1 00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:03,240 Good morning church, it's good to see you. 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:05,520 I'm going to make it really easy for you today. 3 00:00:05,520 --> 00:00:12,440 Turn to Page 1 in your Bible, Genesis chapter one, page one in 4 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:14,800 your Bible. Just as you are working 5 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:19,320 feverishly to find page one, I want to welcome a new member to 6 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:21,360 our Forward Church family. So would you join me in 7 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:25,360 welcoming Sally Martin into membership here at Forward? 8 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,560 And again, if Forward is your church home, but you're not yet 9 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:36,600 a member, I want to invite you and encourage you to take that 10 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:39,880 step of making a covenant to be in relationship and membership 11 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:41,600 here at the Forward Church family. 12 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:45,200 Just text the Word member and that will get you started today. 13 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:51,160 Well, you know, the one thing that no person can escape you 14 00:00:51,160 --> 00:00:55,080 and I cannot escape is the reality that our lives are 15 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,720 forever interconnected and shaped by the lives of other 16 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:03,560 people. But who are the people that have 17 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:07,200 forever shaped your life? Want you to think about that for 18 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:10,040 better or for worse? Who are some of the people that 19 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:14,040 have forever impacted and influenced and shaped your life? 20 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:18,200 For me, I would not be probably standing here today if it 21 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:22,680 weren't for two men who were mentors and like a father figure 22 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:27,640 for me during my teen years. These guys entered into my life 23 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:30,520 in a really difficult season in my life and they believed in me 24 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:32,320 and they invested in me and they poured into me. 25 00:01:32,320 --> 00:01:37,280 I am forever grateful for their influence and impact on my life. 26 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:40,720 Like you, I can think about parents, I can think about 27 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:43,280 teachers, I can think about friends, I can think about 28 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:45,800 pastors. All kinds of different names 29 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:49,440 come to mind when we think about people who have forever impacted 30 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:51,960 our lives. Even on the negative side, there 31 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:55,440 are names that come to your mind right now, people who have hurt 32 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:59,720 you or harmed you in some way. There are people who have 33 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:03,400 forever enriched your life. And there may also be people 34 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,920 who, through their actions, have hurt you and those actions still 35 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:10,479 have a hold on your life. I want you to hold on to that 36 00:02:10,479 --> 00:02:11,560 thought. We're going to come back to it 37 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:15,560 in a couple of minutes. Last week we talked about how 38 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:19,280 the whole Bible, including the Old Testament, is a witness to 39 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:23,840 who Jesus is and the truth that you can only find life in him. 40 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,040 Now, most people don't tend to go to the Old Testament, say 41 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:29,440 where do I see Jesus in the Old Testament? 42 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:31,240 How does it point us towards Jesus? 43 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:34,720 But it does. So between now and Easter, we're 44 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:37,600 going to continue to dive a little bit deeper into the Old 45 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:42,120 Testament and see how exactly it directs our attention, our focus 46 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:45,360 points us towards Jesus. And one of the ways it does that 47 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:48,600 is through what is called types and shadows. 48 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:52,960 The whole Old Testament has several people who are called 49 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:57,360 types of Jesus in them. They're not Jesus, they're not 50 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,040 the only begotten Son of God, but there's something about 51 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:03,280 their character, there's something about their actions, 52 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:07,080 something about their quality that points us towards Jesus. 53 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:10,960 There's something about these individuals that foreshadow the 54 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:14,800 life, the work, the nature of Jesus himself. 55 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:19,640 And today we're going to look at one person that the Bible calls 56 00:03:19,640 --> 00:03:23,360 a type of Christ in the first human being that was ever 57 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:27,720 created, Adam. In Romans chapter 5, verse 14, 58 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:32,360 the Bible explicitly says this Adam is a type of the coming 59 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:35,640 one. The Bible says to us Adam is a 60 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:40,440 type of Jesus, and in the primary way that we see Adam 61 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:45,640 being a type of Jesus is in the scale of impact that his life 62 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:48,440 had. The big idea of what the Bible 63 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:50,800 teaches us in the grand story of Scripture is this. 64 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:54,880 Every single human being is going to have their life defined 65 00:03:55,080 --> 00:04:00,960 by Adam or by Jesus. That the influence and the 66 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:06,280 impact of these two men is unmatched by any other person in 67 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:10,560 all of human history. Nobody has had the historic 68 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:15,120 multi generational impact on every corner of the world like 69 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:19,079 these two men have had. Your life, my life, the life of 70 00:04:19,079 --> 00:04:23,320 every human being who has ever lived on this planet is going to 71 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:26,320 be defined by one of these two men. 72 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:30,360 Even when you think about the people who have impacted your 73 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:34,560 life, for better or for worse, they have had an impact, but 74 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:38,600 it's still a relatively small impact that they've had on the 75 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:40,400 world. They've shaped your life, but 76 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:43,000 they have not shaped every life on the planet. 