..." [The New International Commentary on the O.T.]
To subdue and to have dominion over the earth means...
• to rule and master the earth.
• to look after and care for the earth.
• to investigate, research, and discover the earth’s resources.
• to develop and use the resources of the earth.
• to manage the earth with all its provisions and resources.
[Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible]
Phillips, "God crowned Adam with a position (1:28b) giving him dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing. Every scientific and technological advance, every feat of engineering, every new scrap of knowledge about the nature and function of the universe is an outworking of that dominion. Despite the impairment of man’s potential by the Fall, man has nevertheless been a mover of mountains, a builder of dams, a digger of mines, a conqueror of the planet. He has subdued the earth."
Boice, "We have already seen that man’s being created in the image of God involves his having a personality, a sense of morality and spirituality.
But in relation to his rule over the animals, to which we have now come, man’s creation involves responsibility as well. If man were his own creator, he would be responsible to no one. But he is not his own creator.
He is created by God, and this means that he is responsible to God for what he does in every area of his life and particularly for how he carries out the mandate to rule over creation...Dominion of any kind, but particularly dominion of this scope, implies responsibility..."
Martin Luther wrote in his lectures on Genesis that in his opinion "Adam in his original state was superior to the animals even in those points where they were strong. "I am fully convinced, that before Adam’s sin his eyes were so sharp and clear that they surpassed those of the lynx and eagle. He was stronger than the lions and the bears, whose strength is very great; and he handled them the way we handle puppies...If... we are looking for an outstanding philosopher, let us not overlook our first parents while they were still free from sin." It was with such capacities that man ruled creation.
Note:This dominion is not in full force today...
Lightner,"Some today refer to this as a dominion mandate, still dictating to the believer that he is to bring all human government under the authority of God and in subjection to the law of God as expressed Mosaic legislation...
However, Mosaic legislation as a rule of daily life has been done away with by Christ and is not the economy by which God governs today."
Ryrie, "Observe that the phrase "subdue the earth" is not part of the mandate given to Noah and his descendents [of which we are] after the flood."
"20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body." Romans 8:20-23
"6 But one testified in a certain place, saying: "What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? 7 You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands. 8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet." For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone." Hebrews 2:6-9 (NKJV)
But Adam and Eve had dominion before the Fall.
The blessing of truely being Ruler over this planet must have been wonderful.
Robert McGee, "The first man lived in unclouded intimate fellowship with God. He was secure and free. In all of God’s creation, no creation compared to him. Indeed, Adam was a magnificent creation complete and perfect in the image of God, designed to reign over all the earth."
III. NEXT, HE WAS TO RECEIVE.
29 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Genesis 1:29-31 (NKJV) - God is always the giver and man the receiver! In Salvation - we do not give our lives to Christ; we receive His life!
The tragedy is man in his pride seek to make God the Receiver and man the giver - how foolish!
"For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" 1 Corinthians 4:7 (NKJV)
"John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven." John 3:27 (NKJV)
Courson, "Our God is awesome. He could have said, "For nourishment take a pill." Instead He said, "For food, here’s a thrill - the colors and textures and tastes of bananas and mangoes and avocadoes and tomatoes and celery are all your to enjoy."
"Who satisfies your mouth with good things..." Psalm 103:5 (NKJV)
This is a contrast with the pagan gods, who always need to be fed by people!
We are always the receiver in our relationship with God...Adam received everything and had nothing to give a Self-sufficient God.
"To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it" (Deut. 10:14). "Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand" (1 Chron. 29:14).
"Can a man be of benefit to God? Can even a wise man benefit him? What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous? What would he gain if your ways were blameless?" (Job 22:2-3).
"If you sin, how does that affect him? If your sins are many, what does that do to him? If you are righteous, what do you give to him, or what does he receive from your hand?" (Job 35:6-7).
"The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it" (Ps. 24:1). "Every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.... If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it" (Ps. 50:10-12).
"Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way?... Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom" (Isa. 40:13-14, 28).
"Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen" (Rom. 11:35-36).
IV. FOURTHLY, HE WAS GIVEN A REMINDER. 2:16
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." Genesis 2:16-17 (NKJV) - man was given dominion under God.
God always leaves a visable remind that He is Lord and all belongs to Him. We are stewards, He alone is Sovereign.
They were not to partake of this tree as a remind that the entire garden belonged to God; Later Israel was not to work on the Sabbath to remind them that everyday of the week belonged to God; We tithie as a reminder that all of our money belongs to God; we come together on Suday to worship, as a reminder that we are to worship God every day!
V. FINALLY, HE WAS A REPRESENTATIVE. Rom.5:12
Romans 5:12-21; and 1 Corinthians 15:22, 45
"So the question is: Are all human beings affected by sin in the sense that they are inevitably involved in Adam and Eve’s transgression? The biblical answer is clear. Paul writes, "Many died through one man’s trespass" (Rom. 5:15). "Death reigned through that one man" (v. 17). "One man’s trespass led to condemnation for all men" (v. 18). "By one man’s disobedience many were made sinners" (v. 19). "In Adam all die" (1 Cor. 15:22). "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23)."
"...The fact that Adam was made a representative of the race is proof of God’s grace.
In the first place, it was an example of his grace toward Adam. For what could be better calculated to bring forth an exalted sense of responsibility and obedience in Adam than the knowledge that what he would do in regard to God’s commandment would affect untold billions of his descendants.
We know this even in the more limited area of one human family. For what father is there, and what mother is there, who is not influenced for good by the thought that what he or she does for good or evil inevitably affects the offspring?
