Sermon notes from Sunday 25 January, Sunday 1, 8, 15 and 22 February 2015
Acts 17 verses 16 – 34
An answer
to a question from a debate that was on the radio this week. In the university of Essex 9000 people were
surveyed. These people were born in 1970
and 54% of them stated they were atheist.
They didn’t tell us what questions were asked but the radio presenter
pointed out that there was a great decline in the belief of God. The question was then posed “what would our
society be like without religion?” This
is not a new debate because here in Acts 17 way back in Athens all those years
ago on Mars hill there was a similar debate.
I want us to look at this question and take a few thoughts from that
today. In verse 19 they brought Paul to
Areopagus, a place where the philosophers gathered together to debate and talk
of doctrines that came up, that were new to them. The Bible tells us “be ready always to give
an answer to very man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with
meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3 verse 15)
Paul heard all the teachers of these great intellectual men gathered
together. Paul is given the opportunity
to declare what he thought. These 2
parties involved here read about in verse 18 2 distinct parties – the
Epicureans and the Stoics. The
Epicureans sought pleasure from lie, they were satisfied with pleasure, did not
believe in being held back or having restraint.
The Stoics were more religious, believed in a disciplined life. When they came together it would have been
some discussion. Something that came
from the debate on the radio was the theory that the more educated society was
the more likelihood they wouldn’t believe in God. What sort of a society would we have if there
was no religion? The religion I am
talking about is the one Paul discussed here – that Christ was at the very
foundation “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus
Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3 verse 11) If
we try to build on any other religion we are way off the mark. That is why there are so many cults
today. That is why there are so many
Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Seventh day Adventists. People are not trying to do away with any
religion but would like to take away Christianity. They want to remove anything to do with
God. That is why the Bible is being
removed from hospitals, why school assemblies are no longer allowed.
If
we don’t have the Lord we would have no
revelation of God. It says in verse
18 these certain philosophers said of Paul “what will this babbler say? Other
some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods; because he preached unto
them Jesus and the resurrection.” Paul
is preaching about God, who loves us, saw we were sinners and on our way to a
Christless eternity that he sent forth his son Jesus Christ who not only came
into the world but died on the middle cross of Calvary. He would cleanse us from all sin and that is
what he wants to do today. This is the
religion Paul had and thank God we have that religion today. It is based on the Lord, on the cross of
Calvary. They tried to pick holes in
what Paul said. They even called Paul a
babbler, they pulled apart his message bit by bit. Isn’t that what we see happening today? People trying to dismantle the truth that
there is no God. If they say that then
we have no revelation of God himself.
They were trying to philosophise the Godhead of heaven but he is not
made up of man’s hands. These men were
making a God for themselves, conjecture of God in their own minds, in their own
imaginations. Verse 23 here they were in
Athens, great teachers had a God for this and a God for another thing. They then thought that there maybe was
another God, one they had forgotten about so just in case there was they built
an altar and put sacrifices on it “to the unknown god”. There is something here in our heart that
draws us to worship. The atheist belief
is very confusing. I believe in the God
of heaven, Jesus Christ who died on the cross of Calvary. Atheists say “I disbelieve that”, not
unbelief because if they say there is no God that is faith. When you get the difference between disbelief
and unbelief it is unknown. If we live
in atheistic society then we would have no revelation of God. Hebrews says “God who at sundry times and in
divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in
these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all
things, by whom also he made the worlds.” (Hebrews 1 verse 1) “The son of God in glory beams too bright for
us to stand but we can feel the light that streams from the mild Son of
God.” He is the image of the invisible God. An image is the exact image. If you take a photograph of yourself and look
at it that is the exact image of you that you are seeing. When you look at the Lord in the word of God
you are seeing the exact person. Paul
said to Timothy “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise
God, be honour and glory for ever and ever.” (1 Timothy 1 verse 17)
If
we don’t have the Lord we would have no
reconciliation of man. “God that made
the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth,
dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s
hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath,
and all things”(verses 24 and 25) We are
talking here about the God of creation, not only created everything around us but
made a plan after the fall of man to reconcile man unto himself. “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of
God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or
stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God
winked at; but now commandeth all men, every where to repent. Because he hath
appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that
man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in
that he hath raised him from the dead.” (verses 29 – 31). W P Nicholson used to say when preaching that
man was not only a fallen being but man was a falling being. He had fallen from grace o God and is
continually falling into depravity o sin.
