Sermon

And What About Us?

January 21, 2024 Pickens First Baptist Church

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Let's turn to Genesis chapter 2, Genesis chapter 2.

Genesis 2 chapter mention Genesis 2 chapter mention
God created the earth in six days and he rested on the seventh.
It took him six days because that's what he wanted, not because that's what he needed.
He spoke and the stars were in place.
He spoke and the sky separated earth from space.
He spoke and vegetation came.
He spoke and animals were created.
He could have done it quicker, but he chose not to.
And on the seventh day he rested not because he was tired, because he wasn't,
but because he is a God of order and because he wanted to set a pattern for us to know what order is like.
I'm not going to chew you out this morning because you're here.
I don't need to tell you about Sabbath rest.
You're here and worshiping and I thank God for that.
Although Sabbath is a Hebrew word for seventh, the New Testament church, after the resurrection,
chose Sunday instead to make it the Lord's day and to celebrate in worship.
And we follow that pattern, acknowledging that it's a day of worship and rest.
And I just want to encourage you to let him have the whole day.
Don't give an hour.
Don't give him two.
Let him have the whole day.
Give it to the Lord.
And on the sixth day, he created a man.
He got to us.
So if you were asking the question that people so often ask about other matters,
what about me?
What about me?
Well, what about us?
Let's take a few minutes to talk about that, okay?
It's in Genesis chapter 2.

Genesis 2 chapter mention
I want to begin in verse 5.
And it says,
When no bush of the field was yet in the land,
and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up,
for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land,
and there was no man to work the ground,
and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground,
then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,
and the man became a living creature.
And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east,
and there he put the man whom he had formed.
And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree
that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.
The tree of life was in the midst of the garden,
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Now let me pause there for just a moment.
When it says there there was no bush or small plant of the field,
I want to be clear that that is not a conflict in Scripture
with the seed-bearing plants that are mentioned on day 3.
It's different.
This is referring to the garden, not the whole world.
It's not referring to the jungles.
It's not referring to the plains.
It's not referring to the forest.
It's not referring to the fields that were created on day 3.
It's talking about plants that were to be cultivated by him in the garden.
It speaks of the rivers that rolls through there
and the location in which that garden was.
We can place it because of that.
Then in verse 15 it says this,
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden
to work it and keep it.
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying,
You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat,
for in that day that you eat of it you shall surely die.
Then the Lord God said,
It is not good that a man should be alone.
I will make him a helper fit for him.
Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field
and every bird of the heavens
and brought them to the man to see what he would call them.
And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.
The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens
and to every beast of the field.
But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.
So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man
and while he slept took one of his ribs
and closed up its place with flesh.
And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man
he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
Then the man said,
This is at last bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.
She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man.
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother
and hold fast to his wife
and they shall become one flesh.
And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
In other words, life was sweet before sin entered in.
Now let's get to the question.
What about us?
He created all this world, everything around us.
What about us?
The first thing I want you to see from this passage is
that he crafted us.
He formed us.
He made us.
The word for man there is not speaking of making all of mankind.
It's not a general word that speaks to all of humanity.
There's a word for that.
This one instead is Adam and that means a man.
He formed a man from the dust
and breathed into him with the breath of God.
It's interesting to me that with the cosmos
it speaks of God speaking and it was.
But here it speaks of Adam being handcrafted.
Now to me that speaks to our close connection with the world
that we live in.
That this old frame came from dust
and it will return to dust.
And then he breathed the breath of life into us.
Other animals breathe like we do
but they did not come into life through the breath of God.
What sustains us?
It's the very breath of God.
How did he craft us?
Well, quite amazingly.
Let's say we wanted to get an understanding of that
so I took a knife out
and walked down here
and grabbed David's arm
and just cut out a little one by one inch chunk of his arm.
Took that home with me.
Went to my lab there at the house
in my high defined microscope.
Do you know that in just a one by one inch square of skin
that I would find 19 million cells?
And within each one of those 19 million cells
I would find libraries of information about him.
Not only that, but the average heart
is the size of a fist.