77 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:48,000 We live in a world where people aspire to be influencers. 78 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:51,760 There's millions of people who who make their living trying to 79 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:55,720 be influencers in our world. There are parents who look to 80 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:58,000 influence their children. There's teachers who look to 81 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:03,080 influence their their students. And what we see is that 82 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:06,440 companies look to influence the world in a way that's going to 83 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:08,440 lead people to buy their products, too. 84 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:12,840 But all those attempts that influence are minor compared to 85 00:05:12,840 --> 00:05:19,120 the influence of Adam and Jesus. From God's perspective, these 86 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:22,920 are the two men who have had the greatest influence and the 87 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:25,400 greatest impact on human history. 88 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:31,520 And to understand that and just how deep that runs for us, we 89 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:34,240 have to go all the way back to the beginning of the story in 90 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:38,560 Genesis and understand just the kind of influence that Adam has 91 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:42,760 had on the human race. And the first thing that Genesis 92 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:47,960 tells us is that Adam was made to multiply everything that a 93 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:50,280 human was created to be. Look at Genesis chapter one, 94 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:56,360 verse 27 says so God created man in his own image. 95 00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:58,920 He created him in the image of God. 96 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:03,760 He created them male and female. This idea of being made in the 97 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:06,840 image of God is something we've talked a lot about as a church 98 00:06:06,840 --> 00:06:09,760 family. Theologian Mark Cortez describes 99 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:12,160 it this way. He says God intended to create 100 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:16,480 human persons to be the physical means through which he would 101 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:19,200 manifest his own divine presence in the world. 102 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:24,800 That you and I, we are not God, but we are made by God. 103 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:29,280 Adam was made by God to be in such close relationship with God 104 00:06:29,280 --> 00:06:34,240 and such close intimacy with God that his whole life would 105 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:38,600 reflect to the rest of creation a glimpse, a taste of what God 106 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:43,880 himself is like. And part of being human and we 107 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:47,200 see in in verse 27 is being made male and female. 108 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:51,480 There's something about being made male and female that is 109 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:56,680 good and great. And in a variety of ways, men 110 00:06:56,680 --> 00:07:01,040 and women together, each of us reflect the image of God. 111 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:05,440 We each give creation a little taste of what God is like. 112 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:09,520 Now, one of the things I am positive of is that you can put 113 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:12,960 20 people in a room and you can ask them what does it mean to be 114 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:16,280 human being? What does it mean to be human? 115 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:19,320 And you're going to get 20 slightly different answers to 116 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:22,560 that question. So I want to suggest to us that 117 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:26,280 since God is the creator of all humanity, God should be the one 118 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:28,120 who gets to define what it means to be human. 119 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:31,760 God should be the one who gets to define what it means to be 120 00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:35,520 people made in his image and what is good about being human. 121 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:39,680 And in verse 28, God begins to unpack this a little bit more. 122 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:43,840 He says God bless them and God said to them, be fruitful, 123 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:49,080 multiply, fill the earth and subdue it, rule the fish of the 124 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:53,360 sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on 125 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:56,760 the earth. God creates humanity to multiply 126 00:07:56,880 --> 00:08:00,880 everything of what it means to be made in the image of God. 127 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:05,320 What the Bible is telling us here all the way back in Genesis 128 00:08:05,320 --> 00:08:09,800 chapter 1 is that as the first human, Adam is the 129 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:14,520 representative head of all of humanity, that every action that 130 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:18,560 Adam was going to take was going to have a direct impact and 131 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:23,040 influence on the life of every human who would ever live in the 132 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:26,800 future. He was created to multiply out 133 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:29,600 what it means to be an image bearer of God. 134 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:33,640 Then as we move into Genesis chapter 2, we begin to get a 135 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:37,200 picture of how God designed humans to live out His image. 136 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:39,640 I'm not going to take the time to read all of these, but I'll 137 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:41,720 refer to some verses. You can look at them as I walk 138 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:46,000 through it. In verse 15 God says to Adam 139 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:49,240 that he is supposed to go and to work the garden. 140 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:54,000 That Adam was made as a man to work and be productive. 