Outside Paradise

Good morning. My name is John as well. I'm a regular member here for about 25 years,

and I've been on staff for about the last few years.

We are currently in a series that looks into chapter 1 to 11 of Genesis, the first book of the Bible,

which starts with this word, in the beginning, God.

These words tell us that Genesis, and in fact, the whole Bible is about God,

the creator of the world, and his interaction with his creation.

So what comes to your mind when you think about God?

What about God can we expect from reading Genesis or the Bible?

The beginning of Genesis shows us that God created a perfect environment in the Garden of Eden,

a paradise for Adam and Eve,

the very first pair of humans made in the image and the likeness of God.

They were put into the garden to rule over all God's creatures,

in the sea, in the sky, on the ground, while enjoying a relationship with God.

God gave Adam and Eve specific instruction to follow,

but instead they disobeyed and rebelled against God.

They followed the serpent's voice and each other's voice and twisted God's word.

They were made in the image and likeness of God, and God treated them as equal,

but they sought to be equal with God on their terms.

They want to live their life in their own way as they see fit.

And that's how sin enters into God's creation.

Sin is not just law-breaking.

It is a deep-rooted rebellion in the hearts of humans

to reject God as their ruler and want to rule on their own terms.

In responding to this serious transgression,

God certainly could have destroyed Adam, Eve, and the serpent and start anew.

However, through his gracious actions in response to and on behalf of these people,

we see the grace of our Creator.

The fact that God instead chose to allow them to live is a manifestation of his grace.

Running through Genesis and all through the Bible

is the theme of grace showing God's mercy despite human sin.

Genesis 1-11 forms a foundation of how we understand God

and his works from creation to a new creation.

The Bible is about God, our Creator and our Redeemer.

What we can and should expect to learn about God from reading Genesis in the Bible

is that God is gracious and merciful.

The amazing things we can see from these chapters and all through the Bible

is that God's grace increases as sin increases.

Our short passage today illustrates God's grace perfectly.

It demonstrates how God brings in his grace to alleviate the mystery that sin brings.

Grace is God not treating his creatures as they deserve,

but with kindness and mercy,

providing something far greater than any expectation.

God provides a couple of things in our passage today.

The covering and the sword,

and Adam and Eve ends up being outside of paradise.

If you have the St. Paul's app,

you can see these three points,

and please follow along with your Bible open to the end of chapter 3.

Today's passage from Genesis 3.20 begins with this word,

Adam named his wife Eve because she would become the mother of all living.

The Lord God made garment of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Previously in this chapter,

Adam and Eve sinned against God

by not trusting and following what God commanded.

Instead, they listened to the serpent

and each other without careful consideration or discussion.

Humanity fell into sin because Adam's attitude towards God

and his command and the action that followed.

The immediate consequences was that Adam and Eve were filled with shame

about their nakedness.

In chapter 3, verse 7,

then the eyes of both of them were opened

and they realized they were naked.

So they sewed fig leaves together

and made a covering for themselves.

That's the best I can do.

They hide from the Lord when they visited them.

In verses 10,

they were fearful and ashamed

and they pulled further away from God,

the one who created and loves them.

They tried to cover themselves

by sewing up fig leaves together,

which is only temporary and uncomfortable.

So the very first act of grace after human fall

was in verse 21.

The Lord made garments of skin for Adam and his wife

and clothed them.

When it says God made garments of skin,

what imagery do you have?

Hopefully it's not God waving his hand like

a magician saying abracadabra.

That would be very far from the truth.

The image behind this verse is very bloody

because the animal was slaughtered

to make that happen.

God graciously provided for humans' needs

in a way superior to what Adam and Eve

had done with fig leaves.

But in order to do that,

something or someone else

had to be the substitute.

A life for a life.

The consequence of Adam and Eve's sin

is that God had to sacrifice

some other of his creatures

to cover for them.

The use of animal skins

anticipates the Old Testament system

of animal sacrifice,

which is another demonstration of God's grace.

Why do I say that?

Because without God's willingness

to forgive and allow humans

to approach him,

no amount of sacrifice is enough

to fulfill the righteousness of God.

No amount of sacrifice by humans

can buy God's forgiveness,

which is what so many religious people

wrongly think that they can achieve.

Anyone who thinks they can do enough good deeds

to repay for the wrong they have committed

in thought and deeds

against a creator God is delusional.

The best man can do

is to cover for our sins against God

is a covering that's made with fig leaf

against our naked body.

We'll have to keep sowing the covering

every couple of weeks,

and it will only partially cover you.

What God has made with animal skin

will last forever

and be much more fitting.

