August 14, 2016 Adam - Under Construction to End of Construction

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August 14, 2016 Adam - Under Construction to End of Construction Text: Genesis 1:26-31 Vicar Mark Moretz Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Our sermon series, Under Construction, begins today in which we explore the stories of people under construction in the Bible. Construction can be a difficult thing. Sometimes the old has to be demolished before the new can begin. Sometimes there is inconvenience and pain during the process. Sometimes you have to listen to the repetitive hammering sounds of the machinery right outside your office window. Sometimes the construction project does not end with a beautiful glass building and art work on the front lawn or sidewalk. Sometimes the completed project is just a bridge and a road, like right here on Rogers Road. Not every construction project has a dramatic story, but they have a beginning of construction, and under construction, and an end of construction. Today’s sermon is the story of Adam and the life he constructed with Eve, but this is also part of our story. This story includes the legacy of the image of God passed on to us; the legacy of sin passed on to us; and the initiation of the grace and mercy that God put into motion for our sakes. Like Adam and Eve, we have been given a commission; An important one; The most important one; To construct our lives and families in God’s image and God’s commission. Let’s dive into the story of Adam. Genesis chapters one and two explain to us how God created the universe and its living creatures. God’s living and active Word was spoken (Let there be!) and the Bible tells us, “And it was so.” But when God created man and woman, He made it personal. The Bible tells us 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. God formed man. This use of the word for “formed” here is specific to the shaping or forming that a potter does with clay. God constructed man and then personally breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. The Bible also tells us that God made the first woman. The word for made here means “to build”. Every other part of creation was spoken into existence but God

formed man and built woman, and breathed the breath of life into them. God showed great love and care in his forming and building of man and woman in his likeness and image. We are different from the rest of creation. Then, God gave what has been called the first great commission. (Gen 1:28 ESV) “And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." God gave Adam a brand new creation, a great responsibility, and a purpose. (Gen 1:31 ESV) “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” Man and woman, the pinnacle of creation; made in God’s image and after His likeness. Made in the image of God. What does that mean? The word for image means something more than mere physical resemblance. An image in ancient Near Eastern thought was that which manifested the presence of God in the created realm. Created in God’s image, Adam not only reflected God’s character but also was his representative in the world, His steward over all that he had made. That image still exists in us today, but as church father Gregory of Nazianzus says, “The image of God in us has been blurred.” But it is there. That’s part of what has been passed down to us from Adam and Eve. But, that’s not all that has been passed down to us by Adam and Eve. Remember how they were driven out of the garden in shame and disgrace. You see, God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and gave them almost every tree to eat from. But God warned them not to eat from one forbidden tree. I can still vividly see the depiction on the front cover of a children’s Bible. This Bible was at the doctor’s office when I was a child. The picture of that one forbidden tree, the serpent coiled around it, and Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve disobeying God and falling into sin. Falling from pinnacle to disgrace. A perfect construction in the image and likeness of God to an imperfect structure that collapsed and turned to dust. Adam is the father of mankind but is also the father of sin. And that is part of his legacy passed down to us. Let’s hear what that legacy of sin means. The Bible tells us: (Genesis 3:17b-19) “Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18thorns and thistles it shall

bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” After being expelled from the Garden of Eden the question now is, where do Adam and Eve go from here? What is Adam and Eve’s story after the garden? We are told immediately that Eve will experience pain in childbirth and there will be relational problems. To Adam it is told that work will be painful, there will be thorns and thistles to contend with, through your sweat will you eat, and eventually you will die. But, what about the first commission to be fruitful and multiply, to have dominion and subdue the earth? Adam and Eve understood that the commission was still expected of them. We are told that Adam and Eve fulfilled their purpose in the first great commission and became parents. They had two sons, Cain and Abel. From this short narrative, the Bible tells us what their parenting skills were. Cain was a worker of the ground. But someone had to teach his son to work the ground. And Abel a keeper of sheep, and someone had to teach his son how to care for the sheep. We are told that Cain and Abel sacrificed to God. But, who taught them faith in God? We know that Adam and Eve raised their sons, taught them life skills, and raised them with faith in God. Adam and Eve had been constructing a family and lives under what I am sure were difficult circumstances. Nonetheless they were constructing a life together and fulfilling the God given commission of filling the earth, having dominion and subduing the earth. I can imagine that this first family was happy, spent time together, ate together, worshipped together, and laughed together. But tragically, their constructions all come crashing down again. Adam and Eve lose both sons when Cain kills Abel and God drives Cain away. Now, they understand death and loss on a very personal level. As a parent, I can only imagine what this felt like. But we’ve all had some of our life’s constructions crumble haven’t we? We’ve all had struggles of some sort. Strained relationships, divorce. Financial difficulties, bankruptcy. Difficult bosses, loss of job. Wayward son, daughter, or other family member that we just want to come home or know they have not lost their faith. Maybe we or a loved one is struggling with mental illness. Or maybe someone we love has died. Maybe we’ve even felt we can’t

