All right, before I even say it, people who've heard me up here,
y'all know I'm petty and y'all know the expectations on the
level of energy and engagement before I even say it.
So we all on the same page. All right, All right, good
morning. Look at that.
Amen. Amen.
Well, hey, what up everybody? I am.
Will I have the privilege of being on the preaching team
Again, we're continue to trudge through Genesis.
We're on Genesis 3. We're actually wrapping up
Genesis 3 today. And again, I've said this
multiple times, I do love that how we're doing this, that we're
taking our time to go through it.
I do believe that Genesis is one of the most well known books.
It's the book that you know, everyone starts in January when
they're trying to read the Bible through the year.
It's the book that everybody typically, even if you're a
believer or not, can just know that that's the first book of
the Bible. But with that being said, I I
believe it's the most underappreciated book in the
Bible. So again, I'm pumped with taking
our time through this last week, Cole really sat in verse 315 and
we dove deeper into the prophecy that God kind of proclaimed.
And the week before that Cole again shout out to Cole.
We we learned the the consequences of sin coming into
the world. You know what what's happened to
the serpent, what happened to Adam and and what happens Eve in
the the punishments that were dealt out this week.
We're going to dive into the immediate reactions of Adam and
literally immediately after, like, wow, he he just got
chastised by God. And then even after being
chastised God or doing the chastising God still is, is
gracious and merciful. But before we we dive into all
that, I really want to kind of give you guys a, a play by play
of how this is going to go down. So we're going to go through the
word or we're going to read it the all the verses together.
We're going to then pray. We're then going to break it
down and kind of go verse by verse.
Here's a little spoiler. Every verse, everything we're
going to break down literally points back to Jesus and I'm
going to beat it over the head with y'all today.
So we're going to so be ready for that.
We're going to then do some, some heart evaluation and then
some reminders on where our hearts should be at.
Then I'm going to give you all some go dues because y'all know,
I like application and then we going to pray it out.
I'm I'm, I'm not going to lie to y'all today or, or try to kind
of sugarcoat it. I don't really have a, a cool
story. I don't have like that
illustration where I can give you a little piece of it at the
beginning, a little nitpit in the middle, and then somehow I
bring it all together and everybody has a ha moment.
I ain't got that today. I'll be real.
Like I honestly, all I got is exhaustion from a busy and
stressful couple of weeks. That's what I got today.
And that this text itself for me was such a beautiful reminder of
whom I hope and my salvation rest.
That's what I got for y'all today.
But we do have quite a bit to cover.
I already thank the roots people ahead of time.
So let let's stand who's who's able for the reading of God's
Word. The man called his wife Eve,
because she was the mother of all living.
And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of
skins and clothe them. Then the Lord God said, Behold,
the man has become like one of us, and knowing good and evil
now, lest he reaches out his hand, and take also of the tree
of life, and eat and live forever.
Therefore the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden to
work the ground from which he was taken.
He drove out the man and at the east of the garden he placed the
cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard
the way to the tree of life. Heavenly Father, thank you so
much for your word. Thank you so much for your word.
Father this this message of how even after chastising you
restore this message. Even after dishing out the the
curse and punishment, you have a plan still for redemption.
Thank you for your mercy and your grace.
We we still need it today. Father, I said you give comfort
to those who need it. We ask for wisdom as we going
through this text. Convict those who need to be
convicted, encourage those who need to be encouraged, and draw
near to those who have drawn far from you.
Speak, Lord, Your servants are listening.
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
All right, so like I told you, I ain't got nothing like cool.
So let's jump right in. Genesis 2320 the man called his
wife's name Eve because she was the mother of all living.
Y'all a lot just happened to that man, to Adam he just saw
for the first time in all creation.
This is literally the first time it happened according to
scripture where God just snapped like he he snapped on a snake
obviously for deceiving Eve. Then he saw Eve get chastised as
well. And don't worry God has
something left for Adam as well. Like he he just this just
happened after for the first time feeling shame and his
immediate reaction. His immediate reaction was to
name his wife Eve. Again, Adam just got scolded and
he learns the consequences of his actions.
For example, earlier Genesis, it says because you have listened
to the voice of your wife and you have eaten of the tree which
I have commanded you, you shall not eat of it.
Curse is a ground because of you.
He he even just learned how his job that he was given is now
going to be extremely difficult in pain.
You shall eat of it all the days of your life.
Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you and you
shall eat the plants of the field by the sweat of your face.
