“And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” -Genesis 3:8
A pastor went out visiting his church members on a Saturday afternoon. At one house, it was obvious that someone was home, but nobody came to the door even though he knocked several times. Finally, the minister took out his church business card and wrote out Revelation 3:20 on the back and stuck it in the door: The verse says, "Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with me." The next day at church, the same card turned up in the offering plate. And below the verse the pastor had written was found the following quote from Genesis 3:10: "I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself." This cracks me up every time I read it but originally when this happened in the garden Eden it was no laughing matter. It was actually a time of fear and shame for Adam and Eve. And no doubt God was displeased at this as well.
You see Adam and Eve had sinned and they were now experiencing the repercussions which are shame, fear and even blame shifting (Cf. 3:12-13). What was once a time of peace and joy in the presence of God became a time of fear and dread. Sin had made a rift between man and God. It is no surprise then to me when believers in sin stop showing up to church altogether. And they distance themselves from the presence of God. And from anything that would bring further conviction and a call to repent. Similarly like the first sinners we can also point fingers and refuse to take full responsibility for our own actions. But it doesn’t have to be this way. The good news is that Christ came to die for our sins. Our job is to no longer hide ourselves from God’s righteous anger or cover ourselves with our own righteousness or good works but to come clean out in the open no blame shifting, and confess our sins to the Lord. If we make it our habit to keep short accounts with God and “confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn 1:9) Sin separates us from God but the Son situates us back to the place of grace and peace in His presence.
You see Adam and Eve had sinned and they were now experiencing the repercussions which are shame, fear and even blame shifting (Cf. 3:12-13). What was once a time of peace and joy in the presence of God became a time of fear and dread. Sin had made a rift between man and God. It is no surprise then to me when believers in sin stop showing up to church altogether. And they distance themselves from the presence of God. And from anything that would bring further conviction and a call to repent. Similarly like the first sinners we can also point fingers and refuse to take full responsibility for our own actions. But it doesn’t have to be this way. The good news is that Christ came to die for our sins. Our job is to no longer hide ourselves from God’s righteous anger or cover ourselves with our own righteousness or good works but to come clean out in the open no blame shifting, and confess our sins to the Lord. If we make it our habit to keep short accounts with God and “confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn 1:9) Sin separates us from God but the Son situates us back to the place of grace and peace in His presence.
- CONTRAST GEN 3:9 AND MAT 2:2 READ THE TWO QUESTIONS. WHAT POPS OUT TO YOU?
- “It’s not the bait that constitutes sin it’s the bite” -Greg Laurie