WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.580 Good evening, let's start with prayer. 00:00:03.620 --> 00:00:05.980 Our Father and our Lord, we do indeed thank you 00:00:05.980 --> 00:00:08.279 for the privilege of being able to meet together 00:00:08.279 --> 00:00:09.980 and look at your word. 00:00:10.759 --> 00:00:13.359 Father, we pray that each of us might be sensitive 00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:15.620 to what it is that you are teaching us tonight. 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:19.699 Father, we pray that you might give us calm minds 00:00:19.699 --> 00:00:23.260 and open hearts, in Jesus' name, amen. 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:29.039 I'm sorry for the coughs. 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:31.000 I apologise up front. 00:00:31.679 --> 00:00:34.920 It is wonderful to be here and it is even more wonderful 00:00:34.920 --> 00:00:38.359 to start this new series on identity, 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:41.259 as Janet has spoken about. 00:00:41.679 --> 00:00:47.840 And you might wonder why would we choose a topic like identity? 00:00:48.780 --> 00:00:53.000 Well, at the very heart of who we are 00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:56.480 is what influences all of our decisions. 00:00:56.479 --> 00:00:59.640 It influences the choices we make. 00:01:00.359 --> 00:01:03.399 It will influence all of our reactions, 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:07.959 whether they are reactions to things that happen out there 00:01:07.959 --> 00:01:11.920 to other people or the things that happen to ourselves. 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:18.859 We, at our very core, that influences all of those things. 00:01:18.859 --> 00:01:21.939 And depending on how we see ourselves, 00:01:22.459 --> 00:01:26.060 depends on whether our inner being is in turmoil 00:01:26.060 --> 00:01:28.459 or whether it's frustrated 00:01:28.459 --> 00:01:31.180 or whether it is at peace 00:01:31.180 --> 00:01:33.760 with whatever is happening in our world. 00:01:34.719 --> 00:01:36.359 And it's how we see ourselves 00:01:36.359 --> 00:01:38.359 that we need to look at very closely 00:01:38.359 --> 00:01:41.460 because I actually think that it helps us 00:01:41.460 --> 00:01:44.920 live the life that the Lord actually has called us to live, 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:47.299 if we're very honest with ourselves. 00:01:47.939 --> 00:01:51.500 We already know that if we are one of God's children, 00:01:52.079 --> 00:01:56.099 then we are to be a light in our community. 00:01:56.280 --> 00:01:58.260 We're to be a light in our families. 00:01:58.980 --> 00:02:01.920 And we're expected to respond differently 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:06.000 to whatever happens in life 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:07.680 and the things that are thrown at us. 00:02:07.879 --> 00:02:10.659 We're expected to live differently 00:02:10.659 --> 00:02:12.479 because we are Christian. 00:02:14.099 --> 00:02:18.099 Scripture tells us that we will go through many trials 00:02:18.099 --> 00:02:20.780 to enter the kingdom of heaven. 00:02:22.620 --> 00:02:25.439 And so how we go through those trials 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:31.280 and not to be personally shattered along the way 00:02:31.280 --> 00:02:34.819 is what we want to actually look at. 00:02:35.740 --> 00:02:38.659 In Corinthians, Paul actually is encouraging 00:02:38.659 --> 00:02:39.659 all the new believers. 00:02:40.659 --> 00:02:42.199 And he's saying to the new believers 00:02:42.199 --> 00:02:45.919 about the way that they perceive themselves 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:47.500 but also other people. 00:02:48.060 --> 00:02:49.199 He says to them, 00:02:49.479 --> 00:02:50.680 from now on, 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:54.960 we regard no one from a worldly view. 00:02:55.960 --> 00:02:59.219 Now, wouldn't that be fantastic if that was us? 00:02:59.219 --> 00:03:02.560 But we do regard others. 00:03:02.719 --> 00:03:05.539 We do regard people from a worldly view, don't we? 00:03:05.539 --> 00:03:09.459 We tend to identify ourselves and others 00:03:09.459 --> 00:03:10.759 by our appearance, 00:03:11.259 --> 00:03:12.239 by our performance, 00:03:12.759 --> 00:03:14.180 and our social status. 00:03:15.299 --> 00:03:17.379 And the Bible is very clear, however, 00:03:17.459 --> 00:03:18.899 that that's not who we are. 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:22.659 It says that we're made in the image of God. 00:03:22.659 --> 00:03:27.120 And being made in the image of God, 00:03:27.240 --> 00:03:29.099 we have a spiritual nature 00:03:29.099 --> 00:03:30.840 and we have a human nature, 00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:32.879 a human body of flesh. 