When We Sin

Genesis chapter 3.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

The third most earth-shaking event that ever happened is in

Genesis chapter 3.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

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.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

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.

Genesis 2:9

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.

Romans 14:7

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,

Psalms 104:1

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,

Genesis 2:25

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,

Ezra 9:6

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,

Jeremiah 6:15

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,

Revelation 3:20

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,

Luke 19:10

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

2 Timothy 4 · chapter mention

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?

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,

Genesis 3:11

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.

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.