God devised a plan to reconcile that man unto himself that day. Satan entered into the Garden of Eden when
Eve was perhaps wandering through the garden.
Satan comes to where she was in the garden. He talks to her and says “you are admiring
all the trees of the garden, what about this tree?” Eve stops at the tree of knowledge of good
and evil. Satan knew exactly where to
bring her to. The devil was crafty,
knows where to get our eyes fixed. Satan
has shown to people one thing that will hang them up – maybe it is the fact
they are too young or tood old, having too good a time in the world, maybe the
fear of giving up a relationship or somehow God will spoil things for us. Just when the Holy Spirit is drawing us to
the cross the devil comes to us. In that
day in the Garden of Eden the devil came to where Eve was. “What has God said about this tree?” Eve told him “we may eat of any tree in the
Garden but that tree we cannot eat.” Eve
added “even if we touch this tree we will die.”
God did not say that at all. “In
the day you eat of this tree you will die” were God’s words. The devil knows and uses God’s word for his
own good. Eve surrendered her will to
the devil by taking of that tree and then giving it to her husband. There was a great gulf fixed that day. Isaiah 59 verses 1 and 2 “Behold, the Lord’s
hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy, that it
cannot hear; But your iniquities have separated between you and your God and
your sins, have hid his ace from you that he will not hear.” “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens,
his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry”
(verse 16) “And the times of this
ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.”
(verse 30) Paul watched the people given
over to idolatry. That means more than
an idol, it was something in their heart and mind that took the place of
God. What idol takes the place of God
today? Pleasure, the next big event in
your diary, money. The word of God says
“you shall have no other god before me.”
Paul told this people “you are an idolatrous society, you make up gods
for yourself, these are all fanciful ideas, it is sin. Then he puts it politely to them “God
overlooked them, he turned his back, withheld his judgement.” God has winked at it in the past but now he
commands every man to repent. God says
that to all individuals. I have looked
at you in your sin, watched every time you turned your back, every time you
said no. Now I would command you to
repent. Every time we are rebuked. We better not harden our hearts because there
is a day coming when it will be too late.
God allows a certain time but then calls “now is the time to
repent”. The place o reconciliation was
on the cross when Christ died. “I am the
way, the truth and the life no man cometh unto the father but by me.” He was the God of reconciliation and he now
invites us to come to him. What happened
when Paul finished – certain mocked, others said “we will hear thee
again”. However there were some who
believed. Be careful how we give a reason
for our hope, we need not get embroiled in giving a reason, don’t get in the
argument over the scriptures. Stick to
the cross, stick to what Jesus has done.
Stick to the blood, the cross, the Saviour, God’s love. That is why we have the society we have
today.
Psalm 2
“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel
together, against the Lord and against his anointed saying, Let us break their
bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” Verses 2 and 3
We started a little theme last
week on the Godless Society. We read
here in Psalm 2 verse 2 of man’s opposition to God. This people want to be free from God’s
laws. In Jesus’ day the people said “we
will not have this man to reign and rule over us.” God’s word has always found opposition. When Jesus came into the world he was God in
the flesh. Isaiah said “thou shalt call
his name Emmanuel.” He gave the promise
of a counsellor coming into this world.
Emmanuel means ‘God with us’.
When the shepherds left their sheep on the hillside and went to find the
baby Jesus in a manger they realised this was the fulfilment of the prophecy of
Isaiah. If we did not have Christ in our
society:
We would have no revelation of
God at all
We would have no realisation of our lostness.
When Jesus came into the world he
broke down the wall of perdition that divides you and God. Amends can be made.