00:03:32.879 --> 00:03:36.280 But it's not our outer person, 00:03:36.740 --> 00:03:37.500 this bit. 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:41.299 It's not this that is made in the image of God. 00:03:41.859 --> 00:03:45.879 It's our inner person that is created in the image of God. 00:03:45.879 --> 00:03:50.740 It's our inner person that has the capacity 00:03:50.740 --> 00:03:53.599 to think, to feel, to choose. 00:03:54.379 --> 00:03:56.280 Deep down inside of us, 00:03:56.439 --> 00:03:58.620 we are spiritual beings. 00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:02.639 1 Corinthians 4.18 says, 00:04:02.780 --> 00:04:04.620 For what is seen is temporary, 00:04:05.300 --> 00:04:07.620 but what is unseen is eternal. 00:04:08.900 --> 00:04:11.919 So when we look at Adam and Eve before the fall, 00:04:12.539 --> 00:04:14.699 we know that originally 00:04:14.699 --> 00:04:18.300 their lives were very different. 00:04:19.620 --> 00:04:24.099 They were alive both physically and spiritually. 00:04:25.240 --> 00:04:26.620 Being physically alive 00:04:26.620 --> 00:04:29.379 means that Adam's physical body 00:04:29.379 --> 00:04:31.539 was connected to his inner being, 00:04:32.019 --> 00:04:33.539 to the core of his being. 00:04:34.599 --> 00:04:36.300 And we too are physically alive. 00:04:36.560 --> 00:04:40.579 We can taste, touch, smell, feel and see. 00:04:41.500 --> 00:04:44.300 But Adam was also spiritually alive. 00:04:44.699 --> 00:04:45.719 That is, 00:04:46.060 --> 00:04:47.779 the core of his being 00:04:47.779 --> 00:04:49.759 was connected to God. 00:04:50.620 --> 00:04:53.860 And that is how we were designed to be as well. 00:04:54.620 --> 00:04:55.479 On the one hand, 00:04:55.620 --> 00:04:58.339 our spirit connected to our physical bodies. 00:04:59.339 --> 00:05:00.360 And on the other hand, 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:02.699 our spirit connected to God. 00:05:03.300 --> 00:05:04.939 But a change came, 00:05:05.939 --> 00:05:08.319 which we'll talk about in a moment 00:05:08.319 --> 00:05:09.539 with Adam and Eve. 00:05:09.540 --> 00:05:11.400 First of all, 00:05:11.400 --> 00:05:12.460 we need to understand 00:05:12.460 --> 00:05:14.220 that this connection to God 00:05:14.220 --> 00:05:18.780 gave Adam a whole different quality of life 00:05:18.780 --> 00:05:21.379 from mere physical existence. 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:24.120 Being spiritually alive 00:05:24.120 --> 00:05:26.180 meant that Adam's identity 00:05:26.180 --> 00:05:30.020 had three very important qualities. 00:05:30.019 --> 00:05:32.139 That is, 00:05:32.459 --> 00:05:33.560 he had significance, 00:05:34.439 --> 00:05:35.560 he had security, 00:05:35.879 --> 00:05:36.919 and he had acceptance. 00:05:38.539 --> 00:05:40.000 Let's look at significance. 00:05:40.299 --> 00:05:44.159 God gave Adam a purpose for being. 00:05:44.759 --> 00:05:48.039 He was to rule over the birds of the sky, 00:05:48.159 --> 00:05:49.180 the beasts of the field 00:05:49.180 --> 00:05:50.439 and the fish of the sea, 00:05:50.620 --> 00:05:51.439 scripture tells us. 00:05:51.959 --> 00:05:53.639 Adam did not need 00:05:53.639 --> 00:05:55.779 to search for significance 00:05:55.779 --> 00:05:57.679 because he already had it. 00:05:58.859 --> 00:06:00.579 He also had security. 00:06:01.479 --> 00:06:03.139 He was totally safe 00:06:03.139 --> 00:06:05.699 and secure in God's presence. 00:06:06.619 --> 00:06:09.339 Everything he needed was provided. 00:06:10.259 --> 00:06:13.000 Food, shelter, companionship, 00:06:13.399 --> 00:06:13.879 everything. 00:06:14.819 --> 00:06:16.719 He had no concept 00:06:16.719 --> 00:06:19.219 of what it meant 00:06:19.219 --> 00:06:22.319 to need anything at all. 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:25.860 And he had acceptance. 00:06:27.139 --> 00:06:30.459 Adam had an intimate relationship with God. 00:06:30.860 --> 00:06:33.060 He could talk with God at any time. 00:06:33.180 --> 00:06:36.000 He knew that he had God's full attention. 00:06:37.379 --> 00:06:39.800 Then God created Eve for Adam 00:06:39.800 --> 00:06:42.219 and he had a sense of belonging, 00:06:42.740 --> 00:06:44.159 not just to God, 00:06:44.539 --> 00:06:45.939 but to another person. 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:50.539 And they together were accepted by God 00:06:50.540 --> 00:06:53.280 and they were accepted by each other. 00:06:54.240 --> 00:06:56.720 They were naked and unashamed, 00:06:57.620 --> 00:06:58.879 nothing to hide, 00:06:59.600 --> 00:07:00.960 nothing to cover up. 00:07:01.819 --> 00:07:03.820 They had an intimate relationship 00:07:03.820 --> 00:07:04.780 with each other 00:07:04.780 --> 00:07:07.040 in the presence of God. 00:07:08.300 --> 00:07:11.320 Now that's how God created you and me to be. 00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:13.620 We were designed for that kind of life. 00:07:14.520 --> 00:07:15.620 Complete security, 00:07:16.180 --> 00:07:17.200 a real purpose, 00:07:17.660 --> 00:07:19.879 no need to worry about anything, 00:07:19.879 --> 00:07:21.680 and a sense of belonging 00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:24.040 to God and to other people. 