Yet that heart pumps blood
hopefully all the time.
That heart pumps blood
and that blood is made up
of 25 trillion red blood cells
to keep us going
and 25 billion white blood cells
to fight off sickness
and that it pumps through more than
a hundred thousand miles of arteries
and veins to keep us alive.
I could go beyond that
and talk about the marvels of the eye
and how it adjusts automatically
and is consistently focused
to allow us to see
even with the finest smartphones now.
They're still trying to adapt a camera
that can adjust as quickly
as the human eye.
It's amazing.
And how about an ear
that captures the sound waves
that roll through this room
and that that eardrum
can vibrate 73,000 times a second.
won't even get into the brain
that central computer
of our body.
It's amazing what God's done.
He crafted us.
He made us.
The psalmist put it this way
in Psalm 139.
For you formed my inward parts.
You knitted me together
in my mother's womb.
I praise you
for I am fearfully
and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works.
My soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven
in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance.
In your book were written
every one of them
the days that were formed for me
when as yet there was none of them.
How precious to me
are your thoughts, O God.
How vast is the sum of them.
If I would count them
they are more than the sand.
I awake
and I am still with you.
Folks, I want you to know
He crafted us.
Not only that,
but He cares for us.
He cared for us.
I want you to notice
in verse 7
that it says
the Lord God
formed the man.
When simply God
had been used
in Genesis 1
and even in the earlier parts
of Genesis 2
when you look at verse 2
and you look at verse 3
twice,
three times
in the first three verses
it uses God.
But here
when He's dealing with us
it says
Lord God.
Now the word for God
that is used
in Genesis 1
and in the first part
of Genesis 2
is Elohim.
It is a word
that speaks
to the power of God.
It is a word
that is plural
that I believe
hints to the Trinity
of God.
In addition,
the word
is translated
when the Lord
is added
here
in Genesis 2
when He's talking
about us,
the Lord God.
When they add that
you'll notice
in your translation
probably
that that word
Lord
is capitalized
with all caps.
That word
really
is unpronounceable.
It is
of course
written in Hebrew
and it is a Hebrew word
and when you
transliterate
those letters
of the Hebrew
it comes out
like this.
It's H-W-H-Y
but remember
Hebrew
reads
from the back
of the book
and it reads
right to left.
So if you turn
those letters around
you begin
to see
a formation
of a word
that you may be
familiar with.
There are no vowels
there.
It is called
the tetragrammaton
which means
literally in Hebrew
four letters.
It was put that way
because the Jews
stopped pronouncing
this word
as a proper
respect
and reverence
for God.
Some of it
came from a belief
that if you
call upon Him
if you call His name
He'll be there
and that's true.
However
they knew
they were
unclean
at times
and fearful
of His presence
and so
they did not
want to provoke
Him to come
and see
the state
of their circumstances
and respond
to their uncleanliness
and so therefore
they stopped
out of reverence
saying His name
and instead
when they got
to that name
they would say
Aldenai.
Aldenai means
Lord
it means
Sir
it means
Master
and our best
guess
of what to do
with that word
if you look
at a typical
Hebrew
constructed word
and how their
vowel structure
is
you would add
an A
and an E
and you would say
Yahweh
that's the personal
name for God.
