THE L.I.F.E. PLAN CREATION DAY 6 BLOCK 1 THEME 3 - CREATION 2 LESSON 3 (11 of 216)
BLOCK 1 THEME 3: CREATION 2 LESSON 3 (11 OF 216): CREATION DAY 6 LESSON AIM: Show that which God created on the sixth day of creation. SCRIPTURE: (Genesis 1:24-2:1; 2:15-25) The sixth day of the Genesis creation account was the last day of God s work to prepare the earth for his masterpiece of all creation, man. The sixth day began with the creation of the other land creatures. On this day God brought forth out of the earth the cattle, the beasts, and the creatures which creep and crawl upon the earth. He pointed out that he had already provided their food source in every green herb on the earth which would be meat for them to eat. As with all the other parts of his creation God said that it was good. God s remaining activity on the sixth day has to do with man. From the text, let s note three points about man, the first being his creation. On the last day of God s work of creation, he created man. At this point, we have to consider the content of chapters one and two when we come to man. We know what it is to view a photo on a computer screen and to use the zoom feature to take a closer look at a particular section of the photograph. Chapter two is a sort of zoom feature which gives us a closer look at certain aspects of the generations of the heavens and the earth. Especially when it comes to man s creation, we see more detail added in chapter two. Chapter one tells us that God created the male and the female, each in the image of God. Men and women, each in their own special way, bear the image of God. Chapter two tells us how God created each one. God formed the man from the dust of the earth. He breathed the breath of life into his nostrils and man became a living soul. When there was not found a helper for the man among all the other creation of the earth, God made a mate suited just for him. God caused a deep sleep to come over the man. He took a rib from his side and made the woman from the rib. He brought her to Adam and they lived together in an intimate relationship. This passage about the creation of man also serves as a model for our marriages and relationships between the husband and wife in the home. To realize that God has made a mate specifically for us would go a long way toward giving us a solid foundation for our marriage. We are not simply looking for just any person who will marry us, but we should look for the one God has made for us, and as he did for Adam, wait for him to bring that person to us. Adam recognized how important this woman was to him. She was not a person that he should take and use and desert for another woman at a later time. She was a part of him because she had been taken out of him. To lose her would be to lose a part of himself. Because she was so important, a man could leave the home of his father and mother and establish a home of his own. Then in time, when their children grow up and leave home in the same way, his home would still be intact. They could continue to have their home and enjoy their deep and abiding relationship even when the nest becomes empty again. The point is, the relationship between the husband and the wife is the core of the home.
Husbands and wives who refuse to relinquish their ties to their parents or their children experience forces which can weaken the foundation of their own home and of their most important relationship. This is not to say that these other relationships are not important, but it is to prioritize them for our own best interest. The next thing we see is the commission God gave to man. This commission involved two things. First, he was to rule over all the other creation of the earth. He was to have dominion over the fowl, the fish, and the creeping creatures of the earth. At this time, there was no dread upon man or beast in relation to the other. This dominion probably speaks of the importance of man in the order of creation since he was made in the image of God. The other thing about God s commission to man is that he was to reproduce. Like the other creatures, man was commanded to multiply and fill the earth with others after his kind. Other people, created in the image of God, would also be able to fellowship with God in the personal way that Adam enjoyed his relationship with God. This commission given to man has never been rescinded. Man is still to rule over creation. We see so many ways in which Satan and the world have twisted this commission. In our day, there are those people who have more respect for wildlife than they have for human life. The same people who do not want to disturb the habitat of a certain animal do not give a second thought to aborting a human baby in or out of the womb of its mother. While we should appreciate and respect wildlife, we have to value human life to a greater degree. We are also to continue to reproduce and multiply throughout the world. This command has a spiritual aspect before the physical aspect. We are to reproduce others who love God and seek to be a part of his purpose in the world. Unfortunately, we are reproducing physically, but not winning those we reproduce to the Lord, and are not training them to walk with God and serve him in his work of world evangelization. Thus, the unsaved population grows and the saved population struggles to catch up. Finally, we must notice the caution God gave to the man and woman which he created, commissioned, and placed in the Garden of Eden. He told them of one particular tree from which they could not eat; the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He said that if they were to eat from it, they would die. They were free to eat of every other tree but they must not eat from this one. Think of all the things that were at stake if they disobeyed God and ate from the forbidden fruit. They already knew that God had placed them in charge of his creation. They knew God wanted them to fill the earth with others like themselves who could walk in fellowship with God. They knew the resulting death that would come if they were to eat of the tree of which he cautioned them. Sometimes we can know about the terrible consequences of our disobedience and yet go ahead and disobey anyway. Soon, we will see if they were able to heed God s caution or not. God created us. He has commissioned us. And he cautions us to stay away from those things in life which are harmful to us and which derail us from the fulfillment of his purpose. This would be a good time for us to make a renewed commitment to obey God, to resist the devil, and to commit ourselves to fulfilling the purpose God has for our life.
LESSON OUTLINE BLOCK 1 THEME 3: CREATION 2 LESSON 3 (11 OF 216): CREATION DAY 6 I MAN S CREATION A. The man B. The woman II MAN S COMMISSION A. Rule over all other creation B. Reproduce C. Commission not rescinded III A CAUTION A. Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil SCRIPTURES TO BROADEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING 1. The relationship between man and woman Ephesians 5:21-33 1 Corinthians 7 1 Peter 3:1-7 Proverbs 5:18-23 Song of Solomon LINES OF THEOLOGICAL CONNECTION 1. THE DOCTRINE OF GOD Command and control of his creation 2. DISCIPLE-MAKING Spiritual reproduction 3. ANTHROPOLOGY Making a home The family unit Relationships within the home Man is to rule over creation Obedience to God s commands
LESSON GLOSSARY 1. Relinquish To give up 2. Commission A command or duty QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY 1. What did God create on day 6? Cattle, beasts, creeping & crawling things, & man 2. What was the most important creation from day 6? Man 3. From what did God create the man and the woman? Man - from the dust of the earth; Woman - from a rib from the man 4. Can you think of different ways a male and a female bear the image of God? Student response 5. What was man commissioned to do? Be fruitful and multiply and to preside over the earth 6. What are some aspects of man s fruitfulness? Children and believers 7. Have you had an experience of knowing the consequences of disobeying authority but disobeyed anyway? What problems did it cause? Student response
BLOCK 1 THEME 3: CREATION 2 LESSON 3 (11 OF 216): CREATION DAY 6 QUESTIONS TO INSPIRE THOUGHT 1. What did God create on day 6? 2. What was the most important creation from day 6? 3. From what did God create the man and the woman? 4. Can you think of different ways a male and a female bear the image of God? 5. What was man commissioned to do? 6. What are some aspects of man s fruitfulness? 7. Have you had an experience of knowing the consequences of disobeying authority but disobeyed anyway? What problems did it cause?