(1) Nine years ago, after seeing the movie ‘Toy Story’ many times over, I wrote a four week study guide using clips from the movie and corresponding Bible passages, to be used with teens. I am using it again in Sunday School with our teens and we have had good discussions about relationships and conflict resolution.
One of the sessions has the title of ‘When You Discover That You Are Not Who You Think You Are.’ The clip that I use features one of the lead characters, Buzz Lightyear, discovering that he is not the ‘Space Ranger out to save the universe’ that he thinks he is. He realizes that he is a toy when he sees a commercial featuring him available at the local toy store.
As a result of this devastating situation, Buzz finds himself in the grip of a kind little girl who makes him a tea time partner named Mrs. Nesbit complete with apron. Well, character sidekick, Woody rescues Buzz from his situation, but has a more difficult time getting him to remember that he is Buzz not Mrs. Nesbitt because self-pity has set in after having the illusion of his power and identity shattered.
Now I know that I have shared this illustration before but it illustrates one of the realities of sin and sinfulness when we face the truth that we are not who we think we are. But there is more to the story that I will share in a moment after this brief clip called ‘Wake.’
(2) Clip called ‘Wake’ from Bluefish TV.
(3) Buzz and Woody find themselves in the very serious and stressful situation of being at the mercy of the boy next door, Sid, who likes to destroy toys and will soon strap a large firecracker on the back of Buzz sending him into oblivion. The reason is due to a series of events caused by a wake of jealousy that Woody has toward Buzz creating conflict with Buzz as well as the other toys in the room.
This morning we are considering the second phrase of the 51-Word Bible, ‘Satan’s Deception.’ And I believe that his deception, which we have bought into, has created a wake of death, destruction, pain, and alienation with God and from the life we have been created to live.
This morning as we consider the seriousness of our sin and sinfulness, I would have us reflect on question raised in the clip, ‘What will the residue of your life leave?’
Dan Cornie tells about a man who purchased a white mouse to use as food for his pet snake. He dropped the unsuspecting mouse into the snake’s glass cage, where the snake was sleeping in a bed of sawdust.
The tiny mouse had a serious problem on his hands. At any moment he could be swallowed alive. Obviously, the mouse needed to come up with a brilliant plan.
What did the terrified creature do? He quickly set up work covering the snake with sawdust chips until it was completely buried. With that, the mouse apparently thought he had solved his problem.
The solution; however, came from outside. The man took pity on the silly little mouse and removed him from the cage.
Cornie concludes with this important insight, ‘no matter how hard we try to cover or deny our sinful nature, it’s fool’s work. Sin will eventually awake from sleep and shake off its cover. Were it not for the saving grace of the Master’s hand, sin would eat us alive.’
As we consider our main text for this morning, I cannot stress strongly enough that we need the empowering honesty of the Holy Spirit to deal not just with our sins but our sinfulness as well. But more about these two aspects of sin in a moment.
Our main text today is a very familiar passage of scripture to us. Perhaps we are too familiar with it. Let’s hear it again:
Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the Lord God had made. “Really?” he asked the woman. “Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?”
“Of course we may eat it,” the woman told him. “It’s only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die.” “You won’t die!” the serpent hissed. “God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil.”
In placing doubt… and desire… in Eve’s thinking we need to first understand (4) Satan knew and knows the ways of God. He overheard the conversation that is recorded in Genesis 2:16 and 17, ‘But the Lord God gave him this warning: “You may freely eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat of its fruit, you will surely die.”
Satan, who is historically called a fallen angel, knows the ways of God because of his place and stature as an angel. However, because he is fallen due to his rebellion against God, there is another observation to be made about this passage.
(4a) Satan misleads us by lying to us. ‘You won’t die!’ he says to Eve. In saying this he misleads her, and ultimately Adam as well, because he lies to them about the results of their actions.
Five years ago Reuter’s news service published a report out of England about the World’s Biggest Liar contest that took place at a pub in Northern England. It noted that ‘George Kemp beat five-time winner John Graham last year with a string of tall tales including one about his grandfather’s greyhound which he said stopped in the middle of a race to have pups and then went on to win, followed by the puppies. The winner gets the princely sum of 25 pounds ($40) in cash, a tie proclaiming them the World’s Biggest Liar and a silver cup they can keep for a year.’
I don’t think that lying pays that well. In fact, as we read the rest of this story and the rest of the Bible, we see the price of believing the Devil’s lies and we experience the cost of them as well.
Satan misleads Eve by getting her to doubt God’s intentions and isn’t that thy way he can get us off track as well?
If we are working on deepening our faith doesn’t he ask, ‘Do you have time for this? Doesn’t your family need time? Don’t you have an appointment? Aren’t you going to say yes to overtime again this week?’ The next thing you know, the Bible and prayer and worship and fellowship get moved down the list of priorities and we wonder why we struggle with faith and trust in God. Turbulence from the wake of neglect and even disobedience to what we know is right then causes us to lose control and momentum and we falter and fail.
What takes place in this very strategic passage of scripture continues to take place millions of times a day as the voice of Satan, slyly spoken in various ways and situations, continues to whisper in our ears and souls, questions that create doubt and desire. ‘Did God really mean that? Do you believe that will happen or not happen to you?’
