Sermon Transcript: “When God Breathed” by Min. Alfred Odom

Speaker: Minister Alfred Odom
Sunday, November 15, 2015 at New Beginning Church of God

God formed Man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Then man became a living soul. When God breathed. 

I think it’s important in our walk with God and just on this life’s journey to have a starting point. It’s important to know where you came from. People often talk about their origin story, where they came from. Everyone has a history. People have a genealogy as far as their own personal family roots of where they came from, but I think it’s important for us to know as mankind where we came from. It’s important for us to have a starting point, for sometimes in this Christian walk it’s important to take a little step back because there was a reason Jesus died on the cross. There was a reason we got to that point so there is a starting point for mankind. In verse 7 when it says, “and the Lord God formed man,” don’t think man is just talking about man itself, but we’re talking about mankind. We know later in this chapter it talks about God creating woman. In chapter one it talks about God creating man and woman as one, mankind. So when we look at the word man and we look at it in the context in which it is written, we’re talking about mankind. I think it’s important for us to know a starting point for ourselves. Why was it necessary for the crucifixion? Who were we before that point in time? We’re not talking about per se us in general. This story is talking about Adam and Adam represents mankind. Adam represents where we came from, therefore we can insert ourselves into this story. The first 5 books in the bible, referred to as the pentateuch, talks about the story of Israel. Because we are here with Christ and we’re talking about creation itself, we’re talking about us. We don’t adopt the stories of other nations that may have been around at the time. We’re talking about mankind and where we came from, for we’re using this book of the Lord. So we’re talking about us when they talk about man in verse 7.

And I think it’s important for us to get a starting point, and to realize who we are, because in this walk of life we often have questions about what are my pursuits? Where am I going? What is it that I want to do? What is working on my heart to pursue? How can I go about pursuing that? We often have questions about life in general just from growing up in this walk that we are in, on our jobs or in pursuit of a job. Or maybe I’m in transition. I want to know how to pursue things, what I should do, what should I put at the top of the list. What’s in the middle of the list? How do I handle life in general? Sometimes these are perplexing questions because we go from day to day and sometimes I listen to people, and when they talk, they’re talking about all that they’re doing and how busy they may be. And then sometimes I say, you have to take a step back because you may run past yourself. Sometimes you have to take a step back and realize where you’re walking and where you’re going. And you have to answer these tough questions of life…How do I pursue? What do I pursue? What does God have pounding at my heart? How do I handle life in general? How do I do that?  I think it’s important to know that God breathed, that God breathed the breath of life into man’s nostrils and he became a living soul. It’s important to know what a living soul is, because after we explore a living soul, then we can begin to understand life ourselves in our pursuits and what comes first and how we pursue them. What is a living soul?  

Scripture says, and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground. So even before we get to a living soul and God breathing, we’re formed from the dust of the ground. When you read that, you get a visualization in your mind. You think about the ground and dust. Think back thousands of years because we’re not in 2015 in this scripture. Think back thousands of years and God in his creation and think of the ground and dust of the ground. And we’re not talking about any special dust here. We’re not talking about made from gold dust or any type of special dust, but dust of the ground. But then how do we become these complex beings when we’re made from dust of the ground? Looking at this, Matthew Henry makes a point, which I liked. He says the workmanship exceeded the materials. So God’s workmanship with us exceeded the materials because the material is just the dust of the ground. But we’re more than just the dust of the ground at this point. In Psalms 139:14, a scripture we look at often says, “I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are thy works.” So we may be the dust of the ground, our soul may be housed in this clay house of ours, but we’re fearfully and wonderfully made. So that means there’s something more to us because this dust from the ground is going back. Job talks about the dust going back, but we’re fearfully and wonderfully made. So what else is that? The scripture says in verse 2:7, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” Let’s not get the visualization of holding a child and breathing into his nose, but instead, think of this metaphorically. When you think of breathe, you think of something soothing. Sometimes you think of that cartoon picture of smoke going through the air when you smell something. So when you think of breathe think of something soothing that God has done…breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. 

