Pastor John Gray- The Law of Eden

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] well well well good morning my worship how y'all doing look quiet in here but it is 8:00 in the morning so i'ma let y'all slide but one more time good morning god bless you we are the grays and we are honored to be in the big city of Bessemer Alabama yes and to all of the other campuses and those who are watching online this is my beloved bride my name is John Gray but I want to talk about how good Alabama has been to me Oh see Alabama has been real good to me because I married an Alabama girl yeah and down in the big city of Dothan Alabama if you go to Panama City in the beaches you got a slide through Dothan but I met this young woman we were both in ministry at a church in Atlanta and we were serving there and she was on the dancer ministry and I was like Jesus who was that who's dancing for you with the tattoo on her arm thank you Jesus and I was working in youth ministry and and leading our youth choir and she carried herself with a level of Grace and excellence and she wasn't too loud because I'm already loud I don't need loud in my house I needed somebody a little more calm she tricked me because she's just as loud as me but she waited to show me till after I gave her that $300 ring and then but my wife is from Dothan Alabama and we've been married now seven plus years and we have two children my five-year-old son John Gray the fourth and our four-year-old daughter theory Aspen sky and so they will be five four two weeks together because that's how we roll and so it is an honor to be here the art of the heart series I don't to take a moment and give honor I believe that honor is the currency of elevation and if you're ever going to ascend to any area of influence in the kingdom you better learn the currency of Honor and so I'm not going to speak anything nor my wife before we give honor to probably one of the most brilliant theological minds of the 21st century he is not just a preacher a pastor or a teacher he is an academician a theologian a revolutionary a man who can speak in bessemer and in Rome Italy to pose the leaders yet some presidents and two senators to dr. Van Moody one of the most brilliant minds anywhere in the world and he's your pastor we celebrate you sir my admiration of you has been on 100 for some years now and I celebrate the greatness that is in you and then two grown men came out I didn't know what was going on don't walk up on me okay yeah I want to of course as amazing and as brilliant as he is he couldn't do what he's doing without dr. T white tie give it up for not only yet a brilliant creative teacher preacher in her own right but a mother a wife a leader let's celebrate dr. Tighe movie and got the six inch heels that's what I'm talking to you so I told my wife don't lose that part soon I'm saying be all saved but every now and then I need you to put some shoes on for only limp and dress hey Sonny hi he I know yeah wasn't that saying like this church right with me so let me just qualify this and then I'm gonna let my wife share what's in her heart you have two of the most brilliant gifted teachers of the word so some of what you hear this morning maybe slightly redundant if it is just act like you haven't heard it like that is so good that is a word let me write that down that is a word I need just you know just go with us because there are some things that God has allowed my wife and I to walk through as singles and then while we're married that we believe can be principles to add to the art of the heart series so if if you'd like to greet the people and we'll get going I think you've said it all but I just want to say that I'm very grateful to to be here in the house of the Lord with you I am definitely a country girl I love don't and Alabama I carry Alabama with me wherever the Lord allows us to go and I am just so grateful that you all have a house that looks like what heaven will look like this is so beautiful especially in Alabama y'all come on this is not common this is something to definitely be celebrated and we are definitely honored that you chose us to be here with you today and with that being said let's just just get into it let's get into it for those who don't know me I believe church should be enjoyed not endured so let's laugh a little bit y'all a little too quiet I need to look a little sauce on it we went to Niki's West yesterday listen the Holy Ghost some greens madam cornbread could have had a little more butter on it but the roll roll that's a roll in the sweet teas somebody back there is diabetic cuz you don't make tea like that and have low sugar that sweet tea mess with my sugar C cuz my sugar diabetes anyway if you'll do me a favor I think you were here the first part of the series but I want to go to Genesis chapter 2 Genesis chapter 2 I'm reading from the New King James Version because it is the only authorized version of heaven I'm joking Genesis 2 starting at the 8th verse actually you know what I'll just start at the seventh verse and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden and there he put the man whom he had formed and out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasing to the sight and good for food The Tree of Life was also in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil I just want to talk about the law of Eden the law of Eden and I know that they have these chairs but I'm big and I get excited so I may stand up do not be alarmed because I get excited and I just can't sit still amen plus they gave me grits in the back that's why I love your church even if you don't invite me back I'm coming back with a lot of these Church especially the white churches they give me hummus and celery and I came here they had grits with cheese I said egg cold Robocop Tata box come on come on grits grits I didn't really I got married to you because y'all country for real I love grits now I grew up in Cincinnati Ohio so y'all pray for me but this scripture I want you to grab because there's a there's a principle this idea of the law the law is the thing that is established from a foundational place to set forth the idea