Turn our Bibles to Genesis two. As we continue our exposition to Genesis one through three, the origins of man, the creation of the universe, and now we're getting specific about the history of mankind, the history of man begins this morning. As we begin to see the generations of man and then woman, the garden, these themes now will be prominent, the institution of marriage, The fall in the Garden of Eden, and then, of course, the sending forth of Adam and Eve from the garden. To work and cultivate the cursed earth because of the fall. A lot of us are aware of these stories, you know, I was telling my Sunday school class this morning that when I met my wife, this was really the only story I knew. Being a Roman Catholic, being raised with my little missalette, not reading the Bible, that I remember seeing a green A dragon-devil type person that scared me in my little missile that I would say my rosary and I knew that story, Adam and Eve and all that. The other stories, Jonah and the whale and Joshua and the battle of Jericho, all that, I was rusty on those. But this story, at least I knew about Adam and Eve. And I had, again, not an accurate portrayal of it, but at least I now see it as a believer in Christ, the importance of our understanding our origins properly, of our understanding man, since we are a man and woman here today, that where our nation, where our world goes wrong in its worldview that's departing from the biblical worldview, is they go wrong right here at the beginning. And so we'll be seeking to unpack that this morning. I want to read you verses one through seven in Genesis two to start us off, and then we'll just spend our time today before we celebrate the Lord's Supper in verses four through seven. Hear now the word. Thus, the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them, and on the seventh day, God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it, God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land and there was no man to work the ground and the mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground. And then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils. The breath of life and the man became a living creature. Let's pray. Lord, now clarify our thinking, help us to be able to articulate this familiar story to us that many of us know in a general sense, but help us now to see in a particular sense why this is so important in living each day of our lives. to grasp our own origins, even man and woman in our place in this world. But we pray that we would be thrilled by your word and blessed in Jesus name. Amen. Please turn to Psalm 8 and follow as I think this is just really an appropriate song to kind of awaken us and move us back to the text. This is such a great song as it depicts again the amazing Hand of God in making man. And what is man? This is so important because this is where our world goes wrong. What is man? Can they even understand what is man? In the weeks ahead, I'll be explaining to you and giving you quotes from many famous people about how how they think about man. And what you understand is that they because they don't think right about God, they have all kind of crazy thoughts about man. And we want to think right about man because it will help us as we function and live in this world and seeking to live to the glory of God. Psalm 8, David wrote 3000 years ago through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Oh, Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth? You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have established strength because of your foes to still the enemy and the avenger. And when I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers. The moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you should care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings, angels and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands and you have put all things under his feet. All sheep and oxen and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. Oh, Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name? In all the earth. Amen. Well, in chapter one. The focus, again, was on God's creative hand of this place we call Earth in six 24 hour days, and it was God's spoken word that created the heavens and the earth. And now our theme moves more particular to our focus to Man, as the as the climax, not just the climax of Chapter one on the sixth day, but now man. In his environment, man, as God made him specifically. Really, Chapter two, after the part of the Sabbath, verses one through three, we see now man in his environment, man in the garden. We'll see that next week, man amongst the trees. Not just the knowledge of good and evil, but also the other trees in the garden, rivers, the four rivers that were in the Garden of Eden, creatures and, of course, the other motifs in this great narrative inspired by the Holy Spirit written down by Moses. However, though, although man is made in God's image, as we learn in chapter one, And even though he is a special creature, he was nevertheless a creature like all of the other creatures God had made from the dust from the ground. So this morning we will learn the man's humble beginning. man's humble continuing and then man's humble ending, understanding the purpose of our lives. We know from the New Testament, we're to live to the glory of God. First Corinthians 1031. We're here, as it says in Isaiah 43, seven to bring glory to his name, to honor the Lord, to reflect again his glory as image bearers of God, but yet it's a humble