This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” In the last few messages we covered several comparisons and contrasts between Adam and Jesus, and between The Law of Moses and Grace. As I think about the awesomeness of what God did when He sent His Son, I understand that how easy it is to miss the grand nature of God’s plan if we only look at a snapshot of time. For example, if you only look at the way God’s people lived under the Old Covenant, you won’t understand how God wants you to live today. Or if you only look at how Jesus lived during His 3 years of ministry, you might miss the scope of God’s plan. The Bible tells us a story, it’s God’s story, and it takes us from creation to the eventual recreation of New Jerusalem in a post-apocalyptic earth. This morning I will share a few thoughts about Adam, Jesus and us, within the context of God’s amazing Grace.
So what does this mean to you today? Let’s see…
1. Adam’s sin separated humanity from divinity. Prior to his sin Adam and his wife were naked and unashamed (Gen 2:25). When Adam ate of the forbidden fruit the eyes of both he and Eve were opened (Gen 3:7), they realized their nakedness and they felt guilt, shame and fear. What happened that caused their eyes to be opened? The answer is simple. They died, just like God said they would (Gen 2:17). But it was not a physical death; that came later. Adam and Eve died a spiritual death the moment Adam ate. Prior to Adam’s sin he and Eve were filled with God’s Holy Spirit and they were so Spirit-led and Spirit-focused that they did not even realize they were naked. But once the Holy Spirit was taken away, their direct connection to God was broken and they were resigned to living a life of human ability alone, disconnected from God.
2. The Old Covenant was a temporary solution. In this series I have made it painstakingly clear that the Law of not designed to make mankind right, but rather designed to show us how wrong we are without God. But let me point out something else as well. While the Holy Spirit was taken away from the inside of man, the Lord did bring Him back under the Old Covenant, but in a different way. Under the Old Covenant the Holy Spirit lived in the temple, behind the veil of the Holy of Holies, above the Ark of the Covenant. The only person authorized to visit the presence of the Holy Spirit was the High Priest, and even he could only do it once a year, on the Day of Atonement, where he offered a sacrifice for sin. So the High Priest got to visit, once a year, what Adam and Eve enjoyed every second of every day prior to the fall.
3. Jesus came to restore the connection. While it is true that Jesus came to save us from our sins, it is also true that He came to restore the direct connection between humanity and divinity. At the moment Jesus died the Bible says “The curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Mat 27:51). That was the curtain the High Priest had to pass to enter the Holy of Holies where the Holy Spirit lived. Notice how the curtain was torn from top to bottom and not from bottom to top. This signifies the fact that no human did it. God tore the curtain to signify the fact that the Holy Spirit was leaving the temple. 50 days later, on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was restored to mankind and now WE are the temple of God and the Holy Spirit lives in us (1 Cor 6:19), just like He lived in Adam.
4. Jesus restored us all the way back to Adam, prior to the fall. Jesus did not come to restore us back to Moses or to Abraham. Jesus came to restore us back to Adam and how Adam lived prior to the fall. Adam walked with Kingdom dominion, power and authority and now we are to do the same. Adam had a direct and continual connection to the Father and now we do as well. The Father expects us to rule and dominate in the earth, the way Adam did prior to his sin. So when you think about all God did for you in Jesus, and how He restored you all the way back to Adam, by His Grace and not because you deserve it, you ought to want to live in the power Jesus died to give you. Jesus restored the direct connection to God, so you could receive insight from your Creator. Jesus restored the power Adam lost in the Garden, so you could operate with Supernatural power in the earth. Jesus came to save you from you sin, yes, but He also came to restore you to a position where you can reign in life by His Grace. Don’t fight it, thinking you are not worthy. God knows you are not worthy. Get over it. Embrace God’s assignment and His power by Grace and walk in the fulness of the life Jesus died to give you!
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to die for me. Jesus died to save me from my sin, but Jesus also died to restore me to the Kingdom dominion, power and authority Adam had prior to the fall. You created Adam in Your image and after Your likeness. You gave Adam dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the face of the earth. You blessed man and You told him to be fruitful, to multiply, to replenish the earth and to subdue it. Adam walked in that power. He and His wife walked in so much power and they were so Spirit-conscious that they did not even realize they were naked. All that changed when Adam ate the forbidden fruit. Adam lost the Holy Spirit and he lost his power and authority. But Father, I thank You for sending Jesus to get it all back. I have accepted Jesus as Lord. I am Born-Again and Your Spirit now lives in me. I am restored all the way back to Adam. By Grace I am able to live in Your Kingdom dominion, power and authority. I am not afraid, I am not ashamed, I am not timid, and satan has no power over me. I am a child of the Most High God, I am called to my purpose, and by Grace I shall accomplish my purpose, through divine power, before I die! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
P.S. I solicited your prayers yesterday. For those of you who prayed for me, thank you. The Lord used me mightily and He also stretched me to embrace several things concerning my future. God is SO good!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