or the ideal that God intends for us to abide by it's a law the law of Eden must first be addressed through the construct of creation so God is on the scene in Genesis 1 the narrative says in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was without form and void and darkness was over the face of the deep and the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters and God said man it's dark around here and what God didn't say is I could really use some electricity a filament some blown glass and a conductor and then I need a shade to put on top of a lamp and then plug it into a wall what he said is let there be light and so when God speaks he speaks in the language of solutions so God didn't ask for the parts he asked for the whole so when he spoke the whole the parts showed up yes I say that because in relationship God is not speaking to individuals he's speaking to the whole so when I got married God was not interested anymore in my personal individual development exclusively he was interested in what he was creating between my wife and I which his two shall become one flesh now we both have individual Souls but in the earth we now have a collective purpose that is interconnected and we cannot escape this covenant that we've created God intends to mold something out of us and he will prune off of me and off of her that which does not look like what he spoke Jesus the problem with pruning is that God doesn't often cut off things that are dead he'll cut our stuff you love or you love or thought you loved or things you thought you needed that were very much alive but they are not in line with the thing that he is intending to create I feel God already this is the law of Eden where God immediately starts before we even get to eatin he starts with creation and so he shows off for six days just talking just I want some mountains I need a river and ocean let me get some living creatures in the water and let me get some giraffes and some monkeys and that let me just do all of this and he create he just throws stars out of his mouth he just speaks and stars show up and the greater like the Sun and the lesser like the moon and he just all of these things and then on the sixth day he has a conversation with himself yeah he says this all of this is good but let us make an in our eyes and so even though there's there is there is individuality there's unanimity even inside of the Godhead let us make man in our image according to our likeness now a likeness an image are two different things an image is a snapshot it's a one-dimensional portrait the likeness the image and the likeness are two different things in my image and in my likeness when you're like God you are multifaceted the image is to snapshot that's the picture on your screen but the likeness is when God begins to form you that's the 3d rendering and so God says I want to imprint my spirit but I need something to use come on let's see do I want to use rock no maybe some water no well there's some dirt and so he grabs dust from the ground and he begins to form it now let me ask you can you make anything out of dust you cannot make something out of dust without adding Jesus says to the woman at the well if you knew who I was you'd ask me for a drink had never thirst again because I'm not living water so even in the beginning of creation there's the seed of Christ on the inside so he creates the man forms him from the dust of the ground breeds into his nostrils the breath of life he becomes a living being the next thing we see is God plants a garden and here's where I want you to grab so we see God we're introduced to God through creation but then the interpersonal relationship with God comes with the planting jesus so the Lord God created then he decides to plant so for six days seven days he speaks six days he speaks to seventy rests then he plants so first he uses his mouth then he uses his hands this is the difference between you and everything else God spoke everything but the only thing he put his hands on was you we don't take five seconds to get a break break right there so this is just in case there's anybody telling you you're not valuable you're not worthy I need you to understand God put his hands on you God was intentional there's an intentionality about who you are feel God and I'm trying to teach but I feel the priests lead let's go hallelujah so Eden was the first thing that God planted there was an intentionality to what God set up this is important because we're dealing with the relationship there's always intentionality now notice where God planted the Bible says God planted a garden eastward in Eden the word eastward means a forementioned or before time or beforehand which means that God prophetically placed Eden and placed Adam even with his future in mind you didn't just happen to come to Bessemer you didn't just happen tonight birthed in Alabama or show up at the worship center this is something God spoke from eternity and you showed up because you are a part of a solution to a demonic right you didn't just decide to be a member of this church you didn't decide that something in your spirit said God wants me here I'm purposed to be here I'm coming to be here we're supposed to be something in the earth that the world has never seen am I talking to the right church this morning so the word Eden or the word eastward is symbolic of the prophetic inclination of God that there are no accidental lives you can't sneak in to the earth you have to be spoken into the earth if you're sitting in this chair if you're listening right now it's because you were spoken and God intends for you to be here I don't care about the the the issue surrounding your birth perhaps there was less than ideal situations but there are no accidental lives you are not the product of a romantic encounter of mom and dad you are not the accident that got through you are the intention of heaven for the attention of the earth so I'm saying that to lay the foundation for where we're about to go God creates Adam the red man the ruddy man the man from the clay and then he gives him boundaries that stinks and he says you can have all of this all that's