00:07:25.540 --> 00:07:26.480 So what happened? 00:07:29.379 --> 00:07:30.139 Sorry. 00:07:30.379 --> 00:07:31.779 If having significance, 00:07:32.399 --> 00:07:34.759 security and acceptance 00:07:34.759 --> 00:07:37.319 made up Adam's identity, 00:07:38.100 --> 00:07:40.279 then what happened to us? 00:07:41.620 --> 00:07:42.079 Well, 00:07:43.040 --> 00:07:45.159 we need to look at the temptation 00:07:45.160 --> 00:07:47.760 and the fall 00:07:47.760 --> 00:07:49.600 to understand why the world 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:51.620 has a messed up identity. 00:07:53.140 --> 00:07:55.140 In Genesis 2, 8, 9, 00:07:55.260 --> 00:07:55.939 we read, 00:07:56.320 --> 00:07:57.980 Now the Lord had planted a garden 00:07:57.980 --> 00:07:59.420 in the east in Eden, 00:07:59.780 --> 00:08:02.160 and there he put the man he had formed. 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:05.000 And the Lord God made all kinds of trees 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:06.200 grow out of the ground, 00:08:06.680 --> 00:08:08.400 trees that were pleasing to the eye 00:08:08.400 --> 00:08:09.740 and good for food. 00:08:10.080 --> 00:08:11.640 In the middle of the garden 00:08:11.639 --> 00:08:13.180 were the tree of life 00:08:13.180 --> 00:08:14.839 and the tree of knowledge 00:08:14.839 --> 00:08:15.659 of good and evil. 00:08:16.740 --> 00:08:18.259 And a bit further down, 00:08:18.599 --> 00:08:19.000 it says, 00:08:19.139 --> 00:08:20.979 The Lord God took the man 00:08:20.979 --> 00:08:22.860 and put him in the garden of Eden 00:08:22.860 --> 00:08:23.979 to work it 00:08:23.979 --> 00:08:25.459 and to take care of it. 00:08:25.800 --> 00:08:27.479 And the Lord commanded the man, 00:08:27.599 --> 00:08:28.439 You are free 00:08:28.439 --> 00:08:30.839 to eat of any tree 00:08:30.839 --> 00:08:31.659 in the garden, 00:08:31.800 --> 00:08:33.340 but you must not eat 00:08:33.340 --> 00:08:35.019 from the tree of knowledge 00:08:35.019 --> 00:08:35.939 of good and evil. 00:08:36.299 --> 00:08:37.860 For when you eat of it, 00:08:38.279 --> 00:08:40.259 you will surely die. 00:08:40.259 --> 00:08:44.139 Now the tree in the centre of the garden 00:08:44.139 --> 00:08:45.600 reminds us 00:08:45.600 --> 00:08:48.100 that moral boundaries 00:08:48.100 --> 00:08:50.080 are given to us 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:52.639 for our good. 00:08:53.740 --> 00:08:55.220 They are part of the way 00:08:55.220 --> 00:08:56.279 that the world is, 00:08:56.659 --> 00:08:58.480 part of the divine pattern 00:08:58.480 --> 00:08:59.379 of the garden. 00:09:00.379 --> 00:09:02.200 And when we overstep 00:09:02.200 --> 00:09:04.840 the divinely given boundaries 00:09:04.840 --> 00:09:07.500 and seek to trespass 00:09:07.500 --> 00:09:08.919 into areas 00:09:08.919 --> 00:09:10.940 which belong to God alone, 00:09:11.940 --> 00:09:13.820 the word comes to us, 00:09:14.620 --> 00:09:16.200 for when you eat of it, 00:09:16.620 --> 00:09:18.120 you will surely die. 00:09:19.440 --> 00:09:20.919 We notice also 00:09:20.919 --> 00:09:23.039 that this one negative command 00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:25.000 is set in the context 00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:26.899 of divine care 00:09:26.899 --> 00:09:28.559 and provision from God. 00:09:28.919 --> 00:09:31.240 It is not a harsh restriction, 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:33.100 but rather 00:09:33.100 --> 00:09:34.039 it's a symbol 00:09:34.039 --> 00:09:35.000 of the fact 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:36.220 that crossing 00:09:36.220 --> 00:09:38.139 the God-given limits 00:09:38.139 --> 00:09:39.279 diminishes 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:41.220 rather than enhances 00:09:41.220 --> 00:09:43.120 our human well-being. 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:45.600 It gives a boundary 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:47.039 within which 00:09:47.039 --> 00:09:48.240 there is freedom. 00:09:49.779 --> 00:09:50.600 And unfortunately, 00:09:51.500 --> 00:09:55.060 the idyllic setting 00:09:55.060 --> 00:09:56.419 in the Garden of Eden 00:09:56.419 --> 00:09:57.360 was shattered 00:09:57.360 --> 00:09:58.680 because that boundary 00:09:58.680 --> 00:10:00.720 was crossed. 