Hiding and blaming

[0:00] Do you not think that is a moment of absolute horror? In verse 6, she took and ate, she gave and he ate it.

[0:17] Because Adam and Eve, like us, we're creatures, we're created by God, the God who in the beginning created the heavens and the earth, and he forms us as human beings tenderly, he breathes life into us, he owns us, this God of ours, he provides for us lavishly food and beauty and he gives us purpose as his creatures, he's our good, rightful king.

[0:41] We're made in his image to be like him and know him and enjoy him and serve him forever in his presence. We're meant to live lives completely free from shame and guilt as we love this glorious creator of ours.

[0:55] But it's not like that now for us. Genesis 1-3, we've said for adults and children, is here to teach us about our world and about us.

[1:08] And Genesis 3 describes just the horror, really, of what we call the fall as we human beings turn from our good creator and our rightful ruler.

[1:22] Did you notice in Genesis 3 verse 1, I think adults and children looked at it last week, the snake appears. Please don't be scared, this isn't real, but it's one I just have at home.

[1:33] The snake appears and the snake in Genesis 3 is the ancient serpent, it's the devil, it's Satan who gets to work.

[1:45] You know what Satan does? Look at this, verse 1. He said to the woman, did God really say, you mustn't eat from any tree in the garden? Question God's word, don't believe what he says.

[1:58] In verse 4, the snake said, you will not die if you take from the tree. God's a liar, he won't judge you. In verse 5, the snake said, God knows that when you eat from that tree, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

[2:17] God is not good. Go on, you can take from that tree. Don't believe his word. Don't believe your judgment. Doubt his goodness.

[2:29] And in verse 6, having been deceived by the serpent's cunning, the woman makes her move. Did you notice in the story, in Genesis 2 and 3, there's all sorts of action, but it all narrows down on this one moment, this close-up scene.

[2:47] The woman, the fruit, her husband, and a decision about God. Verse 6 is kind of in slow motion. Can you imagine this? When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye and desirable for gaining wisdom, that's what she sees, it's what she thinks in that moment.

[3:11] The voice of her God is behind her and the voice of the snake is ringing in her ears. Don't trust him, you won't die. And she says, I'm hungry. It looks good.

[3:22] It will give me wisdom and freedom. And so reaching out her hands, she took some and she ate it.

[3:33] She gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate it. And in Genesis 3 verse 6, the deed is done. And as Adam and Eve chew on the fruit, this is what's happened.

[3:48] With eyes wide open and fully responsible, they've listened to the lies of the devil, they've thrust God aside, they've disobeyed his word, they've stepped out from under the rule and care of their good king.

[4:03] They've stepped into a brave new world where they will set the rules from now on. They've chosen sin. And you and I are meant to kind of see and taste something of the horror of disobeying God.

[4:20] It's not slightly naughty, but nice, no harm done. In the garden, Adam and Eve, they rebel. We won't listen.

[4:32] We don't trust you. We don't think you're good. We will not have you as our God. We disobey your commands. I wonder if you can see or just think in the moment about the, just the deeply offensive horror of being like that towards our good creator.

[4:53] Because it's not just Adam and Eve. It's you and me too. We who are natural born sinners and like to do what we want and thrust our God aside.

[5:08] And that's chapter three, verses one to six. It explains us. It explains us as children and adults. It explains our world. But verse six isn't the end of it. This morning, we're going to look at verses seven to 13 and see how life kind of unravels and rots for sinners.

[5:30] Just got a very simple thing I want us to see this morning from Genesis three about how life is for people who sin. What they do, what life is like for them.

[5:44] And the first thing in verses seven, eight, nine, and ten is that sinners love to, we love to hide.

[5:56] We hide away. In the garden, in Genesis two, verse 25, let me take the snake off. In Genesis two, verse 25, do you see this?

[6:06] What happens? Adam and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame. That is, before they disobeyed God, there was an innocence about them. They were totally uncovered.

[6:20] They didn't have anything to hide. They had no guilt. They could just stand before God and before one another. And it says they felt no shame, nothing to hide away.

[6:34] But do you see what happens now in verse seven? Having taken the fruit, verse seven, and then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised that they were naked.

[6:47] So they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Having chosen to disobey their God, now something's changed in them.

[6:59] They're no longer innocent. They want to cover up. They feel they need to hide away. They can't be seen anymore. I haven't got any fig leaves.

[7:09] It's like they take whatever they can and they wrap it around themselves so that no one can see them. I guess they would cover their faces if they would like, could do.

[7:20] They hide away. They hide away from God as well.

[7:31] In verses eight to ten, look at this. 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.

[7:43] Like how life is meant to be is that when God comes walking you go and meet him and you talk with him and you know him and love him. He comes to them and they hid from the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

[8:00] Do you see that? They hide away from their God. I was going to get someone to come out and stand up front in front of my wonderful tree but I realised this morning after I'd blown it up that I've got a hole in it.

[8:10] So you can't come and stand behind the tree but I've got a picture here anyway. They hide behind the tree. They hide from the one who is coming to see them.

[8:25] And I guess you can understand why. Think of it like this. Say you're a boy or a girl at home or you're an adult at home or in the office and you do something wrong. You disobey your mum or your dad or someone who's in charge and you hear them coming.

[8:40] Think. And your heart beats faster. And you look this way and that and you know that they're coming and you know what you've done and you're ashamed and you're guilty and what do you do?

[8:54] Like if you're a very little child you know what you do? You put your hand up like this because you think if I can't see them they can't see me. Or if you're a little child you look away like that when the grown-up comes.

[9:06] Or you run upstairs and you hide away under your sheets because you can't bear to be seen. You're afraid you've been caught.

