Measure Upon Measure – Judgment And Condemnation – The Restoration Of God - Part 14 Series

MEASURE UPON MEASURE – JUDGMENT and CONDEMNATION – THE RESTORATION OF GOD - Part 14

CHAPTER 6 - THE SIXTH CONSEQUENCE

ADAM AND EVE BEFORE AN AWESOME GOD

We come to the sixth consequence of Adam’s failure. This time we are thinking about CONDEMNATION. Associated with condemnation is judgement and mixed in there is the word verdict. We will see what God’s verdict was.

Adam and Eve had just heard the various pronouncements of God in response to their sin. They stood before their Creator without excuse, utterly exposed. He was merciful to them. They were not destroyed. They would have to battle a stubborn earth that was cursed, and come to know sorrow and separation. Death would be ever present for them.

As they stood there, racked with guilt and overshadowed by shame, they had listened to the judgments enumerated by God against them; ones we have been considering. These were the consequences of their sin, but they did not understand what the consequences involved because they had no concept, then, of what a curse would be in reality; what labour pains would be in childbirth; or what hard work and toil would involve in practice.

Paradise for them was ending. They no longer deserved the Garden for the pair of them were revealed for what they were. They had been weighed in the balances of the righteousness of God and had been found wanting. They had come before the bench of the divine Judge and had been declared guilty. God had passed His verdict.

No longer could they be reckoned as faultless before their God. Sin had its deadly hold on them. All the previously mentioned consequences of their sin had now become the very nature and practice of their being. They stood there: guilty and shameful, separated in communion from God, knowing more and more the meaning of sorrow and death. They would begin to see the results of the curse all around them. The Judge’s verdict was clearly proclaimed. Paradise would be lost to them for the decree against sin had to be announced. It could not be otherwise. They would be expelled from the garden.

Yes, they stood there before God in the Garden condemned by their sin. Did they confess to the offence? No they did not. They played the blame game! They resorted to excuses! Adam blamed Eve – {{Genesis 3:12 The man said, “The woman WHOM YOU GAVE TO BE WITH ME, she gave me from the tree and I ate,”}} and in effect it was God’s fault as “He had given the woman to Adam.” Eve made the excuse of it being the serpent’s fault – {{Genesis 3:13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” and the woman said, “THE SERPENT DECEIVED ME and I ate.”}}.

That is the trouble with the world. It is all full of excuses because of sin. “It’s not my fault. I was born that way.” “It is my upbringing, so you can’t hold me responsible.” “The whole problem lies with Adam, not me.” “It’s my parents fault,” and so the excuses go on and on. People will not take responsibility for their own sin. In the final analysis, it will make no difference. Each will bear his and her own sin and be accountable for it, either in repentance to be born again, or at the white throne judgement for condemnation.

JUDGEMENT AND CONDEMNATION – SIN’S RESULTS

Their sin had condemned them and their expulsion was the sentence. This last consequence of sin is JUDGMENT or CONDEMNATION . Notice God’s action in this verse from {{Genesis 3:24 “So HE DROVE MAN OUT; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life.”}} God drove them from the Garden and never could they return. They were now to live in a world reacting to the curse, populated by people in rebellion against God, who came under condemnation and the judgement of God because of their individual sins. The tree of life was forbidden to them. What a terrible condition their present position was - condemned by sin; and of the utmost seriousness - condemned by God. This was now to be their lot.

May we never think we are morally or intellectually better, or religiously cleverer than those two. That would be a deluded presumption. Just yesterday I preached on this verse – {{Galatians 6:3 “If anyone THINKS HE IS SOMETHING when he is nothing, he deceives himself,”}} and its parallel verse – {{Romans 12:3 “Through the grace given to me I say to every man among you NOT TO THINK MORE HIGHLY OF HIMSELF THAN HE OUGHT TO THINK but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith”}}