The Sin of Everyone
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“No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman. “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
Man knowingly turned away from the Kingdom of God and man knowingly turns away from the Kingdom of God.
The Apostle Paul says to the Romans in Chapter 1:21,
For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened.
Man’s biggest and most devestating sin is the suppression of the truth of God. Specifically, His existence and nature. If God exists then how can He allow evil to exist and do bad things? If there is an all-knowing, all-powerful and all-good god, why do bad things happen to good people? If God exists, he is to be Santa Clause to me, to please me and give me what I want, when I want it and how I want it. He is to be there to clean up my messes, make sure I do not get hurt and make sure everything I say and do works out. This is the god of God’s I would be willing to follow. God is to serve men because man sits on the throne.
Man will worship a god who will be his servant, who will not hold man accountable or responsible for any of man’s choices and consequences. God is reduced to being nothing but a genie in a bottle, serving man with endless wishes and protecting him from all responsibility and accountabilty. This is utopia or heaven on earth…or being king of the hill.
The problem with this vision of Kingdom, there is always someone who comes along with a different vision of Kingdom and they are usually king and you are the servant. There always seems to be another dog with a bigger stick…a bigger god. And then in desperation, we cry out to true God and demand He prove Himself by answering our demand or request with the assurance that we will worship Him if He does so, holding ourselves as ransom to God who loves us so, threatening God that I will remain a runaway unless He gives me what I want. Man is so good at manipulation. Even when we call out in desperation to God, we demand to remain as King on the throne.
Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. Therefore God delivered them over in the cravings of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.
We are all guilty of wanting to be in charge. We want to be in control. We want to rule our lives, our world and in our way, because we believe we know what is good and what is bad. The problem is, we cannot handle the knowledge, nor the choice, one has to make between good and bad or wise and unwise. And this was, and is, the trap Satan ambushed Adam and Eve with and has been doing so throughout history to man…you do not need God, you can be God, you can be king and rule and reign this realm.
Man wants to rule, and enjoy the accolades and benefits, but does not want to be held responsible or accountable for messing up. That’s the problem with limited knowledge, limited power and limited presense…you have a limited throne.
Man pushes away from God because we think our limitations are far superior than God’s unlimitness.
The Story of Sin
“The story of sin in the Bible is the story of God’s elect people wanting to be God-like instead of god-ly, of ruling instead of sub-ruling and being ruled.” -Scot McKnight, Kingdom Conspiracy, pg. 29.
Adam and Eve fell, therefore the whole human race has fallen, because they wanted to rule “like God” instead of ruling “under God”. Man wanted more responsibility than simply having the responsibility of governing on God’s behalf. We wanted to be “the man”!
What is this called? It’s called usurping authority. It’s called insurrection, mutany, or an overthrow. The one who steals a throne is a usurper or simply…a thief. They are an illigetimate ruler.
This is what Adam and Eve did, this is what we have done…this was and is Satan’s ploy…to usurpe God’s rule and reign in this realm. Satan and man need to be reminded of one thing, God says, “I will not share My glory with another.”
I am Yahweh, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another or My praise to idols.
I will act for My own sake, indeed, My own, for how can I be defiled? I will not give My glory to another.
Brothers, consider your calling: Not many are wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world —what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, so that no one can boast in His presence.
A usurper takes God’s reign and realm and rules as an imposter. Am I an imposter?
At home - is it God’s house or mine?
My marriage - do I treat my spouse as God treats me or Christ tells me?
At work - is my employer on the throne or am I? Is it my employer’s realm or mine? Do I serve God?
At church - is it my church or God’s church?
My worship - is God number one? Is He my priority?
My time - is God king of my time or am I?
My finances - Does God control my finances or me?
My sabbath - is God king of that day or me? Do I spend time with Him? Is it the largest portion?
The Kingdom Gospel - Plan A
God alone is King
Humans are to rule under God (from Adam to Abraham)
Humans usurp God’s rule
God forgives the usurpers and establishes a covenant with Abraham (Gen. 15; 17)
The Story of Samuel, Saul and the Israelites (1 Samuel 8-9)
When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. His firstborn son’s name was Joel and his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba. However, his sons did not walk in his ways—they turned toward dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not follow your example. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.”
When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand sinful, so he prayed to the Lord. But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected Me as their king. They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to Me, since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning Me and worshiping other gods. Listen to them, but you must solemnly warn them and tell them about the rights of the king who will rule over them.”
Story of Samuel 8 & 9
Samuel appoints his sons as judges over Israel (8:1)
Samuel’s sons are crooked and do not walk in the ways of God, perverting justice (v.3)
The elder’s reject Samuel’s sons and demand a king to judge them (v.5)
The elder’s are rejecting God and His Kingdom (v.7-9)
The rights of the human king upon the people explained (v.10-19)
The people demand a human king a second time, desiring to be like the nations around them to judge them, rule them and fight their battles (v.19-20)
Samuel’s listens to the people, repeats their demands to the Lord and listens to the Lord’s command to appoint them a king (v.21-22)
Saul, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, is appointed king over Israel (Chapter 9)
Problems
Samuel appoints his own sons to be judges, instead of taking instruction from the Lord as to whom should be judges. He takes charge - rule and reign, instead of being sub-ruler of the Lord.
He appoints men who are not worthy to be judges - huge character concerns.
The elders of Israel want a human king, an imposter, a usurper instead of the Lord Himself and His kingdom. They have rejected God and His Kingdom. Israel was supposed to be distinct from the nations around them (Lev. 20:26), just as we are called to be distinct from the world and people we live with in this world. Israel was to be God’s own possession (Ex. 19:5-6).
Now if you will listen to Me and carefully keep My covenant, you will be My own possession out of all the peoples, although all the earth is Mine, and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.”
Just as Israel was “set apart” to be holy as God is holy, so is the church of Christ today. “Set apart” means you are the nail that is going to be hammered. Set apart means holy unto God.
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. But as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.
For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love
He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
We should stand out in this world, not melt into it.
Saul was the first human king of the Israelites. Israel rejected God and therefore His kingdom as well therefore God gave them over to their own desires and a human kingdom, not endorsed by God.
As the Apostle Paul would say, “He gave man over to his own desires.”
Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin, not of the tribe of Judah.
King Saul’s kingdom was a worldly kingdom; man had taken control of God’s reign and realm, but according to God it would not last.
The scepter will not depart from Judah or the staff from between his feet until He whose right it is comes and the obedience of the peoples belongs to Him.
When we install a usurper, we become usurpers to the throne of God, imposters. It is the sin all of humanity commits and has committed. We overthrow God’s authority and postion. We no longer worship Him. We become double-minded, living two lives and become divided within ourselves and our loyalties.
Thus the New Plan of the Kingdom Gospel is this:
God alone is (still) King.
Israel is to rule God’s created world under God.
Israel wants to usurp God’s rule.
God accomodates Israel by granting it a human king.
The story of the OT becomes the story of David.
God continues to forgive Israel of its sins through the temple system of sacrifice, purity and forgiveness.
Are we following God’s Kingdom Plan or our own plan? Who is the LORD of my life?