141 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:58,800 That for all of us who think work is part of the fall of sin 142 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:03,440 in the world, it's not. Work was good before sin ever 143 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:06,720 came into the world. We were made as people to be 144 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:08,800 workers. We were made as people to be 145 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:13,360 productive with our lives. Verse 15 carries on and says 146 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:16,520 that Adam also had a responsibility to watch over the 147 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:20,880 garden, which carries this idea that God made Adam to be a 148 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:24,280 protector. The word watch carries the, the 149 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:27,680 thought of there's some kind of danger that is lurking that you 150 00:09:27,680 --> 00:09:31,840 have to be on guard for, that you have to be watching for. 151 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:35,480 And God made Adam to be a protector to watch for the 152 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,320 danger that was existing in the garden. 153 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:42,920 And then we get into verse 16 and verse 17 and we get this 154 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:49,400 amazing picture of how God gives to humanity this immense freedom 155 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:53,480 to create and cultivate and, and use their imaginations. 156 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:58,360 But he put boundaries on it that God says, hey, you are so free 157 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,920 to go and do so many things, but there's boundaries, there's 158 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:06,480 limits to it because if you cross this boundary, it is going 159 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:10,560 to hurt you. And it's this picture of we are 160 00:10:10,560 --> 00:10:15,280 free as human beings, yes, but we are not free to do whatever 161 00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:17,080 we want. That there are boundaries and 162 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:20,280 there is a God that we were always made to live our lives in 163 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:25,080 submission to. And then we get into verse 18. 164 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,560 We see this picture that says that we are made for 165 00:10:29,560 --> 00:10:33,000 relationship and connection with other people, that it was not 166 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:38,440 good for Adam to be alone, that humans were made for partnership 167 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:41,960 in work and in life. That the Bible paints this 168 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:45,280 picture. It says God made Eve as a helper 169 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:47,840 frit firm, which is every woman's favorite verse and word 170 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:52,920 in the entire Bible. So let me just like settle this 171 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:55,720 issue. Helper is not a demeaning term 172 00:10:55,720 --> 00:11:00,000 in this passage. Helper is saying it's actually a 173 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,800 demeaning term against the guy. It's saying the guy needed help. 174 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:07,480 That's really what it means, that there was something 175 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:11,760 incomplete about the man and that God made woman to come 176 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:14,760 alongside that. Together as male and female, 177 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:18,840 they were going to work in unity and in partnership with each 178 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:22,800 other to accomplish the task that God had created humanity to 179 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:27,040 accomplish. And then we get into verse 24 180 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:31,360 and 25 and we have this picture of marriage beginning to unfold 181 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:35,120 for us that that we're made for relationship. 182 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:37,600 And one of the most beautiful ways that that relationship is 183 00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:41,000 expressed is in marriage. That God creates us to have 184 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:45,600 perfect oneness between a husband and a wife, a man and a 185 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:50,320 woman in a relationship that we are to be 1 emotionally and 186 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:54,880 physically and spiritually completely naked before God and 187 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:58,560 each other. Right in the very beginning, God 188 00:11:58,560 --> 00:12:03,000 is setting Adam up to be the start of something remarkable 189 00:12:03,680 --> 00:12:06,800 that was meant to impact humanity for all time. 190 00:12:08,560 --> 00:12:12,400 But then the story takes a sad turn and we see this that Adam's 191 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:16,760 failure to live out his identity also became the failure of every 192 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:20,200 human. Chapter 3 tells us the story of 193 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:24,480 a serpent who shows up to tempt Eve to do the one thing that God 194 00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:27,840 said not to do, eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the 195 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:29,800 garden. Let's read beginning at verse 1 196 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:33,320 of chapter 3. Now the serpent was the most 197 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:36,480 cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. 198 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:40,960 He said to the woman, did God really say you can't eat from 199 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:44,120 any tree in the garden? And the woman said to the 200 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:47,640 serpent, We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden, 201 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:50,920 but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God 202 00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:55,200 said, you must not eat it or touch it or you will die. 203 00:12:56,000 --> 00:13:00,960 No, you're not going to die, The serpent said to the woman, In 204 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:04,560 fact, God knows that when you eat it, your eyes are going to 205 00:13:04,560 --> 00:13:09,400 be opened and you're going to be like God, knowing good and evil. 206 00:13:10,680 --> 00:13:13,640 The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to 207 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:17,000 look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. 208 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:19,440 So she took some of its fruit and ate it. 209 00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:24,280 She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he 210 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:28,120 ate it. These verses in Genesis chapter 211 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:33,760 3 tell the story of a moment that you and I still experience 212 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:40,800 the consequences of today. Adam is made to walk in such 213 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:43,960 close relationship and fellowship with God. 214 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:46,480 He's made to reflect what God is like. 215 00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:50,160 He's made to be a worker and a protector from danger. 