You shall eat bread again. Just got told light is going to
get real hard for you and and and then even even more he hears
how there will even be some friction between him and his
wife. You know the the woman he saw
and immediately wrote a poem bone of my bone, flesh of my
flesh. I shall call you woman love at
first sight. And God just told him, Oh no,
y'all, y'all going to have some issues because her desire shall
be for her husband, and he shall rule over you.
And then Adam was just sentenced to death.
To death till you return to the ground, for out of it you were
taken. For you are dust, and to dust
you shall return. Yeah, that's a lot to process
from the creator of everything. But his reaction, immediate
reaction after getting chastised and sentenced to death wasn't to
wallow, continue to argue his case or or place blame.
Not to ask why me, but to name his wife E In Hebrew, it's
pronounced hovah. That's why I spent the week
trying to figure out how to do it, by the way.
But hava means life or life giver, or to make alive.
Martin Luther highlights this by saying the name which Adam gave
his wife is the name of full joy and delight.
For what is better, more precious, more delightful than
life? For neither gold, nor gems, nor
glory of the whole world can be compared with the preciousness
of life. This Christ imitates in Matthew
625 and 1626. The thing is hence the the Jews
generally give their children names taken from roses, flowers,
jewels, etcetera. The name of Eve, however, was
not taken from the preciousness of anything worldly, but from a
life itself which in value exceeds all.
That was his reaction. But why?
Why would Adam react that way? Why?
Like what could even compelled him to do that?
What hope could he have after just been sentenced to death by
God? At this point, according to
scripture, to Eve hasn't even bore any children.
She hasn't done anything impactful at that time to
receive a name like Life Giver. So why?
It's because God said it and he believed it.
He said in verse 15, Cole again broke this down completely.
If you have time and you didn't have a chance to listen to it
last week, I, I strongly encourage you to do so.
Listen to the full, full breakdown again.
I'm just going to skim the surface, bro.
This is nothing compared to kind of how that went down last week.
But it says, I will put enmity between you and the woman and
between your offspring and her offspring.
He shall bruise your head or crush your head and you shall
just bruise his heel again. She hasn't even had offspring
yet. And we know now in 2026, again,
thanks to cold, that that is the foretelling of Jesus.
We have thousands of years of text recorded history affirming
the the life of Jesus. We have again, biblical
scholars, we have movies, we have TV shows, we have songs, we
have psalms. We have all the themes of
evidence that can give us hope in that.
We even have Romans 519 For as by the one man's disobedience
that many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the
many were made righteous. We have that.
We have scriptures, but Adam didn't.
But he does have the spoken word of the Lord and that was enough
for that faith in that word. It was also acknowledgement of
the important role his his wife plays in and being the the
mother of the offspring who is set to make right what Adam has
has broken. Another theologian, Kenneth
Matthew, says this assumes A progenous posterity, and it is a
tribute to Adam's faith in the prospect that God had revealed
Adam had learned, albeit through the most calamitous lesson, to
accept God's Word in faithful obedience.
Another implication of Adam's naming the woman is his exercise
of responsible headship because obviously lack responsibility at
the at the time of just not crushing the serpent, but before
and after the fall, the man is still exercising the same
prerogative of naming. In the former case, he, he is
her, he is her source of life. And naming her woman, he
acknowledges her companionship. But here he admits his
indebtedness to her or his life's future.
Great example of walking by faith and not by sight.
Amen. Let's try it again.
That's a great example of walking by faith and not by
sight. Amen.
OK, OK, act like y'all been here with me before.
So now I don't want to say this is a church.
Adam did not see Eve as Lesnar when he first laid eyes on her
and he called her woman. It was the first time he saw
something in all of creation that was similar to him and
equal. And he recognizes the importance
for all of humanity that God placed on her womb.
And he named her E mothers. You have been given a a gift to
bring life into the world and spiritual mothers, because
regardless if you have a biological child or not, you're
still a mother. They're called to be spiritual
mothers who may not have any biological children for whatever
reason. Jesus has saved you spiritual
mothers, so that you can speak spiritual life into the day.
Do not take either gifts for granted.
Happy Mother's Day, let's continue Genesis 321 and the
Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin and
clothe them. This is one of the earliest
examples of of God's grace. Grace is the undeserving gift
where that is freely given by God.
They just blatantly disobeyed God's word.
They literally broke his Shalom that he created and tainted all
of creation. These creatures made from dust.
