God brings order from disorder and our responsibility to maintain the garden of our lives.
1. Introduction – The God of Order
- Genesis 1:1-2 – “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void (Tohu va Bohu); and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
- Key Point: “Tohu va Bohu” (Hebrew for “formless and void”) represents chaos and disorder. But God’s Spirit moved to bring order.
- Application: Just as God brought order to creation, He desires to bring order to our lives.
2. God’s Order and Man’s Role
- Genesis 2:15 – “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”
- Adam’s role was not just to enjoy the garden but to cultivate and guard it.
- Application: God has given each of us a garden (our lives, families, faith, responsibilities). We are called to tend and protect them from chaos.
3. The Fall – Disrupting God’s Order
- Genesis 3:1-6 – The serpent deceives Eve, and Adam partakes in sin, leading to disorder.
- Key Point: When Adam and Eve neglected their responsibility, sin entered, bringing separation from God and chaos into creation.
- New Testament Connection:
Romans 5:12 – “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
- Sin brings disorder, but God provides a way to restore order through Christ.
4. Wisdom for Keeping Our Garden
- Psalm 37:23 – “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.”
- When we follow God’s ways, our lives are in order.
- Proverbs 4:23 – “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
- Application: Just as Adam had to guard Eden, we must guard our hearts against sin and distractions.
5. Christ Restores Order
- 1 Corinthians 14:33 – “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”
- Jesus restores what was lost in the Garden, bringing peace and order into our lives.
- John 15:4-5 – Jesus as the Vine:
- Staying connected to Christ ensures our garden (spiritual life) remains fruitful.
- Romans 11:17-18 – “And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.”
- Key Point: Just as branches can be grafted into a tree, we, as Gentiles, have been brought into God’s divine order through Christ.
- Application: We must remain in God’s design, rooted in His truth, and not take His grace for granted.
Conclusion – Personal Reflection
- What areas of your life feel like “Tohu va Bohu” (chaotic, out of order)?
- How can you actively tend and guard the spiritual garden God has given you?
- Are you staying connected to Christ, the One who brings divine order?