Adam: Lessons From The First Father

Adam: Lessons From The First Father 

Opening Illustration:

Someone had noticed that the word "father" appears in the dictionary just before the word "fatigued" and just after the word "fathead." So to all us fatigued, fathead fathers, Happy Father's Day!

Illustration:

One time a little boy was asked to define Father's Day and he said, "It's just like Mother's Day, only you don't spend as much on the present."

Illustration:

Last week I read a web site called "Kids Speak a Different Language":

Parents frequently make the mistake of thinking they speak the same language as their children. We see this kind of misunderstanding all the time.

Think about when an American and an Englishman converse. For instance when an American says "bonnet" they mean a kind of hat. When the Englishman says "bonnet" they mean the hood of a car.

The same is true when talking with your children.

At first it seems we are all speaking English but, on closer inspection, it becomes clear that kids and parents speak entirely different dialects.

In the interest of better trans-generational communication, here are some key phrases and their translations.

"I cannot finish my hamburger." Meaning: Your son has eaten enough.

Or, "I cannot finish my fish." Meaning: Your daughter, who doesn't much like fish in the first place, figures she's eaten enough to satisfy you and still get dessert.

"I can't finish my dessert." Meaning: Your child is defiantly sick and should be taken to the doctor ASAP.

"I didn't do it." Translation: It hasn't been conclusively proven that I did it.

"Frankie Smith is such a no-good rotten liar!" Meaning: expect a call from Frankie's parents.

"Mom said it was okay." Translation: I'm going to ask Mom as soon as you say "yes."

"Dad, can I have a boa constrictor?" Meaning: Your son wants a dog, but figures asking for something really awful put him in a better bargaining position.

I think that all parents can testify that their children or grand-children do speak a different language than they do - and it is one of the reasons that it is HARD TO BRING UP CHILDREN.

There is a wonderful wisdom saying in Proverbs 22:6… 

Proverbs 22:6 ESV

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Point:

Today friends we will look at the world’s first father. Life was not easy for him. He made plenty of mistakes along the way. Remember Dad’s, most of you had someone model fatherhood to you. Perhaps it was your own Father, maybe a granddad. You had an example to follow. You probably saw good things that your Dad did and you decided long ago that you would repeat those traits. In a similar fashion, you probably saw some things that your Father did and you decided that you would try to break those traits. You would not want to repeat those mistakes in your children’s life. Ill be honest, I had and still do have the best Dad. He was not perfect but he was a great example of what it meant to be a man, a husband and a Father. Everyday he told me that he loved me. I did not always get it right and he did not handle every situation perfectly, but I knew that he loved me. He was generous, compassionate, forgiving, but he also provided me boundaries. Rules to follow. 

My point is that Adam was the first dad. The first Father. There was no blueprint for Adam to follow. No example to refer to when the kids were acting up or when he was having marital problems. Imagine that for just a second. Imagine being the first earthly dad. How scary. How sobering. Adam could not look to the past. He could not read any books on the subject of fatherhood. He was the first, the trial run if you will. 

So, let’s look at the life of Adam. Let’s see some of his successes, the things that he did well. Let’s look at some things that God expected of Adam as a man, a husband and a father. Let’s also take a moment or two and look at some of the mistakes that Adam made along the way. Cleary he was not perfect. Far from it. 

Fill in these blanks for me this morning as we prepare to discuss Adam: Lessons From The First Father. 

Adam’s Blessings and Blunders Are Our Blueprint For Fatherhood!

Genesis 2:1-9, 15-24 NLT 

When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, 5 neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the Lord God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil. 6 Instead, springs came up from the ground and watered all the land. 7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.

8 Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. 9 The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” 19 So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. 20 He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.

21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.

23 “At last!” the man exclaimed.

“This one is bone from my bone,

    and flesh from my flesh!

She will be called ‘woman,’

    because she was taken from ‘man.’”

24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

Adam’s Life Reveals…

I. Adam’s Purpose vs. 1-7

Genesis 2:1-7 NLT

When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, 5 neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the Lord God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil. 6 Instead, springs came up from the ground and watered all the land. 7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.

