The Journey from Shame to Honour

Turn back with me then to Genesis chapter 3, and we can read the verses marked 8 to 10.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

! Genesis 3 and verses 8 to 10.

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.

I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.

I guess every service that we hear, we're told that we are sinners.

And the reason for that is explained to us in this third chapter of Genesis.

And this main reading, it focused initially on Adam and Eve. And as we read in verse 25 of chapter 2,

they knew no shame at that point. And they moved from that to what we've just read there in verses 8 to 10.

They moved from that, from knowing no shame, to now being totally ashamed because of their nakedness before God.

And they're actually acutely aware of it in every aspect of their lives.

And the fall, which is known as when Adam and Eve sinned against God,

this is the first major turning point in the history of this world.

And it's important for us to understand the fullness of the consequences of that rebellion against God.

It was a blatant defiance of the instruction that God had given to Adam.

And so we can perhaps look at it under three headings.

First of all, let's look at what happened in the garden, how the garden was initially before the fall.

And just to have a few thoughts on that.

Secondly, to look at the fall itself.

And then thirdly, because of the consequences of the fall and the words that Jesus spoke to the woman during the curse she put on her,

we'll go to Calvary, to the cross at Calvary and to Jesus' sacrifice there.

So let's look first of all at the garden.

They were without shame.

And, you know, it's very significant that of all the things that God could have told us,

as the work of creation is completed and God has said it's all very good,

of all the things that he could have told us in this very last part of chapter 2,

is that the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

And what this tells us is that

tells us that

everything there was very good in the creation,

but God wanted us to know

that we were designed

to never know what shame felt like.

That was the purpose in the creation of man and woman.

And it's very clear that up to this point in the history of the world,

that the whole creation was exactly as God planned it.

Everything God wanted in his creation was present,

and his relationship with Adam and Eve was perfect at that point.

We're told that

Adam and Eve in the garden were naked,

they knew no shame.

Between them,

there was an openness.

There was an openness.

There was a unity.

And that was not masked by guilt.

That was not

disordered by lust

in any way.

And it was not hampered by shame.

There's a glory,

and there's a beauty

in the garden.

There's a freedom there

that is totally alien

to this world

as we know it.

And this was God's true pattern of creation,

that there would be

perfect ease

between them,

between him

and with

the human beings

that he created.

This was the fruit of perfect love,

with

no inclination

for greed,

or for distrust,

or for dishonor,

or for pride,

or for selfishness,

or for anger,

or for envy,

or for riches.

All the things of this world.

But there was no

inclination

whatsoever

towards

any of these

at this point

in creation.

And this verse

is a pointed reminder

of

our vanished

concord,

our vanished

harmony,

where there was

agreement

on everything.

Adam and Eve

at this point

were shameless

in every aspect

of their lives.

And they were shameless

not just physically,

but spiritually

as well.

And how lovely

this is

with God

at the centre

of their lives.

The final description

in chapter 2,

it just offers

to us

a picture

of

innocent

delight.

Adam and Eve

were truly

in paradise

and

fellowship

with God

was as natural

as breathing.

There was no need

for any kind

of discipline

with regard

to devotion

to God

because

all of life

was devotion

to God.

It was natural

and there was

no effort.

But what now,

as we read

into chapter 3,

what now

becomes

abundantly

clear to us

is that

Genesis 2

can now

only ever

be read

from

this side

where we are,

from this side

of Genesis 3.

And that leads

us

to look at

some aspects

of the fall

here.

And let's

be clear

as we begin

that

the New Testament

clarifies

for us

that

the serpent

that's spoken

about here

is indeed

the devil.

And it's

at the fall

that

this

act of

disobedience

that it

turns the

whole narrative

of human

life

into a

totally

different

direction.

From going

in one direction

it flips

at 180

to go

in a

totally

different

direction.

The picture

of the

garden

given to

us

in

Genesis 2

is given

to us

as being

reflected

in a

clear

and unspoiled

mirror.

And I'd like

you just to

keep this in

your mind

as we go

through the

sermon.

I'm going

to come

back to

it towards

the end.

So

what we have

in the garden

in Genesis 2

before the fall

is a picture

of

a reflection

in a clear

unspoiled

mirror

which portrays

the perfect

image of God

in man

as it was

then.

But in

Genesis 3

because of

the fall

that mirror

is shattered

into a

thousand pieces.