If we did not have Christ in our
society … we would have no recognition
of eternity. It is only through Christ
that we recognise eternity. The moment
we take the Lord as Saviour we receive that eternal life. If we do not have Christ we have no recognition
of eternal life. When you and I come
into the picture we have got to get on our knees and pray seriously. We have to get down to prayer for the next
generation and for our schools. Children
are growing up knowing nothing of Christ whatsoever. I trust as child of God today you are taking
this seriously. They are trying to get a
godless society in the province in which we live in. We are to contend for the faith that is
slipping away. The thief hanging on the
cross realised he was there because of the wrongs he had done. He was there because he was a rogue and a
rascal. He said to the other thief ‘would
you be quiet this man beside us is dying here and he has done nothing wrong. We however deserve to be here. We have done wrong.’ He realised in Christ there was something
different. He was stepping out into
eternity and this was not the end of life.
People tell us today that we should live a good life, we will die and go
into the ground and that is it. No-one
ever came back to tell us anything differently but Christ did come back from
the dead. 500 people saw him raised from
the dead. Jesus Christ is the only
way. We can have reconciliation to
eternal lie. The dying thief realised
this man was going into something different and he asked Jesus “remember me
when thou comest into thy kingdom”. He
recognised there was an eternity. “If in
this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” 1 Corinthians
15 verse 19. Jesus reveals eternity for
us – John 10 verse 27 “My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow
me.” Jesus is talking about those who
have come and put their trust in him.
There’s a relationship there.
Listening for him all the time. “They
hear my voice and they follow me.” Jesus
says ‘I know them, my seal is on them and they follow me, they are doing what I
am asking them to do, what I command them to do.’ Verse 28 “And I give unto them eternal life,
and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
If we did not have Christ in our
society … we would have no restraining
of evil. Can you imagine a society
with no moral values at all? Imagine the
society in Judges where there was no king in Israel and every man did that
which was right in their own eyes. No
moral values whatsoever. No restraining
power over evil. “Ye are the salt of the
earth”. Who is Jesus speaking to? Those who are his sheep, who hear his voice,
follow him and are salt at this time.
When Jesus spoke of salt it was used for more of a preservative, to keep
things from going bad. Jesus spoke to
his followers ‘you are on this earth to keep it from going bad.” Through them the Spirit works on this earth
to keep it from going bad. In the book
of Ruth the little family made a decision to go down to Moab. They were doing that which was right in their
own eyes. We don’t read that they sought
God’s will on the matter. They just went
down to Moab. 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 7 “For
the mystery of iniquity doth already work only he who now letteth will let,
until he be taken out of the way.” Paul was
speaking of a coming day when the anti-Christ will reign in this old world. The Bible tells us in the days of the
anti-Christ you will not be able to buy or sell unless you take the mark of the
anti-Christ. Joseph went out to feed his
brothers. They plotted against him,
wanted to put him into the well and kill him.
God’s restraining hand meant he was not killed. He was sold into Egypt, Potiphar’s house. When Potiphar’s wife made a false accusation
against him God’s restraining force was preserving a society that was going
completely rotten. Christ will take
every child of God out of this world.
There is a restraining power in this world today. A society that is bad today. When that restraining power is taken out of
the way what a place to live in. 2
Timothy 4 verse 3 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers
having itching ears.”
If we did not have Christ in our
society … we would have no responsibility. Isn’t that what the Psalmist wrote here
in Psalm 2 verses 2 and 3? We are
critical of our fellow workers for we shall all stand before the judgement seat
of God. In Acts 17 verse 30 we read “And
the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all me every
where to repent.” Verse 4 of Psalm 2 “He
that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision.” It will not be at the sufferings of man but
at these people sitting around the table who want a godless society. You could live and die without acknowledging
the Lord Jesus Christ but when you leave this scene of time without making
peace with God, without acknowledging Jesus as Saviour of the world, that on
the cross he died to reconcile us to God.
Suppose you rejected that but you didn’t want to take it in – where will
you appear? In Revelation 20 verses 11,
12 and 15 John said “I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it from whose
face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God and the books were opened
and another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were judged
out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake
of fire.” And who said that death was
the end?
Romans 5 verses 1 – 12
Stephen Fry a comedian on the Gay
Burns show the other evening, who terms himself as an atheist was asked the
question “If there was a God in heaven and if after death you were to meet the
God of heaven what would you say to him.”
