Genesis chapter 2, and we're going to read from verse 4 down to verse 17.
Again, if you've missed any of the talks, you can catch up on them all on our church website.
They're all there for you.
Genesis chapter 2, starting in verse 4.
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord
God made the earth and the heavens.
Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth, and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord
God had not sent rain on the earth, and there was no one to work the ground.
But streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.
Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life.
And the man became a living being.
Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden.
And there he put the man he had formed.
The Lord God made all kinds of trees to grow out of the ground, trees that were pleading
to the eye and good for food.
In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil.
A river watering the garden flowed from Eden, and from there it was separated into four headwaters.
The name of the first was Pishon.
It winds through the entire land of the Havilah, where there is gold.
The gold of that land is good.
Aromatic resin and onks are there.
The name of the second river is the Gihon.
It winds through the entire land of Cush.
The name of the third river is the Tigris.
It runs along the east side of Asher.
And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and to take care of it.
And the Lord God commanded the man, you are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but
you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it,
you will certainly die.
Well, keep your Bibles open and we'll pray.
Father, we're thankful for life today, for health and strength to be here,
giving us minds that can understand and comprehend.
And yet, Father, we long that our hearts would respond to you as we should, as you created us to be.
That as you speak, we would listen.
And as we listen, that we would delight in your ways.
Teach us today.
Breathe the breath of your Spirit upon us.
For your glory.
Amen.
Well, I wonder if you noticed the change.
There's a significant difference between Genesis 1 and Genesis 2.
It's not a different creation, but it's creation from a different perspective.
Genesis 1 is all about the creation of the cosmos, the universe.
Whereas Genesis 2 is all about the creation of mankind.
Genesis 1 really informs us how God is separate and distinct from his creation.
Genesis 2 is all about how God is intimate with mankind.
We see this clearly when we compare and contrast chapter 1, verse 1 with chapter 2, verse 4.
So if you go back to chapter 1, verse 1,
we read this.
The first verse of the Bible,
Now, God, the word there for God, or if you're into Hebrew, Elohim, is a very general name.
And it would be used by all the different nations to refer to the God of Israel.
In the beginning, God.
Now, compare that with chapter 2, verse 4.
We get something very similar.
Chapter 2, verse 4.
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
Lord, which appears there in capitals in our English Bibles,
and you'll see it all the way through the Old Testament,
simply means Yahweh.
This is God's personal name given to his people.
God's covenant name.
The one who's entered into a relationship with his people.
No longer is God just God of the nations.
But he's saying to them,
You can call me Yahweh.
You see, God is not just distinct and separate and great and big.
But he's intimate and involved with his people.
So as we move from Genesis 1 into Genesis 2,
we move from transcendency, the greatness and the bigness of God,
to the personal, the intimacy of God.
From God speaking creation into existence.
Where God is now speaking personally to his image bearers.
You can call me Yahweh.
So what do we learn about this personal encounter with Yahweh?
Well, here's the first.
First, the Lord God gives life to mankind.
Look at verse 5.
Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth,
and no plant had yet sprung up,
for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth.
And there was no one to work the ground.
So we've got a picture here of a lifeless land.
There's nothing growing.
There's nothing producing.
But, verse 6,
streams come up from the earth
and water the whole surface of the ground.
Life begins to flourish.
Now this acts in some ways as a parable
for the life that God gives to mankind.
So look at verse 7.
Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground.
But there's no life in that form, in that shape.
It's a lifeless form.
Something else must happen.
So, rest of verse 7,
God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,
and the man became a living being.
Just as the water flowed onto the land
and gave life to the earth,
so God's breath flows into man and gives him life.
But the life that God gives is so much more than just physical life.
Remember, this is pre-form.
So the life God gives is not just physical,
moving and walking,
but he's given him spiritual life.
Man is created to be a living being
who can communicate with God
and enjoy fellowship with God.
It's a life given by the breath of God,
or we might say by the spirit of God,
because again,
and I'm no Hebrew scholar,
but the scholars tell me that
the word for breath
is the same word for spirit.
You remember back in Genesis chapter 1 and verse 2,
we read there at the end
that the spirit of God,
or the breath of God,
was hovering over the waters.
