In The Rearview Series

November 25, 2023

This is the final sermon in our Bible Stories series. It is a journey that has taken 18 months.

The very first story sets the theme for every other story. God created a perfect environment, free from sickness, death, conflict, war, divorce, murder, hatred ---- need I go on….

Adam and Eve worked side by side as equal partners and the animals were their friends. If that wasn’t awesome enough, God actually came and walked with them every day – face-to-face – nothing in-between. There was no need for a wall – a curtain – a sacrifice.

There was one special gift God gave Adam and Eve – Choice. He gave them the freedom to choose to love Him or not love Him. To trust Him or not trust Him. To believe He wanted only the best for them or to believe that He was holding out on them.

Why? Why would God insist on free will? Because the foundation of His government is perfectly CHOSEN love. He knows that forced love is not really love. Forced loyalty is not lasting. Only in an environment where freedom to choose exists does genuine love grow and flourish and last.

That kind of freedom is risky, however. God knew that and yet, He willingly took the risk because freedom to choose is so important to Him.

Everything in the vast garden was for their use and enjoyment. However, in the midst of all this perfection, there was one thing God didn’t want Adam and Eve to know anything about – sin. He wanted to spare them the knowledge of evil. He wanted to protect them from the devastating consequences of sin, so He limited the devils access to one tree and then said to Adam and Eve, “Stay away from that tree.”

So, for an unknown period of time all was well, until one day, Eve decided to venture out on her own. She found herself near the forbidden tree and instead of turning around and walking away, she let her curiosity get the better of her and she wandered over to check it out. All that was required of her was to obey that one command, “Stay away from that tree,” so by wandering over SHE PLACED HERSELF in a vulnerable position.

When the beautiful snake popped out from behind one of the luscious fruit, she should have run, but again, curiosity got the better of her and she stayed. She had a conversation with the snake, because she thought she could, because she thought she was smart enough to handle it on her own.

• Genesis 3:6-13 - When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eye, and 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; 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." 11 And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" 12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me-- she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

The rest, they say, is history……………..

Every story that followed is a mixture of God’s pursuit of people, His ultimate goal of restoration, employing people to accomplish that goal, and humanities resistance nearly every step of the way.

• God provided a way of escape – only 8 CHOSE to get on the boat.

• God said, “I will never again destroy the whole earth with a flood.” – they built a tower, just in case.

• God told Abraham that if there were 10 righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah, He would spare both cities – the angels had to drag the only 4 people – who were sort of open to leaving – out before the cities were destroyed (one of the 4 longed for Sodom, turned around and became a pillar of salt. The other 3 ended up in an incestuous relationship - Hmmm)