God according to Stephen Fry was “a mean
minded, stupid, utter maniac, monstrous and he deserved no credit or respect
whatsoever. The moment
you banish Him, life becomes purer, simpler, cleaner and more worth living.” Something
happened in the interview, we saw something of the godless society being
advocated today. Isn’t that what we read
in Psalm 2 last week? Stephen has
aligned himself with “the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers
together against the Lord and against his anointed.” That is their strategy. While they do that the Church of Jesus Christ
sleeps. When Jesus taught the parable of
the wheat and the tares he talked of the good seed being sown. The servants came in and asked the servant
“why are there tares in the wheat?”
“Will we root them up?” The
master replies “no let them grow together and at harvest we will separate
them.” Remember how they got there – “But
while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and when his
way.” (Matthew 13 verse 25) The master
had sown the field, he had set guards around the field while he sowed but the
guards had slept and the enemy got in to sow the bad seed. This false doctrine has come into this world
while we have slept. No doubt Stephen
Fry is more articulate, more intellectual than any man but I want to turn our
thoughts to the word of God and what it has to say to us. In Romans 5 verse 12 when Paul writes to the
Christians in Rome he takes them right back to creation. That is where we must go to understand the
situation we find ourselves in today. We
have to look at what happened to Adam and Eve.
Something happened that day that changed the whole universe in the
Garden of Eden. It was sin Paul
says. What is the meaning of sin? The actual definition of sin can be found in
1 John 3 verse 4 “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law; for sin
is the transgression of the law.” Adam
broke God’s law and commandments that day and because he did that sin entered
into the world.
Sin’s deception. We can be
deceived by sin. Unsaved man or woman
you can be deceived daily by sin. The
apostle writing to the Hebrew Christians in chapter 3 verse 13 said “But exhort
one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened
through the deceitfulness of sin.” Look
at verse 7 where the example is given of the time in the wilderness in Moses’
day. Hebrew 3 verse 12 “take heed
brethren”. This is to Christians. Christians are called upon to be careful lest
the deceitfulness of sin captures them daily.
Have you encouraged someone already today? Given a smile to someone? Said good morning? Put your hand around their shoulder and said
“it is good to see you”. Have you shaken
hands with someone? What is the
deceitfulness of sin? Stephen Fry has
been deceived into sin, into thinking wrongly of God’s creation and sin. Wasn’t that what happened to Eve? She was deceived to think wrongly of
God. Adam was not deceived but Eve
was. The devil deceived the woman into
thinking wrongly of God. When she
brought it to Adam she told him she had tasted it and it was lovely and her
eyes had been opened. Adam makes his own
decision and follows her instructions.
For him it was his own decision.
We have to be careful with the decisions we make. Genesis 3 verse 1 “Now the serpent was more
subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God
said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” The enemy of God is the serpent himself. He draws near to God’s perfect creation and
casts dispersions against God the creator.
He begins to chip away at the word of God, to confuse Eve. He takes Eve to one side held up the word of
God to her and asked her “hath God said”.
Are you sure God said this? Verse
2 “we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden” that was true – verse 3
“neither shall ye touch it”. That was
not true because God only talked about eating it not touching it. Chapter 2 verse 17. That is what society is doing today –
chipping away at the word of God and asking “hath God said?” What about the sin of pride? Remember how the army of Israel were
deceived. They took Jericho under the
power of God. They had crossed the river
then the city was standing before them.
It was heavily guarded with high walls around it. The children of Israel marched around that
city every day and on the seventh day the walls collapsed. They took that city and in that strength they
went forward to face Ai. They thought
would be easy to capture Ai and didn’t take as many men as before. They lost the battle though. They couldn’t take it in their own
strength. Sin entered into their
thoughts that day. Eve’s tree was good
to look at, it made one wise. Something happened
in her heart. She reached for things
outside her control. What about the sin
of covetousness? When Adam opened up the
floodgates of self that day in came pride and covetousness. The children of Israel were told not to take
anything out of Jericho. Achan saw the
Babylonian garment and had never seen anything like it before in his life. He saw the gold and the silver also sitting
there. He wanted it all and took it all
away. Then he went and hid it. Why did
he hide it if he didn’t think he was doing anything wrong? Sin deceives, make no mistake about it. The deception of sin. Maybe sin has deceived you into thinking you
are all right, on your way to heaven and home today. Sin has done that. I do the best I can, read my bible and say my
prayers. That is deception. The devil fills them with all sorts of
deception. Maybe deceived by the
deception of pleasure in this world.