The Germans
however
decided to take
the vowels
from Aldenai
the word
that they would
say when they
saw that
Tetragrammaton
and put
them into
the word
and Germans
pronounce things
differently
so when you
look at just
the consonants
instead of it
being a Y
and an H
and a W
and an H
it's instead
a J
and an H
and a V
and an H
and when you
put
the vowels
for Aldenai
into that
word
it comes
out
Jehovah
so in other
words Jehovah
is an English
German
Hebrew
hybrid
made up
word
to identify
the personal
God
we do all
of that
because Yahweh
is the personal
name of God
scripture uses
it often
here it is
Yahweh
Elohim
the Lord
God
crafted us
that means
more than just
the power
of Elohim
it also
means
the love
and the
intensity
of love
of Yahweh
the personal
God
that word
Yahweh
is used
for God
in a compound
many times
it's used
when Abraham
finds that
sacrificial lamb
and he
proclaims
the Lord
will provide
Yahweh
is there
when God
promises to
protect his
people from
the Egyptian
plagues
if they'll
follow his
instruction
and put the
blood upon
the doorpost
Yahweh is there
and it means
the Lord
is victor
when Gideon
builds an altar
praising God
for leading them
out of bondage
Yahweh is there
and he speaks
of the Lord
of peace
he also
is called
the Lord
our righteousness
he's also
called the Lord
that heals
all of them
are Yahweh
compounds
every time
Yahweh
is used
it is personal
because God
is caring
and protecting
and leading
his people
it's used
here too
in verse 7
because God
cared for us
he didn't
just speak
to create us
he crafted
us
and then he
breathed
life into us
we are the
crown of his
creation
and he made
us to be
in relationship
with him
and all the
creatures
that he created
he found
none suitable
as a helper
for the man
so he made
a woman
out of the man
he made us
to help
one another
carry out
what God
would have us
to do
now there's
two ways
to look at
that
that God
making woman
for man
women may
look at that
and say
God made
man and said
I can do
better than
that
so he made
woman
however one
of these guys
down here in the
front said
God made
the beast
of the earth
and the man
and then rested
then he created
woman
and since then
beast nor man
nor God
has rested
he did
I didn't say
that
he did
all of that
because he
cared for us
he created
us
he crafted
us
he cared
for us
and he
called us
he gave us
responsibilities
to work
and to keep
what he had
provided
he gave
us
liberties
to enjoy
and he gave
us
regulations
to abide
by that
in verse 15
it says
that he told
Adam
to work
the ground
God did
not place
him in a
garden of
splendor
to sit
idle
and do
nothing
he had
responsibility
verse 9
tells us
the trees
of the garden
were pleasant
to look at
were good
for food
the land
was there
to enjoy
and they
did not
mean to
sit back
and enjoy
there's a
time to
rest
and there's
a time
to work
God does
not call
us to
sit
and do
nothing
there's
work to
do
he's
given us
a responsibility
and we're
to till
the ground
that God
gave us
in life
and he
he will
provide
our needs
when we
do the
task
that he
sets
before us
and in
the midst
of that
God
has also
called
them
to be
responsible
because there
are limits
on what
we can
do
in other
words
with all
the splendor
of the
garden
of Eden
at the
fingertips
of them
to manage
and to
enjoy
Adam
was not
God
over that
he was
to cultivate
it
he was
to manage
it
he even
named
the animals
he had
a responsibility
but he was
not God
over that
with all
the pleasure
that came
there
there were
still
limits
never
forget
folks
however
God
has blessed
you
no matter
how fruitful
your life
is
you are
not in
charge
he's
in
charge
when we
have
entrusted
our lives
to him
we're
called
to follow
God's
word
and let
me just
warn you
about
something
God's
word
does
not
dodge
and
adjust
as
society
changes
it
it
also
does
not
adjust
when
there's
hardship
that
comes
along
if
the
guidance
of
God
by
his
word
is
adjustable
based
upon
our
circumstances
if
that
be
the
case
if
we
want
something
bad
enough
we'll
find
a
way
to
excuse
ourselves
away
from
following
what
God
would
call
us
to
do
but
he
don't
change
the
tree
was
a
good
looking
tree
it
was
appealing
but
it
was
not
of
God
for
them
to
partake
it
God
called
them
to
work
God
called
them
to
keep
God
called
them
to
enjoy
God
called
them
to
help
one
another
God
called
them
to
obey
his
word
God
crafted
us
he
breathes
his
life
into