The life-giving spirit
was hovering over the waters.
Now we read in chapter 2, verse 7,
that the Lord God breathed into his nostrils
literally the spirit of life.
This is what makes us different
from the creatures and the animals.
We have been given the spirit of life
so that we can know God.
Now this spiritual life
is an abundant life.
Look at verse 8.
Now the Lord God had planted a garden
in the east in Eden,
and there he put the man he had formed.
Eden, well it can mean delight,
but I think here the focus is on abundance.
Eden is about a land of abundance.
So literally the Lord God
has placed man in a garden of abundance.
Everything is provided.
Look at verse 9.
The Lord God made all kinds of trees
grow out of the ground,
trees that were pleasing to the eye
and good for food.
Everything is sustained in this garden.
Verse 10.
A river watering the garden
flowed from Eden.
In fact,
go back to the end of verse 9.
In the middle of the garden
were the tree of life
and the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil.
Later we're told that
they're not to eat from the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil,
but there's no such command saying,
don't eat from the tree of life.
They can eat its fruit and live.
Just as food nourishes our physical bodies,
so the life that God gives
is an abundant life.
It's no surprise then
that the psalmist would say
in Psalm 34,
taste and see that the Lord is good.
Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
God is exceedingly good.
He gives spiritual life
that is abundant.
Second,
not only does he give life,
the Lord God dwells together with mankind.
So as we read through the text,
it becomes clear that God is not just
distant and removed,
but Yahweh, the personal God,
is present and involved.
He is with the first man and woman.
God's intention to be among his people is clear.
Look at verse 8.
The Lord God planted the garden
and there he put the man he had informed.
And then what unfolds is
God begins to speak to him with commands.
And this becomes explicitly clear
in chapter 3.
Just quickly have a look at chapter 3, verse 8.
Well, we have a wonderful picture
of God and man in relationship.
Then the man and his wife
heard the sound of the Lord God
as he was walking in the garden
in the cool of the day.
Yes, this is after the fall,
but we get the picture of what's going on.
The implication is that God was present
with them in the garden,
walking and talking
and enjoying the beauty of creation,
but above all,
enjoying fellowship with one another.
There's no hiding in Genesis 2.
There's no shame.
It's full and free.
This is God's good design,
his purpose for mankind,
that he would dwell amongst his people.
In fact,
God's design is that the whole earth
would be a dwelling place for God.
The whole earth is to be a dwelling place.
Look at what's happening here.
In Eden,
God plants a garden.
So there's a place called Eden
and in the place in Eden,
he plants a garden.
And it's right there
that we find mankind.
But again,
remember what we've learned so far
back in Genesis 1,
verse 28.
What did God say to them?
Be fruitful,
increase in number
and fill the earth
and subdue it.
You see,
it was never God's intention
that man would just stay
in the garden.
Man was to expand
the borders of Eden.
They were to multiply
and grow
and fill the whole earth.
In other words,
God's desire
was that the whole earth
would be his dwelling place
where he would dwell
with mankind.
Again,
I think the rivers
that are described here
in verses 10 down to 14
act almost like
as a parable
of what's going on.
So look at verse 10.
A river watering the garden
flowed from Eden
and from there
it was separated
into four headwaters,
four different rivers.
So try and get this picture
in your mind.
We've got a river
that starts in the garden of Eden
and then begins to flow out.
And this river
branches into four rivers,
each of which extend
into different directions.
They are nourishing the land
as they flow out.
This river is expanding,
isn't it?
And so God is saying
to mankind,
well,
this is what I want to view.
This is what we're to do.
I want you to
extend the borders
of the garden.
Here we are in the garden,
but we're to extend
the borders
out into Eden
and beyond Eden
to the ends
of the earth.
Let the whole earth
be a dwelling place
for God.
This becomes clearer for us
down in verse 15.
The Lord God
took the man
and put him
in the garden of Eden
to work it
and to take care of it.
Now commentators
have pointed out
that this task,
if you look carefully
at verse 15,
of working
and caring,
it's specific,
it's unique.
The only other time
it's repeated
in scripture
is when it's referring
to the priests
who were serving
at the temple.
Their job was to
work
and to care.