And after he chastised them, after he reveals the
consequences of their actions, after he sentences them to
death, He lovingly, graciously clothed them and covered up
their shame. One commentary says the Lord
acts immediately on the behalf of the vulnerable couple by
providing adequate protection to cover their embarrassment, to
preserve them also in the new hostile environment to which
they will be banished, to covering them with adequate
garments to help them through their consequences that they
have. Matthew Henry also says, though
he corrects his disobedient children and put them under the
marks of his displeasure, yet he does not disinherit them, but
like a tender father, provides the herb of the field for their
food, and coats of skin for their clothing.
Gracious God, God showed him in Adam and Eve grace and how does
he do that? Previously in Genesis, whenever
it is said God made it was the creation of something new out of
nothing or something new from something IE Eve and bringing
again life into the world. But not this time, not this
time. Blood must immediately be
spilled for their actions. Earlier, Adam and Eve learned
the consequences of their actions and how it impacts the
world they live in their in their lives going forward.
But here they see that there's a cost for their sin.
There's a difference between a consequence and a cost.
God shared with them the consequences of what brokenness
would look like, but a debt still needs to be paid and God
pays the first ever cost for sin through the sacrifice of an
animal. To also cover up what has now
even been changed in Adam and Eve, God replaces their clothes
that they made with their hands from fig leaves and gives them
animal skin that he made. These these fig leaves that Adam
and and Eve made those clothes were to to hide them their shame
and then still be able to make themselves presentable to God.
To justify themselves in the presence, to be able to even
fight for their case as to why they broke his law.
But God still saw that as insufficient and a debt that has
not been paid. Matthew Henry says these coats
of skin had a significance. The beast whose skin they were
must be slain, slain before their eyes to show them what
death is, that they may see that themselves were were beasts,
mortal and dying. It is supposed that they were
slain, those animals not for food but for sacrifice, to
typify the great sacrifice which in the latter end of the world
should be covered once and for all.
Thus the first thing that died was a sacrifice.
So God takes their man made clothes that they use to cover
their shame and present themselves right before God pays
their debt that they owe because they sinned against God, and
then clothes them. So God traded their filthy rags,
their deeds, their good intentions, their shame, and
makes the first sacrifice to pay a debt of those actions instead
of smiting them right then and there and then close them with
garments. Be prepared.
So again, God pays the first debt of sin and does this again
with the final pay or satisfying of the debt of sin through
Jesus. And you all thank God for Jesus
because the fig clothes that we put on in 2026 are are nowhere
equivalent to the precious righteous robes that Jesus
sacrificed himself for us to have.
We got to be mindful of that. There is nothing we can do to
earn our salvation. There is nothing we can do to
make ourselves the right with God.
And if there was a way to do it, if there was a way it could be
done, we would not have a need for Jesus.
Your thick clothes cannot make you right in God's eyes.
Even in 2026, some modern day examples of a thick clothes.
Maybe I'm saved because I go to church, but maybe it's I'm saved
because I'm a good person. I'm saved because I tithe or no,
no, I'm I'm saved because I might sin, but I don't sin like
that. I'm saved because I'm not that
broken. Well, I'm saved because I I do
good things, etcetera, etcetera. But it's crazy because Isaiah 64
six says we have all become like one who is unclean and all of
our righteous deeds are like polluted garments.
If your answer and your security and your salvation has anything
to do with your actions or things that you have done and
not solely on what Jesus has done, you need to put those
thick clothes down and put on the righteous robe that Jesus
has waiting for you. 2nd Corinthians 521 tells us for our
sake He made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we
might become a righteousness of God.
God made the first sacrifice for sin and the last sacrifice for
sin so that all may be saved in faith in Jesus Christ.
Amen. Let's keep going.
Genesis 322 through 23. Then the Lord God said, Behold
the man has become like one of us, and knowing good and evil
now, lest he reaches out his hand and take also the tree of
life and eat and live forever. Therefore the Lord God sent him
out of the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he
was taken. Now there is quite a bit of
debate in regards to the phrase one of us.
Some believe it is another reference of kind of call back
of Genesis 126 referring to the Trinity.
Let us make man in our image and some believe that is God talking
to the angels wherever you fall. I mean, I, I personally fall in
the, in the former camp, you know, Satan tempted them to, to
no good and evil to be like God rather than the angels.
And God is above and set apart from the angels.
Again, That's, that's just where I stand.
You know, I'm, I'm not going to like, say this determines your
salvation like a but that's, that's where I stand, though.
So be but anyway, because Adam and and Eve ate from the
forbidden tree, they are now from forbidden from eating the
tree of life due to now their divine sentencing.