Point:

I can remember the first night that Angela and I went from a house of 2 to a house of 3. It is a vivid recollection. After Angela gave birth to our first son, we were happy to stay at the hospital. At the hospital we had helpers. At the hospital we had medicine. At the hospital we had family that we could lean on. We knew that we could not stay at the hospital forever. Eventually we would have to go home. 

Finally, we were released. They put Angela in a wheelchair and instructed me to get the car. They would meet me out front. They gave Angela Jay, our first born son, wheeled her downstairs. I met the two of them. I opened the passenger door, helped Angela get in the car, strapped Jay in, and off we went home. Easy. No problem. Then we got home and we were like, now what. 

I had no idea what I was to do. None. Did you know that the hospital does not send home any literature. No pamphlet to tell you what to do. No tape. No DVD. Nothing. They just turn you loose with this woman and kid and you are on your own. The first night home was miserable. Angela was exhausted. I was on edge. Jay would not stop crying. He was fed. He had been changed. He just screamed and he screamed for hours. Do you know what happens to new parents when their child won’t stop screaming? Eventually they start screaming at each other. Im embarrassed to say that yes, I did yell at my wife that night. She yelled at me. 

We were off to a smashing start. 

Point:

Eventually, we got it all figured out and peace returned. However, it was after those moments that I began to think, what would be my role as a Father. What did God want from me? How was I supposed to lead? Well I believe that we find our answer in Genesis 2. I find the answer in verses 1-7. Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. God breathed life into Adam and Adam became a living being. We know that both Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. Adam was a reflection of His Father. Dads, the same life that was breathed into Adam has been breathed into you. You and me, we are to be a reflection of God to our wives and importantly to our children. The things that God cares about, we should care about. The thoughts of God should be our thoughts. His Words should be our words. 

Fathers, do your children see God in you? Do they see you making your walk with Him a priority? Remember, your children see how you speak to your wives, they see how you treat her, and you are teaching them lessons each and every second. 

Every father should remember one day his son will follow his example, not his advice. My father didn’t tell me how to life, he just lived and let me watch him do it. 

Fathers, when is the last time your children have heard you pray out loud? I’m not talking about a prayer over the buffet, although that is a great time to pray. I am talking about in times of crisis, in times of wellness, when is the last time that they heard you talk to God. 

If you hear nothing else today, hear this, your main job as a Father is to reflect the Father. Your children and your wife should see Christ in you. Never trivialize your influence in their lives. You are more valuable than you know. 

Satan knows how worthwhile you are. This is why you see Satan attacking the family at the level of the Father. There are more homes today than ever before that exist absent of a father. Satan knows that if there is no Father reflecting God, then an entire generation can be reared without connection to the Lord. 

Your purpose is to reflect God. Take this job seriously. 

Ephesians 5:1-5 ESV

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice  to God.3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Adam’s Life Reveals…

I. Adam’s Purpose vs. 1-7

II. Adam’s Production vs. 15

Genesis 2:15 NLT

15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 

Point:

The most notable thing about this passage is that it takes place before the Fall. Work is not a result of sin. It is part of God’s original design for humanity. The word cultivate in Genesis 2:15 is actually the Hebrew word for work or service. The word keep carries the idea of care or protection. God put Adam in the garden of Eden to work it and to care for it.

Let this sink in: Work is what we were created for.

It’s right there in the Bible, plain as day. God created you to work. And that’s only the beginning of the story! Adam started out tending a garden, but God had much bigger plans in mind.

God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:27-28).

Adam’s dominion over the garden was to expand into dominion over the whole earth. By producing godly offspring and teaching them to work, Adam and Eve were to subdue all of creation. The language of subduing and ruling mirrors what God did in creation: turning chaos into order. Adam and Eve are to turn the whole earth into the Garden of Eden. And it won’t happen by magic, but by concerted effort.

