Becoming A New Creation Series

WORDS FOR LIFE - Becoming a New Creation

July 8, 2018

2 Corinthians 5:17 (p. 805)

Introduction:

Have you ever tried to imagine what it must have been like in the Garden of Eden during those early days of creation…after God had created Eve so she and Adam could enjoy each other and what He had made for them?

Everything’s perfect…It’s beautiful, new and unspoiled…each day is a new discovery…and in the coolness of the evening Adam and Eve walk with God through the Garden…like children in the wonder of this creation with joy they share their discoveries with their dad.

Man!!! I bet those were amazing days…no stress, no sin, no separation from the One who made you…so He could love you.

There’s even a sharing of ownership as God lets Adam name each of the animals…names are important so I bet Adam doesn’t do it haphazardly but intentionally. The names signify what he’s observed…and experienced. Whether the name means “King of the Forest” or “Majestic Flyer,” it’s been witnessed in the newness of creation…and God must have thought…“This is very good.” “An unbroken friendship with my children.”

But we all know what happened, don’t we? Both Adam and Eve are deceived…lied to by the serpent…told they needed more…told they could be like God himself knowing good from evil…all they had to do was eat from the one tree they’d been commanded not to eat from…and they did. Genesis 3:7 as they did this… “The eyes of both of them were opened and they realized they were naked, so they sewed fig leaven together and made coverings for themselves and when they heard God coming in the cool of the evening…they hid from Him.”

Adam and Eve weren’t blind before their disobedience. The eyes which were opened were the eyes of their conscience…For the very first time they felt the effects of sin…shame, guilt, fear…they were now self conscious…and from this day forward men and women have been nothing but that.

This feeling of disobeying God…doing something wrong and getting caught…it’s not a good feeling and I bet for Adam and Eve they had no real idea of how much it would cost them…but they knew they wanted to…

I. HIDE FROM GOD

Listen to the conversation which takes place between Adam and Eve and God after sin enters the picture:

GENESIS 3:8-13 (p. 2)

Adam and Eve are hiding behind trees (act it out). “Is He coming? I hear Him, don’t you? Daggonit, we really messed up this time!!!”

3 things happen here which almost always happen in our lives when we sin.

1. We become afraid to be in God’s presence.

Everyone in here knows that feeling of doing something wrong and getting caught…or of being afraid of getting caught…it’s a horrible feeling…a mixture of guilt, shame and dread.

We’ve decided to do something wrong…and the door opens…the wrong person shows up…the accounts don’t match…the blue lights appear.

[The first time I ever got caught smoking was at Southland pool…I was leaning against this chainlink fence with a friend and we thought we were too cool…when I hear someone clear his throat behind me…and I look up to see my Father staring down at me…he simply says, “Come on…let’s go home.” Now, I knew what was waiting for me at home…so I wasn’t real excited about getting in the car with him.]

Adam and Eve had never been hard to find on any other evening…They probably ran to meet God as He stepped into the garden on any other day…“Hey God did you know peacocks scream?!! Hey God did you know mangos will break you out if you eat too many…Hey God did you know that sunsets can be purple, yellow and orange?!! You are awesome God!!!”

God had never heard…“ I heard you in the Garden and I was afraid” before…it must have broken His heart.

Sin always separates us from God…and those we love…fear replaces friendship. Satan would always tell us…Do this and you’ll be happy…the lie is…sin is never pleasurable for very long…But being in God’s presence is where real pleasure is.

The second thing that happens when we sin is we lie…or tell a half truth.

2. We lie to God…“Adam says, “I hid because I was naked…I was afraid.”

I like God’s question…“Who told you…you were naked?” (There aren’t many options) But think about this question…Adam and Eve were never aware of being naked before they sinned…No self consciousness…no pride…no arrogance…no selfishness…no shame or embarrassment.

Now all we think about is…How will this make me look…How many likes will I get…What will they think about me…Sin always has us focused on what we see in the mirror instead of our creator.

But Adam and Eve aren’t afraid to be in God’s presence because they were naked…They were afraid to be around God because they had sinned.