00:10:01.240 --> 00:10:01.799 Now, 00:10:01.879 --> 00:10:02.500 we all know 00:10:02.500 --> 00:10:04.159 that children respond 00:10:04.159 --> 00:10:06.060 best when they know 00:10:06.060 --> 00:10:06.980 their boundaries 00:10:06.980 --> 00:10:07.940 in a home, 00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:09.659 where there is freedom 00:10:09.659 --> 00:10:10.720 to explore, 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:12.460 to learn, 00:10:12.639 --> 00:10:14.039 and yet be safe 00:10:14.039 --> 00:10:15.039 from harm. 00:10:16.220 --> 00:10:17.259 A confidence grows 00:10:17.259 --> 00:10:18.159 in each child 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:19.820 when they know 00:10:19.820 --> 00:10:21.639 that the adults 00:10:21.639 --> 00:10:22.659 are caring 00:10:22.659 --> 00:10:24.120 and loving them 00:10:24.120 --> 00:10:25.799 by protecting them 00:10:25.799 --> 00:10:26.620 from harm. 00:10:27.480 --> 00:10:28.240 That's what God 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:28.879 was doing 00:10:28.879 --> 00:10:29.620 in the garden. 00:10:29.620 --> 00:10:32.440 In Genesis 3, 00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:34.320 we had it read, 00:10:34.399 --> 00:10:35.659 it tells a sad story 00:10:35.659 --> 00:10:36.779 of Adam and Eve's 00:10:36.779 --> 00:10:38.200 lost relationship 00:10:38.200 --> 00:10:38.779 with God. 00:10:40.480 --> 00:10:41.440 The effects 00:10:41.440 --> 00:10:42.060 of the fall 00:10:42.060 --> 00:10:42.940 were dramatic. 00:10:44.019 --> 00:10:45.019 They were immediate 00:10:45.019 --> 00:10:46.080 and they were 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:47.120 far-reaching, 00:10:47.679 --> 00:10:48.519 infecting 00:10:48.519 --> 00:10:50.419 every subsequent 00:10:50.419 --> 00:10:51.399 member 00:10:51.399 --> 00:10:53.200 of the human race, 00:10:53.700 --> 00:10:54.740 you and me. 00:10:54.740 --> 00:10:57.080 What happened? 00:10:57.879 --> 00:10:58.220 Well, 00:10:58.259 --> 00:10:58.720 it's simple 00:10:58.720 --> 00:10:59.700 in some respects. 00:11:00.460 --> 00:11:01.259 They ate 00:11:01.259 --> 00:11:02.700 and they died. 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:04.820 Their union 00:11:04.820 --> 00:11:05.460 with God 00:11:05.460 --> 00:11:06.299 was severed 00:11:06.299 --> 00:11:07.120 and they were 00:11:07.120 --> 00:11:07.779 separated 00:11:07.779 --> 00:11:08.840 from God. 00:11:09.620 --> 00:11:10.340 Did they die 00:11:10.340 --> 00:11:11.779 physically? 00:11:12.100 --> 00:11:13.159 Not immediately, 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:15.100 although physical 00:11:15.100 --> 00:11:15.840 death would be 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:16.519 a consequence 00:11:16.519 --> 00:11:17.659 of the fall 00:11:17.659 --> 00:11:18.220 as well, 00:11:18.220 --> 00:11:19.940 but they died 00:11:19.940 --> 00:11:21.000 spiritually. 00:11:21.500 --> 00:11:21.840 They were 00:11:21.840 --> 00:11:22.639 separated 00:11:22.639 --> 00:11:23.420 from God's 00:11:23.420 --> 00:11:23.899 presence. 00:11:24.860 --> 00:11:25.220 They were 00:11:25.220 --> 00:11:25.820 physically 00:11:25.820 --> 00:11:27.259 cast out 00:11:27.259 --> 00:11:28.320 of the garden. 00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:30.519 Just as we 00:11:30.519 --> 00:11:31.519 have inherited 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:33.639 physical life 00:11:33.639 --> 00:11:34.040 from our 00:11:34.040 --> 00:11:35.000 first parents, 00:11:35.540 --> 00:11:36.420 so we have 00:11:36.420 --> 00:11:37.120 inherited 00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:39.300 spiritual death 00:11:39.300 --> 00:11:40.000 from them 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:40.379 as well. 00:11:41.379 --> 00:11:42.080 Consequently, 00:11:42.320 --> 00:11:43.259 every human 00:11:43.259 --> 00:11:44.060 being who 00:11:44.060 --> 00:11:44.879 comes into 00:11:44.879 --> 00:11:45.540 the world 00:11:45.539 --> 00:11:46.939 born physically 00:11:46.939 --> 00:11:49.019 alive 00:11:49.019 --> 00:11:50.959 but spiritually 00:11:50.959 --> 00:11:51.379 dead. 00:11:52.199 --> 00:11:53.219 We are 00:11:53.219 --> 00:11:54.240 all separated 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:54.959 from God 00:11:54.959 --> 00:11:55.579 in our 00:11:55.579 --> 00:11:57.079 birth. 00:11:58.339 --> 00:11:59.219 Romans 5.12 00:11:59.219 --> 00:11:59.599 says, 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:00.219 Therefore, 00:12:00.419 --> 00:12:01.259 just as sin 00:12:01.259 --> 00:12:02.059 entered the world 00:12:02.059 --> 00:12:03.120 through one man 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:04.099 and death 00:12:04.099 --> 00:12:04.899 through sin, 00:12:05.240 --> 00:12:06.240 and in this way 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:07.000 death came 00:12:07.000 --> 00:12:07.980 to all men 00:12:07.980 --> 00:12:09.519 because all 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:10.379 sinned. 00:12:10.939 --> 00:12:12.099 This is why 00:12:12.099 --> 00:12:13.539 we as a church 00:12:13.539 --> 00:12:15.240 spend a lot 00:12:15.240 --> 00:12:15.860 of time 00:12:15.860 --> 00:12:16.600 praying for 00:12:16.600 --> 00:12:17.480 those people 00:12:17.480 --> 00:12:18.139 who are in 00:12:18.139 --> 00:12:18.639 the dark 00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:19.200 and who do 00:12:19.200 --> 00:12:19.700 not yet 00:12:19.700 --> 00:12:20.419 know Jesus. 