So what we're getting
a picture here
is that this garden
is actually
like a temple.
It's a dwelling place
for God.
And it's the place
where man
is to serve
and care.
But it's a temple
that's not to stay
as it is.
It's a temple
that's to grow
and expand
as mankind
does his work
of serving
and caring.
Because it's God's
longing and desire
that the whole
world
would be
his dwelling place.
that the whole world
would become
a temple
of his presence.
God is to be
known and experienced
in every corner
of the earth.
So God
gives life,
he dwells
with his people
and God
demands
obedience
from mankind.
Now Yahweh
may be present,
the personal God
is there
with his people
but there is
a distinction.
Yahweh
is the creator.
We are the created.
We are living
under God's rule.
He's the one
who speaks
and we listen.
So look at
verse 16.
And the Lord God
commanded
the man,
you are free
to eat
from any tree
in the garden.
no prohibition
on eating
the fruit
from the tree
of life.
You can do that.
But,
verse 17,
you must not
eat from the tree
of the knowledge
of good and evil
for when you
eat of it
you'll die.
You see,
there is
such a thing
as morality.
People say
there isn't
but there is.
There is a good
and there is
an evil
and it's
God who
declares
what is right
and what is wrong.
It's not
mankind
who gets
to decide.
We don't
get to make
up the rules
what is evil
and what is
good.
That's the
distinction here
between Yahweh
and mankind.
He speaks
we listen.
God commands
we obey.
This is
God's world
and he always
knows what is
best and what
is right for us.
He isn't
being mean
and stingy
by saying
you can't
eat from
this fruit
because he's
provided every
other tree
for food.
His law
is good
and he knows
that if we're
to eat of it
it's not going
to be good
and following
his law
leads to an
abundant life.
This is good
for you.
You see,
this tree
in the garden
is to remind
man who is
in charge.
Who's the
boss?
The tree
reminds us
that God
demands
undivided
loyalty.
You see,
with this tree
comes a test
of loyalty.
Man is a
living being
capable of
thinking and
reasoning and
showing love
and the way
mankind is to
declare his
love,
the way he's
to show his
love to God
is by obeying
his commands.
God's
word,
not eating
the fruit
was a sign
of submission.
It's an
expression of
love.
It's saying
I trust
God
that when
he says
things
it's for
my best
and all
his ways
are pure.
Even when
I don't
understand
everything,
what he
says is
always right
and good.
However,
if they're
to go and
eat the
fruit,
it's
completely
the
opposite,
isn't
it?
It's
an
expression
of
rejection.
By
eating
the
fruit,
they'll
be
saying
I
don't
want
God
telling
me
what
is
good
and
evil.
I
will
decide
what's
good
and
evil.
It's
saying
I
want
to
be
like
God.
I
want
to
rule
the
world.
I
want
to
fill
the
world
with
my
presence
and
say
what
is
good.
I
want
to
be
boss.
In
fact,
to eat
of it,
end of
verse 17,
God
says
you'll
die.
Not
just
physical
death,
but a
spiritual
death.
A
life
without
God,
without
his
dwelling
with
his
people,
without
his
presence.
Instead
of an
abundant
life,
it would
be filled
with
chaos
and
disorder.
So
the
tree
was a
way of
showing
your
loyalty
to
God,
a
means
of
declaring
your
loving
obedience.
Now
what a
wonderful
picture we
have here
in
Genesis
2.
Isn't
it an
amazing
picture?
Here we
have
mankind
living an
abundant
spiritual
life,
enjoying
the
presence
of God,
enjoying
his dwelling,
walking
amongst them,
talking with
them.
Here they
are to
extend the
borders of
the garden
so that
the earth
is filled
with God's
presence.
How
wonderful
that is.
Would
you like
to be
there?
Is
that
something
that kind
of goes,
yes,
that's
where I'd
like to
be?
Would
you?
Maybe you're
wondering,
should I or
should I
not,
what's
coming
next?
Well,
I think
there's
something
better.
There's
something
better than
this.
You see,
this is
much more
than just
a description
of creation
because we
know,
and we'll
get to it
in a couple
of weeks,
we know
what?
They just
had to
obey.