Parents who are inclined to drink may hold back at least somewhat if they know that their children will be hurt by their drinking. Parents who have a chance to steal might not steal if they realize that being caught would inevitably injure their family. Likewise, the knowledge of the effect of his sin upon the entire race should have acted as a restraining factor upon Adam.
That must have been a powerful incentive for good. If Adam fell, it was in spite of the grace of God toward him and not as a justifiable reaction to an arbitrary decree.
Even more important, the representative nature of Adam’s sin is an example of God’s grace toward us, for it is on the basis of that representation that God is able to save us.
Paul says, "For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s [Jesus’] obedience many will be made righteous" (Rom. 5:19). If you and I and all human beings were as the angels, who have no family or representative relationships, and if we were judged as the angels were judged when they fell—immediately, individually, and for their own sin (which is how most men and women think they would like to be judged)—there would be no hope of salvation, just as there is none for the fallen angels.
But because we are beings who live in relationships and because God has chosen to deal with us in that way, both in regard to Adam and his sin and to Jesus and his righteousness, there can be salvation. For in Jesus we who are sinners can be made righteous. We who are "dead through the trespasses and sins" can be made alive spiritually.
[Foundations of the Christian Faith: A Comprehensive & Readable Theology]
Geisler, "No man is an island." From the very beginning God made a community of "male and female" and told them to multiply their kind into a larger community (Gen. 1:27-28).
Indeed, before Eve was made, Adam discovered that "it is not good for the man to be alone" (Gen. 2:18). Adam sought a helper, but none was "found" among the animals (v. 20), so God made one from Adam’s side to be by his side. God made woman from his flesh so that the two should be "one flesh" (v. 24). God created woman from man to be his equal—not from his head to rule over him, or from his feet to be a slave to him, but from his side to be a companion for him.
The solidarity of all humanity is a fact not only of their original creation but also of their continued existence. Paul declared this when he said, "From one man he [God] made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth" (Acts 17:26). There are many ethnic groups, but there is only one race—the human race.
Not only are all human beings one in Adam’s creation, but we were also one in Adam’s fall, for "just as sin entered the world through one man... in this way death came to all men, because all sinned [in Adam]" (Rom. 5:12).
That is to say, the whole human race was present in Adam when he sinned, so it fell with him. Thus, all humans inherit this original sin, so that without salvation we are "by nature objects of [God’s] wrath" (Eph. 2:3).
The unity of the human race is also evident in the means of its propagation. Multiplication comes only from a union of male and female (Gen. 1:28; 2:24), and from this union come children who are in the "likeness" of their parents (Gen. 5:3). The whole race is genetically connected; indeed, there are not many different kinds of humans—all humans are of the same kind. They are essentially the same...We all have one ancestral father and mother (Adam and Eve) and, hence, we are all part of one large "family" (Eph. 3:15).
Finally, not only is it true that "none of us lives to himself" but also that "none of us dies to himself" (Rom. 14:7). Whether we live or die, "we belong to the Lord" (v. 8); no one is completely independent. Woman was created from man, and yet "man is born of woman" (1 Cor. 11:12). There are no self-made men; every man has a mother. The whole human race is interdependent:
We are a community of beings with a common Creator, a common connection, and a common commission—to glorify and enjoy God."
[Geisler’s Systematic Theology - Systematic Theology]
In October 2002, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, a priceless 15th century marble statue toppled and shattered while no one was in the room.
The life-sized statue of Adam by artist Tullio Lombardo collapsed, sending the marble carving to the floor and smashing it into dozens of pieces. The statue depicts Adam holding an apple and is noted for the purity of its marble and its smooth, elegant carving. A serpent and a grapevine on a tree trunk alluded to the fall and redemption of man.
Vandalism was ruled out. "It doesn’t look like it was anything but a bizarre, horrible, natural thing," said museum spokesman Harold Holzer. Museum officials blame the accident on a faulty pedestal where the pedestal buckled, tipping over both the pedestal and statue.
Museum director Montebello, "When your mission is to maintain great works of art, an accident like this is a deep emotional loss...The piece is enormously valuable. You could say priceless in that it is a unique piece...But the monetary value is irrelevant. Historically it is compromised."
Man was compromised with sin since Adam’s fall.
Con:
1. What a blessing it is to be a human being! Adam and Eve had every possible blessing they would ever need right there in the Garden of Eden.
2. THE GREEK word for blessed, makarios, was the name of an island off of Greece—the Makarios Island. It was known as the blessed island because it was self-contained. The residents didn’t need to leave the island in order to get their needs met. The island offered everything that they needed. The natural resources of the blessed island were so thick, so rich, so fruitful, and so productive that everything they needed to enjoy their lives was already built-in. The inhabitants of the island were self-sustained and self-contained without having to run to another island to get their needs met. The blessed island provided everything they needed.
All the stuff you get is outside of you. The new car, the new house, and the new money are all fine... but they are all extra. They are a bonus. In the biblical world of being blessed, you should be okay being on the island. Just being in the Kingdom with the King ought to put you in a blessed location. One of the ways you know that you aren’t blessed yet in the biblical sense of the word is that you got to keep leaving the island to have fun. You need more than your relationship with God to have peace. You crave more than your communion with the Father to have joy. The blessed person finds their sufficiency with Him.
You say well we are not longer in the Garden...true, but we are "blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ." (Eph. 1:3)
Johnny Palmer Jr
StrugglingThruScriptures.ning.com
The Dream, to be able to make a living putting sermons on the internet