The good news is that

God covers Adam and Eve,

and he will also provide cover

for his people in the new creation.

Paul spoke of a day

that God will do that

in 1 Corinthians 15, 53-54,

and 2 Corinthians 5, verse 4.

2 Corinthians 5:4

God will clothe his people

with immortality,

providing the complete

undoing of the curse

of human sins.

For the perishable must clothe itself

with the imperishable,

and the mortal with immortality.

When the perishable has been clothed

with the imperishable,

the mortal with the immortality,

then the saying that is written

will come true.

Death has been swallowed up

in victory.

For while we are in this tent,

we're grown and unburdened

because we do not wish

to be unclothed,

but to be clothed instead

with our heavenly drawing,

so that what is mortal

may be swallowed up by life.

Last Sunday,

we explained how this victory

covers sin

and its curse comes about.

Please check our website

or our channel on YouTube

for a further explanation,

a fuller and further explanation.

But in short,

this victory over sins

and its curse

was made possible

through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the Son of God,

and he became the once

and for all sacrifice

that fulfilled God's requirement

in dealing with the consequence

of humanity's sin.

Jesus was a substitute

that God sacrificed

to provide a covering

for humans.

Because of his death

and resurrection,

Christ has overcome

the stain of sin,

and he clothes all

who believe and follow him

with his perfect obedience

and pure love

towards the Father.

Galatians 3, 26-29 says,

So in Christ Jesus,

you are all children of God

through faith.

Clothe yourself with Christ,

for you are all one

in Christ Jesus.

If you belong to Christ,

then you are hers

according to the promise.

Last Sunday,

we also talked about

God empowering people

to resist the lies

of the serpent

to become Eve's offspring.

God grants faith

to those he chooses

to enjoy eternal life

with him.

Colossians 3, 12-14 tells us,

Therefore,

as God's chosen people,

holy and dearly loved it,

clothe yourself

with compassion,

kindness,

humility,

gentleness,

and patience.

Bear with each other

and forgive one another.

If any of you

has a grievance

against someone,

forgive as the Lord

has forgave you.

And over all these virtues,

put on love,

which binds them

all together

in perfect unity.

God in his grace

has provided the covering,

the clothing of compassion,

kindness,

humility,

gentleness,

and patience.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians,

2 Corinthians 5:5

chapter 5, verse 5,

Now the one who has fashioned us

for this very purpose

is God,

who has given us

the Spirit

as a deposit

guaranteeing

what is to come.

God has fashioned us.

He is our style.

And God's style

and fashion for us

is Christ,

who is the only person

who has all this virtue

plus love and forgiveness.

When you are clothed

with Christ,

you will no longer

be found naked

and ashamed.

God has forgiven humanity

because Jesus

took upon himself

the punishment

for all our rebellion

towards our Creator.

Jesus was clothed

with our wrongs

to cover for us.

And as we put on Christ

and be in Christ,

and when God see us,

he no longer see

our trespasses,

but we only know

the honor and glory

of his beloved Son.

That is God's grace.

After God made garments

and clothed Adam and Eve,

it says in verse 22,

And the Lord God says,

The man has now become

like one of us,

knowing good and evil.

He must not be allowed

to reach out his hand

and take also

from the tree of life

and eat and live forever.

So the Lord God

banished him

from the garden of Eden

to work the ground

from which he had been pecan.

After he drove the man out,

he placed in the east side

of the garden of Eden,

cherubim,

and the flaming sword

flashing back and forth

to guide the way

to the tree of life.

This banishing

and stopping of humans

from reaching

for the tree of life

is a second act

of God's grace.

Because of sin,

humans now know

good and evil

experientially.

Humans will continue

striving to define

good and evil

through voluntary

and involuntary means.

Humans will continue

to sin

and misuse

their ability

to define good

and evil

selfishly

to benefit themselves.

And they will keep

incurring a penalty

of death

for their disobedience

towards God.

God stopping humans

from reaching out

to take and eat

from the tree of life

and live forever

is an act

of God's grace.

The banishment

and the expulsion

were at the same time

and act of mercy.

Banning humans

from the tree of life

putting a limit

to their physical life

allowed for their redemption

rather than for them

to live in a life

of perpetual sin

in an unredeemed condition.

The time limit

on our life

is God's gracious action.

It's not just

a reactive punishment.

Paul tells us

in Acts 17

Acts 17:26–27

verse 26 to 27,

from a man

God made all the nations

that they should

inhabit the whole earth

and he marked out

their appointed time

in history

and a boundary

for their lands.

God did this

so that they might

seek him

and perhaps

reach out for him

and find him

though it's not far

from any one of us.

