Keith Battle - Adam's Family - Part 2

turn to Genesis chapter 2. Let’s go back to Genesis chapter 2 as we work on the story of Adam and his family, to see what we can learn from his life and apply to our own. If you are physically able to stand without harm to yourself, do so in reverence to God’s word; this is an opportunity to acknowledge that He is about to speak to us. The Bible says God has chosen the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. I don’t know why He chooses to work this way, but this is one of the fundamental ways that He speaks to us. One way He communicates through preaching is by confirming things He has already been saying to us, giving clarification, or shining a light on something for you that I may not even know you need. He might provide something for me to say that resonates with you—perhaps that’s the light you needed. You understand what I am saying? This importance is why we stand; we are saying to God, «I want to hear from You.» I had to deal with parking and traffic, drop my kids off, and we had an argument on the way here—I need to hear from You. Amen? I’m here, let me hear. I’m online, let me hear; I tuned in, let me hear.

All right, I’m going to read two verses from Genesis chapter 2. I will read a part of verse 8 and then all of verse 15 to set the context for where we are going today. Verse 8 says, from the easy translation: «The Lord God planted a garden in the east, in a place called Eden.» Everybody say, «Eden.» There’s a garden called Eden. Now go to verse 15: «The Lord God took the man—that’s Adam—everybody say, 'Adam.' And He put Adam in the Garden of Eden, for God wanted the man to work in the garden and to take care of it.» That’s your job, Adam: you work in that garden and take care of it. Your job is in the garden; you watch over it, you care for it, you work in the garden. Before you sit down, I want you to say to at least two people with a smile: «Handle your business! Handle your business!» Yeah, put that in the chat: «Handle your business.» You may be seated.

The Bible is a very intriguing book for many reasons, most of which is that it is the very word of God to His people. It is also intriguing because the lens through which we see scripture tends to be based on who we are. We apply the Bible to our lives according to our identities, which makes sense. For example, if you are a person who cares about nutrition, fitness, health, and well-being, then you tend to see where those aspects jump out at you in the scriptures, and you tell people, «See, God wants us to be healthy; God wants us to eat right.» That’s the lens through which you see scripture. If you are a mother or a wife, certain passages will resonate with you differently than they would with your husband or a father who might read the same passage, coming away with a different application. Neither of you is wrong; this is the beauty of the Scriptures. They are broad enough to speak to everyone and specific enough to address your life directly.

For those of you who don’t know, one of the things that I am is an incurable entrepreneur. I have been this way since I was 19 years old, when I started my first business. I don’t know if you would classify it as a business, but I was selling, and it wasn’t what you think. Let me explain: where I grew up in the area of Famon Heights, there was a basketball court at the intersection of Sheriff and Addison Road—an outdoor basketball court we called the Kingdome. People played basketball there day and night, and a lot of other activities happened there too, but there were no vending machines or water fountains; there was no way to hydrate yourself if you were there. The closest place to get something to drink was a liquor store down the street called «The Ebony.» Now, if you know that area, you know what I’m talking about. Nobody was about to walk across that field and down that hill to The Ebony just to get something to drink. I thought, «I know a lot of people out here are thirsty and sweating and need something to drink.» So, I began to drive my father’s 1977 Mercury Monarch, which didn’t have power steering fluid and squeaked when I turned the wheel. Every time I stopped, I had to put power steering fluid in it, but that has nothing to do with the story. I started buying sodas and water, bringing them in a cooler, and driving up to