Jameson puts it this way. He says, not that the creator literally performed this act of breathing into the nostrils, but respiration being the medium and sign of life. Because when we breathe, that’s a sign of life. This phrase is used to show that man’s life originated in a different way from his body. So we’re made from the dust, but the way life comes into us is different than that dust. We’re implanted directly by God, so he breathed a breath of life into our nostrils, so that life is coming from him. That Spirit is coming from him. So, although we’re made from the dust this dust has now become animated. The way this dust is animated is through God directly. So when we talk about God creating this earth and being so awesome, if he has now breathed into us, where does that leave us? What does that make us? We’re not just dust anymore, but we’re something more than that dust. 

So it says he breathed into us and man became a living soul? When we talk about breathing, Ecclesiastes, 12:7 says, “then shall the dust return to the Earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God, who gave it.” So the spirit comes from God and the dust comes from the Earth. But the spirit shall return to God who gave it. Job 27:3 says, “and all the while my breath is in me and the spirit of God is in my nostrils.” So it seems like he’s going back to this creation story because God breathed the breath of life through our nostrils. It says in Job 33:4, “the spirit of God hath made me and the breath of almighty hath given me life.” The life comes from God. Before the life came from God we were just the dust. God created us but how do we become animated beings? How does that life get in us? When he breathed the breath of life man became a living soul. When you look at soul and you look at the different terms for soul and the language in which this was…you look at Hebrew, you look at Greek, we’re talking about the seat of the sentiant element of man. When we say the sentiant element of man, we’re talking about where those desires reside. We’re talking about that which you perceive, reflect, and desire and feel. That’s the soul. We talk about the seed of feeling, desire, affections, all those things reside in the soul. Think of that compartment of yourself, but man became a living soul. It says the seed of appetite, the seed of will and purpose, all of that being the soul. But what resides in that soul?

When we talk about heart, mind, body and soul, the soul is where this resides and now that you have a living soul, that means there’s ramifications. Because if you didn’t have a soul, if you didn’t have desires, a will, purpose, any of those type of feelings, any life, you were just dead and just dust, there would be no repercussions to your life. But now the fact that you are a living soul, a place where desires reside, affections reside, a will has a room to reside. The fact that you are a living soul, the fact that there are now repercussions to what you do, the fact that now something can happen to you there’s an end game now because you now are alive. The fact that you now are alive, how do you handle life? Because before you became a living soul, you were just dust. I once heard Bishop Penn preach on the topic “Dust Plus.” See, now that you are animated, now that you’re a living soul, you’re more than just the dust. There’s a place now where all the wills reside. But what does that mean? The soul is not something you can see. It’s like that immaterial part. It’s that invisible part of us. But I tell you, your actions do make it visible, because our desires, wills, perceptions, reflections and what we do resides in that soul. But how is that soul made up? What works on that soul to make you who you are? So then we have to start talking about a spirit. Then when we start talking about the spirit, we talk about God’s spirit being within us. But at this juncture I just have to hit the part of the story where we often pick up. Because we know that man was in the garden and things we know where we say was in a like a perfect state where there was no wrongdoing we say going on. I don’t know if I want to use those words, but y’all know the story. So we’re in the garden. Think of this, bliss. Then there’s a point in time where there’s disobedience and with the disobedience came sin. But now with the sin God’s graciousness made a way for us to get back in connection with God through his Son Jesus Christ. If we just start right there with the son Jesus Christ and finding our way back to God, and we talk about the Holy Spirit revives us we talk about the word of God teaching. We’re talking about giving our lives over to him, changing our lives around because we’re born into sin, so we know we have some ways that are gravitating towards the evil one. 