And each

little piece

still reflects

something

of the

earlier beauty

that there

was

but now

that picture

is fragmented.

And that is

how we are

born into

this world

in that

fragmented

picture of

a thousand

pieces of

that mirror

still

elements

there

of

the image

of God

but certainly

not perfect

because that

mirror

is now

broken.

The world

is now

seen through

the broken

glass of

chapter 3

and this

is no longer

a normal

world

nothing

about it

could be

called

very good

anymore.

And the

reason of

course is

because

sin has

now

entered in

and it's

a reality

for the

very first

time.

And it's

impossible I

think to get

any more of

a radical

contrast of

words than

we have

in chapter

2

25

and chapter

3

and verse

1.

Look at what

it says.

So this

craftiness

is there

now

from the

very

beginning.

The

serpent,

the devil

begins a

dialogue with

the woman

which opens

up with

this question

and this

is the

first question

I'd like us

to consider

in our

passage today.

this first

question

did God

actually

say

you shall

not eat

of the

tree of

the garden?

And what

does that

do?

Well that

immediately

puts a

doubt

into

Eve's

mind,

into the

mind of

the woman.

That seed

of doubt

is planted

immediately.

And you

know it

just gives

us a

thought as

well.

Because

we need

to be

in our

guard

for these

words as

well.

Did God

really say?

Did God

really say

this?

Because

this is the

first question

in the

Bible and

it speaks

volumes to

us about

knowing and

understanding

God's

word.

If we

don't know

what God

says in

his word

then doubts

will be put

into our

minds as

well.

We're going

to be led

away by

every

wonder of

doctrine and

possibly even

false

teaching.

We need

to know

God's

word so

that we

can stand

firm in

the face

of questions

and

accusations

and all

the wiles

of the

devil.

So we

need to

keep that

in our

minds.

So this

is a

question

then that

is put

to Eve.

Did

God

really

say

this?

This

dialogue

continues

between

the

serpent

and

Eve

to

the

point

where

she

eventually

caves

in

and

eats

of

the

forbidden

fruit

and

ultimately

rebels

against

God.

She

gave some

to her

husband

who also

ate.

Adam

and Eve's

eyes are

now opened

meaning

they now

begin to

understand

the whole

context of

good and

evil.

They are

now

sinners.

And what

they did

was

unspeakable

rebellion

against

God.

As one

commentator

puts it

they are

now ashamed.

They are

aware of

their nakedness

now but

it's not

just their

physical

nakedness

it's a

moral nudity

a nudity

of the

soul

of which

they are

now

conscious.

And what

they cannot

do is to

cover that

nakedness

of their

guilt and

shame

before God

it was

their sin

that led

to this

shame.

And even

while the

taste of

the fruit

was still

on their

lips

they died

right there

at the

foot of

the tree

of knowledge

of good

and evil.

They died

spiritually

and sin

immediately

penetrated

every sphere

of their

being.

And physical

death

also came

into the

world.

In an

instant

they passed

from life

to death

from trust

to distrust

and from

ease

to

dis-ease.

It didn't

take a day

to happen

it all

happened

in a

millisecond.

And what

we're told

in Ephesians

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

summarizes

so much

of this.

Ephesians

2 tells

us about

a person's

state

before they

come to

faith in

God

and you

were dead

in the

trespasses

and sins

in which

you once

walked

following the

course of

this world

following the

prince of

the power

of the air

the spirit

that is now

at work

in the

sons of

disobedience

among whom

we all

once lived

in the

passions of

our flesh

carrying out

the desires

of the

body and

the mind

and were

by nature

children of

wrath

like the

rest of

mankind.

And so

on.

And actually

Ephesians 2

actually goes

on to

repeat that

in other

ways as

well.

Their

position

before God

went from

a perfect

harmonious

relationship

to now

being God's

enemy.

Very stark

isn't it?

Complete

contrast.

And this

leads us to

our second

question.

As God

comes into

the garden

God calls

out to

Adam

where are

you?

Where are

you Adam?

Where are

they indeed?

They're hiding

from God

in the

trees

in the

forest.

they realize

they're

naked,

they cover

themselves

with

sown fig

leaves

and they

are totally

overcome

with guilt

and with

shame.

They're

ashamed,

they're now

rebellious,

guilty

human beings

who shift

blame,

who are

afraid

and hiding

in the

trees

from God.

what a

transformation

from what

we had

in the

words of

verse 25.