Theologians call Genesis 1:27-28 the “cultural mandate.” God is mandating that humans will create culture. Adam and Eve will produce children. Those children will create families, and those families will band together into cities and social networks. Those networks of human beings will reflect all the aspects of human culture—language and art and music and food and philosophy and theology.

Point:

Father’s, that cultural mandate is placed on us today as it was on the first father Adam. As fathers we were created to work. You were not made to sleep all day, let your wife do all the work, and become a social sponge sucking up the resources around you. You were not created to draw welfare or become a ward. You were created to work. God has given you as fathers unique talents and creative gifts so that you can go and make a living. You were called to provide for your family. 

That provision for your family goes beyond material resources, food, and money. God has also called you to do your honest best to produce children who love God and seek out Christ. This means that on Sunday mornings you should be the first to rise. This means that you demonstrate cheerful giving and a desire to serve Christ using the church as a laughing pad for ministry. As fathers, our children should see us step up in the church. Don’t get me wrong, I think that is great for Dads to be scout leaders and baseball coaches, but Fathers demonstrate eternal values when their children see them serving the Lord at the church. Teach. Build. Work. Produce. 

Colossians 3:17 ESV

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Adam’s Life Reveals…

I. Adam’s Purpose vs. 1-7

II. Adam’s Production vs. 15

III. Adam’s Partner Genesis 2:21-22

Genesis 2:21-22 ESV

[21] 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. [22] And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

Point:

After everything was created, God looked around and saw that everything was good. Everything except one thing. There was no suitable partner for Adam. So, He put Adam into surgery and brought forth a bride from Adam. We know this person to be Adam. While different than Adam, she is equal to Adam. While different, still worthy of Adam’s love and affection. God created Eve perfectly to meet Adam’s needs and likewise, Adam became the perfect helper/partner for Eve. 

On this Father’s Day, Adam’s life perfectly demonstrates the equation for the beginning of the nuclear family. Adam, the first father, was to love Eve and serve her. Likewise, Eve, the first mother, was to be Adam’s perfect partner. 

Dad’s I bring up this relationship in the Bible because without your wives, you would not be a father today. So, that relationship is vitally important to your success as a man, not just as a husband. 

So, how are we to treat our wives? How are we to partner with them? We find this answer in Ephesians 5. 

Turn in your Bibles to Ephesians 5:25-33.

Scripture:

Ephesians 5:25-33 ESV

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.[a] 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Point:

Now there have been preachers, scholars, and theologians who try to make this Scripture harder than it really is to understand. Let’s just look at it for what it says. Husbands, Fathers, you are to love your wives. You are to so intensely love this perfect partner that you are willing to lay down your life for her. You are never to do anything that would interrupt her purity. As you love yourself and want only the best for yourself, you are to love her and want the best for her. 

Husbands and Fathers, the relationship you have with your wife is the most important relationship you have on earth. It is more important than your bowling league, your fantasy draft, your farm, your fishing, your work, even your parents. She is the the most important relationship you have, even more important than your own children. That’s right, before you can be a father, Biblically you should be a husband. May your children see you place your wife as your top earthly priority and may they practice that model in their own life. 

The way that I love my wife was modeled to me first by my Dad to my Mom.

The affection that I give to my wife was molded first by my Dad to my Mom.

The fondness I have for giving my wife flowers and gifts was modeled first by my Dad to my Mom. 

The desire to be a spiritual leader in my home was modeled first by my Dad to my Mom.

Now my Father was not perfect. Far from it. None of us are. He made mistakes. However, when the rubber hit the road I knew where my Father stood. 

Dad’s make sure that your children know and see how valuable their mother is to you. Those lessons will last forever. 

Proverbs 31:10 ESV

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.

Adam’s Life Reveals…

I. Adam’s Purpose vs. 1-7

II. Adam’s Production vs. 15

III. Adam’s Partner Genesis 2:21-22 ESV

IV. Adam’s Pardon Genesis 3:20 ESV

Genesis 3:20 ESV

[20] The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

Point:

Dads, I am not sure if you know this, but you are not perfect. Sadly, we are going to make poor decisions. We are not going to treat our children fairly. We will not always speak correctly to our wives. When it comes to fatherhood, we will need to learn to forgive ourselves. 

