Genesis chapter 3.
The third most earth-shaking event that ever happened is in
Genesis chapter 3.
First humans, the very first ones, did the one thing that
humans were not to do on the earth and that was to disobey God.
They disobeyed God, they sinned.
The evil one coerced them to disobey, caused Eve to question
the word of God and messed us all up and we've been disobeying
ever since.
It's in our bloodline, it's a spiritual mutation that
personifies itself in many forms in our lives.
We're all plagued by it and would be condemned by it if not for
the two greater earth-shaking events that give us hope.
One of them is the cross of Christ where Christ took on the
sins of the world and died in our place.
The second is his subsequent resurrection three days later
that loudly proclaimed that we could have life and life more
abundantly.
So because of Christ, we don't have to be slaves to sin anymore.
Our problem is that sometimes freed people, people who have been
freed, Christians, will still not leave their chains.
Sometimes we'll still not walk through the open door of freedom in
Christ.
Too often we continue to live as if we don't have the power of God in
us.
We still make horrendous decisions.
We still act the way that we used to.
Don't show enough difference.
We still fall in the same old patterns that have caught us before.
So let's learn what happens when we fall into sin by looking at the very
first sin.
And my prayer has been it'll help us not to fall for it anymore.
It's found in Genesis chapter 3 beginning in verse 6 and it says this.
So the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the
eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise.
She took of its fruit and ate and she also gave some to her husband who was with her
and he ate.
Then the eyes of both were opened and they knew that they were naked.
They were so they they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths and
they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.
And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees
of the garden.
But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, where are you?
And he said, I heard the sound of you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and
I hid myself.
He said, who told you that you were naked?
Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?
The man said, the woman who you gave to be with me, she gave me the fruit of the tree and
I ate.
Then the Lord God said to the woman, what is this that you've done?
And the woman said, the serpent deceived me and I ate.
Genesis chapter 2 verse 9 tell us that in the center of the garden there were two trees.
There was one tree called the tree of life and the other tree called the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil.
There were lots of other splendid, wonderful trees.
But these two are recognized prominently in the middle of the garden.
They were centrally and strategically located.
Why?
Because Adam and Eve had a choice.
Do you choose life?
The tree fruit didn't give eternal life, but the maker of the tree gives eternal life.
And that is found in obedience.
The other tree of the knowledge of good and evil provides for us a choice.
Choosing not to take life, but instead to take in the knowledge of the evils of the world will
lead us to condemnation.
Now, I want you to notice something here.
It's the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
God never wanted us to know about evil.
I'll go beyond that.
God never wanted us to know about good.
God wanted us to know about him.
He just wanted us to choose life in him.
But by choosing to disobey, we made a choice.
God didn't intend for us to try out all the sinful delicacies of the world.
He chose for us to choose life through Christ.
And I will tell you that life in Christ is not a bland and boring diet.
He filled the garden with other trees.
And every one of them were pleasant in sight.
Scripture says they were good to eat.
That is the abundant life that God promises to us.
Choosing Christ is not walking away from the excitement of the sinful life into some kind of
bland existence by no means.
What Christ has for us in this life is better than anything the world can offer.
What the world offers is a lot of false hope that leads to traps, to pits, and to dangers.
You bite from the tree of life.
Or in other words, you accept Christ.
You obey the Lord and follow his leading and obey Christ.
You will not be disappointed.
But Eve chose wrong and Adam followed her.
And we do too much of the same.
Why do we do that?
What happens when we do that?
When we sin, we are enticed.
The attraction was to do what they're not supposed to do.
Now hold up a minute.
Whatever you do, don't look over there.
Don't look over there.
Of all the things that they were not supposed to do,
they did the very thing they weren't supposed to do.
And if somebody tells you not to look, you just can't help it, can you?
That's exactly what happens.
The only thing they were not supposed to do,
they could go there,
they could touch it,
they could sit under it,
they could enjoy its shade.