yours just don't touch that and then that funny fellas cuz it's always a thing he tells us not to touch is the thing we want if it's Men's Conference I go somewhere else but your wives are here amen but God gives boundaries and then he says to Adam run it and what God was doing was setting a precedent because he was clear that heaven belonged to him but when he created Adam he said I need somebody to run the earth the way I run heaven that's where Dominion comes in let them have dominion run it till somebody run it run it ladies it's important for you and I'm gonna skip here and run back but please don't undermine the authority that God has given the man whether it's through your words or through your attitude or your own I don't know if you can do that or not please be careful with that because we have been gifted of Dominion from God in our original state and if we can get back to the law of Eden we will see the earth flourish in a way that we have not seen I'm talking about the law of Eden because there's so much that's happened since the fall but if we can get back to Eden to the original intent and purpose of God's created purpose for relationship then men will be in their rightful place the women will have less pressure and they will begin to thrive and our kids will be the legacy that God intended can I get an amen so then God gives boundaries and then he looks at him in Genesis 2:18 and says it is not good for John to be alone amen cuz I was 37 when I got married and hadn't even had none so I was a virgin I was like Jesus I love you but I'm tired of living holy now now send somebody Jesus so I was 37 that's why our marriage our wedding was five minutes long I have all dydt I had a white pastor because I didn't want no black preacher taking three hours I got things to do I need to lay hands and prop the side I need to touch and agree the midnight revival okay that's good Bible that's on the Salomon it's right in the middle get in man yeah yeah get in man better wobble with it what Adam didn't do is have this conversation with God hey God I've been working hard man and I was just looking at them two monkeys in the tree and they look like they are having a really good time I don't have nobody to what are they doing what are them two giraffes over there doing I don't know what that is I don't have nobody to that dock what is he didn't ask he was so focused on his assignment that God observed he's working at a pace now that he cannot finish by himself so marriage was God's solution to producing more fruit in the garden so then Adam goes to sleep God takes out a red take something from him to make something for him to bring someone to him to birth something through him he's asleep he wakes up and there she is and he looks at her was like yeah this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh she should be called woman because she came from man she's not a different species she is the rest of me she is the rest for me yes she is a man with a womb she is unique in that what I give her in concentrated form she multiplies I gave my wife groceries she makes it dinner I gave her a house she makes it a home I gave her seed she gave me a son women have the power to multiply and women have been having the power to multiply and sometimes you've had to be more than one person just in case the father wasn't there and I want to celebrate every woman that's more than one thing you're a wife you're a mother you work sometimes two jobs taking care of three kids - what we got the flu another one got a rash and you take care of all of them get two hours of sleep and get up and do it all over again and so we want to celebrate the woman that had to multiply herself that is the law of Eden yes sir hallelujah celebrate our women right now make some noise fellas not no slow clap I want to give you this about Adam and then my wife's gonna speak about Eve but there are three there are four things that I identify in the law of edom that Adam represented first he was a priest then he was a protector then he was a provider and then he was a prophet priests protect their provider and profit as men these are our primary responsibilities the priest means I set the temperature for what goes on in my house I couldn't sit down on that I'm tired because there's a spirit of casual that has invaded the Christian Church and the Christian man we've allowed too many things in our garden which is why God put the boundary up in the first place anything that comes in my house has to go through me you don't get in without my permission whether it's on the TV whether it's in your hands whether it's out of your mouth if I don't wanted it don't stay cuz this is my house and even if she made five million dollars a year more than me guess what her money doesn't change my position amen I'm still got Authority cuz I got that from heaven yeah but everything means that know that your authority is irrevocable I am the priest I said the spiritual tone in my house Devils ain't allowed in my house you can't stay in my house Jesus what do I say when I feel there's the spirit in the enemy trying to sneak into the house what do I scream in the house I'm gonna get out of my house and then I said there will be peace in my house my kids get scared I wake them up some three minutes something and I'm screaming I said there will be peace in my house and then I open the door and tell Devils to get out I sure AM out you can't stay here when I feel the spirit of contention coming against my marriage you got to get out you can't stay here because the enemy wants my marriage because covenants block curses i'ma say their covenants block curses that's why the enemy wants you he wants your marriage because when we got eaten we got the deed to the land and the only way he can get the deed to the land is through divorce trying to help somebody the only way we can transfer Authority is if we give it to the devil but as long as we do this give me your hand as long as we hold on house band I'm a house band husband I band the house together as big as I am I'm a rubber band I don't care what goes on I'm holding on you get on my nerves and I get on your nerves but