And we

can just

imagine them,

can't we,

just crawling

out from

these trees

coming before

God,

coming out of

their hiding

place in

abject fear

fear.

And God

then confronts

them with

the third

question

that we

can consider.

Who told

you you

were naked?

Who told

you that

you were

naked?

And we

need to know

the answer

here because

sin comes

into its

own

immediately.

Immediately.

Immediately.

she gave

me the

fruit from

the tree

and I

ate it.

It was

her.

It was

her fault

God.

Don't

blame me.

She

gave me

the

fruit.

That's

nothing but

treachery.

And Adam

was already

immediately

so cold

and so

calculated.

And instead

of fellowship

together,

they had

deceit and

guilt and

judgment.

It's now

the order

of the day.

No

different

for the

woman.

When God

asked the

woman,

it was

the serpent's

fault.

The serpent

deceived me.

The serpent

told me to

take it.

So I

took it.

It was

the serpent's

fault.

Once again

deceit and

shifting the

blame.

So God,

as we read,

God judges

the serpent

and then Eve

and finally

Adam and

each with

specific and

personal judgments

laid upon

them.

And following

God's judgment,

they are

cast out

and this

is the

thing that

they are

cast down

into this

dark and

evil world.

sin and

evil.

It didn't

just

fabricate

itself into

the lives of

Adam and

Eve and

human beings.

But Romans 8

tells us this.

for the

creation

waits with

eager wronging

for the

revealing of

the sons

of God.

For the

creation was

subjected to

futility,

not willingly,

but because of

whom you

subjected it

in hope

that the

creation itself

will be set

free from

its bondage

to decay

and obtain

the freedom

of the

glory of

the children

of God.

So the

whole world

subjected to

sin.

But thankfully

our God is

a God of

mercy because

his judgment

upon the

serpent also

turns into a

word of grace

for human

beings.

Look at

verse 15

here of

chapter 3.

I will

be enmity

between you

and the

woman and

between your

offspring and

her offspring.

You shall

bruise your

head and

you shall

bruise

his heel.

What God

says when

he says

this, he's

looking forward

and what we

have here

is quite an

astounding

gospel prophecy.

The woman's

offspring that

God refers to

points to

Christ, who

will crush

Satan's

head.

In other

words, it

is Christ

who will

deal a

death blow

to the

serpent,

to Satan.

And in

saying you

shall bruise

his heel,

this refers

to humans

being afflicted

by sin

and limping

along in

the path

of life

because of

sin.

And I

mentioned

Adam's

responses

previously

as we

had it,

which when

God asked

him,

why have you

done this?

How do you

know that

you're naked?

And that

was effectively

for want

of a

phrase,

one of a

better phrase,

one we

used to

do,

it was

passing the

buck,

wasn't it?

He was

passing the

buck on to

the woman,

who then

passed it

on to

the serpent.

Well, that

was not

passed to

Eve,

actually.

It was

passed to

Jesus Christ

to deal

with this,

to remedy

this,

because Adam

and Eve

were our

representatives

of the

human race,

as human

beings,

the first

human

beings,

they were

our

representatives,

and so

what they

did is

transferred

to us

as well,

every single

human being.

And this

required a

remedy,

and it

leads us to

the cross,

our third

point,

because

Christ

comes

in the

person of

Jesus

to deal

with sin.

We need a

remedy for

this sin.

And as

we read

there in

verse 12,

it mentions

sin,

that he

endured the

cross,

and he

despised

the shame.

Jesus

despised the

shame.

And the

word shame

in the

Greek

describes

something

that is

base,

is ugly,

is revolting,

is grotesque.

And by

using this

word,

the writer

of the

Hebrews is

telling us

that Jesus'

experience on

the cross as

he hung

naked and

broken in

full view of

the world,

was disgraceful,

deplorable,

despicable,

and

reprehensible.

He

endured

the cross

and despised

the shame.

crucifixion.

But he

endured that

for us.

He

endured it

for us.

Crucifixion

was a form

of capital

punishment.

And

went not

only to

torture

someone,

but also

to publicly

shame that

person.

It was

served for

the scum

of society,

like rebels,

slaves,

outcasts,

murderers,

so on.

Crucifixion

stripped its

victims of

their clothes

and their

dignity.