216 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:55,480 He was made to trust God with his whole life and he fails. 217 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:03,520 Adam fails to love God. He he doesn't trust him. 218 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:06,160 He takes his happiness into his own hands. 219 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:09,320 He says God's holding out on me. I'm going to take my happiness 220 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:16,160 into my own hands. And Adam failed to protect, He 221 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:22,360 failed to protect his wife. The Bible says that Eve is 222 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:26,760 tempted and she takes the fruit of the tree and she gives it to 223 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:36,520 Adam who was with her. But he sat and watched his wife 224 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:46,480 get tempted and he said nothing. God called him to be a protector 225 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:51,800 of the danger that was lurking in the garden, and he failed to 226 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:55,400 protect his wife. And what's clear to us in these 227 00:14:55,400 --> 00:15:01,720 6 verses is that sin can be both an action and an inaction. 228 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:07,560 Like we think sin is the obvious things like lying or cheating or 229 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:09,640 getting angry or stealing or whatever. 230 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:14,040 But Adam, sin was not doing what he was supposed to do. 231 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:20,880 He was supposed to protect. I think passivity is the least 232 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:26,040 recognized sin amongst us. So many Christians are walking 233 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:28,400 around. I love Jesus, I love Jesus so 234 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:31,240 much. I love to sing the songs, I love 235 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:33,080 to read my Bible. I love to pray. 236 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:37,480 I love to do all the things that that that just feed my soul. 237 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:43,520 But I'm good with just sitting and not serving anybody. 238 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:48,520 I'm good with just consuming. When I come to church, I'm good 239 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:53,080 just just taking it all in. I want to go and sit, but not 240 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:56,280 really show any hospitality or kindness to anybody. 241 00:15:56,280 --> 00:15:58,400 That'd be putting me outside my comfort zone. 242 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:06,840 Passivity. That's passivity in marriages. 243 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:12,000 I've had so many people who will say to me, I'm a faithful 244 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:14,960 spouse. I'm not cheating on my spouse, 245 00:16:16,680 --> 00:16:21,400 but God would say that if you are being passive as a husband 246 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:24,920 or a wife, if you are not being the husband or wife God created 247 00:16:24,920 --> 00:16:29,280 you to be, you're not really being faithful in your marriage. 248 00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:35,920 That's passivity. And because of what happens in 249 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:39,680 this moment in Genesis chapter 3, every human being for all of 250 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:45,760 history is a Sinner. Romans chapter 5 verse 19 says 251 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:48,280 it this way. Through one man's disobedience, 252 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:53,640 the many are made sinners. Theologically, this is what's 253 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:57,840 called original sin. That because of Adam's sin, 254 00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:01,520 every human being enters the world as a Sinner. 255 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:05,240 Now for some of us, our immediate responses, well, 256 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:07,880 that's not right. Like, I choose to believe that 257 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:13,000 all human beings are inherently good and we choose to make bad 258 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:15,560 choices, but we're not all sinners. 259 00:17:15,560 --> 00:17:17,200 We are inherently good as people. 260 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:20,319 And if you believe that, I want to let you know that we have 261 00:17:20,319 --> 00:17:22,680 opportunities for you to serve in our nursery and preschool 262 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:28,400 ministry. You know what? 263 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:30,160 You never have to teach a 2 year old. 264 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:32,960 You never have to teach a 2 year old to disobey. 265 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:41,200 They just know how to do it. You never have to teach a 2 year 266 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:44,800 old to say no. Somehow it just comes naturally. 267 00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:49,080 Like when you tell a child don't touch, what's the first thing 268 00:17:49,080 --> 00:17:51,080 they're going to do? Touch. 269 00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:06,760 And so we come to this reality that even people who seem like 270 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:09,960 good people still fall short in being the people God wants them 271 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:13,880 to be. Think about how this plays out 272 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:15,360 even in the Bible. Abraham. 273 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:18,520 Abraham's a great guy. Love God. 274 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:21,280 God promised to make him into a great nation. 275 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:26,280 Terrible husband. Like twice. 276 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:30,760 He lies and tells people that his wife is his sister just so 277 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:36,000 he could save his life. Yet David, a guy who's called a 278 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:42,080 man after God's own heart, but a guy who also uses his power to 279 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:46,640 take advantage of a woman, has her husband killed and, yeah, 280 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:48,920 has a highly dysfunctional family on top of that. 281 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:53,920 Over and over again, the Bible shows us that no matter how good 282 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:58,240 of a person someone is, sin is still part of their story. 283 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:02,640 Now, you might go, but that's not fair, Kirk. 284 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:06,440 I wasn't fair in the garden. I would have told Eve not to eat 285 00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:09,240 the fruit of the tree or I would never have taken that fruit. 286 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,560 Sure you would have. Like you go, I wasn't there to 287 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:16,600 screw things up. Now, maybe you weren't there to 288 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:18,560 screw things up. How many of you have ever found 289 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:21,040 yourselves picking up a bad habit from your parents? 