life, because if we have a right view as we respond to the question, what is man? We ought to say, well, man comes from a humble beginning. He has a humble continuing and he has a humble ending as his demise physically. Goes back to dust. See, man is made from the ground, man lives upon the ground and then man is placed into the ground. It's a humble life. It's an amazing understanding that if we are to see ourselves rightly in the light of Scripture for to understand who we really are, we should be humbled. We should be humbled by, again, our earthiness and amazed that God makes us a little lower than angels. And what makes us different from animals is that we have the image of God. Yet we're both from the earth, man and animal. J.C. Ryle starts us off right with, I think, a very helpful quote. He said, Never is man in his right mind until he is converted to Christ. Or in his right place until he sits by faith at the feet of Jesus. or rightly clothed until he has put on the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior. Wow, what a helpful text. The purpose, then, of our earthly life is to understand who we are in relation to God. Come to know God in a personal saving relationship. And then we're in our right mind. Then we're in our right place. And then alone are we rightly clothed. So I see three things in our four verses of study this morning through this exposition, the affirmation of the creation generations, the condition of the land, the habitation at the time when God placed man upon earth and the description of man. He was formed from the earth, formed from the earth. Now, notice here, then, a verse for notice very carefully. How the affirmation of the creation, these are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. The first word here in verse four of these refers back to the whole of chapter one, all the way up to verse three or verse four of chapter two. In other words, all has been previously said. is the history of the creation of the world. And now the specifics move toward not just man again as the climax of God's creation. But now man is the focus as he begins to unveil to us the history of man, the generations. Of man, this this statement, these are the generations is used elsewhere and many other different parts of Genesis. Just the next one, I'll highlight in Genesis 5, when you have to turn there, just listen in Genesis 5, when this is the book of the generations of Adam. In other words, this is the history. These are the descendants. This is what issued forth from man himself, Adam being the first human being. Chapter six in verse nine, again, this same reminder. When we read these are the generations of Noah, Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation, Noah walked with God. So this goes on in Chapter 10, verse one, Chapter 11, Chapter 25, Chapter 36, Chapter 37. That same statement, again, keeps unveiling to us and reminding us that this is a historical narrative. We're learning the history of man. There are many History is being written today. History is being revised today. Right and left. History is being ignored today. The facts are being thrown out the window in many cases. People actually believe, for example, that the Holocaust never happened. It's shocking. There's a Holocaust museum. That's all in Washington, D.C. a week ago. And yet people will look at you straight in the eye. Many prominent people and deny that ever happened. Our teaching actually in many schools in our nation Denying that, just like people in other countries in the Far East deny it as well, but that doesn't change the fact that it happened. This is the history. The generations of man. Notice here says these are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, notice it wasn't from evolution, it wasn't from the Big Bang theory. Wasn't an accidental collocation of atoms 15 billion years ago. Somehow, by hook or by crook, the Polly walk that all of us once were grew arms and legs and somehow crawled out of it and had wings and had different forms of animals, even though no transitional fossils have been found. And nevertheless, somehow, by hook or by crook, here we are. From AIDS, our last closest ancestor. I was asking my class at LCS this past week, I gave him the same scenario and they all started laughing at once, all these kids, you know. And I wasn't trying to mock it, I was simply trying to explain the two views. And the class burst out laughing. Who believes that? I said, the world you're about to go live in. This is where man's history is started and when they were created in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. Now, some people have jumped on this and say, see, this is an argument for the day age theory in the day. No, the same work could be used for a time frame. In other words, this is a general statement for back to chapter one. In the time when God made the heavens and the earth, which would include seven or six days and then the seventh day, by the way, you realize the seventh day God rested and that was saying there was evening and there was morning, the seventh day. In other words, God's still resting. God is still resting from his work and all who enter that rest rest from their works as well, says Hebrews 4. Isn't that wonderful? We who know God enter into his Sabbath rest. That's what salvation is. It's a Shabbat. It's resting in Jesus. It's resting from restless soul activity that this world is dominated by. We rest in God. And to the rest, it's been his rest. Ever since the seventh day, he's been at rest. We also see a transition here from the word Elohim God, we see this movement now to Yahweh Elohim, the Lord God, and it says here in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. This is used three times in our context. In other words, it's what Bruce Waltke, a great Old Testament scholar, put it, I think he's right on the money. He said this. The combinations here of these two Hebrew words, the two names of God shows that the creator of the cosmos, chapter one. Rules history through his chosen humanity. God's instructed us. He's made everything the sovereign. And now he works in history through men. Through us in Providence. Through Adam. And all the subsequent generations. Even to where we are today, what's the word Yahweh mean? Well, basically, it means the one who initiates a unique covenant commitment. With his people, Yahweh. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all who have faith like Abraham, our descendants of Abraham. So he's the sovereign creator, Elohim, and he is the unique covenant keeping God of his people. He's an intimate God, he's transcendent. High and lifted up, Psalm 113 tells us, though, and also he stoops low to have fellowship with us as a covenantal relationship, a contractual arrangement. In other words, he cuts the covenant with us as the new covenant says, and he writes it on our souls. All who have faith, like Abraham. In other words, God could be known intimately. Isn't that wonderful? I love the words of Proverbs 3, 32. It says he is intimate with the upright. He makes an upright people and then he is intimate. As I was teaching at Sunday School this morning, we talked about how do we know God's guidance? And we kept reading the passages in the Psalms where he says, and I will guide you. I will lead you. You see that? Don't worry about it. Delight yourself in the Lord. And he will give you the desires of your heart, just walk in him, love him, serve him, be joyful in him. And he will lead you, because he's intimate with the upright. It's beautiful. It's a beautiful relationship. He's Yahweh Elohim. Secondly, we see the condition of the land. The habitation, in other words, this is an amazing, again, reminder here of the world before the fall. Remember, we saw on day two when God separated the waters right in Genesis 169. We saw that he separated the waters from beneath and above. Separated the two and we have the expanse of the sky in between. In other words, the greenhouse effect, the canopy set up here. The realm of which there was no rain, but it was a mist, as it says here, let's notice when no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up for the Lord. God had not caused it to rain on the land and there was no man to work the ground. And then this was growing or going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground. Notice again, there's no plants. Now, obviously, there were plants, but what they mean is no plants. from seeds, which, again, is a clear argument against evolution. There was no rain and there was no man. Why do I say that? Because when God made the heavens and the earth and he went to each day and of course, you know, land plants and seeds came on the third day and there were 24 hour days as we've been arguing through the whole series so far. What we see here, then, is that the earth was made as a mature entity. And subsequently. After the fall, you began to have. Plants producing themselves from seeds and men working the land, don't forget the earth at this time was uncultivated and unproductive. Because there was no man to work it, and there was no rain to rain upon it. There was simply a mist. Watering it as much as a mist can do. Maintaining it, really. A mist maintaining the realm. A canopy effect, a greenhouse effect in that realm. Now, notice here, again, in 2 Peter, again, it brings the idea again of the waters from beneath and the waters from above, and they just revisit that whole idea for us in second Peter three. Let's go there in second Peter three. We read this in verses three and following. Know this, first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires, they will say, where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning. of creation. Now, before I read on, I want you to just know this. You could write it down if you want. That's known as evolution. This is the law of uniformitarianism. In other words, their argument is, look at everything. Just look how it's all been going over the years, millions of years. It's just everything. Where is Christ? Where is this coming? Just everything keeps happening. And according to the Typical patterns of geological cycles and so on, you know, just millions and billions of years. Come on, where is he? Where's the promise of his coming? Verse five, for deliberately. They overlook this fact that the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God. And that by means of these, the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished the flood. But by the same word, the heavens and the earth that now exist are stored up for fire. Being kept until the day of judgment and the destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day to that. We want to get our answers from the word of God, God speaks very clearly about origins, even about waters. are described in our text this morning, even in the New Testament, we got to see the interplay. It's quite obviously there. In other words, the world was made in a mature state. Let me ask you the question. What came first, the chicken or the egg? Don't say the egg. Did Adam have a belly button? I'm not sure, but if I