Dealing With The Problem In Paradise

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Dealing With The Problem In Paradise</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id365.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Problem In Paradise"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id367.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Coming To God On His Terms"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>"Dealing With the Problem in Paradise"</B></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, March 23, 2003am</B></div> <bR> <div>      A test of integrity: "An enthusiastic but somewhat unscrupulous salesman was waiting to see the purchasing agent of the engineering firm where my husband worked. The salesman was there to submit his company's bid, or price quote, for a particular job. He couldn't help but notice, however, that a competitor's bid was on the purchasing agent's desk. Unfortunately, the actual figure was covered by a can of juice. The temptation to see the amount quoted became too much, so the salesman lifted the can. His heart sank as he watched thousands of BB's pour from the bottomless can and scatter across the floor" (Reader's Digest, contributed by P.H.). God tested the integrity of his created humans, and they failed, perhaps thinking that their act of disobedience would have little effect on their lives and their future. They were wrong.</div> <div>      When we think of war, danger, and conflict, we may wonder where these come from. What about the presence of death and evil in the universe that God created and called good? Genesis 3:11-24 tells us what happened as a result of sin.</div> <div>      Last time, we saw that Satan opened a debate about God's words, and Eve went with it, and she did not get God's words right. Consequently she disobeyed God. She called good what God called evil. The serpent denied the certainty of consequence. The serpent questioned God's integrity, what he called good maybe was not good for Adam and Eve, after all. We have to respect God and his word - about what he calls good and evil (his commands), about the consequences he warns us about, and about his motivation and character.</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. The Story - </B><A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Gen+3:11-24" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U><B>Genesis 3:11-24</B></U></A><B>: Sinful actions have devastating consequences.</B></div> <div> A. Discovery and blame and confession (vss. 11-13).</div> <div>      Their initial reaction was to offer blame as an excuse for the sin. Adam blamed both his wife and God, and Eve blamed the Serpent. Notice that Eve was indeed deceived, but that is not a good excuse - we must know God's truth in order to avoid deception, because deception is not an excuse for sin.</div> <div> B. Consequences (vss. 14-19).</div> <div>      Just as God had said, sin would have its consequences. The snake was cursed, and Satan was given the promise that he will one day experience a crushing blow to the head (though he would give a crippling blow to the heal of the one victorious over him). The woman would face pain in childbearing, as well as conflict and power struggles in the home (notice that Adam was to be the leader in the home prior to the Fall; the Fall brought about the abuse and misuse of leadership and power; Ephesians 5:22-33 is the corrective). Adam experienced difficulty in his labors, struggling to get the ground to produce (compare to the woman's struggle to produce children). Of course, that very day the process of death started in the human race. For the first time, they began to get older and weaker. They would return to the ground from which they had been taken.</div> <div> C. Hope and Covering (vss. 20-21).</div> <div>      That Adam names his wife Eve "the mother of the living" was a statement of hope and belief in God's promise of verse 15, that God would eventually crush Satan and his work through the offspring of the woman. In the mean time, God made a covering for Adam and Eve, but taking the life of an animal. God did for them what they were unable to do for themselves. This is a picture of the salvation that would come through the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.</div> <div> D. Removal from the Garden (vss. 22-24).</div> <div>      Adam and Eve were taken out of the Garden, the place of fellowship with and worship of God. They were removed from the possibility of eating of the Tree of Life and living perpetually under the curse that they had now received.</div> <bR> <div>      Sin brought separation from God and from each other, pain, a struggle to produce both offspring and crops, conflict in families, and physical death. The evil in the world traces back to Adam and Eve in the Garden, but it traces back to ourselves as well, because we have participated in the same kind of behavior as Adam and Eve. That "little," "harmless" sin wasn't so little and harmless after all. God had said it would not be little and it would not be harmless. It turns out he was right and they (and we) were wrong.</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. The Lessons</B></div> <div> A. Confess your sins willingly and quickly (vss. 11-13). </div> <div>      "In San Antonio, a man was sentenced to ten years probation for a bungled burglary of a liquor store. The burglar had cut his hand badly when he broke through the roof of the store. He tried to throw a bottle of whiskey out through the hole he had created but missed, causing the bottle to fall to the floor, shatter and set off an alarm. He then fell onto the broken glass, cutting himself again. Reaching the roof for his getaway, he fell off, leaving his wallet on the sidewalk. He also left a trail of blood from the store to his home, just around the corner." (Chuck Shepherd, Universal Press Syndicate). We may laugh and we think we are more clever, but as God watches, we might as well be the "stupid criminal." Be ruthless, even with little sins - confess them immediately. We have the tendency to cover up, to hide our sin, in shame and fear. It is pointless to cover it up. There is freedom in forgiveness. We often blame others or circumstances, to help make it easy when the truth comes out. We cannot "make it up to God." We can only confess, accept his forgiveness, and go on in obedience motivated by God's grace. 1 John 1:9 says that God is faithful to forgive when we confess. We don't even have to beg for forgiveness!</div> <div> B. Don't assume you are the exception to the rule of consequences  (vss. 14-19, 22-24). </div> <div>      In our pride, we often think we will get away with things, while others suffer the consequences.  Only for "other people" does bitterness result in conflict and broken relationships. It is only for "other people" that lust results in an addiction to pornography, or adultery and disease and broken family. It is only for "other people" that greed results in excessive debt or a lack of satisfaction or even embezzlement. Consider youself one of the "other people." You will not be the exception to the rule! Numbers 32:23 says, "Be sure you sin will find you out."</div> <div> C. Accept the mercy that only God can give (vs. 21). </div> <div>      The coverings Adam and Eve had made for themselves were inadequate. God killed one of his created animals in order to make a more appropriate covering for Adam and Eve. Something had to die for them to be covered and live on. God covered them because they were unable to adequately cover themselves. They certainly did not earn the right to be covered, the brought about the need to be covered, and only God could do it. When you commit sin, you need to accept the covering for sin that only God can provide. Jesus Christ, God in human form, died in your place. The penalty for sin is death, and God took the penalty on himself and paid it in your place. Will you accept or reject the covering that he offers? Accept it today.</div> <div> D. Pursue the life that is both eternal and abundant (vss. 22-24). </div> <div>       Adam and Eve were not to live on permanently in this state of sinfulness. God would offer a way for true life. Jesus said in John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." In John 10:28, Jesus said, "I give them [his people, sheep] eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." Some search for the foundation of perpetual youth; but that is not the source of true eternal life. Find in Jesus, and live by its principles even now.</div> <div> E. Be prepared for problems and challenges and difficulties (vss. 15-19, 20). </div> <div>      There is a conflict between good and evil on earth (vs. 15 predicted it). It is a struggle that affects our spiritual lives, but it also affects every other area of life. But we must live with both <I>hope</I> and <I>humility</I>. We have hope because verse 15 promises that God's way will win through the work of Jesus Christ (vs. 20 is an expression of that hope of offspring and the salvation that would one day come). We live with humility because we are still dust and returning to dust. Live in the light of the redemption which is a current, but developing reality (apply to male / female control issues according to NT).</div> <bR> <div>      <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Rev+21:1-6" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Revelation 21:1-6</U></A> helps us to look ahead to a time when all of the problems of the world will be fixed, because of Christ's work. There will come a day when God's people enjoy harmony and relationship with him in a place he has created just for that purpose. There will be no sin or death. But we still live in Adam's world, and we must look ahead in faith, just like Adam and Eve. People have been looking to the future from the very beginning.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2003, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>