Passover or Communion?

Passover or Communion? 1Exodus 12:43-51.

The road to Succoth was packed with travelers escaping the slavery of Rameses. God told them to go and changed the heart of the Pharaoh to release them.

These people obeyed God and were faithful to their instruction; but they knew nothing about where they were going. They were leaving their birthplace of Egypt and traveling to a new land. They were like teenagers heading out to face the world that they had only heard stories of.

Prior to the first plague their knowledge of God was passed down to them in the stories of their ancestors Adam, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel.

If the Children of Israel were to survive they must have faith in God which is belief in the unseen. Generation after generation spoke of the great faith of the patriarchs and they proclaimed God’s deliverance; but many died before seeing the mighty hand of God.

From the time God made the promise to Abraham, that his family would be a great nation, it had been four hundred thirty years. It was this generation that would see the power of God as God would strike that land of Egypt with the terrible plagues leading up to the release of the Children of Israel from slavery.

This generation would learn to know the power of God and learn how to respect God as God. They would enter a new world, a world of great blessing for the faithful and terrible consequences to the unbeliever.

How to live godly lives had to come from instruction and the first instruction was how to prepare the Passover meal. Though they received the instruction once, while in Egypt; now they would receive it again, having escaped Egypt. As we study we must remember only the faithful would benefit from the observance of Passover.

And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. Exodus 12:43-47(NKJV)

The Passover was to be an annual event. It was to remember the importance of keeping the ordinances of God; which brought life to those who obeyed and death to those who did not.

Most important to God was that the Passover was not to become a social event that unbelievers were invited to. It was first for the Hebrew people and second it was for those who converted to their belief and dedicated their life to God by being circumcised; a symbol of obedience to God.

This was to be strictly adhered to; even the meat was to stay inside their house so they would not be tempted to share it, for to let an unworthy person eat it would be disrespectful to God.

In addition, the lamb had to be prepared and ate in such a manor not a single bone was to break. This fact draws us to another story in the Bible taught to Christians by Jesus Christ Himself.

John the Baptist recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God; Jesus was unblemished by sin and chosen by God to be a sacrifice for many.

Later we read that Jesus was crucified and our sin placed upon Him by God; He was the sacrificial lamb and His blood spilled for us. We are also told that not a bone on His body was broken.

On the Passover, Jesus met for the last supper with His disciples and instituted a new ordinance which is a completion and perfection of the Passover feast.

Jesus took bread and broke it, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Then he took a challis of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. Which caused the disciples to question why is He doing this?

They too were like young adults being introduced to a new world. He also told them that He would not do this again with them until they joined Him in His kingdom.

This ritual was instituted by Jesus to ensure that they church would observe more than one Passover a year; but that it might continue in churches as a regular observance of the significance of His death.

Inviting Jesus into your heart covers the threshold of your heart with His blood, protecting you from the Angel of Death and the bread is symbolic of the unleavened bread for our lives are to be swept clean of sin.

And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.” Exodus 12:48-49(NKJV)

Like the Passover, to partake of the elements of communion is for only those who have committed their lives to God and have had their hearts circumcised. To take communion unworthily is to eat and drink damnation to your soul.

It began with the Passover in Egypt and was to be kept through all generations so they may recognize the perfect sacrifice of Jesus. Now it exists as communion for all who believe.

As with the Children of Israel, Christians are to follow the ordinances of God with accuracy; taking their role in life and the performance of their obligations to God serious.

We need forgiveness, we need a covering for our sin, and we need to respect the God who brought that to us.

Thus all the children of Israel did; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the LORD brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies. Exodus 12:50-51(NKJV)

No longer were they slaves, they became the people of God who would enter into a new land and become not only the people of God, but an army to fight for what is right.

The same continues today if you have made Christ your savior. As Christians we keep ourselves according to God’s instructions. We do those things we are instructed to do and we gladly allow those who would join themselves to us, into our congregations.

We partake of communion in remembrance of what the perfect sacrifice means for our life and we await entering the new land, the land of promise which is heaven; the place where we can dwell with God in perfection for eternity.

Entering and Breaking Covenants. Genesis 6:18-22.

Entering and Breaking Covenants.  Genesis 6:18-22.

But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. Genesis 6:18(NKJV)

Our God is a covenant making God. My question to you is, “Have you entered into a covenant with God?” Like Noah we have an ark to enter.

The Hebrew word for covenant means, a pledge. It is a treaty or alliance and would also include such acts as marriage. It is a binding together of two and in this covenant of our passage, God bound Himself to protect Moses and his family.

Life is full of covenants and these covenants must be given respect. The very first covenant was made when God gave the earth to Adam and Eve. He placed them in the Garden of Eden and His covenant stated they can eat of any tree and live forever; but if they ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they will surly die.