was a veteran, I'd say no. Everybody else has had a belly button. But who cares? The point is, God made Adam a mature man and he made a mature earth and subsequently the seeds reproduced. And when the curse thorns and thistles. And it began to produce from the seed when man cultivated and rain came upon it. So nothing is out of sync here at all. The arguments of age theorists and theistic evolutionists don't hold water. This is an immediate creation by an awesome God, the only God. And it was done exactly as the grammar says it. And as the context indicates, in six 24 hour days in God rested on the seventh and it's been an eternal seventh day. And we enter that rest. As God had told us, it says here again, No rain, but a mist. Now, when when did the mist turn to rain? Go with me to Genesis seven. Genesis seven. And and notice this here, it says, Adam, I mean, Noah was 600 years old. Guess what happens when you live in a perfect global environment? Like a greenhouse environment. And the world had not been cursed by the fall yet, people live long time. So the Bible just says, and of course, the world that doesn't know God mocks and laughs. That's ridiculous. A 600 year old man. Here it is in the 600 year of Noah's life in the second month on the 17th day of the month. Notice how specific it is. On that day, watch all the fountains of the great deep burst forth And the windows of the heavens were opened and rain fell upon the earth 40 days and 40 nights. That's the first rain. The first rain came forth. And saturated the earth. So, in other words, the world was was was existing for who knows how long. Right. In a canopy situation. Right. Even the fall had taken place under the canopy situation. And man began to work the ground with the mist still needing rain, the thorns and thistles coming forth on the earth. And then, of course, we see the world go to complete chaos. And in Genesis six, three, God determines to wipe out the whole earth. And he does so. By bringing rain to saturate the earth, and then we learn later on in the narrative that whenever we see a rainbow today, it reminds us of this event. And reminds us also that this earth is being reserved for fire. Now, that's clear biblical worldview. This earth we're around right now is being reserved for fire. The rainbow we see. Reminds us of this event which brought. Rain first. to Earth. Thirdly, notice the description of man, his origin, the formation of man, the formation of man. No, really, this is, again, a restatement of chapter one, verse twenty seven, but again, it hits it from a different angle. It's not only talking about man as made in the image of God, but it's talking about man as a created being. Yes, but now specifically as a living soul, as a living soul. Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And a man became a living creature. In chapter one, verse 26, it says God made man. Chapter one, verse 27, it says God created man. And here it says God formed man and all the beasts of the field. It says that also in chapter two, verse 19, so this forming of man, this creating of a being. Takes place here, God described man as being made now into. From a man of dust of the ground and then God breathing into his nostrils, so the Lord God again, that same word is the Lord God had formed man now it's. Again, to get the idea here of, again, understanding man's humble beginning, continuing and ending, I want to have us meditate on some key things here. Let's go to Ecclesiastes 11. In Ecclesiastes 11, we're reminded again about our humble origins. This, by the way, is probably my favorite verse in scripture, verse five. Please, yes, he's eleven five. As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child. So you do not know the work of God who makes everything who here can can really explain thoroughly how bones come into the womb of a pregnant woman, what a humbling Picture, what do we know? What do we know, we just see it happen, what do I know? Yet God has used my wife and I to make seven human beings. And you know how much I know about the process? Nothing. That's humbling. God works through us. I mean, who am I to create these amazing beings? I don't create them. God does it through me and through you. You should humble us, friends. We should be humbled by that thought that never dying souls have come through the loins of our of us and our spouses and will come from those who are single today. It's a tremendous stewardship. It's a humbling reality. It's an awesome thought. It's powerful. Notice further than in Zechariah 12, one, the last second, the last book of the Old Testament. Zechariah 12, verse one, notice again another humbling perspective, the burden of the word of the Lord, which one concerning Israel thus declares the Lord who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth watch and formed the spirit of man within him. So who are we to stand in In judgment of God, who are we to question God's word? What an embarrassment. Who are we to not be humbled by what the Bible reminds us? He formed us. Literally, he formed the atom, the man of dust. Now, again, I'm obviously no scientist, and one of the commentators I read said minimally All of us are this. We are carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. That's all right. Some of you scientists are. What? Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen were from the ground, literally from the ground. Now, evolution says we're not from the ground, it says we're from the apes. Follow evolution, they say. Even theistic evolutions. Even day-age people that go to church every week, they'll tell you, yeah, God made us, but He used evolution. And our previous connection was to a pre-ape or an ape type of being, and that's what we were before we are now. What? That's not what the Bible says. The Bible says we were made from the dust. The Bible also says that animals were made from the ground, the dust, literally pitch, you know, just mud packed together like people in the ancient world and even in poor parts of this world, they make mud huts or from the mud. How's that like that? If a mud. Now, that's how our being is now, we return to dust. And I forget when I was in the Princeton. Princeton Cemetery, I first time I went to Princeton, New Jersey, and all my studies, all excited about learning about the Puritans and all the great heroes of our nation, and then I went to the Jonathan Edwards grave in 1989 when I was a pastor in Baltimore. And there's Jonathan Edwards grave. You know, I've been dead 250 something years. And amazingly, I saw the side of it was broken in. I didn't want to act weird, but no one was looking. I tried to go look inside. It was empty. Why? Where's Jonathan Edwards? Dust. Humbling. Are you humbled by that? From dust to dust. From dust. To dust. Genesis 319 says to dust. You shall return. Yes, you may be articulate and yes, you may be a zealous, concerned individual about all these issues in your life. Yes, all this may dominate you. People give you all these accolades, but from dust you are and dust you shall return. That's what the Bible says. The rock group Kansas, I think, got it right. All we are is dust in the wind. But dust made in the image of God. Who has the spirit of God breathed into our beings so that we are living souls. Living souls, and these bodies are our shells. And guess what, friends, as sinful as we are and God is such a great, merciful God, I want to give you another verse in light of all this humbling words. Go with me to Psalm 103. This is very hopeful, friends. Psalm 103, verse 14. Referring to God, for He knows our frames and He remembers that we are what? Dust. Isn't that great? So does God look at you and go, I expect you to be perfect, never make a mistake in your life, never sin. And if you say you really know me and you actually sin, I question whether you're a Christian. No, he knows we are dust. Remember, Peter, Lord, I'll never deny you. And Jesus said, before the night's over, you'll deny me three times. Spirit's willing, flesh is weak. God knows that. What a great Savior. What a great covenant-keeping God Yahweh is. He knows. Listen, when we say, God, I'm going to read my Bible every day. I'm going to pray every day. I'm going to go evangelize every person I see. He knows our heart. Isn't that great? He's he. He knows our. It's working in our life and sees our heart. He doesn't hold that against us and call you, call us a liar for not doing it. That's a powerful thought when we meditate on what the scripture says, let me do Ecclesiastes 12, seven. You could tell we're going to get a number of verses here before we wrap it up today. But I want you just to think through these issues is so encouraging to be reminded about who we really are. And see, the dust is from the earth, God fashions us in that sense, in his description, but notice you're in places 12, seven, it says, for the dust returns to the earth as it was and the spirit returns to God who gave it. God breathes into us life. Life. We're flesh, he gives life. Now, this idea, this word formed in the Hebrew, it's used in three different texts. I won't read them, but I'll tell you about in case you're listening on tape or where you want to just write them down. Job 10, 8 and 9. Isaiah 45, 9. And Jeremiah 18, two to four, what they say basically is this, it's the same Hebrew word and it describes a potter. Making a form from the clay. The potter shapes the same usage. And it's using those texts, I just gave you many other ones just to give you an illustration, if you read those, well, God's a potter and we're the clay. Does he, Romans nine says, does he not have a right? to do as the potter and fashion the clay the way he wants. Of course, it's absurd to say otherwise. Furthermore, the Bible tells us that not only are we dust, but Psalm 90 tells us firsthand that our life consists of 70, if due, 80 years. Wow, that's a general statement. Now, of course, in Genesis six, three, it said man's span of life was one hundred and twenty years. And then it started again, depreciating down to 70 of the point is because of the fall and because of us being susceptible because of sin and its physical impact on us, as well as its effect upon us spiritually. that man has a lifespan of 70 if due 80 years as a general statement, some people live a lot longer. Some people die younger, but as a general rule. Now, notice here, it says, then it goes, it says, and he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And and what we want to see here again is that Animals, also the same word used of God breathing into animals, into their nostrils also is used elsewhere in scripture. But the difference here is that human beings have the very breath of God breathe into them. So animals are beings, but they don't have the breath of God, the nefesh, the spirit of God, the God fashioned you, the soul, in other words. So our society denies that. That there is a soul. So when people want to think religion is good for you and that's fine, if you want religion, people don't want religion and some people want to believe in God, that's good if they need a crush and other people