Moses thought it better than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a
season. He made that decision
consciously. Sins pleasures will soon
end.
The depths of sin. In Genesis 3 something happened. It is difficult for our finite minds to grasp
the significance of Genesis 3. It had a
long lasting effect on God’s creation from that day. Stephen Fry said “how dare you God create a
world of evil … the world has become a place of “pain and injustice”, where
there are insects with no other purpose than to eat children’s eyes out …how
could you allow bone cancer in a little child?”
That is the deception of sin.
Accusing God of creating evil.
The devil told Eve God has made you stupid – verse 4 and 5. The depths of sin. I read in Genesis 1
“And God saw the light, that it
was good” verse 4
“And God called the dry land
Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas; and God saw
that it was good” verse 10
“And to rule over the day and
over the night and to divide the light from the darkness and God saw that it
was good” verse 18
“And God created great whales and
every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly,
after their kind and every winged fowl after his kind and God saw that it was
good” verse 21
“And God made the beast of the
earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that
creepeth upon the earth after his kind and God saw that it was good” verse 25
“And God saw every thing that he
hade made and behold it was very good”. Verse 31
Genesis 3 changed all that. As man gave way to sin it went to the very
depths and reached all of creation.
Whatever happened on that day sin went to the very core of
creation. Sin brought about death. “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment
came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free
gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” Romans 5 verse 18 not only
at that time but before all eternity.
Where did the depths of sin take it to?
Hebrews 11 verses 1 – 10
Now look at the depths of sin. Something happened to destroy God’s creation
in some way, something that was going to change the whole face of mankind
forever.
In Genesis 1 we read that
everything God made was “good” and finished off with the words “very
good.” In Genesis 3 everything
changed. Man gave way to sin and sin
went to the very depths, it touched all of creation. Let’s get this clear – when God created Adam
he created someone without sin. You see
you and I when ever we were conceived in the womb, when we were born into the
world we were born in sin. There is a
sinful nature in our heart. No-one had
to learn the art of cursing, telling a lie, learn the art of rebellion. That was from Adam’s nature. He formed Adam in his image, breathed into
him and he became a living soul. God
gave to him something special. His free
will. The ability to choose. He did not prepare them as 2 robots. He created them perfect in his own
image. He gave them a free will. The free will you have today is tainted with
the fall of Genesis 3. Adam’s sin in the
beginning Adam had an unsinful nature.
He had to be temped for an outside influence. We are tempted from an inside influence. The outside influence came from the
devil. This is the same devil that they
are trying to do away with because it is a myth. Adam was tempted by an outside
influence. We are tempted by the heart
that is deceitful and wicked. Sin has
affected our hearts. The devil when he
was created and he was a created angel, was the most beautiful of all God’s
creation. Isaiah 14 verses 12 - 14. He must have had tremendous gifts and abilities
because in heaven he led the singing of
the angelic host. He began to think “I
could be greater than I am if I could ascend above the God of heaven I would be
worshiped by all God’s angels.” He tried to ascend to that position and was
not able to because of the iniquity found in his heart. He was cast out of heaven. He took a third of the angelic host,
persuaded them to come with him, to join forces with him. Only a fool mocks at sin. Here’s the depths of sin. When Satan came down in to the Garden of Eden
he took upon himself the guise of a servant.
He deceived Eve. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Romans 5 verse 12) He opened
the floodgates of the world. Genesis 3
seen in this one act, the ruin in that act set in when Eve took that fruit and
gave it to her husband. Verse 15 here’s
the first mention of the Lord Jesus Christ, he is the seed of the woman. He is going to come into the world to die on
the cross of Calvary, will bruise the serpent’s head. Do you notice the battle that comes into
being? The hostility between the serpent
and the woman. Down through the
generations a battle is raging. We know
nothing about the battle, we only see the consequences of the battle today. The battle is going on in the heavenly
hosts. We cannot see the battle for
souls of men and women. Verses 8 and 9
notice how Adam tries to hide from God.