When a person breaks a covenant, it is a terrible breach of their integrity. Depending on the covenant it can end in results that change the course of one’s life. And when entering into a covenant with God, it can mean the difference between life and death.

The problem with people is they take agreements a bit too light. When they know to do good, they tend not to do it and thus must suffer the results of their actions. When it comes to a covenant with God and a person does not complete their portion of the covenant, it is by their own choice and they invite the results. This is why God can never be blamed for sending a person to hell for they make the decision them self.

And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. Genesis 6:19-20(NKJV)

There are covenants that we make to ourselves. People confess to change habitual actions, lose weight, and act differently. Some complete their desires and others fail miserably. Each New Year people promise them self change and they struggle to do so.

Now when God enters a covenant He has a bit more at stake. If He should not fulfill what He set out to do, to Him it would be an error and no longer could He make the claim to be holy. This is why He must allow the penalty for sin to be executed; even though it hurts his heart to see his creation in ruin, He must uphold His covenant with people.

One such case is His decision to hake the Heavens and the Earth. He set out the complete plan for the earth and for told the end result. This covenant God is obligated to fulfill and that is why He had Noah fill the ark with animals and provisions. God needed that Noah, his family, and the animals to live on. If this plan failed, God would Himself fail.

And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. Genesis 6:21-22 (NKJV)

God is a most responsible God; He not only made the world to be what it is today, He took upon Himself the responsibility for making humans that would fall into sin. Therefore, He keeps a delicate balance as He provides redemption and also upholds the penalty for sin.

If you could feel the heart of God as a person dies in their sin, you would feel remorse like you never felt. You see, God is love and He loves the unlovable. He is for those who oppose themselves and He reaches out to all mankind no matter what they have done.

When Jesus Christ came to earth, He faced the temptation of Lucifer who knew of this balance. Would Jesus have given into temptation, then God would have sinned and the balance would be over. God would no longer have a separation of holiness and Lucifer would have brought heaven down to his level.

However, God needed to make one additional covenant with mankind; one that would allow mankind to not only die and go to paradise, but allow mankind to enter into heaven and be completely restored. Therefore God sent His own Son to be born from a virgin.

Jesus had no earthly father and that breaks the passing on of the sinful nature. This child would have God as His Father and be able to resist sin and as you know the story, Jesus was crucified and died without sinning.

Lucifer thought He was putting Jesus to death, but did not realize that he broke the covenant of sin and death. When Jesus was killed, an innocent man died and an injustice was committed.

The heavenly court case must have taken about three days for the verdict was that Jesus must be raised from the dead and therefore, He was. In addition to being raised from the dead, to Jesus was given any opportunity He desired and His answer was a better covenant with mankind.

This better covenant would state “Whosoever would believe in Jesus Christ shall not perish but have eternal life with God in Heaven.” And because He was in the bowels of the Earth with the saints who sins were covered by animal sacrifices and good works, they too now believed and were released from their prison. They were able to ascend to Heaven to be with God. The separation between God and mankind was broken.

Though more than a story, the battle still rages today and belief is being continually attacked by Lucifer. All evil focuses on destroying faith in God and belief in Jesus Christ.

Each of us has a covenant to enter, where we must say that we believe in Jesus Christ and our changed life is proof of our belief. Through scripture we can know Him and on this scripture we can model our life. In faith we can believe in Jesus and when successful to escape the corruption of this Earth, we can be with Him in Heaven.

Have you entered into this sacred covenant with the Lord? Have you trusted you eternity to our Father who loves us? If not, remember there is still the covenant of sin and death that must be appeased. Like Noah, we must enter into the covenant to be saved.

Records of Faith. Genesis 5:1-32

This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. Genesis 5:1-2(NKJV)

In many parts of Genesis, the author summarizes what we have read, yet adds precise details that explains to us more significance of what took place. Here the writer tells us about the genealogy beginning with Adam; and from this genealogy we can learn some great information.

One thing that people criticize the Bible for is the ability to pass a message from generation to generation. How do we know such things written are true? The worry is not towards the truthfulness as much as the accuracy of the message. In this passage we find a lot about how the message was passed.

And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters. So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. Genesis 5:3-5(NKJV)

In chapter four, having watched Cain begin to raises families of godless people, Adam and Eve put their efforts into starting  a new family; one that that would call on the name of the Lord.  Their desire to compensate the world with god fearing people grew as they watched the societies of the godless spring up around them. Here in our passage Seth is spoken of as carrying on the family name and the bloodline of inheritance is in his descendants.

