God Provided Hope To Be Free From Sin Series

• Genesis 3-4 NIV (selected verses)

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked.

And so sin came into the human race. In the course of time Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Able. We see the effect of sin growing in their lives. Let’s continue to read together:

. . . 4:8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let’s go out to the field." And 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?"

Sin continued to spread and grow within the hearts of men. In the course of time the family of Cain grew. Let’s continue to read together:

. . . 4:23 Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. 24 If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times."

Yet in the midst of fallen humanity, God had not forsaken man created in the image of God.

. . . 4:26 At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.

INTRODUCTION:

Sin will take you further than you want to go! Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay! Sin will cost you more that you want to pay!

Let’s tell the truth: SIN CAN BE FUN! Well at least it is fun for a while. The reality is that sin always has consequences. And the consequences of sin are unpleasant.

The National Geographic reported in October 2005 that a 13-foot Burmese python had been found dead in the Florida’s Everglades National Park after eating its enemy, a 6 foot alligator. This pythons last supper proved to be lethal as it burst in two exposing the remains of the partially digested alligator. Exactly How it happened remains a mystery, but there have been several theories. What makes sense to me is that as the giant python began to wrap itself around its prey, the alligator put up a fight biting the python in its mid section. While the python won the battle and soon swallowed the dead alligator whole, the wound it received did not heal. Eventually it burst from the inside out due to the pressure caused by the digesting alligator within its stomach. At least that’s what I think might have happened.

(see: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1006_051006_pythoneatsgator.html)

The reality is that this dead python is a picture of the consequences of sin within our lives. Sin is our enemy. Yet we naively think that we can master it—we can beat sin because we are stronger than it is. We enjoy the pleasures of sin. It looks as though we have won and beaten the consequences of sin. Unfortunately, sin soon destroys us from the inside out.

This morning we are going to continue our journey through Genesis—THE BEGINNINGS OF HOPE. We are going to take an honest look at the deadly consequences of sin. But we are also going to discover amidst this story of sin and death our God given hope to be set free from sin.

I. The Deadly Consequences of Sin.

1. Sin began with what seems like a seemingly innocent choice.

a) What’s the big deal? Adam and Eve were just trying to have some lunch and Eve chose something new at the grocery store. They were giving away free samples of the stuff. It smelled great and looked delicious. The only problem was that God had specifically instructed Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of “The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” that Satan had on special down at the corner market.

• Genesis 2:16-17 NIV

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

b) Nevertheless Adam and Eve took and ate what they were told not to eat. The simplicity of this wrong choice just shows how any one of us would have fallen for the same trick of the devil. How often have you been told, “Don’t touch that,” only to reach out and touch it when you thought no one was looking? We all try to get away with even little things that we have been specifically told not to do.