YEA Lesson Library

The Lesson

How important are you to God? Well, God thinks you’re very important. We can speculate about how much time God, the Father, and the One who would become Jesus Christ spent talking about and designing the universe in all of its intricacies. But the reality is that we don’t know. The Bible doesn’t tell us. Psalm 33:6, 9 says, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their hosts. . . . For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded and it stood firm” (ESV). We do know that the Word of God created an awesome place suitable for man. Think about it. The sun and moon had to be hung exactly in the right place. The earth had very defined limits as to where it could be on its ones so that our climates would be habitable for mankind - you!

The Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air, which we call the atmosphere. It reaches over 348 miles from the surface of the Earth. God created our atmosphere with solar energy and our planet's magnetic fields to support life on earth. The atmosphere absorbs the energy from the sun, recycles water and other chemicals, and works with the electrical and magnetic forces to provide a moderate climate that is suitable for human and animals life. The atmosphere also protects us from high-energy radiation and the frigid vacuum of space.

This is only the beginning of our complex universe that was designed ultimately for humans to populate the earth. But why? Why did God do so much planning, see to every detail, and work so hard to provide a habitat suitable for mankind?

God first revealed His great and awesome reason for this in the Garden of Eden. He said, "Let us make a man - someone like ourselves, to be the master of all life upon the earth and in the skies and in the seas. So God made man like his Maker" (Genesis 1:26-27a TLB). Wow! So He made you like Himself. He didn't make you like a frog, a pig, a spider, or a baboon. He made a clay model resembling His own outward form and shape. Like no other animal, God breathed into this man the breath of life, and he became a living intelligent person with His potential mind power and creative abilities. He named him Adam.

Poor Adam was the only living being without an opposite gender counterpart. He had gardens, oceans, seas, and beautiful landscapes to enjoy. He could listen to the birds sing, watch the deer graze, enjoy the sunset, and pet any dog he wanted to. But none of these had the same intelligence. They couldn't become his mate to love and begin a family to start populating this earth.

"And the Lord God said, 'It isn't good for man to be alone; I will make a companion for him, a helper suited to his needs.’ God brought all of the animals to Adam to name. Then He caused a deep sleep to come over Adam and He performed the first operation. Adam's rib was removed, the incision closed, and God brought this woman to him. Adam sounded excited when he saw this perfect woman. He said, "This is it!" "She is part of my own bone and flesh! Her name is 'woman' because she was taken out of a man.” The first wedding took place with an explanation that a man is to leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and become one flesh. Do you find it interesting that God didn't make this woman from Adam's foot bone? Could it be that a bone close to Adam's heart would better depict what their relationship should be like?

God created two perfect sinless human beings in His own image. He blessed them and told them to have a family and fill the earth. He also gave them the first commandment. There was a tree in the midst on the Garden of Eden where God had placed Adam and Eve. "You may eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat: for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die," God told Adam.

We've learned that evil was already present on the earth and Satan, in the form of a serpent, was in the Garden of Eden. He was a subtle beast that tempted Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. Satan lied to Eve and told her she wouldn't die if she ate this fruit. She ate it, despite God’s command, and gave some to her husband. The Garden had all sorts of delicious fruits for the couple to enjoy. So why would she believe this lying beast, rather than obeying God?

This first couple had everything. There was never a more beautiful and enjoyable place to live. They had each other to love. They could start a family. But they made the wrong choice. They sinned! Consequences galore would follow. Suddenly they knew they were naked and were ashamed. They were driven from this beautiful garden. Childbirth would be painful. God placed a curse of thorns and thistles upon the soil and Adam would have to struggle to make a living. And they would die! But God is so merciful that He didn't give up on man. God wants a family and Satan could not thwart His plan. His plan included a way for man to be forgiven of his sins and become a part of God's family. God commanded all the living creatures to reproduce after their kind. He too is reproducing after His kind. Through His Son's sacrifice God provides a way for every one of us to be a member of God's family and live forever. Just like Adam and Eve, you've made wrong choices and have sinned. You too will die. But you are important to God. He wants you in His family and He has provided a way for you to live again. Will you accept Jesus' sacrifice for your sins and live a life that exalts God so He will make you a member of His family? It's your choice!