Don't
eat it.
And
everything
would be
all right.
But they
didn't.
Instead of
leaving an
aroma of
the presence
of God,
mankind
has left
a trail
of destruction
behind them,
a tornado
of chaos,
of broken
relationships.
Now,
this is
much more
than just
a description
of creation.
This is
a picture
of the
church.
It's a
picture of
the church.
You see,
creation is
just a
display model
of the
local church.
What we're
reading in
Genesis 2
is a
picture of
you and
me.
Yes,
it is.
Here in
the garden,
we have a
blueprint for
what the
church should
be.
And it's
better.
Let me
show you.
I hope you've
got your
Bibles ready.
We're going to
look at a few
things.
First,
God gives
life by
his Spirit.
Let's
remember,
Genesis 2
may be
pre-fall,
but we're
reading this
post-fall,
aren't we?
We've been
given physical
life,
we're breathing,
but the
Bible says
we've been
born spiritually
dead.
We're not
born into
a relationship
with God.
We don't
enjoy intimacy
with God.
We need the
Spirit to
give us
life.
The prophet
Ezekiel gives
us a brilliant
picture of
this.
God had
promised Ezekiel
a time when
the Spirit
was going
to come
who would
be not
just with,
but in
the people.
When the
Spirit would
give life.
I have a
reference
here.
Ezekiel 36
verses 26
to 27.
This is what
God promised.
He says,
I will give
you a new
heart and
put a new
spirit in
you and I
will remove
from you
your heart
of stone and
give you a
heart of
flesh and I
will put my
spirit in
you and
move you
to follow
my decrees
and be
careful to
keep my
laws.
And to
help us
see what
God has
promised.
Ezekiel has
another vision.
We're going
to look this
up together.
Go to
Ezekiel
chapter 37
in your
Bible.
Ezekiel
chapter 37.
Isaiah,
Jeremiah,
Lamentations
and then
Ezekiel.
You may
remember this
picture.
The vision
of the
valley of
dry bones.
And the
picture we
have in
chapter 37
is this
valley which
is full
of bones.
So it's
lifeless,
it's dead,
it's a
picture of
the spiritual
state of
God's people.
They are
spiritually
dead.
Now listen
to what God
says to
Ezekiel in
verse 4.
Then God
said to me,
prophesy to
these bones
and say to
them, dry
bones, hear
the word of
the Lord.
This is what
the sovereign
Lord says to
these bones.
I will make
breath, and
again the word
here is
spirit, I
will make
breath enter
you and you
will come to
life.
I will
attach
tendons to
you and
make flesh
come upon
you and
cover you
with skin.
I will
put breath
my spirit
in you and
you will
come to
life, then
you will
know that
I am the
Lord.
Verse 10,
so I
prophesied as
he commanded
me and
breath
entered them
and they
came to
life and
stood up
on their
feet, a
vast
army.
It is a
picture of
a spirit
filled
people, a
vast army,
much greater
than just
Adam and
Eve, but
a vast
army of
a spirit
filled
people,
filled with
a spirit
enabling them
to do and
to follow
God's law.
You see,
without the
spirit of
God, without
his spirit,
we are
dead.
And we
are now
living in
an age in
a time when
the spirit
has come.
The coming
of Jesus
means the
spirit is
here, because
Jesus came
to give
spiritual life
to all who
are dead.
Listen to
the words,
you can see
them on the
screen here.
The words
of Jesus
in John
chapter 6.
Jesus says,
the spirit
gives life,
the flesh
counts for
nothing.
The words
I have
spoken to
you, they
are full
of the
spirit and
life.
You see,
the words
of God.
The word
about Jesus
is life.
And as we
hear the
word about
Jesus, the
spirit takes
that word
and applies
it to our
life.
It's like
spiritual
CPR.
The breath
of life,
the breath
of God
is breathed
into us.
Our spiritual
dead bodies
are transformed
and we become
spiritually alive.
life.
Where once
we had no
love for
God, we
now love
him and
obey him.
This is
the fullness
of life.
This is
true
abundant
life.