Adam having lived nine hundred and thirty years was able to speak with each descendant up unto the time he died. This is one way that history was recorded; it lived and breathed all the way up to Noah’s father Lamech. Each descendant was taught by Adam who carried the responsibility for the fall of man and he and his wife lived the remainder of their life with a passion to teach godliness.

Anytime you begin to read the word begot, there is significance to the people listed. For one, they carried the true bloodline. Second, they were recorded with honor; unless it is told otherwise.

Now in this bloodline are some very godly men who called up on the name of the Lord; raising their families to do the same. As we pass by the names, godliness took on a great presence in their society. So much so, God was able to take a man to heaven without him seeing death.

Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begot Enosh.  After he begot Enosh, Seth lived eight hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died. Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Cainan.  After he begot Cainan, Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died.  Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalalel. After he begot Mahalalel, Cainan lived eight hundred and forty years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died. Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and begot Jared. After he begot Jared, Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years; and he died. Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch.  After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died. Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.  Genesis 5:6-24(NKJV)

What a tribute to have such great men mentioned in your genealogy. Most people only know a few generations of their genealogy and most do not know the passion that they had when serving God. Yet these men did. Adam and Eve led a legacy of heroes of faith. The very fact that Enoch reached spirituality where he was taken by God, is evidence that Adam and Eve were successful. We conclude, if successful to this extent, passing on of the historic story is no great task.

Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died. Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed.”Genesis 5:24-29(NKJV)

A layer of water, the firmament, which covered the earth made for an environment that was not subject to the extremes of hot and cold or the effect of the sun’s rays. Therefore, the earth was as a green house. Added to the fact that pure people live pure lives, their good genes added years to their life that we can only pretend to understand.

In our life where ninety years old is a marveled feat; there is no comparison to the knowledge, discipline, and relationship with God that nine hundred or more years could bring. These people had great role models and health that was extraordinary. Yet the greatest possession was their spirituality.

The extent of knowledge that these men possessed we do not know; however the statement of Lamech about his son Noah shows that he knew a bit about the future and that godliness was not easy work. Godliness was a struggle and because of sin, their hard work was targeted for failure.

“This one will comfort us concerning our work.“ He was going to fulfill a destiny as God would grow tired of the sin that degrades His earth. The earth was filling with godless people living in fatness and causing their brethren to live in poverty.

This is a truth about godly people; there are some, but they struggle from the corruption that surrounds them. Then as they struggle, evil eats away at the fringes, trying to engulf the whole in a sea of broken lives. At times, it seems to be a losing battle; yet even now the memories of these are held in righteous conversation and people who call upon the name of the Lord still exist.

After he begot Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and he died. And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Genesis 5:30-32(NKJV)

Though these times have victory of godly generations, who held the truth of God in honor; it also had the defeat of sin and wickedness. Much like today there are two distinct types of people, those of faithlessness and those of godlessness. And the battle rages on to stamp out every glimmer of hope, every flame of godly passion, and righteous action.

The only question to walk away from this passage is, “Are you a person of honor?” Is your name written with these, in Heaven’s Book of Life? Is your name written in the book that records the godly?

Generations lost in Ungodliness. Genesis 4:16-26.

Generations lost in Ungodliness. Genesis 4:16-26.

And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. Genesis 4:16-17(NKJV)

When God taught Adam and Eve about life; He taught that Parents are to lead and direct their children. From the first day children are brought into the world, parents are to give their children names of purpose. Adam is a name that stands for mankind and Adam gave his wife the name of Eve; which means the first woman. When studying scriptures, names are a significant resource to know about a person’s role in history.

The name Abel meant, “a breath, or vanity” which became true as his life was just a vapor, ended by his brother Cain. The name Cain, with the meaning of “a possession, or spear,” lived envious of his brother’s possession of a perfect sacrifice and killed him in the field for it.

The meaning of names has become lost in many of our societies; as is the concept of training children from the day they are born. In the book of Proverbs there is a promise that if we train up our children in the way they should go, when they are old they will not depart from it. This is also becoming a fleeting concept.

Cain went out from the presence of the Lord; which means that God allowed Cain to build distance. Though God is omnipresent, Cain left all He knew about a relationship with God behind; much like a person who leaves church to live a life without a reminder of God.

God does not push a church experience on us; however, it is a place where He is at work and can be found. So if you want to be separate from God, you can head out to do your own thing.

Adam and Eve had many children yet the stories of these two are recorded for our learning. Now evidently Cain selected a wife from among his sisters and she bore him children. Enoch was his first child whose name meant “dedicated,” for dedicated was Cain to forge a life for him.