290 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:23,080 Anybody. Come on. 291 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:26,480 Nobody's ever caught themselves doing something where you go. 292 00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:32,400 Oops. I had the other night, I was 293 00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:36,120 making fun of my son because he was pouting over losing in a 294 00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:40,760 game that he was playing. And he looked at me and he says, 295 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:42,400 where do you think I learned that, dad? 296 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:49,240 Because I was the guy that would just like when I'd be losing 297 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:51,760 video games with my kids, I would just turn off the video 298 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:57,040 game because I was so upset with the thing, right? 299 00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:02,520 We all learn things and have things passed down to us. 300 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:06,000 Psychologists call this social learning theory that from birth 301 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:08,520 your brain is shaped by your environment. 302 00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:13,880 The behaviors that you witnessed are encoded in your brain and 303 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:15,920 are considered to be a normal way of life. 304 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:21,040 And so Adam's approach in this situation, in the garden, as 305 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:26,200 Adam sins, it gets passed down to his kids. 306 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:32,560 And that gets passed down to their kids and their kids. 307 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:36,760 And over the course of all of human history and the billions 308 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:40,160 of people that have lived on this planet, every possible 309 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:43,880 twist and turn of what sin looks like has been passed down from 310 00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:46,240 one generation to the next, to the next, to the next. 311 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:51,920 We are all sinners because of what started with Adam and 312 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:56,480 because we live so much further from the garden today, so much 313 00:20:56,480 --> 00:21:02,800 sin has become normalized. We don't even recognize any more 314 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:05,280 the hundreds of ways that we sin every day. 315 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:11,560 It's just life. And the challenge is not only 316 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:14,480 that we're sinners, it's what comes out of that sin too. 317 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:19,240 Adam's actions became our actions, and Adam's curse became 318 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:22,960 our curse. His sin has consequences. 319 00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:27,640 Chapter 3 Beginning at verse 7 all the way through to the end 320 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:30,880 of the chapter, this series of consequences unfold. 321 00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:36,160 Instead of freedom and intimacy with God and each other as human 322 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:42,480 beings, now Adam and Eve experience shame and they start 323 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:44,200 to hide. They start to keep secrets. 324 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:46,760 They're hiding from each other. They're hiding from God. 325 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:52,520 Instead of perfect oneness in relationship, people are 326 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,120 experiencing brokenness in their relationships. 327 00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:03,040 Instead of living to protect, Adam and Eve live to protect 328 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:08,160 themselves. Like God goes to Adam and says, 329 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:12,680 Adam, where are you? And Adam's answer is, it's the 330 00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:15,880 woman's fault. You gave her to me. 331 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:19,120 It's her fault. So then God goes to Eve and 332 00:22:19,120 --> 00:22:23,680 says, is that true? And she says the serpent tempted 333 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:28,600 me, blame shifting all the way around, trying to protect 334 00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:33,040 themselves from getting into trouble, living for themselves 335 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:39,000 instead of living in union with God and each other and instead 336 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:44,240 of working together. Now there is a power struggle 337 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:46,320 that starts to happen in their relationship. 338 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:52,200 God says down in verse 16, He says your desire will be for 339 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:54,360 your husband and He will rule over you. 340 00:22:54,360 --> 00:22:56,960 That word desire is not a good positive word. 341 00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:02,240 The word desire means your desire for control over your 342 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:08,440 husband will be real and he's going to want to have power over 343 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:10,840 you. Now instead of living in unity 344 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:14,120 with each other, now they are living in a power struggle with 345 00:23:14,120 --> 00:23:20,240 each other. And then Genesis 3 continues to 346 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:24,680 unpack that all of life and work is going to be hard and 347 00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:27,640 difficult instead of natural and easy. 348 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:31,120 Childbirth is going to be hard, working in your job is going to 349 00:23:31,120 --> 00:23:36,640 be hard, and ultimately our bodies will fall apart and they 350 00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:43,240 will die. Romans 518 tells us this through 351 00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:48,640 1 trespass. There is condemnation for 352 00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:53,760 everyone. Theologically, this is called 353 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:57,360 imputation. It's the status and consequences 354 00:23:57,360 --> 00:24:00,840 of Adam's sin are credited to you and me. 355 00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:06,640 Do any of those consequences sound familiar at all to you? 356 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:11,160 Like, do we have any power struggles and relationships 357 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:16,520 today? Men who are dominating women, 358 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:23,200 women who want power and control for themselves, Wars and 359 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:29,480 conflicts all over the place. I think about the sheer volume 360 00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:36,360 of people I know who are just exhausted from their work, worn 361 00:24:36,360 --> 00:24:40,320 down by their jobs, worn down by their financial struggles. 