A sentencing that was not merely for for punishment but to ensure
the fulfillment of the prophecy. If Adam and Eve became immortal
and they cannot die one, they would also live eternally broken
forever. Also with man being mortal and
the offspring that also allows the offspring of Eve who is
fully man and fully God that can live or did live a perfect life
to be the perfect sacrifice is now he's able to die because the
wages of sin is death and because he is fully God he
raised on the third day defeating sin, Satan and death.
Amen. I think we talking about Jesus.
He, he rose on the third day to defeat sin, Satan and death and
now we have salvation. Amen.
OK, say it like you mean it now. But again, Adam and Eve, they do
not know this. All they know is God is kicking
them out of the the only place they've really known.
And Adam is going to have to actually work to yield food from
the land and do all the work. And it's completely different
from the way he was able to just kind of harvest.
And even they are being removed from God's presence due to their
sin and the tree that they were originally permitted to eat,
they can no longer even look at. They also are now wearing
garments that will forever be reminders of where they should
be living if not for sin, reminders of separation from God
because of their sin, and reminder as to why their work is
hard, again because of their sin, and a reminder of their
brokenness because of their sin. But God.
But God, this action, this state of mind, likely for Adam and
Eve, truly reminds me of John 13, seven, when Jesus tells
Peter what I'm doing. You do not understand now, but
afterward you will understand. They have no idea what's going
on, they don't understand. But God I assure you in that
moment God is more grieved about kicking out Adam and Eve then
they are. He sees his children feeling
ashamed, probably freaking out and stressed out.
This is the same God who wept with Lazarus family about the
death of Lazarus, even knowing, even knowing he was going to
resurrect them. But he knows God knows this must
be done. This is the way it has to be in
order to redeem His creation, to restore Shalom, to fulfill the
prophecy. So though Adam and Eve may not
fully understand why God is doing this, they only see the
consequences of their actions. We know Romans 828 that for
those who love God all things work together for good.
For those who are called according to His purpose is
working together or their good. We know God is doing everything
for a much bigger purpose, but also church like Adam, even
after being clothed by God, he is still called to do work.
After we are clothed by God through Jesus, we are called to
go and make disciples. And yes, because of the fall,
the work is hard. It's only by God's grace we are
no longer naked and ashamed. So as we're doing our work,
making disciples, remember where we we came from, but God
remember who really made us righteous.
Amen. All right, let's continue 3/24
He drove off the man and at the east of the Garden of Eden, he
placed the cherubim and the flaming sword that turned every
way to guard the way to the sea of life.
So initially God, after cleansing out the garden of
Eden, God placed a cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the
way. Let's bro, we got to we got to
talk about this real quick. So let's let's really describe a
cherubim. It is not like the the, the
little naked, naked baby with the with the wings.
So it talks about an Ezekiel 1/5 to 14.
They had human likeness, but each had four faces, each of
them four wings. Their legs were straight and the
soles of their feet were like the sole of a cast foot.
I'm already freaked out personally but.
And they sparkled like burn burnished bronze under their
wings. On their four sides they had
human hands. Still creepy.
And As for the likeness of their face, each had a human face, a
lion face on the right side, an ox face on the left side, and
another face of an eagle such where their faces and their
wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings and
each had two had touched another while also covering 2 covering
their bodies. I'm not going over there if I
saw that personally, that's just me.
I look, maybe y'all build different.
That's kind of creepy. Again, this is not the the
little baby with the diaper and the little little little arrow
trying to make people fall in love.
This is literally a celestial warrior tasked with guarding the
garden and the the way to the tree of life.
I mean, even Tim, Tim Keller talks about this.
He says the only way to gain access now to God's garden is to
the into the tree of life is through the sword.
You must be put under the sword. God is a just God and sin must
be put under the sword. But God, because Jesus goes
under the sword for us, covers us with his robes, and with
those robes they're evidence of payment so we can enter God's
garden. So the question I have for
Frontier Church today is, are we living and resting in the robes
and covering of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ or are we still
trying to justify ourselves with clothes made from figs?
Do we have faith in the Word of God or are we hedging our bets
with the actions and the approval of man?
When we die, we are put before the righteous judge.
We're going to need proof of payment.
There is life in the covering of Jesus who gladly takes our
filthy rags and cleans us and make us white snow.
But there is a fiery sword for those who have their faith in
their cover in fig leaves. Let me remind everyone there is
no need to make a fig outfit. You don't have to do it.
Jesus robes is enough. Romans 5 tells us that we are
justified by our faith in Jesus and have peace in that.