Likewise, we will need to learn how to forgive others. Oh I make mistakes, thats for sure, but so does my wife and so do my children. My children are not always obedient. Sometimes they are down right rebellious. My wife sometimes hurts my feelings, like I hurt hers. I have to learn to forgive her as she forgives me. 

Did you know that we see powerful proof of Adam’s willingness to forgive? We do. Lets read from Genesis 2:18-20.

Genesis 2:18-20 NLT

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” 19 So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. 20 He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.

Point:

The Lord made Adam from the ground, gave him life, and set him a purpose. In Genesis 2, God brings all the wildlife from around the world for Adam to name. Adam did. Parents, do you remember the first act of love toward your children? I do. The very first act of love toward my children was to give them a name. In naming my children, I set forth for them an identity. They will forever be known as Jay, Jack, and ✈️. For ✈️, his name was changed. There is probably another sermon in that truth. Their names took a lot of thought, discussion and prayer from me and Angela. We wanted for them to have good names. Strong names. Names that they would be proud of. 

After naming the animals, Adam realizes that none are suitable for him. So, God makes for him a bride. Adam and this woman live together for a time. It could have been a long time. It could have been short. We don’t know. When Eve was brought into this world, Adam names her “Woman” because she is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. Guys, this is why you can go around your house today and shout “Woman” at your wife and not get in trouble. Probably should not do that. 

Everything was good until Genesis 3. 

Genesis 3:6-7 NLT

6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

The serpent enters the garden and convinces the woman to take from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This fruit was forbidden by God to eat. Eve eats and thus disobeys God. Adam sins when he is convinced by his wife to eat. In doing so, sin has taken root and the world will never be the same. 

Their disobedience curses them both. Pregnancy will be painful. From that time on, the woman will contend for control and dominance over her husband. Their relationship will be strained. Adam will work but it will cease to be fun. It will be hard and the land will work against him instead of for him. 

Worst of all, they were both expelled from the garden. Adam’s home. The place where he was born. The place where he strolled with God. It was all gone. The relationship with his father was broken and the fellowship destroyed. 

Put yourself in Adam’s shoes. Imagine the anger. Imagine the disappointment in himself and in his wife. Imagine the yelling, the screaming that took place between Adam and the woman. I wonder if Adam had thoughts of murder. Truly, murdering the woman. 

No, that is not what Adam does. Lets read from Genesis 3:20:21.

Genesis 3:20-21 NLT

20 Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live. 21 And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.

Point:

Adam did the unthinkable. He gave a new name to “Woman”. He named her Eve and in doing so provided for her a new trajectory for her life. She would be the mother of all who live. That includes Jesus the Savior. Did Adam throw Eve away? Did he kill her? No, he named her. He did not name her something terrible. He named her something beautiful. Her past may have been filled with failure, but Adam recognized her future. Understand that I am not saying that sin is all Eve’s fault, not at all. Adam is responsible. What I am saying is that Adam shows an incredible act of love by naming Eve. He forgives her, restores her, and places her eyes on her future, not her failure. 

Point:

Dads, we are to do the same. The greatest trait that you have as a father is to be a father who forgives. You should forgive yourself. You should pardon your wife and your children when they make errors. Even bad ones. You should model Christ. When you are wronged as a Father, rename, reclaim, and redirect your family towards Jesus. 

Remember Proverbs 10:12.

Proverbs 10:12 ESV

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

Closing Illustration:

The story is told (by Ernest Hemingway) of a father and his teenage son who had a relationship that had become strained to the point of breaking. Finally the son ran away from home. His father, however, began a journey in search of his rebellious son. Finally, in Madrid, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in the newspaper. The ad read: “DEAR PACO, MEET ME IN FRONT OF THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE AT NOON. ALL IS FORGIVEN. I LOVE YOU. YOUR FATHER.” The next day at noon in front of the newspaper office, 800 “Pacos” showed up.

Follow Adam’s Example: Father’s Show Fortitude and Forgiveness!