Sin
Notes
Transcript
Good morning/evening, we are on our second last week in our series Gospel in Genesis as we have explored creation and God’s design and authority over creation. His perfect will and plan for the human experience. A question that’s always raised is, how do we go from the perfect delight of Eden to our current experience? How did we get from here, to now?
Todays passage is the answer- we call chapter 3 of the bible “The Fall”. I would wager that, even if you have no church experience, you would know or have heard of that name/term as it is heavily explored in pop-culture.
The Fall is a name given to this idea of humanity once occupying loftier heights, haven now fallen into darkness, chaos and brokenness. The Bible teaches that those lofty heights saw humans, as God’s own image bearers, as partners with Him in stewarding and enjoying all of creation.
Today, instead, we are opposed to God, opposed to His rule, creation is often not delightful at all and invokes a lot of fear in those whom were made to rule over it. Does this mean that before The Fall we weren’t scared of spiders? Probably, I reckon. What would you have to fear in Eden? Jess and I have a sister between us, Loz, and she’s scared of moths. Moths. Now, I know a lot about God, I don’t necessarily know His thoughts, but I imagine he didn’t intend for His image-bearing stewards of creation to be scared of moths!
Yet, we are. We’re scared of nature, it terrifies us- between storms, fires, earthquakes and tsunami’s there’s plenty to be wary of. Part of our current culture is what we call Climate Alarmism, which frames these natural disasters as being results of humanity’s wrongdoing. You’ve probably seen the sentiment online that people are so frightened they believe that nature is angry with us, as if it had its own mind, that we are just like ants- meaningless, worthless, annoying- and should it choose to, nature could destroy us. Wipe us from existence. It comes from fear of nature, or perhaps even an insecurity in our meaning and purpose as humans.
We are at odds with nature, we’re at odds with each other, we’re at odds with ourselves. All to say, something isn’t right.
It isn’t, and the bible points us in Genesis 3 to the concept of sin, sin being the cause of this misaligned world.
And I’m excited, I really love preaching teaching on sin. Yeah, kinda weird. I know. It’s a great opportunity to sit on it because I believe that if you come to a right understanding of what sin is- it becomes a huge blessing to you.
If you’ve been here a while you would have heard me speak to reclaiming words like repentance and confession from the archaic undertones usually associated with them. They are words which offer to you freedom and forgiveness. We know this to be true from what we read from scripture, hear these words:
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
So, here are some concepts: there is a Holy God who is angry with the state of the world. Because He is Holy He cannot let injustice, evil and corruption stand without judgement. Because of Jesus, you can freely enter into the throne room, His presence, and not face that judgement- the writer of Hebrews says, let’s do that with confidence. How?
To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Jesus gave himself as a sacrifice to bear the judgement of God so you don’t have to. Instead, you can freely receieve forgiveness, mercy and grace.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So, here is my big pitch to you- I want you to remember this all the days of your life. God’s grace to you, His power to forgive you, is sufficient to cover all of your sins. Therefore, as you confess and repent of your sins, as you offer more of your sinful self to Jesus in repentance, how much more will you behold His mercy, grace and forgiveness in your life?
We preach sin, not for condemnation, but in order so we might preach grace to you also.
One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”
“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Let the size of your sin help bring into contrast the size of His grace for you. For, if you grasp how much you have been forgiven- how much more will you love?
So let’s talk about sin. What even is sin? Is it a magical foce that makes you do bad things? Is it doing the wrong thing? Let’s unpack it, our passage in Genesis helps to paint a great picture for us. I’m going to highlight some definitions of sin and some claims it makes over us. So Let’s dive in.
1. What is Sin?
1. What is Sin?
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
They’re talking about a specific tree; the tree of the the knowledge of good and evil- which God forbade Adam and Eve from eating. God did this to establish His moral authority- that He alone, as Creator, determines right from wrong.
Then, this serpent, is Satan or an instrument of Satan. Scripture later on makes that clear here. And he comes here immediately with a question, doubting God’s goodness and authority. His purpose, is not to hurt you and me, though that may be a bonus for him. Satan is a title, rather than a personal name, and it means “Adversary”. Who is his opponent? God. He wants to tear down everything and anything God made if not God himself.
Now, a quick and important distinction: Satan, is not equal to God. We’ve established this over our series, that: The God of the Bible is the Lord above all things. He has no equal who can truly rival Him- though beings may be opposed to Him. There won’t be a big struggle at the end of time for ultimate victory. There is an appointed end, however, where God will say “your time has ended, Satan”, and he’ll be destroyed. No struggle or resistance will ensue- he will be destroyed. A famous quote, is this:
"The opposite of God is not the devil; the opposite of God is nothingness." Hold on to that we will pick it up again.