Cain had good role models for parents and he knew what wholesome values were. Now older, he used those values and started his own family. However, as we read this story we must remember they did not have a relationship with God and that makes them godless. Without our Father in heaven, as part of a parental system, evil will attempt to squash family values.

As we will see, each generation further removed from Adam and Eve, view family as less valued and they become less godly.

And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. Genesis 4:18(NKJV)

Enoch called his son Irad, “Runner, a wild ass” and from the third generation removed, their names lost all meaning at all. There was no value in training a child and a godless society becomes the result.

By the time we reach the sixth generation removed, Lamech decides that he would have two wives and break away from marriage values that God intended.

And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. Genesis 4:19-20 (NKJV)

Now the city was becoming full and some as Adah and Jabal spilt completely from their relatives and went out to dwell with the animals they raised. If you can’t find peace at home, many will travel to get away from the commotion. However, true peace only comes through a relationship with God.

And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. Genesis 4:21-22(NKJV)

A complete industrial society breaks out from the sons of Cain as people become inventive, craftsmen, hunters, and farmers. A person can look at the rich products of this society and say, “This is good.” Yet the important mastery of godliness and holiness is nowhere to be found.

And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. Genesis 4:23-24(NKJV)

We are not given the facts concerning the fight or the murder; yet we are privileged into the mind of Lamech to see how far godly values have diminished. Lamech murdered a man and yells out to his countrymen that if Cain was protected, he too should be protected more. Otherwise, Lamech justified his actions as warranted. He proclaims himself not guilty of committing as bad of a murder as Cain did.

This is the way people are without God in their life. They become devoted inventers of devices that bring them riches. Those who are not creative, find themselves working to have riches like the others and all are driven to wicked lifestyles; justifying them as they go. Like Lamech they push their new values on society and force acceptance.

The line of Cain produced a long line of miserable people who entertained themselves with music and gorged themselves on beef. With selfish pride and arrogance towards God they lived as if there is no judgment for their actions.

Oh the pain it must brought Adam and Eve who heard of the adventures of Cain and longed to hear of righteousness. Yet all reports brought heart ache and sorrow. Thus it is for the parent that loses their children to wickedness.

And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. Genesis 4:15-26(NKJV)

So distraught was Adam and Eve, having lost both sons, they purposed in their hearts to have a second family. In this family they would compensate for the evil that was introduced into the world. They would attempt to raise a godly family before the world became over run by the godless bloodline of Cain.

They bore a son and called him Seth’ which means “compensation.” Then Seth son was named Enos and the scriptures tell us that here started generations of men that would call upon the name of the Lord. They would be separate from the godless and stand for righteousness, decency, and godliness.

Though our world is overrun with the godless, we too can determine ourselves able to compensate by raising children to call on the name of the Lord. It can begin today, by forsaking the past and working towards the future.

If we will humble ourselves and pray, calling on the name of the Lord, we too can influence our families towards good. Yet if not, we like Adam and Eve will have to live in the headache of dysfunctional loved ones.

Raising Cain. Genesis 4:1-15.

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.” Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  Genesis 4:1-2(NKJV)

This is a story of a family and also a story of two brothers. Of these two stories one thing stands in common. Every family and family relationship is subject to carnal attitudes that must be kept in check. No family is perfect and though some families’ suppress tension, all families suffer strains and setbacks because of attitudes.

Family unity was a concept created by God. Therefore, this first family became a target for the destructive desires of Lucifer. As if it is not hard enough to overcome of personal bad behaviors, we have a devil that urges us away from godliness.

Eve considered the birth of her sons as God’s gifts to her. Though they had to leave the Garden of Eden, they still found forgiveness in God eyes and allowed God actions towards them to be justified in their hearts. Adam and Eve harbored no bitterness towards God.

Children only hear about their parents experience with God; they lack experience of their own. Where some children listen with attentiveness, others do not apply the information they hear. This was the case for Cain.

Cain was the first born son. You can make all the excuses in the world for the oldest son to have feelings brought about by the birth of a younger sibling; however, those excuses are not a good reason for inner family turmoil and the events that took place here.

And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.  Genesis 4:3-5(NKJV)

Now each son had a relationship with the Lord and though no man has seen God at any time, the indelible voice of the Lord echoed in their hearts. Abel knew in his heart that his sacrifice was accepted by God and Cain, as well, knew his sacrifice displeased God.

Each son was taught of the sacrifice that God made to cover the effects of sin. Because innocent blood was shed for their sin, it was to be remembered in their family. The sacrifice speaks to God that we understand our need for forgiveness and that the penalty for sin is death. Yet in God’s eyes a sacrifice is nothing if it did not cost the person who brought it.

