Door number 2: Without God

Review:

God created Adam and Eve in perfect unity with each other and Himself. He gave them purpose and provided everything they needed.

God gave them sons and spoke with them. God responds favorably to every man and women who choose to follow Him. Even when there was only one righteous man, Noah, God blessed him and his family.

God calls on Abraham and through faith Abraham blesses his community, family, and the entire world. God promises to be his provider, protection, and reward.

Adam and Eve

For whatever reason they determine that God isn’t good enough. The purpose and place He’s given them is lacking. They think that God is holding back something good from their lives. So they try to take it.

They thought they were gaining, but they were trading.

Genesis 3:7–10 (NIV)

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

They traded their relationship with God and the unity they had with each other in an attempt to know good and evil. Now instead of knowing God they fear Him.

God curses all of creation because of Adam’s sin. When we trade the gifts of God for lies and sins it doesn’t just hurt us. It hurts our families and communities.

Being raised in a home with a mother and a father reduces a child’s chance of living in poverty to 6%. 60% of kids in the McKees Rocks are living below poverty level.

God doesn’t call things wrong just for fun, or because He’s particular. This is what Adam and Eve fell for. Satan convinced them that God’s rule wasn’t for their good. And it led to the fall of all of creation.

PLAY TRUCK VIDEO

The family is like a spiritual machine. The parts work together for a purpose. You might say, that was a legal truck. You’re right, but God didn’t create family to be the least it could be but the most. Compare that truck to the new F150. Have a towing competition between that and the cyber truck. It doesn’t even have breaks on the back tires.

Genesis 3:21 (NIV)

21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Cloaked in death.

Genesis 3:24 (NIV)

24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Banished from life.

Cain and Abel

Genesis 4:5–11 (NIV)

5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

Cain did not do what he knew was right because he was allowing himself to be ruled by sin. That one sin snowballed into another and led to him killing his brother and Adam and Eve losing their child. God not only cursed Cain but Cain became a curse.

Cain shouldn’t have killed his brother over jealousy, but if he had been walking with God the opportunity never would have presented itself.

I was talking to someone about lying. I will lose my job should I have lied? No you shouldn’t have done the thing to begin with. Life without God moves perpetually into destruction just like life with God moves perpetually into blessing. Partly because, play stupid games win stupid prizes, but also because when we do something wrong we are trading in what is good and profitable.

Cain trades his relationship with God for anger, depression, sin, jealousy, hate, division, loss of purpose, cursing, and finally a broken relationship with his creator.

Humans rule the world into darkness

Genesis 6:3 (NIV)

3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

Living without God brings sickness, disease, and limited life

Genesis 6:5–7 (NIV)

5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”

God, who created humanity to be with Him forever begins to hate His own creation. You might say, that seems harsh...

while I was writing this I got a text from a grieving grandmother. Her grandson had just been shot to death at work. He was a security guard at a doctor’s office. God doesn’t hate the wicked, and he does...

The New International Version (Psalm 5)

4: For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong; you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, LORD, detest.

He doesn’t hate the wicked because he loves to hate. He regretted that He made man because they filled a good creation with murder, destruction, and every kind of evil.

Genesis 7:21–23 (NIV)

21 Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

So God destroys the world.

Ham and the rest

Noah has 3 sons: Ham, Shem, and Japheth. Ham dishonors his father and is cursed. He then fathers the line from which the vast majority of Israel’s enemies come.

Tower of Babel: Pride moves the world a little more away from God and a little more toward hell. God destroys their culture.

Abraham tries to provide for himself the promise by having a child with his servant: Creates hatred and jealousy and a son is born. Ishmael: a man promised stubbornness and power.

Sodom and Gomorrah: A wicked place where every man in the city came out to do vile things to travelers. Lot, like Noah, begs his sons-in-law to leave, but they mock him and refuse. So they are destroyed in the judgement.

Gen 22-25 Abraham follows God.

Outro

Alright Israel, you are going into the land God promised Abraham.

Door #1. Follow the Lord and he will be your provider, your shield, your reward, and your victory. He will give you everything you need to serve Him. He will not only allow you to serve Him, but because of your faith He will walk with you. He will restore your meaning and purpose and He will be your salvation in the midst of wickedness.

Door #2. Don’t believe God. Think He’s hiding something good from you. Believe you can get away with evil. Have faith in the idea, that God is lying about the destructive nature of sin. Let sin rule over you and instead of being priests to the nations you will fill the world with stubbornness, brutality, murder, hatred, division, and eventually every thought in your imagination will be evil.

Believe me your actions have consequences and everything we do that God calls wrong moves our lives, our families, and our communities toward hell on earth and an eternity separated from God.