Good Shepherd Luth with Pastor Jonathan Jahnke "Adam and Christ: What has god really said?" 2/22/26

As the church moves into Lent, the congregation receives an invitation to reflect on sin, limits, and the way God's goodness meets human need through Christ. Genesis 3 unfolds as a study in temptation: the serpent twists goodness into a promise of limitlessness, luring Adam and Eve to take what was never theirs. That act exposes human limits—nakedness, fear, death—and reveals that God’s boundary around the tree functioned as protection, not punishment. The law shows those limits so people will see their need for a Savior.

The wilderness temptation of Jesus provides the counterpoint. Faced with hunger, pride, and the lure of power, Jesus resists by returning to Scripture: "It is written." The image of putting on the whole armor of God ties God’s word to spiritual clothing—an active practice that equips believers to stand against schemes of the evil one. Children are shown how being clothed in Jesus’ righteousness matters in everyday choices, and the congregation receives concrete examples of using God’s word to fight temptation.

Limits and failure receive pastoral reframing: limits do not negate flourishing but point to dependence on Christ. Parenting, ministry, and personal struggle all expose limits; those limits reveal the need for ongoing grace. The unfolding drama moves from law to gospel—where the law confronts and shows fragility, the gospel lifts with forgiveness grounded in Christ’s death and resurrection. Baptism and absolution appear as means by which God plants life amid limits, promising restoration rather than abandonment.

Prayers, confession, and communal liturgy reinforce that God meets human need precisely where limits show up. Worship includes confession, Psalm 32’s assurance of forgiveness, the Apostles’ Creed, intercessions for the sick and grieving, and the Lord’s Prayer, all framing life under God’s care. The service closes with a benediction that presses the paradox: life in Christ proves greater than human limitation because God supplies what limits expose. The congregation leaves urged to trust God with limits, to confess rather than hide, and to live within human boundaries while clinging to the unlimited mercy revealed in Jesus Christ.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Limits reveal need for God Limits function as honest mirrors that show finitude and failure. When limits surface—through law, loss, or parenting—they expose dependence on Someone beyond human control. Rather than shame, those limits serve as entry points into deeper reliance on Christ, who meets need where inability appears. [31:42]
• 2. Scripture clothes against temptation God’s word operates like spiritual garments: it covers, steadies, and equips for moral struggle. Recalling Scripture in trial transforms desire for autonomous power into obedience shaped by truth. Regular engagement with Scripture trains the mind to name temptation and refuse its false promises. [21:15]
• 3. Limits invite flourishing, not condemnation Boundaries established by God protect created goodness and channel life toward fruitfulness. Human limits direct activity toward relationship with God and neighbor instead of autonomous self-exaltation. Embracing limits with faith enables growth that reflects divine life, not mere human mastery. [41:10]
• 4. Confession opens access to forgiveness Confession refuses hiding and invites restoration through declared mercy. Admitting sin under God’s promise brings relief from the toll of secrecy and opens participation in the gospel’s renewing work. Absolution and baptism embody God’s readiness to restore and cultivate new life. [06:31]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:46] - Entering Lent and Reflection
• [05:05] - Confession and Absolution
• [09:37] - Genesis 3 Reading
• [13:00] - Psalm 32 Responsively
• [16:23] - Gospel: Temptation of Jesus
• [18:13] - Children's Talk: Clothed by God
• [25:03] - Sermon Begins: Limits and Perfection
• [31:42] - Temptation and Limitlessness
• [38:45] - Gospel Meets the Law
• [43:32] - Apostles' Creed & Prayers
• [52:08] - Lord's Prayer & Blessing
• [55:09] - Announcements & Events
• [59:10] - Closing and Dismissal

1. In Genesis 3, what specific tactic did the serpent use to tempt Eve, and what was the core promise he made to her?
2. How did Adam and Eve's immediate reaction after eating the fruit reveal their new understanding of their own limits? (Genesis 3:7-8)
3. In the account of Jesus' temptation in Matthew 4, what was His consistent response to each of the devil's offers, and what was the source of that response?
4. What was God's final act of care for Adam and Eve after pronouncing the consequences of their sin? (Genesis 3:21)

1. The sermon suggested that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a protective boundary, not a punishment. How does this perspective change the way one views God's command and the nature of the first sin?
2. How does Jesus' use of Scripture to combat temptation provide a model for understanding the practical function of God's Word in a believer's daily life? [21:15]
3. The consequences given to Adam, Eve, and the serpent in Genesis 3 are often seen as purely punitive. In what ways could these "curses" also be seen as gracious limits that now structure a fallen world and point humanity back toward dependence on God?
4. The sermon reframed failure and limits as opportunities to discover our need for Christ. [37:29] Why is it often so difficult to see personal failure in this light, and how does the gospel make this perspective possible?

1. Limits reveal our need for God. [31:42] What is one personal limit (e.g., in parenting, work, a relationship, or a personal struggle) that has recently felt overwhelming or like a failure? How can that specific limit become an "entry point" for deeper reliance on Christ instead of a source of shame?
2. Scripture operates like spiritual clothing to cover, steady, and equip us for struggle. [21:15] What is one area of recurring temptation where you feel ill-equipped? Identify one specific verse or promise from God's Word that can be "put on" as armor to stand firm in that specific battle this week.
3. God's boundaries are meant to protect created goodness and channel life toward fruitfulness, not to stifle it. [41:10] Where in your life are you most tempted to see God's commands or your own human limitations as a punishment that prevents flourishing? How can trusting God's goodness within those boundaries actually lead to a more fruitful and peaceful life?
4. Confession refuses hiding and invites restoration through declared mercy. [06:31] What makes it difficult to honestly confess your sins—to God or to another trusted believer—instead of hiding them? What would it look like this week to take a specific failure to God in confession, trusting solely in His "boundless mercy" for the sake of Christ?
5. Embracing limits with faith enables growth that reflects divine life, not mere human mastery. [41:10] In our culture that celebrates self-sufficiency and "limitless" potential, how can you actively cultivate a mindset that sees dependence on Christ as a strength rather than a weakness? What is one practical step you can take to do this?