Abel had to nurture the lamb, watching it grow every day. Abel had to daily look at the lamb realizing that because of sin, it had to die. There was a personal investment and a personal cost. God intended the sacrifice to be a deterrent from sin and a reminder of the evil we allowed into our lives.

The opposite was true for Cain. All he did was pick fruit from his garden and had no personal investment in what he brought to God. There was no remorse for sin and that showed no respect for God; therefore God was displeased with Cain’s sacrifice.

This made Cain upset and he allowed anger to grow towards God and towards his brother. Anger is produced by sinful attitudes that we allow to stay in our lives. If left alone, we can expect the same from our own lives.

People become impatient with other people. They also become envious wanting what others have. When bitterness is allowed to fester in the heart, actions are sure to follow.

So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”  Genesis 4:6-7(NKJV)

Adam, Eve, Cain, and Able had no experience with how crazy emotions could make them. It is very well possible that envy never happened to them before and Cain had no parental guidance teaching him how to deal with his feelings. Yet a person has no excuse when they do not listen to the voice of God who speaks to our heart.

Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.  Genesis 4:8-10(NKJV)

Mistake number one; God told him to get control of his feelings and Cain’s response was to go and talk it over with his brother. He had good intentions to talk; then what started as talk, ended with the death of his brother. Cain did not honor God with obedience.

Obedience is the core of our relationship with God. Knowing to do good and doing it not, misses the target behavior God has set for His people. If you are disobedient to God, no good will come from it. Cain has not been the only person in history that has killed in the heat of the moment. People have lost relationships, driven people away, and even committed murder because of the lack of obedience and self control.

Then snowballing out of control, when confronted by God, he lied to God. He had allowed sin to dominate his life, destroy his family, and turn his complete heart against God. What was God to do?

So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.” And Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.” And the LORD said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.  Genesis 4:11-15(NKJV)

The first thing that God does is to make Cain’s life harder. Kindness did not work and if troubles and hardship do not show us our need for God, what can? The very aspect of farming was ruined for him. He was now going to have to travel to find food and when he would find it, the ground there would stop yielding. Cain would be on a constant search for food.

People would regret the day Cain would show up in their area. Their crops would die and many people would want to kill him; therefore, God set a mark on him so people would recognize who he was and spare his life.

Even Cain’s plea to God that the punishment was too great, he was not asking for forgiveness, only selfish release from hardship. Cain was not going to surrender to godliness; he found no value in it.

What does it take to get your attention? God sent His Son to be the perfect sacrifice. We are to make Jesus our focus and forever consider the sacrifice He made. This is what changes lives and makes us good people. When in remorse for our sins, we show respect towards God.

Yet does God have respect for you? Does He approve of the way you live your life and does your life produce good results. It could be that your situation is driving you to repentance; but if the hardness of your heart is holding you back, the very events surrounding your life might be Him trying to get your attention.

From a garden of plenty to a wilderness of need; that was the direction sin took the first family. Is that the direction it takes you?

Let Sorrow Begin. Genesis 3:16-22.

To the woman He said:  ”I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” Genesis 3:16(NKJV)

The fruit was eaten and the thrill was gone. The bitterness of the fruit was greater that Adam and Eve imagined. It was as a hallucinogen and they were seeing that they were naked. In fear they hid, yet God came softly to them like a person approaching a wounded animal.

They were not going to rebound from their indiscretion, there was no getting better. They had taken upon themselves to be the god of their own life and now God had to explain to them the result of their actions. He was not mad at them; yet their actions would bring devastating results.

Each of us faces much of the same situations when we willingly disobey what is good and right. I have lost friends to liver disease because the sought to party over humbly existing within constraints.

Marriages break up over lies and infidelity. People lose jobs because they circumvent the system, doing what they think is best. And fraud heaps ruined people up into piles of brokenness. When people take upon themselves to direct life’s choices their sorrows are greatly multiplied.

There is not a woman alive that would not trade the pain of child bearing for an easier way. Yet because Eve wanted to lord over her own life, she had to take on the responsibility of how to deal with the pain.

Who knows, like the tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil and The Tree of Life, perhaps there was a tree whose leaves ended pain. We read earlier that in the garden held everything they needed. Yet God knew that left to her, she would not know which tree it was and God also knew they were going to leave the garden and nothing was going to go with them. Therefore, women would feel pain in childbirth.

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:17-19 (NKJV)

They drove separation between them and God. Much like Lucifer had to be separated from heaven; God would have to change form, back away, become distant. To the side, Lucifer watched enjoying every moment.

Now man was going to have to care for the earth. His actions would infest the planet with problems. He would be responsible to keep it in order and that is a job far beyond his capabilities. Something’s are best left in God’s hands.