God put a limit

to our physical life

so that we no longer

reach for the wrong thing

that will bring us curses.

But instead,

we can use the limits

of our time

to promise

to seek him

and reach out for him

for he's not far

from any one of us.

Do you agree that

when there's a deadline

you are far more motivated

and to get things done?

A sword

is often also

related to judgment

in the Bible.

Knowing that

there's a time

we'll all give account

can be scary

or encouraging

at the same time.

Depends on how you

have been living

your life.

At the end

of his second letter

Peter reiterated

in chapter 3

that God is not

limited by time

but he gave us

an understanding

of time

and its limit

so that everyone

can come to repentance.

And with repentance

and the help of Christ

we'll regain

our access

to the tree of life

in the new creation.

That is the picture

we are given

in the beginning

of Revelation 22

the last book

and last chapter

of the Bible.

On each side

of the river

stood the tree of life

and the leaves

of the tree

are for the healing

of the nations.

No longer

will there be

any curse.

The leaves

of the tree of life

are for the healing

of the nations

and no longer

will there be

any curses.

What a tremendous picture.

The banishing

and the flaming sword

are both acts

of God's grace.

Since human sin

the garden of Eden

is no longer

a paradise

but a place

remembered

as where

the first human foe fell.

God had a new heaven

a new earth

prepared for those

who he choose

to be Eve's offspring

to share in the victory

over the crushing

of the shepherd.

God makes sure

we do not get

to the tree of life

through the old way.

So he put a flaming

flushing sword

to guide the way.

The flushing

flushing sword

is a warning sign

saying

wrong way

turn back.

The word of God

is described

as a sword

in the New Testament

in Hebrews 4

and Ephesians 6.

The word

becomes fresh

in Jesus Christ.

Jesus opened

a new way

to God

for he is

the only way

for anyone

who wants access

to God

and eternal life.

Now that Adam

and Eve

have been sent

out of paradise

we see God's grace

once again

in chapter 4

verse 1 to 2.

Adam made love

to his wife Eve

and she became

pregnant

and gave birth

to Cain.

She said

with the help

of the Lord

I have brought forth

a man.

Later she gave birth

to his brother Abel.

Now Abel

kept flocks

and Cain

worked of soul.

Eve gave birth

to Cain

outside of paradise

but she said

with the help

of the Lord

I have brought forth

a man.

God went

with them

into the banishment

and expulsion.

They were sent

outside of the paradise

but they were not

cut off from God.

God was there

with Eve

helping her

in the midst

of severe

painful labor.

Eve knew

her child

came into being

with the Lord's help.

God did not

leave her alone

outside paradise

to face

a consequence

of her sin

all by herself.

God was there

with Adam and Eve

outside paradise.

God is with them

in every moment

of their life

and God will also

be with you

in your life

and will not

leave you alone

to face your life

and difficulties too.

The experience

of Adam and Eve

is enlightening.

They have sinned

and when they sinned

they recognized

they were naked.

They have been

naked beforehand

in a pure

physical sense

but they had not

yet seen so

they were not ashamed.

After they become

a sinner

their nakedness

becomes something

more than merely

physical.

It becomes

a psychological

nakedness

connected to

their moral guilt.

They were guilty

before one another

and before God.

And what happened?

God came

walking in the garden

to confirm them

in their nakedness.

He exposed the sin

for sin cannot be

hidden in his presence.

But then he did

something tremendous.

He clothed them

using skin

from animals.

He sacrificed himself.

He kept them

from reaching

for things

that would bring

them curses

and kept them

from going back

to their old way.

This is the message

of Christianity.

We can be fully exposed

and yet clothed

and covered

at the same time.

Being clothed

is not accomplished

with the skin

of animals.

When God sent

Jesus Christ

to die for sins

so guilt may be removed

he made the most

perfect covering

for all humanity.

Based on Jesus'

perfect and

atoning sacrifice

God would then

clothe all

who believe in Christ

with the Lord's

righteousness.

Because of Christ's work

God no longer

looks at us

as sinners

but as those

who have become

righteous in Christ.

now we can stand

before him

rather than hide

not because God

has been in ignorance

of our sin

or has refused

to care about it

but because he has

known about it

and has dealt

with it perfectly.

Now we can cry

with Messiah

the prophet

I will greatly

rejoice in the Lord

my soul

shall exude

in my God

for he has clothed

me with the garments

of salvation

he has covered me

with the robe

of righteousness

with the Lord's help

in God's grace

we are no longer

naked

and no need

for shame

let's rejoice

in the gracious God.

for you

for you

You

you