00:12:22.820 --> 00:12:23.600 We want 00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:24.060 the Lord 00:12:24.060 --> 00:12:25.560 to bring 00:12:25.560 --> 00:12:26.720 them alive, 00:12:26.940 --> 00:12:28.220 to waken 00:12:28.220 --> 00:12:28.759 them up 00:12:28.759 --> 00:12:29.120 and bring 00:12:29.120 --> 00:12:30.180 them spiritually 00:12:30.180 --> 00:12:32.159 alive because 00:12:32.159 --> 00:12:33.220 they cannot do 00:12:33.220 --> 00:12:34.100 it by themselves. 00:12:34.259 --> 00:12:34.759 Only God 00:12:34.759 --> 00:12:35.440 can do that. 00:12:37.159 --> 00:12:37.440 Now, 00:12:37.500 --> 00:12:38.060 how did this 00:12:38.060 --> 00:12:38.899 temptation come 00:12:38.899 --> 00:12:39.500 to Eve? 00:12:39.680 --> 00:12:40.259 Or how does 00:12:40.259 --> 00:12:41.000 temptation come 00:12:41.000 --> 00:12:41.759 to any of us 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:42.320 for that matter? 00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:44.400 The serpent 00:12:44.400 --> 00:12:45.300 began the 00:12:45.300 --> 00:12:46.060 conversation 00:12:46.060 --> 00:12:47.040 in the 00:12:47.040 --> 00:12:47.680 seemingly 00:12:47.680 --> 00:12:48.800 harmless 00:12:48.800 --> 00:12:50.240 terms of 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:51.340 a discussion 00:12:51.340 --> 00:12:52.379 about God. 00:12:53.260 --> 00:12:54.020 The serpent 00:12:54.020 --> 00:12:55.040 doesn't deny 00:12:55.040 --> 00:12:55.580 the goodness 00:12:55.580 --> 00:12:56.140 of God. 00:12:57.080 --> 00:12:57.720 He simply 00:12:57.720 --> 00:12:59.120 sows very 00:12:59.120 --> 00:13:00.280 small seeds 00:13:00.280 --> 00:13:01.700 of mistrust. 00:13:03.020 --> 00:13:03.680 He isn't 00:13:03.680 --> 00:13:04.860 looking like 00:13:04.860 --> 00:13:05.700 something evil 00:13:05.700 --> 00:13:06.220 that Eve 00:13:06.220 --> 00:13:06.560 would be 00:13:06.560 --> 00:13:07.280 frightened of. 00:13:07.380 --> 00:13:07.980 After all, 00:13:08.060 --> 00:13:08.720 she is in the 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:09.260 garden with 00:13:09.259 --> 00:13:09.580 all the 00:13:09.580 --> 00:13:10.080 creation 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:10.559 that has 00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:11.539 all the 00:13:11.539 --> 00:13:12.259 animals that 00:13:12.259 --> 00:13:12.720 are there. 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:13.580 It might 00:13:13.580 --> 00:13:14.419 have surprised 00:13:14.419 --> 00:13:15.799 her that 00:13:15.799 --> 00:13:16.600 the serpent 00:13:16.600 --> 00:13:17.480 spoke, 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:18.819 but she 00:13:18.819 --> 00:13:19.819 clearly wasn't 00:13:19.819 --> 00:13:20.580 shocked to 00:13:20.580 --> 00:13:21.939 see a serpent 00:13:21.939 --> 00:13:22.659 in the 00:13:22.659 --> 00:13:23.019 garden. 00:13:25.539 --> 00:13:26.840 It simply 00:13:26.840 --> 00:13:28.500 moves from 00:13:28.500 --> 00:13:29.100 the woman's 00:13:29.100 --> 00:13:30.019 knowledge of 00:13:30.019 --> 00:13:31.100 God's goodness 00:13:31.100 --> 00:13:32.700 to cause 00:13:32.700 --> 00:13:34.379 doubt about 00:13:34.379 --> 00:13:35.279 the one 00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:36.340 prohibition 00:13:36.340 --> 00:13:37.159 that God 00:13:37.159 --> 00:13:37.799 has given 00:13:37.799 --> 00:13:39.439 the 00:13:39.439 --> 00:13:40.319 answer to 00:13:40.319 --> 00:13:40.759 the woman's 00:13:40.759 --> 00:13:41.079 freedom. 00:13:41.079 --> 00:13:41.240 It does so 00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:42.399 by twisting 00:13:42.399 --> 00:13:43.759 ever so 00:13:43.759 --> 00:13:45.039 slightly the 00:13:45.039 --> 00:13:46.039 word from 00:13:46.039 --> 00:13:47.479 God that 00:13:47.479 --> 00:13:48.240 was to give 00:13:48.240 --> 00:13:49.379 freedom to 00:13:49.379 --> 00:13:50.199 make it sound 00:13:50.199 --> 00:13:51.039 as if God 00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:51.500 was being 00:13:51.500 --> 00:13:52.079 mean. 00:13:53.479 --> 00:13:54.159 Did God 00:13:54.159 --> 00:13:54.879 say, 00:13:56.179 --> 00:13:56.740 you must 00:13:56.740 --> 00:13:57.639 not eat of 00:13:57.639 --> 00:13:59.319 any tree 00:13:59.319 --> 00:13:59.839 of the 00:13:59.839 --> 00:14:00.219 garden? 