we ain't going nowhere I can't stand you kiss me don't touch me hold me I get out stay here get on my nerve but girl right you I mean you better not go nowhere you better stay right here cause ain't nothing better out there for me than you and ain't nothing better for you than me and this is what God intended and we don't stay right here it's the law of Eton stay in the garden garden hallelujah I made a five-second break in the grass might look greener on the other side but the dog is also meaner stay in your garden I feel God here and I'm not talking from a perfect place I'm talking from a man who was afraid never thought I'd be married and I and and literally I said God I got a leave I can't stay my father didn't stay under my uncle stayed nobody stayed and God says you're gonna be the curse breaker you're gonna break that thing off your family so every day I wake up in my house I'm letting the devil know you can't have my son you can't have my daughter you can't have my legacy I'm gonna be right here I'm gonna be right here i'ma touch her for no reason I'm a filler booty for no reason it's mine it's all mine and then all the husbands are wild go ahead get a little feeling in church go ahead right now just go ahead it's legal it's legal go ahead don't be ashamed a man just grip it just get a good handle Amen that's right it's marriage that's what he loves what he wants that's why the devil hates it so much that's right the priest the protector the provider and the Prophet I protect the boundaries I'm also the provider I make sure that my wife and children have what they need but I'm also the Prophet I speak into her dreams I'm speaking to the future of the family because this microphone now that I have children will be a baton and I will pass it off one day and every healthy father wants their children to outdo them but now it's time for Eve and I'm gonna defer to Eve's because there's some things that events that Adam cannot do talk to me talk to Tom talk to me you got pearls on your meat I do Jesus Eve is the helper we are designed to help God's man meet destiny we are designed to take the vision and give it legs the husband has all of these wonderful things that God has seated in his heart but he can't help those things come to fruition on his own he needs you to know your position to walk in that position boldly where he is able to continue to keep creating because you're providing peace to him you're making sure that home is good and I'm not saying that's all that you do I'm saying that he has enough peace in his home to know that the kids if you have them are taken care of that his clothes are in order that his business in or is in order that his calendar is in order so that he can continue to carry out the work of the Lord you are just as important as he is because if his house is in disarray then he is cluttered in his mind and the purpose of God doesn't get carried out because he's doing what you were supposed to do so if you handle what you're supposed to do then the glory of God can fall and the legacy can be produced and perpetuated from you stay right there baby I need people to hear this because we're in a post we're in a feminist moment in history so people might be offended by the idea that I have to do X Y & Z you know I have six jobs yeah my wife is the CEO of our ministry she also is in charge of our women's ministry at our new church she's the dance ministry director at the large Church in America she also has her own company she has three earned degrees two children and a husband who's a third child and so my point is it doesn't what she's saying is not subjugating a woman to a lesser role is actually elevating you to the level that is greater because you expand every thing that God has placed into the man that you've been trusted with hear me you've been trusted to help this man we have to look at it that way in submission people are so scared of that word submission is a gift submission is a gift to us let me tell you why it is something about knowing that everything is gonna be okay because he's given the vision so you don't have to take that role God has defined that role for the man so we should accept that gift and rest in that as a one-minute and I mean submitting to what God has placed in him it does say submit one to another but we have two it says for the husbands to love their wives and it says for us to respect them so we have to respect what God has placed inside of them and be cool with submitting because that's what the word says it doesn't make you less than it actually makes you really great because he can't do what he's called to do if you weren't there to help him see it out and see it through there are some things that God will allow us to see that he can't there are some heightened discernment inside of us that we have to pray for so we're able to cover this man and his blind spots whoa stay right there cuz in the Garden of Eden when it all went down Adam placing blame talking about that woman you gave me she to reason everything and God said Eve what happened she said the serpent deceived me and I ate because Adam wasn't paying attention and the only one that took responsibility was Eve and Eve was the one that spotted the devil when Adam couldn't now listen and we can we can go here with the the people that don't belong into the marriage he ma'am might look good but he might not look God and she may look good but she can't pray you out of a wet paper bag that's our that's our favorite thing to say sashay around here with everything in order and snatched and tucked and everything and can't give you one word of Scripture to pray you through stay in the garden stay in the garden and now baby give them give them some of the things that oh yes I'm sorry I got going she's also a healer she heals the wounds that Adam accumulated throughout his work which means that sometimes our husbands will go through some things but he doesn't need anybody on the outside to champion him more than you sometimes he may follow sometimes he may not get it right but it is not up to us to say that I told you souls it's up to us to champion him and tell him it's okay babe get