It tells us that while we were still sinners, God shows his
love for us just like He did for Adam and Eve when he clothed
them. It also tells us again Romans
519 For as by one man's disobedience the many were made
sinners, so by one man's obedience the many will be made
righteous. Rest in the fact that Jesus has
done enough, that your faith in Jesus is enough and the only
requirement for salvation. With that being said, that does
not mean we say we have faith and go on living life as if that
we don't have to demonstrate our faith because faith without
works is dead. James 217 But when you truly
rest in the robe that Jesus covers you in, the Holy Spirit
changes your heart behind your works.
And you do things because you love him, not to earn his love.
You do things to be closer to Him, not to earn your way to
heaven. And you show his love to others
not to be seen as holy, or to be seen as righteous, or to be seen
as good, but to help bring people closer to him because
Jesus. Because of Jesus, we can boldly
approach the throne as heirs rather than castaways.
This can be summed up in our big idea.
God covered our shame and paid our debt through Jesus Christ so
we can enter His into His eternal Kingdom.
The work is done, the work is done.
He has given us a spirit to guide our actions, change our
hearts, convict us, encourage us, and ingrain the Word on our
hearts. Again, Keller says Jesus
objectively covers us so we can be saved.
The Holy Spirit subjectively sanctifies us to be more like
Jesus with than mine. Let me give you guys some some
applications this week and I promise I'm going to get out
your hair when it when it comes up.
Please take photos of it or notes and discuss these
applications in your CG this week kind of rather than
questions or, or your fighter group.
So first, pray. Pray.
Ask God to reveal some figs you are attempting to cover yourself
up with. Pray, and it's a hard prayer.
Pray. Be willing to also ask God to
help you accept what He's revealing to you.
Humble yourself. It was only one perfect person
to ever walk this earth. None of us is it.
So pray on that. Next read Romans 5.
It's not that long, I promise. And James 2 read, meditate,
discuss SCG Romans 5 is is a solid book to talk about our
assurance and in the magnitude of our faith.
And James 2 is a is a great reminder that faith isn't
passive. Faith isn't lazy, faith isn't
content. We are called to be the light of
the world, and that light comes from Jesus.
Amen. Not from us, not from us.
And then lastly, read John 316 at least three times when three
separate days this week and also read it out loud at CG.
Read at least three times on three separate days.
Some of us me can be procrastinators.
Cool, I'm just going to cram me to see and I read it 3 times.
Or heck, I I even read it 9 times in one day.
Let's let's get in the habit of reading and meditating on
scripture more than just before CG so you can have something to
say. More than just I know this is
where we're going to be at on Sunday.
Let me try to read ahead. Just make it more of a daily
practice. You can't have faith in
something you don't know about when you do.
That's how a lot of people's faith is shook and rocked by the
minor inconveniences that life will give you.
Don't forget this. This ground we work is cursed.
We do live in a broken world. Our faith need to be in Jesus,
in the word of God. Not in our opinions, not in our
politics, not in our friends children, not in your parents
because we're flawed to even grown children who have kids and
still have their parents. Not in your parents.
And you are not God to your children.
We're supposed to point our children to God never supposed
to be an example. Let's be an example.
We're all called to be spiritual parents and spiritual siblings.
That comes with expectations. We still are given a job and
call to work even after the fall.
Therefore, go and make disciples.
And if anyone here is not sure where their faith is, honestly
not sure if you even believe in this book or I don't even know
why you're here today. Or maybe you're here 'cause your
Mama dragged you. Or maybe you're here 'cause you
dragged your Mama to make it seem like you.
Good. I've been guilty of that before
in the past. And take them fig leaves off.
You don't need them. Still wear clothes though.
But no, if anybody is not sure man, there are.
There are pastors, elders, CG leaders and members of this
church that would love to pray with you, talk with you, and
walk through whatever season of life you're going.
No one's too far gone. There's no such thing as too
broken, because Jesus is also fully God.
Lay down your yoke, man. Pick up his.
Lay down your burden. Rest and your Savior.
And we thank him for His Amazing Grace.
Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you.
Thank you for your grace. Thank you for your mercy.
Thank you for shielding us. Thank you for loving us.
Thank you for holding us. Thank you for caring for us.
Thank you, Thank you for your consequences.
Thank you for your discipline, because you only discipline your
your children and whom you love. Thank you for Jesus.
Father, as we go into this week, please ingrain these scriptures
on our hearts, please reveal the clothes we've made out of Fig,
and please direct us back to rest in your righteous roads.
We love you. Jesus name we pray, Amen.