00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:02.599 If God 00:14:02.599 --> 00:14:03.500 is really as 00:14:03.500 --> 00:14:04.219 generous as 00:14:04.219 --> 00:14:04.959 we have come 00:14:04.959 --> 00:14:05.519 to believe, 00:14:06.120 --> 00:14:06.500 if God 00:14:06.500 --> 00:14:07.379 really cares 00:14:07.379 --> 00:14:14.840 for our welfare, surely he would not deny us this one small thing which looks good for 00:14:14.840 --> 00:14:22.360 food and pleasing to the eye. God knows that we need food. God wants us to delight in his 00:14:22.360 --> 00:14:31.980 world. Surely he would not forbid this one little thing. Friends, once we open ourselves 00:14:31.980 --> 00:14:40.980 up to a discussion with the tempter as to what God really meant, we have placed ourselves 00:14:40.980 --> 00:14:51.720 in a situation where escape is very difficult. And just as an aside, why do you think the Lord's 00:14:51.720 --> 00:15:01.920 prayer says, lead us not into temptation as opposed to lead us out of temptation once 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:11.860 we are there? Once we are near temptation, it is very difficult to make rational decisions. 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:21.719 Temptation begins with the small things. How can one small piece of fruit bring so much damage 00:15:21.720 --> 00:15:32.420 to the whole world? God was calling Eve to trust him and we too are asked daily to trust this 00:15:32.420 --> 00:15:41.920 same God, to know that he is for us and he is not against us. Adam and Eve, whilst in the garden, 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:55.539 could only make one wrong decision, only one, and they did. So we need to see what some of the 00:15:55.539 --> 00:16:07.159 effects of that one wrong decision leads to. There are two main things. One has a number of subheadings, 00:16:07.159 --> 00:16:14.879 but one is the loss of the knowledge of God and the other is many negative emotions. 00:16:16.179 --> 00:16:22.379 But first let us look at the loss of knowledge of God. The wisdom of God was no longer with them 00:16:22.379 --> 00:16:30.059 and they were left to discover their own identity, purpose and meaning in life independently of their 00:16:30.059 --> 00:16:39.539 creator. The sheer fact that Adam tried to hide from God shows us his deficiency in his understanding of 00:16:39.539 --> 00:16:45.439 who God was. Listen to how Paul describes Adam's descendants in Ephesians. He says, 00:16:45.919 --> 00:16:51.119 they are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of their 00:16:51.119 --> 00:16:59.059 ignorance. Paul also tells us that the natural person who is spiritually dead cannot discern 00:16:59.059 --> 00:17:06.700 discern the things of God because they must be discerned spiritually. To be in a relationship 00:17:06.700 --> 00:17:14.440 with God was to know God. When Adam and Eve sinned and were banished from God's presence, 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:22.539 they lost the intimate knowledge of God they once enjoyed. That's how we came into the world, 00:17:22.539 --> 00:17:31.079 without a true knowledge of God. And so we question God if things are not going according to the plan 00:17:31.079 --> 00:17:39.500 that we have. Along with having a loss of knowledge of God, there came a host of negative emotions. 00:17:41.559 --> 00:17:52.440 Where they have had enjoyed freedom and security, there is now fear and anxiety. The very two things, 00:17:52.539 --> 00:18:01.599 that break intimacy in relationships, fear and anxiety. Look with me at the verses in verse 8. 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:07.200 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord as he was walking in the cool of the day, 00:18:07.500 --> 00:18:13.259 and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, 00:18:13.359 --> 00:18:19.399 where are you? He answered, I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and so I hid. 00:18:19.400 --> 00:18:28.200 And so he said, who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I had told you not to eat from? 00:18:28.860 --> 00:18:31.220 As if God didn't know already. 00:18:31.220 --> 00:18:40.860 The first emotion is fear. Do you know that phrase? Do you know that that phrase, 00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:50.620 do not fear, is the most repeated commandment in the Bible? The most repeated. 00:18:50.619 --> 00:18:56.659 Anxiety disorders are the number one health risk of our world. 00:18:58.259 --> 00:19:07.199 It is hard to imagine, but Adam and Eve had no irrational fears until they sinned. Not one. 00:19:08.779 --> 00:19:16.799 And we too were born with a driving need to get back to the position of security that they had lost. 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:21.159 So that was fear and anxiety. 00:19:21.319 --> 00:19:23.500 They also felt guilty and shameful. 00:19:24.460 --> 00:19:27.099 Originally, they had a sense of significance. 00:19:28.159 --> 00:19:34.039 When the relationship with God was broken, that was replaced with a sense of guilt and shame. 00:19:35.299 --> 00:19:40.220 All of us would hate it if everything about ourselves, 00:19:40.220 --> 00:19:45.880 the good and the bad was on open display for everyone here at church to see. 00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:51.360 All of our selfish thoughts, all of our selfish desires. 