Created OK

by Pastor Wilson

Big idea:
God desires us to strive spiritually with Him

It's ok not to be ok:
God desires us to strive spiritually, relationally and vocationally, with Him and with others

Pray against Negative effects of mental health for self or others

- Raise awareness of mental health issues
- Provide a theological basis for mental health challenges
- give a pastoral response

Adams and Eve had to relate to three major areas of human flourishing :
1. Humanity relationship with God
2. Humanity relationship with Each other
3. Humanity relationship with the environment

1. Humanity relationship with God
Genesis 1:26-27
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.


Men was created to have dominion over the whole earth

Genesis 2:15-17
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”


Garden of Eden was part of God's residence

Work is part of God's plan and purpose

2. Humanity relationship with each other
Genesis 2:18-24
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam[a] no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[b] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[c] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.


Eve was created to:
- Facilitate procreation
- Help Adam

3. Humanity relationship with the Environment
Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”


Adam and Eve had to work and interact with the environment..

When they disobey God, these three areas went through adverse conditions, thus affected mental well being

First consequences of fall is humanity's independence from God
Genesis 3:6-10
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.


God act of asking Adam where was he was intentional, drawing Adam out of shame and allow him to come clean on what just happen

Second consequences of fall is Humanity's experience of aging and physical death
Genesis 3:24
After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side[a] of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.


The tree of life was taken away

Third consequences of fall is humanity animosity with the devil which continues today where he choose to steal, kill and destroy
Genesis 3:14-15
So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[a] and hers; he will crush[b] your head, and you will strike his heel.”


This is a Bible Ancient story with current day implication which affect mental health

1. Humanity independence from God
- They believe in the lie that there was something better believing the serpent, they chose not to believe in God, this chose from dependency on God to dependency on self - Walk away from God's original intent

"Functional atheist"
God is only involved in your eternal salvation but not your day to day activities

Instead of working on source of life, we're working in source of fear and uncertainty

Isolation from God would have detrimental effects, leading us away from source of life to meltdown

Move from independence to complete dependence in Christ jesus

2. Humanity experience if aging and death
- death cause fear and anxiety, distress

Psalm 18:4-6
The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;[a] 5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 6 In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.


Psalm 116:3-4
The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”


Psalmist believed Sheol was a place that dead will go in their afterlife. They call upon God in their anguish. Death is a process where we're absence from body and presence with the lord

1 Corinthians 15:20-22
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.


Jesus Christ overcome death to bring us life

1 Corinthians 15:55
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”


3. Humanity s animosity with the devil
Luke 8:27-29
When Jesus[a] had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.)


these evil spirits cause him to behave differently and even have supernatural strength to break chains

Luke 8:30-36
Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. 34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed[a] man had been healed.


he was clothed, in his right mind until deliverance from unclean spirits

Christ came into his life to set him free

The devil and his demons have power Over humanity because of sin

There's no fear in Demonic spirits and oppression
- There is power in the name of Jesus!