But when they did,
they just could not stop there.
And you seldom can.
Think for me for just a moment.
How many times in life
is it permissible,
how many things in life
is it permissible to go to,
but not to overextend,
not to take a bite of,
just to be able to go to?
I often have people
debate me on the matter.
People tell me a drink every now and then
does not hurt anybody.
Well, I will tell you,
there are no redeeming qualities in alcohol.
And if we were honest with each other,
many could testify to that truth this morning
because your family's been affected by it.
You've got loved ones that's been affected by it.
In this church, in every church,
yet folks just need a little.
But somehow it becomes a compulsion
and a consumption for way too many.
Somebody may tell me,
well, they can lie just a little.
No, because when you lie,
you've got to cover up that lie.
And you begin to form a web of lies before long.
Same thing with sexual immorality.
Whether it's porn or whether it's fornication
or whether it's homosexuality
or whether it's adultery,
just a little of it's wrong,
but I promise you,
it'll just get bigger if you entertain it.
It's a trap.
And whatever the fruit is
that you just can't help yourself to
and you just have to know more about it,
it sits right in the middle of your garden
and you've got to make a choice.
Life and all the promises of God
are knowledge that condemns and destroys.
Folks, the devil works overtime
to get us to bite.
Do you think that she would have ever bit
if he would have said,
hey, Eve,
I want you to bite that fruit.
Now, it's going to be delicious
and you're going to enjoy it.
But when you do it,
it's going to condemn you.
It's going to ruin your family.
It's going to bring enmity.
It's going to bring hate.
It's going to bring crime.
It's going to bring heartache.
It's going to bring disease.
It's going to bring struggle.
It's going to bring pain.
It's going to bring moans and groans.
Do you think she would have eaten that fruit?
No, by no means, not at all.
Instead, he said,
did God really say?
Did God really say?
He tells us just a little bit
and we get enticed.
Not only do we get enticed,
but when we sin,
we drag others down with us.
We do.
We drag others down.
Eve took a bite.
She looked at Adam
and said,
try this.
And the man knew better.
He was there to hear God's instruction
and instead of doing
what God told him to do,
he did what she told him to do.
Don't ever disobey God
to follow along with somebody else.
Don't ever do that.
Don't care who it is.
The devil often uses
such a tactic.
He makes the sinner
become a seducer.
And when the sinner
becomes a seducer
to somebody else,
they follow them
in the same sin.
That's a demonic strategy.
Now the devil
is forming a team.
Not only does he have a sinner,
but he's got a sinner
that's influencing somebody else
and leading them to sin.
And then that person
will lead somebody else to sin.
He's forming a team
among us
to take care of them.
The devil and his demons
can work a lot less
if we are convincing each other
to disobey God.
And like a rotten apple
spoils the whole bunch,
one sinner will lead
to another sinner.
Romans 14 verse 7 says this.
For none of us lives to himself
and none of us dies to himself.
The truth is,
if you're truly a Christian,
I want you to hear me
when I say this.
If you're truly a Christian,
you're going to most likely
take somebody with you
to heaven.
And if you're going to hell,
you're probably going to drag
somebody else along with you.
A Christian friend
had a burden for
a friend that he
didn't feel like knew the Lord.
And he went to visit
his lost friend
and he had a conversation
with him.
In that conversation,
he shared Christ with him.
Sitting right there
in his living room
and the man muted the TV.
He listened to what he had to say.
He listened to him
share the gospel.
The Christian told him
that we've all sinned.
We're all separated from God.
It's separated us from God.
Our sin has.
It's caused a death in us
and God showed us
his love by sending Christ
to meet us where we are
and to save us
for all of eternity.
He went through the whole process
and the man listened to all of it.
He thanked him for coming.
He refused to accept Christ.
He showed him the door.
He sat back down,
unmuted his TV,
got a smug look on his face
like how dare him
come in my house
and say that.