In James chapter 1 beginning with verse 13 we read, ‘And remember, no one who wants to do wrong should ever say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else either. Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death.”
The question that Satan asks Eve that day in Paradise creates not just doubt but desire as we read further in Genesis 3 starting with verse 6, ‘The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too.’
Action is preceded by desire and decision. Whether or not we are fully aware of our desires within that we act upon, they are there as part of our decision making process as James makes clear in the passage that we just read, ‘Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires.’
I wonder how close was Eve to the tree when Satan started talking to her? Did she get closer and closer to the tree as the serpent talked to her? Did she run to the tree as soon as the desire fully embraced her and overpowered her will to say no?
We don’t know but we know the outcome. Her decision, Adam’s decision created a wake that has affected us and in turn we, by our own choices, have created as well. The residue of Adam and Eve has affected humanity ever since they made the choice to disobey God.
(5) Sin left its wake that day in two ways. (5a) First, it left its wake in Adam and Eve’s act of disobedience and second in their (5b) attitude of disobedience.
(6) Wiley and Culbertson indicate that there are four words used in the Bible to describe sin. (6a) The first word is ‘hamartia’ which carries the idea of missing the mark or right way. Romans 3:23 is probably the best illustration of this word when Paul writes, ‘For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.’
(6b) The second word is ‘parabasis’ which describes sin as a transgression as in Romans 4:15 which says, ‘But the law brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)’
(6c) The third term is ‘adikia” which means ‘the bending or perverting of that which is right.’ 1 John 5:17 is an illustration of this verse which says, ‘Every wrong is sin, but not all sin leads to death.’ It is a word that speaks of the condition or state of sin that has distorted our heart and soul.
(6d) The final word is ‘asebia’ or ungodliness. Paul uses it in Romans 1:18 which says, ‘But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves.’ Wiley and Culbertson say that this term ‘carries with it the thought of a character unlike God and a state or condition characterized by the absence of God.’
With regard to the first term, Adam and Eve truly miss the mark of ‘God’s glorious standard’ with their decision and action. They illustrate the second term with their willful transgression of God’s rule to not touch or eat.
The third term is illustrated in the internal choice and desire to break God’s rule. The fourth term is illustrated in their running away and hiding after they realized what they had done.
Sin, then is not just about doing what is wrong, but about our desires and attitudes that tempt us to do what is wrong. Jesus gets at this deeper influence of sin in Matthew 5 when he talks about what the Jewish Law says in terms of behavior but He recasts in terms of attitude and desire.
“You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Do not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment. But I say, if you are angry with someone you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell…’
‘“You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Do not commit adultery. But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’
“You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a letter of divorce.’ But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery…’
Now today is a wonderful day, it is Sunday, it is graduation day for many, it is a time of celebration and worship. It would seem that those themes would be great subjects to preach on… and they are. This is a time to affirm 18 year olds who are ready to step into the adult world. It is a time to encourage them and root them on… and we do! It would seem then that all of this talk about sin is negative and out of place… It isn’t!
It is necessary because the world is a flawed and broken place. And it is a flawed and broken place because of the residue, the wake, left by Adam and Eve a long time ago. But… there is good news!
‘We have been forgiven!’ Sin does not have to have power over us anymore! We can be free from the power of and the death that sin brings! Jesus made that possible! Life can be lived better and with a greater peace and joy because of what Christ has done for us!
The most important thing that can be said to graduates today is that God cares and God loves and God forgives!
(7) Eventually, in the thick part of the plot, Buzz comes to realize that there is a little boy who loves his toys, including him and Woody, and that realization causes Buzz to take responsibility for himself and Woody and they work together to get free and reunited with Andy and the rest of the gang.
There is great freedom in forgiveness. When we confess our sins to God and we admit that we have done wrong; when we allow the Holy Spirit to ‘deep clean’ us and invite Him into to our hearts and souls; when we admit to God that not only have our actions but our attitudes have been wrong; and we truly repent of our sins, there is freedom!
There is an old hymn that asks the question, ‘Would you be free from the burden of sin? There’s power in the blood!’
I believe with all of my heart this morning that only when we are truly sorry for our sins and we are willing to deeply and honestly repent of them can we begin to live a life of peace and hope. But we have to take sin seriously!
We have to acknowledge that we are not who we think we are. We have a problem that we have to admit to and only when we admit that problem, namely that we are sinful and we need the forgiveness of God that comes only through Jesus Christ, and accept God’s solution of confession and repentance, are we victorious.
How is it with you and God this morning? Are you at peace with Him? Are you living forgiven? As you look back at your life to this day, what kind of a residue, what kind of a wake have you left? Where does God need to come in and work to straighten things out?
The past cannot be undone. But it can be owned and acknowledged and repented of. The future residue, if you will, the future wake that we leave, if you will, can be better, it can be different.
This morning I invite you to confess and repent as you need to. The altar is open. Use it as you need to. (8) Live victoriously! Amen.
Cornie illustration and Reuter’s story is from www. Sermoncentral.com
Wiley and Culbertson quotes are from their book Introduction to Christian Theology.
Power Points for this sermon are available by e-mailing me at pastorjim46755@yahoo.com and asking for ‘061007slides’ Please note that all slides for a particular presentation may not be available.