So, God is in control here- He allows this temptation, He permits Satan to still exist, He permits Satan to tempt Eve and he doesn’t stop Eve’s decision though He could have.
All of this is true of God, if not He is not in control and therefore not God. He does not commit an evil act here for ordaining the fall, it’s still our decision, but in doing so, God ordains and prepares the way for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross- the greatest act of love.
So God permits Satan to tempt Eve here and he does this by questioning God’s word- “did God really say?” And it exposes human inadequcy or weakness as Eve actually quotes God’s word wrong.
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
She adds “neither shall you touch it” and she says “lest you die”. God forbids them from eating in and promises that they would die. It wasn’t precautionary, like “watch out for the tree in case you die” like the fruit was poisoned or bad for food. There is a weakness here in lack of clarity to what God said.
Claim: God’s Word is not inerrant and should be doubted (caveat: that does not mean we do not wrestle with it- but wrestle should result in surrender if we have a righteous and holy fear of God’s Authority).
What is sin? Doubting God’s goodness and His authority.
But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when 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.
The serpant throws doubt over God’s word. It is effective because it is partly true- should Eve now reach out and take the fruit- she won’t die when she touches it- because God didn’t say she would. This will detract from what God has said and strengthen the serpent’s claims.
The serpent, casting shadow on God’s word, claims here to have hidden knowledge of what God knows. He is claiming God is holding out on you, he is lying to you (kill joy). In fact, perhaps God is afraid of you because you could become like Him (better - He’s old news).
At this moment, Eve looks upon the fruit and sees that it is good. Good has appeared multiple times over these chapters and it refers to God’s declarations over creation. Here, Eve determines it for herself: Eve saw the fruit was “good for food”; delightful to look at; desirable for obtaining wisdom.
And what about Adam? He is there, with her and he eats also. He doesn’t attempt to stop her or protect her or to call out Satan. Adam got the command firsthand in Gen 2, God gave it directly to Him- and yet Adam eats knowingly. It’s an active decision to eat, tempted with power, not a trick.
Claim: God is selfish or holding back from you. He doesn’t want you to enjoy life to the full.
Claim: False sense of maturity “I don’t need God”.
What is sin? Desiring what God has not given you (envy, lust, greed) and calling it good.
Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And 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.”
The eyes of Adam and Eve were in fact opened, as the serpent said, but not in wisdom or in likeness to God. Instead, they were suddenly aware that they cannot be autonomous, they are not self-sufficient in their personhood. Their disobedience shuts them out of their created order, realising their grave mistake- and for the first time they feel shame.
This new found self-awareness reveals their inadequacy. So we can say: What is sin? Sin is shame and insecurity which leads to comparison and self-justification. Sin is the source of our shame, guilt, insecurities, anxities- they are all the product of the entrance of sin into our lives.
They tried to cover up and hide as they heard God’s tangible presence enter the garden. Sin is an attempt to hide things. The Bible uses language throughout of our sin being like darkness, our sinful state leading us to be children of the darkness and how we all attempt to keep things hidden: our secrets, our thoughts, our true feelings, our desires.
This is contrary to their created nature: one where they walked naked, with nothing to hide, with God.
They had everything they needed and were made in His image- what did they desire? More. Sin is insatiable and restless.
As God comes, God the creator- the one who could fix it, they flee and hide. Now, Adam gives a response in verse 10 where he states he was afraid, but more nuance is applicable here I think. They know the nature of God, though they are doubting it they have still experienced it. And I think there is an element of pride here- not wanting to be found out as a failure or as inadequate (no one likes that!)
Pride can be a chameleon, it hides behind fear and hurt- pointing fingers whilst being the root cause. Adam was scared, not of punishment but because he was exposed.
What is sin? Pride. Fleeing confession and repentance. Hiding from responsibility and accountability.
This account contrasts well with that of Enoch’s, whose life is summarised in four verses.
When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
What is sin? To walk in opposition with God and His ways. Whether it is walking in direct opposition to him, from him or far from him- our sinful state leads us to not walk as we were made- to walk freely in the presence of a holy God, delighting in his ways and his creation.
The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
This passage of scripture can be best described using the spiderman meme, where all three spidermen are pointing at eachother. Whose fault is it? Similar scenes are found in the homes of young children across the world and years.
It is another product of pride.
Claim: You are the victim and should not be held accountable for your wrongdoing. Who can truly judge you?
What is sin? Deflecting of blame, lack of accountability and ownership. Victimhood. “God’s fault, cause he allowed it.”
Sin says: “How can anyone else judge me if they’re equal to me? How can God judge me if I’m a sinner if he allowed it?” But the foundation of the argument is wrong- you don’t get to decide the criteria!
Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
2. Sin is Lawlessness
2. Sin is Lawlessness
This is scriptures definition of sin- sin is lawlessness. Lawlessness doesn’t mean without law but rather living in contempt of it, or willfully ignoring God's boundaries.
God establishes the moral law in cahpter 2 and he reserves the right to judge it as being the source of it.
Disobedient to God’s moral law leads to a life of:
Doubting God’s goodness and authority.
Desiring what God has not given you, full of envy, lust, greed of others and calling it good.
Accusing God of being selfish and holding back from you- blaming him for your own state.
Feeling full of shame and insecurity which leads to comparison and self-justification. Anxiety and guilt.
A sense if unceasing dissatisfaction, restlessness wtih your own self, your life and the world.
Pride. Fleeing confession and repentance- hiding from the light.
Deflection of blame, lack of accountability and ownership. Continual state of victimhood.
This is just a summary from what we see in half of chapter 3. We haven’t even got to chapter 4 where we encounter jealousy, hatred and murder; or chapter 6 where we witness sexual immorality and “increasing wickedness where man’s thoughts were evil continually”. That’s the state of a world and a life outside God’s moral law- a life of disobedience.
Reality check: I hope at this point you can see the size of your sin. The state of your sin and could atleast identity one of the areas we covered as an rea of sin in your life. This is why we can’t be angry with God for allowing or causing sin. We chose autonomy- the brokenness and darkness of this world is our own doing.
You’re a sinner! You’re not without blame. You are deserving of God’s judgement.
Okay, who’s ready for some Good News? Grace.
3. God is a God of Grace
3. God is a God of Grace
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
If by grace we have been saved then the only conclusion is that His grace is sufficient to cover all of our sins. So, when we preach sin, let us help you to see how much red is in your ledger- so his blood may wash it clear. Let us reveal to you the darkness of your own heart, so by his grace you can be set free.
“The very center and core of the whole Bible is the doctrine of the grace of God.” J. Gresham Machen
It isn’t sin- sin is neither the core or the point, but without sin, there is no reference point for grace.
Grace is, good things freely given, even when we don’t deserve it. Whether you believe in him or not, he still showers upon you grace. Even in our fallen state of rebellion His face shines in kindness and love.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Whilst Jesus in that text is urging His followers to love and pray for those they are at odds with, the principle is- look at how God treats you, even when you resented Him.
God made this world for us to enjoy and glorify Him in our enjoyment. And we still do, we still appreciate the awe of a mountain top view and a sunset, we still enjoy a fresh cup of coffee and the smell of rain, we still enjoy the sun’s warm kiss in the morning and the sound of a child’s laughter. Why? Why do you deserve to enjoy it? No, that’s God’s free gift to you, to everyone. That’s grace- and just the start of it.
“.. in grace, God gives nothing less than Himself.” Michael Horton
He gives us Jesus & Jesus is the point- He is the purpose. God withheld His anger at a rebellious world to send His Son Jesus to redeem it.
We witness this in God’s character right here in our text today.
But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
*communion*
God is God- He knows where Adam is. He knows whats happened and what they have done. This is a picture of God’s character- His grace & mercy. God has every right to deliver judgement and destruction right here, but he doesn’t- he asks the question- “where are you?”
This is how God deals with sin, in the most part, for now. We read of some specific judgements God delivers, such as Pharaoh and Sodom and Gamorrah, we know that God has an appointed end to sin and suffering where Jesus will return to bring this state of our world to an end in judgement. Yet, for now, God relents in His righteous anger, He deals with your sin with a gentle but firm hand.
God’s mercy and grace is an invitation to confesion and repentance. When God says to Adam, “where are you?” It is for Adam’s sake, to encourage Adam to come and face his sin.
God asked “where are you?” for Adam has found himself for the first time to be lost, would he come and be found.
So, Adam and Eve were tempted to eat from a tree to be like God. This tree represents a choice between:
• Receiving good and evil from God as the Creator.
• Defining good and evil independently from God.
Satan’s questioning can be summarised with this one- “Can God really be trusted?”
I’ll show you one way that you can trust God and His goodness-
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
God’s voice in the garden echoes to us today; “where are you?” Perhaps you feel lost and you sense something is out of order in this world. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
Perhaps you’ve known God for many years but you’ve been feeling like your asking the same question “God, where are you?” Jesus says come to me, nothing can separate you from my love.
Maybe you’re holding something in the darkness. Maybe you’re ashamed of “what would God truly think of me if he knew this?”. If that is you this morning, He already knows. What is His grace? Well, look where he has you today- no better place to be.
We were all once lost, but by the blood of Jesus we have been found, made whole, made new. And, if once while we were sinners, Christ died, Paul continues- since then we have been justified how much more would we be rescued and reconciled now that we belong to Him?
Friends, today, you can approach the throne of Christ, that is His presence, with confidence.