us
God
cared
for
us
he
made
it
personal
God
called
us
to
be
busy
with
what
he
has
provided
for
us
and
to
do
it
in
a
way
that
he's
told
us
to
carry
it
out
and
you
know
what
God
has
not
changed
he
still
crafts
us
Jeremiah
was an
Old Testament
prophet
that gave
God
gave
messages
and he
gave
the
messages
through
real
life
illustrations
I
love
Jeremiah
Jeremiah
saw an
almond
branch
and the
word for
almond
in Hebrew
also means
to
watch
and when
he showed
him that
almond
branch
it's
almost
like
God
just
highlighted
it
before
him
to
get
a
word
out
he
told
Jeremiah
in
Jeremiah
1
I'm
like
that
almond
branch
in other
words
I'm
watching
you
I
know
what's
happening
right
after that
it
records
that
he
saw
a
boiling
pot
that
was
tilted
in the
fire
and
God
spoke
to him
as he
looked
at that
boiling
pot
God
told him
through that
boiling
pot
that
by him
looking at
that
living
illustration
God
said
there's
going to
be
judgment
coming
the
reason
that
pot
is
tilted
to
the
north
is
because
it's
coming
from
the
north
trouble
is
coming
he was
speaking
of the
invasion
that
would lead
to the
exiles
what he
was
speaking
of
it
would
come
God
told
Jeremiah
to go
out
and buy
a linen
cloth
a garment
a loin
cloth
a garment
and basically
ruin it
gave him
specific
instructions
to get it
wet
and then
while it was
wet
to bury it
allow it to
mold and
mild you
and ruin
and then
come back
to it
at a certain
point
and pull
it back
out
and God
told him
to do
that
to illustrate
to him
to put
a fire
in his
bones
about what
he was
about to
say
of how
God's
people
had
been
crafted
and made
by God
but they
had ruined
themselves
it would be
like buying
a new
garment
and
trashing
it
immediately
wasteful
God spoke
of their
wastefulness
but it was
wonderful
illustrations
he gives
to Jeremiah
but my
favorite
though
is when
he told
him to
go to
the potter's
house
and to
watch the
potter work
with the
clay on
the wheel
Jeremiah
went down
there and
watched that
potter work
and he saw
him working
and making
something beautiful
with that
clay and the
clay marring
in the hand
of the potter
but you know
what the
potter didn't
just give up
on that lump
of clay
the potter
went right
back and
began to
continue to
form it
and make
it into
what he
could make
it into
and while
Jeremiah was
watching after
God had given
him direction
to go down
there and see
what was going
on God
spoke to him
and said
y'all are like
that piece
of pottery
y'all are like
that clay
that mars in
my hand
but I haven't
given up on
you
I'm still
working and
molding and
making and
forming
and the word
form
that's in
Jeremiah
is the same
word that's
in Genesis
2-7
God
formed us
he made
us
that's how we
came about
that's what he
continues to do
and the message
is that God
crafted us
and he's still
crafting us
y'all gonna be
even better
than you are
now
when God
gets done
with you
he's still
making and
molding you
God's still
working on us
and he'll do
that until we
see him face
to face
he crafts
us
not only that
but he still
cares for us
too
he still cares
for us
not only is he
that Yahweh
personal God
that interacts
for us
he's also
the God
that sent
his only
son to die
for us
to forgive us
of our wrongdoing
and to straighten
out our path
and to give us
hope
he's the same
God that sent
the Holy Spirit
to live within
us
to guide us
to comfort us
to give us
peace
unlike anything
that this world
can give
he still
cares
for us
I saw
somebody in
the hallway
today
they shared
with me
something that
they're going
through
a difficulty
they'd kept
rather private
in the midst
of a battle
I pray
with that
person
as I
prayed
for that
person
I knew
what I
could do
is
not much
I love
what Jesus
says
John 14
he says
peace I leave
with you
my peace
I give
to you
not as
the world
gives
do I
give unto
you
let not
your hearts
be troubled
neither
let it
be afraid
I know
that what
I can do
for somebody
is limited
in giving
peace
and in
giving
comfort
and giving
guidance
and giving
help
but man
I'm thankful
today
that I serve
a God
that cares
for us
so much
that not
only did
he send
his only
son to
die in
our place
to give
us hope
for all
of eternity
but he
sent the
Holy Spirit
of God
that meets
us right
where we
are
and will
be a
balm
to our
wounds
will be
a guide
to our
waywardness
will be
a strength
to our
weakness
and will
be a
pickup
to our
discouragement
I want
you to
know
God