Criminals

were hung

naked,

arms

outstretched,

all alone

in front of

the crowds

and the

hordes

that were

gathered

along

these Roman

roads.

They were

mocked,

they were

spat on

as they

struggled

for breath.

And it's

interesting

that the

authors of

the four

gospels,

they don't

emphasize or

sensationalize

the gruesome

details,

of Jesus'

death,

but rather

they highlight

the shame

of the

cross.

They show

us that

on the

cross,

Jesus

bore

our shame.

He bore

our shame

in the

scourging

and being

taken outside

of the city

walls to

be crucified

in front

of a huge

crowd.

People were

spitting on

him,

mocking him,

shouting at

him,

abusing

him,

stripped

naked,

which was

a clear

indicator

of bearing

Adam's

shame

from the

Garden of

Eden.

The cross

wasn't just

punishment

that he

took for

our guilty

verdict,

it was

public

humiliation.

It was

public

humiliation.

shame.

And the

emphasis on

shame in

the Bible

is always

in relation

to God.

But it's

also

significant

that these

same four

gospel writers,

these authors

of the

gospels,

do not

dwell on

the manner

in which

Jesus was

crucified.

Because if you

search the

gospels,

you'll discover

that there are

very few

details concerning

Christ's

physical

sufferings

compared to

what it would

have actually

been like.

There's very

few details

of his

physical

sufferings.

Instead,

they point to

what was

happening to

him spiritually

as he hung

there.

Their focus is

more on the

purpose of

the cross

than on the

cross itself.

and their

focus is on

what he

suffered

spiritually

in our

place in

that three

hours of

darkness

on the

cross.

Going to

hell itself

in our

place.

Leading him

to the point

where he

cried out,

my God,

my God,

why have

you forsaken

me?

Our fourth

question in

our considerations

here today.

Why have

you forsaken

me?

Jesus

borows him

for the

threefold joy

that was

set before

him,

as we're

told in

Hebrews.

And that

joy was

so that

the Father

would be

glorified,

that he

would be

victorious

over the

devil,

that he

would crush

the head

of the

devil,

and thirdly,

so that we

could receive

his honor.

And that's

why the

cross is

good news.

Jesus just

didn't die,

Jesus died

for us.

He died

for us.

through faith,

we can receive

his grace,

and his

peace,

and his

love,

and his

joy,

and his

honor in the

place of our

shame,

because that is

the opposite of

shame,

we receive

his honor.

he laid

down his

life,

and he

was crucified

to bear

our shame,

and to

adopt us

into God's

family,

where we

share in

the king's

honor.

And it's

perhaps best

understood as

that great

transaction which

is summarized

for us in

2 Corinthians

5,

and in

verse 21,

and where it

says,

for our

sake,

God made

Christ to

be sin,

who knew

no sin,

so that in

Christ,

we might

become the

righteousness of

God in

him.

And as

Galatians 3,

13 tells us,

the curse of

sin and death

was placed on

Jesus,

so that we

might obtain

the blessings

of Abraham.

So as you

reflect on

the cross,

remember that

when Jesus

died,

and if you

are a believer,

your shame

also died.

He took it

with him to

the grave,

and that's

where it

stayed.

And you're

raised through

his resurrection

in honor,

robed,

and clothed

in his

righteousness.

righteousness.

How thankful

we ought to

be that we

are able to

read Genesis

3 through

the eyes of

the New

Testament,

where we

are told of

someone who

stands in the

breach as

mediator with

this word of

good news,

the good news

of the gospel.

It tells us

that the

clothing of

his righteousness,

the acceptance

the forgiveness,

the love and

peace of his

gospel,

and the power

of his

resurrection

bring life

back to those

who were

spiritually dead.

They are no

longer spiritually

dead in their

sins.

They are now

alive in

Christ.

Colossians 1

Colossians 1:19–22

verses 19

to 22

tells us

this,

for God

was pleased

to have

all his

fullness

dwell in

Jesus in

Christ,

and through

him to

reconcile to

himself all

things,

whether things

on earth or

things in

heaven,

by making

peace through

his blood

shed on the

cross.

Once you

were alienated

from God and

were enemies in

your minds

because of

your evil

behaviour,

but now he

has reconciled

you by Christ's

physical body

through death

to present you

holy in his

sight,

without blemish,

free from

accusation,

and without

shame.