[9:17] It's what humanity does here. Did you notice though also adults and children that it is not like God is hiding and the people are going and seeking him and looking for him.

[9:33] I think in our world today we soon kind of imagine life is like that that God is kind of hiding away behind the tree and he's far away from us and we're all seeking God and if only God would show us himself clearly then we'd come to him and believe in him.

[9:52] But actually in the Bible it's the other way around. God is the one who comes seeking and it's human beings who hide away from him.

[10:04] in shame and guilt and fear because well when Jesus came into the world to seek and to save it's not that everybody came running to him.

[10:17] John says in his Gospel this is the verdict light that's Jesus has come into the world but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

[10:29] Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. I don't want to come to God I want to stay hidden because I'm ashamed and I'm guilty and I'm afraid.

[10:49] This is what happens in the garden here it's very profound for adults to take hours and hours to think what this looks like in our own lives but sinners hide.

[10:59] I guess it's worth asking do you know what that looks like or do you do that? Sometimes I think you can hide behind a list of questions about the Christian faith.

[11:14] If only God would show himself more clearly if only I had more evidence for the resurrection if only God could answer the question why does suffering happen then I would come running to him.

[11:26] except if I get answers to those questions I will find another question to hide behind to hold God at arm's length. Or you can hide behind a good Christian heritage.

[11:41] I'm faithful I serve him I'm quite nice I've grown up in a Christian family all the time hoping that God won't see through the smoke screen to what lies beneath.

[12:00] But he can and he does because in verse 11 look verse 10 the man said I heard you in the garden I was afraid because I was naked and so I hid and he said who told you you were naked have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat I know what you've done.

[12:23] And so for the man here really there is nowhere to hide and so secondly just a second thing to notice he switches from hiding to blaming.

[12:37] he said who told you you were naked have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat and the man said well he got his big finger out really and the man said did you notice in verse 12 the woman you put here with me she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it who is he blaming the woman and you got you gave her to me and she gave me the fruit it's not my fault and so verse 13 the Lord God said to the woman what is this you have done and the woman said the snake deceived me and I ate it's the devil's fault do you see what happens here in Genesis 3 God has not even yet said a curse upon you and you will die but for people who turn away from the living God something goes terribly wrong inside us we're ashamed and guilty and fearful and so sinners hide and blame except the thing is we can't escape because the God who reigns in heaven above he sees and he knows and it says in the New Testament in Hebrews 4 verse 13 nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight everything is uncovered and bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account that is however much we try to we can't hide and the day is coming when everything and we will be uncovered and the eyes of God will look upon us and he is the one to whom we must give account and on that day there'll be no hiding away or excuses and there'll be no blaming she did it and he did it but God will see clearly he will see us we won't be able to say before him

[14:54] I had a bad day or I was tired or it was my wife's fault that I was like that or how can I help what I feel or the devil made me do it we will stand before the living God and he will see us and see the horror of disobedience and the one who has said the wages of sin is death he will do what he says and we shall and we will die that's Genesis 3 this morning like this is for adults this is for children too it's really important to understand what we are like in a world where everyone always says you're so nice you're so lovely you're so wonderful and deep down inside you know how naughty you can be and how you do wrong and how you don't live for and love the God who made you adults know that should do children know that should do and if you arrive at

[16:01] Genesis 3 and that's all there is in the Bible story and life then we sit here today you sit here and I stand here and we've been created in the image of God to live in his world but we've turned away from him and disobeyed and we hide and we blame and the only result will be death except have you noticed as we've looked in Genesis all the way through we try to end every talk on these verses with something about Jesus because into a world of sin and hiding and blaming the Lord God sends a saviour for people like you and me the God against whom we rebel the God from whom we hide has acted in extraordinary grace towards sinners like us because in Jesus God has come and sought us out so that he might cover our nakedness and deal with our sin and shame and in his grace restore us to himself do you know this about Jesus he who always did right he who had nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of he was stripped naked and exposed and he was nailed to a tree of wood and he bore on his shoulders all the shame and guilt of millions upon millions of disobedient sinners and he did that and he died the death that we deserve so that today to every single person here in this room and around the world who turns to him who runs to him we discover that our transgressions can be forgiven and our sins can be covered and in fact the New Testament says this all of you who were baptised into Christ you who have come and turned and put your faith in Jesus you have clothed yourself with Christ that is in the gospel when you come to

[18:20] Jesus you are clothed once more in him you are covered in his perfect life and righteousness so that now for a person who turns to Jesus knowing how much we have hidden and what blaming we've done and what shame we have when you come to the Lord Jesus Christ your sins can be covered you can be clothed in him and you can be restored to your God forever and have nothing to fear and no shame and no guilt for all eternity sinners hide and blame Jesus came to seek and to save and cover and include you and restore you to your God isn't that good news that is Genesis 3 we're going to do some singing in a moment but before we do we're going to pray together pretty much every week we pray some words of confession sometimes you might feel oh we just trot through that but it's such an important thing to do on the screen here are some words that we sometimes say some weeks to God our Father that you create us from nothing and give us life and yet we have sinned against you as Adam and Eve have done rejecting your rule and living by the light of your own eyes we're going to pray that and then ask him to forgive us and restore us so what

[20:07] I think I'd like to do I think that's okay we're going to have a moment of quiet just to think about ourselves and our lives and it might be over this past week you think there are things I've hidden away from other people and from God you might think there are moments this week where I've in my mind or in what I've said I've blamed other people for how I've behaved and with that in mind if you would like to you can come together and pray to our Father in heaven so let me leave a moment of quiet and then I will lead us in prayer we'll say together so let's let's have a