But we need the word of God to draw us back in. But I want us to understand that before Christ even died, when God made us, we became a living soul. So that means there’s a desire in us to be connected to him. That happened because during the creation time God breathed and we became a living soul. So then due to disobedience we need to be drawn back to him, but understand why that is because there’s a yearning in us to be connected to him because he’s the one that breathed life into us. So that has been adulterated through sin, but now God has made a way for us to get back to him. So if you understand that you were made a living soul, that God breathed into you the breath of life and through sin that disconnection was made, you know why we need to get back. Because if you go through life and you’re trying to do things on your own, worrying about what I can accomplish, how do I accomplish it, what do I do first, it will never be first on your plate to have a connection with God. You will not see the relevance of having a connection with God if you do not understand that it’s God who gave you life, if you do not understand that it is God who breathed life into you. 

It’s one thing that he formed you from the dust of the earth, but he’s the one that breathed life into you. So because he breathed that life into you, you have a yearning to be connected to him.  When you talk about moving in and going through life and accomplishing in life, and what does God have for me to do, the only way you’re going to have rest is if you find your way back to him. Matthew 11:49 says take my yoke upon you and learn of me. For I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your souls. When you look at the word rest, we’re thinking of blessed tranquility. Tranquility is a place of peace. So how do you find rest?

We often may go through life wondering what should I accomplish? What should I do? How do I get this? How do I get that, but never take time to stop and say God, I need a connection with you. Because that’s the only way your soul is going to have rest. If your soul finds rest, tranquility and peace in God, then you can accomplish what God has for you to do. God has a job for all of us to do. God has a place for all of us. God wants us connected back to him because that’s where we belong. He’s the one that breathed life into us. When God breathed, things began to happen. When God breathed that’s when life came. When God breathed that’s when we became more than just dust. We became an animated man, somebody with feelings, thoughts, perceptions and reflection. And getting back to God will now steer those thoughts, perceptions, reflections and desires back in the right direction. 

Psalms 107:9 says, “he satisfieth the longing soul and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” God is the one that is going to satisfy. We may often find ourselves walking through life displeased. We may get upset at situations of life. But, when we were born, we were born into the elements of this world that already existed. We were born into situations that we can’t necessarily change. You may be able to change some circumstances of life, but you can’t change all the elements of life. What elements are you talking about? Hatred exists and is here because sin is here. Selfishness exists and is here because sin is here. Covetousness exists and is here because sin is here. We cannot change these elements and those are just some of the elements of the world in which we live. You can’t always change individuals. 

You can learn how to work with individuals, but you can’t always change individuals because it’s not for us to change someone, but it’s up for God to do the changing. What we must do is master ourselves, and we cannot master ourselves on our own. We need to be connected to God because we need this Holy Spirit to bring us under subjection. We ought not to go through life worrying about certain situations, as far as I want to change a particular element that’s affecting me. These elements are here. What we need to deal with is us. When God breathed we became a living soul. So now understanding you are a living soul, you need to deposit a good spirit within your soul. 

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit.” So it separates soul and spirit. We may often look at it as one and the same, but it talks about the word of God being a two double-edged sword being able to divide asunder of soul, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. And it says and the joint and marrow, you think of joint dealing with the bones. Marrow is what’s within. So anything that is able to cut in there that’s a serious edge because those things are really combined. Just as we talk about the soul and spirit. But think of your soul as where the spirit is deposited. So when we talk about our soul, we have a living soul now, so there’s repercussions to what we do. 

But there’s a spirit that gets deposited there, so it behooves us to have the spirit of God, the word of God poured within our souls. Because God breathed the breath of life, so we have a yearning to him so we need to follow what God says. Because in order for us to be right within ourselves, to understand knowing what you need to do in life…and I call it finding your groove in life, where you find your place and you know where you’re going…you need to deposit the word of God into your spirit because your soul is yearning back to him. So if you deposit the word of God within your spirit, then within your soul, your soul is now yearning back to God. The scripture says, “take my yoke upon you and learn of me.” It’s telling us to read the word of God and study what God wants. So it’s in this word of God and if we study what God wants, it says I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your soul. You can be discomforted in going through life, but when you’ve studied the word of God, when you take God at his word, when you give your life over to God, when you believe that Jesus Christ his son died on the cross for our sins and giving us a connection back to God in everlasting life, then your soul is going to find rest because your soul is your being. 