Because Adam was made from the earth, he would have to eat of the earth to sustain his life and he would have to toil with providing food, managing resources, and disposing of waste. Where God could do this with ease, man was tasked with a job that was beyond Him. Cursed was the earth for now its care taker was man.

Why are people so quick to dismiss the word of God as untrue? Why are they so quick to take upon themselves all the problems of the world? Why do they not turn to God for help?

Most of the time, only in dire need, people spotlight problems and take them to God for help. We are told to pray and that God will help us; but so many do not. Many have become so far removed from Him that they doubt His word; they doubt He will hear and so they take upon themselves to handle their own problems.

Fighting, arguments, war, famine, sickness, death, lying, cheating, divorce, hate, robbery, and murder are all results from people who took it upon themselves to manage situations. Dreaming of the best for themselves, they often experience the worst. When they could have had peace, they take upon themselves toil, sweat, pain, and defeat.

And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. Genesis 3:20(NKJV)

Adam was the master of names, as his responsibility was to name all the animals. Now for his wife he chose the name Eve. It means “life, living” and it could have not fit her better for she changed the course of things and gave us life as we know it.

Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:21-22(NKJV)

Because of Eve, because of Sin, the earth would become a bloody place. God had to kill animals, strip the meat from the flesh to make clothing for Adam and Eve. This was the only clothes that could sustain them as they walked out of His care. Thus was the animal sacrifice concept started; the death of an animal to cover our nakedness, our sin.

Here there is a bitter sweet statement, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil.” Like we said earlier, God did not want puppets; He wanted people who would know not to rebel and still able to be graced with beauty and power. So the bitterness is that a separation from God was needed; but the sweetness is that God would redeem them back to himself. When they return, they will be wonderful people full of respect, humility, and desire never to be separated from God again.

It would take the shedding of blood and the greatest sacrifice would be His own Son, Jesus Christ. Yet this was the plan of God that He might receive humankind back to himself better than they were. They will be a complete creation with knowledge of why to submit humbly to God.

So Adam and Eve were escorted out of the Garden of Eden. They were introduced to the true world where they would be responsible to forge their way through life. Learning how tough it is to be a leader, a spouse, a parent, and a citizen; they would gain the respect needed to turn their lives over to God and become an obedient child of God.

Yet God was not looking to receive back only two, but millions of respectful people who He can build a kingdom with. Once this story is complete, it will not be viewed as a tragedy, but of a great work of God and the result will be glorious. Will you be there to glory?

What have I done? Genesis 3:8-15.

And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:8-19.

There is much to be learned about God from this passage. God can have a tangible presence able to move leaves; it makes sounds. And if we think of our image as His; God was out strolling through His creation. He looked at His creation and said that it was good. He has an eye for beauty, for nature, and a love for animals. God is the ultimate voyeur and He was taking one last glimpse at the beauty He made, for its beauty was about to become tarnished.

This was is the intention for man; God and man were to share compatible passions for life, love, and beauty. His desire is to walk with us, talk with us, and share our take on His world. Though we were allowed to go through the fall to sin, God hopes to gain each and every one of us, so that we might walk with Him in faith; and one day, again in person.

Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Genesis 3:9-12 (NKJV)

As God went on His excursion, He knew that the indiscretion of eating the forbidden fruit would be made. Of all the times He looked on His creation with joy, it must have lost its luster knowing that even the very fabric of nature would be ravaged by sin. Yet God strolled back to meet with the people who were now going to be distant, for they invited separation into their lives.

From here on out God would have to become a judge over the intent of a person’s heart. He asks the question “Where are you.” Yet, God is all knowing; He knew where they were. He was only breaking the ice as He now needed to overcome the attribute of fear in the heart of man.

When people separate themselves from God, be it through sin, laziness, or business, fear is a byproduct. That is why it is uncomfortable to return to church after a long time away. Fear targets our hearts; but God seeks to bridge the gap caused by fear.

Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3: 12-13(NKJV)

Sin causes us to have a better self perception that becomes an effective blindfold. We see faults in others better than we see our own faults. When God asks if they ate from the tree, the blame shifted from Adam to the woman and then from the woman to the snake. Notice that sin caused them to know God less. God had to pry out the truth by questions and they answer Him as if He was not all knowing.

Where the answer was “Yes, we ate,” it looks as if they tried to deflect the judgment by pointing the finger. Adam’s response was the worst for he pointed his finger back at God. “It was the woman that you gave me.”

Already there was a tangled mess that each were wanted to get away from. They all knew there was recourse for their action and they trembled.

So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. Genesis 3: 14(NKJV)

All creation would never be the same. Because God is holy, He must separate Himself from the creation and the natural order of things would have to take over. Yet He cursed the snake to be lower than cattle. God knew that cattle would be used for clothing and food. Cattle are fed, fattened, and then their necks slit and they die. The truth spoken here is that Lucifer would become worse off.