362 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:44,640 I think about the blame shifting that happens all over the place. 363 00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:47,240 The problems that I'm experiencing in life. 364 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:50,400 It's it's not my fault because my parents didn't do this right. 365 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:53,960 My boss screwed this up. My church failed here. 366 00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:56,480 My, my husband, my wife, they're not doing their part. 367 00:24:56,480 --> 00:25:00,480 We blame shift all the time. We're still living in the 368 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:05,000 reality of the curse of sin on the world, our health. 369 00:25:06,120 --> 00:25:09,160 Every single time you stand up or sit down and you have to 370 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:12,800 groan, that is a reminder that you are living in a fallen, 371 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:16,840 broken world because of Adam. You can say thanks, Adam every 372 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:18,520 time you stand up or sit down like that. 373 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:24,120 And then there's the ultimate reality of death that we're 374 00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:27,920 reminded of all the time because someone we know has passed away. 375 00:25:33,330 --> 00:25:37,970 And then ultimately it's our relationship with God, People 376 00:25:37,970 --> 00:25:41,370 still hiding from God instead of enjoying fellowship with him. 377 00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:46,520 The kind of relationship and intimacy we were made to have 378 00:25:46,520 --> 00:25:49,120 with God. We just can't seem to find it. 379 00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:56,160 The consequences of sin are the normal human condition. 380 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:03,800 Your life, my life, the life of your neighbors, your coworkers, 381 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:08,960 your family, your friends. Every human who has ever lived 382 00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:14,240 profoundly impacted by the sin of Adam. 383 00:26:17,560 --> 00:26:20,120 Now, if you're like me, you look at this and go, man, that had 384 00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:22,800 them really screwed things up for the rest of us, didn't he? 385 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:26,520 Maybe you have a few words you want to share with Adam, but the 386 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:29,720 truth is, Adam started it and you and I have just perpetuated 387 00:26:29,720 --> 00:26:33,440 it. We, we carried that brokenness 388 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:37,000 forward and we keep passing it along from one generation to the 389 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:41,000 next generation. But the good news for us today 390 00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:43,960 is that Adam does not need to define anyone. 391 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:50,760 Even while God is giving out the consequences for Adam's sin, God 392 00:26:50,760 --> 00:26:53,360 also steps in and shows mercy and grace. 393 00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:57,680 Look at verse 15 of Genesis chapter 3. 394 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:02,120 God says, I'm going to put hostility between you and the 395 00:27:02,120 --> 00:27:04,560 woman and between your offspring and her offspring. 396 00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:09,800 He will strike your head and you will strike His heel right right 397 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:13,120 in the middle of God telling Adam and Eve what the 398 00:27:13,120 --> 00:27:18,680 consequences are of their sin, God shows up and gives good news 399 00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:21,840 that there's another defining moment that is still yet to 400 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:25,480 come. The very the very first hints of 401 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:29,400 the work of Jesus show up in Genesis chapter 3, verse 15, 402 00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:35,840 that this serpent did everything possible to turn the human race 403 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:38,800 against God. And God says, I am not going to 404 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:43,400 allow that to be the final word. Instead, what I'm going to do is 405 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:45,440 I'm going to do something that's going to turn the human race 406 00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:50,440 against the serpent. God's promising here that Adam's 407 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:53,960 condition and Eve's condition as a result of their sin does not 408 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:57,280 need to be the end of the story. Salvation is possible, but then 409 00:27:57,280 --> 00:28:01,240 he makes one more promise. One day there's going to be 410 00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:06,080 another human who's born. And he says to the serpent, 411 00:28:06,600 --> 00:28:09,240 you're going to try to put that person down. 412 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:14,800 But in your effort to put that person down, it's going to be 413 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:17,400 like you just bruise them a little bit and they'll recover 414 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:20,840 from it. But what that person's going to 415 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:27,080 do to you, that person is going to crush your head. 416 00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:30,480 Don't. Don't skip past that word. 417 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:35,560 It's one of the most powerful explicit images here in the Book 418 00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:38,120 of Genesis. Imagine a pop can. 419 00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:50,840 That is what this person would do to the serpent. 420 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:59,840 Crush him. All the way back in the story of 421 00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:03,560 creation, God is making a promise that redemption and 422 00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:08,000 victory is possible, that humanity does not need to be 423 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:12,360 defined by the sin of Adam, because Jesus is the better 424 00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:15,360 Adam. He's the difference between life 425 00:29:15,360 --> 00:29:20,440 and death. Jesus is everything that Adam 426 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:25,760 failed to be. And even better than that, Adam 427 00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:29,040 was a son of God. He, he had no earthly father. 428 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:33,800 Jesus was always the Son of God who had no beginning. 429 00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:38,440 He always existed. Adam was made in the image of 430 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:41,320 God. Jesus was the image of God. 431 00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:46,720 He said if you've seen me, you've seen the Father as a 432 00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:49,440 human. Jesus was everything a human was 433 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:54,720 created to be. Adam was tempted and he failed 434 00:29:54,720 --> 00:29:59,760 to trust God and obey God. Jesus was tempted and he chose 435 00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:02,240 to maintain his trust and confidence in God. 436 00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:10,120 Adam failed to protect his wife. Jesus gives his life for his 437 00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:15,320 bride to the church. Adam lived for his own comfort. 