still cares
for us
he cares
for us
as much
as when
he took
that
dirt
and formed
us
and made
us
and breathed
life
into us
and gave
us the
splendor
of a
perfect
garden
he still
loves us
that much
he still
cares for
us
and he
still calls
us
God
because I
got news
for you
folks
there's
still a
ground
to till
there's
still fruit
to be
bore
there's
still a
task
that God
has set
before us
Jesus
made it
clear that
hearts
and lives
are
people
and he
used the
ground
as an
illustration
for that
that it
is our
job to
scatter
the seed
of God's
message
to folks
and some
of them
are going
to receive
it
and some
of them
are going
to enjoy
it
and some
of them
are going
to be
hard
crusty
rocky
and difficult
it's not
always going
to be fun
living for
the Lord
celebrating
the Lord
sharing
the Lord
it's not
always
easy
it's not
always
receive
the way
it ought
to be
some
seed
won't
take
but it's
not our
job to
figure out
the state
of the
ground
it's not
our job
to figure
out the
dirt
in a
soul
we got
to scatter
seed
we got
to trust
the one
who sows
to do
what he
does
while we
live our
lives
for him
God's
still
calling
us
he's still
calling us
to make a
difference in
the world
that we're
in
so whether
it's hard
or whether
it's fertile
we just
need to
share the
message of
Christ
with our
lives
with our
mouths
he still
calls us
so let me go
back to my
question that I
began with
what about
us
well what
about us
we know
what he's
done for
us
the question
is
what are we
doing for
him
he's still
crafting us
he still
cares for us
and he's
still calling
us
let's just
answer his
call
just do what
he's telling
us to do
you may be
here this
morning and
there's never
been a time
in your
life
when you've
acknowledged
that you've
done wrong
and separated
you from God
that wrong
it's what the
Bible calls
sin and it
separates you
from God
not only in
this life but
for all of
eternity
maybe there's
never been a
time in your
life when you've
acknowledged that
you need to
ask God to
forgive you of
your sins and
to cleanse you
of your sins
and thank God
because he did
bring Christ
Christ will come
in and change
your life
he still cares
for us
he meets us
where we are
he crafts us
to be what he
has us to be
and it all
begins with a
personal relationship
with the Lord
Jesus Christ
it all begins
with surrendering
your life to
follow him
open the door
of your life
let him change
you
maybe you've
done that
privately
but you never
told anybody
you never
followed that
up with a
public confession
of faith
and Jesus
says if you're
ashamed of me
before men
I'll be ashamed
of you before
my father
which means it
really ain't real
if it's just a
private thing
God wants us
to tell other
folks
and by his
commission and by
his example he
shows us that
that's done by
baptism
if you're here
today and you
know that you've
given your heart
and life to the
Lord but you've
never acknowledged
that through
baptism I
encourage you to
come I'd love to
guide you in that
process we'll just
start a process
here maybe you're
here this morning
and God's drawing
you to be a part
of this church
you've worshiped
with us and you
feel like God's
leading you
we're not perfect
nor are you
we'll join each
other along the
journey
and allow God
to continue to
craft us
continue to care
for us
continue to call
us
and join each
other on that
journey
of encouragement
and strength
and hopefully
life change
for us and all
we come in
contact with
I'd love to
talk to you
about that
or maybe you're
here and none
of that applies
to you because I
don't know what's
on your heart
I really don't
but you need to
surrender something
to the Lord
you've been
marring in his
hands too often
lately and you
need to lay that
down before the
Lord you can do
that where you
are you can do
it at this altar
I just don't want
you to leave here
until you've done
exactly what God
would tell you to
do I'll never ask
you to do more
than that I never
want you to be
satisfied with doing
less than that
just do what
God's leading you
to do
Heavenly Father
I love you
I thank you
dear God
that the gospel
of Jesus Christ
comes out
even in the
formation of man
in the very
beginning dear God
thank you Lord
for all you've
done for us
help us to
respond to you
in obedience
God
help us to do
what you've
called us to do
help us never
to be satisfied
with less than
that Father
in Jesus
precious name
Amen