In India, Hindus treat cattle and snakes with great respect. They worship many idols as god and have fantastical stories of folk lore and mysticism. It seems as if Lucifer got very busy trying to turn things around for himself.

And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3: 15(NKJV)

Now closely watch these words, for in them is the overall plan of God revealed and the first prophesy that Jesus Christ would die to regain the world for God.

Speaking to the woman and Lucifer, God foretells that her seed will bruise Lucifer’s head; but Lucifer would only be able to bruise her seeds heel. Seed, meaning off spring, is not a physiological possibility for a woman. Women do not have seeds, the men have seeds. Yet it happened that the Virgin Mary was a woman who gave birth without the need of the seed from a man.

The seed spoken of is Jesus and to bruise a heel speaks of a short term injury. Yet the seed of Lucifer will receive a fatal deathblow to the head. This is prophesy for building faith; for when Jesus died, he died without sin and God granted Him to be raised from the dead.

Once raised, Jesus was granted any desire and His desire was for those who believe in Him. That they shall not perish, but have everlasting life. This was the complete plan of God from the beginning.

In these few verses we can see that God’s desire to walk with man will happen; yet it will happen only after people learn not to disobey God. The events of our life are to show us what sin does to us. It will be an indelible lesson, so when given our freedom to walk with God again, we will not take it for granted. He will have a creation that will not rebel.

Yes we still sin, yet those who submit to God for forgiveness will find it. Then one day, after God is finished dealing with Lucifer, a new creation will begin and we will pick up back at this day that we have studied; a time when man and God walked together.

Is God keeping something from us? Genesis 3:1-6.

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. Genesis 3:1-3 (NKJV)

God’s plan allowed the fall of man. The wrong choice was not unsuspected; for God made Adam and Eve naive to sin and the Lucifer was jealous, angry, and cunning. Mankind was given the freedom to think for themselves, to make their own decision, and God gave them the distance to do so.

It was not that God could not see or that He could not hear; God allowed Lucifer to choose his destiny. It would not be fair for God to unjustly destroy Lucifer; neither would it be just for God to send a person to hell. The truth is Lucifer, mankind, and angels, are free to make their own decisions and when they choose the wrong direction, they are allowed to do what they want.

God did not make puppets, nor is God a tyrant. In kindness, God told them not to eat of the tree; yet they did not listen and Lucifer knew from experience, a wrong choice would separate Adam and Eve from God. Much like Lucifer’s rebellion caused him separation with God.

Lucifer is not a god; he is not all knowing. His views of the future are clouded by arrogance. He dismissed the threat of failure and continued his direction. Though he feared failure, fear did not stop him.

Fear of failure is real for us all. Just as real is the fact that God does not send people to hell, they choose it for themselves. If a person continues their life ignoring failure, they will receive expected results.

Now, though innocent, naked, and naive, God schooled Adam and Eve. It showed in Eve replies to the snake, “God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” Eve had never seen a death, never experienced a death, and knew no one who died; yet, like hell to us, the concept of death was real to Eve. Without having to die, she knew what it was.

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Genesis 3:4-5(NKJV)

Lucifer was easily able to take over the snake to be his host body. We must remember that there is strength in the spirit world. Angels have a power and demonic oppression is real. Like an army, Lucifer and the fallen angels seek to infiltrate and persuade people to follow. They can overtake a person and control their life.

Lucifer is also known as, “The father of all lies.” His title comes from this instance and many more stories of lies which prevail over history. These lies have seduced people to reject God, have a false sense of security, and open their hearts for evil to indwell.

The deception was mixed with truth as Lucifer spoke “God knows.” It is true, God does know; yet Lucifer implied God was keeping something back from them.

Believing bits of truth, people continue to fall; for this ploy is deployed repeatedly. People believe that the Bible is God’s mystery book. They believe that what it says might not be true and that God is hiding the truth from us. Once skeptical, being misguided in logic, they fall for the next ploy; “Your eyes will be opened.”

Comparatively, in today’s age, people are told to “Seek after enlightenment for it is not in God’s word.” Therefore, the numbers of people who seek after another way to God or believe there are many ways to be reconciled to God, is a defiling belief that people choose for them. They chose a lie over the truth.

Eve wanted to know the real truth, if God was hiding it from them. Therefore, the threat of death was not as important as knowing a conspiracy theory.

In addition, Lucifer took what they already believed and repackaged it by saying “You will be as gods.” Better put, “You will be able to judge right from wrong;” while communicating that God did not give you everything you need.