438 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:19,440 Jesus gives up his comfort so people can have life. 439 00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:25,520 Adam couldn't honor God in a perfect world. 440 00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:29,760 Jesus honored God in a world that was under the curse of sin. 441 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:35,320 The serpent walked all over Adam. 442 00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:40,560 But through his death on the cross, Jesus crushed the head of 443 00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:45,200 a serpent. Here's what the rest of Romans 444 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:49,040 518 says. So then, as through 1 trespass 445 00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:53,760 there is condemnation for everyone, so also through 1 446 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:58,760 righteous act there is justification leading to life 447 00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:03,120 for everyone. Two men whose lives have 448 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:07,640 impacted every single human being on the planet, whether we 449 00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:12,440 know it or not. And I know that in this room and 450 00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:17,120 watching online today, there are people whose lives are still 451 00:31:17,120 --> 00:31:21,840 defined by Adam because that's the condition every human starts 452 00:31:21,840 --> 00:31:23,880 in. You're born a Sinner. 453 00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:28,640 But I want you to know today that God is gracious and 454 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:32,040 merciful. Right at the very end of chapter 455 00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:35,800 3, we see another picture of how gracious and merciful God is. 456 00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:42,320 In verse 21 it says the Lord God made clothing from skins for the 457 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:44,720 for the man and his wife, and he clothed them. 458 00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:49,680 Adam and Eve had been completely exposed before God, their sin 459 00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:53,680 laid bare. There's shame out in the open, 460 00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:57,720 but God goes and makes clothing from the skins of an animal to 461 00:31:57,720 --> 00:32:01,960 cover them and protect them. You know what would have had to 462 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:05,520 happen for this? For this to take place, the 463 00:32:05,520 --> 00:32:11,800 shedding of blood had to happen. An innocent animal dies so Adam 464 00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:17,280 and Eve could have their shame covered, and thousands of years 465 00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:22,840 later, Jesus would die on a cross and shed his blood so that 466 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:27,600 the shame over your life for the sin that you've committed can be 467 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:32,320 removed. You know, you might think it's 468 00:32:32,320 --> 00:32:35,920 unfair to say that you're a Sinner because of Adam's sin. 469 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:42,480 Here's what's really unfair That the only perfect human, whoever 470 00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:46,040 lived, would die a cruel death so that you could live. 471 00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:52,400 That's unfair. It's unfair that because of 472 00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:56,520 Jesus, you and I can be considered completely righteous 473 00:32:56,520 --> 00:33:01,520 and holy before God without ever having to prove ourselves first. 474 00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:07,080 That's unfair. But it's also the good news of 475 00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:12,000 what Jesus came to give us. It's the most remarkable 476 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:16,520 exchange in human history that our sins are laid on Christ. 477 00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:20,400 Your sins are laid on Jesus, and his righteousness is laid on 478 00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:24,360 you. And if you're still an Adam here 479 00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:28,000 today, you can receive this same gift by placing your faith in 480 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:31,440 Jesus Christ. But it's so important for us to 481 00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:36,280 know that Jesus defining your life is not meant exclusively 482 00:33:36,280 --> 00:33:38,280 for something that happens after death. 483 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:42,920 It's about right now, too. One of the most amazing, 484 00:33:42,920 --> 00:33:45,040 beautiful, powerful things that's happening in our church 485 00:33:45,040 --> 00:33:48,960 right now are the movement of people who are done being 486 00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:53,440 defined by Adam. They're hungry to be defined by 487 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:57,280 Jesus. If you were here last Sunday, 488 00:33:57,280 --> 00:34:00,320 you saw a video of some of our youth and young adults talking 489 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:02,480 about what God's doing in their life right now. 490 00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:05,440 You know what they're saying. I'm done being defined by Adam. 491 00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:10,120 I want to be defined by Jesus. I want to be defined by the only 492 00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:12,560 one who can give me life instead of the one who came to bring me 493 00:34:12,560 --> 00:34:17,239 death. I hear it from so many stories. 494 00:34:17,239 --> 00:34:21,639 I almost every week I meet someone who's come back to 495 00:34:21,639 --> 00:34:27,880 church for the first time in years and when I talk to them 496 00:34:28,480 --> 00:34:31,840 they always say the same thing. I'm just done. 497 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:37,000 I'm done with all the other stuff that has just robbing me 498 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:39,239 of life. I'm done. 499 00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:47,880 I need to get back to Jesus. I see it in our Alpha ministry 500 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:52,760 as people explore what it means to be defined by Jesus in 501 00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:54,600 Freedom session where people are going. 502 00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:57,560 I've got stuff that's happened to me in life and I'm done 503 00:34:57,560 --> 00:35:01,920 allowing the death of Adam through those things to impact 504 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:04,560 my life anymore. I want the freedom in Christ. 505 00:35:06,880 --> 00:35:09,000 I see it happening in conversations and in 506 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:10,840 discipleship groups and equipped classes. 507 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:14,320 And I want to tell you this can be the story for every single 508 00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:18,680 one of us here today. Some of you, you've grown up in 509 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:21,400 some really tough places and environments. 