And his little boy
walked in the room
from the next room over
and he came and sat
in his daddy's lap
and he said,
we don't want to be
an old Christian,
do we daddy?
What an example
because
when we fail
to follow Christ,
we drag others down with us.
when we sin,
we try to manage it.
We try to cover it up.
Shame came upon them immediately.
A death took place immediately.
It was not physical death.
I think they began
to die at that point
but the reality is
the death that happened
for them was spiritual death.
And when scripture says
in Romans 6, 23,
the wages of sin is death,
that's what it's talking about.
It's talking about
the spiritual separation
that happens
when we face,
when we commit sin.
The cost or the penalty
of that sin
is that we're separated
from God
and if we don't surrender
our life to the Lord Jesus,
we'll forever be separated
from God.
But our sin separates us
from God
and because of that
they both felt shame.
That shame
led them to cover themselves.
Now does that mean
they were not clothed?
Well,
not with clothes.
Not like that
but it's interesting to me
because if you look
at Psalm 8,
it says that the Lord
crowned us
with glory
and honor.
And I'm wondering
if when
the two first humans
were created
and was on the earth
in the garden,
could they have been clothed
with something like that as well?
And what I mean by that
is this.
Psalm 104,
verse 1 and 2 says,
the Lord is clothed
with splendor
and majesty,
covering yourself
with light
as with a garment
stretching out the heavens
like a tent.
And since we're made
in the image of God,
could it have been
the case for them?
In other words,
they weren't quite as stark
as we may first appear
but more of a glow
about them,
if you will.
And then in Genesis 2,
verse 25,
it says,
Adam and Eve
were naked
and unashamed.
But now,
they're looking
for coverings.
First miniskirt
was created
out of fig leaves
right there.
the first set
of draws.
And my wife
always gets upset
with me
when I say draws.
But I think you know
what I'm talking about
when I say that.
Why was that?
Because of shame.
We ought to be
ashamed of our sin.
Our feelings
when we sin
should be like Ezra.
Ezra,
chapter 9,
verse 6,
said,
Oh my God,
I am ashamed
and I blush
to lift my face
to you,
my God.
For our iniquities
have risen higher
than our heads.
And our guilt
has mounted up
to the heavens.
Acknowledging our sin
for what it is
is the first step
to get it right.
But our tendency,
however,
is to try to
cover it up.
When I was a kid
and I did something
I wasn't supposed
to do,
I didn't want
to see my parents.
I didn't want
to make eye contact
with my parents.
I was afraid
they'd look straight
through me
and know exactly
what I'd done.
I just didn't want
to do it at all.
And when my kids
got in trouble
or when they get
in trouble,
they don't want
to look me in the eye.
One of them
was bad about
always sticking
her tongue
literally in her cheek
when she'd done
something wrong.
It was a giveaway.
I mean,
you knew it
beyond a shadow
of a doubt.
They done messed up
because that tongue
would go literally
in the cheek.
Or there'd be
a sly grin
as they left
the room
thinking they
got away with it.
But they hadn't
got out of eye shot.
You could see
the sly grin
come on their face.
And so you could tell.
And by the way,
they always advise
preachers
to never use
your family
as an illustration
without getting
their permission first.
And I will tell you,
I have never asked
my family
for permission.
So you can imagine
how cold and stark
it is on Sunday afternoon.
We're all the same way.
We try to cover it up.
However,
too many times
we simply don't
acknowledge it.
We don't agree
with God
on our sin.
Jeremiah 6,
verse 15
speaks of such a people
when he said
they were not
at all ashamed.
They didn't know
how to blush.
If we are stuck
in a cycle of sin,
we will degrade
over time.
First,
there's a sense
of shame
and then there's
an attempt
to cover it up
and then we try
to hide
from God.
and scripture
says
that God
walked
in the garden
in the cool
of the day
and they hid
from him.
And he asked,
where are you?
Now,
notice a couple
of things.