They already knew right from wrong and there was only one thing wrong. To eat the fruit of that tree was wrong. But the lure to know more about “supposed” secretes of God drew her in to the deception. In fact, their eyes were already open and Lucifer moved them to believe they were not.

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Genesis 3:6(NKJV)

All the comments, though laced with truth, were luring. Eve took the bait and agreed that if she could not trust God, then she could trust herself. Once the word of God was pushed to the side, all that was left was her own logic. Eve stepped up to be a judge of God, a judge of her own destiny, and made a step into the snare that would drag mankind to a certain death.

She took responsibility for her own fate; she stepped out of her place and acted without consulting God and her husband became responsible with her. It was for this that Paul thought it not right to let a woman lead men. The truth, not seen by Eve, was how her actions would affect so many to live after her.

How many have joined the downfall of humanity? Chasing after deception, how many have leaped to their death? In a world that has so many promises in God’s word, how can people turn their back on God or doubt that He made a way to escape eternal separation.

The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ His Son. Yet that is not good enough for many. Is it good enough for you?

A Wife, a Son, a Plan. Genesis 2:15-25.

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:15-17(NKJV)

Deep inside the heart of Lucifer there was jealousy as he watched God make this garden. Now, man and God had a special place; it was their own and God had made it for the man, which filled Lucifer with Jealousy.

What was so special about this man? Like Lucifer, Adam had no wonderful shinny gems that shimmered across his body; He was made with no musical instruments. He was bland, naked, and Lucifer was gorgeous, beautiful, and talented. Lucifer compared himself to this man and felt himself far superior to the man.

Ezekiel speaks for God saying about Lucifer, You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. “By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones.”Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you. Ezekiel 28:12-17

Lucifer boiled deep within as he watched this communion that Adam and God had. Deep within he vowed to disrupt it. He wanted to destroy it, and drive a separation between them. Lucifer had hatred towards Adam.

In the Garden there was a rule, “Do not eat from the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil” and therefore Lucifer would center his attention to have this happen; His thoughts were “Death to the man and then, eventually death to God.”

Some blame God for sin; yet God did not make sin; He only made individuals with choice. Lucifer was an individual with choice and he continued to make the same mistakes. Therefore, God used Lucifer’s appetite for destruction and in the middle of the Garden, placed a tree that was irresistible. As if playing a game of chess; God arranged the board and was moving the pieces to a certain checkmate.

This is an excellent time to ask, “Why?” Why did God have to go to such an elaborate plan to deal with Lucifer? Why did God allow man up to fall to Lucifer’s lies?

I have talked to so many who do not understand these things and they condemn God; some being bitter to the core. Before they know the truth they make judgments and walk away from the truth. They rely on tragedies they had seen and became the judge and jury over God.

However, there are answers to these questions and a complex one at best; yet the truth can be known if a person is willing to give it some thought. The truth is God desires to have a creation that He can endow with greatness, without having it rebel; a creation He can trust with the kingdom.

He could not trust angels, who were created with only a few attributes. Freedom corrupted them and still God wanted more than angles, He wanted artful, talented, beings; therefore, He made man in His own image. An image of talent, grace, beauty, and creativity; full of passion, able to laugh, serve, care, and have great interests. He made mankind to be like himself.

In God’s endless understanding of how to create, this plan will produce beings able to have wisdom, strength, and power without it corrupting us. We are a creation that will bring glory to His name and able to walk with Him freely as a separate being.

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. Genesis 2:18-19

Adam became the first zoologist and already God was able to entrust man with a task of creating. Yes God could have named all the animals Himself, but the first task entrusted to man was granted.

And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. Genesis 2:20-22(NKJV)

The greatest part of the story of humankind is God is not finished with us yet. He made Adam with needs and supplying those needs His delight. Though we must go through this perverse and wicked world corrupted by power, He longs to meet our needs. He looks for opportunity to continue in the formation of His creation, knowing that one day they will be at His side having escaped the corruption of this world. What Lucifer intended for evil, God means for our good.

And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:23-25

No greater experience had Adam as when God created Eve. I can see God as a proud father, giving Eve to Adam for the first time. The gift of Eve was so clear to Adam; he understood the concept of marriage immediately. This is the second responsibility that God gave to man; Adam was to responsibly take care of his wife.

Most critics of God shroud the truth about God with darkness; their bitter hearts are not willing to understand God’s love. They criticize God for setting mankind up to fall; however, God is responsible for His actions for though mankind fell to sin; God gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to redeem them.

God knows the joy of having a wife and the sorrow of watching a son die. Complex is this plan and we must continue to understand God more; for God has set His plan in purposeful motion. In humbleness let us ask, “Who is man to judge God?”