510 00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:25,720 You've experienced some of those painful sins possible committed 511 00:35:25,720 --> 00:35:32,280 against you and the consequences of the sin of others has a hold 512 00:35:32,280 --> 00:35:37,120 on your life and they're holding you back from the true life and 513 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:41,080 freedom. I believe with all my heart 514 00:35:41,800 --> 00:35:46,000 Jesus came because he know what he does not want your life to be 515 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:50,400 defined by that kind of death that comes from the sin of Adam. 516 00:35:51,040 --> 00:36:00,000 Jesus came as a healer. Many of us, we're here today and 517 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:06,360 we know all this story, but our issue is that we we keep 518 00:36:06,360 --> 00:36:12,040 perpetuating the exact same things of Genesis 3, and we keep 519 00:36:12,040 --> 00:36:16,920 creating more of the same consequences in our families, in 520 00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:19,360 our workplaces, and in the world around us. 521 00:36:23,480 --> 00:36:26,120 There's so many of us that we're running and we're hiding from 522 00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:30,480 God. Oh, yeah, you're here, which is 523 00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:34,440 great, but you know, on the rest of the week you're doing 524 00:36:34,440 --> 00:36:36,080 everything possible to hide from God. 525 00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:43,760 You're too busy in marriages, man. 526 00:36:46,880 --> 00:36:54,040 There are so many marriages where the relational fallout of 527 00:36:54,040 --> 00:37:03,360 Genesis 3 still exists, for men are still being passive instead 528 00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:08,200 of being men who love and honor and cherish their wife. 529 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:15,480 And there are so many women who are also living for power and 530 00:37:15,480 --> 00:37:21,920 control in their relationships who are saying that my husband, 531 00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:24,600 he's always wrong and I'm the one who's always right. 532 00:37:27,720 --> 00:37:30,680 And vice versa happens. There are so many men that are 533 00:37:30,680 --> 00:37:34,360 living as control freaks in their marriage. 534 00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:43,400 Guys, if these words ever come out of your mouth, catch 535 00:37:43,400 --> 00:37:47,480 yourself before they happen. Don't ever say to your wife it's 536 00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:52,000 your job to submit. To me, that's a sign of a 537 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:58,720 control freak. There's so many guys who are 538 00:37:58,720 --> 00:38:02,160 living in that reality of trying to control relationships, and 539 00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:05,680 there's so many women who are sitting back passively saying, I 540 00:38:05,680 --> 00:38:07,320 guess this is just what I have to take. 541 00:38:09,160 --> 00:38:14,600 God made us to be one in our marriages, working together in 542 00:38:14,600 --> 00:38:19,680 unity as husband and wife. There's so many of us who are 543 00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:22,440 still blaming everyone else without looking in the mirror at 544 00:38:22,440 --> 00:38:27,360 our own sins, who are pursuing our own comfort and desires even 545 00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:29,760 if it means other people have to pay a price. 546 00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:35,040 I could go on and on, but there's this question that keeps 547 00:38:35,040 --> 00:38:40,480 lingering for me this week. When you look at your life, is 548 00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:42,720 the impact of your life the same as Adam? 549 00:38:43,080 --> 00:38:49,640 Or is it more like Jesus who is defining your life? 550 00:38:51,720 --> 00:38:57,160 It will be one of those two men. Many of us have carried Adam's 551 00:38:57,160 --> 00:39:02,640 story long enough, and it's time. 552 00:39:02,720 --> 00:39:04,440 It's time to step into a new life. 553 00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:07,480 It's time to step into a new chapter. 554 00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:12,040 It's time to step into trusting our life to Jesus. 555 00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:17,080 And the normal human reaction to this is, hey, OK, I'm going to 556 00:39:17,080 --> 00:39:18,600 suck it up and I'm going to try harder. 557 00:39:21,880 --> 00:39:24,400 But the real answer is not to suck it up and try harder. 558 00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:27,920 The real answer is to humble yourself and surrender to Jesus. 559 00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:34,720 Jesus is a better Adam. Jesus came to bring you life. 560 00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:40,240 Adam's way is just going to lead to not only your death, but the 561 00:39:40,240 --> 00:39:42,600 trickle down effect of consequences of death to 562 00:39:42,600 --> 00:39:48,280 everybody else around you. Jesus came to forgive you of 563 00:39:48,280 --> 00:39:51,160 your sin. Jesus came to redefine your life 564 00:39:51,440 --> 00:39:53,800 so that you don't need to be defined by Adam anymore. 565 00:39:53,800 --> 00:39:56,800 I'm going to ask you to close your eyes 566 00:40:11,870 --> 00:40:20,270 if you're here today and you go I, I'm done with allowing my 567 00:40:20,270 --> 00:40:24,350 life to be defined by Adam. I do not want to be that person 568 00:40:25,230 --> 00:40:31,400 who's defined by death and sin. I don't want to be that person 569 00:40:31,400 --> 00:40:34,000 whose impact carries that forward. 570 00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:38,600 I want to be the person who's defined by Jesus instead. 571 00:40:39,480 --> 00:40:41,680 Like I'm done. I'm done being defined by Adam. 572 00:40:41,680 --> 00:40:46,000 I want to be defined by Jesus. I want to surrender my life, my 573 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:50,000 heart, my journey as a human being to Jesus. 574 00:40:51,400 --> 00:40:53,520 I'm just going to ask you just to do something. 575 00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:57,560 Nobody's going to see this, but this is kind of a moment for you 576 00:40:57,560 --> 00:41:02,240 before God. Would you just raise a hand? 577 00:41:02,360 --> 00:41:06,400 It's like an act of surrender to God to just lift a hand. 578 00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:08,600 Say God, I'm done being defined by Adam. 579 00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:24,710 I want to be defined by Jesus. Father, all over this room and 580 00:41:24,710 --> 00:41:27,430 even those who are watching online, you see hands that are 581 00:41:27,430 --> 00:41:32,510 lifted high and surrender. Thank you. 582 00:41:33,030 --> 00:41:35,430 Thank you for your mercy and your grace. 583 00:41:35,430 --> 00:41:40,880 That is enough for us, not only in this moment, but in every day 584 00:41:40,880 --> 00:41:46,760 of our life. God, I pray for my friends, I 585 00:41:46,760 --> 00:41:52,120 pray for my brothers and my sisters in Christ as we 586 00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:59,960 surrender our lives to Jesus that day by day and moment by 587 00:41:59,960 --> 00:42:06,640 moment, you would shed away any of the lingering effects of Adam 588 00:42:06,640 --> 00:42:11,800 in our lives. And you would help us, God, to 589 00:42:11,800 --> 00:42:19,320 have our lives forever defined by the one who came to bring us 590 00:42:19,320 --> 00:42:24,440 life. I pray this in your mighty, 591 00:42:24,600 --> 00:42:29,160 powerful, matchless name. Jesus, You are our. 592 00:42:29,720 --> 00:42:32,720 You are our hope in life and death. 593 00:42:34,200 --> 00:42:36,280 Amen. Amen. 594 00:42:36,680 --> 00:42:40,080 Let's stand together in response to our King.