One is
that God
came to Adam
and Eve
to seek
their fellowship.
God
is always,
always
the one
that initiates
contact
with us.
We don't come
to God
on our own.
God seeks
us.
And we love
him
because he
first loved us.
Revelation 3,
verse 20
said,
Behold,
I stand
at the door
and knock.
If anyone
hears my voice
and opens
the door,
I will come
in with him
and eat
with him
and he
with me.
He is the
one that is
knocking.
He is the
one that is
pursuing.
He is the
one that is
initiating
fellowship.
And by the
way,
that passage
is often
used evangelistically
as if it's
speaking to
one who he
does not
know,
who has
never surrendered
their life
to Christ.
But the
reality is,
if you look
at the context
of the scripture,
it's actually
speaking more
relational about
it,
our relationship
with him,
that he is
the one that
pursues us.
Now,
when you look
at Luke 19,
verse 10,
what Jesus
said,
and he says,
for the son
of man came
to seek
and to save
the lost,
that's evangelistically.
Christ is the
one that seeks
us out.
Yet due to
our shame
and our sin
and even our
fear,
we try to
hide in the
foliage of our
lives.
notice also
that God
asks a
question.
Why does
God ask
a question?
I mean,
he knows
all.
I love the
questions of
God.
God never
asks a question
because he
needs the
knowledge from
it.
God always
asks a question
for introspection.
God always
asks a question
so we can
consider the
answer.
He never
asks a question
to get an
answer.
He asks so
that we can
deal with
the answer.
Last week
ago,
Thursday night,
we were
supposed to
fly to Peru
during the
day and get
there at
830.
It's not a
time change,
as weird as
it is.
The west
coast of
South Africa
is in the
same line
as the
east coast
of the
United States
and I
never,
I was too
geographically
challenged to
realize that,
but we never
changed time
zones.
I'd never
traveled
internationally
and not
changed time
zones.
It was the
shortest
international
flight I'd
ever had.
We were
leaving at
10 o'clock
in the morning
and was
going to
get there
at 830.
I mean,
man,
I can work
on the
plane.
This is
going to be
great.
Well,
the plane
didn't get
there in
time.
We missed
our flight to
Lima and so
we flew all
night.
And so we
get there
Friday morning.
Somebody picks
us up at
430 in the
morning at the
airport.
God bless him.
And we go
back and get
some rest,
but, you know,
the day is
about shot,
really.
I mean,
we meet some
folks and make
some arrangements
and plans for the
coming days and
that kind of
stuff.
And we spend
time together
on Saturday
and celebrate
these folks
who've worked
online to
better themselves
these pastors
who worked
online to
better themselves
that Jim and
Jeff and others
have been working
so hard to
train.
And we
celebrated them
and I gave
them an
encouraging word
and told them
from 2 Timothy
chapter 4 to
preach the word
in season.
I'd say,
preach it when
you don't feel
like it.
Preach it when
you feel.
Preach it when
they want to
hear it.
Preach it when
they don't want
to hear it.
I just let
them have it.
We celebrated
them, got back
to the room
about 10 o'clock
and while I
was in that
conference, the
pastor of that
church who I was
preaching for the
following morning
said, I'd like to
take you to lunch.
He didn't say that,
he said something
else, but the
translator said
that he said, I'd
like to take you
to lunch.
And so I asked
Rose, I said,
I don't know the
arrangements, I
told him, I said,
I don't know the
arrangements, I just
go where they tell
me to go, I don't
know where the
driver's taking us and
all that stuff.
If we can all get
it arranged, I'll be
happy to, I just
don't know.
So I got back
and I said, is
anywhere I can go
to lunch with this
guy?
I mean, is that
going to work in
the schedule or
whatever the case
is for me?
So at 10 o'clock, I
get confirmation, not
about lunch, but I
get confirmation, oh
by the way, they
want you to, after
you preach there, they
want you to teach
Sunday school.