don't. And that's fine. But ultimately, what we're dealing with in our culture is it's a full materialistic culture. That denies the immaterial, that is the soul aspect of our being, because if we have a soul. Then it will never die, that's what the Bible says. A soul. That will never die, when did that soul begin? Well, all subsequent beings from Adam receive the soul at conception. Nine months before you were physically born, you became a living soul. And your mother's womb. You became not just a living being. But a never dying soul. Now, I mean, when you think about this, I want you to think about this, when you look at your children or you look at your spouse. And you look into the moisture of their eyes. And you look at the pupil of their eye and you talk to them. Do you understand? You're talking to a soul. That will never die. It's an awesome stewardship. To. To be a part of the procreative process. And even if you can't have biological children and you adopt them, you're a steward over a never dying soul. And even if you don't adopt or have any and you're in a church and you serve and you minister to people. They have never dying souls, and even if you're not in the church ministry, you're a little bit of a cranky Christian and you still got a neighbor, you got to love yourself and he's a never dying soul. And we all walk amongst people who are never dying. Physically, we shall die. But our souls will never die, and here in our world has no answer to that. So here's your choice. Either you admit you're a never dying soul and you either go to eternal torment, as Jesus said in Matthew 25, 46, or you will go to eternal life. Or you deny that. And there's no such thing as a soul, even though you want to think it. But really, there's nothing. And we're nothing but human animals, really a little bit higher than a dog, but not so God. So who cares? And and eventually we're all just. Kind of a mitten, not a nut in the obvious, and we're all here by accident and there's no God, we have no soul, we're all human animals. And our lives have no purpose and really terms like morality and love and goodness are irrelevant because there's no God. Or there is a God and he has spoken and the Bible is clear. And unless you give your life to Jesus. See your son. Trust in him. And confess him and love him. Then you will enter that realm of eternal punishment. Because you chose that. This idea of God breathing into the nostrils, a man was was portrayed, is portrayed. And the Sistine Chapel, I've been there in Rome, my wife and you know, some of you also been there, too. And remember, we all whether we've been there or not, you've seen the picture, right? God. Touching on and touching the finger. The man. That's his portrayal of God breathing into man, and here's the idea, this is exactly what it means, in other words, when God breathed into Adam and he became a living soul, he breathed into him God's. Very rough. So, in other words. The reason why we are never dying souls or eternal souls is because God is eternal. And God breathed into us eternal existence. And that's what makes us different than the animals were made in his image, because we have the life of God in the soul of man. And we need to be able to explain these things, friends. To our children, to our neighbors, to our co-workers, because this isn't just an issue of whether I want to go to church or not. This is an issue is where will my never dying soul live? And like I said, if you reject that explanation, then guess what? Let's all eat, drink and get merry. Because life is a joke. Psalm 39, 4 to 7. Psalm 39, this is one of my most favorite texts in this particular argument, because it shows you how man fails to see this humble reminder. It's very, very profound in that man doesn't see his pride. Man doesn't see how nothing he really is. He thinks he's something else. He thinks he's a big shot. Look at this in Psalm 39 verses 4 to 7. Oh Lord, make me know my end in what is the measure of my days. And by the way, Psalm 139 tells us before we lived one day, all the days that God had planned for us to live were set. Let me know how fleeting or transient I am. Verse five. Behold, you have made my days a few hand breaths and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely watch. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath. Surely a man goes about as a phantom or a shadow. Surely for nothing. They are in turmoil or they make it up for men, heaps of wealth and does not know who will gather him then. And now, oh Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you see that we have to be brought to that. You see, the more we bark out our strong opinions of life and what we think is right and wrong and that it's hot air, if it's not what God has said in his word. And it's making a lot of noise and it means nothing when related to what God thinks is most important and true. And so it says at the end, and the man became a living creature. a living creature. Are you humbled by your physical frailty? You see yourself aging, getting sick here and there. We see you observe death, some even recent in our church. Are you mindful of your soul's importance? Want to take you to another favorite text that I hope. Will be again close to you. Ezekiel 18. Since we've been talking about souls, I want you to see this. In Ezekiel 18, this is Jehovah speaking. Through the prophet and he says this in 18 for behold. All souls are mine. The soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine and the soul that sins will die. Well, if that's the case and