10-7-2023 West Palm Beach 7th Day BAPTIST Pastor Garfield “The Authentic Man” Genesis 2;15-22

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10-7-2023 West Palm Beach 7th Day BAPTIST Pastor Garfield “The Authentic Man” Genesis 2;15-22

 

Have you ever said about a certain person, that you want to be like that person? Or have you asked yourself why are you not like that person? Or asked yourself why are you the way that you are? There are many parts of our existence that we wish it was a little bit shorter, a littler wider or a little taller. We all have aspirations. The cosmetic make-up business makes billions of dollars because we want to look better. Today lets look at what the ideal you would be like. Nobody can be you better than you. Its okay to want to be like someone else, just be careful you are not looking past the greatness that God has placed inside of you. Psalm 139;14 We are fearfully and wonderfully made by God.

There is something inside of us that God has placed in us that He has not put in anybody else. There is something God has placed in us that we must hold onto and cherish that is not given to anybody else. There is a race that you must run and a victory to be won. As we aspire, we must remain true to ourselves. The Bible says that God made man in His image and likeness. But what does that really mean? Its like when you go into the kitchen and get your ingredients together, you have an end product in mind. Every ingredient you get must contribute to the end product that you want to cook. Imagine what the end product was that God had in mind when He gathered the ingredients for you. What was on God’s mind when He put the ingredient of compassion or faith into you for the end product? What is it that God had in mind when He molded each of us?

If I am to be authentic then I must hold on to the plan God has for me. Jeremiah 29;11 God knows the thoughts that He thinks toward us. Thoughts of peace and not of evil to give us an expected end. Brothers and sisters let us cherish this thing that God has given us until its purpose has come to pass. When we talk about being authentic, we mean something that’s genuine, true and aligned to its true and intended purpose. When you look across the globe, you will find out that many of us are like those people in Genesis. They tried to build the tower because they were looking for significance in and of themselves. The Bible says they were building the tower of babel with the intention of getting to God. I remind you that Jesus came from Heaven and there is no need to build a tower. Jesus is right here waiting for us to open our hearts that He might come in unto us.

If you are looking for significance, Behold I stand at the door and knock. Revelation 3;20 says that if anyone will open up, Jesus will enter into us and spend time. He will fellowship with us so that we can understand our authentic self. All of us here have one purpose and that is to serve God. Each of us serves Him in a different way. Some of us have inferiority challenges that we either can or cannot change about ourselves. Today we want to look at some of the things about us that cannot be changed. When we talk about authentic, we mean who it is that God has made us to be. In Genesis chapter 1 the entire place was described as an abyss, darkness and chaos. Nothing was logical or in order. And God said let there be Light! The reality is that light was not just the physical light but it was let there be order, let there be peace, let there be recognition of God’s authority and God’s power.

Let there be light in our lives is not about dark vs light. It is about an expression of God’s Glory coming out of our existence. I pray let there be light in our lives, light in our relationships and let there be light in our walk. From Genesis chapter 1 to Genesis chapter 2, God was on a mission to populate the earth. He made the animals first and then God said “I think I should make something like me.” We call this the crown of creation. How dare you say I came from apes? I was fearfully and wonderfully made from and by God in the image of God. We are the crown of God’s creation and we are the ones He sent His Son for. We are the ones who will live with Him in glory in Heaven.

The authentic man was clearly described in Genesis 2;15-22. The text tells us that God was in the middle of His creation experience. Verse 15 says God put man in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Then God told man he was free to eat of every tree but not of the tree of knowledge. Then God said that it is not good for man to be alone. You must understand that God’s entire mission was to take care of man. He was finding all the provisions that man would need to be comfortable. The one thing man lacked was a partner. This is the most compelling scripture in the Bible that shows that God wanted man and woman to be together. This scripture is never used in reference to gender or the sexual identity crisis that we have. I love every person whether you commit adultery or homosexuality. But I will make it clear that there are things that God will and will not accept. Now in verse 19 it says that God brought all the animals to Adam to see what he would name them. Whatever name Adam chose, that would be the animal’s name. Now with this, God is stamping authority on this man. When you are able to name things then you have authority over it. We have authority over floods, hurricanes, Hiv aids and covid-19. We just don’t understand the kind of authority that God has given to us. After the authority was placed on man, God was still not satisfied. Man had a relationship with God, authority over the earth but he was still not where God wanted him to be.

This is why men can have lots of money but they are still not satisfied. This is why you have people with authority over a staff of 500 people and they still live wretched lives. There is something that is missing for these people. In verse 20 it says no suitable helper was found for Adam. One clear expectation of marriage is that the wife is supposed to help her husband. If she cannot help the man she is with then hes not supposed to be her husband. She needs to go look for her husband. It may look different in different people’s marriages but there is an expectation that the wife is the helper. So the Lord caused man to fall into a deep sleep and God took out the man’s rib and then closed up the flesh. This is real! God took a rib and then closed up Adam’s flesh. If you are to be married, there is a specific woman for a specific man. This is why some people have such horrible marriages.

Church of God, when you talk about the idea of being authentic, there are some things that should make sense to us. God made the woman and brought the woman to the man. And guess who named the woman? The man. Whether you like it or not, authority. Let me make this very clear, this is not saying that women don’t have authority. Understand what is happening here. It is the authenticity of the man, how he behaves, that will make the woman and creation authentic. But men you have fallen asleep. Some of you have bought the pants to give to your wives. I want to say that children recognize authenticity in a man or in their parents also. There are three things that I want to draw our attention to about Adam. These are three things we want to have in our lives to be Authentic.

1) Recognize Our Relationship With God: The more we are accepted by others in an unholy group, the less we are accepted by God. We need to accept our relationship to God who made EVERYTHING. We become children of God through Jesus Christ.

2) You Will Accept The Authority Given To You By God: When you have authority, it is not about the name you give but the authority behind the naming. That’s why children say yes mommy and yes daddy. The Bible says to honor your mother and father. When you name something it comes under your authority. I believe that men and women are co-partners.

3) You Will Embrace The Parameters Established By God: God told Adam he could eat of all the trees in the garden except for one tree. This was a very, very large garden with lots and lots of trees. Hundreds or thousands of trees. God said don’t eat of the tree of knowledge because in the day that you eat it, you will die. The death He meant is a separation from God. Many listening to this sermon are actually dead. If you are living a life of sin, if you are not authentic, then you are dead. Remember being dead means being separated from God. Understand the point. If Eve and Adam had understood the point, they would have not fallen prey to the enemy.

Our life is dependent on us maintaining an authentic relationship with the earth and with God. God is expecting us to live our lives through the world toward Him. Brothers and sisters do you want to be authentic? Do you want to be real and true? The place to start is to change your identity. Being authentic requires that you recognize your relationship with God. Being authentic requires that you accept the authority given to us by God. Being authentic requires accepting the parameters set up by God. Relationship, Authority and Parameters.

 

AMEN