Why? Because he has disobeyed,
broken God’s command. His conscience
tells him something is wrong. Tremendous
fellowship and friendship God had with Adam but it was totally severed because sin entered in. Isaiah 59 verse 2 "our sins
had hid our faces from God that he cannot hear us." Here was Adam in the days of creation. Do you notice the mentality that was in
Adam’s mind. It is the same mentality as
the atheist today. If we could banish
God how simple life would be. Adam had
to admit his wrong doing. People are
running from God too this day because of what happened here. That is why men and women find it very
difficult to get saved. Adam after
sinned went into the Garden and because of their sin and nakedness made
themselves clothes out of fig leaves.
They tried to hide away from God.
Romans 5 verse 12 not only lost fellowship and friendship with God “as
by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin.” Separation from God in time but in
eternity. Before Genesis 3 we do not
read of death. Death has now passed upon
us. From that day they began to die, to
wear out because that is what happened.
That is why are wearing out today – because of Genesis 3. There was no death before Genesis 3. That is why evolutionists and atheists have
to air their views that the world is hundreds of millions year old. Genesis 3 verse 16 spoken to man, the devil
and now he speaks to the woman. Notice
where sorrow comes in at, anguish comes in at, comes in after Genesis . Not there beforehand. Comes as a result of the fall. This is the depths of sin. No creation of the hospital until Genesis
3. If it had not been for Adam taking of
the tree we would not have pain, sorrow, sickness, death. These things are what has happened as a
result of Genesis 3. Not because of what
God created but because of the slip of man.
God’s creation has been in ruin ever since. Verses 17 and 18 tells us here that the very
depths of sin has come upon the very ground – thorns and thistles are a
production of Genesis 3 and the sinfulness of man. Verse 19 introduction to hard work. Romans 8 verses 19 – 21 Paul is speaking here
of the affects of the fall in Genesis 3 verse 21. Verse 22 the whole creation that God has made
groans and waits for the great redemption day whenever the curse will be
reversed. One day we are going to have
the situation we had in the Garden of Eden.
He will reverse it all around.
What about animal kingdom – Genesis 2 verse 19. The nature of the animals when God had them
created – he set Adam in authority to have them named. There was a nature within the animals and was
in keeping with the nature that was in man.
Can you imagine calling a fox to your side? The moment you go into a herd of cattle they
move away from you. The nature of the
animals has been changed as well. Adam
named all the animals, they were brought to him. There had to be a nature in accordance with
each other. Revelation 22 verse 13 there
would be no more curse. Isaiah the wolf
also shall dwell with the lamb. Can you
imagine that at this moment in time. The
leopard shall lie down with the young kid and a little child shall lead
them. Isaiah 11 verse 7 and the bear and
the lion shall feed their young ones.
The curse is completely reversed from Genesis 3. Stephen Fry doesn’t understand what happened
in Genesis 3. He hasn’t taken a note
that sin, pain, sorrow, sickness all come after the fall and the entrance of
sin. The depths of sin in that day
Genesis 3 has affected you and me. The
ground around us, the animals affected so much.
One day God will reverse it though.
Genesis 6 verses 1 – 8
Look at sin in its depravity. All of mankind is
affected by sin. When the devil came to
Adam on that particular day something happened to allow sin to flood into the human
heart. Every person born into the world
is born with a sinful nature. The moment
we are conceived in the womb then we are
conceived as a sinner. When does life
actually become life in the womb? “Before
I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated
you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1 verse 5) Paul makes it clear in the book of Romans “or
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3 verse 23) You have come short of the mark that God
requires of every human being. He didn’t
allow that to happen. He sent his son
into the world to bring you up to the mark.
He allowed his son to die on the cross, to be crucified for our
sin. “There is none righteous no not
one.” (Romans 3 verse 10) None of us
seek after God. It has affected every
part of man. Our thinking is affected by
the fallen nature of sin that entered in in Genesis 3. In Genesis 3 man’s disobedience and the
entrance of sin goes to the very depths of God’s creation and we can see the
consequences of it. That is why we are
shocked by such terrible things we see and hear. We never thought man could do such
things. Think right through to the
conclusion – how does such a man think?
How can he kill a man point blank dead, how can a man watch a child
playing in the park and abuse that child?