all of us are sinners, we need God's mercy. We need the grace of our God to intervene because our souls. Manifest themselves in our sinful lives and choices. Our bodies can't be blamed. That's Platonism. In other words, that bad body, I better. Goodness, what a horrible thing, this bad body. I'm really a good person, but my body is a bad thing. It's dragging me down. See, that's Platonism, dualism. That's not what a Christian believes. The body is not the problem. Our soul is the problem, you see, and our soul has received the sentence of death from Adam. And we sinned literally in the garden with Adam, we fell with Adam, Romans 5, 12, and therefore we're born not just conceived in sin, Psalm 51, 5, but we're born in sin. We're sinners at birth. As well as sinners at conception. And the soul that sins will die. What hope do we have? Call upon the name of the Lord and you shall be saved. Give your life to Christ, trust in him that your soul may live. You may have eternal life. In conclusion, oh, believer, I hope you'll agree with me, turn to Psalm 90. This is my prayer for you and for all children of God, myself included. How do we respond to a message like this? How in the world do we respond as believers? We've been given illustrations, applications all throughout, but something a little more simplistic, a little more practical. What do I do? How do I respond to this message? Here it is, Psalm 90 verses 12 to 17. This is how we respond. Watch. So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O Lord, how long? Have pity on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, in other words, as many days as you have planned for us, because in a fallen world, the days of affliction sometimes. And for as many years as we have seen evil, it's evil under the sun life. Problems are every day. Jesus said enough each day has enough trouble of its own, Matthew 6. Verse 16, let your work be shown to your servants and your glorious power to their children. Let the fever of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands upon us. Yes, establish the work of our hands. Listen, what does this move us to do to honor God? To live life of thanksgiving and then to serve him with the work of our hands and ask him to confirm the work of our hands. That's how souls that know God function. That's how we live. In glad obedience to him, humbled by our frailty, humbled by our brevity, amazed at God's eternality, exalting his greatness, loving that and thankful that he condescended down to us to lift us up from the ash heap. To raise us up, to be a little lower than angels, And to use us to propagate the generations of earth. To be the vehicles to bring about his people and his worship. Through the generations of raising up a seed that would fear him. To the glory of his grace. What do I say to those this morning that have not given their life to Christ, what do I say? Turn with me to Matthew 10. Matthew 10, again, it's an issue of souls or concern is and. And he tells us. That that if our souls are going to die, he is equal 18 for we don't know Christ and our souls won't live, they'll be they'll be judged in eternal punishment, he says, he says, don't don't fear man. But fear God, watch in Matthew 10, 28. He says, and do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul to. Some people are scared to death about robbers getting them in their house, scared to death about someone breaking in, they're more frightened of that than God. Even though they don't know God, they don't really lose sleep over that. But man, they're all worried about something's going to happen to some evil people in this world. They're more concerned about what physical harm could come to them. They have not obviously thought about what I've taught today. About the soul. And he says here, do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. That's what the Bible teaches. This isn't Bible thump and Pastor Marcelino. That's what the Bible says in biblical language. And it's these truths we should be thinking about every day, being thankful and humbled and then then engaging one another to be burdened over the souls all around. in our home, in this church, outside our church, in this world, praying for open doors to speak the gospel to never dying souls that need Christ, that they might be saved and know Christ. Let's now celebrate The Lord's Supper as I close in prayer and then we have a time of meditation that will move now to the supper and celebrate what the cross, what the cross has accomplished for those that know him and love him. Let's pray. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the power of your gospel, for the hope of eternal life, for the joy that it means to know you and serve you as your people. Lord Jesus, I pray right now that you would that you would cause Those amongst us who have not openly given their hearts to you, that, Lord, you would speak to them and move them to love you, that they would see you as amazingly patient and loving and graceful, or that they would see again your awesomeness before them, that they would give their hearts to you, Lord, that they would say, Lord, I love you. Thank you, Lord, for providing salvation to those who call upon you, Lord, save me and forgive all my sins and Lord, live through me, O Lord. For the honor of your grace, Lord, help us now as we proclaim your death together, as we as we consider the awesomeness of, again, your death on the cross for us. Two thousand years ago, we thank you, Lord, that we can celebrate and proclaim your death for us. In Jesus name. Amen.