00:19:52.500 --> 00:19:57.799 We would have a sense of guilt and shame and be very frightened 00:19:57.799 --> 00:20:03.519 that somebody might see the true person that Debbie Gould is. 00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:12.559 Identity crisis and negative self-image have been human problems since the fall. 00:20:13.700 --> 00:20:15.200 So what do we do? 00:20:15.819 --> 00:20:19.079 What's the normal thing when we know that we've done something wrong? 00:20:20.200 --> 00:20:22.160 What happened with Adam and Eve? 00:20:22.740 --> 00:20:27.180 We automatically go to blaming somebody else or something else. 00:20:27.180 --> 00:20:34.860 Adam blames Eve, Eve blames the serpent, and we are guilty of blaming also. 00:20:36.460 --> 00:20:38.460 They also felt rejected. 00:20:39.240 --> 00:20:40.840 They were banished from the garden. 00:20:42.180 --> 00:20:44.340 They lost the relationship with God. 00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:49.500 Originally, they had a sense of belonging, of complete acceptance. 00:20:50.340 --> 00:20:52.519 When the relationship with God was broken, 00:20:52.519 --> 00:20:56.700 there came a crushing sense of rejection. 00:20:57.180 --> 00:20:59.900 Everyone is born with it. 00:21:00.820 --> 00:21:06.640 And it creates in us a very strong need to be accepted. 00:21:07.640 --> 00:21:15.320 We have a strong sense of wanting to belong, to fit in, to be accepted. 00:21:15.319 --> 00:21:26.439 And you see this very clearly when individuals, young people, desperately want to be married, 00:21:26.779 --> 00:21:34.279 thinking that having a spouse is going to give them that sense of belonging that we all crave for. 00:21:34.279 --> 00:21:44.279 My whole personal testimony is about wanting to be accepted and looking for it in all the wrong places. 00:21:44.279 --> 00:21:49.079 They also felt weak and powerless. 00:21:49.920 --> 00:21:58.599 Originally, Adam and Eve had the power of God within them to be and to do all that God created them to be and to do. 00:21:58.599 --> 00:22:04.000 Now they had to rely upon their own strength and their own resources. 00:22:04.059 --> 00:22:15.359 And hence, we too grew up trying to control our own destinies, which often results in us trying to control others. 00:22:15.359 --> 00:22:23.399 We take on a self-reliant attitude and choose to be independent to others and to God. 00:22:23.819 --> 00:22:28.659 I'll do it my way, as the famous song goes, or I did it my way. 00:22:29.719 --> 00:22:33.259 Or we try to prove ourselves by what we achieve in life. 00:22:33.259 --> 00:22:41.059 What uni we go to, what marks we get, the promotions we might get from work. 00:22:42.039 --> 00:22:50.039 And dare I say, sometimes it actually goes into even what ministries I might have in a church. 00:22:52.420 --> 00:22:56.799 All of this we use to try and feed our insecurities. 00:22:56.799 --> 00:23:03.440 And if we don't achieve and cannot control, we then feel as if we have failed and that we are failures. 00:23:04.399 --> 00:23:14.299 We can all make the mistake of believing that the role we play, the job we do, the results we get in exams, 00:23:15.099 --> 00:23:18.960 that it's these things and many, many more. 00:23:19.819 --> 00:23:23.339 It's these things that define who we are. 00:23:23.339 --> 00:23:25.679 We all have been there. 00:23:25.779 --> 00:23:27.220 We have all made that mistake. 00:23:29.179 --> 00:23:38.059 We can think that we do not believe any of what the world says about who we are and how we should think. 00:23:38.639 --> 00:23:47.500 But our decisions and our choices and our reactions often will tell us something different. 00:23:47.859 --> 00:23:48.899 Let me repeat that. 00:23:48.900 --> 00:23:58.620 We can say that we believe what the Bible says, that I am free in Christ and that is a truth. 00:23:59.780 --> 00:24:09.019 But in reality, how we make choices, what we react to, what decisions we make, 00:24:09.640 --> 00:24:14.660 that is what tells us ever so clearly what is going on inside of you. 00:24:14.660 --> 00:24:22.180 Another emotion is that they felt depressed and angry. 00:24:22.700 --> 00:24:28.220 And we see this in the children of Adam and Eve, when they brought an offering to the Lord 00:24:28.220 --> 00:24:31.820 and Cain's offering was rejected by God. 00:24:32.180 --> 00:24:39.800 He felt depressed and angry and we know from Scripture it then led into murder and murdering his brother. 00:24:39.799 --> 00:24:48.240 We all in varying degrees get depressed when things are not going as we would like them to go. 00:24:49.440 --> 00:24:56.240 Is my identity tied up with my life going smoothly? 00:24:56.240 --> 00:25:06.700 By that I mean when life is tough and seems to be breaking at the seams, do I question my worth? 00:25:08.140 --> 00:25:19.259 Do I believe the lie that I am only whole as a person when all is going well and everyone loves me? 00:25:19.259 --> 00:25:27.200 So there is something wrong with me if all is not going well and people are not loving me. 00:25:28.720 --> 00:25:30.740 Do I feel a failure? 00:25:31.440 --> 00:25:36.000 Do I feel as if I have no worth if that is happening around me? 