But not
only does he
give life
by his
spirit,
God is
with us
by his
spirit.
because when
he gives
us new
life, he
doesn't leave
us in
isolation, he
joins us
together with
other believers
so that he
might dwell
with us, not
just amongst
us, but in
us.
Just like the
garden was to
be a temple, a
dwelling place
for God, so
the church is
a temple,
isn't it?
Listen to what
Paul says to
the church in
Ephesians.
Jesus, in
him, in
Jesus, the
whole building,
so he's
talking about
the people
as a
building, in
him the
whole building
is joined
together and
rises to
become a
holy temple
in the
Lord, and
in him, you
too, are
being built
together to
become a
dry throat,
can somebody
get me some
water, please?
Sorry.
I'm going
to have to
stop, sorry.
I need
some breath.
Thank you,
Ralph.
Thank you,
Ralph.
That's
better.
So where
were we?
Let me just
backtrack a
little bit,
shall I?
So when God
gives us
spiritual life,
he doesn't
leave us in
isolation, but
he joins us
together with
other spirit-filled
believers so
that he might
dwell with us,
just like the
garden in
Genesis 2
was a temple
and to be a
dwelling place
for God, so
the church is a
temple.
That's what we
have here.
In him, the
whole building
is joined
together and
rises to
become a
holy temple
in the Lord,
and in him,
you too are
being built
together to
become a
dwelling in
which God
lives by
his spirit.
Look at
us.
We are much
bigger and
greater than
the garden of
Eden.
God, once
again, dwelling
with his
people, speaking
to us through
his life-giving
words so
that we might
enjoy fellowship
with him.
But there's
something more.
God doesn't
just give us
life.
He's with us
by his spirit
and he's at
work by his
spirit in the
church.
The church,
this temple,
is to also
grow and
expand.
God's
presence is
to be
known
everywhere.
Just as
the borders
in Eden
were to
expand
beyond them
to the
ends of
the earth,
that's what
Adam and
Eve were to
do, but
they failed.
And God
has given
his spirit
to his
church, and
right now
all across
the world
there are
little
garden
churches,
we might
call them
like that,
where God
is present
in all
the nations.
Remember
what Jesus
said to
his disciples,
you will
receive power
when the
Holy Spirit
comes on
you, and
you will
be my
witnesses
in Jerusalem,
Judea and
Samaria, and
to the ends
of the earth,
just as they
were to move
out of the
garden to
Eden, to
the ends
of the
earth, so
mankind is
beginning to
fulfil all
that God
had set
out to
do.
Can you
see that
life in
the garden
is just a
picture of
life in
the church?
A spirit
filled people
where God
dwells amongst
us by his
spirit, never
to leave us,
but with us
permanently,
secured and
sealed by the
work of
Christ.
A people
empowered by
his spirit so
that we can
now love and
obey God's
words and do
what is
right, reaching
out with the
good news of
Christ so
that the
earth is
filled with
the presence
of God.
That's what
we're doing
tomorrow when
you spend
time with
your children
at home,
you are
expanding the
borders as
you share
the gospel
with your
children so
the presence
of God
might be
known and
experienced
everywhere.
It's what
happens as
you disperse
amongst your
neighbourhood
and go
to work.
That as
you share
the good
news, it
is expanding
and growing
and the
presence of
God is
becoming known
in your
workplace and
in your
neighbourhood.
It happens
as you get
involved in
Sunday school
and the
rock and
rooted.
The presence
of God
expanding and
growing.
It's happening
through the
Cork-Carrie
project.
It's
happening
through our
partners
whether that's
in Kashmir
or in
Kosovo
to the
ends of
the earth.
What we
see in
Genesis
is just a
glorious
picture of
the church
today.
Let's
pray.
Amen.
Father,
would you
please fill
us afresh
with a
vision for
your church.
Thank you
that we
are a
spirit-filled
people,
given new
life,
that we
can know
you,
we can
talk to
you,
that you
will never
ever leave
us.
Thank you,
Father,
that your
spirit is at
work through
us in our
homes,
in our neighborhoods at work
wherever we are
may we
by your power and your help
extend the borders
so that the presence and the knowledge of Christ
is known everywhere
help us we ask
in Jesus name
Amen
we're going to sing together
Holy Spirit
living breath of God
breathe new