I said, Sunday
school, it's 10 o'clock
Saturday night.
We flew all night, you
know, 36 hours ago
and we've been there
all day and it's 83
and there is no
air, you get in the
car to get the air,
you know what I
mean?
It's been a long
day, we're wore out
and at 10 o'clock I
find out I'm teaching
Sunday school and I
brought two sermons
with me.
I brought a Saturday
sermon and a Sunday
sermon.
I'll use a Sunday
sermon again in other
churches and that kind
of stuff, but I was
thinking, what in the
world am I going to
do?
And some of you may
feel uncomfortable
when I talk like
this, but I'm just
going to tell you, the
Lord spoke to me.
Now if you don't feel
comfortable with that,
then I'll say that the
Holy Spirit gave me a
strong impression.
Does that make you
feel better?
Whatever you want to
say, but in my spirit,
I heard a question.
Didn't you just tell
those men to preach the
word in season and out
of season?
When you feel like it
and when you don't.
When you got a sermon
prepared and when you
don't.
And I said, well, God,
I need some scripture.
And he gave me two
different passages and I
went to bed.
God knew what I preached
on Saturday.
He asked me the question
so that I would think
about the answer.
That's why God asked
questions.
God asked questions for
our sake.
When he says to them,
where are you?
What he's really saying
is, look at yourself.
What are you doing?
Hiding from me?
And in reality,
hiding is futile.
God knows where we are.
God sees our hearts.
He summons us to stand
before him.
And he does not summon us
to stand before him for
condemnation.
Because Jesus said himself
in John 3, 17,
for God did not send his
son into the world to
condemn the world, but in
order that the world might
be saved through him.
Listen, if we don't deal
with our sin, if we don't
answer his pursuing and his
initiating invitations, we
will face condemnation for
all of eternity.
But God pursues now to get
things right in our life.
He didn't stop with that
question.
He continues in Genesis 3,
verse 11.
He said, who told you that
you were naked?
Have you eaten of the tree
which I commanded you not
to eat?
And Adam was found and he
was caught, so now what?
Well, he starts pointing.
He knew he was in the wrong
and so what did he do?
He blamed it on Eve.
And then Eve pointed at the
serpent and the serpent didn't
have a leg to stand on.
Notice, Adam not only blames
Eve, Adam even blames God.
He says, the woman whom you
gave to be with me.
All of that happened, get this
now, all of that happened
before God even accused him.
All God did was ask the
question,
who told you you were naked?
Have you eaten of the tree
which I commanded you not to
eat?
That's all God had done.
Everybody is always blaming
somebody.
Have you noticed today that
nobody is at fault for anything
anymore?
Either somebody did something
to you a long time ago and
it's his or her fault that
you have whatever ailments that
you have or either God made
you that way and you can't
help it.
Well, there's two things, two
facts about sin.
If you get this, we'll go
home.
Two facts about sin.
One is this.
God sets sin as sin.
We don't set sin as sin.
We don't get to make them
laws.
The laws of this land can
change.
God's law is never going to
change.
Denominations can fight about
it, can fold over it, but sin
will be sin as long as God sees
it as sin and his word never
changes.
So don't fall for this new
enlightenment.
Somehow we learn something new
and everybody needs to change
their ways.
God sets sin as sin.
He said it a long time ago that
way and he's never changed and I
got news for you.
He's never going to change.
And when we change our perspective
on it, we sin against a holy God.
God sets sin as sin.
Second thing is this.
Our sin is our fault.
My sin is my fault.
Your sin is your fault.
Our sin is no one else's fault.
Now listen, hear me out.
We have all been influenced by
other people that led us into sin.
We have all influenced others to
fall into sin.
But nobody made us sin against God.
God giving us a choice.
Don't put God at fault either.
Why did God put a tree there to not
eat from?
Because God simply gave us freedom.
And without it, we could enjoy the
fulfillment of choosing him as Lord.