up and let's do it again we're supposed to be the biggest champion the biggest healer the biggest place of peace he isn't supposed to receive all of that on the outside because that is the trick of the enemy if someone champions my husband tells him that he's amazing I'm like yes he is yes he is you'd be right there with him she already told me first right because the enemy will use that deception and try to drive a wedge between you in any little place of space any insecurities that either one of you have he will use that and he will magnify it greater than it was supposed to be and help you to forget why you came together in the beginning this is purpose this is legacy so Eve is the helper she's also a healer and she also should be the highlight of her husband's life when I say that I mean she is to look like hey that's the wife she is the one she's standing with him she looks healthy she is healthy and she's working alongside that man and that does not send her into a place where she doesn't know who she is she's realizing herself every day as they are becoming becoming is continuous it doesn't just happen on the day you say I do we're always becoming together and as the highlight of your husband's life you're you are the greatest illumination of God love and representation that walks with him daily we should take caring that and we should seed him with the prayers we should seed him with the word especially when he's feeling low especially when the world has cut him down cuz the world will send men into a frenzy and have them thinking and look in the opposite way away from the wife that God has given him because they don't want the legacy and the purpose that this was meant to produce so we have to continue to be the light and to highlight our husbands and be the highlight in the marriage we're all so oh I'm sorry about the 30 seconds now let you live it's okay this is my husband's word I don't like the word hookup but it's cool in marriage we are the source of the hook-up the marriage a man the pleasure the intimacy my husband broke down this word and I love it so much he says that intimacy is into me see into me see she means the physical emotional and intellectual needs of her husband we have to work hard to foster intimacy and you know what when we can't find it with each other we are supposed to commune with God so we learned ourselves enough so that we're able to be able to communicate with each other better and more effectively my husband wants me to be a better me and I want him to be a better him but we aren't always going to live in that space we have to be honest with each other to know that sometimes the devil is gonna try to run rampant for one of us so one of us has to be um on post and able to spot the enemy and curse him down where he stands amen man so though the wife and Eve is a healer she's the helper she's the highlight and she's also the hook up because hooking up inside of marriage is legal and it's what God meant cuz how are we gonna be fruitful and multiply if we don't hook up have y'all been blessed by what we share sorry y'all we ran out of time well let's let's pray have you want to start with some prayer Lord Jesus I just thank you so much for who you are I thank you for how you have given us life giving us each other to glean from giving us your word to live by I thank you for Genesis Lord God because without Genesis there can't be revelation we love you Lord Jesus and we thank you for the bond that is marriage we thank you that you sent your son to die for us so that we could live for you a life that has already been paid for our sins that have already been paid for and I'll just cover each marriage here I cover the people that have the desire to be married I cover the people who are looking for you to show up for them because they may have made some mistakes but lord god whisper to him and tell them that there's nothing they could have ever done that would separate them from you that you can show up even in the midst of everything that they have walked through because you've done it for all of us no one perfect here just Jesus we love you Lord Jesus and we honor you when we bless you father thank you for every husband every leader every father ask that you will seal this word in law we didn't get a chance to specifically speak into our single brothers and sisters or those who are widows or widowers who are divorced and say they may say well god what about me well guess what there is an absolute plan for your life and if by chance you find yourself single by virtue of choices that were outside of your control may the Lord not only heal and touch your heart but may you before you leave this earth experience the love of a lifetime that you so richly deserve and if you are single and are in the hearing of our voices may you glean the lessons from what we shared and even if you say I don't want to ever be married may the Lord give you the strength to walk out your calling with with passion and with grace and serve God with everything that you have and if you are believing God for a spouse may you serve Him in your singleness until such time as God allows you to be found or if you were a man you find her because it is a man who finds a wife and obtains faith in the Lord so I pray that our women will stay in position and allow the men to pursue them yeah may our men take up their rightful position as leaders prophets priests protectors and providers in Jesus name Amen hey man thank you worship centers family we love you guys [Applause]

Channel: The Worship Center with Van Moody

Views: 7,681

Rating: 4.7866669 out of 5

Keywords: worship, faith, word of God, HUB, community, unify, build people, salvation, resurrection, van moody, Pastor Van, The Worship Center, TWC, Jesus, Pastor John Gray, John Gray, Relationships, Communications, Marriage, Singles, Dating, Sex, Relational Communication, Divorce, Cheating, Widow, Eden, Gospel, Bible, The Worship Center Christian Church, God, Dothan Alabama, Alabama, Texas, South Carolina, Loving yourself, Sex in marriage, Life

Id: TOeSjrRP1Ak

Length: 40min 1sec (2401 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 16 2018