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:49.220 Do I feel as if I have no worth if I have no worth if I have no worth if I have no worth? 00:25:49.220 --> 00:25:51.900 That Adam and Eve lost. 00:25:52.740 --> 00:25:54.880 But we don't know how to do it. 00:25:55.519 --> 00:26:03.500 So it's no surprise that we can be confused as to who we really are and what will make us happy. 00:26:03.500 --> 00:26:08.619 Now the world thinks that they've got the answer to this whole identity thing. 00:26:09.319 --> 00:26:15.980 The world will actually tell you that if you have performance plus accomplishments, 00:26:16.960 --> 00:26:19.980 then that will equal significance. 00:26:21.019 --> 00:26:26.660 The world will tell you that if you have status plus recognition, 00:26:27.539 --> 00:26:29.640 then you will have security. 00:26:29.640 --> 00:26:35.440 The world will tell you if you have appearance plus admiration, 00:26:36.180 --> 00:26:38.380 then you will have acceptance. 00:26:39.580 --> 00:26:45.640 But human effort cannot recapture what Adam and Eve lost. 00:26:46.840 --> 00:26:53.020 The only possible answer to our predicament is to restore our relationship with God, 00:26:53.400 --> 00:26:56.820 to reconnect our spirit to God's spirit, 00:26:56.819 --> 00:27:00.059 to become spiritually alive again. 00:27:00.939 --> 00:27:03.579 But that is not something we can do ourselves, 00:27:03.720 --> 00:27:05.279 and many of you already know that. 00:27:06.179 --> 00:27:11.019 So God sent Jesus to undo the work of Satan, 00:27:11.679 --> 00:27:13.439 who had deceived Eve, 00:27:14.119 --> 00:27:18.159 resulting in the sin that separated her and Adam from God. 00:27:18.160 --> 00:27:26.160 Jesus was like Adam in that he was both physically and spiritually alive. 00:27:27.080 --> 00:27:31.519 But he was unlike Adam because Jesus never sinned. 00:27:32.620 --> 00:27:39.980 He modelled for us how a spiritually alive person can live in this fallen world, 00:27:39.980 --> 00:27:47.400 and it is only by absolutely being dependent upon the heavenly father. 00:27:48.440 --> 00:27:50.180 The only way to live. 00:27:51.500 --> 00:27:55.740 But Jesus came to give us more than an example. 00:27:56.720 --> 00:27:59.460 He came to give us life. 00:27:59.460 --> 00:28:02.480 John 1 says, 00:28:02.600 --> 00:28:03.840 In the beginning was the word. 00:28:04.559 --> 00:28:09.019 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 00:28:09.539 --> 00:28:10.420 John 10.10, 00:28:10.519 --> 00:28:13.340 I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. 00:28:14.299 --> 00:28:15.539 John 11.25, 00:28:15.819 --> 00:28:17.819 I am the resurrection and the life. 00:28:18.340 --> 00:28:21.840 He who believes in me will live even though he dies. 00:28:22.460 --> 00:28:23.700 In other words, 00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:27.259 he will live spiritually even if he dies physically. 00:28:27.259 --> 00:28:30.740 What Adam lost was life. 00:28:32.039 --> 00:28:35.200 What Jesus came to give us all was life. 00:28:36.220 --> 00:28:38.859 Whenever we become Christians, 00:28:39.140 --> 00:28:42.539 our spirit is reconnected to God's spirit. 00:28:43.160 --> 00:28:45.240 We are spiritually born again, 00:28:45.480 --> 00:28:49.180 and we can know God and relate to others 00:28:49.180 --> 00:28:53.559 in the same intimate way that Adam and Eve knew. 00:28:54.539 --> 00:28:56.900 Friends, if you are a Christian, 00:28:57.259 --> 00:29:03.559 do not be tempted to think that you cannot fall into the trap 00:29:03.559 --> 00:29:07.180 of believing what the world believes about who you are. 00:29:08.160 --> 00:29:12.859 I have seen time and time and time again 00:29:12.859 --> 00:29:15.379 over many years of ministry, 00:29:15.940 --> 00:29:19.359 many Christians who have fallen for the world's trap 00:29:19.359 --> 00:29:22.460 of believing that they do not have worth 00:29:22.460 --> 00:29:27.140 when in fact Jesus came so that they can have freedom in him. 00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:29.960 In 1 John 5.12, 00:29:30.059 --> 00:29:31.039 the apostle says, 00:29:31.600 --> 00:29:34.340 he who has the son has life. 00:29:35.200 --> 00:29:39.120 He who does not have the son does not have life. 00:29:39.840 --> 00:29:42.519 Our need to establish an identity, 00:29:43.240 --> 00:29:44.160 to be accepted, 00:29:44.700 --> 00:29:47.140 to be secure and significant, 00:29:47.140 --> 00:29:50.480 are fully met in Christ. 00:29:51.320 --> 00:29:54.040 We have seen that the world does not have the answers 00:29:54.040 --> 00:29:55.140 to our identity, 00:29:55.660 --> 00:29:56.900 but Christ does. 00:29:57.740 --> 00:29:58.800 Believe the truth 00:29:58.800 --> 00:30:01.759 that knowing Christ gives you the confidence 00:30:01.759 --> 00:30:03.640 of being very safe 00:30:03.640 --> 00:30:04.800 and secure 00:30:04.800 --> 00:30:08.280 in the Father's arms and his heart. 00:30:08.280 --> 00:30:09.220 Amen.