But if we never had a choice, we
wouldn't have been able to choose
him.
So because he gave us a choice, we get
to choose Jesus.
Listen, folks, I want you to understand
something.
We are in a war.
We're in a war.
The devil wants to steal from us.
He wants to kill us.
He wants to destroy us.
And he will do whatever he needs to do
to try his best to destroy our lives.
And he will if we don't respond correctly.
What happens when a child falls down?
When a child falls down, if that child
can get up, that child will immediately,
if she's anywhere around, that child
will run to his or her mother immediately.
And so must we to God.
When we fall in our sins, we must run to
God.
Not from him.
We must run to him.
The longer we wander in our sin, the more
shame we'll feel.
The more shame we feel, the more paranoid
we'll become.
The more blame we'll toss.
So I'm telling you today, if you're in sin
today, you're playing around with it,
you're biting forbidden fruit,
you need to call upon God.
Just like the psalmist did.
I want you to listen to Psalm 139, 23 and 24.
It says this.
Search me, O God.
Let this be the prayer of our heart, O Lord.
Search me, O God, and know my heart.
Try me and know my thoughts.
And see if there's any grievous ways in me.
And lead me in the way everlasting.
Can you honestly pray that today before the Lord?
Search me, O God.
Know my heart.
Lord, meet me where I am.
Try me and know my thoughts.
If we sincerely do that today, he'll lead us out of a
miry pit of sin.
He'll clean us up.
He'll set us free.
It has been my prayer that by looking at their fall,
looking at their sin, the sweet Holy Spirit of God would
speak to us, work in our lives, and would open our eyes to see
our sin.
May our hearts be open to the Lord today to hear what he has to
send.
Not hide from it.
Not try to get away from him.
There's no need in that.
I got news for you.
God's pursuing you.
He knows where you are.
He knows your circumstances.
And in the midst of that, Christ died for you to take away
those sins when we surrender our lives to him.
When we sin, we can come to Christ and be forgiven and be
made new.
With every head bowed and every eye closed this morning, I got a
question for you.
Is there a sinful pattern in your life today that is
encumbering you?
It's holding you back from being everything that God would have
you to be.
Now, maybe you're here this morning and there's never been a
time in your life when you've surrendered your life to the
Lord Jesus Christ.
You've never asked him to forgive you of your sins.
You've never asked him to come into your life and to save you.
You've never surrendered your life to Christ.
Now, I got news for you today.
I am so thankful that not only do we as a church give an
invitation today, but the Lord invites you to come to him.
He pursues you.
He initiates any conviction that you have within your heart.
He draws you to himself.
And today can be the day of salvation for you.
And so, if you've never done that, I encourage you when we stand
in just a moment and sing to come.
Come.
I'd love to guide you in that process.
Maybe you're here today and there's a sinful habit in your
life.
Something just hangs over you.
You need to let it go.
You need to let God empower you and strengthen you through the
midst of your circumstances.
Whether it's in the seat where you are, it's with the pastor that
you'd like to pray, or at this altar.
Whatever it takes.
You do business with God today.
You do what God would have you to do.
Maybe God's drawing you into this church.
You know that this is where God would have you to serve.
I encourage you to come.
We'd love to have you.
We'd love to guide you in that process of what that means here at
First Baptist.
And maybe you're here this morning and you have made a
decision for the Lord in the past, but you've never been
baptized as a believer.
You've never publicly acknowledged that biblically.
And today you make a commitment to do that.
I don't know how God's leading you, but I know you'll never be
satisfied until you do exactly what he'd have you to do.
And this invitation is your opportunity to respond to him in
obedience.
Lord Jesus, I love you.
I thank you that you know exactly where we are.
Lord, we can't hide from you.
You know what we need.
Help us, God, to just respond to you in obedience today.
We love you.
We thank you, Lord, for speaking to us, moving in us, working in
our lives, God.
In Jesus' precious name, amen.