Consequence of Sin

Intro

Sermon series of the OT. Excited about Genesis 3, but this is heavy. The weight of sin is a heavy topic.

Main Idea: Man’s sin requires divine intervention

Moses is reminding them of this point. God had to intervene to get them out of Egypt. Tells the story on Mt. Sinai of the beginning of sin.

Truth #1: Sin began with deception (1-7)

Exp. Sin is any deviation from God’s law or rule. It is rebellion against God. Satan would deceive Adam and Eve. Verse 1. Crafty = positive, sensible, shrewd. Imagery meaning Satan’s presence was there. Knew what he was doing. Verses 2-3. Satan’s question = not what God said. Eve’s response = also not what God said. Verses 4-5. Satan explains a different result. Instead of death, you will be like God, knowing good and evil. Knowing good and evil happens. Not like God. Verses 6-7. Their response was not one that was like God. They were deceived.

Ill. Surgery in high school. When papaw would drive back to the house. Put the ball back. Lower the garage door. Propped up with ice pack. Deception. Wanted to cover myself.

Exp. Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves as well. They knew they sinned. Their coverings were a pitiful attempt to cover themselves.

Arg. Types of deception from this passage:

God didn’t really say that. The first question….…Choose what we want to believe.

You won’t be happy if you obey God. Satan’s lure was they could be like God. Wouldn’t it be better if we could make God into our own image?

Satan’s tactic is the same. It worked then, and it works today.

Christ - Jesus didn’t question what God said. Matthew 4. Jesus quotes his father verbatim. Overcomes the temptation of Satan unlike Adam.

App. Be careful who you listen to. How do I know?

Beware of red flags. We often have red flags. Listen to them.

Check the motives. Often, advice is given with wrong motives. If I’m the center, it’s probably wrong.

Know Scripture. Eve missed an important detail and was swayed. Jesus knew the word of God, and trusted it.

Truth #2: Sin has deathly consequences (8-19)

Exp. Today, the thought of sin bringing consequences has been lost. Sin has become ok as long as you don’t get caught. Notice the response of Adam and Eve is like ours as well. Verse 8. They hid. Afraid. We are afraid as well. Verses 9-11. Adam responds and God knows exactly what has happened. Verses 12-13.

Arg. Sin causes us to:

Hide. We want to hide. Instead of share, we first hide.

Blame. Adam blamed, so do we. We have no excuse.

Ill. I always know when Christian has done something wrong. I’ll ask if he did that thing, and he’ll either ignore me or just not answer. It’s clear. That’s our response.

Exp. God had punishment for Eve. Pain in childbirth. Desire for her husband despite pain in childbirth. Punishment for Adam. Life of painful toil. Eat from plants in the field instead of trees in the garden. Death. These aren’t the only punishments.

Christ - God had a sovereign plan set in motion. Verses 14-15. Protoevangelion. First gospel. God promises that Satan would die. Eve’s offspring would be Jesus. He would crush the head of the serpent. Satan thinks that the wages of sin is death, but Jesus is the gift of God who came to take the sin of the world.

App. Confess. Just this past week, I had someone confess one of the most devastating sins to me. He had hit rock bottom. This wasn’t a conviction of the HS. Once this was uncovered, he said he felt freedom. Pain was still there, but he was free. Why? Because healing can begin. How do we do this?

Confess honestly. You can’t withhold.

Confess regularly. There has to be ongoing accountability.

Confess immediately. Don’t wait until you see someone again. Or next group. Reach out. Ask for prayer. Confess the sin.

If we aren’t confessing, we aren’t repenting.

Truth #3: Sin brings separation (20-24)

Exp. After the curses, we will see separation between mankind and God. Before he does, he does something gracious. Verse 21. Their pitiful attempt to cover themselves with fig leaves was corrected by God sacrificing an animal to cover them. Preview of the sacrificial system. Mosaic covenant in Exodus 25, Moses sprinkles the blood of the animal to “cover” their sin. God provides a sacrifice here. He provides a sacrifice with Abraham and Isaac. He provides the great sacrifice for the Passover. He provides Jesus. God then sends them out. Verses 22-24. They are banished from the garden. God desires to dwell with his children, but their sin prevents it.

Ill. Like any father wants to be with their children. I love being with Christian. What I love doing with Christian is not what he loves doing. I love laying around. sharing a blanket. Watch a movie. Things like that. He wants to fight. The opposite of cuddling. As I desire to be with him, so does God desire to be with us.

Arg. We know this because he provides ways to do so. The garden is a preview of the temple that Solomon would build. How do I know? God’s presence dwells in the garden. He established angels to guard it. In the temple, the ark of the covenant dwelt, God’s presence. The nine inch thick curtain had cherubim on it. Protecting it. Exodus 25:8, “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.” Exodus 29:45, “I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God.”

Christ - John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” God wanted to dwell among his people. He wanted to be with his children. He sent Jesus, God in flesh, Immanuel to be with the people. To be with the sinners. His death caused the veil to tear in two; eliminating the separation. Later, God will create a new Garden in which his presence will dwell and we will be there with him.

App. Sin separates from God, but there is a remedy. If you are here and sin is plaguing you, there is a savior. Draw near.

Sin began with deception, but we are protected from Satan.

Sin has deathly consequences, but Jesus brings eternal life.

Sin brings separation, but Jesus draws us near.

Respond as you feel led.