That is what

the cross has

accomplished for

us.

Jesus has

sacrificed

there.

In Genesis

3, when Adam

and Eve

sinned against

God,

their freedom

in God

immediately

gave way

to the

bondage

of sin.

But now,

for everyone

who preserved

faith in the

finished work

of Jesus,

that bondage

now has

to go

away to

the freedom

that is

found in

a life

that trusts

in Jesus.

So let me

ask you

today,

in your

life,

personally,

do you

have this

freedom in

Christ?

Or are you

still hiding

behind the

trees,

as Adam

and Eve

were when

they became

aware of

their sin?

hiding there

in shame

when you

hear the

voice of

God again?

That's a

question that

every one of

us needs to

ask ourselves.

Where are

we today

with regard

to this

freedom?

Are we

free in

Christ,

or still

hiding in

that shame

behind the

trees?

Remember

the mirror

I spoke

about at

the beginning?

The mirror

that was

shattered into

a thousand

pieces when

sin came

into the

world?

The one

which portrayed

the image

of God

in man

as being

perfect before

the fall,

but broken

when Adam

and Eve

sinned,

resulting in

our image

becoming

distorted.

Well,

let me tell

you this,

that everyone

who has

faith in

Jesus as

their Savior

has had

that mirror

replaced,

not repaired,

but replaced.

It's

replaced.

They have

been gifted

a new one

that perfectly

reflects the

righteousness

of God

in Christ

in them.

It's

perfect,

and it's

new,

because when

you put your

trust and

faith in

Jesus,

that is a

new start

for every

individual.

It's a

new life,

and they

are now

also a

new creation,

as we're

told in the

Gospels,

particularly in

2 Corinthians

5, once

again.

So it's a

new start,

a new life,

a new

creation.

And you

know what's

so special

about this

new mirror?

It is

unbreakable,

absolutely

unbreakable,

preserved

hold for

the believers

time on

this earth,

and through

the endless

ages of

eternity.

But that

broken mirror

of a

thousand pieces

remains that

way for

those who

are still

without Christ

as their

Saviour.

And you

know, just

as it was

with Adam

and Eve,

so it is

for every

one of

us.

We are

all

responsible

for the

choices

that we

make.

God

gives

every one

of us

a choice.

Believe

in Jesus,

believe in

what he

has

accomplished

on the

cross,

put your

trust and

faith in

him and

his

finished

work,

and commit

your life

to him

in faith,

or don't

believe in

Jesus,

don't believe

in what he

has accomplished

on the

cross,

don't put

your trust

and faith

in him and

his

finished

work,

and don't

commit your

life to

him.

that's

the

choice

we

have.

And the

choice is

yours

personally.

But thankfully

we have a

God who

is a

God of

mercy,

and we

have a

God who

is reaching

out to

you again

today,

and he's

saying,

come to

me,

all of

you who

are laboring

and are

heavy laden,

and I

will give

you that

rest.

Come to

me,

and I

will give

you that

safety,

and that

security,

and I

will be

with you,

and I

will lead

you each

and every

moment for

the remainder

of your

life.

He's just

saying,

come to

me.

This is

what God

has done

for us.

He has

given us

a remedy,

and Christ

is representative

of all of

his people,

just as

Adam and

Eve were

representative

of a

broken and

sinful

world.

And so

there we

leave it

for today,

with that

choice,

and with

that great

invitation

from the

Lord,

to come

to him,

and to

place your

trust and

your faith

in Jesus

Christ as

your

Savior.

May God

bless these

thoughts.

Let's close

now,

then let's

sing together.

We'll sing

in Psalm

130,

from

Sing

Psalms.

We'll sing

the whole of

the Psalms.

Psalm 130,

and it's

on page

173 of

the Blue

Books.

And may

this be your

prayer and

your call to

God today.

Lord, from

the depths I

call to you,

Lord, hear me

from on high,

and give

attention to

my voice

holy

holy

my voice

when I

for mercy

die.

Lord,

in your

presence

to

the Son,

if you

are sins

before,

but yet

forgiveness

is

with you

that

we may

fear

you, Lord.

I

wait,

my soul,

wait for

the Lord,

my

hope

is

in

his

word,

for

am

the

Lord,

praise

for

dawn,

my

soul,

wait for

the

Lord.

O

it

shall

give

your

hope

in

Lord,

for

mercy

is

with