Title: A New Beginning

Introduction

A new mindset

Imagine waking up tomorrow as a new, fully grown adult—a clean slate, untouched by sin, failure, or the hurtful consequences of deeds. Never having your actions counted against you, it marks a complete and pristine start to a life, a truly fresh beginning. That is what we dream of, especially as we cross 2024, we all want a fresh start!

That was precisely the reality for Adam. 

Everything in his existence was new, fresh, and full of adventure. 

As the first zoologist, he held the unique responsibility of naming animals (Genesis 2:19-20). 

Adam was also the first landscape architect, entrusted with caring for the lush Garden of Eden. 

In a world where he had no parents, family, or friends, Adam stood as the father of the human race—an instant legend in humanity as the first to do anything! Beyond that, he was the first human made in the image of God, as well as being the first to have an intimate and personal relationship with God.

God, in His wisdom, then put Adam to work. 

Genesis 2:15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Furthermore, God recognised Adam’s need for a mate, declaring that it was not good for the man to be alone. 

Genesis 2:18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

In response, God provided Adam with a suitable helper. Soon enough, this is the start of man’s first relationship, and God provided more as he then gave Adam a family.

At this time, there was no shame in Adam’s life, only joy and freedom. The only condition was to obey the few rules God had given them.

Time for a new mindset

When we become Christians, we are given an opportunity like Adam to start from scratch.

• A chance to replace our past with a new beginning. 

• A chance for our sins to be washed away, never to be held against us again, ever.

• A chance to get a new family, to replace our imperfect father with a new perfect one. 

• A chance to be clothed in Christ

Galatians 3:26-27 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

• A chance to be seen as perfect in God’s eyes when we walk in the light

1 John 1:7-9 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

The only obstacle preventing us from having this Adam-like feeling every day is ourselves. We must stop living in our past and strive to focus on the future as quoted in the passage: 

Philippians 3:13-14 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Alongside this, attachments to our past selves hinder us from thinking in that way. At the same time we must have a clear vision of the person God calls us to be becomes paramount. We must hold onto this vision, allowing it to guide our actions and decisions. Today we will be looking at Adam how he saw God, and the lessons we may take from it. 

Point 1: We have everything for a blessed life

Genesis 1:26-31 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. ” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food. ” And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

We are Created in God’s image

Humans are created in the image of God in their moral, spiritual, and intellectual nature. This renders humanity unique among all of God’s creations with both a material body and an immaterial soul and spirit. Accordingly, this uniqueness implies that we were designed to resemble God, aspiring to be godly in both our thoughts and actions.

So why this design? 

Primarily, it is so that humanity (represented by Adam) could rule over the world with a God-like attitude. This divine intention extends to the dynamics between men and women, as evident in Genesis 3:16, where man is called to rule over woman with a God-like attitude. To do so we must then strive to be spiritual. This involves leading with qualities such as love, joy, and kindness, embodying the characteristics of the Spirit as outlined in Galatians 5:22-26.

Genesis 3:16 Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.

Galatians 5:22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

God wants to bless us.

God wants to bless people, evident in how He blessed Adam and Eve. This generosity isn’t limited to just a few but extends to endless amounts of resources! If we are godly and take care of them. Do you have a reputation for caring for those God has given to you? 

• Your personal life
• Your own spiritual life
• Your family
• Your spouse your household
• Your ministry
• Your church
• The lost

Do these attract others to God from how you care for them?

God’s desire for us to be fruitful and multiply is emphasised in Scripture.

Matthew 9:37-38 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

1 Corinthians 13:3-8 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self- seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

Genesis 3:17 To Adam he said,…… “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.

When we follow God’s plan for the world, life is good.

• When we lead in a godly fashion.
• When men rule and women follow eagerly.
• When our marriages are spiritual.
• When we eagerly accept the responsibility of leadership.
• When we focus on being fruitful and increasing in number.
• Then life is good, was this past year good for you?

We need to review our lives last year with a honest heart, how was our: 

• Personal life ?
• Personal fruit ?
• Personal ministry ?

Are they changing and awesome? Why or why not? Ultimately , what are you going to do about it? Make this year great!

Point 2: Learn from Adam’s mistakes

Genesis 3:6-13 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, 

“Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? ” The man said, “The woman you put here with me —she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Adam’s greatest mistake

Teaming up with Eve, Adam played a role in introducing sin into the world. Instead of leading Eve away from disobedience, he fell into temptation and fell into sin alongside her, as outlined in Genesis 3:17. 

Genesis 3:17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

For most of us, we often find relationships and friends that would most encourage our sin than resist them. Are our peers weak, unchallenging and empathising with our sins, or are they righteous and constantly encouraging within us?

Adam avoided responsibility while blamed others for his mistakes. He first blamed God for the circumstances he found himself in, and then to the people around him, particularly his spouse.

Genesis 3:12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me —she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Adam’s choice to hide from God instead of confronting his mistakes and sin demonstrates a reluctance to seek help and humility. Rather than running to God, he assumed God wouldn’t find out or come looking for him. This evasion tactic is a reminder that we cannot hide our sins from God; He desires transparency and honesty so that we may deal with our sins openly.

Adam made excuses rather than admitting the truth

1 Timothy 2:13-14 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.

This scriptures shows that Adam was not deceived by Eve, rather he made a conscious choice to sin. Applying this to our lives, it’s essential to recognise that the sins we must confront are not ones deceiving us. 

Galatians 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality....

These are sins we may be unwilling to address, not due to deception, but because of a reluctance to deal with them head-on. Many times we avoid to recognise they are sins in the first place and we need others to point it our for us. Acknowledging this truth is the first step towards genuine repentance and transformation.

Some questions to ask yourself: 

1. Are you heading to be kicked out of paradise, like Adam and Eve?
2. Which “friends” and relations do you need to cut off in your life?
3. Who do you need to stop blaming for your sin?
4. What sin or sins do you need to come into the light about?
5. What areas do you need to stop making excuses in?

Genesis 5:3-5 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.

At the end of Adam’s life, we see there is no record of him not leading his wife again. No record of him sinning again, nor having any bitterness towards his wife. We can understand he after this incident went and changed, to fulfill God’s purpose. Adam learned his lesson, the biggest question is will you do the same?