It has happened because of Genesis 3 and the introduction of sin. That is why when we look around and see a
world so vile the answer is Genesis 3 and the entrance of sin because it has
affected every part of man. Genesis 1
whenever God created man it was good, then when God looked in the Garden of
Eden and saw the relationship man had with him, with all the animals and
creation around them it was very good.
How did we get from that situation to our situation today? Only one reasonable explanation – when Genesis
3 occurred sin entered into the world.
We never read of murder, of hatred, of disease, of sickness before
Genesis 4. In this chapter we can see Cain
and Abel. Cain took the life of his
brother Abel. Is it possible to say here
that the first murder was carried out because of a religious fanatic? There was a time when these 2 men realised
they had to come to God to worship. It
would seem that they were responsible for their own actions. What do we see Cain doing? He tilled the ground and brought the harvest
in. He picked the best of his produce
and presents them before God. Abel goes
out and takes the best of his lambs and brings it to the Lord. He was bringing a living sacrifice for his
sin. Cain was bringing the works of his
own hands before God and that is not acceptable to God. Many do that, many think that by bringing
their good works, the best they can do, that somehow they will present that
before the God of heaven and say “Look Lord, see how righteous I am.” The only thing God accepts for your sin and
my sin is the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary. Ephesians 2 verse 8 “for by grace are ye
saved not of works lest any man should boast.”
The only way to be saved, to know the Lord as Savour, to know peace with
God is through the work of Calvary. If
you are depending on anything else you have a false belief today. Genesis 4 verse 8 Cain talked with Abel, he
befriended Abel but he planned in his mind the timing to kill his brother. Around this world today we see this Islamic
extremist waging a holy war. What’s it
for? To please the God of heaven. John 16 verse 2 “they shall put you out of
the synagogues; yea, the time
cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.” Genesis 6 verse 5 “And God saw that the
wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the
thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Such could be written of our society
today. We are listening to man whose
heart has been affected y the fall “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies”
(Matthew 15 verse 19)
Look at the dangers of sin. Genesis 11
verses 1 and 2. The land of Shinar
mentioned here later became the land of Babylon. Verse 4 “And they said, Go to, let us build
us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven, and let us make us a
name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” Here are a people whose hearts were affected by
the fall of Genesis 3. What did this
group of people do – build a tower, get it to reach to heaven and let’s go no
further in case we are scattered abroad.
“And the Lord said, behold the people is one, and they have all one
language; and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be restrained from them,
which they have imagined to do.” (Verse 6)
God looked down, saw their hearts and knew what their intentions
were. “for man looketh on the outward
appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16 verse 7) That is why man stoops so low – because he is
deceived by a sinful heart. It can be
camouflaged by religious garments. The Islamic
movement are camouflaged by religious garments today. “This know also, that in the last days
perilous times shall come. “For men shall be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady,
highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form
of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2
Timothy 3 verses 1 - 5) The
entrance of sin in Genesis 3 affected every part of the human individual. “And likewise also the men, leaving the
natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men
working that which is unseemly and receiving in themselves that recompence of
their error which was meet” (Romans 1 verse 27)
Sin is deadly, the consequences of Eve taking that fruit in the Garden
of Eden. If she only had known the
consequences – that her own son would be murdered by his brothers. Remember Achan who was a young man in the army
of Israel. Joshua 6 and 7. The children of Israel win the battle of
Jericho. Achan sees the Babylonish
garment, the silver and the gold and he thought it was ok to take them. He went and hid them in his own tent. Achan came before the elders of Israel to be
judged. It not only affected him but his
whole family and all for that one sin.
He was put to death and all his family too. We need to be careful with sin and not allow
it into our lives. “Therefore to him that
knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4 verse
17) Don’t play about with sin! “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a
reproach to any people. (Proverbs 14 verse 34)
There is a deliverance
from sin. “The vilest offender who truly
believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives”. Remember when the angel was talking to Joseph
“thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
(Matthew 1 verse 21) There is only one
place for your sin today – at the foot of the old rugged cross. There is no difference from the sin in the
unsaved man to the sin in the saved man.
Bring it all to Jesus and leave it there!