go on. Please remember, we are not people without hope. We are people who have a God who is with us in our trials. We are people who have a church family that is with us in our trials. We are people who have a Savior, the resurrection and life everlasting. Adam and Eve remembered God’s promise and believed. So, what do Adam and Eve do after their devastating loss? They pick up the pieces, and begin again, constructing a family, because Adam and Eve have been given a commission; An important one; The most important one; To construct their lives and families in God’s image and God’s commission. Adam and Eve have another son named Seth, and other sons and daughters. We are told that faith in God, the creator, was passed on to the children, and people called upon the name of the LORD. We are reminded in Genesis chapter five after the birth of Seth that people are still made in the likeness of God and that they were still under God’s blessing. This was after the fall into sin. Adam lived another 800 years to the age of 930 and then he died. So Adam was constructing a life, carving out a living for himself and his family for 930 years. Adam had 930 years to be under God’s construction. So, that made me think, “How long do I have to be under construction?” First, I will be optimistic and say that I’m going to live to age 90. That leaves me 42 years. 42 x 365 = That leaves me about 15,330 days. Does that sound like a lot of time to you? What if you are 35? You have 55 years to reach 90. You have 20,075 days to be under construction. Does that sound like a lot of time? It does not to me. I need more time for construction, and by no means am I anywhere close to being finished. We are all under construction and the point is that every single day is important. Like Adam and Eve, we are constructing a life, a life of faith, and perhaps a family. Like Adam and Eve we teach our children or grandchildren. It’s part of our vocation, our God given commission. Each person should be able to recognize the particular responsibilities that he or she has to serve those members of the creation that are around them, especially those who rely on them in unique ways, such as spouse and children. The point is to see our vocation in the context of God’s plan and God’s arrangement for His creation. One important responsibility is the study and knowledge of scripture. St.

Paul famously clarifies the task of fatherhood in his letter to the Ephesians: (Eph. 6:4 ESV) “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Your children and your families are under construction. Who is the foreman? Pastors, DCE’s and leaders have a precious few hours with your families and your children each week here at church. But parents, you actually have significantly more time and influence. What does Luther’s Small Catechism say at the beginning of the sections? As the Pastor should teach it? No it says, “As the head of the family should teach it in a simple way to his household. There is one thing I have learned in a short amount of sermon experience. That is, I’m not just preaching to you. I’m preaching to me too. So, here is the sermon challenge. Find a catechism or other devotional book and your Bible. Schedule time with your family, either at the dinner table or family room. Just 15 minutes one day per week to begin with. And begin reading devotionally and when it notes a Bible verse, look it up and study it. So, to be honest what I’m going to have to do is say to my family. “I know I have not been doing this as I should. But I’m going to make a change, and we are going to take this time to be in the Word as a family.” I realize there are careers, hobbies, sports, and other distractions. But like Adam and Eve, we have been given a commission; An important one; The most important one; To construct our lives and families in God’s image and God’s commission. To carry on the story; to carry on the legacy of faith. Parents and grandparents, don’t let anything stand in your way. Because when you or your children’s constructions come crashing down, that legacy of faith, that trust in God’s promises is what carries us through the thorns and thistles. That trust is what enables us, like Adam and Eve, to pick up the pieces and begin building again. We are all under construction during our lives. Sometimes we do pretty well and sometimes we mess things up pretty badly. We do our best to construct our lives and families in God’s image and God’s construction. We do our best out of love and thankfulness for what God has done for us through Christ Jesus. In those times when our construction is getting shaky and crumbling beneath us, that faith at the end of our 15,000 or 20,000 days is what really matters. Not our faith in our own constructions, but our

faith in the one who died on the cross. Our faith in the one who, even when our construction has collapsed, says, “I know you and your weakest construction, and I have made your life under construction perfect, good, righteous. One of most difficult obstacles in our construction is trusting that promise. We are made righteous, by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. Not by our works. Back to the story one more time. Like a potter when his vessel goes awry, God did not pound Adam back into a lump. Right there in the garden when they were at their lowest, God made a promise through Adam and Eve’s descendents. God showed his love, his mercy, his amazing grace. It was clear to Adam and Eve that God was promising a Savior when he said, (Gen 3:15 ESV) “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall crush your head, and you shall bruise his heel." God was speaking to Eve and Satan and saying that Satan would bruise, snap or snatch at Eve’s offspring, Jesus’ heel. But Jesus will crush Satan’s head. As you and I know, Jesus was arrested; he was beaten, mocked, spat upon, and nailed to the cross for our sins. Satan thought he had killed Jesus, that he had won. But he was just snapping at Jesus’ heel. Jesus’ death was not a defeat. It was God’s plan from the time of His promise to Adam and Eve. Can’t you see Jesus blowing away the gates of Hell, the demonic forces cowering in His presence; Satan‘s head crushed, Satan is beaten! And all hear the powerful proclamation “I am alive and you are defeated.” The victor is on our side, and he has already defeated the enemy. Because of what Jesus has done, our lives which are under construction have His victory behind them. The gospel story is the power behind our construction. Jesus’ victory is the foundation upon which our construction is laid. But still, like Adam and Eve, we have been given a commission; an important one; the most important one; to construct our lives and families in God’s image and God’s commission; to carry on the story; to carry on the legacy of faith, until the last day when our construction is completed in Christ Jesus. Amen. Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.