2:7 in the King James version says “man became a living soul.” When you read other versions, such as the NASB or the NIV, it says “man became a living being.” So a living soul, this is your being. This is who you are and because you became a living soul now that soul is yearning back to God. So that means you must deposit the word of God into that spirit into that soul. And when you do that, your soul is going to find rest. Your soul is going to find tranquility and peace. And don’t worry about the other things of life. Scripture talks about take no worry. The scripture talks about seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things will be added unto you. God directs you as to how to pursue the other avenues of life because Scripture is wholesome. Scripture tells you about the natural parts of life also. The scripture teaches you to be diligent in business. The scripture teaches you to gain wisdom. The scripture teaches you to listen to those that are above you. Listen to your elders. Listen to instruction. Listen to those with experience. If you do all those things, everything else will fall in line. If you do those things, then you will gain insight into what to pursue in life. So you need not worry about what to pursue in life and how am I going to make it or what job am I going to get? Because if you follow scripture and follow the word of God, God will lead you into getting the proper education. God will lead you into going in the right avenues, being in touch with the right individuals to get what you need. You just need first to believe that if I follow God, that’s going to be the answer to all things. Jesus is the answer to all things. 

Psalms 119:105 says “the word is lamp unto feet.” So it’s a source of illumination and guidance. It guides you, protects you, directs you. Matthew 22:37 says, “thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Your ways of thinking. I have this saying, be determined to nurture and protect your mind every minute. So think of a clock with the hour hand with the mind and the minute hand with determination. Every minute of the day, be determined to protect your mind. If you protect your mind by reading the word of God and praying to God, meditating on his word, God will direct you and God will keep you. You will have a soul that is filled with the spirit of God and it’s going to find rest. 

I think it’s Matthew Henry that said, “the body would be a worthless, useless, loathsome caucus if the soul did not animate it.” So if you didn’t have a living soul, this body would be nothing on its own. To God that gave us these souls we must shortly give an account of them. So you’re going to have to give an account of your being. You’re going to have to give an account of your life. God gave you a living soul. You’re going to have to give an account of it. How we have employed it, used it, proportioned it, disposed of it. What did you do with the life God gave you? Did you try to guide your life outside of his guidance where you were hitting the wall every time because you didn’t follow him? Or did you deposit God’s spirit, the word of God into your life and nurture that soul of yours realizing that one day it’s going to have to answer to God. One day it’s going to have a permanent residence. Where do you want that permanent residence to be? Because right now we’re just pilgrims traveling on a journey of life. But your soul is going to have a permanent residence. Though it were to gain the world, what would that do if you were to gain the world? So if it be found to have been lost, what are we going to say to the good Lord? 

The soul is noble. The nature and faculties are so excellent. Let us not be as those that despise their own souls by preferring their bodies before them. Don’t prefer your own selfish desires and what you want over your own soul that God has given you. Don’t neglect the word of God and what he says as far as how to live this life and have the answers to your questions. Don’t do that, preferring your own fleshly bodies and desires over it. Proverbs 15:32 says “he that refuses instruction despises his own soul, but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.” You have a living soul. God breathed. And you have a living soul. Because God breathed let every breath of ours be after him. He breathed into us, let’s breathe after him. Let’s breathe after the Lord. Let’s follow him. Let all of our desires and what we want follow God. When we breathe after him, our desires are after him. Think of one panting after God. One breathing after God I need to follow him. Every minute of the day I need to nurture my mind, my heart, my soul and my spirit after the Lord. But as God breathed into us, let us breathe after him.